I did not know that.....

[electra225]

I heard on this evening's episode of "Jeopardy" that Play-Doh was originally used to remove soot from wallpaper. Now it's a child's toy.....

[MEZLAW]

The non-toxic, non-staining, reusable modeling compound that came to be known as "Play-Doh" was a pliable, putty-like substance concocted by Noah McVicker of Cincinnati-based soap manufacturer Kutol Products. It was devised at the request of Kroger Grocery, which wanted a product that could clean coal residue from wallpaper from coal fired homes.

Above paragraph taken from Wikipedia.

[William]

Interesting, I did not know that. And then it became a kids toy.

Bill

[TC Chris]

Maybe you young'uns don't remember wallpaper cleaner, but us old folks do.

We've had warm/cold weather cycles recently. All the snow on Grand Traverse Bay has meted and the refrozen. I drove by yesterday and saw half the community out on the ice. After work today I took my skates down and joined the crowd. Couples, families with kiddos, teens slapping a puck around, everybody had the same idea. Can't go skating on Lake Michigan very often! But I'm pretty sure I was the oldest one out there.

Chris Campbell

[William]

I miss ice skating, it has been years since I have been on the ice. My little town had an outdoor ice rink as I was growing up and I was there almost every night. I can still remember the little shanty with the oil stove for us to warm up in and the big horn on the light pole that played the music. There was an amplifier and record changer in the shanty but it was locked up so I never knew what kind it was. There was an older gentlemen that was there every night playing the records and he would also flood the rink when the rink closed. Fun days, and good memories.

Bill

[TC Chris]

I had almost exactly the same experience. Our rink was in the middle of the race oval at the county fairgrounds. My Mom would take a load of kids in the station wagon and leave us until closing time. There were two Quonset huts, war surplus, for warming--one for boys, one for girls. An old fellow sat in the boys, spinning 78s on a PA machine that broadcast out over a horn on a pole. He had a mic too so he could call out people who were playing crack the whip or going the wrong direction. The huts were heated with cast iron coal stoves--still remember the smell of burning coal. There were lights on the poles so we kept going after dusk.

It was another night for skating here, out on the Bay. No warming hut, no music, just being out there with all the other people who figured it would be fun to go out and play on that nice sheet of ice. And it was. I wobbled less tonight. Weather looks bad for the rest of the week--warm and melty, followed by rain.

Chris Campbell

[William]

It is funny how something triggers memories, whether good or sad, but for me it is usually good memories. Our rink was a outside basket ball court and was located behind what was called the State Street Gym which was an indoor gym which included a large stage and theater seating on the other side of the stage across the court. It was built when the old High School, which was at the time next door, third floor gym was deemed unsafe for large crowds and a lot of activity. The new High School was built early sixties just two blocks from my house and the old High School was torn down and the City Hall was built in its spot. Eventually the State Street Gym was torn down and the Library was built in its spot. The old out door basket ball court became a parking lot and bye bye ice rink. Sad, but I guess it was progress. There was never an ice rink after that.

Bill