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Does this ring a bell?
We don’t do it today. Perhaps the generation of the thirties, forties, and fifties were more nostalgic. This memento was an idea that started in 1930. A Cleveland housewife and kindergarten teacher by the name of Violet Shinbach saw a department store window display that featured a bronzed pair of baby shoes. She loved this idea and felt that new mothers would want to preserve their baby’s first shoes in this way. She started a company called Bron-Shoe Co. in 1934 and it became a profitable business for her. Would you believe that 14,000,000 baby shoes were ordered? It became a keepsake or tradition over the years. The wear and tear of a child’s first year’s steps were made into an art object for eternity. The company was in existence until 2018, which is when they closed their doors. What happened? No one wanted their baby’s shoes immortalized anymore? I am one of the 14,000,000 whose baby shoes were captured and preserved, as displayed above. Thank you, Mom! Do any more of our readers have bronzed baby shoes?
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THE BORSCHT BELT MUSEUM IS OPENING IN ELLENVILLE, NEW YORK ON JULY 29, 2023.   THIS PHENOMENON was also known as: THE COUNTRY THE MOUNTAINS THE CATSKILLS It was a retreat to escape the summer heat for the '40s, '50s, and 60's city dwellers. IT WAS THE BORSCHT BELT... …our oasis for vacation! I remember... ...I couldn't wait to go every summer. We spent one week, 2 weeks, or sometimes a month at our glorious, welcoming hotels. The weekdays were inhabited by the moms and their children. The Dads would come up on weekends after a long week's work. There was Simon Sez, card games, mah jongg, swimming, boating, basketball, softball, and 3 delicious meals a day. My Mom never put me in the children's dining room. She said I would catch their germs (it is the "only child" that gets this luxury) I was special in the grown-up dining room. At night we went to the "Casino." It wasn't for gambling as that is what the theater was called then. We sat on folding chairs set up in rows and would go early for the best seats. We saw up-and-coming comedians like Henny Youngman and Rodney Dangerfield. We saw singers who were just starting out like Eddie Fisher and Mel Torme, and beautiful dancers. All would go on to make a name for themselves. We were their first audience in the magical Borscht Belt. We were hungry for entertainment and gave them gold stars.  The young ladies of the family had opportunities to date the waiters and other staff members. They were all young men who were making money for the summer and going to college. The lifeguards were prime. So many engagements and weddings were formed here for new family life to begin. It was the stuff the movie "Dirty Dancing" was made of.
Fabulous hotels were waiting, Grossingers, The Concord, The Nevele, Kutchers, and a host of bungalow colonies if you wanted to cook yourself, called "kochelein". SO COME ONE, COME ALL.. ...VISIT THE BORSCHT BELT MUSEUM ON JULY 29, 2023. Partake in all the delicious memories with live music, comedy, and of course, some delicious borscht, knishes, and pastrami. Get a peek at how it was and explore the past of the New York Borscht Belt. See you there. Carol-Rose Author, Blogger, and Official Alumnae of The Borscht Belt WHERE DID SHE COME FROM? Carol-Rose authored a 750-page autobiography for her family. It encompassed the years 1860-2021. 161 years of information for her family, chronicling the past and where they came from. It took her 4 1⁄2 years to research, collect old pictures, and recall stories about her great grandparents and grandparents, her birth, and the creation of her present family through the year 2021. It is a beautifully bound 10" X 11", exquisitely covered book, intended to be used as a Coffee Table Family "Bible" for her family. She included treasured old pictures plus photos of Europe and Israel. It was a labor of love with the intention of their family history never to be lost or forgotten. She titled the book: "EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING STAYS THE SAME!  The title was meant to be a lesson for the younger generation, teaching them to: Go with the flow, Open their Minds, Adapt and Grow! Look for future excerpts of this book, for more data about the history of Carol-Rose.  It was the greatest, most spectacular, most melodic.....It was, THE SHOW TO END ALL SHOWS!!!!! PHANTOM OF THE OPERA CLOSES ON BROADWAY AFTER 35 YEARS !!!!  A magical show from London opened on Broadway in New York City on January 9, 1988. It would become the most successful of our time. The music was composed by an English Impresario and composer of musical theater, namely, ANDREW LLOYD WEBER, born in London, England in 1948. He became one of the most coveted and successful theater composers of our time. Some of his works included, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat, Cinderella, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, and countless others. The fabulous English Soprano, Sarah Brightman would star as "Christine" in the original cast. She had an impressive range of 4 Octaves. Specifically, her solo "All I Ask of You," would have 3 million plays on Apple Music. Ms. Brightman was married to Andrew Lloyd Weber from 1984 -1990. The original Phantom was Michael Crawford, a tenor with a voice "to die for." The title song, "The Phantom of the Opera" was performed as a duet between Ms. Brightman and Mr. Crawford to never-ending applause. His rendition of "Music of the Night" won a standing ovation from the theatergoers at every performance.  Combined with the talent of Andrew Lloyd Weber, they were a trio of extraordinary talent in an extraordinary theater show, and probably never duplicated. They were part of a fantastic cast, including Steve Barton who played Raoul. Over the years, so many fabulous talents continued to play these roles, to audiences all over the world. Here are some interesting facts about the show...
