Grab Bag of May Ads

Well, May is almost over, so here's a potpourri of miscellaneous ads that ran in the month of May for businesses that aren't around any more. (Think of them as Blog Leftovers – not enough for a full meal individually, but enough to fill you up if digested as a group!)

First up is this ad (below) for the Corral Drive-in. It ran in the Lorain Journal on May 25, 1962.

The tagline in the ad – Buy'em by the Sackful – sure makes me think of White Castle's longtime slogan, Buy'em by the "Sack." (Maybe that's why the Corral wasn't around very long.)

I first wrote about the Corral Drive-in back here. Note the mention in the ad of Jay's Sparkle Market.

Next up  – from the very same newspaper on May 25, 1962 – is this ad for Golf Arena.

Golf Arena? I hadn't heard of it either. The ad says it was located on Route 611 between Abbe Road and Miller Road.

It must have been some kind of franchised business, unique enough that Joe Bialko, the owner and distributor was about to use the registered trademark symbol for his Golf Games®.

So where was this place located? I don't know! When I went to the library to look it up in the directory to get its address, I was disappointed to find out that Sheffield Village wasn't included in any of the vintage city directories – or even the county ones. The books skip right over that chunk of Colorado Avenue and picks it up at either end!

Here's hoping someone enjoyed some hearty Golf Games® back in the early '60s, and can tell us what it was like and where this place was. I take this stretch of highway on the way home every night and I have no idea where it could have been.

Last up – call it the Cheesecake Department – is this ad for Lorain Country Club out on Beavercrest Drive on the west side of Lorain.

The ad ran in the Journal on May 2, 1971. I wonder if the model was the photographer's girl friend? I'm guessing the photo and layout was part of a package of clip art or ready-made ads that the Journal had available in their art department.

Anyway, it's interesting to remember the days when all those local swim clubs (including the Carousel and the Riviera) were competing for members. Maybe it's because there wasn't much of a beach at Lakeview Park in those days (and the water was polluted anyway.)

Please don't ask me about any of the swim clubs. Although I had a buddy or two that belonged to them, my family did our swimming down at good ol' Findley State Park or East Harbor State Park.