Mishawaka

Bonnie Doon, 4th Street, 1950’s

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Copyright Larry Johnston

Bonnie Doon Drive-in, 1950s

Mishawaka, IN

Bonnie Doon had 5 Drive-in ice cream restaurants in the area. This was the original store where all the ice cream was made and sent to the others. It had a drive-in area as well as inside seating. I painted it to reflect the 1950s era. The ice cream became so popular that the grocery stores in the area were carrying their packaged flavors. I personally loved their banana splits and shakes. Here the other Bonnie Doon paintings I have painted: Bonnie Doon, US-31 North, South Bend;    Bonnie Doon, S. Michigan St., South Bend;    Bonnie Doon on Lincolnway West in Mishawaka:    Bonnie Doon in the 1940s on 4th St in Mishawaka.

Prints:
 
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
 
Options:
 
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
 
 
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
 
 
(frames and hardware are not included)

11″ x 14″Black Edge………. $148.82

11″ x 14″ White Edge………. $148.82
11″ x 14″ Wrapped Edge………. $148.82
 

16″ x 20″ Black Edge ………. $204.72

16″ x 20″  White Edge………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ Wrapped Edge………. $204.72

 

16″ x 20″ ………. $375.00 original painting on stretched canvas not available.  

 

Fire Station 2 Hose Reel

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Copyright Larry Johnston
Copyright Larry Johnston

Fire Hose Reel Fire Station #2

Mishawaka, IN

Fire Station #2 in Mishawaka, Indiana is located on North Main Street.  The antique Fire Hose Reel is on display just outside for everyone to see.  Can you imagine having to pull that behind you, when many roads of that era were not paved and definitely were not smooth.

The painting was a 9 x 12 and was painted with acrylic paint on stretched canvas.  The original painting was sold shortly after it was finished, many years ago.

Bonnie Doon Ice Cream 4th Street 1940’s

Admin

Copyright Larry Johnston
Copyright Larry Johnston

Bonnie Doon Ice Cream,

Mishawaka, IN

 

In 1938 Bonnie Doon Ice Cream was established and eventually grew into a local chain of drive-in Ice Cream shops and restaurants. The first business was located on 4th Street, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

I had painted one of the other Bonnie Doon drive-ins, located on S. Michigan St, in South Bend, IN and the painting was on display at  local Art show, when a couple approached me to paint the 4th Street Ice Cream Shop.  They used to date when they were young and that was their favorite date place.  I painted the building as it looked at that time, putting their Studebaker in the painting.

The building was also the factory for making the ice cream for the other stores.  It now sits empty, as the store closed a couple of years ago.  Only one store remains, which was purchased several years ago.  Bonnie Doon eventually entered the local retail market with a variety of flavors.

Here the other Bonnie Doon paintings I have painted: Bonnie Doon, US-31 North, South Bend; Bonnie Doon, S. Michigan St., South Bend; Bonnie Doon on Lincolnway West in Mishawaka; Bonnie Doon on 4th St. Mishawaka in the 1950s.

Bonnie Doon, Lincolnway West

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Copyright Larry Johnston
Copyright Larry Johnston

Bonnie Doon,

Lincolnway West, Mishawaka, Indiana

While traveling around the country exhibiting at Art Shows and Festivals, several were close to home, so I painted some local places.  Bonnie Doon was one of those places. The Ice Cream Chain covered South Bend and Mishawaka, with 5 Drive-in locations. Other locations I painted were Bonnie Doon -South Michigan St, South Bend…. Bonnie Doon – US 31 North, South Bend….. Bonnie Doon, 4th St., Mishawaka 1940 …..Bonnie Doon, 4th St. Mishawaka 1950s. Another location was Lincolnway West at Bendix Drive, South Bend, which I Have not yet painted.

This location was on Lincolnway, in Mishawaka.  It is the only location still operating but has a different owner, but Bonnie Doon ice cream is still popular.  The ice cream plant was originally within the 4th Street building and later located in Elkhart and could be purchased at retail outlets in the area.

