Gabachos had their American Graffiti; we Chicanos had something similar in Corpus Christi, Texas. The drive-in was called Picks. Not sure when Chicanos started to hang out there, but anyone with a bad ass car could be found there. I was not one to have such a car; I drove a ’57 Ford Fairlane at the time.
There are numerous stories to tell about the place, but one I always remember was when someone I knew came walking and asked me to take them to get their car. It seems that they had decided to pick fights with gabachos and bit off more than they could chew. So I got some friends to accompany us to the location, just in case the gabachos were still looking for my buddies who did not know how to count.
Almost across the street from Pick’s was the Butter Crust Bakery at 2002 Ayers. What a lovely place, the smell of fresh bread and friends to hang out with.
You could smell the place before you saw it. The mouth-watering aroma of fresh baked bread.
There’s no telling how many local schoolkids toured the Butter Krust Bakery during its 65-year existence in Corpus Christi. But the whirring machinery, huge vats of dough and rows of buns heading through the giant oven paled in comparison to the conclusion of a tour: a slice of hot, fresh baked bread to sample. Heaven.
Some time in the late 60s or early 70s, Paulino Bernal quit his conjunto and changed his life. His band was among the most popular at the time. Many others and I loved the sound of his music. Bernal toured Vietnam with Domingo Pena. Paulino Bernal started singing Christian Music. The following is one of my favorite Christian songs sung by Paulino Bernal.
In 1968, Conjunto Bernal was invited to Vietnam to entertain the troops as part of the USO. For 21 days they toured with the help of three helicopters. The musicians were in one aircraft, the instruments in another, and the soldiers that were protecting them were in the third.
“We would go down there to sing to those guys,” Bernal said. “Guys from the Valley, El Paso, San Diego, California, from all over the United States.”
There is much more of Paulino Bernal’s story in the Source just above. Click on it to discover the fantastic life Paulino Bernal led.
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