Another bites the dust

Another historic building has been leveled in Pottsville, this one in the historic Minersville Street area, which had been renamed as Laurel Boulevard in an attempt to become more upscale and fashionable like Knob Hill or Rodeo Drive.
Yes, the building is gone, taken apart board by board. While Pottsville had undergone a feeding frenzy on historic buildings in the past several decades, this latest building to disappear has particularly stunned nearby residents. But at first I thought their concerns were unjustified.

I was told that it was not just a building made of wood and nails. No it was a social and architectural landmark within the city. It harkens one back to the forgotten era when Minersville Street was the social hub of the east coast; back to the gilded age when Pottsville was the center of the booming potato chip industry.
By the Civil War, the potato chip was king in the United States, and Pottsville was the heart of this prosperity. The Union Army needed potato chips and this area would supply them. Soon Victorian mansions sprang up and breweries were built. Potato chips make one thirsty and thereby created the need for beer. Plenty of beer.

Anthracite coal was dug and brought in by railroad to heat the chip ovens, while canal boats would float up the Schuylkill and unload their shipment of lard, salt and, of course potatoes, all to be taken up by mule team to the Potato Chip factory. On the return trip to bring the potato chips from the factory to the markets in far-away London, Paris and Rome, the workingmen would stop and enjoy the cultural delights that the city of Pottsville had to offer.
Did you know that in 1839 there were over 290,600 tons of potato chips that made their way down the canals to the ports in Philadelphia? Most of these were regular potato chips but at least 30,000 tons were of the bar-b-que variety.

Some historians believe that the leveled building (as seen in the photo at the top of this blog) was the long lost potato chip factory and it may have contained some potato chip fossils as well as other artifacts of the Minersville Street era, such as beer bottle caps.
“It was shocking that the building was knocked down without a field team of archeologists being permitted to sweep the floor first” said one self-proclaimed historian, a resident of Laurel Terrace Apartments across the street.

“It is a disgrace that the City permitted it to be torn down. There was so much history there. Young immigrant men were recruited and came from Europe to find employment in the local potato chip industry.”

Again, I thought that these people were wrong. I continued my investigation at the County Historical Society and researched the potato chip industry within the county. Lucky for me the Society had a special exhibit on fast foods eaten by early settlers. While most attention of the exhibit was devoted to the soft pretzel, I did find many learned treatises on potato chips. I sat in the reading room browsing through the dozens of books on the potato chip industry that made Pottsville an economic powerhouse in the 19th century. However I could find nothing on the old maps linking the leveled building to the potato chip industry or the entertainment industry on Minersville Street. The irate populace was misguided. The Marsden potato chip factory was located several blocks to the west. This building was also not a nightclub that World War II servicemen flocked to on weekend forloughs. Pearl Bailey never performed there.

But I was shocked to discover that the building leveled to the ground was indeed historic, but not because of the potato chip. No, it had been the inspiration for German author Herman Hesse when he wrote “Steppenwolf.” It was his so-called Magic Theatre. It was his theatre for madmen only. It was the theatre of the soul. Now it is gone forever.
Where is the Historical Architectural Review Board when we need it? If you come up with an answer, pass me the chips and another cold beer.

bleenie bail-out

Shocked about all the bailout? Not me.

History just repeats itself, over and over again, as if history was an insurance salesman trying to sell you a whole life policy. Yes, I remember the uproar when certain deep-fried food stand owners in the county cried for financial assistance back in the late 1970s. It all started with the bleenie stand operators. It appeared that they would all go “pot belly-up” if the County Commissioners would not come to their rescue. Many blamed it on the brutal winters in Schuylkill County, which was especially hard on those in the concession food industry which in those days was a year round industry.
Do think it was fun waiting in sub-zero weather; treading through two feet of snow and ice to buy bleenies? I almost lost four of my toes one winter waiting behind fifty other people in a bleenie line when the woman at the front of the line had a large bucket container for take-outs. Immediately after that incident, the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency outlawed take-out containers from Christmas through St. Patrick’s Day at all stands.
For those ignoramuses out there a bleenie is an eastern european potato pancake. Bleenie stands were quite common in every community. Historical records indicate that Shenandoah had more bleenie stands than any other community at one time, beating out Warsaw, Minsk, and New Philadelphia for the honors. Pottsville, the county seat had forty four licensed bleenie stands, although most were referred to as german potato cake stands. German potato cakes are generally much thicker and not as tasty by the way. The number of unlicensed bleenie stands in the county was estimated to be between 400 and 1200. All of these concession stands drew large crowds to the downtowns of every community, keeping the economy charged.
Running a fried food stand is not an inexpensive endeavor; start-up capital runs into the thousands of dollars for the stand or a truck, and then there are the fryers, ranges, and ingredients – potatoes, eggs, flour, and onions. Don’t forget the paper towels, plastic forks and paper plates. Salt and pepper cannot be overlooked and I almost forgot the large investment in sour cream.
The payoff in this “cash only” enterprise can be phenomenal for those not feint of heart. And at one time the bleenie industry welding a lot of political power, causing a fearful President Nixon to impose federal price controls on vegetable oil. Historians are now still listening to the Bootleg Nixon tapes (volume 8 "Tell Tale Signs") unraveling his scheme to cripple the bleenie industry for their overt support of one of his rival opponents, Senator Edmund Muskie. Yes, the bleenie vendors were right up there on the top of Nixon’s Enemies’ List and his shenanigans are referred to as his "geasy tricks." The recent movie "Nixon-Frost" also bears this out; watch Nixon closely as he pretends to enjoy his bleenies that he shares with David Frost, wiping the grease away with his napkin rather than licking it away as most bleenie lovers do.

