Mother's Day 1926

One hundred years ago – just like today – everyone was making preparations for Mother's Day. Below is an ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on May 4, 1926.

It's a nice ad, apparently sponsored by all Lorain florists (even though none are listed). What's clever is that, in addition to sending your mother flowers, the ad encourages you to wear either a colored flower if your mother is living or a white one in memory of her. 

I won't be wearing a flower this Sunday but I will stop at Elmwood with some flowers. I've been going to Flowerama since Off Broadway Floral closed. Flowerama does a nice job and the service there is great. But I miss the Off Broadway people.

Anyway, in 1926 there was no 1-800-FLOWERS. So if your mother lived "in a distant city," you had to send them by telegraph!

On Saturday, May 8, 1926, the Lorain Journal ran a nice tribute to all mothers on the front page. The copy under the illustration is pretty charming and heartfelt.

It's interesting that the artist's rendering of a typical mother back then depicts her as a kindly, white-haired old lady. The drawing reminded me of the sweet grandmas that appeared in a few Little Rascals movie shorts. They were always being nice to the gang, putting up with their shenanigans, while the plot of the story had her in danger of getting swindled by crooks.

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Other stories on the front page include: a protest at the Statue of Liberty; no B.V.D.s for the prisoners in Lorain's city jail; a heavy load of mail due to Mother's Day letters, cards and packages; a tornado strikes Okfuskee, Oklahoma; and a raid on a home on E. 28th street results in the discovery of "two complete stills, 400 gallons of rye mash in process of fermentation and 130 gallons of wine."

 

Where to Take Mom on Mother's Day 1976

So it's May 7, 1976 and Mother's Day is fast approaching. You'd like to treat her to a nice meal – so where do you take her?

Below are the two entertainment pages from the May 7, 1976 Journal with the answer. As you can see, there was an incredible amount of choices, from restaurants to taverns to hotels to nightclubs. It's almost mind-boggling how many there were.

I’ve written about many of the establishments on these pages: O’Henry’s Pub; Tiffany’s Steakhouse and Lounge; The Mark; Arby’s; Tropicana Restaurant; Sherwood Inn; Sweden House; Chris’ Restaurant; Emerald Valley; Homestead Inn; Beaver House; Showboat in Huron; United Polish Club.

There are a few that haven’t been the subject of a blog post but deserve one: Rustler Steak House; Lucky Lady; Americana Inn (with the animal statues, remember?); Paradise Restaurant in Elyria; Electric Ballroom.

There was plenty of entertainment too: Jim Perrino & Danny at Tiffany’s; Gary Ryan at Carey’s Villa; The Michael Stanley Band at Electric Ballroom; Ted Zaborniak at The Mark; Miss Marti Brown at Beaver House.

Be sure to leave a comment if one of your favorites are listed here, or if you have a special reminisce you would like to share.

Did You-You Have a Yo-Yo? – May 1962

Did you have a yo-yo when you were a kid?

I remember that Mom and Dad bought each of my brothers and me a Duncan yo-yo as a stocking stuffer for some mid-1960s Christmas. I remember trying to play with it but never being able to figure out how to do any sort of tricks (such as 'walk the dog'). My yo-yo was soon banished to the bottom drawer of my dresser along with other items that I had lost interest in, such as old comic books, card games, etc.

According to its Wiki entry, yo-yos date back to the Ancient Greeks. They made it to the United States in the early 1920s.

Thanks to television marketing, yo-yos enjoyed a burst of popularity in the early 1960s, reflected below in the Hills ad that ran in the Journal on May 26, 1962.

Hills went all out with this contest. The prizes alone are unreal. And note that George Somera, yo-yo champion and demonstrator, was appearing as part of the promotion. Very cool.

We have a fella at work who is into yo-yos. But I don't think I'm going to be looking for my old yo-yo on eBay anytime soon.

Did you ever play with a yo-yo – as a kid or adult? If so, be sure to leave a comment!

No Saucer For This Lorain Cat – May 2, 1946

This one's for all you cat lovers out there. It's the story of Tom, a nonconformist cat owned by Mr. and Mrs. Roy L. Guthrie of Lorain. The article appeared on the front page of the May 2, 1946 Lorain Journal.

According to the story, Tom "is not afraid of dogs, dislikes darkness, and is "simply nuts" about taking a bath or a drink from a water faucet."

"It isn't necessary to place water in a saucer for Tom," notes the article. "When he wants a drink he waits until someone turns on a faucet in the house and he jumps right into the sink, placing his mouth directly under the stream of water.

Here's the story and its continuation.

I'll bet many of my readers who have owned cats over the years are probably chuckling because their cat did the same thing. It's interesting that the Journal felt it was newsworthy. But it's a cute story.

