Romp’s Dairy Queen Grand Opening – June 1964

Romp’s Dairy Dock has been an iconic Vermilion business for decades, serving up popular frozen ice cream treats at its familiar location on U. S. Route 6 as part of Romp's Water Port since the 1960s.
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But did you know that it started out as a Dairy Queen franchise?

That’s right.  At the top of this post is a Grand Opening ad, as it appeared in the Vermilion Photojournal on June 17, 1964 – 55 years ago this month.

And here’s a shot from this past Sunday afternoon. The building really hasn’t changed that much, and that’s part of its nostalgic charm.

It’s obvious that at some point it simply made sense from a marketing standpoint to bring the ice cream stand and Putt-Putt miniature golf course under the Romp’s banner.

Anyway, it’s a comforting sign of spring to see Romp’s Dairy Dock open and busy as usual. Be part of the tradition and stop there on your visit to Vermilion!

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I posted a great Journal article from 1963 about the Romp’s marina complex back here. The article includes an interesting history of how it came to be.

My post also provides a look at what the property was like back in Lake Shore Electric days.

D-Day As Covered by the Lorain Journal

As today is the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, I thought it would be interesting to see how the invasion and its immediate aftermath was covered in the pages of the Lorain Journal.

It’s hard to imagine experiencing a war only through newspaper and radio coverage, with only the occasional newsreel at the movies. But as you can see, the Journal was packed with expanded war coverage and highly detailed analysis for readers who wanted to know exactly what was going on.

Here then, are the front pages (and some select inside pages) of the Journal for June 5, 1944 – June 12, 1944, courtesy of the Lorain Public Library. Click on each for a larger, more readable version. As usual, there are plenty of other things on each page of interest (such as Nazi prisoners working in the Amherst Quarries).

June 5, 1944

June 6, 1944

June 6, 1944 Page 2

June 6, 1944 – page 3

June 6, 1944 – Page 4

June 6, 1944 – Page 9

June 6, 1944 – Page 11

June 7, 1944

June 7, 1944 – Page 2

June 7, 1944 – Page 4

June 8, 1944

June 8, 1944 – Page 2

June 8, 1944 – Page 4

June 9, 1944

June 9, 1944 – Page 2

June 10, 1944

June 10, 1944 – Page 2

June 12, 1944

It’s interesting that on D-Day, there were War Bonds ads sponsored by local businesses that seemed to be designed specifically for that day, such as the one for Seymour’s Jewelry. "THIS IS IT – The Battle to Save the World” reads the ad’s headline. The one for Smith & Gerhart even features Hitler.

Also of interest to anyone who ever asked, “What does the “D” in “D-Day” stand for?” is the article that ran on D-Day on page 3 entitled WORLD’S FATE TO AGAIN BE DECIDED ON FRENCH SOIL. It notes, “Dramatically, the signal for the greatest “D” day of the war, the opening of the second battle of France was given by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, an American whose whole country was befriended by the French in the darkest hours of its struggle for independence many years ago.” 

This sentence seems to support the idea that the “D” is generic, and that wars have many D-Days. 

The Root Beer Stand at Madison

Last week, I posted a 1964 ad for the Lorain A&W Root Beer stand that was located on West Erie Avenue at Madison. The stand first appeared in the Lorain Telephone Company directory in 1959, and in the Lorain City Directory in 1960.

It had several addresses, which only adds to the confusion about this restaurant.

The initial phone book address for the A&W restaurant was 2537 W. Erie, while the city directory just said it was on the corner of Madison and West Erie. Eventually, the city directory address was 2600 West Erie.

Did it really hop from one side of West Erie to another? It doesn’t seem likely, but I can’t say for sure. I suspect that since that area of town was outside regular Lorain city limits for so long, the addresses were probably still evolving or being decided on.

But there’s one thing I do know: there was a root beer stand at the corner of Madison and West Erie long before A&W.

How do I know? My mother remembers it from the 1930s, when she was growing up.

“My father took us there in his Reo," she recalls. "Root beer in a frosted glass was a real treat."

What did the root beer stand look like?

