5/26/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, May 26, 1955   Vol. C765

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LOCAL NEWS

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NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPOSED BY MANY RESIDENTS

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East Farewell – Local builder, James Manny, encountered a surprising amount of resistance to his proposal for development of the old Norwood Farm. The proposal called for leveling the site which consists of a 100 year old farm house, a barn that is thought to be at least 50 years old and several associated buildings like a spring house and chicken coup. Manny has purchased the farm from the last surviving Norwood, Richard. The Norwood family owned the farm from before East Farewell was founded. The farm was primarily a dairy farm for most of its existence but in the later years Richard’s father, Abe, expanded to raising chickens. After Abe died in 1943 Richard and his wife Helen were the only ones left to run the farm. Helen died in 1950 from influenza and Richard was the only one left. He managed the farm for several years but he finally sold to Manny in 1954. Richard expressed at the time that he was just too old to run the farm effectively and wanted to move to a warmer climate to spend the remained of his life. He was 86.

            Once Manny closed on the property he started to put together a complete overhaul of the property. He envisioned several single family homes along with several multi-family dwellings and even a strip of shops. The entire parcel is over 50 acres. When Manny presented the proposal to the Town Council for permits he unexpectedly encountered a number of local citizens who expressed concern and in some cases downright hostility towards the project. Most were concerned about the density and others opposed the strip of shops that they said would take business away from downtown. Others were concerned with the plans to raze the farmhouse. The Town Council was caught off guard also and after the numerous statements for the citizens they quickly put the proposal on hold until more information could be gathered. Manny was visibly disappointed and promised to talk to each concerned citizen individually and address each one of their concerns. He will bring a new and improved proposal to the Council at a future date. 

 Norwood homestead

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SPORTS

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TRAVELERS BACK ON THE ROAD

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Riverview – The Travelers visited Riverview last weekend and continued their winning ways with a fairly easy win over the Anglers, 6-2. Traveler’s pitcher, Joey Alfred, made short work of the Anglers who are currently in the cellar of the league standings. He pitched seven scoreless innings and only let up a total four hits and two walks throughout the whole game. The Travelers started out quickly with three runs in the second inning and added two in the fifth and finished off with one in the eighth. The Anglers were only able to get on the board in the seventh and added one in the ninth.

            Johnny Cloos kept up his blazing hitting streak with two hits, one two run RBI in the second and an out of the park smash in the eighth. The Travelers defense paired with Alfred’s pinpoint pitching was top notch, turning three double plays to take the league lead in that statistic. The Travelers also now lead the league in team batting average and total strikeouts.

            The Travelers are back on the road at Corning next week and will try to avenge their loss from two weeks ago. The game is another night game and begins at 7:30PM.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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CHINESE COMMIES LET 4 FLIERS GO – ASCOTS ARE IN STYLE – US HAS 165 MILLION

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Four American fliers released by Communist China arrive at Hong Kong territory. The United States calls on Red China to follow-up the release of four American fighter pilots by granting freedom swiftly to 42 other Americans held behind the Bamboo Curtain.

 Men are turning to ascot scarves this year to add a dressy touch to open neck sport shirts. Like a tie - you must tie an ascot. Wow - 8 million sports jackets were sold last year compared to 700,000 in 1939.

The Census Bureau reports the U.S. population has hit 165 million people.

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5/19/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, May 19, 1955   Vol. C763

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LOCAL NEWS

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SPRING FAIR A BIG SUCCESS

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East Farewell- The East Farewell Spring Fair was held over the weekend and was a big success.  This was the seventh year for the fair and each year it has gotten bigger and better.  The first fair, in 1948, was an impromptu event that evolved from a sidewalk sale sponsored by the business association.  Each year after more events have been added and the crowds have grown.  This year along with the sidewalk sale that took place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, there was a Friday evening “Main Street Stroll”, a “Carnival by the Lake” on Saturday, and a Travelers home game Saturday night.  The fun-filled atmosphere carried over to Sunday when many folks picnicked on the Lakefront Plaza and the Lake Charles Park.

