Potter County: ‘Capone’s Soup Kitchen’ at Eliot Ness Museum



These were among the characters turning out for a recent open house at the Eliot Ness Museum in Coudersport. Cast members from the Eliot Ness Fest will return from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, to greet museum visitors and help out at Capone’s Soup Kitchen. Shown from left are undercover agent Mysterious Mike Malone (Ed Szymanik), gangster Dean O’Banion (John Ditty), bookie Oscar Gutter (Terry Foster), Mae Capone (Kori Ditty) and her gangster husband Al (Denny Bloss), mob enforcer Frank Nitto (Bill Pekarski) and Madame Maisie O’Donnell (Ruth Sallade). Curt Weinhold photo

A new museum at Potter County’s busiest intersection will offer some special entertainment and a variety of tasty homemade soup on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Character actors from the popular Eliot Ness Fest will be hamming it up for those who stop by the Eliot Ness Museum, located in the former Halloran’s Hardware store at Main and Second streets in Coudersport.

At the same time, they’ll be serving up soup and bread in a re-creation of the soup kitchens that gangster Al Capone opened for the poor in Chicago during the Great Depression.

Actors will be portraying the heroes and villains from the Roaring ’20s, including former Coudersport resident Eliot Ness, known worldwide for his battles with Capone in gangland Chicago.

Jared Empson will portray Ness. Capone's faithful wife, Mae (Kori Ditty), will stop by to help out at the soup kitchen. Serving starts at 11 a.m.

Others who plan to be on hand to greet museum visitors are gangster Bugs Moran (Zigmund Reichenbach) and his wife Evelyn (Heather Klimek); Capone rival Dean O’Banion (John Ditty) and his wife Viola (Lori Szymanik); federal undercover agent Mysterious Mike Malone (Ed Szymanik); gangster Frank Nitto (Bill Pekarski); agent Lyle Chapman (Kevin Burrier) from Ness’s “Untouchables”; Madame Maisie O’Donnell (Ruth Sallade); and bookie Oscar Gutter (Terry Foster).

Donations at the soup kitchen will support the Eliot Ness Fest, sponsored by the Potter County Historical Society. Selections include chicken noodle soup, classic chili, gluten-free cheeseburger soup, Italian vegetable beef soup, and meatless pasta fagioli.

There is no museum admission fee. Among features are classic cars and trucks, archival photographs and exhibits telling the story of Ness’s life and career, with a special emphasis on his activities in Chicago, Cleveland and Coudersport.