38
WBM march 2018
tHE BOARDWALKS only
live on in the photos. And
so does a Wrightsville Beach
amusement.
“Daddy had a putt-putt
back then. Is that what you
call it?” he says. “It was
behind the Seashore Hotel,
which is where the Blockade
Runner is now.”
His father’s mini-golf ven-ture
reminds Clark of other
ways to pass the time.
“We spent a lot of time
at Joe Stone’s Bowling Alley,
which is where the Neptune
parking lot is now,” he says.
“It was very popular. We
didn’t spend much time at
Lumina, at least I didn’t,
and my neighbors didn’t. It
was primarily a bathhouse.
Men and women could
come and rent bathing suits
or change, shower, things
like that. That wasn’t any-thing
we needed. Although
we did go when big bands
were there. I saw several of
them. I remember Jimmie
Lunceford, particularly.
Cab Calloway, I remem-ber.
Jimmy Dorsey. I don’t
believe Tommy Dorsey
ever came here, but Jimmy
Dorsey did. I had to sneak
in to one or two of those.
