SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2026,
BEAVER FALLS CRUISE

FROM 1975: Diplomacy in France I can name half of these world leaders.

JUNE 4 COMMENCEMENT LINCOLN HIGH ASCHOOL

Sunday, June 7, 2026. Sunny warm weekend!

TOASTING THE BLUE MOON MAY 30, 2026, 10:10 PM The blue moon is the higher light in the background. The lower light is a Sheetz pole light.

PARADE FOR THE ELLWOOD CITY WOLVERINES BASEBALL TEAM WHO WON THE 2026 WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIP, MAY 27 It was a great parade which came through on Lawrence Avenue at 5:30 PM. Several fire trucks added to the festivity. The large coach bus was impressive, but I am not sure who was on board. The ABC Transit bus carried some male students, who (I believe) were members of the the Junior Varsity squad. A few cheerleaders were riding in cars with sunroofs. They were standing in the vehicles with their heads, shoulders and arms above the rooflines. Of course, they were waiving enthusiastically.

The Lincoln High School Marching Blue Band at the Ellwood City Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 25:

The sky is clear tonight. I snapped the following photo at 9:30 PM. It shows Jupiter, Gemini, the moon and Venus. John Fray, May 19.

On May 18 at 5:30 PM, the Goodyear blimp traveled over Ellwood in an east-to-west direction. It seemed to follow a course above Park Avenue. I was lucky to be outdoors and snap a few photos of it. At first, I was startled. It looked like a giant shark in the sky.

John M. Fray, Webmaster Phone (724) 494-6569 Community News and Events

KING OF LOW COMEDY, JEROME HOROWITZ. 1905-1952 I am going partially by memory with this post. Therefore, a few details may be a bit off. Jerome Horowitz was the youngest of a Brooklyn theatical family. An older brother, Morris, teamed with childhood friend, Ted Healey, and began performing in a Vaudville act, which evolved into "The Three Stooges." Brother Sam came aboard, as did a violin-playing comic, Larry Fineman, who hailed from Philadelphia. When Sam left The Three Stooges, Jerome was bought in. The year was 1933. The trio's first two-reeler (movie short) was the dialog-sung "Woman'Hater's Club" which has not aged well. The Shorts Department of Columbia Pictures picked up the trio and matched them with various directors with varying results. Nonetheless, the trio caught on. The Three Stooges remain a noteworthy entry in American film heritage. The improvisations of Jerome (i.e., Curly) filled running time when the script writers had come up empty. His facial expressions and unique vocal sounds thrilled audiences. Off camera, Jerome was shy. His shaved head, which was mandated by the producers, made him feel less attractive than he was with a full head of year. (Photos of Jerome with his hair grown out show him to be indeed a handsome man.) esults. Nonetheless, the trio caught on. The Three Stooges remain a noteworthy entry in American film heritage. The improvisations of Jerome (i.e., Curly) filled running time when the script writers had come up empty. His facial expressions and unique vocal sounds thrilled audiences. Off camera, Jerome was shy. His shaved head, which was mandated by the producers, made him feel less attractive than the actually-handsome man he was with a full head of hair. He carried a muscular build. His brother Moeris (Moe) commented on Jerome's his impressive physical strength. When filming was on Hiatus, Jerome liked taking to the night clubs where he imbibed, but it is not clear what his favorite beverage was. He was known to dance with vigor to every selection which the band would play. His indulging such excesses was to compensate for the insecurity he felt because of his shaved head and buffoonish on-camera persona. Those excesses, and probably some underlying medical conditions, caused him to suffer strokes in the mid-1940s. The final short in which Jerome played a part (not just a cameo as in the one years later about a lion loose aboard a train) was "Microphonies" with the talented actress-singer Christine McIntyre. Jerome's health continued to decline until his death in January 1952 when he was in his late forties. His grave is in the Jewish cemetery adjacent to what is now known as Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Jerome and his wife had one daughter, who had a family of her own. He has present-day descendants. John Fray, May 20

Resting in the shade, getting ready for ninety-degree heat this afternoon.

BRUNO MARS, "I'd Risk it All" This is the title cut off of Bruno's February 2026 album. It has been climbing the charts since its release. It is a sweet love song with an uncomplicated arrangement.

