Reunion

 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.

Tanks A Lot

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. 

Locks

 

October 9, 1983, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

We haven't featured the locks for quite some time.  This article from 1983 showcases lock operations when there were questions at that time about the viability of continuing the locks' operations.  But gladly, those doubts were worked through and in 2004, the Fox River Navigational System Authority (FRNSA) was established by the State of Wisconsin to revive the system.  Since then, the locks and the waterway authority have overseen a vast water network of new recreational opportunities.  Of course, nobody anticipated a problem like an invasive fish called round gobies, from entering and overpopulating Lake Winnebago and decimating sporting fish eggs, prompting the Menasha lock closure in 2015.  Until a reliable solution can be established, please enjoy these photos from a better time.

Just Swingin'

                                                                      October 7, 1981, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Sometimes, this is all that you need.  Just you and your best friend, working together to have a little fun, wherever you can find it.  Life may not always be this easy, but when it is, it's the best!

At War?

 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.

Ooh...Pretty Scary, Huh?

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.  

Sensational Featurette!

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.