Reddy for a Flameless Electric Dryer – Sept. 1962

We'll close out the month with a visit from our old pal Reddy Kilowatt, who we haven't seen here on the blog since this past May.

Reddy's power was starting to flicker in the Journal by 1972. There just wasn't a need for Ohio Edison to use him to encourage more electric usage in daily ads any more. So we'll look at things from a sixty year perspective instead, and see what he was up to in 1962, when he was still at full wattage, marketing-wise.

Back on Sept. 18, 1962, Reddy was promoting one of them thar newfangled, flameless electric dryers in his Journal ad. (It looks like the ad utilizes a piece of Harry Volk clip art, the type I used at my job as a paste-up artist when I was just launching my art career.)

Since the headline mentions the 'flameless' angle of an electric dryer, I assumed that the ad copy would play up the danger of an explosion with a gas dryer. Instead, the text points out the negative aspect of line drying, including "rain, snow, soot or dirt."

I'm with Reddy on this one. I've mentioned before how I don't remember my mother ever drying our clothes on a line since we never had one. It was a common sight in the backyards of many of our neighbors, however, when I was growing up.

As for gas dryers, I had one in my first house on Nebraska Avenue. But it seemed to take forever to dry my meager laundry.

Nowadays, Reddy would be proud of me in my all-electric condo, complete with a washer dryer combo.

A Tale of Two Houses – Sept. 1962 & 1972

The original Lorain High School went through several periods of expansion over the decades. 

Unfortunately, the high school's location in a dense neighborhood meant that each time a remodeling project was planned, properties would have to be acquired, and homes demolished.

Two very different stories, ten years apart, about houses that would meet the wrecking ball played out in the Journal. 

An article (below) that ran in the Sept. 14, 1962 Journal was about a house located at 651 Hamilton and owned by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Butler. It was described in the article as "a landmark of the city," with an impressive pedigree – having been designed by the same architect who built the Lorain Public Library on 10th Street. The article details the house's attributes, including 12 rooms, 10 clothes closets, four rooms in the basement and a full-sized attic.

(Note the mention of now retired Lorain teacher/counselor
Roger Brownson in the article about student teachers)

The Butlers had lived in the home for 37 years.

However, their house on Hamilton would have to go so that a new high school gymnasium could be built. Consequently, the Butlers purchased another fine home at 1151 7th Street.

Meanwhile it was a much different – and sadder – story ten years later when it came to John Arlington Popp and his house at 711 Hamilton. Popp was a well-known Lorain character, described in the article below as a "4-foot-11, 75-pound former used car lot owner." 

In the article, which ran in the Journal on Sept. 13, 1972, it was noted that Popp had fought the Lorain school board to keep his home. "The battle had gone on for most of the summer, in and out of the courts. But it was over for Popp yesterday. He was about to lose his home at 711 Hamilton Ave. It held 14 cats, a lot of junk and memories. It was where he was born."

In the story, the eviction is carried out. The front door is broken down, and the school board's business manager and his team help empty the house and place some of Popp's belongings in storage until he could find a new home. Popp himself is forced to stuff his pickup truck and station wagon with miscellaneous possessions. He was planning on sleeping in his car that night.

During the emptying of the house, a few of the cats escape and disappear down Hamilton Avenue.

It's a tragic tale – made even worse by the fact that Lorain High School would eventually be razed itself, just like the homes that were sacrificed for its expansion.

Like a woman (who was watching the whole sad affair unfold at the Popp residence) said, "This is a sad day for America!"

"It's the most wicked thing in history."

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John Arlington Popp had 'popped' up on this blog before. Back here, the late historian Albert Doane reminisced about Popp and his Tucker car dealership.

New Buses for Employee Transit Lines – Sept. 1962

Sixty years ago, Employee Transit Lines, Inc. was holding a special event to promote its purchase of eight new buses to serve the people of Lorain.

Above is the ad that appeared in the Journal on Sept. 19, 1962 announcing Transit Day, during which rides were free.

