3/8/1956

 

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, March 8, 1956   Vol. C558

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LOCAL NEWS

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SNOW CLOSES RAILWAY AND TOWNS

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East Farewell- An early March blizzard completely closed down the Mighty Keystone Railroad between Central City and Springfield for two days last week.  This segment of the line runs through East Farewell, Slate Mountain, Riverview and Mountain View and the communities were effectively cut off for almost two days.  It wasn’t until massive locomotives with plows attached to the front that the rails were opened for travel.  The snow storm was an unexpected blizzard that caught the entire eastern half of the state off guard.  A storm that was traveling east from the Chicago area combined with a northern, artic front that swept in from Canada and dropped a massive 35 inches of snow on the area within an eight hour time frame.  The storm also closed the almost complete Interstate Highway. Since the interchanges that were hit by the snow were not officially opened yet, the number of vehicles that were stranded was minimal.  Approximately thirty people had to be rescued from snowed in vehicles on the highway.

            For two days the East Farewell was unreachable but that did not mean the town was closed down.  A festive atmosphere swept over the town when the radio announced the train shutdown.  People bundled up and flooded the traffic free streets before the snow had stopped.  A massive snowball fight and snow follies commenced and no one was left out.  The storm was in full swing through the first night and Lake Shore Drive was packed with people that looked like snowmen throwing snow at each other, others were running around like children, laughing and shouting at each other.  Many of the restaurants stayed open even as the snow piled up on the sidewalks and the streets became impassible. This had all the signs of a major disaster but it turned into a giant snow party.  For two days the town celebrated its isolation and townspeople came together with a sense of community and shared excitement.  When the trains rolled through on Thursday many people were standing at the station to greet the huge locomotives and pelt them with snowballs, all in fun of course.  The engineers were quite amused at the antics and let out several long steam whistles that brought cheers and more snowballs from the crowd.

            The storm mover through fairly quickly and was gone within 36 hours.  It left the town under over 4 feet of snow and numerous power and heating outages.  Even with these complications, spirits were high and enthusiasm was unflagging.  Schools were closed for most of the week and all events had been postponed or cancelled.  This storm will be remembered for a long time and often be referred to as, “The Great Snow of 1956.”

Train plowing snow near E.F. Station

The Great Snowball fight of ‘56

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SPORTS

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COUGARS LOSE 1 BUT STAY HOT AS SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE

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East Farewell- The Cougars lost a revenge match to the Riverview Wildcats, 48-52, after beating them, 50-48 only two weeks earlier.  The loss turned out to be only a blip on the record of an overachieving, scrappy team that has surprised everyone this season.   Along with the Wildcat games the Cougars faced the Slate Mountain Canaries, the Fort Lee Captains and the Southport Hawks during the final part of the season.  The final game of the season is with the Slate Mountain Miners.  This game was postponed due to the huge snow storm and will be played next week.

            The team has continued to improve with every game.  Coach Wilson has pointed toward the surprisingly even and controlled back court play of senior Timmy Green and sophomore Fergal Conner.  “Greeny and Conner have just been phenomenal.  They run the game like pros or at least really good college guards,” laughed Coach Wilson during a recent interview.   

            The two together have been responsible for more back court points than any in school history with one game still to play.  The front court also has been solid.  The all junior front court has also been solid and powerful.  Center Wilson Watson has become a powerful force under the basket while Tom O’Hare and Billy Reilly have stood strong as forwards grabbing offensive rebounds and feeding Wilson for put back scores that have won more than one game.

            If the Cougars win their last game they stand a chance to end up in a try for first place in the league.  In order to have this happen the Riverview Wildcats would have to lose to the Fort Lee Captains and the Canaries would have to beat the Corning Devils.  While this may be a long shot, it would be a fitting climax to the Cougars season.  The Cougars game has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Mach 13^th at 4:30 in the Regional High School Gym.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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TROUBLE IN TUNIS – RADIO GROWING – RCA MERGES

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An anti-American mob of Algerian nationalists stormed the U.S. consulate in Tunis, ransacking offices and destroying files and then wrecking the headquarters of the U.S. Information Service.  Algerian nationalists carry their revolt against French rule to the streets of Tunis battling helmeted police who halted their march on the National Assembly.

Radio news - Radio growing - almost 15 million new radio sets were sold in 1955 and there are 140 million radio sets in this country. Several years ago, there was a belief the industry would diminish in interest. 

RCA-Victor here and Decca Record Company of London enter into a reciprocal agreement effective May 1957. Under terms, Decca in England will receive master recordings from the RCA Victor catalogue and Victor will have access to Decca recordings for release in America under the RCA Victor label. The new alliance terminates the oldest international pact in the record world – that between Victor and His Master’s Voice (HMV) in London. 

