Miss Vermilion Crowned – June 1964

Part of Vermilion’s annual Festival of the Fish is a princess pageant with the winner crowned Miss Vermilion. But back in 1964, it was still three years before the first Festival of the Fish would be launched in 1967. However, the Miss Vermilion contest was still part of the summer celebration.

As you can see in the ad above, which ran in the Vermilion Photojournal on May 13, 1964, the Miss Vermilion contest was a tie-in with Miss Putt Putt. Romp’s Putt Putt (now Romp’s Putter Port) was the main sponsor of the contest.

The ballot below with three lovely ladies appeared in the Photojournal on June 17, 1964.

An article in the same edition of the newspaper noted, “With only three more days to go it is expected that the voting in the Miss Vermilion contest will really speed up.

“Not only will the winner reign at all local civic events, but her picture will also be entered in the National Miss Putt Putt Contest where the top prize is $1,000. A spot check at some of the ballot boxes showed the voting to be heavy. If you haven’t voted yet be sure to stop in at any member firm of the Vermilion Business and Industrial Association and pickup a ballot, or you may use the ballot in last week’s and this week’s Photojournal.”

So who won?

As reported in the June 24, 1964 Photojournal, “Vermilion’s third annual early summer celebration, dubbed the Summer Send-Off this years, proved up to expectations.

“Starting Saturday off with the Mayor’s Conference at the Library in the morning, through the luncheon at McGarvey’s to the crowning of Miss Vermilion in the afternoon, it was a busy day. Honored guest was Mr. Frank Briggs, Assistant Secretary of the Interior who was accompanied from Washington by his wife and daughter.

“Secretary Briggs crowned Carol Radde as Miss Vermilion, winner of the popularity contest sponsored by Romp’s Putt Putt Golf Course and the Vermilion Business and Industrial Association. Over 4,500 votes were cast for the three finalists. The other two contestants, Barbara Cantrell and Linda Lane served as Attendants.

“The new Miss Vermilion and her attendants started their duties early Sunday as they attended the Community Breakfast at Vermilion Harbor Yacht Club.

From the front page of the June 24, 1964 Vermilion Photojournal

Pick-n-Pay Ad – June 18, 1969

Although you might not be aware of it, June is National Dairy Month, and has been since the late 1930s. The designation started out as a way to promote drinking milk.

The ad for Pick-n-Pay above, which ran in the Journal on June 18, 1969 features the then-reigning American Dairy Princess, Elaine Marie Moore.

The christening of dairy princesses has long been part of the advertising for the dairy industry. Potential princesses come from a dairy background (such as a family farm) and compete at county and state levels. Princesses crowned at the state level would compete for the title of American Dairy Princess. The yearlong reign as official spokesperson for the industry would include making media appearances and giving interviews.

At the time of the Pick-n-Pay ad, Elaine Marie Moore was actually wrapping up her year as the 14th American Dairy Princess, according to an article in the June 10, 1969 Eau Claire Leader. It noted, “Elaine Marie Moore’s memories of the past year include meeting the President, running into difficulties with a recalcitrant scissors, and keeping very busy indeed.

“It’s been the year she reigned as the 14th American Dairy Princess, “First Lady” of the multi-billion dollar U. S. dairy industry, and chief “speaker-up” for milk.

“A big job for a 19-year old college sophomore? Perhaps, but as the daughter of one dairyman and sister to three others, Elaine knows the dairy business. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Moore of Bradenton, Fla., have a mixed herd of 500 cattle producing 5,160,000 pounds of milk a year on their 320-acre dairy farm.

"Her three older brothers have followed in their father’s footsteps (a younger brother is still in college), and her sister is married to a dairyman.

“Elaine, dark blonde and blue-eyed, has attended Manatee Junior College for the past two years. Previously, at Southeast High School in Bradenton, she gained royal experience and poise as Miss Southeast Court, Miss Cinderella and Desota Princess.

