Cheryl Yourkvitch at the Miss America Pageant – Sept. 1973

Cheryl Yourkvitch's quest for the Miss America crown played out in the Journal during August and early September 1973, with daily updates in the paper providing a window to the fascinating world of the pageant. 

It was a uniquely exciting time in Lorain, with the city unified in its support for the hometown favorite – who distinguished herself with grace and class, and made the town proud. 

Here's a sampling of the articles from the Journal with the story, leading up to the pageant, which was 50 years ago today, September 8, 1973.

8/27/73

8/30/73

8/31/73

9/1/73

9/4/73

9/7/73

9/8/73

9/8/73

9/11/73

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I did two earlier posts on Cheryl: one about when she won Miss Lorain County, and the other when she was named Miss Ohio.

Recently she posted some nice photos and comments over on the "Lorain, Ohio By Photos" Facebook page.

Hardee's Ad – Sept. 5, 1973

Sandy's became Hardee's in Lorain in May 1973 (which I wrote about here). The Sandy's sign at the hamburger restaurant at Oberlin Ave. and Meister Road came down, and gone forever was the lovely, tam-o-shanter-wearing 'Miss Sandy' mascot.

But who or what was a Hardee? 

According to its Wikipedia page, it was the name of the man who, in 1960 in Greenville, North Carolina, launched the chain: Wilber Hardee. (I think they should have gone with the more memorable "Wilber's.")

The funny thing is that Hardee himself was out of the picture early in the game, when there were only a few restaurants. But by the end of the 1960s, the company had expanded to hundreds of locations; it bought Sandy's in 1972.

In an apparent effort to mimic McDonald's, Hardee's introduced its own advertising characters designed to appeal to children. Gilbert Giddyup was a mustachioed, tin-star-wearing cartoon cowboy with two bullet holes in his ten-gallon hat. His nemesis was Speedy McGreedy, the 'burger rustler" who was dressed more like a gangster. (Hey, wasn't McDonald's original mascot also called Speedy?)

Anyway, I'm not sure how well known Gilbert Giddyup was at the time of the Hardee's ad below, which ran in the Journal back on September 5, 1973. Nevertheless, his face was emblazoned on the 'back sack' mentioned in the ad and sold for a buck.

By George, maybe Hardee's originated the whole backpack phenomena for schoolkids, fifty years ago.

Amazingly, several of these Gilbert Giddyup Back Sacks have survived and are for sale on eBay right now.

Other Gilbert Giddyup promotional items are out there as well, no doubt triggering (no pun intended) much head scratching over his identity.

The flicker ring is kinda cool.

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UPDATE (Sept. 10, 2023)

I stopped at the Blue Heron Service Plaza (eastbound) on the Ohio Turnpike over the weekend, and decided to do a little follow-up to this post by grabbing a burger at the Hardee's there. I was prepared for it to be not-so-good, seeing as it was a Turnpike outlet and, well, I couldn't remember the last time I ever ate a Hardee's (the last one I ate at was in Burbank, Ohio near I-71, decades ago).

Amazingly, my Big Cheeseburger was one of the best burgers I've had anywhere – superior to McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's! The 1/4 pound of burger meat was top-quality, the combination of sliced onions, pickles and a very flavorful ketchup was great, and the egg bun enhanced the whole taste experience. It was prepared quickly and was less than five bucks. I was in a state of blissful shock.

I couldn't tell you if it was charco-broiled or not, but it didn't matter – it was delicious.

Sad to say, though – no sign of Gilbert Giddyup anywhere! Guess he rode off into the sunset to the Retired Ad Mascots Ranch.

Palm Ave. Model Home Ad – Sept. 7, 1963

Here's yet another of those new home ads, designed to appeal to a 1960s housewife.

"IT CAN'T BE BEAT' reads the headline of this home located on Palm Avenue near its intersection with Fairless Drive in Lorain. But strangely, the ad neglects to list the builder or any of the home's amenities; only the 'cash investment' ($65) and monthly payments ($89) are indicated.

I like the illustration of the woman, dreaming of her new home. Back then, a brand new split-level home or ranch would indeed have seemed like a luxury to someone who grew up in a house built in the 1920s or earlier (like my mother). 

Nowadays, it's hard for first time home buyers to find new or newer developments similar to those built in the 1960s. They're still out there (Lorain has a few on the west side), but you're not likely to find a ranch or split-level design as the featured style. Tastes have changed, and everyone wants bigger.

Our ranch on Skyline Drive was fairly cramped when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. But by the 1980s, Mom and Dad were empty-nesters and the house was the perfect size for them, right up to the end.

Anyways, the house on Palm Avenue is still looking pretty good these days, and hopefully is someone's 'dream home.'

Courtesy Google Maps

Lorain Journal Front Page – Sept. 3, 1953

Seventy years ago – much like now – Lorain was experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures in the 90s.

But as the front page of the Sept. 3, 1953 Lorain Journal notes, there was serious concern about a possible water shortage. "Dry faucets by Sunday threatened Lorain today as water consumption here set another all-time record Tuesday," stated the lead article.

"Appealing to residents to curb use, Service Director Wallace Chapla pointed out that when the reservoir goes dry, the waterworks will be able to deliver approximately two million gallons less per day than the city has been drinking and sprinkling for better than a week.

"So far this week the reservoir has lost two feet a day.

"If that loss continues, Thursday will see the reserve at four feet, Friday will be two feet and Saturday will see the four-million-gallon reservoir merely damp. Sunday it will be dry."

The lack of rain and high temperatures were taking a toll on the area farms. "Crops as well as people are suffering from desert-like weather conditions which brought plus-90 degree temperatures to Lorain and the county for the 15th straight day.

