Butch Finally Gets To Go Out To Eat In The ‘60s

I honestly don’t ever recall my folks taking our family out to eat to an actual restaurant when I was a youngster. We went to hundreds of cookouts and family gatherings at my relatives’ homes . . . the Dales, Cohees, Wells and Hamptons, and the food served on those occasions was phenomenal! But when I obtained my driver’s license in 1965, I was ready to take a good-looking gal out to eat. By that time, I had been making big money . . . detasseling corn for 60 cents an hour, baling hay for $1 an hour, and my steady income of mowing yards in town for $1 each. I was wealthy!

So where did teenagers go to satisfy their food cravings in the ‘60s? The cheapest fast-food establishment was the Satellite on South Washington street, and then later on . . . two Justrite restaurants were built . . . not sure when . . . one on South Boulevard and the other on Darlington Avenue (where the Forum is located now). However, kids wanted places to congregate, see their buddies and prospective boyfriends and girlfriends and catch up on the latest gossip. The main gathering places were Zach’s A&W just south of town, the Dog-n-Suds on US 136 East, and on further east…the Country Diner, which was located near the Ben-Hur Drive-In theater . . . all great places to park your hot car (or in my case the family station wagon), order from the speaker system, have your meal delivered and watch the cars full of kids circle the lot . . . “Yes, I would like a large Coke, fries and a cute waitress with nothing on it!” I wonder how many times they heard that from teenage boys?

Zach’s and the Dog-n-Suds were both known for their coneys, onion rings and root beer, while the Country Diner specialized more in hamburgers, tenderloins and fountain Cokes . . . especially “vanilla Cokes.” Then of course, there were places to satisfy our desire for ice cream . . . the Dari-Licious and Big Dipper . . . and I believe there was another one on the west side of town . . . the Dari-Delite.

One summer, between my junior and senior year, to get in shape for the upcoming basketball season, on two occasions two of my friends and I jogged from Darlington to the Dari-Licious (about 8 1/2 miles one way). We each drank a milkshake . . . and jogged back. Crazy!

Now . . . what to do if you wanted to take a date to a “fancy” restaurant? Well, I can remember a couple that stand out in my mind . . . the Redwood Inn (located south of town) and the Apple Grove (located on West Market). But my favorite restaurant of all was northeast of Darlington, just across the county line . . . Miller’s Restarurant in Colfax. Even though there was usually a long line of customers, it was worth the wait. Their specialty was fried catfish, and back then a 3-piece catfish supper, including onion rings, cole slaw or salad, bread and butter and a drink was $3.25. The owner, Jim Miller, and his wife, Mary Ellen, had purchased an old beer joint and turned it into one of the premier dining establishments in Indiana. With several dedicated and loyal employees, like Velera Cain of Darlington, the Millers served over five million customers during their ownership of the business. Not only local people and those from neighboring counties ate there, but it also attracted a few celebrities, including Indy race car drivers Johnny Rutherford and A.J. Foyt, and frequent guest Richard Afflis (the wrestler known as “Dick the Bruiser), and Channel 4 TV star Curley Meyers. And if Indiana played Purdue at West Lafayette, it was good to arrive early because of the large crowd.

The Miller family sold the restaurant in 1995, and five years later it burned to the ground at the hands of an arsonist. In Colfax today the only reminder is a Miller Restaurant sign proudly displayed near downtown. But hold on folks, you can still savor delicious catfish and onion rings . . . at Stookey’s restaurant in Thorntown. Well, gotta go . . . writing this column made me hungry!

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.