Wrapped In A Hot Bun ...

 

“…I fell in love with you and then you went away

But now you’re coming home to stay

Hot dog, soon everything will be all right

Hot dog, we’re gonna have a ball tonight

I’ve got a pocketful of dimes

It’s gonna be just like old times, hot dog …”

        ~ “Hot Dog”

    ~written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

   ~ recorded by the great Elvis Presley

   ~on the 1957 album “Loving You”

Hot Dog! A hot bun, warm autumn sun and the American Flag wrap around a hot dog treating himself to ketchup and mustard atop Yocco’s West at 2128 Hamilton St., Allentown, Pennsylvania on an early November afternoon.

Yocco’s ~ the self-described “Hot Dog King” ~ has been a Lehigh Valley tradition since Italian immigrant Theodore Iacocca founded the original downtown Allentown location in 1922. Area residents, predominantly of Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania German) descent, had difficulty pronouncing I-a-co-ca and instead pronounced it Ya-co-ca, and the name Yocco’s subsequently stuck. Yocco’s has six locations across the Lehigh Valley.

The Iacocca’s are relatives of the late Lee Iacocca, the American automobile executive and Allentown native who passed in 2019 at age 94. Lee Iacocca graduated with honors from Allentown High School (now William Allen High School, my alma mater), in 1942. He attended Lehigh University in neighboring Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a degree in industrial engineering.

For more information on Yocco’s visit http://www.yoccos.com/.

 

These Little Piggies Went To The Fair ...

“This little piggy went to market,

This little piggy stayed home,

This little piggy ate roast beef,

This little piggy had none.

This little piggy went…

Wee, wee, wee,

All the way home!”

     ~ “This Little Piggy”

       ~ originally published 1760

 “This Little Piggy” or “This Little Pig” is an English language nursey rhyme and fingerplay.

The rhyme is usually counted out on an infant or toddler’s toes, each line corresponding to a different toe, usually starting with the big toe and ending with the little toe. A foot tickle is usually added during the “Wee … all the way home” section of the last line. The rhyme can also be seen as a counting rhyme, although the number of each toe (from one for the big toe and five for the little toe) is never stated.

This adorable pig family – Papa Pig, Mama Pig and their two piglets – beckon those traveling near the Allentown Fairgrounds on Liberty Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania to come enjoy The Great Allentown Fair, a local tradition since 1852.

My personal favorite memory of the fair hands-down happened when I was a child in the 1970s seeing a performance by my first heartthrob, Donny Osmond! Oh, it’s still a thrill to hear him sing “Puppy Love!”

I spotted this Adams Outdoor Advertising billboard in the quaint West End Theatre District, advertising the fair which ran Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2019 – a great way to wrap up the summer!

The Great Allentown Fair is an annual fair and agricultural show that is held at the Allentown Fairgrounds. It is operated by the Lehigh County Agricultural Society. It is one of the oldest fairs in the United States, and one of the largest in the state of Pennsylvania.

The fair was first held in 1852 to showcase agricultural advancements and to entertain patrons. It has since evolved to appeal to a broader audience, adding more entertainment and dining options. Although it stays true to its agricultural roots by offering petting zoos, livestock judging contests and a farmer’s market, the modern-day fair focuses more on entertainment; it boasts a carnival, talent shows and concerts.