Fifty years ago Seattle Trust & Savings stood on the corner of 152nd and Ambaum Blvd. The Ding How Chinese Restaurant was three doors down, next to the Highline Times office.

My, how the town has changed. We had four grocery stores, three men's stores, a couple of independent pharmacies and even a field house where kids played hoops while the basement held the county library. It was a different time, of course, but we had that typical hometown feel.

Part of that feel came because Highline High had a bunch of youngsters called the Hi-Liners, led by a remarkable drama teacher named Bill Moeller. He was a genius who knew how to train a gang of would-be thespians into a troupe of singing, dancing drama students of near-professional caliber stage performers. I was lucky enough to attend a number of Bill Moeller's' productions on the Highline High stage.

I asked him several years before he retired to consider putting together another group and bringing back some more glorious shows. I was hoping he could still strike gold once more.

He shook his head sadly and said," Sorry, I don't think I could I could repeat it. He might have been wrong as the Hi-Liners of today put on some pretty great shows.

We had no train tracks like Kent. It was before the airport had three runways, x-rays of your underwear and a public golf course out at Tyee.

We even had a public swimming pool and a moving picture theatre (Den Burien). Also we had at least three savings and loans and three banks, a fresh fish market and four dress shops, a department store and two plumbers.

There was a Masonic hall and an Elks club. Lou's 19-cent Hamburgers was on the corner of 152nd and 1st Avenue S. We had five new car dealers and four women's shops.

We were a close-knit community. When voters voted for sanitary sewers we got our own first class Highline Hospital. I hope we regain some of that closeness.

Soon a new model train shop will be open in Burien. You won't have to go all the way to Knott's Berry farm to find a choo-choo sound to amuse the kids. Most residents won't remember but Russ Hafdahl, for many years owned and operated the Knott's Berry Farm's famous train shop in Anaheim. His kids all went to Evergreen High. He had a huge model train layout in his home about a half-mile south of downtown White Center.

If your kids can't sing or dance maybe you ought to let 'em see the trains. It's a great family hobby.