Amber Oaks Grand Opening Ad - May 16, 1963

Here's the full-page ad announcing the May 17, 1963 Grand Opening of Sheffield Lake's venerable Amber Oaks restaurant. The ad ran in The Journal on Thursday, May 16 1963 – exactly 50 years ago today (and on a Thursday too).

I'm glad that these big grand opening ads were the trend back then. They sure make it easy for amateur historians to nail down dates, and find out the names of builders and suppliers.

I love the Cinerama-style typography for the Amber Oaks name.

Anyway, I'm very happy that the restaurant is still around. Although I haven't been there lately, for many years it was the special occasion place for the spouse and me (I really loved the seafood platter).

Here's hoping Amber Oaks is around for another 50 years!

Tomorrow: More Amber Oaks fun

Dorothy and Elmer Tavern in Sheffield Lake

Courtesy Paula Shorf

I had a little trouble yesterday trying to pinpoint just where the Dorothy and Elmer tavern was located at 4790 Lake Road in Sheffield Lake for yesterday's post. (The address no longer exists.) There are only a few online references to it, mainly on the Sheffield Lake Forum pages of LorainCounty.com – which were helpful.

Initially, I wasn't sure if perhaps Dorothy and Elmer's was torn down to make way for Amber Oaks, but now I know they co-existed for a short while – at least the two buildings did.

I did dig up some background information on the owners too. "Elmer" was Elmer Bartel (1890 - 1967), who ran the tavern with his wife Dorothy (1897 - 1977) for 22 years before retiring in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Apparently they sold the business to Paul Uca and Paul Tasse, who ran it for a couple of years in the early 1960s before they finally built and opened Amber Oaks right next door at 4798 Lake Road in May 1963.

Beginning with Amber Oaks' first appearance in the 1964 city directory, the listing for Dorothy and Elmer disappeared – and was replaced with Sheffield Lake Beverage. By the time of the 1965 book, the 4790 Lake Road address was listed as vacant.

For roughly the next 15 years, a few businesses made a go of it at the Dorothy and Elmer location. There was also a residence in the back of the building with its own listing at the same 4790 Lake Road address.

Walter's Delicatessen was listed in the 1966 directory, followed by Lu's Delicatessen which appeared in the 1968 and 1969 books. By the time of the 1970 edition, the address was vacant – and would remain so until the 1975 book, when the Flower Box appeared. But it too would only be listed for one more year before the 4790 Lake Road address went vacant for good.

I'm pretty sure that the former Dorothy and Elmer's tavern was finally torn down and replaced by the Convenient Food Mart that opened in 1979 at 4786 Lake Road. Look for a final update below next week after I speak with the gentleman who operated the store back then.

That's Amber Oaks on the left and Vollick's Bi-Rite Xpress
(the former location of Dorothy and Elmer's tavern) on the right

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UPDATE (Feb. 17, 2015)
I spoke with Mr. Dennis Vollick, owner of the Bi-Rite Express store and the original owner/operator of the Convenient Food Mart store in Sheffield Lake in the 1970s. He confirmed for me that the site was definitely cleared and empty before the Convenient store was constructed.

Amber Oaks Review – Sept. 21, 1973

Back in the 60s and 70s, the Journal used to have a great advertising feature that spotlighted local restaurants. It was called the "Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing.”

It was a clever gimmick. The Guide always featured a positive review of a local restaurant, and included a photo of either the interior or exterior. A current advertisement of the business being reviewed usually appeared below the review.

Anyway, above is the September 21, 1973 edition of the Guide, promoting Sheffield Lake’s well-remembered Amber Oaks (a favorite topic on this blog).

I always liked that sign. Besides the leaf and acorn graphics, the sign – with its neon arrow and various components – seemed to convey that there was a lot going on inside that you didn’t want to miss, especially in the Cocktail Lounge.

It’s also interesting seeing the word ‘Chops’ on a restaurant sign or in an ad. It’s a very old-timey thing that you don’t run into very often, except in old Damon Runyon stories. According to this Wiki entry, the most common meat chops are pork and lamb.

Another one of these Golden Crescent Guides back in 1971 had a photograph of the outside of the restaurant (below).

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I’m not sure what ever happened with the revival of Amber Oaks. It’s been at least two years since the building was fixed up very nicely.

