Dedicated Lucy Fans

Sue, Jessie, Jessica and Sandy

Look for them at Lucy Fest 2024.  They won't be hard to spot .. just look for their Lucy attire and their warm Lucy smiles.

The following paragraphs were published in the Chautauqua Gazette on Monday July 29, 2024 with the title, Lucy Fans and Their Love of Lucy.

Three ladies named Sue, Jessica and Sandy.  Who are they?  They are Lucy fans who have been coming to Jamestown for many years to celebrate their mutual admiration and love of Lucille Ball, known to the world as simply, Lucy.  They represent St. Louis, Missouri; Palmdale, California and Edwards, Illinois. Jessica's mother, Jessie, joined her last year and has now met her daughter's "Lucy family".  Jessica has been going to every Lucy Fest since celebrating Lucy's 100th birthday and being among the 915 Lucy red-lipsticked, red-headed look-alikes gathered in downtown Jamestown on August 6, 2011 to set the first Guinness World Record in her honor as the "Most People Dressed as Lucy Ricardo in One Place at One Time".

Just Some of the Lucy Look-Alikes!

The Two-Headed Dragon

from

I Love Lucy Episode #17

Season 5

Lucy Goes to Scotland

Episode directed by James V. Kern

Originally aired on CBS-TV on February 20, 1956

A popular event was a costume contest during the masquerade ball held in the time-honored ballroom of the Jamestown Hotel.  Sandy and her son, Matthew won the costume contest in 2014.

Jessica Coker

Palmdale, California

Jessica

Jessica and Her Mom, Jessie

Jessie

Sandy 

Sandy

Sandy visited Jamestown for the first time in August of 2017.  Since then she and her son, Matthew have made 14 trips, by car from the Peoria, Illinois area.  Sandy and Jessica  participate in a festival favorite, the trivia contest every year and continue to do quite well as the questions get more difficult until a grand winner is chosen among the contestants.  I think the winner can almost recite word-for-word dialogue from any I Love Lucy episode.  

Sue

Sue

Easy for you to say!

Sue began traveling to Jamestown in 2004.  She recalls meeting many celebrities including a very special lady named Lucie Arnaz.  A unique memory for Sue was when she and her mother, Shirley made the front page of the May 30, 2004 Jamestown Post Journal during Lucy-Desi Days, in living color.  Another memory was when a Buffalo reporter interviewed Sue after learning she could recite the entire "Vitameatavegamin" commercial.  The product actually contained apple pectin for the I Love Lucy episode, Lucy Does a TV Commerical (Season 1, Episode 30).  It aired on CBS-TV on May 5, 1952.

May 30, 2004

Sue and Jessica on the Famous I Love Lucy Set 

Living Color!

Lucy Fans in the I love Lucy kitchen!

Sue, Jessica and Jessie

on the Original

I Love Lucy Set Living Room

Jessica and Sue

"You Said a Mouthful"

Takin' a Break @ Lucy Fest 

The Lucy Gang at the Sheldon House

Jessie, Jessica, Sue, Sandy and Matthew

Lucy!  We're Home!

This Lucy Gang Represents

California! Missouri! and Illinois!

 

National Carousel Day

Carousel Day or National Merry-Go-Round Day is observed every year on July 25.  The holiday was created by the National Carousel Association (N.C.A.) founded in 1973 as a way to mark the registration of the first patent for a carousel design in 1871 by William Schneider.  However, carousels are not exactly a modern phenomenon, as their existence has been traced to 500 A.D. in the Byzantine Empire where ancient drawings depict a fascinating carousel style.  Riders were depicted sitting in baskets suspended from poles.  The word 'carousel' derives from the Italian word 'garosello' and the Spanish word 'carosella' both of which mean 'little battle'.  The name references the sixth-century style of jousting in Europe and Asia, where knights on horses would ride in a circle while attempting to catch balls of perfume being thrown at them.  In the 17th century, children began to play a mock version of this game by riding horses made of wood.  