Mayor Woodrow "Woody" Mathna cut the ribbon opening one of the new buses. Below is the Journal front page from Sept. 20th with a photo of the Mayor doing just that.

The occasion gave the Journal the opportunity to publish a few articles looking back at the history of mass transportation within the city of Lorain. Below is an article about the Lorain Street Railway, predecessor to the bus line. It ran in the paper on Sept. 19, 1962.

According to the article, "The Lorain Street Railway connected Lorain and Elyria and provided frequent service northward and southward originating at the National Tube Co. for the low rate of three cents.

"The frequent service of the Railway was a run every 20 minutes except during the hours immediately preceding the night and morning shifts of workmen in the steel mill, when a three to five minute schedule was in operation.

The article also briefly mentions the Lake Shore Electric interurban line, as well as the Cleveland, Elyria and Western Electric.

Another article from the same edition of the Journal looks back at horse and buggy days and the streetcar era with vintage photos. Also included on the page was a pair of photos of Employee Transit buses.

Visit Drew Penfield's Lake Shore Rail Maps website for an accurate and comprehensive history of the Lorain Street Railway and the Lake Shore Electric Railway.

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It's hard to stomach the loss of the bus lines, although I don't remember the buses in Lorain at all. But even in the late 1970s and well into the 1980s, buses were a convenient way for me to travel. I used to take a Greyhound bus home from Ohio State a few times that took many backroads, as opposed to being on I-71 all the way. In the 1980s, I took an RTA bus that left Aqua Marine in Avon Lake and went all the way to Downtown Cleveland where I worked. A few times, I even took another bus out of Downtown Lorain to get to Cleveland that picked me up right outside the Overlook Apartments.

Nowadays, most people prefer to drive themselves rather than sit on a bus. Ironically, with traffic jams and highway accidents, time is not always saved by driving one's self.

New York Central Switch Tower Mothballed – 1962

My post about the Sept. 1962 New York Central derailment at the Cooper Foster Park Road crossing reminded me that I had this NYC news item, also from 1962. It's about the New York Central switch tower at N. Lake Street in Amherst, sitting forlorn and empty.

The article ran in the August 6, 1962 Lorain Journal. As the article notes, "The switches have been ripped from the floor and the electrical instruments pulled from the wall panels. The telephone and the wire key are both gone, signaling the end of messages and of operating life at that station.

"Crews have been busy during the past year ripping up the slow-speed, outside tracks of the four-track Big Four system and upgrading the two remaining high-speed tracks."

But rather than signaling that the railroad was doing poorly, the closing of the tower and removal of tracks was all part of the modernizing of railroad operations, according to the article.

"The two tracks are only part of the longest, most modern stretch of electronically controlled double track in the world," the article noted. "When Alfred E. Perlman, NYC president, pressed a button opening the first segment of electronic track back in 1957, it was only a matter of time until the entire New York Central line was put under the central traffic control system.

"Under the CTC system, both freights and passengers run on the same tracks at a higher rate of speed than before. Freight trains speed along at 60 miles an hour and crack passenger trains do 80.

"The trains are controlled by two dispatchers in Erie, Pa. One dispatcher is in charge of traffic from Buffalo to Erie. The other guards the train movements from Erie to Cleveland.

"The control panels show the dispatchers all of the tracks, switches, cross-overs and sidings under their jurisdiction. A system of lights indicates each train and its progress over the division.

"By operating selector buttons at his control panel, each dispatcher is able to move tracks from one track to another as the situation demands.

"The new system is said to give New York Central one of the safest railroad systems in the world."

It all sounds very modern. Nevertheless, for those who enjoy the romance of the heyday of rail travel, it's all rather sad – like the photo of the empty switch tower in Amherst.

Another photo of the long-gone tower, courtesy of eBay.

New York Central Derailment – Sept. 1962

Sixty years ago, a 37-car pileup of New York Central freight cars occurred at the Cooper Foster Park Road crossing in Amherst on Saturday, September 22, 1962. 

Above is the story that appeared in the Journal on Monday, September 24, 1962.

