From about 1947 to 1958, Lake Erie Kist Beverages
was in business in Sandusky, Ohio. Most of the time that the franchise was in
town, it was located at 1401 Sycamore Line, where the Sandusky Paint Company is
now located. In November of 1947, Kist Beverages was among the many sponsors of
the Amvets Hour on Sandusky’s new
radio station, WLEC. Auditions for the
program, which featured amateur performers, were held on November 15, 1947 at
the auditorium of Sandusky High School, now known as Adams Junior High.
An article in the November 9, 1956
issue of the Sandusky Register Star News
stated that Kist beverages came in twenty different flavors, including orange,
root beer, cream soda, strawberry and
grape. John Routh, Jr. was the president of the company, which was franchised
nationally. In 1956, over two thousand bottles were processed at the Sandusky bottling
facility, and were transported to 492 customers in an eleven-county region in
Ohio. Lake Erie Kist Beverages sponsored an athletic scholarhip, a marbles
champion, and a bowling team. A sign on the company read “Get Kist for a
nickel.” This slogan was also printed on
a bottle opener that was given away by Kist, now in the collections of the
Follett House Museum.
A Kist beverage bottle is among the several vintage
soda bottles in the Industry Room at the Follett House Museum.
Lots of small grocery stores in Erie County carried
Kist beverages in the 1950s. Kist collectibles are popular today on online
auction sites.
3 comments:
I remember the Kist plant very well. I grew up on Fifth Street about 4 blocks from the Kist plant, and its products were the favorite in our house.
Now we find them on historic Navajo homesteads. Pure cane sugar. wow.
Any one have any history on Crescent Bottling Works
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