Several people contributed to the development of modern carousels.  One of the most prominent was Gustav Dentzel who emigrated from Germany to the United States and revived his family's carousel business.  He has been credited as the first to include animal menagerie in his carousels such as lions, cats, tigers and deer, apart from the traditional horses and chariots.  However, he did not file a patent for his carousel designs and Schneider of Davenport, Ohio became the first person to file a patent for a carousel.

The creation of this day is all thanks to Bette Largent, President of the N.C.A. and Ronald Hopkins, a carousel historian.  The holiday was created to celebrate carousels and their joyful addition to society.  

So, on this day, relive some of your happiest memories by visiting an amusement park or local fair and pick your favorite decorated carousel horse to ride in a circle. 

Liberty, the Lead Horse 

on

The Bushnell Park Carousel carved in 1914 by Stein and Goldstein 

of 

Coney Island, New York

The carousel features intricately carved cabbage roses in high relief on his breast band and flank sportings a first place blue ribbon on his bridle.  

The lead horse is usually the fanciest horse on the carousel and back in the day had a special purpose.  The lead horse was used to be the start point for collecting ride tickets and as a timer for the ride letting the lead horse go past six times to determine the lengh of the ride. The lead horse also displayed the company's best horse for prospective carousel customers.  The lead horse was also a focal point of the carousel to attract patrons. 

 

Ozzie and Harriet Nelson

Long-running sitcom, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" based on a radio show of the same name is one of the shows from the period that epitomized the values of the 1950s and early 1960s through the all-American family.  The series starred read-life married couple, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson as well as their two sons, David and Ricky.  The focus of the series was the Nelson's home life as they deal with run-of-the-mill problems that families of the day faced.  By the time the show went off the air, it had produced 435 episodes over 14 seasons.  The first episode was called The Rivals and aired on ABC from October 3, 1952 to April 23, 1966.  

The series attracted large audiences and became synonymous with the 1950s ideal American family life.  Although it was never a top-ten hit, Nelson's long-term contract with ABC and the lower expectations that ame with being the lowest-rated of the big three television networks at the time ensured the show accrued enough episodes to remain the longest-running live-action sitcom in United States television history.

The Nelson's sons, did not join the cast until the radio show's fifth year initially appearing on the February 20, 1949 episode, at ages 12 and 8.  The two boys were played by professional actors prior to their joining the show because both were too young to perform.  The role of David was played by Joel Davis from 1944 until 1945 when he was replaced by Tommy Bernard.  Henry Blair appeared as Ricky.  The music was by Billy May and Ozzie Nelson.  The producers were Dave Elton and Ozzie Nelson.  The show's sponsors included International Silver Company (1944-1949), H.J. Heniz Company (1949-1952) and Lambert Pharmacal's Listerine (1952-1954).

 

This Day in History

July 20, 1969

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

National Daiquiri Day

The John F. Kennedy Daiquiri

National Daiquiri Day is celebrated on July 19.  Daiquiri is a popular rum-based cocktail which is believed to have been one of the favorite drinks of Ernest Hemingway and President John F. Kennedy.  Although daiquiris are enjoyable throughout the year, July 19 has been set aside as National Daiquiri Day to celebrate this tropical drink, any time. We can recognize Jennings Cox, an engineer by trade, for the creation of this hot-weather Cuban classic. This distinctive drink rose to popularity in the United States during the 1940s.  Vodka and whiskey were rationed during WWII, making the spirits hard to come by.  However, due to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy, which opened trade and travel relations with the Caribbean, rum became easy to purchase.

In 1989, Cox was charged with supervising a mining operation in a village named Daiquiri, on the southeastern tip of Cuba.  After a long hot day in the mines Cox and his men would gather at a local bar to unwind.  It was here that Cox first mixed rum, lime and sugar over a tall glass of cracked ice.  The refreshing combination became a standard after-work beverage for the engineers who called the drink "Daiquiri" after the Daiquiri mines where they worked.  It is rumored Cox ran out of gin while entertaining guests at his home.  With local rum being the only option available to the village market, Cox used rum as a substitute in his recipe.  It turned out to be a hit naming his drink the "Daiquiri" after the nearby village.

