Gentlemen, Start Your Beards – May 1955

It's funny how beards have become so popular in the last few years.

And I don't mean the usual goatees or well-trimmed beards that never seem to go out of style. I mean long beards. Lumberjack-quality beards. Beards that would be right at home on one of the Smith Brothers (shown above).

I'm not a big fan of them. Not because I can't grow one (I think I could); it's just that I think the really long ones are almost cartoonish. 

From the Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Hillbilly Hare"

But they're in style, so that's that.

Anyway, back in the 1950s, many villages, communities, etc. were celebrating centennials. And to commemorate the occasion, they sponsored beard-growing contests, so that the applicants would end up resembling their pioneer ancestors.

Back in May 1955, the Lorain County Centennial Fair was only a few months away. Of course, part of of the festivities involved – what else? – a beard growing contest. Below is the small article that appeared on the front page of the May 5, 1955 Lorain Journal.

As you can see, there were three categories: the Mutton Chops (suddenly I'm a little hungry); the Abe Lincoln; and the combination spade and Van Dyke. And each entrant had to submit proof that they were clean-shaven at the time of application (by way of a note from a barber).

The cash prizes were nothing to shake a beard at, either.

Ironically, at that exact time, a beard-related plot was playing out in the Gasoline Alley comic strip beginning the week of May 2, 1955. Walt Wallet was growing one for some kind of centennial, and taking a lot of abuse from friends and family for doing it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's wishing all of the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! I hope you enjoy a safe and wonderful day celebrating with your family.

Be sure to take plenty of photos and get them printed. Decades from now you'll be glad you did. 

Speaking of photos, above is a photo from the Brady archives of Mom as a new mother circa 1954 when my sister was born. I remember Mom talking about being a little nervous bringing home a baby from the hospital. But she had her mother, and Dad's mother – both in town – to consult. And that was still the era during which the family doctor would come to the house – so her fears were alleviated. Enough to have three more babies (my brothers and me), that's for sure.

Since my sister was the firstborn, there are plenty of photos from that timeframe. Here's a happy one from that first year. I'm not sure what my sister is looking at. But Mom looks happy.

And here's one with all the mothers in our family, circa 1956. It's my sister's second birthday and the gang's all here: Mom; her mother and father (on the right side of the photo); Dad's mother (at the left of the photo in front); and Dad's Grandmother Esterle (next to Mom). 

 

What's great about the photo above is that everyone is wearing little party hats that look like sombreros! Talk about good sports.

I took a good look at the birthday tablecloth and was able to recognize Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on it. Remember, the Mickey Mouse Club had started airing on TV in 1955.

Anyway, Happy Mother's Day!

Hills Dept. Store Mother's Day Ad – May 1965

We'll wrap up Mother's Day Week here on the blog with this ad for the well-remembered Hills Dept. Store that ran in the Journal on May 6, 1965. As to be expected due to the era, the family depicted in the ad are formally dressed for a visit to the store. But the times were a-changing, and by the end of the 1960s I don't think you would see an illustration quite like that.

The ad mentions several possible gifts for Mom, including "dainty lingerie, a duster [!], a lovely new appliance, a box of candy, an attractive new piece of jewelry, of one of hundreds of ideas you'll see at Hills."

I don't think local Baby Boomers (myself included) will ever stop reminiscing about Hills. Thanks to its family-friendly pricing and great selection, it was exactly the right fit for our family when my siblings and I were very young. Mom sure bought a lot of winter coats there for us.

Plus it was fun to go there. The toy department was huge, and in those days Mom could turn us loose there to look around by ourselves, knowing that we would be safe. And of course, the nicest memory was the possibility of a treat (popcorn, a frozen Coke, etc.) when we were done shopping.

By the end of the 1960s, however, we were buying much of our clothes at Sears and we weren't playing with toys as much. So we more or less graduated to Midway Mall.

Today, Hills has been gone so long that several generations have no memory of it at all. But memories of Hills will always conjure up simpler, happier times for many of us.

Downtown Lorain Merchant's Association Mother's Day Contest – 1954

Just in time for Mother's Day 1954, the Downtown Retail Merchant's Association of Lorain sponsored a neat essay contest for boys and girls of school age up to 15 years. The theme of the contest was "Why My Mom is Tops" and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes were gift certificates for $25, $15 and $10.

