Linda McAbee Thomas -
Crawford's - I remember one time Gene Autry was going to sing there. He and Roy Rogers were my heroes, well, along with a lot of other cowboys. ;). I talked my mom into taking me early, so I could get right up front. My dad worked at the store so my mom left me there to watch while she went to say hi to my dad. They used to set up a portable stage in the center aisle between grocery & notions. I was in front of the stage exactly where I wanted to be. I was so early they hadn't set up their instruments yet. I was more than disappointed to see, up close, a very very drunk Gene Autry stumbling around the stage, knocking things over, slurring his speech, annoying the heck out of his bandmates, and generally making a fool of himself. Needless to say he disappointed me so badly that I still don't watch his reruns. :(