The Mr. Frohman mentioned in the first panel is probably legendary Broadway producer Charles Frohman. He was the original producer of Peter Pan and perished in 1915 in the sinking of the Lusitania.
Veteran, what you describe as protests sounds like the Bonus March of 1932. The bonus marchers were WWI veterans who peacefully appealed to have their bonuses for WWI service paid early to help them survive the Depression. For their trouble, their camp was raided and destroyed by the army led by egomaniacal jackasses Douglas MacArthur and George S. Patton at their worst. Your grandmother and her neighbors are my kind of Americans.
From the comment about Friday being fish day, it’s obvious that the kids are Catholic since Catholics were forbidden to eat meat on Friday back then.