A Memorial Day Story

Back inthe 1930s, the little town of Elkton, Maryland was a happening place if you needed or wanted to get married in a hurry. Maryland did not have the waiting period that other states had imposed, and Elkton was conveniently located in the Northeast corner of the state- close to the border of  Pennsylvania and not too far from New York and New Jersey. People eloped here from far and wide- both celebrities and the not so famous, and the main street was lined with wedding chapels. Cornel Wilde eloped here in 1937.

Debbie Reynolds, Joan Fontaine and my parents, George and Bebe Cokinos all got married here. (The only difference being my parents' marriage turned out to be the only one of these that lasted.)

My father was a Greek American, and he was not supposed to marry outside the Hellenic community, but he fell in love with my very non-Greek mother. That's part of the reason why my parents snuck away to Elkton when they were only 17 and 19 on Memorial Day. In 1935 the holiday was always celebrated on May 30th, and was not the weekend event it is now.  The newlyweds did not have enough money to spend the night, so they settled for a fried chicken dinner before heading back down to D.C. without telling their parents what they had done. They might have been less nervous if they had known that, despite the odds, their marriage would last until death did they part- happily 72 years later.

Saving With An Electric Range

This Pepco ad featuring my mother appeared in 1950 in the Washington Post.

Blob's Park Americana by Ben Pagac

Coming of age in the Maryland 'burbs in the 1970s inevitably lead many of us to a large, hill-side German polka joint within a stone's throw of the BW Parkway. It's curb appeal wasn't apparent at first. The name "Blob's" perhaps only drew those with a smirky sense of humor. (In fact, some might have been taken there by their parents. Ugh!)

But once discovered, it was natural to develop a soft spot for the place. One reason high on the list- cheap pitchers of beer. Even better, a weird policy of charging a $1 (returnable) deposit on the pitcher. (Did they really fit in a purse?) This turned out to be a source of much-needed income for those who closed the joint, capitalizing on the forgetful. If you were fast enough, your night could be free!

But it was more than just cheap beer. Despite bathing in the excitement of the creative Punk and New Wave DC scene bubbling during that time, there was something comforting about watching polyester-suited gentlemen and perfectly coiffed ladies move to the rhythmically predictable. And how could you help not join in the Chicken Dance, still secure in the knowledge that your ripped jeans and Ramones T-shirt made it very clear that you were just visiting-not one of “them.” It seemed so afar from what our ears and bodies were tuning into, that it sounded and felt...well, good!

Remarkably Blob’s still exists. And looks pretty much the same. Sadly no more pitcher deposits. But the mural of Prague (huh?) is still behind the bandstand. And it is now showcasing diverse, danceable music. Their once-a-month Honky-tonk night has been building steam.  The familiar neon “Blob’s” sign fell down 10 years ago, but rest assured, Blob’s is still there- for now.

My Mother's Obituary by Emma Brown for The Washington Post

Bernice "Bebe" Cokinos, 93, a native Washingtonian who modeled for local companies and stores in the 1950s and '60s, died Jan. 15 of complications from heart disease at her home in Potomac.
Mrs. Cokinos was once featured with her mother and daughter in a Washington Post story titled "Three generations in size 9!"

Her modeling clients included Woodward & Lothrop and Lansburgh's department stores as well as the utility company Pepco. She modeled in runway shows at the Shoreham and Mayflower hotels and for magazine and newspaper advertisements.

In 1958, she won a local radio station's beauty contest for women over 40. Her prize was a backyard swimming pool, which she turned down, telling a reporter at the time: "I don't swim if I can help it. I'm strictly an indoor girl."

Bernice Calvert was born in Washington and graduated in 1935 from the old Western High School, where she met her future husband, George Cokinos.

His family owned a bar and grill at the corner of Macomb Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW. The young couple worked at the restaurant during the 1940s before moving to Potomac in 1955.
Her husband of 72 years died in 2008. Survivors include four children,  11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Greek To Me

My cousin George Alec Cokinos made a copy of this photograph for me. It was taken in 1926 on Macomb Street near the corner of Wisconsin Avenue. The man in the picture is my grandfather, Peter George Cokinos. (That guy in the chair is actually our great grandmother from Greece.) My grandfather built and lived in the building to their left which is now Cactus Cantina.

Anyone Remember the Madrillon?

According to my father, The Madrillon was the place to go in Washington in the 1940s. That's my dad, George Cokinos, with the wacky tie on the far left. Guess they had a band there, too...

Bring your own memories or just your curiosity to the Historical Society this Saturday June 26 for a trip in the way back machine with Jeff Krulik:

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in 1950s-60s DC: 
A Panel Discussion, Slide Show and Oral History Presentation
with the Photos of Emil Press   2:30- 4:00
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square

Free 

Emancipated But Still Vote Free Here in DC

It's Emancipation Day here in the District of Columbia which is sometimes called " the capital of the free world." In reality our fair city is a bizarre little fiefdom where the denizens are still denied the right to vote basically because Republicans fear that one more Democratic voice will tip the world into the abyss. DC Vote is working to change that. Check it out.