This Erie Radio Schedule appeared in the Erie Morning News in August of 1974. Being a long-time fan of local radio, I recognized quite a few of the disc jockeys listed here, such as Frank Martin ("The Morning Mayor"), Ronnie Gee (Ron Seggi), Joey Stevens (later a TV weatherman), Bill Shannon, Tim Earl (another TV weather forecaster) and Ken Olowin.
WERG was the new kid on the block, broadcasting on 89.1 FM. It later moved from 89.9 to its present home at 90.5
A couple of the stations had early sign off times; WMDI cut out at 1 a.m., while WQLN and WERG went off at 2 a.m. WHYP would sometimes unintentionally sign off during the day, and the needle would be stuck in the locked groove at the end of a record for minutes on end.
One of my favorites was Al Knight, or Big Al Knight, All Night, Every Night. I think the interns must have cut their teeth on the overnight shift putting in carts of the pre-recorded voice of "Al Knight" occasionally between songs.
I can still hear some of the jingles in my head. Fun times!
Enjoy more fun facts about the history of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
Thousands of tourists are in town this weekend to enjoy Tall Ships Erie and to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. I have never seen so many cars lined up on the Bayfront Highway, practically at a standstill from State Street to the East Bayfront Parkway. Motorcycle police were directing traffic at several intersections as people tried to find a good spot to view the Tall Ships Parade of Sail. A black and white helicopter patrolled the channel and shoreline, while big, puffy white clouds accented the blue sky.
I see the Niagara so much that I take it for granted. Shame on me. When I walked past the window at work last night, I stopped for a moment to take a picture. I had forgotten how spectacular our sunsets are here in Erie, PA. And this sunset was even more spectacular with the Brig Niagara in the foreground. This view repeats practically every night when the Niagara is not touring the Great Lakes promoting maritime history.
Ten ships took part in Tall Ships Erie, and tours were available for a small fee. I walked around with a few co-workers on our lunch break amidst a sea of 5,300 children from schools in Erie, Crawford and Warren Counties. It's amazing that the teachers were able to keep track of them all.
Enjoy more fun facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
Valentine D. Eichenlaub lived in a 5,658 square foot brick house at 10 West 26th Street in Erie, PA. The house still stands on the north side of 26th St. and thousands of cars pass it each day as they travel from State to Peach St. It was a single family home when it was built in 1887 and it's now a four-family apartment house with a couple of satellite dishes bolted to the roof of the porch. It still had a sidewalk made of bricks in 2013. The Eichenlaub family would have had a bird's eye view of the destructive Mill Creek Flood in 1915.
V.D. Eichenlaub was a businessman who was active in local community affairs. He served on Erie City Council in 1881 and had previously served as county assessor, city assessor and collector of delinquent taxes. He was born in Erie in 1852, the son of German immigrants.
Mr. Eichenlaub was a sewer and paving contractor who helped build a conduit system for underground utility wires in downtown Erie. He built the Eichenlaub block on the southeast corner of 18th and State in 1894, and he built the Hotel Wayne near 12th and State St. in 1906. Valentine died in 1929 and was buried in Trinity Cemetery in Millcreek Township.
Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
Back in the early seventies, the Erie School District had two Kindergarten sessions, a.m. and p.m. Report cards were issued three times during the school year. Richard Hilinski was the Superintendent of Schools.
Progress was measured in four areas: Social Development, Physical Development, Language Arts and Work Habits. The grading system was divided into four sections: Is doing very well, Is making satisfactory progress, needs to make greater effort and Needs more time to develop. The teacher would put a checkmark next to the appropriate response instead of using the A-B-C-D-F grading system.
So, if you hoped to someday attend college, you had to develop good habits at an early age, such as listening, not interrupting, being courteous, keeping your hands off of others and accepting correction. Also, retell stories, run, skip and hop, color, cut and paste, rest and relax, use good English, take part in group discussions and show curiosity. Work habits included following directions, finish work that was started, show originality, work in an orderly manner and make good use of time and materials.
Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie
