A forum to address the issue of human trafficking will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Root Cafe at Northampton United Methodist Church, 852 W. Bath Road, Cuyahoga Falls.

The S.T.A.N.D. (Serve, Teach, Advocate, Nourish, Dignify) Against Trafficking event aims to give those in attendance insight into human trafficking and offer ways to help the men, women and children who are targets of exploitation. It will include a presentation from representatives of Rahab Ministries, an Akron organization that serves women who have been trafficked into drugs and prostitution and Not For Sale, an international organization that focuses on diminishing poverty in an effort to help survivors and those at risk of being trafficked.

The Root Cafe is a nonprofit coffee shop that is located on the first floor of the Cuyahoga Falls church. Because of space limitations, reservations are required for the forum. To reserve a seat, call 330-928-9323.

In other religion news:

Events

Bath Church — 3980 W. Bath Road, Bath Township. 2 and 7 p.m. Friday. Blue Christmas services for those who do not wish to celebrate the holiday because of any type of loss, such as death of a loved one, loss of job or other reasons. Services conducted by the Rev. Maureen Weber, associate pastor. 330-666-3520.

The Chapel, Green Campus — 1800 Raber Road, Green. 10 a.m. Friday. Abundant Living 55+ Christian fellowship and lunch in the atrium. Concert with John Schmid, Common Ground Ministries. Ages 55 and over welcome to attend. 330-315-5508.

Christ Is The Answer Ministries — 379 E. South St., Akron. The church will be distributing 25 Christmas food baskets on Dec. 23. You must call to preregister by Thursday. 330-376-1869.

Grace Church, Bath Campus — 754 Ghent Road, Fairlawn. Programs will be offered for a creative, family-friendly way to celebrate the meaning of Christmas. They are offered at 5 and 7 p.m. Dec. 22; 9 and 11 a.m. and 4 and 6 p.m. Dec. 23; and 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Dec. 24. Childcare available for newborns through age 4. 330-815-0658.

Green Valley United Methodist Church — 620 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road, Green. 4 p.m. Sunday. A choir cantata, Bethlehem Morning, will be presented. At 6 p.m. Friday, there will be a Blue Christmas service for people experiencing difficult times during the holidays. 330-896-4357.

Journey Covenant Church — 2679 North Haven Blvd., Cuyahoga Falls. 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Free, hot dinner is served to local residents, usually on the last Tuesday of every month. It will be a week earlier than usual in December, though, because of the Christmas holiday. Christ Kitchen Dinners are open to the public. The normal schedule will resume in January. 330-923-8021.

Kent United Church of Christ — 1427 Horning Road, Kent. 7 p.m. Friday. The Longest Night service will be held for those who have difficulty coping during the holiday season. Offers quiet reflection and meditation as a way to cope with the pressure to be joyful when there is little joy in the heart.

Manchester United Methodist Church — 5625 Manchester Road, New Franklin. 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday. Gospel Bluegrass Jam on the third Friday of each month. Bring your favorite covered dish to share for dinner at 7:30 p.m. Donations welcome. 330-882-4818.

Mogadore Christian Church — 106 S. Cleveland Ave., Mogadore. 5 to 7 p.m. today. Swiss steak dinner. Includes mashed potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, applesauce, rolls, beverage and dessert. Adults $8, ages 5-12 $4, age 4 and under free. Carryout available. 330-628-3344.

Morning Star Baptist Church — 1360 Newton St., Akron. 5 p.m. Dec. 22. Celebrate Christmas With a Cantata will be presented. 330-923-8462.

Our Lady of the Cedars — 507 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Fairlawn. 6:30 p.m. today and each night through Dec. 23. The Nine-Day Novena will begin with daily devotions including Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. 330-666-3598.

Queen of Heaven Church — 1800 Steese Road, Green. 7 p.m. Sunday. An ecumenical service, a Festival of Lessons and Carols, will be held. Christmas schedule is as follows: Communal Penance service with individual confessions at 7 p.m. Thursday. Individual confessions on Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m.; Dec. 22 from 9 to 10 a.m. and 3:15 to 4:15 p.m., and Dec. 24 from 9 to 10 a.m. Christmas Masses will be on Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., with music by Sent Forth Band at 7:30 p.m.; and at 10:30 p.m. with music by the adult choir at 10 p.m.; on Christmas Day at 9 and 11 a.m. 330-896-2345.

St. John Christian Methodist Episcopal Church — 1233 S. Hawkins Ave., Akron. 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The St. John Food Pantry will hold its monthly food distribution for qualified persons living in postal zip code 44320. Registration and qualifications for current year will be required of all applicants, including picture ID and proof of current address. The annual Christmas Community Lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free to the community. 330-864-3030.

Trinity Lutheran Church — 600 S. Water St., Kent. 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Spaghetti dinner. Includes garlic bread, drink, salad, applesauce and dessert. Free-will offering. The Pastor’s Fund will receive a portion of the proceeds. 330-673-5446.

Performances

Apostolic Church of Barberton — 1717 W. Turkeyfoot Lake Road, Coventry Township. Christmas Candlelight Concert. 330-745-5550.

Arlington Memorial Baptist Church — 2330 E. Market St., Akron. 6 p.m. Sunday. The Festival Choir and orchestra will perform Magnify — A Soulful Christmas Celebration. The cantata will be followed by refreshments in the Life Impact Center. Concert is free, childcare provided. 330-733-8311.

Calvary Temple — 3045 Albrecht Ave., Akron. 7 p.m. today, 11 a.m. Sunday. A Christmas play for the whole family, Back Alley Billy, will be presented. It was written and will be directed by Wanda Walker.

The Chapel in Marlboro — 8700 State Route 619, Marlboro Township. 7 p.m. today and Sunday. A Christmas praise gathering, On Earth, Peace, will be presented both evenings. Incorporating drama and full orchestra, the musical is the story of Christmas 330-935-0132.

First United Methodist Church — 245 Portage Trail, Cuyahoga Falls. 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Procession of the Nativity. The concert presents the story from the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to the adoration of the Christ child. Music from choirs at the church. Free and open to the public. Childcare provided. 330-923-5241.

Goodyear Heights Community Church — 464 Brittain Road, Akron. 6 p.m. Sunday. The annual Christmas play, A Shepherd’s Story, will be presented by the church’s young people. 330-733-6664.

Kent United Church of Christ — 1427 Horning Road, Kent. 4 p.m. Sunday. The Christ Chancel Choir will lead a Festival of Lessons and Carols in the sanctuary. It tells the story of the coming of the Christ child with favorite hymns and carols, other music of the season and readings from scripture. A community dinner will be served in VanMeter Hall at about 5:15 p.m. No admission charge. 330-673-9534.

St. Sebastian Church — 476 Mull Ave., Akron. 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Ceremony of Lessons and Carols will be held. It includes nine readings of salvation with Advent/Christmas music interspersed. Featuring children’s and handbell choirs, Gregorian Schola choir, parish choir and praise and worship ensemble. Free and open to the public. 330-836-2233.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron — 330 Morewood Road, Fairlawn. 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The Joy of Christmas: A Musical Celebration. Featuring the church’s chancel choir under the direction of Bob Carlyon, along with keyboard artist Brian Laakso and guest musicians. 330-836-2206.

