Today is America Recycles Day so I visited the Waukesha County Materials Recycling Facility to see what was going on at the open house.

A year and a half ago I had my first tour of the facility and enjoyed it so much that I returned for more. Maybe it was because our small group was the last of the day - we weren't feeling rushed - but we asked so many questions that I had to ask yet one more: Has anyone asked more questions than us?  answer: YES! You get a group of 30 cubscouts and there's no end to the questions.

We were fortunate that our tour leader had all the answers. No surprise considering our leader was none other than Waukesha's champion recycler, Recycle Raccoon. He wasn't easy to recognize though, as he was disguised as a woman.

Analiese told us they see more newspapers in plastic when it's raining, but they'd prefer the paper to be wet than with those machine-clogging bags. They also get a lot of TV remotes in with the papers. I wonder why?

We talked at length about acceptable plastics #1 and #2 because it took a while to sink in. Or maybe because the average consumer doesn't know the difference between blow molded and injection molded plastic. So we're told all bottles #1 and #2 are OK. Only bottles. What about jugs or plastic coffee cans? It's a gray area that doesn't really have to be perfect because they can have some mixed in. Plus, that's why there are sorters. Blow molded is recyclable, injection molded is not.

After being reassured that the blue plastic recycling bins being handing out were recycled and recyclable, I helped myself to one. When I'm ready to give up on my old, broken bin all I have to do is put it out with other recyclables and they'll collect it for recycling.

Speaking of recycling: Next weekend, Nov. 22nd and 23rd, St. Vincent de Paul will be collecting used clothing and other fabric at St. William, 440 N. Moreland, for a "Bundle Sunday." This is a perfect opportunity to get rid of clothes, sheets, etc., that are no longer useable. Anything not resellable in the thrift store will be bundled and sold to fabric recyclers to support the good that St. Vincent does. 

If you're over 50, pregnant, a healthcare worker, or in a high risk group you can get your flu shot at St. William this weekend. Anyone concerned about their health can get a shot. And while you're there check out the huge Annual Craft Fair where over 50 exhibitors will be demonstrating and displaying their unique and beautiful wares. (Bring your appetite for the bakery and hot, juicy, turkey sandwiches.)

The Fall Blood Drive at St. William will be Monday, Nov. 10th, from 3:30 to 7:30 in the Parish Hall. We really need your help with this one. Every 2 seconds someone needs blood. 17 year olds can donate (or 16 with permission.) No upper age limit to donate. If you get a flu shot you can still donate, there is no waiting period. Call Kathy at 547-2763 x203 with questions.

Flu shots are 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1st, and 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Sun., Nov. 2nd.

Christian Women's Craft Fair is Sat. Nov. 1st, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

My oldest says people in Waukesha sure run a lot of red lights. I said that's nothing compared to Milwaukee.

A co-worker recently purchased a beautiful new 2008 car after years of mechanical problems with their old one. This morning he told the story of getting hit last night on the way home from work. A woman ran a red and clipped the front of the car on his side. His wife was driving. The woman didn't think police should be called but a witness from a nearby auto dealership suggested they do it anyway.

By now the drill is all too familiar. Plates not matching the vehicle. License revoked... If it weren't for the police showing up she wouldn't have been nabbed for the bottle of pills and bag of weed she tossed from the car.

And my fellow co-worker has yet to make his first car payment.

Two days ago I was racing my bike on Sixth St. past the Harley Museum after work. I was trying to catch the next bus to Waukesha so I wouldn't miss the talk by Wisconsin's first female lieutenant governor,which was held at St. William's. I didn't stop for the just-turned red because an SUV in the intersection was turning, thus blocking all traffic from the intersecting Canal Street. Little did I expect a full-size van, doing around 40 and heading south on Sixth, to shoot the red with the turning SUV in it's sights.

The van saved wear and tear on it's brakes by just swerving around the SUV. Unfortunately for me, that meant he was swerving in my lane and heading toward me at about 40 mph. If my heart wasn't already racing from the bike ride... 

I made it to the talk in one piece. Very nice woman. Energetic and enlightening. What a great speaker. Worth every risk I took getting there.

