Broad Channel Bits

By Dan Guarino

Merry Christmas, Broad Channel!

Hopefully you are reading this column stretched out in your pajamas, with your feet up and all the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind you. No matter what else is going on, there is always something more peaceful about this time of year.

Years ago I met a man who could not have lived a life any more different than mine. He tried to tell me something about what is important in life. Pointing to how different he looked, he said in so many words, “What we seek and what we celebrate is not about the wrapping. It is not the wrapping that is important. What is more important is the gift we each bring inside.” So whether it’s Christmas, Hanukah, New Year’s, Kwanzaa, Diwali or whatever, beyond the wrapping I think it really calls us to look beyond the season. It calls us to be better people all the rest of the year.

Well, as I write this Christ Presbyterian Church by the Sea is set to have a lovely service starting at 8 on Christmas Eve. If you get the early, online edition of The Wave, you may want to go! There will be candlelight and special readings by Reverend Deborah Mahaney. Sunday services are regularly at 9 a.m. Stop in.

Over at St. Virgilius Christmas Eve services are at 4 p.m. There will a Children’s Christmas Pageant, and also the adult choir. Christmas Day Mass will be at 10 a.m. and will feature the choir.

Many thanks to Doris Dady for so diligently directing us. Many thanks also to my fellow choir folk for dedicating themselves to this.

Looking to work off what you’ve put on over the holidays, and get a fun jump into better fitness in the new year? Zumba is here at Christ Presbyterian Church by the Sea. So you won’t miss a beat there are sessions scheduled for this Sunday, Dec. 27, at 12:30, and Wednesday, Dec. 23 and 30, at 7:30 p.m. Regular classes are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s will now also be a regular feature. Proceeds benefit the church.

I had the chance to chat with Cat McCarthy, who instructs the class. She noted Zumba is the most stuck to exercise regimen. Rather than getting burned out or bored, people stick with it for years. It’s also good for any age or ability. There are Zumba for babies/toddlers (Zumbini!), seniors and even people with disabilities or mobility issues.

Classes at the church are open to both men and women over 16. You just need sneakers and appropriate exercise attire. She’s also working on some specials to help people get into swing. For instance, if you attended on a Thursday, you get that following Sunday session for half price. Also if you go for five sessions, you get the sixth free.

Plus it’s local. So you can drop in and get yourself moving, even if it gets cold and bleak outside. It’s great for cabin fever, right here in the neighborhood.

By the way, last Sunday’s Breakfast with Santa at Christ Presbyterian was a hit. The church hall was festive, the kids had a great time, and Santa even made a second visit for those who came a little later. (Thanks, Mr. S!) Similarly the Last Minute Christmas Bazaar at the VFW also did well on both days. All of these events help support worthy programs and organizations here in town. That fact that it has been in the high 50s to nearly 70 degrees out of course hasn’t hurt attendance.

Yes, there were survivors from the Christmas party at the VFW on Friday, Dec. 18. I spoke to a few. Apparently it was quite the celebration!

The annual American Legion Christmas Party on Saturday was also a lot of fun, and well attended. There was music, food and fun. As the night went on people really got into the swing of things. It was nice to see a few new faces venture out and join the party.

Thanks to quick work by ‘the Broad Channel network,’ Jennifer Duffy’s small dog, Fifi, was found and returned to her, safe and sound, in short order over the weekend before last.

Marguerite Rocholl is finishing up her second book, I Have Never Been This Old Before, which should be out after the first of the year. Her pervious book, Before You Were Born, was about growing up in the Channel.

Copies of Images of America: Broad Channel are available. Email me at workingstories@aol.com or leave a message at 347-246-6820. I will not only sign it, but also hand deliver it to you. Twenty dollars a copy.

No word yet on when my new book will be out. Will let you know as soon as I do.

Don’t be the last kid on your block to get a BC Historical calendar. Only $5 each. Get them now from BC Historical Society members like me, or at All- American Channel Market and Rock and Roll Bagels today.

Finally perhaps you can help with a query from my friend, Dorothy Fraher. She was talking to Jeanne Anne Theis, who moved back 202 Noel Road in 2009. Dorothy and her husband were my neighbors, right across Walton Road. Jeanne explained to Dorothy that the house had been her mother’s home and grandmothers home. Her dad was William Theis, who was born 1920. He married Catherine O’Brien, who was not originally from BC, and was born in 1923.

Jeanne knows that her dad, William’s mother was Magdelina (Lena) Grimm. She also lived at 202 Noel. She would like to know more about her Grimm family.

If there is anyone out there who has information or memories of Lena Grimm and/or the rest of the Grimm’s, please contact me at workingstories@aol.com. I will be happy to forward anything that comes in, and I know that it will be gratefully received.

Thanks for reading!