Back in Business

It feels as though the harsher stages of isolation and virus induced panic are on the decline with a more normal way of life returning. Most states’ governors are relaxing their tight fisted choke hold on business and the American way of life. There are still a few areas of the business community they haven’t relinquished their unconstitutional and repressive restraint.

During the time of my forced quarantine, I worked on the newsletter for the Chestnut Ridge Historical Center. It is definitely a labor: lining margins, placing photos, and getting the stories to fit into seven pages. The eighth and final page posts a photo of something that is no longer around. It also has the society’s return address and room to affix members’ names and mailing addresses. Sometimes it frustrates me when I shift one item and it messes up the rest of the pages and the entire newsletter has to be reworked.

The part of creating the newsletter I enjoy most is deciding on the feature article, the front page story. In the past it’s been about a Lost Fort, local Mine Safety Crews, area Railroad companies, a serial killer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and our military heroes. Once the topic is decided, I have to do the research, finally combining several accounts into one cohesive and hopefully interesting article.

My next chore is to search for local tidbits of interest and filler items. It might be history, folk tales, or accounts written by local residents. I might find articles from newspapers on regional events, incidents, or residents. I also include one old time recipe to keep our cooking heritage alive.

As I neared the finish of next issue, waiting for an okay to place one final story about a local man’s jail break in place, things changed. I thought I’d soon be finished. The letter could be sent to the printer and ready to slap on mailing addresses. Then suddenly, things changed.

My subject was to have been to highlight the important part southwestern Pennsylvania played in the Underground Railroad, its involvement with slavery, and the influential role of abolitionists from our area played in the emancipation process.

It was to honor Black History month, February, but this inexcusable and reprehensible murder of George Floyd intervened and the story was deemed inappropriate. It was shelved. I’ll possibly use it later when people are more able to digest the black history of our area without malice and the tainted influence of the present times.

It was back to the drawing board looking for a new idea and beginning the laborious, time consuming task of research.