PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

   SATURDAY, APRIL 30TH.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

   It's the official wedding day for
my son and his girl. This is the
ceremonial occasion and it's
important to have everything go as
"right" as possible.
   So, Saturday evening, all of the
principals gathered for a mock
run through of the ceremony then
gathered for a rehearsal dinner at
the Tannersville Inn.
   As I've already noted, this
practice run took place exactly 47
years after my wife and I had our
actual wedding.
    Ours was a little different. We
had a very small ceremony and
reception after which we stepped
outside to begin our Honeymoon as
I asked my bride.."Which way do
you want to go."
     She pointed in the general
direction of North. So, that's the
way we went. Since we're still
traveling together after all these
years I suspect her choice was a
good one!
      I hope my son and his family
are on a good route as well....and
that all their.....and your....NEWS
is good!

HEADING TO FOREVER!

    FRIDAY, APRIL 29TH., 2016
      HEADING TO FOREVER!

  
My son and his best girl are
getting married tomorrow.
  But TODAY my wife and I mark
47 years on our way to forever.
   The man on the left of the
photo below is the luckiest man
in the world. The woman on the
right is the reason why!
   And, for those who may
remember legendary news
commentator Paul Harvey, I'm
posting a Youtube recording of
our part in his coast to coast
program recorded on April 29th.,
1969.
     "Good Day!" Hope all your
NEWS is good!

       https://youtu.be/FJ4FMZiBlTg                                                                            
                                                                                  

THE WEDDING PLAY BOOK!

      THURSDAY, APRIL 28TH.
    THE WEDDING PLAYBOOK!

  Wedding bells will be ringing for my
son and his best girl this weekend.
   The planning has been going on for
over a year now and it involves a lot
more than just the bride and groom!
     Our new daughter-in-law has
been the Quarterback, and the
game plan is every bit as extensive
as any Super Bowl.
      There's the venue, the menu,
the photos, the invitations, the
hair styling's and, of course, the
dresses and suits.
      What's most amazing is seeing
everything falling into place. Yesterday,
for instance, some of the guys in the
wedding party when to check out
their tuxedoes.
       Earlier in the day my 13-year-
old grandson escorted his cousin
home from school in his typical
"go to school outfit" with colorful
sneakers and his backpack. I've
seen him that way a lot.
       Then, a couple hours later, his
Dad sent a photo of the lad in his
tux. Aged by only hours, and yet,
looking so mature. Guess, sometimes,
the clothes do make the man!
        Hope everybody else is about
ready...and that all your NEWS is
good! 

DISAPPOINTING TURNOUT!

     WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26TH.
    DISAPPOINTING TURNOUT!

    So you're probably wondering..
"where the heck was he voting?" By
all accounts the voting public, still
a minority of the population by the
way, turned out in droves for our
Pennsylvania primary.
     But I wasn't referring to the
voters. I was wondering about all
those people you usually see
handing out cards for the candidates!
We had only one at our polling
place!
     I usually count on those cards.
I keep them in my pocket for note
paper. I've even written grocery
lists on the back of some of those
"informational handouts."
     And they really could have
used them this time around.
Especially for Republicans.
Democrat delegate candidates for
their national convention list the
person they intend to support,
at least on the first convention
ballot.
     The Republican delegate
candidates do not. So it's very
possible you'll vote for the
Presidential candidate of your
choice ten pick convention
delegates to support someone
else!
      Well, that's the system.
And in the words of Winston
Churchill, who was actually
paraphrasing someone else,
'Democracy is the worst form
of government in the world....
except for all the others.'
      Hope your candidates won
and that all your NEWS is
good!

       

WISH THE YANKS WERE COMING!

       TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH.
WISH THE YANKS WERE COMING!

