View from the Old Globe Theatre

Standing at the site of the Midway, observing the Coast Guard station parking lot where the Old Globe Theatre once stood, adjacent to a still, man-made inlet on North Coast Harbor, it is not difficult to imagine why many recalled these Shakespeare performances carrying with them the stench of dead fish.

The Old Globe was at the entrance to The Midway, (which Press columnist Winsor French described, “as honky-tonk as Coney island”) across a watery inlet from several kiddie rides, and across the street from numerous attractions.

From the front door of the Old Globe, you might see:

• Pantheon De La Guerre, featuring relics from European wars both recent and not.
• The World a Million Year’s Ago, a collection of animated dinosaurs.
• Cliff Wilson's Snake Show, including Elmer, the twenty-eight foot, Borneo reticulated python.
• Mammy’s Cabin, providing “real Southern cooking” - and real Southern charm, as this and other establishments were called out by the Call & Post for refusing to serve blacks.
• Midget Circus, which warrants no further description.
• 13 Spook Street, a haunted castle.
• Strange As It Seems, like a freak show, but you, know, educational.

You also might see ... YOURSELF, on an electronic "television" screen! What will they think up next?

Sources:
Meet Me On Lake Erie, Dearie! by John Vacha (Kent State University Press)
CardCow.com