It notes, "What had been a 127-car westbound freight train gathering speed and doing 60 miles an hour or better erupted into a mass of tangle wreckage and twisted tracks at 6:30 p.m. when a broken wheel on the ninth car of the engine struck the switch leading to the Ford Motor Company's Lorain Assembly Plant.

"The nine cars ahead kept going, ripped free of the rest of the train, but one of them derailed about a quarter-mile west of the crossing.

"Behind, the pileup continued with boxcars sliding across derailed tank cars and coming to rest piggyback in a general scramble."

It must have been a sight to see. 

"The wreckage completely tied up rail traffic and extended on either side of the track with rubble scattered into the fields below the railroad tracks," the story noted.

"Behind the strewn wreckage 82 cars which made up the rest of the train came to a standstill upright on the tracks.

"An eyewitness, Ernest Emerich, Claus Rd., who was standing on his porch when the freight derailed, said he saw a huge puff of dust and watched the cars slide together into a pile.

"Other nearby residents said the wreck didn't make much noise.

"The dust cloud was later found to be from a car loaded with buckwheat pancake flour among the wrecked cars."

The story notes that in addition to the investigation that the railroad started to determine the cause of the wreck, the Cleveland office of the FBI was also on the scene.

I've been stuck at that crossing many times over the years. It seems like every time I decide to take the "scenic way home" from Target, I get stuck by a completely stopped train there, and end up having to turn around to go back to Oak Point.

Looking west at the crossing today

From Nickel Plate to Corinthian Grill – Sept. 1962

Sixty years ago this month, Anthony Kallis, owner of the Nickel Plate Restaurant at 1120 Broadway, was getting ready to move his restaurant business a few doors to the south to a brand new building. He had owned the Nickel Plate Restaurant for 45 years.

The article above, which appeared in the Journal on Sept. 22, 1962, tells the story of Kallis and the history of his business.

It notes, "A native of Corinth, Greece, Kallis came to Lorain in 1916 and opened a small restaurant next door to this present business in a building known as the Kelly Place. The building was torn down in 1930 when Kallis moved to 1120 Broadway, next to the Nickel Plate tracks, and has remained there ever since.

Although the article infers that the restaurant would have the same name at its new location, it would receive the name Corinthian Grill, honoring Kaliss' hometown in Greece.

Late 60s/early 70s view of both the Corinthian Grill
and Golden Dragon (former Nickel Plate Restaurant)

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I did a post on the Nickel Plate Restaurant back here in 2012, and devoted several posts to the Golden Dragon (which moved into the former Nickel Plate Restaurant building in 1963) as well.

Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing: Elberta Inn

Well, it's the weekend at last – and many of you might be thinking about eating out.

That's the cue for me to post yet another sample of the Journal's regular advertising feature called the Golden Crescent Guide to Dining and Dancing. It would include a review of a restaurant and a photo, followed by a series of smaller ads for other eating places.

In this case, the spotlight restaurant was the Elberta Inn in Vermilion, a favorite topic on this blog. The article below appeared in the paper on September 1, 1972.

Elberta Inn was featured on another Golden Crescent Guide back here, a few years earlier and with a different photo.

Elsewhere on the page, we see ads for the Village Inn (formerly Ponderosa Pines), Rinellos's Italian Villa on Colorado Avenue (a reader had asked me about this place a few months ago), Amber Oaks and Dover Chalet.

Here's a vintage postcard of Dover Chalet, currently on eBay.

And here's a modern view of the former Dover Chalet property in Westlake at 24945 Detroit Road.

I often wish that I liked wine. It's universally popular and provides a lot of enjoyment for those who can appreciate the different varieties. 

But my aging teeth can't endure wine any more. The enamel on my teeth is pretty much a faded memory and my choppers ache for days after indulging too much. This doesn't keep me from going to wineries, however. I had a great time this summer during a visit to Firelands Winery in Sandusky with some friends. But I was probably one of the few people that night enjoying a cocktail instead of the house specialties.

