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Rest Room for Park Scuttled – June 16, 1914

June 8, 2017, 2:59 am
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Ever wonder why there's no public rest room in Veteran's Park on West Erie Avenue in Lorain? (At least I don't think there's one there.) The answer might be found in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Daily News back on June 16, 1914.

As anyone familiar with Lorain's early history probably knows, the park currently known as Veteran's Park was originally intended to be the village's public square. The park changed names many times over the years, being known as Erie Park and later, Washington Park.

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DEED PREVENTS BUILDING REST ROOM IN PARK
Just where that rest or comfort station planned for the city is going to be constructed council doesn’t know, for it has been suggested that a deed to Erie park prevents the erection of a rest station in the park and City Solicitor Van Deusen is looking the proposition up.
When Lorain was known as Charleston a good many years ago, Erie park was planned for the public square, and rules did not allow the construction of any buildings in it. Then when the city obtained the intended square for a park the same regulations held good.
Mr. Lackey, living on the corner of Wicken’s place and Erie has offered to sell the city a piece of ground 12 by 12 feet for the station and to move his house, but his offer is hardly likely to be considered. In the meanwhile action will be delayed while the solicitor is trying to find a loophole which will allow the construction of a rest house in the park.
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I guess no loophole was found. Later, a public restroom was built across from the park and just to the east of city hall.
You can see it in the vintage photos below, between City Hall and the Dew Drop Inn.

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Follow-up Friday: Commonwealth Hotel

June 9, 2017, 3:11 am
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1910 Postcard of “Penfield Avenue looking North, Lorain, Ohio"
Back in April, I gave the above postcard the "Then & Now" treatment on this post. I pointed out that the sign on the pole seemed to be an ad for the Commonwealth Hotel, which was located at the corner of W. 20th Street and Livingston.

Wondering why the hotel was no longer there, I managed to find out that it had been destroyed in a fire on January 19, 1916.

The Lorain Daily News coverage of the disaster pointed out that the three story hotel had been built 32 years earlier. The building was no longer serving as a hotel; only a few days before the fire, it had been purchased by the Burstein Brothers, manufacturers of cigars.


The firm had just moved its machinery and materials into the building, only to see it all go up in smoke. Fortunately, according to the Daily News article, “the entire loss was covered by insurance.”

The article provides a nice history of the hotel.

I shared the Daily News article with a few of my regular contributors, including Rick Kurish, who as usual decided to research it further.

“I just read the article on the Commonwealth Hotel fire you sent the other day,” wrote Rick. "The article mentions that the hotel, which had apparently been vacant for several years had recently been purchased by the Burstein Brothers cigar company. I did a little research on the company, which was headquartered in Cleveland, and found that after the fire destroyed the old hotel, they apparently moved their Lorain operation to 2129 Broadway in Lorain.

"It was apparently a small operation, because in 1918 they had 13 employees – all women. I also ran across a tin from the company that was for sale on the internet. It has really great graphics and held 50 "All Dutch" panetela cigars.”

Here’s the tin (below).
“Old Dutch” brand cigars manufactured by Burstein Brothers, Lorain, Ohio
Blog contributor Dennis Thompson also did a little research, coming up with a Sanborn fire map showing the Commonwealth Hotel. He tried to find a photo of it as well, as it was "tallest building south of downtown."
Kent Street later became 20th Street
"Sounds like quite a building; too bad the article didn't have a photo,” he mused. 
Dennis did make an tongue-in-cheek observation about the fire that consumed the cigar equipment and materials.
"I bet that was a interesting smell to the smoke!” he noted.
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“Old E. H.” Rocks No More

June 12, 2017, 2:27 am
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The sign as it looked back in January 2017
As the sign looked in mid-December 2016;
"Old E. H.” still has his Santa cap on
I saw in the Chronicle Telegram on Friday that the iconic E. H. Roberts “rocking chair man” sign has been taken down from the building at the intersection of Route 57 and North Ridge Road. It’s kind of the end of an era for many of us that were so used to seeing it while stopped at the light there.

Here’s the link to the Chronicle-Telegram article by Scott Mahoney. It explains that the building has been unused for some time now and that the removal of the sign was necessary to hopefully expedite the sale of the property.

I figured that the sign was a goner when I first noticed that the building was for sale (at left) back around Christmas.