Carol-Rose Editorial: The Chandelier fell for the last time at The Majestic Theater on April 16, 2023, to a glittering array of an, "Invite Only" audience. The Monkey Box played for the last time, as well. It has been 35 years of beautiful, extraordinary magic, and will be hard to top. I offer a heartfelt thank you for all the fantasy and melodic genius that I was allowed to experience (I hope my readers had the opportunity too). My sincere hope is: We will be graced in the future with a revival so that future generations may enjoy this wonder of our times. "PHANTOM, PLEASE KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU! I will think of you only...... YOU WERE INORDINATELY SEXY!"  Carol-Rose Marshall, Author The U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps., and U.S. Coast Guard have a tradition where active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. The crews enter the city and visit tourist attractions.  It's the 1950's and we were World War II babies, now 17-18 years old. It was a different time and we were not worried about going into New York City, traveling on the subway, or unusual safety issues. My girlfriend, Marilyn K-P, and I were excited to go to Times Square during Fleet Week. We dressed up. Always skirts or dresses, college-size heels, lipstick, and powder, and were ready to go!  The fleet was in, and there were hoards of sailors all over New York City. The first stop is Times Square. We laughed, we spoke to them, we joined them in a drink (a drink at that time was a Coca-Cola or a milkshake). We showed them the Empire State Building. We did not have cell phones and were unreachable to our parents. But no one worried as we were safe and happy. We met our friends and traded stories with sailors who lived all over the United States and the world. Everyone was respectful. It was about honoring our Fleets, welcoming them, and meeting the “all-American girls” of New York. We explained our education, our life, etc., and listened to young men, off to who-knows-where. They were appreciative and it was all about having a good day. It was fun, and informative and opened up horizons in a good clean day’s events for all of us. We moved on and although approached to write to them, we declined. It was not realistic and we were just a welcoming committee to be stored as memories. Here I am in 2023 remembering. No, I would not allow my daughter or grandchildren to do this now. It is a different world (so sad) and there are many cries of danger, not with the fleet, but in New York City. How I wish they all had known that freedom, but the city has changed.  I love our American values. Please don't change them. My beloved grandson is graduating from Annapolis this weekend. We congratulate him and his beautiful young companions at Annapolis. The famed Blue Angels will fly over the Annapolis Graduation services. So exciting and spectacular! We are so proud of you all!  It's graduation time, not only at Annapolis but all across the land. Congratulations to my other grandchildren who are graduating, and those who are already fulfilling a work career.
We respect our constitution, our American Flag, and the young men and women who will be instrumental in developing a better world. And again, IT'S FLEET WEEK.............WELCOME !!!!  The FEELING of NOSTALGIA is clearly a very complex emotion. It is usually triggered by memories, loneliness, or anxiety.
It is a sentimental longing and can be sad or happy. Happy pastimes give us positive feelings. Remembering sad times brings us to isolation. Try to be nostalgic with the memories that make you warm and fuzzy. Those that are positive keep your mind and health in A-1 condition. Remember why NOSTALGIA IS SO MUCH LIKE GRAMMAR? "We find the present tense and the past perfect!" |
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