Coldest Pepsi on 64

Growing up my grandfather James Clyde "Spud" Andrews (Spud, that is what we had to call him, he wouldn't let us call him grandpa) owned and operated a service station with an attached garage. Hecalled it"Spudnik" and it waslocated 4 miles West of Siler City on US Hwy. 64. He had two gas pumps that had the small handle that you had to crank to clear the previous purchase and then turn a switch that turned on the pump. It was full service which meant you did not have to pump the gas and he would check your oil and clean your windshield. He did all kinds of auto repair work from oil changes to engine overhauls. Dad says that he was especially good at grinding valves on flat heads. He also sold soft drinks, nabs, candy and gum. He was famous for his cold soft drinks (some of you folks may call them sodas or pop). Back then you lifted or slid the lid and reached in and grabbed your drink (in glass bottles) right out of the cooler and he would set the thermostat so that, if you lightly shook the bottle right before opening it, ice would form at the top of the beverage. That first swallow included a burst of ice cold slush. He had a free standing sign painted that said "Coldest Pepsi on 64". Each letter was capped in snow and had ice cycles hanging from them. Because of this, soft drink ads catch my attention. I don't have a picture of Spud's sign but my next favorite Pepsi ad is attached.

updated by @dennis-andrews: 01/10/17 03:28:04PM

Good story. Loved those old soft drink coolers. My dad patronized a Pure station in Richmond when I was a small boy that had one of those coolers that circulated cold water. Root beer & chocolate drinks were favorites. Dennis, I notice you mentioned "nabs". I am amazed how many people don't know that term. When I was a kid, Nabisco and Lance both sold peanut butter crackers in a pack of 4, stacked one on top of the other for $.05. We referred to all brands of this type snack as "nabs", short for Nabisco. Years later when the manufacturers raised the price to $.10 they began the current packaging of 6 to a pack, 3 stacks of two side by side. How much is a pack of nabs these days, anyway?


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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Was "Spud" at one time a very common nickname? My high school basketball coach in Richmondwas Weldon "Spud" Bloxom, who died in 1979. He's a member of the College of William & Mary Football Hall of Fame and Virginia High School League Hall of Fame. He was the only "Spud" I ever met.


--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Dave, The nabs I referred to were actually the Lance brand package of six but we still called them nabs. Now that you mention it I do remember the four packs though. He carried the Cheese crackers, Toasty crackers, Chocolate and Vanilla cookies, Peanut bars (like thick rectangles of peanut brittle) and Oatmeal cookies (the soft kind with the cream filling). Today we buy them in a box of eight packs of six at Wal-Mart and I'm not sure about the cost. My wife likes me to push the cart but she don't like me seeing the prices, she says I complain to much about the cost of groceries.

My grandfather was given the nickname "Spud" by coworkers when he worked at the chair factory, it's real name was Boling Chair Company, but I can't tell you why. I don't think it was a very common nickname. At least I never knew many.

Great story and pepsi ad!

Can't believe I forgot the peanuts Jim.

Don't remember "Spud" selling those Robbie or the Cheese on Cheese kind.