little John forever was a diamond merchant on East Ninth St, Cleveland, still on TV here- adverts- Wooly Bear Fest-
Him and dennis like thosewink ladies…
That’s amazing! I had no idea! Lawson’s milk bottles and the metal carriers are fairly popular collectibles.
There was an Isaly’s in Stow until a couple years ago. Apparently there are three left, in southwestern Pennsylvania. My dad used to take us to Isaly’s for ice cream when my mom was at garden club, Tuesday nights. Giant Eagle still sells Lawson’s French Onion dip and Isaly’s chip-chopped ham.
I went last night for the costume party in the “lounge” of the Holiday Inn. Met up with BMalion and his buddy Scott. Saw Big Chuck and Little John. Watched the costume judging.
Winner of the night was a wonderful lady who dressed up as The Brain That Wouldn’t Die. She deserved it. I wore my Ghoulardi sweatshirt, over my Straight Dope t-shirt!
I went today. Dick Goddard was there. That was a real moment for me, because when I was a kid, I was interested in meteorology for a while, and of course Dick Goddard is Cleveland weather. He wrote a weather book about 30 years ago - too bad that copy is long gone or I could’ve gotten his autograph.
Funny thing was, he seemed like kind of a badass in person. He had on an Air Force jacket (he is an AF vet) and remarked how he is 77 and most people his age “are dead”. Also, he said there “weren’t any SOBs among Cleveland weathermen except -----” I won’t mention the name he gave, because the guy has been gone from Cleveland for years and was not well-known. He was going to go into why he thought the guy was an SOB but Jim Szymanski cut him off. For some reason I thought he was going to say Don Webster, but it wasn’t him.
Wow - we had both Isaly’s and Lawson’s in Chagrin when I was a kid.
Ready for some more nostalgia, boys and girls???
*
Roll on, Big O!
Get that juice back to Lawson’s in 40 hours.
Well one man sleeps
while the other man drives
On that Big O Lawson’s Run
And that cold, cold juice
In the tank truck caboose
Stays as fresh as the Florida sun
Roll on, Big O!
Get that juice back to Lawson’s in 40 hours.
*
Yeah. My grandpa was EVP of Warner and Swayse, so seeing that big old empty building at 55th and Carnegie always brings me down. My dad’s old plant at 65th and Central looks like a toxic waste site now.
There are parts of downtown that are great, but there’s a long ways to go yet…
Aw! Don’t let that stop you. Mention it. 
If Dick were such a badass, then why did he get punched around by his current wife, Amber? 
OK, you drug it outta me. It was Dan Dobrowalski from Channel 5.
He what now?! This must have happened while I was temporarily an ex-Ohioan.
I think Goddard’s wife died in the mid 1990s.
He married a woman named Amber in 1997. In 2003, he showed up at the police station at 2 A.M. with a split lip, asking for help. Since it was Domestic Violence, law requires she be arrested. Goddard described her as a rather physical person. Throwing things, etc. They divorced.
She was arrested for assaulting her next husband in 2005, after completing a drunk driving conviction. Methinks she had a problem.
(Minor hijack, I might be in the Cleveland area again for Christmas/New Year so just a warning I might be expecting another minidopefest! )
Thanks for the warning.
Close, but no cigar:
Roll on, Big O…
Get that juice up to Lawson’s in 40 hours.
Now, the oranges ripen in the Florida sun.
Sweet on the tree they stay.
Then they pick 'em and they squeeze
Just as quick as you please.
And the Big O leaves the same day.
Roll on, Big O…
Get that juice up to Lawson’s in 40 hours.
Now one man sleeps while the other man drives
On the nonstop Lawson run.
And the cold, cold juice in the tank truck caboose
Stays as fresh as the Florida sun.
Roll on, Big O…
Get that juice up to Lawson’s in 40 hours.
Still remember the tune also. Listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5VhqAGkllU
Definitely great memories.
I’ll volunteer to host again! Start a thread when you know more.
I was just in Cleveland last week to visit my parents, and while I was in the kitchen making supper my Dad turned on the TV in the living room and I thought I heard Goddard’s voice. I shot out of the kitchen and planted myself in front of the TV to make sure it was really him I’d heard. I can’t believe he’s still doing the weather after all this time! He’s been on-air with the same station since 1965 - that’s got to be some sort of record.
You should have showed up.
Nice goin’ - I stand corrected.
Can you dig up the instrumental they used for the Illuminating Company commercials while you’re at it? I remember thinking it was pretty cool once upon a time.
Darn. I missed it. Had to go on a cruise to St. Thomas and Aruba and Belize and Cozumel instead. Shoot. But now that I’m broke, maybe I should sell my Lawson’s bottles from the basement…
I saved money by eating Isaly’s Chip-Chop ham!
I went to the Buckeye Book Fair yesterday (freckafree, were you there?) and bought Big Chuck’s autobiography. He signed it for me and we talked for a couple of minutes. I finished reading it in bed last night. Oh, the memories . . .
I have to go to Ghoulardifest next year. Did you know that Hoolihan’s wife died two days before the event in 2007, and he came because he knew he had to?