Victory Chapel — 32 W. Bellisle Drive, Coventry Township. Presenting A Night In Bethlehem, a live Nativity with animals.

Wesley Temple A.M.E. Zion Church — 104 N. Prospect St., Akron. 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Songspiration of Praise and Worship will feature the praise team and youth and adult choirs.

The deadline for Religion Notes is noon Tuesday. Items must be in writing. Please fax information to 330-996-3033, email it to religion@thebeaconjournal.com or send it to Religion, Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron OH 44309

AKRON

Liquor burglary

AKRON: Akron police officers responding to an alarm at about 4 a.m. Friday at the Main Street Saloon, 1481 S. Main St., found broken glass and a suspect running away with bottles of alcohol in hand.

After a brief chase, officers arrested Gerald E. Obrikis II, 39, who is homeless. Obrikis was charged with breaking and entering, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing official business.

He was booked into the Summit County Jail.

Mosley benefit

AKRON: A benefit dinner for the Rev. Bennie A. Mosley III, senior pastor at the Christian Teaching Center Church, is at 6 p.m. today at the church, 43 E. Tallmadge Ave.

Since August, Mosley, 51, has been struggling with medical problems related to prolonged hyperglycemia that threaten every organ in his body. Mosley, who does not receive a salary from the church, is a gospel music producer, recording engineer, singer and musician.

The benefit, at a cost of $100 per plate, is intended to raise money to assist Mosley, his wife and their two children. For more information, call 330-535-2888, ext. 4.

Drug arrest

AKRON: An Akron man was charged with felony drug abuse, tampering with evidence and resisting arrest after he allegedly tried to eat a bag of crack cocaine when stopped by authorities late Thursday, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said.

The incident occurred at 11 p.m. when deputies confronted two suspicious pedestrians walking along the railroad tracks at Broadway and South Street in Akron.

While identifying the suspects, Dysean Carter, 28, attempted to eat the crack, authorities said. He also had an active warrant for a drug paraphernalia charge.

The other suspect, Desiree Barnes, 19, of Akron, was arrested for an active warrant out of Springfield Township for failure to appear on theft charges. Both were booked into the Summit County Jail.

Girls club

AKRON: The House of the Lord is inviting all young girls from kindergarten to seventh grade to join the Pioneer Girls Club in West Akron.

Like the Girl Scouts, the Pioneer girls earn badges and other rewards.

The girls will learn skill-building activities such as personal care, cookie skills, hiking, sportsmanship and an appreciation of the cultural arts. They take part in monthly field trips.

The program runs from September to May.

For more information, contact the church office of the House of the Lord at 330-864-9073 or email akronpioneergirlsclub@gmail.com.

BOSTON TOWNSHIP

Class meeting

BOSTON TWP.: The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Ohio State University Extension are holding a public meeting on Jan. 24 on an upcoming naturalist training class.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Hines Hill Conference Center, 1403 W. Hines Hill Road.

The 40-hour class for the Ohio-certified volunteer naturalist program will begin in April.

For additional information about the naturalist class, contact Danae Wolfe at 330-928-4769, Ext. 17.

GREEN

Home damaged

GREEN: Fire caused extensive damage to a home in the 2800 block of East Turkeyfoot Lake Road, resulting in the closure of state Route 619 just east of Myersville Road for about two hours Friday, authorities said.

There were no injuries to occupants or pets in the residence or to firefighters, Green Fire Capt. Greg Morgan said.

The homeowner was burning firewood in the first-floor fireplace when it spread outward, caught the first floor on fire and spread to the second floor into the attic, Morgan said.

“He said he was just having a cup of coffee, he was sitting in there, and the next thing he noticed it was filling up with smoke,” Morgan said.

The dispatch center received the call at 11:42 a.m.

As fire equipment was being brought in from the Green and Uniontown departments, sheriff’s officials closed Route 619. But it was reopened at about 2:20 p.m. after the fire was under control, Morgan said.

No estimate of damage from the fire was available Friday.

STOW

Dealership plans

STOW: City Council on Thursday continued review of a request by auto dealer Ron Marhofer to expand operations onto neighboring residential properties.

By rule, the council on Thursday had to let the proposal have its second of three readings before a vote to allow the commercial expansion onto residential property happens.

Marhofer wants to raze three homes on Thorndale Avenue. The move has drawn protests from neighbors who fear lower property values

A public hearing on the zoning proposal has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at City Hall, 3760 Darrow Road.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

Summit Mall is operating a charity gift-wrap service that raises money for nonprofit organizations. Volunteers from area organizations wrap gifts for shoppers in exchange for donations. Money is shared between the organizations and the Simon Youth Foundation.

Participating organizations are Habitat for Humanity; International Association of Administrative Professionals, Tire Town Chapter; Family of Faith United Methodist Youth Group; and Wayne Homes for Simon Youth Foundation.

Gift wrapping is available beginning at 11 a.m. most days near Macy’s. Extended hours will be offered from Wednesday through Christmas Eve.

Rescue Animal MP3 Project provides pet shelters with MP3 players loaded with calming music to help animals cope with stress.

It is raising money through the sale of items on eBay (search for the seller rescue
animalmp3), at www.Rescue
AnimalMP3.org and at www.shop.HolisticVetPractice.com.

Aladdin Foundation of Akron, 111 W. Center St., Akron, OH 44308, fulfills the wishes of terminally or chronically ill children in Northeast Ohio. It focuses on everyday products that improve quality of life and on services for the children and their families.

The foundation is requesting monetary donations to buy grocery store gift cards for families whose children are in Akron Children’s Hospital over Christmas. Checks may be mailed.

For more information, 
call Brian Thomas at 330-762-0631, email info­@aladdin
foundation.­net or visit www.aladdinfoundation.net.

Are you knee-deep in holiday parties?

Is the communal table at your workplace awash in cookies, fudge and sugared nuts?

Are you trying to convince yourself that wearing a Santa suit would be a festive fashion statement, when in reality it seems like a good alternative to your skinny jeans these days?

There are still two weeks before we usher out the holiday season, which means there’s more eating ahead of us.

Take a breath, take the stairs, and try sneaking in a few lighter meals, like this one from the new cookbook Hungry Girl to the Max! The Ultimate Guilt-Free Cookbook by Lisa Lillen. There are just 245 calories in a 2-cup serving.

HOT & HUNGRY SZECHUAN SHRIMP

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1½ tbsp. ketchup

1½ tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

½ tbsp. Sriracha chili sauce (Asian hot sauce)

1 tsp. granulated white sugar or Splenda

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1 cup chopped green beans

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. chopped ginger

8 oz. (about 14) raw large shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined

½ cup sliced water chestnuts, drained

In a medium bowl, mix cornstarch with ⅓ cup water until dissolved. Thoroughly mix in ketchup, soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar or Splenda, and red pepper flakes.

