DARK DAYS: Columns about that dark day (or two) in 1950 continue
to jog people’s memories.[neWLine]

Some of them today:[neWLine]

Don Frase writes, “”The Dark Day you refer to in RTS was on a
Sunday. I’m certain of this because I wanted to see my friend’s
reaction when he came out of the matinee showing at the Temple
Theater in Kane, so I stood outside of the theater and waited to
see his reaction. Sunday was the only day of the week that the
Temple had an afternoon show.””[neWLine]

Larry Vecellio writes, “”I do remember this day, and I can
recall that it was early afternoon that we had to turn the lights
on in the house. No one actually knew what it was but many people
were heading to the church in Lewis Run. Some were afraid but
others just took it as smoke from a fire, but no smell of smoke.
The day is often discussed as weird days of happenings in the
world. And it was mentioned that it did happen one other time in
the New England area but nothing to find what it really
was.””[neWLine]

We also heard from Mary Ellen Logue of Johnsonburg: “”In answer
to Raymond Tingley’s inquiry about the ‘darkened skies in 1950.’ I
remembered I was keeping a diary at that time. I looked it up, and
this is what I had written: ‘Sept. 24, 1950 – A very strange thing
happened today … It got completely dark around 4 p.m. this
afternoon. The radio said it was caused by smoke from forest fires
in Canada … I don’t know, though … Most of my neighbors doubt it.’
This was the observance of a young girl at the time … I read on it
later and never saw notice that we were advised
otherwise.””[neWLine]

Mary Lou Jessop of Ridgway writes, “”In regards to your Dark Day
– In checking the Internet, these forest fires began in
mid-September in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and the
smoke became noticeable in our area on Sept. 24 and by Sept. 26 the
smoke had been carried across the Atlantic Ocean. I remember this
because we lived in New Kensington at the time and I can remember
how eerie the sky looked and we could even smell the
fire.””[neWLine]

No, we’re not finished with this subject. More in a future
edition.