Almost Ready: Here among my toys; my sailboats and model cars is our Christmas Tree readied for the big day. I hope all of you are ready. This year I did something I've never done before. I've done all my shopping on the net. T'was a day when I wouldn't have thunk of doing such a thing. It surely beats the Dickens (no pun intended) out of slogging through the malls with the crowds of hacking/coughing folk. Now my gifts are delivered at the door. Great!

Here's one other thing. Today, in downtown Vermilion, some gun nuts have decided to make a statement by walking around (supposedly shopping) with their guns in their holsters. They're trying to make a statement.

Here's my statement: "I don't shop where shoppers wear weapons." I'm safe at home. The shopkeepers can take that to the bank.

Wilbur and Orville: This week folks celebrated the 100th birthday of the Wright Brothers first flight at Kittyhawk. Unfortunately the reenactment (of the flight) was a dismal failure. I believe I knew this was going to be difficult. Somewhere I'd read where the original Wright aircraft drawings/plans did not reflect the craft they actually used to make the flight. Alterations had to be made to make the original experiment successful and apparently the blueprints were never altered to show exactly how the plane was put together. If I'm not mistaken it was well known that the replica in the Smithsonian was not air worthy. But in any case, it's really hard to believe that man has only been flying for a century.

Edson Woods: Between the Conrail Tracks to both the north and south on the west side of Vermilion lies Edson Woods. The creek winds through the woods, under the railroad tracks, and then flows into Lake Erie. Within the older part of the city there is no other area like it. It is much the same as it was when I was a boy.

Therein did my friends and I spend entire summers and portions of winter days. It is a boy's dream.

In the summer we waded in the waters, swung from heavy vines overlooking the stream, played cowboys, and hid from one another. At night we slept beneath the stars, roasting sweetcorn in the coals of our campfire, and wandered through the town as it slept. In the winter we explored the landscape hidden by a heavy snow, and sledded on the hill clearing skidding across the frozen creek.

I live very near the wood now. The place were our house stands was but an overgrown field back then where I hunted innocent songbirds with my trusty air rifle. I hope that many other young boys have a similar opportunity to enjoy the wood as did we.

Southwest Fish: Long gone from the riverfront between the L.S.E. (electric) bridge and the Vermilion River Bridge was the Southwest Fishing Company. Owned and operated by Captain Ed Lampe, it was a thriving business when my grandfather, Pearl Roscoe, took this photo. Note the round ice-house behind the river buildings. It was a very unusual structure. At some point in time it burned down. And unphased by disasters (because he weathered many of them) Big Ed rebuilt and went on with business as usual.

This photograph shows workers cutting blocks of ice from the river to be placed on a conveyor and stored in the ice-house. Originally the pic was used as an advertisement in The Vermilion News. This is the reason the lower left corner of it is blank. My grandfather was being creative and had made a collage of sorts for the ad that appeared in print.

Those too young to understand why anyone would cut ice from the river to use in the fish house should know that back then the type of refridgeration needed to store the fish was not yet available. Sometimes ice had to be imported to Vermilion from other spots along the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Canada.

The Linotype: Some, but very few, people will know what this lady is doing. Her name is Ethel Eddy and she's typing copy for The Vermilion News on a machine called a Linotype. This required more skill than using a typewriter because the keys on the machine are not in the same order as those on a typewriter.

The operator would tap in the letters/words for the copy, metal keys would drop into a form, and those keys would cast lines of copy in the surface of a small lead piece that would be set in forms to be printed. Todays printing methods and computers make this sort of printing completely obsolete. But at the time it was used it was state of the art.

The particular linotype machine still exists (and is probably operable) exactly where you see it in this picture. Even the chair upon which this lady sits remains.

My sister, Nancy, is most likely one of a very few number of people who know how to run this machine with any efficiency. She still exists too.

On The River: This is just something I picked up on the net showing the activities on the river back in the late 1950's and/or early '60's. Note the wooden vessels which are all but gone from both the river and the lake today - replaced by fiberglass and aluminum.

My true motive for using this photo is to let members of the Vermilion High School Class of 1959 know that their class reunion will be held between October 8 and 10, 2004 here in town. Those looking for more information on the subject can now visit the Class of '59 website by clicking on the highlighted text.

In addition to this the VHS Classes' of 1963-64-65 will be having their class reunion(s) together on August 14 through 16, 2004 here in Vermilion. Details of that particular event will be made available as they develop.

The Beat Goes On: The page is generatedby the dreaded Macintosh Computer and is written and designed by (me) Rich Tarrant. It will change weekly ~ usually on Saturday. Bookmark the URL (Universal Resource Locater) and come back at your own leisure. Send the page to your friends (and enemies if you wish). If you have something to share with those who visit this page, pass it on. And if you see something that is in need of correction do the same. My sister, Nancy, is a great help in that respect. It only takes me a week to get things right. And follow the bookmarks. You might find something you like. If you experience a problem with them let me know. Also, if you want to see past editions of this eZine let me know and I'll send them to you.

Links to other sites on the Web

Vermilion Ohio Historic Pix
History of Linwood Park
Vermilion Community Orchestra
Vermilion Chamber of Commerce
Vermilion's Oldest Church
Vermilion Visitor's Advisory (Satire)
Gore Orphanage History
The Lester Pelton Story

"The Christmas Pageant does not stink." ~ Bart Simpson

Vol.1, Issue 39, December 20, 2003

© 2003 Rich Tarrant