It’s hard to believe Santa’s midnight ride is less than a week away. The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is in full swing at our Webb Weekly office. I love getting a preview of all the children’s artwork as it comes in for our Annual Blaise Alexander Christmas Fun Coloring Contest. The effort the kids put into their coloring is amazing. They come in from the little ones in three age groups: 4 and under, 5-7, and 8-10. I still can’t color within the lines.
After all these years of the contest, I still don’t know if Editor Steph does the right thing by enlisting elves from the North Pole to help her with the event. This year, she’s got Jazzy Brightbells, Noel Hollyfluff, and Jingle Snowsparkle running around the office. I often worry they’re going to get under my feet; heaven forbid I step on one. I also worry that with the long, hard hours Santa works them at the North Pole, one or all of them might defect and disappear. You know, like a Cuban Little League coach has done during the World Series the last couple of years. I certainly don’t want Santa putting me on the naughty list.
A tip of my Santa hat with the American flag on the side and a Merry Christmas to Blaise Alexander and his family. They have been on board for as long as I can remember, and I know Blaise appreciates the kiddos’ hard work on all the artwork.
A sincere thank you and Merry Christmas to all the great sponsors who provide the prizes for 10 winners in each age group. Top prize being a $200 gift card to Fly World and Kaos, which is a great place to take the young ones during the Christmas break to burn off a little energy.
Editor Steph will have the winners in next week’s December 25th edition, as well as a list of all the children who entered.
The other office event coming to a Christmas close is our annual ringing of the bell for the Salvation Army Williamsport in remembrance of Dave Sechler. If you haven’t stopped and made a donation or mailed one in, please remember we must receive it by December 23rd. We still have plenty of coffee mugs filled with Christmas candy for those that drop in.
I’ll forewarn you to watch out for the elves as they usually come out from the back room as Jaimie’s ringing the bell.
A heartfelt thank you and Merry Christmas to all who have helped carry on Dave Sechler’s lifetime of work. I think the last time I saw him ringing the bell was at Kmart, and of course, he had a big smile on his face.
I’ll finish things out this week with another big-buck-down story. I stopped for my morning breakfast at Dolly’s Diner in Montoursville, and Vickie McKibben had something to show me. The proud grandmother wanted to share a picture of her 13-year-old grandson, David Graf.
David, from Liberty, was a little upset when school was canceled, postponing his basketball game. The snow, however, provided the perfect backdrop for this picture of his monster nine-pointer, sporting a 22-inch spread. The whitetail unofficially scored 152 2/8.
Dave was hunting his family’s land in Liberty and would like to give a special thank you to his stepfather, not only for the opportunity that presented itself that late Wednesday afternoon but also for all the hunting time they share together.
Great job, young man, and way to hold those crosshairs steady on your 6.5 Creedmoor. Thanks again to Vickie for sharing. I always love hearing those hunting stories.
Our 17th Annual Webb Weekly Uncle Ron’s Monster Buck Contest runs right through the second season, which begins on December 26th. Full details can be found on page 59.
Well, I’ve got to run and finish a little Christmas shopping. Please get out and about and enjoy all the holiday happenings that can be found in the pages ahead. Let’s all be careful out there.
God Bless America.
