Who in the World is Reading My Blog?

I'll close out the week (and the month as well) with another peek at some stats related to my blog. Yesterday we saw which posts were the most visited since the blog was launched back in 2009. Today, we'll examine just who is reading this tripe fascinating material.

As it turns out – amazingly – there are readers in countries all over the world.

Here's a map with an accompanying key showing the geographical areas where the majority of my visitors come from.

As expected, the good old U.S.A. comes in first. But surprisingly, France is second. I guess it's a good thing after all that I took all those years of French class at Masson and Admiral King, in case I want to tailor some specific French content for mes amis dans ce pays.

But then it gets kind of weird going down the list to the next in line. Singapore? Austria? Germany? All in the thousands?

Next are Canada and Hong Kong, which are evenly split with 84. I do write a lot about Canada, with posts about Niagara Falls, the Post Shredded Wheat factory, Billy Bee Honey, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tim Hortons, etc. (All on a blog supposedly about Lorain County, Ohio – yeah, right.) But I'm not sure why Hong Kong has the same identical number.

The rest of the countries are a curious mix.

I'm kind of bumming though. I used to get a lot more hits from Russia back in 2016. I'm not sure why I've losing some of my comrades readers there.

At least some of my relic-tives in Ireland must have read my post about my Irish ancestors.

What Are My Most Visited Blog Posts?

One of the fun things about writing a blog for more than 15 years (!) is discovering which posts are the most popular – or at least, the most visited. I monitor this statistic every once in a while, and I'm always a little surprised at what I find.

Here's the latest rankings, as of yesterday.

As you can see, the all-time champ is my post about the American flag painted on the old quarry rock overlooking Route 2.

Number 2, strangely enough, is the post about the building at 1242 Colorado Avenue that was once home to a Canada Dry bottling plant, and later, The Corner Store model railroad store.

The "little bar on Lake Road" in Avon Lake was next, followed by my comparison of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Post Toasties.

The well-remembered Ontario department store rounded out the top five. That post has 71 comments!

Next were posts about Travelodge's Sleepy Bear, our local beloved Dog 'N Suds, and Max, the freakishly long-necked Forest City Auto Parts mascot. Max has generated 45 interesting comments, mainly by ex-Forest City employees.

Finishing up the top ten were my posts about Yes-Yes Cookies (which as of this date has 33 comments by people like me who remembered the tasty treat) and "Visions of Cedar Point 1966 Part 3."

The next posts, in order, include Anson Titus House in Avon Lake, Donald Duck Orange Juice being discontinued, Cedar Point's Chaussee and Causeway Part 2, and Joseph Ule's windmill on Kolbe Road.

And there you have it. As you can see, there is a nice mix of local and national items of interest.

Sorry, Reddy! Maybe one of your 61 electrifying posts will make the Top Ten next time.

Penneys Catalog Ad – Feb. 24, 1965

Seeing this ad for the 1965 Spring-Summer Penneys Catalog really reminded me how much shopping has changed in the last sixty years. Or has it?

The ad, which ran in the Journal on Feb. 24, 1965 advertises tens of thousands of items 'at your finger tips.' You merely phoned in your order from the comfort of your home, and the sales personnel did all the paper work to process it. Your items were then shipped to the local catalog center; you just had to go pick it up.

Here's a color version of the Penneys catalog in the ad, along with that of its greatest competitor: Sears. 

Today, online shopping has largely replaced most catalogs. It's still all about convenience. The difference is now you pay for shipping, but your order is delivered to your home.

What I don't like is that most brick-and-mortar stores like Walmart just don't bother having a lot of stock on their shelves anymore. Their website probably has what you want, but gone are the days when you can just go there and buy it.

Sooner or later, Amazon will be the only place where you can find what you want. For instance, last year I attempted to jump in my car and go buy a pair of sunglasses. I went to my old standby – Drug Mart – and came away empty-handed. I went to a lot of other stores and discovered that unless I wanted to buy a really goofy looking pair, I was out of luck. I ended up buying a pair on Amazon.

Also last year, I dropped my watch (which I had for over 20 years) and broke the band. The watch itself wasn't in great shape either (the crown liked to fall out) but it still worked. Do you think I could buy a replacement band or a new watch in a store in Lorain County? Forget it. I found a new Timex on Amazon (the ones on the Timex website were more than I paid for some of my furniture).

Anyway, it's nice to think back to the days when Mom had all her catalogs – Sears, Penneys, Esco – on a shelf in the hall closet. We bought a lot of clothes, towels, toys, etc. from those books. It was a simpler time.

Passing Scenes – Jan. to Feb. 1975

Gene Patrick's biweekly The Passing Scene comic strip continued in the Journal right into 1975. 

