Main Street from the sidewalk

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Submitted Photo Colleen Simard�s grandmother, Noella Simard (right), on Main Street.

The baby, tucked in her baby carrier, and I had already made it to Selkirk and Main when I realized I'd lost my bus ticket. Then the bus I was going to catch went by and I had no money on me.

I could walk to a bank machine, and then go into a store and buy a pack of gum to get some change for a bus ride. Or I could walk.

The grey clouds were clearing so a trek to the passport office by foot wasn't out of the question. It wasn't far.

When was the last time I walked down Main Street?

I've been walking down Main Street since I was about six years old and on my way to Norquay Elementary School. Besides, Main Street is going through changes, so it's a good time to take in the alterations.

The Neechi Commons building at the corner of Main and Euclid Avenue is looking good. I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to the grand opening of the co-op. Wasn't it supposed to be open by now?

Neechi Commons used to be the old California Fruits building. In the summer it sold tons of ripe fruit at cut-rate prices but you had to eat it as soon as possible. I loved that store.

Once, when I was a teenager, my cousin Crystal and I skipped school to hang out at the mall. We were walking down the back lane by California Fruits. Across the parking lot we thought we spotted my uncle, Kenny, who worked at the nearby Economy Pawn Shop at the time.

"Get down!" I told Crystal, so we dived to the ground. We found out it wasn't him, just someone who looked like him. Oh, the memories.

People are hanging out by the Salvation Army building, and there is a lineup of people waiting patiently for a meal at the Lighthouse Mission. There are at least 50 people of all ages and colours.

Some people don't walk around this part of Main Street because there are a lot of poor people and people with addictions here. A lot of lives have been lost down here.

But I don't mind these people. They are just people, after all.

I feel more at home here than going to a fancy restaurant. Maybe it has something to do with the people.

Farther down the street I meet more people. Most are friendly and smile at the baby right away. One old guy with a walker tells me "Good day."

A native guy on a bike pulls up to me at a crosswalk and asks how old the baby is. Then he asks me where I'm from.

"Bissett," I tell him.

He doesn't know where Bissett is so I tell him it's near Hollow Water reserve. He tells me to watch out for slippery spots on the sidewalk and then he races off down Main Street.

There are lots of aboriginal people down here; there have been for many generations. Back in the '60s, aboriginal bands like The Feathermen played rock 'n' roll to packs of adoring fans at bars along this strip, many of which have been levelled and cleared away.

I spot a woman who looks like one of my aunts and one older woman getting in a van reminds me of my granny Noella.

I have a black and white picture of my granny on Main Street. She's with a few friends, gathering in front of a building with big white columns. I think it's the Dominion Bank building near Higgins and Main Street. They really knew how to dress back then.

In its heyday, Main Street was a hub of excitement, and a meeting place for many. Those days are long gone. But now, who knows?

The Bell Hotel has cleaned up nicely, as well as the Occidental. The Aboriginal Centre is going strong and Thunderbird House still keeps watch over Main Street.

The Centre for Youth Excellence recreation centre looks like it's almost ready to open. The Christian-based facility may have stirred up some controversy when it was first announced, but it's going to be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

Maybe there's hope here after all.

Colleen Simard is a Winnipeg writer.

colleen.simard@gmail.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 17, 2011 A18