Many people may stroll through Memorial Park on Landale’s Main Street and think it’s mostly know for its veterans monument and cannons.

But do you remember when it also was populated by deer and rabbits? At one point, these deer were even white!

Dot Seiler Bryant of Telford does.

And she shared with us this photo, which she said was taken in 1949.


As she notes, the photo was taken on the Line Street side of the park, and a cannon can be seen in the background.

“I am the baby, about 1 year old. My sister is the toddler, Margery Seiler Dayock. My mother is standing behind me, Dorothy Phelps Seiler. The others are family or friends,” Bryant writes.

It looks like the deer and rabbits were enjoying being fed by the visitors — and that they were well fed!

With Thanksgiving Day looming, and many people preparing to stuff themselves with turkey, we thought it would be fun to revisit a feature we ran in 1987 that detailed the happy fate of one Lansdale bird.

Lansdale’s Corner Market, which used to be at the corner of Main Street and Susquehanna Avenue, was running a contest that year in which Tommy the turkey was going to be the prize.


Tommy was featured at the store for a week so that people could see the actual bird they would be winning.

More than 1,000 tickets were submitted in the free raffle, but a growing number of people started to lobby through the “Let Tommy Live” drive.

Store owner Paul Caltabiano decided to let the winner decide if Tommy should be spared or slaughtered, but offered to substitute an already butchered bird of Tommy’s size.

The winner, Dennis Marsaglia, who had entered more than 100 times, said, “When he made that offer, there was no decision left to make.

“I’ve grown to like the little guy, walking in and out of the store every day,” he said. “Besides, I didn’t want the town of Lansdale coming after me in a lynch mob.”

In the photos featured today, you see Tommy with Marsaglia, after his ticket was pulled as the winner. In the other photo, Tommy took matters into his own beak by snatching the ticket.

Even when the winning ticket had been pulled by Caltabiano’s 7-year-old niece Jennifer, Tommy the turkey himself seemed to be trying to influence the results, as he repeatedly pulled on a lock of her hair with his beak.

Caltabiano said he had a list of farm families who were willing to give Tommy a home as an honored guest.

Think about Tommy as you sit down to dinner on Thursday.

Area churches are steeped in history.

And the Hatfield Museum & History Society will highlight one at its next community program, slated for Tuesday, Nov. 23, when “History of Emmanuel E.C. Church” will be presented.


The Rev. Gregory F. Dimick, former pastor of the church from 1971 to 2004, will present the program, which will include a slideshow of historic photographs.

Emmanuel Church has stood at the corner of South Main Street and Lincoln Avenue, Hatfield Borough, since 1895 and is the oldest continuing church in the borough.

The church recently celebrated it 115th year anniversary.

The program will be held in the Hatfield Fire Company Banquet Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The public is invited and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (215) 362-0428 or check www.HatfieldHistory.org.

The recent passing of Tom Bosley, the iconic “Mr. C.” of “Happy Days,” reminds is that while Lansdale was hardly Milwaukee in the 1950s, it certainly had its mirror images.

This photo comes to us from Jill Giuliano, a lifelong Lansdale resident who now lives at Elm Terrace Gardens.

The scene is Pennise’s Restaurant, one of a number of teen hangouts during the Fifties. It was located on Walnut Street across from the railroad station where the Nadia Thai-French restaurant is now operating.

Larry O’Malley of Souderton, who graduated from Lansdale Catholic in 1955, identified the people in the photo.

Seated at the table to the right is Jill’s brother, Jerry Giuliano, who now lives in Massachusetts.

Sitting across from him is Bill Ganz, who now resides in Minnesota.

Looking over the table is Tom Pennise, who operated the restaurant along with his brother, Paul. Larry believes the girl at the jukebox is Kate Kennedy.

Larry says that Pennise’s was one of their favorite hangouts, along with Sallie Ann’s and Shelly’s.

Yes indeed, Lansdale didn’t have Richie, the Fonz or Arnold, but it did have Pennise’s.