A recent view of the current sign

More Amber Oaks Fun

Shortly after the gala Grand Opening of Amber Oaks, the ad above ran in the Lorain Journal on May 23, 1963. As you can see, the opening had been a big success. (Hey look at that--the little guy from the auto ads even made a cameo appearance in the ad!)

Here's another Amber Oaks newspaper ad from a few years later. This one (below) is from September 12, 1968.

Here's a look at the restaurant as it used to look in the early days. This shot (below) is from a June 1971 Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing column by Dennis Traster. The feature – which was a unique form of advertising – used to appear in the Journal and spotlighted a different restaurant each time.

And lastly, here's the restaurant as it looks today.

1972 St. Patrick’s Day Restaurant Ads

The restaurant ads in the Journal on St. Patrick’s Day 1972 weren’t exactly overflowing with corned beef and cabbage. Maybe Lorain just didn’t have a very big Irish population, except for those O’Brady’s on the west side.

Elberta Inn in Vermilion was promoting its upcoming clambake.

And Amber Oaks was thinking even further ahead to Easter. (BTW, I haven’t made it out to the ‘new’ Amber Oaks yet.)

Presti's of Oberlin did a superb job of ignoring St. Patrick’s Day too.

In North Ridgeville, the fabulous “Songsations” were performing at Harrish’s in the Ridgeview Shopping Center on U. S. Route 20.

And over in Avon Lake, the Tropicana was featuring The Vengeant Fox for everyone’s dining and dancing pleasure.

The Ponderosa Pines Park Ranch House out on Diagonal Road had Ernie Nichols (morning personality on WOBL) and the Nightbeats. Plenty of Lake Erie perch but no corned beef and cabbage. 

At least L-K Restaurants were thinking of beef. But not corned beef; it was their L-K Tender Steak, “1/2 pound of satisfying goodness.” Love that crooked logo in the ad!

But, Dan (you might be thinking) – where are all the St. Patrick’s Day ads? Well, me boyo, only good old Sherwood Inn was catering to the sons of Erin that day, with a corned beef and cabbage dinner for only $2.50.

1969 Easter Ads

Easter is this Sunday, so here are a few vintage ads from Easter 1969 to put you in the holiday mood.

Dealership logo from mid-1960s

First up is the one above, a full page one for Midway Mall that ran in the Journal on March 21, 1969. It features a rather offbeat bunny perched on the Midway Mall logo. Note that the long-eared one was going to arrive in a Ray Faro 1969 Pontiac convertible; no firetruck or helicopter for him!

Ray Faro Pontiac advertised itself as "Lorain County’s largest Pontiac Dealer” and was located at 416 Middle Avenue in Elyria. 

Next up is an ad for one of my favorite blog topics: Amber Oaks. The ad ran in the Journal on April 3, 1969. At least Chef Bunny is not serving up his own kind (although who eats rabbit at Easter?)

(Hey, speaking of Amber Oaks – is it ever going to reopen?)

Lastly, here’s one of those full-page ads with sponsor businesses. It ran in the Journal on Easter Eve, April 5, 1969. I’m not sure if the entire family is blonde, or if the illustration was intended as a coloring page.

Not too many survivors from the listing of merchants unless you include successor banks. But at least Chris’ Restaurant is still around; I ate there a few weeks ago! (Note that in the ad, Chris’ was still located in the building on West Erie that up until a few years ago was home to Jack and Diane’s.)

Amber Oaks Closes

According to some comments posted on the "You know you're from Sheffield or Sheffield Lake if..." Facebook page, Amber Oaks quietly closed for good at the end of last weekend.

I saw the sign on Monday during my commute and didn't realize that it was the owners' way of saying goodbye to the community.

A 1971 view of the original building

It's very sad. The restaurant had been part of Sheffield Lake since it opened in 1963. (I wrote about its Grand Opening here and here.)

Although I hadn't eaten there in a while, for many years it was our preferred choice for family celebrations and New Year's Eve dinner.

The restaurant obviously still had many fans, judging by the many cars in the parking lot.

Here's wishing the owners a Happy Retirement, along with my thanks for providing a backdrop for so many of our family get-togethers.

Signs of Change in Sheffield Lake

It looks like change is coming to Sheffield Lake, at least when it comes to some of the city's longtime businesses and commercial strips.

As shown above, the city's lakefront high-rise luxury apartments – formerly Erie Shore Landing – are now The Perch on Lake. Its website lists its newly renovated apartments and Clubhouse as just a few of the amenities. (I still like the original name – Lakeside 10 – best, though. It has that Southern California beachcomber feel to it.)

