Chatting With the Mayor of Hobbytown

 

   There were at least four places within walking distance of my house that could eat up my allowance.  There was Jack’s Deli, Friendly’s Ice Cream, Mario’s Pizzeria and the Brookdale Hobby Shop.   If there was a way to keep track, I could guarantee that the hobby shop took most of my early savings.

 The Brookdale Hobby Shop or Larry’s as we called it (after the owner) was a goldmine of diversions, especially in the days before video games.  Larry’s had Matchbox cars, slot cars, model cars and all the necessary accessories to keep us coming back.  Even if we dropped fifty cents on a few candy bars at Jack’s, there was still enough change to buy a Rat Fink decal or STP sticker at Larry’s. 

   Larry’s was mostly a bike shop and the smell of fresh rubber tires filled the store but it was the hobby “stuff” that kept us coming back.  That is why I was so anxious to introduce hobbies to my son when he was younger.  We built models on rainy days, constructed slot car raceways on long weekends and often enjoyed a trip to a place called HobbyTown USA to buy the “necessary accessories.”

   The “mayor” of HobbyTown these days is Pete Zellmer, who bought the franchise eight years ago and later moved it to its current location on Central Expressway in Plano. 

   The aisle of trains and wall of models says that HobbyTown is still a place for hobbyists but the interest of customers has been moving away from traditional hobbies says Zelmer.

   “The biggest change I’ve seen in our business is the movement away from project oriented activities. Spending an afternoon (or a week) setting up a model train set is a commitment and is just not as satisfying for kids as it once was.”

   The store still sees a steady business with older hobbyists who build models or run trains as they did as kids.  As that population grows older though, Zellmer sees the sales and shelf space for trains and models dropping off.

   In their place he sees more emphasis on activities that offer instant gratification such as remote controlled cars and helicopters.  Even that has changed as parents and kids prefer to purchase “ready to run” r/c cars instead of building them from kits.

   Still, Zellmer finds many parents and kids who come into the store looking for something engaging that gets kids off the TV and video games.  Science themed activities are among the more popular items he recommends to parents.  Telescopes, science discovery kits and robotics projects are all big sellers.

   It seems logical that a child’s connection today to a WWII airplane just isn’t the same as it was forty years ago but model building in some areas is on the rise.  “Science fiction and fantasy models based on Star Trek or anime’ characters, for example, are selling well,” explains Zellmer.

   Regardless of the activity, the mayor of Hobbytown hopes that parents continue to encourage their children to pursue hobbies, to learn patience and satisfaction for completing a difficult task – even if there is a little glue on the windshield.

Looking To Settle Down Somewhere

    My wife and I used to imagine where we would like to settle down.  Starting with a move from Glassboro, (NJ) to Muncie, (IN), we moved five more times in six years. We bought our first house in Granger (IN) but knew it wouldn’t be our permanent home. 

   We were looking for someplace more “interesting” that had mountains or water or maybe both.  With that in mind, we moved our young family to Allen, Texas.  It was lacking in waterfront lots or mountain views but it also lacked in ice and freezing temperatures – most of the time.

   Twenty years later, Allen is clearly our home but the question of where to settle down still lingers. A better question might be “have we settled down?”  That question is still on the table but we got a good taste of some interesting places this summer with trips to both coasts. 

   Hoping to officially decide if we had settled down, I decided to compare Allen to New York City and Seattle. 

   Thanks to the Zillow phone app, we quickly learned that you pay a price for “interesting” on both coasts.  A new high rise in Manhattan called One57 is selling its basic condos for $16 million each.  The penthouse sold for $100 million.  For the regular folks, the median price of a condo in NYC is currently $1.7 million. The median home price in Seattle in June was $504,000 compared to $242,000 for Allen. (Allen +1)

   There are approximately 1,600 pizza restaurants (pizzerias to the locals) in New York City.  If there are  restaurants in Seattle, they are probably located behind coffee shops.  Seattle claims 2.5 coffee shops for every thousand restaurants.  That figures up to 1,600 coffee shops.  Allen’s restaurant count is about 200. (NYC +1)

