Harry made his own canes of PVC pipe. One Christmas he turned one of them into a candy cane that was the talk of the town.
Archive for the ‘Barb’s Notes’ Category
Harry Brabec’s Christmas Cane
December 20th, 2010 On Speaking Czech and Remembering Dressel’s Cakes
December 8th, 2010
One of Harry’s closest chums from J. Sterling Morton High School comments on Chapter Four of Barbara’s memoir (“On Being Czech”), foods mentioned in the section, “Trekking to Berwyn for Goodies,” and Dressel’s Cakes from Cicero.
The Story of a Brass Spittoon
November 30th, 2010
Harry never used a spittoon, of course; he just wanted this particular handmade spittoon as a souvenir and a reminder of his days of playing in “gin mills.” This is the story of the inscription he asked the craftsman to engrave on the bottom.
The Carson & Barnes Circus
November 16th, 2010
Barbara recalls one of her most memorable circus performances–the day Harry was invited to sit in with the Carson and Barnes Circus as it warmed up for the performance. She had a seat right next to the chute where the Bengal tigers rushed past into the center ring–so close she could have touched them–and alongside the path where nineteen elephants and other assorted animals trotted by to get into the Grand Parade.
Drummer Drive Street Sign in Schaumburg, Illinois
October 31st, 2010
When a friend told me he had spotted a street sign in Schaumburg, Illinois named DRUMMER DRIVE, I found this very intresting, not just because of the title of my book, but because this town bears my maiden name. I liked the idea that a girl named Schaumburg married a drummer, and that these two words came together in a street sign I learned about shortly after I had published The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides. Read this post for the rest of the story and a dash of Harry’s street-sign humor.
Interview with Chuck Foster Orchestra Members at the Blackhawk, 1946
October 24th, 2010
Do men do the courting or do they only think they do? That was the “Question of the Day” in 1946 when Chicago Daily Tribune columnist Maryon Zylstra interviewed Chuck Foster and five of his orchestra members, including Harry, who was just 19 at the time. This old newspaper column gave Barbara quite a chuckle in light of her whirlwind romance with Harry in 1961.
