Country Club Plaza Christmas Lights

Country Club Plaza in Kansas City is the country's first shopping center. It began in the early 1920s.

The Plaza lighting traditon began in 1930. The buildings have been lit for the holiday season every year except 1973 when President Nixon urged curtailing the use of Christmas lights to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports

2008 is the 79th year of the tradition. It takes months to hang the lights and take them down each year. The lights are turned on at 5 p.m. each evening until January 11, 2009.

The date of this postcard is unknown (probably pre-1963).

Sterling Lindner Davis Christmas Tree

Sterling Lindner Davis department store of Cleveland was a combination of three smaller stores — Sterling & Welch Co., W.B. Davis Co., and Lindner Co. The store closed in 1968.

This postcard was mailed in 1952. The description on the back of this postcard is as follows:

Each Christmas season, thousands of Clevelanders and visitors from miles around come to see the magnificent spectacle of Sterling Lindner Davis' traditional Christmas tree, towering in the Great Court. A live, 50 ft. tree, festooned with 60 lbs. of 'icicles', 1000 yds. of tinsel, 1500 ornaments, and illuminated by 6 banks of 750 candle-watt spotlights. It requires 650 man-power hours to trim by swinging stages suspended from the skylight, Once again, our Christmas tree awaits you…proud symbol that "There's Magic in a gift from S-L-D.!

The Sterling Lindner Christmas Tree tradition was started in the late 1920s and continued until 1967 (the three names were combined in 1950 and the Davis was dropped from the name in 1958). I also have a couple of different Sterling Lindner Christmas Tree postcards from the 1960s. On the 1960s postcards the tree is described as 60 feet tall — "America's tallest inddoor tree, symbol of Christmas in Cleveland for well over 30 years."

The Cleveland Memory Project has black-and-white photos of some other Sterling Lindner Davis Christmas Trees.

Jim Beam 1956 Political Bottles

This Jim Beam Distilling Company advertising postcard shows the 1956 political bottles containing Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Pictures of Beam Political Bottles for presidential election years 1956 to 1988 can be found at POLITICAL DECANTERS SERIES (these 1956 bottles are described there as ashtrays).

Advertising message on the back of this postcard:

Good for any "Party"
Ideal for use as:
BOOK ENDS • COASTER-TRAY • DECANTER • CANDELABRA
The Beam Bottled in Bond Ivy Planter Tray bottles were especially designed for the 1956 Election Year. both Donkey and Elephant bottles are hand crafted in genuine Regal China.
These outstanding packages available at no extra cost.

Wall Street, New York City

This linen postcard view of Wall Street credits "Photo by Keystone," but it has been stylized so much that it looks more like an illustration. It was mailed in 1942 with a 1¢ defense stamp and a postmark urging one to "Buy Defense Savings Bonds and Stamps." The sender wrote "P.S. Too tired to write a message."

More informative is the description on the back:

Wall Street derived its name from the wall built by Peter Syuyvesant in 1653 to defend New Amsterdam at this point. It is now the foremost financial center in the world and the most powerful banks and brokers have their headquarters here.

Minneapolis Aquatennial Canoe Race

This is the 69th year of The Minneapolis Aquatennial which is held the third full week of July. The dates for 2008 are July 12-27.

This postcard was published in 1950. The long canoe race has not been held since 1960. There is an interesting article "Aquatennial Canoe Derby Was Test Of Stamina" about the race and Gene Jensen who was a race winner four times in 1948, 1949 1950 and 1960.

The description on the back of this postcard is as follows:

The Mando-Aquatennial Canoe Derby, co-sponsored by the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Co., is held in conjunction with The Minneapolis Aquatennial, the nation's greatest summer festival. It is now the world's greatest canoe racing event and attracts top-flight canoeists from all parts of the United States and Canada. Starting at Bemidji, Minnesota the course extends 450 miles down the challenging, unpredictable and ever-changing Mississippi River to end at Minneapolis.

Aquatennial History

Van's Cafe, Brainerd, Minnesota

Another popular Brainerd postcard subject was Van's Cafe. This postcard dates from 1950. A similar view, differently colored, is available as an art print from Internet poster sellers.

Description from the back of the card:

Located in BRAINERD, MINN., opposite the Tourist Information Tower on Highways 371 and 210 is
BRAINERD'S OUTSTANDING CAFE
newly streamlined, remodeled and air-conditioned
"KNOWN for GOOD FOOD at POPULAR PRICES".
Folks drive miles for VAN'S "Sizzling" steaks, fried chicken, home made chow mein, barbecued ribs and delicious TURKEY DINNERS served daily.
BE SURE AND STOP AT VAN'S

Van's Cafe was started in 1923 and was owned by Van Essens.

Brainerd Water Tower

The Brainerd, Minnesota water tower was built from 1919 to 1922. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the first all-concrete elevated tank used by a municipality in the United States.

A Look At Water Towers, an article on Minnesota water towers, notes that for many communities, a water tower is a part of its identity. This Brainerd water tower has not been used since 1960, but it remains as an attraction and symbol of the city of Brainerd.

Paul Bunyan is another attraction and symbol of Brainerd, and the water tower has become associated with Paul Bunyan in several ways — as his knife handle, his golf tee, his flash light, and his hitching post for Babe.

The Crow Wing Historical Society has historical photos of the construction of the Brainerd, Minnesota water tower.