   Even before all the political ads
began Comcast cable and the YES
Network were trading accusations
and threats over the removal of
my Yankee baseball telecasts from
channel 66 this season.
    Comcast claimed the Yank's TV
arm wanted to continue a 33% rate
hike that had actually gone into
effect last year. YES just kept
telling me to call the cable company
and demand coverage. That was
followed by a concerted effort to
get me to switch to some other
source that would offer the games.
     I'm a Yankee fan. It's the old
story. The first game my Dad took
me to see when I was a kid was in
Yankee Stadium. When Mickey
Mantle still patrolled Center field.
     I grew up listening to and
watching Mel Allen cover the
Yankee games.
     I was happy to be able to catch
a Yankee game on the tube last
night thanks to coverage provided
by ESPN. I'm sure their schedule
will include a New York game now
and then.
    What has me a bit puzzled is the
lack of any "local" answer to the
problem faced by those of us to
are Yankee fans yet Comcast
customers.
     I know I've seen Yankee games
on one of the area Fox cannels in
the past. But, this season, all I've
seen promoted is Met games.
     When Hazleton native Joe
Madden managed Tampa Bay
WAZL radio in Hazleton
carried all the games as if to
believe everyone in Hazleton has
become a Florida baseball fan.
      There certainly plenty of
AM and FM radio signals on
the area with little to listen to
each night! Couldn't someone
pick up the New York games?
      Our area has traditionally
been the home of Yankee,
Philly, and, to some extent, Met
fans.
       And in case no one else has
noticed it's the Yankee Triple A
team that calls Scranton/ Wilkes-
Bare home.
       Hope somebody gets with
the game and that all your NEWS
is good!

FAN MAIL!

  MONDAY, APRIL 25TH.
           FAN MAIL!

    I was still curled up on the
couch waiting for my next dose
of antibiotics and nursing my
sore throat when the Special
Delivery.......was delivered!
    A week before I had given
a talk about the Titanic to
students in Mrs. Kasper's
class at the Bear Creek
Community Charter School.
    The third graders responded
with question and applause in
class. But then they went a step
further and designed their own
personal "Thank You cards'
complete with drawings and
some very gracious comments!
    Serena wrote " I love
spending time with you" while
Blake offered "You are the best
person in the world." Mckenzie
wished me "a good life" and
Connor wrote "You are my new
best friend."
      Text Books and very
important in the educational
process. But I think children
learn best when they can hear
the stories of real people involved
in the events they're studying.
      Many of the cards repeated
facts I had offered during my
presentation. They got it! And
they're third graders! Wow!
       Hope their thirst for learning
continues.......and that all your
NEWS is good!

THE WILD BUNCH?

       SUNDAY, APRIL 24TH.
        THE WILD BUNCH?

     Imagine the motorcycle gang
waiting as you pull up to your
church! They were there last night
waiting for the congregation to show
up.  Yep. The "Wild Bunch" waited!
     Every year members of the
Christian Motorcycle Association
host a spaghetti and meatball
dinner at our church to raise funds
for their world wide missionary
work. Every cent raised by these
riders goes to provide transportation
for missionaries who may have to
reach their congregations by bike,
motorcycle, boat, car, or horse.
They also sponsor a film to teach
people about Christ and the
salvation he offers.
      My newest grandson joined
other family members for the
feast and got his first taste of
spaghetti and meatballs! It seems
his Italian heritage is already
well entrenched!
      Bikers used to get a bad rap
all the time. But most of them I
know are constantly involved in
fund raising rides for charities or
in patriotic cruises to support our
troops and veterans. Pretty good
people supporting pretty great
causes.
      And what better way to support
the supporters than to dig into to
a delicious dinner!
      Unfortunately my Laryngitis
kept me away. Fortunately, they
had take outs!
      Hope I can get this spaghetti
stain off my shirt...and that all
your NEWS is good.

 

THE SILVER SCREEN!

    SATURDAY, APRIL 23RD.
      THE SILVER SCREEN!

