For The Ol’ Opera House…

When it comes to movie houses, there is only one that I consider an important historical site. I grew up in the small town of McConnelsville, OH. Like most small towns, McConnelsville doesn’t have a giant multiplex that shows 25 movies with IMAX screens and 3D. What it DOES have is an opera house that has been around since 1892. And a film projector that has been installed since the 1930′s. Aaaannnnd apparently it might also have a ghost or two but THAT is a story for a different day…

The Opera House has always been dear to my heart. Growing up in such a small town, I spent many days running around that town square and, when I wasn’t hanging out at the video arcade on the corner, I was drinking Mr. Pibb & eating popcorn for a quarter at the old Opera House. Who can imagine how many movies I saw there. One of the movies that sticks in my head was a “holiday” film that was screened after the Christmas parade called “Santa Clause Conquers The Martians.” Originally released in 1964, this ridiculous film was about as weird as it sounds but for whatever reason, I remember seeing it in that old theater. I also saw “ET,” “Star Wars,” and hundreds of other movies including a little movie called “Tarzan, The Ape Man” that starred Bo Derek in 1981 and had considerably more nudity in it than my Mom thought I should be seeing at my age (13).

Hmmm…wonder what’s in there?

Anyway…ahem…so…where was I? Oh yeah…the Opera House. Okay…so flash forward to 2013. Apparently Hollywood is shutting down the film industry. No, no…they’re not NOT making movies anymore. They are literally not using film anymore. The days of actually using 35MM film is almost over and old movie houses across the country are being forced to update or else they won’t be able to show movies anymore (well…except for old films like “Santa Clause Conquers The Martians”…which IS a classic). So here’s where YOU come in. I’m looking for a little effort to keep this awesome movie house open for this community which deserves to have it keep its doors open.

It’s not a toaster…it’s a projector!

If you are a fan of history and have a place in your heart for the past, I am asking that you take a moment and donate for the cause of this amazing establishment. Trust me when I tell you it’s worthy of a few of your dollars. It’s a testament to our times that places like this are closing their doors at an alarming rate. It’s important that the history of our country is preserved in more ways than just museums and mausoleums. A place like the Twin City Opera House stands as an open door to our past. It showcases what we were and how far we’ve come. Granted, if I had MY way, it would show old 35MM films for the rest of time but, in some cases, the future dictates what we have to do and moving forward in this case isn’t the worst thing that could happen. This is a great opportunity to benefit a caring community and help keep a showcase of its past open to the public.

Here is the link. Please donate and if you are ever in southeast Ohio, you should stop by and visit the ol’ Opera House. It’s worth the trip. And then swing over to the Blue Bell Restaurant. They used to have great ice cream. Of course, that was 30 years ago but hey…some things never change!

The theater lobby

The First Of The Best

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. The 80′s made us do it!!!

If you’re on Facebook, odds are you are my friend. I’ve made a lot of friends and acquaintances through the years and I can honestly say I have been very lucky to be able to call so many of them my friends. But the fact of the matter is, not unlike so many people my age, there are only so many of my friends now who I truly consider to be my BEST friends. Through the years, I would have to say…after a nationwide tally…I have 14 people I can consider to be my very best friends. They were there when I was a kid, growing up in my small town of McConnelsville, OH. They were there with me through my high school years in Zanesville and my college years. They were with me through my work years in Dayton & Cincinnati. And there is one now who I consider to be my best friend of my adult years. Obviously, not everyone can be your best friend. It takes a qualified person. Someone who gets you in all your glory. Someone who gets you when you’re down. Someone who gets you when you’re an ass. Obviously the one closest to you should be your spouse, and I’m happy to say that she IS one of my best friends. Granted, I drive her completely insane at times however it’s safe to say that if I need to talk about something, Stephanie is always there to listen. But other than her, who are the people who I trust completely? Well…

First and foremost, the reason I’m writing this post is not out of the goodness of my own heart unfortunately. The people who are on the sacred “Best Friends” list ARE my bestest buds however most of them already know this and don’t really need me to post about it. But with that being said, I was told last night that my very first best friend suffered a stroke this week and is in the hospital in Columbus. Mason was the kid next door. He was a year younger than me. But we both had a love for comic books, riding our bikes and exploring in the fields and woods behind my house out on old Airport Road in McConnelsville. We spent a lot of time together in my early years, playing dodgeball with his brothers, listening to records (his brother introduced me to George Carlin and the things you CAN’T say on television) and watching Saturday morning cartoons. His Mom was always giving me food and he had a dog named Major who had a doghouse outside in the backyard and he kind of scared me a little bit.