  Most would agree that scenic views on the prairie are probably not Allen’s best selling point. NYC high rises offer great views at night but the daytime views of New Jersey or Queens can’t compare to Seattle’s views of water, islands and Mount Ranier.  (Seattle +1)

   The down side of islands and water views are bridges and tunnels. Therefore, commuter  traffic is predictably bad in NYC and surprisingly worse in Seattle.   My morning commute in Allen is 1 mile and requires no tolls.  (Allen +1)

   New York City has Broadway, Seattle has grunge music and Allen is still searching for its musical identity. (NYC +1)

   Seattle wins for romantic weekend getaways but New England is a close second.  Pontooning on Texoma just doesn’t have the same romantic charm although some might argue that point.(Seattle +1)

   One final category would be sports bragging rights.  Seattle earned bragging rights for the 2014 Super Bowl but lost some cache with this past year’s super loss.  For all of its sports history, New York City has been quiet in the past ten years with two Super Bowl wins but no hockey, baseball or basketball titles. Allen on the other hand has seen its football team win three consecutive state titles and four in the past seven years. Our Allen Americans also claimed three consecutive hockey titles.  (Allen +1)

   For the moment, Allen is leading for places to settle down…and that’s not such a bad thing

Learning To Let Go

 

I once had an education professor ask how many students could juggle three balls. No one raised their hand.  “Good,” he said. “I want everyone to teach themselves how to juggle within the next two weeks and you will then be graded on how well you juggle in front of the class.

There were no further instructions… just teach yourself to juggle.  It was not an easy assignment and the thought of flubbing the task in front of a class just added to the pressure.  The outcome was predictable as only a few students did something that resembled juggling. 

The purpose of the lesson was to demonstrate how hard it can be to learn a skill without proper instruction and practice. Then add the pressure of a grade and performing in front of others and failure becomes an option. As we were learning to become teachers, the point was to show that something we take for granted, like reading, can be as intimidating to a child as juggling was to us. 

Years later, I found myself remembering that lesson as I tried to teach my son how to ride a two wheel bicycle. I popped off the training wheels and started guiding him and the bicycle across the parking lot at a slow running pace.  I let go and he fell.  We turned around and ran back the other way.  I let go and he fell.

I remember nothing about learning to ride a bicycle myself except my father running up and down the city street alongside me. There was no instruction book or worksheet; just pedal, try not to fall over and aim straight down the middle.  That last goal was important as the street was lined with cars (and many of those still had fins in the early sixties).

My first teaching attempts involved pushing my son across a parking lot and letting go as he ran off into the grass and eventually crashed.  After several more crashes, he wisely pointed out that “this isn’t working dad and it’s not much fun.”

Thanks to the Internet, parents can now access advice and even videos on teaching their children to ride a bike.  One advice column warns parents against a strategy that I found very effective.

If you use the hold-the-back-of-the-seat or run-beside-the-bike method, don't trick your child by claiming you're holding on when you are not.  If the child crashes, you erode trust, which erodes confidence. 

On our next outing I reversed the process and pushed him down a grass hill onto the pavement. It was an improvement as long as I could keep up with the bicycle and catch him when it slowed down.  Then, it happened.  He was too anxious to look back and I was too tired to keep up so I just let go without telling him.  He crossed the playground, made a shaky turn and rode back to the cheers of his parents.

There are classes to teach your child how to hit a baseball, play piano and even drive a car but parents are still on their own for bicycle lessons.  At least that’s what I thought until I came across an article about Pedalheads.  The Vancouver (BC) company promises to teach a child to ride a bike within 5 days and parents are off the hook for the bumps and bruises. I’m sure they have a good system and I imagine parents won’t risk eroding their child’s trust. 

For me though, nothing can replace sharing the excitement of that first hands free ride with my son.

It Came, It Thawed, It Conquered

   I went out for dinner three nights in a row last week.  Even for me, it was excessive.  I could make excuses about how busy we were but the truth is that eating out is too convenient.

   I certainly did not acquire the habit from my parents.  Our family “went out” for dinner after funerals and sometimes on holidays.  Fancy eating for the Carroll’s was the Wedgewood Cafeteria in Montclair, New Jersey.  It must have been fancy because the chef wore a big hat as he cut off slabs of prime rib. In reality, the Wedgewood was probably closer to a Luby’s with linen tablecloths. 

