Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

The Super Bowl has come and gone and the New York Giants came away with the big win.

The Patriot's win streak came to end and now they can start all over again. Now the T.V. news programs can get back to their main interest, the presidential candidates and we will get more info on that Looney Tunes Britney Spears. Since the candidates and Britney seem to be the only news that we get, it sort of makes me wonder if the war in Iraq is still going on.

I bet the president is enjoying all the hype the candidates and Britney is providing as it takes the spotlight off of this unpopular war. No one is paying any attention to the two billion dollars that is going down the sewer called Iraq every week.

And speaking of money, it looks like the Democratic candidates are going to spend record amounts of money on their campaigns over the next couple of months.

Has the quality of the programs on T.V. gone down hill or is it just me?

While channel surfing Saturday night looking for something new to watch I happened to tune in The Lawrence Welk program on the PBS station that comes to us from Clearfield. This show was recorded back in the 80s and the quality of the sound and picture was excellent.

Old Lawrence was probably the last of the big bands and it was so refreshing to listen to this master of good dance music. I am really glad that I lived in an era where things made sense.

Entertainment is pretty scarce in Emporium, but I can remember when Saturday night used to provide some pretty good times. I really feel sorry for the young people as there is very little for them to do these days that doesn't get them into trouble.

Where does a high school student take his girlfriend on a date? The politicians are saying, "No child left behind." What do they mean when they say this? Left behind what? There is more to life than the three "R's". All work and no play makes "Jack" a dull boy. How do we provide a well-rounded life for our youth here in our town?

If I would ever hit the big one on the lottery, I would buy the building next to the Cabin Kitchen, renovate it and open a movie theater. Seventy or eighty seats would probably hold all the moviegoers in our community.

The old timers tell me that the village of Norwich on Route 46 at one time had three movie houses. I don't think there are three houses there now. When they cut off all the Hemlock the people moved on and the town faded away.

Sometimes you have to make your own entertainment. When I was a kid you only got to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. Popcorn was ten cents a bag and a candy bar was a nickel. The ticket cost eleven cents, which meant that for twentysix cents you could spend about four hours in the world of make believe.

Every Saturday was a double feature and both features were usually westerns. My Dad used to say the movie was closed on Monday so they could clean out the horse manure.

We also played a lot of marbles, kick the can, pickup games of baseball and when it started to get dark, we played hide and seek.

My Dad worked for Alleghany County at South Park. The Steelers used to do their summer training camp there and my Dad became friends with the head coach. I believe his name was Jock Southerland (not sure of the spelling). The coach gave Dad one of their old practice footballs.

He brought that football home and gave it to me. I know you have heard the term "Hog Heaven" and that is where I immediately went. I was probably the only kid in Beckets Run School who owned a football and can you imagine my social standing because it was a Steelers football?

At the morning recess we had our first and last football game. One of the guys missed a pass and my genuine Steelers football landed among a bunch of girls. The girls were playing hopscotch on the big concrete pad in front of the school.

That football scattered the hopscotch players and I can remember it like it was yesterday. One little red head by the name of Vera Jarvis hauled off and kicked my genuine Steelers football like a NFLplace kicker. That ball sailed out of that schoolyard and landed on that busy highway where it met its demise under the dual wheels of an Iron City Beer truck. I don't know what made the loudest sound, my heart breaking or that ball when it burst. So much for my one moment of fame.

One of Emporium's former residents who has done quite well for himself in Hollywood has never forgotten where his roots are.

In the middle dining room of the Cabin Kitchen he has a wall of fame (one picture below). His name is Joe Yore.

Joe usually comes home every summer and can always be found in the Cabin. Joe is a very generous man and on Friday, Jan. 23, 2008, he bought a dinner at the Cabin, that honored Cameron County veterans.

Approximately twenty-five veterans from the American Legion and the V.F.W. Post attended. Everyone enjoyed a fish fry or a baked fish dinner which also included dessert and a drink. What made this such a pleasant affair was that there were no speeches and the guys could enjoy talking to and breaking bread with their comrades. Thank you Joe where ever you are in California.