“It was a small building. Cars would park around it in a circle.”

1952 Aerial view of Madison and West Erie

Mom remembers that the stand was run by the Buchanan family. They lived right next door on Madison, to the south, according to the city directory.

It was a seasonal business. “It would get shuttered for the winter,” she noted.

According to the 1939-1940 edition of the National City Directory for Lorain, it was a Stewart's Root Beer stand. Evelyn Buchanan was listed as the manager.

It makes sense that the stand was affiliated with Stewart’s. Stewart’s Root Beer got its start in Mansfield, Ohio.

Anyway, it's difficult to know how long the root beer stand had been in business at that location when Mom was going there, or how long it lasted before A&W Root Beer came to town. The location was outside of town, and just not included in the city directories until the late 50s/early 1960s. (The standalone National city directory was the only book to include it; the regular Polk directories did not.) Plus the stand probably didn’t have a phone in the early days, making a phone book timeline impossible.

Today the southeast corner of Madison and West Erie is a forlorn sight (below).

Nevertheless, pleasant memories of root beer served there in a frosted glass remain.

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Root Beer and drive-in root beer stands have been a favorite topic on this blog. Besides my posts about A&W and Dog ’N Suds, I’ve written about Frostie Root Beer, the Frostop drive-in out in Huron, and the Richardson Root Beer stand on Oberlin Avenue.

Did Bill Haley & the Comets Ever Play the Lorain Arena?

Earlier this year at the Lorain Public Library, I was asked if I had any knowledge of Bill Haley and the Comets ever playing at the Lorain Arena in his heyday.

I checked available online 1950s concert listings, which include several shows in Ohio. But even when Bill Haley and the Comets were performing nearby (such as an appearance in Cleveland on May 8, 1956) I never could find any indication on newspaper microfilm of a stopover in Lorain, either before or after. There weren’t even Journal ads for the concert in the neighboring cities.

Anyway, while scrolling around on the microfilm from the timeframe of one concert, I did find an advertisement and Journal movie review of Rock Around the Clock, which was playing at the Tivoli Theatre in May 1956. Above you see the ad and review, as well as the whole page of movie ads from May 12, 1956.

The Journal’s review is laced with hip language, Daddy-O.

If anyone has any knowledge of seeing Bill Haley at the Lorain Arena (or any Lorain venue), be sure to leave a comment!

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Anyway, judging from the full page of movie ads, there was something for everyone playing on Lorain movie screens back in May 1956. Here’s a sampling...

Jungle hi-jinks was the theme at the Lorain Theater, with Simba, Terror of Mau Mau, Tarzan’s Peril and Skabenga (1955).

Ohio Theater kept it wholesome with an all-Disney lineup of Music Land, Johnny Appleseed and The Littlest Outlaw.

Over at the drive-ins, Carlisle Drive-in had Hell on Frisco Bay, Treasure of Pancho Villa and Crossed Swords, while Tower Drive-in had Mighty Joe Young providing cinematic monkey business. Lorain Drive-in was playing the hits, with a triple feature that included James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” and John Wayne in “Rio Grande.”

John Wayne was also flying high at the Grove Theater in The High and the Mighty.

SR 611 at Detroit Rd in Avon – Then & Now

Last month, I posted a 1967 Journal article consisting of reminisces about Avon by a longtime resident, A. A. Bungart. One of his memories of the early days of Avon included the town water pump. He noted, ""The town water pump was located in front of what today is the library. People came from miles around to get water.” Bungart also mentioned that “City hall was located in the present library building on SR 611 at Detroit Road."

The mention of a water pump caught the attention of blog contributor and researcher extraordinaire, Rick Kurish. In an email, he alerted me that a vintage postcard of an Avon streetscape featuring a water pump was currently on Ebay.

Here’s the postcard.

Although we were pretty sure that it was the pump mentioned in the article (you can see part of the town hall at the right side of the photo), the research had already been done removing all doubt.

