Thursday, January 30, 2014

1/27/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, January 27, 1955   Vol. C500


LOCAL NEWS


SKATING ON THIN ICE


East Farewell – Lake Charles has been 90% frozen over for almost three weeks and the skating, hockey and fishing have become common for the town.  Areas have been marked off for the seemingly ubiquitous skating and a special “rink” has been marked out for the hockey players. The fisherman, though have moved to more isolated parts of the lake with the thought that they would have better luck. Many have gone off and set up their huts almost out of sight from downtown Lakefront Plaza. Many have been using sleds and wagons to carry supplies back and forth.
The temperatures have been hovering in the single digits for over two weeks and there has been little concern about the thickness of the ice on the lake. There are some spots towards the middle of the lake that are thinner and may be a problem and there are parts at the very mouth of lake where the two streams that feed the lake enter that are still not frozen but that area is almost inaccessible. There has been some concern with children venturing back towards that area and older skaters have taken on the responsibility to keep the children close to the fold. While their sense of responsibility is to be commended they have also developed a new game that is raising some eyebrows and safety concerns around town.

The new game is a type of crack-the-whip type game where one or two experienced skaters start a line and others grab hold as the leaders skate off as fast as they can. The line snakes around as the leaders zigzag across the lake. After they have sufficient speed, the leaders make a sharp turn and the end of the line gets whipped out onto the lake with considerable speed. This is all fun and games until the tail is whipped into one of the thin ice areas. While there have not been any people falling through the ice, the police have tried to install barricades to close off the danger area but the ice is a dynamic thing and the areas continually shift. It is up to everyone to be careful and watchful of each other, most of all the small children. Efforts to stop the games have met with limited success, the older children and young adults have continued to whip each other around but they have been careful not to let the young children end up at the end of the whip. Great fun is being had by all.

Crack-the-Whip on Lake Charles


SPORTS


COUGARS DEMOTE CAPTAINS


East Farewell-The Cougars got back on track with a solid win over a surprisingly strong Fort Lee Captains team on Wednesday. The Cougars broke their two game losing streak with the win.  The Captains, who had three freshman and two sophomores on the floor, played a very respectable game. The game was close for the first three quarters but the Cougars took over in the fourth and ended with a satisfying 50-42 win.
            Cougar’s center, Michael Watson, was dominating under the basket and was able to score 18 points and grab 10 rebounds. The back court came back to life with the Green/Walsh combo running like a well oiled machine and tossing in 25 points together (14-Green, 11-Walsh) and adding 20 assists. The game was always in the Cougars favor but the Captains never gave up. Led by high scorer, guard Tom Fallow, the Captains kept coming back but never quite able to take command.
            “The kids looked good tonight,” said Coach Wilson after the game, “The Captains played a great game but we were just better. I think these boys are getting better every game.”
            Next week’s game is against the Southport Hawks. The game is home on Wednesday, starting at 4:00PM in the Regional High Gymnasium.


 NATIONAL NEWS


IKE CALLS FOR CONGRESS TO BACK FORMOSA – RED CHINA CAUSING CONCERN – SAMMY DAVIS JR. WINS SUIT – MARILYN HAS “GOOD, PARCTICAL MIND -PERRY COMO TURNS DOWN MONEY – DIMAGGIO, HARNETT, VANCE INDUCTED TO HALL OF FAME


President Eisenhower calls upon Congress to proclaim the united determination of the nation to fight, if necessary, to keep Formosa out of Communist hands.  Navy ships and planes stand ready to evacuate some 10,000 Nationalist Chinese defenders of Tachen Island.  Gen Matthew Ridgway recently told Congress the Chinese Nationalists would have to be backed by 300,000 to 400,000 American ground troops to win a foothold on the China mainland.  The Senate grants President Eisenhower’s request for shooting powers to defend Formosa.  Foreign Minister V.M. Molotov promises the Soviet government will consider a British plea to work for a cease-fire along the Formosa Strait and to urge restraint on Red China.

Red China launches a full-scale invasion of tiny Yikniangshen Island, destroying half of the U.S. furnished supplies in the area.

Chinese planes bomb the Tachen Islands underscoring possible perils of a Nationalist withdrawal under the guns of the U.S. 7th Fleet.

A jury returns a verdict in favor of Sammy Davis Jr., who was sued for $75,000 damages as the result of an automobile accident near San Bernardino, California, that caused him to lose an eye.

