Lansdale Historical Society

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Back in 1952, The Reporter held a Christmas light display contest for local homeowners who lit up their neighborhoods with holiday decorations. The prizes were modest but at least the winners had bragging rights until the following year. The thrill was the joy of winning. The agony was seeing your colorfully-lighted house appear on the front page of the paper in glorious black and white, as you can see from these photographs. This competition continued for several decades. As luck would have it, the contest was discontinued shortly after The Reporter installed a new press with full color capability in the late 1960s.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER One of the companies that spread Lansdale’s name around the country was Perfect Foods which manufactured these treats at its plant on Kriebel Avenue. Could you go for a tin filled with Tritzels right now? The Reporter ad is from 1952.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER A family heads east on Main Street at the railroad crossing in this 1980s-era photograph. Memories from the time when holiday shopping meant frequent trips to downtown Lansdale.

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER Earlier this week we learned of the passing of Dick Allen, the superstar slugger of the 1960s and 70s who was inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame earlier this year. The honor was a long time coming. The real shame is that he was not selected for entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame before his death, a gross miscarriage of justice if there is such a thing in sports. To be sure, his career was controversial, although much of it was not of h...is own doing. But his statistics were certainly Hall of Fame-worthy and have stood the test of time. When his playing days ended in the 1970s, Dick Allen moved to a small farm near Perkasie where he raised horses, one of his life-long passions. If memory serves me correctly, he worked as a sales representative for a Philadelphia firm and his travels sometimes took him through Lansdale. He would pop in occasionally at the old Wagon Wheel Tavern on North Broad Street and would join in conversation with the regulars at the bar. I remember him as an engaging gentleman who would become one of the boys and chat on any topic, not necessarily baseball. The photograph of Allen’s property appeared in a 1977 edition of The Reporter. The color picture of Dick in uniform was taken by photographer Don Boorse, who worked for a number of papers in the region including the Perkasie News-Herald, the Daily Intelligencer and The Reporter. He now lives in Arizona. See more

BACK THEN by DICK SHEARER We check back to 1961 for these news clippings from The Reporter, and as I often say, excuse the quality. This is Sandra Holl, daughter of the late state Sen. Edwin G. Holl of Lansdale, who was selected queen of the third annual Liberty Bowl football game held at the old Municipal (later JFK) Stadium in Philly. The Liberty Bowl started in Philadelphia in 1959, hence the name, but later moved to Atlantic City for a year then off to Memphis, where the weather was better suited for a college bowl. This year it will be held on December 31, pandemic permitting.