Night noises, aromas, and other memories

Egerton Chang, Contributor

Growing up 'under the clock' on Half-Way Tree Road was a charming concoction of sights, sounds, aromas, and tastes.

Where I grew up at 86 Half-Way Tree Road (Chang's Emporium) was directly beside the world-famous Glass Bucket, which was latterly to become the White Elephant and VIP Club and now Scotiabank. Entertainment was mainly on weekends, and, therefore, we were accustomed to bands playing into the wee hours. I guess my family viewed the noise situation from a more tolerant 'live-and-let-live' position than nowadays.

From the late 1950s, Byron Lee and The Dragonaires were regularly featured. As early as 9 p.m., the MC would be heard on the mic repeating, "Testing, testing ... one, two, three." The band would then rehearse a few songs, with each instrument or group playing solo pieces to see if they sounded right. Then, occasionally, the entire band would join in.

Fats Domino, Xavier Cougat, the Merrymen of Barbados, and the Mighty Sparrow were among those featured at Glass Bucket. In addition, there were numerous stage performances by local acts, from Laurel Aitken in the late '50s to Bob Marley in the mid-'60s. There were rumba dancers, magicians, table tennis tournaments, go-go dancers in cages, beauty contests, and the iconic Teen Age Dance Party was hosted there for a period.

Poppa built a stage on which to stand and see over our back wall straight into the club. Numerous friends and business associates were invited to view stage shows at Glass Bucket from time to time free of cost.

We, being young and naughty, used to do mischievous things like entering the club's changing room from the ventilation hole in the roof and throwing 'cracker balls', otherwise called 'she-boom', on the dancers and revellers. Our fertile minds quickly developed a way to drop these cracker balls on to the dance floor without making them burst, only to combust when stepped on. Imagine the surprise on the faces of unsuspecting patrons.

On the other side of our supermarket was Powell's Bakery (now Clock Tower Plaza), where the scent of fresh bread and other baked confections would fill our nostrils from early morning. Unfortunately, Powell's burnt down in the late '50s, with the sight being in plain view from our second-floor dining room which overlooked Powell's. That was one of the biggest fires - which appeared even larger than life as it unfolded less than 100 yards away - I have ever seen.

Brown's popcorn factory

A little later, by the early '60s, Brown's popcorn factory was established at the back of Burke's Texaco service station at 80 Half-Way Tree Road. We young boys, having arrived from school sometime around 2-3 in the afternoon, would delight in the smell of fresh popcorn, some being sweetened with molasses, others being salted. The aroma would signal it was time to go and 'beg' some popcorn. 'Busha' Strudwick, the manager, would be more than happy to give us a handful or two each.

Powell's had a stable of horses which were used to deliver bread very early in the mornings. We would wake up to horse-drawn carriages with the piercing staccato sound of horse shoes on asphalt from as early as 4:30 in the morning. Powell's also had a blacksmith and a saddlemaker, the latter being responsible for maintaining the harnesses and saddles for the carriages. He also doubled as a cobbler. I used to enjoy the smell of leather and the high I used to get from the whiff of fresh shoe dye being applied to virgin leather.

How many remember there was a horse trough used for watering horses on Hope Road very near to the Clock Tower at a place variously called Brim Brimble and Band Box, but now Ideal Betting? It was not removed until the mid-'60s. Was this trough placed there for watering horses at the halfway point (between Kingston and Constant Spring), or was it placed there because of the needs of Powell's Bakery?

The tastes around Clock Tower were diverse, yet enjoyable. In addition to Powell's Bakery and Brown's Popcorn, there was Dairy Farmer's at 78 Half-Way Tree Road, which is now FirstCaribbean International Bank, previously CIBC. There were hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as ice cream sundaes, banana splits, Slim Jims, etc, to be had.

YORK PHARMACY

Taste buds got uplifted a bit when York Pharmacy was opened in the very late '50s by the Matalons. This ultra-modern pharmacy featured a soda fountain which dished up all kinds of fast foods such as hamburgers and all types of ice cream pleasures. York served the very best old-fashioned burgers (or so my memory tells me). I remember, having passed my Common Entrance Exam in October 1961, being treated to hamburger at York by one of my older brothers. (The school year used to commence in January.) Boy, that burger was delicious! Glen died, as a passenger in a motor-vehicle accident, within two months in late November that same year, making that memory bittersweet but nonetheless indelibly etched.

Momma used to enjoy, especially, the special suey mein of Asia and other Chinese restaurants around Clock Tower.

Sometimes late at night, one could hear the fog horns of ships in the harbour. It is not often realised that the ambient background noise at that time was almost non-existent, so that it was indeed possible to hear this sound from the harbour all the way up to Clock Tower.

Occasionally, fights would break out between customers of Glass Bucket, the parking lot being immediately below my bedroom window. These arguments were mostly between males, but occasionally a girlfriend or wife became involved.

My uncle operated a bar immediately below my parents' window. Patrons, always lively and boisterous, often turned arguments into fights, turning colourful words into brute force. Uncle installed a skittles table, which just added fresh fodder for the intoxicated. My brother, Victor, and I became skittles champions even though having to stand on beer boxes to play. Many a bet was won and lost on these matches. Man, nothing was nicer than the salt fish fried with pepper for the bar's regulars!

P.S.: It is now official, Miller has conceded to MURKOWSKI. That makes my prediction of Democrats 51, Republicans 47, Independents 2 in the US Senate dead on target.

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