Community Corner

1960: A Big Week for Bands

News from the Nov. 23, 1961, edition of the Lemon Grove Review.

 

A look back at Lemon Grove, 50 years ago this week.

Matadors Rule: The Mount Miguel High School Band, directed by Larry Christianson, swept past 45 competing bands in the Arcadia Band Review on Nov. 18 to bring home a gleaming trophy and $250 prize.

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Dubbed “the greatest, smart playing, smart marching band in Southern California” by the Lemon Grove Review, the 91-member band capped a triumphant year of first- and second-place wins. In addition to sonorous sound and crisp dynamics, the band's specialty was its crowd-pleasing double M formation.

Said Christianson, “The students rehearsed the formation constantly before the Arcadia win.”

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The complex move also lead to a first-place win in the 1960 Maytime Band Review in National City. But wait, there's more:

The 80-girl Mount Miguel Cape and Cadence Corps won a trophy and $100 as the first drill team in state history to capture a sweepstakes prize. The team took 967 of a possible 1,000 points.

Instructor Agnes King said, “I am very proud to be associated with this fine group ... the presentation was spectacular.”

During 1961, both groups performed in the Lemon Grove Business Day Parade, Lemon Grove Kids Day Parade, Spring Valley Parade, Heartland Teen Parade, Mother Goose Parade, and the Autumn Band Review and Jamboree.

Those were the days.

Wow Factor: Lemon Grove was a music-conscious town with a 170-family Music Parents Club and an 85-member marching band at Lemon Grove Junior High. The band took first place in the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 and the Spring Valley Parade on Nov. 4. The ensemble earned the Marine Corps Perpetual Trophy at the Maytime Band Review—a trophy “too heavy to lift,” noted band director Harry Weisgerber. The band's repertoire spanned traditional marches, classical, and popular works.

Today, a gorgeous Lemon Grove Junior High green and gold drum, dating from the 1960s and showing the patina of years, resides in the Lemon Grove Historical Society's collection thanks to City Councilman Jerry Jones. When he made the gift of the drum in 2002, he had concluded his leadership of the Music Parents Club and, with his wife, Cheryl, was leading the Helix High music parents organization. In 2002-2003, the historical society was exhibiting “The Story of the Lemon Grove School District,” making the gift of the drum especially timely. It remains one of the society's most prized artifacts.

Talking Points: In a when-do-they-sleep blowout, the Mount Miguel High Debating Team again swept to first place over 70 teams in the Palomar College Speech Tournament on Nov. 21.

Helping the team retain its undefeated status were freshmen Suzie Sacranty and Kathy Dittamore, who out-argued two senior debaters from Escondido High, while other Matador frosh David Reid and Dennis Anderson won the Impromptu Speech and Original Oratory categories. 

Curtain Up: Cedric Jordan, Ensenada Street, graduated from San Diego State College with a theatre degree, and moved to New York to study at the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg. He performed Off Broadway in Death of a Salesman, Sweet Bird of Youth and other productions, and appeared in such films as Splendor in the Grass, Tiger Among Us and the 1962 cult favorite Married Too Young. He also performed on television in Naked City,  Lamp Unto My Feet and other series. In 1961 he returned to State College to play the lead in the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex (tickets $1.25).

Where are you now, Cedric?  (A diligent search of online resources turned up only a bleak “There is no news of Cedric Jordan.”)

Noble Bird:  Lemon Grove was awash in Thanksgiving turkey deals.

The Lantern Inn at Lemon Grove Bowlero, 7065 Broadway, served a four-course turkey feast for $2.25 (kids $1.15).

Thriftimart, in a two-page spread, offered oven-ready tom turkeys at 29 cents a pound, hens at 33 cents a pound and fresh cranberries at 17 cents a pound.

Provinzano's Genuine Italian Bread, 7561 Broadway (“the original Italian bread from back East”), marked its grand opening with a 29 cent, one-pound loaf and a complimentary quarter pound of cooked turkey.  

Laura's Café, 7874 Broadway (“We make our own pumpkin pies and chili”), promoted a daily drawing for a free lunch, five cent coffee and 89 cent turkey hash.  

Paul's Lemon Grove Shopping Center, 3308 Main (“across from the Big Lemon”) promoted plump turkeys at 29 cents a pound, two pounds of brussel sprouts for 29 cents and two pounds of yams for 25 cents.

Sonka Said:  Tony Sonka of the 1907 Sonka Bros. General Store fame (today, Grove Pastry Shop) said he found nothing unusual about November's hot, dry, windy weather and that he didn't believe the local climate was slowly getting drier.  

“It's part of a cycle,” he said.  

But fireman Frank Berger urged residents to keep yards free of dry brush and grass because of the high fire danger and “don't barbecue your turkey outside.”

Christmas Rush:  Lemon Grove Postmaster Frenchy Faucher launched the ”Mail Early for Christmas” campaign for what promised to be the biggest Christmas season ever, exceeding the 1960 record of 1,474,273 pieces handled in Lemon Grove alone.  

Said Faucher, “Make a list and check it twice. Avoid long lines by pre-purchasing 4 cent first-class stamps for your Christmas cards, use sturdy cartons, heavy wrapping paper and strong cord for packages, and avoid abbreviations of city and state names.”

Faucher ran the local post office for 20 years and served on the board of the Lemon Grove Historical Society.

Compiled by Helen Ofield, president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, from newspapers archived at the H. Lee House Cultural Center.


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