Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Porkys.. no more

Lost in the 60s · President

WOW, that will suck.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

That should make the St. Paul PD happy. They have been trying to run cruisers in that area out for years. Hopefully its just a rumor. I still havent been to the new location out on this side of the cities.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

OMG, say it's not so! First went there in the mid 60's, it was part of growing up. You cleaned up and waxed your car all day Sat just to drive through there that night.

Lost in the 60s · President

Sounds like that worthless, tax money eating light rail is gonna take it !!!!!! with OUR money. The whole MET council sucks along with thier freakin' train from he!!

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Sounds like the old folks home next door bought it. Looks like they needed more room to play shuffle board I guess. Word is the light rail project will have University ave torn up for quite sometime. So cruising there would have been a wash. Its too bad. Porkys had the best onion rings. The only other place I can think of that had better onion rings was the resturaunt near Daves, sorry Dave. The name escapes me at the moment. It also appears the one out on this side of the cities on Central closed some time ago by the city forcing it.

68chevelle · Member

This is a huge bummer. There is nothing like a nice saturday night going down to Porkys. Im sure people will still be cruising.

bowtie · Secretary

The light rail construction will probably eat up University and make traffic horrid there for quite a while. I suspect they saw the drop in business coming because of that and with everything else that's happened, took the money and run. It would be cool to see them or someone else open a place like that up again.

John D · 2K+ Club

If I had some real investment $$$ (or knew people with a lot of it) I'd invest in buying the rights, sign, logos, recipes, etc. and re-opening somewhere else.
If SuperDawg can survive since '48 in Chicago...?

frank · Active Member

isn't there a porky's in desmoines i think iwas there at a car show 4th of july about 12 years ago

bowtie · Secretary

Well, kids and I took a trip down there. I had a hankering for some onion rings and nobody around here has them.... emote.img?ID=15270

The roads are already being worked on, will be torn up in some sort for quite a while. According to the shake maker, it's not closing. I think they are unaware, lying to keep business coming in, or being left out of the loop completely. If they rip up University, no old cars will be going down it until it's clear. That's a complete drop in summer income to only foot traffic. If they have had a decent offer, it might be best to take it considering all the flak they've run into over the years. This would especially tempting if the rumor of the kids not wanting to run it is true. If you haven't been there in a while, the parking lot to the east is now a giant retirement complex. Looks nice, and that is the rumored purchaser.makes sense for them since to the west and south is an empty and overgrown lot gathering garbage.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

I would be very, very supprised if the cruising comes back in a few years when all the construction is done. Especially if Porkys is gone. The Wendys and Arbys down there will see a big drop in revinue as well. The friday and saturday night crowds were when they made most of thier money.

OscarZ · Treasurer

I prefer the more organizied cruising venues nowadays (N. St. Paul, St. Francis, Anoka, Hastings, etc.). I spent a lot of time down at Wards/Porky's in the past but haven't gone for years. Sad to see it go anyway. Myself and a friend or 2 at work are going to try and make a trip down there this week so I can have at least one more shake and order of onion rings.

bowtie · Secretary

1 onion rings, 1 mountain dew, 1 vanilla shake, 1 ice cream cone in a cup=$10. Pretty good deal for what you get.

Places like that have the coolest signs too. There's an Arby's on Snelling just south of 36 that has one of the old lighted signs.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

The California burger is pretty danged good too.

seagrams72 · Active Member

The food is good, no matter what people say about a few hours afterward. I do enjoy going there, but had got a bad taste last year when I started going again.

Back in high school (this is only about 5 or 6 years ago so I am not looking back that far) we would take our cars up there on a friday or saturday night, hang out, and check out the other rides. No "horseplay" going on or drinking and dangerous driving. I took a hiatus returning again this year. Going up there this summer I would see young men (saw about 8 Justin Bieber look a likes a night) and women the same age I was back when I began going except now the respect for the place was gone. Most were drinking (case of beer set on the roof of the car) and not to mention driving off and having empties fall and smash in the parking lot. It became more of a place to hang out before curfew is up where your parents aren't going to be and you don't have to pay to be there.

