Ring Out the Past...: Let me be one of the first to welcome you and yours to the new year.

The item following this text is a jpeg picture of one of the first "Views" pages published. It began as an email experiment - a toy - by myself. This particular issue (although not really the first) dates from 1-7-03. I was looking for a format for electronic publishing. It was, to say the least, brief.

After some trial and error I discovered that not everyone I sent this email to could read it all. AOL, for whatever reason, wouldn't pick up the photographs on some browsers. Then one night as I slept I concocted this brilliant idea about publishing a webpage that most, if not all, browsers could read. I have no idea as to the reason I didn't think of it in the first place.

Essentially the idea is/was to create an electronic weekly eZine concerning Vermilion using a format that would make weekly publication rather simple - much like that of a weekly newspaper form.

As time progresses and I become more accustomed to using the software I own the Zine looks better and better (almost professional at times).

In any case, this is what the idea looked like in its infancy:

Xmas Eve: For those in warmer climes or just away from home this is how Vermilion looked on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Although snow was predicted I was totally unaware of just how much snow was predicted. I thought we'd get 2 or 3 inches, but what we got was about six. The snowflakes were quite large. The streets were exceptionally slippery. And it was beautiful.

I wanted to get a photo of "downtown" during this storm. But for some reason my flashcard wouldn't work in my camera when I was there. I still haven't figured that out yet. When I got home to change the card I noted that the streets were so bad I thought better of driving back to get a pic and opted for what you see here.

What should be made clear here is that this pic was taken about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Note how dark it was.

Later that evening when our church had its candle-light and music service it made for a very wonderful Christmas atmosphere. The kind I remember when a youngster.

David Buell: Some time ago a friend, Tom Rodgers, was after me to ask another friend, one Dave Buell, if he still had any of his 35mm films of us when we were juvenile delinquents . Dave now lives in Michigan but comes to visit his sister who lives just up the street from me. After some time Dave gave me some film he found of us when we used to swim at the old stone quarry in Berlin Heights, Ohio and the slide picture you see above. It seems that most of his old movies of our gang were either ruined or stolen when someone broke into his place in Michigan and the film and this slide is all that remained.

I passed the stuff on to Tom and he had a Video tape made of the film and sent me a copy. It ain't much. But the memories remain.

The slide photograph is very telling (to me). Here is young Dave in his driveway of their home at the very west end of South Street. What impresses me the most in this pic is the 1950's vintage Studebaker behind him. I have very vivid memories of that car. Not only were Studebaker's good cars - they were fast. More than once Dave would get that car from his parents, we'd all jump in and go whirling around the countryside sometimes at speeds of 120 mph. And we never batted an eye. We're lucky we're alive.

I would mention that I just made this photograph legible this morning by using the Lightlid 35 Calibrator on my scanner. I scanned it 300 psi for inkjet printing, reduced it substantially, and saved it as a jpeg so that I could use it on this page. I mention this because the original scan at 72 psi would have been legible but not recognizable/clear.I had to tweek it some to get this the way you see it. It took about an hour and a half. This whole business can get somewhat complicated.

Campgrounds: I pulled this pic off EBay a day or so ago. It is a postcard. The orginal doesn't show as pretty as this copy. It also (as one can see) doesn't specify where the photograph was taken. But I do recognize the place. Essentially it was taken along the river bank in about the middle of what is now known as the Olympic Outing Club off West River Road in Vermilion. I don't believe I could ever mistake that shalebank on the right/west side of the pic.

Across the stream, on the east bank, today is the Maple Grove Campground. Assuming that his photo was taken in the early part of the 20th century the property then belonged to the Moes Family, and the property from where the picture was taken was the early Olympic Club campground - tents and all.

It really is a gorgeous photograph.

Poetic License: I, along with many others, am not a stranger to this particular view of downtown Vermilion taken in the 1930's. This is one of my grandfather's (Pearl Roscoe's) photos. And here's a bit of news folks; the original was not a night photo. Roscoe, to my knowledge, didn't do any night pix. Neither did he do any of the "doctoring" that was eventually done to many of his pictures himself. I know of only one photo of that nature for which he might have been directly responsible.

I've seen the original for this portrait and it is interesting by itself - but the night feature added something. I further added or detracted from it by intensifying the blues in the picture. Like this it reminds me of a Van Gogh painting.

Class Reunion Updates: For members of the Vermilion High School Class of 1959 know I reiterate this week 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 2004 here in Vermilion. Dianna Hoff who is on the Committee (1964) emailed me to let me know that a barbeque/picnic will be held at the VFW Post on Poorman Road on Saturday, August 14th, 2004. That same evening a dinner/dance will be held at the AMVETS Post on Route 60.

Dale Wendell (out in Arizona) mentioned to me that his class (VHS 1944) will also be having a reunion this summer. I have no further details on that.

As I am made aware of plans for all these activities they'll appear on this web page. So stay tuned.

The Beat Goes On: The page is generated by 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

"I will not defame New Orleans." ~ Bart Simpson

Vol.1, Issue 40, December 27, 2003

© 2003 Rich Tarrant