            The weather certainly cooperated for the event with beautiful, warm days and clear, mild evenings and nights.  The wonderful weather extended the merry-making well into the evenings as every restaurant set tables out and most of the stores stayed open well past 9:00.  Special dishes were offered by many spots and several offered “family style” dishes to make it very appealing to the numerous families that were present.  Local musicians set up in many locations along the Main Street/Lake Shore Drive loop.  Everyone was thoroughly entertained.  “We had a great night,” said Lost Oasis bartender, Jimmy Clair, “almost everyone was in an excellent mood and they seemed to just come in, say hi have a drink or two and move on down the street.  It was great.”

            The carnival started at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning and the slow early attendance was expected due to the late night before.  As the town woke up the crowds swelled and by closing time at 6:00 people had to be reminded that time was up.  The Midway stayed open for an extra hour as many fair-goers were just too wrapped up in the fun to pry themselves away.  Along with the Midway, there were carnival rides like the Tilt-O-Whirl, Tea-Cups, Jammer and of course the Carrousel. Many of the rides will be available at the Fun Pier this summer so this was sort of a preview of the fun to come this summer.

Main Street Fair scene

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SPORTS

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TRAVELERS WIN UNDER THE LIGHTS. 

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East Farewell- The Travelers won their first night game ever at Travelers Park on Saturday night in pitcher duel between Joe Nagy and the Mountain View Explorer’s Joe “Freight” Trane.  There were only seven hits in the game, three for the Travelers and five for Mountain View.  Luckily for the Travelers one of their hits was an out of the park, into the Lake blast by Johnny Cloos in the eighth.  Both sides showed stiff defense behind superb pitching.  The Travelers turned three double plays and the Explorers turned two.

            The game was sold out and there was standing room only which bodes well for the team.  They have never suffered from attendance problems, everybody loves the Travelers, but this crowd was exceptional.  Perhaps it was boosted by the Spring Fair and the warm weather, but it was certainly a fun loving crowd.  There were lusty cheers after each Nagy strikeout, he had 11 and there were raspberries and guffaws when “Freight” Train returned the favor, which he did 10 times.  The crowd also seemed to love the game under the lights.  This was the first night game to be played in East Farewell and was enjoyed by all.

            The game itself was a classic pitching spectacle.  Both Nagy and Trane were in super form.  They both retired the first 12 batters on both sides which made for a short game.  It wasn’t until the eighth inning that any offense was displayed and that was the blast by Johnny Cloos.  That was enough, though and the Travelers hung on to win with Nagy retiring three straight in the ninth.  It was a wonderful start to a promising tradition.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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TITO HOLDS FIRM - SALK SAYS VACCINE IS BETTER THAN BEFORE - NEW RCA MUSIC DEVICE

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Yugoslav President Tito is said to be holding out against a second Russian effort to persuade Yugoslavia to accept a role of passive coexistence, or Austrian-type of neutrality in world affairs. Tito rejected an initial attempt to lure this Communist nation into a quick return of the Moscow-led camp. Tito was reported to have declared his country wants to play a leading part in uniting nations, which are opposed to dividing the world into two ideological groupings.

Dr Jonas E. Salk says polio vaccines now in use “are better than those used in the field trials” and added that they should lower the rate of paralytic polio.  Surgeon-General Leonard Scheele announces that the government has confirmed the safety of all Salk polio vaccine, but there was no immediate indication of when the stalled immunization program would be resumed.

RCA’s electronic synthesizer makes a debut over radio and WGMS in Washington, DC. RCA says the music-making device can originate any sound and any voice. Since its introduction two months ago, musicians and electronics experts have been divided in opinion about its future uses and performances.

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5/12/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, May 12, 1955   Vol. C762

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LOCAL NEWS

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SID LENDEL – EAST FAREWELL FOUNDER – DIES AT 89

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East Farewell- East Farewell co-founder, Sid Lendel, died on Tuesday at the age of 89. “He lived a long and wonderful life,” said his younger brother, Lou Lendel, “He really tried to be good at everything he tried and most of the time he succeeded.”

