Dear Blog Readers,

Your Pops blogger is celebrating a birthday today so will be taking time out of this day to enjoy my day!  In looking for a cake photo I knew this one was to be the photo as I love chocolate ganache cake!  If July 14 is your birthday, I wish you a Happy Birthday. By the way, the date marks Bastille Day in France with fireworks!!

A few celebrities born on July 14 are:  Polly Bergen, Woody Guthrie, Dale Robertson and President Gerald Ford.

Have you ever wondered where the celebration of birthdays started?  In the simplest of terms, it's a time for friends and family to come together and celebrate .. you .. the anniversary of your birth and another year of life under your belt and around the sun.

The tune of "Happy Birthday" was actually a remix of sorts.  Two sisters, Patty Smith Hill and Mildred J. Hill who happened to both be Louisville, Kentucky school teachers wrote a song called Good Morning To All in 1893.  It was published in a book for other school teachers.  The original intent of this song was to be sung in class by students before starting the day.

Of course, when anything catches on, there are variations that are made.  This song is no different.  Robert Coleman published a songbook in 1924 that featured this song with a few extra lyrics that quickly came to overshadow the original lyrics.  These new lyrics to that popular tune became what we know today as "The Birthday Song".

In 1933, this new version was used in an Irving Berlin musical, As Thousands Cheer.
One of the comedy sketches in the show was set at a birthday party for John D. Rockefeller, Sr.  His birthday was July 8, 1839.  A July baby!

Patty was a kindergarten teacher with a musically inclined sister, Mildred. When Mildred wrote the little tune, Patty put some child-friendly words with it—”Good morning, dear children / Good morning to all”—it was loved by the students, who helped it spread to schoolrooms throughout Kentucky and beyond. The verse about birthdays was added after the fact, and it spread even faster!

One of the founding Hill sisters sued on the grounds that they held the copyright to the tune.  They won the case and the copyright still holds to this day! Some even believe this song is under copyright until the year 2030! Copyright proceeds are split with the copyright owner and the Hill's estate estimated at around $2 million a year!!

And did you know?  October 5 is the most common birth date in the United States.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense.  Nine months before October 5 is New Year's Eve, a pretty common conception date!  If you are a July baby, your birthstone is the ruby.  Your birth flowers are the larkspur and the water lily.  Folks born from July 1 to July 22 are members of the Cancer zodiac sign.

German bakers invented the birthday cake as we know it today.  Kinderfeste, which started in the late 18th century was the name of a German birthday paty that is closest to today's style of parties.  This party was held for German kids or "kinder" and featured a birthday cake adorned with candles.

Kids were given one candle atop the cake for each year and then blew out these candles while making a wish which was a big part of these celebrations .. for kids of all ages!

Will I be blowing out any candles on the 14th?  Perhaps one .. along with a wish.


Often times one of my favorite bands who performed on the floating stage in Bemus Point was .. Jimmy and The Soulblazers!  I so enjoyed this featured band each year! Often times the date fell on my birthday!  What a special musical birthday gift!

Be Safe.  Enjoy your own birthday whenever and wherever!

Pat Locke
Maestro Muse

From me to all of you ..

Please feel free to comment on any of the blog stories as I have created this blog for all of you.

When I started this blog I knew little about blogs and even less about creating one though with the help of a good friend named Cecilia I was able to give life to Maestro Muse celebrating through story the 20 years of the Bemus Bay Pops in Bemus Point, New York. 

I thank you, Cecilia and appreciate you being my safety net when technical difficulties arose.

Be Safe.  Wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance whenever and wherever possible.  We're all in this together.  Take care of yourself and each other.


Pat Locke

Maestro Muse 

Hotel Lenhart Bemus Point NY

Celebrates 140 Years in 2020

The Lenhart family's long tradition of tourist accommodation was begun by Dr. John J. Lenhart who combined the unlikely professions of medical doctor and hotel manager beginning in 1879. That year Dr. Lenhart, who had been born in Pittsburgh in 1845, came to Bemus Point from Ellery Center where he had carried on a thriving practice for eight years. After the family was settled in Bemus Point, Lenhart and his wife joined her mother in the operation of a small boarding house while he also continued to practice medicine.

