The once thriving indoor Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan is closing on July 1, and set for demolition. In its place will remain the anchor stores of JCPenney and Macy's, and the rest of the area will be set for residential and non-enclosed retail stores. Lakeside opened in 1976, and was not only just a mall and hangout place, but was the first jobs for the little guys, and lots of great memories. Going to the movies at Lakeside was a lot of fun. Jerry and I went to dollar movies every Tuesday. I got my first job at JCPenney, Jerry's first job was at Walden Books, and Steve's first job was at Lechter's. 

Some of the great times we had was going down the giant waterslide, having an ice cream treat at Yummyland or Friendlys. When the mall first opened, on Fridays, Jerry and I would take our newspaper money at get dinner at an Italian restaurant called La Travola Calda (pretty fancy). I also remember me and Jerry dressing as personal security for Mike who dressed up as a rich Arabian man in a robe.

Other great times were me and Jerry signing autographs as disc jockey Brad Savage and Eric Swan. Larry, Jerry, Bob, and I also did a photoshoot at Merry Go Round using their clothes for the cover of our first single for Brad Savage & The Cockroaches. We also released our first record at Music Land. I also remember hearing stories of Steve and other Metro subscribers crawling through the ceilings from their store to others around them.

If you have memories you would like to share, please send me an email to mccartymetro@gmail.com. I would love to hear them. Here are some of the final photos from my last walk at Lakeside Mall.

Lakeside Mall food court area. Originally an ice rink in the 70's, followed by a giant waterside in the 80's, and eventually became the food court until closing

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Yummyland and other stores from the 70s down that hallway - the former Sears store - looking toward the center of the mall from Sears

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The former Lakeside movie theaters which became a Gibraltar outlet in the 2000s, and finally a Play Big kids bouncy house playground

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Looking towards Lord & Taylor from the center of Lakeside - The big fountain (which was pretty cool) and a see-through glass elevator (which hadn't worked in years)in the center of the mall with Macy's (formerly JL Hudsons) down the hallway

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Originally, this area housed a stage for bands and other entertainment back in the 70's and 80's. It then became a children's play area, and several years ago, they put in a skating rink which was really never used for anything.

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Old Walden Books where Jerry worked and became manager - The old Lechter's where Steve worked and became manager - JCPenney where I got my first job

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One last picture with Brad and the girls to say goodbye to a big part of our lives. I will miss my walks through there everyday.

Dateline: NFL Pigskin Pickem Returns For Year 14 The14th annual McCarty Metro Pigskin Pickem Challenge will start back up in our September edition. It is a competition to see who can pick the most NFL winners throughout the regular season, on into the playoffs, and culminating with the Super Bowl. Each Tuesday during the season, I select 10 games for the following weekend. You come back each week before the first game kicks off and select who you think will win each of the games. No confusing point spreads, just pick the winners straight up. The deadline for entering your picks each week is the kickoff of the first game listed. If you would like to pre-register so you don't miss any notifications, click here.

Dateline: Bend Oregon

Margaret & Kelly had a wonderful weeklong visit out to Bend, Oregon. How our grandkids have grown up. We saw our beautiful Alexa in her dance recital. She was totally amazing, excelling at multiple styles of dance. Her daddy/daughter dance with Chris was emotional. We also had the privilege of watching Cooper play in the Oregon Little League championships. You may have remembered last year in his 10 year old division, Coopers all-star team went right down to the final game. This year, he jumped 2 classes to the 12 year old division, and although his young team did not fare as well, Cooper excelled hitting .667 for his series with 4 runs scored and 4 rbis.Thank you Chris, Amanda, Alexa, and Cooper for the love and hospitality and making us feel at home. Miss you all already!

We walked different trails everyday along the Deschutes River. Cooper joined us on the big rock at Old Mill

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Dance recital night - Alexa was in 4 different dances covering several genres

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A highlight was also a daddy-daughter dance where Chris joined Alexa and the others in a special number

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Cooper competed in the Oregon 12 year old Little League Championships representing Bend South

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Cooper appeared on a billboard - He hits right, but pitches left in relief - Cooper is mainly a first baseman

Here are some recent travel destinations from our readers...

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Did you travel recently? Send us your destination and pictures to mccartymetro@gmail.com

Dear Editor: I ran across this 2016 article doing research for work. Come Along on the Unofficial OJ Simpson Tour, Led By a Brentwood Native - Curbed LA

Jerry and Danny recreated this whole scenario themselves in1996 when Danny came out to visit. They went from location to location and timed the whole thing. I wish I had seen it in 2016 and  shown it to Jerry. He would have thought this guy stole his idea. -Kathlene

ED NOTE: I remember that visit. DJ came home and was then convinced that OJ had the time and the motive to commit that horrible crime. Just another way Hollywood stole Jerry's ideas... HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!

For those that do not speak the language, Le' Food is French for "The Food"! Here you can find some of our Metro family favorite recipe and tips.

Readers, email me at mccartymetro@gmail.com to submit your favorite recipe for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
This month we have a great recipe submitted by Alexa

3 Ingredient Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Note from Alexa... This is a great and easy treat that can be made by adults or kids.

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