1970-1979

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1970-1979

1970-1979

1970, March 15

Riverside Public Safety

early 70's

Facebook post by: Steve J. Thompson of the department in the early 70's. My uncle Edgar Lee Pearce fourth from left

Clarence Carlson

I was a reserve Public Safety Officer there in the late 70s. I still have a yearly photo of the entire department. The faces don't look familiar except the officer on the right reminds me of John Morgan. We called him "Bumper", who was a character in one of Joseph Wambaugh's books. A great officer..

Then on August 24, the same year.

Some Fire Department History

Here is the truck.

Then this Ford and Chevy for the better part of the 80's and 90's.

This shot is moments before the front wall of the hardware store nearly fell on the truck. It was moved seconds before.

1970

Whizzo

Dog N Suds ad, 1971

Was located just east of Valley Lane and West Platte.

Elliot Clifford

1971

Riverside Speedway

Fast Freddie, Al Soetaert and Bob Bills

Riverside's second Quik Trip building. The first was just north of this one.

Mayor Dan Czamanske 1972

Riverside's second mayor and took over from Ferd Filger. Dan would later become a Platte County Judge.

Mayor from 1972-1976

1970

The North Twin was located east of East Slope Cemetery and opened April 5, 1970 and would close 12 years later on October 24, 1982. It was owned by Mid-America Cinema, but managed by Ralph Lee Sutton, the eldest child of Ralph and Janice Sutton, was a prolific entrepreneur, restaurateur, and dedicated sportsman, he owned and operated Big Burger Restaurant until 2003 after which time he established Shoal Creek and Amity Woods Kennels with his partner Warren Jones. As General Manager for Mid- America Cinema, he built and operated the first twin drive-in and the first multiplex indoor theater in the Midwest. He married Debra D. Beavers on April 26th, 1976, and perished with her in an automobile accident.

1970

North Twin ad

1970's Riverside Speedway

In the 70's, it was cool just to hang out before the race.

1972

Pit pass

1971

1972, February 27

mid-late 70's

Plantation Apartments

Standard Oil

Gas station in the 1970's then owned by Dale Ricker. It was the first Riverside station to accept credit cards.

It began in 1959 looking like this below

EZ WAY LAUNDRY

It was located just east of Sonic at 2707 NW Vivion Road. Among others, it had been owed over the years by Betty Wilhite and her son, Winston Peeler.

Fun House Pizza

Fun House operated from 1970 to the early 80's. The remaining Fun House was in Raytown and closed in 2017.

Over the years, the building would become home to several other business where the most notable was probably Crazy Harry's Fireworks. Second photo is how it looked as of 2017.

August 19, 1971

Riverside's First Post Office

Painting by Patricia Killen, 1970's

Provided by Michael Bushnell

A view in the 70's looking north from the old Red X.

1971. First Riverside Mid-Continent Library Grand opening

September 9, 1971

of the new Mid-Continent Library. Second photo is inside the old library in 1984. Irene Jones was an assistant librarian. This brick building is still at the bottom of Woodland Road and now belongs to a construction firm.

View of the old library in 2018.

1972

Riverside's Super Bowl connection. Ed Lothamer was a defensive tackle for the Chiefs from 1964 to 1972 and was a player in the Chief's winning super bowl 4. After football retirement, he lived a quiet life in their home, off 45th St Terrace in Indian Hills until the late 1980's. He would create one of the first companies to develop the crane that could lift and hydraulically transport cement on a job site from a cement truck through tubing and hoses.

1972, Mayor Ferd Filger.

He is standing in what would now be the Corner Cafe parking lot. In the background is the old Park a Nite Motel and the intersection of Vivion and Gateway.

1972

September 28

EZ Way Laundry was located about where the current Sonic is (2018). It was one of Riverside's first strip malls. It had at least 4-5 businesses including a chiropractor, beauty shop among others.

1972. Eagle Animal

Had been purchased by Dr. Tom Noyes from Dr. Tom Eagle in the early 60's, who continued to remodel the building.

March 24, 1972

1971-72

Riverside Public Safety Department

Front row center is Major (marshal) Vern Davis and directly behind him is Chief Gary Hohimer.

1973, January 20

Harry Asorsky was owner of Harry's Factory Outlet that was at Woodland and Gateway in the 2000's moved to Northmoor. This photo is looking north at the Gateway Line Creek Bridge.

Bottom photo is a 2018 view from about the same location. This photo was in a KC Star article about renaming old 71 highway for a name, which would end up being Gateway.

