Thursday, January 29, 2015

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 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 SUITE – 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 Ms. 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 22, 2015

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 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 15, 2015

1/13/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, January 13, 1955   Vol. C498


LOCAL NEWS


NEW YEAR STARTS WITH LOTS OF PLANS ON THE TABLE


East Farewell – The New Year started with a lot of new plans on the table for town.  The much anticipated Public Transit System will be opening this year and there are lots of events scheduled for the year. Starting with the Valentine’s Day Social, the Bike Race around the Lake, the Playhouse is expecting another banner year with a full slate of plays to present, the Fourth of July celebration, an expanded Music, Art and Country Fair, the Circus has promised to come back to town in the fall, the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade and the year end Snow Festival are all on the agenda for this year.
            All the activities along with a new season for the Travelers make 1955 a year to look forward to. Most folks in town are optimistic and excited about the upcoming year. An informal poll by this paper asking people what they are hoping for in the coming year elicited some unusual ideas. When asked what she was looking forward to most, local Sue Logan said, “I am really looking forward to the new public transit system to open. I have to walk almost two miles to get to work. I can ride my bike but not when it rains, I can’t wait for that to open.”
            “I’m looking forward to the new season at the Playhouse,” replied Natalie Mallard when asked for her opinion, “I can’t wait to try out for some leading roles. I was in every show last year and there was even some out of town talent scouts in the audience. I think they will be back to see me again.”
            “I am just excited about this year, all the events and all the great people,” said Lost Oasis owner, Charles Wentz, “We like to set up outside when the weather is nice and the events during the summer and into the fall all make this one of the best places to live in the country. I mean it. It is the best!”
            It looks like everyone is anticipating a great year in East Farewell.


SPORTS


                COUGARS BACK IN ACTION BUT CAN’T SING WITH THE CANARIES


East Farewell – The Cougars got back into league action after the very successful Holiday tournament, in which they placed third, and took on a surprisingly improved Slate Mountain team on Tuesday. They lost in a heartbreaker, 33-34. The Canaries were not even expected to place in the top five of the league this year has surprised everyone so far this and are riding an undefeated run this season. They have a new center, Billy Davenport, who towers over everyone on the court at 6’3” except for Cougars center, Michael Watson who pushes 6’2”. The Davenport-Watson battle was the story of this game. While Davenport had the height senior star Watson had the experience and the game knowledge to make up for the shorter stature. Both play exceptional games each with double figures in both scoring and rebounds (22-13 for Davenport and 18-15 for Watson) and both played the whole game each ending with only four fouls. The game went back and forth with both teams showing spurts of brilliance but also plays that were marked by mistakes. The first half ended in a tie 12-12, with both sides seeming to be feeling out the other side. The second half was a little different with each team making runs with the Canaries jumping out to a 5 point lead and then the Cougars coming back with an eight straight point run. The game came down to the last minute with the Cougars ahead by one. The ball was batted out of bounds by Canaries guard, Lou Diamond, but on the inbounds play Diamond slipped in front of Cougars guard, Joey Welch, stole the ball and made a spectacular pass to Davenport under the basket who grabbed the ball, faked left and went right on Watson and was able to lay it in as time expired for the win.
            “Those kids came out of nowhere. We were caught by surprised by their improved play. I won’t lie to you, we were caught by surprise and it took us the whole first half to get a handle on their new game. That Davenport kid is going to be really good, he already is very good but he could be great. Lucky for us Michael was able to play with him and I think Michael’s experience really showed, but that last move, man, that was college level,” said Coach Wilson after the game.
            The Cougars meet the Wildcats next week for the second time this year. The Cougars won the first meeting by two and the Wildcats will be looking for revenge. The game is next Wednesday in Riverview beginning at 4:30PM.


 NATIONAL NEWS


IKE WANTS MORE RESERVES – PFIZER PATENTS TETRACYCLINE – MARILYN STARTS HER OWN COMPANY – GRANNY HIDES UNDER FLOOR FOR 53 DAYS


President Eisenhower asks Congress to adopt the Pentagon’s 5 million-man reserve plan to make the U.S. ready for the “ever present threat” of aggression.

Charles Pfizer & Co. announces it has received a patent for the drug antibiotic drug tetracycline.

The “new and different” Marilyn Monroe is revealed. For one, she has just formed her own corporation - “Marilyn Monroe Productions Inc.” She says she wants to “broaden her scope” and do new things - “I want to help produce such as television and all kinds of things.” Marilyn said she talked to Joe DiMaggio, her former husband by telephone over the holidays. “We’re goof friends” she said. She also said she has no contract with 20th-Century-Fox. Marilyn wasn’t happy with several of her recent pictures. She named “River of No Return’ and “No Business Like Show Business.”

20th -Century Fox says indeed, they still own Marilyn Monroe. “Marilyn Monroe has a firm contract with 20th- Century-Fox for her exclusive services until Aug. 8, 1958” said a spokesperson.

A 60-year-old woman lived 53 days in an 18-inch crevice between the floors of a Lincoln, Nebraska nursing home, eating peanut butter, raisins, salad dressing and mustard because she was afraid to go to a mental hospital.




