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In last week's Tales of Sarasota the photograph shown was of Barnes Hamburgers on what is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Also in the picture was Sarasota's Bicycle Lady, Margaret Myrwang who came here from Washington State sometime in 1953. During World War II she served in the U.S. Army as a nurse. When she applied for membership in the local American Legion Post she was told she would have to join the Ladies Auxiliary. Claiming she was not a wife or widow of a veteran, but a veteran, she became the Post's first female member.

Margaret was a talented still-life painter and had attended Ringling Art School. She could be seen at various outdoor locations with her easel and palette capturing scenes of local color. Frequently she could be seen doing head-stands to, as she'd say, to combat brain-drain.

Directing automobile traffic at busy intersections was another of her hobbies. She would often come in to our bicycle shop and proudly tell us how many accidents she had prevented by blowing her whistle and waving her orange glove-clad hands.

Margaret passed away at age 67 in December of 1983 while in the James Haley Veterans Administration Hospital in Tampa. She left several survivors, but no replacement.

I could not let Pete's blog about Margaret Myrwang go by without a few comments of my own. I had heard that she was a talented artist and used to see her on her bike headed to the bayfront with her sketch pad. I must admit I never saw any of her paintings though. Goodness knows she had plenty of material to choose from for subject matter at our lovely bayfront. As Pete mentioned she took breaks to stand on her head which was a pretty remarkable fete since she was not a young woman. She was also way ahead of her time in that she was one of a new breed of environmentalist because she frequently had a bent Q-Tip with the ends in her nose "to eliminate inhaling pollutants".

She used to come into our shop, Sarasota Lock (nee Cycle) & Key Shop to talk to my father in law, Art Esthus, since she spoke Danish and Pops spoke Norwegian. It was a treat for both of them.

One day I was the recipient of Margaret's traffic directing. I don't know who was most frightened by it, our children or me. Eek!!!

Margaret was one of those people that every town usually has at some time...a little eccentric and certainly colorful.

After an inexhaustive survey, not conducted by your truly, I have to report that the results left me in a pickle, with nothing to beef about. The only conclusion compattyable with the results was inconclusive. But let us be not dismayonnaised.

Didn't you have a hamburger joint that had the best hamburger in town when you were growing up? We did; "Smacks". For only 40 cents, with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle and onion we were in gustatorial heaven. Seems to me, when McDonald's golden arches came to the South Tamiami Trail, their 19 cent burger was slightly larger than a silver dollar (remember either of those?), and that was their only draw. And viewed from the proper angle, the arches do form an "M".

Diane's favorite in the mid to late fifties (1953-1959) was "Barnes Hamburgers" at 1126 27th Street, just across from the Ringling Art School. No air conditioning but the screened front room offered almost bug-free eating.

The next age group was devoted to Dan & Daisy Byrd's place at the New Pass bridge on the way to Longboat Key. It seems that these three hamburger heavens each had their own recipe and the cut and grind of the beef were equally distinctive.

But alas and alack, Smacks succumbed to a fatal fire, Roy and Anita Barnes sold out and sought out other ventures, and the New Pass bridge had to be relocated with no provision for a bridge-side traffic congester.

Fortunately, replacements were waiting in the wings. How ‘bout you all sending me your favorite burger stop? No survey, no commercial plugs. I just like a "best" burger now and then. Oh yea, is that 1951 DeSoto in the picture yours?

More info on this picture next week.

Back in the 60s and 70s there was a diner on the southeast corner of Orange Ave. and Main St. Sarasota Diner was a classic Art Deco diner like those that dotted the landscape throughout America done in red, white and grey. It was "manned" by "Slim" and Ellen Brinson and Oh my, Slim really knew how to cook comfort food. Under Slim's care the diner was squeaky clean and the meals were delicious. The owner who "ran" the cash register was a gruff fellow who liked to tease kids with his yard stick. Having lunch there was a treat for our children and during the pre-Christmas rush, when we still sold bicycles, we frequently had dinner there since we worked long into the late night. It was a sad day for all of us when they "Took down paradise and put up a parking lot", literally.

After the Palmer organization kinda slowed down their activities, Doctor Fred Albee gave the Venice area a shot in the arm by developing, among other things, subdivisions, a hotel and a hospital.

But the next big push for the "People Equals Prosperity" theory came from the well-financed Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. By 1925 the BLE offered 25,000 of their 30,000 acres in 10 acre plots ready for farming. Let's see, I figure 25,000 acres to be about 40 square miles; or say 2 miles north and south of Venice Avenue, then from the gulf front go inland for about 10 miles.Now, that's a hunk of real estate!

In her booklet, Sarasota Over My Shoulder, published in 1996, author Janet Snyder Matthews muses "Looking over my shoulder at the changes wrought in only 20 years, it seems evident the true land boom has only just begun. Pasture and grove have yielded to gated golf communities, shopping malls and megastores".

According to the spring 1997 issue of Golfer's Guide, there were twenty golf courses in Sarasota County, nine of which are in the Venice area. Apparently, more people were interested in golfing than back-break'n, sod-bust'n, stoop labor'n farm'n.

My personal recollections of Venice relate to the cadets of Kentucky Military Institute, who, beginning in 1933, launched a campaign to steal all of us guy's girlfriends. Along about April or May when they returned to Lyndon, Ky, we'd go wave at the train. Then the locals would start rolling up the side walks. (The photo depicts the Kentucky Military Cadets as an honor guard for the Sara de Soto Pagent in 1949).