Besides his brother, Sid is survived by his wife, Molly, three sons, Abe (Fiona), Ralph (Dora) and Richard (Rebecca) and one daughter, Elsa (Frank) along with 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. There will be a memorial service held on the Lakefront Plaza on Sunday. The Lakefront Plaza was the original overlook that Sid and Lou used to promote the new town of East Farewell back in 1902; of course there was no Plaza there at the time. “It was one of Sid’s favorite places,” said Lou, “He would go down there and sit for hours just enjoying the view, and after they built the Plaza, all the people walking by. Later in his life he became quite the celebrity down there. He would gladly tell anyone the entire history of East Farewell, the good and the not so good, mostly the good, though.” 

            East Farewell was incorporated July 13, 1902 by the Lendel brothers, Sid and Lou.  They were working for the Mighty Keystone Railroad as surveyors and line planners.  The railroad was trying to establish passenger service along the main line across the state and connecting the East Coast to the Midwest.  The Lendel brothers chose a site that ran along a pristine lake, later named Lake Charles after Sid’s son.  The railroad was looking for a location that was approximately half way down the line to place an iron foundry to produce rails for the lines expansion.  The location was perfect for a small town that would help the railroad and attract workers, businesses and well-heeled railroad executives.

The Lendel brothers were visionary town planners.  They designed East Farewell with all the best municipal facilities of the day.  They designed a complete water system as well as a full sanitary sewer system.  They laid out a street grid system with wide streets centered around the train station.  Lake Shore Drive circled Lake Charles and offered stunning views of the lake as well as prime real estate locations.  Main Street intersected Lake Shore drive at the train station and proceeded south to finally intersect with Route 11 the main east-west highway in the state.

Unfortunately, the Lendel brothers were better planners than businessmen.  They went broke after investing a modest fortune in building East Farewell.  The railroad, however, did extremely well and after building the Iron Works it bought out the Lendel brothers and proceeded to expand the town.

Sid Lendel circa 1929

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SPORTS

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TRAVELERS CRACK AT CORNING

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Corning – The Travelers suffered their first defeat last week when ace hurler, Bill “Smoke” Black shutout the Travelers 3-0. The Travelers were unable to get on track against the league’s leading pitcher. “Smoke” fired nine scoreless innings and allowed only five hits sprinkled throughout. The Travelers were expecting a tough game but they were surprised by the early season perfection of Black. The game started as a pitching duel between Black and Travelers ace, Danny Lane. The two pitched three perfect innings each and it looked like a battle supreme was in the making but then the Devils came to life in the fourth when Grant smashed a double and Howell followed with a loop single sending Grant to third. Then CGW’s slugger Dennis Smith came to bat and was able to connect with a 3-2 Lane fastball for a deep right field double, driving in both Grant and Smith. Lane regained his composure and struck out the side, but the damage was done.  Black continued perfect for another inning and then Johnny Cloos was able to smack a clean double but was left stranded. CGW was able score again in the eighth and the Cougars were only able to garner four more hits and no runs.

            The Cougars come home next week for their first night game ever. The Mountain View Explorers with their ace, Joe “Freight” Trane come to town. The game will start at 7:30PM and will show off the new lights, an addition added this year. The game will be one of the highlights of the newly expanded Spring Fair that will be held over all of next weekend.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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HOOVER SAYS HE CAN SAVE LOTS OF DOUGH – AUSTRIANS GIVEN LIBERTY – ATOM BOMB BLOWN UP UNDERWATER – MARCIANO KO’S COCKWELL IN 54 SECONDS

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Former President Hoover (80) - who calls himself the government’s “old family doctor” – announces his commission on government reorganization will recommend steps to save taxpayers six billion dollars and return an additional 7 billion to the treasury. He predicted that in the next five years, at least 70% of his commission’s recommendations would be enacted into law.

