The Crassness of Allentown

The last several days I have been overwhelmed by the crassness of Allentown. Despite a $billion dollars in development, Allentown will never be a destination, because like Charlie Tuna, it lacks taste. It has become a tangled web of demolition and grant fueled insider development. Buildings will be built, and people will work here, but at five o'clock they will exit the city as fast as the poorly planned streets will allow. Every decision in the last several years has been based on private avarice, and promoted as progress. Half of the population is in a survival mode, the other half indifferent. We have a newspaper with reporters knowing that new ownership is inevitable, safely not raking any mud, grateful to have a job, and hopeful to keep it. Thanks for your visit, vote today.

picture of a Krass Brother, Philadelphia merchant of clothes.

The Dam Difference Between Easton and Allentown

Excerpted from an article by Randy Kraft on the WFMZ Website.
Will removing a dam ultimately destroy a bridge in Allentown’s Lehigh Parkway? The Wildlands Conservancy has city approval to remove the dam in the Robin Hood section of the Parkway. ..But on Wednesday night, Allentown resident Michael Molovinsky suggested City Council rule that no decision will be made to remove the Robin Hood dam until it’s certain that the bridge won’t be jeopardized....  “It’s essential that we preserve this bridge and it’s not worth jeopardizing the bridge for what is essentially a science experiment for the wildlife conservancy. The bridge belongs to the citizens of Allentown," Molovinsky said.... City planning director Richard Young will look into Molovinsky’s contention that removing the dam will threaten the bridge. Young wants to review Wildlands Conservancy’s report on the planned removal of the dam, to see if it includes “scour calculations on those bridge substructures. I hope they did that.” Molovinsky doubts the conservancy did any engineering work regarding the impact removing the dam will have on the bridge. ...“The stress on that bridge has been pretty intense,” said City Council member Peter Schweyer. “We’ve had one accident there that took out part of the railing.”...  Molovinsky said the irony of the conservancy’s plan is that an LCA sewer line runs along the stream through the Parkway and overflows in heavy rains, putting sewage into the Little Lehigh. He said environmentalists consider removing dams a way to improve stream quality, but in this case “it’s just a token” because of that sewer line. “There’s a limit to how much you can improve stream quality when you have periodic sewage spills,” he said.
The above is excerpted from an article by Randy Kraft on the WFMZ Website.

Although The Morning Call didn't write one word about City Council interceding about the Robin Hood Dam, they did publish a report today about the dams in Easton. In the article, the Wildland's representative, Abigail Pattishall, is quoted as saying the Easton deliberation will take ten years. Here in Allentown, it took ten minutes, on the phone with the prior park director.

The Story of Three Dams

The title shown above was from my original post idea list, it's now actually four dams. The Wildlands Conservancy wants to insure their funding for a decade, and has added the Easton dam to their list. It seems as if in Easton, there is recognition of the dam's historical significance, having been built with the canal. Before I proceed, let me acknowledge that there is indeed a problem with the dam at Jordan Park. Another child was recently caught in the pipe that is part of that structure. That pipe should be blocked off immediately, even before that dam's fate is determined. The third dam in the news is the Lehigh dam by the Hamilton Street bridge. A Colorado company has shown interest in a small scale hydro electric turbine for that location. Shown above is the little Robin Hood Dam, adjoining the iconic Robin Hood Bridge. This dam, dating back to 1941, adds to the ambience and experience of Lehigh Parkway. Removal of the dam could well endanger the bridge, and consequently, parking and use of the park. City Council has committed to prohibiting it's removal, until which time all ramifications are considered.

They Shoot Horses

In the vernacular, the 1969 movie, They Shoot Horses, Don't They, about Depression era marathons, refers to ending the misery of suffering people. That's how I feel about elections, one day before Election Day. The voters have some interesting choices, in both the city and county races, but at this point in time, that's all this blogger wishes to say.

The Train Of Dorney Park

 By Wally Ely
 In 1934, times were tough — in the Lehigh Valley and throughout the United States. The Great Depression was rampant. Unemployment kept willing and able workers out of jobs, with some in food lines or soup kitchens. Dorney Park was just hanging on, waiting for better days. There was no way the park could afford anything new to keep interest in the amusements alive. Nobody could afford to come to the park in 1934, especially not to spend any money. Bob Plarr, park president, was not accustomed to sitting back, waiting and hoping for things to improve. Plarr had an acquaintance, Miles Erbor, from the nearby village of Wescosville. Erbor, known as Mike, ran a machine shop in his garage. Erbor floated his bright idea for a new ride at Dorney past Plarr, and he loved it! Erbor's thought was to build a miniature version of the national train sensation of the day, the Burlington Zephyr. He could do it economically, with many used parts he had on hand.... The new Zephyr traveled the route an old steam engine-powered open-air train had traveled around the west end of the park. The Zephyr Jr. started near the main crossing of Dorney Park road, which divided the park; it continued along Cedar Creek parallel to the Water Skooter boat ride and then passed the swimming pool and rumbled through a short storage building, which served as a tunnel. At the far end, the route approached the boating lake and began to circle back. On the return trip it passed the picnic groves, more Water Skooters, and finally the rocket ship ride and the old mill. A final turn across the bridge near the French fry stand brought the ride back to the beginning. The announcement of the new ride at Dorney Park was welcomed by the community; there weren't many positive announcements in those days. The public responded. Crowds appeared at the park to buy the nickel tickets for a Zephyr Jr. train ride. The nickels added up, and a new, steady cash flow helped pay the bills and enabled Dorney Park to ride out the Depression.....

The above is excerpted from a column written by Wally Ely which appeared in The Morning Call on May 5, 2013. The photo has been added.  Ely is a history,  train buff and author, who has written a book on Dorney Park.

The Mad Men of Allentown

Back in the day, the titans of Allentown would fill the five barberchairs of the Colonial Barbershop, 538 Hamilton Street. That was when the town had three department stores. That was when Wetherhold and Metzger had two shoe stores on Hamilton Street. That was when Harvey Farr would meet Donald Miller and John Leh at the Livingston Club for lunch, and discuss acquiring more lots for Park & Shop. By 1995 all that was gone, but Frank Gallucci, 82, would still give some old timers a trim. The Colonial Barbershop property, closed for many years, has been purchased by J.B. Reilly. It is my pleasure to present this previously unseen portrait of Gallucci, toward the end of his career.

 photocredit:molovinsky