DORSEY SPEEDWAY - Elkridge, MD

Dorsey Speedway, during its 34-year life span, was located off Route 1 near Elkridge in Howard County, MD.  Occasionally our family who enthusiastically embraced a wide range of cars and  commercial trucks went there on summery evenings.  We sat in the grandstands eating delicious french fries and watching the stock cars race around the red dirt track. I remember the dizzying figure 8 shape of the track, too. There are stories about serious race car drivers named Will Dilks and Johnny Roberts who drew from a large fan base. But the racing was secondary to my love of the demolition derbies. Sometimes there was nothing better than watching old cars bang into each other until they could no longer move. It was real bumper cars for earnest adults thought this innocent pre-teen.

Vroommmm Vroooommmmm

ELKRIDGE DRIVE-IN - The Passion Pit

'Elkridge Drive-In Movie Theatre - 1984"
digitally altered photograph
©CharleneClarkStudio

A serious “passion pit” is how this drive-in movie theatre on Route 1 in Elkridge, MD is remembered. A group of high-school girls from a neighboring Catholic prep school patronized the theatre on a semi-regular basis. The young women made a pact that if any of them happened to be there with their date on a Saturday night they should always make an appearance at 9 p.m. in the ladies’ room. Once assembled they would catch up on the latest gossip about each other's boyfriends and take inventory of their outfits for the night. Being out of their dreadful gray uniforms for the weekend was such a thrill that their social outing clothing included plenty of colorful Lady Bug mini-skirts, Villager sweaters, Bandolino flats, beehive handbags and whatever the Casual Corner and Hutzler Brothers stores were promoting that season. They really dressed more for each other than their dates, I think.
The men have different memories of the old Elkridge. I will ask now. How many boys did you pack inside the trunk of your father’s car while passing through the admission booth of a drive-in movie? I know the theatre received its share of these non-paying customers until it closed for good in the early 1980s. I have received numerous confessions from grown men who relish in the recounting of how they “got in for free” while sharing a dark, cramped space with other dare-devil boys from surrounding public schools such as Catonsville, Woodlawn and Glen Burnie. The Catholic school boys from schools such as Mount St. Joe, Cardinal Gibbons, Loyola, Calvert Hall and Archbishop Curley participated in this unlawful past time as well. I have never heard from any women who as girls, were asked to behave in such an unladylike manner.
My last check on the visual status of the theatre occurred in 1999. A sorry looking hole on the side of the road was all that remained of the behemoth drive-in. Conflicting stories of the Elkridge’s demise still survive. Some have said it was a bankrupt contractor’s deed while others blame nature’s fury. I tend to believe the couple who told me that a tornado ripped through in the late 1980s and tore a down the giant screen. Presently I have heard it is being developed but have not seen it myself.

"Elkridge Drive-In Admission Booth-1984"
digitally altered photo
©CharleneClarkStudio
"Elkridge Drive-In Concession Stand-1984"
digitally altered photo
©CharleneClarkStudio

I Sure Wish I Were in This Dog House

This building shaped like a dog really was the home of One-Spot Flea Killer located on Washington Blvd. in Elkridge, MD. People have more ideas about what they remember regarding this manufacturing plant. One or two people said that the dog's eye was a window and it winked at them. Perhaps they were referring to the 655 feet of neon lights that once outlined the letters on our itchy pooch. I remember the windows in the front and how they appeared to hang over the road. One man actually told me that there was a twin dog that faced this one from across the street. To date no one else has come forward with that thought. I do love hearing what imagery people believe that they saw. The building holds significance for me because a car ride past the “dog building” was offered as a reward for good behavior at home. In the days before interstate 95, all Baltimore teens who attended University of MD College Park had to drive past it on their way back and forth to their dorms. The grandson of the owner, Mr. Simpson, told me that a photo of the building appeared in Life Magazine. That clipping has not crossed my path. But I keep up the hunt. I did find a tin of the flea powder and did a small painting of it earlier this year. You have to love the sense of humor of Mr. Simpson. First of all he built this unusual building and then he printed advertising such as this postcard I found.
R U in the dog house? Yes? No?
My answer is I sure wish that were possible.