“Marilyn Monroe Productions Inc.” has a vice president and his name is Milton Green (32). He says Marilyn has a “good, practical mind.” Green is a former magazine and advertising photographer and both he and Miss Monroe are major shareholders in the new company.  Marilyn says Green is “Fabulous, wonderful… very sincere and sensitive - and a great sense of humor.”

Perry Como says he has turned-down offers for more money because “Money is important only to a point. Then you have to work for other things.” He’s very religious, Perry says he attends church as much as he can (daily) and he keeps his wife and three kids out of the limelight. “There’s nothing wrong with show business, but I want to keep my kids normal kids. I don’t want to subject them to a lot of commotion. I want to keep them apart from it. They’ve got their schoolwork to do. That’s the most important thing for them right now.

Joe DiMaggio, Ted Lyons, Gabby Hartnett and Dazzy Vance are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.




Thursday, January 23, 2014

1/20/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, January 20, 1955   Vol. C499


LOCAL NEWS


HOCKEY & FIGURE SKATING ON THE LAKE


East Farewell – The recent freezing temperatures have had at least one warm experience come forth, Lake Charles has frozen over for about 90 percent of its surface. The cold has been so deep and so long that the lake has become strong enough to support skaters, hockey players and even ice fishermen. A large section of the lake right at the Lake Front Plaza has been the scene of many skating displays and even some hockey games.  The ice fishermen have moved to more secluded areas but their huts, lit by small open flame heaters light up the nights as if they were floating in the middle of the lake.
            The figure skaters have been plentiful at all times of day and the skill ranges from beginner to extremely accomplished, graceful and talented.  It seems the largest crowds are in the afternoons once school lets out and into the evenings after dinner. The evening skating has become so popular that the town has installed floodlights to illuminate the area around the Plaza so folks could enjoy the fun well into the night.
            On an exceptionally smooth part of the ice sheet, removed for the skating area a hockey rink has been setup and exciting pickup games have been played all through the week. Most of the players are high school boys but some older players have been seen on occasion. There was even an “old-man’s” game organized Sunday where older players (apparently, anyone older than a high school senior) played full hour long games. Five games were played and there were as many players as spectators.  It was rumored that absenteeism at the Iron Works on Monday reached an all time high and lots of sore workers throughout the rest of the week.

            The frigid weather is expected to last for the next week, at least and the lake is expected to stay frozen for several weeks baring some unexpected warm up. This is the first time in four years that the lake has frozen solid enough to support activity to the extent it has now. People are enjoying the new real estate on the lake.

Skaters on Lake Charles



SPORTS


COUGARS LOSE TO WILDCATS


Riverview – The Cougars lost to the Wildcats 45-48 last week. The game was as close as a game could be; score wise, with the biggest lead, 3, at the very end of the game. In a back and forth game the lead changed hands an incredible 32 times. Neither team was able to gain control of the game and every trip down the court was an exciting trip. The Wildcats finally went ahead to stay with only 35 seconds left as senior guard, Dick Farmer hit a foul shot and then the Wildcats were able to stop the Cougars on their attempt and convert with a long outside shot by junior, George Diamond.
            This was the second loss in a row for the Cougars and while the season is still fairly young Coach Wilson was concerned, “We have to start playing together more, we are still learning to be a team. These kids have a lot of heart and loads of talent but they have to start working together more. They were showing signs of it earlier but now we seem to have slipped back to each boy playing his own game. I am going to have to change that.”
            Even though the team has been together for a couple of years seniors, Michael Watson (center) and Timmy Green (point guard) are starting for the first time this year. Last year’s stars, Wendell Young and Dan Davis both moved away and Watson and Green filled the spots. Joey Welch is a junior and has played on the team for three years but his brother, Jimmy was the starter for the last two years. This year’s team has lots of practice and second team experience but little court game experience. They have shown that they can be brilliant but they are still suffer from inconsistency from game to game.
            The loss puts the Cougars 3-2 on the season but they come home next week where they have yet to lose this season. The game begins at 4:00PM in the gymnasium on Wednesday.


 NATIONAL NEWS


LODON FOG SCARES THOUSANDS – U.S. POLLS FAVORS STATEHOOD FOR ALASKA & HAWAII – FREED ROCKS NY – NIXON PUMPS GAS


London Fog thick and falling down - A thick belt of darkness wrapped itself around this city, mystifying and frightening thousands and people - even driving birds to roost. It lasted only about 10 minutes, but women could be heard screaming in the streets while other people fell to their knees on the sidewalks and prayed. One man shouted, “The end of the world is coming.”  A spokesman for the air Ministry’s Meteorological Office said nothing in his experienced has equaled it and the fog was caused by an accumulation of London smoke under an extremely thick layer of cloud.

