That American Flag Overlooking Route 2 Revisited

The view on Thursday evening

The nicest story to come out of the nation's 250th Birthday celebration was the repainting of the American flag overlooking State Route 2.

A great article by Connor Ball in the July 4, 2026 edition of the Chronicle-Telegram tells the story. 

"Fifty years after first painting the American flag on a rocky ledge overlooking state Route 2, the family behind one of Lorain County’s most recognizable landmarks returned Friday morning to freshen it up for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

"Barbara Thompson Brucker, who painted the flag with her brother, Grant Thompson, on July 4, 1976, said sharing the tradition with her children and grandchildren made this year’s repainting especially meaningful.

"The family out of Amherst began repainting the flag around 7 a.m. with Brucker’s daughter, Stephanie Brucker; her fiancé, Marc Garcia, and her son, Daniel Brucker; Daniel’s children, Eli and Brynn; granddaughters Adalynn Fisher, Kinslee Fisher and Laia Brucker; and family friends helping continue the tradition.

"Brucker said she hopes future generations will continue caring for the landmark. 

"The flag traces its origins to the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976."

****

The story I did in 2015 about the flag overlooking SR 2 is my most-visited post of all time, with more than 28,600 hits!

Although I transcribed the story below on that post, here is the original Journal article from August 6, 1976 with the story behind the painting of the flag.

And here is a follow-up story from July 4, 1987 about how the brother and sister team and some friends freshened up the flag with a new coat of paint.

****

Like I mentioned before, I never get tired of seeing the flag when I travel SR 2 east. I watch for it each time.

Another view from last evening.

Jungle Larry Article – July 1970

Jungle Larry, his wife Safari Jane, and one of their sons

Anyone who grew up in Northeast Ohio during the 1960s remembers Jungle Larry from his appearances on TV's Captain Penny show or his "Safari Island" attraction at Cedar Point amusement park. He was always a friendly presence on the TV show, bringing along some animal or exotic creature to show the Captain, and educate his young viewers.

But did you know that Larry Teztlaff (his real name) once managed a drug store in Lorain? Or that he was the real thing when it came to going on safaris and collecting animals, once working with Frank "Bring'em Back Alive" Buck? He wasn't just a guy who wore a safari hat.

Read all about him in this informative and entertaining article by Kathy White that ran in the Journal back on July 19, 1970. (Click on it for a readable view.)

Here's a great YouTube video of Jungle Larry on Captain Penny's show.

And here are a few more postcards of Jungle Larry, including one of the entrance to his winter compound down in Naples, Florida.

****

Jungle Larry has been a favorite topic on this blog. I wrote about his time as manager of the Muir Cut-Rate Drugs store back here.

My siblings and I thought it was pretty exciting to visit Safari Island at Cedar Point back in the days when we watched Jungle Larry on TV. The Jungle Larry website has a page devoted to Safari Island here.

Courtesy JungleLarry.com

Cleveland - Lorain Highway Coach Article – July 1970

Remember the old Cleveland-Lorain Highway Coach bus service?

I guess fewer and fewer people do these days. But when it was in operation, it was great: regular commuter bus service from Lorain to Cleveland and back, several times a day.

The Cleveland-Lorain Highway Coach bus garage on Broadway

And here's a great article by Staff Writer Bob Cotleur about it that ran in the Journal back on July 19, 1970. It tells how the company dates back to 1923 and was started by Harry Coleman and H. A. ("Bob") Sanborn. At the time of the article, the company was being run by H. A. Sanborn's sons, Bob and Don.

Besides providing the history of the company, the article also features some very good observations by Bob Sanborn that are ahead of their time, including opinions about mass transportation, and observations about the unrest that many young people were feeling at that time, due to societal and cultural change.

****

I remember Mom telling me that she and my sister used to take the bus to Cleveland in the late 1950s a few times to shop (remember, it was an era in which families only had one car – and the father took it to work). 

I myself took it a few times as well. 

When I was still in high school, I has signed up for a summer art class at the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, and to get there I was going to have to take the bus. It was kind of like an adventure for a high school kid, especially when I walked all the way from Public Square to E. 22nd Street, being chased by panhandlers all the way. (Unfortunately when I made it to the school and wandered around inside, I discovered that the class had been cancelled.)

I took the bus again when I was living at the Overlook Apartments and working in Downtown Cleveland. I normally drove to the RTA bus stop at the Aqua Marine in Avon Lake, but one day my car battery was dead. So I flagged down the Highway Coach and rode that in. It was more expensive, but a much nicer,  more plush ride.

Snow Cap Ice Creams – Part 2

Snow Cap Ice Cream continued to aggressive advertise in the Lorain Journal with innovative ideas during the latter part of the 1950s. This ad from Feb. 22, 1957 promoted the Snow Cap Birthday Party Special – whereas the company would provide ice cream, spoons, napkins, chocolate wafers, punch syrup to make 6 quarts, and drinking cups, making it easy for mothers.

