The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

s Page 18- PLAIISDEALER-HERALD, WEDINESDAI . APHIL3.1985 Anonymous letter brings back memories Asking for letters brought results. The following couldn't be worked in for St. Patrick's Day, but is amusing. This is another one that isn't signed. However, you may be sure the writer is a McHenry native: Earl me boy, I saw a movie so old on the boob tube last week, that one of the scenes in*it showed a man and woman kissing standing up fully clothed. That got me to thinking about the old days around town. I can remember when we saw movies at the old Empire Theater such as Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, Rin Tin Tin, etc., which were accompanied by a pianist named Ben Thonneson, who could pound out a good beat for horses hooves, but I have forgotten what he did for Rin Tin Tin's bark! When A1 Jolson hit the celluloid screen singing "Mammie" that was about the end for old Ben and the "talkies" were in to stay. Up the street, about where the St. Regis Pub stands now, Unti's ice cream factory was located. I never did get inside the building but, as a kid I imagined it must have been something like Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The ice cream that came from there we bought at Unti's Ice Cream Parlor at the corner where McHenry Jewelry store is now. I can remember the soda fountain there and can still remember the taste of a vanilla ice cream cone I don't think will ever be duplicated. Moving on down the street to Riverside Drive ("The Strip") (A kid could burn his bare feet on the tar sidewalks in sum­ mer). I remember the time "The Human Fly" walked up the front of the building where Bimbo's is now. It was a hard­ ware store then. For weeks before, posters were plastered all over town qhowing how this wizard could defy the law of gravity and walk up the side of a building. I think TV com­ mercials must have developed from the posters for this event because when the great day came "T.H.F." had rigged up enough scaffold and rigging that our dear old grandmother could have walked up the side and she was pretty well crippled up with "rheumatiz." \ One summer Johnnie Karls put in an electric fly killer on the front door of his restaurant which was located about three doors north of Bimbo's. This was a big attraction for kids to watch flies hit the electric grid and get zapped. The fly killer was removed after one season either because kids were blocking the entrance for patrons or because the sound of flies frying to a crisp on the electric grid was a little up- So I Hear by Earl Walsh VI setting to some of the restaurant's customers. Down at the corner there was a speakeasy (blind pig) which was often closed by the feds for violation of the Volstead Act (Prohibition). When federal agents closed this type of operation they would padlock the door and post a notice on the door of the violation. This hurt the owner s business and was a hardship on his customers so being a clear thinking man, the owner would get a carpenter to cut a new door for access for his clientele. At one time before Prohibition was repealed, there were 8 or 10 doors leading into the building with all but one padlocked. If Prohibition hadn't been repealed, the owner would have been forced to shut down anyway as there was no longer any room on the walls to cut in another door! Across the street in the Buch building where McHenry Drug is now, one summer a new drug store opened. For the grand opening Hack Wilson, who was making a name rfs a home run hitter for the Chicago Cubs or Sox, was going to appear. We kids gathered around early to meet the slugger in person. When Hack did show up about 2 hours behind schedule, he looked and acted like h$ had been in the speakeasy across the street for quite awhile before he made an appearance at the drug store. That ruined a lot of hero worship for a lot of kids that day. One more bit of nostalgia before I go back to the pill cabinet. Down river about where Snug Harbor is now, I remember McHenry's Pearl Factory. I can remember a two story building something like an ice house with an endless belt of buckets leading into the river and the buckets bringing up loads of mud into the upper part of the building. There was a lot of noise from inside the building, but whenever a kid went near he got chased away. They didn't want nosey kids; around and years later I found out why. The only pearls produced by that factory were pearls of wisdom for the in­ vestors, proving once again that Barnum was right when he said there's one born every minute. Hope you enjoy reading this malarkey and that you are improving in health. (Feel free to print any, all or none of it.) And a very Happy St. Patrick's Day to you from another