Hopalong Cassidy Rides Off Into the Sunset – Sept. 1972

Back in the days when kids enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians, every generation had its favorite straight-shooting actor who sat tall in the saddle.

My father (born in the early 1920s) liked Tom Mix. He even saw him and his horse, Tony, when he made a personal appearance in Lorain.

Although I have very early memories of watching Roy Rogers' TV show in reruns, my brothers and I were big fans of John Wayne throughout the 1960s. My parents took us to all of his new cowboy movies from about 1967 until the early 1970s.

But there was one cowboy who ruled the TV and radio airwaves in the early 1950s, thanks to his remarkable savvy and foresight in buying his old films and selling them to NBC to show on the new medium of television: William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd.

It was fifty years ago this month that "Hoppy" passed away. Below is the article about him that appeared in the Journal back on September 14, 1972.

It's a great article that examines his extraordinary popularity. It notes, "There have been 16 different Tarzans, six Lone Rangers, two Supermen, three sets of Batmen and Robins and a litter of Lassies.

"But there could be only one Hopalong.

"Boyd's portrayal of Hopalong –  a "good guy" who wore a black hat but was a paragon of virtue – was the longest-running characterization in Hollywood history.

"Boyd rode the range on his horse Topper for a quarter of a century in movies and on television.

"Hoppy," a character half conceived by writers, half by Boyd, didn't smoke, drink, swear or kiss girls. He captured villains rather than shoot them."

Boyd had a funny philosophy about his screen image. He observed, "When you've got kids looking up to you, when you've got parents saying what a wonderful guy Hoppy is, what the hell do you do? You have to be a wonderful guy!"

And it sounds like he was.

"Columbo" Article – Sept 1972

Fifty years ago, the wildly successful Columbo TV series, starting Peter Falk as the rumpled detective in the raincoat, was about to start its second season on NBC.

Above is an article that ran in the Journal on September 4, 1972 promoting the show.

Columbo was one of several segments that were in rotation to make up The NBC Mystery Movie, so it wasn't on every week. I remember being disappointed turning in expecting to see the show, only to discover that McCloud (with Dennis Weaver) or McMillan & Wife (with Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James) were on instead. Needless to say, I don't think I ever watched an episode of either of those two segments. (I might have given Hec Ramsey a chance as it was based in the Old West.)

It's hard to minimize the cultural impact that Columbo had, with the character earning top-of-mind awareness with the public. With the success of the show, many comics and impressionists added Lt. Columbo to their repertoire, and Peter Falk enjoyed many more film opportunities.

A revival of the series in 1989 wasn't as successful. I remember tuning in to the first new episode, thinking, "Hmmm.. Not good." Falk was just a little too old, playing the character too differently from the first go-around in the 1970s. Plus, it wasn't believable in 1989 that he would still be a lowly lieutenant after he had already become a legend in the Los Angeles Police Dept. in the original series.

Anyway, if you are a big Columbo fan, be sure to visit the very best best blog dedicated to the Lieutenant: The Columbophile Blog. It's the most comprehensive study of the character online, with episode reviews, trivia, analysis, and just about anything you can think of. Best of all, it's extremely well-written and funny too. Plus the blogger has just published a book as a companion to the blog. (Not a bad idea!)

By the way, COZI TV airs two episodes of Columbo every Saturday night, beginning at 8:00 PM.

On Area Movie Screens – Sept. 1972

So what was playing on area movie screens fifty years ago, in early Sept. 1972? The above page from the Sept. 2, 1972 Lorain Journal tells the (sometimes sordid) tale.

It's a mixed bag, as expected, in the early 1970s. 

There's only one Western on the page, if you want to hold your nose and call it that: Paint Your Wagon, with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin, showing at the Lorain Drive-In. The film is actually a musical. I haven't seen it in years, and prefer to keep it that way.

Two blockbusters were still on the screen: Love Story (at the Ohio) and The Godfather (at Amherst Theatre). I'm probably one of the few people on Planet Earth who hasn't seen either of these popular movies.

