The 1970's

[Dr Wolfenstein]

They ones with rides and carnival games show up frequently during the summer in shopping center parking lots in Toronto and area. Or do you mean small travelling circuses, which I've always thought were a small town phenomenon?

  The ones with rides and carnival  games.You could walk there from home with a pocket full of coins and come home with nothing but a smile on your face.They normally set up in a vacant lot.We still get the travelling circuses although I never go.

[Pauspy]

I love this thread! I'll have to add:

-"smoking" candy or gum cigarettes while drinking Uncle ben's Root Beer ,which was distributed in "stubby" beer bottles. Kids looked like they were smoking cigarettes and downing brewskies!

-walking home alone late at night from my friend's place. Wonderful, especially in the winter-so quiet and awesome.

-went to school whatever the weather. Yeah, Ok, this sounds like one of those "I hiked 10 miles to school" things, but seriously, we didn't have school closures for weather, and we had some pretty bad weather.

-saw really grisley side-shows at carnivals you don't see any more ("death cars", etc.)

-bought .98 cent models of WW1 aircraft from the hobby store if I was too broke to buy an Aurora monster

-skated down the toboggan slide when no-one was looking

-.50 cent saturday afternoon matinees at the Hyland theatre-saw King Kong Vs Godzilla for the first time there!

[Hepcat]

-went to school whatever the weather. Yeah, Ok, this sounds like one of those "I hiked 10 miles to school" things, but seriously, we didn't have school closures for weather, and we had some pretty bad weather.

And Winnipeg would have colder weather in the winter than most posters here have experienced!

-"smoking" candy or gum cigarettes while drinking Uncle Ben's Root Beer ,which was distributed in "stubby" beer bottles.

I don't remember Uncle Ben's Root Beer in the London-Toronto area. It must have been a regional Manitoba brand.

-skated down the toboggan slide when no-one was looking

Wow! That sounds wild!

[Mego73]

Cap guns

[Zackuth]

Cap guns

I always had a cap gun for the summer.  One of my friends took a whole roll of caps (we were about , taped them to a hammer, and slammed them on the floor of his garage.  It took about an hour for the ringing to stop in our ears.

[Dr Wolfenstein]

Had a cap gun as a kid that used those paper rolls and yes I did hit single caps with a hammer but not the whole roll.Also had one that used those little red plastic caps that were in a ring.I discovered that they fit perfectly into a BB gun  (we called them slug guns here).Had fun shooting targets and have it make a popping sound when it hit.

[Hepcat]

I also hit a whole roll with a hammer in my father's basement workshop. My buddy Tony agreed that it would be a great idea. We never saw the need to do it again.

[RedKing]

Caps were so great! Anyone else remember those similar things that were little white wads you could throw and they would pop like a cap on hitting? We used to throw them at each other and pretend those were missile and artillery fire when we pretended to be giant monsters as kids.

[Zackuth]

I still get those at fireworks stands.  I throw them at the feet of everyone, wife, kids, grandkids, dogs...

[Dr.Cyclops]

We were were always impressed by the d engines rockets I believe they were. I do recall the shorty rockets that took the big engine!

A buddy and I built a much to small rocket which we designed to take a D.Unfortunately it was so unbalanced that we had to fill the nosecone with pebbles and then permanently attach the nosecone on (no parachute).Now this was a huge no-no in model rocketry but we launched it anyway.Man did this little overpowered sucker get up and go.I remember just trying to see it so I could figure out where it would land when my friend pointed to it`s fins sticking out of the ground 5 feet from me. :oThat was a close call and it`s last flight.

[Dr.Cyclops]

I still get those at fireworks stands.  I throw them at the feet of everyone, wife, kids, grandkids, dogs...

You evil bastard

[jimm]

You too!!!?

I always had a cap gun for the summer.  One of my friends took a whole roll of caps (we were about , taped them to a hammer, and slammed them on the floor of his garage.  It took about an hour for the ringing to stop in our ears.

[Zackuth]

You evil bastard

There are a few here that would agree with you!   

[Dr.Cyclops]

A few more not previously mentioned

-Water Balloon fights.

-Evil Knievel style bicycle ramp jumps.(usually with a few friends lying down sardine style)

-India rubber balls (always ended up on on someones roof)

-Making homemade monster movies with Parent's Super 8mm.

[Dr Wolfenstein]

-Making homemade monster movies with Parent's Super 8mm.

Do you still have these super 8 films? Love to see them.