Amusement parks were a part of my summer entertainment. When I was young my mother took me to several of them. Whenever she said how about we go to Celeron or Midway, I was thrilled. Since I was an only child, it meant either my mother had to ride with me or she had to find someone who ...

Some of my closest relationships are with appliances. I mingle more with mixers, dishwashers and dryers than I do with my books and my computer. Oh wait. That’s another appliance. I guess it’s fair to say a large chunk of my day is spent with the steely looks of the Plug-In Gang. Hard ...

“I hate that it happened. I hate, even more so, that it happened there.” Those were the only words I could come up with following Friday’s tragedy at Chautauqua Institution, where an amphitheater crowd of 2,500 witnessed an attack on famed author Salman Rushdie moments before his ...

When I mention “the fair” I am referring to the fair where I grew up; the one on Central Avenue in Dunkirk. At first that fair was held beginning on Labor Day. My mother always took me to the fair. I remember one night when we were at the fair. It started to rain so we headed for my ...

I’m in withdrawal. The tee ball set and the miniature soccer balls are gathered on the porch. The new yellow swing hangs forlornly between the cherry trees. And I’m sitting on the patio wishing the air was still filled with yelps and giggles. They have gone and the silence is deafening. ...

I went to my first rodeo on July 28. I never thought it would be about the personalities. On July 27, I met a cowboy – a real Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bareback rider. Krandall Conn, 21, of Michigan City, Ind., was a special guest at the sponsor dinner for the 42nd annual ...