Delmar DustPan

The Delmarva Model Train Club is open today from Eleven to Five. It is also open tomorrow Noon to Five.



This Small Train Set caught my eye as it is on a 4 x 4 piece of plywood, something you could actually have in your house.





I think I repeat this year but Baltimore Maryland is well known for their Christmas Gardens, which is a train set. It is the only place I know where if someone invites you over to look at their Christmas Garden you end up looking at a train set.

A good article on Old Ironsides and the US Navy was posted by Salisbury Soapbox. It involves her 1798 voyage to protect America.

As those of us who travel thru the downtown section of Delmar at night are aware there is a whole lot more traffic going on. The reason being is Black Belt World has moved from Delmar Commons to the old movie theatre, the Avenue. It is really nice seeing cars parked downtown again. The increased traffic should cut down on some of the people who sit around the caboose and drink from those brown paper bags at night.

I received an email from Gina Thompson who said Black Belt World has some specials going for Christmas and during the Christmas parade today they will give out two weeks free gift certificates.

Now what they need to offer is a defense course for old people with canes.

From the Salisbury Advertiser 1907 February

On Thursday Evening last quite a number of young people met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. M. Maddox. Most of the evening was spent in sleighing and skating on "Truitt's Lake." Among those present were the Misses Alice, Willie, Sadie, Laura and Rowena Maddox, Florence Kenney, Gertie Brittingham, Susie Figgs, and Ethel Valliant, the Messrs Walter Workman, Harold Kenny, Charlie Moore, George Elliott, Arthur Figgs, Clarence and Luther Workman, Harley Tingle, Arthur A. Figgs, Albert A. Figgs, Roscoe and Fred Maddox and Larry Brittingham.

A very popular and prominent man in this community, Mr. M. H. Brittingham, manufacturer of baskets and crates, also engaged in the canning business, died at his home in Whitesville, Wednesday morning of last week. The funeral services were held Friday afternoon at one thirty at the Line M. E. Church, Rev. G. L. Hardesty, officiating. The interment was made in the Line Church Cemetery.

The young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Spicer Phillips was scalded so badly on Tuesday morning that a physician had to be summoned.

For several days past the merry jingle of sleigh bells has been heard breaking the stillness and quietness that seems to reign, and has been enjoyed by everyone.

Ira E. Gordy and Bros., who are extensively engaged in the manufacturing of lumber, bought a tract of timber near Pittsville recently.

B. S. Figgs and Sons are loading quite a number of cars of mine props.

There is a movement on foot to organize a Stock Company with a large capital to purchase the M. H. Brittingham Crate, Basket and Canning Factory at Whitesville, Del. This will be a great benefit to the community and we hope it will materialise into something definite.

I was over at the Sport's Nut bar this afternoon, hay it's Repeal Day, when the OJ Simpson verdict came thru. Simpson of course claims he was merely trying to recover property that had been stolen from his family and he lead a group of armed men in to recover it. Simpson got 15 years to life for it but lawyers think he will be out in six and half. Either way it may be a life sentence for the 61 year old. This is one of those many black/white things. If you are white you would say it is payback for killing his wife. If you are black you are saying it's a set up. I tend to think he got more jail time than necessary for this but like they say it is pay back.

Of note the Sports Nut has their Christmas party December 20th 8 to 12. Elvis is returning.

I have a small two man inflatable boat. We don't use it that much but it has it's uses when you go on camping trips, etc. Maybe it is used twice a summer and than deflated and tossed in heap. As winter comes it is cleaned up an put back in it's storage bag.

I brought the deflated boat in last night and let the rubberized material warm up and I semi-inflated it this morning so I could wipe it off. The black bag is the storage bag for it. Manufacturers should be shot for making such small bags for inflatable products.

In the past with only much cussing I could roll it into a small enough ball to get it back into the bag it came in. Now after three years it is older and the rubberized material is less yielding, sort of like me, so this year there was a whole lot of cussing and flattening and rolling.

The end result is I almost got the bag closed. Maybe it's needs a little duct tape over it.

Summarized from the Every Evening Journal December 4 1934

Walter L. Walker of Delmar, about twenty years old, and Michael De Steven, about 33, were charged with breaking into the home of Mrs. Lucy Pickens on Church Street Salisbury, and stole silverware, jewelry and miscellaneous tokens valued at $150.00.

J. Galen Adkins, of near Delmar, is believed to hold the record on the Eastern Shore for yields of sweet potatoes this year. He averaged 520 bushels of prime Maryland Golden Sweet per acre. He had applied 1,000 pounds of a 3-3-15 commercial mixture, plus 200 pounds of nitriate of potash.