Plenty of bargains at the St. William rummage sale, 440 N Moreland Blvd.. The sale will run 8:00 till 6:00 this Thursday, May 1st, through Saturday, May 3rd. I've already previewed some of the items and it looks like it will be a good one. For best selection get there early. For best price show up Saturday.

Also, it's not too early to reserve a time for a blood donation. St. William's is hosting a Monday, May 12th BloodCenter of Wisconsin blood dirive at the parish between 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. They're accepting platelets or whole blood. Call 547-2763 x203 to make an appt.. 

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Hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter. I did. Sun out. Family over for Easter turkey. It was a nice quiet day here.

Went to the Easter Vigil mass last night at St. William with Mom and Sis. It was Father Jason's first leading of the Easter Triduum, and from what I saw last evening he did a great job. During the 2-1/4 hour service he blessed fire, water, oil, the Easter Candle, the congregation, altar and catechumens, bread and wine. He baptized four people, distributed first communion to several others and welcomed still more into adulthood in the church through confirmation. Michael played the pipe organ and piano to a full house and the choir sounded great. It was a good experience made even better by seeing so many familiar faces. One familiar face was missing though; Father Leonard isn't feeling well, wasn't there. Prayers for Father.

Note: The confirmation I mentioned above is not the same service my small group and the 80 or so other Waukesha Catholic kids have been preparing for. They will have their own special mass one week from today with Archbishop Timothy Dolan presiding. To say I'm looking forward to it is an understatement. 

I share this machine with two teenagers and a cat, so that could explain why I haven't been doing a lot of writing lately. Fortunately, Pepi just stays put where it's warm atop the monitor, or I'd still be waiting. Now that I have the time though, thought I'd talk about what I did last weekend.

Much of what I do on weekends I hear about first on WaukeshaNOW, and last week was no exception. I find that the site's community events description is a little more in depth and easier to access than the alternative.

I went to the UWW play God Willing: A Twology not because I'd heard it was good or even because I'd heard of it before. I checked it out because it promised to be different. Two avante-garde plays in one with seating on the stage for the audience. I won't try to describe it because I can't. I can't relate it to anything I've seen before. It was entertaining, serious and thought-provoking. It was intimate and dark, quiet and loud. I guess you could say it was a good play for the university because they tried something outside "normal" and it was a good experiment. 

Saturday morning I joined my confirmation group for a service project at Jeremy House, a homeless shelter for individuals with mental issues on Moreland Blvd. We prepared breakfast for the guests and learned more about the facility. It was a worthwhile experience for all of us, and fun too.

After mass last Sunday I interviewed candidates for confirmation to see if they had any thoughts, good or bad, on the whole process and to make sure they grew spiritually in this last year of preparation. Tomorrow is confirmation rehearsal.

Later Sunday I attended Waukesha Choral Union's production of Handel's Messiah while not realizing what I came to see and hear. I penciled the Carroll College event on my calendar because WaukeshaNOW made it sound good and, the best part, it was free. I arrived after the last of the programs had been handed out and, because I've never been to "Messiah" before, didn't recognize it. Bumping into a friend at intermission, I mentioned how religious all the pieces were. "Well, it is Messiah. The whole concert is related to the bible, starting with the Old Testament and ending with the New." She showed me the program and every aria, recitation and chorus was straight from a bible verse or psalm. Up to this point the one thing I knew about "Messiah" was the Hallelujah Chorus. Two and a half hours after the start of this concert I was much better informed. It's a monumental production with orchestra, pipe organ, soloists with community members joining the chorus. The concert was fully funded by donations from individuals and businesses. It was director Gregory Carpenter's last production of Messiah. His last production with the Choral Union will be in celebration of Mozart's 250th birthday: Mozart's Requiem at St. Joe's Church in Waukesha, May 4th, with orchestra and soloist. I'm going to pencil this one in too, and hope I don't forget why.  

By now Mrs. Lee is wondering if I'm seeing someone because of being gone so much last weekend. (The family is always invited, but my tastes often differ from theirs.) I later attended Vespers, or evening prayer, at St. William. It's something I've not done before and my family wouldn't have enjoyed either. It was an interesting mix of hymns, readings, reflection and incense. All the prayer without the hassle.

