Dear readers,

I heard from many of you after last week’s column about the Shelby County Cancer Association being voted No. 1 Non-Profit Agency. It is sad that cancer has touched so many families in our community, but it is wonderful that we have such a great local non-profit agency to help those in need.

Donna Harrell, Executive Director of the agency, reminded me that there is no “I” in “Team.” The Shelby County Cancer Association was voted No. 1 because of the hard work of all employees and volunteers.  Barbara Craig manages the store and Lucinda Franklin oversees marketing and fundraising. Speaking of fundraising, the Cancer Bash is coming up Sept. 30.

My mention of Donna’s sister, Mary Lou Ryhal, being a dancer on the Mitch Miller TV show, “Sing Along With Mitch,” brought back fond memories for several readers. I guess the Meltzers weren’t the only family tuning in to watch the bouncing ball.

Take a look at the photo with today’s column. It is Mary Lou Ryhal and the writing says, “Thank You and Best Regards.”

One old-timer told me that her love of karaoke began as a child singing along with Mitch. I’m not sure it is really karaoke when singing with a professional singer. I always think of karaoke as people singing when only the music and words are electronically provided. However, singing along with Mitch as the words scroll on the TV screen does seem like a precursor to karaoke. 

I will ask Shelby County Post foreign correspondent Professor Todd Jay Leonard to dig a little deeper into this karaoke question. While Todd is now a distinguished professor in Japan, he was once a newspaper boy in Shelbyville just like me. 

I read somewhere that karaoke is not only popular in Japan but is a Japanese invention. Maybe karaoke was invented by a foreign exchange student from Japan who honed his English skills in America by singing along with Mitch. Professor Leonard, the bouncing ball is in your court.

Changing the subject. A reader called me last week to see if anyone had taken me up on my offer to officiate a wedding for free so long as the bride and groom agreed to hold the ceremony at “The Helbing.”

The answer is no, and the offer is still good. A couple just needs to provide a valid marriage license and I will provide the ceremony at The Helbing. Maybe I can get the “Martha Stewart of Shelbyville,” Susie Veerkamp, to make some cupcakes. 

I thought maybe the caller was asking because they were planning a wedding. No such luck. The caller was just wondering if anyone had taken me up on the offer yet. 

I’ll admit promoting The Helbing as a destination has proven more difficult than I predicted. I’ll have to ask Johnny McCrory if he would consider sweetening the deal by throwing in a live radio broadcast of the wedding and a bottle of champagne.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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