It’s interesting that the Chronicle article reveals that the sign was installed in 1955. It must have taken a while for the image of “Old E. H.” in his rocker to catch on and represent the company, because he didn’t appear in an Elyria phone book ad until 1968.

Here’s how he looked in that 1968 ad.
A later phone book ad seemed to return "Old E. H." back to his roots.
The E. H. Roberts sign was one of those classic Lorain County landmarks – like the Lakeview Park Easter Basket or the train in Oakwood Park – that local Baby Boomers watched for from the back seat of the family car. In the more innocent era of the 1950s and 60s, it didn’t take much to amuse kids. I know we always watched for the guy on the rocking chair when we happened to be going down Route 57 going to or from the Turnpike.
Happily, the image of the man on the rocking chair will live on. “Old E. H.” is on both the front and side of the new building just a stone’s throw to the east on North Ridge Road.

While it’s sad that the landmark sign on 57 is no more, it’s amazing that it lasted for so long. That’s one thing you can say about Lorain County: change comes very slowly.

But it just won’t be the same when you’re stuck at that light at 57 and 254, and you don’t see the familiar, comforting image of “Old E. H.” with his feet propped up on his potbelly stove, harkening back to simpler times.


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Before "Old E. H." There Was... a Robot!

June 13, 2017, 3:09 am
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After reviewing some early E. H. Roberts phone book ads in preparation for yesterday's post, one thing that struck me kind of interesting was the illustration of the company truck in a 1968 ad.

If you look closely at the artwork shown above, you don't see "Old E. H." on his rocker anywhere on the truck. Instead, there's a sprinting robot with tools in hand to illustrate the "fast service."
I'm not sure if the robot is tied to any specific furnace brand. Perhaps he was a subconscious nod to another robot related to home heating: the old Iron Fireman mascot (although the E. H. Roberts robot was more modern, mobile and less clanky).
Courtesy RubyLane.com
I suppose in the 1960s there was something appealing and futuristic back about a robotic repairman that was reliable, efficient and ready at a moment's notice. But on the other hand, there's something cold and souless about robots as well.
So it's not too surprising that the robot repairman apparently had a short career. He definitely would not be popular in this era, in which robots are seen as more threatening than ever to workers' livelihoods.
Whoever was in charge of E. H. Roberts advertising must have realized that their high-profile animated sign on Route 57 was a marketing goldmine, effectively communicating the warmth and nostalgia of simpler times – and destined to remain in the community's collective memories for decades.
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Looking Across Black River – Then & Now

June 14, 2017, 3:10 am
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I thought I’d seen every Lorain postcard from the 1960s until I saw this one. The back of this one (postmarked August 30, 1961) reads, “Looking Across Black River to the Coast Guard Station.”

It’s a strange postcard. You can barely see the old Coast Guard Station, and many things of nautical interest (such as the red boat in the foreground, and the Lighthouse) are cropped out.

Here’s my “Now” shot from last Saturday morning. Because of some trees just out of view on the left hand side of my photo, I couldn’t match the vintage composition exactly from my spot on the Bascule Bridge. Plus, it was pretty hot and I couldn’t wait to get off the bridge and back in my air-conditioned car.

The “Now” view of course features the newer Coast Guard Station (that opened in 1987) that replaced the one dating back to 1910.

The Lorain Sailing Club and Yacht Club building is in both photos, providing some visual continuity and interest.

Anyway, I did a similar “Then & Now” of the harbor using a much older postcard back here in 2012.
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"Why, Daddy?" Becomes "Tell Me Why!"

June 15, 2017, 2:25 am
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A "Why Daddy?" heading from the June 6, 1956 Lorain Journal
Back in 2010, I did a series of posts about An Open Book, the memoir written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and critic Michael Dirda, who grew up in Lorain in the 1950s and 60s.

One of the things I liked about the book was that Dirda wrote about the "Tell Me Why!" feature that appeared daily on the Lorain journal comics page. He noted, "The comics pages also offered A. Leokum's "Why, Daddy" column, later reslugged "Tell Me Why" at about the same time its author's first initial was revealed to stand for the clearly un-American name Arkady."

