Dear
Friends,
Good morning. Before I get to Part
Two of the Sleepy Hollow Ranch reunion; the United Friends School Auction; a
suspension bridge just a few miles from Trumbauersville; and a fake doctor
offering free breast exams, I have a prediction about President Bush’s future.
Several of my friends were shocked in January when I predicted that “W” would
not finish his second term.
I believe that he’ll resign on the
eve of his impeachment trial. This year’s fall election will set the stage.
Presidents face impeachment when both houses of the congress lie with the
opposition party. The president has been safe because the senate and the House
of Representatives are in Republican hands. But with a presidential approval
rate of just 33 percent, and falling, experts believe that the Democratic Party
will recapture both houses this November.
Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton faced
impeachment because the opposition party was in control of both houses. Should
the Democrats take over the legislative branches in January, look for the
impeachment process to begin. I’d bet that abuse of power will be the charge.
Following Nixon’s footsteps, President Bush will resign just as the senate jury
gets the case.
How does President Cheyney sound?
And now to something pleasant.
I remember the song, “All Aboard For
Sleepy Hollow.” That was the theme song I’d hear on radio station WBUX every
Saturday. From 1940 until 1963, the Sleepy Hollow Ranch attracted as many as
7,000 to the farm just a few miles west of Spinnerstown. Every weekend featured a rodeo, country
western stars and free square dancing.
Several weeks ago, I attended the Milford Township
Historical Society April meeting about Sleepy Hollow. It was like going down
memory lane.
In its hey day, the top attendance
at Sleepy Hollow was 7,653 when Eddie Arnold performed in 1952. That was twice
the population of Milford, I’d bet. For 25 cents, you’d gain admission for the
entire day. The ranch opened in 1940 and fire closed it in 1963. Roy Rogers and
his horse Trigger performed at Sleepy Hollow.
Milford resident Ray Heffentrager
remembered working the ice cream stand. “On Eddie Arnold’s day, we never
stopped dipping ice cream,” Ray told the listeners..
Local resident, Charlie Overly shoed
horses at the ranch. “The thing I regret was missing the last movie about
Sleepy Hollow,” he said.
“I worked for old man Keller,” Pauline
Bradford began. “He had a cigar in his mouth while making hamburgers at the
[hamburger] stand. Sometimes the ashes fell into the hamburgers. They were the
best hamburgers!”
Al Oxenford’s band was always on
hand. I remember him very well.
Catherine Hartley called to remind
me that Danny Newman is still performing in New Jersey. Six members of the
Newman family played and sang at Sleepy Hollow every weekend. Danny, Elmer
Julie, Sophie, Pete, and Kenny were part of the Sleepy Hollow [Ranch] gang.
At 74, Ms. Hartley lives on Sleepy
Hollow Rd where she’s resided all of her life. “I worked at the ranch every
Sunday and holidays,” she said. “My dad cleaned the park.”
Other residents told stories about
watching basketball on horseback, horseback jumping over cars, and steer
wrestling…even neck reigned buffalo!
The queen of the Milford Historical
night was Julie Newman who’s 90, plus. Her grand daughter, Dawn Newman brought
her to the event. “Sleepy Hollow was a weekend of wholesome fun,” Julie
laughed. “You can’t do that [Sleepy Hollow Ranch activities] today because of
the liability. People met their [future] husbands and wives at Sleepy Hollow.”
Sleepy Hollow had the reputation of being very clean.
Joyce Stauffer sent an Email about
Sleepy Hollow. “Jim [her husband] and I attended quite a few concerts hosted by
Bill Clinton Country Music Productions,” she began. “Bill Clinton is a really
nice person and a wonderful country music performer. He hosts many local
concerts. Two members of his band are Charlie and Danny Newman, sons of Julie
Newman of the Sleepy Hollow Ranch. Julie Newman was in the audience of several
of the [Bill Clinton] concerts we attended.
“I think it’s interesting that the
sons of local legends are still performing locally,” Joyce Stauffer continued.
“Needless to say, they were quite young when the Sleepy Hollow Ranch existed.”
Those were the days, my friends.
Item.
Next week, I’ll report meeting
Captain Morgan, the famous pirate, at the
Final item.
I’m still trying to find the
published story about a talk radio item that I heard one day last week.
Carrying a black bag and masquerading as a physician, a 70-year-old man knocked
on a few doors in a posh neighborhood. When an attractive woman answered the
door, he asked whether she’d like a free breast exam? Two women apparently
agreed. The man asked each woman to disrobe whereupon he gave thorough
examinations. In house number two, the woman became suspicious because the
“doc” didn’t use latex gloves. As she called 911, the imposter bolted from her
house. He hasn’t been seen since.
A friend told me that he’d seen a TV
news item about the same story but that the man with white hair had been
caught. He was led to a police car wearing cuffs!
I wonder how far I’d get in
Quakertown…wondering around Juniper Street…carrying a black satchel and
knocking on doors? Mighty Betsy advised me to abandon such thoughts saying that
I’d end up in the funny farm…forever!
But I must admit that the thought
did cross my mind.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith