This is a tribute page to my childhood and memories of Cordele. Waiting on the trains, eating with the elders, church supper nights, weekends at the movies, skateboarding summers, playing at school, trips to the post office, and anything I can remember. Reminisce with me right here.

First Stop :: The Ninja Turtle Train

Growing up in Cordele made a lot of memories, many of which revolved around the media and popular events of the eighties and nineties. I remember weekends at Belk’s parking lot when it was a cruising zone for teenagers. If you had just gotten your first car or your first job in the complex, you were sure to be seen serving yogurt or dipping popcorn on a Friday night.

The smell of fresh waffle cones wavered through the wind as my parents and I browsed the menu for yogurt flavors from the new Columbia yogurt restaurant. Would it be lemon, strawberry, chocolate or vanilla? My Dad always navigated back to lemon. The memory and the smell still hovers in my memory.

Swatch watches were the big thing at the jewelry counter at Belks. I dreamed of having one everyday that I went in the store. I couldn’t decide between the fish graphic or the clear. I ended up with one per Christmas, a gift from my Grandmother. The clear jelly version was stolen the first day I wore it to school. That’s the good and bad of memory too.

Sometimes we would go see a movie, but most days we’re spent cruising around town on our bikes or skateboards. We were serious about that skateboard stuff! I became a skate Betty alongside my two boy cousins, we jumped handmade ramps, slid across parking lot markers, and searched the anything skate-able around town.

Tennis lessons were the summer thing. I would even get up early to beat the heat and ride my bike to the high school where all the kids were taking. A stop for Gatorade at the local quickie was a priority. Orange , lime or fruit punch?

It was safe to go all around town. Hard to believe. Somehow it all revolved around the trains. You were either waiting on one, or near one. When I saw this one stopped the other day, I had to write about it. One of those summers was all about the Ninja Turtles. We knew their names, and even my Mother loved the movie. The turtles were named after artists, another reason to love them. We watched it over and over. Other nights were spent at sleepovers at Grandma’s, or my cousin’s house. All-nighters playing Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, or Kid Icarus were a must! The next day it was off to the great outdoors for more adventure.

The summer of Batman was a big one. Prince was always on the radio, with a cassette ready in the player to catch it. It was a big trend and I collected anything I could find with the logo on it. Pretty good, being still popular to this day. Batman never goes out of style.

Going to school in Albany was intertwined. The skateboard fetish of the nineties mixed with Nirvana or Red Hot Chili Pepper’s music created a colorful, sunny L.A. summer. I created one of my first layaways at the new skateboard shop which later moved to the mall. Everyone was at the mall. There was always a teenage gathering with pizza and pastries, and coffee or cheese popcorn if my parents were there. Chic-fil-a meetings with visitors from Cordele were a routine on weekends. The rest of the night was spent browsing the stores and relaxing. I can still smell the smells of food courts , books, and the last treat of the night, a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Eating out was a fun pattern with my Aunt and Uncle. For many years we went between Captain D’s, where they had special strawberry and banana tarts. I still remember drooling over that whipped cream in the sliding case. T.J.’s Italian Restaurant was a weekend hot spot with a full room of dinner dates by candlelight. Small shrimp pizzas were a favorite. I was reminded of a favorite restaurant today called Great Buns. This was a fabulous little hole in the wall with a gourmet chef. Long summer swims at my neighbor’s house produced quite an appetite where dinner out followed. This is where we would go, and as a teenager I was stuck on their curly fries, but their star plate was an orange covered piece of fudge-like chocolate. A pate of sorts. Yummy!

I can also member Eats. Just a basic sandwich with chips or soup was sufficient for a summer day, and days and nights at Ramada Inn is engraved in our family’s history!

Time still goes on and we still gather, still in the same spots. Now it’s Starbucks, Taco Bell or any other staple. We’re still making memories but somehow the past still comes back.

I can assuredly say…”Sweet Memories are Made of This.”

~ McGlamorous