Northampton Street "Think for yourself. Don't let the newspapers lie to you. Learn the truth in life. This life is about getting ready for a better life. It's in your hands."
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Northampton Street "Remember: you can't control the past and you have no control over the future. Look at the problems that stand directly in front of you. Your problems are few and life is relatively easy. I'm a recovering heroin addict. I lost my job, my wife, my vehicle was repossessed and I'm borderline homeless. At one time I was making a hundred thousand a year; I was capable in the financial department." "So what's in your future?" "I want to go to college and become a social worker. Or, my friend has a business in South Africa and he might want me to run it for him. We'll see what time brings." Northampton Street Here is the School Age I crew (7-9 year olds) from Spring Garden Children's Center getting an impromptu lesson in civics from Mayor Panto after a long day of interviewing and photographing downtown merchants and service providers. Kudos to the Mayor for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk to these future leaders in our community! Fourth Street "What can I say? I'm 74 years old. and I collect money from people who owe it. I had a successful career as a contractor. My wife was thirteen years older than me, but she developed Alzheimer's and diabetes, so I put her in Pine Run. You know what Pine Run is? It's a retirement home for millionaires. They took me on after my wife died. When my wife died I was making two hundred bucks an hour. Those were good times. I'm happy now--I'm a recovering alcoholic. I could tell you some stories… You know, I lived for awhile in New York City across from CBGB's. I saw Blondie standing there drinking a beer. I got started drinking Bushmill's Irish Whiskey. It's smooth. You could drink this much and it goes down no problem. I had a career as a counselor, and I was a pretty good counselor. Only thing was, I'd counsel people and then go get drunk. The first time I knew I had a problem, I walked away from a half a bottle of Bushmill's. I had a half a bottle left and walked away. My wife was brought to me by God and she slowed me down. Now I'm 41 years sober and I collect money. They know if I go to collect the money, they're gonna get the money." Centre Square "What makes your relationship so good?" Him: "Music! We met at Musikfest, and we have a mutual taste in music." "Like…?" Him: "Like the Allmans and the Grateful Dead. It's true happiness; you have more in common when you enjoy the same thing. Like, I could never date a girl who listened to hip-hop or rap…" Third Street "How did you get into rescuing pigs?" "Years ago, I saw something on TV about how smart they are and how they make good pets. The first pig I rescued was Pork Chop. He's sixteen now. See, I volunteer for Pig Placement Network and we have over one hundred pigs we're trying to find homes for. Breeders are charging thousands of dollars for these guys, billing them as 'Teacup Pigs.' They're not telling people they can get to sixty or a hundred pounds on average. Pigs can make little pigs at a young age. People ask to see a picture of the parents of a tiny baby pig, and they're tiny, too." Another Guest Post! Taken and reported by William, Julius, and Kaeden from the School Age I group (between ages 6 and 9), of the Spring Garden Children's Center in South Side Easton as part of a lesson on interview and photographic technique. "What do you like about your job?" "It's really rewarding because it's nice to see everyone happy after ice cream. Sometimes it's hard to resist eating the ice cream!" Northampton Street "The great thing about re-enacting is that you come in contact with a lot of like-minded individuals. I preserve history by telling it. You know, I HATED history in high school--it's true. I had boring teachers who had a passion for the subject but couldn't promote that passion. Eventually, I fell in love with it. Instead of being told about it, I'm living it." "I do a lot of charity work with dove releases. I released on 9/11 last year in New York City when the Freedom Tower became the tallest building. I also do a lot of work with the Electrical Union and the City of Easton. I started this as a business to make up for all of the charity work, and I began the whole thing because of the World War I messenger pigeons who saved a lot of soldiers. Now I do weddings and funerals--some people bring flowers, and that's okay, but you should see the look on people's faces at funerals when you release the doves. It's beautiful." Another Guest Post! Taken and reported by Jalyssa, JT, and Qua'mire from the School Age II group (between ages 8 and 11), of the Spring Garden Children's Center in South Side Easton as part of a lesson on interview and photographic technique. "What do you do at your job?" "I fix sewing machines, a lot of times for schools and sometimes they get really bad. I've been here for 52 years. I even got a plaque from the mayor!" Northampton Street "First of all, I am the real Santa A. Claus. Look at my card. I've done this for 51 years. One little boy, he was nine years old, he sits on my lap and tells me he wants me to stop at his house first. I ask him, 'Why do you want me to stop at your house first?' He tells me, 'I'm leaving a whole case of whiskey for you to drink.' I tell him I don't drink, and why is he leaving a whole case anyway? He says, 'If you drink a whole case, you'll pass out and leave all the gifts in your sack.' True story." A Guest Post! Taken and reported by Victoria and JR from the School Age II group (between ages 8 and 11) of the Spring Garden Children's Center in South Side Easton as part of a lesson on interview and photographic technique. "What's the best thing about being a hairdresser?" "Making my clients feel good about themselves. See, she's a very beautiful girl, and when I'm done, she'll be even more beautiful. I call it 'enhancement.'" A guest post! Taken and reported by Michelle and Mason from the School Age II group (between ages 8 and 11), of the Spring Garden Children's Center in South Side Easton as part of a lesson on interview and photographic technique. "What's it like driving a taxi?" "You get like ninety percent good people and ten percent bad people." Northampton Street Here is the School Age I crew (7-9 year olds) from Spring Garden Children's Center at Cheeburger Cheeburger (including yours truly and their teacher, Ms. Sue). After the students asked Frank, the owner, if they could practice their interview and picture taking skills on him, he graciously ordered them in and bestowed them with free Vanilla Oreo shakes. This was a magical day, and you'll see their pictures and narratives coming up in the next few days here on BlinkPix. Third Street Me: "Was there a time that you had to make a choice that defines who you are?" Her: "A time? Yeah. Ten o'clock this morning." Me: "What happened then?" Her: "Work. Going to work. I'm a nurse." Me: "Was there one particular time that made you wonder why you're still a nurse?" Her: "Yeah; a broken leg from a car accident is disgusting on a little kid." Fourth Street "We go to the same Kingdom Hall; we're Jehova's Witnesses." "What do you tell everyone about the religion?" "Well, the basis of life is the Bible--it's the road map to life." "Are you discouraged when a door closes on you…?" "Right, we do knock on doors. It's not discouraging though, because the message is so important. We're doing a service by showing them the benefits of our religion, so everyone is entitled to their own views. But with every negative response, you get a positive." |
These are the stories of the people of Easton, PA Archives
August 2018
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