     Today makes another of those "bizarre
holidays" no one seems to know about.
    It's "Movie Theater Day!"
    I practically grew up in movie
theaters!
    My Dad was a projectionist. During
most of my growing up years he worked
at the Capitol Theater in Hazleton during
the day and at one of our three regional
Drive In Theaters during summer nights!
    Double features were not unusual
back then so it wasn't unusual for me to
see 4 movies a day and, occasionally,
more when the Drive Ins ran a special
night with three or more "Monster"
features.
     My personal record, for many years,
was my 13 viewings of "Where The Boys
Are." That, of course, was over several
weeks. I had a crush on the lead actress,
Dolores Hart. She must have found out
because she gave up movies and became
a Nun.
     It would have been easy for me to
observe Movie Theater Day when I was
a kid.
     There were 7 theaters in my hometown
in those days. Only one of those is still
around. But there's one Multiplex just outside
of town that has three more screens that I
had theaters!
     I still go to the movies often.  But I miss
the old "neighborhood theaters."
     For the price of admission, anywhere
from 13 to 25 cents when I was a kid, you
got one or two features, a cartoon, a news
reel and, often, a weekly serial.
     You didn't get any commercials except
for the coming attractions.
      And the only little light that cut through
the darkness came from the Usher's flashlight
as he helped someone to their seats or checked
to make sure your feet weren't on them!
      Of course I favored the Capitol where my
Dad worked. I got in there for free! And I got
to take a friend or two!
      We even had "Stadium seating." Except,
back then, we called it a Balcony.
       Prices have climbed a bit over all those
years. I could have seen about a dozen movies
for what it cost to buy popcorn today.
      Still, you can't beat seeing a good movie
on a big screen! Especially if the feature is
"All In Time!" I'm in that one and it should
be around this fall! Watch for it!
       Hope you remember to silence your
cellphone and that all your NEWS is good!

LICENSED!

     FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND.
            LICENSED!

      You need a license for
all kinds of things these days.
       I have a Driver's License,
a Fishing License and what you
could call an "Artistic License!"
       On April 22nd., 2011,
in a moment of insanity, I
decided to begin a Blog!
       I had officially
retired from the main stream
media. But I still had a desire
to write and had seen others
fulfill that ambition with a
blog. I wasn't sure if it would
be a weekly or a monthly
effort. But before I could give
it a second thought I was
authoring an essay every day!
     Most have been based on
personal events in my day to
day life. Some are prompted
by web sites where I have
found some very unusual
holidays that few people
know about.
     Occasionally over these
past 5 years I've repeated a
couple of my posts. That's
either because I find they are
well worth revisiting or
because my mind has gone
blank. Of course some would
say many of my original
writings suggest a blank mind
anyway!
      So here we are, five years
later with Blog number 1873!
       I got another License on
April 22nd. But that one came
47 years ago!
     It was my Marriage License!
My wife (then my fiancée), her
mom and I, showed up at the Luzerne
County Courthouse with the
required fee to get our license.
We needed her mom too because,
back then, you had to have a
parent's signature if you were
under 21. That didn't effect me.
I didn't even get carded!
      Fortunately my mother-in-
law to be agreed to sign and we
got our license.
      Hope it hasn't expired....and
that all your NEWS is good!

STILL LOOKING?

   THURSDAY, APRIL 21ST.
         STILL LOOKING?

     I spent some of my Wednesday
quiet time sitting on the front porch
allowing the sun to warm my back.
     I dispatched a couple of wasps,
a warm weather problem around
our place. That's when I noticed
the slight movement in the yard.
     Cats immediately came to mind.
Several are still roaming through
the neighborhood although most
of them seem to recognize me now
and make a quick exit when I step
outside.
     But it wasn't a cat. It was Phil
the Groundhog...or one of his
cousins. I wondered if he, or she,
might still be searching for the
shadow that didn't show up in
February.
     Actually this particular
groundhog just stopped by for
lunch. Dandelion was on the
menu so rather than spend time
pulling the weeds we let him have
his fill.
     Hope he cuts grass too...and
that all your NEWS is good!

X RAY VISION!

  WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH
          X RAY VISION!