Decca London is not related to Decca here. The originator of the FFRR (Full frequency range recording) record, Decca not only has plants throughout Europe, but also owns Telefunken in Germany.  H.M.V. is a subsidiary of EMI.

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of the East Farewell News.

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3/1/1956

 

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, March 1, 1956   Vol. C557

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LOCAL NEWS

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CAR CRASHES INTO RESTAURANT

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East Farewell – The tall snow piled up along the edge of Main Street was not enough to stop a car that careened out of control into the Lost Oasis restaurant last Tuesday. Gerry McManus was parking in front of the bar-restaurant when he inexplicably jumped the curb, burst through the snow pile and plowed into the restaurant’s front window. Luckily, no one was seated at the table by the window at the time. The car came to rest right inside the restaurant and no one was hurt. The staff was startled but no one was near the front of the building. The bar is located in the rear of the restaurant and there were several patrons but no one was injured.

            Police are looking into the incident and McManus has stated that it seemed like the car just sped up and blasted through the window. “ I was getting ready to put it in park when it just took off,” said a visibly shaken McManus, “I don’t know what happened but I am sure glad no one was hurt. I feel bad that the restaurant’s front window was smashed, I really like that place. I am sure they can fix it up. It is just a shame.”

            McManus has not been cited, yet. He was able to walk away from the accident and the car was towed out within a hour of the crash. The front of the Lost Oasis has been boarded up and owner, Charles Wenz has spray painted a big WE ARE OPEN across the front. “It was just a fluke event,” said Wenz, “luckily no one was hurt. I know Gerry and he may have had a little confusion with the brake and gas on his car. He’s getting older.”

            McManus said he was 78 years old and has been driving for over 60 years (“70 if you count the tractor”) and has never had an accident.

Car crashed into Lost Oasis 

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SPORTS

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COUGARS HOLD OFF CAPTAINS

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East Farewell – The Cougars bounced back last Friday as they played a hard fought game against a much improved Fort Lee team. The two stayed locked in a tight fight until the final quarter when the Cougars were able to take the lead and out last the flagging Captains, 54-50. The Cougars backcourt of Green and Conner were very stable and ran a tight game and were able to score a combined total 26 points but more importantly, no turnovers.

            The game started off fast with both teams hot out of the gate. The centers battled for inside position but the fight went on for the whole game and neither center, Cougars Watson or Captains Doyle, were able to establish control. The first half ended with the Cougars ahead by 2.

            The second half was much slower as each team seemed to be trying to find the other teams weakness, but to no avail. The lead shifted back and forth throughout the third quarter and into the first half of the fourth. As the clock ticked down to 3 minutes the Cougars took final control. Green and Conner started a fast shooting offense and Watson exerted control under the basket. The Cougars pulled away for keeps with two minutes left at 54-48. The Captains scored the last basket with 30 seconds on the clock and the Cougars ran the clock out. The next game for the Cougars is this Friday at home against the Southport Hawks. The game is a rare evening game and begins at 7:30PM in the gymnasium.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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IKE TO RUN AGAIN – BALLOONS OVER RUSSIA – UAB SUED AGAIN – BAD WEATHER FOR ADM. BYRD IN ANTARCTICA

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President Eisenhower says he will run again and assures the nation he is fit enough to do the job. “So far as my own personal sense of well-being is concerned, I am as well as before the (heart) attack occurred.” The President said. “As of this moment there is not the slightest doubt that I can perform as well as I ever have all of the important duties of the presidency.” His first formal act as a candidate for re-election was to approve a united California Republican delegation.  A Gallup Poll finds President Eisenhower with a 76% approval rating.

U.S. Camera-carrying balloons over Russia - The Kremlin protested, now the United States tells the Kremlin that Russian balloons have flown over U.S. territory (Alaska) too. A note to the Kremlin asked, “What are you complaining about?” Both sides are guilty of doing the same thing.

Miss Autherine Lucy, the first Negro student in the history of the University of Alabama and who was expelled February 29, is herself being sued along with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by four men who charge they had been falsely accused of participation in mob action. The suits were based on a petition filed Feb. 9 by Lucy. Lucy was expelled as a disciplinary measure by the university board of trustees. They said the coed had made the outrageous charges that school officials conspired with the mob in order to get her out of school. In her petition, she named these four men and others.

The current United States Antarctic expedition involving Adm. Richard Byrd has discovered a vast trough of ice, thousands of square miles in extent, in which the vilest weather in the world is spawned.

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of the East Farewell News.