Here's the ad with the contest information. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on April 29, 1954.

The Merchant's Association was pretty savvy. Apparently it posted essays in the windows of member merchants, and if you found your child's entry, then you received a $5 gift certificate for that store. It was a great way to make you check out every store window.

(Nowadays I guess kids would utilize AI for their essays!)

Of course, I couldn't resist posting this page since it had an ad for Dragnet (a favorite of mine) with a great photo of Jack Webb. As the ad notes, the NBC program was now on Channel 3. So why the move, and from where? As the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes, "WKYC (Channel 3) for most of its existence was one of 5 network-owned television stations of the National Broadcasting Co. It first went on the air 31 Oct. 1948, as WNBK over Channel 4. 

"A move to Channel 3 was mandated in 1954, when its erection of the most powerful antenna in the Midwest caused interference with other local channels."

I'm assuming there was an equivalent Father's Day "Why My Pop is Tops" contest.

Elsewhere on the page, we also get the local bowling league scores, as well as a neat ad for Heinz Strained Meats baby food. Delicious flavors to make baby goo-goo with anticipation included beef, liver, beef heart, liver & bacon, and lamb.

What, no beef brains or tongue?

Lorain Telephone Mother's Day Ad – May 1, 1965

Yesterday we saw Ohio Edison's suggestions for an appropriate gift for Mother's Day 1955. Let's fast forward ten years and see what another utility company – Lorain Telephone – was thinking along those lines.

Above is the Lorain Telephone Co. ad that ran in the Journal back on May 1, 1965.

As you can see, the telephone company was at a disadvantage gift-wise compared to Ohio Edison. It could only offer phones.

Now if this was 2025, a new iPhone would make a pretty nice gift. But an extension telephone as a gift in 1965? I'm not sure.

But the ad says otherwise. The little girl is presenting her mother with the phone (which appears to be encased in lucite) and Mom is so overjoyed that she needs to be supported by Dad.

In our house on Skyline Drive, the extension phone was down in the basement, next to the dryer. With six people in the house, Mom was always doing laundry. So it made sense to have a phone down there.

Since Mom and Dad were busy after dinner (reading the Journal), the extension phone was the one my brothers and I used when we were in high school if we wanted to call a girl, or plan some escapade with our friends. Unfortunately, Mom caught on pretty quick and would end up coming downstairs to throw a load of wash in and eavesdrop. 

Back then, parents knew what their kids were doing all the time.

Ohio Edison's Mother's Day Gift Suggestions – May 1955

Ohio Edison never passed up an opportunity to suggest that electrical appliances were the perfect gift for Mom. This ad with Mother's Day gift ideas that ran in the Lorain Journal back on May 5, 1955 is no exception.

"Sparkling beauty and smart design to put a touch of glamour into everyday living... yet practical too, in its time and work saving features... that's an electrical gift every mother will welcome," reads the ad copy.

"Yes, you're sure to please mother on her day with a new electric appliance she'll be proud to use for entertaining, happy to have every day in the year for many years to come."

I notice our pal Reddy Kilowatt is nowhere to be seen in the ad. I wonder if he was unsure whether every mother's face would really light up upon receiving one of the Westinghouse appliances?

Anyway, almost all of the 1955 gift suggestions are on eBay right now. 

They really are quite beautifully designed. And the eBay write-up for each says that they still work, 70 years later – so they must have been of high quality.

For many years, my parents made their coffee with a stovetop Revere Ware percolator, before eventually switching to a Farberware electric percolator not unlike the Westinghouse Automatic Coffee Maker shown here. I'll bet the coffee made with that Westinghouse percolator beats the brew coming out of a Keurig any day.

Kline's Mothers Day Ad – May 5, 1955

Mother's Day is this Sunday. For those of you lucky enough to still have your mothers, are you done shopping yet?

Seventy years ago, Kline's (the department store where my Grandma Brady worked most of her adult life) ran this nearly full-page ad (below) in the Lorain Journal of May 5, 1955, with gift ideas.

