Hello all!  My name is Chris Carlisle and I have just joined the MMD.
I was happy to find this group.  I have been browsing some of the
articles and reading about the different machines and people.  I find
it very interesting.

I was born and raised in the small town of Sikeston, Missouri, and
that's where I still work.  I have been around mechanical music for
my entire life.  I wish I had paid more attention to the machines and
their workings.

I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents, Paul and Laura
Eakins.  They had the Gay 90s Melody Museum and Village which had so
many organs and arcade machines.  I remember walking through the
warehouse and just being in awe at the giant band organs.  They were
so huge.  It was a thrill when Granddaddy started one up.  He would
explain how they operated.

My all time favorite was "Sadie Mae".  It wasn't the biggest or
fanciest, but I just loved it.  I would love to see it in person just
to hear it play again.

We still have the Gay 90's Village and still sell cassettes, records
and CD's of the old music.  My grandmother worked there until she
passed away last year.  She still talked of all the machines and the
folks who they had known during those years.  I guess this group is
sort of a therapy for me.  I like to be around people who know what
mechanical music is.  I get some of the strangest looks from people
when I tell them what it is.

I am going to write up some stuff for the MMD "Hall of Fame" site on
Paul and Laura and their works.  I was also asked to give a story about
their Checker cab and the old Al Capone V-16 Cadillac car he had.  If
anybody has anything they would like to ask or contribute, feel free to
email me at <carly@semo.net>.

Thanks
Chris Carlisle
Sikeston, MO