A "Tell Me Why" column heading from June 1969

As Dirda explained, "Kids would mail in "scientific" questions such as, "Why does the earth go around the sun?" and Leokum would explain in the simplest possible English."
Dirda noted that his father encouraged his children to enter the daily contest. "As we grew older he urged his inquisitive brood to send in questions, partly for the glory of seeing our names in the paper (if our letters were lucky enough to be chosen), but also for the award of various educational prizes. 
"In due course, the Dirdas received several collegiate dictionaries, an atlas and, eventually, when we'd already outgrown it, a Junior Encyclopedia Britannica."
I thought it was interesting that whoever was syndicating Leokum's "Why Daddy" column changed the name to the less sexist "Tell Me Why!" beginning around 1960. It was also a smart marketing decision, because Leokum later published a popular series of books with that name.
By the way, thanks to the various newspaper websites, it was easy to find out when the Dirda children won the contest. Pamela Dirda of Lorain, Ohio was the winner on May 19, 1961, and on July 7, 1965, the column noted, "Today's winner is: Linda Dirda, 11, Lorain, Ohio."
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The Circus is Coming to Lorain – Summer 1901

June 16, 2017, 2:48 am
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The curtain came down wistfully on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus last month, after a run of 146 years. It's still kind of hard to believe.

So it's a good time to celebrate some circus nostalgia and post the ad above, which ran in the Lorain Daily Democrat on July 1, 1901. It trumpets the impending arrival of the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus on July 17th.

The ad features great artwork and typography, as well as a nice roll call of the current acts.

Part of the fun of a circus visit was the "Grand Free Street Parade," also mentioned in the ad.

According to this website, the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus in its early years was a major competitor of P. T. Barnum and Ringling Brothers. Ringling Brothers later acquired ownership of the circus, which continued to tour under its own name until 1911.

Here's a nice gallery of Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus posters from various online sources. Two of the acts featured on the posters – Captain Woodward's Sea Lions, and Ryan, Weitzel & Zorella – were listed on the Daily Democrat ad.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Madame Yuccca made the trip to Lorain.
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Grand Opening – DeLeonardis Plumbing & Heating – June 1957

June 19, 2017, 3:16 am
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I post a lot of vintage Grand Opening ads, so it was inevitable that this one – for DeLeonardis Plumbing & Heating– would show up on the blog sooner or later. It ran in the Lorain Journal on June 1, 1957 – 60 years ago this month.

Dominic DeLeonardis was the man behind the business. The decorated World War II veteran had worked in the shipyards before embarking on his lifelong career as a master plumber.

His plumbing and heating business was previously located at 218 California Avenue before the move to the newer and larger building at 219 Colorado Avenue announced in the 1957 ad. (The building had previously been home throughout the 1950s to George Potato Chip.)

By 1959, DeLeonardis had moved his business to Florida, which explains why I was not familiar with it.

What really intrigued me about the Grand Opening ad was the small photo of the building and its address. I knew it would be somewhere along that stretch of Colorado Avenue that proceeds south of East Erie where there are a lot of “mystery buildings.” I hoped to identify one with this post.

What I didn’t know is that I had already featured the building on another post back in 2010. That post showed how the building was built in the old right-of-way of the Lake Shore Electric Railway after it folded.

Here’s my shot from this week.


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Naval Armory Article – June 20, 1947

June 20, 2017, 3:14 am
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Back in June 1947, Lorain was getting ready for the construction of the new naval reserve armory at 1840 Cleveland Boulevard on Lorain’s east side near Longfellow School. The article above appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal on June 20, 1947 – 70 years ago today.

The article is interesting in that it features photographs of intricately assembled scale models of the proposed building.

Here’s a photo of the completed building, courtesy of the Lorain Historical Society.

The Morning Journal published a good article about the armory (and the controversy about the mast of the U. S. S. Arizona) back here in 2016.
And back in 2014, I posted a full-page 1956 Journal article about the classrooms inside the armory here.

The 2016 Morning Journal article states that the building was torn down in 1980. It’s a shame, because it was yet another piece of Lorain’s strong nautical past that was lost to the ages.
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Camp Iss-See-Kes Article – June 24, 1965

June 21, 2017, 2:55 am
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It's officially summer now, and for many local children back in the 1960s that meant it was time for the annual summer fun at Camp Iss-See-Kes.

The full page article written by Doug Warren above ran in the Lorain Journal on June 24, 1965. The article provides a look at what the YMCA camp was like in 1965, as well as a nice history of it.

I first wrote about Camp Iss-See-Kes back here and its iconic sign back here in 2013.
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George May Ford Ad – June 23, 1965

June 22, 2017, 2:46 am
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Here's an interesting ad for George May Ford, which I mentioned here on the blog a few times this year. The ad for the Kansas Avenue dealership – which ran in the Lorain Journal on June 23, 1965 – reveals a pretty creative (and adult) approach to lure customers into the new car showroom.

A "Champagne Weekend" was the theme, with sparkling champagne offered to adult shoppers. Music was provided by Barney Freeman and the Jetones, and Jackie Rancourt was the pretty hostess for the event.

The Cleveland Memory Project had a photo of Bill "Smoochie" Gordon and Jackie Rancourt on the "One O'Clock Club" on WEWS Channel 5 back in 1959. I'm not sure if she was a guest or regular co-host.

As for Barney Freeman and the Jetones, it appears that they enjoyed regional success in Northeast Ohio in the 1960s, and that the whole Freeman family was talented musically. Barney Freeman passed away in 2013.
Anyway, it's interesting to see such a sophisticated gimmick employed locally back in the 1960s. I wonder if the sales effort was successful?
Nowadays, it seems like too many car commercials are designed to annoy potential customers with their loud, unfunny banter – making the whole process unappealing. The idea of enjoying an adult beverage while car shopping, as well as some entertainment, sounds like it would be a welcome relief.
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Cristiani-Wallace Circus Comes to Lorain – June 23, 1965

June 23, 2017, 3:11 am
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Right after my post last week about the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus visiting Lorain in July 1901, I received an email from local historian and blog contributor Dennis Thompson. Dennis sent me a great vintage poster (above) announcing the impending appearance of the Cristiani-Wallace Brothers Circus in Lorain.

Dennis wrote, "Here is an old poster I found a few years ago featuring a circus at Kew Gardens. If you search for the circus name, you can find some information.”

Although there was a month and day (Wednesday, June 23) on the poster, there was no year. But after researching the circus, and knowing when the Kew Gardens project had come to an end, Dennis figured it out.

"June 23 was a Wednesday on 1948 and 1954, both too early for the circus,” noted Dennis. "Looks like they added the "Wallace Bros" in 1961 after the Kew Gardens were razed. I guess they used the empty lot, it would have been a good spot I think.

"Their 1962 and 1963 schedules are online but no Lorain. Nineteen sixty-five was another year when June 23rd was a Wednesday; that’s probably when they were there.”

Indeed it was 1965 when the circus came to town. A series of small ads in the Journal promoted its appearance, as well as several articles.
June 18, 1965 ad from the Lorain Journal
The first article (which ran June 21, 1965) revealed that the Lorain Youth Center – the organization that had brought the circus to town – had generously voted to a portion of the advance sale price of the tickets to the Carl Baker Hospital Fund campaign being staged by the Lorain Emergency Police. (Lorain Emergency Policeman Carl Baker had been shot the previous February during a robbery and the fund was set up to help him with the monumental hospital and surgical bills.)

The article also provided a nice description of the circus, with Lorain Emergency Police Chief John Sauer noting, “Some of the finest circus acts in the world are going to be here in Lorain.”

A second article appeared on the front page on June 23, 1965, on the day of the circus – 52 years ago today. It provides some nice behind-the-scenes information about the circus. It had left Mansfield that morning and rolled into town around 7 a.m. By 8 o’clock all the tents had been pitched.

A final look at the circus in the Journal occurred on the day after the event with a few cute photos appearing on the front page.
From the June 24, 1965 Lorain Journal
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Lay’s New Era Potato Chips

June 26, 2017, 3:13 am
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I’ve written about potato chips (a weakness of mine) a few times on this blog over the years, usually discussing local favorite Arvay’s Potato Chips.

Well, here’s an article about a popular potato chip brand – New Era Potato Chips– that was gobbled up by Lay’s (which at the time did not yet have its own signature brand).

The story, which ran in the advertising pages of the June 28, 1965 Lorain Journal, tells the tale of how Lays decided to add its name to the package as sort of a transitional effort to rebrand the product. The article is basically publicity for distributor Pete DeSantis, but it's interesting just the same.

If you’re interested in advertising (as I am), then it’s always fascinating to watch how a product become popular, and then – at the height of its success – is often acquired by a competitor, or perhaps a company that has no similar product and wishes to get into the market. The product is then co-branded for a while before it is wholly absorbed into the acquiring company, which grinds the original brand (in this case, New Era) into so many crushed potato chip crumbs to be discarded.

