Journal Front Page – December 3, 1962

Sixty years ago this month, Lorain County was dealing with the inconsistent enforcement of the Blue Law, which prohibited most businesses from being open on Sundays.

It made for quite a mess.

As you can see from this front page of the Journal from December 3, 1962, some stores – such as Hills Department Store in Lorain – voluntarily were closed. But others, such as the Ontario Discount Store on State Route 254, just outside of Lorain city limits, remained open.

Lawsons – which had sponsored the failed Issue 1, which would have allowed its stores to operate on Sundays – cooperated with the Blue Law, with all seven of its local stores closed on Sunday.

In view of all the confusion and noncompliance, the Lorain City Prosecutor called for a moratorium on the closing of businesses in Lorain "until there is uniform enforcement of the Sunday closing law in Lorain County and throughout the state."

Elsewhere on the front page, the Russians were beginning to remove their bombers from Cuba; a train carrying "a secret, guarded shipment for the Atomic Energy Commission" derailed north of Marietta, Georgian; Pope John XXIII was recovering from a week of stomach problems and anemia; and of course, Today's Chuckle.

With the holiday season underway, the Journal was including a small graphic at the bottom of the page indicating the number of shopping days till Christmas. (I wonder if the tally included Sundays?)

And in the Index, it was noted that the annual Christmas story for kids (broken up in daily chapters) was beginning that day, namely "Mr. Shnoo's Zoo."

The second installment of Mr. Shnoo's Zoo
from Dec. 4, 1962