It's fascinating in that it captures what women bought back then: seasonal blouses, slips, nylons, gloves, dusters (?) etc. In a society now that is much more casual than it was in 1955, most of these items simply are not part of a woman's wardrobe any more (I'm assuming).

The duster reference intrigued and amused me. My older brother Ken had a Plymouth Duster for a while. But I had to look up what a duster was when it came to clothing. It turns out that it was a house dress. I remember that Grandma Brady and Grandma Esterle (her step-mom) wore them a lot, seemingly in the most of the old photos we have of them. Maybe they bought them from Kline's.

Finally, I had to chuckle at the slogan at the top of the ad: REMEMBER MOTHER... she never forgets. Isn't that usually used in references to elephants?

I'm not sure as it is used here if it is supposed to appeal to your heart (Mom would never forget you) or if it's a threat (Mom would never forget if you got her a crummy gift – or no gift at all).

Queen of the Lakes Mobile Home Park – April 28, 1965

One of my favorite Sunday afternoon drives is following scenic U. S. Route 6 from Vermilion through Huron to Sandusky. It's easy to forget what year it is, seeing the small Mom and Pop motels that have somehow survived; the tidy, white cottages for rent; the roadside amenities such as soft frozen custard stands; the small independent convenient stores; and the many trailer parks that make lakefront living an option for people who otherwise would not be able to afford a house on the lake.

Speaking of those mobile home parks, one of the nicer ones – Queen of the Lakes – opened sixty years ago at the end of April 1965. Above is the photo and caption from the April 28, 1965 Journal making the announcement.

It notes, "Queen of the Lakes, believed to the the largest mobile home park on Routes 2 and 6 between Cleveland and Toledo, opened this week. Stan Barylski, standing at the right wing of the park entrance west of Ruggles Beach, said that 18 sites are now available, 30 more by June 1, and nearly 150 more as the demand arises. The park has its own sewage disposal system and has a 1,500-foot frontage on Lake Erie."

Getting the mobile home park apparently wasn't easy, as noted in this article in the Journal from April 19, 1963.

But in the end the project moved forward and ads began to appear in 1964.

Nov. 14, 1964

After the opening in April 1965, ads in the classified section ran regularly.

Today the park looks nice and well-maintained, its entrance still possessing a regal appearance befitting its name.

Bond Store Leisure Jacket Ad – April 27, 1945

For all you working men out there...

Let's say it's the end of a hard day at work and at last you're back in your domicile, surrounded by your adoring family, and ready to relax. Do you keep on wearing whatever you wore to work, or do you change clothes?

Eighty years ago, you might have taken a hint from the Bond Stores ad above, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on April 27, 1945 and considered changing into a nice leisure jacket. (The pipe is optional.)

What's a leisure jacket you might ask?

Unlike a leisure suit, which many of us wore in the 1970s, a leisure jacket is a little more stylish. 

An interesting website called Vintage Dancer provides a history of 1940s Men's Coats and Jacket Styles and sheds a little light on the subject. It notes, "A coat that was similar to the loafer but slightly more dressy was the leisure coat. It was designed to be worn in place of a suit jacket with a pair of dress slacks. The body of the jacket was wool or gabardine fabric with contrasting sleeves, usually in a bold prints such as plaid, checks, or diamonds. Some leisure coats incorporated Western details, yokes, and paneling. These rare coats are very collectable today."

Here's a page from a 1944 Sear catalogue showing a few in color.

They're kind of odd looking, aren't they? In my humble opinion (as a poor dresser) they look like they were assembled out of scraps of leftover material.

Anyway, check the back of your closet to see if you have one in there, alone and forgotten (and hopefully not moth-eaten). As the Vintage Dancer website notes, these jackets are very collectable.

Now as for Bond Stores, it was a chain that was founded in Cleveland in 1914, eventually growing to become the largest retail chain of men's clothing in the United States, according to its Wiki entry. Its specialty was suits that came with two pairs of pants.

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All this talking about suits reminded me that the very last suit I bought was at the long-gone Curiosity Shoppe in Avon that specialized in vintage clothing. It was a dark blue wool suit from the late 1950s or early 60s that apparently had never been worn, as it was unfinished. I paid about twelve or fifteen bucks for it and took it to a tailor that was also located in Avon. He fitted that thing to me perfectly and I wore it for years, often to my big band gigs. It was the real McCoy and just right for that kind of music.