Over at Duff Corners at the intersection of East Lake and Abbe Roads, a sign is up for Dee's Lakeside Billiards. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find any online mention of it yet. But it would be nice to have something in there at such a high profile intersection, and I hope it works out.

Longtime residents remember the various gas stations that were there, as well as Donutville and Fraam’s Restaurant. I’m still bummed that Sun Hardware is closed next door, as the staff were always friendly and helpful.

Lastly – although it seems to be taking a while – it looks like Amber Oaks (a favorite topic on this blog here and here) is preparing for an eventual reopening.

A message on the sign at the end of last summer (at right) read, “SEE YOU SOON,” as well as “NEW MENU." Work has been going on both on the inside and outside of the restaurant, and the owners have been sprucing it up nicely.

There has also been some chatter about Amber Oaks on the "You know you're from Sheffield or Sheffield Lake if…" Facebook page, mostly speculation about the hours of the restaurant once it reopens.

Here’s hoping that these and all new businesses in Sheffield Lake enjoy much community support, as well as success.

Ponderosa Pines Park Article – May 1972

Ponderosa Pines Park Ranch House was one of the restaurants I wrote about back on St. Patrick's Day. Despite its colorful and Western-sounding name, however, I'd never heard of it. I only knew from its ad that it was located on Diagonal Road, south of Route 303.

Thus I was happy to see this "Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing" from the May 26, 1972 Journal devoted to the place. It turns out that the restaurant was part of Ponderosa Pines Park, a camping resort with a 9 home golf course, swimming, and horseback riding, not to mention 400 campsites.

Ernie Nichols and the Nightbeats were the featured performers on Friday and Saturday nights back in May 1972.

Courtesy UMKC Digital Special Collections

Today, Ponderosa Pines Park is no more. The golf course is now Pheasant Run Golf Course. Its website notes, "Pheasant Run Golf Course was originally built in the mid-1060s as a nine-hole public golf course. The course expanded to an 18-hole course in the mid-1980s, and further expanded when we added our clubhouse and pavilion in 1995."

The campground appears to be the location of a housing development. 

But the large lake nearby – Ponderosa Pines Lake – keeps the memories alive.

The original Ponderosa Pines Park Ranch House building appears to be still standing, although it is unclear if it is being used for anything.

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The Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing features many restaurants that have appeared on this blog through the years, including Amber Oaks, Elberta Inn, Sherwood Inn, and Presti's of Oberlin.

Jan and Dean / Paul Revere's Raiders at Surf Side VI – Summer 1978

June 24, 1978 ad from the Journal

Do you enjoy going to see tribute bands?

Although it's a popular form of entertainment for a lot of people I know, they're not for me. If I was a really big fan of a band or group, then I probably saw them in their heyday, at Blossom or the Coliseum. I don't need to see a reproduction now. 

But then there are the bands that are still touring under their original name, but are missing key performers and talents who are no longer with their respective groups. There was a lot of that going on back in the 1970s and 80s, with groups that were originally popular in the 50s and 60s. 

A good example is the musical bill shown above for the well-remembered Surf Side VI nightclub back in the summer of 1978. The ad, which ran in the Journal on June 24, 1978 announces the upcoming appearances of Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as Jan and Dean.

But is that who showed up at Surf Side VI to perform? 

Well, yes and no. This article that ran in the Journal on June 30, 1978 explains.

As the article notes, the group that called themselves Paul Revere's Raiders were six new faces, unknown to the audience. Singer Mark Lindsay and leader Paul Revere were nowhere to be seen. Paul Revere, according to the article, still performed with his namesake group but only at really large venues.

As for Jan and Dean, there were two gentlemen there with those names: Jan Berry, one half of the famous beach duo (who had been in a terrible automobile accident) and a guy named Dean Ruff – not Dean Torrance, the original member.

It sounds like the new members of Paul Revere's Raiders won over their crowd during their performance. Jan and "Dean" – not so much. But Jan was there, and that's what mattered.

Sadly, neither group is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Note also the ads for Amber Oaks and Lannie's.

Golden Crescent Guide to Dining: Saddle Inn

Here’s another one of those old “Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing” advertising features that used to run regularly in the Journal. This one, which ran on March 14, 1969, shines the spotlight on the Saddle Inn in Avon Lake. (I’ve already posted ones profiling Elberta Inn, Presti’s, Amber Oaks and L’Auberge du Port.)

