Just wanted to start this thread on "dragging main". I would love to hear about some of your experiences here. Post photo's by clicking on the IMAGE BUTTON above.

Spent alot of time in Marchelle Bohon's vw bug...talk about cheap night of entertainment..what did gas cost?

The summer before I started dating Dixie Ramm, Chuck Rives and I were on Main in Chuck's 64' Ford (oil guzzling 6 cylinder). This carload of girls pulled up beside us in a 59' red and white Caddy, and offered us an invitation to climb in and drag Main. We did! The envy of a lot of other guys, we proudly allowed all observers to see us patrolling Main in that gorgeous red boat with girls driving us around. (I married the driver of that car in 1967. She's still driving me around!

Dragging Main Street was an important part of growing up in Roswell.  We learned from our older siblings and drove the family car many miles around Greer's down to Wylie's and back to Greer's.  There would be an occasional side trip to Pop's or the A&W Root Beer stand on Main.  Wednesday night was jumping after the "sorority" meetings broke up.  All the Chums honking their calls and Pals answering with their horns blaring.  My parents would let me and my comrades, Tommy Cooper, Larry Horton, et al, go out but had to be "in this house by 9:00".  Main Street was a great place to escape and be "cool", well as cool as you could be in a four door '58 Chevy or Cooper's Granny's '52 Chevy that would go 35 mph downhill.

If I recall, gas was like 25 cents a gallon then except when there was a gas war going on and it was in the teens!  My parents let me take the family car out - a 1957 Chevy - one night a week - but my Dad had a problem with it - it seemed that the brakes always needed to be worked on the next day!  But, the most fun I had was when Sherry Witt and I got to take their 1930 something Plymouth out to drag Main.  Her name was Gertrude.  Sherry - or her older sister Linda,  whoever was driving  - had to start pumping the breaks half way down the block if they saw a red light coming on - darn car had a major problem stopping!!!!  But the horns on both cars were forever faithful!!  What absolutely GOOD fun that was.  When I used to go back to Roswell to visit my family, I would show my son, Tim who was about 12 or so, what we did and he was like - this is what you did for FUN, Mom ???  I told him - you betcha!!!!!  Lots of fun!

I remember when I was in Middle School in Artesia, we would go to the gas station and buy 5Cents worth of gas to put in our lawn mower!!!!

Type-O. We could not have been in a 64 Ford because it was only 1963. So..it was a 54' Ford. Duh!

Dragging Main - great memories ---------- some not so great.

Hit a car from behind my soph year, think Tommy Williams and Chuck Rives were unfortunate enough to be in the car.  But we drove away.

My last trip down Main, with my future Bride (Janis Tarleton) in 1967 we were hit from behind at the light in front of the Ballard Funeral Home.  Were in my dad's car and it was a mess,  his comment to me was "Why aren't you like normal kids and out necking instead of driving up and down Main Street.  He was unwilling to acknowledge that "dragging main" was normal.

Does anyone remember the 3 foot ditch behind Greer's they dug up to slow down the traffic???? 

I remember befor wrecking my Dads 57 Chevy, I was with Tommy Lunsford and a couple other guys. We decided to drive down to Artesia and drag main down there. (bright idea!!!!)

First thing happened was when we pulled into R&W the local goons popped my hood and unplugged the distributor wire. Fortunately they did not take it. Back then, none of  the cars had a remote latch like our cars do now.

After we left there the "GOON SQUAD" was not about to let the "ROSWELL BOYS" get away without a bit of fun on their part.

There was a 4 lane highway that we were driving on and three of their cars boxed us in and started slowing us down ready for a fight.

I turned right on a road that tee'd into a gravel road. When I made the turn a '55 Chevy was on my bumper. I threw it in to second gear and popped the clutch, fish tailing and throwing gravel and rocks. Last I saw the '55 Chevy in my rear view mirror, both head lights were blown out. We did NOT stick around to see if his windshield survived! In all the confussion we lost them and made it back to Roswell without them catching up. 

Did not make back to Artesia again as we totaled the '57 chevy 2 weeks later.

You're right Ken. We were with you and I think it happened in front of the Plains Theatre. That little VW was a swift car with that Porche engine. I recall one evening on Main when Chuck and I were with his older brother Harold. Harold and a TT football player (huge) named Steve Stevens (not our classmate). A car stopped in front of us to cause trouble. Steve unnfolded out of the car..they left. Also the night Herb Finney screeched to a stop in his hot-rod Plymouth in Carmello's parking lot. He was immediately surrounded by a herd of much smaller gang members seeking to do him harm. We watched din awe as giant Herb thumped one head after the other. Wow..what a car.

Your correct the Pig had the best pie in town.

i think the third drive-in was up north on Country Club road, but i dont remember the name. could it be Lakeview or Lakeside.

The other drive inn was Jingle Bob

Scotty you get the prize, it was in the vacant lot across from the other High School (GHS). it didn't last long.

The VW with the Porche motor...does anyone know which Porche motor it was? 

One of the most memrable events dragging main happend when Donnie Wingfield and I were heading north on main in front of the Court House when Donnie pulled a pistol out of my golve box. The pistol goes off, and the cop behind us pulls the car next to us over.  I suppose that would have to have been an early example of profiling, as it was a car load of Mexicans.

Jerry Cooper had an old English made car, the make excapes me, in which the steering wheel was not fastened down.  We were north bound in front of the Institute when Jerry pulls the steering wheel off and hands it to Robert Stevenson, sitting in the back seat,  and tells him "Here, you drive awhile". Robert wigged out.

My dad had a 57 Olds that was an absolute sleeper. Got in a drag race with Jimmy Chappel for $5.00 of gas. Beat his Pontiac powered 55/56 Chevy with ease, Chappel didn't have $5.00, I guess he figured it was a no brainer, and we waited at Greers for an hour, if not more, while he went and rounded up the cash.

I have about ten stories envolving Donnie Wingfield, poor guy had a lifetime of bad luck dragging main.

What was the name of the first one drive-in? I only see two.

One thing about draggin Main... the cars.  Often the cars we and other people had really (honestly) wouldnt pull granny off a roller skate... but we ALL had a Sun Tach and many had Slicks.  There were a lot of cars that never made it out of the driveway... at least in my case.  But even if the car was a dud, the scene and the people didnt care. 

 Food was good even when it was bad.  How many of you ate or still eat french fries dipped in a chocolate shake ? 

There was a drive in or maybe just a gas station-truck stop near the "Y" toward Portales Hwy.  Not the "Y" in town where A&W was.  I remember it vaguely because we would stop there after a small race on the Portales Hwy.  Did it have a name ?

YES LINDA, I DO REMEMBER WITH A SMILE THE COUNTLESS TIMES WE DROVE THAT 9 MILES BACK AND FORTH AND LAUGHED AND SWAPPED SEATS IN THE CAR AT STOP LIGHTS.  ALSO REMEMBER GETTING IN SOMEONE ELSES CAR TO DRAG AND COMING BACK AND FINDING THE VW SETTING  CROSSWAYS IN THE GREER'S STALL.  ALSO GOT BUSTED WHEN MY DAD CLOCKED THE MILEAGE ON THE VW(BECAUSE OF NO GAS GUAGE) AND RIPPED ME A NEW ONE FOR PUTTING 45 MILES ON THE CAR IN ONE EVENING(DOESN'T SOUND LIKE MUCH NOW DAYS!)

The restaurant was probably Price's Truck Stop which just recently closed. It was owned by Gene Price.