Record Country in Wesleyville, PA opened July 6, 1978

Mike Lyon standing in front of Record Country at 2905 Buffalo Road in Wesleyville, Erie Co., PA

Mike Lyon opened Record Country at 2905 Buffalo Road in Wesleyville, PA on July 6, 1978. He moved to a bigger location at 3306 Buffalo Road in 1982. Record Country was in business for over 26 years, and eventually suffered the same fate of thousands of record stores across the U.S. 

His love of music started early in life when he listened to his favorite groups on the radio. He began buying records at Murphys, Kresge's, Woolworth's and Grants in Downtown Erie and getting weekly  surveys from WJET, WWGO and WGYN. Mike had an oldies show on WERG-FM when he was a student at Gannon College in 1973.

Mike learned the ropes of the record business while working at the Record Bar in the Liberty Plaza from December of 1970 until 1973. "One time one of the higher-ups came down and I told him that I had thought about opening my own store," said Mike Lyon in an interview with Matthew Rink in the Gannon Knight on March 28, 2003. "I never should have done that." He was let go on September 13, 1973, shortly after this discussion with management. 

Armed with a degree in accounting from Gannon College, Mike next worked at General Electric just long enough to save the $15,000 he needed to start his own store. The rest, as they say, is history.

Record Country evolved from a place where you could buy a 45, album or an 8-track into a hangout for teenagers and musicians looking for the newest metal, punk or hardcore record or CD. The store was know as a tastemaker account amongst major and indie record labels. At its peak in the early nineties, Record Country reported its top record sales weekly to several trade magazines, including Album Network, CMJ, Hits and Billboard, and to local radio stations such as WJET and K104. 

In addition to prerecorded music, Record Country also sold t-shirts, magazines, buttons, bumper stickers, posters and other items. The store sold concert tickets for the Erie County Field House beginning with the Mahogany Rush/Head East show on July 28, 1978 and continuing until the last show there in 1983 (Judas Priest). The store sold tickets to the first few concerts at the new Erie Civic Center before TicketMaster took over ticket sales.   

The store carried tons of local bands on consignment. I will list some of these in a future post.

Record Country shut its doors in December of 2004.

You can read about the Record Bar in the Liberty Plaza here:
http://oldtimeerie.blogspot.com/2012/06/record-bar-in-liberty-plaza-erie-pa.html

Happy Birthday, Chet Wasielewski

Chester J. Wasielewski was born in Erie, PA on July 3, 1925. I knew him as Uncle Chet or Tio. Chet grew up at 445 East 3rd Street in Erie, just a few blocks from the lake and from Downtown Erie, two of his favorite things.

Chet attended the old Tech High School and then served aboard the USS Shangri-La at the tail end of World War II. He then began a long career on the Great Lakes, retiring as a wheelsman on Bethlehem Steel's thousand footer Stewart J. Cort. (The Cort was assembled in Erie, PA.) He had also served on the William P. Snyder, the Steamer Johnstown, the Schoonmaker and a number of other freighters. He was working on the Lakes when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, and was quoted several times in the Erie Times News reminiscing about that fateful night.

"He paid many visits to the crew in the sports department at the Times Publishing Company. Chet always had conversations in Polish with sportswriter Dennis Michalski. Never could figure out what those two were talking about," said Patrick Lyon.

"I have many fond memories of seeing Chester on the Cort when my sisters and I would go to visit my dad. I have no idea how or when it happened, but when we were very young, we decided that Chester was Santa Claus (it was the beard) and during the 'off season' from Christmas, Santa's 'day job' was sailing with our father. Ever the good sport, Chester played up the nickname for us, well into our adult lives. He was such a wonderful, fun-loving man," said Andrea Coppens.

"I worked with Chester for many years on the Cort. Always an upbeat, friendly man," said Robert Larson.

Chet was a man of mystery. He spent many winters in Texas and Mexico. He traveled to Poland to visit the town where his parents were born, and traveled extensively throughout the U.S. He was very knowledgable about U.S. lighthouses, and judging by his photos, he visited most of them.

Chet could often be seen walking downtown with a newspaper under his arm. He would stop in to visit his friends at local businesses, McDonald's and the public library.

Chet took many of the pictures of Downtown Erie that have been featured on this blog. He almost always had a camera strapped around his neck, and seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Chet passed away on August 3, 2008. He was buried in Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery.

