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Blakey's (Contributed by James Harper) Was there ever a better drugstore soda fountain than the one at Blakey's? I don't know what role it played for those who came before and after us, but for Denver Harbor pre-teens of the 50s, it was mission control for all that really mattered. It was the place where friends met to gulp down cherry phosphates, ice-cream sodas and "honest" malts or browse all the latest issues from the comic book rack. It was the launching pad where plans were made for outdoor fun like sandlot baseball, swimming, biking and front-yard football. It was the docking port for our first awkward attempts at boy/girl relationships, sharing a vanilla coke after an afternoon movie at the Venus. It was the re-entry point for budding athletes and scholars who were rewarded with free banana splits for blasting a Little League home-run or acing a report card. Sadly, Blakey's influence waned as we grew older and gained access to "wheels" that took us to far-off haunts like Prince's and the old Macdonald's drive-ins on Wayside. But the pleasant memories of Blakey's soda fountain linger even through today When compared with today's ice cream stores, all I can say is: Eat your heart out Baskin Robbins.
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