I'm curious just how long he kept it going. We know that he had already taken a break from the Journal around 1972 when he launched his own business (Gene's Hobby Hub). When that business endeavor ended, Gene took a detour out to Los Angeles for a while, eventually coming back to Lorain and reviving The Passing Scene. I guess he was a restless spirit.

But for now, however, we'll take a look at his cartoons from the first two months of 1975. The January 4th strip references Lorain's plan to purchase 232 acres in Sheffield Village for use as a landfill.

Jan. 4, 1975

Jan. 11, 1975

Jan. 18, 1975

Feb. 8, 1975

Feb. 22, 1975

It's fun watching Gene create his own comic universe over the years, similar to classic TV sit-coms of the 1950s. Wives are either cheerful or shrews; either way, they spend too much money. Long-suffering husbands are the undisputed head of their families. Teenagers are often smart-alecks looking for an angle. Very young children are completely innocent types.

Stan Laurel Passes Away – Feb. 23, 1965

Sixty years ago yesterday, Stan Laurel, one half of the beloved comedy team of Laurel and Hardy, passed away. Below is the obituary that appeared in the Journal the next day on Feb. 24, 1965.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were always big in the Brady house. The compilation films (such as When Comedy Was King) featuring their early silent shorts were often shown on TV in the 1960s, usually on a Sunday afternoon. That was my first exposure to their comedy.

My father was a fan. Dad told me once that he remembered seeing their films at the Dreamland Theater, where his father was manager for a time. So I guess I became a fan as well.

I remember watching the Laurel and Hardy TV cartoons that were made by Hanna-Barbera. The cartoons weren’t great, but at least captured the flavor of their comedy enough for little kids to appreciate, and be curious about the comedy team's actual films. I even had the comic book below.

Unfortunately, when my siblings and I first did see their talkie films, they were the not-so-good ones made late in their career that were shown on Saturday afternoons on Channel 61. Most of these movies from the 1940s are a not-so-fine mess. I remember being disturbed by the nightmarish ending of The Bullfighters, where they were skinned alive by the thuggish villain. Apparently Stan Laurel liked these freakish endings.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that I got to see Laurel and Hardy's best films from the 1930s and 40s, when they were shown late-night on The Houlihan and Big Chuck Show. I still have my favorites: Block-heads, Saps at Sea (which was also a favorite of Sir Winston Churchill) and A Chump at Oxford.

I also remember attending a program with my parents at the Lorain Public Library about the Lorain Tornado, that included a silent Laurel and Hardy short at the end. I believe it was Two Tars.

Although a lot of once-popular movie comedians seem to be fading in the public consciousness, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Laurel & Hardy. Happily, the lovable comedy team consisting of a fat one and a skinny one has achieved that rare status where their best comedies will live forever. 

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Saps at Sea was mentioned on this blog before, at the bottom of this post about the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. It was the movie that inspired me to teach myself how to play the slide trombone!

Feb. 21, 1955 Ads

Seventy years ago, the concept of Presidents Day didn't exist yet. Thus Washington's Birthday was celebrated on the actual day: February 22nd. Above you see our old pal Reddy Kilowatt in an Ohio Edison ad that ran on Feb. 21, 1955 in the Lorain Journal, announcing that Ohio Edison would be closed that day.

Here are some more ads that ran in that same edition of the Journal.

It was a holiday, so there was no school. So what were mothers supposed to do with the kids? Why, take them shoe shopping, of course!

But what about the adults who were lucky enough to have the day off? Well, they could go shopping for a used car at Bob Beck Chevrolet. Remember the distinctive OK Used Car graphic shown in the ad?

Days off are always a good day to get some tasks crossed off the list. Perhaps your TV was on the fritz; you could get it repaired by Nelson and Fain Teleclinlic, located at 1755 Oberlin Avenue – the same location much later as the well-remembered, popular Biggy's Pub and Eatery.

Thinking of those poor kids that were forced to go shoe shopping on their day off from school; maybe their mothers felt guilty later, and treated them to the big cartoon marathon at either the Lorain Theatre on Pearl and the Ohio Theatre.

I'll bet the Disney bigwigs would not have been too happy to see Donald and Goofy sharing the bill with what they probably considered lowly cartoon riff-raff: Porky Pig, Woody Woodpecker and Popeye. What, no Tom & Jerry? (Hopefully the theaters didn't pull a bait-and-switch and subject the kids to Casper and/or Baby Huey.)

And for the average Lorainite who wished to celebrate the birthday of the Father of Our Country at the movie theater, there was the city's apparent favorites, the Bowery Boys, at the Dreamland starring in Bowery to Bagdad (as part of an odd double bill with The Caine Mutiny).