His subsequent price controls on vegetable oil surely resulted in a shortage causing long lines at the bleenie stands.So it was not long for the bleenie lobby to push for a massive rescue plan. One spokesman said that if the county could waste money on a Sportsman Complex and so many other ridiculous ventures, then certainly two million of federal revenue sharing could be pushed its way. The bleenie industry would be very “grate-ful.”
Such a rescue plan would be unprecedented, but the bleenie industry was as much an integral part of the county’s economic backbone as, say, coal mining or even illegal numbers. It was just too big to fail. As an aside, the county did turn down a bail-out to the numbers racketeers when their revenues plunged after the state lottery commenced.
Besides a call for two million immediate cash infusion to bolster the floundering bleenie industry, another plan called for county coupons as a “stimulus package,” as there is nothing more stimulating than a golden brown mouth watering bleenie. Each adult would be given cards to purchase 172 bleenies. It was never decided but some wanted the cards to be used one per day to keep the lines manageable. Some Schuylkill County officials proposed and “odd-even” distribution of bleenies, that is only odd people as determined by Turning Point could purchase bleenies on odd days and even-keeled individuals, again determined by Turning Point, could purchase bleenies on even days, with all the others left to figure it out for themselves.
In the end, the massive bailout was rejected by the County Commissioners, who found more interesting things to waste the money on; they were also afraid of a government take-over of the bleenie industry on constitutional grounds. Others cynically said that the commissioners were in the pocket of the french fry capitalists and had no interest in helping the bleenie operators. As a result, our downtowns collapsed, the sour cream industry curdled up, and hundreds of bleenie vendors went under, swelling the unemployment lines to rival those of the pre-1978 bleenie lines. The lucky ones received retraining through SCAM to work in the funnel cake sector. The surviving bleenie vendors drastically cut their work schedule, now only working during the summer months. Look around; there is not a bleenie stand in operation all winter.

Not even on Super Bowl Sunday.

holiday traditions

My holiday season has been great so far. It started off early with a huge multi-ethnic breakfast at home combining the best of Chanukah, Christmas and Chwanzaa - The three C's as we call them. While the rest of my extended family enjoyed the potato latkes, I consumed the thick Pennsylvania Dutch thick ham, all smothered with pineapples, cloves and drenched in raisin sauce. Why? Well it is important to eat fruit during the winter months to keep regular - I highly recommend this meal to everyone.

Years ago we used to walk around the downtowns to shop and look at the festive displays. These downtowns no longer exist as we knew them, and ditto with the Malls. Psst...have you been in Steve & Barry's or Value City lately? So our newest family tradition is to walk around Renninger’s Market and take in the sights of the season there.

It is a great festive place to get support stocking stuffers, and even the support stockings to stuff or to wear.

After parking our SUV on the grounds (warning: there is no valet parking) we immediately entered the grand Hall and headed to the booth to get tickets for the one of the best kept secrets in the area. No, I am not talking about what really goes on in the local township massage parlors; I am talking about The Sounds of Light and Ice Christmas Show. The show has become so popular that you need to reserve tickets ahead of time.

Yes, we all know that Renninger’s Market is renowned for its architecture, boutiques, fine dining and people watching. It is a pop culture phenomena often compared to Venice Beach in California, but many are unaware that it transforms itself every winter into a wonderland filled with colorful displays and fragrant aromas (a combination of poinsettas and smoked sausage); and almost no one knows of the dazzling ice skating extravaganza on the pond which is located behind that exclusive shop that sells used hubcaps and rusty tools. This show puts the Mummers’ Ferko String Band to shame when it comes to old fashioned holiday family entertainment.

With a few hours to wait until show time, we strolled the aisles with the other hundreds of serious sophisticated shoppers all looking for those specials gift for those special someones among the dizzying array of merchandise for sale. Mammy bought some pre-owned VHS tapes – including the complete Saw series - and a tee shirt that proclaims “I’m With Stupid.”

