Remember New Ken nightlife

Bob Rodgers wrote:

The store I am thinking of was not near the theater. It was on Fifth between 8th and 9th.

I think you are talking about (GEORGES NEWSTAND)if I'm correct it was owned by George Rodites- I think they had a small lunch counter there

WHAT? If your Georgia Mannerino I'm Al Capone.I grew up in New Ken and worked for Vic Carlucci's beer distributership. You know who Vic is. And I'm sure you've heard of the "Talk of the Towners".I picked Kelly up at the Pitt. airport when he came in from Miami a few times in Vic's red Caddy.Sam had a daughter Minnie who had a daughter Georgia, who's name was Carlucci. She has since passed away as has Minnie. I knew Kelly's and Sam's father who often drove from Charles Ave. to 10th street to buy veggies from Joe Larusso Sr. He drove a big black Caddy. If you know so much you must have heard of Carlo Fontana or the county DA Duggan(at the time). Duggan informed Kelly in Miami that Zeid was shooting his mouth off about how the law couldn't touch him because he had the local judges in his back pocket. If I remember correctly, Zeid's body was found in his car trunk at the Pitt. airport parking lot. The papers said he was shot gangland style. I think Duggan was found shot while supposedly hunting. It was ruled an accident. There was a third Mannerino brother who was a jockey in Mexico. I remember Vic and Sam talking about him and that he rode in the Mexican horse racing circuit. I'm sure you know too Vic was sent to prison for running guns to Fidel Castro when he was overthrowing Battista in Cuba. I could go on here but since you can't say much because of your book deal I'll cease. Hey Steve Paulovich Sr.How's the world been treating you over the past 50 years???

Bob-are you the same Bob Kamenski who hung around with me -Tumbo-Weasel?if you are let me know-we can exchange some email-if you are the same Bob- I ran across your old girlfriend (Carol Grimm)at her mothers funeral-she said if I ever heard or saw you to tell you hello!!!! let me know if you are that Bob

steve p wrote:

Bob-are you the same Bob Kamenski who hung around with me -Tumbo-Weasel?if you are let me know-we can exchange some email-if you are the same Bob- I ran across your old girlfriend (Carol Grimm)at her mothers funeral-she said if I ever heard or saw you to tell you hello!!!! let me know if you are that Bob

Hey Publo, yep it's me. My wife and I are spending the winter visiting our son and his wife here in New Mexico, just west of El Paso, Texas. They just had our 6th grandchild. Coming back to Pa. in April or May. We should get together and recall those times before we got old and crotchity. I saw Sylvia Grimm(Beatty) at John Beatty's funeral. Carole was to come that evening but I never got to see her. Say hello to everyone and keep in touch. I have a hotmail adress somewhere that I'll find and send you.

Bob - I don't think you remember but I ran across you your mom & wife at a restaurant on Freeport Rd in N.K you told me you were living somewhere close to Crooked Creek park that has to be 40 to 45 yrs ago (do you still live there?)I'm living close to Saxonburg (Cabot) a nice quiet area---catch you again later

I do remember seeing you in Lower Burrell. We're still Crooked Creekers. Been there for about 34 years now. The kids are all gone and it's just me and my wife now. We're thinking about maybe selling our house and moving down here(away from the nasty weather)in the near future. We have a daughter in Wisc., one in Mich., and a son in Moon Twp.near the airport so it's a tough decision to move.
I recently sold my camp in McKean Co. and was told that your family had a camp on the Allegheny, walking distance from mine and I often drove by hoping to see someone there but I never did. I think it was uncle Caseys. Boy, there's a lot of catching up to do if we can ever get together.

Bob-we sure do have a lot of catching up to do-I'm glad to see you are still in the Crooked Creek area -- we get down to the Villa in Cadogen often -I'm sure you've been there living that close- I thought it would be a good place to meet when you get back to the area - you remembered my nickname Publo it no longer is - my step daughter changed it-it's now Fossil -I think that beats olderndirt

Georgia Mannerino wrote:

Anthony--
Yes, I am related to Kelly Mannerino. He was my Uncle Gabriel. I can't speak more about him at this point due to my book contract with Random House. Look for my book in bookstores in late 2008. It's a tellall about the importance of New Kensington. You'll learn about JFK and RFK and their crooked old man, Fidel Castro, Jimmy Hoffa, Frank Sinatra, and Ethel Merman. My story will connect all of these people with New Kensington.