After Vespers I joined 80 to 90 others from my parish to learn about Judaism and Jewish traditions in a Seder meal, something I've wanted to try but never had the chance. I felt this Lent was a good time to understand the roots of my own faith and this was a wonderful way to do it. The nicest Jewish couple, Sherry and David, led us on this trip to the past. Seder, the Passover meal, is full of lessons and history, details, ancestors, special diet and ways of preparation. I'd have to say everything had meaning and relevance and the meal was history come to life. Everything was performed in order, involved the oldest to the youngest, was entertaining and lasted about 2-1/2 hours. The education we received and meeting Sherry and David was wonderful. This meal was far more involved than any other meal I've shared, and I would happily do it again.  

The theme of the weekend seemed to lean toward religion. Not a bad thing with Holy Week beginning tomorrow.

I suspect churches are at their most crowded this time of year, Christmas only a couple days off. If you plan on going to the 10:45 mass at St. William, 440 N. Moreland Blvd., this Sunday morning the 23rd, make sure to leave plenty early if you want to find a seat. Milwaukee Archdiocese's newest auxiliary bishop, Bishop-elect William P. Callahan, was ordained yesterday and will celebrate his first mass as bishop at St. William. As the new bishop's name is William and ours is the only parish in the Archdiocese named St. William, Father Leonard invited him and he accepted.

I'm not kidding. If you want to find parking or a seat don't leave home a couple minutes before mass like I usually do. And that goes for Christmas also.

Christmas schedule at St. William:  Monday 12/24  -  3:00 Children's Choir concert. 3:30 and 5:30 Christmas Vigil masses. 9:30 p.m. Adult Choir concert and 10:00 p.m. Midnight Mass.          Christmas day  -  9:00 and 10:45 a.m. masses.

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My parish, St. Williams, 440 N. Moreland, will be the place to be this Saturday, and I won't be there.

In the morning will be the largest toy distribution I've ever seen. For the fourth or fifth year St. William is hosting the Waukesha County Christmas Clearing Council. The gym starts filling Thursday, and by Saturday there are thousands of toys waiting for needy families to come and shop. By 5:00 p.m. Saturday it will all be cleaned up and gone. It's a good thing that's incredible to see and help with.

The Jubilate Chorale will be performing a beautiful Christmas concert at St. William also this Saturday the 15th. The concert will feature the world premiere of new work as well as familiar carols in new arrangements. It sounds too good to be true. The more I read and hear about it, the more I want to be there. My only hope is to catch it in Oconomowoc on Sunday as I'll be out of town Saturday. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. and is $12.00.  This is the one! If you have time for just one concert this holiday season make it this one. Click on the above links to hear the chorale or to read Laurel Walker's 12/9 column.

I hope that if I don't see you at this concert it's because I'm out of town, and not because you didn't go. I need someone to tell me about it when I get back.

Fortunately I don't have too many issues with my health . . . unless I'm thinking about it. If I try to remain healthy for a particular day I end up concentrating too much on it and the stress it causes makes me ill. So it is with blood donations. I make an appointment in advance while I'm feeling good but as the day approaches every sniffle makes me wonder if I'm feeling well enough to donate.

 With blood donations not only do you have to feel well the day of but also for three days after - not always easy considering you now have one pint less liquid to fight infection with. I did feel well enough to donate at the St. William drive Monday though. It was the first time the BloodCenter had offered us the opportunity to give a double-red donation at St. William and I was the only one to take advantage of it there. My donation may have taken twice as long as a pint of whole blood, but the donation interval is also twice as long; every 16 weeks versus 8 weeks. And the needle is smaller. And they treated me so well.

Now that the donation is over with, I just have to remain healthy enough to watch the parade sponsored by the BloodCenter Sunday at 4:00 in Downtown Waukesha, (where it's still OK to call a Christmas parade a Christmas parade.) If I manage to remain healthy for the parade, high temps for the day - 41 degrees, I could be tempted up to UWW for hot chocolate and fireworks just after the parade. We watched the fireworks from the hill south of the campus last year and really enjoyed it.

I've wrote before of how difficult it is to get fire trucks into a church parking lot when there's a mass on. It's even more of a challenge when one mass has ended and people are arriving for the next. Add a popular craft fair to the mix and things could get dicey. Of course, the greater the concentration of people in an area the better the chance for someone needing assistance - it seems to only happen when it's most difficult to get an engine through.

