Years ago, at the Allentown Fair, as one would push through a sea of carney delusion, tucked back by the 4H animals, was an island of reality. There, in an old battered truck, an ancient Jewish strongman performed incredible feats of strength, to sell only homemade kosher soap. Standing on a platform on the rear of his truck, flanked by photographs from his performing youth, he would bent horse shoes and bite through nails. Many years earlier, my mother as a little girl in Bethlehem, saw him pull a truck uphill with his hair. Even as an old man, like a reincarnation of Samson, his grey hair was still long.
In the summers of 1964 and 1965, myself and a friend,(Fred Schoenk, retired Allentown art teacher) made and sold printed tee-shirts at the fair. We had the honor to know Joseph Greenstein(The Mighty Atom) and his wife. For those interested, there are various articles on the Mighty Atom and even at least one book. Enjoy the fair!
reprinted every year since 2007
I remember your articles and the Morning Call's.
ReplyDeleteAll love the circus carnival coming to town, butt those who know it plays year round in the local political arena?
ReplyDeleteAlways brings back wonderful memories. In 1971, married only a few months, my late husband led me to a corner of the fair and I first laid eyes on the mighty Atom. Being young, I didn’t realize the powerful message of this man, but my husband did as he had watched him at the fair for years. I spent 3 years at Allentown School of Nursing, but had never seen him before. I now realize, Joseph Greenstein was way ahead of his time! The crowd was large and his message was holistic. I have a book of his life that is different than yours. Titled “The Mighty Atom-the Life & Times of Joseph L. Goldstein- Biography of a Superhuman By Ed Spielman. Published in 1979, two years after his death in 1977, it has wonderful pictures and 235 pages of an amazing life. Found the book in a Atlantic City boardwalk bookstore.Yes, we did buy his soap and liniment. Soap was pure coconut and natural lemon. His registered liniment was a little scary since the formula contained, according to the book, many ingredients including kerosene, turpentine, and linseed oil. I can remember how strong it smelled. I also have a nail that he bent in half. If straightened, it would be about 6 inches long and 1/4 inches in width. Thank you for the memories that your posts bring back of a city long gone.
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