   That doesn’t mean that mom cooked every night.  My father made the pizza and late edition newspaper run on most Friday nights. The big treat for us came when mom sent one of us to the store for that 1960’s gem – Swanson’s TV Dinners.  The standard order was two turkey and two fried chicken frozen dinners although my father occasionally broke tradition with the Swiss steak dinner.

   Forty minutes later (no microwaves yet), the Carroll’s were watching family television while eating scalding hot dinners on metal TV tables.

   The history of the TV dinner can be traced back to a trainload of 270 tons of leftover turkey. Swanson and Sons had undersold their Thanksgiving orders and were left with ten refrigerated cars full of turkey. The trains literally crossed back and forth across the US to keep the refrigeration units working.

   Gerald Thomas, a Swanson executive, spotted the trays used for airline food service and created the famous three-part metal tray with frozen food in 1954.  The first TV dinners (turkey of course) sold for 98 cents.  Swanson took a risk and produced 5,000 dinners. They ended up selling 25 million in the first year thanks to the clever tie-in with the most popular appliance in America – the television. Fried chicken was added in 1955 followed by Swiss steak, Mexican themed meals, macaroni and cheese and more.  Mean Joe Greene introduced the Hungry Man Meal in 1973 and the first microwave meals appeared in 1986.

   I recently conducted a slightly scientific survey of about 60 Rotary members showed that about half never ate TV dinners as a kid.  Those that did preferred the macaroni and cheese dinner with turkey placing a close second.  Swanson’s Web site states that turkey is still the most popular meal with fried chicken in second place. 

  Three Rotary members remembered watching Bonanza over a TV dinner many times and one presumably younger member tied TV dinners to the Mork and Mindy show.

   Like many childhood memories, my enjoyment of TV dinners should remain frozen in time.  My steady diet of Banquet pot pies in college effectively killed my love for frozen foods.

   While she may be mentioned in the company history, I do believe my mother had a hand in planning the meals. I couldn’t hide the vegetables because they rested in their own neat compartment.  The desserts remained scalding for about 20 minutes so you couldn’t eat them first and everything was soaked in butter; just like mom’s pre-cholesterol cooking.  As a final salute to mom, there were no dishes. 

   Take a frozen trip down memory lane by visiting www.swansonmeals.com.

Wake Up And Smell The Onions!

   Thanksgiving is all about tradition. As a kid, my family shared Thanksgiving with the Bivianos - our close family friends – for 12 years in a row.  In that spirit, I am repeating a column that appeared in this space last year. I’ll be back next week – I promise. In the meantime have a great Thanksgiving weekend.

   If there were a playoff to determine the best holiday, I believe Thanksgiving would have won the trophy in my home. Christmas was bigger but it was different every year.  Thanksgiving, on the other hand, was as predictable as turkey and stuffing.

   The holiday began early in my house with the sound of chopping and the smell of sautéed onions and celery. Mom’s preparation for the Super Bowl of cooking had begun.  We only enjoyed the smell every other year as we celebrated “home and away” with our old neighbors; the Bivianos. The early morning aroma of pies filled the house in off years.

   The kids’ day began with watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. The float characters may change but the parade is almost identical to the one we know today through television.

   A tradition in the northeast has been the high school football game on Thanksgiving morning.  This marked the end of the regular football season and usually pitted the biggest rivals for what would be the year’s best attended game.  Strangely, both families attended the Nutley – Kearney (NJ) game each year even though none of us lived there.  The Biviano’s “Uncle John” coached at Nutley High School so that was reason enough to attend.  Looking back, I believe the real reason was for the dads to just get the kids out of the house for a few hours while the iron chefs prepared dinner.

   They say that smells can be a strong memory trigger. That would explain why every time I smell roasting turkey, I am transported back to the moment we returned from those cold football games. The windows would literally be steamed from the oven and the aroma that hit you when the door opened was incredible.

   The turkey waiting game would now begin. The older brothers would settle in for some football while the dads discussed various home repair projects.  I never knew a steam radiator valve could be so captivating.  Being too young to care about football, I settled on playing  house or a board game with their youngest; Eva Marie. Our own tradition though was watching Laurel and Hardy’s “The March of the Wooden Soldiers,” which aired on a local station every Thanksgiving. 