Saturday, January 10, 2015

Time Shift 1/10/1955



         Ok, I hear you. I know I threw off the time-space continuum by jumping ahead last year. Sometimes you don’t realize the ramifications of your actions until after you have done them.  Having received numerous complaints about the time shift last year and how it fouled up their whole year (?) I have decided to return the calendar back to the original year alignment. Holy cow! It was only a year off, give me a break.

Anyway, starting next week I am going to run the 1955 year of the East Farewell News. This is a big year in town and even though it may seem like old news in more ways than one, this year is promising to be a big year in East Farewell.

So starting next week I am going to post the East Farewell News, 1955. Starting with the week of 1/13/1955 and moving on.  Be sure to visit each week to see the new and exciting developments in town and with all the people that inhabit this wonderful little Xanadu.

  Don’t forget to visit my website and listen to all my new tunes as well as watch all the videos from East Farewell.


  Enjoy, pass the word about my music and thanks.



Friday, January 2, 2015

12/29/1955

EAST FAREWELL NEWS


Thursday, December 29, 1955   Vol. C763


LOCAL NEWS


1955: EAST FAREWELL THE YEAR IN REVIEW


East Farewell- As 1955 draws to a close we will take a look back on a wonderful year in East Farewell. There were many highlights, a couple of sad events and many great traditions continued. Last January saw a new Public Arts exhibition with the huge snow sculptures on Lakefront Plaza. The Valentine’s Day Dance has become a much loved and anticipated yearly event and did not disappoint this year. One of the biggest public events was the opening of the Public Transit System. The Highway Commission has still not settled the highway exit issue which has been on again off again and is currently off. On the cultural side, the East Farewell Playhouse enjoyed its fourth immensely successful season in 1955. The Robert Tent designed golf course opened this year and has been drawing celebrities and world famous golfers since its debut.  The Easter Parade was another success. Strange sightings over Lake Charles in the early summer caused quite a stir. The 5th annual “Race Around the Lake” was a real crowd pleaser all around the Lake. The Fourth of July was a blast. The “informal” sailboat race on the lake will almost certainly become a tradition as will the hot-dog eating contest. The 10th Annual Music, Art and Country Fair was everything everyone expected and the Remote Radio Broadcast put the town in a national spotlight for an evening. Was all the fuss about Lake Charles’ own “Nessie” just Big Charlie? The Circus came back to town. Oktoberfest ran a bit long but no one complained. Who can forget the beloved Travelers clinching another championship, the third in five years. Is anyone saying dynasty? One of the biggest events of the year was the Thanksgiving Day Parade which gets bigger and better every year. The parade brought Santa and the snow has fallen on East Farewell. We at the East Farewell News thank all our readers for their continued support throughout the entire year and look forward to serving you next year and for many years in the future.


SPORTS


COUGARS SCRATCH WILDCATS


East Farewell – The Cougars were able to scratch out a solid win against a tough Riverview squad on Friday. The team worked together and was able to put their first notch in the win column with a 48-40 margin. It was a refreshing performance when compared to the mediocre performances in the previous outings. Center, Wilson Watson, picked up where he left off last week and took command of the center and scored a game high 22 points. He also was able to sweep the boards with 9 rebounds and even showed his teamwork skills by assisting in 8 points. “Willie was very good tonight,” said Coach Wilson, “I think he is starting to come into his own. You just wait and see, this kid is going to be good.”
            The Cougars took command early with a quick 10-4 lead and went on to end the first half leading 26-22. The Wildcats were only able to pull ahead once in the first half went they slipped by lagging Cougars, 18-15, with four minutes left in the first. The Cougars perked up and scored the next 7 points to regain the lead. The Cougar backcourt of Green and Conner showed some sparks and showed they were beginning to understand game control. The forwards, O’Hare and Reilly contributed a total of 16 points, 8 each, and were able to contain the Wildcats offense.
            The Wildcats did not roll over. They played an extremely strong game and their lead scorer, Hal Vogel, led the Wildcats with 20 but that was not enough to stop the suddenly hot Cougars. The Wildcats noted defense seemed off during the game and the team did not help themselves by committing 12 turnovers, a team and season high. “We couldn’t get on track tonight,” said Wildcat coach, Frank Gold, “we need to get back to basics. This wasn’t the team that usually shows up, we are much better than this. Those guys played a great game, I was very surprised. They caught us off guard and we couldn’t recover. It was a good win for them.”
            The Cougars host the 3rd Annual Winter Tournament next week and stay at home the following week when they host the Slate Mountain Canaries. The 3rd Annual Winter Tournament starts at 3:05PM in the school gymnasium.


 NATIONAL NEWS


IKE & MAMMIE HAVE AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS – POPE PIUS XII SENDS PEACE MESSAGE – AT THE MOVIES


The President and Mrs. Eisenhower spend their first old-fashioned family Christmas in the White House. The President started the day playing Santa for his grandchildren and ended it with a turkey dinner in the newly decorated State Dining Room.

In his annual Christmas message - Pope Pius Xii proposes a ban on all nuclear tests and an international agreement on disarmament to save the world from a man-made catastrophe.

At the movies -
The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell - Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy
Artists and Models - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Gentlemen Marry Brunettes - Jane Russell, Jeanne Crain
The Desperate Hours - Humphrey Bogart
I Died A Thousand Times - Jack Palance, Shelley Winters