Tragedy at Sea – April 28, 2025

One hundred years ago this week, a horrible and controversial tragedy at sea occurred: the sinking of the Japanese cargo ship SS Raifuku Maru. Tragic because the entire crew of 38 was lost; controversial because there were accusations that the crew of the White Star Liner RMS Homeric – who received the distress call – was accused of not doing enough to try and save the crew of SS Raifuku Maru.

Above is the front page of the Lorain Journal of April 28, 2025 with the story and a heartbreaking photo showing the ship sinking as seen from the deck of RMS Homeric.

This Wiki page provides a capsule account of the tragedy. And this website provides an interesting look at the sinking of SS Raifuku Maru, as it was lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

SS Raifuku Maru

Elsewhere on the front page: the Lorain Street Railway requests permission from Lorain City Council to abandon street car service in Lorain on Erie Avenue from Root Road to Leavitt Road; Lorain police vice squad arrest six in a raid on a pool hall; a disturbing story of the burning alive and stoning to death of 100 inhabitants of Chinese town of Tsu Ling Chung. 

It is described as such: "Six hundred bandits attacked the town, the inhabitants fleeing in terror. The bandits captured 100 and entombed them in a cave, filling the entrance with an enormous heap of firewood which was lighted. A majority of the victims were burned to death, but some struggled through the flames to be killed with stones."

Strangely enough, I was unable to find any mention of this on the internet except for the same blurb presented on the front page of the Journal.

New Store for Muir's Cut Rate Drugs – April 1955

Logo circa Dec. 1954

Muir's Cut Rate Drug Store has been a regular topic on this blog. Why? Because its history in Lorain spanned the era from the 1920s all the way to the 1960s – making it a spectator to the city's growth and evolution. 

Here's an early Journal ad from the first year Muir's opened in Lorain. Saving money has always been a priority for shoppers and Muir's was a pioneer in that area.

Oct. 20, 1922

The longtime Lorain business enjoyed so much success in the city at its original location at Fourth and Broadway that it opened a brand new store at 758 Broadway in April 1955. The article below from the Lorain Journal on April 27, 1955 tells the story. 

The timing of the grand opening of the new store demonstrated the company's loyalty to Lorain. As the article noted, "The opening coincides with the 33rd anniversary of the founding of Muir Drug in April, 1922, and the opening of the first cut rate store in the Middle West at 521 Broadway in Lorain.

"The new Lorain store is the first completely self-serve store in the Muir chain and is the first in a big $100,000 expansion program undertaken by Muir's for 1955.

""Lorain has always been first in our hearts," said Boyce K. Muir, president and founder of the Muir Co.

""We opened our first store in Lorain with only $1,000; our Lorain store at Broadway and Fourth was the first store in our chain to install a soda fountain; and now our new store in Lorain is the first completely self-serve unit in our company."

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Unfortunately (as I wrote about it back here), while the Lorain store was a sentimental favorite of the company's management, it was also the one that was the farthest away from the corporate headquarters in Michigan – and eventually had to go.

Jan. 8, 1964 ad from the Journal

NYC Derailment in Elyria – April 27, 1955

It's nothing to be nostalgic about, but seventy years ago yesterday was the day that 22 New York Central cars derailed in Elyria, as noted in the headline above from the Lorain Journal of April 27, 1955.

As the article noted, "A 70 mile an hour, 125 car freight train ripped apart the New York Central's four main tracks in Elyria today. The derailment sent cars flying and snarled the rails. All New York-Chicago rail traffic was blocked or rerouted for 12 hours after the 6 a. m. accident at the Abbe Road crossing.

"No one was injured when 22 of the 125 cars derailed, overturned and spun crazily across the fours tracks. But a crossing watchman in a shack on a 15 foot tower was terrified when a 150,000 pound gondola filled with steel rails skidded towards him, halting only five feet from the base of his tower.

"The train was headed from Toledo to Cleveland's Collinwood yards. It was made up of closed freight cars, tank cars and gondola cars filled with lumber and steel."

