Emerald Valley Golf Club Grand Opening – Sept. 1961

I heard that the Emerald Valley Golf Club clubhouse/nightclub was torn down last month, so I drove over to take a look over the weekend (above). It was strange not to see the familiar building that had been there since it opened in 1961. Here's a view from 2020 (below).

The golf course had opened with much fanfare in September 1961. Here's an article from the September 28, 1961 edition of the Lorain Journal about the impending opening. As we know from last week's posts about the Lorain Country Club, there was real enthusiasm for golf courses in Lorain.

And here's the Grand Opening advertisement from September 30, 1961.

I've featured the Kucireks many times on this blog, including a great Journal interview from 1969 in which the couple explain how they originally wanted to build homes on the site (the former Glen Mauer farm) – but ended up with a golf course.

Here's a YouTube video of part of the demolition. That's Joseph Kucirek, the grandson of Emil and Emily Kucirek, at the wheel of the excavator. He wanted to participate, as a way of honoring his grandparents and their legacy in Lorain.

And here are a few vintage ads of the nightclub and pro shop.

Oct. 9, 1964

Oct. 30, 1964

Nov. 6, 1964

Nov. 7, 1969

Dec. 28, 1970

Jan and Dean / Paul Revere's Raiders at Surf Side VI – Summer 1978

June 24, 1978 ad from the Journal

Do you enjoy going to see tribute bands?

Although it's a popular form of entertainment for a lot of people I know, they're not for me. If I was a really big fan of a band or group, then I probably saw them in their heyday, at Blossom or the Coliseum. I don't need to see a reproduction now. 

But then there are the bands that are still touring under their original name, but are missing key performers and talents who are no longer with their respective groups. There was a lot of that going on back in the 1970s and 80s, with groups that were originally popular in the 50s and 60s. 

A good example is the musical bill shown above for the well-remembered Surf Side VI nightclub back in the summer of 1978. The ad, which ran in the Journal on June 24, 1978 announces the upcoming appearances of Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as Jan and Dean.

But is that who showed up at Surf Side VI to perform? 

Well, yes and no. This article that ran in the Journal on June 30, 1978 explains.

As the article notes, the group that called themselves Paul Revere's Raiders were six new faces, unknown to the audience. Singer Mark Lindsay and leader Paul Revere were nowhere to be seen. Paul Revere, according to the article, still performed with his namesake group but only at really large venues.

As for Jan and Dean, there were two gentlemen there with those names: Jan Berry, one half of the famous beach duo (who had been in a terrible automobile accident) and a guy named Dean Ruff – not Dean Torrance, the original member.

It sounds like the new members of Paul Revere's Raiders won over their crowd during their performance. Jan and "Dean" – not so much. But Jan was there, and that's what mattered.

Sadly, neither group is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

****

Note also the ads for Amber Oaks and Lannie's.

Artist Paul Henschke in the News 1961 - 1978

Local artist Paul Henschke, touching up 
Lorain's Civil War Soldier in Washington Park, 1960

One of the memories that my siblings and I share from the 1960s is the summer that we took art classes on Saturday morning with local artist Paul Henschke. 

I've written about this a few times. At the beginning of the course we met in a classroom at the old St. Mary's High School to work on our drawing. Then we shifted to outdoor sketching at different park locations, including Century Park, Lakeview Park and Washington Park. Mr. Henschke would circulate around the class, checking our progress and offering suggestions. I remember that it was difficult to understand him with his thick German accent.

I still suspect that sending us to the classes was Mom's idea, part of her plan to keep us from being glued to the TV set on Saturday morning, watching cartoons.

Anyway, Mr. Henschke enjoyed a fine career as an artist, and as an instructor for the Lorain Parks Department. He must have had a good agent, because he seemed to be in the Journal with some regularity, in photos showing him instructing students in Lorain or Elyria, or donating paintings. He also wrote the occasional Letter to the Editor, advocating better support of the arts on a local level and promoting park access for children.

Here is a selection of articles featuring Mr. Henschke beginning with the earliest I could find. All are from the Journal unless noted.