Ernest Hemingway's fondness for the Daiquiri famously contributed to the drink's international popularity.  In 1960, legend has it JFK toasted his election as President of the United States with a Daiquiri made by his wife, Jackie.  Her personal recipe was tacked to the kitchen wall of the White house for the staff to follow.  JFK's Daiquiri is a little different, but features light rum, fresh lime juice and Jackie's "secret ingredient", Falernum.  Falernum is either 11% syrup liqueur or a nonalcoholic syrup from the Caribbean.  It is best known for its use in tropical drinks.  It contains flavors of ginger, lime, almond and frequently cloves or allspice.  

Although folks have been enjoying the classic Daiquiri since the early 1900s, the rise of the refrigerator caused the Daiquiri's simple blueprint to undergo some significant transformations over the years .. not to mention a hit to its reputation.  

The classic recipe soon gave way to Tiki culture, sugary mixes, sweet and sour, frozen fruit/syrups and readily available ice leading to the frozen Daiquiri such as the strawberry Daiquiri, the banana Daiquiri, the peach Daiquiri, the mango Daiquiri, the watermelon Daiquiri and the pineapple Daiquiri. Basically, if there was fruit sitting next to rum and a blender, someone used it in the cocktail.  As a result, over the decades, the drink earned a popular reputation. 

It wasn't until the late 1990s and the dawn of the modern cocktail renaissance people began to take the Daiquiri serious, again.  Eventually, cocktail aficionados became fascinated with the original recipes.

It is no secret famed author, Hemmingway was a huge fan of the Daiquiri.  He got his nickname "Papa Doble" for his habit of exclusively ordering his Daiquiris as doubles. Hemmingway frequented the legendary, El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba and his favorite bartenders even came up with a couple of recipe variations.  The best known which skips the addition of sugar adds maraschino liqueur for a hint of sweetness and fresh grapefruit juice for a twist of citrus.  The result is a dry, tart and tasty recipe although modern versions typically call for more liqueur than the scant six drops Hemingway preferred in his Daiquiri. 

Constantino Ribalaigua, famous bartender at the El Floridita was famous in Cuba long before Hemingway penned his name into history.  He was known as el rey de los coteleros or the "cocktail king".  His father taught him how to work the bar and to carry on the family profession, saving up enough money to buy El Floridita in 1918 at the age of 30.  There, he made a name for himself and for Cuban rum cocktails, in general.  Only Contance and Ernest know the truth of what went down when Hemingway walked into the El Floridita. Neither are alive  today to confirm just which variation of the Daiquiri Hemingway tried and modified.  El Floridita had numerous Daiquiris on the menu at the time.  Today, what we do know about the Hemingway Daiquiri is not the rum bomb Papa Hemingway ordered.  Still, Hemingway and his Daiquiris (and, by extension of Constance and El Floridita) are solidified in cocktail history.  

The Ernest Hemingway Daiquiri

The first written mention of the Daiquiri, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was penned by Hemingway's friend, F. Scott Fitzgerald.  He even beat Hemingway to the double Daiquiri!  In Fitzgerald's 1920 novel This Side of Paradise he writes "Here's the old jitney waiter.  If you ask me, I want a double Daiquiri."

The Daiquiri lives squarely in the pantheon of legendary drinks and right alongside the Manhattan, the Martini, the Negroni and the Old-Fashioned.

Salud!

 

Cadillac Ranch

Amarillo, Texas

These Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art far longer than they were on the road as cars.  They are stripped to their battered frames, splattered in day-glo paint and are barely recognizable as automobiles. Yet .. Cadillac Ranch is more popular than ever!  It's become a ritual site for those who travel The Mother Road, Route 66.  The smell of spray paint hits you from a hundred yards away.  Despite its exposed location in an empty field, Cadillac Ranch seems to give its art a sense of privacy and anonymity.  

Among the many visitors are those from Europe.  They really seem to enjoy attacking the cars during their visit.  Maybe it's because they've lacked a good graffiti canvas since the toppling of the Berlin Wall.  Tourists from around the globe are always welcome at Cadillac Ranch.  If you bring spray paint, make sure to snap some photos because whatever you create will probably only last a few hours before its created over by someone else!