MICHAEL STANLEY, LEGENDARY MUSIC TALENT HAILING FROM CLEVELAND Michael Stanley Gee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1940s. He never forgot his roots. With various band configurations, he recorded music in five decades. He anchored a music hour on a Cleveland radio station for most of that time. From his beginnings in the realm of rock and roll music, he wrote many of the songs his group recorded. He generously shared the spotlight with bandmates who performed lead vocals on some of the group's biggest hits, such as "He Can't love You Like I Love You." His baritone, smokey voice lends mystique to "Lover" from 1980. In concert (I saw him in Youngstown in 2006) he allowed the audience to sing that song's famous line, "Thank God for the man who put the white lines on the highway." In that twenty years of his career, Mr. Stanley displayed creative genius of the type which comes only from years of studying the structure and motivation behind deep musical works. His mashup of "Wichy Tai To" is an example of that genius. Mr. Stanley left us too soon in his early seventies in the year 2022. He was a personable man. He gave generously, in a creative sense, to those who appreciate the combination of sleek rock chords, intelligent lyrics, and poetic adventure. John Fray, May 17.

RECORDING ARTISTS AND GROUPS OF THE 1980s WE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN Culturally, and especially musically, the 1980s decade is sometimes referred to as "The Big Eighties" or as "The Coolest Decade Ever." Some recording artists and groups appeared on the scene, had big hits, and then were forgotten by the masses. Fortunately, a few soft rock stations, such as WMJY-MIX 98.9 on the FM dial, keep those forgotten songs on their "Eighties Hour" playlists. Here are a few of my favorite somewhat forgotten 1980s artists and groups: Expose' had a Madonna-sounding hit with "Seasons Change" Bananarama was chillin' with "Cool Summer" The Motels gave me Norman Bates-like chills (in a good way) with "Suddenly, Last Summer" Debarge popped royally with the Michael Jackson-style "Rhythm of the Night" Taylor Dane had hits in a style a la Madonna. Quarterflash sounded like Heart with "Harden My Heart" Also sounding like a Heart recording is Roxette's beautiful ballad "Listen To You Heart" which is my favorite in this listing of tracks.

Seven Days in May The Plot is Set in the Runup to the Preakness An alleged 1932 attempted coup may have been the inspiration, in part, for the 1960s novel and movie, Seven Days in May, in which a USMC Colonial uncovers a plot by military officers to stage a coup to seize control of the United States government. In the supposed 1932 coup conspiracy, wealthy industrialists and bankers sought assistance from certain military leaders to depose FDR and otherwise overthrow the government. Retired Major General Smedley Butler, USMC, was a highly decorated officer who had become disillusioned with the powerful entity which, a few decades later, would be identified by President Eisenhower as the "military-industrial complex." Supposedly, the plotters made several overtures to Butler who played along for the purpose of gathering information which he eventually revealed to friends in the press and Congress in order to scuttle the plot. The intrigue of those supposed 1930s events is chronicled in the book, The Plot to Seize the White House (1973) by Jules Archer. John Fray, May 15

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My appreciation for the 1983 TV movie "Special Bulletin" remains, since it is as good a production as it possibly could have been. However, I am not a fan of movies which present a faux premise, such as a news report or documentary which is fictional. John Fray; May 3, 2026.

FROM GOOGLE AI: Astronaut Gordon Cooper maintained over the years that his camera crew photographed a saucer-shaped UFO, with retractable landing gear, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in 1957 where Cooper was head of a flight test team. Cooper saw the negatives of the photographs which displayed a saucer-shaped aircraft unlike anything which, at the time, was known to exist in the military arsenals of any country on earth. Cooper was instructed by the Pentagon to expedite the delivery of the negatives to Washington D.C. Following orders, Cooper did just that. Ever since, the Government has not acknowledged the existence of the film John Fray; May 10, 2026.

I predict that the Steelers' first round draft pick, Max Iheanachor, offensive tackle from Oklahoma State, will be a standout player in the upcoming NFL season. John Fray, April 24, 2026

I remember watching Roy Orbison and background guitarists performing "Oh, Pretty Woman" on ABC's "Shindig." The date would have been somewhere from September to December 1964. "Shindig" featured performances of many artists and groups which went on to become highly regarded in rock and roll history. I do not know where the numbers were recorded. I think they were all recorded prior to their showing on the TV episodes. It seems that they were real, not lip-synced, and done in front of a live audience. The following performance of "Oh, Pretty Woman" includes female screams from the audience: John Fray. April 23, 2026.