Bring a wok or large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add green beans, bell pepper, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook and stir until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and water chestnuts. Stir sauce and add as well. Cook and stir until sauce has thickened and shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.

Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com. Find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter @akronfoodie or visit my blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/lisa.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Cold Days, Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden lives, but he’s no longer Chicago’s only professional wizard. Now he’s the Winter Knight, Queen Mab’s assassin, and she wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal.

2. The Black Box, Michael Connelly. In a case that spans 20 years, Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the race riots.

3. Notorious Nineteen, Janet Evanovich. New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum joins with Joe Morelli to track down a con man who disappeared from a hospital; meanwhile, she takes a second job guarding Ranger.

2. The Forgotten, David Baldacci. Military investigator John Puller, the protagonist of Zero Day, probes his aunt’s mysterious death in Florida.

5. The Racketeer, John Grisham. Malcolm Bannister, an imprisoned ex-lawyer, knows who murdered a federal judge. He concocts a scheme to exchange this information for his freedom.

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Killing Kennedy, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The host of The O’Reilly Factor recounts the events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

2. Thomas Jefferson, Jon Meacham. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist celebrates Jefferson’s skills as a practical politician.

3. Killing Lincoln, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The host of The O’Reilly Factor recounts the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

4. No Easy Day, Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer. An account by a former member of the Navy SEALs of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

5. America Again, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Tom Purcell et al. The mock pundit of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report tells how to bring America back from the brink.

PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Proof of Heaven, Eben Alexander. A neurosurgeon recounts his near death experience during a coma.

2. Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin. The political genius of Abraham Lincoln.

3. Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors, Ann Rule. The 16th collection in the Crime Files true-crime series.

4. Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. A father recounts his 3-year-old son’s encounter with Jesus and the angels during an emergency appendectomy.

5. In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson. This portrait of Berlin during the rise of the Nazis centers on the experiences of William E. Dodd, who became the U.S. ambassador to Germany in 1933, and his daughter, Martha.

— New York Times

REDBOX TOP DVD RENTALS

1. Men in Black 3

2. Hope Springs

3. Lawless

4. Stolen

5. The Expendables 2

— McClatchy-Tribune

News Service

ITUNES TOP SONGS

1. Locked Out of Heaven, Bruno Mars

2. Scream & Shout, will.i.am feat. Britney Spears

3. Diamonds, Rihanna

4. I Knew You Were Trouble, Taylor Swift

5. Ho Hey, The Lumineers

ITUNES TOP ALBUMS

1. O.N.I.F.C., Wiz Khalifa

2. Warrior, Ke$ha

3. Christmas, Michael Bublé

4. Here’s To the Good Times, Florida Georgia Line

5. Red, Taylor Swift

— Associated Press

It’s hard to think of any song that has taken a stranger journey through popular culture than Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Recorded in 1984, it was on the only Cohen album rejected by his record company. Virtually no one noticed when the song did come out on an independent label. Since then, through dozens of cover versions, high-profile performances and appearances on TV or movie soundtracks, Hallelujah has become a modern standard.

Author Alan Light reflected upon that while at Yom Kippur services in Manhattan two years ago, as he saw congregants in tears when the choir sang Hallelujah. His curiosity led him to write The Holy or the Broken, about the song’s trajectory, about Cohen and about its most celebrated singer, the late Jeff Buckley.

“At a time when everything has fragmented so dramatically, it’s sort of heartening to see that this song can connect as universally as it did,” Light said.

Cohen labored over Hallelujah, filling a notebook with some 80 verses before recording. The song has Biblical references, but Cohen’s stated goal was to give a nonreligious context to hallelujah, an expression of praise. Some of those hallelujah moments are clearly sexual, given a lyric like “she tied you to a kitchen chair … and from your lips she drew the hallelujah.” The author’s droll humor is present throughout in lines like “you don’t really care for music, do you?”

Musically (and Cohen’s lyrics even describe the melody), the verses build slowly to a release in the chorus, which is simply the title word repeated four times.

Cohen saw his composition as joyous, yet its placement on ER, The West Wing, House and many other soundtracks has become a nearly universal signal of a sad moment. It is played at weddings, funerals, school concerts and religious services, the chorus lifting it into the realm of the spiritual.

The song’s malleability is one key to its success, Light said. Cohen recorded four verses but sent several more to John Cale when Cale recorded Hallelujah for a 1991 tribute album. Seven were published in Cohen’s 1993 book of lyrics and poetry. Verses can be dropped or given greater emphasis depending on the interpreter. And most everyone knows Hallelujah from an interpreter, from Buckley to Bono, from k.d. lang to Susan Boyle, to seemingly half the contestants in TV music competitions.

That sets it apart from other modern standards, like Imagine or Bridge Over Troubled Water, where greatness was apparent almost instantly and the original recording remains the definitive version.

Buckley’s recording was a milestone; half Cohen’s age when he made it, Buckley’s take was more romantic and yearning than the reflective original. The song’s inclusion on the Shrek soundtrack, its repeated replaying on VH1 after the 2001 terrorist attacks and 2010 versions by lang at the Winter Olympics and Justin Timberlake at a telethon for Haitian earthquake relief were other key moments.

Light’s favorite version is by Cohen in concert at the 2009 Coachella festival, found on YouTube.

Credit one of the world’s greatest living songwriters for first recognizing the potential of Hallelujah. Bob Dylan performed it twice in concert during the mid-1980s, once in Cohen’s native Canada.

“They’re not very good but are heartfelt in a certain way,” Light said. “I’m sure hardly anybody at the time who heard Dylan sing it knew what it was.”

In writing a book on a single song, Light joins a very specific and small category of literature. Other notable examples include Dave Marsh’s book on Louie Louie, Robert Harwood’s on St. James Infirmary and Ted Anthony’s on House of the Rising Sun.

There is always a bigger story to tell. Harwood said that in writing about a song, an author must explain the environment in which the song appeared and how the song grew, changed and metamorphosed.

“That sort of information is more likely to have been discarded when it comes to popular culture than, say, if it was a historic political moment,” Harwood said. “… In the end, though, popular culture is the story of our times.”

One of Light’s key interviews came late, when Bono agreed to speak about U2’s little-known version. Light had just finished a draft of the book where he talks about the recording not being particularly good.

“What if he says how proud of it he is and I have to rework the whole thing?” he said.

That quickly proved not a problem: “The first thing he said on the phone was ‘I forgot what I said when I agreed to do this interview and then I remembered. It was to apologize to everybody.’ ”

Cohen gave Light his blessing, but didn’t participate. He rarely does interviews and has already spoken publicly a few times about the song’s creation, and Light isn’t sure how much more he’d have to say.

He may be as mystified as anyone about the song’s journey and not interested in disturbing the mystique.

