Ford's "Welcome to Lorain" Sign – June 7, 1962

I drive by the sad, former Ford plant on Baumhart Road every day on the way to work, so the large photo in the upper left hand corner of this page from the June 7, 1962 Lorain Journal caught my eye.

"The large Welcome to Lorain sign was erected by the Ford Motor Company on the northwest corner of its property at Baumhardt Rd. and Rts. 2 and 6," reads the caption. "The large sign is to be the first of many which will indirectly point up the growth of Greater Lorain."

I like the fact that the sign includes, "Birthplace of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King" at the bottom. Those were the days, when Lorain celebrated its most famous and accomplished citizen with a sign on a federal highway at the entrance to town.

Here's a photo (courtesy of the Lorain Historical Society) showing an aerial view of the sign. It's right where Baumhart curves to the east where it meets Route 6. As you can see, the sign is pretty big.

Also of interest on the same page of the Journal is the opening of the well-remembered Jupiter discount store. The photo caption notes, "Three executives of S. S. Kresge Co. were on hand today for the official opening of the company's newest Jupiter discount store at 630 Broadway." I had no idea that Kmart and Jupiter had the same parent company. 

It still seems unbelievable to me that in 2023 there are only three Kmart stores left in the continental United States. 

But there's still a functioning website. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyways), the 'store locator' search engine on the website probably doesn't get much use these days. 

And to think that for many years, the Lorain store on Leavitt Road was my Mom's favorite store.

Turning Lakeview Park's Fountain On Earlier – June 6, 1963

I've written several times about what a magical place Lorain when I was growing up in the 1960s. There were so many weird and wonderful things to see from the back seat of the family car, including huge Easter baskets, a great big V, a steam engine sitting in Oakwood Park and the Lakeview Park fountain with its color light show.

I have a pleasant memory of my parents taking my siblings and me (in our pajamas) down to Lakeview Park to see the lights. There were lots of oohs and ahs as we watched the colors change.

The city must have been aware that taking their kids down to the park to see the fountain was a popular thing for parents to do. To accommodate them, the decision was made to turn on the lights a half-hour earlier. As noted in the Journal's "Around City Hall" column (shown above) of June 6, 1963, "Lorain's Lakeview Park fountain has begun spraying the many formations and colors of water a little earlier each evening.

"While in the past it was turned on at 9 p.m. each day, Park Supt. Rodney Hale said the starting time effective Tuesday now is 8:30 p.m. 

"Reason for the switch is so children can have a chance to see the attraction.

"The fountain, which continues to be a main focal point of interest in Lorain was built in 1932."

A 1951 postcard

It's kind of nice that the city was trying to do something for the kids, although it was summer, and kids do stay up later. Plus, it probably wasn't dark enough to truly enjoy it.

The article does have one error. The fountain was not unveiled until Memorial Day, May 30, 1936. (I devoted a post to it back here.)

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The same article mentioned a deteriorating fire engine on display at Oakwood Park, and the proposed removal of it. I guess that's why I never heard of it before.

Cascade Park had one too (which I wrote about here and here).

Kroger Ad – June 3, 1963

The Kroger Company is the "largest supermarket operator by revenue' in the United States – yet the closest one to the Lorain/Vermilion area is in Sandusky. Why? I don't know. There are also outlets in Port Clinton, Fremont, Mansfield, and Tiffin – but not in Cleveland. There are various theories why.

The company did announce in 2022 that it was going to build a fulfillment center in Cleveland, but it would be part of a delivery-only network. So it might be possible to go Krogering online in the near future. But don't expect a standalone store any time soon.

But sixty years ago, Kroger still had a major Northeast Ohio presence. There were three stores in the Lorain area: at the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center; in the Shoreway Shopping Center in Sheffield Lake; and at the O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center.

The ad above, which appeared in the Journal on June 3, 1963, has a nice barbecue theme, with a fun piece of clip art showing a typical 1950s nuclear family. 

Dad's got his chef's hat on as he grills thick, juicy steaks on his brick, backyard grill; Mom's got her best summer dress on as she brings the tossed salad; and Junior's pouring the no-doubt freshly squeezed lemonade. (Hey, I posted a great recipe for real lemonade back here.)

Sales items in the ad (and there aren't many) include the famous Kroger Tenderay steaks; fresh mushrooms for the steaks; California oranges; and (appropriately enough) Kroger Sliced White Bread.

Extra TV Stamps (hey, where's Toppie?) and the promise of a 'fabulous Melmac offer' round out the ad. My mom must have done some Krogering in the 1960s, because those Top Value Stamps that I remember pasting in books had to come from somewhere!

On Area Movie Screens – June 1, 1963

Looking at the Journal's movie page from June 1, 1963 makes me feel a little wistful. 

Not just because you can't see a first run movie in Lorain, Avon Lake, or Vermilion these days (although that's bad enough). It's because Hollywood no longer has the kind of producers and directors who would envision a movie; get the financing or backing of a studio (or produce it on their own) so they could make it; assemble a group of talented actors and actresses, including stars and a supporting cast, to act in it; hire a cinematographer to photograph it; find a composer to write a memorable musical score for it; and ultimately create cinematic magic.

Nowadays, a movie doesn't get greenlighted unless it can predictably be a monster hit. Which is why we see mostly superhero movies (and their endless sequels) consisting almost entirely of CGI.

Anyway, sixty years ago this month, there was an incredible selection of movies playing in the area. The one that leaps out at me on the page is the area showing of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, at the Palace in Lorain. The film had only been released in the United States in early May 1963. I like the graphic design and use of color on the top poster.

