TIL (Today I Learned....)

July 20, 1994, Twin City News-Record

I found this photo in one of those "Back in Time" columns in the News-Record.  I had used this photo before in my first book and may have even featured it in this blog.  But until I read the caption today, I did not remember that the old fountain from the Hotel Menasha's addition had been moved to the Smith Park gardens.  I've since found reference to it in the book, Memories of Doty Island - A Link Between Two Cities.   

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Dear Readers, I am taking the next week off from the blog so I shall see you back here on Tuesday, September 4th.  Until then, enjoy your week (and your holiday weekend.) 

Where Might This Be?

August 25, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

I remember these flower boxes along Main Street.  Just wondering where this one was, based on the background.  It looks to be a house so I'm guessing it had to be on Main between the old Bank of Menasha and Tayco Street. 

...With a Quiet Gayety

August 15, 1945, Menasha Record

Menasha celebrates the war's end downtown, in a calm manner.  I'd have liked to have seen this in action-  a mixture of happiness, shock, dismay, sorrow, and relief that the effort had come to its conclusion.  As they awaited the troops' return home, the citizens of Menasha prepared for a period of adjustment.  They all wondered...could things ever be the same as before the war? 

Why Take Chances?

August 22, 1932, Menasha Record

While the company's reputation as a fine funeral home precedes it, some might have taken exception with the idea of an ambulance from the same concern.  The idea raises all sorts of potential for macabre jokes.

Shoers for Forty-Two Years

August 22, 1918, Menasha Record

Since 1876, Tuchscherer's brought style to Menasha, an example of which is shown above.  For over one hundred years the store on the corner of Mill and Main kept our feet in stylish, and functional, condition.  Before that location, the shoe store had a presence nearer the old circle, where Menasha Furniture used to be, at Milwaukee and Chute Streets.  Earlier this year, we detailed the end of this business in 1987:  https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-other-shoe-drops.html

A Cool Refreshing Beverage

August 12, 1939, Menasha Record

$1.60 per case?  Granted, this was the 1930's but that price seems amazing.  AND...they deliver until 10 pm, in case you didn't plan ahead.  Check out.that phone number.  It's 2.  2, mind you!  If I remember correctly, 1 was the number for the Hotel Menasha.  So, 2 went to the brewery?  Glad our priorities were straight. 

Blackout

August 21, 1942, Menasha Record

About the time my father was about to get his induction notice, Menasha began planning blackout drills to comply with the common fear that we could be bombed the same way London had been. All the smokers out there (and there were many!) would have to forego lighting of matches until the drill was over.  All the other precautions and readiness preparations make a lot of sense.  But I've never heard a reference to a mocking bird siren before. 

Bird Sighting

August 10, 1974, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Strange appearance of a giant bird invading downtown Menasha on a Friday.  I'm sure the kids were thrilled while passing drivers were perplexed.  Fast forward forty-four years and every cell phone camera in the area would have been deployed and social media would be abuzz at the sighting.  But on this day, we were just lucky enough to have a news photographer document the occasion.  All these years later and Big Bird has still not gone out of style.  And he hasn't grown up yet, either.

Dial Service Comes to Menasha

August 5-7, 1948, Menasha Record

It was a big event during the latter part of summer, 1948 when dial service came to Menasha.  Before that, making a call was a little more involved, albeit maybe more personal.  Up to and including the roll out date, the telephone company ensured that readers of the local papers were engaged, even warning those curiosity seekers to not jam up the lines.  I recall the old style black phone as pictured above and never knew how heavy that guy was until after we had converted to a more modern 1960s-ish model down the road.  You could knock somebody out with that thing!

The Brin

By now, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the events of last Friday and the destructive fire at the Brin Building.  It remains to be seen what will become of it, and many of us have already weighed in on various groups on Facebook and other social platforms since hearing the news.  I won't belabor the point much longer, as people have been put out of their homes as a result and the recollections of one lone blogger who tends to live too much in the past mean little at such a time.  It is enough to say that it was a shock and a blow to Menasha's collective psyche and whatever the future may bring to that particular corner, it cannot dampen almost ninety years of memories for the city.   Collectively, many of us spent countless hours of our childhoods and teenage years in that auditorium, or the bowling alley or in the shops that were a part of the building.  Here's to the good times we all remember.

Let's Go Out

August 10, 1961, Appleton Post-Crescent

Here's what's cookin' on an August night in 1961.  How about the drive-in?  Remember those?  Or there are lots of other great movies out there.  It's not too late to plan to run down to the State Fair in Milwaukee.  Wouldn't it be great to see Roy and Dale?  And there's always the great smorgasbord at the Hotel Menasha, all you can eat at a fair price.  Lots to choose from.

Programs End

August 12, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

The photo quality here is kind of bad and I can't really tell what these girls are grilling, if anything, but the young gent observing is certainly going to town on his popsicle.  Needless to say, it was undoubtedly another successful parks season in Menasha that year and the willing participants more than likely enjoyed themselves immensely.  Now it's time to turn towards the beginnings of another school year, back-to-school shopping, and the usual combination of anticipation and dread that comes along with it.

A Burst of Summer Color

August 10, 1971, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Naturally, this newspaper photo does not do justice to the bright colors and beautiful displays that are resident at Smith Park EVERY year for as long as I can remember.  It doesn't even need to be said that this park is one of the city's treasures.

Safety Town

August 4, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Aside from the general cuteness of these kids learning the rules of the road with these pedal cars, I find it humorous to see the kids at attention in the background.  Either they took it so seriously or the photographer got them at a particularly sober moment.  Quiet preschoolers is normally a contradiction in terms.

Summer Fun Times

July 23, 1982, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Fun times abound around the Smith Park area as young people make the most of their summer days.  Too soon these days will be gone and they will trek back, some of them for the first time, to those hallowed halls of education.  Leisure pursuits will be put aside as they face new challenges and new directions in their lives.

Back to School Considerations

August 19, 1959, Appleton Post-Crescent

Though it might be a bit early for certain parts of the country to think about back to school shopping, you can be sure it's first and foremost on the minds of area retailers.  And no less than the two shown above in 1959 were sure to meet different needs.  The young man thinking hard about the bicycle he needs knew inherently that this matter required much detailed imagination and calculated planning and no doubt Gambles would fit the bill, if given the chance.  I'm sure his mom would be more interested in outfitting him with clothes that fit in time for school, but hey, if you're this kid's age, you gotta go with your priorities!

Local Ads (With a Soundtrack, If You Choose)

August 2, 1924, Menasha Record

Some local ads for non existent businesses, though most of us do remember the Bank of Menasha.  Interesting come-on to visit the Menasha Music Shoppe to hear the latest hit, "Tears of Happiness."   That was a time that some of us might remember when you could actually listen to records before you bought them.  Just five or ten years before, the song might have sold tons of sheet music copies, but the record industry and the coming of radio ended that.  Presumably, this song was on whatever was considered the "hit parade" of the time and might be recognized by readers of the newspaper. 

Just for fun (since I've dwelled upon this), you can hear the song at this link and see what the actual record looked like:

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9953/  It's a part of the Library of Congress' music collection.

1892 Postal Woes

August 6, 1892, Saturday Evening Press (Menasha)

It must have been a slow news day for the Press' editor to admonish Menashans to be careful as to how they address their mail.  Perhaps it was a favor owed the postmaster, or just a quirky filler for the snail's pace of the day..