Three years later, after noting the increase in demand for summer vacation spots around the lake, Doctor Lenhart built the first hotel which carried the family name. It had a choice location on the point near the ferry landing. When the hotel opened for business the summer of 1882 it was described as being "… unsurpassed for sightliness and comfort," with its graceful lines, mansard roof, dormers, peaks and ornamental tower. Both the front, which extended 82 feet along Lakeside Drive and the 65 foot south end, had broad verandas which offered extensive views of the lake. The forty sleeping rooms on the upper floors could accommodate eighty guests. A large lobby, parlor, dining room and kitchen occupied the first level. Lumber for the frame structure was brought up the lake by scows after it was unloaded from the N.Y.P.&O.  Depot in Jamestown.

Summers in the mid and late 1880's found the Bemus Point hotels, large and small, fully occupied week after week. Off season the owners were busy with upkeep and maintenance in the anticipation of the next summer. In 1890 the Lenharts completely redecorated the hotel with new wallpaper, paint, carpeting and built a tennis court for their guests' recreation.

Disaster struck the following year and the beautiful hotel came to a fiery end. In the course of cleaning and closing the hotel for the season, in October of 1891, it was necessary to burn a large amount of paper and general trash. A fire, which seemed to be contained in the chimney when it was first noted in the morning, was discovered in the attic by afternoon. Until the village crews could assemble, the blaze had spread to the roof. Jamestown firefighters arrived but their more powerful pumping engine was not available to augment the methods of the local men. All efforts were too late. The hotel was completely demolished. Although the Lenharts had been able to save furniture, china and silverware from the lower floors, the doctor estimated his loss at $15,000 for which there was insurance for $2,000 on the furnishings and $5,000 on the building itself.

Soon after the October 1891 fire which completely destroyed the original Hotel Lenhart, the family drew up plans for a second, larger tourist accommodation on the same site. In May of the following year it was announced that the new hotel would be open for guests by June 1, 1892.

The new hotel included three segments of varying sizes. The front, facing Lakeside Drive, measured 89 feet, slightly more than the frontage of the first hotel. This larger portion standing four stories high was 36 feet wide. Two three story wings measuring 50 by 36 feet and 28 by 36 feet extended to the rear of the taller building. A steeply pitched roof, with dormers extending at intervals, and 185 feet of veranda stretching around three sides of the building were the only notable decorative features in the functional, sturdy appearance of this second family hotel. The replacement cost of the hotel was $15,000 but the result was a hotel that was "…twice as large, more modern and in all particulars a better hotel… ." The new hotel's seventy rooms could accommodate 150 guests.

Dr. Lenhart continued in charge of the second Hotel Lenhart in the early years of the 1900's, eventually passing managerial duties over to his daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Johnston. He retired from his medical practice around 1908. He died at the age of 70 in 1914.

In 1941 fire again threatened to destroy the family hotel. Sparks blowing from the incinerator in a high wind, and falling upon the wood shingle roof were believed to have started the fire. The flames ate through the roof to a rear portion, into an attic and then into the attic of the large front wing of the hotel. In spite of difficulties in reaching the high fourth story attic, the firemen were able to turn the full force of their hoses on the fire and bring it under control. Damage done by the blaze was confined to the back wing where the fire first broke out. Major water damage affected almost every part of the building. It seeped through the walls damaging furniture, tearing away plaster from the ceiling and walls. The loss, $35,000, was only partially covered by insurance.

Extensive repairs began immediately. In addition to the interior work of replastering and drying out furnishings, the roof over the main part was cut down and replaced by a flat roof with a sun deck. That same summer the hotel was able to receive its first guests in July, less than a month after the fire!

The Johnston family, third generation members of the Lenhart family continue to own and operate the hotel at the present time. The present Hotel Lenhart, 100 years old in 1992 and the Athenaeum Hotel, across the lake at Chautauqua Institution, are the only two hotels remaining from Lake Chautauqua's busy resort hotel era.

In th late 19th century many hotels were built around the lake though only the Grand Lady, the Hotel Lenhart remains today.

Destination Cocktail Known as the Lenhart Rocker

The drink’s a juicy one, and deceptively potent. If you’re watching the bartender, you’ll only see two bottles used to make the Rocker: vodka and a house mixture.

I’m not sure if the recipe’s a “secret recipe” or not, but I don’t know all of what’s in the house mix. What I have heard though is that the Lenhart is the largest consumer of cherry brandy in the county. Whether that means there’s cherry brandy in the Rocker, I don’t know — but I’d say its a safe bet.

