"Welcome to Lorain" Sign – August 2, 1977

Remember the huge "Welcome to Lorain" billboard on Leavitt Road?

For many years, a sign with that message was on the west side of Leavitt Road at Jaeger Road, roughly across from the Emerald Valley Golf Club. You would see it if you were heading north on Leavitt Road.

Although the welcome sign differed in design from time to time, the message was always the same – that Lorain was Ohio's 10th largest city and that it was the home of the International Festival. (Of course Lorain is now the ninth largest city.)

Above you see the sign being painted in a photo that ran on the front page of the Lorain Journal of August 2, 1977. (By George, I was getting ready to head off to college at that time!)

I posted a color copy of that photo before, clipped from the Journal by Raleigh McBride, one of the painters in the photo. Here it is.

His great reminisces about working for Ritter Signs was featured back here on a 2012 post.

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.

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