Kroger Clowns Around – October 3, 1966

It was somewhat exciting (for a little while at least) when it was announced in July that the Kroger Co. was going to acquire Giant Eagle.

I've never been a big fan of Giant Eagle. I still remember decades ago when it first came to our area. The headline of the advertisements announcing its arrival in the Cleveland area was, "The Eagle Has Landed." I recall thinking, "Harrumph. They appropriated Neil Armstrong's famous quote. To sell groceries, no less."

Plus Giant Eagle is a company based in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh – which is usually not a place that Clevelanders are fond of.

Thus when the acquisition was announced, I was looking forward to the rebranding, and maybe even some lower prices. Alas, it was revealed that there are no plans to convert existing Giant Eagle stores to Kroger stores. And prices don't seem to have gone down any, so far.

I guess if I have an urge to go Krogering, I'm just going to have to head out to Sandusky.

Anyway, sixty years ago this month Kroger ran the full-page ad with a circus theme below, which appeared in the Journal on October 3, 1966. 

Clowns abound in the ad, which would probably be deemed too scary for today's wimpy youths, who have had little exposure to the funny circus clowns (since there are no more classic circuses), or the ones on TV like Bozo or Flippo (in Columbus), that we Baby Boomers grew up with. Those clowns loved children, treated them like little friends, and enjoyed making them laugh. Kids trusted them, even though they were strangers. They had heart.

In today's culture, clowns are usually depicted as killers and the very personification of evil – and more's the pity. Unfortunately, I don't see clowns being rehabilitated anytime soon, judging by these current, and no doubt popular, costumes offered by Spirit Halloween.

Sorry, I'll stick with Bozo. Besides, I remember watching his cartoons, which were featured in between skits of the live action Bozo TV show that appeared on Channel 8 on Saturday mornings in the early 1960s.

The New Broadway Building – October 1926

The Broadway Building has been the lynchpin of Downtown Lorain since the 1920s. 

We've all spent time in it at some point over the years: in its offices, restaurants, stores or even the bowling alley that was in the basement. One of my mother's first jobs as a teenager was working in an office there. And our family dentist had his practice there during the 1960s and 70s.

Anyway, I've never seen an ad for the Grand Opening of the Broadway Building. That's why I was excited to see the ad below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 4, 1926.

Unfortunately, it's not a Grand Opening ad – but it's the only ad that I've ever seen from around the time it was new. The building had been constructed in 1925 and had been renting offices, etc. apparently without a lot of success in 1926 so far.

The Lorain Journal even wrote an editorial that appeared that same month on October 20th to drum up some support.

The editorial makes several references to rookeries. So what are they?

According to Merriam-Webster, a rookery is a crowded dilapidated tenement or group of dwellings.

So now you know.

My recent attempt at a 'now' shot to go with the photo in the 1926 ad

Stop 250 in Ashland, Ohio

Yesterday's post about the Love's Travel Stop got me thinking about another truckstop that over the years became sort of a landmark for me: Stop 250, located on U.S. Route 250 in Ashland, Ohio near the entrance ramp to I-71.

Stop 250 appears to have been built by Sohio around 1963, according to some online sources. 

Courtesy Casey Cleavenger

Many people in the Ashland area have extremely fond memories of the restaurant, which was a popular late night gathering place that was not limited to truckers. Others had a family member who worked as a waitress there.

Here's a vintage postcard that may very well have received its stains in the restaurant.

Judging from the copy on the back of the postcard, Stop 250 had everything a trucker could possibly want: a beautiful restaurant serving excellent food; truck islands with high speed ticket-printer pumps, air and water; roomy, air-conditioned sleeping quarters; ceramic tile shower facilities; a Trucker's Lounge; 24-Hour Emergency Road Service; "Drive Through" service bays; Experienced mechanics on hand 24 hours a day; 4 acres of parking space; Liquid propane gas; Tire bank available; Western Union Telegraph service; a full line of accessories.

It's interesting how the building was positioned on the property. As you can see from these two aerial photos from Dennis Thompson's Vintage Aerial website, the 'Stop 250' signage was on both sides of the building – ideal for attracting the attention of truckers and travelers getting off at that exit, as well as U.S. Route 250 traffic.

1971

1982

For me, seeing Stop 250 in the morning meant that I was heading to Columbus, because that was where my family always got on I-71 South.

Countless trips to Ohio State from 1977 to 1981 meant that I got very used to seeing it both coming and going. On the return trip from Columbus, Stop 250 was the landmark telling me that home was just an hour away.

Unfortunately, times change and Stop 250 was eventually replaced by a newer building. I guess truckers didn't need showers with ceramic tile or air-conditioned sleeping quarters any more.

Sadly, I don't anyone is going to wax nostalgic someday about a family member working at Popeye's or Starbucks Coffee.