New collection of essays about Cleveland

The words “authentic” and “real” come up a lot in Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, a new collection of essays about what it means to be from Cleveland, or to live there, or to move away. There are some poems and photos as well, and even a short comic.

Sometimes those words are used by visitors trying to sum up the essence of ethnic neighborhoods and industrial pride. The term “rust belt chic,” it seems, was coined 20 years ago by Joyce Brabner, wife of Harvey Pekar, describing those out-of-state hipsters who “ask if they can shoot footage of us going bowling.” It will take dozens of the best writers in Northeast Ohio to tell the story, and a word that comes up even more often is “home.”

Former Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis goes back to his first campaign appearance in 1977 when, as a 22-year-old law school hopeful, he ran for Cleveland City Council and found himself “thrown to the wolves” at a speech, and devastated by the murder of a neighborhood girl early in his first term. Former Beacon Journal columnist David Giffels contributes a story about a frigid 1981 family trip to a Browns game that can be summed up thus: Red Right 88.

The book’s editors are urban planner Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek, an Oberlin College professor who wrote A Skeptic’s Guide to Writers’ Houses. Rust Belt Chic (218 pages, softcover) costs $20 from http://rustbeltchic.com; the electronic version is $2.99 to $7.99 depending on the device.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Giffels, WCPN producer and reporter David C. Barnett, Chris Wise (who contributed one of the 12 bonus essays in the e-book) and co-editor Piiparinen will appear at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St.

Satirical guide

There’s no chic at all in the Cleveland of Mike Polk Jr. The comedian, whose “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Videos” have more than 10 million views on YouTube, says his “joking comes from a place of love” in Damn Right I’m From Cleveland: Your Guide to Makin’ It in America’s 47th Biggest City, a satire of glossy tourism books. It leads with a foreword from the (fictional) Cleveland Tourism Board, which uses language no real tourism board ever would.

Polk suggests some new promotional bumper stickers (Cleveland: You Could Do Worse!), drags out his friends to reenact and photograph the most memorable sports disasters (his “only black friend” portrays Michael Jordan, sinking “The Shot” over the head of a “small, hapless” boy playing the part of Craig Ehlo). Polk helpfully includes a guide to “Cleveland Dating on the Cheap,” strip joints, red-light cameras and his favorite cute lady bartenders, so there’s definitely value here. But pretty harsh on Michael Stanley!

Damn Right I’m From Cleveland (108 pages, softcover) costs $14.95 from Gray & Co.

Refinery story

The “Rust Belt” theme comes up again in Rust Belt Resistance: How a Small Community Took On Big Oil and Won by Bluffton University history professor Perry Bush. It tells of the reaction of the city of Lima when, in 1996, British Petroleum announced that it would close its refinery there, which employed some 500 people. The combined efforts of the employees and the mayor resulted in the sale of the plant to another investor, saving jobs and keeping the refinery running.

The 299-page hardcover costs $45 from Kent State University Press.

‘Gone Missing’

In Gone Missing, the fourth installment of her Kate Burkholder series of Amish thrillers, Linda Castillo doesn’t bother with the usual assurances that crime is rare among the Amish, or that Kate is astounded when, once again, violence strikes.

Kate, police chief of the fictional Holmes County town of Painters Mill, grew up Amish, and her love interest, John Tomasetti, has asked her to consult with his Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation case of two Amish teenagers who have disappeared. Tomasetti works out of the Richfield office, and before Kate even gets there, she learns that a third girl is missing.

Kate and Tomasetti drive the back roads of Trumbull County, trying to talk to distrustful parents, all of whom insist that their missing daughters are good girls. The investigators try to determine what the motive could be, what these girls have in common — and, after a body is found, how to save them before more die.

When Castillo visited Hudson last June to promote Breaking Silence, the third book in the series, I asked her how she planned to maintain plausibility, which can be challenging with books about small-town crime. Her answer was convincing, but she’s not using it in this book. Is she saving it for Book Five?

Gone Missing (277 pages, hardcover) costs $24.99 from Minotaur, a division of St. Martin’s. Linda Castillo grew up in Ithaca, a village in Darke County, and now lives in Texas. On Dec. 3, Castillo posted on her Facebook page that a TV movie starring Neve Campbell as Kate would premiere on the Lifetime cable channel on Jan. 6; it’s based on Book One, Sworn to Silence.

Events

Cuyahoga Falls Library (2015 Third St.) — Dolores Clay signs her fact-inspired book Dying to Love Amanda, 1 to 3 p.m. today.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Orange branch, 31300 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike) — Gail Bellamy discusses and signs Cleveland Christmas Memories, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Dee’s Hallmark (4055 Burbank Road, Wooster) — Ann Freedlander Hunt, great-granddaughter of the founder of Freedlander’s Department Store, signs Gone But Not Forgotten: A Freedlander Legacy, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, and 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson) — Jenny Shanahan signs her children’s book Lost and Found: Jesus, the Greatest Treasure, with illustrator Lauren Arsena, 1 p.m. Saturday.

Village Book Store (8140 Main St., Garrettsville) — Youngstown resident Les Coe signs his novel Space Crew-zers, about people marooned on a space station, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

— Barbara McIntyre

Special to the Beacon Journal

Send information about books of local interest to Lynne Sherwin, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309 or lsherwin@thebeaconjournal.com. Event notices should be sent at least two weeks in advance.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

ACCESS, Inc., 230 W. Market St., P.O. Box 1007, Akron, OH 44309-1007, provides a supportive environment for homeless mothers and their children and offers housing, advocacy and empowerment programs to help clients develop self-esteem and become self-sufficient.

ACCESS is seeking donors to “adopt” families for Christmas by buying presents. Mothers will provide wish lists for their children.

For information, call the United Way Volunteer Center, 330-643-5512.

Summa’s Palliative Care and Hospice Services provides support services for terminally ill people and their loved ones.

It is seeking volunteers for its Christmas dinner at the Acute Palliative Care Unit (Hospice) at Summa Akron City Hospital, 525 E. Market St. Volunteers will prepare side dishes and/or serve patients and families.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Christmas Day. Minimum age is 18.

For information, call the United Way Volunteer Center, 330-643-5512.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ohio Buckeye Chapter, 6155 Rockside Road, Suite 202, Independence, OH 44131, offers programs and services to people with multiple sclerosis.

It is seeking volunteers in many areas, as well as monetary donations and Acme grocery receipts that give to the Acme Community Cash Back Program.

Checks and Acme receipts may be mailed to the office. Online donations may be made at www.MSohiobuckeye.org.

For more information, contact Greg Kovach at greg.kovach@nmss.org.

The Old Book Store was a downtown Akron landmark with a lot of character — and a lot of characters.

Packed to the rafters with nearly 250,000 volumes, the long, narrow shop stood for decades on South Howard Street, a once-bustling block that fell to urban renewal in the 1960s.

The store specialized in used, rare and out-of-print books, but it also had a good selection of new titles, as well as coins, stamps, magazines, records and postcards. Its crowded shelves, counters and glass cases were a happy hunting ground for bibliophiles.

