Beating World's Smallest Horse

Last night I attended the fair. This morning's Morning Call has a feature called Midway Callaway. It's about making cotton candy while wearing rubber gloves, putting it into a plastic bag and selling it behind a glass window. Brian (Callaway), that's not cotton candy, that's not a food joint, it's not even a midway. What I saw last night, despite perfect weather, was a sparse crowd on a sterile strip with glass and formica food trucks.

The night I took the attached photo, in the early 70's, music blasted from the hoochy-koochy shows. Andre the Giant easily defeated his opponent and Willie Restum held court outside the Beer Garden. Generations of Allentonians would gather once a year for a community reunion. I hope somehow there's still more to the fair than my aging eyes can see, and that today's children can still make a tradition out of it's current incarnation.

photocredit: stage on midway outside Hoochy-Koochy Show, Allentown Fair, early 70's, by molovinsky

reprinted from September 3, 2009

A Lucky Coward Goes To Harrisburg

Michael Schlossberg certainly is lucky to have no opponent in his race for the State House. I believe that his upcoming vote on City Council in support of the water and sewer lease plan would have had long term political consequences. I take the liberty on predetermining his vote, because he has never voted against Pawlowski or the party, he's strictly a company man. His resignation from City Council before, and because, of this vote is an act of cowardice. His replacement will be the third appointment on a seven person council. I keep resolving to be less critical of our elected officials, but unfortunately, their actions preclude such self improvement on my part.

The Hunkies of Bethlehem

According to my mother, a Gypsy king was buried in Allentown in around 1960, she knew about such things. She was born in Galgo, Hungary, an area of Transylvania, now part of Romania, near present day Gilgau. In Galgo, the Jews and Gypsies lived on the edge of town. In the early 20's, my grandparents, along with their Gypsy neighbors, came to Bethlehem to work at the Steel. On weekends, to make extra money, my grandparents would open their house and show Hungarian movies. None of their relatives, Jew or Gypsy, save one cousin, survived the nazi's; even the cemeteries were desecrated. As you can see from the document above, my grandfather earned his citizenship the hard way.

The post above is a reprint from September of 2009, then titled, King of the Gypsies.  This weekend a plaque was unveiled in Bethlehem, commemorating a strike and the death of a Hungarian steel worker in 1910.  Apparently, Bethlehem Steel had a long tradition of encouraging Hungarians to immigrate to Bethlehem to work at the plant.  Both The Morning Call and Bernie O'Hare covered the story.

The Self-Serving Of Alan Jennings

making way for White Guy Arena

Alan Jennings had stood silently by, while 34 minority merchants were displaced to build the White Guy Arena. He even became part of the NIZ Authority, who decides which developers qualify for Knighthood. Now, he has proposed that the Knights throw half a $million dollars a year at him. He didn't exactly put it that way, but here's the deal; He now proposes a community benefit fund which will pay for startup minority businesses, and other such Feel-Good projects starting on 7th Street. By coincidence, he happens to operate an existing organization housed at 7th and Liberty Streets, which does exactly the projects which he now proposes. Cut out of the deal would be CUNA, which had been meeting and proposing their own community benefit program. Of course the businesses displaced by the arena were started up by minorities, but they were self starters, not part of the Jennings Made Poverty A Business Corporation. As for CUNA, they should have been at City Hall last year, defending the previous existing merchants.

Better Photos By Molovinsky

The Morning Call's Delusion

It's becoming harder and harder to be a print paper junkie. My paper used to come at five in the morning, proper time for ink and coffee. Delivery now is at seven, but I don't complain. Although late, the carrier now is reliable, more than I can say about her predecessors. Once you trained puppies with newspaper, now the newspaper trains it's readers. Because of this new schedule, I'm forced to purchase a digital subscription, and finally glance at the hard copy several hours after morning coffee. On Wednesday, the Morning Call informed me that I should be grateful that I'm still getting the pulp edition seven days a week. The Harrisburg Patriot-News is cutting back to three day publishing.

Morning Call Publisher Timothy E. Ryan said his newspaper, with a combined print and online weekly penetration of 70 percent of Lehigh Valley adults, is "committed to providing comprehensive seven-day-a-week coverage."

Mr. Ryan, in all due respect, although you put out the paper seven days, it's been many years since the paper has been "comprehensive." Monday's paper has been like a grade school Weekly Reader for a decade. Considering that you only have one reporter on duty over the weekend, your Saturday, Sunday and Monday material is formulated on Friday. When you switch to three days it should be an easy transition.

The King's Men

Last evening, although dozens of concerned citizens spoke against the water lease plan, the Administration made sure that the plan had advocates. Although effective, nobody can accuse Pawlowski of being subtle about choosing his representatives; All to a man, are beneficiaries of the mayor. The arena's main benefactor, J.B. Reilly, told Council that capitalization rates may change, making the lease deal time sensitive. Strange how time is always of the essence with Pawlowski propositions. Charlie Thiel, purveyor of the city's security cameras, also pitched the plan. The original driving force for the upcoming 19th Street upgrade, Damien Brown, did his duty. Last, but not least, Bob Buck for The Chamber of Commerce, sang the mayor's song. Although not performing, but waiting in the wings as backup, was Alan Jennings employee Dan Bosket.

The Morning Call article, which emphasized the few supporters of the plan

The Express Times article, which emphasized the numerous opponents of the plan

The water works in 1905