This is the behavior that gets you shut down or decide to take the money and run before something bad happens.

Needless to say there are still many good people and nice cars that would frequent most weekends.

bowtie · Secretary

I agree with you, and I know there's lots of us out there that don't go on the weekend nights much or at all anymore because of those reasons. I used to hang out at the Montgomery Wards lot (now Herbergers) but the stereo guys came around and it wasn't about the cars anymore. Even when I lived on Larpenteur and Fairview within earshot of the fairgrounds, I rarely went to Porkys because of the lack of respect in people there.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

UPDATE.....................UPDATE

http://www.twincities.com/ci_17695867

bowtie · Secretary

thanks Dash for that update, actual hard information instead of rumors.

SShink · 3K+ Club

With no disrespect to the Porky's history and memories of people that grew up here... the Porky's neon sign would be killer for someone to get their hands on!

Maybe the guys from Iowa on American Pickers would buy and resell it to a real automotive collector!

bowtie · Secretary

If I ever opened up a place like that or owned a place that was for regular car cruising, I would invest in a sign like that.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

I dont care about any of that. Just give me the recipe for the batter for the onion rings. Thats it.

bowtie · Secretary

Latest rumor is that the building might move to the fairgrounds.

I wrote about in for the newsletter, here's some other interesting facts:

Porky's wife Nora opened the Nora's restaurants.

There were 4 Porkys in total: East and West Lake st, University and the VERY short lived 19th and Central location.

The mayor of Minneapolis courted Porky's to open a location on Central, even backing it when there was opposition. The neighborhood association fought harder and was able to get it closed within 2 years.

One place called the Flat-Top later became a Porky's

The Porky's on West Lake St I believe is now the home of Tryg's.

Tryg's owner Tryg Truelson is also the owner of Porky's and is Nora's son.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Noras drive in near Calhoun was still there up to the mid 00's.

John D · 2K+ Club

Tryg's is a "upscale" kinda trendy place on the site of the old Nora's by Calhoun. Lots of high-buck import stuff in the lot, and $8 martini's on weekend nights.

I think we ought to bring a few thousand horsepower worth of "American Iron" over to Tryg's on a Friday night and rattle the windows! Maybe they'll reconsider...

Lost in the 60s · President

John D wrote:
Tryg's is a "upscale" kinda trendy place on the site of the old Nora's by Calhoun. Lots of high-buck import stuff in the lot, and $8 martini's on weekend nights.
I think we ought to bring a few thousand horsepower worth of "American Iron" over to Tryg's on a Friday night and rattle the windows! Maybe they'll reconsider...
That's a rather malicious idea....

I LOVE IT......

bowtie · Secretary

He's probably a boat shoe with no socks wearing Don Johnson looking kind of guy. Maybe not. As a business, I can understand how losing all driving traffic for a couple years would really make it not worthwhile. Add into it the neighborhood issues, and it might be a good time to get out while you don't take a bath.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

The douchebags fenced off the entrance two days early today.... making the drive thru almost impossible to use. The exit still remained open.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Why bother staying open the last few days then. No point in trying to conduct business when you cant drive in there. Its a drive in resturaunt after all, not a walk in resturaunt.

Ill probably forgo heading over there saturday then.