Georgia, I too can't wait for Random House to release your book. I'm anxious to hear about how the bar boot tables on 12th st. came from the Sands in Vegas. How Catoris Candies on 5th ave. changed ownership several times because the business was won and lost in bar boot games. How numbers writers from all over the valley fed their numbers into "City News" on 3rd. ave., just off 9th st.How the numbers writers that worked in Alcoa made more doing that than they did working there. How a New Ken cop shot 5 black guys in the back as they ran out of a store they were burglerizing on 4th ave.
To borrow a line from the movie,Dancing With Wolves...."Put that in your book".

Olderndirt- you have some stories to tell about N.K but I can match them or better them do you remember whem we would go up to the island in Ford City? that used to be a meeting place for the dignitaries from N.K to have some R&R (ha!!!ha!!!)I don't know if you knew that - I had 2 uncles who were a part of that- catch you later!!!I'm going to give you my email address -paulovichsteve@aol.com let me know if you get this

steve p wrote:

Olderndirt- you have some stories to tell about N.K but I can match them or better them do you remember whem we would go up to the island in Ford City? that used to be a meeting place for the dignitaries from N.K to have some R&R (ha!!!ha!!!)I don't know if you knew that - I had 2 uncles who were a part of that- catch you later!!!I'm going to give you my email address -paulovichsteve@aol.com let me know if you get this

Yeah...Remember Pati's next to the news stand on 3rd?? I have some friends that live in Rosston and go down there sometimes. It always reminds me about the times we rowed around the island. Remember Rearicks Fording and how we traveled to swim there? I live close by and when I drive near there I get a little bit of nostalgia thinking about "old times". I got together with Ed Croghan and Jim Leslie recently for breakfast at the motel near the Tarentum Bridge. Ed retired from the Marines as a captain. Got busted up in Nam and retired. Lives in Joplin Mo. I'd like to run into Chuck Bollinger sometime. We had some interesting times together too. I'm sorry I missed the "Namey's reunion" a while back. I would have liked to see some of those guys and girls again. Tumbo, Jerry Laruso(who passed recently), Freddy Castro(passed recently)Harivnak bros.,Butchy Zyler, etc. It's hard to believe that so many aren't around anymore. I still have some great memories of those times.
I have your AOL addy and need to get a new email address here as my old one elapsed.
It's too bad Georgia Mannerino beat us to a book deal with Random House. We could have gotten together and co-wrote a book as good as hers.

Georgia,

Hi, I am Kelly's nephew. It's funny I never met you at any of our Sunday dinners or anywhere else for that matter. I just spoke to both my cousins (Kelly's daughters) and they don't know who you are either.

Exactly who are you and how are you related?

I spent a lot of time with my uncle and never remember meeting you.

I remember going into Gordons toy store with my Gram-ma on 4th ave..;-)
Does anyone rember the talking bird in the drug store on the corner of 5th and 11th ??? not sure exactly where....
New Ken shopping was my stomping grounds when I was a very small child...
I had a business in arnold a few years back and had to close because of the ''Charactors'' hanging out around the place..;(
I wish the ''Men'' were back here too..!!!!

Hey just wanted to know if anybody out there remembers my grandfather's barber shop "Jimmys Barber Shop" on Freeport Rd New Kensington! Been around for a long period of time. Want to know if anything interesting or funny bout back in the day.

Kim Pagliari wrote:

Hey just wanted to know if anybody out there remembers my grandfather's barber shop "Jimmys Barber Shop" on Freeport Rd New Kensington! Been around for a long period of time. Want to know if anything interesting or funny bout back in the day.

