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.

In the news yesterday, I learned that a major retailer would be closing stores. JoAnn Fabrics will be closing at least 500 out of their 800+ locations in the near future, which amounts to over 60% of their stores. Closing sales are set to begin very soon.

33 of these stores are in Pennsylvania, including 12 in the Pittsburgh area. Spared from this round of closures, surprisingly, is the Pittsburgh Mills location. That mall is pretty much abandoned, yet the stores around it seem to do very well. Also not closing in that mall is the Macy’s, though Altoona will be closing theirs.

So what does the closure of a craft store have to do with my life? Well, JoAnn Fabrics was a part of my long-running WIS career from 2009 to 2021. We had that account every year I was with the company. We also counted other craft stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and defunct chains AC Moore and Pat Catan’s (the latter of which got swallowed up by Michaels in 2019). The large format, superstore Joanns were always a challenge for us. They had more fabric than the smaller format stores that we took less people to. Would we have enough scales and tables to go around? For Greengate Center, losing this store will be a big hit for them, and you have to wonder what will replace it.

I remember when Pat Catan’s liquidated their stores in early 2019 as we were sent to count all of the stores in the Pittsburgh area and points north (DuBois and Hermitage). We also helped out around the Youngstown-Niles area. Some of those stores in our area become Michaels while others closed or were repurposed into something else. The McKees Rocks location was razed and is now a GetGo Cafe and Market. The former Pat Catan’s became Michaels in Dubois and that has recently closed. Now the JoAnn Fabrics by the mall is closing too, leaving craft enthusiasts with just Hobby Lobby and not many other options unless they want to travel.

Craft and fabric stores were one place my Gram loved to shop at. We always took trips to Minnesota/Hancock Fabrics in the past, as they had a location in the Eastgate Shopping Plaza, just past Westmoreland Mall. Gram always loved making crafts, including quilts. For many years, I had a quilt on my bed that she made for me for Christmas.

They say that things happen in threes, and that includes businesses closing. Party City is closing all of its stores, Big Lots is also closing stores or changing them to a different name, and now Joanns (which has been in bankruptcy) will be closing a lot of its stores as well. It’s like a link to my past that is going away, as Joanns was an integral part of my tenure at WIS. For my friends who work there, it means that they will be out of a job. For my crafting friends, it means less options on where to shop for the products that they need.

In District 13, contest season has begun with area contests taking place over the weekend and on Monday night. Area 22 held their International Speech and Tall Tales contests on Saturday in State College. This area consists of clubs in DuBois, State College, and Lock Haven. Monday night, Area 23 and 24 got together for a joint speech contest at the Eat’n Park Training Facility in the Waterfront at Homestead. The winners will all move onto the Division C contest scheduled next month.

Coming up this weekend are the Area 2/3 International Speech and Tall Tales contests and the Area 13 International Speech and Tall Tales contest. Next Friday on the 21st, I will be at the Area 21 contest.

The dynasty is over, for now. There won’t be a three peat in Kansas City, so we can all pop the champagne like the 1972 Dolphins do when the last undefeated team loses. The Eagles came to play on Sunday, riding their hard hitting defense and making the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes look very ordinary. While the defense in Philly is prolific, so is their offensive line (even without Jason Kelce at Center). Even my 12 year niece switched her allegiance to Philadelphia just to see the Chiefs lose. NFL rushing champion Saquon Barkley wasn’t as effective on Super Bowl Sunday but he didn’t need to be. The defense recorded six sacks of three time MVP Patrick Mahomes and the old adage, “Defense Wins Championships” rang true Sunday night. Also, line play is important, and the Eagles had that too.

Eagles fans can thank Carson Wentz, their supposed savior at the Quarterback position in the late 2010s, for this Super Bowl victory and this season. The draft capital from his trade to the Indianapolis Colts netted them Devonta Smith, AJ Brown, Jalen Carter, and Cooper Dejean.

