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PRESIDENT
BULLETIN TREASURER EDITOR
John Bachochin Loren Moore Mike Prero
15731 S. 4210 Rd., POB 1181 12659 Eckard Way
Claremore, OK 74017 Roseville, CA 95678 Auburn,CA 95603
918-342-0710 916-783-6822 530-906-4705
No. 435 Dues due April 1st April 2021
by
Mike Prero
Some historians speculate that April Fools‘ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the
Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calen-
dar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.
People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to
January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of
jokes and hoaxes and were called ―April fools.‖ These pranks included having paper fish placed on their
backs and being referred to as ―poisson d‘avril‖ (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish
and a gullible person.
April Fools‘ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a
two-day event, starting with ―hunting the gowk,‖ in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a
word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on peo-
ple‘s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or ―kick me‖ signs on them.
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools‘ Day hoaxes. Newspa-
pers, radio and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous
fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.
In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed foot-
age of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked
many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a
fastball over 168 miles per hour.
In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to pur-
chase Philadelphia‘s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger
King advertised a ―Left-Handed Whopper,‖ scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich.
Google notoriously hosts an annual April Fools‘ Day prank that has included everything from ―telepathic
search‖ to the ability to play Pac Man on Google Maps. [And for a little hobby April Foolishness, >>>>]
No. 435 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN April 2021 Page 2
All Is Not What It Seems!
No. 435 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN April 2021 Page 4
When we picture a wintry landscape and think about the people living there, igloos are usually the first
dwelling option that comes to mind. While they might seem like extensions of the ice and snow, these shel-
ters are actually quite useful and convenient for keeping their inhabitants out of the cold.
Igloos are commonly associated with the Inuit hunters, who would build igloos as a temporary shelter
from their hunting trips. Here are some other interesting facts about these natural
sanctuaries:
Inuit hunters can usually build an igloo in less than an hour!
Igloos provide shelter to those who need it, as well as warmth from the cold out-
side. Snow acts as an insulator of heat from various sources. The chief one here is
human heat, with the others being generated from oil lamps or small wood fires
for cooking.
The igloo walls also provide shelter from the wind. Plus, the inside of an igloo
can even reach about 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a few days of occupation, the inside of an igloo will understandably start
to melt a little bit. When the occupants go outside, that melted snow will freeze
and turn to ice. This gradual process slowly turns a snow igloo into an icy struc-
ture. This is actually a good thing, as it means the igloo becomes a stronger struc-
ture and has more warmth inside.
Some igloos would feature windows to let in some light. It is good to include a
window if you‘re planning to stay inside for some time, especially on sunny days.
A good window typically has a seal skin or a pelt of a caribou, which you can use
as a sort of curtain when the wind gets too much. If you simply want the window
as a way to let the light in, you can use a block of ice like a glass pane.
No. 435 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN April 2021 Page 5
The Beaver Hat
A beaver hat is a hat made from felted beaver fur. They were fashionable across much of Europe during
the period 1550–1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of
hat shapes (including the familiar top hat). Smaller hats made of beaver were sometimes called beaverkins,
as in Thomas Carlyle's description of his wife as a child.
Used winter coats worn by Native Americans were actually a prized commodity for hat making because
their wear helped prepare the skins; separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts.
To make felt, the underhairs were shaved from the beaver pelt and mixed with a vibrating hatter's bow.
The matted fabric was pummeled and boiled repeatedly, resulting in a shrunken and thickened felt. Filled
over a hat-form block, the felt was pressed and steamed into shape. The hat maker then brushed the outside
surface to a sheen.
Evidence of felted beaver hats in western Europe can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in
the late 14th century: "A Merchant was there with a forked beard / In motley, and high on his horse he sat, /
Upon his head a Flandrish [Flemish] beaver hat."
Demand for beaver fur eventually became so high that it led to the near-extinction of the Eurasian bea-
ver and the North American beaver in succession. It seems likely that only a sudden change in style saved
the beaver.
Beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of civil status:
the Wellington (1820–40)
the Paris beau (1815)
the D'Orsay (1820)
the Regent (1825)
the clerical (18th century).
In addition, beaver hats were
made in various styles as a matter
of military status:
the continental cocked hat
(1776)
Navy cocked hat (19th century)
the Army shako (1837).
The popularity of the beaver hat
declined in the early/mid-19th cen-
tury as silk hats became more fash-
ionable across Europe.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Beaver_hat]
No. 435 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN April 2021 Page 6
An American Tour:
159
Chicago’s Chez Paree
The Chez Paree was a Chicago nightclub known for its glamorous atmosphere, elaborate dance numbers,
and top entertainers. It operated from 1932 until 1960 in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago at 610
N. Fairbanks Court. The club was the epitome of the golden age of entertainment, and it hosted singers to
comedians to vaudeville acts. A "new" Chez Paree opened briefly in the mid-1960s on 400 N. Wabash
Avenue and was seen in the film Mickey One with Warren Beatty.
The Chez Paree was originally opened in 1932 by Mike Fritzel and Joe Jacobson. After reported finan-
cial problems operating the club, it was sold to a group of partners in 1949: Jack Schatz, Don Jo
Medlevine, Al Kaiser (not the MLB player), and Dave Halper. Chez Paree was housed on the third floor of
a loft building designed in 1917 by the architects Marshall and Fox. Marshall and Fox are best known for
the Drake Hotel and Blackstone Hotel. During the Chez Paree's early years, the building's second floor
featured the School of Design, which was started by László Moholy-Nagy, the former director of the New
Bauhaus School in Chicago. From 1951 until the Venue's closing it was the remote location for WMAQ
(AM)s The Jack Eigen Show. The address is now home to Chez, a contemporary event space named in
homage to the Chez Paree, and the Internet-based apartment listing service Domu. [Wikipedia]
No. 435 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN April 2021 Page 7
SWEET SHOPS
I don‘t think I‘ve ever actually been in a real sweet shop, but I can definitely appreciate the concept!
A confectionery store (more commonly referred to as a ‗sweet shop‘ in the United Kingdom, a ‗candy
store‘ in North America, or a ‗lolly shop‘ in Australia) sells confectionery and the intended market is
usually children. Most confectionery stores are filled with an assortment of sweets far larger than a grocer
or convenience store could accommodate. They often offer a selection of old-fashioned treats and sweets
from different countries. Very often unchanged in layout since their inception, confectioneries are known
for their warming and nostalgic feel.
Although sweets, themselves, go back thousands of years, actual candy stores didn‘t appear until much,
much later. The village of Pateley Bridge claims to have the oldest confectionery store in England, and, in
fact, in the world, founded in 1827, and the building it occupies dates back to 1661!
Akisato Ritō's Miyako meisho zue (An Illustrated Guide to the Capital) from 1787, describes a
confectionery store situated near the Great Buddha erected by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, then one of Kyoto's
most important tourist attractions.
In 1917, there were 55 confectionery shops in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which then had a population of
only 70,000 people. [Wikipedia]
"The Great Buddha Sweet Shop" from Akizato
Rito's Miyako meisho zue (1787)
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