Walt Disney Productions was still churning out innocuous family comedies, with two of them showing locally. Now You See Him, Now You Don't (with Kurt Russell) was paired with Barefoot Executive at the Carlisle Drive-in.

Meanwhile, Kurt Russell's future main squeeze Goldie Hawn was starring in Butterflies Are Free at the Midway Cinema.

At the Tower Drive-in was Phyllis Davis (later a co-star on TV's Vega$) in the females-in-prison flick Sweet Sugar. I kind of remember seeing that one on late night TV decades later. (I saw Sweet Sugar – but not The Godfather?) 

On that same bill at the Tower was The Sweet Ride (1968), a surfer/biker drama with none other than Bob "Gilligan" Denver as a beatnik.

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Elsewhere on that same page of the Journal was a photo and blurb announcing the appearance of Motown performer David Ruffin at the Elk's Farm Club on Dayton Road. (Is that still out there?) At the Lorain Eagles 343 was dancing to the music of Jack Baz, and the United Polish Club at 17th and Long had Wanda & Stephanie from Buffalo, with the Polka Sharps. Admission was a buck.

Lorain Products Article – Sept. 10, 1972

Although while growing up I was aware of Lorain Products Corporation, located on the east side of Lorain, I never really understood what the company produced. 

I guess I should have read the above article, which appeared in the Journal back on September 10, 1972. At that time, the company was adding a new addition to its main building on F Street. C. Paul Stocker, president of the corporation, is quoted in the article, saying, "Faith in the economy of our nation, the future of Lorain and in a demand for our products are a combination of reasons for our expansion programs."

The article notes, "The new two-story brick and steel addition, with 30,000 square feet of space, is going up on the west side of Plant No. 1 occupied by the executive and administrative groups, research and engineering, library, computer terminal, and the sales, design and business service departments.

"The new addition is one of many for the corporation which started in Lorain in 1936. It began with several employees working in a small storeroom on Broadway in downtown Lorain.

"Today, Lorain Products has more than 1,000 employees, including more than 50 in product research and development, and five separate plants on Lorain's east side.

The article reveals a little more history of how Stocker started the company. It notes, "Lorain Products got its start 36 years ago after Stocker, a young Ohio University graduate, invented a new type of static frequency converter which was so novel that many electrical engineers argued it could not be made to work.

"An inventive genius and astute business man, Stocker decided to form a corporation to exploit his converter, which he planned to sell to telephone companies.

"The frequency converters were widely accepted by the industry because they operated without vibrations or other moving parts and eliminated maintenance costs.

"Oriented in research and development since its inception, Lorain Products has over the years developed a wide variety of equipment such as AC to DC converters, AC to DC supplies, power boards, voltage regulation systems and test equipment both on its own initiative or at the request of customers."

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Lorain Products became a subsidiary of Reliance Electric in 1973, upon C. Paul Stocker's retirement. Reliance Electric in turn became part of Rockwell's Automation Power Systems in the early 1990s.

Farm Wife's Column – Sept. 9, 1962

Lorain County was, and still is, largely rural – and the local newspapers reflected this in their content over the years. 

The Chronicle-Telegram over the years had a great, longtime column called "The Country Wife" written by Pat Leimbach. For me, it was often the best part of the paper, because it was a little window into a world (the rural life) that was nearby, but out of reach to most Lorainites.

The Lorain Journal apparently had a similar column in the early 1960s that I've discovered recently, called "Farm Wife's Window" written by Ethelberta Hartman. The column below ran in the paper on September 8, 1962 and has a topic that any bird lover would find interesting: red-wing blackbirds and how they can be a friend – or foe – to a farmer.

For me, the most interesting part of the column is the image of farmers taking potshots at the red-wing blackbirds with their rifles, or resorting to cherry bombs to scare them away from the crops.

It reminds me of a Huckleberry Hound cartoon (although in this case the enemy was a pair of corny crows, not red-wing blackbirds).

Humble Becomes Exxon – Sept. 1972

Mention the company name 'Exxon' to someone today and they most likely know it as a huge oil and gas corporation (and the one responsible for the 1989 notorious oil spill in Alaska).

