Neighborhoods Or Nightclubs In Allentown?

It was disturbing to see an article in the Morning Call,  essentially hoping that all turns out well for the Maingate Nightclub, with its upcoming  suspension hearings with the LCB.  Likewise,  it was disturbing when city council voted for the special noise exemption ordinance to help the nightclub circumvent their continuing LCB violations.

City council never surveyed the surrounding residents for their opinion about the scheme to help out a private bar owner.  We know that they actually blamed the residents of the elderly high-rise for squealing about the club's noise to the liquor control board.  As someone who has been scrutinizing bad city council actions for decades,  the Maingate vote may take the cake for favoritism.

I noticed that when the current operator of the Ritz spoke of her closing, she mentioned the Maingate. Discussing slow business before the Covid-19 shutdown, she believes last summer’s shooting that injured the Maingate Nightclub owner and a security guard outside the nearby business was partly to blame.“I think it scared people,” 

City councilman Daryl Hendricks referred to the Maingate area as an entertainment district.  Perhaps if he lived there, and was concerned about his family's quality of life, and his property value, he would realize that it is first and foremost a neighborhood.

photo of residential street being sacrificed by city council

Poor Neighborhoods To Get More Dangerous

When police officers several years ago in Baltimore were castigated for hosting some rough patty wagon trips,  police enforcement, and ultimately protection, took a slowdown in that city.  I expect to see a stand down now around the entire country.

In this current climate of scrutiny by the public, and officials more concerned with their reelection than actual public safety,  a dangerous, thankless job is now becoming a losing proposition.  When coming home from the job requires quick responses,  and everybody is a judge with a surveillance camera,  why would a policeman want to jeopardize himself protecting your property or life?

How ironic is it that "Defund The Police" was a slogan heard at riots and lootings?  Some woke large city officials want to instead divert those funds to social programs.  An activist in Minnesota  said, "We're safer without armed, unaccountable patrols supported by the state hunting black people."

I don't think that they will be safer.  Matter of fact,  I think that life has gotten far  more dangerous in poor neighborhoods in the last couple of weeks.  There will be a few less complaints against the police,  but much less protection against the predators in those neighborhoods.

above photo and caption from CNN

Memories Before The New Dollar General

When people drive by the new Dollar General on Walbert Avenue, few will remember fondly the rather non-descript property that was there before. The previous clapboard house faced sideways, with the front yard extending toward what was later a vehicle storage yard for Supreme Auto Body.  Behind the new store there are houses, which now have been there for many years.

In 1949, Morning Call readers found out about an armed robbery at a private poker game on Walbert Avenue. At the end of the long yard mentioned above, was a separate rumpus room, where my uncle and his associates played cards. The holdup men burst in with shotguns and made off with over $5,000, some serious money back then.

For a boy growing up in a development in South Allentown, my aunt and uncle's property out on Walbert Avenue was almost country. Along the top of the yard, where those houses are now, was a riding ring. Connected to my uncle's rumpus room, were the paddocks. My aunt was my father's oldest sibling, and her children were over 20 years my senior. By the time of my memories as a small boy, both my cousins and the horses were no longer there.

My uncle owned and operated Arlen Vending, which placed pinball machines and jukeboxes throughout the valley. He belonged to the Clover Club, a men's card playing club next to Hotel Traylor.  I know that in this era,  he would be a regular at the casino in Bethlehem.

Shown above in lower left of photo is Arlen Vending, a basement storeroom at 443 Hamilton Street. At any one time he would have 5,000 records for sale from the jukeboxes.

Protest Among The Roses

A Black Lives Matter protest was scheduled for Saturday afternoon in the Rose Gardens. As an advocate for the Allentown parks, this was absolutely the wrong location. The space between the flower beds is very limited.

The park department has erected signs throughout the park emphasizing the need for social distancing. In this emotional aftermath of the George Floyd incident, in this climate of political correctness, the city apparently didn't have the discipline to redirect the event to a more appropriate location.

Just beyond the garden are large open spaces, where such a gathering would be much safer for everybody participating.

I expressed my concerns publicly to both Karen El-Chaar, park director, and Hassan Batts, director of Promise Neighborhoods. El-Chaar responded that she agreed... My conclusion is that her preference was overridden by the city administration.

These are woke times, and this is a sensitive issue.  Never the less, as someone who sees the garden caretaker toiling every day,  it is no place for a large protest, even without the social distancing now recommended.

Hassan Batts responded that although his Promise facebook page hosted the protest announcement, his group is not the organizer.  He stated that he would pass along my concerns to the actual sponsor. As it turned out, he was both a featured participant and speaker at the event.  The official sponsor, although not mentioned on the promotion posters, was Lehigh Valley DSA, Democratic Socialists of America.

Allentown must certainly provide space for public assembly.  The extensive park system has numerous places which can host any size demonstration. In addition to the city administration having an obligation to the public assembly, they also have a responsibility to protect the public infrastructure. In all my years spent at Cedar Park, I have never witnessed the fragile garden submitted to such an activity.  It was a very righteous event in a totally wrong place.

