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Category: Local Interest

Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).

The American Freedom Train: Patriotic Nostalgia

The American Freedom Train: Patriotic Nostalgia

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As this Independence Day draws near, I hearken back to a time when America threw probably its biggest celebration party to date – the Bicentennial celebration.  Yes, in 1976, the nation went wild with festivals and celebrations for the nation’s 200th birthday, and in the days before cell phones, YouTube, or Go Pros, one had to actually visit the special events going on around the country to experience the pomp, circumstance, and majesty of the spectacle. Remember the “Tall Ships”? …

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The American Shopping Mall: Dying a Slow and Painful Death

The American Shopping Mall: Dying a Slow and Painful Death

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Remember when the shopping mall was THE place to be?  One could have it all – clothing, sporting goods, home goods, shoes, even check out the latest movie.  Big-name department stores anchored each end of the mall, and smaller specialty shops filled all of the spaces in between.  You could eat at your favorite fast-food outlet or grab a snack from a nationally-known kiosk.  The mall was also a social gathering place.  Teens flocked there – to see and be…

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The World of Retail: How’s it Going?

The World of Retail: How’s it Going?

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As I have written about in previous articles, I am spending the summer as a seasonal employee for a big-box home improvement store (the blue one) in the “inside seasonal” section of the store.  I assist customers with their purchases of everything from lawn chemicals and bug killer to lawn mowers, trimmers, air conditioners, and air filters. Yes, it’s a busy section – and a busy time of the year.  Veterans of the store refer to the summer season as…

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Memorial Day: Take a Few Moments to Remember What it Really Stands For

Memorial Day: Take a Few Moments to Remember What it Really Stands For

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There’s a long holiday weekend coming up.  It’s the “unofficial” kick-off of another summer season.  Memorial Day weekend will be marked around the country with cook-outs, the uncovering of swimming pools, and an extra day off from work to celebrate the impending warm weather ahead. Amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle; however, I urge you to take a few moments to understand and remember what the holiday is really all about.   Celebrated on the last Monday in May,…

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Theater Etiquette: I Think You Know Where This is Going

Theater Etiquette: I Think You Know Where This is Going

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I recently had the privilege of attending the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts (BISFA) spring production of “Seussical: The Musical” at the Maryland Theatre.  Let me say that if you’ve never attended one of their shows – you should (they also do a wonderful “Holiday Spectacular” at Christmas).  These kids are putting out top-quality entertainment and are all extremely talented.  Honestly, you’ll forget they are high school kids in less than five minutes.  Some of them are definitely bound…

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The World of Retail: There Are All Kinds of People

The World of Retail: There Are All Kinds of People

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So I’m about a month into my seasonal gig as a Customer Service Associate for a major home improvement chain (the blue one, not the orange one).  To put it bluntly, it has been an interesting few weeks.  Now, I have been around a lot of businesses in my time, and I’d like to think I know a thing or two about customer service (no matter what the product).  For many years, I worked for an entertainment giant that epitomizes…

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Paintball: A Sport on the Verge of Extinction Rises Again for a New Era

Paintball: A Sport on the Verge of Extinction Rises Again for a New Era

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It was an overcast and gloomy morning in the mountain woods.  Viewing silently from my elevated position, I could see the enemy moving along the bottom of the ridgeline.  Working slowly from behind trees and ground cover, they were attempting to flank members of my squad who were engaged with other combatants to my left and further downslope.  My team’s attention was focused on the short bursts of rounds being thrown at them from hidden positions to their front, so…

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A Front Porch Love Affair

A Front Porch Love Affair

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As the weather continues to warm up, I realize that I’ve been missing something over the winter that will soon be back in season – the front porch. Front porches are traditional, very “old school” Americana, and are one of things that I think makes a house a home.  If you don’t have one, you’re really missing out.  Sure, you can have a fantastic back patio with a pool, fire-pit, and even a canopy with lots of twinkling lights, but…

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Returning to the World of Work: A New Chapter

Returning to the World of Work: A New Chapter

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First off, my apologies for not keeping to my regular schedule of two posts a week over the past fortnight.  Truth be told, I have re-entered the workforce and have been trying to adjust to the new schedule. For those of you who may not have known, I spent over 23 years in the IT field.  Last June, my former employer (whose three letter company is also known as “Big Blue”) decided that my services were no longer required and…

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Daylight Savings Time: Why Are We Still Doing This?

Daylight Savings Time: Why Are We Still Doing This?

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I case you didn’t know it yet (and by now you do, seeing as you’ve been an hour late to all your appointments for the past 24 hours), this past Sunday morning marked the beginning of yet another season of Daylight Savings Time.  You now have until November 5th, 2017 to fool yourself into believing you have an “extra” hour of daylight every day from now until then. Daylight Savings Time (DST) is a practice that was suggested as early…

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