I was enjoying the craft fair at St. William yesterday, meeting people, shopping and picking up a hot turkey sandwich and some soup when I came across what I thought was a health demonstration. A person was lying on the gym floor being cared for by a nurse, but the scene so calm that I dismissed it as practice or something. Just seconds after the nurse confirmed to me that it was a demonstration, EMT's walked in and I knew right then something serious had happened - or this was one elaborate demonstration.

So I keep hearing the announcement that a Hyundai is illegally parked and can someone move it. Then they announce that it's blocking the fire truck. Someone must have run a plate check, because now they're announcing by name and they should get out there NOW!

Home now, my son asks if I saw his friend.

I don't know. Which booth was she at. Was she selling something? I saw just about all the displays.

She was helping out as needed. Didn't have a booth. She has dark curly hair and was there between ten and twelve. (Same time I was there.)

Sorry Nick, I don't recall.

Nick calls his friend when he gets home from a sleep-over. She was the one on the gym floor! She's fine.

If the nice weather gets you out of the house this weekend consider coming to St. William Parish, between Summit and Michigan Street on North Moreland, for the Christian Women Craft and Bake Sale. The sale runs 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday the 3rd and 8:30 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. Sunday the 4th. Besides tons of crafts filling the gym and Parish Hall, there are some really great turkey sandwiches being served, plus lots of bakery to choose from.

Also this weekend; flu shots after all the masses.

Coming Nov. 12th, Monday, is the next Blood Center of Wisconsin blood drive at St. William. They will be taking donations from 3:30 to 7:30. Please consider it.

  

There's always something happening at St. William's, my home parish at 440 N. Moreland. Last weekend was the rummage sale. Today we hosted the St. Matthias meal for the needy and tomorrow is blessing of animals in observance of the Feast Day of St. Francis. This Sat. at 6:00 p.m. is wine and cheese and Sunday is a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to noon -- both in the Parish Hall, and both a fundraiser for Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County's new kitchen.

I'll be helping out in the kitchen Sunday for a couple hours, but may have to miss linking with fellow parishioners for the Life Chain on Bluemound between 2:00 and 3:00.

The following Sunday, the fourteenth, should be interesting. J. Christ will be in the Parish Hall and the Packers will be in the gym! Jennifer Christ will be talking about the rosary at 10:00 a.m. and the Packer game will be shown in the gym at noon. Tickets for the game are only $5.00 at the door and include a brat or hot dog, chips, soda, etc. There's a movie and sitter for the kiddies and raffle for the big people. The game is a Home and School fundraiser for Waukesha Catholic. Meeting J. Christ is free. As it should be.

 

 

The St. William spring rummage begins in two hours, 8:00 to 6:00 today and Friday, and 8:00 to 3:00 Saturday. I'm stopping after work today because I saw something I must have, but the usual day I prefer is Saturday when everything is discounted.

Fiday, May 4th, from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., will be St. William's 50th Anniversary Sock Hop. With music provided by the Doo-Wop Daddies, the $15.00 tickets include free beer, soda, and pizza. The Waukesha Old Car Club will make an appearance, there will be a silent auction and a raffle. Children's tickets are only $5.00.

Also, I know they asked people to register, but the free Birds of Prey show at Retzer Nature Center is tonight, Thursday, starting at 7:00. Many more things are happening this Earth Week at Retzer, especially Saturday, so if you want to get outside and have a good time, at no cost, give them a call at 262-896-8007 or stop by.

Hope to see you there.

We all make sacrifices, especially the military, so it's not surprising that groups of three Roman soldiers spent 39 straight hours this weekend guarding Jesus' tomb at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in freezing temperatures. It was in the 20s when we visited during the day Saturday and I'm afraid to think what the nights were like, even with the small fire they had.

This was the second year males of the congregation have come down the hill to Madison Street for two to three hour shifts during the reinactment. The person in charge of the arrangements? None other than Officer Bill Beglinger. Officer Beglinger has strong community ties and our paths cross often, fortunately not from the back seat of his squad! When Bill isn't running for mayor or teaching my son about D.A.R.E., he can be found at Waukesha North as the resource officer or, as in this case, doing other nice things for the community and his church.