Drag Races And Such At Dorney Park

Dorney Park is celebrating it's 125th Anniversary, as noted by The Morning Call. A landmark that old, has provided memories for five generations. As a teenager in the 1960's, friday nights at Castle Rock, a dance hall from the twenties, were literally a Freddy Cannon moment. Park admission was free, and there were many attractions which no longer exist, most victim to fire. In addition to the dance hall, there was also a roller skating ring and a stock car race track. The picture above was part of a large neon sign on Hamilton Blvd., on the northwest corner with Cedar Crest Blvd.

In 2007 John Travolta,dressed in drag, portrayed Hollywood's version of Hairspray, initially made by campy underground film maker John Waters, and shot at Dorney Park in 1988. Travolta's part was originally played by a less wholesome, real life female impersonator named Devine, who died shortly after the movie was released.

In my father's time, you could get the trolley at 7th and Hamilton and take it to Dorney Park. Through the 1980's, you could still drive on the road which went right through the middle of the park. Now, combined with a water park, Dorney has become a regional attraction. Busloads of children and families come from New York and elsewhere, but it will always remain a rite of passage for local youngsters.

reprinted from May of 2009.

UPDATE: The large Dorney Park sign stood on the northwest corner of Hamilton and Cedar Crest.  Historic stone homes,  including the former King George Inn, stood on the other three corners. The intersection was called Dorneyville. At the Dorney Sign there was a diagonal road which also entered the intersection,  and the sign pointed to follow that road to the amusement park.

Images Of Allentown Past

Tillie's Bakery, on the narrow 900 block of Liberty Street, was actually a family factory outlet store. Behind the house, whose living room served as the store, facing an alley called Fountain Street, was Long's Bakery. Long's produced small plastic wrapped shoefly pies and breakfast cakes, which were distributed in local grocery stores throughout Allentown. Tillie Long would open the bakery store several hours each day, and the small selection of wrapped bake goods would quickly be snatched up by knowledgeable neighbors. Peter and Tillie operated the factory and bakery front for the better part of a century. Afterwards, the business was operated by their son, William. The bakery building on Fountain Street is now apartments.

reprinted from May of 2013

Rumble In Harrisburg

Last night the Pa. General Assembly passed a resolution setting aside Governor Wolf's emergency measures concerning shutdowns and re-opens in the state.  While it goes without saying that Wolf will not sign the proclamation,  what rule of law it has seems to be in dispute, and headed for court.

One thing is certain, there has been substantial lost to local commerce because of the virus.  The Morning Call reports that the Bayleaf,  a fixture on Hamilton Street for three decades, will not reopen.  A member of Allentown Chronicles reports that the Ritz,  part and parcel of the fairgrounds, will also be closing.

Locally,  our Harrisburg elected officials voted along their party lines on the resolution.

Shown above was my campaign sign as an independent in 2014.  I ran in the race against eleven term Republican incumbent Julie Harhart and a Democratic opponent.  Pennsylvania doesn't elect independents, and stays with incumbents.

It will be a hard recovery.

An Allentown School Primer

While Morning Call readers learned yesterday that Allentown School superintendent Russ Mayo would not be seeking another contract, molovinsky readers already knew that since early last week. However, today's post is a lesson in recent history. Before Mayo, the superintendent was John Zahorchak. The board that hired him thought very highly of themselves for that choice. Zahorchak was former Secretary of Education under Rendell. What the board didn't realize was that while the Rendell administration was a case study in cronyism, it was not concerned with expertise. Zahorchak came to town and turned the school system inside out, and upside down. He instituted every new concept ever written in the education magazines. Among one bad move after another, he transfered Allen High's very effective principal to desk job on Penn Street. In wake of the mess, the board was then glad to hire Mayo, who was familiar with the system before the chaotic changes.

Allentown School System has been suffering from the same problems which affect all urban systems with high poverty rates.  Why the board thinks that a new superintendent will change the parameters of that reality escapes me.  The district just announced that there will be another year with no tax increase, which would be considered welcome news in most communities.

Now some older history;  Shown above is Dorothy Taliaferro, as pictured in the 1920 Allentown High School yearbook.  Dorothy was a vocal supporter for woman suffrage, and hoped to become a doctor. She was the first black girl to graduate from Allentown.  Although Dorothy did not fulfill that career ambition,  she had two younger brothers who did become physicians.  The family lived at 450 Union Street, which was later demolished in one of Allentown's misguided urban renew projects.

Thanks to Dan Doyle, for loan of the 1920 Comus. 

UPDATE JUNE 9, 2020: This post is a reprint from 2016, which now seems like the good old days. Under the current superintendent, Thomas Parker, the district is in a financial hole so deep that no tax increase is no longer an option. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused another difficulty, not seen since Dorothy Talisferro attended Allentown High in 1918.