West End Basement - 1977 Flood
Monday, April 30, 2012
Morrellville Gal
My mother Gail (Lenz) Cacicia standing in front of the Hanzel homestead on Stackhouse Street. Virginia Avenue is in the background. This was one of her favorite outfits - she's dressed for Easter. I can actually remember her wearing this from the hat to the gloves - for Easter Sunday Mass at St. Francis - in Latin - right before things changed over to all English - but we could never figure out exactly what year this was.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
My New Custom Helmet
My new Honda Ruckus taking in the view - up top of Laurel Mountain.
And really enjoying the custom made helmet paint job - all thanks to Big City Signs in Ferndale. I had it in my head - I wanted lime green and I think it really works.
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Saturday, April 28, 2012
Nardecchia Funny Fundraiser - May 11, 2012
Nardecchia Spay & Neuter Fund - Funny Fundraiser - Friday May 11, 2012 Ace's Lounge - Cambria City. Nardecchia is a great group! I can't say enough good things about them and what they do for all the unwanted dogs and cats around the area. It was through them - that we adopted Tanner the Rescue Dog - my gentle-souled sleeping partner.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Christ the Savior Seminary
Old picture postcard of Christ the Savior Seminary. This how I saw it for years - from the bathroom window at my grandmothers house on Chandler Avenue.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The Way It Was.....1930's
There is just so much going in this picture that your eyes just end up roaming all over the place. Main Street - Downtown Johnstown - 1930's. Just looking at this - there are more stores in this tiny section - than the whole of downtown now. All I know is that this photograph somehow makes me sad - I want to have a Coke at Kredels - and see the double feature - with a bag of popcorn and candy in my hand....stop off at Woolworths to see what's on sale - before taking the streetcar back home to Morrellville.....
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Slice of Downtown Life
A reader sent in this one of a kind shot. In this - the background shows Glosser's and the wagon shows Penn Traffic.
Glosser's Bargain Circus
Another one of the old ad's on zinc plates - this time it's Glosser's Bargain Circus.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The Cacicia's from Trabia
Meet my great-grandparents: Lucia (Scardina) and Onofrio Cacicia. This was taken about 1910 or so - most likely in Trabia, Palermo, Sicily. Onofrio made the trip over three times - each time to Johnstown where we had other cousins already here staying at a boarding house on Washington Street. Until the day his daughter Anna (Cacicia) Sunseri died at age 99 in 1989 - anytime Zia would talk about him - she would pretend to spit on the floor and give the sign for malocchio. It seems that around 1914 or so - he was in Johnstown once again. He supposedly was a fisherman back in Sicily - but not having much call for that here in Johnstown - from what I gathered he spent more time with the ladies - enjoying a drink or two.
Anna and her husband Frank Sunseri had a store at the bottom of Prospect Hill. Onofrio running low on cash - took $75 out of the till - quite a large sum for 1914. He ended up running off to Brooklyn - to lay low with some relatives there and that's the last that anyone ever heard from him.
And one more thing - there is still alot of family resemblance amongst all of us in regards to these two - whether we like it or not.
Anna and her husband Frank Sunseri had a store at the bottom of Prospect Hill. Onofrio running low on cash - took $75 out of the till - quite a large sum for 1914. He ended up running off to Brooklyn - to lay low with some relatives there and that's the last that anyone ever heard from him.
And one more thing - there is still alot of family resemblance amongst all of us in regards to these two - whether we like it or not.
Happy Birthday
My grandmother on the left - Helen (HanzeL) Lenz - would have turned 90 today. The youngster in the bunch is my cousin Marie (Toth) Edmiston - one of the funniest people I know. Next to her is her mother - Marge (Hanzel) Toth - still around at 96 and Clara (Hanzel) Pynkala - who is also still going strong. I think that is the back of my head - for some reason my hair was less curly growing up. And that is our old Plymouth Station Wagon - the best car ever! We used to fight who would sit backwards in the seat by the hatch.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Entertainers Visit Airport - 1952
Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarty - brief stopover in Johnstown - 1952
Friday, April 20, 2012
Cool as you can get for 1952
No more sweltering days at the Tribune-Democrat - 1952. In this picture E.L. Gates and Anne Burial along with R.W. Keiper and Al Karcher.
Thorofare Draft Root Beer
Reader Robert Schneider sent this in from his collection - Thorofare Draft Root Beer
