Don't forget to say goodbye to A.K.H.S.

Don't forget about the open house planned for this Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the former Admiral King High School. If you haven't heard by now, the building will be torn down at the end of the school year to make way for the construction of the new Lorain High School. (Here's the link to the Morning Journal's story.)

I'll be there. Why? Like everyone else, I'd like to take one last stroll down memory lane.

It's been 35 years since I left, and I can still remember the day I walked out of there the very last time. I remember because I was sad.

As opposed to the spouse – who hated school and couldn't wait to get out of Brookside – I really enjoyed going to Admiral King. While I have many wonderful memories of Admiral King High School – including my fellow classmates and my great teachers – band will always be my favorite.

Being in band was some of the most fun I ever had in my life. It was exciting performing at football and basketball games, and marching in parades down Broadway.

Despite really enjoying my time at A.K.H.S., I'm not upset about its demolition. My great memories aren't going anywhere (for now, anyway). Plus I have my copies of the Trident.

But it won't be the same to look down W. 26th Street by George Daniel Stadium and not see that familiar brick building.

Ninety years of Miss Victory

A little anniversary came and went quietly last month – the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the soldiers monument (Miss Victory) at Victory Park at West Erie Avenue and Fifth Street.

April 6, 1922 Lorain Times-Herald

It was on April 6, 1922 that Lorain paid tribute to her sons who served and died in World War I.

As the article on the front page of The Lorain Times-Herald (shown at left) explained, "Two hundred wounded and forty-two dead were eulogized together with those who sacrificed their personal interests in the interests of Democracy when ex-service men and their friends and relatives unveiled a soldiers' memorial on West Erie-av. at 5th-st.

"With the colors flying at full, civic, patriotic and fraternal organizations, together with their auxiliaries, paraded on Broadway to the scene of the memorial, preliminary to the day's chief event."

On the following day, the newspaper described the festivities. The front-page article stated, "Unveiled with all the honors a grateful city could pay, a memorial to the gallant deeds of Lorain soldiers in the World War was bivouacked late yesterday afternoon on Erie-av. at 5th-st.

"The highest honors of the American Legion, department of Ohio, did homage; nearly a score of gold-star mothers and close relatives of Lorain's forty-two dead witnessed the granite and bronze composition typifying the city's reverence and respect. Mayor William F. Grall arose from a sick bed to be present while thousands trudged from all sections of the city to witness the birth of that which is the personification of liberty, equality and honor."

The scene at the dedication of the memorial, April 6, 1922

The Country Gardens

The list of businesses operating in the early days at 3700 Oberlin Avenue just keeps growing...

After the 400 Bridge Club closed, but before Penny Morgan's Place opened, yet another night club called that location home. The Country Gardens opened on December 19, 1935. The night club took out ads in both the Lorain and Elyria newspapers that day.

The ads, designed by two different newspaper art departments, have entirely different  personalities. The Lorain Journal ad is pretty cut and dry (below). In this ad, the squab or chicken dinner seems to be the main feature.

On the other hand, the ad that ran in the Chronicle-Telegram (below) has some clip art (for some sex appeal) to stress the dining and dancing. Plus, there are two things that aren't in the Journal ad: the address (which is always handy) and Confetti (which I am assume is the name of the band).

Newspaper ads continued to appear for Country Gardens well into 1936, with a 25 cent spaghetti and meatballs dinner featured in a November 21, 1936 ad.

Unfortunately it is difficult to determine exactly when Country Gardens closed and Penny Morgan opened her business there. The fact that the location was outside Lorain city limits in Black River Township makes it hard to research, as it was not included in the older city directories. Newspapers are probably the only source for information.

Nevertheless, it's fascinating for me to sit in Mutt & Jeff's every Saturday with the spouse and think about the history of the place and all that went on there down through the years – both legal and illegal.

The 400 Bridge Club

Mutt & Jeff's at 3700 Oberlin Avenue (photo May 2012)

Last September I posted an article by well-known Lorain Journal writer Hank Kozloski about Penny Morgan's Place – the present location of my favorite Saturday night hangout, Mutt & Jeff's. It was surprising to find out that a place that I thought (back here) was originally just a cozy, old-time tourist home was actually one of two well-known local brothels operated by Penny Morgan from 1937 to 1938 (the other was on Elyria Avenue).

While reading old newspaper accounts about the scandal, I noted that there were references to another business at that 3700 Oberlin Avenue location that predated Penny Morgan's Place – namely the 400 Bridge Club.

March 19, 1934 newspaper ad

April 7, 1934 newspaper ad

And just like Penny Morgan's Place, the 400 Bridge Club even had a scandal of its own: a murder.

It happened in early September 1934. Florence Lee, a divorcee and co-owner of the club, had been attempting to keep her partner, Michael Carreo, from driving home as she believed he was drunk. She took his keys and, for her trouble, received a beating from him, including a punch in the face.

He drove off with Joseph Yankowsky, the manager of the nightclub, who lived nearby. Furious, Miss Lee arrived at Yankowsky's residence shortly thereafter and shot Carreo several times with a .38 automatic pistol.

