60's tropical fish auctions


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60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: Vern H ()
Date: September 02, 2012 03:14AM

Around 1967 or so, my father took me to some tropical fish auctions somewhere on Elston av. I looked on Google street view and I think the building was at Elston & Kennicott. This is between Montrose & Lawrence, I seem to remember it being some sort of ethnic hall. I remember we went in the side door which was on the side street and there was a small auditorium type thing inside. These auctions were on the weekend, probably Sunday.

By chance does anyone else remember these auctions?

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Re: 60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: September 07, 2012 07:20PM

Tropical fish were all the rage back then. My brother was a fish nut and always wanted to go to these auctions, but we never did.

Fish clubs would raise fish and auction them off as a fundraiser.

I rummaged around the internet, and 2 places show up a lot for fish auction venues.

Most common is Slowik Hall at 3210 N Milwaukee. Belmont and Milwaukee. It is a long 2 story building on the corner.

The other is the Northwest Auditorium. Now the Metro at 3730 N Clark.

But you might have gone in the back door off of Racine.

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Re: 60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: Lance Grey ()
Date: September 07, 2012 07:46PM

off the top of my head, PKDickman, I think that's Animal Kingdom on Milwaukee.
(Famous home of Ray Rayners' Chelston the Duck?)

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Re: 60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: September 07, 2012 08:00PM

Lance Grey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> off the top of my head, PKDickman, I think that's
> Animal Kingdom on Milwaukee.
> (Famous home of Ray Rayners' Chelston the Duck?)

The Slowik Hall reference came from several old want ads.

Animal Kingdom was a little farther south. By Central Park, Next to Kurowski Sausage.

And I think the duck was named Chelveston.

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Re: 60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: Chipast ()
Date: September 08, 2012 12:39AM

It WAS Chelveston.

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Re: 60's tropical fish auctions
Posted by: the_mogra ()
Date: July 28, 2015 03:02PM

I went to the tropical fish auctions myself @ Belmont & Milwaukee in the '60s (what you call Slowik Hall)

currently I still attend them, run by 3 local organizations, GCCA (Greater Chicagoland Cichlid Association), GWAS (GreenWater Aquarists Society), and MAS (Milwaukee Aquarium Society). I hope I got all those names just right

All those 3 clubs BTW in addition to fish auctions also have regular 'SWAPS' (what I used to term hobbyists 'bourses') open to the public for a very small admission. These are all tremendous opportunities to you if you keep aquariums. Watch for their announcements:

the GCCA swaps are huge and held @ Best Western hotel on Eisenhower Xpwy in Hillside every few months

the GWAS swaps are in Alsip (126th & Kostner)

the MAS swaps are in New Berlin WI

(the last swap was in May, the next one is 9-13-15 out in Hillside)

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