Grand Opening of Lorain's Most Modern Service Station – May 16, 1936

Nowadays when a new gas station opens up, there's not a lot of hoopla. 

Why? Because it's not easy to reach people any more in the traditional marketing methods. There's no newspaper that everyone reads in which to place an ad. There are still a few local radio stations (although WEOL is no longer over-the-air) so it's probably a waste of money telling someone in another city that a new station in Vermilion is opening up. There's no direct mail opportunity either, for the same reason – there's no definite audience to reach, other than the people who will drive by it regularly.

Thus the advertising is pretty much limited to a sign and some flags out in front of the station announcing its Grand Opening. At least, that's what I witnessed with our new Marathon station on US Route 6 last year. 

But in the old days, the Grand Opening of a new service station was a big deal, as we've seen in countless ads on this blog. There seemed to always be flowers and corsages for the ladies, as well as a variety of freebies and/or items that were free with a fill-up, including pop, tumblers, a sack of potatoes, balloons and lollipops, and whisk brooms.

And below you see yet another ad in my quest to document the Grand Opening of every service station in the Lorain area. It's for the Rogers Oil Company's New Fleet Wing Service Station at 5th Street and Reid Avenue. It ran in the Lorain Journal on May 15, 1936.

Surprisingly the half page ad doesn't include any giveaways. But it does boast that it is Lorain's most modern service station, with a "lubritorium with hydraulic lift," "a homey waiting room," "5 pumps to save you time and service your car better," and "a full line of finest accessories of course."

These days, a gas station is merely that – not a service station, since they offer no service. Unless you count a Beer Cave. 

But then again, a good friend of mine who worked for BP back in the 1980s told me that the company made their real money selling snacks and pop at their BP stations. I believe it – now more than ever.

Anyway, a service station on that corner is long gone – as well as the Sisters Chicken & Biscuits that was there briefly.

Here's the view from Sunday.

Lorain Folk Festival – May 1956

Everyone's familiar with Lorain's International Festival that began back in 1967 (which I wrote about here) and is still going strong. But did you know that there was a smaller, predecessor festival that celebrated Lorain's various nationalities with ethnic music, dances, exhibits and culinary delicacies?

It was called the Folk Festival, and in its early days was held at the Ohio National Guard Armory at Oakwood Park in South Lorain. The first one was held on June 13, 1954 and included Polish, Ukrainian and Hungarian folk dances; a performance of Puerto Rican music; a Russian choral group; Scottish bagpipers and dancers from Cleveland; Mexican dancers; a Serbian song and dance show; the Inspirational Chorus of the Second Baptist Church; and American square dancers. The performers numbered 150 and the festival drew a crowd of 500.

Yes, being held in an auditorium, it was pretty small compared to the behemoth that the International Festival grew into at the Sheffield Shopping Center during the 1970s. But the Folk Festival seems to have been sort of a template for what followed. 

Anyway, in May 1956 the Folk Festival was in its third year. Here are some of the ads and clippings from the pages of the Lorain Journal that tell the story of the celebration that spring.

May 25, 1956

May 26, 1956

May 26, 1956

May 26, 1956

It looks like the 1956 edition of the Folk Festival was a success.

May 28, 1956

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The Folk Festival appears to have been held sporadically into the early 1960s. The news coverage surrounding the 1962 edition noted that it was the sixth annual celebration. It continued to be held in South Lorain. The seventh annual festival in 1963, and well as the eighth in 1964, were held at the Hungarian Reformed Hall at E. 31st and Globe. Interestingly, the Lorain Folk Arts Association held a folk festival in November 1967, at Admiral King High School, in association with the YMCA World Fellowship Committee.

The Circus is Coming to Town – May 1926

Nothing says nostalgia like a city getting excited about the circus coming to town.

It all seems so quaint now. But that's what Lorain was feeling back in May 1926 when Christy Bros. Circus – the first circus of the season – was due to arrive.