Gallup Poll - 82% favor statehood for Alaska:
Favor - 82%
Oppose - 9%
No Opinion - 9%
Recently in another Gallup Poll - 78% favored statehood for Hawaii.

Alan Freed of WINS mc’s his first concert in New York - at the St Nicholas Arena. The turnout for Freed’s bash, advertised over his 1010WINS radio show, was way over capacity with the cops having to hold out the crowds after an estimated 7,500 jammed into the arena, which holds 6,000. The audience contributed to the din of the music with a shattering repertoire of whistles, hoots and mitt-pounding. Talent included Joe Turner, Fats Domino, The Clovers, The Moonglows, The Harptones, The Drifters, Ella Johnson and Red Prysock.   With Alan Freed getting a lot of attention in New York, more white DJs are getting into the R&B groove. Freed says he doesn’t play white covers of r&b songs because his audience quickly detects the lack of authenticity in the cover slices.  Freed believes that pop artists will have to come up with original material in the R&B genre. Top pop artists such as Perry Como, Tony Bennett and Georgia Gibbs are not doing R&B numbers.

Decked in a gas station aide’s uniform, Vice-President Richard Nixon wipes windshields and fills tanks in freezing weather at a local Washington service station for the benefit of March of Dimes polio campaign.





Thursday, January 16, 2014

1/14/1954

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, January 14, 1954   Vol. C447


LOCAL NEWS

1954 was not all that exciting in East Farewell, some notable things happened; the highway continued towards completion, the bypass stayed intact, the Iron Works continued to produce rails for the Mighty Keystone Railroad, town growth was slightly slower but it still was a Destination Station on the MKR. Alas, the Travelers did not win a third Championship, and the Regional High Cougars were only mediocre in the league standings. Mrs. Mallard still runs her boarding house with Natalie, Mr. Pitts is still missing, the Lost Oasis is still a favorite watering hole and Bernie and Sue are still working things out. Not a lot to report, I won’t waste your time.
 So, with the next post we will leap ahead to what happened the third week of January, 1955.  This was a fairly important year for East Farewell. I know, I know, this is going to throw off the time-space continuum but that is the way it goes. To keep the story in line with the musical story I have to make some adjustments.
 I hope you have been watching my videos on YouTube & ReverbNation. I have been releasing them every two weeks and will continue until they are all posted. You can always listen to all my music for free on my website.
Enjoy, pass the word and thanks




Wednesday, January 8, 2014

1/7/1954

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, January 7, 1954   Vol. C446


LOCAL NEWS


COLD SPELL DOES NOT CHILL WINTER SPECTACULAR


East Farewell – An arctic cold spell took hold of East Farewell in the last week and has people bundling up but was not able to put a damper on the New Years’ Spectacular. The second year of the gala fireworks and music event rang in the New Year in fine style and many folks enjoyed the colorful noise even as temperatures hovered around 0°.  Les Charles and his Big Band supplied the sound track once again this year. This year he added a wonderful addition to the fireworks display, his band played popular numbers timed to the fireworks display. It made for a spectacular occasion.
            While the sky exploded, the people on the ground huddled together and stood by small fires for warmth. The temperatures did not rise above 10° the entire week and were below zero during the Spectacular. Lake Charles is close to freezing over and if the cold spell goes on for much longer there will probably be some hockey players on the lake soon. The cold weather put a bit of a damper on the local restaurants plans to set up outdoor dining for the event. The restaurants on Main Street and Lake Shore Drive did stay open and eagerly greeted patrons before and after the event. Some folks were fortunate enough to secure window seats at the Lost Oasis and view the Spectacular from the warmth and comfort of inside the establishment.
            “What a great way the bring in the New Year,” said Natalie Mallard, “last year was fun but this year with the music along with the fireworks, it was just spectacular. I hope we do this every year. It brings everyone together and starts off the year with a bang, literally.”

