Waggener High School - RingBrothersHistory.com

The Voice Of St. Matthews, January 3, 1957: Highlight 1956Mallon Plan, Church Growth, Court Decision Highlight 1956Also venturing into the field of stage entertainment was St. Matthews newest high school, Trinity. The Glee Club joinedwith the Glee Club of Assumption High April 29 to present Geoffrey O’Mara’s operetta, “Riding Down The Sky.”Another group from Trinity brought acclaim to the school at the same time. Four actors, Carl Frey, Lyman Chipman, ToddHollenbach, and Tony Fitzgerald, won a superior rating for doing a one-act play, “Minor Miracle,” for the Catholic DramaFestival April 28 at Assumption. Frey was selected as the best actor of the day. The boys competed against seven otherhigh schools.Meanwhile the old reliable’s were still around.The St. Matthews Community Theatre towards the end of February staged the difficult and famous American drama, “TheLittle Foxes,” under the direction of Jim Devol, Newcomer Marilyn Reiser starred as Regina. Voice reviewer CynthiaSmith called the acting very good, but found the play itself dull.The Theatre’s workshop a few days later gave a free performance of “City Havoc,” a war-time drama.Lee Hammond was elected president in June, and the Theatre, still directed by Mr. Devol, opened its 1956-57 season inNovember with the ever-popular “Harvey,” a three-act comedy of a man and his imaginary rabbit companion.The performance got good reviews. The Theatre announced that it would tackle during the current season Henrik Tbsen’stense drama, “Hedda Gabler.”The Y.M.C.A. Theatre continued its high level of performance. The Theatre’s February production of “Stalag 17” wasadjudged “first rate” by The Voice reviewer.The Theatre followed this with an April production of “Death of a Salesman.”During the summer, the group changed its name to The Heritage Theatre. In November under the direction of Mike London,the Theatre presented “State of the Union” a drama of modern American political life. “The play was found lacking(but) the actors were not,” said The Voice reviewer.Business Growth strong: Business continued to expand and grow during the year, but not nearly so rapidly as in the previousyear, when the giant new Shelbyville Road Plaza was opened.Businessmen continued to struggle with parking and traffic problems. Downtown St. Matthews firms increased their promotionalactivates. Plaza merchants came up with promotional plans of their own.The downtown merchants, through the organization, the St. Matthews Business Association, gave out prizes totaling $1,400in an Easter give-way program. The grand prize was $1,000 in cash.In the fall, the Plaza merchants gave away a new automobile. Both give-aways attracted hundreds of thousands of entries.St. Matthews merchants and State Highway officials continued to argue the question of whether Frankfort Avenue and LexingtonRoad were main streets of the City or arterial highways. There was no agreement.However, the state indirectly conceded that the merchants had a point. A traffic division director recommended that theHighway Department put up a traffic light on Bauer and Lexington Road, and a walk-wait signal at Frankfort and Lexington.The St. Matthews Committee of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce died in early 1956 after only two years. Local merchantsand professional men preferred to act through the St. Matthews Business Association, which they seemed to feel wasmore exclusively their own organization.Parking Shortage: The association reported in July that a shortage of parking space was the “most serious economic problemin the St. Matthews business area from Bauer Avenue to Fairmeade.” The report recommended that employee andcompany cars and trucks be kept from occupying customer parking space. It also called for merchants and landlords towork together to get more parking spaces.Meanwhile two leading businesses here took steps to take care of their own parking problems. Bacon’s leased the propertyat 124 St. Matthews Avenue on which the old A. L. Hansen Paint and Body Shop had stood for about 50 years. The St.Matthews landmark was razed and Bacon’s replaced it with a parking lot in the summer.C. R. Chism, owner and manager of Chism Hardware, leased the parking lot behind his store on Frankfort Avenue for hisown customers. He announced car owners other than his own customers would have to pay to park there. The lot wouldhold 48 cars.The local business firms headed by very popular St. Matthews men, made major expansions, Sanders Cleaners at 129 St.Matthews Avenue completed a $50,000 addition under the direction of the owner, I. J. Sanders and his sons, Carroll and Al.