KEEPING THE HOMEFIRES BURNING: T'wasn't sure how this photo would develop. But it says what I want.
Coming home late from a meeting I take the pooch out into the backyard, and wait for the cat to come in for the evening. It's cold now and the cat doesn't like it.
I turn back to the house and look into the family room. This is (essentially) what I see. It's cozy and warm. Nothing extravagent. Just a place to relax; read the paper, watch tv. We're surrounded by things we love; the paintings/pictures on the walls; our animals (dog, cat, bird, fish), our plants, etc. This is where we spend most of our time at home. Actually we don't need much more room than what one sees in this photo.
What I wanted to express here is the warmth. There's something real comforting about coming home on a cold evening and looking through a window at the place you call home.It begs a finer description.
BIRMINGHAM LADY: This photograph was contained in a photo that appeared in last week's edition of "Views". It was a pic (courtesy of Dale Hohler) of Birmingham looking east at the old mill on Mill Street with the covered bridge in the background. In the foreground was a lady leaning on a fence. This is that lady. It makes a beautiful portrait by itself. It causes me to wonder who she was, and what she was doing. Did she just happen to pause by the fence to look at the river beyond the mill barn? Was she the photographer's lady posing - just to make the pic more interesting?
In her right hand she holds a kerchief. She is dressed rather formally. These were not clothes that would be worn on a daily basis by a mother or working woman. The slow shuttered clarity of many of these 19th and early 20th century photographs is something I greatly admire. Contemporary photography is not, generally, as detailed as these old photos.
(Very nice stuff.)
ROUNDBALL CHAMPS: Early in the year of 1946 these were Vermilion High School's champeen basketball players. They brought home the trophy for winning the Erie County Basketball Tournament after they beat Berlin Heights with a decisive 42-33 win. The last time the VHS Sailors had captured that trophy was in 1941.
I knew Carl Blaser, Art Crow, and Dick West to some extent. They were among those who stayed about town long after this picture was taken. Of those three Art Crow is the only one still living. I recognize the others by their names, but never knew them personally.
I took this pic from the April 2, 1946 edition of the VHS newspaper, The Compass. Another article that caught me eye in this edition was a note about an amateur show that took place in the South Street auditorium on March 15th before a crowd of some 500 people. Hosting the show were two fellows by the names of Pie Plant Pete and Bashful Harmonica Joe. They were regional radio personalites from WJW Radio during the '40's.
One recollection I own from my early childhood was hearing these two fellows on the radio singing something like, "We are Pie PLant Pete, Bashful Joe, and Mr. Guppy..."
I can't imagine what these clowns might have actually looked like. Before television radio was big, and it was the sound of one's voice that made a radio personality.
OOC CUTIES: While on the subject of sports and that of sports - here is an amusing pic from the 1930's of one of the Olympic Outing Club's infamous baseball teams.
This pic was, most likely, taken on what they used to call "Vermilion Day". It was a day when the OOC Club members invited all of Vermilion to come to their grounds for a picnic and games. One of the games (obviously) was that of baseball. The OOC men would challenge the men of Vermilion to a game.
One thing that should never be lost as time passes is the fact that the Olympic Club was originally (and well into the 1980's) a men's club. Women could not hold a membership. At one time women were only allowed on the grounds during the annual vacation week that was usually around (or during) the 4th of July.
Club members were always game for a great deal of fun. I would add that not much has changed (other than the fact that women are now allowed to be members) since this photo was taken. The love for this club and the love of fun among it's members is an inherent fact.
Time does not exist there.
BACK TO BIRMINGHAM: This is another pic of Birmingham from my friend Dale Hohler. (Just a note about Dale; folks should understand that Dale is a collector of historic artifacts. He lives in Milan.) I'm not familiar with this particular picture. But it sure is nice.
I don't know very much about Birmingham except to say that it was once a rather important agricultural center. Here were the stores, the mill, churches, and the school for the rural Erie/Lorain County population(s). The Masonic Lodge (in the pic) was a meaningful part of community life for many Americans throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Grocery and hardware stores in such settlements were requisite to the general welfare of the surrounding farms. I note that the store on the left side of the building is selling something called Coca Cola.
I'd sincerely appreciate knowing more about these stores. So if anyone (out there) has something to share...
CLASS REUNION UPDATES:
Ray Beursken tells me that the VHS class of 1955 has scheduled their 50th class reunion on September 10, 2005 at the Boat Club. Class members of 1955 should put this date on their calendar. They're hoping for a good turnout.
A gal named Shelly from the Class of 1985 tells me that "the VHS class of 1985 will be having a 20 year reunion in the summer of 2005......no further details. The name of the organizer is Kim Schultz."
From Roger Boughton comes the following note. His class just celebrated their reunion earlier this month (October): Some classmates have inquired if there are pictures available from our reunion weekend. Yes, and if classmates would send copies to me either through the internet or mail I'll make sure they are placed on our web site for all to see. This would be helpful to those who were not present but would like to see pictures of classmates who were present. Jessie Spring (Sharon Stark) and Mary Lou send their regards and promise to be at our next reunion when ever that might be. There has also been some discussion as to when to hold our next reunion and if we should move it around the country. We'll have a questionnaire that will come out within the next 30-90 days providing you an opportunity to respond and provide your views on what should happen next. Remember our web site is located at: Class of '59 and I'll update it as soon as I receive enough new pictures and information from our classmates to make it worth reading. So send me any information that you would like to share with other classmates and we'll put it up for all to see and view.
Persons interested in having their VHS (and vicinity) reunion plans posted on this site are welcome to do so. I can't provide anyone with webpages to post their activities in depth, but I can provide a link to existing pages and/or post some activity items here. All anyone need do is contact me at my email address and pass along their material electronically.
As news regarding VHS reunion activities comes to my attention it will appear on this web page. So stay tuned folks.
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 check the new archives links below.
Links to other sites on the Web
Vol.2, Issue 34, November 13, 2004
© 2004 Rich Tarrant