Charles Martin Hall's Discovery – Feb. 1886

Charles Martin Hall

Having worked in Oberlin for more than three years now, I've become more interested in the history of the city and college than I normally would have been.

For instance, for years I've been vaguely aware that Charles Martin Hall is famous for having discovered a way to extract aluminum from its ore cheaply through electrolysis. But I had no idea he did it shortly after graduating from Oberlin College. I thought he was the stereotypical older scientist, laboring away in his laboratory.

As noted on the Oberlin College website, "On February 23, 1886, less than eight months after graduating, his experiments paid off. Hall produced aluminum metal by passing an electric current through a solution of aluminum oxide in molten cryolite."

I pass his former house (the site of his discovery) every day on the way to and from work. And there's even a plaque out front that I've never even noticed.

And that tablet was unveiled back on October 30, 1928 as noted in the Lorain Journal from that date. I'm guessing that perhaps the tablet was originally affixed to the house or something else.

Hall became rich from his discovery, and after his death in 1914 left one third of his estate to Oberlin College (approximately $10 million). Among other things, this helped preserve Tappan Square and built Hall Auditorium.

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I guess I'm kind of disappointed that a tall, aluminum statue of Charles Martin Hall on the second floor of the Science Center is routinely decorated, as if he was a concrete porch goose. What a way to honor someone who donated $10 million!

New High School for Vermilion – Feb. 1953

Seventy-two years ago this week, Vermilion High School students enjoyed the informal opening of their new high school. (The official opening would take place a few months later in mid-April.)

Above is the front page of the Feb. 21, 1953 Lorain Journal with the story, and a photo showing the kids parading into the new building.

Elsewhere on the page is a very dark photo of a historic marker that was located on Route 10 just west of Oberlin. Today the highway is designed State Route 511. If the monument was still there, I'd pass it every day on the way to work. Unfortunately it's long gone. Vandals removed the tablet in 1969; one local historian told me the boulder is still on the property, but was dumped in the woods at the rear of the lot.

Here's a better look at it (below). I also wrote about it back here and here.

There are several little articles of interest on the page. 

An obituary for Frederick Conradt of Cleveland notes that he was owner and operator of a tavern at 4790 East Lake Road in Sheffield Lake. That was also the address for Dorothy and Elmer Bartel's tavern (which I wrote about here). It turns out that before it was Dorothy and Elmer's, it was Conrad's for more than 20 years. The obituary below (from Jan. 11, 1939) explains that Elmer Bartel was Mrs. Conrad's nephew.

The Log of Lorain mentions that "The nephew of two Lorainites is the "cover man" of the Feb. 28 issue of Collier's magazine and is also pictured in an exclusive feature story about the development of a space suit by the navy and how and where it will be used.

Here's the cover, as well as the inside photo.

Lastly, under the heading "13 Films Available Through Library," we learn that the Lorain Public Library had a total of 43 16mm films available for borrowing. One of the brand new films was Three Little Bruins in a Canoe –a heartwarming and exciting Castle Films classic. Why not enjoy it right now, while you partake of a bowl of Sugar Crisp?

When Did Presidents Day Sales Start?

Yesterday was Presidents Day (although George Washington's actual birthday is still a few days away) and as usual, there were a few sales with that promotional theme. When did those sales first make their appearance locally, anyway? 

Presidents Day has only been around since the late 1960s, but roughly coincides with George Washington's Birthday. So I looked through vintage Lorain Journals for sales celebrating the birth of the Father of Our Country.

Surprisingly, it seems that the tradition started, in all places, in our nation's capital: Washington, D.C. Here's an article from the Feb. 22, 1954 Lorain Journal about the "fabulous sales," which included TVs and automobiles for 99 cents.

Note how the article mentions shoppers, "many of whom waited patiently throughout the night in front of the stores." One of them is a 57-year old Defense Dept. worker, "intent on getting his second 99 cent typewriter." It doesn't give his name, but we'll find it out in  this article (below), which appeared the following year in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 22, 1955.

There's even a photo of Mr. Raplee in front of the store, courtesy of Getty Images. Unfortunately his face is covered up by the Getty Images watermark!

The caption reads, "Eager Beaver Bargain Hunters Wait for Shop Opening. Washington, D.C.: Shoppers in the nation's capital have their hatchets out today in preparation for the annual Washington's birthday bargain hunt for such bargains as one cent wrist watches and 99 cent typewriters. W. Townsend Raplee, 58 year old Pentagon clerk, right, is the first in line for the third year in a row. He's been parked in front of the store since 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Left to right: R. Andrews; Annie May Layne; Carrie V. Holland and Raplee.

Perhaps the well-publicized sale in the nation's capital caught the attention of other stores, including those in Lorain. By the time of Washington's Birthday 1957, the Downtown Merchants organization flipped its (powdered) wig and went bonkers in its ads. This full page ad appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 21, 1957.

