December 3, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent
Continuing a tradition that began in the late 1940's, Santa tours the Twin Cities, courtesy of his friends in the Fire Department, handing out treats everywhere he goes.
December 22, 1980, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
December 24, 1980, Twin City News-Record
Santa definitely gets around and is sure to be the most popular elf in the room, guaranteed. It is reassuring to note that despite all the technology associated with our modern way of living, it has been proven time and again that the direct route to Santa is the right one. Who can argue with bending his ear in person? And it might end up with you walking out of there with a candy cane to boot.
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December 15, 1949, Twin City News-Record
Despite how old this technology looks, it really was state-of-the-art for its time. Plastic cabinetry, automatic shut-offs, battery power that allowed portability. It was a teenager's dream come true.
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December 15, 1949, Twin City News-Record
Christmas gift ideas from Moon's Jewelers, back when pens were fine writing instruments instead of throwaways and watches did one thing...they told time while also letting the recipient know that they were considered special.
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December 15, 1949, Twin City News-Record
If you needed a gift for your teacher, what could be easier than getting handkerchiefs? I swear my elementary school teachers must have had enough hankies to outfit an army after my token gift and the many others from my classmates.
December 15, 1949, Twin City News-Record
I recall having ice cream like this as a kid and marveling at how they managed to get a tree inside the ice cream. Guess I was a few years away from understanding the nuances of molds and other tricks to get special effects in cooking. Even if I had understood it at the time, I still would have been impressed.
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November 26, 1968, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Here's wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving and hoping that what's on your table rivals what was on the Hotel Menasha's menu back in 1968. Please take some time to reflect on all the blessings bestowed upon our lives, big and small. For myself, I give my sincerest thanks to you. Your generous enthusiasm for Menasha history inspires me to seek out more and more interesting aspects of this great town of ours to share with you.
November 19, 1948, Menasha Record
While it wasn't brewed in our town, everyone in the Fox Valley was still familiar with this beer. I'm not sure what "the taste of our region" really was, but still it's a great ad gimmick to counter any arguments that Chief Oshkosh didn't taste like those big city Milwaukee beers.
November 18, 1978, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
As we continue this week's theme of Thanksgiving-related projects and events, we hearken back to that cornerstone of all November school art projects, the depictions of the history of the holiday. I believe student depictions of Pilgrims interacting with Native Americans is second only to drawing a turkey by outlining your hand.
November 23, 1948, Menasha Record
Linsdau's makes a good argument to gift the host or hostess with flowers or even a plant as a thanks for Thanksgiving dinner. And it avoids the faux pas of bringing the wrong bottle of wine, or even offending them if they don't drink.
November 26, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
We start the week on a pleasant note with memories of the Santa parade. And occasionally we encounter friends, new and old, which underscores the obvious fun. Life is like that sometimes.
November 12, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Today being Veterans Day, please take a moment to remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women who have given of their lives to keep us all safe and free.
November 13, 1983, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Marine Corps veterans speak their peace about patriotism and love of country in advance of Veterans Day. It was a different era when these vets were interviewed; the atmosphere seems more politically charged now when it comes to these subjects. After twenty years of war overseas and having lived through the controversies surrounding kneeling during the national anthem and other civil disturbances, one wonders what their viewpoints would be now. No one will argue that flag waving is nice, but these vets were the truest of patriots for the service they provided.
November 8, 1961, Oshkosh Northwestern
Humorous take by the Northwestern regarding the always out-there tensions between Neenah and Menasha and likening it to the then-current Berlin Wall being built.
November 4, 1958, Twin City News-Record
Heed Edmund Burke's prophetic words. Vote. No matter what your party is, vote. No matter how much you feel your side has it "in the bag", vote. Be a part of the democratic process and vote.
November 24, 1999, Twin City News-Record
These "Back in Time" compilations are pretty neat. From the archives of over a hundred years ago, we continue to learn something new. Today's new word..."footpad." As used in the first paragraph, a footpad is a robber who does so on foot, usually victimizing pedestrians. His counterpart is the "highwayman," a robber on horseback, and one who is considered of a higher level, that is, as thieves go. I will admit, I was aware of the term highwayman but had never heard footpad until today. From my research, the word was popular until the 19th century, then fell out of favor, for whatever reasons.
Plus, we get a swell Island view of the area between Ahnaip Street and Nicolet Boulevard from the vantage point of the Walter Brothers Brewery..
November 5, 1940, Menasha Record
Local theaters get in on the fun, using the national election to pull in customers. Gimmicks ruled. Remember, this was an era when they gave dishes away at theaters, among other goods. So, what could be better than the chance for a free movie ticket, especially when the odds are fifty-fifty, though knowing the politics of the time could certainly move the needle in one's favor. And just a side note, don't the prices for The Man Who Came to Dinner seem exorbitant for 1940? I'd read that a movie ticket was a quarter during the 1940s. So even if it IS one night only, that's still a hefty price.
November 4, 1958, Twin-City News-Record
The alley behind Main Street houses the finest 1950s era service trucks and vans available to come service your television or antenna needs. Remember the days of coming home to an empty tv cabinet because the repair man had to take the picture tube back to the shop? That was traumatic for this little boy. That's an era we'll never see again. It disappeared along with those tube testing machines that some grocery and drug stores had. I distinctly remember the Food Queen in Neenah having one.
November 2, 1959, Twin City News-Record
Local schools held Halloween parties and the winners are shown above, for best costumes. Despite the need to have a contest, really, all the kids were winners as how can you put a value on getting free candy?
