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$24.99
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From the beginning of commercial radio in 1920, Oklahoma City was on the leading edge of this new enterprise. WKY radio went on the air in January 1920, making it one of the earliest radio stations in America. Soon, the station began broadcasting regular programming and was the third station in America and the first west of the Mississippi to broadcast regular daily programs. In August 1928, E.K. Gaylord, owner of the Daily Oklahoman newspaper, purchased the station, and in December of that year, WKY became affiliated with the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). Gaylord’s long association with NBC president David Sarnoff resulted in WKY originating programs for NBC out of the Oklahoma City studio from the mid-1930s extending through WKY-TV in the 1970s. WKY and KOMA became the launching pad for several well-known public figures, such as Walter Cronkite, Curt Gowdy, and Todd Storz.
Lost Circuses of Ohio
9781467140690
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$21.99
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The nineteenth century was the golden age of the circus in Ohio. Before the Ringling brothers became synonymous with the American circus, Cincinnati’s John Robinson and the Sells brothers of Columbus wowed audiences with stunning equestrian feats and aerial exploits. For good measure, the Sells brothers threw in a sharpshooting show with a young Ohio woman by the name of Annie Oakley. The Walter L. Main Circus of Geneva and a number of smaller shows presented their own unique spectacles with exotic animals and daring acrobats. But for all the fun and games, Ohio’s circus industry was serious business. As competition intensified, advertising wars erupted and acquisitions began. Eventually, Ringling Brothers swallowed many of these circuses one by one, and they dropped out of memory. Author Conrade C. Hinds brings this fascinating piece of Ohio show business back into the spotlight.
The Ford-Wyoming Drive-In
9781626195486
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$21.99
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Shortly after World War II, three Dearborn brothers bought a vacant parcel to build a drive-in theater. Local groups opposed them, fearing such a place would elicit immoral behavior. But the Clark family persevered to see its movie palace become a Metro Detroit mainstay, hosting celebrities, rock stars and a never-ending line of families with kids in footie pajamas. A handshake transferred ownership to movie magnate Charles Shafer and his business partner, Bill Clark, who expanded the theater to a massive nine screens. But blockbusters and hordes of teens couldn't mitigate the effects of Detroit's decline, auto company bankruptcies and Michigan's economic malaise. Despite it all, the mighty Ford-Wyoming kept the movies showing, bringing a bit of Hollywood glamour to the gritty Motor City.
Columbus Indiana's Historic Crump Theatre
9781626191884
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$21.99
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Not since the construction of the Columbus courthouse had one man and his vision received as much publicity from local newspapers as John Crump and his theater, designed and built by architect Charles Sparrell in 1889. This is the story of the passion, struggles and triumphs that created the first true cultural arts center in this small town and the legacy that continues to inspire the community over a century later to protect this local landmark. It is a journey marked by first-class opera performances, flickering silent films, police intervention and arrests and, ultimately, decay and closure. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this book will go to the Heritage Fund in support of the Crump Theatre building--an architectural treasure in a city that boasts many.
The Bloomington-Normal Circus Legacy: The Golden Age of Aerialists
9781609497101
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$21.99
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Starting in the 1870s, the barns, icehouses, gymnasiums and empty theaters of central Illinois provided the practice sites for aerial performers whose names still command reverence in the annals of American circus history. Meet Fred Miltimore and the Green Brothers, runaways from the Fourth Ward School who became the first Bloomington-born flyers. Watch Art Concello, a ten-year-old truant, become first a world-class flyer, then a famous trapeze impresario and finally Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus's most successful general manager. The entire art of the trapeze--instruction, training, performance and management--became a Bloomington-Normal industry during the tented shows' golden age, when finding a circus flying act without a connection to this area would have been virtually impossible.
The Saco Drive-In
9781626194533
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$21.99
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Families, teenagers, friends and sweethearts piled in their cars and filled the lot of Maine's first drive-in on opening night in 1939. A newsreel and cartoon rolled before the feature presentation, Forbidden Music, cast the first outdoor movie spell over the town of Saco. Families came for the fresh-air movie experience, while visitors in the 1950s and '60s enjoyed the dimly lit privacy. The community rallied to save the Saco Drive-In in 2013, voting to fund the transition to digital projection. Now, families and couples of the future can continue to enjoy cinema under the Maine sky. Join local author Camille Smalley as she recounts the history, films and memories of the Saco Drive-In.
Rockford's Forgotten Driving Park
9781467141963
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$21.99
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Local thrill-seekers at the turn of the century knew that all the action was at the Driving Park. But few today know the drama buried beneath a West End subdivision. At the height of the horse racing craze after the Civil War, prominent Rockford businessmen raised $25,000 to build a harness racetrack there in 1890 (the name refers to the person in the cart pulled by a horse—the driver). The versatile venue evolved to stay relevant, weathering the 1893 financial panic and welcoming bicycle mania. Events ranged from high school track meets to early auto racing. Folks saw a soccer game one week and a circus the next. Controversy erupted at times, from gambling and drinking to a murder and a KKK rally. Amanda Becker reveals this colorful story nearly forgotten since 1938.
Magic City Rock
9781625858962
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$21.99
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Birmingham's rock music scene has thrived on camaraderie and collaboration for decades. With no competitiveness, it has maintained a punk rock ethos while also appealing to a mainstream audience, thanks to DIY clubs and alternative radio support. Once one of the country's most successful AAA radio stations, 107.7 The X and the A&R power of station head Scott Register provided the early radio success that helped break Train, Matchbox Twenty and John Mayer. The same scene produced Jim Bob & the Leisure Suits, the Primitons, the Sugar La Las and Verbena. From local legends like Hotel and Telluride to national sensation St. Paul and the Broken Bones, writer Blake Ells tells the story of the Magic City's indelible stamp on the history of modern rock.
Dance in Saratoga Springs
9781609491673
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$21.99
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Known to aspiring dancers and ballet enthusiasts worldwide, Saratoga Springs is much more than the home of the National Museum of Dance. The arts have always been nurtured in the Spa City, and in 1964, the world-famous founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, decided to make the new Saratoga Performing Arts Center his company's summer home. The company has brought some of the world's most famous dancers and choreographers to Saratoga ever since. Skidmore College offered one of the best dance programs in the nation, and several prestigious academies and summer programs have made Saratoga their home, helping young people from Lake Avenue and around the world achieve that illustrious dream of dancing professionally. Skidmore dance professor Denise Warner Limoli narrates this beautiful history, from turn-of-the-century floral fetes" to today's vibrant dance community."
Elinor Fry:
9781626191464
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$21.99
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In Richmond, no other name is more synonymous with dance than Elinor Fry. Helen Keller, Bill Bojangles" Robinson and author Tom Wolfe were just some of the people with whom Fry connected in five decades of dance. From 1920 to 1970, Fry was involved, often accompanied by her beloved students, in nearly every major public event in the River City. Performing in an array of venues and photographed twice by "National Geographic," Fry was a blend of creativity and business savvy and a wonderful role model for thousands of children who learned dance in her studio. Join author and historian Paul Herbert as he celebrates Elinor Fry's spirit and exceptional achievements in the world of dance in Richmond."
