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A look at Christmas past: the ’60s

I proudly admit, I was a child of the 1960s and I thought it might be fun to look back and remember what Christmases looked like as I was growing up. The kickoff to the holiday shopping season always began with the downtown Lewistown Christmas parade. Since I grew up in the country, we didn’t often venture into town, but this was one event we never missed. Lewistown was turned into a winter wonderland with beautiful decorations and the streets and sidewalks were packed with cars and people. No parade day was ever complete without a stop at Murphy’s 5 & 10 for a free goldfish. ...

How does one say goodbye without actually leaving?

After 24 years in the state Senate, I am stepping away from public life. But as a life-long resident of Centre County, I’m not going anywhere. Who could have guessed that nearly a half century ago when I walked on the floor for my father’s first swearing in to the Senate of Pennsylvania, it would begin a near five-decade relationship between the Corman family and the citizens of the 34th Senatorial District? My father and I had very different careers. He was much more community-focused, holding constant constituent hours and working closely with local governments. I took a ...

The champion turkey hunter

In 1824, a man by the name of John Jackson Gantz was born in Ferguson Valley. No one imagined that he would one day grow up to be the infamous “Daniel Boone of Mifflin County.” He also earned the title of “The Champion Turkey Hunter of the Alleghenies.” Knowing well his descendant, great-great-great grandson, Peter Ort of Lewistown, I am not surprised that this man was a colorful character in our Juniata River Valley history When John was 37 years old, the Civil War broke out and he decided to volunteer to serve in the Union Army. He walked 61 miles to Harrisburg only to be ...

The hanging of Frank Lee

With Halloween quickly approaching our thoughts turn to all things grim and spooky. There is a story in Mifflin County’s past that certainly conjures up such dark thoughts. It was once described as a homicide horror! It is the sad tale of the only person ever executed in Mifflin County. The story begins in 1908. It was a fall day, not that different from this very day, when two business partners who owned and operated a horse-and-cart hauling business, one being George Porter and the other Frank Lee, got into a heated argument over money. The disagreement soon escalated to the point ...

The truth about fake news

Flu season is upon us. Have you inoculated yourself against fake news? No, that’s not a misprint. Just as most of us regularly get a flu shot to help protect ourselves from the influenza virus, we can also take steps to prevent being fooled by “stories” that push misinformation — not by getting a shot, but by having what I call a healthy news diet. People who regularly read good journalism are simply less gullible when it comes to fake news. And there’s no better time to think about our news diets than this week, which is national Media Literacy Week. The fact that you’re ...

The best things in life

I recently spent a week with my family enjoying the beach one last time for the season, taking advantage of the mild fall temperatures. The group included three of my four adult children (one son stayed behind with his newborn son), their spouses, and their six children, all 5 years old and under. The best way to describe it would be controlled chaos. The journey to Rehoboth began with me in the back seat sandwiched between two car seats containing a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. The highlight of traveling this way was the opportunity to watch episodes of Dinosaur Train and Dora ...