Cleveland - Lorain Highway Coach Article – July 1970

Remember the old Cleveland-Lorain Highway Coach bus service?

I guess fewer and fewer people do these days. But when it was in operation, it was great: regular commuter bus service from Lorain to Cleveland and back, several times a day.

The Cleveland-Lorain Highway Coach bus garage on Broadway

And here's a great article by Staff Writer Bob Cotleur about it that ran in the Journal back on July 19, 1970. It tells how the company dates back to 1923 and was started by Harry Coleman and H. A. ("Bob") Sanborn. At the time of the article, the company was being run by H. A. Sanborn's sons, Bob and Don.

Besides providing the history of the company, the article also features some very good observations by Bob Sanborn that are ahead of their time, including opinions about mass transportation, and observations about the unrest that many young people were feeling at that time, due to societal and cultural change.

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I remember Mom telling me that she and my sister used to take the bus to Cleveland in the late 1950s a few times to shop (remember, it was an era in which families only had one car – and the father took it to work). 

I myself took it a few times as well. 

When I was still in high school, I has signed up for a summer art class at the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, and to get there I was going to have to take the bus. It was kind of like an adventure for a high school kid, especially when I walked all the way from Public Square to E. 22nd Street, being chased by panhandlers all the way. (Unfortunately when I made it to the school and wandered around inside, I discovered that the class had been cancelled.)

I took the bus again when I was living at the Overlook Apartments and working in Downtown Cleveland. I normally drove to the RTA bus stop at the Aqua Marine in Avon Lake, but one day my car battery was dead. So I flagged down the Highway Coach and rode that in. It was more expensive, but a much nicer,  more plush ride.

Snow Cap Ice Creams – Part 2

Snow Cap Ice Cream continued to aggressive advertise in the Lorain Journal with innovative ideas during the latter part of the 1950s. This ad from Feb. 22, 1957 promoted the Snow Cap Birthday Party Special – whereas the company would provide ice cream, spoons, napkins, chocolate wafers, punch syrup to make 6 quarts, and drinking cups, making it easy for mothers.

This July 12, 1957 ad listed all the Snow Cap products, as well as suggesting using Snow Cap dry ice for keeping things cool on picnics.

This ad from May 28, 1958 noted that Snow Cap Ice Creams was "Lorain County's only manufacturer of frozen novelty stick confections." The ad also suggest listening for the bells of the Snow Cap ice cream trucks, and their products were "served at your door or favorite corner store."

Snow Cap continued to promote the use of dry ice, as seen in this pair of ads.

June 14, 1958

July 17, 1959

Snow Cap even utilized coupons, as seen in this ad from August 28, 1959.

It seems that things began to wind down at Snow Cap at the end of the 1950s, with little to no advertising in the newspaper. This May 14, 1960 report of a break-in is one of the few times the company was mentioned in the Lorain Journal during that era.

Despite the unique product offering and marketing ideas, it was the end of the line for Snow Cap with this announcement from April 3, 1961.

The winding down of the Snow Cap business seems to coincide with Mr. Gantose taking over the concession at Lakeview Park. This March 17, 1972 Journal article notes that he had operated the concession there for about 15 years – or roughly since around 1957.

Mr. Gantose continued to operate the concession there right into the 1980s. He became embroiled in a controversy when the city of Lorain attempted to evict him so that renovations could be done at the bath house to attract a Wendy's Restaurant. But in the end, the city's plans to put a fast food restaurant were scuttled; in December 1985, Lorain County Judge Joseph Cirigliano ordered the city to allow Gantose to use the concession area through Jan. 30, 1990, when his lease expired. He went to a month-to-month contract during the summer of 1990.

He passed away in 1994.

As his brother noted in his obituary, "He enjoyed people. He did what he enjoyed doing."

And he enjoyed making people happy with ice cream. 

Snow Cap Ice Creams – Part 1

Snow Cap Ice Cream is an interesting story. The business started out as a small operation but became so much more – for a little while.

The business, operated by Al Gantose, was located at 1155 Reid Avenue. It first showed up in the pages of the Lorain Journal in the 'new telephone number' listing on April 24, 1952.

It appears that part of the original business plan was to employ boys as vendors to sell ice cream around the city from their bikes.

Aug. 20, 1952

One unfortunate young man – new to Lorain – found himself in hot water when he made an ice cream sale in Lakeview Park, triggering an angry reaction from the ice cream concessionaire at the bathhouse there. This article from June 25, 1954 tells the story. 