If customers needed a book, the store probably had it.

Gruff Lionel M. Swicker, better known as “Swick” to regular customers, was owner and proprietor. Born in 1895, the Illinois native was a World War I veteran and former farmhand who moved to Akron in 1923 in pursuit of employment.

He initially landed a job at B.F. Goodrich, but switched to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., where he remained for 18 years.

In 1936, Swicker bought the Rev. George Hulme’s religious bookstore at 32 S. High St. and moved its 17,500-volume stock to 17 S. Howard St., the shop’s home for nine years. Initially, Swicker was a book dealer by day and rubber worker at night.

Highland Square resident Warren Skidmore, 86, who retired from Akron-Summit County Public Library as head of the language, literature and history division, remembers going to work at the Old Book Store about 1940, when he was a student at North High School.

“My mother got me the job,” he said. “She went in there and said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a son who reads a lot of books.’ ”

Skidmore became Swicker’s apprentice, working afternoons and Saturdays, learning every facet of the business. He operated the cash register, conducted banking and bought old books to sell for a profit.

“There was a desk near the front, and I sat there,” Skidmore said. “I did more than wait on the trade. I started ordering all the new books from the publishers. We put out catalogs about four times a year and I typed all the catalogs.”

In the 1940s, Swicker moved the business to 42 S. Howard St., which had a main floor — new books in front, used books in back — and two upper levels of storage. Customers could find titles on just about any subject, including poetry, mathematics, philosophy, history, science, sports, religion and the occult.

“Swick would go out and get carloads of stuff,” Skidmore said. “It all had to be priced, marked and shelved.”

When people called to say they had old books to sell, Swicker cranked up his 1936 Oldsmobile and drove to see the collections. Sometimes he bought entire private libraries.

“You have to be a gambler to be in this business,” Swicker once told the Beacon Journal. “You quote a price and buy a batch of books and then you sit back and hope somebody will take them off your hands so you’ll get your money back plus a little extra.”

American actress Helen Hayes and Sir Thomas Beecham, an English conductor, were among the notables who wandered into the shop.

“It was a sort of center for the intelligentsia,” Skidmore said. “There were an awful lot of university people that sort of hung out there.”

The store even maintained a vast supply of old National Geographic magazines and kept an index to help students search for topics when working on school reports.

“You may be surprised to learn what our bestseller was, year in and year out: The Masonic Blue Book,” Skidmore said. “Any prospective Mason had to memorize the first three degrees, which were in the Blue Book.”

Skidmore left Akron to attend St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., but returned to his old bookstore job after graduating in 1947.

“I enjoyed it,” he said.

Goodyear retiree John Wiedey, 74, of Wadsworth, recalls going to the bookstore when he was a boy living on Kenilworth Drive in West Akron. He will never forget Swicker.

“He was a fierce-looking guy, but once you got to know him, he had a heart of gold,” recalled Wiedey, a 1956 graduate of Buchtel High. “A lot of kids were scared to death of him. And he knew it, too. He just let them be that way until they figured out he was different.”

Wiedey remembers that Swicker smoked foul-smelling pipes, drove a noisy jalopy and wore crumpled suits to work.

“He didn’t want to leave the impression that he was wealthy,” Wiedey said.

Swicker helped fuel Wiedey’s lifelong passion for Thomas Edison, tracking down rare books about the inventor. The two became good friends.

“If somebody brought in good books, they got good prices for them,” Wiedey said. “Because he knew he could sell them, he knew his market, he knew who his customers were.”

In the 1960s, Akron officials decided to close South Howard Street and demolish the aging buildings for urban renewal. The Old Book Store had to go.

Skidmore accepted a job at the library and remained until his retirement in 1986.

“I wasn’t there very long before I was promoted to the biggest division,” he said.

Wiedey recalls the final days of the downtown store in 1967 when Swicker allowed him to climb a rickety staircase to explore the unsafe third floor.

“When you would walk up that thing, it was like walking across a swinging bridge,” Wiedey said.

The roof had leaked. Boxes had fallen over. Wiedey didn’t see anything to salvage.

“It was very sad,” he said.

A week later, the building was demolished. Swicker moved his store to smaller quarters at 210 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave. in North Akron.

“I could make more money digging a ditch, but I wouldn’t have as much fun out of life,” he told the Beacon Journal.

Frank Klein, 86, owner of the Bookseller in West Akron, remembers Swicker as a knowledgeable book dealer.

Klein’s father, Clarence, who owned Klein’s Books in Stow and Kent, used to play cards with Swicker and accompany him on book expeditions.

When Klein took over the Bookseller after his father’s death, Swicker helped show him the ropes.

“Swick really befriended me,” Klein said. “I still have notes that he gave me on the book trade. He was really very open.”

Swicker advised him to seek out histories by local authors such as William Henry Perrin, Samuel A. Lane, William B. Doyle, Oscar E. Olin, Scott Dix Kenfield and Karl H. Grismer. Their books always will find buyers, Swicker said.

After 44 years in business, Swicker sold the North Hill store in 1980 to Ron Antonucci, who ran it another five years. Swicker and his third wife moved to Texas, where he died of cardiac arrest in 1982. He was 87 years old.

From time to time, Klein finds books that belonged to Swicker. He can tell by large pencil marks inside the cover.

“All dealers have distinctive pricing code,” Klein said. “Every once in a while, I’ll see a book that he had.”

Skidmore remains thankful that Swicker introduced him to the book business.

“I enjoyed talking to people and I enjoyed the books,” he said.

Among Wiedey’s prized belongings is a Columbia phonograph that Swicker gave him. It used to sit in the front window of the Howard Street store.

“He was a true friend,” Wiedey said.

Beacon Journal copy editor Mark J. Price is the author of The Rest Is History: True Tales From Akron’s Vibrant Past, a book from the University of Akron Press. He can be reached at 330-996-3850 or mjprice@thebeaconjournal.com.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties, 759 W. Market St., Akron, OH 44303, provides emergency shelter, advocacy and education in an effort to break the cycle of abuse and help promote peace in every family. The shelter is seeking the following:

• Donors to “adopt” families by providing a complete holiday. Donors will receive first names, sizes and gift ideas for the family members.

• Donations of items for use at the shelter, such as pots and pans, dishes, drinking glasses, silverware, bake ware, small appliances, single sheets, comforters, pillows, laundry soap, household cleaning supplies, trash bags, diapers, batteries, light bulbs, clock radios, toilet paper and other paper products.

• Donations of items that can be used as gifts for families entering the shelter the week of Christmas, or the following week, who have not been adopted. Suggested items are pajamas, socks, slippers, sweatshirts, sweatpants, crafts, phone cards, store gift cards and surprise items.

• Donations of boxed products, meat and other food to stock the shelter’s pantry.

For information, call the United Way Volunteer Center, 330-643-5512.

First Night Akron is seeking volunteers for the 17th annual New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Akron.

Volunteers are admitted free to all performances and sites before or after their shifts.

