Sarasota's "Kissing Statue"

The Unconditional Surrender 

If you've ever spent any length of time in Sarasota, you've most likely encountered the Unconditional Surrender statue on the Sarasota Bayfront.  If you have not yet come across this statue, it's definitely worth your time and energy to make a trip to Bayfront Park. Not only will you get the opportunity to have yourself photographed in front of this unusual landmark in downtown Sarasota, but you can also walk the length of the marina.

But for all the attention the statue receives, the meaning and history behind it can get lost.  So the experts at Best Western Siesta Key though it would be a good idea to help you know what you are looking at when you visit their "Kissing Statue".

What Is The Kissing Statue?

Unconditional Surrender, otherwise known as the "Kissing Statue" is a greater-than-life size version of a famous photograph snapped at the end of World War II.  The original photograph, entitled "V-J Day in Times Square" by Alfred Eisenstaedt captures the celebratory essence of sailors, nurses and other military returning home from home after WWII ended. Originally printed in Life Magazine in 1945, this image was the cause of some mystery for decades as no one, including the photographer, knew the names of the couple in the photograph.  Eventually, it became known that George Medonza caught up up in the spirit of the celebration that day, had grabbed Greta Zimmer Friedman a woman he didn't know who was walking past him at the time and kissed her before moving on in the crowd.  Medonza passed away in February of 2019 at the age of 95.  

In my research of this statue I have found George's last name spelled 2 different ways .. Mendonsa as the signature reads on a b/w photo I found online and Medonza in this follow-up research article.  As to the correct spelling of the name, I am not sure.

Where Did the Statue Come From?

Originally part of a series by sculptor, Seward Johnson this statue has several versions located around the world including Hamilton, New Jersey; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and Normandy, France.  Some controversy has surroundeed Johnson's choice of subject stating there are copyright infringements, but Johnson insists his statues are renderings of a similar but lesser-known photograph by Victor Jorgensen which is still public domain. 

Why Is the Statue in Sarasota?

The Unconditional Surrender state pays tribute to the many WWII veterans who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.  Installations around the country and the world allow people everywheere to recapture a bit of history and share in the victory experienced everywhere when the war ended.  While there has been some controversy from the art community abuot the contribution of this statue to Sarasota's community, it has quickly become a landmark unlike any other in the area, drawing dozens of people each day to visit, take photographs and revel in a bit of history.  

The next time you're in the Sarasota area, be sure to stop by and take in this unique piece of culture and history.  Share its story with those around you and remember the celebratory passion experienced by those in Times Square that day in 1945.

The statue, which first came to Sarasota as a temporary exhibit in 2005 was bought by Jack Curran and donated to the city in his wife's memory.  It has been moved to create room for a new roundabout on US 41 and Gulfstream Avenue.  The statue is now located between O'Leary's Tiki Bar and Grill and Marina Jack. 

Pat Locke

   

 

The title of East Wind, Rain comes from a coded weather report the Japanese used during WWII to signify an attack on the United States.  The message alerted Japanese forces to be ready to go to war when they received a weather report with the words, East Wind, Rain.

Once the pilots took off, the planes were surrounded by fleet escorts that ensured the suicide craft made it to their target.  It is believed that almost 4,000 Japanese pilots died in suicide attacks that killed over 7,000 Allied troops.  Japanese kamikaze pilots were known to yell "Tenno Heika Banzai" as they flew their aircraft into Navy ships. These pilots were known to perform a special ceremony of drinking sake and eating rice before flying. 

Tenno Heika Banzai means "long live His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor".

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Gutsy Girl comes this provocative, compelling novel of irrevocable consequences for people thrust unwittingly into a devastating war of Nations and American identity based on a little-known true event.

December 1941.  The inhabitants of Niihau lead a simple life.  Mostly Hawaiian natives, they work the ranch of Niihau's eccentric haole (a person who is not a native Hawaiian) owner who keeps his island totally isolated from the outside world, devoid of cars, phones and electricity.  Then a plane crash lands on the island and although the villagers rescue the pilot, they have no idea that he has just attacked Pearl Harbor. War has now come to "Eden", slowly undoing its tranquility widening the crakcs in the already troubled marriage of Irene and Yoshio Harada, the island's only Japanese-American couple.  It will test everyone's loyalties and all they believe in .. as Paradise, once within reach, while it slowly falls victim to its own isolated innocence.  