The Lorain Journal helped to build anticipation and excitement for the event with a series of teaser articles. Some featured the animal performers, others featured specific aspects of the show, like the Noah's Ark spectacle.

May 7, 2026

May 11, 1926

May 11, 1926

May 14, 1926

May 17, 1926

May 18, 1926

On May 19, 1926, the day of the circus, this article appeared on the front page of the newspaper.

"Amid the notes of a calliope, accompanied by prancing horses and swaying elephants," the article noted, "the parade of Christy Bros. Wild Animal show officially opened circus day in Lorain with a parade through the heart of the city at noon.

"Hundreds of spectators bordered the line of March, from the show grounds at 23rd-st and Washington-av, all along Washington-av, Erie-av and Broadway."

One mishap marred what was otherwise a great day, according to this article that appeared in the paper. the next day.

Here are a few more vintage posters that were either for sale on auction websites for on eBay. The unusual performers depicted on the second poster are the stuff of nightmares!

Vermilion Gets a Roadside Park – May 1938

The former location of Vermilion's state roadside park on US 6

Back on this post, I wrote about how Vermilion lost its roadside park on US 6 at Highbridge. Well in this post, I'll look at how Vermilion acquired it.

The article below from the May 18, 1938 Lorain Journal explains.

"Lorain-co today had a new rest and picnic spot for the motoring public – Zelinski park," it notes.

"Named after Otto Zelinski, who donated the land, the park is located beside busy Lake-rd, just east of the new highway bridge over the Nickel Plate tracks at Vermilion-on-the-Lake.

"Twenty workers of the National Youth Administration today ended their two months' work on the "pocket park" as the property is known.

"Zelinksi has a grocery store and ice house beside the park. The whole vicinity is wooded, providing a natural setting for the grounds."

Here's a photo of the park, courtesy of Rich Tarrant and his "Vermilion Views" website. The park sign acknowledges Ohio Governor Martin Davey, who was just completing his term of office in 1938.

The roadside park made the news a few times in its early years.

Aug. 8 1939

Unfortunately, as I noted on my original post, the State of Ohio adopted a policy in which it would not maintain parks located inside city limits. As a result, the state vacated the park (which it never owned in the first place) as noted in this article from the May 29, 1963 Journal.

It's too bad that the park is gone. I could walk to it in less than five minutes from my condo, which is just  up the hill from The Pit restaurant (now shuttered), which you can see in the 'now' photo.

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I wrote about how the former Zelinski grocery store (located next to the park) was moved in 1964 to a new location on Howard Drive here.

O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center 2nd Birthday – May 1956

Seventy years ago, the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center was celebrating its second birthday, having opened back on May 1, 1954. So it was a good time to have a special birthday promotion, which you see in the full page ads below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 3, 1956. 

It's interesting seeing the incredible variety of stores that had an outlet there – even Kroger. 

Hey, it's our pal Toppie

Of course, O'Neil - Sheffield Center hurt Downtown Lorain – slowly at first, since the Downtown merchants put up a good fight with promotions and sales. But I still think those 1950s era shopping centers made the most sense for family shopping, with their close, safe, ample parking and all-season flat canopies to protect shoppers from the elements. 

Mom played both sides of the street right into the early 1970s, shopping in Downtown Lorain for some things, and at O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center for others, as well as at Westgate and Lorain Plaza. Of course, the bigger variety of stores and controlled climate at Midway Mall eventually made it the preferred shopping destination, and the ideal location for various shows and exhibits. 

The funny thing is that young people today missed the heyday of the downtown shopping districts, the open-air shopping centers and the shopping malls. But you can't miss what you never experienced. They'll probably grow up with fond memories of the special events and promotions at Crocker Park and Legacy Village. And shopping on Amazon.

As always, each generation prefers its own way of life.

Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians at Crystal Gardens – May 1926

Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians! There's a name that my older readers will never forget. For decades, the sound of Guy Lombardo and his orchestra playing Auld Lang Syne was an essential part of celebrating the arrival of the New Year at midnight. I still get choked up when I hear a recording of it, as it conjures up a flood of memories.

But did you know that Guy Lombardo was born in London, Ontario? Thus he really was Canadian. And with Ontario so close to Ohio, it's not too surprising that when his orchestra first started touring in the States (in the early 1920s), they headed to Cleveland. They were so popular that they ended up with a steady gig and stayed there for several years, building up a strong, loyal following in the area.

By 1926, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians were already well-known recording stars and radio performers, in addition to being a touring musical group. So the appearance of the group in May 1926  at Crystal Gardens, the dance hall at Crystal Beach in Vermilion, was a big deal.

Here are the ads and article from the Lorain Journal leading up to the event on May 10, 1926.

May 5, 1926

May 6, 1926

May 7, 1926

May 7, 1926

May 8, 1926

May 10, 1926

Two-page spread from May 10, 1926

May 10 ,1926

May 10 1926

May 11, 1926

If you like Big Band music like me (remember, I played in one in the 1980s and 90s), then you might enjoy this YouTube video of a 1955 TV appearance of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. It's nice that the various members of the orchestra are all highlighted and get some camera time.

Lorain Journal Front Page – May 15, 1936

There's a lot of interesting things on the front page of the May 15, 1936 Lorain Journal. (The page 12 continuations are found just below it.)

For starters, a local landmark on US Route 20 near North Ridgeville burned down – Daniels' Villa. It was a popular roadhouse during the era of Prohibition, in addition to being the setting for countless social events.

Then there was the ongoing saga of the 1933 Arizona Ouija Board Murder. Dorothy Turley, a former New York City bathing beauty, and her daughter Mattie, were convicted of murdering Dorothy's husband in his sleep. Mattie said that the Ouija Board had told her to do it. Eventually, Mattie served six years and Dorothy only two. (You can read more about the murder case here on the American Heritage website.)

In Lorain, 125 mill workers put on the fifth annual "Old Timer's" Show in the dining hall of the main restaurant at National Tube. The 125 veterans had all worked at the mill for 25 years or more. The evening was basically a banquet with skits.

An article near the bottom of the page notes that a letter was received at the newspaper by Mrs. Marcia Lawler Charles, the wife of the man who founded one of Lorain's first newspapers, the Lorain Monitor. The Lorain Monitor was founded in 1878 and Mrs. Charles still had a copy of one of the first issues.

Also on the front page; Judge and Mrs. Findley's generous gift of 375 acres of land will give Lorain County the only state forest in north central Ohio; the car used in the $6,000 Wellington bank holdup was recovered – but not the bandit; a manhunt in Canton, where escaped prisoners were on the run from police and sheriff's deputies; and a fire alarm box in Lorain catches fire.

The funniest news item? In Arizona, a man convicted of murder and about to be executed in the gas chamber was asked if there was anything he wanted last. His reply? "You might get me a gas mask."

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Here are some additional clippings about Daniels' Villa. When the roadhouse burned down, it was replaced by the Daniels with a motor court – which eventually became a trailer park.

May 24, 1926

Feb. 11, 1932

Feb. 24, 1932

March 12, 1932

March 24, 1932

July 13, 1933

July 18, 1959

June 27, 1969

April 21, 1970

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As I've mentioned on past posts, we had a Ouija Board when I was a kid in the 1960s. It was just something else to play with, along with our Monopoly, Operation, Ka-Bala and Kreskin's ESP games. It was pretty creepy, usually resulting in one of us accusing the other of moving the pointer device. But then again, Mom had told us that as a little girl, she and her sister had played "Rise, Table, Rise" until her father got tired of it (supposedly the table did rise). We got tired of the Ouija Board as well, as we did all our games, and put it away for good – thank goodness. I wouldn't touch it today.