[PRCo] Dormont

[Bob Rathke]

By the 1980's, things changed in Dormont.  The streetcars were on the way
out, and the
Dormont Pool became a landmark - and barometer of sorts - for our family.
We lived in Bethel Park from 1972-84, and I drove through Dormont several
times a week.  By 1982, as we drove along Banksville Road, our standing
question was, "Let's see how many people are in the Dormont pool"....most
times, the answer was "None" or "Not many".  Hopefully, the trend has
reversed by 2003.

In 1971, the Dormont Theater was completely restored and the owners made an
effort to attract local movie-goers.  It was a beautiful restoration, and
included renovation of the theater's pipe organ.  At that time, the Dormont
Theater was owned by Mode-Art, a movie producer, and I was in their studios
many times in the 1970s editing industrial films and recording radio
commercials.  WTAE-TV's Paul Long was often our voice-over.

Also at that time, Slim Bryant owned a card shop just up the street from the
theater, on Potomac Avenue near the route 42 trolley crossing.  Old timers
will remember his daily country musicTV show ("Slim Bryant and the Wilcats")
on WDTV channel 3 - later KDKA-TV channel 2.

Bob 7/4/03

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Holland" <PghPCC at pacbell.net>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Cc: "joe grata" <jgrata at post-gazette.com>; "john turyan"
<jturyan at stargate.net>; "bmaiman" <bmaiman at esta.org>; "L Brandrup"
<tlenb at kenosha.org>; "paul weyrich" <paulwey at freecongress.org>
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 7:10 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: 4th of July