But fifty years ago, Exxon had just become the new name for Humble Oil and Refining Company, previously doing business around the country under various brand names including Humble, Esso and Enco. The huge ad above announcing the name change appeared in the Lorain Journal back on September 12, 1972.

In 1959, Humble had introduced its popular "Put A Tiger In Your Tank" ad campaign featuring a tiger mascot. He soon became the face of the company and was seen in countless ads.

But although the tiger was seen smiling in the 'name change' ad, he would soon be privately growling in displeasure. Exxon dropped him in favor of a real tiger in its advertising, and the cartoon tiger was caged and packed off to the retired animal ad mascot zoo. 

However, he made a comeback in the 1990s when Exxon used him to sell food and beverages in its Tiger Mart convenient stores. Unfortunately this led to a legal battle with Kellogg's, who didn't like another cartoon tiger competing with Tony to sell food. 

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, but was eventually settled out of court – with both big cats purring.

Hills Ads – August/Sept 1962

The long-gone Hills department store out in South Lorain turns up repeatedly on this blog. 

Why? Because just thinking of the store conjures up a lot of pleasant memories: of the blinking lights chasing each other on the exterior signage of the store; of those low-slung white tables (low enough for a small kid to look into) with stuff piled in the various compartments; of freshly popped popcorn and frozen Cokes near the exit; of the Hills layaway plan that bought Mom and Dad a little time to save up to pay for the winter coats or toys or whatever.

It was also interesting for a kid living on the west side of Lorain to go to Hills. South Lorain was an exotic place, with the steel mill, Oakwood Park (with the train and the 'other' Easter Basket) and the Ohio National Guard armory. 

Anyway, below is a selection of large 3/4 page Hills ads that ran in the Journal in August and September 1962. The ads feature custom photography and are definitely of their own time. (Note the father wearing a suit & tie and fedora.)

Will the kids of today have nostalgic pangs someday of going to Target or Walmart when they were young? I kind of doubt it. 

With more and more of our shopping taking place online, the kids of today will probably have fond memories of the excitement of opening a package that was delivered by Amazon.

Vermilion 125th Anniversary Celebration – 1962

Sixty years ago this month, the city of Vermilion (where I currently live) was wrapping up its big week-long 125th Anniversary celebration, designated as Charter Days. Vermilion was incorporated as a village in 1837.

Above is the full-page ad that ran in the Journal on August 25, 1962 promoting the big event, which included a boat parade, the crowning of a beauty queen, a children's carnival, an old time minstrel show, a pet parade, a pageant, a street dance and a grand finale parade.

On September 3, 1962 the Journal ran the small selection of photos shown below, signifying the end of the celebration.

I'm not sure if Vermilion acknowledged the 175th anniversary (which would have been in 2012). The 200th celebration is still quite a ways off, in 2037.

Jackie Mayer Crowned Miss America – Sept. 1962

It's hard to believe that it was sixty years ago this month that Jacquelyn (Jackie) Mayer of Sandusky was crowned Miss America 1963. 

Above is the front page of the Monday, September 10, 1962 edition of the Journal featuring the story of the beginning of her reign, after winning two days before on Saturday night.

It doesn't seem right that the story somewhat focuses on her weight, pointing out that the "auburn-haired beauty" was once a chubby little girl. The subhead on the story even refers to her as an ex-butterball!

In the article, Jackie notes, "I was always chubby until I was about 16 years old."

"Even today, she said, she must be careful of her diet.

"Jackie looked fresh and bright eyed as she met the press, although she'd had only four hours sleep.

"Crowned Miss America 1963 shortly before midnight Saturday by the 1962 queen, Maria Beale Fletcher of Asheville, N. C., Jackie didn't get back to her room until several hours later.

"After her year as Miss America, Jackie said she intends to complete her education at Northwestern. She hopes eventually to become an actress.

"Her title carries with it a $10,000 scholarship, and personal appearances during the year are expected to bring her about $75,000."

On September 11, 1962 the Journal continued its coverage of Jackie with the articles below. 

