Happy Presidents’ Day!
Some of you may have had today off school or work or you may not have. When I attended college in Johnstown (Hiram G. Andrews or the community college) and at Slippery Rock University, I always had Martin Luther King Day and Presidents’ Day off. This was because the schools honored the holiday and they were state schools.
On this day 22 years ago, we experienced a major snowstorm that would be known as the Presidents’ Day Storm. I was in my last semester of college in Johnstown at the community college. I was hoping to go back to school Sunday night but was snowed in at home until Tuesday and wasn’t happy about that. Back then, college was my safe space away from home and myself.
The major cities along the Eastern seaboard got the worst of the storm, as Baltimore and Boston received over two feet from the snow event. Garrett County saw four feet of snow, and Central Pennsylvania was hit hard as well. Seven Springs ski resort in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania got over 40 inches. That’s a skiers’ delight!
Yesterday, our temperatures dropped and the rain we got in the morning turned to snow. I woke up early in the afternoon on Sunday. Annabelle was hanging out with us and my parents beat the change in the weather by looking ahead to Summer and watching WQED specials. One was Kennywood Memories as well as “Don’t Stand Up”, which consisted of footage that didn’t make it into the 1988 WQED documentary. As old as Kennywood Memories is, it is still relevant to this very day. I own two books on Kennywood written the late Charles J. Jacques, Jr., who was an avid amusement park enthusiast. One of my favorite quotes from Kennywood Memories was from him, “I’m attempting to corner the market of three ring notebooks.” He’s also published books on the former West View Park and Hersheypark. Rick Sebak’s documentaries are a great way to beat a cold, snowy Sunday, especially now that football season is over.
I could have added another Rick Sebak documentary after dinner, but I felt tired and wasted time sleeping away the early evening in an unmade bed. Lesson learned? Make your bed when you wake up! Your mood will improve so much! I made up for lost time and practiced my speech, on top of listening to the local podcast “Ya Jagoff!”. The evening turned into a battle between that and the Saturday Night Live special (SNL50).
I began with Jagoff between the 7 and 8pm hour, and then it got interesting. I didn’t want to miss the SNL special, but I wanted to listen to my weekly podcast. I usually watch that on YouTube.
I’ve obviously heard about Saturday Night Live, but I’ve never watched the show in its entirety. I know that many of the people on there have gone to do big things; from Chevy Chase and Steve Martin to Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd to Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. 50 years of a late night show means that there would be a lot to cover. Some of the skits had me in stitches. This was the first time we enjoyed something as a family in a long time (well, since watching Christmas movies back in December).
For the first hour, I alternated between SNL50 and Ya Jagoff, which was just as good. The local podcast has really grown on me. You really learn a lot about the city and the people who live and work there. Those guests whom John and Rachael have on their podcast become local celebrities to you. I enjoy the local ads as well, from Primanti’s and Dominion to Mancini’s. I want to try that Italian Twist bread and learn to make it as well.
Time to close off the blog with a recap of the weekend’s Area Speech Contests in Toastmasters. The Area 13 International Speech and Tall Tales contest did not get to go on Saturday due to the inclement weather they had in the area. It was going to be in Sharon and weather events along the I-80 corridor can bring a lot of snow and ice to that area during the winter months. So it will be rescheduled. However, the Area 2 & 3 contest did go as planned. The South Hills also battled the elements but not quite as bad as up north. The officials put on a great contest and the winners will move on to the Division A Contest on March 8.
Winners from the combined contest represented the South Hills Toastmasters, Priority Speakers, and Thermo Fisher. Other clubs in the areas include Moon, Covestro, and Gwen’s Girls (Area 2); Pittsburgh, Crown Castle, and Allegheny County Airport Authority (Area 3).
Pittsburgh (Club 144) had its 85th anniversary in December.
Stylish 🍒 