Jersey Mike » Miss a day, Miss a lot!

Miss a day, Miss a lot!

June 27, 2008 / Jersey / One comment

Here’s something of a “best week ever” recap of the past six days in the life of Jersey Mike-

Friday night, The Hackensaw Boys played a ripping, blistering two sets to an always warm and welcoming crowd at The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg.

Saturday morning, they found themselves awake in their hotel room- The Comfort Inn Riverside on Front Street- minus two fiddles, three laptops, three iPods, a couple of wallets and about a thousand bucks in cash.

Sometime between four and nine AM, someone entered one of their hotel rooms and boosted a good chunk of their stuff.

(There were security cameras…but they were apparently disabled because of the renovations currently taking place…oh, and subsequently, there was a construction crew very familiar and very residing at The Comfort Inn Riverside on Front Street.)
Over an hour later, the Harrisburg Police finally showed up to take a report.

Our friend Erin lent Ferd one of her fiddles so he can play his show at Baltimore’s 8×10 on Saturday night.

And in an odd twist of events, Che- the Hackensaw’s publicist- got an email from a guy in Hershey explaining that he purchased two fiddles at a yard sale on Derry Street- (it was a community yard-sale within the apartment complex on next to the Post Office) and inside the fiddle case was the settlement sheet from the previous night’s show at ABC- which led him to contact the band- considering the fiddles were worth thousands- if not priceless.

Long story short, Ferd and Co. drove back up I-83 Sunday morning and retrieved his fiddles. WHP-TV and Roxbury News covered it.
Monday- started out blogging an open-letter to councilman Brad Koplinski asking him why I hadn’t received a reply after nearly half a dozen requests to meet with him to review the seventeen page proposal I presented to council in an effort to reform the Amusement Tax.

Fifteen minutes after I posted the letter, Brad replied. We’re doing lunch at Nonna’s next week.

Monday Night, 31 Flavors and I attended a public safety meeting at the Salvation Army Chapel on Cumberland and Green Streets-where I was lucky enough to sit dead smack in front of Mayor Reed.

At the end of Reed’s speech to the public, he took a very rare opportunity to field questions from the public.

Being that I was sitting dead-smack in front of him, I seized said opportunity and asked Mayor Steven Reed the following question- “Mr. Mayor- why is all crime data not released to the public and the media? It seems like there are a heck of a lot more crimes that occur than what’s reported or accessible from the records department”

And the Mayor’s response? The best word to summarize it would be circular.

Mayor Reed immediately replied: “It is. It’s reported to the Crime Watch groups. Which Crime Watch group are you part of?”

And the audience chuckled. Roy Christ, Brad K., Smokin Joe Solomon…all seemed to get a kick out of that.

And I replied- “Look, I’m in Midtown. And crime isn’t reported.”

Reed continued {Just ahead: PARAPHRASING} “In the post 9/11 world, we can’t compromise investigations by releasing all crime data. You see, there are new laws now…if I were to release the names of crime suspects….that’s a misdemeanor…the media present…and the PennLive sites….(audience laughter) don’t even get me started on the PennLive site…they’d have me arrested before I walked out the door…but there’s a system…and it requires a LOT of grant money…did I mention the new police cars that YOU are paying for? There’s a system that you’d be able to log into…and you’d use a number…and it show’s the crime by grid…by whatever grid you’re in”

And he went on and on…for probably seven minutes…and finally came back to this:

“So no, all crime data is not released for those reasons” -

Which went from here: “It is. It’s reported to the Crime Watch groups.” to the summary: “So no, all crime data is not released…”

And then, outside the Salvo on Green- I did a brief interview which wound up on ABC-27. And passed the peace pipe with Brad Koplinski.

Tuesday morning, A freelance reporter from WGAL-8 called to see if I wanted to talk about high gas prices and the effect it’s havign on touring bands.

Being the camera-whore that I am, I said “Sure, I’ll meet you at ABC in an hour.”

And I did. Along with Jake and Andy from The April Skies and Nate Myers (as in- and The Aces)

Tuesday afternoon- 31 Flavors and I had planned a couple of months ago to take a little camping trip vacation the week she was off for work. So we did. Over a hundred and fifty miles on the scoots.

Hit some great diners.

Spent Wednesday afternoon and dinner on Wednesday night with Cliff and Morgan- a Connecticut/England (the country) couple who retired as chemists from Pfeizer- Cliff was actually one of the first people to work on the Viagra development team. And Morgan! Let me tell you about MORGAN! She- a woman who eldered my Mother- had The Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath play gigs at shitty little dive bars and High School dances in her hometown- you see, Cliff and Morgan were travelling the warm climates of the United States- in their retirement.

Late fifties, a novel’s worth of great stories to tell, and travelling the country in a bitchin’ little RV.

Thursday morning- I picked up Dennis Owens report on ABC-27 that openly-gay Harrisburg Councilman Dan Miller finally called attention to the “relationship” between Mayor Steven Reed and John Lavenda- long rumored to be a gay couple residing in Camp Hill- supposedly at 1803 Walnut Street, Camp Hill, Pa. 17011. You see, apparently, Reeds housemate and partner reside in Camp Hill. And John Lavenda is the primary of the National Sports Hall of Fame. The “shell” 501(c)(3) which recieved a one hundred fifty thousand dollar donation from the sale of the Harrisburg Senators.

Which “National Sports Hall of Fame” do you ask?

That’s right.

There is not a National Sports Hall of Fame and there will not be a National Sports Hall of Fame.

So ANYWAY, Thursday afternoon, 31 Flavs and I rode the scoots back from Shamokin/Milton and had a blast doing so.

Tomorrow afternoon, AndyM from The Hold Steady message board is picking us up and we’re going to Hold it Steady at Ram’s Head in Baltimore.

Followed up by an Amtrack trip to Jersey to pick up my new Saab.

And then The Hold Steady again in Brooklyn.

Followed by a ride back to Sweet Home Pennsylvania.

Oh yeah…I almost forgot- The Regal Beagle got raided.

(And, the Patriot News covered none of the above topics )

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Category: Amusement Tax /

One comment

Rob Nease says:

June 27, 2008 at 10:32 pm

What a week!

You are such a media whore. And thank God for that – someone needs to keep Reed in line.

-Rob “Which Crime Watch group are you a part of?” Nease

Miss a day, Miss a lot!

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