St. John Catholic School in South Lorain Opens – Fall 1954

A familiar sight to those making a trip out to South Lorain to shop at Hills Dept. Store (like us) was St. John Catholic School, located at Grove Avenue and 36th Street. It was another one of those Lorain landmarks that a kid riding in a back seat of the family car would notice in that area, along with the Ohio National Guard Armory, the train and the 'other' Easter Basket in Oakwood Park.

Above is the front page of the Lorain Journal from August 18, 1954 with the story of the school's impending opening that fall.

The article notes, "Under construction the past year, St. John Catholic School at Grove and 36th, will be opened this fall. It is the first school to be operated by St. John Catholic Church and brings to 10 the Toal number of Catholic schools in Lorain."

I'm not even Catholic and I feel bad that Lorain and the surrounding communities simply can't support very many Catholic schools these days. A quick look at the Google AI Overview (and we know it can't be wrong) reveals that Lorain only has two Catholic Schools: St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School and St. Peter Catholic School.

Anyway, today the former St. John Catholic School is now Horizon Science Academy – Lorain South. It looks pretty modern to me.

A 2021 view, courtesy of Google Maps

Note the page also has an ad for the Ohio State Fair, which ran from late August right into September back then.

Formal Opening of Oberlin Inn – August 1955

Seventy years ago this month the new Oberlin Inn (shown above) held its formal opening. Below you see the coverage of the story by the Lorain Journal on August 1, 1955.

According to the article, the new Oberlin Inn replaced an older version built in 1867.

(In 2016, I did a three-part series on the demolition of the Oberlin Inn that was 'new' in 1955.) 

It's interesting just how much real estate the 1955 Oberlin Inn took up on that corner, for what was basically just a motel and parking lot.

Of course, The Hotel at Oberlin (which replaced the 1955 Oberlin Inn) is just one component of the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center on that corner. It also comprises the 1833 Restaurant, StudiOC, Oberlin College Admissions and The Birebaum.

Just for fun, here's a "Then & Now" of the two hotels that sat on that corner of Route 58 and E. College Street.

While I hate to see old buildings (such as motels) torn down, I really like The Hotel at Oberlin. I pass it twice a day on the way to work, and I enjoy the creative lighting in play in the upper level, which changes color and mood from time to time, and is a warm and welcoming sight during my drive in.

Bocky and the Visions at George May Ford – August 23, 1965

For a local, standalone Lorain Ford Dealership, George May Ford had some pretty creative promotions in the 1960s to draw in potential customers. They included "a gun-toting' cowboy" and a cowgirl hostess; a twist party; pony rides; a champagne weekend; and the Back to School Dance being advertised above. It appeared in the Journal back on August 23, 1965.

The featured band was Bocky and the Visions. Buddy Maver, a former member, has a nice webpage devoted to his former group that features great photos and about eight tunes. Maver writes, "Bocky and the Visions were the first Cleveland group to make records that got played on the radio. They started in Cleveland’s Little Italy in the late 50s. They were a doo-wop singing group with four singers … kind of like Dion and the Belmonts or the Four Seasons. The group consisted of lead singer, Bocky DiPasquale AKA “Bocky Boo” and background singers Sonny Peters, Jimmy Randazzo, and Arnie Immerman. They made some great records that came out on national labels like Big Top, Decca and Phillips initially recording in New York and later at Cleveland Recording."

Courtesy BuckeyeBeat.com

The George May ad notes that the group's latest hit recording was "Listen to the Beat of My Heart."

The years 1964 and 1965 were big ones for Bocky and the Visions. They performed at The Note, the teenage nightclub in Ruggles Beach, back in October 1964.

Oct. 2, 1964 ad

The group had performed at Admiral King High School in February 1965 for a Booster Club fundraiser.

And the group made regular appearances on local TV, including the Big 5 Show on WEWS.

March 20, 1965 TV listing

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The Cleveland Scene website recounts the tragic, unsolved murder of Robert J. "Bocky" DiPasquale in 1988.

Reddy for the War to End - August 18, 1945

When it was announced in the Lorain Journal on August 14, 1945 that Japan had accepted the Allied unconditional surrender terms, the newspapers advertisers took notice – and immediately placed ads acknowledging the impending end of the war.