I remember all of these things in not-so-vivid color but somewhere in the recesses of my mind they all came bubbling up after I received word last night of his stroke. It’s funny how time goes by and you don’t really think about someone until they’re in the hospital. Actually, since the inception of Facebook, Mason and I have been in contact and we play “Hanging With Friends” together. I haven’t seen him in probably 20+ years but I know where he is and what he is up too. But tomorrow I am going to go visit him in the hospital. For the first time since that picture at the top of this post was taken, I will see him in what is probably his worst state and I can’t even begin to say how much that saddens me. Mason is my first best friend and there is nothing that can change that. He was there when we fell in the stream behind our house, got soaked and then both got in trouble for it. He was there when the killer cow charged us as we scampered up a tree in the pasture. He was there when I was too scared to ride the “Spin In A Circle And Get Sick” ride at the county fair. And he was the first to teach me several crude jokes that I can’t even get into here (having older brothers definitely had its advantages!).

He was there for all of it. And now I want to be there for him. I haven’t been around for many years but now I want to see him again. It’s been a long time coming.

As for all my other best friends? I’m going to make more of an effort to see them as much as I can. I plan on having lunch with my high school best friend tomorrow. I haven’t seen Chuck in quite some time (since our last reunion maybe? That’s crazy Chuck!). Next month I’m going to New York with my best friend from college. I see JT a couple times a year if I can and I talk to him whenever he can fit me into his endless stream of conference calls and answering emails. I like to hang with my buddy Newman whenever he can find the time. He lives here in Cincinnati but being a new daddy has its advantages and disadvantages. The “disadvantages” being he doesn’t have much time for himself! But I completely understand this and I know he and I will be hanging out again at some point (although with his wife expecting their first daughter here soon, it might be a little bit longer than I thought! LOL!). I see my “other” wife, Janet, at work quite a bit during the summer months. She has been through a lot in the past few years but she’s an amazing woman and a great friend and I owe her lunch…again…at some point here very soon. Shayne lives in my backyard (actually one street over) and is married to one of my best college friends who has a twin sister who is ALSO a great friend and then he has a brother who is ALSO a great friend but oddly enough, with my work schedule and all of our kids’ schedules, I haven’t seen ANY of them most of this winter. I imagine we’ll be firing up the grill here at some point and things will fall back into place like they always do when dudes get together to eat hamburgers and have a few drinks.

So that’s only 7…right? Well…I DO come from a large family and whenever I truly need a lifeline, I always have my Mom, my Dad, my brother and my 4 sisters to lean on whenever I need an ear to bend. I consider myself truly one of the luckiest guys in the world to have the family that I do and I know if there ever was a time that I needed ANYTHING, they would be there for me. Much the same as I want them to know I am here for them.

So there you go. ALL of my best friends. Some are farther away than others but I consider myself blessed to have them all in my life somehow. And now, I plan on seeing 2 of them tomorrow. One is in the hospital and I can’t wait to see him and I pray for a quick recovery. The other I haven’t seen in a while and THAT needs to change! Overall, this is a fine group of people and I love them all. And to Mason…I hope you have a speedy recovery and a long life. And if you need me? I’m always a phone call (or email) away. Oh…and you were right. Marvel comics ARE better than DC Comics. Just sayin’…

McConnelsville, Ohio

Many, many, many years ago, I lived in a very small town called McConnelsville. It’s a piece of Americana, this town. A couple of stop signs, still has the old hardware store, time runs a little slower there. And it is towns such as these that make our country the great place that it is. Not a lot of action takes place in McConnelsville. Occasionally some motorcycles blare through the square, motors revving, and that is about as crazy as it gets.

I remember back when I was about my son’s age, my dad would take me in to work with him and I would have run of the town. My parents owned a restaurant on the square (The Blue Bell) and dad had to be at work 5:30am. No one wakes before 7am in this little burg (unless you live on a farm), so I could ride my bike all over the place without fear of traffic or pedestrians. It’s little memories like these that came rushing back this past weekend when most of my family (Amber had to work, Ruth is too busy in Florida catching sharks) made the trek to visit the McConnelsville 4th of July Festival.

The Court House

A few things have changed in this small town, with one being the time that the festival actually takes place. Instead of being an all day affair, it is now whittled down to only a few hours in the evening, so we missed playing Bingo and “Spin The Wheel” for candy. But we managed to eat at the ol’ Blue Bell (still running after all these years) and visiting the home where we used to live (my parents built a home out on Airport Road back in the 70′s).

Both my parents agree…it ain’t as good as when THEY owned the Blue Bell…

It was fun seeing the hometown again. The Armory is closed where I used to spend hours of my days playing basketball and the Opera House  theater is under renovations (but we snuck in anyway to take pictures) but the feel of the town is still the same. Life is simpler there and the memories of it are etched into my brain for as long as I live.

The Armory. Basketball court upstairs. Unlocked door in the back. (But don’t tell anyone…)

The Opera House STILL doesn’t have air conditioning! So awesome…

So we snuck in. Nobody seemed to care. The lobby is  still the same! What a beautiful place!

McConnelsville, OH is a nice place to visit and get yourself a meal at the Blue Bell. Tell ‘em Alan sent ya. They might look at you like you’re insane, but that’s ok. In a town as small as McConnelsville, I’m sure you won’t be the first to get a sideways glance! LOL

One of my former babysitters. Apparently I haven’t changed much. I dunno if that is a good thing…?