The Belt and Beyond | September 22nd, 2016

24 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Tea and Biscuits
by Lee O'Donovan
Please Stand Up For The National
Anthem!
I sit on a wet plank of metal called a 'bleacher' with my
wife and other parents watching our children perform
on the field. The kids are wearing black, green and
white uniforms. Some play musical instruments, others
are clutching poles with flags attached. We all wait for the weekly high school
football game to begin. My daughter is in the "silks" (My wife's term for the
flag-wavers in a marching band). The marching band, silks and cheerleaders
are part of the expected pomp and ceremony presented at football games.
This cultural phenomenon amazes, and befuddles me. Apparently, in America,
a sporting event requires more than just the two competing teams, in America
a sporting event includes cheerleaders, a marching band, a group that waves
flags in a pre-arranged pattern, and folks dressed in costumes representing
animals,(mascots).
In Britain, we go to a sporting event to watch... ..the sport. There are no
cheerleaders, bands playing brass instruments and drums marching across the
field, no waving flags, no teams of girls flying in the air performing terrifying
looking stunts and pyramids!
A British game is about the sport, and American games are about the pomp!
When I first watched an Iron Pigs baseball game I was bemused (puzzled) by
the people dressed as cuts of meat chasing each other around the pitch,(field)
and the weird looking creature riding the quad bike was downright ridiculous!
However, after a season of attending all the games of our local high school
football and feeling a swell of pride in seeing my daughter march around waving
her flag, I think I get it.
I do applaud and appreciate the time and effort that the football players and
cheerleaders put into their performance. I am invested more in the marching
band and silks because my daughter is a silk. I make no excuses for my being a
proud father!
My daughter does this so that she can stand on a field and represent her
school full of pride and I can't express enough how proud of her I am. The game
that I go to is about two competing teams playing football, but for me, the pomp
that surrounds the game is what makes this event American and fun!
When I go to a game and stand for the National Anthem I do so out of
respect for the country and because I respect the effort that America puts into
celebrating its sports.
God Bless America!
Lee
Find Your Way
Touchdown
by Robert L Martin
One last drive is all we got
When our battle ends, so well we fought
We arose from volcanoes through all the cracks
Strewing fire like swarming maniacs
How dare you put yourself in our path?
Those who do will suffer from our wrath
We can move together through molten walls
Hearts pounding with marauding rally calls
Our downhill ride is the two minute drill
Moving straight ahead while time stands still
With runs and passes, we move the chains
Trepidation sinks in while power reigns
They saw us coming, their confidence quivered
They fell down, our final blow was delivered
A play action pass clogged up the middle
We ran a post pattern, we solved the riddle
Football is not easy
We play to win
But they do too
How to Making Recordings at NCC
Musicians, artists, singers, public speakers, and others can learn how to make
professional recordings at Northampton Community College’s (NCC) Fab Lab’s
recording studio, on Wednesdays, October 5 and 12, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at
NCC’s Fowler Family Southside Center, 511 E. Third Street, Bethlehem.
Participants in the class will learn to use the studio equipment to produce
high-quality results.
For costs/questions call 610-332-8665. To register visit www.northampton.edu/
lifelearn and sign up for The Joy of Recording-Doing It Right.
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