    I think it's safe to say the last
time I spent four days without
speaking a word was when I was
a baby and couldn't speak!
    With an important meeting
set for this weekend and an
ever more important wedding
coming up in less than two
weeks my wife called our
family doctor looking for a
way to stop the hacking cough
that seems to have caused my
Laryngitis.
     The Doc immediately set
up an appointment for a chest
X Ray which I had within 3
hours of his call. Then....I
waited. The day passed with
no word on the X Ray results.
One day closer to that weekend
meeting and the upcoming
wedding.
     First thing Tuesday morning
my wife called the doctor's
office hoping for the results. Then,
we waited.
     Finally, late in the day, the
doctor's office called........with
information on some tests my
wife had done. But what about
my X Ray? Well, as long as we
were on the phone they checked
and the results showed nothing
abnormal. The suggested we
set up an appointment with my
Pulmonary physician. Of course
that suggestion came about two
minutes after his office closed
for the day!
    So, today, we'll hope to get
that appointment.......how many
days closer to all my events!
    This X Ray vision is a
nightmare! I could just as well
have sent in two glossy head
shots!
     Hope I'll get better before
everything is over......and that
all your NEWS is good.
(example...not actually mine)

         

MERCY MISSION!

  TUESDAY, APRIL 19TH.
      MERCY MISSION!

    My lingering laryngitis has
been aggravated by a cough
that just won't give up.
    While rest in the best remedy
my wife decided it might also be
time to throw out the empty
cough medicine bottle and buy
a new one.
    This is not my favorite drink!
But with temperatures in the 70's
the outing did offer an opportunity
to uncover the Miata and put the
top down.
    Our mission was quickly
accomplished as the Pharmacy
we use is only about 5 miles from
our house. That hardly seemed
worth the uncovering so we
decided another short ride was
in order.
     I guess you could say we went
to the "Farm I see." Specifically
Blue Ribbon Dairy where we
stocked up on some medicinal
ice cream! It may not actually
be medicine. But it sure feels
good passing over my throat!
I won't mind refilling this
"prescription!"
     Hope I'm able to speak
again soon and that all your
NEWS is good!

STOP THE PRESSES!

     MONDAY, APRIL 18TH.
       STOP THE PRESSES!

     I have spent some 57 years
as a Broadcasted. Some radio.
Mostly television.
     But since I am still silenced
with a horrible case of laryngitis
and since April 18th is National
Columnists Day I suppose it's as
good a time as ever to admit to
my involvement in the newspaper
game!
     Yes, long before I was on the
air anywhere I was "in print."
      It began with my Junior High
School newspaper where I was
the poetry editor. My Mom was
quite a poet and I inherited just a
bit of her. Some were not half
bad. And then there was:
Little birdie in the cage............
How I wonder what your age....is.
I call that blank verse.
      But seriously folks, and I do
mean seriously, I ventured into
the newspaper world three times
while I was in radio.
       I wrote a column for a long
gone weekly newspaper in
Nanticoke and did some Political
columns for an independent
publication that popped up
briefly while the Newspaper
Guild was doing battle with the
Times Leader and the Citizen's
Voice was just being created.
      My Byline appeared in both
of those newspapers. But my
longest stent in print came
as a Media Columnist for the
Citizen's Voice. Since I was
offering a lot of "inside information"
I elected to write that weekly piece
under a Pen Name. So now, at
last, some folks will know who
 "Bart Summers" really was!
     Writing for newspapers, even
only once a week, was a lot
harder than writing for radio or
television. At least till Closed
Caption became the rule in TV.
That's because you had to spell
things correctly. Not my best
trait!
     Still, I suppose Ink, like
"show business" gets in your
blood.
     Readers of the Scranton Times
will notice a feature run every
other month that features stories
and helpful hints for families. I
write the Grandparents Column
for that publication!
     Hope my "Spell Check" works,
and that all your NEWS is good!

SILENCE IS GOLDEN.

   SUNDAY, APRIL17TH.
   SILENCE IS GOLDEN.