"CASINO ROYALE" (1967) There is a phrase which is going around the web. It goes as follows, "If you know, you know." That phrase applies whenever I submit my opinion that the movie "Casino Royale" (1967) contains a significant number of artistic achievements. Unfortunately, there is an element on the web which believes that it is chic to brand the film as being one of the worst movies ever made. I realize that the film is uneven, and that some parts, especially the zany, madcap nonsense in the last twenty minutes, may be a turnoff. However, on balance, the impressive critical mass of talent which was involved in the production of this film created moments of movie magic. In my opinion, if the film lacked any redeeming qualities other than the four minute sequence of Dusty Springfield's vocals over the scene with Ursula Andress and Peter Sellers, it would still stand as a great cinematic achievement. The back story of that element of the soundtrack is that music composer Burt Bacharach and his lyrics-writing partner, Hal David, were made privy to the filming at the time Mr. Bacharach was working on the soundtrack. One day, Mr. Bacharach watched the preliminary footage of Ursula Andress in the sultry scene in her character's apartment. Her heart-stopping sexuality (revved up from her smoldering erotic appearance in "Dr. No" five years earlier) jolted the songwriter into composing the sensual medley of "The Look of Love." Mr. Bacharach thought that a graceful musical arrangement of that tune would be enough to accent the scene. However, his song-writing partner, Hal David, wisely persuaded the producers to allow him to pen lyrics. For good measure, Dusty Springfield was brought in to sing in a whispering, pouting style. The extended saxophone provided the creme de la creme. Here is a link to a clip of a portion of that scene: "The Look of Love" from "Casino Royale" (1967) I believe other parts of the movie are brilliant as well. I will try to put up additional posts discussing them. John Fray. April 17, 2026.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1979. For me, that is the greatest date in Pittsburgh sports history on which I was alive and have a recollection of. The Pittsburgh Pirates, down three games to one against the Baltimore Orioles, turned around their course in the World Series with 7-1 victory at Three Rivers Stadium. I was at the University of Pittsburgh Towers Dining Hall when the pubic address speakers streamed the singing of the National Anthem by 1977 Miss America Dorothy Anderson. Her powerful vocals instilled in me a sense that the Pirates were about to embark on a path of victory in the series. By the sixth inning, after the Pirates' bats awakened and put the team up by five runs, the mood of the stadium was electric. The public address speakers streamed "Beautiful Sunday" (1972) by British recording artist Daniel Boone. I recall that Pirates third baseman Phil Garner was on deck at the time. It is with sadness that I learned today that Phil passed away at age seventy-six. YouTube File of Game 5. October 14, 1979

IN TRIBUTE TO KEN CURTIS: Singer-actor Ken Curtis (1916-1991) was a national treasure. In 1941, he was a singer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in which he filled in for lead singer Frank Sinatra when Mr. Sinatra has other commitments. Mr. Curtis was a co-star of the syndicated TV series "Ripcord" which dramatized the adventures of a skydiving rescue team. After that series concluded in 1963. Mr. Curtis took on the permanent role of Festus in "Gunsmoke." I was watching when Festus became a regular cast member in January 1964. I was amazed with his transformation from the skilled skydiver to the dusty farmer who spouted entertaining down-to-earth witticisms. Click the image below to access the YouTube file containing the video of the Shep Fields Orchestra performing "Long May We Love" in the 1940s. Mr. Curtis is the featured soloist.