   Regardless of who hosted the event, seating everyone for dinner was always a challenge. Table leaves and mismatched chairs consumed every available space in the dining room and kids were often pushed into the kitchen when extra relatives joined us.

   The dinner came at us in waves of big and small fancy dishes that we hadn’t seen since Easter. Looking back, just keeping all of the food warm was an accomplishment in the days before microwaves.

   The turkey and trimmings were magnificent of course no matter which house we celebrated at.  Their glory was matched only by the selection of pies and baked goods that followed them.

   In a time before political correctness, the dads would retire to the living room for more football, the kids would disappear upstairs to play records and the moms would wash a mountain of dishes.

   The long day wound down as the adults drank coffee in the living room and we stayed quiet upstairs hoping the grownups would forget how late it was.  Eventually the call upstairs came and we said our goodbyes as leftovers were stacked in our arms.

   Our two families followed this script for about fifteen years until college and later marriage got in the way.  Still, there isn’t a Thanksgiving Day that I don’t think of the Bivianos and the Carrolls and those crowded dining rooms.

   By the time you read this, mom may already be basting the turkey in your house. Give her a hug, wash a few dishes and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Flipside Column Topics 2007 - 2012

Essex Catholic High School Newspaper Staff - 1973

Date	Flipside Column Topic
March 30, 2007	Old Timers Reunion Video
April 5, 2007	Mike Williams - Downtown Allen
April 12, 2007	Prom (Photos)
April 19, 2007	Restless Weekend Syndrome
April 26, 2007	You Say Mozart - Symphony
May 3, 2007	Piece of Heaven - Bolin Family
May 10, 2007	Escape' Coffee Shop
May 17, 2007	Open
May 24, 2007	Graduation
May 31, 2007	Mom & Dad War Stories
June 7, 2007	Worley Stein  ANB President
June 14, 2007	Father's Day Gift Ideas
June 21, 2007	Pizza Tour
June 28, 2007	Kittyhawk Airport
July 5, 2007	Quebec Visit
July 12, 2007	Nothing
July 19, 2007	Open
July 26, 2007	The Belmont House
August 2, 2007	Broadway Musicals
August 9, 2007	Leadership Allen
August 16, 2007	Allen Questions Answered
August 23, 2007	Back to School
August 30, 2007	Summer Jobs
September 6, 2007	Belz Mall
September 13, 2007	Lion King -Michael Jenkins
September 20, 2007	College Night - 50 Year Old Freshman
September 27, 2007	Big Game Hunting - Buying a Jaguar-Not
October 4, 2007	Beatles Records - Across the Universe
October 11, 2007	Allen Bowl - Neatherey's Interview
October 18, 2007	Toys - Buying Back My Childhood
October 25, 2007	Halloween Memories
November 1, 2007	Drive Your Dream - Ferrari-Lamborghini
November 8, 2007	Weird Military Stories
November 15, 2007	InSync Wildlife Refuge
November 22, 2007	Thanksgiving - Bivianos
November 29, 2007	6th Grade Big Questions - Garrabrandt
December 6, 2007	Allen Holiday Parade
December 13, 2007	Worst Christmas Gift
December 20, 2007	Yes There Is A Santa Claus
December 27, 2007
January 3, 2008	RW Godwin
January 10, 2008	Get Organized
January 17, 2008	Market Street Grocery Store
January 24, 2008	Dog Wash
January 31, 2008	Pinewood Derby - Cub Scouts
February 7, 2008	Columbia House Records
February 14, 2008	Gladys Watson
February 21, 2008	TV Theme Songs
February 28, 2008	Central Expressway History