While researching this book I found many reviews and these are just two of them ..

"A fine novel of a little-known story of WWII.  This is a well-written novel based on actual events at the start of WWII.  It is about individual lives and cultural beliefts that are thrown into conflict when a Japanese plane crash lands onto a very isolated Hawaiian island.  The pilot survives the landing and the story begins .. a senstive exploration of people and their motivations in a fascinating historial moment."

"I felt carried back to that time, that I was there, listening in and watching the events unfold".

Be sure to visit the WWII exhibit at the Patterson Library's Octagon Gallery in Westfield (40 S. Portage) through September 7.  

Pat Locke

Greta Zimmer Friedman being kissed by a sailor named George in Times Square

Greta, who achieved unlikely fame as half of a couple caught dramatically kissing in Times Square at the end of WWII by photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt died on September 8, 2016 at the age of 92.  The iconic photo, shot on August 14, 1945 on what became known as Victory Over Japan Day, shows a sailor grabbing and kissing a woman in a white uniform in celebration of the global conflict's end.  Published as a full page in Life Magazine a week later, the photo, featured 21 year-old Friedman wearing her dental hygienist's uniform, was seen around the world and even inspired a larger-than-life statue by Seward Johnson.

"It wasn't a romantic event.  It was just an event of 'thank God the war is over'."

Hundreds gather in Times Square to view the 26-foot-tall sculpture at the historic site in Times Square

In recent years, the photo has been reevaluated by publications arguing the kiss wasn't consensual, based on Friedman's own account of their encounter.  "It wasn't my choice to be kissed.  The guy just came over and grabbed me!"

Greta Friedman and George Mendonsa

Claims have been made that forensic analysis was used to identify Friedman and Mendonsa, one of numerous men who came forward to say they are the pictured sailor.

Friedman was born to Jewish parents in Austria in 1924 and fled to the United States with her sisters in 1938.  Her parents, who stayed behind, died in the Holocaust.  Mischa Friedman, who Friedman married in 1956, died in 1998.  Greta was survived by her two children, Joshua and Mara.

A poster commemorating Alfred Eisenstaedt’s photograph hung in Times Square on August 14, 2015, taken 70 years ago to the date, on 

Victory Over Japan Day.

This post on Off Shore Muse is being shared with my readership due to the fact that I have been researching the topic of WWII for an exhibit that is on display in the Octagon Gallery at the Patterson Library in Westfield NY (40 S. Portage).  The exhibit began on August 10 and will be on display through September 8.  If you have interest in learning about the men and women from Westfield NY who fought in the Pacific Theatre, please come by during library hours.  A well-attended reception was held on August 10 with over 70 in attendance which included an honor group consisting of Jeff Levandoski, County Vice Commander; Kirk Miller, County Commander; Joseph Seminatore, Westfield American Legion Post 327 Commander and Stanley Kawski, County Chaplain.  

Library hours are as follows: 

Monday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday: Closed 

The gentleman on the far left is exhibit lead volunteer, Charles Ferraro. Charles is responsible for bringing to the exhibit his extensive collection of dioramas and warships seen around the entire Octagon Gallery.

Pat Locke, WWII Exhibit Volunteer

.

 

 

Rapp & Rapp Designed Balcony

Cornelius Ward Rabb (1861-1927) and his brother, George Leslie Rapp (1878-1941) commonly known as Rapp & Rapp was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Rapp & Rapp were active from 1906 to 1965.  

The Rapp brothers were among a group of highly influential American theatre architects which also included Thomas W. Lamb of New York City and John Eberson of Chicago.  These men were responsible for the design of some 400 theatres most of which were built in the 1920s.  Eberson designed many atmospheric theatres which utilized romantic architectural elements to evoke specific times and places.  Many of the theatres and other buildings designed by the Rapp brothers have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. 

