Ben Franklin

Now I'm not much on making New Year's resolutions, but I do attempt to make each new day a little better than yesterday. One of my favorite people from history is Ben Franklin.  He was indeed a unique individual who died at the age of 84 and was perhaps the most interesting founding father of our country. At the age of 20, Franklin had a desire to become a better individual and developed a list of 13 virtues that he would record in a small book he carried to track his progress.

At the annual member winter breakfast of the Franklin County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (PASR), the audience was treated to a visit with Benjamin Franklin. Gerald Reichard, president of the Franklin County chapter of PASR, wrote and produced "Ben Franklin - His Life. " Reichard played a roving reporter who interviewed Ben Franklin about his young life at age 10 (played by Reichard's grandson Brett). Next, the reporter met and interviewed Ben Franklin at about the age of 30. Ben was married and had three children and was working in a print shop at that time.

In support of the American Bankers Association's efforts to promote financial literacy in schools, four employees of Susquehanna Bank made classroom presentations to Greencastle-Antrim Primary School students last month. Sharon Ruppenthal, Barbara Tisony, Cheyann Harshman and Melissa Cummings made 22 half-hour presentations to more than 600 kindergarten, first- and second-grade students as part of the "Teach Children to Save" program. The presentations featured a kite built by Ruppenthal to honor Ben Franklin, for whom Franklin County is named.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The 225th anniversary of Franklin County's founding will be celebrated Monday with a parade, contests and fireworks. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and follows the Chambersburg Christmas Parade route. Afterward, The Capitol Theatre will host Benfest, featuring three men portraying the county's namesake, Ben Franklin. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. The "Bens" will judge a birthday cake contest as well as several others, including the oldest person, youngest person and longest beard.

At midnight on Oct. 22, 1780, Ben Franklin must have been having a restless night. In Walter Issacson's book, "Benjamin Franklin, An American Life," the author shares with the reader a humorous yet revealing tale about Franklin's troubles with the gout. In fact, on this particular night, Franklin decided to have a little conversation with Madam Gout and he received some comments back. It's worth reading, especially by you gout sufferers. Why am I sharing with you this story on the editorial page of The Herald-Mail?

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Families, friends and neighbors lined Main Street in Waynesboro Saturday morning for the start of the community's 14th annual Summer Jubilee patriotic celebration. With American flags in their hands, displayed in their hats or hair, festivalgoers cheered as the Fourth of July Parade, sponsored by the Brothers of the Brush, approached the festival grounds across from Waynesboro Hospital. "Make some noise for Independence Day," said Ben Franklin, portrayed by former Waynesboro resident Michael Levick, as he waved to spectators from his perch in the back seat of a convertible.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - International Swimming Hall of Fame honoree Benjamin Franklin was in his namesake county Monday to talk about one of his earliest innovations and the many other achievements of his multifaceted life. "You're never too young to invent something. You're never too old to invent something," the 300-year-old Founding Father told a group of Chambersburg Area Senior High School English students at the Heritage Center. One idea that got him into the Swimming Hall of Fame, albeit 178 years after his death, was a set of paddles for the hands and feet that Franklin fashioned at about the age of 12 to beat another boy in a race.

Maybe the Supreme Court will rule that the stars shall no longer shine at night. Or we can petition against the tide coming in. Perhaps legislation is in order to stop the earth's plates in their tracks. But all the laws, court decisions and votes we can dream up will not stop the inevitable: The American peoplescape will continue to reflect growing numbers of what today are known as “minorities,” but tomorrow will be known only as “Americans.” Same as it ever was. This is not a policy statement or political position; this is math.

Brown letter was a disservice to American history To the editor: Although, I have no intent to debate or support the National Parks or NAACP policies, I would like to set a couple of historical facts straight from the July 23 letter to the editor titled: "John Brown was not a hero, he was a terrorist. " Although I found the basic facts in that letter to be accurate, the writer is looking through distorted lenses. Let me use the foundation of United States to prove my point.

Maybe the Supreme Court will rule that the stars shall no longer shine at night. Or we can petition against the tide coming in. Perhaps legislation is in order to stop the earth's plates in their tracks. But all the laws, court decisions and votes we can dream up will not stop the inevitable: The American peoplescape will continue to reflect growing numbers of what today are known as “minorities,” but tomorrow will be known only as “Americans.” Same as it ever was. This is not a policy statement or political position; this is math.

Now I'm not much on making New Year's resolutions, but I do attempt to make each new day a little better than yesterday. One of my favorite people from history is Ben Franklin.  He was indeed a unique individual who died at the age of 84 and was perhaps the most interesting founding father of our country. At the age of 20, Franklin had a desire to become a better individual and developed a list of 13 virtues that he would record in a small book he carried to track his progress.

I feel safe in saying that we will not be raising any more Bourbon Red heritage turkeys at Little Farm by the Creek. Beth and I have independently come to the conclusion that it's just one of those supposedly fun and cool agricultural pursuits that we will never do again. The advantage of a Bourbon Red is that its flavor is reported to be richer than the standard, dry-breasted turkey bred to produce massive amounts of white meat, even in its eyeballs. I no longer care. It doesn't matter if the Bourbon Reds taste like a caviar and truffle taco, no bird can have a flavor appealing enough to offset the headache of raising them.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Families, friends and neighbors lined Main Street in Waynesboro Saturday morning for the start of the community's 14th annual Summer Jubilee patriotic celebration. With American flags in their hands, displayed in their hats or hair, festivalgoers cheered as the Fourth of July Parade, sponsored by the Brothers of the Brush, approached the festival grounds across from Waynesboro Hospital. "Make some noise for Independence Day," said Ben Franklin, portrayed by former Waynesboro resident Michael Levick, as he waved to spectators from his perch in the back seat of a convertible.

The Top Five things to do this week Flat pickin' fun Relax and enjoy some good ole flat pickin' by Larry Keel as he headlines The Stonewalls Acoustic Series No. 3 on Friday at Stonewalls Underground Pub in Shepherdstown, W.Va. 9 p.m., Stonewalls Underground Pub, 126 E. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va. 304-876-2720. $10 cover. Devil may care Join Charlie Daniels and his band at Pickin' in the Panhandle near Hedgesville, W.Va., on Saturday night. The barbecue and bluegrass festival will feature several bands Saturday and Sunday.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The Franklin County 225th Anniversary parade proved to be a mix of new and old, with everything from turn-of-the-century vehicles to cutting-edge veterinary science on display. One highlight was when the county's namesake, Ben Franklin (as portrayed by Bob Harrison), passed the crowd on the back of a yellow firetruck. More than 1,000 people gathered under overcast skies in downtown Chambersburg for the Monday morning parade commemorating the county's founding.

With guns, games, books and concerts, the Conococheague Institute will celebrate one of the United States' greatest founding fathers -- Benjamin Franklin. Conococheague Institute will host a full day of activities on Saturday, with re-enactors, Franklin scholars and two concerts featuring Franklin's compositions and the instrument he invented. Walter Powell, Conococheague director, said the celebration is connected to the 225th anniversary of the founding of Franklin County, Pa., named after Ben Franklin.