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2/23/1956

 

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, February 23, 1956   Vol. C556

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LOCAL NEWS

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SURPRISE WINTERFEST

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East Farewell- A completely unexpected but thoroughly delightful event happened in town over last weekend. Fun Pier’s owner, Sam Lendel, along with restaurateur Charles Wentz opened the Fun Pier and the Lost Oasis Café for Saturday and Sunday from 9:00AM until after dark, 9:00PM. The weather was cold but bright and clear. Trying to build on the great success of the Valentine’s Dance the two owners said they wanted to give the town a little winter fun. Fun it was. A crew of volunteers quietly and secretly cleared all the snow off the Fun Pier rides and walkways on Friday night, which was no small feat. The local police were alerted to the operation but kept the operation quiet by not interfering and letting the workers accomplish their task. By 9 AM the gates were opened and curious onlookers were allowed to enter. Throughout the day a truck with a large sign and speakers circled the town announcing the event. Word of mouth also spread the announcement.

“We really wanted to open up the Pier and Café to let the folks have a little more fun after the Valentine’s Day dance. We also wanted to check the rides and clear off all the snow from the Pier,” said Sam Lendel.

Saturday evening was enchanting. The Café had many tables and small, portable heaters took the chill off. Lights had been strung around the Café and the Pier’s lights were turned on. The brightness attracted even more people and the evening moved into the night as people thoroughly enjoyed the surprise.  By Sunday morning the word was out and the lines formed early. It seems everyone in town wanted to come down to the Fun Pier and either rides some of the rides or just socialize with neighbors. It was a great weekend party put on by Mr. Lendel and Mr. Wentz.

1956 Winterfest in East Farewell

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SPORTS

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COUGARS LOSE A TOUGH ONE

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Riverview- The revenge focused Riverview Wildcats accomplished their goal on Friday night by downing the Cougars 52-48. The Wildcats played a tight game with very few mistakes. They only turned the ball over twice, once in the first half and once in the second. The Cougars played equally well but gave the ball away too many times (6). The turnovers were only part of the Cougars problem. They seemed out of sync and didn’t get going until the fourth quarter which was too late. The less than stellar performance came as a surprise to Coach Wilson. “I think the kids were trying to do too much by themselves, they lost the team approach this game. We still managed to hang with them even though we played probably our worst game. If we had been on we would have won this one,” said the coach after the game.

The Wildcats started out with a 6 point run and were able to hold the lead well into the second quarter when the Cougars led by the strong outside shooting of guards Green and Conner  were able to tie the game at 22. Under the basket Wilson was controlling but not in command. He had 11 rebounds while his Wildcat counterpart, Ralph Wells, had 12. While the backcourt scored an impressive 30 points together the turnovers caused the effort to go unrewarded. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Cougars were able to take a lead but it was short lived and the Wildcats fought back and took back the lead and held it until the final buzzer with the score Wildcats 52, Cougars 48.

The Cougars winning streak ended at five but they are still in striking distance of the league championship but some things are out of their control. They have to win all their remaining games and both Central and Corning have to lose at least two of their remaining games. The next game for the Cougars is Friday at home against the always exciting Fort Lee Captains at home. The game begins at 4:30 in the Regional High Gymnasium.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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COMMIES WANT COLLECTIVE RULE – BULGANIN SAYS COMMIES CAN RULE – PRR HAS BAD CRASH – GRACE KELLY TO LEAVE HOLLYWOOD – RAINIER SELECTS STAMP

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The 20^th Congress of Communist Party unanimously warns against any attempt to restore one-man rule in the Soviet Union. It publicly flashed a big red light against any person in the party who might try to take over Stalin’s role. Party boss N Khrushchev and all other top leaders have told the congress they are devoted to the principle of collective rule. They have disavowed any intention to return to the one-man system.

Soviet Premier Bulganin says that Communism can conquer the world through the peaceful economic uses of atomic energy.

Five persons were killed and at least 60 injured when the Pennsylvania Railroad’s embassy 80-mph Washington to New York train, derailed about three miles north of Odenton, Maryland.

Grace Kelly says she plans to leave Hollywood March 15 for a two-week New York shopping spree and a few days with her family in Philadelphia before sailing for Europe and her April 19 marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. She explained that the New York shopping trip is a “must” and not only for last minute details: “I haven’t even done the first-minute details,” said the actress.

Prince Rainier III selects the photograph of his bride-to-be that will appear on a commemorative stamp of the wedding. It is a portrait no studio publicity agent would have selected. The photo arrived some time ago from the Prince, who had many taken to be used on the stamp, wedding pictures, medallions and other such items. No one at the palace knows who took the pictures.

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Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this section of the East Farewell News.

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