“After serving as Florida Dairy Princess for a year, she won the national crown in July, 1968, over 28 other contestants in a competition sponsored by the American Dairy Association.

“Her most memorable moment of the year was meeting and being photographed with President and Mrs. Johnson at the first annual meeting of Milk Producers, Inc.  in San Antonio.

“The moment she’d like most to forget is quickly called to mind, too. Elaine’s official duties have included snipping many an “opening” ribbon. On one such occasion, the ceremonial scissors was not only ready but painted gold. The only catch: it wouldn’t cut the ribbon. After several futile – and embarassing – tries,  Elaine had to cast aside the specially prepared scissors and resort to a plain chrome model with sharper edges.

“Elaine will give up her American Dairy Princess crown to a successor in Chicago this July.”

So in honor of Elaine Marie Moore’s reign as American Dairy Princess fifty years ago, be sure to enjoy a nice, cold glass of refreshing milk soon.

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Pick-n-Pay is another one of those Northeast Ohio grocery stores that we all remember but is no longer around. It (along with Edwards Food Warehouse and Finast) all became part of a company based in the Netherlands. Read all about here on its page in the online Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.

Lorain’s First Factory Built Home – June 20, 1969

A couple of years ago at the Great Big Home + Garden Show at Cleveland's IX Center, I toured a factory-built ranch home. It was really nice, as well as being moderately priced. I remember thinking that it was the perfect successor to the 50s and 60s homes that many of us grew up in on Lorain’s west side.

Of course, factory-built homes are nothing new. Back in June 1969, one was the subject of an article that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 20, 1969. It was the first one in Lorain, making it something special.

But as you will see, it had a mixed reception.

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First Factory-Built Home
Gets a Trial in Lorain

By TOM McPHEETERS
Staff Writer

THE FIRST factory-built home in Lorain is on a lot on the 1800 block of Tower Boulevard. It almost certainly is the first of many such homes Lorain will see in the next few years.

“You are looking at a new type of building,” said Lorain builder Anthony Murello yesterday. “Definitely, there will be more, subject to public acceptance.”

Murello has resolved his differences with city officials who initially expressed concern about the construction standards of the new home, exhibited for the first time in this area last month at the Midway Mall Home Show.

EIGHTH WARD City Councilman Robert Hritsko says he has received complaints from “about a dozen neighbors of the white, one-story rectangular house. He has asked Building Inspector James Romoser to see if the building can be stopped, but Romoser said the only argument against it – that the home “does not conform to neighborhood standards – is not grounds for him to take action.

“We are not an architect’s board,” Romoser said. He added that any attempt to pass legislation limiting the design of buildings in Lorain could probably be challenged as discriminatory.

“We are very much aware of the criticism, but at the same time, the number one problem in America is housing,” replies Murello. “And if the people will give us a chance, why when we’re through landscaping they’ll say, ‘what were we griping about?'”

BESIDES, with 1,248 square feet of floor space, the house is bigger than 50 percent of the other homes in the area, Murello said. “I ought to know – I built them.”

Murello received a variance from the Lorain Zoning Board of Appeals to place the house on a lot at West 23rd Street and Pole Avenue after the board ruled that it did not have jurisdiction over the type and construction of the building, as long as it met the zoning code standards.

Murello later decided to use the Tower Boulevard lot instead.

At the time of the board hearings, both Romoser and City Electrician Arthur Manichl said they had doubts about approving the construction of the home because they would not be able to follow the usual procedure of inspecting on site during various stages of work.

But Romoser has resolved the problem by stipulating that a contractor can have a licensed inspector certify at the factory that the home has been inspected and meets Lorain’s standards for construction, wiring and plumbing.

ROMOSER ALSO has Murello’s agreement that spot checks can be made by Lorain inspectors. “We did make some changes in wiring and plumbing on the house at Tower Boulevard to meet Lorain standards,” Murello said.

“The next one we ship will exceed all of Lorain’s standards.”