One story notes how two ex-Lorainites had a big hand in Jackie's quest for the Miss America crown. 

Miss Caryl Crane was the owner of a dress shop in Sandusky and a longtime friend of the Mayer family, knowing Jackie since she was a young girl. Miss Crane had encouraged Jackie to enter the Miss Vacationland contest (which became the first step towards becoming Miss America) and eventually became Jackie's wardrobe consultant, selecting her clothes for the pageant. Miss Crane also introduced Jackie to Gerald Freedman (a graduate of Lorain High School), a successful Broadway producer and director of many New York stage productions. Freedman became Jackie's special dramatic coach, working with her on the original sketch that was performed at the pageant. 

Elsewhere on the page in another article, Jackie revealed that she had never been in love and had no steady boyfriend. 

A third article noted that with Jackie's selection as Miss America, a new Miss Ohio was needed. Runner-up Miss Bonnie Ann Gawronski of Toledo, would take on the role, as well as all of the commitments that Jackie would be unable to fulfill.

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Many of us are familiar with the inspirational story of Jackie's recovery from a near-fatal stroke at the age of 28, and her work to help other stroke victims.

Today, signs on State Route 2 in Erie County have long proclaimed the road as Jackie Mayer Miss America Highway, insuring that her story will never be forgotten.

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I did a post in 2014 on Jackie Mayer (back here) about when her reign as Miss America 1963 was coming to an end.

Polansky Market Article – Sept. 3, 1972

Polansky's Market on Dewey Road has been a regular topic on this blog over the years. That's because I enjoying shopping there from time to time (especially when the weather gets colder, and I need a piece of meat for my crock pot). The employees are super-friendly and helpful, and the prices are reasonable.

Various blog posts have covered a Thanksgiving ad (1947); the Dewey Road store when it was new (1955) with a 'Then and Now" view; a Christmas ad (1955); an ad for the new addition to the Dewey Road facility (1962) and an article about it; and an Easter ad (1964).

Above is the latest article, from the Sept. 3, 1972 Journal. The article by Staff Writer Jeff Kades is a nice profile of the store's owners at that time, Steve and Sophia Polansky. The article notes, "Both Steve and Sophia were born near Pittsburgh in neighboring Pennsylvania counties. Ironically, they were both brought to Ohio and the Lorain area by their parents when they were children, yet never met each other until years later."

The article provides a behind-the-scenes look at the butcher business. "Steve buys livestock from a Wayne County farm – about 25 to 30 head per week, then slaughters, processes, and sells the meat over-the-counter at his market," wrote Jeff Kades.

Lorain Journal Page – Sept. 2, 1938

I originally saved this page from the September 2, 1938 Lorain Journal because it included a nice history of the stores owned by John H. Sutter. But there were enough things on the page that were mildly interesting that I posted the whole page.

Many older Lorainites remember Sutter's. Actually at one time there were two businesses downtown on Broadway by that name: Sutter's Nut Shop and Sutter's Sandwich Shop. The article above refers to a third Sutter's, located in South Lorain in the Lorain theater building on Pearl Avenue. Later there were even more outlets in the chain.

According to the article, "In the summer of 1926, John H. Sutter made his first sale at a concession stand at Cedar Point. The profits of that stand later became his livelihood.

"Today Sutter awaits the formal opening of his third shop and soda fountain in Lorain. The new shop is at 525 Broadway where light lunches will be served."

Here is a link to my own post about the history of the various stores.

Elsewhere on the 1938 page, there are ads for Jacoby's, Isaly's, and Bazely Cash Market.

At the top of the page is a photo promoting the appearance of Noble Sissle and his orchestra at Elberta Beach for the Labor Day weekend. To learn more about this talented jazz composer and bandleader, visit this Wiki page. He also wrote the lyrics for the hit tune, "I'm Just Wild About Harry" (from the musical Shuffle Along, for which he write the lyrics and Eubie Blake composed the music).

Also on the page are some recipes for various soup accessories. Some of them sound pretty good!