This July 12, 1957 ad listed all the Snow Cap products, as well as suggesting using Snow Cap dry ice for keeping things cool on picnics.

This ad from May 28, 1958 noted that Snow Cap Ice Creams was "Lorain County's only manufacturer of frozen novelty stick confections." The ad also suggest listening for the bells of the Snow Cap ice cream trucks, and their products were "served at your door or favorite corner store."

Snow Cap continued to promote the use of dry ice, as seen in this pair of ads.

June 14, 1958

July 17, 1959

Snow Cap even utilized coupons, as seen in this ad from August 28, 1959.

It seems that things began to wind down at Snow Cap at the end of the 1950s, with little to no advertising in the newspaper. This May 14, 1960 report of a break-in is one of the few times the company was mentioned in the Lorain Journal during that era.

Despite the unique product offering and marketing ideas, it was the end of the line for Snow Cap with this announcement from April 3, 1961.

The winding down of the Snow Cap business seems to coincide with Mr. Gantose taking over the concession at Lakeview Park. This March 17, 1972 Journal article notes that he had operated the concession there for about 15 years – or roughly since around 1957.

Mr. Gantose continued to operate the concession there right into the 1980s. He became embroiled in a controversy when the city of Lorain attempted to evict him so that renovations could be done at the bath house to attract a Wendy's Restaurant. But in the end, the city's plans to put a fast food restaurant were scuttled; in December 1985, Lorain County Judge Joseph Cirigliano ordered the city to allow Gantose to use the concession area through Jan. 30, 1990, when his lease expired. He went to a month-to-month contract during the summer of 1990.

He passed away in 1994.

As his brother noted in his obituary, "He enjoyed people. He did what he enjoyed doing."

And he enjoyed making people happy with ice cream. 

Snow Cap Ice Creams – Part 1

Snow Cap Ice Cream is an interesting story. The business started out as a small operation but became so much more – for a little while.

The business, operated by Al Gantose, was located at 1155 Reid Avenue. It first showed up in the pages of the Lorain Journal in the 'new telephone number' listing on April 24, 1952.

It appears that part of the original business plan was to employ boys as vendors to sell ice cream around the city from their bikes.

Aug. 20, 1952

One unfortunate young man – new to Lorain – found himself in hot water when he made an ice cream sale in Lakeview Park, triggering an angry reaction from the ice cream concessionaire at the bathhouse there. This article from June 25, 1954 tells the story. 

By 1955, ads began appearing in the Lorain Journal for Snow Cap Drive-in, such as this one from May 25, 1955.

And this ad from June 21, 1955 reveals that there was a whole fleet of Snow Cap Ice Cream trucks.

The company's specialty were the ice cream novelties and other treats, such as ice cream bars, drumsticks, fudge bars, and popsicles. You could also buy a half gallon of the company's ice cream. 

The drive-in continued to be advertised, perhaps to drum up some foot traffic. Snow Cap also reached out to groups and organizations to cater their ice cream socials.

These ads from 1956 reveal that Snow Cap had an agreement with the Walt Disney organization to manufacture and sell Donald Duck "Ducky Bubble Extra Large Popsicles." Quite a (duck) feather in their (Snow) Cap!

June 1, 1956

July 27, 1956

Next: the rest of the story

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

Here's wishing good old Uncle Sam a Happy 250th Birthday! By George (Washington), it's a day to celebrate! Here's hoping your July 4th is safe and happy.

Sixty years ago, you might have decided (like the Bradys did some years) to go watch fireworks at Hills Dept. Store. Here's the Hills ad from July 2, 1966.

And if you'd like a soundtrack to go with your celebration today, how's about John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever?" It still gives me goosebumps when I hear it, probably because when I was a member of the 1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band, we used to close our concerts with it.

****

A few shots while passing through Wellington last weekend. I think we take it for granted that the Spirit of '76 Painting is so associated with that charming village.

Spirit of '76 Stamps

The special 1976 commemorative stamps

Fifty years ago on July 4, 1976, the United States was celebrating its 200th birthday, and it was a very big deal. Part of the observance was the creation of three 13-cent stamps featuring Archibald Willard's famous patriotic painting, "The Spirit of '76."

Since the Spirit of '76 Museum is located in Wellington, where Willard was living when he conceived the idea for his painting, someone had a great idea. Why not allow the Museum to accept orders for a special cancellation of a limited number of the commemorative stamps?

As noted in the Journal article below from June 28, 1976, the special cancelled envelope featured a picture of the painting and a portrait of Willard, along with some biographical information.

And here is one of the envelopes – the 'brown' version. (It's stamped 'First Day of Issue' but I'm not sure why the postmark is January 1st).

This is the card that came inside.

It was a nice promotion for the Museum. I haven't been there since 2009, but I'm planning another visit soon. (I wrote about my 2009 visit here.)

****

The U. S. Post Office has some nice commemorative items for the nation's 250th birthday as well.

"Figures of the American Revolution Stamps"