Friday, May 24, 2013

Duke Ellington at Elberta Inn – May 1935

Here's an interesting grouping of ads that ran together on the same page of the Friday, May 24 Lorain Journal and Times-Herald. They collectively celebrate the upcoming appearance of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra at the Elberta Inn in Vermilion on Sunday, May 26, 1935 – 78 years ago this weekend.

A couple of the ads include some copy that would certainly be considered racist today. However, that's not the reason I posted this material. Instead, I was focusing on Duke Ellington's fame and popularity and the fact that he commanded so much attention and goodwill during his trip to the area.

Anyway, I like the stylized caricature of the Duke in the main Elberta Beach ad.

The Elberta Inn was lost to an unfortunate fire in February 2011.
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1 comment:

  1. PaulFebruary 13, 2014 at 6:57 AM

    I mourn the passing of the Elberta Inn In the 90s we lived nearby and it was a favorite place for dinner or happy hour. Ali is a great cook.

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