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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Radio Shows

One of my favorite memories as a Woodsdale Kid was participating in the Oglebay Institute radio playhouse shows. My sisters also took part. We were assigned a role and on Saturday mornings would go downtown to the studio to become part of a play. Sometimes I got to be the soundeffects person and would slam doors or recreate hoofbeats with glee. I don't know whether anyone listened to these shows, but the experience of being part of it was delightful.
My mother had her own show on WMOD Moundsville at one time. I think it was called the Blue Fairy hour or something like that. She would read stories for kids and sometimes we got to do the readings. We had an extensive set of books around the house to chose stories from. My dad worked at the station as a salesman and he would bring home an old reel to reel tape recorder which he set on the dining room table. We would gather around the microphone and talk, read poems or stories. How I wish I had those tapes now.
Speaking of WMOD they played my favorite children's radio show Andy's Gang which featured Froggy the Gremlin who would "pluck his magic twanger" now and then. The show was sponsored by Buster Brown shoes and they came to the Strand theater in Moundsville one Saturday. There was some sort of contest where you had to collect bottle caps or something and the prize was huge (though I can not now remember what it was). My brothers and sisters and I turned up at the theater with our bottlecaps only to learn we could not enter the contest because my father worked for the station.
Another children's show I liked was Big John and Sparky. Anyone else remember any of these? Or even have radio memories of their own?

Friday, April 13, 2012

Signs of Spring



While walking to Woodsdale school each spring morning, I would look for the crocuses in one particular yard. If they were blooming, even in the snow, I knew spring was on its way. They were always the first flower to bloom. As things warmed up, I'd head out to Stratford hill to cull the crop of wildflowers. Do kids today even notice such things? Somehow, I doubt it.

Mr. Hile's Big Red Dog

As a Woodsdale student from grades 1-4, I was always intimidated by Mr. Hile. he was so tall and looked so much like Abe Lincoln! Since I lived on the Linsly campus where my father taught & coached, I walked home each day down Leatherwood Lane and soon learned that Mr. Hile owned the most beautiful dog I had ever seen! One Saturday I noticed him in his front yard throwing a ball to this large Irish Setter. Summoning all the nerve I could at the age of 6, I stopped to say hello and to pet his dog. From that day on, I was no longer afraid of Mr. Hile and, of course, fell in love with his dog. Each day, "Red" (the name I gave him) would meet me in front of the Hile house and escort me part of the way down Leatherwood lane to my house. My big sister was always there to watch after me on our walks to and from school but "Red" was my real protector.
Although I loved my years at Linsly, there were many days during the fifth grade that I looked up the street wondering if Red was missing me. We always made sure to check on each other most weekends.
My first dog as an adult?..........An Irish Setter!
Dave Keith