They must attend one of two orientation training sessions.

Applications are available at www.firstnightakron.org/volunteers or by contacting Jane Startzman at 330-535-3179, ext. 206, or jstartzman@akroncivic.com.

Find special deals

for gift card options

Chances are, you’ll buy at least one gift card for somebody this holiday season. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, 81 percent of holiday shoppers will purchase one. It’s estimated that consumers will spend $28.8 billion on gift cards.

When buying gift cards:

Look for incentives from retailers, especially restaurants. Right now, Outback and Bonefish Grill will give you a $20 gift card when you purchase $100 in gift cards. Purchase a $25 gift card at Olive Garden and receive an additional $5 gift card.

Purchase discounted cards or sell unused cards on websites such as GiftCardGranny.com and GiftcardRescue.com. Be sure to read the fine print.

Keep an eye on daily deal sites such as Groupon and Living Social.

Get creative: For those who need their java fix, buy a mug and include it with a coffee shop card and include some after-coffee mints. For a DIYer, tape a home improvement store card to a roll of duct tape. Put a movie card in a box of candy. Attach a card for a mani-pedi on a pair of flip-flops.

If you get a gift card, don’t be a hoarder. A November Consumer Reports survey found that a quarter of adults still hadn’t used at least one gift card from the previous holiday season. Some cards lose their value over time.

— Tara McAlister

The Charlotte Observer

Lowdown on tipping

for service providers

Here’s advice on tipping service providers and others for the holidays:

• Include a thank you note. “Holiday giving is really a way of saying thank you,” says Tobie Stanger, senior project editor for the Consumer Reports National Research Center, which tracks gifting for service providers. A note is especially important if you’re giving less than usual — or can’t afford to give at all, she says.

• The rule of thumb is to tip the cost of one session for a provider you see regularly, like a personal trainer, babysitter or lawn-care provider, says Jodi R.R. Smith of etiquette consulting firm Mannersmith. For daily helpers like nannies, elder-care workers and dog walkers, give a week’s pay, at least.

• Cash is preferable for most recipients, but in a few cases, gifts are the better choice. “In a lot of school districts, they frown upon teachers getting cash. It could be looked on as a bribe,” Stanger explains. Postal workers can’t accept cash, or any gift valued at more than $25. A generic gift card is better than one to a specific store if you don’t know what the housekeeper likes, says Smith.

— Kelli B. Grant

MarketWatch

Hints from Heloise:

Take reminder photo

of your parking space

Jamie T. in Illinois writes: After an airline trip, I was in the parking garage and noticed a woman taking a photo with her cellphone of the number and letter of the parking space.

I thought this was a wonderful idea, as I have gotten lost in a parking garage!

Heloise answers: This is a favorite hint in Heloise Central! Use it for stadiums, outlet malls, amusement parks and college campuses.

— King Features Syndicate

The holidays are often a highly social season that provide a good reason to wear the things you might not often have the occasion to pull out of your closet: sequins, a fancy red dress, the sexy black one.

But should you? Or will everyone else be wearing their cozy cashmere sweater and favorite riding boots?

“People don’t know how to dress anymore — it’s anything goes, which is a huge problem,” says Marie France Van Damme, a fashion designer and author of the new book RSVP: Simple Sophistication, Effortless Entertaining. “People are either overdressed or not dressed at all. They should be looking for the happy medium.”

The invite — or make that the more likely Evite — probably won’t give you the guidance you’re seeking. Hosts want to kick off the party with cute conversation, not an edict about what to wear. And even if dress code is addressed, it’s probably “cocktail casual” or “holiday glam,” which can mean a whole lot of things to different people. Even the formal “black-tie” directive seems to be open to interpretation.

“As soon as you get an invitation, the first question is, ‘What do I wear?’ Or at least that’s what I think,” says Lisa Axelson, head designer at Ann Taylor.

Style expert Amy Tara Koch goes straight to the fine print to see what the venue is. She says that gives the biggest clue; a party at someone’s home will dictate a different dress than one at a restaurant.

A house party gives permission to be a little more daring, whether it’s a plunging neckline or a fashion-forward combination, mostly because there’s an assumption that you know the hosts well enough to be invited into their inner circle and you could very well know the other people there, Koch says. A restaurant party could still be a gathering of your more intimate friends, but it also could be with work colleagues or extended family — you know, the relatives you only see in December.

Axelson, however, sees a big difference in the appropriate attire if the party is at the country club or the neighborhood bistro. She also lets the day and time guide her: probably nice trousers or a pencil skirt and embellished-neck sweater with flats for a Sunday brunch, maybe something with some glitter for Saturday night.

An afternoon open house is practically an invitation for something colorful, says Koch. Her plan this season is to break out a bright shirt, fur vest, leggings and tall boots.

There are very few dress-code mistakes that can’t be fixed with a great shoe, says Colleen Sherin, senior fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue. The other option is a lovely necklace or earrings to draw people immediately to your face.

Both Axelson and Koch encourage easily removable accessories that dress an outfit up or down. It could be the statement necklace that tucks under your collar if it’s a more relaxed crowd, or a beaded wrap or tailored jacket — maybe one with sparkle, Axelson suggests — that can be hung with the coats if needed. No one will be the wiser, they say, and you’ll walk in knowing you have options.

It’s not a bad idea to keep “a few spare parts” in the car as well, in case you’ve shown up on the casual side, says Koch.

“My transition toolbox is textured tights, long dangling earrings, a very long, vertical scarf, a cuff bracelet and a brighter lipstick,” she says.

Van Damme purposely carries a clutch to parties, which blends better than a big overstuffed handbag, so she can slip things in or out without drawing attention.

She’ll always choose a sleek and chic silhouette over something froufrou: It’s respectful and stylish, she says.

Generally, Axelson thinks separates, cigarette or dark-denim pants with the pleated or slinky tank and cardigan, for example, offer more flexibility. “With a dress, once you’ve made a commitment to it, you are staying in it.”

What about brocade or jacquard skinny pants with a great blouse? You’ll probably feel comfortable in it and treat walking into a party like you were stopping into the corner place for coffee, Sherin says.

But Van Damme puts her foot down on denim. “I don’t think jeans are right for a cocktail party or most parties — maybe with a fabulous, fabulous top, but why not put black pants on instead?”

No one is going to the trouble of hosting a party for guests to look like they rolled out of bed, she says.

Some believe the world is coming to an end on Friday The good thing? You can stop searching for a Christmas gift for Uncle Scrooge. The bad thing? You’ll be dead.

Most who believe the apocalypse is imminent point to a calendar kept by the ancient Maya. The long calendar, as it is called, began in 3114 BC and concludes on Dec. 21 of this year. Which brings us to what’s on your bucket list?

We asked readers to tell us the things they hope to accomplish before they buy the farm. And if Friday is the day we all destined to croak, they had better hurry. The following are some of our favorites; see Ohio.com for more.

Raising the roof

My No. 1 wish is attending an African-American Southern church. I’m talking about the type where the choir is full of bold, boisterous voices and everyone is praising the Lord.

