Hills Fireworks Ad - July 3, 1962

If this was Tuesday, July 3, 1962 (50 years ago today), then you would have seen this ad in your Lorain Journal promoting the annual Fourth of July fireworks display at Hills Department Store. Remember those great fireworks?

Vintage Hills sign (courtesy Wikipedia)

Things like this are some of my warmest and fuzziest memories of growing up in Lorain... the whole family piling into the car to head to South Lorain to see those fireworks at Hills.

We shopped there too, regularly. My mom bought us a lot of clothes and toys there, usually putting them in layaway for a while (never charging them). And I've mentioned the frozen Cokes and popcorn that she bought us on the way out as an occasional treat.

I still remember staring at the wild display of blinking lights on the Hills sign as they chased themselves across the front of the building. It was almost hypnotic.

It's sad to drive by the building on Route 57 today and see it all closed up (below).

May 2011 photo