IN PRAISE OF THE MOVIE CLASSIC "THE MALTESE FALCON" (1941). Some professional movie critics have labeled John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" as the greatest movie of all time. I will not argue against that accolade. It is masterpiece of acting, mood conjuring, witty bantering, and psychological agonizing. As for story-telling, it is just okay, but that is to be expected from detective stories. The climatic scene of the big reveal of the statuette contains a goof (really, an omission) which the director tried to fix in post production. However, the botched scene is not of import, since the audience had already figured out the that statuette was going to turn out to be phony, anyway. I think the the last line, "It's the stuff dreams are made of" is okay, but not earth shaking. What amazes me the most are the acting performances of Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. When Mary is in the scene, Bogey is always in it as well. The subtlety which Ms. Astor displays in shifting between demeanors of feigned innocence and confessed duplicity are astounding. She rightfully maintained that the Oscar which was awarded to her for her 1941 film work should have been for "Falcon" rather than for the other movie which ushered her win. Bogey excels in all of his scenes, those with Ms. Astor and those with the other characters, which range from police officers, prosecuting attorneys, and, of course, the bad guys. His scene near the end wherein he basically performs a soliloquy and references a ledger with two columns, one for the merits of breaking the law and protecting Ms. Astor's character, and the other for turning her into the police, is soul crushing. As for the other actors, Lee Patrick as Bogey's secretary makes me smile. She is hot, especially because of her voice. Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are quintessentially villainous. Elisha Cook, Jr., is given a fleshed-out hit man role which he aces, despite the fact his is given next-to-no dialog. The good cop - bad cop team of Ward Bond and Brandon MacLane hits the right notes. John Huston put together a quick-witted screenplay. Also, he executes brilliantly in what is his first directoral outing. The premise (taken from the novel) of hunting for a centuries-old jewel encrusted statuette is silly. Logically, the gems would have been pried off and sold long ago. However, audiences knew not to take this aspect of the plot seriously. As Alfred Hitchcock explained, such "McGuffin" devices are used simply to drive the rest of the movie, which is to be judged for merits much more impressive than the mediocre back story. In all, the movie is an essential component of American cinema heritage. The theme of conflict between love and duty holds up well. I have gone to sleep thinking of my affection for the movie. In that sense, it is indeed the stuff that dreams are made of. John Fray, April 9, 2026

If you are in the mood for a spoof of 1940s detective and adventure movies such as "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca" you might want to check out "The Cheap Detective" (1978). The actresses around Peter Falk are clockwise (starting from the lower left) Stockard Channing, Louise Fletcher, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Ann-Margaret and Marsha Mason. The great three-minute jazz piece in the opening credits is by Henry Mancini. The remaining soundtrack is also fantastic.

On a beautiful late afternoon this week, the Ellwood City Lincoln High School Junior Varsity Wolverines baseball team hosted Laurel at the Ewing Park Field. The Wolverines had an off day, and they went down to defeat.

THE HIGH TEMPERATURE TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2026, WAS 79 DEGREES, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 77 DEGREES FOR ANY MARCH 31.

April 4, 1968
(Fifty-Eight Years Ago)
The Reverend Martin Luther
King, Jr., Was Assassinated
In Memphis, Tennessee.


The Above Photo Shows Rev. King At
The March on Washington, D.C.,
On August 28, 1963.

March 21, 1965
Civil Rights March Begins
From Selma to Montgomery
Fifty-Four Miles
Thousands Participated

JULIUS CAESAR'S ASSASSINATION OCCURRED 2,069 YEARS AGO Yes, it can be confusing when calculating the number of years since his death. Because the year "zero" is not recognized in any pertinent calendar system, the number of years which have transpired from 44 BC to AD 2026 has been 2,069, not 2,070 as might seem to be the answer on first blush. John Fray, March 15, 2026.

The opening credits to Season 1 of
"China Beach" constitute a great
music video. That season ran
from April 26 to June 8, 1988.

"Flim Flam Man" Laura Nyro Hands off the man Flim flam man His mind is up his sleeve And his talk is make believe Oh Lord, the man's a fraud He's a flim flam man He's so cagey He's a flim flam man Hands off the man Flim flam man He's the one in the Trojan horse Makin' out like he's Santa Claus Oh Lord, the man's a fraud He's a flim flam man He's a fox He's a flim flam man Everybody wants him The people and the police And all the pretty ladies disarm Oh, oh yeah The beautiful gent To the hands on the ascent He pays his monthly rent With daily charm Hands off the man Flim flam man His mind is up his sleeve And his talk is make believe Oh Lord, the man's a fraud He's a flim flam man He's so cagey He's an artist He's a fox He's a flim flam man Don't believe him He's a flim flam man Oh, run around He's a flim flam man Don't believe him He's a flim flam man Don't believe him He's a flim flam man Link to YouTube file of music video.

Previously, I posted about the
Led Zeppelin song "D'yer Maker"
(also known as "D'yer Mak'er").
The sleeve for the 45 rpm of that
song makes a cryptic reference
the early 1960s vocal group
"Rosie and the Originals."
That group is best known for
the song "Angel Baby" which
contains a chord progression
similar to "D'yer Maker."

Click to hear "Angel Baby."

