Wow! How great is it to see the baseball and softball diamonds full of young ball players? Just seeing people out and about enjoying all the wonderful things our area has to offer in summertime. The ability to go out for a bite to eat and a cold drink. To actually be able to attend a church service in person. All these amazing things we are so blessed with in our great Nation should never be taken for granted.

Tip of my Red, White and Blue cap with the American Flag on the front to all the ladies that took me up on my offer to learn how to safely handle and properly use a handgun. The work end of it being provided by Adam Kordes and the good people at National Rifle & Armory. A special shout out to Louise Knight for her kind words. Louise was the first lady 65 years young or older to take me up on my 2nd Amendment offer to have the full cost of the class paid for.

The first 50 spots offered filled so fast that we’re going to extend it to 100. For complete details you can go to webbweekly.com and check out my story from last week, “The 2nd Amendment is Not Negotiable” or give the good folks at National Range & Armory a call at 570-601-4101 or go to their Facebook page.

I have some catching up to do this week. Thank you to Josie Latini, the owner of It’s My Party Store. When this whole crazy COVID crisis first started, she provided masks for everyone in my office. Including my Real Tree camo mask, which I also used during spring gobbler season to protect me from the turkeys. And to Mrs. Cheryl Musheno, who provided me my Red, White, and Blue all-American flag mask, which I used on an everyday basis.

Next up on my catch up is the great folks at Dunkin Donuts. I have been a big fan all the way back to the Mister Donut days when Mr. Jim Bower leased the property in Newberry from my grandfather — Pappy Maietta. A few years back, the Bower family sold the local Dunkins to Jeral Forger and Monica Enright. They have been able to keep that local hometown feel of yesteryear and mesh it with the corporate Dunkin franchise of today.

Tip of my Webb Weekly cap to Dunkin managers Sue Weaver, Loyalsock store, Tina Caroway, Southside, and Beth Lukowsky, Newberry. They hold down the fort at one of my most frequent stops. They, along with their staff, do an unbelievable job and helped provide normality during the Wuhan Flu shutdown.

On May 5th, as we were all struggling with the everyday Groundhog Day feel of the pandemic, Monica sent me a most uplifting message and picture. Her daughter Mya brought a handsome little angel, Avery Michael Santos, into the world. Monica’s first grandson. This little bundle of joy and miracle of life, bringing smiles to so many with his arrival. The best part of publishing the Webb Weekly are the special friendships you build with people. Through the process of everyday business, folks become like family. Thank you for sharing, Monica and God bless your family.

Another special Webb Weekly tip of the hat with the American Flag on the side to our local restaurants and eateries for their service during the pandemic. The good folks at The Villa, Mulberry Street Cafe, and Filippo’s provided some of my sons’ favorites at our family table. A silver lining during the Corona crisis was making up for all those lost dinners at home during my sons’ sports days. I am so glad I got the do-over, I just wish it were because of a different reason.

A message to all young parents out there with kids playing sports, do not let sports take over your life. The lost time at home as a family, the vacations, and especially the Sundays at church can’t be made up. Please take it from somebody that knows; the kids grow up way too fast.

Now moving on to the business end of things, within this week’s Webb Weekly, you find what is usually our Spring Home Improvement, this year it’s titled 2020 Home Improvement. Again, that COVID-19 thing I hate to mention caused the rescheduling.

No matter what the project is that you’re looking to accomplish, there is someone that can be found within our pages to help you. There has never been a more important time to buy and contract locally. This is what keeps our communities strong, especially at a time of crisis. We take great pride in the Webb Weekly Home Improvement guides we publish each year and our relationship with the West Branch Builders Association. There are over 100 businesses in our 2020 Home Improvement guide. Think of it as a way of attending the WBBA Home Show, which of course, was cancelled this past March by Covid-19.

To close things out, a tip of my Phillies 4th of July cap to Mr. Joe Tedesco, Mr. Don Noviello, and the Lycoming County Softball Association. They have done an amazing job of bringing the Elm Park Complex back to life. It was great to watch some live sports action this past weekend. The fields will be primarily used for youth through high school aged softball. The complex will be named to honor Father John Manno. We will have much more on this in an upcoming edition.

God Bless America.