-- Edited by Chris R on Thursday 31st of March 2011 06:55:28 PM

bowtie · Secretary

Sounds like the Saturday thing will be crazy. Facebook has a tribute page inviting people for that last night. Over 200 on there say they're going. I be nobody's expecting how big it will be. Channel 9 is having a piece on it tonight on the news too.

bowtie · Secretary

Just wanted to let everyone know, I did include Porky's in the newsletter which just needs to be converted to pdf and it will be sent out in the next day or 2.

frank · Active Member

i have been to porkys probaly more than most people and would still be going if they were open. but this tryg guy is not a old car fan. he has been heard saying at city meetings that he wishes the old cars would just leave porkys alone. don't know why he said this the place sold lots of food during fri and sat nights. i do know he ****ed off lots of people. i didn't hear him myself but the word spread fast. i think most people went anyway. there will be nowhere to park on sat. watch them back neighberhoods you might walk home.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

FLASH>>>>FLASH>>>>UPDATE>>>>FLASH

http://www.twincities.com/ci_17746093?nclick_check=1

bowtie · Secretary

Wonder how much that pig will be going for

John D · 2K+ Club

but this tryg guy is not a old car fan. he has been heard saying at city meetings that he wishes the old cars would just leave porkys alone

All the more reason to rattle the windows at his snooty $8 martini bar/restaurant!

SShink · 3K+ Club

John D wrote:
but this tryg guy is not a old car fan. he has been heard saying at city meetings that he wishes the old cars would just leave porkys alone
All the more reason to rattle the windows at his snooty $8 martini bar/restaurant!

Anyone with a sales/marketing brain would capitalize on the car culture with the history of that place. Wrong person at the wrong time!

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Word is parking will be available Saturday at the Goodwill lot across the street for a $3 donation ...The lot wont open till 5P.M.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

More updates!!!

Getting lots of good press, folks want to save it.

Just think, when we get to old to drive our old cars we will be able to take the (&^%ing light rail to get the onion rings.

http://www.twincities.com/stpaul/ci_17756089?nclick_check=1

Lost in the 60s · President

From what I've read, groups have been trying to buy it for months but Tryg turns them down. Apparently the Episcopal church has much deeper pockets and for some reason, Tryg seems determined to have it destroyed instead of preserving it. He is emerging as a major jerk and road block to keeping this alive.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

This Tryg chump sounds like he needs a good kick in the nards.

frank · Active Member

thousands of people lineing the streets burnouts by lots of cars. i think i need new tires after that.

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

Wanted to head down ther today but as luck has it I have a sick child that has streph throat and I'm at home alone with him. I also spent my last $50 on copay and Rx because I forgot the checkbook and have no cash left till next week.

bowtie · Secretary

frank wrote:
thousands of people lineing the streets burnouts by lots of cars. i think i need new tires after that.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

One more part of our history passes on.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_17766517?nclick_check=1

Lost in the 60s · President

dashboard wrote:
One more part of our history passes on.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_17766517?nclick_check=1

John D · 2K+ Club

I saw on the news last night that a special interest group (Minn. Preservation Alliance... or something like that) wants to buy the signage pre-auction...
The clip on the news had a representative stating "This is a piece of St. Paul history/Americana, and we don't want these signs to wind up in someone's backyard"! There was also mention that the signs were being pulled and put in storage...

bowtie · Secretary

One of the signs is on the auction, but I also heard the signs would be stored. Maybe he's smart enough to know they have history, maybe he'll open a new one somewhere, maybe he's sentimental enough to know they're part of his family history. I do know there's been a lot of buzz about them and I would guess there's at elast one standing offer of more than enough to finish my car.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Cut the building from the foundation and cut it in sections and assemble it back somewhere else.

Lost in the 60s · President

The sign on the building was at $1,600 as of 10 last night. The tall pig sign isn't on the auction site. I registered to bid on a sink for my shop but am watching to see how high it gets first. It will be total mayhem the ONLY day they allow removal of everything being sold. Seems like a realy sh!tty set-up for clearing out a complete building in one day. I've been watching the picnic tables too...

John D · 2K+ Club

When the Citgo near my house went under, the same outfit did the auction. "Mayhem" doesn't come even close to describing the going's on when they TORE that place apart...
Crews tearing overhead doors off, heaters from the ceiling, ripping copper (pipe & wire) out of the place, yanking post lifts out of the ground - it was NUTS, and totally dangerous!