At Vienna - The Big Four Foreign Ministers and Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold Figl signs a state treaty which will restore to 7 million Austrians their liberty, lost since Hitler’s Anschluss in 1938. Commenting on Big Four gathering - President Eisenhower declares he has spent months conferring with Soviet leaders and their foreign officials and he does not believe American citizens suspect their government will fall into any appeasement trap.

The Atomic Energy Commission and the Defense Department say a successful underwater atomic explosion has been conducted of the pacific Cast. The date and location of the blast were not given.

Rocky Marciano knocks-out Don Cockwell of England in 54 seconds at Kezar Stadium In San Francisco.

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5/5/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, May 5, 1955   Vol. 761

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LOCAL NEWS

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BUILDING BOOM HITS EAST FAREWELL

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East Farewell – The secret is out. Perhaps the two consecutive honors from the Mighty Keystone Railroad as a Destination Station are to blame or maybe it was the new jobs offered by the Iron Works. Whatever it was it seems everyone in flocking to East Farewell. “It seems like there is a gold rush or something,” commented Natalie Mallard, local resident and singer, “People are showing up, buying lots by the lake and building. It is just crazy all the activity. I love it.”

            Indeed, building permits have flooded the Town Registrar and have tripled since last year. Most are for land that is close to or on the lake and vary in size from the smallest, ½ acre, to lots consisting of several acres. The Lakefront lot size has been capped by the Town Council to 1 acre to maximize the distribution. There have been accounts of people trying to bundle lots by two different buyers buying two adjacent lots and then trying to combine them. The Council is looking into that type action and is going to rule on the permissibility of that action within the next two weeks.  New lots are being developed almost as soon as settlement is reached, in some cases the building has started the same day as the settlement.

            While most of the activity is taking place around the lake, downtown has enjoyed a boom of its own. New shops have opened all along Lake Shore Drive and Main Street. The new Transit System has extended the reach of the shopping district and buildings that have been vacant for a long time are being rehabilitated and reopened. The Main Street Stroll this year will include almost seven blocks, a huge change from the two blocks when it was initiated in 1952.

Looking out from a new Lakefront home

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SPORTS

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TRAVELERS VISIT TO BEAR CREEK

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Bear Creek – The Travelers took their show on the road early in the season as they visited Bear Creek for the Cubs home opener. The Cubs sold out their park for the opener and have been substantially upgraded in the off-season but they could not match the sheer power of the Travelers offense. The Travelers prevailed in a close game, 6-5.

            The Cubs acquired a couple of top notch players from the Carolina League, Jimmy Doyle and Ernie Wilkins and a very exciting rookie, Ned Raft, from State College. They are expected to make a run at the championship this year and they have strong offense and stringent defense but the Travelers were just too strong and too deep in this game.

            The Cubs struck first with a two run double by Wilkins in the second but the Travelers answered in the Third with a three run smash by Cloos. Starting pitchers, Danny Lane for the Travelers and Clyde Grover for the Cubs were a little shaky at the start but got into a groove after the third and threw respectable games but the early season stiffness showed on both sides. In the sixth the Cubs tacked on two more with a triple by Peters and the first ever professional homer by rookie, Raft. The crowd was delighted. The Travelers jumped back into the lead with a three singles by Brown, Sweet and Archibald and a bases clearing triple by Francis. The Cubs came up with one in the ninth but it was too little too late and the Travelers ended the game with a double play, Archibald to Dunham to Watson for the game.

            The Travelers stay on the road for the next three weeks. Next week they meet Corning with the great Bill “Smoke” Black pitching. The game begins at 1:00 in Corning.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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PREDICTIONS FOR 1975 – COMMIES THINK THEY HAVE AN MARTIAN – TOP MUSIC THIS WEEK

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Some predictions by the year 1975 - as told to the businessmen in the Washington DC area by the executive VP of the Chamber of Commerce – Arch Booth: You’ll be able to fly from Washington DC to Paris in less than three hours ... Your family car will be nuclear-powered and will be equipped with electronic devices that will see traffic conditions ahead plus “a brain” that will park the car for you ... For you ladies in the kitchen, you’ll never have to wash another dish or clean clothes - ultrasonic waves will do it for you. A twist of the dial and your clothes will automatically be pressed.  Enter a darkened room; wave your hand before a light control panel and suddenly the room will fill with light! Another wave emits colors of fluorescent tubes to blend or contrast with furniture or decorations. Automatic eyes will close windows and doors as the weather changes. Those same eyes will be able to control temperatures throughout the house.