"Tomatoes are being cooked on the vines, peaches are ripening much too fast, peppers are wilting and drying up and sweet corn is being blistered, Charles Coles, Lorain County agricultural agent, reported today.

"Ripening of apples is being far advanced by the extreme temperatures and will be a burden for the pickers, Coles stated. The young melon crop may never reach the market if the heat continues and the same is true of cauliflower."

Fortunately, the good citizens of Lorain cooperated by curtailing water use, and by Thursday, Sept. 3, the city reservoir had gained a foot – or 250,000 gallons. By Friday, the reserve level was at 9.4 feet, a gain of 2. 2 feet over the previous day. More good news followed, with scattered showers in the forecast and cooler temperatures predicted for the weekend.

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Elsewhere on that Sept. 2, 1953 front page: a mention of the upcoming Ohio Sesquicentennial; the return of Lester "Baby Face" Brown to the Lorain city jail after his extradition from Texas (a story you'll find in Don Hilton's Murders, Mysteries and History of Lorain County, Ohio, 1824 - 1956); a man yanks his own tooth with a pair of pliers in Oklahoma; and an update on the GI POW swap with Korea.

Labor Day Ads – 1953 & 1963

It's Labor Day – so it's time for another "labored" attempt to entertain you here on the blog with vintage ads saluting the American worker. 

Of course, the clip art used by the Journal in the 1950s always seemed to depict white males in these ads. It would take a few decades before stock illustrations began to reflect a little diversity.

Anyway, above is the full-page ad that ran in the Journal on September 7, 1953. Oddly enough, the skyscraper being served up on a platter by the worker somewhat resembles the BP Building in Cleveland. (Remember how at the time it was built, it wasn't allowed to be taller than the Terminal Tower? That restriction didn't last.)

Anyway, there's some interesting names on the roll call of companies that sponsored the ad. Two of them are former employers of my father, in the years before he made it to BF Goodrich in Avon Lake: White Roth Machine Corp. and Nelson Stud Welding.

And the listings reflect just how long I've been doing this blog, with posts devoted to many of them: American Crucible Products, Baetz Barber Dairy, Chris Cafe, Kline's Dept. Store, Lorain Crystal Ice Co., Magic Chef, Ohio Fuel Gas and the Steel Stamping Co.

Fast forward to 1963. I didn't find a full-page ad honoring the American Worker, but there was this ad for the City Bank Company that ran on Sept. 2, 1963.

The ad can make a Lorainite feel a little wistful. 

At the time of the ad, there were numerous employers in the area where workers could make a good living, including US Steel, Ford Motor Company, the American Ship Building, Thew Shovel, etc. As we all know, they're all gone, or at the very least, departed from our area.

A worker can still work at Ford or make steel, but it's necessary to drive a bit.

Labor Day Weekend "Drive Safely" Pleas – 1953 & 1963

It's Labor Day Weekend – the traditional end of summer. And readers of this blog know it's a holiday tradition to feature vintage, hair-raising ads with the Grim Reaper, encouraging the public to drive safety.

The one above, which appeared in the Lorain Journal back on Sept. 4, 1953, is a doozy.

It's a particularly fearsome depiction of Death and the grisly aftermath of a multi-car accident. I can't quite make out the name of the unsung artist, whose signature appears twice – making me think that the Lorain Journal layout artist combined two separate illustrations into one graphic composition.

Ten years later, the Journal used this fearsome photo (below) to accompany an article with the death tolls of the 1963 Labor Day Weekend. It appeared in the paper on Sept. 2, 1963.

While an illustration can pack a powerful punch, a photo can be even more disturbing. I'm guessing that the scythe-wielding, cloaked one was inserted into the photo via good, old-fashioned retouching – lest he cause stunned drivers to slam on their brakes in shock (and drumming up some real business for the Reaper in the process).

Anyway, here's wishing everyone a safe time on the highways during the rest of the weekend.

The Mark XI Opens – August 27, 1973

Yesterday's post dealt with the Grand Opening of Tiffany's Steakhouse on West Erie Ave. in Lorain, back in August 1973. Another restaurant that is fondly remembered by its patrons opened just about the same time: The Mark XI, at the Sheffield Shopping Center.

Above is an ad that ran in the Journal on August 27, 1973 welcoming the public to the new restaurant.

The ad reads, "We believe you will be pleasantly surprised by our new look. The elegant new decor has been created with your comfort and pleasure in mind. The Mark offers you the finest food and service at reasonable prices."

So how could a new restaurant have a new look? By taking over the space of a previous establishment – in this case, the Corinthian Restaurant.

The article below, which appeared in the Journal on May 31, 1973 explains. "When the Corinthian Restaurant at the Sheffield Center closes for remodeling June 10, it will open a month and a half later as the Mark XI.

"Pete Roubekas, 36, a former hairdresser who opened the Corinthian Restaurant on Broadway in Lorain back in 1966 and the second restaurant at the Sheffield Center in 1971, said today he has sold his business to Mark Figetakis of Akron, owner of a chain of Mark Restaurants.

"Roubekas said the new owners will convert the president dining room into a cocktail lounge and make the banquet rooms into the main dining area. Some $10,000 will be spent for the remodeling.

"The Mark group named this Mark XI, or eleven, because it is the 11th restaurant in the chain. Five are located in the Greater Cleveland area."

The Mark XI relocated to Midway Mall around 1983, to the former home of Sveden House. Unfortunately, it closed in the late 1980s.

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Back in 2016, I did a post about The Mark chain of restaurants (here), which included a photo of a menu – and some great reminisces left in the 'Comments' section.

As for the Corinthian, this post focused on the outlet at the Sheffield Center circa January 1973, while this one focused on the Corinthian Grill on Broadway.

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This placemat for The Mark dated 1980 is on eBay right now!