Re: Wally's Ice Cream Shop

01/29/05 - posted by Norm Stahl

In the late 60's before a particular group of Lincoln High students got our licenses and our beater cars (and hence, we could sneak off campus to eat lunch down at Jumbos by the beach), we made the trek down to Wally's everyday. Lunch would always be a hot dog or two plus some type of drink.

The ritual for any new kid was to be asked if he wanted to feel suction. As Dave (I think that was the name of the owner) watched on, one of the guys would start spinning sitting portion of one of the stools until it reached a fever pitch. At that point he would pull up seat into the air, and the neophyte would be told to put his hand ever so quickly over the hole so as to feel the suction. As the fellow put his hand down to feel the suction, another guy would push the newcomers hand down into a mess of oily lubricant which would leave a perfectly round black circle on the newcomer's hand. Everyone would laugh, and for the next week the newcomer would have a badge of initiation.

Of couse almost to the day one week later, another neophyte would walk into the establishment, and the newest initiate would get the honor of saying..."Hey you want to feel suction?"