March 7, 2008	Patriot Guard Motorcycle Clubs
March 13, 2008	Office Move - Giveaway
March 21, 2008	A Billion Peeps
March 28, 2008	Foreign Films
April 3, 2008	Prom Blind Date
April 10, 2008	Don't Cross The Street In The Middle
April 17, 2008	Cows Come Home To Collin County
April 24, 2008	Got Hit By A Car
May 1, 2008	Tallenettes Showcase
May 8, 2008	Summer Musical Series
May 15, 2008	Classic Car - 57 Chevy
May 22, 2008	WWII Correspondance
May 29, 2008	Yearbook Photos  ECHS
June 5, 2008	Advice from Seniors To Class of 2021
June 12, 2008	Argentina Soccer Game
June 19, 2008	TV Dinners History
June 26, 2008	Spotlight Theater - Allen
July 3, 2008	Summer in the City - Jersey City
July 10, 2008	Are You a Geek - Barry
July 17, 2008	Warped Tour
July 24, 2008	Jim Kerr - Here To The Moon
July 31, 2008	Jersey Boys Review
August 7, 2008	Lubbock In Rearview Mirror Part 1
August 14, 2008	Lubbock In Rearview Mirror Part 2
August 21, 2008	School Supplies
August 28, 2008	First Day of Teaching - Greased Pig
September 4, 2008	Swimming - Afraid of the Water
September 11, 2008	Music Obsession - Stereo Equipment
September 18, 2008	Sublime Chocolate Shop
September 25, 2008	Alfred E Neumann v. Goofus & Gallant - Magazines
October 2, 2008	Game Room Closet / Board Games
October 9, 2008	Mums The Word for Homecoming
October 16, 2008	Fluffernutter Crushes Sandwiches - Taste Test
October 23, 2008	Golf & Guy Myths Exploded
October 30, 2008	Halloween & Election Day Combined
November 6, 2008	Comic Book Advertisements
November 13, 2008	Veterans Day - 1st Day In Service
November 20, 2008	Pete Ford History
November 27, 2008	Thanksgiving at Bivianos - Repeat
December 4, 2008	Landon Winery
December 11, 2008	Writing Christmas Cards & Letters
December 18, 2008	Girl Christmas Gifts of the Past
December 25, 2008	State Championship Drive - Event
January 1, 2008	DeMello's Holiday Visit
January 8, 2008	Weird New Jersey Guys
January 15, 2008	52 Card Pickup- Card Games
Januay 22, 2009	Top Golf Driving Range
January 29, 2009	Cold Weather Stories
February 5, 2009	Burton Gilliam - Blazing Saddles
February 12, 2009	Candy Obsession
February 19, 2009	Small Towns - Senior Citizens
February 26, 2009	Rat Pack Summer Musical Show / History
March 5, 2009	Bill of Rights Bulmer / 6th Grade
March 12, 2009	Chemistry Sets
March 19, 2009	Monolithic Dome Institute
March 26, 2009	Heard Any Good Boy Scout Stories
April 2, 2009	Matchbox Cars
April 9, 2009	The Circus Comes to Town
April 16, 2009	Allen's Field of Dreams - Football
April 23, 2009	Animal Hospital -Jerry Wilson
April 30, 2009	Collecting Things
May 7, 2009	1974 Bloomfield Senior Prom
May 14, 2009	Barbie - Girl Toys
May 21, 2009	Chick-Fil-A -  Neil Brown
May 28, 2009	Rear Admiral Bushong
June 4, 2009	A Column About a Column
June 11, 2009	Who Let The Dogs Out - Dog Park
June 18, 2009	I Didn't See You at Woodstock Either
June 25, 2009	Trunk Full of Memories - Mom's Footlocker
July 2, 2009	A Chorus Line Review
July 9, 2009	Vacationing With the Reindeer (Adventure Vacations)
July 16, 2009	Driving Home From Lubbock - Unanswered Questions
July 23, 2009	Clean Your Room Or Else
July 30, 2009	I Remember Allen When……….
August 6, 2009	30th Anniversary Column
August 13, 2009	Curbside Treasures - Recycling Computers
August 20, 2009	First Day of School (Reissued)
August 27, 2009	Plan 9 From Outer Space
September 3, 2009	Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs - Cereals
September 10, 2009	Beatles - Sgt Peppers Purchasing - Reissues
