Elmira N.Y. turns 150

The nearby city of Elmira Celebrates it's 150th anniversary this year, and today, April 7th, is the day it was actually founded. Prior to this date in 1864 the village was known as Newtown. The story goes that during the council meeting to write up the charter, being held at Mr. Tealls tavern (Where else would a city council meet but at a tavern?) Mrs. Teall repeatedly had to call for her young daughter to keep her in line. After hearing the woman call for "Elmira" all night, they suggested that the name be given to the newly chartered village, and it stuck.
Notables from our little city include; Mark Twain, Hal Roach (Producer of the Little Rascals, Our Gang, and many Oliver and Hardy movies) Eileen Collins (Space shuttle pilot and mission commander), NBC news Anchor Brian Williams,  Fashion Designer Tommy Hilfiger, and Ernie Davis (The first African American to win the Heisman Trophy)

A postcard of Rorick's Glen showing the swing ride,
and the foot-bridge across the river

Elmira once had 2 amusement parks. The first was Rorick's Glen. It was at its' height in the very early 1900s, and finally closed around 1912. Seated on the south bank of the Chemung River, that bisects the city, and accessed by a foot-bridge, It featured a flying chairs ride, a roller-coaster, electric gardens (Remember this was before 1915!) and an open air, summer-stock theater that would seat 1200 people. It also had numerous walking trails, cabins, and picnic spots. Subsequent floods have all but erased any traces of this grand old park. The land was owned by the Boy Scouts for many years, and now I believe it is privately owned.  It is my hope to be able to explore this area some time in the near future, and write an article dedicated to it.

The Speedway! Ready for a ride on the wooden coaster
at Eldridge Park?

Next up is Eldridge park. It started as a sculpture garden, but by the turn of the century it had a midway. By 1920 it was so popular it had it's own train station. It boasted a dance hall, picnic grounds, a pleasure boat with a dragons head (known as Jasper) fountains in the middle of the "lake",and a beautiful carousel.  As the midway grew it added; bumper-cars, a "Whip" , the Flying Scooters, a Spook House, Shooting Gallery, Teacups, A Ferris Wheel, a Roller-coaster named "The Speedway", an arcade, and a big selection of kiddie rides including Jeeps, Fire trucks, Boats, a Kiddie-Whip and a train. (I'm sure I've missed something. Remind me of it in the comments)  It all went away in the late 1980s, but thanks to a dedicated group of citizens it is once again being revitalized. Back again is the Carousel, the flying scooters, and now we have the Jasper II!   Weekly classic car cruise-ins are held during the summer. I hope to join a few this year.
Notable industry in out fair city has included things like American LeFrance, who made fire trucks here in Elmira from 1871 until 1985. Remington Rand, who made typewriters and other mechanical equipment, Bendix, who produced coaster brake hubs that went on practically every bicycle made in the first half of the 1900s And Kennedy Valve that makes Fire Hydrants to this day.

Any person who has grown up here in Chemung County instantly recognizes the date of 1972. That year Hurricane Agnes caused major flooding in Elmira and the surrounding towns. It was a blow that Elmira struggles with still.  Elmira was once vibrant. It held wealthy business owners, grand Victorian homes, many of which are now multi unit apartments, and industry thrived. It is a city with an amazing past,( I haven't even mentioned the civil war prison, or the links or the underground railroad, or the Chemung Canal) and I hope it will have an amazing future. The thing we have going for us is a community that loves their city, and seem to be determined to bring it back.
This was supposed to be a really short write-up on Elmira's 150th birthday, so If I've jumped around a bit I apologize. It's late and I was writing whatever came to me.  What I hope is that I've sparked your interest in Elmira, or the history of your home town. What's the story?!  Why not stop by your local  historical society and see what's to be found. Let it be a start of an even bigger adventure.  GO explore your town. I'm on my way to check out mine! I'll tell you about it as I do.

Clementine, The '74 "Westy" part 1

Another Air-cooled VW has come to roost at Stray Cat. "Clementine" is an orange 1974 Campmobile Deluxe. To explain that a bit further, it is a VW Transporter, or Bus, that was converted by Westfalia into a camper. An extremely short history of VW busses is that the earlier busses, built before 1968, had 2-piece windshields that were split down the middle. Thus they are referred to a split-windows, or "Splittys". The later busses built from 1968 on, had one big piece of glass for a windshield, and because of that, they have come to be known as "Bay-window" busses. On top of that, Busses that were converted to campers are often referred to by the name of the company they were modified by. Some of the best known were: Riviara, Safarie, and Westfalia. Now the last one there gets shortened by the VW guys to "Westy". One more thing. Busses that retained their factory top were usually labeled "Weekenders" or are often called "Tin-tops". The ones like mine, that got a fiberglass top that raised up with a tent attached to make an upper bunk, are known as "Pop-tops"
Why have I rambled on about all this trivia? Because I have spent so much time on VW forums that I tend to speak the lingo without thought of other people not having a clue what I'm talking about. That out of the way, let me tell you about Clementine.
Unlike the Type 3, that was a chance-grab from my friend, I have been looking for a camper-bus for most of my life. I've loved how different they are, how they are an icon that even non- gearheads recognize. At first I wanted any camper I could find, but as the years rolled by and the search for one became closer to reality, I knew I needed to do some research to narrow down my goal.
The first decision was split window, or bay window. That was easy, because, even though I love the look of the old Split windows, so do collectors, and because of that they are simply out of my price range. So I was looking for a Bay. That gives me the years 68-79 to pick from.  Within that range there were a few major changes made. Mostly in 1972. That year saw extra reinforcement added to the cab floor to improve your chances in a wreck, and a move to a new engine. So I figured I'd shoot for '72 or newer, with a goal of a '76  so it'd share my age.  As for the camper equipment, it had to be a pop-top. That part has always been my favorite  part. I like the ones that pivot at the back of the bus, and open like a wedge. No problem there as that is how the ones in my year range  work.
Great. That's settled. Now I keep an eye out for the right one.......

Let a few more years roll by. Every one I come across just doesn't fit the bill. Too rusty, too beat up, seen sitting too long, wayyyyyy too much money, too far away.. and so on.  Then, on a day off after Christmas, I was doing my usual trolling of Craiglist, and spotted an ad for a 74 camper. It was a simple ad with no picture and only a brief description that did not exactly flatter the bus, but the price was reasonable, and it was nearby, so I thought it was worth a look.
I expected to find a rolling rust bucket. What I actually found was a running driving bus, with very little rust, that was in need of a lot of lovin'. This was it. Everything lined up. The seller drove it to my house, I had cash, and the deed was done.
So now I have a growing list of stuff I need and want. Before we hit the road, the tires need to be replaced, the fuel system needs to be re-built, and one of the CV joints needs to be replaced. Then it's on to making the camper parts work.  First up will be replacing the canvas for the pop-top, along with all the seals for the top, then on to making things work inside.

So here I am, sitting inside watching the snow fall, thinking that the worst thing someone like me can do is buy a summer toy at the onset of winter. Here's hoping that when the sun comes out, Clementine will be ready to go on some adventures, and that we get to share them with you.