Irishman who has kissed the Blarney Stone a might too often. EASTER A JOYOUS DAY In days when women didn't go to church without wearing a hat, it often rained on the new bonnets, * Those 40 days and 40 nights of the Holy Season of Lent really meant fasting and sacrifices. Many kids gave up candy for Lent. They put their candy in a shoe box and saved it for the end of fasting. Sticky candy was a real problem. So was soft chocolate that melted. Maybe I told you before how boys of high school age were very religious--so religious that parents didn't have to urge them to go to evening services. They walked home with the girls. The custom of the Easter Bunny hiding eggs in the house and in the yard still goes over big with little kids and big kids. There is something about an I like to crack 'em, peel 'em, cup them in salt, then put my teeth into them. ' ---- * Many times people buy new clothes for Easter, then run into weather that dictates the same clothes you wore all winter. Have a Happy Easter may the rains go away! and Freiind wins supervisor post after record election FIFTY YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of April 4, 1935) A total of 1,661 ballots were cast in the township election on Tuesday, piling up a record- breaking count in a hotly- contested fight for supervisor, with Stephen H. Freuna winning by a margin of 40 votes over his competitor, Nick Weingart. Joseph J. Freund won out almost three to one for highway commissioner over his op­ ponent, Louis Schroeder. Sixteen McHenry boxers have entered the district boxing tournament to be held April 5 in McHenry. Among them are Raymond Hughes, LeRoy Miller, Jerome Justen, Melvin Peterson, Francis Cox, Russell Franzen, Lewis Brefeld, Clarence Anderson and John Cristv. Bolger's was advertised as the Easter store offering baskets, candy and cards. The ad­ vertisement also featured paint, varnish and brushes, a strawberry special brick ice cream and liquor specials of Santa Alicia port and sherry wine as well as free hi-flier, B" Ben, tailess dancing kites to boys. FORTY YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of April 5, 1945) A war department telegram arrived Tuesday morning at the Arthur McVicker home in- TWICE TOLD TALES Edited from our files of years gone by forming his wife that Pvt. McVicker had been killed in action in Germany on March 18. Pvt. McVicker had been wounded on Christmas Day, 1944 and for that received the Purple Heart. Later, he wrote home saying that his unit was preparing for the bis push into Germany. It is evident that in this latter encounter, he received fatal wounds. Corp. Glenn Draper, recently reported "killed in action," has been reported alive but woun­ ded, recuperating in a hospital in France. His wounds were received in Germany and are confined to his left leg. Pvt. Alfred F. Schmidt, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Schmidt of West McHenry, was wounded in action in Germany. And Alfred E. Boehlke of McHenry received word that his son, Staff Sgt. Albert W. Boehlke, had been wounded in action in the European theatre recently. Two brothers, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Joe S. Schmitt of John- sburg, are serving in the army. Daniel, a corporal is serving with the first army in Germany, his duties related to an am­ bulance company. His brother, Pvt. Roman A. Schmitt is believed to be enroute overseas after completing a special course in radio at Fort Riley, Kansas. Both boys were em­ ployed at the Ringwood Chemical Corporation prior to entering service. TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of panio back March 31, 1960) A leave enjoyed by four sailors was marked by so much hilarity that it was necessary for the shore patrol to pick them up last Sunday and return them to Great Lakes. The sherriff's office learned that a sailor was driving along East River Road, near the state park, drinking from a gallon iug while corn- ions were fignting in the seat. McHenry sheriff's police stopped them at Elm and Fox street, found an almost empty jug containing wine, and turned the men over to naval authorities. Judy Hans, a McHenry high school senior, tied for third place in the Elks club district South activities contest, and won le McHenry county contest. A joint installation of newly elected officers of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its auxiliary unit is being planned for April 23. Howara Thomas, named new commander of the it last week, will take office as >aisy Smith is installed president of the auxiliary. The gusty winds, which blew heavy snow in dense clouds across the countryside early last Thursday resulted in local ac­ cidents unusual enough to make front page news in various parts of the country. It was a chain reaction