Rapp and Rapp were both born in Carbondale, Illinois. C.W. Rapp formed a partnership in 1889 with the Canadian born Cryus P. Thomas and they practiced together in Chicago until 1895.  From 1896 C.W. Rapp operated his own office and later formed a partnership with his brother George in 1906. The firm of Rapp & Rapp soon developed a reputation for their elaborate design for silent film theatres in the Chicago area.  Drawing on rich French classical architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries, they carried out design for many theatres between 1906 and 1926 and with another leading designer of the day such as Thomas Lamb.  These men with such theatre vision exercised a sustained influence on North American movie house architecture for more than two decades. 

 

Atmospheric theatres were a type of movie palace design using the use of projectors, architectural elements and ornamentation that evoked a sense of being outdoors.  In my research I found this list of surviving atmospheric theatres in the United States are as follows:

Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, OH; Avalon Regal Theatre in Chicago, IL; Capitol Theatre in Flint, MI; Carpenter Theatre in Richmond, VA; Indiana Theatre in Terre Haute, IN; Palace in Louisville, KY; Majestic Theatre in Dallas, TX; Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX; Olympia Theatre in Miami, FL; Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, KS; Palace Theatre in Canton OH; Palace Theatre in Marion, OH; Paramount Theatre in Anderson, IN; Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center in Omaha, Nebraska; State Theatre in Kalamazoo, MI; Tampa Theatre in Tampa, FL; Uptown Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri.

Akron Civic Theatre (Akron OH)

The Akron Civic Theatre was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by theatre architect John Eberson.  It opened as Loew's Theatre and later Cinema Theatre.  It seats 3,000 people.  The auditorium is designed to resemble a night in a Moorish garden.  Twinking stars and drifting clouds travel across the domed ceiling.  In June 2001, the Akron Civic Theatre closed its doors for the most expensive and extensive renovation in its history that included a price tag cost of just over $19 million. 

This is music to my ears being an historic theatre buff for many years.  I have visited the Akron Civic Theatre and it is truly a cinema treasure along with the Palace Theatre in Marion OH, the Fox Theatre in Atlanta GA and the Polk Theatre in Lakeland FL.

Palace Theatre (Marion OH)

If walls could talk, oh the stories the walls of the Palace would tell.  Stories of stars of stage and screen.  Prominent performers of the day then and now.  Stars the likes of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong.  It was an exciting place for the community to gather and celebrate life.  And it still is.  Construction began January 1928.  The entertainment venue designed by John Eberson was complete in just 8 short months!  The owners opened its remarkable wooden doors to an anxious crowd of over 3,200 on August 30, 1928.  Those folks became the first to experience the lavish interior and a stage filled with exciting entertainment.  Not only were the programs captivating, but the building was show-stopping, as well.  The Spanish design did not disappoint.  The lobby prepares guests for transport to another place and time.  Entering the auditorium reveals the makings of a Spanish courtyard complete with muted stucco walls with vines and a midnight blue sky with birds in flight twinkling stars and clouds afloat overhead.  statues adorn the Palace walls and decorative crests outline the grand proscenium stage.  

After several decades of changing ownership, the Palace was in need of a great deal of work if it were to remain the masterpiece Eberson intended and Marion residents had come to enjoy. In the mid 70s, the owner was looking to sell what had become a movie theatre in need of repair.  The Marion Concert Series shared the space and was more thana little interested in seeing the Palace retain its intended uses.  Spear-headed by John C. Keggan, the Palace Guard was born. This group of 7 Marion businessmen pulled out their wallets and rolled up their sleeves!  They rallied the Marion community and invoked the support of area industries.  In 1976, the Palace was "re-born" in all its splendor.

This Eberson inspired theatre gem remains the cornerstone to downtown activity welcoming over 60,000 guests per year.  Today, the Palace is a vibrant performing arts venue hosting national touring artists, regional performers and movie films thanks to 7 businessmen who cared.  

Theatre Ushers

Fox Theatre (Atlanta GA)

The first time I ever walked into the Fox Theatre auditorium tears came to my eyes while viewing my first atmospheric theatre and its elegant grandeur.  It was a moment I shall never forget and this is why ..

The Fox Theatre was built in 1929 and is the city's only surviving movie palace.  Sadly, the theatre that premiered Gone With The Wind in 1939 does not exist.  The 4, 665 seat auditorium replicates an Arabian courtyard complete with a night sky of 96 embedded crystal "stars" (a third of which flicker) and a projection of clouds that slowly drift across the "sky".  