Led Zeppelan's "D'yer Maker" takes
its title from an old British joke.
The premises of the joke is that a
strong British accent will result
in the spoken name "Jamaica"
and the question "Did you make
make her?" sound exactly alike.

Click to hear "D'yer Maker."

.

Gene Pitney was a brilliant songwriter
and a talented singer. He passed away
in 2006 in Cardiff, England at age 66.

Click to hear "It Hurts to be in Love."

When I was a kid, my family's record collection
contained a 45 rpm phonograph record of
Paul Evans's 1960 version of
"The Midnight Special."
Click image to hear it.

Kate Bush Performing
Her 1978 Hit Song,
"Wuthering Heights."
A Masterpiece
Of Creativity.

Neil Sedaka has passed away at age 86. Mr. Sedaka wrote the music for the numerous songs which he sang. With lyricist Howard Greenfield, he created the clever "Calendar Girl" single which topped the charts for a few weeks in 1960. The songwriting duo went on to top the charts again in 1961 with the title them to the movie "Where the Boys Are" which features the stunning vocal performance of Connie Francis absent backup vocals. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Sedaka and his second song-writing partner, Phil Cody, reached vast success with hits such as "Laughter in the Rain" and "The Immigrant" which features the chorus containing the poignant line, "There was a time when strangers were welcome here." John Fray, Feb. 28

LED Strobe Circuit

"Magic Town" (1966) by The Vogues

A Retro Link To An Old Blog

Chris Deluzio is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His district encompasses Beaver County and a portion of Allegheny County on its northern tier. Rep. Deluzio has been critical of U.S. military personnel destroying boats in the Caribbean. He and a few other Democratic House members have made videos in which they suggest that military personnel should not follow orders to destroy the boats. A U.S. Attorney attempted to get a federal grand jury to indict Rep. Deluzio and those few other Democratic representatives on charges of obstruction, sedition, etc., but the grand jury refused to indict. John Fray, Feb. 11

The neighboring Saint Bernard likes to lie on the snow. This photo was snapped on Wednesday evening, February 11, at 8:00 PM. The temperature was 25 degrees. A light snow was falling. John Fray, Feb. 11

Wed., Feb. 4, 2026. Sunny Afternoon for a Walk in Ellwood. Looking Southwest Looking East A Nice Building in the Third Ward. The "All Aboard Ellwood" Caboose. Fourth Street, Looking North. Soft Blue Sky. Untouched Snow. Track, Looking East. Track, Looking West. Snow Bank Along Curb.

WATCH THIS SPACE for more snips from the video stream of the Groundhog Day festivities at Punxsutawney this morning. John Fray, February 2.

Here is a screen snip of a page with the temp. at minus seven on Monday, Feb. 2, at 7:42 AM, minutes after Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction of six more weeks of winter weather: John Fray, February 2.

The Grammy Awards Ceremony Held Sunday, February 1, 2026: Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, won the award for 2025 Song of the Year. The song is "Wildflower" which features the stunning emotional vocals of Ms. Eilish in her captivating style of singing haunting love ballads. John Fray, February 1.

We have had so many consecutive days of sustained, dangerously cold Siberian air that I no longer care to report on specific temperatures. I will simply state that below-zero overnight temps are now the rule. John Fray, February 1.

The Big Snow fell Sun. Jan. 25. By night, sixteen inches lay. Photos from Wed., Jan. 28:

Tuesday, January 27, 2026, saw a low temperature of zero degrees in the 3:00 AM hour. The record low for all recorded January 27 dates is minus eight degrees.

The Town's Marquis: A retro-thought about a music recording from 54 years ago: The recording "Joy" by the performer(s) named "Apollo 100" was released in January 1972. It is a modern version of a baroque classical music piece by Johann Bach from the 1720s. It is a lively tune. Here is what Wikipedia has to say: "Joy" is a 1971 instrumental pop hit record by Apollo 100. It is a contemporary rendition of a 1723 composition by Johann Sebastian Bach entitled "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", shortened to simply "Joy". It is ranked as the 71st biggest U.S. hit of 1972.

January 1972: Story of Amazing Survival A passenger jet operated by an airline from then-Yugoslavia violently came apart in mid-air. Over two dozen souls were aboard. Only one survived. She was flight attendant Vesna Vulovic. The official report is that fragmentation of the jetliner occurred at 22,000 feet. There is a contrary theory (which is generally discredited) that fragmentation occurred at 3,000 feet.