New York Wire factory whistle, shift workers and children: Does the noise disturb them?
Workers get ready for the New York Factory Whistle Concert rehearsal in preparation for tonight’s concert. At the same time as this unusual concert, but about 15 miles away, the Glen Rock Carol Singers will exercise their vocal chords all night along the streets of that southern York County borough. Also of interest: New York Wire Factory Whistle Concert: ‘We’d stand out on our driveway to hear it’ and ‘Rocks in the Glen’ turns into town where things happen.
When an email uses the term “Grinch” this time of year, it gets a second look.
This emailer tied the Christmas curmudgeon into the annual New York Wire Factory Whistle Concert. (See a story with photos of preparations for the Friday whistle practice.)
He called for a survey to see how much of the York-area population are Grinches.
“Ask how many enjoy the steam whistle and how many do not enjoy the whistle
being sounded at 1215 Christmas morning. Many of the children have been put to bed for the night and a lot of people have to get up early to go to service jobs. Does the noise disturb them?
“I say there will be a considerable amount of responses that are negative to
the steam whistle.”
Lost of the emailer is the fact that a miracle on East Market Street saved the whistle concert. The switch from costly steam power to affordable compressed air was the first hurdle. And the second is that a fund has been set up to preserve the concert into, well, perpetuity.
But back to the survey, albeit unscientific.
We asked that question about how people feel about the concert on ydr.com (Check out the poll, and if a new question is up, check out the results in this story).
The score:
Love it: 85 percent
Hate it 2 percent
What’s that: 12 percent
We asked the love it or loathe it question on the YDR’s Facebook page and received more than 20 likes, which we’ll take as a “love.” And more than 20 comments overwhelmingly in favor of it.
Here’s one from Jason Langheine:
“I like it because of it being a York thing. Yes, it sounds REALLY eerie and kinda creepy, but that makes the history of it more interesting.”
All this is good fun, of course,
But notice that in the unscientific poll, about 12 percent of those responding did not know about the concert.
That’s the next challenge. Marketing the whistle concert. Perhaps some of the foundation funds could go that way.
The whistle concert could also be jointly marketed with the Glen Rock Carol Singers traditional all-night walk through the borough’s downtown.
Not too many counties have two such quirky, and time-honored traditions. There’s an opportunity to promote York County somewhere in here. Perhaps we’ll eventually win over the email Grinch.
Also of interest:
Check out these stories about the New York Wire whistle and its annual concerts.
