Other things only a Clevelander would know/appreciate (Lorain, Elyria: elementary schools, gym)

[dmikulec]

Originally Posted by rugercaptain

Unfortunately, I can say that I'm old enough to remember most of the things mentioned in this thread. ...

Well, I'll just go ahead and admit it here. I was born in Cleveland in 1960 and lived there until 1974. Mostly around Brookpark, Fairview Park and Bedford.

[rugercaptain]

Originally Posted by dmikulec

Well, I'll just go ahead and admit it here. I was born in Cleveland in 1960 and lived there until 1974. Mostly around Brookpark, Fairview Park and Bedford.

1961 here, Sandusky born and raised. I'm studying law in Cleveland now, and will be moving to a west-side suburb soon.

[exclevelander]

Originally Posted by rugercaptain

Wasn't Polka Varieties on at 2:00 Sunday afternoons on Channel 5, WEWS?

Holy cow, I haven't thought about that in years. Not that I watched that show, but I do remember flipping past it when changing channels on Sunday afternoons as a kid. Wasn't it broadcast right after the Gene Carroll show? (remember THAT one?)

Anyone remember when Severance Mall was a huge full-sized mall (is it still there, wasn't it torn down and made into some sort of outdoor open-air mall?) I remember the huge water fountain in the center surrounded by a huge red-brick circular bench. And anyone remember Pappy Parker's Fried Chicken at Severance?

Or the old Cedar Center stores that are long gone: Scotts 5 & 10, Bi-Rite, Guinta's (if that's even spelled right). Skalls. Mawby's.

[troika76]

I've seen the name Jungle Larry pop up a few times in the forum. There's now a place where you can share your memories and photos of Jungle Larry & Safari Jane.

[BuckeyezRule]

Yes, all those things are making me homesick. My Mom & Dad just ate at Arthur Treachers last night. But, DH & I call it Armed Creatures. LOL The stupid names people come up w/ that stick. LOL Oh, gosh, Lawson's dip! &, geez, the playoffs, I was in grade school then, & still remember crying as if it were yesterday! =( Yes, heartbreak is the best way to describe Cleveland sports. But, I guess it's better to at least get to the playoffs & lose, then to not even make it. I miss Akron.

[hokiejane]

In case anyone else out there is old enough to remember the horrendous storm we had on July 4, 1969, I found a write-up on it. I'd never heard the term "derecho" before, and hope I never have cause to hear it again. I was very young at the time, and that storm is still vivid in my memory.

The Ohio Fireworks Derecho


RIP Gib Shanley.

[BuckeyezRule]

Very interesting. I wasn't born then, & I really don't remember any of the more recent ones either. =( I do remember the bad storm w/ alot of wind we had in '93. I was graduating at the Civic in downtown Akron, & the door was blown open! LOL The destruction when we left was pretty bad. =(

[normie]

Originally Posted by exclevelander

Holy cow, I haven't thought about that in years. Not that I watched that show, but I do remember flipping past it when changing channels on Sunday afternoons as a kid. Wasn't it broadcast right after the Gene Carroll show? (remember THAT one?)

Anyone remember when Severance Mall was a huge full-sized mall (is it still there, wasn't it torn down and made into some sort of outdoor open-air mall?) I remember the huge water fountain in the center surrounded by a huge red-brick circular bench. And anyone remember Pappy Parker's Fried Chicken at Severance?

Or the old Cedar Center stores that are long gone: Scotts 5 & 10, Bi-Rite, Guinta's (if that's even spelled right). Skalls. Mawby's.

You must have lived in Cleveland Heights. I remember all those things very clearly.

The Gene Carroll show? The kids on my street had this fantasy that we were going to go on that show. We were 10, as I recall. It was an ironic fantasy, we were just kidding. I think. We called our group the "rock and roses" and we wanted to do a version of "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies.

