This & That by Jack Coll

This & That
By Jack Coll
9-14-14

Welcome to another edition of This & That, a column made up of tid-bits of information taken from the Conshohocken Recorder Newspapers from over the past 140 years among other publications.
This & That is a column of tid-bits I’ve come across while researching other information. Jack and Brian are currently working on a book titled “Conshohocken in Photographs and Short Stories” due out sometime in 2015. This is the 14th edition of This & That, if you enjoy this edition of the This & That column you might want to go back and read the previous 13 editions of the column. Short articles and advertisements are reprinted exactly the way they were originally printed, mistakes and all.

One of the segments in the upcoming book includes the history of recreation in the borough including:
Borough Sports going back to the 1870’s
Conshohocken Recreation Council
Rev. Lee: Before the Fellowship House
The Fellowship House
The Hullaballoo
Conshohocken Youth Center
Conshohocken Youth Foundation
Conshohocken Mayor’s Special Events
The Parks 12 in all, including
(I was wondering if you can tell me where all these parks and fields are located)
Leeland
Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Park
Aubrey Collins Park
Sutcliffe Park
Mary Wood Park
Monument Park
Albert A. Garthwaite Field
Second Avenue Meadow
Haines & Salvati Memorial Park
Veterans Park
John “Jas” Borusiewicz Memorial Field
Keith MacKenzie Park
Conshohocken Little League
Conshohocken Golden Bears Midget Football

This type of chapter in a book involves months and months of research in an attempt to correctly document the history of the borough’s recreation, and bring to the residents information they might have not previously known, and otherwise will enjoy reading a few good stories along the way, this is what makes our book so interesting.

Enjoy this week’s version of This & That!

May 13, 1980

Finally!
A Little Italian Restaurant in the Suburbs
NOW OPEN
Dine Under The Stars At
La Veranda
In beautiful downtown Conshohocken Pa.
825-9995
Serving the finest in Italian American and Seafood
Dinners at VERY reasonable prices

**************************

May 13, 1980

Casmar Café’
101 E. Seventh Avenue
*Homemade Soups Daily
*Hot & Cold Sandwiches
*Salads & Antipastos
*Island Drinks
Backgammon Boards & Electronic Cocktail Games
Live Music
Featuring
Linda & The Days End Band

***************************

February 25, 1949

By Popular Demand
We Are Renewing Our Regular
Saturday Night Dances!

Music By A Popular Local Orchestra
Good Food & Drinks
Visit The
Old Mansion House
(G. Tempera proprietor)
641 Old Elm Street.***Ph. Consho.2958

*************************

March 22, 1949
Bob Pickell Leading Scorer of St. Matthew’s Freshman
Bob Pickell, sharpshooting forward of the St. Matthew’s High School Freshman basketball team, showed signs this past season of following in the footsteps of his older brother Len, who set a new varsity scoring mark at St. Matthew’s and was chosen on the All Suburban Catholic League quintet while captaining the Mirror varsity last year.
The younger Pickell tallied 26 field goals and 11 fouls for a total of 63 points and an average of 10.3 per game to lead the yearling scorers. He was followed by Bob Grant, diminutive guard. Greg Stagliano, aggressive center, and Tony DiLuccia, southpaw forward all of Norristown who scored 41, 40, and 34 points respectively.
In registering their record of six wins without defeat, the protégés of Coach Bob Ehlinger downed St. Patrick’s and Malvern Prep twice each, and Spring Mill Boys Club and the St. Matthew’s sophomores. The Mirror Mites also displayed exceptional foul shooting accuracy by converting 50 of 86 free throws for an average of 57%.

*************************
(This & That doesn’t leave Conshohocken too often, but I ran across this Dining Guide
From the Norristown Times Herald, thought it might be interesting to see who might
Remember a few of the eating establishments listed below?)

