Leduc’s Frosty Follies at Midway Mall – June 1969

Fifty years ago this week at Midway Mall, Leduc’s Frosty Follies was appearing. The ad above for the traveling ice skating troupe ran in the Journal on June 15, 1969.

Jean Paul Leduc was the man behind the show, which featured a transportable ice rink made of real ice that was brought to each performance.

I suppose the unusual spelling of “Winnie the Pooh” and “Tigger” were designed to avoid any hassles with the infamous Disney lawyers. No matter; I’ll bet the kiddies were thrilled to see them.

Anyway, Leduc enjoyed a long and successful career with his traveling ice skating show. Here’s an early ad, from Billboard Magazine in November 1958.

For a while, it appears that Leduc experimented with an “iceless” ice show. Here’s an article from 1971 that explains how he did it.

Lastly, here are some clippings from an appearance at the Ohio State Fair in the summer of 1984. By this time, Mr. Leduc – who lived in Ohio at that time – was back to transporting his rink of real ice.

From the July 10, 1984 Xenia Daily Gazette

From the August 18, 1984 Elyria Chronicle-Telegram

Jean Paul Leduc passed away in 2015. As his obituary points out, he "traveled the world and led an exciting and interesting life as a professional ice skater. He and his family awed audiences with their acrobatic moves on the ice as they entertained at children’s shows and other ice events. Due to the extreme conditioning required to perform some of his amazing acrobatic moves, Jean Paul trained and worked out with numerous professional athletes and movie stars. 

"At one point in his career was the owner/operator of his own Country Music Park with performers such as Roy Clark and Minnie Pearl. His work was his hobby. Jean Paul also had several other business ventures over the years including along with his wife Patty, as a decorator for parties and events held at malls and other public venues. Because of his world travels, Jean Paul also was fluent in several languages including French, Spanish, German and Creole. 

"He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Palatka. To know Jean Paul was to know a man who truly loved life, his family and loved to entertain those around him with his humor and amazing acrobatics both on and off the ice. His wealth of life stories and experiences will be missed by all who knew him. "

What was playing at the Lorain Drive-in on June 18, 1969?

What was playing at the Lorain Drive-in Theatre on Route 6 on this day, 50 years ago? Why, it was a double feature of Mad Doctor of Blood Island, (in "blood dripping color”) and Blood Demon (which was only in “blood curdling color").

Here’s the over-the-top trailer. Looks like a lot of fun!

Although the human/plant mutants drip green blood in the movie, the stuff splattered all over the monster in the movie poster below looks pretty red to me.

Anyway, I wonder what the “mystic potion” was that was given to all of the Lorain Drive-in patrons? 

By the way, Angelique Pettyjohn (the female lead in Mad Doctor of Blood Island) had an interesting movie and TV career, including appearances on Star Trek and Get Smart (as agent Charlie Watkins).

Avon Lake Sesquicentennial – June 1969

Although Avon Lake’s Bicentennial celebration has been a year-long event (concluding with a Jubilee Fireworks show this July 4th) its Sesquicentennial back in 1969 was a weeklong affair.

Above is a special two-page advertising spread that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 14, 1969. It’s pleasant to be reminded of some of the great local businesses that were around back then, including Saddle Inn and Ilg Radio & Television, as well as chains such as Ben Franklin.

The Journal covered the city’s celebration with the article below, which appeared in the paper on June 8, 1969.

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Avon Lake Plans Big Week
To Celebrate 150th Birthday
By BONNIE LAMP
Staff Writer

A TOWN is only 150 years old once, and Avon Lake is going all out to celebrate this milestone during the week of June 13 to 22.

Citizens of Avon Lake have been caught up in a whirlwind of preparations which began in October of last year. Since then General Chairman Ed Mitchell, seven committee heads, city officials, civic clubs, industries and businesses have been hard at work, smoothing out the wrinkles and polishing up their exhibitions for the community-wide affair.

Already there are beards sported on every corner, and mini-skirts are going out of style for a while. Many women will soon be donning 19th Century floor-length dresses and municipal offices will wear red, white and blue bunting, proclaiming the town’s 150-year birthday.

CLEAN-SHAVEN RESIDENTS are warned to watch out for the “Keystone Cops,” who will be out this weekend to enforce their “beard ordinance.”

Shaving permits are being issued to persons not wishing to encourage a stubble growth, and any man who is caught clean shaven and without permit will be put in the pokey, an authentic, 100-year-old jail on wheels, said Mitchell.

A Historical Dress Ball at the Aquamarine will kick off the week-long festivities Friday, with men in derbies and frock coats and the women dressed in everything from 1819 style ball gowns to old-time bathing suits. At the ball the Queen of the Sesquicentennial will be chosen and there will be preliminary judging of the beards.