Finding a church service on Friday was easy because many Christian churches commemorate the Lord's Passion around 1:00 p.m. I left work around noon and drove a short distance south on Sixth St. in Milwaukee to the Basilica of St. Josephat where the service was well under way. I ended up staying later than most because I planned on the service lasting until 3:00. It was still early when I left so when I approached Lapham Blvd. heading back north I turned left to see if anyone was still at the Congregation of the Great Spirit four blocks up, and they were. The service was still going strong because they incorporate many Native traditions which takes longer, and they don't usually start mass until everyone has arrived.

There's obvious differences between the two churches. The highlight of the Basilica was the solemnity of the procedings and music and the beauty of the art and architecture. The Congregation of the Great Spirit is more relaxed and unassuming. We didn't share a sign of peace or join hands for the Lord's Prayer at the Basilica, but at the Congregation of the Great Spirit it's possible to shake hands with everyone during the several minute sign of peace. Also, at the Congregation it's important to form a complete and unbroken chain during the Lord's Prayer.

Easter mass at my home parish was nothing special. We arrived plenty early because we knew we'd have to stand if we didn't. We found as many cars exiting from the previous mass as entering for the next, a real traffic jam, and we were lucky to get in and parked. Just as we left our car we saw an ambulance trying to work it's way into the one lane driveway clogged with cars. As soon as it got in we saw one, then another, fire engine trying the same thing, and one actually made it. Right about now I'm hoping the cars are leaving because mass was over and not because something's burning! It turns out an elderly woman had passed out in the long, crowded mass. I'm praying she's going to be OK.

St. William Parish, 440 N. Moreland Blvd., is holding a blood drive tomorrow, Nov. 6th, from 3:30 to 7:30. Walk-ins are more than welcome. Especially needed is type O blood as there is just a one day supply. Get your free bandages, juice and cookies!

Today at St. William is the last couple hours of their Annual Craft and Bake Sale. It is an incredibly popular event that attracts over 50 vendors and lots of shoppers. If you missed it there's plenty of other opportunities around town:

Saturday, November 11th, is Bells of St. Mary's, Waukesha, Holiday Craft Fair from 9:00 - 3:00.

Sunday, Nov. 12th, from 8:30 to 3:00 is the Magical Holiday Fair at St. Leonard in Muskego.

Also Sunday, Nov. 12th, is the Country Christmas Craft Fair at St. Gabriel Parish in Hubertus from 9:00 to 3:00.

In two weeks is the Whittier Elementary School Festive Fall Craft Fair on Sat., Nov. 18th, from 10:00 to 4:00. Whittier is the school on East Ave. in Waukesha not far from South High.

Traffic on Grandview Blvd. is moving again after a summer long utility upgrade. Life seems back to normal on the street; Water Doctors held their 25th anniversary open house this last weekend, the Eagles Club is hosting a craft fair this weekend in their newly refurbished clubhouse and police are once again watching the speeders. As much as the construction inconvenienced me, I'll miss the walks Sir Fido and I took down the middle of the closed street.

After five days at Brookfield's Civic Plaza, the moving Moving Wall is moving. The half sized Vietnam Veterans Memorial left today. Fifty-eight thousand names of American men and women, it's something everyone should try to visit at least once when it's again in the area.

I picked up a Waukesha County Cultural Passport (not to mention 7 varieties of apples and 3 gallons of cider) from Retzer Nature Center so I guess I'm moving now.

Two weeks ago my mom was moving. She gave me a bed. My in-laws moved so I gave them the bed. They had an extra washer and drier so I took the drier. The washer will be heading down to Kentucky where, along with other appliances, will help the needy of a sister parish in Beattyville. (Still looking for the use of a truck to haul the appliances, by the way.)

A family I met Saturday morning had just moved and had no furniture. I mentioned to them that there was decent furniture at the end of their drive. It was the end of the month and whoever was moving obviously couldn't take everything with them. I also mentioned that, because I was volunteering the last day of the St. William Fall Rummage, I may also be able to find them some household goods. After five hours working the rummage sale I stopped back to the family and found they had a new sectional and entertainment center from the curb. It was an amazing transformation. When I met them in the morning we were sitting on the floor, the only furniture a play pen. When I left in the evening, almost no place left to sit on the floor.