Homestead Inn Revisited

While out in Milan a week ago, I happened to be driving down U.S. Route 250 near the Turnpike and saw the new Love's Travel Stop (above). It's quite nice and has a Hardee's restaurant, which is always a welcome sight for those who love the chain's hamburgers (especially the Big Cheeseburger).

But I felt a little wistful, because the construction of the Love's necessitated the demolition of the old (and shuttered) Homestead Inn, which was located slightly north of where the travel center is situated. Here's how it looked back in 2017, when I did a two-part post about it.

And here's how it looked near the end, during the spring of 2025. Pretty sad.

Thanks to Google Maps, we can see how it all went down from 2019 to 2025, and how the Love's Travel Stop is situated relative to the former Homestead Inn.

August 2019

Nov. 2021

Aug. 2022

July 2024

May 2025

Oct. 2025

The entire Homestead property used to provide everything Ohio Turnpike travelers could ever need: food, lodging, recreation and auto service. Here's a vintage postcard showing the layout.

At the far right of the postcard, you can see a Gulf service station. Today, the former station building is the only building still standing. An old 'Homestead Farms' sign also managed to survive.

I tried to drive right up to the building for a closer photo but a "NO TRESPASSING" sign, as well as one saying the property was under surveillance, had been erected to keep out nosy bloggers.

LCCC Campus on Abbe Road Opens – October 3, 1966

Gene Patrick's "Passing Scene" cartoon of Saturday, October 1, 1966

Sixty years ago tomorrow, the Lorain County Community College campus on Abbe Road opened for the first time. Here's the front page article from the October 3, 1966 Journal with the story.

As the article noted, it was the first new community college campus in Ohio. Quite an honor.

The Journal featured a few photos from that first day of classes on campus in that same edition.

I checked to see if LCCC was having any sort of festivities scheduled in honor of the occasion. Since the college received its charter in 1963, it has already observed an extended 60th Anniversary celebration beginning in 2023 that included events on the Abbe Road location.

Here is the marker honoring LCCC as the first community college in Ohio with a permanent campus.

Courtesy RemarkableOhio.org

As noted on the Remarkable Ohio website, "Lorain County Community College has become a cornerstone of the community, contributing to the educational and social and cultural enrichment of all Lorain County residents." Well said.

After I graduated from Ohio State and came home to Lorain,  I decided to take some marketing classes at LCCC. I loved the campus, especially the library – which I had been visiting for years anyway. Every few years I drive around the campus and am constantly amazed at how beautiful it is, and how it's grown over the decades.

Lorain County is lucky to have it.

Lorain Journal Front Page – October 1, 1926

Rogers Hornsby, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals

One hundred years ago today, it was the first day of October 1926. The front page of the Lorain Journal that day was crammed with enough news to provide considerable background fodder and atmosphere for a Don Hilton crime novel. 

The big story was a raid on bootleggers by state liquor agents that didn’t go quite as well as planned, thanks to the fact that “a newspaper in a neighboring city printed a sensational story concerning state agents in Lorain.” The raids did result, however, in search warrants against “more than a score of Lorain bootleg establishments.”

The other big story was the World Series, which was set to open the following day in Yankee Stadium, between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Other news stories included: the Lorain County Commissioners promising support for the construction of a high level bridge over the Black River (it would take almost exactly another ten years before the dream was realized); the burning at sea of the freighter New Britain; the tragic death of the Erie Avenue bridge watchman; and the aftermath of the rescue of miners that were trapped for six days in the Pabst mine at Ironwood, Michigan.

On a lighter note, a small article reported that “prisoners of the Lorain city jail had a feast last night." 

"They were given the “leavings’ of the police department banquet, which included chicken, clams, corn on the cob, soup, near beer and potatoes. 

"The drinks did not last long among the prisoners. 

"“It was like pouring water down a sewer to watch the near beer disappear down the throats of the prisoners,” said Lieut. George Carson."

Model Home at 796 Milan Avenue in Amherst

Back in the 1920s and 30s, a beautiful model home built with all the modern touches was a big event, and worthy of coverage in the Lorain Journal. It was a nice opportunity for some publicity not only for the builder, but for all of the contractors involved, even if the articles were similar to what the paper ran in the business section decades later.

The article below, which ran in the paper on September 12, 1930, shines the spotlight on a new home in Amherst built by the Rahl and Mueller Lumber Company of Lorain. Contractors and suppliers include the Lorain Crystal Ice Company, the Amherst Hardware Co., Lehman Electric and Radio Service, the Mancrief Furnace Co., the Carl L. Kashman Co. and the Brunk Machine and Forging Co.

The address of the house is listed in the article as 854 Milan Ave., but in the intervening years the numerical address is now 796. It's located across from Sandstone Village.

It's still a beautiful and unique home – in a city with a lot of historic Sears Homes – that retains all of its original charm.