January 1997 Publisher's Note

Yes, you can actually see the lightbulb go on
January 1997 Publisher’s Note

I am absolutely naive sometimes. As a matter of fact, I can safely tell you that I feel downright stupid compared to some folk, and yes, I do own a Phantom vacuum. I am a victim of late-night info-mercials.

But today, I felt smart. Today I understood Ed Truax’s article (Mayor Reed Seen Running Down Street After Bank Holdup!!!) after just one reading. It usually takes three or so readings before I get the subtle inuendos and overtones Ed so wonderfully weaves into his articles. I felt smart because I understood what Ed was saying right from the get-go, and I got goosebumps while I was reading. Ed’s article moved me, and I am grateful for his kind words.

I also felt smart on December 5th as well. It was the day when Mayor Reed took the time out of his busy schedule to cut the ribbon at the official grand opening of MODE. I felt smart because for the first time in my life, standing there in front of my family and friends, I realized that what I was trying to do had reached the Office of the Mayor. I would like to publically thank the Mayor, and his Press Secretary, Randy King, for acknowledging MODE as a positive and beneficial publication in Harrisburg.

So, here we are in 1997, three years from the turn of the century. Can you believe that the original IBM-XT desktop personal computer wasn’t even invented 10 years ago? Nope, it was 1988, and for an 8086 processor, 512k RAM, a 20mb hard drive, a 5-1/4" floppy drive, a green CGA monitor, and a nasty dot-matrix printer, my father paid nearly $4,000. I sold my mint-condition 1972 Chevy Nova, bucket seats and all, for about half that. Jeepers.

ABOUT THIS MONTH’S COVER. I have got to tell you that my wife, (and partner) and I have never had a more fun New Year’s Eve since we met. As our cover photo indicates, several thousand other Harrisburg residents would seem to agree. The picture depicts the faces and emotions of the crowd in downtown Harrisburg at 11:59:50pm, New Year’s Eve. Pretty cool huh? I will share a little secret with you. The fireworks weren’t really that close to the horizon, (I doctored the photo a little, shhhhhh.) They were actually directly overhead, and amidst the comotion, Gloria, (my wife, and cohort) snapped off a few shots of the fireworks with our pocket camera. They came out great, I mean really great. So great that I added them to the crowd photo to enhance the celebratory feeling. Ain’t technology grand?

But seriously, on the following pages you will see several "MODE @ LARGE" photo galleries. Gloria, (my wife, and boss,) went to over 25 New Year’s Eve parties that night, taking pictures of patrons and management in a frenzy of electric excitement. Imagine hitting 25 parties from Linglestown Road to the Carlisle Pike, in just under 3-1/2 hours. Next year, if you’re interested, we could use a little help.

I’ve never liked saying goodbye to anyone, but this past month one of MODE’s surest advocates found a better station in life. In bidding farewell to our Senior Editor, Saul Kohler, I want to wish him luck. You will be able to see a regular monthly feature by Mr. Kohler in another Harrisburg Magazine very soon. His excitement and anticipation about this column was unbridaled. God bless you, Saul, you have been and will continue to be an inspiration to all of us here at MODE.

In closing, I would like to welcome a new radio station to MODE’s Media Page, WTPA - The Rock Station. I must tell you though, that the Personality Profile on Ed Coffey, WTPA’s morning DJ, that I wrote... well... um... I made a lot of it up. Yup, I blatently misquoted Ed. But, he asked for it. I can, without any doubt whatsoever, tell you that Ed never dreamed of being in radio. He just happened to be good at it. Very good.

TTFN.

Scot Giambalvo, Publisher