E. Krinov, goes on Soviet radio to allay Russian fear that a Martian space ship had landed. Krinov, secretary of the meteorite committee of the Soviet Academy of Science told his radio audience that the Martian space ship was really a meteorite. The excitement was set off by a popular Soviet science magazine.

Pop music this week - “Dance With Me Henry”  - Georgia Gibbs, “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom” -Perez Prado, “The Crazy Otto” - Johnny Maddox, “Unchained Melody” - Les Baxter, “The Ballad Of Davy Crocket” - Fess Parker, “Play Me Hearts And Flowers” - Johnny Desmond, “The Breeze And I” – Caterina Valente, “Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup” - Nat King Cole.

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4/28/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS

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Thursday, April 28, 1955   Vol. C760

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LOCAL NEWS

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SPRING COMES TO EAST FAREWELL

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East Farewell- Spring has sprung in East Farewell.  The past week has been unseasonably warm and the mild temperatures has not only brought out the buds on the tress and flowers around the town, it has also brought out the strollers, bicycles and walkers taking advantage of the newly repaved walkways around Lake Charles.  The town is hoping for a banner summer season this year.  The past year saw a huge increase in applications for building permits for lakefront properties and many new homes and rentals have been completed since last year. 

            The walkways around the east end of the lake offer a wonderful break for anyone who wants to take in the beautiful scenery and the breezes off the lake.  The entire pathway system runs a little over two miles and runs between the newly renovated Lakefront Fun Pier and the ever popular Lakefront Plaza.  The main attraction of the walk is a new set of fountains placed at the foot of Lake Shore Drive.  They are powered by flow from the dam at the head of the lake.  There is a beautiful light display that accents the fountains and will surely be a main attraction for the summer crowds.

The whole town is anticipating the opening of the Fun Pier on Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer season.  The Pier underwent extensive renovations and rebuilding after the devastating tornado damage from 1952.  The pier has been open but only partially repaired while the owner, Sam Lendel, worked on new plans and searched for a new, larger, Ferris Wheel.  He was able to locate the one he wanted over the winter and had it shipped in from Italy.  While the cost was not disclosed many people believe it was close the $100,000 mark.  Other rides were either replaced or upgraded.  The carrousel has all new horses and poles along with a new motor drive system.  Lendel has set the Friday night at the beginning of the Holiday weekend as the grand reopening.

            At the other end of the walk is the Lakefront Plaza.  Anchored by the Lost Oasis Restaurant and bar, many galleries and craft shops have sprung up around the previously neglected part of town.  Many in town are referring to it as the “New Bohemia” East Farewell has always had a reputation as a cultural center and this new area has only reinforced that reputation.  The Arts Festival in August, formally the County Fair, is another event that puts East Farewell in the local spotlight as an art and cultural Mecca.   Along with artists and sculptors many musicians have found their way to East Farewell making for a lively music scene and a growing national recognition in the music arena.

            The forecast for the next week is for continued warmer weather with sunny days and mild nights; it looks like a beautiful spring in East Farewell.

Lakefront Plaza on Lake Charles

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SPORTS

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TRAVELERS OPEN NEW PARK WITH A WIN

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East Farewell- The beloved Travelers opened the 1955 season in their brand new ball park with a win over arch rival Slate Mountain.  It was a strong showing of both offense and defense in the 7-3 victory.  The afternoon started with a formal opening of the park.  Hosted by Town Council President, Tom Conally and officials from the league the new park looked clean and fittingly sporty. The seats are placed around the infield and all have clean sight lines.  The field is manicured and faces west-northwest so there is no late afternoon sun glare.  The opening game was a sell-out of 3,845.  The field has lights and almost half the games this season are scheduled for evening or night.

