America's 250th Birthday & The American Freedom Train (at the L.A County Fairgrounds)

Fifty years ago, our nation was celebrating it's Bicentennial birthday.  At that same time, the American Freedom train was traveling the country as a part of the Bicentennial celebration.

Here are some images of the American Freedom Train, when it made a stop at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.  These photos happen to be from the Ralph and Florence collection.  They were all hand-labeled, and stated specifically that the train was, "In the west parking lot of the L.A. County Fairgrounds, Pomona."  These were dated, "December 1975."  Many of America's Bicentennial celebrations began in 1975, in anticipation of the upcoming bicentennial.  This also included Disneyland and Walt Disney World's official celebrations, which began in June of 1975.

Note how each of the train's cars had large windows, for viewing some of the exhibits.

Here's Florence waiting in line to enter the train.  According to what was written on the slide's mounting, they waited for two and a half hours!

This is Ralph and Florence's son, Alfred.  The vehicle in the window next to him has the NASA logo on it.  It appears to be a lunar rover/moon buggy.  According to Wikipedia, vehicles like this were used in the last three missions of the United States' Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972.  Since all three of the actual vehicles used were left behind on the moon (following each mission), this one must have been one of the "test" vehicles or "trainer" vehicles, which are still around today, and on display in various museums.

The sign posted for this next item reads, "Friendship No. 1 (1849) - Hand pumped fire engines such as this beautifully restored vehicle were pulled to a fire by long lines of running men.  The early machines have long since been replaced by sophisticated fire equipment, yet it is still the men, the firefighters of America, on who's courage and sacrifice we depend for protection of life and property."

Unfortunately, those are the only photos they took during their visit to the Freedom Train.  But among Ralph's and Florence's set of slides that I acquired, were these two shots of a display created by Ralph.  This first one was dated December 24, 1975, and labeled, "Bicentennial Christmas display - created and painted by Ralph."

The date on this slide was January 1976, and Ralph's hand-written description was, "Comedy Paul Revere scene for Bicentennial."

Here's a random photo from June of 1975.  I'm including it here, because it sort of fits in with the Freedom Train exhibits, except that Ralph took this one at a Pasadena City College "camera show."  The image shows an Edison Home Kinetoscope and it's companion phonograph, which were used for early sound movies and were both patented in 1897.  The sign has a couple of misspellings.  First, is the actual name of the item.  The other is the spelling of the word, "Attempt."  A black celluloid cylinder, which predated flat disc records, can be seen on the phonograph.  The (phonograph's) sign also states, "For use in connection with the Edison Kinetoscope only."

Here's a vintage image from the internet, showing a row of Edison's Kinetoscopes.

To finish out this post, I'm including some Bicentennial items from my childhood.

These commemorative postage stamps and special "cover" envelope were officially postmarked on July 4, 1976.  My dad gave a set of these to both my brother and me.  The stamps are a representation of the 1817 painting by John Trumbull, "Declaration of Independence."

The flap on the reverse side included these logos.

A card containing a facsimile of all the signatures on the Declaration of Independence came with the envelope.

Both items came in this special "leatherette" folder.

Production of the two-dollar bill had been discontinued in 1966, but was resumed 10 years later and reissued on April 13, 1976 (Thomas Jefferson's birthday).  My great-grandmother went to her local post office in Long Beach, CA, and had a two-dollar bill stamped and postmarked for both my brother and me.  According to Wikipedia, you could only do this on the first day of issue for the bill, so the postmark on these reads, "APR 13 1976."

This block of stamps shows all three from this particular commemorative set.

The reverse side of the two-dollar bill was redesigned for it's 1976 reissue.  The reverse previously had a picture of Jefferson's Virginian home, "Monticello."  The new design (below) featured an engraved version of John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" painting.

I don't remember where I got this Bicentennial decal, but I've had it since childhood and never "stuck" it on anything.

I've also had this box of note cards since 1976.

They were manufactured by Hallmark.

There are still two unused note cards inside.

I posted both of these bicentennial-themed puzzles in 2020, in a post about "Vintage Disney Jigsaw Puzzles."  This first one is a Whitman "Frame-Tray Puzzle" for children, featuring only 12 pieces.

And this larger boxed version contains almost 500 pieces, and was manufactured by Springbok, a division of Hallmark Cards Inc.

In case anyone is interested, back in July of 2015, I posted several other Bicentennial items from my childhood, including a couple commemorative Pepsi cans, a pressed penny, and the Sunday comics section from the July 4, 1976 edition of The Los Angeles Times.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

****UPDATE****

I just found another issue of My Weekly Reader from elementary school (dated September 17, 1975).  I previously posted an issue from 1971, which had a cover story about the opening of Walt Disney World.  Interestingly enough, this issue did not have any more info about "America On Parade" at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, other than the very brief description below the cover photo.  There is a note at the bottom, stating, "See the Teacher's Edition of this issue for a special New Awareness Enrichment Section."  I think the Teacher's Edition had more info, because I do remember after these monthly papers were passed out to us, the teacher would review them with the class.

 Page 2:

Page 3:

Page 4:

This issue also contained a special "insert," for ordering books and posters through "Xerox Education Publications."

"Random People" Photo Dump - The Summer Edition

In honor of Father's Day and the first day of summer (both on the 21st of this month), I'm going to share some more photos from my dad's collection.  In the past, I have shared some of his family pics, which included such locations as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Marineland, and Downtown Los Angeles.  Today's photos are just of random people who I don't recognize, and who's identities I will probably never know, due to the fact that both my mom and dad have passed and I can no longer ask them.

