Fill her up, please

G UEST For the past 26 years, I have been buying gasoline at the same place. A convenience store three blocks from my house. It recently closed and will soon reopen as a new Kwik-Trip.

Thinking back to all that gasoline I purchased there for my three vehicles, I realized that in all those 26 years, I had not once gone into the building to pay for my gas. I made every transaction at the pump, meaning I never got to know even one employee in all those years.

I recall all the small twopump gas stations I used when I first began driving. Upon pulling up to the gas pumps, a friendly face would appear. Someone I knew would pump my gas, wash my windshield, check my oil and battery, and take my money. Quite often, I would buy a bottle of pop and visit with the attendant. Sadly, those days are gone forever.

However, I can relive that nostalgic experience every time I watch The Andy Griffith Show. Mayberry was unique in that there was only one gas station in the entire town. Wally’s Gas Station. It consisted of two pumps and was full service. Over the years, it had two employees, cousins Gomer and Goober Pyle.

If you were in a hurry, Wally’s was not the place for you. Goober and Gomer were not very efficient. They spent more time telling stories and drinking pop than they did working. But people did not mind. Wally’s was more than a gas station; it was a Mayberry institution. It was not just a place to get gas, have your oil checked, and get your windshield cleaned. It was a place where you could kill time visiting with friends and swapping stories. I think we lost something important when self-service gas pumps became popular. We lost the all-important human element when buying gas. Now, we pull up to the pumps, swipe our credit card, pump the gas, and then go on our way. In most cases, we do not speak to another person. Not unless, however, you are driving a Mayberry squad car. Then, a lot of people will talk with you.

If I want to relive this experience, I can always visit John Cartmill from Elk Mound. John was my student in 1967, and he has built a nostalgic gas station. When I was last there, he checked my oil, and I had an ice-cold Coke in a glass bottle. Something I hadn’t done in many years.

Ken Anderson, the “Mayberry Guru,” can be reached at themayberryguru@ gmail.com and www.themayberryguru. com

BE OUR

KEN ANDERSON “THE MAYBERRY GURU”