            The crowd was larger this year in part due to the expanded East Farewell Winter Basketball Tournament that took place early in the week.  Since New Years was on Friday and the tournament taking place throughout the weekend and into the middle of the week a lot of folks took a short vacation to visit the town, watch the Spectacular and root for their favorite team.
Fireworks over Lake Charles


SPORTS


2nd WINTER TOURNAMENT IS A BIG HIT


East Farewell – The Cougars hosted the 2nd Annual East Farewell Winter Tournament last week. It was a huge success for the town and all the shops and restaurants but it was not such a great success for the Cougars basketball team. They came in third this year behind the first place Corning Devils and the second place Central Bears. They did a commendable job on the court but the other teams were better this time around.
            The brackets were set up with last year’s finishes taken into account and since the Cougars won last year’s tournament, they were placed in the top tier. They had to play the Slate Mountain Canaries, a team they had lost to just two weeks ago. The Cougars did an excellent job on their defense and were able to prevail in the first round 45-41. They went on to the second round to play the league leading Corning Devils and lost 49-56 in a hard fought offensive battle. In the third round the Cougars were able to best the Southport Hawks, who they will be playing next week, 48-42. In the final playoff round the Cougars were able to eliminate the Riverview Wildcats but lost in the last minutes to the Slate Mountain Miners 46-45. The final loss put the Cougars in third place for the tournament.


 NATIONAL NEWS


SMALL THEATERS SNUBBED – DI FRASSO DIES – MONROE SUSPENDED


The Supreme Court upholds the right of motion-picture distributors to deny first-run films to neighborhood theaters with limited drawing power.  Crest Theater in Baltimore had charged conspiratorial action by eight major distributors in refusing to license first-run pictures to it.  A judge said there was no direct evidence of illegal agreement between the distributors and that if the Crest Theater were to receive first runs its license from the distributors would have had to have been an exclusive one. That is, no other theaters in Baltimore or the suburbs could have shown the same picture at the same time. “However, and exclusive license would be economically unsound because the Crest is a suburban theater, located in a small shopping center and served by limited public transportation facilities and with a drawing area of less than one-tenth of that of a downtown theater, it cannot compare with those easily accessible theaters in the power to draw patrons. Hence, the downtown theaters offer far greater opportunities for the widespread advertisement and exploitation of newly released features, which is thought necessary to maximize the over-all return from subsequent runs as well as first runs.” The distributors included RKO, Fox, Warner, Paramount and Loews.

Countess Dorothy di Frasso (66) - famed and wealthy international hostess, intimate of film stars and friend of the late gang leader Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel - was found dead of a heart attack in her roomette aboard the Los Angeles Limited train. Her body was discovered by actor Clifton Webb, who was traveling with her in the same car from Las Vegas.

Marilyn Monroe is suspended by 20th Century-Fox for not showing up for her latest movie project - “Pink Tights.” Hedda Hopper says she has been in San Francisco with Joe DiMaggio. Her attorney says the actress is angry because she has not been permitted to see a script of “Pink Tights.” There’s a rumor that the couple is married - not so according to DiMaggio “We are not married. If and when we are married, it will be announced as a blanket statement to everyone. No scoops.”



Thursday, January 2, 2014

12/31/1953

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, December 31, 1953   Vol. C445


LOCAL NEWS


1953 – QUITE A YEAR – THE YEAR IN REVIEW


East Farewell – It was quite a year for East Farewell. The town almost doubled population due to the booming economy and the huge rise in the summer home construction. This was in spite of the town being bypassed by the new super highway being built across the state. Some folks have said that the enormous growth was not in spite of the bypass but, due to the bypass. The opinion is divided pretty much down the middle on that. Either way the growth is real and has led to a number of changes in town. The Regional High School will begin construction on a new wing for the school and will see the largest graduating class ever. On the sports front, this year has seen some exciting contests. The beloved Travelers repeated their championships ways by winning their second League Championship. Not to be outdone the Regional High School Cougars were also in the winning column. The ’52-’53 Cougar cagers shocked the state by coming third in the State Tournament and the gridiron Cougars were able to secure a very respectable season in spite of their youth and losing their star quarterback.
            The town also held many successful events including the first Flower Show, the 3rd Annual Bike Race, the first Bar-B Que Cook-off, the Annual Labor Day Arts Festival and Fair and the first Farmer’s Market. There were also some not so great things that happened in East Farewell last year, like the Fourth of July Fireworks explosion and the Fun Pier disaster. The town and all the townsfolk were able to pull together and turn those debacles into positive experiences. The Fun Pier was rebuilt, bigger and better and there were no injuries in the fireworks explosion. The biggest scandal of the year was probably the Mr. Pitts Toll Booth buying scandal that rocked the town back in April. Thanks to diligent police work and a sharp eye by Korean War vet, Bernie Quinn, the money was recovered. Unfortunately, Mr. Pitts is still on the lamb.
The plans for the golf course are still on track, slower than planned but still moving forward. The beautifully restored Playhouse opened to critical acclaim and was able to put on a full schedule of shows with the season ending finale, A Christmas Carol, starring Leo G. Carroll. Even the unexpected landing of the Seaplane on Lake Charles was quite the event. The Circus returning to East Farewell created a whole week of pleasant memories for all and the first Dog Show was a big hit. To top all the events, the Thanksgiving Day Parade took the prize and the Valentine’s Day Dance as well the Christmas Social helped make this a very enjoyable year in East Farewell. 