The panting highlights the neon with the 1956 T-Bird, showing the era of the business.  On the opposite side of the building, there was a drive-up with car hops and the traditional ordering through a speaker from your car. I even included my wife Evelyn in the painting inside, complete with the Juke Box. She is not the one with the baseball cap!

 

 
Prints:
 
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
 
Options:
 
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
 
 
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
 
 
(frames and hardware are not included)
 
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
 
 
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
 
 
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
 
 
20” x 30” Black Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” White Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” Wrapped Edge………. $314.34
 
 
24” x 36”Black Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”White Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”Wrapped Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36” Original Painting on stretched canvas $1,295
 

McDonald’s

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Copyright Larry Johnston

McDonald’s

Mishawaka, Indiana.

It was the 1950’s, when Neon, Milk Shakes and cool cars came on the scene.  In the midst of it all, we had heard of a new restaurant that had burgers, fries and shakes.  You couldn’t go inside to eat and they didn’t have car hops that brought it out to your car.  The way it worked was, you walked up to the window on the outside of the building and ordered your food, they prepared it, put it in a bag and you either sat in your car or took it home to eat. They called it “Fast Food”. The even had a sign that told you how many hamburgers they had sold nationwide.

These places started in Chicago and were popping up in other states.  In January of 1959, the first local McDonald’s opened just one block from the dividing line between South Bend and Mishawaka, Indiana, on Lincolnway West on the Mishawaka side.

As I was traveling and painting for Art Shows, the pubic was excited about my diner and restaurant pictures. Since I did several shows in this area, and was raised in South Bend, I decided to include McDonald’s, as it would have looked, when it first opened here.

While on the road in in Louisville Kentucky, at St. James Court, one of the top shows in the country, we were approached by a family, whos’ father had just retired and sold his collection of a large number of McDonald’s restaurants he had built up, during his restaurant years.  The children wanted to pool their money and buy him the painting as a retirement gift.

The McDonald’s painting was my first experience with Classic Cars and Neon, which became a popular theme in later paintings.

 

Prints:
 
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
 
Options:
 
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
 
 
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
 
 
(frames and hardware are not included)

20″ x 24″Black Edge………. $148.82

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20″ x 24″ White Edge………. $148.82

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20″ x 24″ Wrapped Edge………. $148.82

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30″ x 36″ Black Edge ………. $204.72

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30″ x 36″  White Edge………. $204.72

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30″ x 36″ Wrapped Edge………. $204.72

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30″ X 36″ original painting on stretched canvas not available.

Dog & Mug

Admin
Copyright Larry Johnston
Copyright Larry Johnston

Dog & Mug Root Beer

Mishawaka, Indiana

As an artist, I am always looking at things differently than most. I have painted several nostalgic businesses around the country.  This painting is a combination of two photos. The building, Dog ‘n Mug, once a well-known Root Beer car hop drive-in, closed and eventually became Dog ‘n Mug. It was in operation for a few years, was sold and is no longer an eating establishment.

This painting was commissioned by the owners when they first opened and requested some changes to the painting, which included put their his and hers cars in the painting.

 
Prints:
 
ALL PRINTS are printed on canvas and stretched on wooden stretcher bars and prices vary according to size ordered. Most are 2:3 proportion
 
Options:
 
wrapped print- part of the image is wrapped
around the sides of the wood.
 
 
Non-wrapped print- The full image is on the face, with white or black edges
 
 
(frames and hardware are not included)
 
8″ x 12″ Black Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ White Edge………. $109.17
8″ x 12″ Wrapped Edge………. $109.17
 
 
12” x 18” Black Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” White Edge ………. $168.07
12” x 18” Wrapped Edge ………. $168.07
 
 
16” x 24” Black Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” White Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
16” x 24” Wrapped Edge ………. $226.14 (Most popular)
 
 
20” x 30” Black Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” White Edge………. $314.34
20” x 30” Wrapped Edge………. $314.34
 
 
24” x 36”Black Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”White Edge ………. $335.65
24” x 36”Wrapped Edge ………. $335.65

 

 
24″ X 36″ original painting on canvas not available.