IT’S TODAY: It was 75 years ago that an “old lump of coal”
arrived on the scene in Bradford.
Today, of course, we know that “diamond” as Zippo.
As we write this Round the Square, we can’t help but think about
the humble beginnings of this little lighter company and hum that
Randy Travis country western song – “I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some
Day.”
Becoming a diamond, of course, is more than just putting in the
time. It’s also about enduring enormous pressures. And, surely,
Zippo has done both!
Our very first RTS item more than 50 years ago was about Zippo
and so how can we ignore that tradition today, its diamond
anniversary?
A reader reports that a Zippo plays a key role in the current
movie “1408,” a chiller about a haunted hotel room. The film is
based on a Stephen King short story.
Clayt Vecellio stopped by to show us the cover of a book, “Enola
Gay,” by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts. The flight engineer is
pictured lighting his cigarette with that ubiquitous Zippo.
One favorite of ours is in the 40th anniversary edition of
Rolling Stone magazine published earlier this month.
Not only was the ad pretty darn cool, but so was the message.
The entire page was a collage of Zippos and the text, “Memphis,”
“Detroit,” “Seattle” … “Actually the most distinctive sound in rock
comes from Bradford, Pa.”
The meaning, of course, is the click of the Zippo when it’s
snapped open or shut. The lighters were emblazoned with images from
the world of rock – the Rolling Stones, of course; Elvis;
Woodstock; the Beatles; AC/DC etc.
MOVE ON: We have accumulated a ton of information on everything
from rattlesnakes to the Coke bottling plant to those tall poles
alongside the highways – and we hope to get to it soon. Be
patient!
GAS PAIN: Before this slips our mind on such a busy day, we need
to drop in a line about the gas prices on Sunday in St. Marys. When
the price in Bradford was ,2.95, the price in St. Marys was ,2.79!
We kid you not. A new Sheetz just opened in downtown St. Marys –
and it is a gigantic piece of real estate – and that probably
accounted for some of the low price. At the same time, Sheetz in
Coudersport was ,2.85.
