Yes, it's an old vending machine. I saw it at Famous Dave's in St. Paul, not far from the airport. Bill and I were stopping by last summer for food to take to my mom's. I am almost sure it's the same candy machine that was in the S.B. laundromat. In seventh grade, when I lived on Banks Blvd., I was two doors away from Sue Elam. The two of us would walk together most days, up to Kelley and back. After school we often strolled into Malmo's Drug to buy penny candy (2 pieces of licorice for 1 cent). For a nickel that spring of 1964 we could buy bubble gum that had a Beatles card inside the wrapper (still have those cards).
But, occasionally, Susie and Narta would go to the laundromat instead of Malmo's. The candy vending machine there sometimes had Forever Yours as one of the selections - a candy bar only available at Malmo's or grocery stores in the 6-bar variety pack (with Snickers and Milky Way?). But more exciting were those afternoon visits to the laundromat when, in one of the little windows of that vending machine, we saw a piece of paper with a hand-written note that said: "TAKE A CHANCE." Some days, willing to live with risk, one of us would drop a whole dime into the machine and take that chance. And, with luck, we'd get a stack of Rollos!
Update: Sue has reminded me of our other favorite "take a chance" candy bar, ZERO. Read her comment below.