The address is 13651 I-40 Frontage Road.  Just west of the Amarillo city line, I-40 exit 60.  Follow the frontage road on the south side of I-40 (old Route 66) east for one mile.  Cadillac Ranch will be on the right (south) side.  Park your car along the shoulder and enter the pasture through an unlocked gate.  Admission is free.

A man by the name of Stanley March 3 (1938-2014) was an American arts, businessman, philanthropist and prankster from Amarillo.  He is perhaps best known for having been the sponsor of the Cadillac Ranch.  In the 1970s, Marsh collaborated with the art group Ant Farm to create the Cadillac Ranch.  Despite the attention, critics have called them eyesores with little or no artistic value.  In response to the criticism, Marsh is quoted as saying to his critics .. 

Art is a legalized form of insanity and I do it very well.

Stanley Marsh 3

While Marsh was the third person in his family named Stanley, he used the Arabic numeral "3" in place of the traditional Roman numeral "III", as he considered the latter to be pretentious. 

 

Since Stuckey's humble beginnings in 1937, Stuckey's grew into an American icon and treasure.  We were known for serving delicious candy, a family-friendly atmosphere and warm hospitalty to travelers across the United States.

With a $35 loan, W.S. "Sylvester" Stuckey, Sr. founded Stuckey's as a roadside pecan stand in Eastman, Georgia. Ethel Stuckey started making and selling old-fashioned candy including their Stuckey's famous pecan log roll.  In 1948, Stuckey's moved from the small candy kitchen to a candy plant in Eastman.  The plant also served as their distribution center.  In 1952, they debuted their flavored pecans in vacuum-sealed cans.

In a Stuckey's store in the 1950s, it wasn't usual to find hundreds of pecan cans displayed on a round table in the traffic aisle of the sales floor.  

Gaining momentum, Stuckey's grew into a roadside empire synonymous with the American road trip with 368 stores, 30+ states and 4,000 billboards!  

In 1964, Stuckey's merged with Pet Milk Co. to add c apital for the company t continue expansion.  Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, travelers would seek out their famous teal blue roof and grew to love our souvenirs, clean restrooms and delicious breakfast.

Sadly, during the late 1970s, Stuckey's stores began to dwindle.  W.S. Stuckey, Sr. died in 1977.  Eventually, Stuckey's began closing hundreds of Stuckey's stores across the country. In 1984, W.S. "Billy" Stuckey, Jr., son of the founder and five-term Congressman from Gerogia's 8th district, acquired Stuckey's to turn the company around!  Billy launched the Stuckey's Express concept creating the "store within the store" and expanded to over 165 locations in 17 states. Then the Great Recession hit Stuckey's candy plant in 2009 resulting in their doors being closed though their candies were produced by outside vendors.

In 2019, enter Billy's daughter, Ethel "Stephanie" Stuckey who took over as CEO of Stuckey's. 

Stuckey's acquired Front Porch Pecans in 2020 gaining management support with R.G. Lamar as the new President and a new product line of pecans.  In 2021, Stuckey's acquired Atwell Pecans, The Orchards Gourmet and Thames Corporations to add candy-making pecan processing and fundraising to the company.  

Presently, Stuckey's boasts:  50 licensed locations, 5,000+ retailers, Food Manufacturing Facility and Distribution Center located in Wrens Georgia and a pecan plant to make Stuckey's products.  

Stephanie Stuckey's remarkable journey unfolds in UnStuck, a memoir that will inspire and captivate.  When she unexpectedly becomes CEO of her family's company, Stephanie embarks on a mission to revive both the business and her family's legacy.  Armed with her grandfather's wisdom and fueled by an unbreakable emotional connection, she sets out to turn the company's fortunes around.

Stuckey's, a roadside oasis for generations of travelers along America's highways, fell into disrepair after decades of outside ownership.  When Stephanie Stuckey, granddaughter of Stuckey's founder, is offered the chance to buy the business she takes it, seeing something that isn't apparent in the bleak financial statements: an emotional connection that she and generations of road trippers had with the brand.  