One of the first to appear in the Lorain Journal in the next few days was the above ad for the Ohio Public Service (as Ohio Edison was known then).

It's got a great message, promoting free enterprise as the means to achieve a good living the American Way. And Reddy – dressed like a lineman – salutes and signs off personally on the ad with his signature.

Whether this and other ads were already created and 'in the can,' ready for use when the war ended, I'm not sure. But it's very likely.

I remember asking Mom decades ago if she remembered there being any concern or worry in Lorain that we might lose the war. Her response was that when we first declared war on Japan, and then Germany, there was certainly concern and apprehension.

Perhaps Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Lorain's Number 1 son, helped soothe frayed nerves in his hometown when he appeared in Lorain to dedicate a monument in Lakeview Park in August 1942.

As the front page article below in the August 31, 1942 Lorain Journal notes, "Where do we go from here?" asked Admiral Ernest J. King of his home-town neighbors yesterday. And then he answered his own question with a ringing declaration that thrilled his listeners.

"We're going on to victory, of course. We will win this war."

August 25, 1945 & 1965

Eighty years ago today, this (above) was the front page of the Lorain Journal on August 25, 1945. Japan had only surrendered a few weeks earlier, and the end-of-the-war preparations were still taking place.

In Lorain, it was decided that October 7th was to be the day of the big "Victory Day" celebration, with Lorain's most famous son, Fleet Admiral Admiral Ernest J. King attending.

Here's the page with the continuations of the front page stories.

Twenty years later, this was the front page of the Journal on August 25, 1965.

The big story (besides the record attendance numbers at the Lorain County Fair) was the Gemini 5 astronauts – being allowed to stay another day in space, giving them the record for the longest single manned flight.

Isn't it odd now, with private commercial enterprises sending manned rockets into space? It makes it easy for anyone to become an 'astronaut.'

Anyway, just for fun, here are a few more pages from that same 1965 edition of the Journal, including a full page with a story about the newly renovated Ted Jacobs store. There's also the 'Town Talk' page with more Lorain County fair stories, the all-important comic pages, and the TV page.

I like the Beatles parody playing out in Li'l Abner. And I had forgotten that the kid brother of Lolly looked like Beetle Bailey.

Lorain County Fair – 1975

We'll close out Lorain County Fair Week here on the blog with a look at the 1975 edition. As usual, the promotion started weeks before the fair started.

The Lorain County Fair has always brought in the big names in country music and 1975 would be no exception. Below is the announcement of the grandstand headliners: the Statler Brothers, and Tammy Wynette and Sonny James. The listing appeared in the Journal on July 1, 1975, and the follow-up ad ran on July 30th.

1975 promotional photo of Tammy Wynette

The full-blown ad for the Fair appeared on August 18, 1975, the day before it opened.

That same edition of the Journal contained the schedule and a tall ad highlighting fan favorite Dan Fleenor and the Hurricane Hell Drivers.

The next day, the Journal ran an interesting article designed to reassure fairgoers that the amusement rides were safe.

And as usual, tall ads ran in the Journal daily informing readers what the attractions were for that day. This one ran in the Journal on August 20, 1975.

As expected, the Statler Brothers, and Tammy Wynette and Sonny James were big hits with the Fair crowd.

Lorain County Fair – 1965

Sixty years ago, the 110th Annual Lorain County Fair opened on August 23, 1965. Above is the promotional ad that appeared in the Journal a week before the opening.

Headliners that year included two performers from the Lawrence Welk Show on TV – JoAnn Castle and Myron Floran, as well as Walt "King" Kovaz and His Auto Daredevils.

JoAnn Castle promotional photo of Sept. 1965

A 1967 King Kovaz program

The first day of the Fair on August 23rd was commemorated with a special Gene Patrick cartoon on the front page of the Journal.

The Journal provided excellent coverage of the Fair that year, with lots of reports and full-pages of photos.

August 23, 1965

August 26, 1965

At the conclusion of the Fair, the Journal did an interesting thing: send a reporter to find out whether the Fair helped or hurt local businesses.

August 28, 1965