Seeing a post about former South Padre Island Club Bandys. which was also Granddaddies, also Mingles, also Bobbarubas to name a few, it was about 1/4 mile east of Weber on SPID. Behind it was Craigs Record Factory & Spankys pool hall. Might have had other places, but those two remember back there, a small vet clinic north. Wish to add that whatever this particular club was called, Corpus Christi Police would set up STING operations on feeder road and as people left this club (or Spanks Pool Hall behind it) was like shooting fish in barrel, record number DWIs as you had nowhere to go except feeder road along SPID! Shine light in eyes "have you been drinking?" if red eyes or slurred speech or not look at cop in eyes thru bright flashlight, they tell you pull into lot (where original Rock alive! was supposed to have been I worked at) but pull in lot, sobriety test, go to jail, had VANS there to haul drunks in. Bars all close at 2:00am, set up sting midnight. I was a bartender in Corpus several years. No cell phones to "warn others" either. Some people sleep in parking lots to avoid roadblock.
The Witch of Weber also participated in the DWI stings. Regardless, if you left, had a beer or two, and was in these lanes with no means to escape on sidestreet, sort of screwed. Not advocating driving while drunk, as I did many times in my hometown, and Houston leads USA in DWI fatalities sadly. Just saying it was what it was back in late 1970s/early 1980s. Seemed like eternity to get thru roadblock and million miles to The Kettle on corner of weber & SPID for breakfast to sober up.
The building I mention was going to be Rock Alive! in 1982, work had already began on it, I think it would have been a great place for rock and roll club and applied for job. But city stepped in said they didn't have enough parking, so they moved location to former Electric Eel on Staples across from King High School. I went to work there in 1982, pretty awesome place to work. But the SPID location block from Bandy's owners lost a lot of development money.
PHOTOS: Photo #1, yup you are so screwed if Corpus Christi popo told you to pull to the side on SPID after a fun night with friends at Bandys, Granddaddies, whatever club. I can tell you the menu in Corpus Christi Jail though NEVER had DWI, was a bolonga sandwich that may or may not have green tint, dry bread, splotch of mustard and if lucky a pickle slice. Not Burger Chef where you could load 50 pickes on burger, no, one tire patch pickle slice. And apple or orange, and kiddie portion of fruit juice 1000% sugar to make you want to pull kidneys out in cell.
Photo #2. Former Bandy's but was something called Katrina for awhile. Why would you name a club after devasting hurricane? And what is up with all those creepy images on front looks like a KISS porn club, should I bring a roll of nickles?
Photo #3. Former Bandy's in state most of us remember, VACANT. Guess creept Katrina club moved downtown to former XXX Amusu or something. I still have my roll of nickles! To left is the veternarian clinic still there since I moved in 1983.
Photo #4, looking north, while there is a entrance ramp now, there was not one in 1970s. And even if there was, you could not get to it because both SPID feeder road lanes blocked by police. And in distance is Weber, but before that, Jean street which lead to subdivision, again, inaccessible, had to go thru popo roadblack first and hope don't slur.
Photo #5. You can't well sleep without a Cantwell mattress. Or go home with girl you picked up at Bandy's either unless you get past popo roadblock! The Pawn shop is building where Rock Alive! was supposed to open in 1982, they even had painted cool sign on side of building, and installed some lighting and bar stuff inside. I do not know what percentage of parking to how many people you can fit into a bar, or restaurant then, but CAN tell you there were a lot of places "over capacity" I can think of like Old Mexico restaurant which could seat 300+ but only had 20 parking spaces. Maybe clown cars, they open door, each car has 50 people. Don't drive drunk ya'll, take it from your friendly Corpus Christi & Houston Bartender. More than enough ways to get home now like Uber, Lyft, or designated driver.
Photo #6. Old Corpus friend that was best man at my late brother Tommy's wedding & worked with him at Thurman Fondren Glass company many years, Randy Forsythe bought the Bandy Grandaddies SLIDE at a Corpus Christi auction. I wonder how many asses this thing say? Probably 1000s, was super popular.Wished the slide could tell a story. Not sure what Randy's intentions are with this unique piece of Corpus Christi history, but I would pay $1 or two to slide down it (with drink in hand!) just for old times sake!