Several full-pages of ads followed, such as the page below. But apparently there wasn't very much clip art with a George Washington theme available – yet.

The theme was repeated the following year in the Journal on Feb. 21, 1958, with more clip art used on the ad pages.

Journal Reporter Interviews George Washington – Feb. 22, 1952

In honor of President's Day, here's a pretty creative little piece that ran in the Lorain Journal back on Feb. 22, 1952. It's a fantasy piece, written by Don Miller, in which he time-travels back to George Washington's time, and interviews him for the paper. 

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First President Warns People of the U. S., Tells Them He's Here in Spirit to Help Them Keep America Strong

Journal Newsman Operates Time Reversing Machine, Interviews George Washington

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this is Feb. 22^nd, Washington’s birthday, Don Miller volunteered to use his own invention, the time reverser, and obtain an interview with the Father of Our Country.)

•••

By Don Miller
DM: Hi, Mr. President. I’m Don Miller from The Lorain Journal. Thought I’d like to interview you for the paper.

GW: Paper? Lorain Journal? Never heard of it, my lad. So you’re a newsman. Well. Well. We’ve got a pretty good one ourselves, name of Franklin, Ben Franklin.

DM: Yes, sir, I’ve heard of him. In fact, we consider him one of the greatest men of the past.

GW: Past? You didn’t understand me, son. He’s still around. By the way, what’s that odd looking thing you have?

DM: Oh, that’s a double-breasted suit – let’s just say it’s a hint of things to come, Mr. Washington.

GW: Hah! Don’t tell me men are going to wear ridiculous looking things like that. They’ll never submit to such an indignity. I’d advise you to change into some breeches and don a periwig.

DM: I don’t have time right now, sir, but I’d like to ask you a couple of questions before I have to leave again. First of all, let me show you this. It’s a copy of The Journal dated Saturday, Feb. 16, 1952. Now, Mr. Washington, you’ll notice this headline. It says, “Lake Road Crash Fatal to Two Men.” Now, that was an automobile accident. What do you think of the automobile death toll?

GW: Automobile? Death toll? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about.

DM: Oh, a car – automobile – is a new mode of transportation. You could go from here to Ohio in a day’s time or less.

GW: Too dangerous, my boy. It’ll never come into proper usage. Now, I won’t make a flat prediction, but it’s doubtful.

DM: Okay, Mr. Washington. Here’s a picture of a 647-foot ship launched at Lorain that day. What do you think of that ship?

GW: Sir, I don’t know from whence you come or the purpose behind your presence, but I don’t think much of your hoax. No one can build a ship 647 feet long and expect it to sail.

DM: But they did – that is, they will. Let’s skip that ship right now. Here’s another headline about some trouble in Egypt. What do you think of the Egyptian situation?

GW: We have 13 colonies here, just united into one great nation I say that if we are to remain strong and independent, we can’t afford to meddle too much into the affairs of other nations. Don’t mistake my meaning, young man. We must have commerce and trade, but it’s not our business to bother with internal troubles with other countries. That is, unless it threatens our own freedom. Then we should act rapidly but with extreme caution.

DM: Well, sir, how about the Korean trouble the Communists kicked up? What about price controls? Rent controls? Wage controls? How about our national debt of nearly $275,000,000,000?

GW: What? National debt of – HOW MUCH?

DM: Almost $275,000,000,000 speaking in round figures.

GW: Round figures? You’re talking in crazy figures, young man! No country could ever know how much money that is, let alone spend that much. It’s an impossibility!

DM: Well, then, let’s ignore that. How about the next election? You can see here that Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Senator Robert A. Taft, Senator Estes Kefauver, Harold Stassen – are all being mentioned for president.

GW: Journalist – if, as you claim, you come from the year 1952, if you have autos which kill people at the rate of two per day; if you are facing the threat of aggression from countries of which we know little; if your country has a debt that’s inconceivable to my mind or yours; I’ve just one word of advice for you. Don’t go back. Break your little time reversing machine and stay right here. We have freedom, bitterly fought for and won, but precious freedom. Our economy is just beginning to stabilize itself and we’ve just signed a document declaring the equality and freedom of man. 

My one regret has been that I’m now getting up in years and know that perilous times lie ahead for this nation. I know my time is running out and I won’t be here to help with those problems. But from your description of this country in 1952 I can see the need for men of courage, vision, honesty and strength. Stay here if you will, or put duty above yourself and go back to the twentieth century. Warn the people to become, united, to stabilize their currency; and to make certain each man keeps free and has a job. I pity you if you go back, but the choice is yours. I now consign to you the future of the country. Warn the people and tell them I’ll be there in spirit to help them keep America as strong as it is today in its new found freedom!