You know you're from Centralia (Centrailer) Illinois when......

you remember the Doughnut Shop right across from the Fire Dept. on South Poplar

you remember returning glass soda bottles for money at one of the many little grocery stores around town

you remember when they closed Locust in street and reopened it and closed it and reopened it

you knew the smell of fresh potato chips when you drove past Kas Potato Chip Factory

you knew who Jr. Patton was

you remember the Little Toot

you had family that worked for the Illinois Central Railroad

you've been blocked by a train on both one-ways

you remember the Plaza Lounge

you bought a T-Shirt at Hap's shirt shop

you partied with your friends at the 2 trees

you know what a wat-a-burger is

you know what number next years Halloween parade is

you've attended or been in a may-fete

you've inhaled the Rockwell factory smell

you know where Wamac is

your mom bought your clothes at Hutters

you can remember Gatsby's bar

you can remember walking out of Neon's when the sun was about to come up

you could remember traffic went both ways thru the underpass

you remember going to senior skip day at the lake

you remember where maroon trailer park was and whats in its place now

you can remember playing basketball at the old community center

you took swimming lessons at the old pool with the big fountain in the center

you know the number of the steam engine at fairview park

you've drank at the plaza lounge underage

you remember those funny looking stainless steel circles being across the road by the old dairy queen (what were these)

we had a Burger Chef and Jeff fast food restaurant

Washington School was a school not an apartment

we used to drag race on Shattuac road by the college

Paul Wright had your name in his black book

you remember Locust St. being closed off in front of the downtown stores then opened then closed then opened

you may have been to Peno's bar and gotten served when you were 15

you remember Sparky and Joan from the Grand Roller Rink

you walked from High School to Turners Cafe for lunch

you remember stumbling up and down the back door ramp at Jerry's Bigger Jigger

you've partied at the Pink House

there used to be a donut shop across from the volunteer fire department ( Ralph's haircut cove is located there now)

you cruised the strip and drank beer at the shopping center parking lot ( who had their beer and w$$d dumped out by the cops?) back in the day

you went to Shores Arcade and hung out

you still crave Pizzeria food (They had the best damn pizza in town)

you remember walking a block away from the high school smoking a cig and Mr. Horner caught you

the Langenfeld had the best damn fried chicken on their buffet

Cody's Tavern was right across the street from the Langenfeld Hotel

the Little Egypt Club had the pool table with the purple cloth (please tell me others have been in there-wait I can name a few that went it there with me)

you knew what the Cherry "lite up" on the La Tour's sign meant (well when we were high school age we thought we knew what it meant)

you remember snow days and going to Stover's Hill

you remember drinking at the House of Kai ( another wonderful place for us underage drinkers at the time)

you remember going to Linda's Pantry (Linda's Panties) after a good night of drinking. Mmmmm smell that bacon grease!

you knew how to drive right to rubber road and kotex curve

you shopped downtown at the La Boutique and Toppers

you chased down the little white snow cone station wagon

you know what a Carillon Tower is

you thought Coles Creek was a beach

you're not embarrassed to tell someone your an Orphan

you spent more time at the Foundation Park Bowl while in High School than you did at home

Jeff Carlin was your sports hero

someone in your immediate family worked for the Illinois Central Railroad

pulled up through the Block drive-thru and gotten a 12 pack for a road trip

you went to Joyce's for a haircut and she had the special magazine rack containing the newest edition of Play Boy

you remember drinking at the Dungeon

you thought the Poplar Place would never make it being located in a old house

you knew where the Terminal Tavern was that mysteriously burned down ( a great place for underage drinking)

you remember the Fairview Park Bowling Alley that had the bricks in front of it that spelled out Centralia (it was located where Wendy's is now)

you can remember Mother's Bakery

you remember 7 hill's road

you went to Toy Land for all your hobbie needs

you remember the AG grocery store was located where Country Bob's is now

you remember shopping downtown at JC Penny's

you remember going to Wilson's Drug Store right across from Altadonna's Standard Gas Station

you made the trip to South Town Market and Rosie greeted you at the door

you remember the famous Long John Silvers robbery

you remember the Fox Photo that was located on the mall parking lot

we had Straiths Yamaha, Ron Ricks Honda and before that Jasper's Harley Davidson

you can remember the smell of Kas Potato Chips cooking

you can remember what Candy Bar's were produced at the Old Candy Factory (think about what was painted on the side of the building)

you have bought Peanut Brittle from "Peanut Brittle Man" while he walked around at the shopping center and downtown

you've had a beer with juvenile and you know his real name

you would ride down to Ropers Bike shop on 16th street to get your bike worked on

you remember eating at the Wagon Wheel BBQ joint

you Fred Pierson taught you and your friends basketball at the community center

you remember going to shattuac road to watch a few "gear heads" drag race

you remember Friedman Brothers Furniture burning down

you remember driving by Bill-Rick Ford looking at the new cars in the octagon showroom

you remember the Star Gas Stations on both sides of town

you remember the unsolved death of Mr. Shakespear

you remember the old community center run by Howard Cooksey along with his secretary Amy

you remember partying at the rock

you remember driving thru the underpass in either direction

you know who Gary Gaetti is

you remember what Valley Steel was

you remember the Vineyard

you watch Hollywood Candy Factory burn down

you remember Wilsons Drug Store right across from Altadonnas Gas Station