Boxing Eggs

When I was a little boy, I would work at my father's meat market, boxing eggs. The job was pretty straightforward. I would take eggs from a big box, and put them in small boxes with folding lids, each of which held a dozen. If I did a whole crate without breaking an egg, I did a good job. The real adventure was the drive to the shop. We lived just off Lehigh Street, and would take it all the way to Union Street. The many landmarks are now gone forever, only remaining in my camera of the past. Shown above in 1952, is the portion of Lehigh Street near the Acorn Hotel, which is not visible in the photograph. Before reaching the Acorn, you drove under The Reading Railroad bridge overpass, which recently has been dismantled and removed. That line served the Mack Plant on S. 10th Street. Just beyond the area pictured, the Quarry Barber railroad spur also crossed Lehigh Street, at the bridge over the Little Lehigh Creek. That line also crossed S. 10th, and served Traylor Engineering, now known as the closed Allentown Metal Works. Just last week Mitt Romney was there, to rebuke Obama's former visit to the site. Mayor Pawlowski is now rebuking Romney, but none of them really know anything about its past. A half block away, on overgrown steps built by Roosevelt's WPA, a thousand men would climb home everyday, after working at Mack and Traylor. Freight trains, on parallel tracks, from two different railroads, were needed to supply those industrial giants.

After my father rounded the second curve on Lehigh Street, we would head up the steep Lehigh Street hill. It was packed with houses and people. At the top of the hill, we would turn right on to Union Street. Going down Union Street, Grammes Metal was built on the next big curve. Grammes made a large assortment of finished decorative metal products. Beyond Grammes were numerous railroad crossings. The Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks crossed Union, as did the Jersey Central and several spurs, near Basin Street. It was not unusual to wait twenty-five minutes for the endless freight trains to pass. A two plus story tower gave the railroad men view and control of the busy crossing. A few more blocks and we were at the meat market, in time for me to break some eggs.

reprinted from July 2011

A Promise Not Kept

Mayor Tuerk is still putting out the tired correlation between Allentown's violence and lack of opportunity. Recently I stopped in at Perkins, and couldn't understand why the hostess told me that there would be a thirty minute wait for table when the restaurant was three quarters empty. She explained to me that she was the only waitress, doubling also as the hostess. I since learned that this problem isn't unique to Perkins. 

Years ago I posted about all the fakers taking disability. Now it's one thing to have a city full of fakers with their hands out, but it's another thing to have pandering politicians and virtue signalers supplying the handouts. 

When there is three separate shooting incidents in a week, there should be a chorus of protest from the public and fellow elected officials. The sycophants remain silent. Allentown will have to decide if it wants to be livable or not. Realize that someone got shot while the mayor was on a Peace Walk with Promise Neighborhoods just a few blocks away. Realize while there is yellow crime tape all over downtown, Tuerk wants bike lanes down Turner Street? 

I don't blame Promise Neighborhoods for all the shootings this past week, but I blame Tuerk and Shapiro for thinking that sending $Millions Promises' way could possibly make a difference. That money has to go toward more police, nothing else. Let the virtue signalers support Promise with their personal private money, if that makes them feel good about themselves.

Tuerk shown above promising Promise.

ADDENDUM 6:00PM:I've been informed by comment that no funds went to Promise this year from Allentown. However, almost $1.6million came their way from Harrisburg.

Cold Reception For Park Advocate

I was surprised the other weekend when I came across volunteers and elected officials painting the gazebos in the Rose Garden. Just a couple of weeks earlier Mike Schlossberg and Nick Miller announced a $200,000 grant for their restoration. On hand was a photographer and videographer to publicize their participation. 

Questioning Schlossberg whether some of the grant would be going to restore the pavilion across the creek, he was clueless and unresponsive.

Nick Miller was polite and a little better informed, responding that some of the money could be spent restoring the neglected picnic pavilions. 

I then asked Park Director Mandy Tolino, who was also there. She told me that the pavilions would be replaced by new metal versions.  When I told her that the large wood pavilions would last many more years with just some long neglected maintenance, and not be a hazardous lightning target, she snidely told me that after the new ones are in place, she will take notes to see which ones lasted longer. When I questioned her about the creek weed wall infested with invasive species, she told me that there are also some native plants growing in the mess. (mess is my word)

Next time I don't want to know anything, I'll ask Schlossberg.  

Next time I want an answer, I'll ask Miller.

Next time I wanted to be dismissed, I'll ask Tolino.

No Ongoing Threat To The Public

When I grew up we were the All 'American City, the phrase most heard now is no ongoing threat to the public. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Police Chief, actually there is an ongoing threat to the public when people keep getting shot!!!  

I know that going on vote pandering diversity trips to the Caribbean isn't going to help. I know that funding former criminals to march around in orange shirts isn't going to help.

While the Morning Call doesn't report Saturday shootings until Monday, news spreads fast in the hood. While the Strata Apartments can put out advertisements about food courts, the food and museum isn't worth being accidentally shot for.

Until we get a much bigger police force, you have to flood this city with State Police, and start taking these bad actors off the streets and out of the alleys.

artwork by Allentown native Mark Beyer

ADDENDUM:The Promise Neighborhoods Peace Walk on Saturday ended at the 7th Street parking lot, where six people were shot the previous Sunday. Joining the walk were council president Cynthia Mota and Mayor Matt Tuerk. Mota had nominated Hasshan Batts for mayor when Pawlowski was carted off. Tuerk had started his mayoral term with a trip to the Dominican Republic to learn about their culture. An hour later and three blocks farther after the walk ended Saturday, there was another shooting at 8th & Union Streets. Mota and Tuerk apparently don't know the difference between orange and blue. Don't expect the public safety dilemma to improve under their leadership.

Hootchy Nights At The Allentown Fair

Morning Call columnist Bill White had a piece earlier in the week where he lamented that  Bobo the dunking clown was no longer at the fair. Although that's about as funky as it got for Bill in his era,  we older Allentonians remember much hotter nights at the fairgrounds. Up to the late sixties the fair had girly shows. I'm going back to the era of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway and Benny's Bingo. I'm going back to three midways packed between the Farmer's Market and Chew Street. I'm going back to when the fair only started after Labor Day.

I mentioned in one of my previous fair posts that Fred Schoenk and I made and sold printed t-shirts at the fairs during high School. At the Kutztown Fair we were hired by the burlesque show owner to letter a new banner for his show tent...as high school boys we would have paid him for the experience.

reprinted from September of 2018

photocredit:molovinsky...Black rock and roll review with strippers, 1969 Allentown Fair

The Great Allentown Fair

The Morning Call website is hosting an archive of Fair Pictures from over the years. Being a fan both of fair pictures and black and white photography, looking at the 111 photos presented was a treat.

The photo shown above, which I will get back to, reminded me of one of my unique fair experiences. In previous posts, I have discussed that both my father and myself had stands at the fair. While my father learned that you couldn't sell hotdogs near Yocco's, I learned that drunks leaving the beer garden loved to buy printed T-shirts.

But today's post has to with George Kistler, long time City Clerk during the 1950's and 60's. George loved the fair, and loved sharing his fascination with a large group of people. I was fortunate enough to be invited several times. The routine was always the same; Dinner at a local stand on the eastern side of the fairgrounds, followed by the wrestling show. I remember photographing Andre The Giant.

The Morning Call fair picture above is none other than Jim "Super Fly" Snuka, who was recently back in Allentown, for a most regrettable reason.

reprinted from September of 2016