By: Bill Ward
It's May 1967 and I'm 15 years old. It's summer
break in South Roxanna, Illinois and I'm mowing lawns to raise money to buy my
first car. I'll be 16 in June and I have already taken drivers ed to get my
license. I call on this house across town that has a huge back yard with a 30
degree slope. It has a 1952 two door Chevy and a 1953 two door Chevy in the back
yard. I tell the lady that I'll mow it for $20.00 and she says, "if you'll mow
it all summer I'll give you those two old Chevy's in the back yard.
So I look them over and tell her "it's a deal!" At the end of the summer she
gave me two titles and two Chevy's! Now I'm 16 and have my drivers license so
I'm the happiest guy in town! The '53 Chevy turns out to have a cracked block
but the '52 has a six cyl that runs smooth! I sell the '53 to a junk yard for
$150 and use the money to fix up the old blue '52.
I split the exhaust and install a fox-craft three speed floor shifter! I use the
other money to buy insurance, fender skirts, curb feelers, seat covers, and a
new silver sparkle steering wheel. Then it's time to take it to the Drive Inn! I
asked the hottest chick I knew and she said "yes!" So it's off to the Drive Inn.
It's A warm August night and we have our pop corn and dogs. We folded the front
seats forward and sat in the back. What a night! I can't say what went on in the
back seat of that old blue '52 Chevy that night.
But I named the car "Blueberry Hill!" Because "I found my thrill in Blueberry
Hill !