1973

Looking west on West Platte from near the intersection of Valley Late and West Platte. This is from Rick Hadley of the KC Star and was using a super telephoto lens. Immediate left is the old Post office that is now the site of a drainage holding area, next would be Red X (out of view), then the old Riverside Drive in that on weekends was a swap and shop and is now a business park. And Beverly Lumber which now gone.

1970's

Trails End Motel

It was just northeast of the Gateway bridge over Line Creek.

Rowdy Days, Strippers and Bar Fights, 1970'S

In the 1970's, this building was known by many names and among them was Daddy's Money and the Flaming Fondoo. It wasn't widely known, but it was a cover for a strip joint and the home many bar fights as well as several other locations. It's located at 4304 NW Gateway. After the liquor laws were changed by the Riverside City Council in the early 80's, it became Structo Steel owned by John West of Indian Hills who was also a former city councilman. The sold and installed chain link fence. According to Google Maps, today it is MJC Electric.

1973, March 29

Chief Gary Hohimer

1973

May

May 21, 1973

Riverside organizes a city clean up where this idea would soon lead the formation of the annual Riverside Fall Festival and Pride and Progress.

October 19, 1973--7TH HIGHEST RIVER FLOOD.

The river flooded in this year at 38.93 which was Riverside's 7th highest river flood. Flood stage is 32' and it had made it's way to the Red X parking lot.

1973, June 11

Mr. Young had closed Kiddieland and said that was one of his largest lifetime regrets. He saved his favorite pieces and some were given to the Kansas Agricultural Hall of Fame and some he sold.

1973, November

Looking east, I-635 bridge under construction.

Line Creek Flood May 20, 1974

This flood would eventually create the Homestead Road Park. In the second photo you see the long white duplex which floated away and were most of this ground was owned by Riverside's first permanent settler, Peter Brenner where Emery was his great grandson. Emery donated the land to the city to be a park.

Trailer park in Northmoor.

1974

Riverside Speedway, June 27

1974

December, Old Kern's ad.

Homestead Road Park

1974

Riverside's first park and completely built by volunteer's.

1975

January 2. Riverside Plywood and Paneling was also known as the Plywood Palace was located where the car wash is now. I was told at the time it was an accelerated fire (means likely intentional). It was popular outlet before the Gladstone Home Depot was built.

RIVERSIDE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT FORMED, JAN, 29, 1975

The Riverside Public Safety Department was formed January 28, 1975. With a limited budget, the city's first fire equipment was not luxurious. The first fire equipment in early 1975 was a 1953 Seagraves fire truck. Before 1975, there was no Riverside Fire Department. Captain Mike Shelton helped organize the first volunteer fire department which as made of both current public safety employees and volunteer's. Public safety officers were paid an additional $50 per month if they lived in the city for faster response times. Public safety officers were dual trained. Volunteer's had to attend a required fire fighting course. It took at least 4-5 guys before the pumper was allowed to leave the station. In any major fire, mutual aid was always called: Kansas City, North Kansas City, Gladstone or Parkville. Back then, only a simple movable folding wall separated the fire bay area from the council/court room.

This isn't the truck. But, it looked just like this one.

Carolina Brenner Renner

1975

Carolina was the daughter of John P. Brenner and she married Leslie Renner. They built the home that is just south of the Renner-Brenner Site Park. After her death, the estate sold the part that is now the park with the stipulation the wording on a marker have both words, "Brenner and Renner" on it and that was due to the behind-the-scenes efforts of her great nephew, Gary Brenner who had ran for city council for that purpose in 1982.

1976

Article about the old Riverside Down's Jockey Club.

1976. Ed Young's Chevy Blazer at the poles in April.

During his election campaign. This photo was taken on election day.

Mr. Young won the election where he served until 1980. He only had four or five of these campaign signs made and he admitted the photo was about 15 years old at the time. Of the three, one was at the entrance to each ward.

The first Fall Festival, September 4, 1976

(there are photos on the 80 and 90's tabs above)

The Riverside fall festival known today as Musicfest (2018) was founded in 1976 as a fun weekend for young people. Loo Rodeberg, Riverside Alderman, came to a meeting one night and expressed the long-held wish that Riverside should have a festival for children and young people. But little revenue and starting from scratch was a major challenge. Thankfully, then Mayor E.H. "Ed" Young and Alderman David Brenner said they would help. These three – Young, Brenner and Rodeberg – were the founders of today's Musicfest.

Lack of funding was a real issue. Mayor Young became a major supporter, using his own funds to ensure that the festival got off the ground. Other local residents came forward, making donations and building by hand the games and activity booths that were a key to the early festival. The clown toss, rope ladder, beauty contest stage and other festival highlights were made possible through these hands-on contributions.