Now mind you, I am not an extremely religious individual. I went to church every Sunday as a child, but have not attended regularly since then. In fact, I am a white 60-year-old female who has had this wish for … 40-plus years.

I can’t imagine what feelings those church members must have. Being able to participate in this experience is an overwhelming thought. I want to hear their voices. I want to clap my hands and shout praise at the top of my lungs. I want to be able to stand and dance while the minister is on the pulpit preaching his sermon. I want to vocally and physically express my own belief, and I want to leave their church feeling just like they do, uplifted, strong and exhilarated.

Bobbi Baird

Cuyahoga Falls

Breaking bad

As seen on the infamous George Lucas movie classic American Graffiti, I would like to find a parked patrol car, sneak up behind the car, tie a rope onto either the back wheel or axle and secure the rope to a tree or other sturdy structure. Then I would hop in my Mustang, and fly by the patrol car to see if they give chase. If they take the bait and begin to intercept my Mustang I would see if the rope would dislodge either the back wheel or axle from their patrol car just like in the movie!

This is in no disrespect for police officers. They risk their lives day in and day out to keep the general public safe both at home and on the road. I just watched the movie as a kid and always wondered if it would really work.

Lukas Leffler

Youngstown

Flying high

The desktop background on my laptop is a painting of the A-4 assigned to the Commanding Officer of VA-45, which was stationed at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla. in the 1970s. I do not recall if I flew that actual jet, but I did fly most of the others assigned to the squadron.

I am now 65 and I feel I still have the skills to fly a high-performance military jet. I have accomplished enough in my life to be satisfied. I would love to be allowed to fly one of the more recent jets from takeoff roll to landing and to do all the crazy things I did when I was in my twenties. I want to do all the aerobatic maneuvers and perhaps a little air combat. I know the air combat would be the most difficult part for my body and current (if any) skill level.

I have no interest in hanging with or meeting any celebrity. I would enjoy a conversation with John Glenn or Chuck Yeager. Pilots all have stories to tell, the kind they only tell to other pilots because they appreciate, understand and probably experienced a similar situation.

David Mihelic

Portage Lakes

Lost inhibitions

I started to think about my bucket list a few years back after the passing of my brother, Jeff, my mom, Ann, and my granddaughter, Makenna.

Not wanting to feel the pain of their passing, I walked around numb. The only problem with that was losing my sense of joy also. Life was passing me by and I wanted to feel alive again, so I started my bucket list.

I had a small tattoo on the back of my hand in memory of my loved ones.

My first step back to the land of the living was more of a leap — deep into the icy waters of Portage Lakes to take a Polar Dive. From there, I sky-dived from 11,000 feet out of a perfectly good airplane, taking my husband, Paul, son, Adam, his girlfriend, Tary, and my co-worker, Corey, with me.

My next adventure will be more down to earth as I sumo-wrestle my sisters, Judy and Steff. I will rent the suits and perform at my granddaughter, Destany’s, graduation party in June at Wingfoot Lake.

In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to flash a trucker. Speeding down I-77 with my dearest friend, Joyce, behind the wheel, we flew past the truck and ended up flashing two nuns instead. That scared me more than the polar and sky dives combined. Having 12 years of Catholic education — need I say more?

I’m not done with my list and hope I will always have something to add as time goes on. The things I’ve done have given me a whole new view on life. I’ve learned to appreciate and love every moment, taking nothing for granted.

Who knows, maybe one day you’ll see me running with the bulls in Spain. (It’s on my list.)

Cindy Matulavich

Mogadore

The things that matter

Others say that I’m a “people person.” I guess they’re right because anything I would like to accomplish relates to people I’d like to see — before (you know).

Those include:

My Central High School classmates of 1942. We had reunions in 1982, 1992 and 2002. This year would be our 70th, if we have one. With all of our losses, we could hold our gathering in a phone booth.

My Air Force buddies of World War II. Of my B-17 crewmates of 10, only two of us are alive. I was the radio operator, Eddie, in Detroit, served as tail gunner. I still receive a B-17 newsletter describing the memorial events of the war years.

The students I taught (1948-60) or those I served in an administrative role (1969-79). I loved all those young people who passed my way.

The jewel of those years was while I served as principal of Ellet High School (1966-71). I’ve attended many class reunions and hold a special affection for the 1971 class. (My assignments changed after that year and some say I also graduated in 1971.)

Some bucket lists probably mention … snowboarding in Colorado, a trip to an exotic land, or meeting a world figure like the Pope. But my list is a yearning to see, one more time, all those who gave my life its meaning.

I do “see” them in quiet times. After all — “The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own.”

Dan Hayes

Akron

Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.

A new car, iPad, iPod and a pingpong table are the big-ticket items that top Tamara O’Shaughnessy’s kids’ Christmas wish lists this year.

But O’Shaughnessy said that’s all they are: wishes.

With her husband out of work for more than two years and a tight family budget, O’Shaughnessy said her 10-, 13- and 17-year-olds know this will be a “much more reasonable Christmas.”

“When we were both working, they were given everything on their wish lists,” said O’Shaughnessy, 48, of Chicago. “This year, we sat down with the kids and said ‘Let’s look at your list and prioritize.’ It’s hard to say ‘no’ to the iPad and iPod, but sometimes it’s the little things they’ll remember most.”

O’Shaughnessy is not alone in having to temper her children’s holiday expectations. A Nielsen survey recently found nearly half of children ages 6 to 12 put an Apple iPad on their holiday wish lists this year, for example. Depending on the size and capabilities, iPads range from $329 to $829.

The holiday season is famous for inflating commercialism — and many kids want expensive electronics, gadgets and toys. So how does a parent battle the holiday gimmes?

While many parents feel the pressure to “wow” their children around the holidays, Dr. Margret Nickels, director of the Erikson Institute Center for Children and Families in Chicago, said parents with tight budgets — or who are uncomfortable with the commercialism of the holidays — need to be comfortable with changing their idea of what good, caring parenting is.

“Good parenting is not about fulfilling your child’s every wish,” Nickels said. “It’s about trying to do nice things for them to the degree possible.”

Fewer gifts

Nickels suggests parents of younger children with long wish lists explain that Santa has more children to take care of this year as a way to talk about sharing and fewer gifts under the tree.

For older children, she believes honest, open communication is best for explaining a reduced holiday budget.

“Parents can explain that they are taking care of the family and have to be a little more careful with the fun things they spend money on,” Nickels said. “They shouldn’t say ‘We don’t have the money,’ that’s too scary and irrational. Rather, ‘I wish I could fulfill your wish but not now, maybe later. Let’s focus on something a little more doable for us.’ ”

Nickels said another strategy parents could employ is to focus on the one bigger gift their child wants rather than buying a handful of smaller gifts for the same price.

“Buy fewer but more meaningful gifts,” Nickels said. “Kids get all these gifts, but in the end, it’s usually only one or two they end up playing with.”