The Eagles surprised me with that early lead and the Mahomes stat line was astounding in the first half. You have to be perfect to beat KC and Philadelphia did just that. By halftime, the score was 24-0. I wanted to feel comfortable but I remembered 28-3 from several years ago. No lead is safe when your team has an amazing signal caller on their team. I had more confidence in Philadelphia’s defense over Atlanta’s, however. After the Eagles increased the lead to 34-0, it was pretty much over for Kansas City. Their chance to make history went right out the door.

Jalen Hurts went on to win Super Bowl MVP honors with three touchdowns, including one he ran in for a score. The defense deserves some of that well, as Josh Sweat recorded 2.5 sacks. Saquon Barkley and Kenny Pickett have Super Bowl rings and maybe the Giants and Steeelrs are regretting having cut them. Barkley has been one of the reasons why Philly was so good in 2024, also another reason would be that improved defense. That same unit they took to the Super Bowl two years ago completely regressed in 2023. Thus, changes needed to made. Making the necessary adjustments, those efforts really paid off. Philadelphia finished near the top on every defensive stat in 2024.

I ordered a new book by the Philadelphia Inquirer on Amazon about the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles season. It will be here at the end of February.

Philadelphia is my second favorite team, but they might be my number one after this championship season. I rooted for them in 2017 when they were en route to their first Super Bowl title. I learned about the Philly Special then.

This time, I familiarized myself with the Tush Push. Those of us who live in Steeler country, I know we’re frustrated with the one and done performances year after year when we have just about the same talent that Philly does. We become fans of teams that have success like Philadelphia or Buffalo (though that fanbase is pretty snake-bit too).

My niece is a Chiefs fan because she loves Taylor Swift, but she became an Eagles fan because she was ready for a new champion.

It’s been a fun NFL season but now it’s time to return to lifestyle and fashion blogs, people, and put together outfits, and look forward to longer days.

Last week, Pittsburgh lost a legend in the restaurant business. Hartley King, founder of Kings Family Restaurants, has passed away at the age of 91. King opened his first restaurant in 1967 in North Versailles (under the name Kings Country Shoppes). His restaurant chain grew to over 30 locations, many of them located in the Pittsburgh area with a few locations up north (Meadville, New Castle, and Franklin) and east (Somerset and two in Altoona). Past locations included the PA Turnpike and Moon Township. Both of these restaurants closed in the mid-2000’s.

The first locations were North Versailles, Monroeville, Plum, and Upper St. Clair. In Westmoreland County, Delmont opened in 1980, Willow Crossing in 1989, and Hempfield Pointe in 1998.

I worked for Kings in the late 2000’s (upon graduating from college) at the Delmont location. While there, I built good relationships with my coworkers and higher ups. I also took part in some of their corporate functions including the company picnic at Kennywood and a junior golf tournament at Nemacolin Woodlands.

I had the opportunity to see Hartley in person at these events during the summer of 2008. I was the Frownie for both of these events as well. I also wish I would have had the chance to introduce myself.

Pittsburghers will remember King as the man they’d see in King’s television commercials enticing you to come by for a meal and some ice cream afterward. Their specialty was their breakfast menu, ice cream, desserts and homemade pies. After growing to over 30 locations at one point, only four restaurants stay open, including the location in Hempfield Pointe across from Home Depot. On the front of the restaurants was a sign that read “Fine Food and Ice Cream”.

When ownership changed in the mid-2010’s, that was when the restaurant went downhill. The five locations that closed in the Spring of 2017 signaled the beginning of the chain’s demise. Redoing the logo and the exterior was also a sign that things weren’t changing for the better, either.

The Delmont location, where I was employed, closed in the Spring of 2021, and I posted a blog about the closure of that restaurant.

