The City of Pottsville is in heated negotiations with the
bank that holds title to the well-known Pottsville Club. The County newspaper
recently reported that city officials view the premises as a prime location as
a future recreation center. Negotiations
are “hush hush” but a certain blabbermouth, whose identify will remain
confidential, has told me that the
Pottsville Club - which was formerly the Ski Lodge- may feature the first
indoor curling arena in the entire county.
If not, the trusted chatterbox told me that it could become a city-run,
“all-you-can-eat” chicken wing house.
Apparently consuming large quantities of chicken wings is even a more
popular recreation than curling. For me, it’s a toss-up.
THREE GOOD REASONS THAT THE CITY OF
POTTSVILLE SHOULD OWN THE POTTSVILLE CLUB
The city take-over of the Pottsville Club has numerous
benefits. The first benefit that comes to mind is that a local bank that holds
title could be eligible for a large tax deduction. Who can argue against that? I can’t. Enough said.
Secondly, it keeps Pottsville on course of increasing the
percentage of publicly owned land within the city limits. This cuts down on the number of delinquent
taxpayers and saves on postage to boot.
No need to send out real estate tax bills twice a year. Another big win for the city.
Thirdly, and more importantly, with title to the real
estate, the city will become owner of the Pottsville Club’s famed recipes. This means that the city of Pottsville will
own the recipe to the mouth-watering onion soup that had been fed to Pottsville
Club members for over one hundred years!
It is hard to describe in words how spectacular the French onion
soup at the Pottsville Club was. It was
topped with, I believe, melted Gruyère cheese from Brummerstown Valley. Mmmmm….
The Club’s French onion soup has played an integral part of
Pottsville’s history as well as popular culture. In John O’Hara’s book “Appointment in Samarra” the main character, Julian English, throws
a bowl of onion soup into the face of Harry Reilly at the Gibbsville Club. This was the first exposure of the Club’s
soup to those living outside the confines of Schuylkill County. It made O’Hara a world-renowned author and
very wealthy. He made enough money to move from Schuylkill County and settle in
Princeton, NJ.
In 1925, when the
Maroons football team won the NFL championship,
a player was heard on WPPA answering the question of how the victory
would be celebrated with these words:
“We’re going to the Pottsville Club and have
French onion soup!”
Unbeknownst to him, the wide receiver would not be permitted
into the Club as he did not have a suit and tie on, and his social status was
questionable to boot. In the Sixties, the rock group, The McCoys, were
inspired by the beloved consommé ( with its cheese almost glued to the bowl) to record the hit record, “Hang On Soupy.” That song became the county’s anthem for a
while, played at the Ski Lodge, the Y dances, the Mayor's Parking Lot dances and the Moose.
However, two decades later a popular movie featuring the
Club’s onion soup took the country by storm. The film was “Young Frankenstein.” Who can
forget the scene when the blind hermit Harold ( played by Gene Hackman) was sitting alone at the Pottsville Club, when
the Monster (played by Peter Boyle) bursts through the door, walks past the
hostess, and sits with him. The blind Harold is overcome with delight,
welcoming him.
Harold:
"but your hand is frozen, my child. How does a nice bowl of French onion soup
sound to you?
Monster: On-yonn
Sooo-ppp! Mmmmmm!
You know the rest of the story…how the onion soup gets on
poured on the Monster….and Dot, the hostess, throws both of them out of the Club. If you forgot, then dust off a VHS tape, insert , and
press the play button.
Enough said. Pottsville needs to procuring the Pottsville
Club building and grounds. No ifs, ands or
buts (not necessarily in that order). It
will be the most important acquisition of land by the government since
Jefferson’s Louisiana purchase. Well
maybe not quite that important.
In any event, our public officials need to keep the potage recipe from falling into the
hands of people not worthy to partake of such delicacy and help a local institution
in getting a tax break along the way.
