If you were a teenager growing up in the happy days era of the 50's and 60's, then you know how special it was to meet your friends after school at the local soda fountain. Most of those soda fountains of yesteryear are gone now, except for one remaining in the East Texas city of Pittsburg.
Taylor's drug store, where Pittsburg residents have been gathering for generations, dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. Owner Holly McGraw renamed the business Karley's after her nine-year-old daughter when she bought the place three years ago.
Most of the old-timers still call it Taylor's Drugstore. Although Karley's is no longer a drugstore, it still retains its' soda fountain and McGraw is still dishing out milk shakes and banana splits, although they no longer cost ten cents and a quarter.
A lot of famous people have stopped in at Karley's: Senator Bob Dole came in for a shake break and Bo Pilgrim is a regular. But mostly, Karley's is a town meeting place where kids, teens and adults alike can eat, drink and best of all, visit with their neighbors, just like they've been doing for generations.
Joan Hallmark, reporting.