pile-up on Route 31 three miles south of the city which eventually involved 19 vehicles. Only two people suffered injuries in the mass of vehicles, which included a state squad car stopped to entangle the mess. A 64-year-old Richmond farmer, John McDonald, en­ tered McHenry hospital in severe shock Tuesday after hanging onto the edge of a culvert for about an hour to keep /rom being carried into a stream. He was attempting to break an ice jam near a culvert on the Wilbert Gaylord farm near Richmond when he slipped and fell into the stream below. It PRsaHhere he grabbed hold of the edge of the culvert. At­ tempts to rescue him were in vain until the Richmond Rescue Squad arrived. , TEN YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of April 2, 1975) Damage estimated at $50,Q00 resulted from a fire at Con­ tinental Aluminum Corp., Wegner Road, Fritzscne Estates, Lakemoor, last Thursday. Fire Chief Glen Peterson said most of the loss was to contents of the structure. Orgin of the blaze was un­ determined. A resident of the area noticed electrical arcing in and around the building during the wind and sleet storm. Later the same woman saw sparks emanating from the building, and suddenly the front windows were blown out. Two firemen were injured fighting the blaze: Richard Sebesta and William Rose of Company in. Mayor Jospeh Stanek and key volunteers for the 1975 American Cancer society's educational and fund raising Crusade met last week at the home of Mrs. Catherine Weber. McHenry city residential chairman, where the mayor proclaimed April as Cancer Crusade month. Earl Walsh reported in "So I Hear": "The sun shone down to help make Easter the happy and lorious day it is supposed to be. ut, it wasn't much of a day for the gals to step out in their Easter finery. As if anybody cared, we wore our winter coat and old (comfortable) hat." FUTURE TAX PLANNING IS PART OF OUR CURRENT PROFESSIONAL TAX PREPARATION J. MONROE, C.P. V. (815)344-4195 •CORRECTION NOTICE- The endorcement ad for Jerry Cordrey for Chair­ man of the Chain-0-Lakes Fox River Water Man­ agement Agency contained an error. THE LINE WHICH READ: Ad Paid for by Chain-0- Lakes-Fox River Water Management Agency. SHOULD HAVE READ: Ad Paid for by Korpan's Landing Yacht Club. 3UDGET FREE IN HOME I TERMS DELIVERY SETUP Z'L/L/IT/L/FF/IILLLLH FURNITURE B BEDDING 3UDGET FREE IN HO ANTIOCH A MCHENRY TERMS DELIVERY SET I Here's $$ APRIL SALE You forget! ttljt FURTHER YOUR ART fttaitltb ADVANCED CLASS IN £anr MINI-LAMP BUILDING MAKE A COPPER FOILED MINI-LAMP IN FOUR SESSIONS. (FEE INCLUDES BASE & PATTERN) CUSSES BEGIN THURSDAY, APRIL 25 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, APRIL 19 FOR INFORMATION, CALL (815)3*44724 ...not If you nailv care about vow home and realty want to WAREHOUSE PRICED QUEEN SIZE SPECIALS THOMASVILLE . # QUEEN SIZE 2 PC. SETS • 60"x80" FROM CHIROPEDIC EXTRA FRIM £ MISMATCHED 9 80"x80" 2 PCS. FROM NAME BRAND FOAM SET 2 PCS. 228 198 y*168 ME RSMAN, IMPACT, PETE RS & MORE ODD END TABLES CLOSEOUT SAVE xk CASH & CARRY f JEji ALSO FEATURING ON SALE •SEALY POSTUREPEDIC *ENG LANDERS TENSION EASE •SIAAAAONS BEAUTY REST *SERTA PERFECT SLEEPER ASK FOR OUR WAREHOUSE PRICE money JN>»N m SOFA, LOVESEAT, J CHAIR •FREE! DELIVERY LANE CEDAR CHEST "SAVE 20 m GETTING A TAX REFUND? 90 DAYS SAME AS CASH WITH MIN PURCHASE S300 AND APPROVED CREDIT BROYHILL DINING ROOM SPECIAL •OVAL TABLE • 4SIDE CHAIRS 7 PCS. REG, WAREHOUSE PRICED SI2M •LIGHTED CHINA _ CABINET '788 STANDARD SIZE MISMATCHED SPECIAL SALE STARTS TODAY Tl« • string around your a noHto yourMM.de anything to ramtnd you of our cotoaaal April talal To calabrat* 15 of iuccms. wara thanking our CMtoiiMf, wHh Mg marfcdown. on hun drade of (umhura buyal COUPON- CUP AND BRING IN ANY PURCHASE OF $100 or more FREE . SURPRISE GIFT . J Mutt ba Proaontod of Tim* of SolaOna Par Purchota J 2 BIG SHOPPING CENTERS RT. 3VNORTH FIRE STATION GEORGETOWN EARLY AMERICAN LIVING ROOM SPECIAL SOFA, LOVESEAT, CHAIR MATTRESJ AND FOUNDATI NATIONALLY ADVERTISED BEDROOM BROYHILL EARLY AMERICAN •ALL WOOD 'CHEST •DRESSER «HEADBOARD •HUTCH • FRAME ' MIRROR 5 PCS. YOUR CHOICE 3 PCS. *588 OTTOMAN AVAILABLE THESE FASHION PERFECT RECLINERS OPEN TO BIG COMFORT CHOOSE FROM STRATO- LOUNGER, FLEXSTEEL, KROEHLER AND MORE CHOOSE FROM OVER 50 ON DISPLAY AT ALL TIMES. INVENTORY CLEARANCE SLEEPER SOFA SPECIALS WAREHOUSE PRICED WAREHOUSE PRICES FROM M28 s288 to$888 l»v 0»*t J UleoMctown 'va DAILY TIL 6 FRIDAY TIL 9 SUNDAY 11 TO 3 ANTIOCH, McHENRY • FREE-IN HOME SET UP •BUDGET TERMS • LAYAWAY PLAN • FREE DELIVERY 0# MX (815)385 1800 3662 W. ELM ST. McHENRY* NEXT TO FIRE STATION ONAT. 120 AT 31 (BLF) MS-1000 FREE PARKING IN REAR ANTIOCH ON RT.B3 1 MILE SOUTH OF RT. 17) (312) 39S-SSOO ON RT. 83 1 MILE SOUTH OF RT. 173 ANTIOCH