UnStuck weaves Stephanie's compelling narrative with her grandfather's rich history. Finding inspiration and insight into both business and life in her grandfather's archives, Stephanie leans on her past to craft a strategy for the future, determined to rebuild the struggling company and leave a legacy for generations to come. 

This story is a celebration of resilience and overcoming seemingly impossible odds and ultimately coming out on top. For female entrepreneurs, unconventional CEOs, family businesses and road trip enthusiasts, UnStuck offers hope, practical tips on managing though situations with grit and an irresistible comeback story promising that second chances are indeed possible!  

Leave your memories of Stuckey's on the link below.  We all have memories of being at a Stuckey's when traveling the highways and byways .. especially in the South.  

www.stuckeys.com/guestbook

 

Vintage Union Hardware Metal Roller Skates

The midcentury 1950s vintage Union Hardware adjustable metal roller skates marked "No 5" made in the USA are a true piece of history. The classic design and sturdy construction make them a great addition to any collection, today.  Whether you're an avid collector or simply looking for a unique piece of nostalgia these skates bring back memories for many, including this blog writer as I owned a pair to use on our circular driveway before I began roller skating at Midway Park in Maple Springs, New York wearing skates like the pair shown in photo below with the colorful carrying case.  If these skates could talk, they would certainly have a story to tell.

 

Dial Typewriter from Louis Marx Toy Company

Circa 1950s

The Dial Typewriter from Louis Marx and Company is a classic example of the type of tin lithograph toy that helped the company become one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world by the 1950s and continues to endear them to collectors to this day.

Like other tin toys produced during this time period, the typewriter was fabricated using thin sheets of stell covered (or plated) with a thin coat of tin.  A process called chromolithography (a precursor to offset printing) was used to add a colorful design (in this case, a facsimile of typewriter keys) to the toy.

Despite appearances to the contrary, the dial typewriter was fully functional.  It operated by turning the large dial in the center to the desired letter and pressing down on the large balck lever to lower the print head to the paper.  The space key can also be used to advance the print head.  Two rubber rollers work in concert with a red wooden dial on each side of the paper head to advance paper through the toy.  

Many collectors, today, have found online how to properly load the typewriter with paper.  A how-to video on YouTube was found and turning to a Google search a blog called oz.Typewriter was located.  It was written by Robert Messenger, a columnist at The Canberra Times in Canberra, Australia.  Messenger is also the owner, curator and operator of The Australia Typewriter Museum.  According to an online profile,his personal typewriter collection exceeds 1,000 items and includes the largest collection of toy typewriters in the world, from1893 to present day.  

Regular alterations to existing modesl allowed Marx to sell a variety of different toy typerwriters.  Many of the toys were designed on commission and patented by Samuel Berger. He resided in Newark, New Jersey, a stone's throw from Marx's headquarters in New York City.  United States Patent #133,266 filed August 27, 1941 and United States Patent #2,534,399 filed November 19, 1947 are two examples of the many toy typewriter-oriented patents attributed to Berger.

Marx' toys included tinplate buildings, tin soldiers, toy cars/trucks, dollhouses, HO scale/gauge and O scale/gauge trains.  Louis Marx founded Marx Trains.  The original Marx trains were electric trains at a low cost.  Built to last, these trains were made from stamped metal and tin lithograph.  Their affordability was a major part of their success.  Louis Marx was always trying to improve his toys while cutting costs.  The Marx motor contributed to this business decision.  It was an open-frame motor and was standardized for all of the company's trains and it was one of the most reliable ever made.

In the late 1930s Marx began making a train for 0 gauge and produced a diecast locomotive, the 999, which was the first of many highly detailed realistic train models. After WWII, Marx continued developing its scale line and also started producing plastic models.  Production went until the mid 1970s. Marx created a blend of steam locomotives and streamliners along with brightly colored boxcars, gondolas and stock cars.  Thrown into the mix, Marx also created operating lights and signals, stations and switch towers all at affordable prices.