The county fair starts next week. I drove by the fairgrounds this morning and saw the carney folks setting up the rides. I don't go on the rides. I basically ignore that part of the fair. Maybe it's because I'm old, but it somehow doesn't look as enticing as it once did. Everything seems sort of plastic. I don't remember the day-glo colors being around when I was a child. There were bright colors, but there was a richness to them you don't see now. Plus there were more tents. Now they haul their game booths around behind their trucks or Winnebagos. It's lost its charm...or like I said, I'm just old.
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This is another cover done by Al Wenzel for Scholastic Magazine's SummerTime, August 8, 1963. I posted another one on July 17. The only other information I find online about Mr. Wenzel is:
From reader Brian:Albert Borth Wenzel was educated at the Grand Central School of Art. He began his career in comics in the late 1940s by contributing to comic books by D.S. Publishing and Lev Gleason (a.o. Crime Does Not Pay, Little Wise Guys). He did romance stories for Marvel, fillers for DC and some horror work for ACG in the 1950s. He was an assistant on the syndicated 'The Spirit' (1951-52) and 'Steve Roper' (1957-59) strips.
He became Roy Crane's assistant on the 'Buz Sawyer' Sunday in 1960 and by 1962, he did scripts, pencils and ink. He continued to work on this strip, telling the urban adventures of Sawyer's sidekick 'Roscoe Sweeney', until 1974. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he illustrated some giveaway comic books for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (SOURCE: http://lambiek.net/artists/w/wenzel_al.htm)
I know it's been a while since you posted this but I'm just now running across it. Albert Borth "Al" Wenzel was born July 7 1924 in Norwalk, CT. He was in the Army Air Corps during WWII and spent part of the first years of his cartooning career producing filler for DC comics, including the "Superboy's Workshop" pages of 1950s Superboy comics. He died September 15 1995, still in Norwalk.
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Ahhh, memories of my misspent youth at the county fair! Well, they weren't that misspent! I did belong to 4-H. You're right though. It does seem to have lost a lot of its charm, but I'm old, too.
ReplyDeleteOur county fair as well as the Ohio State Fair starts this week also. We're taking some of the grandkids. They had a "grand" time last year. I even rode the ferris wheel with them!
I now go to the county fair strictly for the garden show. Once I've seen the garden show I'm usually ready to leave. The food is bad. Most of the stuff being sold is bad, but I do enjoy watching the guys selling blenders, choppers, whatever in the home section. They make me laugh...at them. Headsets on, patter with the crowd, if they're lucky to gather a crowd. I usually take photos of them.
ReplyDeleteThere is a local small fair that I much prefer. No rides except a hay ride. Local food, many from the slow food movement, bee keepers, llamas, goats, crafts, etc. All under old oak trees. Old farm equipment. Live music where you sit on bales of hay. An old time fair.
I know it's been a while since you posted this but I'm just now running across it. Albert Borth "Al" Wenzel was born July 7 1924 in Norwalk, CT. He was in the Army Air Corps during WWII and spent part of the first years of his cartooning career producing filler for DC comics, including the "Superboy's Workshop" pages of 1950s Superboy comics. He died September 15 1995, still in Norwalk.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's never too late to add to a post. I appreciate this.
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