June 18, 1965
(From The Norristown Times Herald)

Dancing
Friday & Saturday Night
“Al Rex & His Royal Tones”

Jules LOMBARDI’S
Italian American Restaurant
BR 5-5877
1316 Ridge Pike, Rt 422
1 ½ miles E. of Norristown

********

Dinner for Two
In Gracious Surroundings
Valley Forge Hotel
Forge Room Serving ‘Til Midnight
Main Street Norristown
Free Parking in rear of Hotel
********

Buy Dad the best present he has ever had!
Make it a real day for Dad on Father’s Day
PS We’re fathers too!
Powder Horn INN
Main & Markley Sts. Norristown
******
Tonight
At
Washington Ford Inn
Curly Stewart and His New Balladiers
******
Attention Members
T. K. CLUB
Hector & Apple Sts.
Conshohocken
*Saturday Nite*
Ben Nosek’s Pen-Del
********
Black Horse Tavern
Ridge Pike and Fairfield Road
Dancing Friday and Saturday’s
“Cameo’s
Color TV
********

Aztec Lounge
1003 Ridge Pike
Friday-Saturday
Dancing To Live Music Of The Finest Bands In Town
********

Little PUB Lounge
52 E. Germantown Pike
Norriton Square Shopping Center
Tonite
“Four Saints”
Sat. Nite
Wildwood’s own group The
“Vikings”
Tues—Clam Nite
AIR CONDITIONED
************
OLD LANDMARK RESTAURANT
Germantown PK. & Trooper Rd.
Fairview Village
***************

Joe & Dan’s—Main St. Pizzeria
245 E. Main St. (Across from Chatlins)
PIZZA A-GO-GO
SPAGHETTI A-GO-GO
***********

We’ve been cutting More Pizza…
Since We Started Serving Fresh Dough Pizza
DeJohn’s Steak Shop
DeKalb at 4th Street
Bridgeport
***********************
BAMBOO INN
Skippack Pike—Bluebell
**************

Bull Tavern
SINCE 1734
Route 23, 2 miles from Valley Forge
Phoenixville
********************

CAMPBELL’S OASIS
Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
Open Sunday’s
Germantown Pike Plymouth Meeting
(at the turnpike exit)
************************

Collegeville Inn
Now Open: With Our Fabulous Smorgasbord
And our complete A La Carte Menu
Germantown and Ridge Pike
Collegeville Pa
*****************

GENERAL DEKALB INN
DeKalb Pike (Rt 202)
Just Outside Norristown
******************

Milo’s
Country House
Rt. 422 Limerick
(Closed Monday)
American*Continental*Cuisine
****************************

PERKIOMEN BRIDGE HOTEL
Route 422 and 29 in Collegeville Pa.
(Smorgasbord Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
*********************

Pike Restaurant
Bethlehem Pike
Spring House
*************************************
February 4, 1949

Local Navy Man Aboard Submarine
Salvatore V. Marine Jr., seaman apprentice, USN, son of Sullivan Marine, of 347 West Eleventh Avenue, is serving aboard the submarine USS Diablo with the Atlantic Fleet, which has returned to Miami, Fla., after undergoing an intensive training cruise in the Key West, Fla. area.
Marine is a graduate of Conshohocken High school, where he was an outstanding athlete. Following his graduation in 1947, he accepted a clerical position with John Wood Manufacturing Company where he remained until he entered the service ten months ago.
************************************

September 1, 1960
Bob Moore Injured
Will Be on Bench For Opener
Ten days away from the initial game, Ray Norton, St. Matthew’s coach, has a player on the bench for two more weeks—Robert Moore, a guard.
Bob suffered a broken finger in scrimmage a week ago. The first game with Allentown Catholic is going to be tough and we’ll miss Bob, the coach said today.
Some of the younger candidates are showing promise, he said. At quarterback, Ben Kenney and Timmy Timbario are pushing ahead. Raymond Lapuma and Bill Packer have caught the eye of the coaching staff as tackles. So have John Graham and a number of other players.
Bob Kelley and Domonic Conicello, sophomore ends, will be playing good football, if they live up to Norton’s expectation. The first game will be played Sunday a week at the A. A. Garthwaite field.
******************************

August 2, 1929
STOLEN CAR FOUND IN QUARRY HOLE
Oil on Water Led to Discovery
Not Badly Damaged
Discovery of oil on the surface of the water Tuesday afternoon resulted in finding a Buick sedan, 1928 model in Potts quarry, Conshohocken Pike and Cedar Grove Avenue.
After Police directed removal of the sedan it was learned the car had been stolen three weeks ago when it disappeared in front of the home of the owners, Anna Cocannan and Martin Cocannan, 3149 North Thirty Second Street, Philadelphia.
Harry Lockoff of Harmanville seeing the oil coating on the water notified a group of his friends. After diving for several minutes they found the car on a ledge twenty feet below the surface of the water.
The machine was standing upright and had it gone a few feet more it would have fallen sixty feet over the side of the ledge. Under direction of Constable Harry Stienmetz, Whitemarsh Township Sergeant Hughes and State Patrolman Boyle, the sedan was raised and moved to the Riverside Garage. Chains were attached to the submerged machine by young Lockoff.
Except for the damage caused by lifting the sedan, the car was in good condition. When the machine was suspended at the top of the cliff the crank case was broken accidently in an attempt to pull the car to land.
**************************************