Then she drove directly to Lorain police headquarters and gave herself up. Carreo died later that day.

When told that her partner was dead, she was quoted as saying, "Why did I do it? Oh, why did I do it? Forgive me, Mike. I must have been crazy, Mike."

It was revealed that Carreo was Miss Lee's common-law husband.

Miss Lee went on trial in late October 1934. After a week-long trial, she was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a term of from one to 20 years at hard labor in Marysville prison. During the sentencing, the judge told her, "Your place had a very bad reputation, with drinking, dancing girls and gambling."

No wonder it was one of Lorain County's most popular night clubs at the time!

Lake Shore Electric Aficiandos

(Courtesy New Electric Railway Volume 4)

I haven't gotten into the topic of the old Lake Shore Electric Railway on this blog hardly at all. Since Drew Penfield's Lake Shore Rail Maps website is the ultimate source for everything related to the LSE, there's no need to.

But it's still a topic that interests me nevertheless. Yesterday, while thumbing through a copy of Harry Christiansen's New Lake Shore Electric Volume 4 in the library, I saw the photo at left depicting the former LSE depot in Vermilion. A the time the book was published in 1978, the depot had been converted into a bank. Since this was all new to me, I made a copy of the photo in the book and decided to watch for the building the next time I was in Vermilion.

The next time came soon, since the spouse wanted to take a Sunday drive and we ended up out that way anyway. Since another car was already sitting directly across from the building (which now is the home of Lakeshore Counseling Services), I parked on the nearest side street (leaving the disinterested spouse in the car) and ambled over to grab a quick shot.

I noticed another gentleman standing around in the area of the building, and I took steps to avoid getting him in my shot. He disappeared around the back of the former depot, so I quickly grabbed a few photos.

While taking one last shot from a different angle, out of the corner of my eye I could see the man seemingly headed straight towards me.  Suddenly I head a voice behind me. "That building must have some significance if you're taking a picture of it."

I had just started to explain what little I knew about the former depot, when the gentleman's face broke into a large grin – and I realized he was pulling my leg! He was a big Lake Shore Electric aficionado, and in fact was on his way home from Pennsylvania where he and his wife had just visited the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. Interestingly, he was retracing the route of the LSE and snapping pictures along the way of any extant structures (depots, bridge abutments, etc.) He had just finished shooting the former Vermilion Depot before I got there.

The gentleman and I had a nice chit-chat about what LSE artifacts existed west of Vermilion and we shook hands before departing.

As I walked back to my car and bored, waiting spouse, I saw his wife waiting in his car.

Oh well – that's the price they pay for marrying history buffs.

What about my photos? With all the distractions, I didn't even shoot the correct side of the building for a proper 'then and now' shot! But here's one from roughly the same angle (below) courtesy of the Wiki site on the LSE.

Be sure to visit Drew Penfield's 'Vermilion' page on his Lake Shore Rail Maps website to see how the depot looked in its heyday.

More Canada Dry Sign Recycling

Courtesy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coreyu/

I've driven by this sign (above) on Colorado Avenue for the Corner Store many times, vaguely appreciating the classic lines of its shape. As a graphic designer, I like things that are clean and simple.

On Sunday, while driving by the sign once again, I finally recognized it for what it was. Just like the Nationwide Theatrical sign on Broadway, it must be a repurposed Canada Dry sign!

An example of just such a sign is shown at right from the flickr site of a gentleman who goes by the name coreyu. The photo is also part of a whole collection of flickr photos connected with Canada Dry.

Although I'm a regular Vernors drinker, once in a while you feel like something different, and that's when I reach for the Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

For a while, the U.S. version of Canada Dry packaging ditched the iconic map of Canada on its labels in favor of some generic mountains. But the company wisely went back to the classic map design when the whole corporate look was redesigned a couple of years ago.

But getting back to the Corner Store sign. Sadly, James R. Edwards, the proprietor of the store, passed away back in 2002. The place is pretty much boarded up.

1962 Ohio Edison Ad

I haven't posted our old buddy Reddy Kilowatt for a while, so here he is in a public service ad about kite safety for Ohio Edison that ran in the Lorain Journal dating from April 5, 1962 – 50 years ago.

I like Reddy's jaunty cap, and the kids' Barney Rubble eyes. The lad almost looks like a blond Dondi.

Courtesy mycomicshop.com

Anyway, I remember several years of kite flying when I was a kid. Maybe I got the idea from those Peanuts reprint books we had, where Charlie Brown was always trying to fly a kite without any success.

All I know is the traditional, diamond-shaped homemade kites that I made out of newspaper (and decorated) never got off the ground – much like Charlie Brown's. Store-bought ones were a little easier to get airborne.

The ones that looked like manta rays that were made out of a plastic material flew even better. I can still see mine, waaaaaaaay up in the sky, before the inevitable, gut-wrenching snap occurred, and the kite sailed away to freedom, never to return (at least in this millennium).

We also had a box kite as well. I don't remember it flying very well. I remember it more as a pile of broken sticks and fabric.

I wonder if kids still fly kites today?