Polk Theatre (Lakeland FL)

Through the years I have also visited an atmospheric theatre called the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, FL.  It was built in 1928 and opened on december 22, 1928.  The first film was a Warner Brothers all-talking special, "On Trial".   It is reminiscent of  a Mediterranean village and seats 1,400. As a special treat I had the opportunity to hear the theatre organ while visiting this cinema gem.  This chance opportunity was due to the fact the organ was being serviced at the time of my visit.  The Polk's splendor includes a starry ceiling painted a deep, royal blue with its twinkling stars and sunrise/sunset effect. As the saying goes .. if they build it, they will come.  Through the years the Polk entertained patrons with such names as Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Eddy Arnold, Tom Mix, Gene Autrey, Glenn Miller and the King himself, Elvis Presley in 1956.  I can well imagine the walls of the Polk were shakin' then with the song, "A Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On" being performed by Elvis that star-struck night in Lakeland, FL.

The Polk Theatre was built during a golden age in the United States .. the stock market had yet to crash and the clouds of World War II were not yet on the horizon.  Even so, it was quite a leap of faith to build a vaudeville/movie palace in Lakeland in 1928.  The population hovered at only 15,000 people and it was a rural community in the central part of Florida.  

I acquired an interest in old theatres since finding an online site called Cinema Treasures.  Hundreds of theatres are featured on CT including my hometown theatre, the Grand Theatre located in Westfield, New York.  A story about the Grand and the exhibit I coordinated in June 2022 titled Remembering the Grand will be forthcoming.  The exhibit was to not only remember the Grand, but to honor the Grand.  At the exhibit opening reception held in Moore Park we toasted the former theatre that stood from 1942-1992 with Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice.  

 

Roger Tory Peterson

Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908-July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist and ornithologist (study of birds), illustrator, educator and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th century environment movement.  One of his notable works in 1934 was A Field Guide to the Birds. Among his many awards given to Peterson during his lifetime was the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  

Peterson was born in Jamestown, New York.  His father, Charles Gustav Peterson was an immigrant from Sweden who came to America as an infant.  At the age of ten, Charles Peterson lost his father to appendicitis and was sent off to work in the local mills.  After leaving the mills, he earned his living as a traveling salesman.  Roger's mother, Henrietta Badar was also an immigrant at the age of four who grew up in Rochester, New York.  She became a teacher and was teaching in Elmira, New York when she met Charles. They married and moved to Jamestown where Charles took a job at a local furniture factory.

Roger's middle name, Tory, honors his Uncle Tory who resided in Oil City, PA.  He graduated from high school in 1925 and went to work in one of Jamestown's many furniture companies.  One of his high school teachers, Miss Hornbeck, had encouraged his sketching and painting of birds/nature while he waited to earn enough money to buy a camera.  Several months after graduating he traveled to New York City to attend a meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute Mission

Home to the largest collection of Roger Tory Peterson's work, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute is a leader for the study, exhibition and nurturing of art that matters to the planet.  Through world class exhibitions and programs, RTPI illuminates the beauty of nature; challenges us to confront environmental issues of regional, national and global concern and inspires us to preserve the earth's biodiversity with a particular emphasis on the natural area wonders of Western New York.

The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is a living embodiment of the Peterson Field Guide.  It is a trusted source of information, inspiration and illumination.  It is a gateway to the natural area wonders that inspired Roger to his career as one of the world's premier artist-naturalists and international ambassador for the protection of nature.  It is a leader for driving the cultural economy of Jamestown and the surrounding area. 

We believe ..

Art Matters .. among the many ways to raise awareness about conservation, art has a unique and underutilized power to engage hearts,  minds and hands.

Biodiversity Matters .. RTPI embraces the full diversity of the biological community

People Matter .. RTPI embraces the full diversity of the human community

Sanctuary Matters .. RTPI is a safe space, a refuge for nature, a place of reflection, renewal and rejuvenation for people

Speaking Out Matters .. RTPI takes no sides regarding politics but will always side with nature no matter the politics

Roger Tory Peterson's signature contribution to the arc of American Conservation Movement was the modern field guide.  Trained as an artist, Peterson understood the power of art to inform, inspire and illuminate people about the natural world.  His illustrated field guides allowed for easy, accurate identification in the field.  The experience of using the field guide has helped millions of people across the globe really see the natural world.  To be inspired by it.  To fall in love with it.  Throughout his multifaceted career, Peterson helped us to see the challenges, too .. the devastating impacts of pesticides, habitat loss and other environmental ills.  He also demonstrated that each and every one of us can make a difference in protecting the earth's diversity of plants and animals. 