William H. Marvel, 56-year old farmer of near Nelson, suffered a broken leg when jumping from the shaft of his wagon to the ground. Two years prior to this he had broken his shoulder blade in falling off the roof of his barn.

One of the people who leave comments on my blog is Jack Richards. He has two new blogs he is trying to get going, one is Salisbury Politics and the other Remembering the Past. I will check back from time to time to see how he is doing on them.

Today is Repeal Day. On December 5th, 1933 Utah, the final state needed for a three quarters majority, ratified the 21st Amendment, repealing Prohibition (The 18th amendment) and restoring the American right to a celebratory drink. So stop by your local watering hole and have a drink in celebration.

The person who in 1930 was given responsible for actual Dry enforcement during prohibition was Amos Walter Wright Woodcock, director of Prohibition. A. W. W. Woodcock was from Salisbury, Maryland and had been a Colonel or General with a Salisbury, Maryland regiment during WWI in Europe. His family was well known for a Jewelry store operation and real estate brokers. He had control of 2,700 Dry agents and clerical employees during prohibition. He later wrote a book called "Golden Days" and had a column in the Salisbury (Daily) Times in which he wrote about his travels. He was president of St. Johns College in Annapolis. I think he was the speaker at my High School graduation in 1961, but I have no memory of what he spoke. This past summer the Woodcock fountain on Riverside Drive (near South Boulevard was renovated. I assume Maj. Mark Woodcock, who is making news in the Salvation Army, is a relative. Altho after writing that I have no ideal why I put it in a post on prohibition.

One of the blogs I occasionally look at is Bad Bad Teacher. I found it while reading Shore Things blog. It is, of course a blog, about teachers who have been charged with sexual misconduct. In a recent post on Bad Bad teachers is the case of Christopher J. Lehto of Felton, Delaware, who was an art teacher at Star Hill Elementary School and had been arrested on allegations that he carried on a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old high school student. The charges were later dismissed but the school system also dismissed Lehto

Lehto's sued in the court system for his old job back, but the court decided his conduct constituted immorality, violated societal mores and was just cause for termination.

"Such conduct certainly interferes with Mr. Lehto's important function of serving as a role model to the students in his school, and threatens the moral and social orientation of such students," the board wrote, adding that the relationship "sends the wrong message to students of the district regarding appropriate relationships between teachers and students."

Now this brings up a number of theoretical questions that I have no answer on, for one, if the charges were dismissed should he be allowed to have his old job back? He apparently did have sex with a 17 year old but she was not his student at the time. It seems the age of consent in Delaware is 17 so he broke no laws. If she had been a high school drop out, thusly not a student, would there have been any charges made? Altho Lehto is not allowed to return to work, a minor male student who is charged with committing rape the school system will allow to continue attending normal public school because he has not gone to court and been found guilty. They will also keep that secret from the general public because he is a minor. The court says Mr. Lehto was not a role model to his students yet they allow an unwed, knocked up, female school teacher to stand in front of the class everyday and teach our students. I don't condone 34 year olds having sex with 17 year olds but I think there is a discrimination against adult males when it come to these type of charges.

Today in 1959, Sam the Monkey was strapped into a capsule and placed in the nose of a Little Joe Rocket at Wallops Island, Virginia. The seven pound monkey was shot 55 miles into space where his capsule released and three hours later he was picked up by the Navy Destroyer 'Borie', 120 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. For a few seconds the rocket reached a speed of 3,000 miles an hour. This was a test of the Project Mercury capsule and the high altitude escape system which would later be used for a man. There would later be a January 1960 launching of another monkey called Miss Sam at Wallops. In total there would be seven unmanned Little Joe Rockets fired from Wallops from August 1959 to April 1961.

A book based loosely on events called "The Monkey in The Rocket" was written by Jean Bethell.

A Little Joe Rocket

Since the Clinton's are back in the news here is an old Clinton joke.

A man takes the day off work and decides to go out golfing. He is on the second hole when he notices a frog sitting next to the green. He thinks nothing of it and is about to shoot when he hears, 'Ribbit 9 Iron.'

The man looks around and doesn't see anyone. Again, he hears, 'Ribbit 9 Iron.' He looks at the frog and decides to prove the frog wrong, puts the club away, and grabs a 9 iron.

Boom!
He hits it 10 inches from the cup. He is shocked. He says to the frog, 'Wow that's amazing. You must be a lucky frog, eh?

The frog replies, 'Ribbit Lucky frog.'
The man decides to take the frog with him to the next hole.

'What do you think frog?' the man asks.

'Ribbit 3 wood.'

The guy takes out a 3 wood and, Boom! Hole in one. The man is befuddled and doesn't know what to say. By the end of the day, the man golfed the best game of golf in his life and asks the frog, 'OK where to next?