January 16, 1925
BOY HAD LONG SLEEP IN MOVIE THEATRE
Joseph McElhattan, Burgess of West Conshohocken and Harry Barrett, a local reporter were interrupted in their midnight lunch, in the Riant Tea Room, which adjoins the Riant Theatre, Tuesday night by sounds coming from the theatre. They heard someone prowling about the theatre which was closed for the night and as they were about to investigate a ten year old boy emerged from the darkness of the theatre into the lobby and tried to open a door leading to Fayette Street.
The men called to the boy and opened the door leading into the tea room. The boy said his name is George Freas, of Angel Alley. He said he entered the theatre at 7 o’clock and occupied a seat in the first row. He fell asleep and when he woke the theatre was in darkness. The ushers had overlooked him when they closed the theatre.
The boy is an ardent movie fan as during the efforts to get out of the big black auditorium he did not forget the circular given to him early in the evening describing a great attraction to be shown in the near future.
After being released, the boy hurried to his home alone and was not in the least upset by his experience.
************************************
January 12, 1909

Patrick Rorick of Front Street stubbed his toe at his home. The injury caused such pain that a physician was consulted and upon investigation found that the member was broken.
……………………………………………………….
A Hassenpeffer Tournament has been arranged to take place this evening between “Derr’s Pets” of Front Street, this borough and the strong Pastime team. The tournament will be held in the Pastime Gun Club rooms in West Conshohocken.
************************

March 20, 1908
(Editor’s Note, we feel we might have run this before, if we did, hey, just smile and move on)
If you haven’t the time to exercise regularly, Doan’s Regulets will prevent constipation. They induce a mild, easy, healthful action of the bowels without griping. Ask our druggist for them, 25 cents.
***********************************

September 28, 1909
The Don’t Worry Club of this borough gave their last outing of the season at Mount Joy, on Sunday. The day was an ideal one for such an occasion and a large number were on hand to share the enjoyment of the day. The feature of the outing was the exciting base ball contest between the Don’t Worry Club and the strong Pumpkinville Nine. The game was won by the former by a close score of 1-0. A sack race between the married and single men created much laughter. A large spread-out was served by the ladies during the day.
(Editor’s Note)
(The Don’t Worry Club was just one of hundreds of Conshohocken Clubs over the years. We listed more than a hundred clubs in the book “Tales of Conshohocken & Beyond,” and highlighted a number of the clubs with short history’s and stories.)
********************

October 6, 1966
In Vietnam
CELEBRANT—Army Pfc. Albert R. D’Angelo, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony D’Angelo, 406 E. Eighth Ave., observed his 21st birthday recently in Vietnam, where he is serving with the 504th Military Police Battalion. D’Angelo, a military policeman in the Battalion’s Company B, entered the Army in October, 1965, and received basic training at Fort Jackson, S. C. A 1964 graduate of St. Matthew’s High, he was associated with the Hamilton Paper.
****************************

February 9, 1967
Auxiliary Names Sgt. At Arms
Mrs. Virginia Zimmerman was appointed Sgt.-at-Arms at the monthly meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Conshohocken Fire Co. No. 2. Mrs. Willa Stitler was voted a life member of the auxiliary.
Plans were discussed and Mrs. Jane Ronnan was appointed chairman of the coming 10th anniversary celebration. She will be assisted by Sarah Grobaker, Sara O’Donnell, Eleanor Reiff, Mary Pearson and Dorothy Slavin.
Mrs. Ann Mashintonio was appointed to serve out the term of Mrs. Michael Lillick, financial secretary, who resigned due to illness. Members of the auxiliary are assisting the firemen in their plans for the annual award dinner.

And finally, there is this, from Norristown
1958
“Impala” Chevrolets
Convertible Sports Coupe
$2699 $2649
Power Glide “Eights”
Power Steering
Power brakes
Radio, Heater, Whitewall tires
Oil filter and backup lights

BORSS CHEVROLET, Inc
1230 East Main Street

This Week’s This & That has been brought to you by:

J. P. Hussey, Mortgage Consultant