Happy New Year!

December 31, 1960, Appleton Post-Crescent

Happy New Year!  Unfortunately, 2022 must go on without me for an unspecified time as I need to take a hiatus from the blog.  I have a rather necessary eye surgery scheduled for January 4th which will make it impossible to do this.  But, I will return when it is practical.  In the meantime, I wish you a wonderful 2022 and I hope to see you soon, no pun intended! 

Holiday Wishes

 

December 24, 1962, Twin City News-Record 

Merry Christmas and holiday greetings from the fine, past merchants of the Fox Cities.  It's a blog tradition to offer these little snippets of greetings and holiday cheer on behalf of the advertisers within the local newspapers.  Most of them are gone now, but we at the blog hope some of these businesses strike a chord with you and give you a nostalgic glow, be it fond memories of the fellowship you shared at a local tavern or perhaps the thought of that first bike you received from the Menasha Bicycle and Toy Shop.  

Thank you once again for making this a successful year.  I'll be back in 2022after the New Year. Until then, we wish you the finest of Christmases and the best to you and yours. 

The Beer of Good Cheer!

 December 29, 1938, Menasha Record

We've encountered Ralph's Beer Depot within the blog previously, way back in 2012, the first time: https://menashabook.blogspot.com/2012/11/ralphs-beer-depot.html.  But I had not heard of Old Town beer, so I had to do a little digging about it.  The label below tells you all you need to know.

Denmark Brewing Company, Denmark, Wisconsin

Toy Town!

 December 3, 1937, Menasha Record

Howley's was the forerunner to Schultz Bros. 5 and 10 store, smack dab in the middle of Main Street for about 45 years before closing in early 1986.  Take a good look at these pre-WWII toys, made of cloth, wood, and tin.  After World War II, toys became increasingly made of that new wonder age material, plastic, and toys as shown in this advertisement were viewed as positively Neanderthal to the new Baby Boomer generation.  Of course, today, having some of these gems would be a big score to collectors and toy aficionados.   

A Christmas Wish from the Heart

 December 24, 1938, Menasha Record

I borrowed this, obviously, from neighboring Neenah's long-standing hardware store, Krueger's.  But in reality, the words do not belong to that fine store, but were copyrighted two years before by a greeting card concern.  And they have been repeated virtually every year since, borrowed liberally by whomever seems to want to use the phrase.  As heartwarming as the phrase appears, it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the true meaning of Christmas.  But as the season is meant to be a time of great peace and joy and fellowship towards our fellow man, perhaps it is enough for some that the charm of the season resides in the hearts of all those who do remember their friends.  In this current world of turmoil, we could definitely do worse.  

Anatomy of a Snowstorm

December 7, 1927, Menasha Record

December 8, 1927, Menasha Record

December 9, 1927, Menasha Record

A typical December in the Menasha area as the "Appleton road", or as we know it today as Highway 47 shuts down due to excess snow.  Eventually, this stretch of road, at least within Menasha, was named as "Appleton Road."  The Record, did its best to keep people informed.  "Autoists," as drivers were known then, had to rely upon their local newspaper for news of the road reopening because, as we know, cell reception in 1927 Menasha WAS pretty weak.  Seriously though, radio was not the mature medium it later became and news was not instantaneous as today.

Automatic Sleeping Comfort

December 20,1947, Menasha Record    

Electronic and appliance gadgetry for Christmas is the watchword at Drucks this 1947.    Styles may have changed since 1947 but these are timeless things in that there's always going to be some type of coffee maker, electric razor, toaster, and a device to produce music.  Some of the products offered here seem positively prehistoric now, but they were state of the art for that era.   I don't think electric blankets have changed that much since their invention, though I could be wrong.