I wanted to thank fellow North Elmhurst native Chris Byrnside for his contributions to this. He's got a great memory and an even better sense of humor.

Love the hyperlinks to North Elmhurst hot spots!

How about Doti Liquors??

Well George, I can't say that Doti Liquors was a part of my growing up, but I love those family-owned businesses in North Elmhurst that have been around a long time.

Great article! I too grew up hearing gunshots and the roars of aircraft. The Maywood Sportmen's Club is still there and the sounds of gunfire continue up there.

I remember when my parents had me go to the Little Shopper (or as we called it, The Little Store) to get the newspaper or other items. Also got my hair cut in the same strip mall. The barber had all these clown pictures on the wall...

Let's not forget we also had Steven's Steakhouse or the sledding hill at Crestview!

Thank you very much Brian. I'd love to claim Steven's Steakhouse as part of North Elmhurst, but it was simply out of district. I used to go to that barbershop, too. But after the barber once cut open my earlobe and then blamed me, I neve returned. I don't remember the clowns on the wall, but that could explain some other issues I had growing up.

I have several thoughts on Jo-Jo's/The Little Shopper, along with Crestview Park and some Bensenville stories, so maybe I'll revisit North Elmhurst in a future blog.

Andy's Pizza was the BEST!! We'd get pizza from there every Friday!! Growing up in North Elmhurst was so much fun, creek jumping was always a favorite to me and when my friends from South Elmhurst would come to my neck of the woods, they thought I was crazy! I played for the Elmhurst North Softball league for 4 years...Crestview Park is a staple in my memory, and I am always bringing my kids there when we go to my parents house to visit. Jerry (the owner of Jo-Jo's) knew me & my family on a first name basis and he always gave me a free piece of Bazooka gum.

I love going back to my parents house (I only moved to Villa Park) and hearing the pops from the Gun Club...it's the sounds of home!! I am so used to the landing patterns of O'Hare that I don't even notice them flying over anymore...

Great article Dave, thanks for taking the time to write about our fantastic corner of Elmhurst!!!

The article made me giggle. I love that some of my friends have written to you as well. Thanks for walking me down memory lane again! My parents just (hopefully) got an accepted offer on their Elmhurst house, so I will not get to visit that area of town any longer. :(

Crestview Park, creek jumping, the power lines on the way to the wooden park (which I LOVED by the way).

We always had war games that we played with the airplanes that flew over head. And once I moved away, I missed the sounds of the airplanes going over head. What kind of games will my kids play while growing up?

Thanks for sharing your memories.

Thanks Rachel and Teresa for the compliments. I'm very happy to see that people remember North Elmhurst the way I do, at least to some degree.

Rachel: You're the first response I heard that echoed my thoughts on Andy's Pizza, and I'm glad to hear you mention Jerry's name. I kind of looked at him as our version of The Soup Nazi, but I loved the guy.

Teresa: If your parents' house is like every other sold home, my guess is that it'll be a teardown. I grew up on Van Auken between Gladys and Armitage, and I still drive by once in a while. I think there are four new homes on that street (including the one I grew up in), and the street looks totally different now.

Omg. This is such a great article. I've lived in North Elmhurst all my life and you hit all the great memories especially "The Spot"! I love that place. Growing up in North Elmhurst made all the difference. And the airplanes overhead... I still forget that they are their sometimes haha. The powerlines.. what a great landmark to adjust the unicorporated haha. I Love this article!

Thanks Amber.

It was our little piece of heaven!! Your article brought back such sweet memories of a more innocent time. I still live only five minutes away, under the roar of planes. I remember walking to Jo-Jo's when I was just a little kid with my friends, something kids today really aren't allowed to do. I have fond memories of skating and sledding at Crestview park, let's not forget it was also a elementary school. My parents still live in the house I grew up in, although the neighborhood has changed with the tear down of some homes and the building of bigger ones. North Elmhurst will ALWAYS be the place I call Home. Thanks for the great article and for the walk down memory lane!!!

I lived north of Churchville and I remember cutting through the field to get to school (Conrad, then later Churchville). The field was a shortcut for me to get to Conrad but there were no sidewalks then for me to use to get to Churchville. I don't think kids even walk to school now much less are expected to cut through a field to get there.

Yes the wooden park! And the path ...
And everytime you'd be on the phone at your house outside, you'd have to tell the person on the line hold on a plane is comin' I won't hear you...then you wait an return to your convesation.
We also had a lot more fun doin more mini bike and atv included adventures than the kids grown up on the South Side. We were in un-incorporated Elmhurst, so that meant you needed the Sheriff to come and inforcw the law in our neck of the woods, so we weren't hounded by the Elmhurst squads drivin through our area so we had a lot of flexibility. I'm sure that Strat and Sonny V. And my brothers remember these good times!

Janet, skating and sledding at Crestview (and the warming house) was one of the bright spots of North Elmhurst.

Cindee, I was thinking about the same thing when it came to walking to school. Walking through Crestview in the snow was BRUTAL!

Jill, I totally remember how the timing of airplanes overhead controlled our phone conversations, and I remember Sonny V. He lived right next to the Wooden Park, right?

Yes he did, and him and his Russ and Clyde my neighbor and Strat would always be working on cars or bikes or hot rods and mini bikes and things.

I still live in the North Elmhurst neighborhood, my kids go to Churchville and Conrad and they go to Crestview park to play. Jo-Jo's is gone... the Indian guy that bought it moved it to a smaller store front at the Little Shopper and really just sells cigarettes. Doti's is still there. Elmhurst North baseball playing on Palmer's Indians with Chris Burside and I think you too Dave.

I wasn't on Palmer's Indians, by Byrnside was. I played on his A's team. He was one of my favorite coaches.

WOW Memory lane here :-))
I'm seeing some familar old names in this string
As you grew up down by Galdy's , I was bewteen Northend and Fullerton
First moved to Elmhurst .. there were gravel roads and ditches.
VanAuken was then called Wilson .. lived at 3N050 Wilson
Not sure if anyone remembers the treefort at the corner of Crestview and Vanuken / Wilson
We were thre first class to go all three years at the new Churchville .. We used to get bussed to the old Churchville for gym class ( Mr. ZAK ) The new gym was under construction and was finish just in time to graduate in
Remember Brown's Hill .. started at the top of Adele
Burning leaves in the ditches in the fall in front of our houses and running behind the misquito man / truck. So far we turned out normal
How about the hunting with BB guns and fishing in the cemetaries ponds Used to ice skate on those ponds before Crestview was bulit

Added some photos today... Crestview Park, "the Hill" and the warming house/pre school.

Cool. Thanks Glenn

I grew up in North Elmhurst and will always call it my "Hometown". ....Even if I was born in Phx, AZ.