The cocktail lounge, The Lamplighter Room, is located just off the lobby. The music is usually Big Band which was the favorite of our longtime bartender, Jimmy Anderson, who sadly passed away in the spring of 1996.

The big feature of the Lenhart is the veranda that wraps from the side all across the front of the hotel. There are 40 of our famous multicolored rocking chairs for viewing the spectacular sunsets over Bemus Bay. Grab a chair early if you want a seat at sunset.

Unfortunately, the Lenhart closed early this year, it's 140th year, after the July 4th weekend due to COVID-19.  See you in 2021.


Be Safe.

Pat Locke
Maestro Muse

Dan Dalpra with Bruce Morton Wright, Steve Swanson and John Marcellus

Dan is Founder and CEO of Chautauqua Lake Pops; Bruce Morton Wright conducted the Bemus Bay Pops Symphony Orchestra from 1998-2011.  Following Wright's untimely death in 2011 John Marcellus, who played trombone with the Bemus Bay Pops Symphony Orchestra, took over as conductor of the orchestra for the remaining years in Bemus Point and in Mayville last summer with the newly named Chautauqua Lake Pops Symphony Orchestra on the newly named Allegheny Health Network Floating Stage. 

Following graduation from Strong Vincent High School in Erie PA. Bruce received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Gannon University and Mercyhurst College in 1969. As the Music Director and Instructor of Fine Arts at Gannon, Wright was the Director/Conductor of the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the successor to the Erie Bayfront Orchestra which he founded in 1978 and the Director/Conductor of the Erie Opera Theatre which he founded in 1983.  His cultural mission was to introduce classical music and enrich the quality of life for the people of his community by providing both orchestra and opera performances free of charge.  He was also the Director of the Gannon University Concert Band, the Lake Erie Ballet Orchestra and the Bemus Bay Pops.

Bruce believed that music is the purest form of communication and worked passionately to provide the gift of music.  Many, many lives were touched by his work and he is greatly missed.  He was loved by all who knew him including the entire Pops organization.

 R.I.P. Bruce Morton Wright


Be Safe.

Pat Locke
Maestro Muse 

Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence

In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on this portable desk of his own design.  It features a hinged writing board and a locking drawer for papers, pens and inkwell.  This desk continued to be in the Jefferson's companion throughout his life as an Amercian diplomat and President of the United States.  On November 14, 1825 Jefferson wrote his granddaughter, Eleanora Randolph Coolidge to inform her that he was sending his "writing box" as a wedding present.  The desk remained in the Coolidge family until April 1880 when the family donated it to the U.S. government.  In the letter, Jefferson wrote: "Mr. Coolidge must do me the favor of accepting the gift.  Its imaginary value will increase with years."


Thomas Jefferson was not the first choice to write the Declaration of Independence.  He accepted the assignment reluctantly, but he brought genius to the project, including the 35 most important words in the English language.

It wasn't widely known that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence until a quarter century later when he stood for the presidency of the United States.  At the time when the 33 year old Virginian sat down to write America's birth certificate at his portable writing desk in a boarding house on Seventh and Market streets in Philadelphia in the third week of June 1776, he was a relatively unknown figure in national circles.

He had a reputation for being a hard reader, a brillant scholar and a lucid crafter of English prose, but he did not take part in the sometimes heated debates that were propelling the 13 American colonies toward independence.  John Adams later reported that "during the whole time I saw with him in Congress, I never heard him utter three sentences together."

Jefferson was a shy man and a homebody who had lingered so long at Monticello in the spring of 1776 tht he nearly missed the opportunitty to write the document that secured his immortality.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

Nobody in the Second Continental Congress could possibly have known how potent that sentence was going to be in the "course of human events" from 1776 to today.

Jefferson's words are as much a foundation of the Black Lives Matter movement as "I can't breathe." Not even Jefferson could have known on the evening of July 4, 1776, that he had written the one sentence that humankind can never live without. 

As a footnote, Thomas Jefferson's lap desk on view at the White House for 23 years was sold for $55,000 to Daniel Jordan, director of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, which runs Monticello, the Jefferson mansion.  "We think that the desk illustrates Jefferson's lifestyle, work habits and travel patterns. It is sturdy, compact and was designed to be used in traveling.  Many lap desks are more decorative and fragile and were used in the parlor," said Jordan. 


Be Safe.

Pat Locke

Maestro Muse