The frog replies, 'Ribbit Las Vegas'

They go to Las Vegas and the guy says, 'OK frog, now what?' The frog says, 'Ribbit
Roulette.' Upon approaching the roulette table, The man asks, 'What do you think I should bet?' The frog replies, 'Ribbit $3000, black 6.'

Now, this is a million-to-one shot to win, but after the golf game the man figures what the heck.

Boom! Tons of cash comes sliding back across the table.

The man takes his winnings and buys the best room in the hotel. He sits the frog down and says, 'Frog, I don't know how to repay you. You've won me all this money and I am forever grateful.'

The frog replies,

'Ribbit Kiss Me.'

He figures why not, since after all the frog did for him, he deserves it. With a
kiss, the frog turns into a gorgeous 15-year-old girl.

'And that, your honor, is how the girl ended up in my room. So help me God or my name is not William Jefferson Clinton.

At this time of year, way back in the past (late 1950's and early 1960"s) as a teenager in Salisbury Maryland, I always enjoyed walking from school to the downtown section - Main Street. At that time the only thing that approached big chain stores in Salisbury were; Montgomery Wards, J.C. Penneys, McCrory's, and F.W. Woolworth all located on Main Street. These were the stores with the most toys displayed. There were a number of other places (drugstores and confectioners) that sold toys and gifts and it seems strange now, but B. F. Goodrich and Burnett Walton, tire sellers, both sold toys and gifts. Other stores in this period had started to relocate to South Salisbury Boulevard, where Super Giant had located. Sears, Roebuck and Co., Taubman's, Salisbury Drugs, and sometime about 1961 McCrory's left Main Street and joined them and later Montgomery Wards.

However what I want to talk about is White and Leonard. White and Leonard was an office supply store on Main Street. About the first part of December they would clear their second floor of office stuff and sell toys. Not only would they sell toys but they had a fifteen minute show on WBOC - TV called Jolly Jack. Jolly Jack would be dressed up as an Elf and would show the toys that were at White and Leonard. The Jolly Jack show came on sometime around 6:45, once a week. You could send in your name to Jolly Jack and it would be read off his ever growing list of names on the air. The world, as we knew it then, would hear your name on TV. I think all the teenagers would watch the show because they would send their friend's name in to Jolly Jack to be read and embarrass them. It didn't take much for amusement back then.

The author of the website and book Wild Delaware will be at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Salisbury at 4 P.M. Friday December 5th. I have always been impressed with the wild life photos he puts on his website. Last month his book, also entitled Wild Delaware, was printed.

The Delmar Postoffice on the corner of Grove and First street was opened today in 1959. The Postoffice had moved from the old building on State Street. The new building is 2,415 square feet with a 373 square feet platform at the rear and it has air conditioning. The building was constructed by A. P. School and Son of Georgetown and the Postmaster in 1959 was E. G. P. Jones, Jr. Just in time for Christmas.

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Now I like Christmas music. It makes the season, and you tend to wander around the house humming it to yourself. After all it is the season. But about three Christmas songs in a row is my limit

Rocking around the Christmas Tree
at the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Ev'ry couple tries to stop

So after a half hour in a department store at this time of year I am ready to leave. Maybe those market consultants hadn’t considered that.

I’ll have a blue Christmas without you
I’ll be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here with me

Other people seem to endure them which is a mystery to me. I will now do a “Scrapple” Shields and fall back to talk about my Air Force Days. In the 1960’s I was stationed in Arizona and I worked the midnight shift, so about 9 A.M. I was ready for bed. Some asshole, perhaps our commander, thought it would be a good ideal to play Christmas music over the PA system thru out the day – for two weeks. Now this presented a problem to me as it was my bedtime and my room was closest to the PA loudspeakers. Besides back in the 1960’s there was (and still is) a limited number of Christmas songs and since the post only had three LP records with Christmas Songs on them it was pretty much torture and I am sure it would not be allowed in GITMO today. Let’s face it a 1960’s record player playing into a military PA speaker is pretty much crap for acoustics. Mostly you hear hissing and scratching sounds over it.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

By the time the last day of this nightmare arrived the records were pretty much shot. You could hear weak voices but mostly pop and hissing sounds from the loudspeaker. Not to mention the squadron clerk didn’t always flip the record over so you listened to the arm bumping around. And you wonder why I don’t play Christmas music thru out the day. I would think deejays at radio stations and clerks in departments stores have the same issues.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor
Go ahead and cheat your friend
Do it in the name of heaven
You can justify it in the end
There won't be any trumpets blowing
On that judgement day
On the bloody morning after
One tin soldier rides away.