 

Barbie

Ruth Marianna Mosko Handler was born in Denver, Colorado (November 4, 1916-April 27, 2002).  Handler was an American businesswoman and inventor.  She is best known for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959 and being co-founder of toy manufacturer, Mattel with her husband Elliot as well as serving as the company's first president from 1945 to 1975. Handler had 2 children and their names were .. as you might imagine, Kenneth and Barbara thus the Ken doll and Barbie doll were created.  

Ruth and Elliot met in high school, married and moved to Los Angeles in 1938 where she found work at Paramount. Elliot tried his hand at making furniture making as a hobby.  He decided to make their furniture out of two new types o plastics, Lucite and Plexiglass.  Ruth Handler suggested that he start doing this commercially and they began a furniture business.  Ruth worked as the sales force for the new business, landing contracts with Douglas Aircraft Company and others.

Ruth eventually saw the potential for an entrepreneurial endeavor.  She and Elliot went into partnership with Harold "Matt" Matson.  They combined Matson's last name with Elliot's first name creating the name, Mattel.  According to Elliot, the founders could not fit Ruth's name into the name of the company.  During WWII, furniture sales fell so Mattel began to manufacture toy furniture.  The success of this business caused Ruth and Elliot to move Mattel fully into toy manufacturing.

Ruth watched her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles.  At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants.  Realizing there could be a gap in the market, she suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband.  He was unenthusiastic about the idea as were Mattel's directors. 

During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children, Ruth came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli.  The adult-figured doll was exactly what Ruth had in mind so she purchased three of them.  She gave one to her daughter and took the others back to Mattel.  The Lilli doll was based on a popular character appearing in a satirical comic strip drawn by Reinhard Beuthin for the newspaper titled Bild.  The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955 and although it was initally sold to adults it became popular with children who enjoyed dressing her up in outfits that were available, separately.

Upon her return to the United States, Ruth redesigned the doll (with help from local inventor/designer, Jack Ryan) and the doll was given a new name, Barbie, after Handler's daughter, Barbara.  Premiering at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959 Barbie was an instant success with Mattel selling 351,000 dolls within a year!

Later, the Handler and Mattel added a boyfriend for Barbie named Ken after Handler's son, Kenneth.  

Ruth Handler

Fast forward to 2023 and now movie-goers can see the movie, Barbie.  In the movie, Handler is portrayed by Rhea Perlman.  She is depicted in her elder years as a spirit who resides at Mattel headquarteres in Los Angeles and helps the protagonist who is her stereotypical Barbie model played by Australian actress, Margot Elise Robbie.  

 "Lucy" and "Ethel"

Lucy Fest 2023

This famous duo is portrayed by Diane Vincent as Lucy and Rhonda Medina as Ethel.  The smile on this little Lucy attired in the famous blue and white polka dot dress tells the story of why Jamestown celebrates Lucille Ball and all the smiles Lucy gave each and every one of us.

Lucy's Birthday Cake

Lucille Ball had a dream.  She envisioned a festival of contemporary comedy being held in her name. The madcap heroine of I Love Lucy might not have imagined the scope of the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival held annually since 1995 in Jamestown where she was born on August 6, 1911.  

The festival centers on the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, home to tons of I Love Lucy memorabilia including a reproduction of the Tropicana Room which was Ricky Ricardo's nightclub.  The 2023 festival was comprised of 50 events over 5 days that took place throughout the town.   You can stomp grapes as Lucy did in the memorable episode titled Lucy Stomps Grapes in Italy.   You can wrap chocolates as Lucy and Ethel did, putting their own twist on an old vaudeville joke.  You can even record a commerical for Vitameatavegamin.  (vita-meata-vega-min)

Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo and Teresa Tirelli 

"Lucy's Italian Movie"

Air Date April 16, 1956

Teresa Tirelli was born Teresa Tirelli D'Amico opera singer, motion picture actress and hostess of a local radio program devoted to Italian-American music.  Her most famous role was in this I Love Lucy episode.

