Ask Joan: School’s out edition
As today marks the first official “summer vacation” day for my daughter, I’m forced to ask myself: Can I really be the parent of a rising middle-schooler? This is emphatically not the type of question I really want to contemplate.
What’s inside
1. my husband seeks The Regal Store
2. A sportscaster follow-up
3. … and more on Bruster’s
1.I came across a worn 1925 hardcover copy of “Red Rock” by Thomas Nelson Page. On the inside back cover was a book trade label for The Regal Store in York, Pa. Any clues on where or what this was? It wasn’t listed in the vast archives of book trade labels seen here.
– Hubby, aka Chris Otto
Oh, look, my husband with an old book or piece of paper. That’s different. I’m just kidding! We were such a big help to him on his Dietz’s Lawn & Garden Center paper that he was pretty sure we could help with this as well.
Any ideas about The Regal Store, anyone? I’m not even clear if it was a “books-only” store or a more general type, so any input is obviously appreciated.
2. In the May 23 edition of Ask Joan, Lou Petti had been seeking information on a former sportscaster from York radio. The person Lou was seeking had died at least a few years ago or more, and would have been in his 40s or 50s. So, I had turned to our archives and come up with some possibilities, but I also reached out to some radio friends of mine.
John Loeper came up about as empty-handed as I originally did, but he’s way funnier. He says, “I did some sportscasting on several York radio stations and died doin’ it many times (ha ha) but I’m sorry I can’t help you with this question. Not a clue.”
After some thought, Bill Schmeer was able to make a good guess based on one of the possibilities I turned up. He writes, “Your inquirer was probably talking about Tom Ranker. Tom was one of the sales guys when I worked there. I didn’t know him that well, since he started only a year or two before I left and I didn’t have that close of contact with the sales staff, since I was in the news department. I do remember that he and Chris Huber, who is still living, were great sports guys. I know Tom was involved baseball umpiring. Trouble is, we lost a bunch of guys and there’s no one left for me to ask.”
According to our archives, Tom, who was vice president and general manager of WSBA, WARM 103 and WSOX radio stations of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Radio Division, died in 2004 at age 56, which would match up with the time frame Lou was seeking.
Bill, I hope that IS the answer, and I appreciate it! (Bill had earlier suggested that there “was a fella named Curt (last name escapes me), who had a well-responded to sports call-in show on WSBA, maybe about ten years ago. He left rather abruptly without explanation (as often happens in radio). Perhaps this is the guy your inquirer is referring to, thinking he had died. It’s the only explanation I can think of.” That, too could be possible!)
3. In another follow-up, back on May 16, our Ask Joan edition asked what happened to the Bruster’s Ice Cream in Delco Plaza.
Turns out I wasn’t the only one wondering; Kevin Bitler writes, “My wife and I usually stop at this location for ice cream after getting groceries at the Giant in the Delco Plaza. We noticed it was closed for a while and saw that sign as well.”
Well, if you read some of our other blogs, you might know that it’s official – the original owner isn’t likely to reopen, so the company is trying to re-sell or transfer the store, which broke ground back in 2006.
The interesting thing is, pretty nearby, reader Joe Stein points out they’re opening a new frozen custard place, The Meadows, up on Route 30 near Pizza Hut, next to the AT&T store.
Fun side note, to tie this back to today’s Question 1? My husband and I at least half-jokingly were eyeing up that location as a possible spot for a used bookstore. So it better be home to some darn good ice cream!
Got any questions? Ask Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future “Ask Joan” column on this blog. I’m already getting a big volume, so it might take me a while, but I hope to be able to answer as many as possible!