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In this case, however, it seems New Era may have made a nostalgic comeback in its native Detroit. The forgotten brand was apparently purchased by Better Made Potato Chips, which occasionally cranks up a batch of New Era for local distribution. Click here for the story.
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Clash of the Burger Titans

June 27, 2017, 3:19 am
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It’s been a while, but I’ve featured Sandy’s many times on this blog over the years. The Scottish-themed hamburger chain with Thrift ’N Swift service held the Grand Opening of its Meister Road location in the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center back on June 18th - 20th of 1965.

Since Sandy’s was so close to where we lived, it was the hamburger chain that my family patronized –although it was a rare treat. The nearest McDonald’s was down on West Erie Avenue, and consequently we only caught a glimpse of it on the way to Lakeview Park. (We never passed it when we went to Vermilion, as we always took the short cut via W. 21st Street.)

Since the McDonald’s on West Erie Avenue had opened in June 1960, however, it had a five year head start in Lorain on Sandy’s, which had some catching up to do.

Thus it’s not too surprising to see the section of the restaurants page of the June 24, 1965 Lorain Journal above. Note the ads of the two strange burger bedfellows, right next to each other: recently-opened Sandy’s (with its large ad featuring the winsome Miss Sandy) and McDonald’s (with the now forgotten, bizarre Archy McDonald in a puny ad).

Despite the sex appeal of Miss Sandy, however, McDonald’s eventually won the battle – conquering Hardee’s (the successor of Sandy’s) and even taking over the chain’s location on Meister Road. Today, only a few grizzled local Baby Boomers (like me) even remember that Sandy’s was ever there.

But hold on to your french fries – there’s a rematch of sorts about to happen.

A Hardee’s is planned for Avon as part of a proposed Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores truck stop complex on Chester Road. Its neighbor? None other than McDonald’s.

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Click here to visit a terrific, unofficial Sandy's website with tons of links to great vintage photos of store restaurants. Click here to explore three pages of Sandy's memorabilia, such as original napkins, cups and ads!

Finally, be sure to visit the RoadsideArchitecture.com website, which includes a page devoted entirely to former Sandy's restaurants!
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The Lighthouse’s 100th

June 28, 2017, 2:25 am
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The view from Hot Waters this past Sunday afternoon
Well, the big 100th Anniversary celebration of the Lorain Lighthouse is this week, with the dedication of a Historical Marker this Friday, June 30, 2017 at 11:00 am at the mile-long pier on the east side. There's also a special presentation down at the Lorain Historical Society that evening (more on that at the end of this post).

It's a big day for the city of Lorain, and the media coverage should do wonders to attract some tourists this summer.

But for me, though, it means I’ve run out of time.

Back in March, I began searching old newspaper microfilm to hopefully locate an ad or article about the original dedication of the lighthouse. It bugs me that I've never seen any newspaper coverage from the early days of the Lighthouse. Unfortunately, despite my hours of squinting at microfilm from 1917 – 1919, I failed to shine a light on any lighthouse dedication.

While reading old newspaper microfilm at the library, I thought it was interesting reviewing some of the coverage from July 1965, when it was first announced that the Lighthouse was to be demolished.  “Historic Lighthouse To Be Torn Down” was the headline splashed across the top of page 17 (!) of the Journal on July 12, 1965. The article matter-of-factly noted that “One of Lorain’s most venerable landmarks, the old Lorain Coast Guard-operated lighthouse situated on the tip of the west break wall, is scheduled to be torn down late this year in connection with the $22 million federally-sponsored harbor improvement program begun in 1962.”

From Gene Patrick’s
Passing Scene
An editorial the next day observed, “If this must be, then farewell, old friend.” It included a few suggestions as to how the lighthouse could be put to use if it was saved – as a museum, restaurant or as headquarters for the Lorain Yacht Club. The editorial noted that “there is still time to save the lighthouse, and the time for those interested to start action is now.”

Thank goodness it was saved. (You can read the whole story of how it was saved here on the Lorain Lighthouse Foundation website.)

Anyway, Valerie Smith of the Lorain Public Library will present "Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Lorain Lighthouse” on Friday evening, June 30th at 7:00 p.m. down at the Lorain Historical Society's Carnegie Center.