Other volunteers searched throughout the metropolitan area for affordable prizes: candy, rubber snakes, stick-on "tattoos" and Halloween teeth were the most popular prizes. These prizes were often seen for days after the festival in the hand of Riverside children. During the festival itself, volunteers from throughout the community were "victims" in the dunk tank or helped by operating other games and activities.

The first festival was held on Sept. 4, 1976 and was a major success and was held for years in the field behind the old city hall which is now the Levee Building. The festival saw 700-800 participants arriving despite a virtual absence of advance publicity. The theme that year was "Riverside: Our Hometown." Organizers began immediately to plan for the second year. In the festivals third year (1978), the city of Riverside agreed to support the growing effort by underwriting activities with a $500 contribution. More prizes could be purchased and, with the handiwork of people like Dick Grogan, games such as the bottle throw were added.

In the early 1980s, Riverside's Pride and Progress committee was in full swing and operation of the festival was a natural responsibility for this organization. Under their guidance, the list of activities grew with popular events such as mud volleyball. The year of 1981 saw the first parade, an activity that also reflected the festival's emphasis on children and young people. The bulk of the parade consisted of children on decorated bicycles and tricycles, an event that finally drew some area press coverage because of the unique emphasis on children.

City-wide support for the festival continued to grow, with individuals, businesses and organizations contributing directly or through in-kind donations. The original $500 budget had grown to $2,000, allowing more prizes, fireworks and activities. In 2001 the city of Riverside contributed $10,000, allowing activities that would have been impossible in 1976. That growth also took a dramatic turn in 1999 with the incorporation of a formal non-profit group to operate the festival, Riverside Riverfest and Development Corporation. Creation of this group not only allows tax-deductible donations but also the possibility of other events, such as a spring festival, July 4th or other special event. All of these changes and improvements have contributed to the primary emphasis of Musicfest; to provide a good time for everyone in the community, especially children.

Pride and Progress.

Riverside's Pride and Progress Committee began from a growing desire to clean up and spruce up a community that did not always present its best face to the metropolitan area. The effort was founded in 1978 by Finney Young, wife of Red-X owner Ed Young.

The group worked for two years, but continued complaints about the appearance of some businesses and properties in Riverside led a group of 15-20 women to meet at city hall to consider renewed action. Among the leaders was Marilyn Brenner, wife of then mayor David Brenner, who became the group's first formal chair. They began to take action immediately.

The work also followed earlier efforts by an Associated Residents-Merchants of Riverside (ARMOR) and the city of Riverside. But the Pride and Progress work represented the longest running effort and remains active today. Marilyn Brenner admits there was something of the "vigilante" spirit in the group. "But we also used a carrot along with our sticks," she recalls with a laugh. "We didn't go up and tell someone they had to fix up their property. We said, 'Can we help?' And we did. There were many Saturdays where a large group came out. Of course, when 35 or 40 people showed up with paint and everything, it was hard to refuse!" Actually, the first outing of the Pride and Progress Committee drew a staggering 200 people. One motel received a coating of between 40 and 50 gallons of paint – in one day.

The group also tread where city officials could not. "Riverside was a fourth class community and the state did not grant things such as code enforcement," Brenner recalls. "But we could quietly encourage businesses to remove things such as old, peeling billboards." Much of their work had a snowball effect. One of their first efforts involved placement of "flower barrels," decorated drums filled with plantings. At first the group placed them one at a time, working with business owners who agreed to the decorations after a presentation. Before long, however, business owners were seeking out the group to request barrels. "Barrels started to spring up all over the city," Brenner said. "It was really very dramatic."

1978

I (Gary Brenner) first knew about this troop in 1978 where the scoutmaster was Jim Lauderdale. Jim rented from my dad in Plantation Apartments. He got behind on his rent and moved. I went inside where he had left a briefcase with a note to me. He said, "you can do it!". And I did for two years and it was later taken over by George Flaws. When I took it over, I was only 23. We went to camp in my custom van with 8 kids and where those guys got more merit badges that summer in 1979, than any other troop that summer. We were like Bad News Bears of Boy Scouts......George took it over when I got married and I continued on for a while as his assistant and he was an awesome scoutmaster.

1978, January 1

This was where the car wash it today.

1978

October 12

This was in the old John Brenner home built nearly 100 years earlier and had been owed by other since the late 1920's. Through most of the 1970's it was empty. About 24 months later, it was demolished by Winston Peeler to build the current Gateway Center. Peeler's mom was Betty Brenner Peeler (Whilhite) and was the grand daughter of John.

Lower photo is about how the house looked in 1979 and it looked in 2017.