SPORTS


COUGARS OUTRANK THE CAPTAINS


East Farewell – The Cougars were able to get back in the winning column with a win over the Fort Lee Captains, 52-40, on Wednesday. The win was sorely needed by the Cougars after disappointing losses to Riverview and Slate Mountain. The win brings their early season record back above .500.
            The game started slowly as both teams showed strong defense. The Captains are, like the Cougars, a young team with mostly sophomores on the court. They have had their setbacks this year and are only showing one win in for the season so far. They are expected to improve as the season goes on but last week the Cougars were able to take advantage of the relative inexperience of the Captains. The Cougars were able to start to pull away by the end of the first half, leading 26-18 at the buzzer.
            In the second half the Cougars came out shooting and ran off a 10-2 run with guards Wendell Jones and Jimmy Welch coming alive 6 and 4 points respectively. Center Dan Davis was able to control under the basket and grab 13 rebounds for a game leading total. The Captains were able to regroup somewhat in the last period but were unable to close the gap any closer than four points. As the game concluded the Cougars went on a small run to seal the win.
            The Cougars will host the East Farewell Winter tournament next week throughout the week. The Cougars are not the top seed this year even though they won last year’s tournament.  The tournament expanded this year. The teams represented along with the Cougars are; the Central Bears, Riverview Wildcats,  Slate Mountain Canaries, Riverview Wildcats, Fort Lee Captains, Southport Hawks, Slate Mountain Miners and the Corning Devils. The tournament is a double elimination and will have three games a day on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with the finals and semi-finals on Wednesday. The Final game will be Wednesday night at 7:00PM in the Regional High Gymnasium. The games are expected to be almost all sold out with many folks coming in from other towns to root for their favorites.


 NATIONAL NEWS


IKE LIKES PROSPERITY – NEW POLICIES ON MILITARY RESERVES – WHEELER SELLS ALL – 1953 SPORTS BEST LIST


In a nationwide radio and television broadcast, President Eisenhower says that every legitimate means is being used to maintain the nation’s prosperity and will continue to be used as necessary. The president hit out at “self-appointed” peddlers of gloom and doom and said his administration will not tolerate “a boom-and-bust American” dependent on war or threats of war for prosperity.”

President Eisenhower ordered “a new approach” to military reserve policies:
1) An “immediately callable reserve” consisting of well-trained men who would be ready for immediate military service.”
2) A “selectively callable reserve” composed of men who would be subject to recall or deferment on the basis of occupation, special skills, age, marital and paternal status, and other factors.”

Buy Buy, not Bye Bye – Elmer Wheeler is considered the best salesman alive. He’s the one who taught restaurants to “sell the sizzle, not the steak. He taught gas station men to say “fill ‘er - up?” instead of “How many?” He also taught soda fountain men to ask drinkers of malted milks - “one egg - or two?” - The result - millions of eggs were sold that otherwise would have gone unsold. Wheeler - who’s 47, is a sales consultant to 240 corporations. Wheeler says no one in this country under 30 knows how to sell.
“The war did that.” (Because of scarcity of products due to the war) “People have been pointing to a thing and saying ‘I’ll take that,’ hoping to beat the other customer to it. Now that’s over, and salesmen are going to have to learn how to sell.

In sports - Ben Hogan, called the greatest golfer who ever lived, is voted male athlete of the year for 1953 in the 23rd annual year-end Associated Press poll. Here’s the list:
Ben Hogan - golf
Rocky Marciano - boxing
Willie Shoemaker - racing
Johnny Lattner - football
Paul Giel - football
Roy Campanella – baseball
Al Rosen – baseball
Mel Whitfield - track
Ted Williams - baseball
Wes Santee - track