Here we are again, this time with a look at Thanksgiving circa 1970, courtesy of the Des Plaines Suburban Times. The cover picture was similar to what we saw in 1948, only this time it's an actual photograph, rather than a cartoon. Is this your house, by any chance? Click to enlarge and see the entire front page - you can click and enlarge all the images below as well.
For many years, my family has gone out for our Thanksgiving meal. Not one of us really likes to cook and we have several family members who don't like turkey, so a restaurant full of options works well. Forty years ago, we could have feasted like kings at the Des Plaines Holiday Inn.
"All the good trimmings," and not one entree over $7.00
Looks to me like this Holiday Inn was located in the current spot of the Radisson - sound correct?
Okay, alright, so this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving. It was in the November 25, 1970, Des Plaines Suburban Times and brought back some childhood memories for me. Plus, according to the ad, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were right here in Chicago that weekend.
Did you attend the livestock show and rodeo at the Amphitheatre?
Do you remember the International Amphitheatre and
did you know it was built primarily for the livestock show?
An editorial cartoon. A little dark, but, I get the idea.
Even 40 years ago, religious imagery and wording were somewhat commonplace in the newspaper.
Hmmm - it's interesting to ponder the line, "for the challenge of the unlimited opportunities which lie ahead." Do we feel that way today?
And finally...Santa arrives at Spiegler's. One thing I noticed as the decades unfolded in the newspaper pages - in 1948 and 1952, Christmas was just a blip on the radar around Thanksgiving. By 1970, there were more mentions of Christmas than Thanksgiving in the late November papers! So, bowing to the trend, here is the ad from Spiegler's, letting children know that Santa would be making two special appearances to hear their Christmas wish list. (A little different from now, when Santa spends 2 months at the mall - don't the kids wonder why he doesn't have anywhere else to go?) This ad particularly appeals to me because, of course, the Library now resides right next to the spot where Spiegler's used to stand. Maybe I could have looked out my window and seen Santa arriving. :')
We really miss Spiegler's dept store. Friendly service, free gift wrapping, good quality. You could buy beautiful Pendelton wool suits for women and they offered free tailoring, just as they did for men. They sold fabric by the yard, placemats and kitchen items (we still have a beautiful set of wine glasses from Speigler's) and they had a children's department. Holiday decorations went up after Thanksgiving and Santa did not sit there thru the whole month of December!
ReplyDelete