The completed home, with prepared lot, on Tower Boulevard is selling for $22,900. A factory-built home without lot will cost $13,956. With soaring construction and interest costs for conventionally built homes, “I venture to say we won’t get requests for more than a dozen applications the rest of this year for conventionally built single-family homes from contractors,” Romoser says.

Lorain Community Development Director Walter Benedict says he is definitely interested in using factory-built homes in the South Lorain urban renewal project, but only after he is satisfied that they have quality and will go well in the area.

Murello says the Nixon administration’s new housing program, called “Project BREAKTHROUGH,” encourages factory-built homes in low income areas as a means of quick rebuilding without the usual relocation headaches. Residents of the Cityview area of Lorain are interested in the idea.

But Murello promises he is not going to flood the city with factory-built homes. “There’s not going to be any panic. There won’t be any 200 units put up overnight in one place. We don’t plan to cluster them, but to scatter them where the lots are available,” he says.

Today the house looks cozy and well-maintained

Leduc’s Frosty Follies at Midway Mall – June 1969

Fifty years ago this week at Midway Mall, Leduc’s Frosty Follies was appearing. The ad above for the traveling ice skating troupe ran in the Journal on June 15, 1969.

Jean Paul Leduc was the man behind the show, which featured a transportable ice rink made of real ice that was brought to each performance.

I suppose the unusual spelling of “Winnie the Pooh” and “Tigger” were designed to avoid any hassles with the infamous Disney lawyers. No matter; I’ll bet the kiddies were thrilled to see them.

Anyway, Leduc enjoyed a long and successful career with his traveling ice skating show. Here’s an early ad, from Billboard Magazine in November 1958.

For a while, it appears that Leduc experimented with an “iceless” ice show. Here’s an article from 1971 that explains how he did it.

Lastly, here are some clippings from an appearance at the Ohio State Fair in the summer of 1984. By this time, Mr. Leduc – who lived in Ohio at that time – was back to transporting his rink of real ice.

From the July 10, 1984 Xenia Daily Gazette

From the August 18, 1984 Elyria Chronicle-Telegram

Jean Paul Leduc passed away in 2015. As his obituary points out, he "traveled the world and led an exciting and interesting life as a professional ice skater. He and his family awed audiences with their acrobatic moves on the ice as they entertained at children’s shows and other ice events. Due to the extreme conditioning required to perform some of his amazing acrobatic moves, Jean Paul trained and worked out with numerous professional athletes and movie stars. 

"At one point in his career was the owner/operator of his own Country Music Park with performers such as Roy Clark and Minnie Pearl. His work was his hobby. Jean Paul also had several other business ventures over the years including along with his wife Patty, as a decorator for parties and events held at malls and other public venues. Because of his world travels, Jean Paul also was fluent in several languages including French, Spanish, German and Creole. 

"He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Palatka. To know Jean Paul was to know a man who truly loved life, his family and loved to entertain those around him with his humor and amazing acrobatics both on and off the ice. His wealth of life stories and experiences will be missed by all who knew him. "

What was playing at the Lorain Drive-in on June 18, 1969?

What was playing at the Lorain Drive-in Theatre on Route 6 on this day, 50 years ago? Why, it was a double feature of Mad Doctor of Blood Island, (in "blood dripping color”) and Blood Demon (which was only in “blood curdling color").

Here’s the over-the-top trailer. Looks like a lot of fun!

Although the human/plant mutants drip green blood in the movie, the stuff splattered all over the monster in the movie poster below looks pretty red to me.

Anyway, I wonder what the “mystic potion” was that was given to all of the Lorain Drive-in patrons? 

By the way, Angelique Pettyjohn (the female lead in Mad Doctor of Blood Island) had an interesting movie and TV career, including appearances on Star Trek and Get Smart (as agent Charlie Watkins).

Avon Lake Sesquicentennial – June 1969

Although Avon Lake’s Bicentennial celebration has been a year-long event (concluding with a Jubilee Fireworks show this July 4th) its Sesquicentennial back in 1969 was a weeklong affair.

