Fulper’s Sohio Service Ad – June 9, 1970

Here’s a nice full page ad from the June 9, 1965 Vermilion Photojournal for Fulper’s Sohio Service promoting the Vermilion Lions Club fundraising effort.

Gas-o-Rama seems to have been (and may still be) a popular Lions Club promotion all over the world.

I’m assuming Lions Club members manned the pumps at the station that day, with some sort of profit-sharing agreement that would benefit the club. Tickets were also sold in advance for perhaps a fill-up or some service. Anyone know for sure?

Courtesy Ritter Public Library

The Fulper station was located on the southeast corner of West Liberty Avenue (U. S. Route 6) and Grand Street. Rich Tarrant’s Vermilion Views website (here) says that a Standard Oil station at that corner dated back to 1936. If you follow the link, there is also a terrific color photo of the station as it originally looked, before it was expanded to the building seen in the 1970 ad.

At left is a photo of the original station circa 1942, courtesy of the Ritter Public Library website. This link will take you to the Ritter Public Library page with four vintage photos of the station, including one when it sold Dyna-Gard brand gasoline before it closed for good.

Today the corner is empty. A February 12, 2020 Morning Journal article noted that it was recommended to be a new parking lot, and that seems to be the way it's being used now.