WIXY's Gone Bananas

Sometimes I tell people that I graduated high school in 1974, "when dinosaurs roamed the earth." And to all you young whippersnappers, that is very much tongue in cheek. Today, Kathy and I were out and about, taking care of some business. We stopped at Speedway to get some fountain drinks. I went in to get the drinks and Kathy noticed somebody parking their motorcycle. He left the keys in the ignition. She told me about the motorcycle, wondering if anybody would steal the bike. I told her that I remembered when I was growing up, my dad would stop at Lawson's, a convenience store chain in Ohio, go in, get a pound of lunch meat(sliced while you wait), a half gallon of milk, and a loaf of bread. But what I failed to mention is when he parked in front of the store, he left his car running. Kathy countered with the fact they used to go to church and never locked the doors of their house. Such was life in the 1960's and 70's. When you lived away from the big cities,...

The above video is a walk through of the now defunct Rolling Acres Mall, which has been closed now for going on 4 years. A once vibrant shopping complex, it fell victim of being located in a depressed area, and of other close by malls experiencing renovation and rebirth. In 2008 when the final nail was applied to the coffin of this mall, I wrote this post concerning my memories of Rolling Acres . There are several sites on the web dedicated to dying malls, and their surrounding areas. To me there is some interesting reading. Most of us should be concerned to what is going to become of the areas where these malls are located. Will they ever be of benefit to the community at large again? At Rolling Acres, the only activity at present at the mall building is JC's 5 Star Outlet, formerly known as J. C. Penney's outlet store. The store still features goods from J. C. Penney, but at a discount price. And it is a popular location. The Sears store location where I once worked i...

And the 2012 high school football season is underway! Tonight the Rittman Indians opened their season, playing host to the Danville Blue Devils. Game time temperature was comfortable, in the 80's, and as it has been all year, not a drop of rain.  Tonight was parent night at the game, and the parents of those participating in fall sports, cheerleading, and the marching band were all invited to escort their kids across the field.  After pregame festivities and the national anthem, it's time to play football.  Though decidedly over-matched tonight, the Rittman team did not give up. They managed their only score during the first half.  Halftime saw a talented Danville marching band keep the crowd attentive with their three selection, beginning with the Jimmy Buffett classic, "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and ending with the Beatles, "Do You Want to Know a Secret." And then it was time for the words the Rittman faithful have been wait...

This is the video from last Thursday's band show. The videographer is my 9 year old grandson, Ben. I may have some more videos to share as the season progresses.

It has been a long time since I have wrote about my favorite group of student musicians. Since last season was cut short for me because of a slip in the mud, this show was important for me. I did have a few opening night jitters. But for me things went great. The Rittman Indians Marching Band was one of 6 bands to perform at the 2012 Mogadore Band Show. The other bands appearing were from the following schools: Manchester, Windham, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Hudson, and the host band, Mogadore. Was a great night weather wise, as it wasn't too hot and it was not raining. As I got to the stadium for the night's activities, my favorite student musicians let me know how glad they were to see me. They tell me that I'm the best announcer around. I tell them the only reason I'm a good announcer is because I have a great product to announce. This years Rittman Marching band has 54 members and they all are dedicated young student musicians. Last night's show was a...