Judging homemade goodies a county fair high

One tray of goodies judges had to make hard decisions over for Manatee County Fair's culinary arts and foods category

Something called calamondin marmalade was first.
Then it was the quince jelly.
Followed by blueberry jam.
Bing-bang-boom!
Judging the homemade delicacies in the culinary arts and foods category for the 97th Manatee County Fair last Saturday wasn't three rounds old and I was already on a sugar high.
Loved every bite, too.
Don't know what the other judges thought by that point so early in the proceedings, but I was on a roll.
A sweet roll.
It carried me through nearly 2.5 hours of  deliberating and dipping and tasting all sorts of delicacies I could just imagine were prepared by somebody's mama and grandma.
Consequently, if I was overly generous in my scores?
So what.
There were almost  two-dozen rounds of goodies to go through and though I  had my favorites, there were a few that did not hit the spot.
On the other hand there were a bunch that did and received a personal thumbs up.
Urp!
Among them were:
Egg-and-cheese breakfast. Looked funky, but tasted great.
Egg plant pasta. Ate the whole thing.
French toast casserole. Interesting combo.
Chocolate chip cookie-with-surprise: Surprise was an oreo cookie inside. Yes!
Gluten free honey peanut butter bar. Ate it all.
Cookies-and-cream fudge. Help!
Chocolate chip cookie dough brownie. Thank goodness it was small.
Gluten free key lime pie. Gluten-shmuten, it was goooood!

Big-hearted Post 24 commander not forgotten

Bill Field did more than his share of funerals for old veterans like himself.
At many of them most of the people present to pay their graveside respects were his honor guard contingent from American Legion Kirby Stewart Post 24.
That bugged him.
We’re a forgotten generation, said the proud Korean War infantryman and former Manatee County Veteran of the Year.
Perhaps.
But there’s no forgetting Bill Field.

Read more Sunday in Mannix About Manatee on Bradenton.com.

Warbirds returning to SRQ Jan. 23-25

Attention warbird buffs.
The Collings Foundation’s “Wings of Freedom Tour” returns to SRQ’s Rectrix Aviation, 8250 15th St. E., Jan. 23-25, with a B-24 Liberator, B-17 Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang.
Call 1-800-568-8924. Or visit www.cfdn.org.

There’s a big party Sunday in Ellenton to celebrate a milestone for matriarch Ola Garvin Davis, who is 90 years young.Among the many celebrants will be children Bridgett Adams, Jackie Garvin, Jenny Garvin, Joanie Garvin, John Garvin, Joyce Garvin, June Garvin and Rodney Garvin, Billy Gillard, Tanya Hamilton, Emma Jordan, Myrtis Moses, George Parker, Melvin Parker and Richard Parker.

Farewell to Luigi Macera. He passed Dec. 29 at the age of 89. The Montreal native was a professional wrestler from 1944-1978 and his contemporaries were legends such as Haystacks Calhoun, Dr. Jerry Graham and Dusty Rhodes.

Read more Friday in Vin's People on Bradenton.com.

Fan's letters good reference for McKechnie job

Jim Cunningham (yellow shirt) at Pirates job fair. Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald

Pittsburgh Pirates officials were looking for a few good baseball fans Wednesday at their job fair.
Not just the kind who will buy tickets to their spring training games at McKechnie Field, mind you.
But ones who will bring their longtime love of the game to working the concession stands while they're cooking hot dogs and pouring beer to other baseball fans lined up outside.
People such as Jim Cunningham.
As a Boy Scout growing up in the New York area, he'd write letters to players on the Yankees and other ballclubs.
He got letters back, too.
"They don't do that today," Cunningham said.
This was back in the 1960s, a time of innocence for kids like him.
He received letters back from players like Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Joe Pepitone to name a few.
The one from the Mick is framed and hanging on a wall in Cunningham's crib.
He also sent players their baseball cards to sign and got many of those back, too.
"My friends used to put their baseball cards in their bike spokes," he said. "I sent them off for autographs."
If Cunningham gets a concession job, he's OK with the idea he'll be at McKechnie, but not be able to see his favorite game.
"Just the excitement of hearing it, that'll be cool," he said

Reawakening a boyhood feeling for Notre Dame

I was a Notre Dame fan as a boy.
Most Irish Catholic kids are, right?
Probably not if they grew up in Alabama.
I grew up in New Jersey.
It used to upset me every season when a good Notre Dame team went to LA and got beat by Southern Cal.
Anyway, as life took me to Wisconsin and Ohio and then Florida, my Notre Dame fandom waned.
When the Irish tangled with the University of Miami in those titanic matchups during the 1980s and 90s, I have to admit I was pulling for the Hurricanes.
Hey, when in Rome ...
Monday night, though, I'm rooting for Notre Dame again.
Nothing against Alabama, but I'm not a fan of Nick Saban.
Never have been.
Besides, I've got nothing that says 'Bama, or has an 'A' on it.
Got an authentic Notre Dame athletic department issue ballcap to wear, though.
Got it from a friend who used to coach baseball for the Fighting Irish.
His name? Pat Murphy.
Can't get anymore Irish than that.
Hope it's still got some magic.
Beat Bama!

A familiar, friendly face at Anna Maria Oyster Bar

Brooke James with Michigan cheerleaders during Outback Bowl festivities.

Tom Radakovitz is the new floor manager at Anna Maria Island Oyster Bar Landside. Folks who patronize the Bob Evans on State Road 70 may remember him when he was general manager at that popular restaurant, helping make it the chain’s No.1 franchise.

Nine people were honored by West Manatee Fire Rescue District for their service in 2012 and among them were firefighter Jeff Philips (Firefighter of the Year); firefighter John Stump (Lifesaving Award); firefighters Ben Dillon and Rodney Kwiatkowski (Meritorious Service Award); firefighter Chris O’Kelly and financial assistant Julie Pritchard (15 years service); firefighter Andrew Lauricella (5 years); firefighters Brandon Beals/Marines and Edward Whitaker Jr./Army (Military Service Award).

That’s 25 years of wedded bliss on Jan. 9 for Glenn and Luci Hartmann, sweethearts since their days at Bayshore High where he played football and she was homecoming queen.

Read more Friday in Vin's People on Bradenton.com.

'Drive safe' more than just parting words

One of the last things my wife and I say to each other before we leave home for work and when we leave work for home is this:
Drive safe.
Sherri told me that twice Wednesday evening, the second time calling me as I was heading south on US 301 and had just passed 38th Avenue.
How uncanny.
I  was in the slow lane as I headed toward 51st Avenue.
The light was green. So was the next light at State Road 70.
It's rare you're able to make both lights, so I started to accelerate.
But the light at 51st Avenue turned yellow just then and I had a decision to make.
I was close enough to try to make it, something I had done often.
It's a long enough light.
Instead, I braked and rolled to a  stop.
I'm glad I made that choice.
Halfway across the southbound lane of US 301 walked a man in dark clothing not 20 feet in front of me.
I'd bet money he began to cross the road before the light changed, too.
Either way, he would've been tough to see at 6:30 p.m.
I didn't want to think what might've happened had I tried to beat the yellow light.
Drive safe.
Drive smart.