            The Travelers have not had a home field for over five seasons since the old stadium burned down in 1950.  “This is a beautiful place,” said an awe struck fan, Bernie, as he looked around the field before the beginning of the game.  Everyone in attendance held similar views.  The field is a welcome addition to the lakefront and sits just off edge so when there are long homeruns there will be people trolling the lake for souvenirs.  A small bat rental business has already set up shop at the main dock near Lake Shore Drive.

            The game itself belonged to the home team.  The Travelers led off the first inning with a three run blast by fan favorite, Johnny Cloos.  In a fitting way to open his season, Cloos hit a one strike, three ball green light that was the first ball to leave the yard.  The offense didn’t stop there.  Back to back home runs in the sixth by Arty Archibald and Billy Sweet added to the festivities.  The scoring was topped off by a two run double in the eighth by right fielder Ralph Francis.  Slate Mountain was able to avoid a shutout by scoring one in the eighth and two in the ninth but they really never posed any threat. 

            This was a great start for the Travelers; early reports have picked them to finish at the top of the league this season.  Most of the team is back this year, besides Cloos, Archibald, Sweet and Francis, pitchers Joe Nagy, Joe Alfred and “Mean Richie” Lane are returning.  Since 1950 the Travelers have won two league championships, 1950 & 1952.  If they win this year, and the season is still very young, they will be the only team in the league to have finished in the top three spots for the first half of the decade.  With the new ballpark open, the Travelers seem to be in a very strong position to challenge to league attendance record.  That record has been traditionally held by Corning which enjoys a much larger population and suburban area to draw fans from.

Opening Day at Travelers Park

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 NATIONAL NEWS

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IKE SAILS NUKE SHIP & THANKS SALK– CHOU AFTER FORMOSA – MUSIC NEWS

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President Eisenhower unveils plans to send a new atomic-powered merchant ship around the globe in a dramatic demonstration of America’s determination to win “a just and lasting peace.” The new vessel, the President said, will travel thousands of miles without refueling and “will demonstrate to people everywhere this peacetime use of atomic energy, harnessed for the improvement of human living.”

Dr. Jonas Salk (40), discoverer of the polio vaccine, meets President Eisenhower but it was the President who thanked him. “When I think of the thousands and thousands of parents, and grandparents who are hereafter to be spared so much anxiety and grief, I have no words to express adequately my thanks,” said the President to Dr. Salk.

Red China’s Chou En-Lai says Peiping will not give up the “sovereign right for liberate” Formosa even though it wants direct negotiations with the United States to ease tension in the area.

Music News - Stan Kenton will helm a summer CBS-TV show beginning July 7. Look for “Music ‘55” which replaces Ray Milland for the season.  Columbia Records cuts the price of single 78rpm records to 89cents. “The shellac business is still there” according to Columbia sales execs.  After his big Brooklyn rock ‘n’ roll show, Alan Freed takes it on the road – to Boston this week into the Leow’s State there. Immediately following, the show goes to Providence for three days.

Columbia Records - Won’t touch rock ‘n’ roll, but last month we reported they are adding more pop records with rhythm.  Head Mitch Miller wants to make it clear the label is thinking and doing product for the younger set, without rock. Particularly the subject of young love. Check out these releases:

Young and Foolish - Jo Stafford, Love Among the Young - Rosemary Clooney.  The label just signed Detroit’s well-known “Make Way For Youth” chorus. Another Country & Western regional “Jamboree” is the WRVA, Richmond (VA) “Old Dominion Barn Dance.  ABC-TV is bullish on hillbilly music show. It’s having terrific success with “Ozark Jubilee” it will expand it a half-hour to 90 minutes. ABC-TV will adding two hillbilly music shows - “The Pee Wee King Show” from WEWS-TV Cleveland (next week) and another show from Springfield, MO.

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