August 2, 1961

March 12, 1962

May 25, 1962

May 30, 1963
(Mr. Henschke later crafted a whole new head for the statue in 1965.)

June 21, 1963

Oct. 5, 1963 (Chronicle Telegram)

April 2, 1964

May 29, 1965 (Chronicle-Telegram)

July 31, 1965

March 31, 1966

April 30, 1966

July 22, 1966

August 4, 1966

April 12, 1967

June 26, 1968

October 1, 1968 (That's my younger brother in the middle)

Nov. 7, 1969

Sept. 22, 1970

This 1970 article is my favorite. It includes Mr. Henschke's philosophy of how to stay young, and is a nice look back at his life and career.

October 4, 1970

July 13, 1978

Lorain Country Club in the News – Part 3

April 4, 1943

By the spring of 1943, the option of playing golf at the Lorain Country Club was no longer being advertised in the Lorain Journal. The City of Lorain was still mulling over the possibility of purchasing the golf course. The Lorain Country Club clubhouse, however, was still a popular nightclub, with regular ads in the paper.

In May, the Lorain City Council was not only tabling plans to buy the golf course, but – surprisingly – the Broadway Building as well, as noted in this article from May 4, 1943.

May 4, 1943

The Lorain Chamber of Commerce decided to get involved, forming a committee to study the possibility of the city making the purchase.

May 14, 1943

But – a year later – the city finally decided against buying the Lorain Country Club golf course and converting it to a municipal golf course and park. The article below from the June 20, 1944 Lorain Journal notes the various reasons why the proposal was rejected, mainly because of the expense of maintaining it, and the fact that there were already parks in Lorain that needed improvement.

Meanwhile, the clubhouse continued to host dance bands and offer fine dining and catering to its customers.

Feb. 3, 1945

But with the closing of the Lorain Country Club golf course, Lorain golfers needed a new local golf venue. So the Lorain Chamber of Commerce got involved again.

July 8, 1946

The Chamber determined the level of local interest in a new course, and ended up taking an option on land on Kolbe Road, bordering Jaeger and Oak Point Roads.

Feb. 5, 1947

Feb. 20, 1947

Meanwhile, the Lorain Country Club nightclub was still doing big business in 1950 – and the City of Lorain was still talking about buying the long-closed golf course.

March 8, 1950

Sept. 6, 1950

Sept. 8, 1950

Sept. 22, 1951

The proposed new golf course for Lorain championed by the Chamber of Commerce was still being talked about. The small item below appeared in the Lorain Journal on July 13, 1951. It noted that former Lorain Country Club operator and professional golfer "Curly" DeBracy had sold his tavern in Amherst so that he could purchase the acreage bordering Kolbe, Jaeger and Oak Point Roads.

"Curly" DeBracy followed through with his plan, as seen in this article from April 22, 1953.

Strangely, small items about the Lorain County Clubhouse appeared in the Lorain Journal sports pages as filler during 1954.

May 20, 1954

July 14, 1954

As for the former Lorain Country Club golf course property, the photo below revealed that it was to be the location of a new allotment.

May 21, 1954

Sadly, in early December 1954, the story of the Lorain Country Club drew to a close with the fire that destroyed the clubhouse.

And "Curly" DeBracy's golf course would undergo an ownership change and emerge with a new name: Oak Hills Country Club.

Dec. 7, 1954

By the spring of 1955, the Sherwood Allotment was celebrating its Grand Opening – and the new Oak Hills Country Club would hold one of its own around July.

May 7, 1955

June 9, 1955

June 25, 1955

The 125th Anniversary of Lorain special edition of the Lorain Journal included a nice, comprehensive history of the Lorain Country Club. The article even mentions Curly DeBracy and Oak Hills Country Club (today's FoxCreek Golf & Racquet Club) as well.

Fittingly, the Lorain Country Club golf course lives on in memory. Its name continued to be attached via advertising to various housing sites on the West Side of Lorain, which was growing rapidly in the early 1960s.

June 20, 1960

April 29, 1961