By 1955, ads began appearing in the Lorain Journal for Snow Cap Drive-in, such as this one from May 25, 1955.

And this ad from June 21, 1955 reveals that there was a whole fleet of Snow Cap Ice Cream trucks.

The company's specialty were the ice cream novelties and other treats, such as ice cream bars, drumsticks, fudge bars, and popsicles. You could also buy a half gallon of the company's ice cream. 

The drive-in continued to be advertised, perhaps to drum up some foot traffic. Snow Cap also reached out to groups and organizations to cater their ice cream socials.

These ads from 1956 reveal that Snow Cap had an agreement with the Walt Disney organization to manufacture and sell Donald Duck "Ducky Bubble Extra Large Popsicles." Quite a (duck) feather in their (Snow) Cap!

June 1, 1956

July 27, 1956

Next: the rest of the story

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

Here's wishing good old Uncle Sam a Happy 250th Birthday! By George (Washington), it's a day to celebrate! Here's hoping your July 4th is safe and happy.

Sixty years ago, you might have decided (like the Bradys did some years) to go watch fireworks at Hills Dept. Store. Here's the Hills ad from July 2, 1966.

And if you'd like a soundtrack to go with your celebration today, how's about John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever?" It still gives me goosebumps when I hear it, probably because when I was a member of the 1976 All-Ohio State Fair Band, we used to close our concerts with it.

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A few shots while passing through Wellington last weekend. I think we take it for granted that the Spirit of '76 Painting is so associated with that charming village.

Spirit of '76 Stamps

The special 1976 commemorative stamps

Fifty years ago on July 4, 1976, the United States was celebrating its 200th birthday, and it was a very big deal. Part of the observance was the creation of three 13-cent stamps featuring Archibald Willard's famous patriotic painting, "The Spirit of '76."

Since the Spirit of '76 Museum is located in Wellington, where Willard was living when he conceived the idea for his painting, someone had a great idea. Why not allow the Museum to accept orders for a special cancellation of a limited number of the commemorative stamps?

As noted in the Journal article below from June 28, 1976, the special cancelled envelope featured a picture of the painting and a portrait of Willard, along with some biographical information.

And here is one of the envelopes – the 'brown' version. (It's stamped 'First Day of Issue' but I'm not sure why the postmark is January 1st).

This is the card that came inside.

It was a nice promotion for the Museum. I haven't been there since 2009, but I'm planning another visit soon. (I wrote about my 2009 visit here.)

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The U. S. Post Office has some nice commemorative items for the nation's 250th birthday as well.

"Figures of the American Revolution Stamps"

July 4, 1956 Ads

By 1956, preparation for the Fourth of July – and even the holiday itself – wasn't front page news for the Lorain Journal. It wasn't mentioned on July 3 or 4th.

References to July 4th seemed to only occur in the ads that ran in the paper. Here's a not-so-ample sample from July 3, 1956.

Hot dogs seemed to figure prominently in these ads.

The air-conditioned movie houses were open on the holiday, as well as the drive-in theaters.

If you felt like straying away from Lorain, you could head to Crystal Beach in Vermilion, or take the kiddies to – what else? – Huron Kiddieland.

I didn't find a Grim Reaper sponsored safety ad, just this one featuring a Colonial Town Crier.

And only the Lorain Telephone Company went all out in a patriotic way.

Lorain Prepares for July 4, 1946

 

Detail of a July 2, 1946 Marshall's ad

Eighty years ago, Lorain was preparing to celebrate its first Post-War July 4th. But it was not going to be a raucous celebration, as noted on the front page of the July 3, 1946 Lorain Journal.

"America's first peace-time 4th of July in six years will be a quiet one in Lorain. If Dad and Junior plan to set off any firecrackers or skyrockets tomorrow, they're either going to be sorely disappointed or face a $500 fine.

"Lorain police are going to crack down on all fireworks – and that includes anything from Roman candles to cap pistols.

"For the first 4th in five years, however, local celebrators will take to the county's highways and byways without war driving restrictions for the traditional Independence Day festivities – picnics, outings, and automobile excursions. 

"Practically all industry except the steel and iron producing departments of the National Tube Co. will be closed down to give workers a holiday.

"Lorain park authorities anticipate the year's biggest beach crowds and will have an augmented staff of park police and life guards."

As in other years, traffic fatalities sadly were the headline.