Young Chet steering the ship.

Chet the Barber at his shop.

UFO Sightings at Presque Isle State Park, July 31, 1966

UFO Sightings at Presque Isle State Park, July 31, 1966

Betty Jean Klem of Jamestown, NY had a very unusual experience at Presque Isle State Park on Sunday, July 31, 1966. Her boyfriend's car became stuck in the sand off of Beach 6 and they were still waiting for help after sunset. "We saw a star move. It got brighter. It would move fast, then dim. You could see it come down. It was metallic, sort of silvery. It landed between two trees. It came straight down. The car vibrated," said Klem in a report published in the Erie Morning News on Aug. 1, 1966.

Douglas Tibbets of Greenhurst, NY witnessed the entire episode from the front seat of his car. He related his account to Peninsula Patrolmen Ralph E. Clark and Robert Loeb, Jr. when they responded to his call for help. Tibbets was Klem's boyfriend. 

Klem also reported seeing a dark, featureless creature and hearing something walking on the roof of the car.

The Erie Daily Times reported on August 1, 1966 that eight others had seen a UFO the night before between 8 p.m. and midnight. They included:

• Stephanie Lupo
• Helene Roche
• Alain Orcel
• Charoly Mango
• Sue Karle
• Linda Henderson
• Janice Dickey
• Jane Moran

"Air Force Launches Probe of Erie UFO" ran in the Erie Morning News on Aug. 2, 1966. "Officials would not comment on the investigation except to say that all findings can be released only by the Secretary of the Air Force." The article went on to say "A test for radiation was made of the ground surface in the area of Beach 6 where the craft was said to have landed. But no sign of radiation was found by Erie County Civil Defense workers."

Two girls came forward and stated they had seen a UFO three months ago. "Cheryl Coffi, who lives at the light house at Presque Isle State Park, told of the incident. She said, 'This probably has no connection with what happened last night.'"

The Erie Daily Times reported on August 6, 1966 that "Major William S. Hall, of Youngstown, went to the scene of the occurrences near Beach Six, where strange imprints were found in the sand Monday morning, hours after a Jamestown girl was left hysterical from the strange events of the preceding night. The officer took plaster casts of some of the 'tracks.'"

"Five members of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena Tuesday night joined in the investigation of a reported landing of an unidentified flying object Sunday night on Beach 6 of Presque Isle State Park," reported Dick Ramsey in the Erie Morning News on August 3, 1966. The five members who came to Erie were Richard Hobbs, Joseph McGuire, James Reed, Jeffery Gow and James Sipprell.

Two police officers reported that they watched a UFO for two hours before the sun rose on Aug. 3, 1966. Lawrence Park patrolman William Rutledge spotted the UFO around 4:45 a.m. Wesleyville patrolman Donald Peck also saw the object, as reported in the Erie Daily Times on Aug. 3, 1966. A rash of sightings were reported in the Times the next day.

A headline in the Erie Morning News on Aug. 5, 1966 declared, "Peninsula Ruled Safe After UFO Investigation."

There was a follow-up published in the Erie Morning News on August 12, 1966 which stated, "Monster A Bear? Park Chief Says No." Reporter Dick Ramsey wrote, "The Air Force report was released by the Air Force Office of Information at the Pentagon. Information officers said it is the final report on the alleged Peninsula sighting unless significantly new information concerning the sighting is supplied to the Air Force."

Enjoy more Erie, Pennsylvania trivia at: Old Time Erie

Corner of 7th and State Street, Erie, PA Hall's Restaurant

Corner of 7th and State Street, looking north. Photo by Chester Wasielewski; copyright Debbi Lyon 2012.

Remember Hall's Restaurant at the southwest corner of 7th and State Street in Erie, PA? The businesses in Downtown Erie used lots of cool neon and Coca-Cola signs to advertise their stores. Hall's was torn down, along with the Elk's Club and everything else on the block to make way for City Hall. The billiard hall and the news room were also demolished by the wrecking ball. 

The Hotel Richford, which was the old Ford Hotel, is visible on the right side of this photo. Richford Arms is now an apartment building. It is on the east side of State Street. 

Erieites are pretty hardy. It might be twenty degrees outside, but you just throw on an extra sweater and a pair of boots, put on a pair of mittens over your gloves and head outside. 

Find more facts and photos of Erie, PA at Old Time Erie