Opinion
OUR VIEW: Free fun in hard times? ‘There’s no place like home’
While the news so many times concerns “gloom and doom” recently in the Mercer County area, it’s nice to see that positive events locally continue to bring smiles to faces of people of all ages.
As the economic downturn has had a negative effect on people, congratulations go out to every organization that helps to provide an attitude shift — no matter how brief — for our citizens.
In just the last couple of weeks — from the Father’s Day Car Show in Hermitage on June 21 right through the Heritage Days in Greenville on Saturday — we have been blessed to have free entertainment opportunities provided for our families.
And at this time when people are losing jobs, taking pay cuts or staying near home rather than taking more expensive vacations, these types of activities provide great release to help boost the psyche.
The Father’s Day Car Show, presented by the Shenango Valley Antique Automobile Club, once again brought thousands of people into Hermitage to view the old cars. For many of us, it’s a reminder of simpler times when you could work on your own car without hooking up to a computer in a high-tech shop.
And speaking of automobiles. One of the most uplifting events of the year is the Greater Pennsylvania Super Kids Soap Box Derby for special-needs children in Sharon. While 37 youngsters took part on the East State Street hill on June 27, hundreds turned out to cheer them on.
Obviously, in an event like this, there are no losers and every child who participates comes away with a smile. While this provides a tremendous boost to all the youngsters, they, in turn, send a clear message of encouragement to all of us.
No matter how many difficulties you face in life, never give up. When race winner Noah Spaulding of Greenville sang “We Are the Champions,” tears flowed freely from everyone who took part.
Kudos to director Pam Dorfi and members of the Sharon Elks who work so hard to put on the races and have made it an example to other groups that are starting similar races in other areas.
Of course the annual Small Ships Revue in downtown Sharon brought a huge throng of people into the city to either take part in or witness the creative use of sailing apparatus on the Shenango River.
The June 26 event, sponsored by the Quaker Steak & Lube, celebrated its 29th year and is still going strong. It provides a lot of free fun for families and for a downtown area that has suffered considerable business loss in the last few decades.
Then Saturday in Greenville, the second Heritage Days attracted a lot of people from many areas to participate in various old-time activities. It provided a look at the way people lived, worked and played many years ago.
We applaud everyone who helped put on these activities the last few weeks so that families could have a good time without expensive vacation travel. And we look forward to many more local activities from county fairs to the annual Buhl Day.
And for all of us, in a year that celebrates the 70th anniversary of the wonderful family movie “The Wizard of Oz,” we again are reminded: “There’s no place like home!”
- Opinion
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OUR VIEW: Public bodies must stop abuse of taxpayer money
Most private businesses have quit paying for employees to attend these kinds of conventions, and public bodies need to follow suit.
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Students learn valuable lessons outside classroom
The C.O.O.L. program in Sharon is a useful model for other districts looking for ways to prepare students for life in and out of school.
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Too hot? It’s much preferred over d-d-dead of w-w-winter
Summer is great. I’ve never hidden my affinity for the hot days and warm nights and all that the season has to offer. When I returned last week from Clearwater Beach, Fla., some of my co-workers said it was hotter in Mercer County than it was on the Gulf. I was dismayed that my friends were complaining.
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OUR VIEW: Arts fest just one of great cultural events in county
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Keeping up back home easy now for vacationers
Remember when people used to go on vacation, and pretty much be out of touch with things back home? Boy, have times changed for most of us.
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Good Samaritan turned away for fear of lawsuit
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OUR VIEW: Turning out some lights will save taxpayers money
Shutting off a few lights is a smarter way to cut costs than laying off employees who keep the city safe.
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Exercising our freedom includes eating what we want
Fast-food restaurants across the country have been besieged to offer healthy alternatives, crispy salads and such to vegetable-based choices. Building on successful lawsuits filed against tobacco companies, such litigation against fast-food restaurants started to accelerate in the 1990s. People were suing the restaurants, claiming that the food caused them to be fat.
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Taxpayers must decry unrealistic school spending
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Young and old alike enjoy lunchtime concert series
As I walked down to the “Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series” at noon Wednesday from The Herald, I had to smile as I heard a song by “The Letterman” playing through a loudspeaker outside Penn-Ohio Cigar Shop on East State Street.
The concerts are being held each Wednesday in front of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (old Columbia Theatre), which is owned by Tony Butala, the Sharon native who founded The Lettermen. - More Opinion Headlines
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OUR VIEW: Public bodies must stop abuse of taxpayer money
