First Night Memories

Thanks to everyone for making our premiere at First Night Akron the best. As promised, we have scanned the quilt blocks created by our visitors for you to enjoy. Revisit the fun you had at first night and read about the memories shared of living, working, and playing in Akron. What a great community! Let’s count our blessings and enjoy this New Year. Have an awesome 2010 everyone! Remember - Life is a lot like a quilt. Once all the pieces come together they produce a lovely work.

Andy January, of January Paint and Wallpaper, shared this memory with us on his radio show “My Beautiful Home”.

When I was a kid, our family subscribed to both The Akron Beacon Journal and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Back Then, the Beacon carrier would walk the neighborhood every afternoon with his bag slung over his shoulder, delivering news to Akron’s waiting citizens. And every Saturday morning he’d come by to collect that huge 55-cent weekly newspaper bill.

The Plain Dealer was different. The carrier worked his route by car so the only time we saw him was when he came around every 90 days to collect $7. This bothered my mom who preferred to pay in smaller increments. One day, she asked him why he came by so infrequently. He said there were so few subscribers in the area that it didn’t warrant a collection trip but once a quarter. She suggested that he get some kid in the neighborhood to do the collecting. He said no one would work for such a little bit of money. Her response to that was, “Hey, Andy, come here.” Thus began my career at the early age of 8 1/2.

I made about $2 per week. That was great money for a third-grader in 1954. It saved my mother my 30 cents weekly allowance, which was half the Beacon bill, and it laid a strong foundation for a business career. The secret to success, I learned, was to start early and be persistent. I also learned a valuable life lesson: I could get what I want by talking. I haven’t stopped since.

Andy’s show can be heard on 1590 WAKR Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Thanks Andy for the wonderful memory!

Kiddos!  Break out your crayons and enter the SCHS coloring contest.  All submissions will be featured on our website. Winning entries will be framed and featured in the historic kitchen of the Perkins Stone Mansion during our Home for the Holidays event.  The coloring picture features the historic Perkins kitchen - show us how you would decorate it for the holidays!  Download your coloring sheet here.

Mail to SCHS
550 Copley Rd
Akron, Ohio 44320
Or deliver to the office at same address Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Come hear Betty O’Neill-Roderick’s book talk about the tales of Zoar’s resident ghosts and spirits Betty will be talking about her book “The Ghosts of Zoar, Ohio”. Betty got the idea for the book while attending a social event in Zoar. Stories were being recounted of mysterious happenings and playful spirits when someone suggested O’Neill-Roderick and Swain should write the stories down. Thus inspired, she and Swain began interviewing people about Zoar and collecting their haunting tales.

Books will be available for purchase or you can bring your own for signing. Betty will be speaking at 7:00 pm, Friday, November 13 at Perkins Stone Mansion. The book talk is free and open to the public.

Betty’s book looks at the history of the German Separatists who settled the village in 1817. The Village of Zoar, located in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, was settled by a group of German Separatists seeking religious freedom. In 1819, they formed a communal society that became one of the most successful experiments in communal living in the United States.

In 1898 the Society of Separatists of Zoar disbanded and the assets were divided among the members. Today the Village of Zoar looks much the same as it did over one hundred fifty years ago. Many of the buildings built by the Separatists are still standing, and the village retains the simplicity and charm of a bygone era. The Ohio Historical Society owns and operates ten of the buildings as museums.

For more information about Zoar, Lantern Tours, or Betty check out the following links:

Article on Zoar Lantern Tours

Zoar Community Association

Ohio Historical Society

Are you a canal history enthusiast or just enjoy the many sites and sounds found along the Ohio Erie canal? In any case, you won’t want to miss Lynn Metzger and Peg Bobel discuss their new book “Canal Fever: the Ohio and Erie Canal, from waterway to canalway”. The book is a combination of original essays based on the past, present, and future of the Ohio & Erie Canal and showcases the research and writing of the best and most knowledgeable canal historians, archaeologists, and enthusiasts. Each contributor brings his or her expertise to tell the canal’s story in three parts: the canal era—the creation of the canal and its importance to Ohio’s early growth; the canal’s decline—the decades when the canal was merely a ditch and path in backyards all over northeast Ohio; and finally the rediscovery of this old transportation system and its transformation into a popular recreational resource, the Ohio & Erie Canalway.

The authors included many voices from the past, such as canalers, travelers, and immigrants. The stories include canal use through various periods, and current interviews with many individuals involved in the recent revitalization of the canal. The book’s content is supplemented with a variety of interesting photographs of sites, events, and people, as well as original maps and drawings by local artist Chuck Ayers. Join Lynn and Peg for an evening of sharing and learn what the canal has meant to Ohio from the beginning of its original function in the state’s growth to its present-day function in revitalizing the region. Bring your copy for a book signing, copies will also be available at the event.

