Mon 9/14 @ 6:30-8PM
Now that summer is ALMOST over . . .
It’s time to reflect on the memories created. If you haven’t made enough of them, it’s not too late to head out to Cedar Point, visit a local beach or enjoy ice cream at your seasonal soft cream stand. If you don’t have any ideas, pick up a copy of Gail Ghetia Bellamy’s book Cleveland Summertime Memories, a Warm Look Back.
“When you were a kid here, didn’t it seem that summer sped by?” Bellamy asks. The book is definitely for baby boomers, but even millennials can relate to summer going by at a faster pace than winter. When we were kids, we were busy at community swimming pools, ordered lots of hot dogs at ballgames and ate Humphrey’s Candy Kisses at Euclid Beach Park, Bellamy writes. Those of us who aren’t native Clevelanders will wish we’d been in Cleveland in the 1960s and 1970s when we read this book.
This nostalgic book transports the reader to the area’s amusement parks, beaches and ice cream parlors in Cleveland’s past. Every page of this book’s 126 pages is enhanced by an image or two taken during the late 20th century. Does anyone remember the Penguin frozen custard shop? How about Jungle Larry at Cedar Point? The World Series of Rock Concerts at Cleveland Municipal Stadium? Euclid Beach Park?
Spend time with this book and you’ll remember what Lakeview Park in Lorain looked like before the beach was nothing but rocks as it was in the late 1970s. Did you know there used to be a wide sandy beach at Gordon Park? Do you still have fond memories of Wildwood Water Park on Columbia Road?
Gail Bellamy collected the pictures and tells the stories of bygone times in personal memories, researchable facts, and personal interviews with people who remember the subjects she highlights. For example, one book sidebar lists these milestones at League Park: the First World Series grand slam and series triple play took place in 1920, Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run in 1929, and Bob Feller had his first major-league start as a pitcher in 1936.
Bellamy collected stories as she worked on this project. “The summer I turned five, my dad said we were going downtown to see the Indians. I remember being awestruck by the bright green, expansive outfield, the muted beige, well-groomed infield and the perfectly straight, bright white baselines. That day I became hooked on baseball and baseball Indians,” said Joe Janczurak.
Bellamy writes, “With so many amusement parks nearby, it is small wonder we grew up thinking the shores of Lake Erie were Roller Coaster Central. And you know what? We were right.” Cedar Point has always been one of the best amusement parks in the country and Memphis Kiddie Park is just right for the tots. But we used to have Euclid Beach, Puritas Springs Park, Luna Park and White City, most of which were gone before the baby boomers came along.
Many of the beaches featured in the book remain open. We still have beaches at Huntington Beach, Edgewater and Mentor Headlands, places where we can sit on a blanket all day, eat sandwiches out of a picnic basket and wash the sand off our feet at the outdoor shower.
Some of the photos in the book are more current — Public Square was wall-to-wall people when the orchestra played on July 4, 1990. In addition to photos, the book contains images of memorabilia, like a 1981 Cleveland All-Star Game mug. The author went on a treasure hunt to come up with the collection that also includes a Cain Park 1988 Season programs and 1988 poster of the Flats.
The Indians are still playing, and ice cream has become gourmet — check out Weber’s in Fairview Park or Mason’s Creamery in Ohio City. Visit Mitchell’s on W. 25th Street or pick up a pint of Pierre’s to eat at home. Our local ice cream spots are joined by Gelato on Mayfield Road in Little Italy and at Old River Road in Rocky River.
If you can’t find anything to do in Cleveland in these waning days of summer, you’re sleepwalking. There’s so many ideas in Bellamy’s book on how to enjoy they can be spent that you could be busy until Halloween. The book is a historical reflection on Cleveland, but it can help you find your way to more fun in the coming weeks.
Bellamy will be at the Main Library of Mentor Public Library on Mon 9/14 @ 6:30-8pm, where she will show photos and tell stories. She’ll also be selling copies of her book. Gail also wrote Cleveland Christmas Memories and Cleveland Food Memoires. She’s a poet, a cook, a chronicler, and a whole lot more. Find the book almost anywhere, but you can also find it at Gray & Company.
CoolCleveland contributor Claudia Taller did NOT grow up in Cleveland but wishes she did. Find out more about Taller, her books and her programs for writers at claudiajtaller.com.