Talk:Hutchinson, Minnesota

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Growing up in Hutch: I lived and attended high school in Hutchinson, MN in the mid 80's, graduating in 1991. As a new driver, one of the excitements on the weekend was to "cruise Main." Main street consisted of three stoplights and was four lanes wide. Teens and young adults from many communities came to Hutch to cruise. Through the evening, a person had the opportunity to meet new friends, find parties, ride in cool cars while listening to Bon Jovi and just show off. The police could throw a wrench in your fun if you weren't careful. A city ordinance stated that you could not drive Main street more than three times in an hour or you could be pulled over. Of course, this could have just been a rumor, but we all believed it. It actually made crusing more fun because you were challenged to not get a ticket. Sometimes people would park their cars and just hang out on the sidewalks. You had to be careful with this as well, because you could earn a label or reputation for yourself. For example, if you hung out around the Library Square area, you could be labeled a park rat, which of course meant you wore a black leather jacket and did drugs. However, if you parked just a block North up the street on the West side, you were probably well respected, driving a muscle car (1968 Camaro for example), and possibly old enough to "buy." Since gas cost about .97 per gallon, I could fill my Cheverolete Chevette on about two bucks and cruise all night. If Main was dead and I still had some time left on my curfue, I'd usually head to Happy Chef (now tradgically a Wendy's) where I could drink coffee and maybe afford a plate of fries.