The Playground 1983

It was during my second month in high school, I began to hear people talk about what was called “House Music.” I also heard someone say; “they play House Music on Sundays at the Candy Store.” The Candy Store was an all-city teenage juice bar that was once called the Playground. My sister was going to the Playground not long before she graduated from eighth grade. She would go with Toni Harrison, and a guy named Poncho who lived across the railroad tracks from us on Kilbourn & Grenshaw. My sister would go faithfully every Saturday Night. One evening my sister’s best friend, Shaunda Jackson didn’t want to be left out and decided against her better judgement to go to the Playground with my sister, Toni and Faye Harrison. Shaunda, and I had an interesting history. My sister was an outgoing and very likeable girl that most people wanted to be friends with. To my detriment, if I met a chick who liked me and she met my sister, we miraculously became “family” I hated that shit! I had so many “sisters” I didn’t ask for.

 Anyhow, it was Saturday Night, My sister and her friends were going to the Playground and I was on the porch for the evening listening to the WBMX “Hot Mix Five, Ain’t No Jive Chicago Dance Party!” About two hours into the broadcast, Shaunda’s Mom showed up from work, glanced across from her porch at me asking with a snarl in her voice: “Where’s Shaunda?!” I replied: “She went to the Playground with My Sister.” Shaunda’s fate was sealed when her mom replied: “I’mma Playground her ass when she gets home!” I could hear My Sister coming inside the house as I lay half asleep. My bedroom was situated just below the hallway of Shaunda’s House and I knew that she was arriving home as well; her hallway light shining into my bedroom window as I heard her mother wearing that ass out, yelling and all! Shaunda always wanted to keep up with my sister and this time it cost her dearly. It would be at least two years before she could be allowed to go out again, and if she did it could only be if my sister was with her.

I made my own caper a few weeks later. Hearing all the talk of the Playground intrigued me. I wanted to check it out but, I couldn’t get any of my friends to go with me so, I went solo one Saturday Night. Having gotten up the nerve to go, I walked south down my block to Kilbourn & Roosevelt, past the barrel factory on Fifth & Kilbourn and over the tracks towards Grenshaw, and on to Roosevelt Road to wait for the #12 Roosevelt Bus Eastbound to Michigan Avenue which was the end of the line. There was a cold, dead silence I felt walking alone beyond deserted factories; an unpaved road of gravel under my feet reminding me of every step I took, away from my block, complete silence. It was probably a twenty/twenty-five minute ride through the Westside before making it to the south loop. In those days, Roosevelt Road became a dead end once you went east of Michigan Avenue, the bus would go half circle around before heading back west. I got off the bus and walked about two blocks over to the Playground. The owners of the Playground were said to be twin brothers. After successfully running the Playground which was essentially a juice bar in the 80’s they went on to open the Cotton Club, on Michigan & 18^th Street. I once ruined the key to my friend, Mark Thigpen’s BMW trying to open the car door to get relief from a night of drinking way too much, and hurling after I left the car for the westbound 16/18^th Street Bus Home.

As I got closer to the Playground, I saw in the distance two single file lines of people, and I heard the loudest music I ever coming from open windows above street level. The line of guys on the building walls was long, everyone had a Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt on, white, blue, Kelly green, pink, yellow, powder blue, rich pastel button downs, polo and button down combos.