A tip of my Webb Weekly cap with the American Flag on the side to everyone that calls our special section of Penns Woods home. You have all done an amazing job during this most difficult time in American history. By committing to and following all the guidelines that have been recommended by our state and federal government, you have shown your love of our great country and each other. You have proven that by following social distancing, we can have some normalcy in our lives and still be able to get out and about for the necessities, recreation, and exercise.

This week’s publication features the great outdoors that we are all so very blessed within our area. A special thanks to Ken Hunter for allowing us to share some of this great artistic work on the front cover. What I love about his paintings is that I can walk right into any of them with real-life memories. They’re a great representation of our local hunting and fishing heritage, as well as the beautiful scenery that surrounds us. They are also a great tribute to all of God’s creatures we share the woods and waters with.

The Spring gobbler season is my favorite hunting season of the year. It’s just a beautiful time to be out in the woods. What I enjoy most is that it’s interactive, and you just don’t sit and watch.

There’s a wide variety of ways to talk turkey to that trophy gobbler. If you have never experienced turkey hunting, reach out to someone you know and give it a try.

If you’re able to encounter and call in a bird, it will be an amazing experience. The loud gobbling as the woods come to life in the morning, coupled with the back-and-forth conversation between caller and bird, will get your heart racing. Heck, you might not even wanna pull the trigger and just take a picture when Tom the Turkey fans out in front of you.

Movin’ right along to the fishing season. Our local trout community was thrown a curve when the season was moved up from its intended April 11th start. The season unceremoniously opened the Tuesday prior. This sent both fishermen and those that provide everything that is needed for the season scrambling.

A tip of my Webb Weekly camo hat with the American Flag on the side to local businesses that responded with flying colors. My first mention goes to Scott Davenport and his family at East End Gun and Bait Shop. They are great folks who live the American dream and believe in small business. They were able to roll with the punches and provide local anglers just what they were looking for. They turned their walk-in store on Washington Boulevard into a full-service walk-up experience. What a great way to adapt and overcome while observing social distancing to keep everyone safe.

Next stop is the good people at Winner Hardware/Bass Pro Shop in the West End of town. Longtime manager Scott Menne and staff were able to roll with the tide as the store was overwhelmed on Tuesday morning. My son Jimmy and I made a stop there to get our fishing licenses. We had already planned to go bass fishing this day. We couldn’t believe the flood of fishermen just waiting to get out in the water. Again, they managed to operate within proper social distancing procedures and get everybody hooked up and off safely.

There are commonsense ways to provide social distancing and customer service within every business. We need to reopen our Pennsylvania economy. I hope by the time you’re reading this, we’re back to business with a social distancing twist.

A well-deserved heartfelt thank you to all those working so hard within area grocery stores. They are truly on the front lines when it comes to dealing with the American public. Not only do they face exposure to every illness each and every day, but they also deal with customers that believe those working the registers and/or counters within the stores are the owners. Again, we are very blessed that most are on their best behavior, but some are not — shame on these people.

One special lady I would like to mention that goes above and beyond every day is Tina Seitzer of Weis Markets. If you’ve shopped the River Avenue store, you know Tina. She works the last register and is always quick with a kind greeting, great customer service, and to wish you a blessed day. You can tell she loves her job and loves working with people. She exemplifies hard work and commitment to her employer. Great job, Tina!

Another lady I would like to give a shout out to his Tammy Faye, who works the service desk at Murray Motors Muncy. She is always kind and professional. She goes the extra mile to make sure the most important person to every business, the customer, is taken care of.

At this most difficult time, she is making sure that proper social distancing and disinfecting practices are being observed. This includes wiping off the keys to your vehicle as she places them on the counter for you to pick up and making makes sure the pen you used goes into a container to be sterilized. I don’t think any of this was in her job description a couple of months ago.

Tammy proves that business can and must go on. Again, you must practice social distancing to keep everyone safe, but there is no reason the door to any business should be closed.

I’m going to stay positive, and hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, you’re able to take advantage of the 84 month no interest deals most area dealerships will be offering. As well as supporting all your favorite local business folks and restaurants.

Please be safe, stay healthy, and take care of one another out there. Most importantly, stay positive and find the silver lining in every day.

God Bless America.