Above is a special two-page advertising spread that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 14, 1969. It’s pleasant to be reminded of some of the great local businesses that were around back then, including Saddle Inn and Ilg Radio & Television, as well as chains such as Ben Franklin.

The Journal covered the city’s celebration with the article below, which appeared in the paper on June 8, 1969.

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Avon Lake Plans Big Week
To Celebrate 150th Birthday
By BONNIE LAMP
Staff Writer

A TOWN is only 150 years old once, and Avon Lake is going all out to celebrate this milestone during the week of June 13 to 22.

Citizens of Avon Lake have been caught up in a whirlwind of preparations which began in October of last year. Since then General Chairman Ed Mitchell, seven committee heads, city officials, civic clubs, industries and businesses have been hard at work, smoothing out the wrinkles and polishing up their exhibitions for the community-wide affair.

Already there are beards sported on every corner, and mini-skirts are going out of style for a while. Many women will soon be donning 19th Century floor-length dresses and municipal offices will wear red, white and blue bunting, proclaiming the town’s 150-year birthday.

CLEAN-SHAVEN RESIDENTS are warned to watch out for the “Keystone Cops,” who will be out this weekend to enforce their “beard ordinance.”

Shaving permits are being issued to persons not wishing to encourage a stubble growth, and any man who is caught clean shaven and without permit will be put in the pokey, an authentic, 100-year-old jail on wheels, said Mitchell.

A Historical Dress Ball at the Aquamarine will kick off the week-long festivities Friday, with men in derbies and frock coats and the women dressed in everything from 1819 style ball gowns to old-time bathing suits. At the ball the Queen of the Sesquicentennial will be chosen and there will be preliminary judging of the beards.

Throughout the week, the Huber Museum on Lake Road, the oldest house in Avon Lake, will be open for tours. The house has been cleaned and furnished entirely with antiques by the Lake Shore Women’s Club.

Avon Lake High School will accommodate the main fair grounds, with a 14-ride Carnival and a Fair Share Tent with booths by some 25 industries, businesses and clubs.

On Monday, June 16th, Houlihan and Big Chuck All-Stars of Cleveland will battle Avon Lake police and firemen, with the local rock group, “Sounds of Now,” providing background music to keep the All-Stars on their toes.

“The Avon Lake Brothers of the Brush also will be on hand to supply the police and firemen with oxygen during the baseball game,” Mitchell said.

A SKYDIVING exhibition and a show by Lorain’s “Up With People” sing-out group will be presented during the week.

And on Sunday, June 22, residents will give a final salute to another era with the Sesquicentennial Parade. The parade will include a covered wagon train with 22 wagons, four buggies, and 50 costumed horsemen, a procession of some 200 antique cars, and several bands, military units and floats.

But to make sure the event will not soon be forgotten, the entire week’s activities will be filmed to preserve a part of the history of Avon Lake today and as it seemed 150 years ago, when the first settlers arrived here on Lake Erie shores.

Hills Father’s Day Ad – June 14, 1969

Well, Father’s Day is Sunday – so let’s close out the week with an ad with that theme for the well-remembered Hills Dept. Store chain. It ran in the Journal on June 14, 1969.

The ad is kind of amusing in that it acknowledges what we all secretly admit: that finding a gift for Dear Old Dad probably did come down to the last minute.

I can’t remember what (if anything) we would buy Dad for his special day; he didn’t wear a tie to work, so I know that particular cliché was not his present.

Anyway, the not-too-diverse faces in the ad are interesting, in that at least one of them seems to resemble a popular character actor from the 1960s who appeared in countless TV shows and commercials: Edward Andrews (below). Can you find his lookalike in the ad?

Here’s Mr. Andrews in a commercial for Care-Free Sugarless Gum that I’m sure you remember.

Here’s hoping all you Dads out there – including my two brothers – have a great Father’s Day!

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Hills has been a favorite topic on this blog since its beginning. I posted some great illustrations of the store building here, and did a post on the day that Alvin and the Chipmunks visited here.