Was your grandfather a Como?
Something that I think is kind of humerous, looking back....How trainloads of grapes were brought to the North St. railroad crossing and all the old country Italians loaded their cars and trucks and made wine in their cellars. My grandpa was one of them. When many of us boys were teenagers, we'd try to talk the neighborhood Italian girls into sneaking some wine to us that we knew their fathers had and wouldn't miss. I drank a lot of wine, as a minor, in those days.
Something interesting....How Butchy Zyler was the only kid that could swim deep enough to bring up a handful of gravel at the middle pier of the 9th street bridge and that Joe Castro dove off the bridge for a carton of cigarettes.We all hung out at Namey's Ice Cream store on 2nd and 10th at the time.
Is this what you wanted???

the other man involved like i remember was sonny ciancutti... since u dont know what ur talkin about margie i yhink maybe u should do some research n find out the truth for urself...read up on some fbi files or newspaper articles from then n the future...alot of bums snitched n told what happened however there is no proof on who did it , but research what happened the day it was raided

Kim Pagliari wrote:

Hey just wanted to know if anybody out there remembers my grandfather's barber shop "Jimmys Barber Shop" on Freeport Rd New Kensington! Been around for a long period of time. Want to know if anything interesting or funny bout back in the day.

Yes I do I got my hair cut many times when I was a young boy. I would walk from Greenald School and get a haircut and then I was allowed to get a grilled cheese sandwich and a cherry coke at the snack bar in the IGA.
Geno would cut my hair

Hi Georgia,

I am trying to get in touch with you. I posted a message on the March 14.

Please respond so we can talk. We really want to know who you are and how you are related to us.

Thanks Joe

I think its great that a book is going to be published about the old ways. What is the name and when will it be in the stores? New Kensington has alot of great history, and it would be great to see the old ways come back. It would take much work to get it back, the city would need a bunch of great guys to run it the way it was. The government has to many eyes watching which would make it tough. With the new college being built behind the post office maybe the city will have some hopes for a new start. Hope to see the book soon and for the old timers still out there keep the stories flying in.

Joe wrote:

Hi Georgia,
I am trying to get in touch with you. I posted a message on the March 14.
Please respond so we can talk. We really want to know who you are and how you are related to us.
Thanks Joe

Joe: She won't respond because she is a fake. You know as well as I know who the cousins are and she is not one of them. It's just another person trying to be someone he or she is not and attempting to make money off of a lot half truths, urban legends and lies!

I guess I have as many memories of NK as anyone from the time I was a kid until I was in my early 20’s. My Dad and Sam were good friends for a long time, since they were very young men. My Dad and Kelly certainly knew each other well but I can’t say they were friends and I never met Kelly. I recall visiting Sam’s home where he showed me his hunting rifles and some trophies and remember eating at the Bonfire steak house many times when he was there and bought our dinner: Sam was at our house once to meet with my Dad: Sam let me and a couple of my buddies fish in a few ponds that he owned in the wienel’s crossroads area. When I was 20 my Dad said Sam wanted to see me at the candy store. I went to see him. Sam told me he had arranged a full time job for me (I prefer not to disclose the location) and I would start that following Monday. I went home and told my Dad I did not want the job, I had other plans. Dad was not happy and he had to go back to the store and tell Sam I declined. I spent a lot of time at Burgart’s news stand on 5th ave with my Dad. I remember the wooden floor and the trap door opening to the basement. Dad and Jimmy Burgart were also good friends and I recall being at his house in LB when he first built it. Harold Fennell often ran the store for Jimmy.
Abe Zeid: was known as Al Ross, lived on Paige street in LB with wife Norma and son Frankie. Our family would occasionally go to their home to visit. Al had a beautiful 2 seater T-Bird. I would go with my Dad when Dad would drive Al back and forth to the airport for flights to Vegas and Havana. Al even took us all to Kennywood once. Al told Dad he would not live to testify at any grand jury proceedings. The first attempt on his life failed and he was dumped off at Villella’s place on Greensburg Rd. I thought that Al was found on a Washington County farm executed gangland style. I was told later that Al was a collector for Sam.
One summer Sam or Jimmy Burgart got my Dad and I a Saturday job mowing a lawn and trimming bushes at a home in Mount Lebanon. The wife was very nice to us and would have us come to the basement kitchen where she always had a pot of sauce brewing and she gave us cold drinks. I never saw or met the husband but I was later told that the home was that of Tony Grosso the Pittsburgh numbers kingpin but don't know that one for a fact.
I somewhat knew many of the other guys too: Speedo Hanna, the Mercurios’, Bollinger, the Rodites’, and Ciancuttis’ but not as well as Sam, Jimmy Burgart and Al Ross.
I remember St. Anthony’s, the Laetus Club and the Bachelors Club. I rarely went to any of them. Dad didn’t allow and would have found out if I went.
What memories of the old days!