September 17, 2009	Yogurt Stores Open
September 24, 2009	Fast Food Frenzy
October 1, 2009	Front Yard Multipurpose Sports Complex
October 8, 2009	Iva Mae Morrow
October 15, 2009	Two Dashes & A Dot (Video Games)
October 22, 2009	Chili Cookoff - History
October 29, 2009	Allen Americans Hockey Team
November 5, 2009	Darkroom Photography - Old Cameras
November 12, 2009	Captain Cole Veterans Day Letter
November 19, 2009	Christmas Wish List - Sears Catalog
November 26, 2009	Bivianos Thanksgiving Column (Reissued)
December 3, 2009
December 10, 2009	Billy Lees Colorado Trip
December 17, 2009	Christmas Music / Burl Ives
December 24, 2009	Christmas Eve Advice Column
December 31, 2009	Box Full of Memories
January 7, 2010	Football Frenzy - AlamoBowl
January 14, 2010	Plastic Army Men
January 21, 2010	Luxury Dog Hotels
January 28, 2010	Grandparent's Belongings / Photos
February 4, 2010	Popcorn Store
February 11, 2010	Rick Clark - Royal Drive-In
February 18, 2010	Snow Days - School Holiday
February 25, 2010	Tim Drieling - Trucks
March 4, 2010	Tim Logan - Busses
March 11, 2010	Lunch Hour Television
March 18, 2010	Nothing Column - Repeated
March 25, 2010	New Jersey Trip - What Are The Odds
April 1, 2010	New Jersey Trip - Odds Part 2
April 8, 2010	1960 Schwinn Typhoon Bicycle
April 15, 2010	Alton Boyd Biography
April 22, 2010	AHS Prom
April 29, 2010	Growth of Businesses In Allen
May 6, 2010	Safety Patrol
May 13, 2010	Allen Americans Hockey
May 20, 2010	Kathy Ellis - John Graduation
May 27, 2010	Memorial Day Memorial  (Bricks)
June 3, 2010	More Than Corn In Indiana
June 10, 2010	Ridin The Rails - DART Etc
June 17, 2010	St Thomas Reunion
June 24, 2010	Worst Car Ever
July 1, 2010	Dreamgirls Show
July 8, 2010	SkyMall Catalog
July 15, 2010	Summer In City - Jersey City
July 22, 2010	Summercamp Postcard
July 29, 2010	Alvis Story
August 5, 2010	Summer Day - 1969
August 12, 2010	Gold Class Cinema
August 19, 2010	Allen In My Rearview Mirror (to College)
August 26, 2010	College Advice - Seventies
September 2, 2010	RaceTrac Refillable Cups
September 9, 2010	Cool Teachers (Cards)
September 16, 2010	Flossie Floyd-Green
September 23, 2010	Car Model Building
September 30, 2010	Grandparents Lynch and Carroll - Touching history
October 7, 2010	Cattle Ranching When I Grow Up
October 14, 2010	Mourning My Component Stereo System
October 21, 2010	Rev. George Anderson Bio
October 28, 2010	Halloween Candy - Not What It Used To Be
November 4, 2010	Rodeo Stampedes Into Allen
November 11, 2010	Playing Cards In The Poker Palace
November 18, 2010	Homer Price Book From Library
November 25, 2010	Bivianos Thanksgiving Column (Reissued)
December 2, 2010	Hockey - The Hanson Brothers
December 9, 2010	Allen American Newspaper - Buddy Camper
December 16, 2010	Crazy Gifts For Pets
December 23, 2010	Box of Memories (Christmas Ornaments)
December 30, 2010	Tuning In To The Top 100 Hits WABC
January 6, 2011	Allen Wranglers Football Team
January 13, 2011	This Year I Get Organized
January 20, 2011	St. Thomas Visit - The Black Book
January 27, 2011	Gene Reed Biography
February 3, 2011	Allen Americans Hockey (Behind the Scenes)
February 10, 2011	Road Trip To Kentucky - Winter of 78)
February 17, 2011	1930's Society Columns
February 24, 2011	Frances Norton Biography
March 3, 2011	You Can't Fool Mom (Stories)
March 10, 2011	Marty Graman - The Pizza Guy
March 17, 2011	Belz Mall (Redo from 2007)
March 24, 2011	Underground Newspaper - Scout Newspaper
