Trump's Delusions Continue

Trump claims that the Republicans lost because he wasn't on the ballot. In reality, they lost because he was on the voter's mind.  Those red hats may still be able to fill an auditorium, but apparently they can't fill a stadium. Even the $5k bribe wasn't enough.

But Trump's grasp on delusion and reality are real issues. He stated on Tuesday that the Iran War will unfold at his whim. I don't know what constraints can be placed on him, but constraints are certainly in order.

He thinks that his power of veto will hold sway over Congress. I think that what can hold sway over Trump is his need for monuments. Perhaps if he behaves himself, they'll allow him to build his arch or a small pyramid.

The Cost Of Buffoonery

I saw a short clip of Bill Reilly last week wondering why Trump did the diesel fuel deal with Putin? Bill until then had been an unquestioning cool-aid drinker. Fortunately for Bill, he wasn't up for re-election, he was just trying to not look like a fool for whatever audience he has left.

For Republican incumbents, the cost has been pricey. Ryan Mackenzie got beat by the most unqualified congressional candidate in my memory. All Mackenzie needed to do was speak up a few times, but he didn't have it in him.  Hopefully, for the sake of the country, these lame ducks will go out with some dignity, and speak up even if it's too late to save their careers.

I fully expect the politically surviving Republicans to now exert themselves. Trump's directives keep becoming more detrimental to the country.

William Allen High School

I have a diploma from William Allen, just not a class. I had some attitude issues, and was frequently asked to stay away and think about them. As it turns out, I was about a year younger than my original classmates, and eventually was given the coveted document at the end of summer school, the following year. My original classmates didn't know what happened to me, and the latter ones didn't know where I came from. The delayed development did prepare me to eventually become a blogger.

Move ahead some sixty years, and the progressive school board decided that it wanted administrators who look like the students. They have progressed to the point where they now have administrators who act like the students.

Today is election day, and students of this blog know that I have in recent months mentioned candidates in selected races. It is certainly a consequential election, especially in the U.S. Congress.

Allentown Memories

From low income sections of center city, to expensive suburbs, Allentown and the Lehigh Valley is becoming home to more and more newcomers. I'm afraid the time will soon come when local memorabilia will have little appeal. Fortunately, for those interested, some impressive collections still exist.  David Bausch, former County Executor and authority on Automobile Art, is also a expert on things Allentown. Then there are the many small collections, home of the hidden treasures. Above is an early aerial photograph of the Allentown Fair. Those interested in the recent commotion concerning the 19TH Street Theater District may find the upper right of the photograph interesting. There is no theater, there are no houses on Saint George Street and most of the buildings seem to to garages and automobile in nature (don't tell Auto-Zone). This gem is probably from the late teens or early 20's, and comes from the Thomas Reed Collection. Thomas is aka Z1pyro, long time expert shooter for Zambelli Firework Company. He retired several years ago, and we who appreciate fireworks, notice his departure.

reprinted from July of 2008

ADDENDUM:Allentown recently lost David Bausch. For those of us interested in local history and politics, he was the dean. While his annual Christmas party brought the past and present together, his breakfast clubs were a more contemporary, daily event.

Allentown Memorabilia

The time and market for Allentown memorabilia has come and gone. With a changing population, and the graying of the older town folks, objects of our history are destined for the landfill. Even the local historic society concentrates on shows of general interest, such as Abraham Lincoln. In addition to having been a retail mecca, Allentown manufactured a large assortment of products. Allentown was stamped on tools, knifes, and metal products of all kinds, distributed nationwide. A local regional food product was the hard pretzel, a variation of the traditional German soft pretzel. Allentown had several pretzel companies. Miller's operated out of their factory at 732 Tilghman Street, between 1944 and 1978. In the coming months this blog will profile some of these Made In Allentown products, before litter and meaningless slogans became our legacy.

reprinted from July of 2013 

CLICK HERE for this baby boomer memory and 35 others in my booklet at the Amazon bookstore

The Corner Market

Although I doubt that there will ever be a show at the Historical Society, or brochures at the Visitors Bureau, perhaps nothing encapsulates the history of Allentown more than the corner grocery stores. Allentown proper, is mostly comprised of rowhouses built between 1870 and 1920, long before the era of automobiles and suburban supermarkets. Most of the corner markets were built as stores, and over the years many were converted into apartments. Up until the late 1940's, there may have been well over a hundred operating in Allentown. Some specialized in ethnic food. The bodega at 9th and Liberty was formally an Italian market. Live and fresh killed chickens were sold at 8th and Linden, currently H & R Block Tax Service. A kosher meat market is now a hair salon on 19th Street. The original era for these markets died with the advent of the supermarket. In the early 50's some corner stores attempted to "brand" themselves as a "chain", as shown in the Economy Store sign above. That market is at 4th and Turner, and has been continually operating since the turn of the last century. Ironically, as the social-economic level of center city has decreased, the corner stores have seen a revival. Most of these new merchants, many Hispanic and some Asian, know little of the former history of their stores, but like their predecessors, work long, hard hours.

ADDENDUM: The above post is reprinted from 2009.  The sign shown above has been removed or sold. When my parents were first married, they lived next door and would patronize the same store.  My grandparents lived nearby on the corner of Chew and Jordan Streets.

ADDENDUM 2: the Economy Stores sign shown, apparently came from an early A&P format in 1912 when they leased small stores. If this particular store was such an A&P, or just dressed later with a reused sign, I have yet to determine.

ADDENDUM APRIL 12, 2024: When I took the photo back in 2009, I was friendly with the long time owner, from having managed apartments in that neighborhood. Both she and the enamel sign are now long gone. When I told the current owner that members of my family have been coming into that same store for over a hundred years, he looked at me as if I was from another planet. There are very few long time store owners that I still know.

CLICK HERE for this baby boomer memory and 35 others in my booklet at the Amazon bookstore

Allentown's History Not Aging Well

A recent comment to this blog wondered how Pip The Mouse and the Liberty Bell Shrine were faring? Pip was the famous annual Christmas window display at the iconic Hess Brothers Department Store. The Liberty Bell was hidden in Allentown at the Zion Church during the Revolutionary War. 

Students of this blog know that the disregard for history is one of my many complaints about the NIZ. Beautiful mercantile architecture was destroyed to accommodate  the NIZ real estate scheme. Meanwhile, the art deco post office on 5th Street goes to unclaimed seed, and the Art Museum is going to abandon its important role on that street.

Zion Church gave their historic property to Gregory Edwards. Considering that his church on 9th Street has looked less than pristine since he has managed it, the future for Zion doesn't look promising. Those interested in Pip or the Liberty Bell will have to do research at the Historical Society, at least for as long as that lasts.