Book Talk and Signing:

Akron-Summit County Public Library

Main Library Auditorium

60 South High Street

Akron, OH 44326

Tuesday, November 3, 2009  7:00 pm

If this event piques your interest you can further explore the canal history opportunities that abound in our region via the organizations and activities listed below:

Cascade Locks Mustill Store

Lock 3 Akron History Museum

 
Cuyahoga Valley National Park Boston Store Visitor Center

Canal Fulton Canalway Center

Did you ever get a hankering for Lou & Hy’s famous cheesecake?  Well, Lou & Hy’s may be gone but Jane Snow, former Akron Beacon Journal food editor, made sure Akronites got the recipe in her article published October 15, 2003 in the Akron Beacon Journal.  If you would like to learn more about Jane and her recipes, she is the featured speaker at a brunch hosted by the Highland Square branch of the Akron Summit County Public Library on Saturday, October 24.  She will present her new book, JANE SNOW COOKS:  SPIRITED RECIPES AND STORIES and autograph copies.  Call to register for this event at 330-376-2927.  If you can’t make it, at least you have this recipe.  Enjoy and Mangia!
 

Lou & Hy’s Deli Cheesecake Recipe

 Thanks to Jane Snow’s ABJ article on October 15, 2003

Crust:
4          cups graham cracker crumbs
10        tbsp. melted butter

 Cake:

8          packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½      cups plus 2 tbsp. flour
2 ¾      cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
½         tsp. salt
1          pint sour cream
9          eggs
2          half-pint containers whipping cream
½         cup powdered sugar
1          tbsp. vanilla
1          tbsp. lemon juice
            Cherry, blueberry, or pineapple pie filling and whipped cream if desired.

For the crust:  Stir and toss crumbs with melted butter. Press equal amounts into the bottoms of four 8 - or 8 ½ inch round springform pans, or 9 ½ , 8 ½ , and 7 ½ in pan.  Set aside.

For the cake:  In a 5 quart mixer bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Slowly beat in flour, then sugar.  Add salt and sour cream and  beat until smooth, scraping down sides occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until egg is incorporated. Bowl will be very full. Turn off mixer. Scrape bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until batter is uniformly mixed.

In a very large bowl, beat whipping cream until slightly thickened. While beating, slowly add sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until soft peaks form.

Pour one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture into the bowl with the whipped cream and fold until incorporated. Add half of remaining batter and fold again, then fold in remaining batter. 

Pour batter over crusts in springform pans. Place in a boiling water bath and bake in a preheated, 325-degree oven for about 21/2 hours; or place pans directly on oven shelves and bake in a preheated, 350-degree oven until cheesecakes are almost set.

To test for doneness, gently shake pans. The cheesecakes should still wiggle slightly. Without the water bath, baking time will be about 40 minutes for a 71/2-inch cake, 50 minutes for an 8- to 81/2-inch cake, and 60 minutes for a 91/2-inch cake.

 Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Before serving, run a sharp knife between the cake and sides of the pan. Release the clamp, spread the ring open and lift off the cake. Top with pie filling and decorate with whipped cream, if desired.

Listen my children and you shall hear…. History happens all around us everyday in our family’s, friends’, and neighbors’ lives.  How often have you thought – I really need to get “_______” (fill in the blank – mom’s, dad’s, grandpa’s, my buddy’s) story before something happens and it’s lost forever.  Here is your chance to share oral history with your community and beyond.  Listen to some of the stories shared by Summit County Historical Society volunteers at the Akron-Summit County Public Library event held in July.  You will be inspired to share.

Interview with Larry Williams by Ralph Witt on July 24, 2009

StoryCorps, the award-winning oral history project, and WKSU are bringing the StoryCorp mobile recording unit to downtown Akron from Aug. 27 through Sept. 19.  Don’t miss your chance at 15 minutes of fame!  Your recording could be used for segments on NPR’s Morning Edition and, if not, all recorded interviews are archived at the Library of Congress for the entire world to hear.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.  By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans.

StoryCorp Mobile Unit

Reserve your slot by calling 800-850-4406.

For additional information or to reserve an appointment online, visit StoryCorps.org.

Dixie’s Land
Blue Danube
Swanee River

Prior to the development of the changeable disk sheet, music boxes repeated the same song on their single metal cylinder, but a German businessman, Gustav Brachhausen, introduced the luxurious opportunity to switch moods and tempos for dining, dancing and enjoying tea with almost as much ease as the flip of a switch with his new U.S. company.  The Regina Music Box Company in Rahway, New Jersey produced the best quality product in the United States and its exquisite sound could not be match by any competitor between 1892 and 1915.

 Our 1899 Regina music box features a double comb making it capable of playing 78 different notes.  The star wheel rotates the metal punched metal disk “plucking” the comb to produce a melody. The mechanism allows for one revolution or continuous play, hand cranking as needed.  You can also adjust the tempo with a lever so waltzes can be distinguished from military marches. A wonderful bargain at $ 14.95 – 78.95 as listed in the Sears & Roebuck Company catalog 1897. (Sears Catalog 1897)

The invention of the phonograph brought an end to the music box era, but the Regina Company “switched” gears and became a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners.  The brand was popular until the 1990s.  Regina Vacuum Cleaners Wiki

 If you like what you hear on this website, you can download Regina Music onto your MP3 player from eMusic Regina Music Downloads and others online.

The Latin word meaning queen, regina is pronounced reh-gee-nuh.  If you’re planning to visit Regina, Saskatchewan CANADA, make sure to say it like the locals reh-JY-nuh.

 To learn more about Regina Music Boxes visit these interesting sites on the web:

 www.drloriv.com/appraisals/regina

 www.interique.com/ReginaNotes.html

 www.deadmedia.org/notes/25/250.html