It's a wonderful thing that Lorain still has its lighthouse a hundred years later, and that the beloved landmark is finally the star of a big celebration.



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Lorain Composer's “Lost" Symphony to Be Performed at Last

June 29, 2017, 2:23 am
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Standing, left to right, are: “Shorty” Chamberlain,
Kent Richardson, Walt Hines; Seated are: Frank Billings,
Dick Kuss, Harrison Baumbaugh and Ted Metzger
Back on Part 3 of my long-overdue series on the Pueblo, I mentioned Ted Metzger and the Campus Owls, a popular local orchestra that regularly performed at the nightclub.

As an article in the October 15, 1929 Lorain Times-Herald noted, “The Campus Owls known to practically everybody in Lorain-co and to many outside of the county have played several seasons at Vermilion-on-the-Lake in the summer time and the Antlers Hotel in the winter.

“The personnel of the orchestra remains the same as during the summer. “Shorty” Chamberlain, Ted Metzger, Harrison Baumbaugh, Frank Billings, Walt Hines, Dick Kuss and Kent Richardson."
Harrison Baumbaugh, Senior
Well, recently I was contacted by a relative of Harrison Baumbaugh, one of the Owls. Glenna Baumbaugh wrote to tell me that, "On Sunday, July 3rd, the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony Orchestra will perform the lost composition, “Rhapsody in Pink” by composer Harrison Baumbaugh Senior at 7:30 pm at Montgomery Park, Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Prelude in Pink was found recently by his son, Harrison Baumbaugh, Jr. of West Chester, Ohio (formerly of Lorain).  This complete composition with all parts intact was recovered from a 1977 house fire in Lorain, Ohio where many of his compositions were destroyed. Thinking it was composed in the late 20’s or early 30’s, it was never performed until now.  
"The title Prelude in Pink may have been inspired by Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, but this is a mystery."
Harrison Baumbaugh had an extensive musical career. According to a biography provided by Glenna Baumbaugh, “He played in local civic and school bands, and at age 15 he played piano at a local silent movie theater.  He decided to study serious music and attended Baldwin Wallace (BW) Conservatory of Music where he studied pipe organ and composition.  

"Pursuing a musical career brought him into the popular music culture of that time when dance bands and theatre music abounded in dance halls, theaters, and music parks, from Detroit to western New York. He played in numerous pit orchestras and bands, composing and arranging for bands through the 1920’s. He published some foxtrot sheet music in the early 1930’s.  

"During the last 15 years of his life, health issues kept him pretty close to his home studio with a large number of piano and horn students.”

Harrison Baumbaugh passed away in late November 1963. His obituary in the Lorain Journal noted that he was “a familiar face in the music department of many Lorain County public schools.” 

“During the early 1930’s he was a member of the Ted Metzger Campus Owls orchestra. The dance band was popular for many years in Ohio and surrounding states.”

The obituary also noted, “Many clubs and organizations were entertained at luncheons by piano music offered by Mr. Baumbaugh, one in particular being the Lions Club of which he was a member and pianist.”

Happily, Harrison Baumbaugh will be entertaining an audience once again this weekend, with the long-awaited performance of his “Prelude in Pink.” Click here for details.
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Sugardale Ad Featuring Hamlet – June 30, 1965

June 30, 2017, 2:05 am
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Well, it’s June 30 – the end of the month and a few days before the big July 4th holiday. And 52 years ago today, the ad above ran in the Lorain Journal, reminding you to stock up on Sugardale Coneys for the obligatory holiday cookout.

The ad features our old pal Hamlet, greedily pushing a grocery cart stuffed with coneys made from (shudder) his own kind. It looks like the advertising mascot has fully embraced man’s ways, not only adopting his meaty diet but his attire as well (although his shoes look rather elfin).

Quite a difference from the younger, naked piglet (below) seen in the 1956 ad I posted back here.
I’ve always been a sucker for advertising, so it won’t be too surprising if I toss a package of Sugardale hot dogs in my grocery cart this weekend because of this post. 

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Planning Lakeview Park – July 1916

July 3, 2017, 2:23 am
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In case you might be heading down to Lakeview Park for the holiday, this might be of interest.

Back when Lakeview Park was being developed, there were a lot of decisions to be made about what it was going to look like. The article above, which ran in the Lorain Daily News on July 25, 1916, sheds some light on the planning process.