I worked at Kings when the company celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007 and saw a feature inside the menu with old pictures of Hartley. One of the promos on the actual day of their anniversary (September 25) was 45 cent Apple Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream. These were probably from commercials and billboards back in the day. Our District Manager found some old menus dated from 1994 that also served as placemats. I was shocked by the both the prices and the dessert items. The Tons of Fun for Everyone really got me. I think that was 24 scoops of ice cream. They also had a smaller version of that called The King’s Castle. While I wasn’t around for those, I did enjoy The Angry Mob (which was a dessert that consisted of ice cream and mini-Frownies.

What Lou Pappan was to Beaver County, Hartley King was to Allegheny County. Both were icons in the restaurant business and the communities they served, and now both are gone.

I read a book on the history of Eat’n Park last year as Pittsburgh’s other iconic chain which celebrated 75 years in business. Kings will always be the little brother to Eat’n Park even as only four stores remain open, including Canonsburg and Kittanning. Maybe one day a book about Kings will be out. If and when it is, I will definitely purchase a copy.

Coach C and I will kick off our 2025 dinner series at Kings in remembrance of Hartley.

We’re now into February, and it’s hard to believe it’s already the fourth day of the month. January lasted about a whole year and I never thought we’d thaw out from that extreme cold. At least I had football to keep me occupied this month.

I don’t find too many interesting pages on Instagram and the algorithm drives me completely insane. But being the TV buff that I am, I discovered a nostalgic page called “Retro Blast From The Past”. It’s mainly reels with this person who tells the viewer what they’d be watching on a given night and network during a given year. For example, Tuesday night on ABC in 1986. He’s evolved a lot since I started watching his channel on IG, as he is now including Saturday morning cartoons. Retro Blast From the Past would also give the ratings for the shows from the year, and there were some real clunkers amid the great shows that finished in the top 10 or 20. You weren’t beating NBC Must See TV Thursday in the 1980’s or 1990’s, or ABC’s Tuesday Night lineup (except for 1984-85).

Like most channels, this one has gotten some criticism because the content isn’t interesting. Maybe some people don’t give a shit about the show’s ratings. In the beginning, it was confusing the give the #1 show even if it wasn’t on that network. If you don’t like it, scroll on. Another complaint was that you always see the guy’s face on there, and some didn’t like that. Oh well, haters gonna hate.

When CBS used to carry the NFC games, usually towards the end of the game they’d announce the Sunday night lineup. I always loved the way Pat Summerall said “Murder, She Wrote”. He’d say Murder and then pause and say the rest of the title. The things you remember from watching YouTube (which is where I discovered this).

In my Facebook memories on Tuesday, I was reminded of a blog that I posted five years ago just after the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years. Did this post age badly after that? Ever since, Kansas City has become what New England used to be, and that’s a successful team that’s hated by the rest of the league. I am happy for Andy Reid because he never did get the opportunity to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, and he did come close in 2004. Little did I know at the time that a new dynasty was beginning and this was the beginning of multiple Super Bowl appearances by the Chiefs. They’d lose to Tom Brady the next year and fall to Cincinnati in the AFC Championship game in 2021.

My niece is a Kansas City fan mainly because of Taylor Swift, her favorite singer. She’s hoping the Chiefs three-peat on Sunday. Since the Steelers let me down every year, I’m rooting for my second favorite team, the Eagles, to spoil that historic moment.

Finally, 15 years ago tonight, one of our biggest snowstorms that I can remember was just beginning. The forecast was calling for a lot of snow in SWPA, and this one was close to what meteorologists were predicting. When it was all said and done, we ended up with over 21 inches of snow, behind the Blizzard of ’93 and the big Thanksgiving storm of 1950. We ended up with the third snowiest winter on record, and our snowiest February with over 41 inches of snow. At WIS, we were affected as events were canceled and had to be rescheduled. We weren’t done yet as another one pushed through the next week. As bad as that month was, we recovered nicely that Spring and had a nice summer.

Emotionally, that year for me was a struggle as I was going through growing pains at WIS and dealing with some other problems that I seemed to bring on myself. Plus, I was still having regrets about my college years that lingered for a long time after graduation.

Ah, the pre-Toastmaster days.