   My wife has always suggested
that I have two voices. One she
calls my "normal voice," the other
my "radio voice."
    I do tend to use more inflection
when I'm on the air or speaking
before a group.
    But as I write today's Blog I
must tell you that neither of
those voices is working! I have
a textbook case of Laryngitis!
     I saw it coming. We had
such a nice winter and all the germs
lived. For the past 6 weeks they've
been attacking me in the form of
an on-again, off-again cough.
     Sometime after my speaking
engagement at Bear Creek
Community Charter School on
Friday my throat shut down
like a watertight door and any
attempt at speaking resulted in
a sound similar to the ramblings
of Donald Duck.
      We've got a lot of very
special activities planned over
the next 30 days or so and I'd
like to have at least one of my
voices ready for them. That
means, in part, no speaking for
a couple days!
       There's lots of note paper
around the house on which to
express myself and the Blog,
of course, is all laptop so we're
good to go there. Anyway, as
I've always said...a closed mouth
gathers no feet!
        Hope my wife and family
enjoy the break and that all
your NEWS is good!

MY CAPTIVE AUDIENCE!

   SATURDAY, APRIL 16TH.
   MY CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

      One thing about being on
radio or TV. If the audience
isn't interested in what you're
saying they can turn you off!
     Yesterday I enjoyed a truly
captive audience. I was invited
by a Teacher, Mary Kasper, to
tell my story about regional
connections to the Titanic to
students at the Bear Creek
Community Charter School.
That audience was made up of
third and fourth graders!
     I was amazed by their
interest in the story of a
disaster that took place some
95 years before most of them
were born. And it was one of
the first time a group of
students didn't ask me if I had
actually covered the sinking!
    The school and the Titanic
have something in common.
Both were state of the art when
they were built. The classroom
where I spoke has electronic
"blackboards" (they're white
these days) where the photographs
I shared could actually be
enlarged and projected for the
class as I held them in my hand!
    What's even more impressive
was the third and forth graders
who knew how to run all the
modern technology and
volunteered to help out!
     If these kids had build the
Titanic it would still be afloat!
I had the captive audience. But
they captured my respect!
     Hope that enthusiasm
continues and that all your
NEWS is good!

  

A TITANIC TALE!

    FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH.
      A TITANIC TALE!

   On this date 104 years ago,
at approximately 2:20 in the
morning, the RMS Titanic broke
in half and sank to the bottom of
the Atlantic ocean!
    Anyone who know me knows
I have become obsessed with
the story of the Titanic since I
solved a mystery about the ship
back in 1972.
     That's the year I learned about
a Wilkes-Barre woman who had
survived the sinking. And she
agreed to do an interview with
me!
      Mrs. Thelma Thomas was
being escorted to the United
States by her brother-in-law
Charles. She was to join her
husband who operated a produce
company in Wilkes-Barre. Her
infant son was with her as well.
     After Titanic struck the
iceberg Charles carried the baby
as he tried to get Thelma and her
son to a lifeboat. In the confusion
they became separated.
     For two days Thelma believed
her baby boy and brother-in-law
were dead. But while in a Hospital
in New York City she learned that
several children had been saved.
One of them was her baby!
       Unfortunately Charles
perished.
        Two days after my recorded
interview, April 15th., 1972, I
was watching the Today show
when another Titanic survivor, Mrs.
Edwina Troutt , said she was handed
a baby while sitting in a lifeboat!
         Suspecting this was more
than just a coincidence I called
NBC and told them about Mrs.
Thomas. An official there
arranged for Mrs. Troutt to
call Mrs. Thomas. Mrs. Troutt
described the blanket in which the
baby was wrapped and it was the
same one Mrs.Thomas had placed
around her child!
       I had solved the mystery as
to who had rescued the baby boy.
       And yet, I keep learning more!
       Just YESTERDAY, while scanning
one of my many books on Titanic,
I came across a report by a
magazine correspondent who was
on board and was taking notes as
the ship was being evacuated.
       One paragraph reads......
"A man with a heavy Middle
Eastern accent came running up to
Edwina Troutt clutching an infant
in his arms. He frantically told her
he didn't want to be saved but would
she take his nephew, which she did,
getting into boat 16."
       We now know that brave man
was Charles Thomas!
        The infant nephew he saved
was Essid who was three-months-
old when Titanic foundered. He
died of pneumonia when he was
just 20!
        I think I'll be linked with
the story of Titanic as long as I
live. Hope I keep learning...and
that all of your NEWS is good!

