Very early on the Sunday morning before New Year, the sky was a sea of radiant pink clouds. Just before sunrise, they rippled like waves, light and dark, high over the bay, Rockaway, Broad Channel and beyond.
If you turned around again just a short time later, the sky was fully overcast in gray. Still, even if only for moments, that bright, deep beautiful sky stretched from horizon to horizon over our home.
Happy New Year, Broad Channel.
This is a good time to pick up a Broad Channel Historical calendar. Just $5 for the whole 12 months! That’s $2.40 per month or barely 3 cents a day. Get them at Rock & Roll Bagel and All American Deli or a BC Civic meeting or from Historical Committee members. They are Frank Henglein. John McCambridge, Dan Mundy Sr., Mary O’Connell, Barbara Toborg, Jane Mary Tubridy, Joe Young, Judy Zackiweiz, Kathy Louis, Dorothy Fraher and me, Dan Guarino.Want it mailed to you or friends elsewhere? Email Barbara Toborg at abtoborg@verizon.net. Just add $2 postage for each calendar. They do make great New Year gifts. They are selling very well, so don’t wait.
You may find a questionnaire in your calendar copy. It says on top, “The Historical Society invites you to contribute to the history of Broad Channel” by providing a little bit of your own recollections of BC. One standout feature of the new calendar is the wraparound cover. If you fold it open, you will have a panoramic aerial view of Broad Channel, as photographed by my friend, the talented photographer John Grillo. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this photo, you can email John atgrilloinrock@aol.com. Put “Broad Channel Photo” in the subject line. John tells me he also has a great night shot of BC.
Don’t forget, the St. Virgilius Golden Age Club meets at the American Legion Hall every Thursday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.
Nice to see a very packed house and a lot of BC people packed into Thai Rock restaurant and bar across the bridge to hear Breezy Grass last Saturday. As someone said to me, “Are you kidding? Pretty much the whole town turned out. This is our band!”
Breezy Grass is Matty Lyons on guitar, Vic Lamura on mandolin and guitar, drummer Jim Cronin and Steve Hawk on bass. Steve lives over on West 18th Road. They played and sang for well over three hours!
There’s still a lot to do and enjoy around here and in Rockaway even in winter. Don’t forget to stop in atRuffle Bar and Grassy’s for good music and a good time right here in BC.
On a different note, it is always a pleasure sharing a table with “the guys” at the American Legion. I always come away not only having had a good time, but also learning something. For one thing, these vets have a tremendous awareness and concern for the current military and the welfare and well-being of our troops. There were quite a number of issues that came up last time. They had some keen observations on not only our current military involvements and the projection of military force, but also the limitations and consequences of same. Those men and women who have served often have a more realistic view than the rest of us.
For example, a few weeks ago many people were saying we should bomb North Korea over a movie release. Okay, fair enough. But then what? Not all of us think things through that far, or really think about who’s going to pay for it when we don’t. The rest of us get to stay home and armchair. Our servicemen and women face those consequences head on, but now and in the long run.
There’s a lot to be learned if you keep your ears and eyes open.
All BC’s organizations, like the VFW and the American Legion, built into the history of our town, are a strong part of the spirit and the substance of what Broad Channel is every day. So are the BCAC, the BC Volunteer Fire Department and others. They could always use your support and would love you to come out for their events in the coming year.
By the way, as of Jan. 1, the Vollies welcomes a new chief. Robert Leonard will be taking the reins ably passed on by Chief Ed Wilmarth III. Dan McIntyre will be president of the organization.
Thank you, Chief Wilmarth, for your dedication and service to Broad Channel.
Two weeks ago at an American Legion party, I was introduced to a song whose chorus, shouted out by partygoers, was “Alice? Who the hell is, Alice?” As usually happens, this lead to some serious scholarship and internet research. Turns out the original song, “Living Next Door to Alice,” written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, was originally released in 1972 by the Australian vocal harmony trio New World. It charted at No.35 on the Australian charts. In 1976, a British band, Smokie, put out their version, which hit No.5 in England, 25 in the U.S. and No.1 hit in Austria, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway andSwitzerland. It was a pretty straightforward 70s love song. Later they did a parody version with British comedian Chubby Brown. But wait! In 1995, a Dutch band called Gompie (I am not making this up) did a rowdy version called “Alice, Who the F--- Is Alice?” It was No.1 in the Netherlands and Belgium, reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Norway and Switzerland and No.17 in England. Somewhere along the way it became a polka favorite, complete with the “Who the hell is Alice?” call out chorus. I found versions by polka greats Frankie Yankovic and Jimmy Sturr, and Dorf Kappelle, the Buffalo Touch (at the Hrukus Hellraisers Dance, no less) and others.
Next time we’ll talk about “Cotton Eyed Joe,” a song that pre-dates the Civil War, I heard as an electronic dance mix at a wedding in West Virginia!
Got BC news? Send it to workingstories@aol.com.
Have a great 2015, BC! Thanks for reading
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