It turned out that the Arcadia Publishing book about Avon included this photo, with a detailed caption. It reads, “CORNER OF DETROIT AND COLORADO. This 1910 picture shows the corner of Detroit Road and Colorado Avenue/Stoney Ridge, looking east on Detroit Road. In front of the Old Town Hall is the water pump and well that local people used for their water supply. The stone porch of Alten House is to the left.”

Anyway, Rick observed that the scene was “the ultimate candidate for a “before” and "now” treatment — if you could get a shot from that intersection without being killed by the traffic!”

Rick was right on both counts, especially about the difficulty in getting the photo. But I got it (despite a few close calls involving cars turning right on red).

The Searchers Movie Ad – May 29, 1956

The Searchers Movie Poster

As I wrote this post on Sunday afternoon, one of John Wayne’s very best movies, The Searchers (1956) was coincidentally showing on the GRIT TV cable channel. It’s not only my favorite John Wayne movie, but probably my all-time favorite non-comedy movie – period.

It didn’t get shown on TV very often, or at all, while I was growing up. I’m not sure why.

Consequently, I didn’t see The Searchers until I was down at Ohio State. It had a special showing as part of a classic cinema series at an old movie house in Downtown Columbus. My roommate at that time, “Doc” (he was a medical student) – who was an even bigger John Wayne fan than me – drove us downtown to see it.

Ever since I saw it for the first time on that big screen, I’ve been a big fan.

John Wayne as Ethan Edwards

John Wayne’s role as Ethan Edwards is one of his darkest and grittiest performances. The movie is about his obsessive quest to track down the Comanches (led by a warrior chief named Scar) who murdered his brother and most of his family, and abducted his young niece (played as a grown-up later in the movie by Natalie Wood).

The main conflict of the movie is that the niece spends so much time as a prisoner with the Comanches that she grows up and becomes one of Scar’s wives. The viewer isn’t quite sure whether the Indian-hating Ethan Edwards is planning to kill her or save her – right up to the end of the movie.

There are several complex themes explored and hinted at in the movie – including racism and redemption – making it much more than a mere Western. It’s often considered director John Ford’s best.

All in all, it’s a terrific movie with a story that gets me a little teary-eyed at the end.

Here’s the classic film trailer.

Anyway, I couldn’t resist posting the Lorain Palace Theater movie ad announcing the showing of The Searchers. It appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 29, 1956.

(I like the little ad with Sylvester the Cat.)

Here’s another ad that appeared in the Journal a day later on May 30, 1956.

I’m sorry to see that the Warner Brothers cartoon that was shown at the Palace with The Searchers was a stinky Pepe Le Pew one (“Heaven Scent”). John Wayne should have at least rated one with Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam!

Ohio Edison Ad – May 27, 1964

Beginning in the 1940s, Reddy Kilowatt made practically daily appearances in the Lorain Journal in his role as the advertising mascot for Ohio Public Service Company (and later, Ohio Edison). He not only promoted his employer as a company providing the best electric service in the world, but also encouraged the public to buy electric appliances for their homes, and to give electrical gifts for Christmas.

By the late 1960s, however, Reddy was appearing less often in Journal ads. He was still around, encouraging the public to make large electric purchases, such as an all-electric home, or whole house air-conditioning, but it was no longer necessary for Reddy to peddle electric toasters and waffle irons. Thus, as I look at late 60s microfilm at the Lorain Public Library, I notice that months go by with no Reddy Kilowatt ads.

Since this blog often looks at things from a “fifty years ago” perspective, does that mean that you’ll see less of our pal Reddy on this blog as it continues on into 1969 and beyond?

Naw. (I’m sure you’re not shocked, heh-heh.)

Since Reddy also pops up a lot in old Vermilion Photojournal newspapers at the Ritter Public library, that means I should have a steady supply of ads with our old pal, such as this one (below). 

The stylish ad ran in the Photojournal on May 27, 1964 and offers a generous discount on the installation of the special wiring needed to service an electric range, with its heating elements and oven coils.

Anyway, a quick Google check reveals that the Brady Blog is a leading supplier of vintage Reddy Kilowatt/Ohio Edison ads – so it looks like I won’t be pulling the plug here on my favorite ad mascot anytime soon.