President Diane Haviland (left) and husband Ken Greene of Friends of Easton PA:

Ken: "We're a non-profit promoting a safe, clean, walkable Easton. We're raising funds this year to support Easton Block Watch Association and we'll be having our fundraiser masquerade ball in two weeks on March 12th. It's an 'after-hours,' eight to twelve or so, with hors d'oeuvres, desserts, cash bar and dancing at the Bank Street Annex. It's a fifty dollar ticket, but with that comes a twenty dollar voucher to any of the participating downtown restaurants, most of which do participate."

To find out more, go to their Facebook page or their website, www.friendsofeastonpa.org.     

"The first writing I ever sold was a joke. I had a friend east of here in Essex county, and he said 'I'm gonna open up a comedy venue.' He goes, 'Why don't you come down?' And I said, 'I'm not funny.' And he said, 'Yeah, you're funny as hell.' I said, 'I'm funny with a joint and a six-pack with a bunch of other drunks,' but he said, 'Come on down.' And I wrote my stuff and polished it, put it on index cards, delivered my stuff, and it got a laugh. It was the first thing I ever sold and I got three bottles of Heineken for it."  

"They all needed a home. That's basically it. One was a rescue, one was a freebie off of Craigslist, and one an owner couldn't take him to his new place."

​"How did you decide to take part in the Polar Plunge?"
Woman on right: "It was an insane moment because I heard an ad on the radio. So, I thought, 'This is on my bucket list--let's get it out of the way,' and I got these two stupidos to go with me!"

Becca and Malone, hosts of the Cat Country Morning Show, on why they participated in the Polar Plunge:

Becca: "The Special Olympics, man! It's a no brainer! This is nothing compared to what those kids do. They are so brave, and to give them the opportunity to keep doing their bravery... Absolutely! And the water wasn't *that* cold..."
Malone: "It's actually a nice day for it, because as I recall, about a week ago it was minus temperatures. They had to break the ice. And for us to complain on a near-60 degree day about going in the water for the Special Olympics makes no sense. What a great day all around."
Becca: "Yeah. No complaining. It was awesome. I did it twice."
Malone: "I did it nine times..."
Becca: "You're a liar!"

The Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics was today. A whole lot of people jumped into the Delaware for a good cause:

"Im a special ed teacher and I've been involved with the Special Olympics for years."
"How are you feeling right now before going into the water?"
"All right. It's nice out! This is our fourth year doing it and it's been a whole lot colder in the past. This is toasty!"

He's a drummer.

​Him: "She came to a show at my house."
Her: "That's true--he's in a bunch of bands and he hosts house shows, and I came to one of them. I really didn't know who he was, but my friend kinda dragged me and I weirdly med him."
Him: "We just clicked right away."

"My cousin's boyfriend was driving her home late at night and they hit the guardrail and she flew out the car. She was 23."
'What's a great memory of her that you keep with you?"
"Every memory I have of her is the best one."

"Started out in Kentucky. Moved up here when I was five. My family had a farm down by Cape May. When I was 12 they come up to North Jersey, had another farm. Living on a farm's a tough life. We grew hay, we took care of cattle, grew our own vegetables. Pretty much lived off the land and lived off what God gives ya."

She's a student at Lafayette College, studying film and sociology.

Her: "I care a lot about social issues, and it really widens my scope of looking at the social world."
Me: "What's one social issue that you're passionate about?"
Her: "Right now there's a lot of talk about... There's a lot of racial talks, and it's definitely something I've been studying extensively."
Me: "How do we address racial issues and problems? What can we do?"
Her: (Laughs) "If we knew how to address the problem, we probably wouldn't have to study it. I think right now, especially with the presidential campaign, there's probably a portion of white Americans who are really angry and who think that they are facing a certain kind of backlash against them due to the Black Lives Matter movement. I think that there should be more interaction between people of different races and not just merely a policy type of integrating people who are of different races together into the same neighborhood because that has problems of its own. I think education is how you need to start, when you're really young, getting kids exposed to different types of people, not just your own kind.

First birthday procession around Centre Square, complete with balloons, accordions and maracas. The birthday girl is in the wagon.

Her: "Maddy is my support dog. We take her everywhere with us. She just makes me happy, and she makes everyone else happy around us."
Me: "What happens when people ask to pet her? Are they not supposed to?"
Her: "I'm totally okay with it, but sometimes it gets uncomfortable because they're like, 'Ooohh, do you need a lot of help?' and I'm like, 'I'm gonna go now...'"
Me: "She looks a little jumpy..."
Her: "She's usually very calm; she just has to go to the bathroom right now."