Re: "Elk Lake Restaurant closing," Sept. 8.
I was raised but a stone's throw from the Tasty Spot (as the Elk Lake Restaurant was known then) back in the late 1950s. and it played a prominent role in my life.
The Newshams were the creators of the eatery and the mini golf at its side.
The Tasty Spot employed a lot of the schoolkids from Claremont High School, including my sister and me. She flipped burgers on the weekends, which paid, over the years, for a stable, tack and eventually a horse. Her wages started at 35 cents an hour and went up two or three cents a year. I washed all the windows every Saturday morning for $2 and a hamburger and a milkshake. I invested in a 1936 Ford. I still have it - unfortunately, my sister's horse died of tetanus two weeks after purchase.
The Tasty Spot was where we gathered sometimes on a Friday night with our hotrods. I remember when one of the Egland brothers bought a '67 Chevelle with a 396-cubic-inch engine, a very fast car for the day. One of Saanich's police officers arrived soon after and had a look at the Chevelle as he was heading in for a coffee.
"Think you can catch him?" I asked. "I don't have to," he said.
"Why not?" asked I.
"Because I have a radio," he said.
I always take a long look at the "Tasty Spot" whenever I am in town, and remember so many good times.
Ron Hitchen
North Okanagan
