Wonderment...And Heartache

There was nothing better growing up than coming from a large, close & loving family. Not just with ten brothers and sisters but with nearly twice as many uncles and aunts on both my dad's side of the family and my mother's. Add in what seems like hundreds of first cousins and you get the idea of growing up in the Kelly-O'Brien family. Irish Catholic to the core! Perhaps a bit more Irish than Catholic for some today but the memories of both still linger for us all. The holidays, the birthdays; the visits. They were all amazingly special in a way that some may never understand, but amazing they were. Yet, life happens. We get older, we get grayer, we hopefully get wiser; and in the process we begin to say goodbye. For the wonderment of such a family is also its heartache. So many to love and so many to loose. Earlier this month we said farewell to the head of yet another great Irish family line, my Uncle Bill Halloran, my mother’s brother-in-law. Then just yesterday my mom’s own brother Charlie, the last of her generation. Heartache. But for those of us who remain we hold on to the wonderment. The wonderment of the family that they both helped build. The brothers, sisters, cousins….the families that they now build to hopefully create that same wonderment that my generation has known. Because that wonderment will be the only thing to help lessen that inevitable heartache.

I Love A Parade

So it seems that Mother Nature doesn’t feel like turning things over to Old Man Winter any time soon in Rutland County. She hasn’t even really invited autumn in just yet but that won’t stop the festivities planned in Rutland this weekend. Saturday night the streets of downtown Rutland will be full of the ghosts, goblins, witches & spectacular floats that will make up the 58^th annual Halloween Parade. The parade is one of the largest & longest running Halloween parades in the United States, getting its start when Eisenhower was still President. The first parade took to the streets of Rutland in October of 1960 and has been part of Rutland’s history ever since. My first parade was in 1993 and as a local radio guy I have been part of it ever since.

So even though Mother Nature isn’t quite ready to relinquish her hold on the warmer weather, the good news is it should be a perfect fall evening for the 58^th Halloween Parade. 94-5 The Drive will be there on Saturday night as we have been since we went on the air here in Rutland in 2008. Look for us….we’ll be looking for you!

Isla

Five years ago this past September I was enjoying one of the special days in my life when my daughter was married to one of the finest men I know. Now, five years on I spent the anniversary of that wonderful day with my granddaughter as mom & dad celebrated their fifth anniversary. When you have a chance to spend time with the innocence of a beautiful child you remember how truly special & truly important the simplest things in life are. The burdens of everyday life that always seem to bog you down melt away when you take the time to let yourself look inward; to the truly important things in your life. Like the wonderment  of being a grandfather. A beautiful feeling only surpassed by an even more beautiful little one...named Isla.

Thoughts On Those In the Gulf Region

I was thinking about the people in Houston and how so many have lost so much in such a short period of time. It caused me to think of how lucky most of us are that we have never suffered through anything of that magnitude. All of us have gone through a tough stretch here and there I have no doubt. Some more than others I am sure but so many in the gulf area have lost everything. Some today grieve over the loss of family members. Others have lost cars, homes…. And in some cases even jobs. So very many have no place to return to. We know how difficult it was to put lives back together here in the northeast after Irene. We can only hope that those in the gulf region will find a way to put their lives together after a storm that was so much worse.

It's Getting Very Near The End

Only a couple of more weeks to go before we find out who the winner is in our Sgt. Pepper Summer Giveaway. All summer long we have been qualifying our listeners for a chance to win the complete 50^th anniversary collection of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The collection is chock full of great Beatles music, memorabilia, CD’s & DVD’s. You can see the complete layout of our prize by checking out the Sgt Pepper video here on our website. So yes, we are coming to the final weeks of our Sgt. Pepper Summer but you still have a chance to qualify to win this great package by listening to Uncle Dave weekday mornings and my show in the afternoon. If you’re a Beatles fan…or know someone who is I can tell you firsthand how great an anniversary collection this is. You see, I purchased my own set back in early June. So be sure to listen for your last few chances to qualify over the next couple of weeks because if you are chosen as the winner…”A splendid time is guaranteed for all”

Rutland County & Beyond

Although 94-5 The Drive is Rutland County's choice for great classic hits, it's pretty obvious to us that we stretch well beyond our home county. Thanks to all of our Drivers in Addison County, Windsor County and those of you in Washington County, New York too! We can't say enough about how much we appreciate you all as listeners. Hope you'll keep DRIVING along, and in turn, we will keep playing all the great classics of your past; whether you are here with us in Rutland County or beyond.

Celebrating Sgt. Pepper At 50

Though you may not be of that certain age where the 50^th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a big deal, my guess is there is someone in your life that remembers the release of that iconic album when it first came out in America on June 2 back in 1967. Ask them and they will tell you what an amazing thing it was to hear that album for the first time for a variety of different reasons. From the album cover itself to the magic that waited inside for your ears to experience, in its day, it was unlike anything in rock that had come before. And now, 50 years on it has been remastered, repackaged & re-released to rave reviews and sales that in its first week of release put it at the top of the album chart in England and nearly matched that here in the U.S. where it sold over 75,000 copies in its first week to re enter the Billboard 200 Album Chart at #3. The last time Sgt. Pepper peaked that high was on December 30, 1967 after a run at #1 that lasted 15 weeks. I mention all this to set the stage for the package that you could win here on The Drive during our Sgt. Pepper Summer. All summer we will be giving you a chance to win the 50th Anniversary Edition of the LP both on the air and at various locations throughout Rutland County. Before Labor Day we will award the ENTIRE package to one lucky listener. Take a look at the special video here on our website to see what the 50th Anniversary Edition includes and listen to The Drive in the days and weeks ahead for your chance to own a very special piece of rock music history.