By Randy Haglund
When I was in High School, Friday nights meant football at Joe Albi Stadium.
We were treated to a triple-header every week. My school, the Shadle Park Highlanders, could expect to get trounced nearly every time. History tells us that my alma mater struggles whenever they don’t have a quarterback with the last name of Rypien.
But we always went to the games. All of them. (This was before I had become convinced that football causes winter. For more on that go here).
Most kids went to the game for three reasons.
- To watch football
- To watch cheerleaders
- To consume alcohol
I wasn’t one to imbibe, though I admit I found some of the cheerleaders intoxicating.
Six years before I went to Shadle Park, my older brother, Rick, went there and he went to all of the games, too. Today, I’m telling his story.
On the Friday night in question, Rick and seven of his friends went to the stadium. He must not have been sixteen yet, because they were on foot. Albi Stadium was only about one-and-a-half miles from our house. As the boys headed down the Rowan Avenue hill, one of them got the wise idea to stick out his thumb.
Rick said, “Ri-ight! Like someone is going to stop and pick up eight high school boys!”
To their surprise, a green Chrysler station wagon pulled over to the curb at that very moment.
For those of you born after 1970, let me try to explain what a station wagon is. In the 1960’s there were no mini-vans or SUV’s. If you had a large family, the vehicle of choice was the trusty old station wagon. When I was a kid, riding in the back of a station wagon was a thrill exceeded only by riding unsecured in the back of a pick-up. Something I did many times, and nobody ever raised an eyebrow.
But times have changed. I would never have let my kids ride in the back of a pick-up. And I always made them buckle up in the car.
Back in the days of the station wagon, if it was equipped with seat belts, they were largely ignored and usually regarded as a communist conspiracy. What was fun about the station wagon is that you could lay down in back. Maybe catch a few winks. Or if you were small, you could sit up and look out the back.
When this particular boat of a car pulled alongside, Rick immediately called shotgun. One of the boys slid into the middle of the front, three more across the backseat. The other three opened the hatch and sprawled on the back deck of the wagon.
When the car didn’t pull away immediately, Rick looked over at the elderly gentleman behind the wheel. “You’re going to the game, right?”
With fear in his eyes, the old man pointed a trembling finger at the house he had stopped in front of.
“I live here.”
Dead silence.
Then someone burst with laughter. Followed by everyone else, including the chagrined driver. The boys started piling out when the old man said, “No wait! I’ll drive you down to the game. Get back in the car.”
Rick never forgot that night. And so he told the story to me.
And now you know it, too.
***
Did you ever hitchhike? Or pick up one? Tell us your best story.
Great story. Made me laugh (not quite out loud). 🙂 I don’t recall ever hitching a ride with strangers and rarely picked anyone up but I do remember one strange event. I worked near Wellpinit, WA and was driving to work one frosty morning and passed a pedestrian heading the other way just south of where Hwy 231 crosses the Spokane River. He had crazy hair, dried blood all over his face, and a hole burned or torn in the back of his shirt and jean vest. I looked around for the wreck and swung around to offer assistance. While driving to his home near Ford, WA, he explained that he and friends had been partying near Reardan and went off the road coming home. He had been walking off and on for hours and had no idea about the condition of his friends. Partying with friends can be rough business in these parts.
I remember you telling me this story before. Bizarre. Thanks for sharing. I haven’t hitchhiked since High School and have rarely picked someone up. But a few times when it seemed fairly safe and someone really needed help. No good stories though.
When I was in high school (LC) I got stranded at Albi cuz my stepsister took the change we were able to gather and got on the city bus without me. I was able to get enough change to get on another bus and got to downtown, but had to walk from downtown to 22nd&Lincoln around 11pm. Interesting , got home before said stepsister. Who knows what she did to arrive home later than me 😳🤣
I never knew you were a south hill girl. Were you at Albi for a triple header? Did you ever ask your stepsister what happened?
Yup, South Hill girl and now Kendra lives just 5 blocks east of my childhood home. I love it up there. Love all the different architecture.
It probably was a triple header but I can’t say for sure, but know it was late when I was walking up the Monroe street hill.
Never did hear what my stepsister was doing during that time. Probably hanging out with some guy. I was just shocked that she left me standing in the parking lot as she rode off.
I never had the guts to hitchhike or to pick up a hitchhiker but I do have some history with Joe Albi Stadium. My husband gave me a ride home from one game in our junior year of high school . I had sort of hitched a ride to get to the game by riding on the bus with the band. My bike was waiting for me back at the school and I had planned to write it home from there. Ray put my bike in the trunk of his car then drove me home. The following week he asked me out on a date to go to the game. There were always three games consisting of competitions between the six schools in the district. We stayed for all three games which was a surprise to my mother because I didn’t get home till after 11 and she grounded me. Of course we did not have cell phones so that I could let her know what I was doing. That was a game that my school Rogers played against Gonzaga prep. We lost 66 to 6 per usual. Ray and I were married exactly one year later.
I love these stories! Gonzaga Prep was the most hated school by the rest of us. They always seemed to have an unfair advantage. You two sure did get married young! Seems like it’s going to take, though.