Avon

Red Crum, still going strong at 84
In the Fall of 1967, during the school Open House, Red Crum walked into my classroom, sat down at the piano and began to play. He played tunes a person could sing along with, and even dance to, if only it weren’t Open House. What a treat!
I soon learned that Red and wife Diane, along with son, Dan and daughter Glenda, lived in Carlisle and he drove the Smith DX bulk truck for his father-in- law, John R. Smith. When I asked people about Red, I was told that if I wanted to hear more of Red’s music, go to the new Shakey’s on Hickman on a weekend night. He and Ozzie Aberhamson, on banjo, played there for thirteen years. Red , born in 1924, was the youngest of ten children and raised in an area called Levey, north of Avon. The family moved to Des Moines for a while, and he took a few lessons for 35 cents each on a borrowed piano. His musical talent was recognized at an early age. The family moved back to Avon, without the piano. Red said his older brother had a car, but Red’s Dad bought him a used piano for $25.00. I called Red to ask what he knew about the Avon Lake Dance Pavillion. This was a totally innocent question, but he gave me a great story. In 1939, he started to High School and had a driver’s license. He would drive some of his friends to the Midtown Roller Rink in Des Moines, but the friends had to be home by midnight. Red would drop them off, and then slip into the Dance Pavillion before going home just to listen to the music. There he heard Vera Illingsworth’s All Girl Orchestra. He remembers they dressed in formal gowns. Jane was on the trumpet, Vera played saxophone , Billie was the drummer, Ruthie played the piano, and Dottie played Bass fiddle. Ruthie had a daytime job playing the piano in Younker’s basement music department. Sheet music was 35 cents. She would play a tune, and customers could buy the music if they liked what they heard. Red still has a big collection of sheet music of that era.

Red Crum's Swing Kings
This is a picture of a Red Crum's Swing Kings.
Back row, left to right: Ron Randleman, Larry Baber, Jerry Gamble, Denny Keeney, Larry Hughes. Front row: Pete Beggs, at the piano, Steve Thompson, Red Crum, Allen Petrie.






This is another great picture from Red Crum’s scrapbook. 1942. Do you recognize the members of the BOILER HOUSE CREW? FRONT ROW: Owen Schooler, Dick Murphy, Red Crum, Gene Foulke SECOND ROW: John Fry, Harry Fry THIRD ROW: Roland Nickle, Glenn Love, Claude Corzatt, Bob Love, Bill Mott.


Circleville
Now the site of the town of Avon Lake (Lake Avon), the last time this town was mentioned in legal descriptions was in 1865. The town was founded in 1848 by William Buzick. It may be no coincidence that Lake Avon's streets were lain out in a crescent pattern and perhaps the developers had a description of the original townsite that we now don't. The lake at Lake Avon did not exist in 1865, or at least was such an obscure and insignifigant body of water, it was not listed on any maps.