Who is the man in this photo?  Was he the blonde lady's boyfriend?  Was he a professional model?  And with that haircut and tattoo, was he in the military?

This is the same backyard.  I wonder if the two ladies were sisters?  I also wonder if they were both "artists," or if this painting was done by the blonde lady from the photo above?  So many questions that will go unanswered!

And here is yet another lady and another painting, in the same backyard!  There were no dates on these, but I believe all three of them were taken around 1967 or 1968.

In the summer of 1967, my dad's sister came out to California for a visit (from Maryland), and he took her on a sailboat cruise of the Los Angeles Harbor.  That's the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the background of this next pic, but who is the guy?  I do know that he was the one actually sailing the boat, because my aunt and my dad were the only other people on the boat.  But I wonder if he was a friend of my dad's....maybe someone he knew who had a sailboat, or was he just a guy who worked for a company that offered harbor cruises?

I'm going to assume that my dad knew this guy, because of the number of photos he took of him.

And while we are on the subject of boats, in September of 1967, my dad went on a fishing trip out in the Pacific Ocean  They apparently departed from the Los Angeles Harbor, because my dad took this photo during that fishing trip, and once again, we can see the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the background (far left).  I previously posted this photo in my Family Day at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard post, back in July of 2025.

It looks like they were further out in the ocean in this next photo.  But who is the guy wearing the "Norm's Landing" shirt?  Is he "Norm"?  I looked up "Norm's Landing," and it seems to have a convoluted history.  It was a restaurant and fish market, which at some point changed it's name to, "San Pedro Fish Market."  And it looks like they have recently changed the name again, to just "The Landing," to honor the original "Norm's Landing" name.  They are also currently relocating to a new building, next door to the streamline moderne building which houses the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.

I believe the man with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth was a friend or coworker of my dad's, but I don't recognize him.

And here is a photo from the same batch, showing my dad holding some of his "catch" from the fishing trip.  Why the cigar, Dad?  Why?

The reason I think that man on the boat was one of my dad's friends or coworkers, is because he took a couple photos of him in what I believe is the man's own backyard.  These are from seven months later and dated, "April 1968."  There's that cigarette again!  Okay, it's obviously a different cigarette.

This next pic was taken in the same backyard and on the same day.  Were these ladies the man's wife and daughter?  And hey....the house in the photo above and below looks familiar, and so does the blonde lady!  It's the same lady we saw in the first pic, drawing the picture of the half-naked man!  I actually have VERY faint memories of being in this backyard, and I also remember being fascinated by that bright red hanging ashtray.  I thought it was a birdhouse!  But unfortunately, I don't remember any of these people.

Okay, it's time to say goodbye to these people, and their house, and their artwork, because these are the only photos I have of them.....unless more turn up later.  I'm still busy scanning the thousands of slides and negatives in my dad's collection.

Here's someone new.  A bride!  Who is she?  I have no idea!  It appears that this is the only photo my dad took at this particular wedding.  Based on other negatives in the same envelope, I believe this was taken in 1970 or 1971.  I hope that this lady had a happy marriage, and a happy life!

And while we are on the subject of weddings, my dad took several pics of another wedding party.  These were labeled, "Caulkins Wedding - 1967," but I don't know who "The Caulkins" were, and I don't recognize any of the people in these photos.

The bride and groom:

This lady looks tired....or frustrated.  Maybe she's thinking, "I can't believe my granddaughter married that no-good-nik!"

The bride.  Hey, smile....it's your wedding day!

Perhaps this was the mother of the bride or groom?

I'm assuming these were all family members, posing with the bride.  But maybe a couple of them were strangers off the street, who were crashing the wedding and just trying to "blend in."

Next, we will take a little trip to Florida.  My dad had labeled these, "Florida Trip," and that's it.....no date.  But based on other photos from this batch, I believe these were taken around 1977 or 1978.  I seem to remember that he either won a trip to Florida through his work, or that he was sent there on a work trip.  So, I'm pretty sure these were all coworkers of his who were also sent there, or who won the same trip as a prize.

I wonder how close they were to Orlando and Walt Disney World?  We might not ever know!

I have seen the man on the left (below), in some of my dad's other "work" photos.

 
"FORE!"

"FIVE!"  ;-)

This building might offer a clue as to exactly where they were in Florida.  I'm assuming this is where my dad was staying.  Maybe just by chance, someone out there will recognize it.  (Update:  I used "Google Images" to search for matching photos, and it looks like these buildings are part of Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida!  And this first photo is specifically of "Stirling Hall.")

And now, just to round out this post, here are some "Random Kids" pics.  This first pic is from 1968.  That's our family car in the background, but my brother and I don't recognize this boy.  He wasn't one of the neighbor's kids, but maybe he was visiting one of them.  And he has a scabby nose, so at some point he must have fallen down and gone boom.

These last three pics are from August of 1965.  Where is this kid, today?  And at some point, did she undergo orthodontic treatment?

These were all taken in my family's backyard.  In both the photo above and below, we can see how the wall in the background is two different colors.  I wonder if that had something to do with the repair job that was done to the wall, after a trash truck drove through it two years earlier?

Okay, this isn't a "random kid."  Maybe he's a "random grandpa" and maybe the two kids above, were his "random grandchildren."  Either way, none of them are members of my family!

Farewell, random people....for now, anyway!  And a happy early Father's Day, to all of the dads out there!