The article calls out Mrs. Leona as the “woman of the hour” at the Saddle Inn when it came to wedding planning, as well as ‘charming hostess’ Ruth Smith and chef Eddie Reed. Art Brown, a “gentleman’s gentleman,” is said to hold court at the bar, and Bernice Heston, a 75-year-old Amherst resident, is mentioned as playing the piano every Friday and Saturday.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is this Sunday, there’s an ad for McGarvey’s with that theme with the others shown above.

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I’ve posted a few other ads for the Saddle Inn over the years, including these two (below).

1958

1959

I also did a “Then & Now” photo study of the former Saddle Inn here, and posted a Journal photo of the Inn, post-July 4, 1969 storm here.

Guide to Dining: Corinthian Family Restaurant

Here's yet another of those "Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing" features that appeared regularly in the Journal in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On the menu this time: Corinthian Family Restaurant. The feature appeared in the Journal on January 19, 1973.

When I saw that Corinthian Family Restaurant was the topic of this ad feature, I thought that it was the one on Broadway that I had written about back here. But this one is the restaurant owned by Pete Roubekas and located in the Sheffield Shopping Center,  in the space formerly occupied by an outlet of McGarvey's. 

So what's the story?

An article in the November 17, 1974 Journal profiling Pete Roubekas revealed that he had bought the Corinthian on Broadway in Lorain in 1966. 

March 19, 1967 Journal ad

It's unclear if he still operated the original after he opened his outlet in the Sheffield Center in November 1971. But by the time of the 1974 article, he had sold Corinthian Family Restaurant and opened the Farmer Boy Restaurant in South Amherst.

April 20, 1980 ad from the Journal

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Past "Golden Crescent Guides to Dining and Dancing" candidates posted here on the blog included Elberta Inn (Feb. 1969), Presti's of Oberlin (Feb. 1969), McGarvey's (March 1969), Saddle Inn (March 1969), Ponderosa Pines Park (May 1972), Elberta Inn again (September 1972), and Amber Oaks (September 1973).

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A quick Googling reveals that June Alexander (mentioned as performing with her Trio at Corinthian Family Restaurant in the 1973 ad) studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She released at least one album with her trio entitled June Alexander Presents Her Men in 1972. 

The back of the album notes that it was recorded in a one room schoolhouse; the photo looks a lot like the old Hickory Tree Grange Hall in Amherst.

That makes sense because in 1954, June Alexander wrote an article about the Hickory Tree Grange Hall for the Journal. (Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here.)

Thanksgiving in Lorain – 1965

At Thanksgiving time in 1965, the Vietnam War was worsening with 240 Americans killed in one week, as noted in the lead story on the front page of the holiday edition of the Journal on November 25, 1965 (shown below).

As in the past, preparations for the Mary Lee Tucker Christmas Benefit Show were announced. The emcee for the benefit was revealed to be Don Webster, host of the Big Five Show on WEWS Channel 5 in Cleveland. Acts scheduled to perform included Dave C. and the Sharptones, teen-age singing idol Bruce Scott, and Coral Recording vocalist Bobbi Martin.

The Journal Page of Opinion was rich in Thanksgiving sentiment. The editorial provided a history of the holiday and encouraged Americans to display the flag as part of the observance. A column by Ralph McGill retold the story of the arrival of the Pilgrims and their first, terrible year.

The "Other Years" feature noted that ten years earlier on November 25, 1955, the longtime bottleneck in Vermilion (caused by US 6 zigzagging its way through town) was finally eliminated (which I wrote about here).

The traditional full-page holiday ad with a list of sponsors was on page 17, providing us with a roll call of local businesses. (As usual, only public utilities and successor banks are still around from the list today.)

Not a lot of choices to eat out in 1965. I saw only two ads: Amber Oaks and 333 Bar.

As for the preparation of a Thanksgiving feast at home, local shoppers had a wide variety of stores at which to select their turkey (or ham). 

And where did Mom get her birds? I've mentioned before that she used to fix a duck and a capon rather than a turkey. I'm guessing they were from A&P at the Lorain Plaza, as I distinctly remember her shopping there when I was a wee lad in the 1960s. Why do I remember? One of the A&P cashiers used to pinch my cheeks!

Speaking of A&P, it's amusing that the two-page spread contained not just the names of the A&P Bonus Bingo winners, but also their photos – and addresses! Unheard of today, that's for sure.