(Pictured below: Mrs. Thelma Thomas,
Charles Thomas, Mrs. Edwina Troutt,
and the only know photo of Essid Thomas.)

THE COOKIE CRUSH!

   THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH.
      THE COOKIE CRUSH

   It's been a long time since I
had to get up early to go to school.
But it happened on Wednesday!
   Two of our grandkids invited
us to Grandparent's Day at Holy
Redeemer High School in Wilkes-
Barre. We love being with them
so it was worth setting the alarm
well before our usual 8am reveille.
    In fact we were told we could
start gathering at the school
between 8 and 8:30. That seemed
just a bit early as the Grandparent's
Mass wasn't scheduled to begin till
9:30.
    The "extra time," it seems, was
scheduled so the school could get
the students to their grandparents
in an orderly fashion.
     Grandparents of seniors, for
instance, waited in the chapel until
their grand children came to escort
them into the auditorium. Once there
of course, we had to wait for most
of the underclassmen to arrive with
their grandpa and grandma in tow.
      My wife and our Senior grandson
passed the time by turning an extra
program into a paper craft of some
sort.
       But the real fun came after the
service! Although carefully escorted
out of the auditorium by the use of
several exits, the throngs of humans
headed to the cafeteria where cookies
and pastries awaited. It quickly became
clear that all of those exits lead, basically,
to one hallway and the door through which
one must pass to get to the goodies.
      The scene resembled the New York
City Subway at rush hour! It would
seem there is little difference between
a teen and a Senior citizen when it comes
to cookies!
       After some close quarters in the
hallway for 20 minutes or so we made
it to the cookie counter to gather our
treats. They were worth the wait.
       Hope they didn't count my take.....
and that all your NEWS is good!

IT'S IN THE BOOK!

   WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13TH.
          IT'S IN THE BOOK!

     There's a long row of books
stacked atop a shelf in my bedroom.
They're seldom opened and if they
were, by anyone but me, it's likely
the reader would think he or she
had come across a form of'
hieroglyphics!
      They are actually log books
in which I have listed every story
I ever did on WDAU/WYOU from
September of 1980 to April of 2009.
That period covers my full time days
at channel 22. I never kept records
when I worked there part time.
      As you might expect, there are
thousands of stories. Yesterday I
was asked to try to find one.
      Here's the thing. These notes
were pre-computer. So you can't
open a book, look for a "key word"
and find every story that fits.
      If I have a general idea of the
date I've got a fighting chance of
finding a particular story. Yesterday's
search found me reading every page
from 1993 till March of 1995 when
I came across the story I was looking
for.
     Even if I'm lucky enough to have
a general date I can't always find a
specific subject. You see I simply
listed each story with a short sentence.
That's not always descriptive enough
to find what I'm looking for. It might,
for instance, note "Fire in Saint Clair."
But that won't help recall a specific
fire unless my memory fills in the
rest.
     An even bigger problem is my
own handwriting. Check out any
stories listed in January, when the
notebook was new and my intentions
were good, and you'll find clear
notations. A month or two later,
especially on a busy day, I'm lucky
to tell the difference between an "a"
and an "o" if I can make out any of
them at all. It looks like some crazy
person wrote some of this stuff.
Of course he (make that I) did!
      Still, there's a lot of regional
history in those books. Probably
enough to fill a novel! It's in the
book. Or, in this case, books! If
only I could read it all.
      Hope all your NEWS is good
 (and legible!)