When Lucy would have turned 100 in 2011 the festival marked the 100th birthday with 915 people dressed like and holding a paper mask on a stick of Lucy's iconic face attempting to break the Guinness record for most people dressed as Lucy.  

What's not to love?  Small wonder that, in 2016, the festival welcomed visitors from 41 states!  One of them was a writer from the New York City, Lisa Iannucci.  Ianucci, who writes a travel blog had always loved Lucy and looked up to her.  

"I always wanted to be a screenwriter, a TV writer.  I always looked up to her for.paving the way.  It was harder to break into business than it is now.  She was like a role model.  When I was watching her, growing up, I always wanted to do what she did.  I would literally pretend I was doing the Vitameatavegamin commercial. I wanted to go stomp grapes as I thought it would be awesome to do.  Several years ago I heard about the festival and couldn't wait to go, but llife kept getting in the way."

Finally, last year, she made it!

"Everything just aligned.  I went and it was so emotional because everything I always wanted to do as a child, I finally got to do."

Her husband was a good sport, competing with her as she wrapped chocolates and stomped grapes! 

Air Date September 15, 1952

"Job Switching"

Air Date September 15, 1952

RIP Lucy

We Love Lucy

Happy 🎂 Birthday

  

 

The Grand was Grand 

Photo taken from a W.A.C.S. Yearbook

 The Prospectus

 Circa 1962

The Grand Theatre, in grand Art Deco style, opened July 17, 1941.  The building housed 3 stores on the main level as well as a small bowling alley with 4-6 lanes in the basement.  Rhe theatre was leased and reopened on July 7, 1965 by the Blatt Bros. Theatres Inc. who managed the theatre through the 1970s.  In the late 70s, Kirsch Theatres of Erie PA took over the lease.  

In June of 2022 when the exhibit titled Remembering the Grand was coordinated we found this evening marquee photo in our exhibit research and never learned the name of the young man placing the black metal letters onto the curved marquee though we did learn the name of the movie poster being featured that night shown in the framed glass case on the front exterior of the theatre. The movie was Swiss Family Robinson which was a popular Walt Disney film in 1960 and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.  The filming location was on the Island of Tabago with a film budget of $4 million. 

Release Date .. December 21

In 1975, the popular film American Graffiti courtesy of the Blatt Bros. of Erie, PA was featured at the Grand Theatre.  It was a fundraiser event for the W.A.C.S. Bret D. Smith Memorial Scholarship resulting in donations collected at the standing room only theatre that evening of $1,130.  Blatt Bros. donated use of the film and theatre for the October 30 event arranged by the late William Gollnitz, General Manager and employees of the Grand.  Bret D. Smith, son of the late Robert and Darlene Smith, was employed by the theatre on a part-time basis.  The $1,000 recipient of the scholarship had to meet certain criteria which included a student's plan to further his or her education at either a college or vocational school.  The W.A.C.S. student was selected each year by a committee comprised of the theatre manager, the senior guidance counselor and the senior class advisor.   Interesting the theatre was listed among the committee members who helped select each year's recipient.  In 1975, they had no idea that in 1992 the theatre would, sadly, no longer be part of Westfield's landscape at the main intersection of the village.

                                         

The architect who designed the art deco Grand Theatre was Michael J. DeAngelis.  He had offices in Rochester NY and in New York City and designed numerous theatres in the art moderne or art deco style.  Other theatres were the Carlisle Theatre, Carlisle PA; Clemens Center, Elmira NY; Dazzle Theatre, Rochester NY; Reg Lenna Civic Center, Jamestown NY; Spotlight Theatre, Warsaw NY; Strand Theatre Brockport NY and the Town Hall Theatre, Lowville NY.  DeAngelis was known for incorporating circle windows in many of his theatres and often times he incorporated a curved marquee as seen in the above photo.

In June of 2022, I coordinated a theatre exhibit with an opening reception in Moore Park to remember and to honor the Grand Theatre.  The title was Remembering the Grand.  I also created a FB page to remember the exhibit and how it looked for those who weren't able to attend.  Those in attendance helped me raise a toast to the theatre with Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice prior to entering the exhibit.  Fellow theatre enthusiast, William "Willy" Locke read a piece he wrote titled An Ode to the Grand Ole Lady. 

