Lorain Journal Front Page – August 28, 1926

One hundred years ago today, this was the front page of the Lorain Journal on August 28, 1926. As you can see, there was a lot going on, and it was all reported dutifully in the paper.

The big news locally was the upcoming dedication of the new First Congregational church in Downtown Lorain. (The earlier version of the church was destroyed in the 1924 Lorain Tornado. This one (unlike the other) was built with brick. "A masterpiece of modern church architecture" is the way it is described in the article.

It's still a beautiful structure, one hundred years later.

The big international headline was "Millie" Gade Corson becoming the first mother – and second woman – to swim the English Channel. (Here's the Wiki entry with the details.)

Elsewhere on the front page were the usual reports of crime, mayhem and tragedy – you know, the kind of news that sells papers: National Tube employees robbed at knife point; a huge prison break (24 convicts) in Ionia, Michigan; police chase and capture a man in Elyria by firing a shot in the air; also in Elyria, one woman hit by a car and another woman stabbed; a lawsuit against Bauer Dairy involving a boy and a milk truck; a trio of auto accidents in Lorain; fatal auto accidents in Dayton; a gas station coupon book scam.

Human interest stories included the burial of screen star Rudolph Valentino, and his brother's unsuccessful attempt to get there in time for the funeral.

There were also the 'lighter' stories: "Miss Lorain" getting ready to go to Cedar Point and compete for the honor of representing Miss Ohio at the Atlantic City beauty pageant; the impending beginning of school in a few weeks; an unusual 86 degrees temperature in Lorain; and the return of D. J. Boone, the superintendent of Lorain Schools, from his vacation in New York.

Dolly Parton's Area Visits – 1972, 1975 & 1982

Dolly in 1975

The world is still reeling from the news that beloved Country Music icon Dolly Parton passed away on Tuesday. It was a shocker and it's impossible for anyone not to feel sad about her passing. She was universally loved; not just as a very talented entertainer who gave the world a lot of joy, but as a kind and generous philanthropist who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to literacy, disaster relief and healthcare.

Fairly early in her career, she made two visits to our area. One was when she was part of the Porter Wagoner Show, appearing at Elyria Catholic High School on Friday, June 9, 1972. (I wrote about this appearance here.)

Dolly's second visit was about a year after she had left the Porter Wagoner Show and struck out on her own, appearing at Woody's Val-E-Vue Campground in Nova, Ohio in May 1975.

April 13, 1975

April 28, 1975

I've been to the campground property in Nova and the setting out in the country is quite lovely. (Today the park is Jellystone Park Cleveland/Sandusky)

As for Dolly, by the time she came around for a concert appearance in 1982, her days performing at campgrounds were apparently over. This time, she peformed at the Front Row in August 1982.

July 25, 1982

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To close out this tribute to Dolly, here are a pair of interesting articles about her that appeared in the Journal. The first one is about her decision to leave the Porter Wagoner Show. The second is about her reaction to criticism that she was abandoning her country music roots; she handles it with her usual grace and good humor.

May 4, 1985 

October 31, 1976

1956 Lorain County Fair

Seventy years ago, the 1956 Lorain County Fair was underway, and it probably looked much like the Fair did Monday night when I was there this week. The Fair is seemingly frozen in time and that's what I like about it. 

Headliners in 1956 were the Buddy Morrow Band, The Four Freshmen and Kochman's Hell Drivers. (An article on this post about the 1969 Lorain County Fair explains the relationship between the various 'Hell Driver" thrill shows.)

Here's an ample sample of photos, articles and ads to give you a taste of what the Fair was like back then. This first batch is all from the August 18, 1956 Lorain Journal.

The Fair continued to show up in the Journal during the week, including as the subject of a well-written editorial.

August 20, 1956

August 21, 1956

August 24, 1956

August 24, 1956

From that last article, it sounds like it was a wet County Fair that year. I've been to a few over the years when it rained hard. I remember one year it rained so hard we were trapped in the building with the roosters. They were all nightmarishly cock-a-doodle-do'ing at the top of their lungs right in the early afternoon. I can still hear their screeching. 

1966 Lorain County Fair

Sixty years ago, the 1966 Lorain County Fair was taking place. The Lorain Journal seemed to make a special effort to cover it well, perhaps to let the Chronicle-Telegram know who's boss. Plenty of Fair photographs graced the pages of the paper each day.

Headliner that year was Eddy Arnold. Also of interest: Mayor Mathna milks a cow; and a French teenager visits the Fair and offers his observations.

Aug. 20, 1966

Aug. 23, 1966

Aug. 24, 1966

Aug. 24, 1966

Aug. 24, 1966

Aug. 25, 1966

Aug. 25, 1966

Aug. 25, 1966

Aug. 25, 1966

Aug. 25, 1966

Aug. 26, 1966

Aug. 26, 1966

Aug. 26, 1966

Aug. 27, 1966

1976 Lorain County Fair

Well, it's Lorain County Fair week – my favorite time of year! 

Unlike my pilgrimage to the Ohio State Fair (which left me somewhat disappointed due to all the changes since my last visit), a trip to the Lorain County Fair is like a visit with an old friend who always stays the same. It's comforting to know that some things don't have to change.

I'll be heading out to the Fair early in the week. I keep planning on going to the Demolition Derby on Sunday. We'll see.

Anyway, as is the custom here, we'll be looking back at some past Lorain County Fairs through clippings from the Lorain Journal. First up: the 1976 Lorain County Fair.

Fifty years ago was our nation's Bicentennial, so the Fair has something special planned: an exhibit of paintings by Archibald Willard that included the last of six original oils of the "Spirit of '76."

Also of interest: impressive list of Grandstand entertainers: Charley Pride, Barbara Mandrell and the Blackwood Brothers; a visit to the Fair by Governor James Rhodes.

Aug. 13, 1976

Aug. 22, 1976

Aug. 23, 1976

Aug. 25, 1976

Aug. 25, 1976

Aug. 26, 1976

Aug. 28, 1976

Aug. 30, 1976

That House By Lakeview Park – Revisited "Then & Now"

While getting my photo of the Lorain Public Library last weekend, on the way home I happened to pass this well-known Lorain landmark at 1405 West Erie. I couldn't resist talking the photo above, since the sunlight was just right.

It's a quite different view from the last time I photographed this house back in 2012.

At that time, the house was the subject of a two-part post on this blog. Part 1 dealt with the fact that the residence was a Sears home, and featured quotes and information by a gracious authority on the subject, Rose Thornton. Part 2 included my research as to who lived in it over the years.

But somehow during my research back then, I missed the fact that at some point, it was known as Wickens Manor and was the home of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Wickens. I was only made aware of it by stumbling upon this vintage postcard.

So of course, I had to go back there last night and try to get a matching 'now' shot. I couldn't quite match the angle, and a sign post got in the way. So this was the best I could do.

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And as noted on Part 1 of my 2012 post, the house shows up on several Lorain Tornado postcards.