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Downtown 1958

Downtown 1958

Friday, April 28, 2023

Tune Up Now!

May 20, 1955, Twin City News-Record

There's nothing like anthropomorphic auto parts trilling a tune to get you to tune up your car.  One could only hope that there'd also been an audio version, perhaps played on WNAM, to listen to.  That would be "duck soup" for me!  (And for the unknowing, "duck soup" is an expression for an extremely easy task, as well as the title of a wonderful Marx Brothers movie from 1933.)

Thursday, April 27, 2023

A Disturbance in the Force

 May 4, 1955, Twin City News-Record

Slow news day.  Things don't always go smoothly, despite the best efforts of mechanics and maintenance specialists, hence the complaints from neighbors.  It MUST have been loud, knowing the topography of the area, it wasn't like there were residences next door.  And one wonders if the Tayco Street Bridge had its own telephone installed.  It makes one think the Racine Street Bridge problem shouldn't be a problem at all.  

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

To All You Menasha Boys, Take Heed

                                                          

                                                                                April 19, 1927, Menasha Record

While this happened to a couple of Neenah kids, let this be a lesson to all you overly adventurous Menasha boys to keep on the straight and narrow and stay in school.  Be careful what you wish for.  More than likely, they paid for their adventure in more ways than one.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

News Items of the Day

 

April 19, 1927, Menasha Record

We welcome Tuesday with a couple of newsy items from 1927- the Menasha Record staffers trying to be snarky about the speeder from Kaukauna and a public service announcement to the public regarding the swindler.  Thinking about it, the man's background as a former printer was totally in line with his newfound avocation as a forger.    With Menasha's heritage of paper, print, and publishing, it's surprising we didn't develop a cottage industry here for bogus documents, etc.

Monday, April 24, 2023

Happy Anniversary!


Can you believe it's been 11 years since this journey began?  Yep, April 24, 2012 was the very first entry in this blog, cobbled together to promote the Menasha book I wrote in conjunction with the Menasha Historical Society.  Since that day, we've had our share of history and hilarity, boring details and inane activity about the little city we all love.  But through it all, you've stuck with me.  Thanks for being faithful readers of my little tome.  

As always, I feature the very first photograph shown in this blog, my favorite Prospector Days postcard.  This is post number 2,614.  Wow!  Here's to the future as we begin year number 12.  

Friday, April 21, 2023

War!

April 28, 1917, Menasha Record

Menasha was awash in patriotism and enthusiasm for the war effort in 1917.  It was only a little more than three weeks previously on April 4, that the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. The House concurred two days later.  As Menasha tried to live up the motto they'd adopted- "Always to the front and never fails," the Honorable S. A. Cook, namesake of the armory, wrote an accompanying article urging Menasha to have its boys join I Company which was stationed at the Armory.  I am not sure of the perceived difficulties Menasha was having in "coming to terms" with the Armory or with its boys serving with I Company.  More research is needed.

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Spacemen, Pastemen?

April 12, 1979, Twin City News-Record

The local papers must have had a regular schedule to go into classrooms and photograph anything they thought was interesting and save these photos for slow news days.  Menasha was well-represented, especially at Nicolet and Clovis Grove for some reason.  Needless to say, the kids were doing some interesting things; far more interesting than when I was in school.