Christmas time at the Mall, JC Superstar on You-Tube
Temps are in the thirties with a stiff wind that chills you more than the actual temp. I went to the mall today and once again reflected on the dying nature of the creature. I realize my life has paralleled the age of the Great Shopping Mall. I was a child when they were first conceived of and am still alive as they slowly pass out of existence.
I remember when Merle Hay Mall was Merle Hay Plaza and the concept of a collection of stores all in once place was a consumer miracle. I grew up on the "southside" of Des Moines, but a couple of times a month my mom and I would drive the 13 miles to go the more affluent west side and a shopping area called Merle Hay Plaza. The long journey (to a kid) and the route we took remains a strong memory. My parents bowled in a bowling league at Plaza Lanes. More memories.
Then they put a single roof over all those stores and changed the name from Merle Hay Plaza to Merle Hay Mall. Merle Hay by the way was named after a 19 yr old kid from a small town in Iowa, killed during his service in World War I. Many of the streets and buildings in Des Moines are named after military generals, and the first business leaders of the city. It is amazing that a name as familiar as Merle Hay-- Merle Hay Mall, Merle Hay Road, Merle Hay bus route, would have the name of a young boy who really didn't do anything for the city but get killed in the war.
Des Moines then gave birth to Southridge Mall, Valley West Mall, and Jordan Creek Mall. Shopping malls were a center of activity especially around this time of year. The food courts were spectacular and presented a cornucopia of eateries. The malls were buzzing with activity.
Now most of the malls contain dozens of empty unused stalls where stores used to be. And the large space once dubbed the Food Court are mostly vacant.
I don't expect malls to make a comeback. Consumers have new and better shopping conveniences. With the invention of the internet, smartphones, and Amazon.com, malls have found a competitor they can't beat.
That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the Christmas decorations at Valley West Mall. They really went all out this year. They also have a large area beautifully decorated space on the lower level that has a kiddy choo choo train and tracks.
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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
As a teenager I was trying to find a church I was comfortable with. I had stopped attending the Methodist church I attended as a child with my parents. And then later I got interested in religion and several friends invited me to their youth group and church activities. My best friend in high school invited me to be in a play their church was putting on. It turned out that no acting was really involved. All of us in the play just pantomimed our parts to the sound track of Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a Broadway hit and was traveling through Des Moines though I never saw it live. Even though I was just a guest I was offered the role of Mary Magdalene. And that's how I first learned about this incredible rock opera and still listen to it years later.
This week I have started listening to pieces of Jesus Christ Superstar to put me in the Christmas spirit. It is about the last seven days of Jesus life and the songs in it are quite addictive. Of course, it's a contemporary interpretation made to be popular with young people. There are many productions of it, but I recommend listening to the original album from 1971 if you can find it. This is a song from a more recent production that isn't bad.
'Heaven on Their Minds' Tim Minchin | Jesus Christ Superstar /
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lTwmK__TDo] if you want to copy and paste yourself
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1970 long playing 33 rpm record album
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics Tim Rice
Premier 12 Oct 1971, Mark Hellinger Theater
Productions
1970 Concept Album
1971 Broadway
1972 West End
1977 Broadway, 2000, 2012
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