A Fresh Coat of Paint

July 28, 1962, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Though a bit grainy due to the storage media, the spirit of the photograph comes through in the end.  (I always wondered how they did this job.  Guess this explains a lot.)  As a boy, I would have been one of the "fascinated passersby."

Smith Park History

July 31, 1965, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

This article is chock full of period details about the origins of Smith Park and a time capsule of what it was like to travel the area around the park in the late 1890's.  It would have been neat to see! 
I apologize for the resolution in the bottom left corner of the newspaper article.  To help, here's the text of those two paragraphs, as best as I can decipher: 

"As the two Menashans create a word picture tour of the Smith Park area in the 1890s, they begin at the corner of Naymut Street and Nicolet Blvd, then known as “The Avenue.”  Opposite this corner, on the Neenah side, the permanent rings for the annual summer circus could be seen.

The tourist probably would either ride in a buggy or walk down a path that was made through the brush, growing wildly on each side of the mud road toward Lake Winnebago. Immediately, he would pass John Schubert’s hay fields extending from Naymut to Cleveland Streets.  The hay was sold to the neighbors for their horses and cows.  Across the Avenue were the Clovis neighborhood pastures and the farm lands of William Strocee(sp?) which included the area from Ninth Street beyond the present Park Drive to the mouth of the Fox River.

At this time, it would be difficult to see the Cleveland Street area since it was overgrown with weeds.  However, the north end of the street contained the homes of Mike Groce, a carpenter and John Schreiner, an employee of the Menasha Wooden Ware."

Everything for the Lads and Their Dads

June 20, 1958, Appleton Post-Crescent

No great revelations or insights here; just a nice representation of some local ads from summer,1958.  

The Best Always Pleases Everyone

July 22, 1938, Appleton Post-Crescent

Even though the newspaper says the year is 1938, the ad copy here hearkens back to the turn of the century.  The stilted language, the complete sentences, the lack of graphics all remind me of the 1890s/1900s era when testimonial-style proclamations were all the rage.

Civil Defense

July 24, 1962, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Back in the Cold War days, when fears were rampant that the Soviet Union could annihilate us with the push of a button, Civil Defense planning was all the rage.  Cities had active bomb shelter programs and Civil Defense coordinators.  Remember the duck and cover drills?   And who out there remembers "CONELRAD?"

CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) was a former method of emergency broadcasting to the public in the event of enemy attack. It was intended to allow continuous broadcast of civil defense information to the public using radio or TV stations. Eventually, CONELRAD was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System. 

You may remember the AM radios of the time had little red or white triangles at these frequency markers, to make it easier to tune in to CONELRAD broadcasts, should the need arise.

Mighty Important

July 22, 1937, Appleton Post-Crescent

In completing our summer theme, what's more summer-oriented than a driving trip somewhere.  And that equates with getting your car ready for such an excursion.  Luckily, Gibson was ready and willing to help out.

Park Fun

July 17, 1965, Twin City News-Record

Fun in the sun a bit over fifty years ago.  I know Menasha still has an active parks department and summer schedule, but at the risk of sounding like an old codger, I'd bet it's skewed to the structured side, that is, more sports and less "goofy" events, if only in keeping with current societal norms and liability issues.  With all the emphasis on food allergies and safety considerations in today's litigious world, could a peanut hunt or a licorice eating contest even be held today if it involved kids? 

Granted, times change and things evolve and it can be argued that you don't miss what you don't know about.  So, I'm sure today's kids are well-taken care of in the summer fun department.  It's just us old guys, looking back through the mists of time, comparing our lives fifty years ago with the present. Our parents did it too.  As a kid, I remember finding my father's old leather football helmet from the thirties and being regaled with his anecdotes about how today's game didn't match up to his.  I probably rolled my eyes at hearing all that!  But all these years later...look out, I've become my father!