For John Wayne fans, two of his latest – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Hatari were still making the rounds at the drive-ins as a double feature. Both Tower Drive-in and the Lorain Drive-in invited their patrons to saddle up with the Duke. 

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a great film (and Lee Marvin is terrific in it), but it isn't one of my favorite John Wayne films. That's because I'm not too crazy about the wimpy James Stewart character, who steals the Duke's girl and becomes a pompous windbag by the end of the film. Meanwhile, Wayne ends up in a pine box.

The Lorain Drive-in also had a Jerry Lewis double feature comprising The Sad Sack and The Delicate Delinquent, as well as a Bob Hope oldie from 1950, Fancy Pants. It's kind of odd seeing Old Ski Nose and Lucille Ball on the big screen in a movie that was already thirteen years old.

For horror movie fans (like Alan), at the Ohio Theater there was The Day of the Triffids, about man-eating plants from outer space. Although the Journal gave it a good review, it looks rather nauseating to me. And I keep thinking of cute, lovable tribbles instead of disgusting triffids.

There were plenty of other now well-known films being shown locally, including the original West Side Story at Avon Lake Theater. But it just doesn't seem right that there wasn't a feature-length Three Stooges epic in local distribution at that particular time.

Running for the Phone – June 1963

Do you always have your cell phone with you – even when you're home?

I don't. It's bad enough having to carry it with me everywhere. So when I'm home, I often leave the %$#@ thing in another room. I really don't get many calls. But what happens is that it will ring at an odd time, and I'll have to get up and make a run for it to answer it. It's kind of silly, isn't it?

But sixty years ago, making a run to get the phone if it was in another room was often the norm, unless you had a few extensions installed around your home. And that's the theme of the two ads below, which both ran in the Journal back on June 4, 1963. 

This ad for the Lorain Telephone Company focuses on how a housewife and/or young mother would be affected. 

"Whether you're fixing formula, wielding a mop, or just plain taking it easy... there's no nicer time to have your telephone just a reach away," reads the ad copy. "One or more phone extensions in your home is the key to convenience for your entire family."

In the Brady household, for years we had just one extension: in the basement, next to the washer & dryer. Since Mom didn't normally do laundry at night, it was the phone my older brother and I used when we wanted to secretly call our girlfriends, without anyone monitoring our conversation. Unfortunately, my mom became wise to this, and would sometimes throw a load in at that time! Between Mom standing there sorting laundry, and the noise of the various cycles, there wasn't much of an opportunity to utter bon mots – or whisper sweet nothings, either.

Now this ad for the Elyria Telephone Company has the same theme as the other ad – that is, have extensions installed so you don't have to run for the phone when it rings. But in this case, it's the kids doing the running. They don't look like teenagers, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, especially since the boy seems to be getting muscled out of the way by his pig-tailed sister.

Eventually, cordless phones with multiple stations made getting extensions installed unnecessary.

And today, kids have their own cell phones and don't have to sit next to a noisy washer or dryer to talk in private. Sexting has become a widespread problem, with research showing 1 in 4 teenagers receiving them.

I think Mom had the right idea when she was checking up on us. It's too bad many parents don't do that today.

Indians vs Jim Bouton and the Yankees – June 1963

I haven't been following the Cleveland Indians Guardians too closely this season, except to note that they're under .500 so far. I guess I lost what little interest I had in the team when they changed their name last year. But I'll always have fond memories of going to see them play at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the late 1960s with my dad and my brothers. 

When I'm doing my blog research at the library, it's fun to read old sports pages to see how the Tribe was doing. And sixty years ago, the Indians were playing the Yankees – with one of my favorite ballplayers pitching for New York: Jim Bouton. His name in the headline above (from the June 1, 1963 Journal) caught my attention.

Unfortunately, Bouton is only briefly mentioned in the story, with no witty quotes or hilarious anecdotes of the kind that ended up in Ball Four. He did end up beating the Indians 5-2, and having a pretty good game with the bat, with 4 RBIs.

Jim Bouton has showed up on this blog before. Back here, I wrote about his second baseball book, which was published in June 1971. And on this post, I wrote about one of his future Seattle Pilots roommates, Gary Bell, when he appeared in Lorain at Jay's Sparkle Market in 1962.

By the way, here's my autographed photo of Jim Bouton. 

Elsewhere on the Journal page is the story of the return of pitcher Early Wynn coming back to the Indians. (He had been traded to Chicago in 1958.) Back with the Tribe, he would get his 300th win on July 13, 1963 – and call it quits at the end of the season. 

Reddy for Air Conditioning – June 4, 1963

When I got home from work yesterday, the temperature in my condo was more than 80º, so I caved. Yup, I turned on the old AC. I hated to turn it on so early in the season, but I just don't look good in a mustache – a sweat mustache, that is.

So it's a good time to post this Ohio Edison ad, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on June 4, 1963 – sixty years ago this month. Our old pal Reddy Kilowatt is on hand to promote his cool, clean electric air conditioning. And of course, it's flameless. (I didn't know there was any other kind!)

The ad is definitely of its early 1960s timeframe, by the way in which it shows a woman sleeping better, feeling better and working better with electric air conditioning. I guess she's single (judging by her sleeping arrangement, unless she and her spouse enjoy The Dick Van Dyke Show style twin beds). 'Feeling better' apparently means having a bounce in her step coming down the stairs. And of course, 'working' back then meant kitchen duties, as opposed to a work from home computer or call center job.

Of course, here in the 2000s, nobody needs to be convinced to buy air conditioning – flameless or otherwise. It's one of the few things I can't live without. I'm bummed, however, that Reddy's old employer is about to sock it to those of us who still get our electricity from them with a major rate hike just in time for summer.