Here's the page with the continuation of the front page story. 

Note the pages also include the ongoing saga of the Dr. Sam Sheppard case, an item for Don Hilton about Probate Judge Harold Ewing, and the suicide attempt by famed actress Susan Hayward. 

Oh, and an Ohio Edison ad with old pal Reddy.

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I've got to admit, I'm always impressed by the fact that in the old days,  a big news event like the NYC derailment could happen in the morning of a given day, and people could read about it in the Journal that night. Incredible. That was the beauty of an evening newspaper with a full staff of reporters, photographers, artists and editors, all working with a tight deadline. Having a news office in the larger, neighboring cities also helped cover stories no matter where they took place.

Journal Entertainment Page – April 4, 1975

April 4, 1975 Journal page

Well, the weekend is here – and perhaps you're thinking of heading out tonight to enjoy a drink or fine meal at a Lorain County establishment.

If you were perusing the above entertainment page of the Journal fifty years ago, you would have a quite a few choices. Unfortunately, all of these businesses are gone today, relegated to the Island of Forgotten Nightclubs®.

There's an interesting article about Camelo Santiago and his Latin American Orchestra performing at the Civic Center Annex in Downtown Lorain. I don't remember this band, as it slightly predates my entrance into the local latin music scene (which I wrote about here). But I played with some of the musicians in the photo, heard of some of them, and went to Admiral King with at least one (Robert DeLeon).

Otherwise, it's fun to check out the various ads. Italian Gardens was one of the businesses in the building that was originally the home of Lum's Restaurant.

Many of us remember Emerald Valley Nite Club. I even played there with my high school friend Bob Berstiling and the Four Links. Bob's father played Emerald Valley with his own band, so I'm sure that's how we got the gig.

I remember the distinctive Tropicana Restaurant in Avon Lake. My old boss Franc Powell designed and installed the well-remembered mosaic on the outside of the building.

I never heard of The Schilling (formerly Donny's) at the intersection of US Route 20 and State Route 301 in Elyria. But Michael Stanley and his band were performing there.

Silver Dollar Lounge & Restaurant is another one I'd never heard of. The ad helpfully points out that it was formerly Roman Villa.

The Angry Bull was at 651 Broadway (no relation to the similarly angry and same-named toro out in Huron). Hey, there's Go-Go Girls every night!

Other ads include O'Henry's Pub, Beaver's Den and Whiskeyville Still (next to the Lorain County Speedway). This version of the Whiskeyville Still became T. J. Light Co. in 1978.

Looking at these ads makes me think how hard it is for local restaurants, bars etc. to survive today without the advertising that newspapers provided. Grouping all of the ads in one spot as shown in the page above made it easy for the person trying to decide where to go. The inclusion of an ad in the paper guaranteed that it was open for business.

Today, neglected and outdated websites, ancient (and phony) reviews, and reliance on social media (which not everyone follows) to promote all make it hard to know if a business is open and worthy of a visit.

Musty Money in Courthouse Records – April 1955

Do you collect old currency just for the fun of it?

Like many of you, I've been doing it for years, although on a very small scale. My paper collection includes old two-dollar bills, silver certificates, etc. On the other hand, I have lots of old coins: silver dollars, fifty-cent pieces, etc. I also hoard wheat pennies (why, I don't know), as well as any nickels, dimes, etc. older than 1970, especially those with significant dates on them, like 1944, 1959 (the year I was born), etc.

When I worked on the west side of Cleveland, I used to make a daily stop at a mom-and-pop convenient store (not unlike the one owned by Apu on The Simpsons. I used to get some really old coins there as change, including a penny from the 1800s. It was as if someone just spent their whole vintage coin collection to buy a bag of Cheese Doodles.

But alas! As we slowly transition to a cashless society, one of the drawbacks is that we will gradually lose that occasional thrill of encountering an old coin or wrinkled, faded bill.

That is, unless you happen to spend a lot of time poking around old records in the archives of Lorain County (like author and longtime blog contributor Don Hilton). Then you might get lucky, like Chief Deputy John Hritsko at the Probate Court office in Elyria, as told in the story below that appeared in the Lorain Journal on April 7, 1955.