October 1, 1990, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
The "isolated" outpost cities of Neenah and Menasha turned out to be profound for these gentlemen- not only in their quality of living, but for the revolutionary ways in which they learned their trade in the packaging business. The business world after World War II was extraordinary in the excitement generated for new products, new media, and inventive new ways to harness the technological advances that were a by-product of war technology. Avant garde ideas were massaged in unconventional training programs. The result was an executive pool who could react to these new-fangled ideas being birthed daily and monetize them exclusively to their companies' advantage. We don't often think of the Twin Cities as being ground zero for such free thinking, but here is the proof.
October 25, 1983, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
If I were the kids in this tour, I would have eaten this up with a spoon. Of course this was closer to my era when kids still played "Army" for real in their yards, instead of shooting enemies on a screen. It was a time when toy guns were cherished because they looked and sounded as as real as possible, no orange plugs on their ends to denote their toy status. It's a different world now, one where no 10 year old can saunter anymore into a five and dime and come out with rolls of caps for his cowboy pistol. No matter that five and dimes have gone the way of the dinosaur; the political climate wouldn't support kids doing that anyway.
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October 10, 1979, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
Seeing a vehicle like this must have been a surprise to passing Neenah-Menasha motorists of all persuasions. With the Twin Cities not being military towns per se, I myself would have done a double take at the sight of it. At least the author of this piece knew it was an armored personnel carrier; too often, a thing like this is often mistaken for a tank by the civilian populace, mostly due to its armor and its tracks.
October 19, 1988, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
With Halloween just seven days away, scenes like this are routine by now. Just a friendly reminder from your local blogmaster that it is time to get your candy if you plan to answer your door for the little ghosts and goblins who'll be making a visit one week from tonight.
October 28, 1935, Menasha Record
As a boy, I can remember being severely scolded if I ever muttered the word "hell" in my parents' presence outside of a religious context. And that was in the 60's. So I find it a bit incongruous that the word is being used for this "sensational featurette" in the 1930's. Maybe my parents were more conservative when it came to such things; perhaps they were just trying to keep me from graduating to more offensive words! But I am also keenly aware of the old adage "War is Hell" and the expression "Come Hell or high water" so its use isn't totally off my radar. Not having a good reference to culture in the 1930s, it just makes me wonder where they drew the line. Remember that Clark Gable saying "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" in Gone With the Wind four years later was a monumental in-road against movie censorship of the time. And of course, today, anything goes, but I still wonder about such things.
October 25, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent
These zealous young athletes look so determined. No matter that it is touch football, these kids are truly into the game. No uniforms and no specialty gear like you'd find today, just kids in t-shirts and sweatshirts and blue jeans having a good time. Even their sneakers are rudimentary- Chuck Taylors or PF Flyers or Red Ball Jets (remember those?) What a great time.
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October 25, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
October 8, 1973, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
The month of October brings leaves burning, Halloween decorations, and thoughts of Homecoming at local high schools. A victory is always a nice plus, but the joy associated with the floats, the pep rallies, the bonfires, and the dances are enough to set the event off as special in the hearts of students and alumni alike. Enthusiasm and excitement reign, even more so than the Homecoming King and Queen.
October 1, 1907, Menasha Record
The illustration shows a phonograph that play cylinders, though the copy mentions records. Don't be confused; the cylinders were still referred to as records, unlike the flat discs we associate the term with. Flat discs were introduced to the public around this time and the cylinder market was largely abandoned in favor of disc records by competing companies around 1912, leaving Edison as the only supplier. Cylinders had been in play since the 1890s, but they allowed only two minutes recording time while discs of this era offered four minutes and the public saw discs as a better value. (The whole affair is reminiscent of the old VHS vs. Beta video tape contest in the 70s and 80s.) In time, Edison saw the handwriting on the wall and marketed a disc playing phonograph of his own in 1913 but continued to manufacture cylinders until 1929.
October 28, 1935, Menasha Record
Yes, it's only October but it's not too early to get ready for Christmas by getting those pesky little requirements out of the way, to include things like Christmas cards. Even in 1935, people were not waiting until the last minute.
October 6, 1956, Twin City News-Record
Unlike the famous Ohio State marching band spelling out "Ohio" with the big honor being the musician who gets to dot the "I", Menasha didn't have such an obvious honor. Maybe it was the person who was in the middle downward angle of the "M"? Whatever the case, I just hope someone checked the field after the Neenah part of the program. There's no telling (ahem) what those horseback riders left behind. Just sayin'.
October 11, 1945, Appleton Post-Crescent
October 12, 1935, Oshkosh Northwestern
Back when Christopher Columbus was more universally revered, school children marked the day with pageants and programs that celebrated the man's achievements in exploring. In today's politically correct world, still having a holiday in his name is a point of contention. And as you know, the blog does not intend to stir up discord but merely to reflect on the historical record of days past.
October 8, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
October 22, 1970, Twin City News-Record
This being October, it means Halloween, among other things. So we may as well get into the spirit of the season, despite the early date on the calendar. After all, the trees are turning, the area lawns are rife with black and orange Halloween decorations, some frivolous, some hideous, but all in the spirit of fun...or terror, if that's your bag. I'm sure we'll revisit this holiday before the month..."expires." (Cue the scary laugh...Bwahahahahahaha!)
October 25, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern
As school projects go, this was more attractive an idea than constructing papier mache maps or cooking meat pies! At least to yours truly at that age. But needless to say, it was a bit of an engineering feat that probably caused the class to say, "tres magnifique!"