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PLAN MANY FEATURES FOR NEW
CITY PARK ON WEST SHORE
Municipal Bathhouse as Proposed by Server Horn 
Would Be of “Double Deck” Type Similar to 
Structure at Edgewater Park, Cleveland.
Drainage work preliminary to the general improvement of the site of what is to be Lakeview park on W. Erie avenue, recently optioned by the city from the heirs of the W. S. Chamberlain estate at a purchase of about $53,000, is soon to be begun, Service Director A. J. Horn announced today.
With the drainage work under way, City Engineer C. M. Osborne is to begin the preparation of an estimate of the cost of carrying out plans prepared by H. M. Horvath, Cleveland landscape architect for the improvement of the park site.
Horvath’s plans include the routes of drives, footpaths, the location of a proposed big municipal bathhouse and of recreational fields.
The lake-front included in the park, according to tentative plans of city officials, would be protected by the construction of four jetties, extending into the lake and providing landing places for small boats.
The municipal bathhouse, as proposed by Director Horn, would be of the “double-deck” type, similar to the structure recently completed in Edgewater park in Cleveland, with the lower floor occupied by dressing rooms, lockers and other bathing facilities and the upper floor given over to an “observation” deck.
Recreation fields, which would include baseball diamonds, tennis courts and possibly a soccer field, would be located in the section of the park lying south of West Erie avenue, according to Horvath’s plans.
Improve Other Parks
While the preparation of plans for the improvement of Lakeview park are in progress, city officials are improving other parks. Service Director A. J. Horn today ordered 76 new park benches to be divided between Oakwood park in the steel plant district and the parks in the central and northern districts of the city.
Service department workmen are engaged in grading work on Riverside park on the lower East Side. Director Horn says this park, the improvement of which had never been completed, will be sown with grass seed next fall.
Horn today was considering plans for the erection of a diving platform in the lake at the city bathing beach on the lakefront at Water Works park.
Bids are to be received in Horn’s office tomorrow for the refreshment concession at Oakwood park for the season. The concession will carry with it the exclusive right to sell refreshments in the park.
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Happy Fourth of July!

July 3, 2017, 9:44 pm
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Well, it’s July 4th – and it’s hard to believe the year is half over already.

If you were preparing for a holiday feast in Lorain 60 years ago, you might have consulted this Kroger ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on July 1, 1957.

Note the appearance of our old pal Toppie, the Top Value Stamp elephant, at the top of the ad, appropriately enough.

Some of the food brands listed in the ad are kind of interesting.

‘Clover Valley Pork & Beans’ are featured. I recognize the Clover Valley brand from shopping trips to Dollar General; sure enough, after checking online, I see that while Kroger was the original registrant of the brand, Dollar General is now the trademark owner.

Note Swift’s Premium “wafer-sliced’ meats – exclusive to Kroger – including hard salami, bologna, cooked ham, cooked specialty, hot-o-collo and spiced luncheon meat (sounds like it might be Dutch Loaf). Swift’s history goes back to 1855; the company is still around, although it was purchased by a Brazilian company in 2007.

I like the brand name of the margarine listed in the ad: Eatmore Margarine. (It kind of reminds me of the character in the classic Monty Python Travel Agent sketch, with the name: Mr. Smoke-too-much.)
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Aut-O-Rama Drive-In Ad – July 2, 1965

July 5, 2017, 2:51 am
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Lorain County was a real hotbed for drive-in movie theaters.

There was the very first one in the county, the Lorain Drive-in Theatre on Route 6, which opened in June 1946; the Carlisle Drive-in Theater on Route 20 (1949);  the Tower Drive-in (May 1950); and the Aut-O-Rama on Route 10 out in North Ridgeville (1965).

Today, only the Aut-O-Rama – the very last to open – remains. Here’s the link to its website.

The ad shown above in from that inaugural 1965 season and ran in the Lorain Journal on July 2, 1965. The double feature was a good one with lots of star power: Mister Moses (with Robert Mitchum and Carroll Baker) and The Rounders(featuring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda).

I love the great caricatures in the ad of Baker and Mitchum by Al Hirschfeld, although they didn't make it onto the official movie poster.

The Ford-Fonda flick looks like a lot of fun, and more like typical drive-in fare than the Mitchum movie.


After all, any movie with Doodles Weaver, Chill Wills and Edgar Buchanan can’t be all bad!
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