One of the two original Grand Theatre seats we found had an original wad of gum on the bottom of the seat so we added a sign that read, Is this yours?  The theatre seats were loaned to us by Dr. Earl Freling from Ripley, New York.  Many locals loaned us the black metal letters used to introduce the movie featured on the beautifully curved lighted marquee.  We honored all of the former theatre managers and even had a set of framed blueprints for attendees to view.  On a nearby piano stood black letters that spelled the word, GRAND surrounded by several laminated movie posters on the back wall that featured movies that once played at the Grand.  Former Grand Theatre movie-goers once again saw their original candy case filled with nostalgic candy from days gone by.  Many of them telling us they met at that candy case as a young couple and later married. Attendees saw a popcorn machine acquired from a local marina and believed it or not several original popcorn containers from the Grand were loaned to us by Tim and Vickie Bowen.  They also loaned us an album of original movie calendars that were once distributed by mail to local residents.  Folks could look for their birthday year and month to see what movie was being featured at the Grand Theatre on the day they were born.  

Printer's Block

I had hoped to acquire one of the original Grand Theatre popcorn machines on display though it was in Indiana PA. It is owned by a former Westfield resident, Dr. Andrew Cash who purchased the machine when the theatre artifacts were auctioned off prior to demolition in April 1992.  Another local doctor loaned the letter R that once spelled out the word, Grand above the marquee.  The good doctor was able to get the nostalgic letter to light and to blink which was the most special artifact during the exhibit for a time-honored theatre that once stood in Westfield NY at the villages's main intersection across from the former Welch's Grape Juice headquarters.

This is what memories are made of!  Thank you to the Lakeshore Center for the Arts for giving me the opportunity to "live my dream" for others to enjoy.  

The Curved Lighted Grand Theatre Marquee

During the Holiday Season

Circa 1950s

The Grand Theatre featured many movies during its lifetime though one that comes mind as this story appears during Lucy Fest 2023 is The Long Long Trailer. 

Release Date February 18, 1954

 

Greetings from Chautauqua County

This mural painted by father/son team, Gary Peters, Sr. and Gary Peters, Jr. is located near Penny's facing Fairmount Avenue at the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood, New York.  It was completed in 2022 and harkens back to the vintage postcards of the day.  It depicts the grape industry along Chautauqua County's northern border which touches Lake Erie, Chautauqua Lake, the historic Lenhart Hotel in Bemus Point, the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, the Lenna Clock Tower in Lakewood, the Chautauqua Belle in Mayville, ornithologist (study of birds) Roger Tory Peterson, the historic Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua New York, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  

The Chautauqua Mall worked with the father/son team to add color, texture and vibrancy to this outdoor space for the community as part of The Canvas Project.  The mall was selected by Gary Peters, Jr. for this colorful postcard installation.  Peters is a local artist who has completed several well-known works of art including Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz paintings in downtown Jamestown.  The many Lucy themed murals throughout the Jamestown area have been photographed often though especially when dedicated Lucy fans arrive in Lucy's hometown for the annual Lucy Fest in the month of August.

The Canvas Project  .. great ideas happen when we come together. The project works with artists to create unique works of art that visualize collaboration and the great ideas that happen when artists build something together.  Many communities around the country have murals as they "give off energy just like a good song". 

Lucille Ball's birthplace has 2 museums and 3 gift shops dedicated to the iconic comedian which now includes the National Comedy Center plus the annual festival devoted to Lucy and other famous comedians, but the town's most visible tributes are the series of large murals painted around town.  Each mural recalls a moment from an episode of the popular I Love Lucy TV series.  The fifth mural and first, in color, was unveiled on October 15, 2012 which was the 61st anniversary of the first broadcast of I Love Lucy.  It's the World's Largest I Love Lucy Mural depicting Lucy, Ethel, Desi and Fred singing as they drive across the George Washington Bridge on their way out of New York City. 

California, Here We Come!

The foursome's hypothetical route West probably wouldn't have taken them as far North as Jamestown, but it is nice thought.

Speed It Up!

from the

Candy Factory Episode 

Vitameatavegamin for Health 

"Spoon your way to health"