We had a cat named Fred who loved water as well. He would jump up on the counter surrounding the bath tub, hoping that someone would turn on the water. Once we did, he would drink from it, and then dip his paw in the stream and lick that too. A real free spirit.

Fred

I know we took pictures the first time he did it, but this was back in the tail end of the pre-digital age so the photos are in one of many unsorted shoeboxes from twenty-five years ago. Oh well.

For years, there have been fountain water dishes for cats, because they like the motion, and the water probably tastes better too.

Speaking of water dishes, my last cat (Louie) used to strip any stuffed bird ornaments off the Christmas tree and then dump them face-down in his water dish. Since the fake birds were usually cardinals, the red dye coloring would seep into the water, making the birdie look like the victim of a gangland hit. 

Anyway, be sure to leave a comment and tell us about your cat's unusual habits.

Battle of Alcatraz – May 1946

The Alcatraz cellhouse being shelled by mortars, May 3, 1946

Prison riots have appeared in many popular movies through the decades, including comedies such as Pardon Us with Laurel and Hardy, Westerns (such as Devil's Canyon with Dale Robertson) and one of the most famous, Birdman of Alcatraz with Burt Lancaster.

But did you know that Birdman of Alcatraz was based on an actual riot at the notorious island penitentiary known as "The Rock?"

And the bloody prison riot that was a result of an escape attempt played out eighty years ago this week and became known as the Battle of Alcatraz. It lasted from May 2 to May 4, 1946. Two platoons of Marines had to be called out. Two federal prison officers died, as well as three inmates.

Here are the front pages of the Lorain Journal from May 3rd and 4th, 1946, with the story.

You can read more about the Battle of Alcatraz on the Alcatraz History website, as well as here.

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As usual, there are plenty of interesting articles on the two front pages. The May 3, 1946 edition includes a report that clears up any confusion about the type of Quonset huts that were used in the Kew Gardens housing development for Veterans. 

As the article notes, "Lorain is going to get steel huts with gable roofs, instead of the "igloo" type Quonset structures, to provide temporary living quarters for married war veterans."

The style of the structures, according to the article, are the "brand new "tropical type" huts which have side walls and gable roofs, thus providing more "head room" and living space inside."

"The igloo huts originally slated for the city curve like a brewer's vat cut in half and allow enough space only in the center of the floor for a person more than five-feet, seven inches tall to stand upright."

Kentucky Derby 1936

Ever since my sister moved to Louisville, Kentucky decades ago, the Kentucky Derby has assumed a little more prominence in the Brady family. My parents traveled down there in the 1980s to spend Derby time with her, and she still enjoys the weeks-long hoopla surrounding the race. 

In recent years, she has shared her excitement with her siblings by encouraging my brothers and me to pick a horse. Back in 2024, I picked Mystik Dan – and he was the winner, just ahead of Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, I didn't bet anything.

Anyway, the Kentucky Derby is timeless – and what better way to show that than by looking back ninety years ago see what coverage the Lorain Journal had for the 1936 edition of the race. Coverage started several weeks early. What's really interesting is that the second article below points out that at that time, only one filly had ever won the Derby. (As of right now, there have only been three in the race's entire history.)

April 11, 1936

April 20, 1936

April 22, 1936

April 23, 1936

April 23, 1936

April 27, 1936

May 2, 1936

Bold Venture, a 20-1 long shot, was the winning horse that year, beating the favorite, Brevity.

May 4, 1936

And here's some British coverage of the race, courtesy of British Gaumont Newsreel. It's pretty funny at the end.

The 2026 Kentucky Derby is tomorrow – so be sure to pick a horse and tune in!

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Sorry, but every time I watch the Derby or any horse race, I always think of the great "Fugue for Tinhorns" from Guys and Dolls. These three guys are great, especially Stubby Kaye. And did you know this tune was the inspiration for the Rice Krispies Song?

Banana Phones: 2026 vs 1940

Have you seen any of the 1-800-Got-Junk commercials where the spokesman/owner is making a cell phone call using a banana? There are several versions of it.

I think it's a real banana he's holding. It doesn't appear to be one of those Bluetooth Banana Phones.

Nevertheless, it's a commercial that has annoyed a lot of people, judging by comments left online on Reddit, Facebook, etc. But if the goal was to get people talking about it, then I'd say it was mission accomplished.

But Dan – you might ask – what does this have to do with nostalgia? 

Well, seeing these commercials reminded me of a scene in one of my favorite comedies: Saps at Sea, with Laurel and Hardy. Hardy is sick in bed and a phone call has been made to Dr. Finlayson's office. But when the Doctor calls back, just answering the phone is a challenge for Laurel – especially since there's a bowl with some bananas in it nearby.

I love the part where the doorbell flies off the wall and hits Hardy on the head – followed by a painting!

Anyway, I guess 1-800-Got-Junk founder and CEO Brian Scudamore is in good company.