Nov. 23, 1969
Casey Inn revamp
The Hotel Casey was scheduled to reopen Nov. 24 with a new name and a proposed list of improvements costing $1 million.
The hotel’s new name would be the Casey Inn, under the ownership of Dr. Joseph A. Petriello of Dunmore, and Albert Frangell and Samuel Scrimalli, both of Scranton.
The new ownership team said they would be making improvements to the hotel over the next two years. Plans were to redecorate the bar, cocktail longue and dining rooms, refurbish 200 hotel rooms, convert the remaining hotel rooms into modern one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments, and redesign the hotel’s lobby to create rental space for offices or shops. The coffee shop would also be reopened.
The Hotel Casey closed in July 1969.
The cost of dinner
Over the previous 15 years, the cost of a typical Thanksgiving dinner increased by 25%. The cost of a dinner for six people in 1954 was $12.79; in 1969, the cost was $15.93. The only traditional food item that decreased in price over the years was the turkey. In 1954, a 12-pound turkey cost $6. In 1969, a 12-pounder cost $5.15.
Dining out
The Twin Grill on North Washington Avenue in Scranton featured Vermont turkey, dressing, candied yams, broccoli and three kinds of pie for $3.25 a person. The Deitrick on Vine Street in Scranton offered three dinners — turkey with all the trimmings, sirloin steak with sides or baked ham with sides — all priced at $2.50. The Blue Shutters in Elmhurst Twp. offered diners a choice of roasted turkey, roasted chicken or roasted duckling.
Other restaurants open on Thanksgiving were the Country Inn on the Morgan Highway, Aldino’s Manor in Taylor, Yank’s Diner on Linden Street and Jay’s Delicatessen on North Main Avenue.
BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-
Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history.
Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or
570-348-9140.