The St. William rummage, and other sales like it, provide a good community service. Low prices benefit people who don't have a lot to spend. Donating to the sale benefits people who have too much by helping clean out their basements. Some of the leftovers went to Clothes for Kids, others to the family I met through St. Vincent De Paul. But the majority of the remaining goods went to Goodwill. I just wish that when Goodwill said they'd take a truckload that they would've taken the truckload and not sent it away half full.

It took all day to realize but I had a good day today. Found a dollar among some plants outside Midwest Express Center and got a free case of soda from the manager at Pick 'n Save by pointing out the wrong price on the shelf label. Doesn't take much to make me happy.

You don't have to be that lucky to find a bargain. Hidden treasures await you at the semiannual parish rummage sale starting Thursday 9/28 at St. William, 440 N. Moreland Blvd.

Even though the best selection can be found Thursday and Friday between 8:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m., the best bargains are on the last day, Saturday the 30th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. when everything is marked half price. I've been know to stop first thing Saturday morning to grab a good deal on a bike.

The St. William rummage isn't the only bargain in town Thursday through Saturday. Weisgerber's Gasthaus has set up a tent in their parking lot at the corner of Grandview and Silvernail for their first Octoberfest. The event is free but, to raise funds for a museum, the food and beverages are extra.

See you there.

I spent last night in Waukesha Memorial Hospital but thanks to HIPA can't tell you why. I can say that I'm fine and the person I was visiting is also fine. It was a busy night there Wednesday night. Heat related? The hospital had only 75 fans to hand out and ran out so I went home for one of mine at midnight. They're taking good care of us there and everything should be back to normal in a couple days.

I see that Gethsemane United Methodist Church of Pewaukee was holding an "Undee Sunday" clothing drive. Finally, someone willing to take your "holey" underwear!

Speaking of church, my church got pretty drenched in last Thursday's downpour. The basement had 18" of water, soaking the six boilers. The newly cleaned carpets in the hall and office also got wet. Of course the pastor was out of town when it happened and didn't hear about it right away. Instead of all hell breaking loose when the pastor's gone, "all heaven broke loose."

I've known Michael Hey for quite some time. Was at the hospital when he was born - my son and Michael were both born on the same day, same hospital.

Michael has a very special talent he's been sharing with us at St. William for several years now. Michael is a gifted organ and piano player and, at only 15 years old, is at least a prodigy if not also blessed.

Michael will be performing a special pipe organ and piano concert this Sunday, July 16th, at 3:00. I'm recommending the performance to anyone who enjoys classical music or loves hearing the pipe organ. The concert will be in the choir loft of St. William Church, 440 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha.

Hope to see you there.

I heard Ben K. play his guitar last year on a Friday and again this last Friday during Friday Night Live downtown. I love his playing, especially the entire songs he plays up the neck by hammering-on and pulling-off, but his stage in front of Steaming Cup was way too small.

Even though I loved Ben's playing, my favorite group of the evening was Spring City Grass, a bluegrass group. I loved hearing the two sisters play their fiddles and loved the energy of the stand-up bass player but the amplified jazz band across the street made it difficult for the large Spring City Grass crowd in front of Martha Merrell's to hear the music.

One of the largest applauses of the evening was for a guy riding by on his motorcycle with three small, cute dogs in the sidecar sticking their heads out, and I have to applaud Friday Night Live for bringing people downtown and shopkeepers for staying open late.

The Waukesha Police bike auction was yesterday so I rode one of my bikes over to the Delafield St. station and left with a $5.00 model. The 200 bikes sold for between $1.00 and $150.00. A lot of good deals were had saving large families a lot of cash. I noticed that often the first bidder was also the winning bidder, especially since many bikes sold for a dollar and never got another bid.

Other things noticed while takin the blog for a Wauk.: Les and Bev, my old landlords on Northview, celebrated their anniversary at Texas Roadhouse Saturday. Tam and I celebrated our anniversary at the same place last month. My parish, St. William, celebrates their 49th anniversary today and kicks off the year-long 50th celebration. The parish first met at the Park Theater on this day in 1957.

It was a good weekend with good weather and the only bugs out were fireflies. There was lots to do for everyone but sometimes the best is the unpredictable: The couple in their 20s playing hopscotch on Corrina Blvd., the three girls blowing soap bubbles in the Frame Park Garden, an oriole in the yard, a super deal on a nice bike...