March 31, 2011	Cereality - Cereal Bar
April 7, 2011	Tom Ereckson Bio
April 14, 2011	Loaf - Allen Americans Equipment Manager
April 21, 2011	Vasser Field - Church Bells
April 28, 2011	Bobby Hull Table Top Hockey
May 5, 2011	Prom Advice - Promma
May 12, 2011	45 RPM Record Labels
May 19, 2011	53 Buick Not a Classic
May 26, 2011	Alphabet Binds Graduates -(Redo)
June 2, 2011	Mother In Law Column - Old Article
June 9, 2011	Spamalot Musical Review
June 16, 2011	Swimming Pool Stories
June 23, 2011	Top Golf Revisited
June 30, 2011	Seventies Scholck For Sale On Ebay
July 7, 2011	Top Golf Goes Top Shelf
July 14, 2011	Summer Daze Not Purple Haze
July 21, 2011	History of Allen Rotary Club
July 28, 2011	I-35 Distractions and Attractions Part 1
August 4, 2011	I-35 Distractions and Attractions Part 2
August 11, 2011	Hitchhikers Guide To NJ
August 18, 2011	Kids Off To College
August 25, 2011
September 1, 2011	Nash Brougham Car
September 8, 2011	Sweet Tooth - Moon Pies Scooter Pies
September 15, 2011	Tool Box Junk Box
September 22, 2011	First Concert Memories
September 29, 2011	TRE Facts
October 6, 2011	West Side Story Review
October 13, 2011	Old Slot Car Set
October 20, 2011	Old Yearbook Advertisers / Downtown Businesses
October 27, 2011	St. Louis Cardinals - World Series
November 3, 2011	Honoring Godzilla - King of the Monsters
November 10, 2011	Military Career In One Paragraph (Separation Papers)
November 17, 2011	Allen Christmas Parade
November 24, 2011
December 1, 2011	Television History Channel (HOT)
December 8, 2011	Hockey 101 For Fans (Eric Adams Interview)
December 15, 2011	Never Too Old To Rock and Roll (Chicago Concert)
December 22, 2011	Stocking Stuffers (Thom Cat)
December 29, 2011
January 5, 2012	No Place Like Home - College Kids Come Home
January 12, 2012	Jersey Pizza Tour
January 19, 2012	Old Cassette (Greg Allman Tommy James & Mom)
January 26, 2012	Getting Organized Again (Repeat)
February 2, 2012	Allen Cemetary
February 9, 2012	Stairway To Heaven - Most Classic Rock Song
February 16, 2012	Country Radio DJ - WTPR
February 23, 2012	Allen Sports - Lone Star Basketball Tournament
March 1, 2012
March 8, 2012	Million Dollar Quartet Musical Review
March 15, 2012	Going For a Ride In The Country
March 22, 2012	Los Angeles Traffic
March 29, 2012	Allen Wranglers Football Team
April 5, 2012	Convention-al Wisdom - Weird Conventions
April 12, 2012	Too Old To Rock and Roll - Old Rock and Roll Stars
April 19, 2012	Three Stooges
April 26, 2012
May 3, 2012	Senior Wills & Junior Prophesies / Prom Story
May 10, 2012	Go-Kart  Running Full Speed On Kid Power
May 17, 2012	Honeymoon Is Never Over (Honeymooners)
May 24, 2012	Old Songs You Love To Hate
May 31, 2012
June 7, 2012	Driving The Cadillac Fleetwood
June 14, 2012	Stuff My Dad Said
June 21, 2012	Packing For Summercamp (Scouts)
June 28, 2012	Swimming Pool Stories 2012
July 5, 2012	Fireworks Store - Lake Lavon
July 12, 2012	TV Theme Song Composers
July 19, 2012
July 26, 2012	Electric Football
August 2, 2012	1912 Newspaper - Politics
August 9, 2012
August 16, 2012	College Advice From 1974
August 23, 2012	Lois Curtis Column
August 30, 2012	Football Crazy Town of Allen (Stadiums)
September 6, 2012
September 13, 2012	Soapbox Derby - Red Bull Event
September 20, 2012
September 27, 2012	Addams Family Show at Fair Park
October 4, 2012	Seventh Grade Diary
October 11, 2012
October 18, 2012	Five Year Diary - Freshman - College Freshman
October 25, 2012	153,000 Word Essay - Final Flipside Column