While I trying to figure out who her special someone is, I bought three pounds of frozen herring. We then sat in on the auction for two hours placing bids on every thing that was offered for sale - from Artic boots to Yahtsee games.

Looking at our watches that we purchased earlier at of the many bally-hooed kiosks, we filled up our paper plates with Nachos and cheese and headed out to the bleachers set up for the show. The view was perfect from our seats as the larger Marketeers sat behind us. The music was piped in from the auctioneer’s amplifier while we watched the supersized skaters perform on the ice in their native costumes of bib blue jeans. The pond is not arena size but it is adequate for the half-dozen skaters that dazzled us with pure energy. At one point we thought that some of these skaters might fall through the ice but it did not happen, disappointing the little ones in the audience. Maybe next year kids.
While there is no dancing fountain to watch, you might occasionally see someone shake up a birch beer letting it spurt into the air. If you want to see dancing fountains, I say go to Longwood Gardens, but if you want some good birch beer, then come to Renninger’s Market, available for your consumption at one of the many chic funnel cake and french fry stands that are nestled on the premises.
The enchanting music, by the way, is supplied by North Manheim Steamshovel, an eclectic group of local road crew workers and Rest Haven residents performing holiday pop music with synthesizers as well as the traditional Schuylkill County instrument, the flutophone, in a New Age style.

Yes, North Manheim Township is noted, not only for its red light, adult entertainment district that is bustling along Route 61, but also for its Christmas extravaganza at “The Market.”
I recommend that you take in both this holiday season.

Christmas time memories of Garfield Square

Does anyone else get upset besides me when they drive through Pottsville’s Garfield Square during the “holiday season”? I miss those intricate cartoon characters that used to grace the Square and gave the midtown some holiday cheer. I remember all of them and the location that each was placed.
If you don't remember the glory days of the Square, then I will refresh your memory. Each cartoon character was sculpted from the best quality mahogany, walnut, cedar, cherry and maple; all brought in by Canal boat to the wharf behind Goodfella’s in Mount Carbon and then carefully unloaded and transported to Yorkville for the talented craftsmen to meticulously work their wonder and create such life-like reproductions of Mickey Mouse, Charlie Brown, Snuffy Smith, Steve Canyon, Dick Tracy, Beavis, Brenda Starr, Sgt. Snorkel, the Phantom and so many other whimsical cartoon characters.
Yes, each character was completely hand-carved by skilled Yorkville artists with exacting detail in the sanding, finishing and painting to assure excellence and beauty. Garfield Square at Christmas time was the place to be, believe me.
This cartoon woodcrafting goes back many generations as Yorkville was settled by German immigrants with skills honed in painstaking family traditions and heritage. During the long northeast Pennsylvania winters, these settlers would interrupt their boredom by carving the likeness of cartoon characters that they had heard after arriving in the new world. Thus began what has been called "the Yorkville Renaissance Period." Over a period of time the people in Yorkville began specializing in all aspects of cartoon character reproductions, giving employment to a multitude of carvers, carpenters, and painters.
I remember being an apprentice carver for one whole year, devoting myself to assisting a master craftsman create an astonishing life-like Nancy and Sluggo from the deep-orange Brazilian Rosewood brought up from Sao Paulo. Each piece was hand-painted with greatest of hand and eye coordination, using the finest latex paint from Hadesty’s and Mansell’s, that allowed the wood grain to show through, taking the art of cartoon carving to whole new level.
The exact year that the first cartoon character was carved in the city remains unknown. However, Benjamin Pott, the son of the city’s founder, presented a primitive, hand-carved likeness of one of The Katzenjammer Kids to the borough officials for display during one of the earliest Cruise Night celebrations. Yes, during the late 19th century, the cruise consisted of souped-up wagons and carriages that traveled up and down Centre Street. This Benjamin Pott artifact of white pine is now on display at the Schuylkill Visitors Bureau until January 6th.
From then on, the pieces of cartoon folk art were built to heirloom quality and with proper care, lasting for years to entertain generation after generation, each telling a story that could be shared – whether it was the story of Lil Abner or Beetle Bailey or Little Orphan Annie.

The Square in late December created a magical space where Pottsvillians spent time together, away from the hussle and bussle of the numerous gin joints, speakeasies and gambling halls that doted the city landscape. Just walking around the several blocks was a way to draw deeper meaning into the holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza, all of which are still celebrated to excess by the Trout family to this very day.
In the latter part of the 20th century a movement to “clean up Garfield Square” took hold with its goal to rid the Square of the cartoon characters. Some so-called do-gooders believed that figures were graven images that were leading the population into idolatry. The movement won out and all of the priceless cartoon characters were banished to Port Carbon (a popular location for banishment, even to this day). The cartoon figurines were given a new home but not for long. In 2006 a particularly nasty flood put much of Port Carbon under water, washing away these treasured heirlooms down the Schuylkill River; all lost forever.

Merry Christmas.....