Evening star., 1943-04-04
Former Cay American Vacation Places
No1v Are Mostly Armed Training Camps
Bathing Beauties
Of Other Years
Are in New Role

IRE TN NGIV HOLe
By Betty Smith.
What has happened to the
gay vacation spots of yester-
years? Take Atlantic City-that
frivolous and gaudy metropolis
by the sea. Long proclaimed in
flashing signs and brilliant lights
as The Worlds Playground" A
city whose very name is synony-
nous with vacation to millions.
Well, it's far from being that
just now.
It's serious hard-working city
bent on doing its bit 100 per cent
toward winning the war. Army Air
Corps men fill the rooms Of every
ocean-front hotel. Coast Guards
patrol the wide beaches. The
blackout every night is so COM
plete that unless there's moon
you find yourself stumbling along
in the darkness on what used to
be the gayest and most brilliantly
lighted boardwalk in the world.
Some Of the shops stay open at
night behind doors with only a
small sign saying open" to
show that there is life within.
The shops that "cater to Army
needs" as they say, are doing a
thriving business. But the linen
shops. the women's dress shops,
the famous auctions where silver
and diamonds 20 to the highest
bidder are taking terrific losses.
A few have gone out Of busi-
ness-others say they are selling
merchandise way below cost.
Smaller hotels off the board
walk are open for civilian visi-
tors. If you stay more than few
days you'll find yourself keeping
step with the men of the Army
as they march to and from classes
and meals and drills-singing as
they go. You go to sleep with the
tunes still ringing in your ears
Roll Out the Barrel" THE Army
Air Corps" Around her hair
she wore purple ribbon-she
wore it for her airman who was
far, far away. =" Some of the
voices are amazingly good. It's a
thrilling sight to see these young
men, too, with their youthful,
eager faces. You want to sing
and march with them. It makes
you happy and proud and at the
same time very sad, that war
must be at all.
On the boardwalk two of the
largest commercial display rooms
have been turned into free ex-
hibits for the servicemen with
writing rooms for their conven-
ience. Twelve local churches have
set up recreation centers for
them. There are four USO rec
reation centers and three USO
bureaus.
And the Atlantic City Red
Gross Chapter is outstanding in
the country. Their blood bank
has contributed to date over 3,70O
pints of blood and is the only
one in the Nation to exceed its
quota in blood donations every
time it has been called upon.
Seventy-f1ve Red Cross nurses
aides have already been grad
uated and there are many other
classes in training. There's a
splendid Motor Corps and the Red
Cross Production Unit in Atlantic
City is as outstanding as it's
blood bank. It has turned out
over 10000 finished garments, to
be shipped to war-raid territories
and disaster areas in our own
country. In January alone it
turned out some $4,000 surgical
dressings for the Army hospital
in Atlantic City, which depends
entirely upon the Red Cross for
all its surgical dressings.
There are now some 300 wom-
en- on the rolls of the Produc-
ton Unit and believe it or not
one man! He is Mr.. M. Soble
Of Atlantic City and with his
wife he makes up a sewing unit
that other workers say is tops.
Retired from active business he