Throughout the week, the Huber Museum on Lake Road, the oldest house in Avon Lake, will be open for tours. The house has been cleaned and furnished entirely with antiques by the Lake Shore Women’s Club.

Avon Lake High School will accommodate the main fair grounds, with a 14-ride Carnival and a Fair Share Tent with booths by some 25 industries, businesses and clubs.

On Monday, June 16th, Houlihan and Big Chuck All-Stars of Cleveland will battle Avon Lake police and firemen, with the local rock group, “Sounds of Now,” providing background music to keep the All-Stars on their toes.

“The Avon Lake Brothers of the Brush also will be on hand to supply the police and firemen with oxygen during the baseball game,” Mitchell said.

A SKYDIVING exhibition and a show by Lorain’s “Up With People” sing-out group will be presented during the week.

And on Sunday, June 22, residents will give a final salute to another era with the Sesquicentennial Parade. The parade will include a covered wagon train with 22 wagons, four buggies, and 50 costumed horsemen, a procession of some 200 antique cars, and several bands, military units and floats.

But to make sure the event will not soon be forgotten, the entire week’s activities will be filmed to preserve a part of the history of Avon Lake today and as it seemed 150 years ago, when the first settlers arrived here on Lake Erie shores.

Hills Father’s Day Ad – June 14, 1969

Well, Father’s Day is Sunday – so let’s close out the week with an ad with that theme for the well-remembered Hills Dept. Store chain. It ran in the Journal on June 14, 1969.

The ad is kind of amusing in that it acknowledges what we all secretly admit: that finding a gift for Dear Old Dad probably did come down to the last minute.

I can’t remember what (if anything) we would buy Dad for his special day; he didn’t wear a tie to work, so I know that particular cliché was not his present.

Anyway, the not-too-diverse faces in the ad are interesting, in that at least one of them seems to resemble a popular character actor from the 1960s who appeared in countless TV shows and commercials: Edward Andrews (below). Can you find his lookalike in the ad?

Here’s Mr. Andrews in a commercial for Taster’s Choice coffee.

Here’s hoping all you Dads out there – including my two brothers – have a great Father’s Day!

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Hills has been a favorite topic on this blog since its beginning. I posted some great illustrations of the store building here, and did a post on the day that Alvin and the Chipmunks visited here.

Vermilion Festival of the Fish – Vintage Ads

The 53rd Annual Festival of the Fish takes place in Vermilion this weekend, so it's a good time to look back at a couple of vintage full-page newspaper ads for the big event.

This one ran in the Lorain Journal on June 12, 1969. The ad sponsor block even includes some businesses that are still around, including Buyer’s Fair and (my favorite) – the Pit!

Gee, no Perky Perch (the festival mascot) in this ad, just some finny clip art.

Ah, but the full-page ad that ran in the Chronicle-Telegram on June 15, 1982 has our pal Perky with his sailor hat and (shudder!) knife and fork! There's also ads for the Candy Shop and the Harbour Store.

Brownhelm Congregational United Church of Christ Anniversary

I’ve mentioned many times how much I love Brownhelm Township, especially in the fall. I especially enjoy photographing its various landmarks, including the Brownhelm Congregational United Church of Christ on North Ridge Road.

Fifty years ago, the church was celebrating its 150th anniversary. The Journal covered the event with the article below, which appeared in the paper on June 13, 1969. The article is not so much about the church's history as it is a snapshot of how the anniversary was going to be observed.

As the article written by Staff Correspondent Ruth Bradford notes, the church was founded on the tenth day of June, 1819 at a house on “Whittlesey Ridge.”

The 200th anniversary was noted in the Morning Journal back in May of this year in this article by Jordana Joy, which also provides a nice history of the church.

B&O Engineer Retires – June 1969

If any of you are railroad fans, here’s something you might find interesting from the pages of the June 13, 1969 Lorain Journal.

It’s a short article about Joseph Mason of Lorain, a locomotive engineer who was retiring after more than 46 years of service with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Lorain. It’s a pretty incredible milestone, and it was nice that the Journal celebrated it.

According to the article, Mason's career with the B&O began in 1923, and he worked his way up to engineer in 1944. As he notes, “In the early days, firemen shoveled coal for the steam engines and I did a lot of that, too.”

In North America, the transition from steam engine to diesel had begun after World War II. The replacement process continued throughout the 1950s and into the 60s. By the time Mason retired, the changeover was pretty much complete.

The B&O would go through its own changes within a few years after Mason’s retirement. By 1973, the B&O officially became part of the Chessie System; the late 1980s would see its name disappear entirely as it was absorbed by CSX Transportation.

Anyway, it's nice that Mason’s retirement was made memorable with a photo in the Journal, with his grandson and the B&O trainmaster.

Here’s hoping that Mr. Mason enjoyed a long, happy retirement.