Severance Center. Boy, I have a bunch of memories about that place. I remember all the protests when they tore down the old mansion to build it in the first place. I remember that they rented out the stores on the Higbees side first, and on the Halles side they built an "Alice in Wonderland" maze that stayed up until the stores were rented on that side. I remember Millie Gs was a trendy boutique run by the daughter of Mr. Milgrim... who owned the Milgrim's store next door.

Pappy Parker's Fried Chicken was delicious but my parents would never let us eat at the French Cafe near Halles--they ate there once and were served blue french fries. Fairfax elementary school would take the winner of the paper drive on a field trip there to view the student art put up for the "May Show."

By the way, if you wanted something really delicious you went to Hough Bakery. I still remember the lamb cake at Easter.

Cedar-Lee. Can't believe Bi-Rite and Scotts 5&10 are gone, those were fixtures of the neighborhood. (I haven't been in Cleveland Hts since 1976, as you can probably tell). There was a dance studio near the parking lot that was the scene of a few scandals back in the 60's.

But the big scandal was when Arthur Treacher's opened across from the high school. It was the first (and very quickly became the only) fast food restaurant allowed in Cleveland Hts.

Oddly, there was no scandal at all about Mother's, the hippy store that sold groooooovy posters and bongs. Or maybe the parents kept us kids from finding out.

And speaking about scandals I recall a big scandal about the mural on the back wall of Cedar-Lee. It's probably not even there anymore. It was supposed to be a scene of children wearing t-shirts that said "Cedar-Lee" but the artist misunderstood and painted t-shirts that said "Cedar Point." Then he refused to redo it unless he was paid more.

It was all over the Sun Press for a while. Is the Sun Press even still around?

[hairmetal4ever]

Originally Posted by twange

Here's a few:

1. Kid Leo
2. Lawsons (you can still see all of those distinctive, ugly buildings everywhere...but now they're Dairy Marts, etc...)
3. Jose Mesa
4. Barnaby
5. Beaucoup (anyone remember that 80s band?)
6. "Garfield1-2323" jingle
7. "Riverfest"..the city screwed up big time by cancelling that thing
8. "Miracle of Richfield"
9. The Colliseum
10. 10 cent beer night
11. Who killed Danny Greene?

p.s. Superhost Rocked...and the "certain ethnic" jokes on Big Chuck and Houlihan/Little John we're hilarious

I'm from Akron but know all these! Sometimes I get homesick.

[normie]

Some of you may remember a big fuss in Cleveland Hts. during the 1970s when they tore down 4 elementary schools and a high school. All of these schools had been classic brick buildings from the 1920s. They were beautiful pieces of architecture... and the new buildings were, ummm, not attractive. Not attractive at all. Butt ugly, actually.

It was the era of the "Open Classroom" you see, and the new school buildings were "mod." That's what they called it at the time, any way. They were also ugly, clunky, and noisy. The worst feature? They had large gathering rooms (several classes in each, without classroom walls).

To this day, those mod buildings are reviled (and deservedly so). But, I have a slightly different memory about the old "classic" buildings. When I read accounts about the episode, it sounds like historians think the schools were torn down just because it was the 70's and everyone wanted to be "mod."

What I remember was a general hysteria for about a year before they decided to tear down the schools. People were adamant about wanting new, modern design. I started reading the Sun Press avidly becuase there were all these letter about tearing down my school. I read dozens of letters from people who considered themselves "hip happening" designers and other people who supported this movement. And it was also about sexism and changing the world through architecture. I remember people getting upset that the classic buildings had boys' entrances and girls entrances and how the new modern buildings would "expand our minds and teach children to be free."

But... one thing that has been forgotten is there was a practical reason people hated the classic buildings. They were pretty, but those buildings needed to be torn down. They were in horrible shape. I remember when the ceiling of the auditorium collapsed in Fairfax Elementary School. A few months later they had another structural emergency and we had to evacuate the school immediately. I was in gym class, wearing gym clothes, and we were rushed out onto the street in the middle of winter. Thank god a neighbor let us in to keep warm.

Despite all this, I miss those old buildings. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. They were beautiful.