Kenosha, Wis., resident Tina Peterson said Santa requests short lists from her kids. Her 8-year-old daughter and twin 5-year-old sons are to make wish lists with four items: one want, one need, one wear, one read.

“I heard about the strategy a long time ago and thought it was excellent,” Peterson, 35, said. “If you give too much, expectations are too high. The best thing you can do as a parent is not spoil your kids.”

Peterson said her boys’ “want” is Legos this year. Her daughter’s “need” is new pajamas. The boys will get Star Wars books for their “read.”

The family recently came to the city to see the lights along Michigan Avenue and visit Santa at Macy’s. But Peterson said she told her kids if they saw anything they wanted, they must add it to their list.

“We’re not getting anything here today,” Peterson said with a smile at the Disney Store.

Chris Little said her 6- and 8-year-old boys crave the hot new electronics — but she’s not letting Santa drop those items off because she’s Santa’s boss.

“I told them, ‘Santa knows I don’t want you guys to get electronics or video games,’ ” Little, 35, said. “It gets hard when they go to school and say ‘So-and-so got this and so-and-so got that,’ but they’re OK with it. We teach them that’s not what Christmas is for.”

There are a handful of electronics at the Little’s suburban Chicago home, but use is limited to the weekends, she said. She tells her boys to write a list, circle their favorite five and Santa will most likely put them under the tree.

“Finances are tight,” Little said. “We instead try to focus on doing nice things for others. We want them to be grateful for what they have.”

Less is more

Dr. Aaron Cooper, a clinical psychologist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University, said parents will never be able to curb “the wants,” but said when it comes to indulging children, less is more.

“Our research is very strong in demonstrating that the children who receive less materially than other children end up in life with a sense of gratitude more often,” Cooper said. “If the gift that parents want to give their children is the gift of lifelong happiness and contentment, gratitude plays an important role in that.”

Cooper also said parents need not be afraid of their children’s disappointment. The more that kids can practice experiencing this emotion, the easier it becomes for them down the road, he said.

“We want our children to be resilient in the face of disappointments; we want them to bounce back and know the world isn’t coming to an end when they’ve been disappointed,” Cooper said.

Lifelong effects

But Evanston, Ill., resident Michael Fields said childhood disappointment over holiday gifts can have lifelong effects.

Fields admits he and his wife may have “over-indulged” their two children during the holidays when they were younger, but he doesn’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.

Fields, 65, recalled a time when his own father purposely deprived him of a much-desired electric train set. Fields, who is a clinical psychologist, said his father chose to buy him a less exciting, slightly less expensive train set when he could have “easily afforded” the nicer one.

“You don’t have to always keep your children hungry and wanting more — it can hurt your relationship,” Fields said. “There should be a balance between being chintzy and buying gifts within reason. That holiday had a profound impact on my perception as a kid.”

If a child really has his or her heart set on something and the parents can afford it, Fields said he thinks it’s appropriate to fulfill the wish.

“I find it preposterous to deprive a child just to make a point,” Fields said.

Though iPads won’t likely fall under the Christmas tree at their Munster, Ind., home, O’Shaughnessy said her kids know she puts a lot of thought into their gifts. She has also taken on some extra work to supplement their income and buy gifts, she said.

“They totally know what our financial situation is. If they didn’t, it would be harder for us as parents,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Kids are very smart, and shielding them doesn’t help. Communication is key.”

This year, her 13-year-old wants makeup and clothes, so O’Shaughnessy said she has planned a creative way to make these gifts special.

“They know it will be a happy Christmas; we just can’t do everything,” she said.

Tuba time

Beacon Journal columnist Jewell Cardwell will be the featured soloist at Tucker Jolly’s annual TubaChristmas celebration at the University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall at noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

This will be the 33rd year for the event that features hundreds of guest tubaists (many adorned with tinsel, garlands and lights) playing and audience sing-alongs.

E.J. Thomas hall is at 198 Hill St. Admission is free for observers.

Check off your gift list

Stuck for gift ideas? Pinterest is a gold mine of ideas.

The sharing site (www.
pinterest.com) is a little like an online inspiration board. Users “pin” links to product photos, decorating ideas, craft instructions and other things they think are interesting, so others can see them.

The site is loaded with gift ideas, both to buy and to make. Check out its Gifts section, which divides ideas into price ranges, or explore its DIY & Crafts category.

Some users even create their own wish lists on Pinterest, posting pictures and information on things they’d like to receive.

Tips for savings

Looking for Christmas bargains, but don’t know what to buy that someone special? Visit www.
PlasticJungle.com or www.Card Pool.com for the perfect gift.

The sites sell gift cards for up to 35 percent off. Read more about gift cards on Page E3.

If window shopping is your thing and carrying coupons is not, download the RetailMeNot coupons app on your smartphone. At the store, simply show the clerk the coupon you found on your cell. The site also provides “codes” to be used for online discounts.

Holiday pops

The Akron Pops Orchestra will regale listeners with a free holiday concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Quirk Cultural Center in Cuyahoga Falls, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. More information at 330-971-8425.

Home for the holidays

This week is the last chance this year to take part in the Home for the Holidays tour at Summit County Historical Society’s Perkins Stone Mansion.

Tours of the holiday decked-out mansion will be 1-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday at 550 Copley Road, Akron.

The cost is $6, $4 for seniors, $2 for students, free for SCHS members. Find more information at 330-535-1120 or www.summit history.org.

Place your orders

Now is the time to place food orders for Christmas.

If you want specific cookies, nut rolls, or other holiday pastry, it’s always best to place an order with a bakery.

(Or you can bake your own with the Beacon Journal’s holiday cookie recipes, available at www.ohio.com/cookies.)

The same goes for items from the butcher shop, poulterer and fish market. If you want a particular cut of roast or a special size ham or turkey, call Monday to make your request.

NEW ORLEANS: Marine Lt. Leonard Isaaks Jr. was killed on Feb. 20, 1945, during the battle for the Japanese island Iwo Jima. All you really need to know about his death is contained in the painstakingly printed letter found on his body:

Dear Daddy,

Merry Christmas. We wish we could all be together. …

Lt. Isaaks’ story is one of many thousands in the National WWII Museum, a whopping 70,000-square-foot repository of America’s collective memory of World War II. Visiting the museum is an intellectually and emotionally walloping passage through a world at bloody, no-quarter war that took 65 million lives and reshaped politics and culture in ways we are still only beginning to understand.

Much more than a bullets-and-bayonets showcase — though there are plenty of those — it’s a riveting tale of terror and bravery, blood and gore, homicide and heroism, starring our parents and grandparents.

They narrate it through letters they wrote home at the time and oral histories they gave later. Sometimes their horror is wide-eyed: A soldier remembers huddling in a foxhole one long frozen night during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, listening to a terribly wounded comrade cry, over and over, “Mother, mother, help” until silenced by a burst of machine-gun fire: “That beseeching plea on that clear, cold Christmas night will remain with me for the rest of my life.”

Other times it is disconcertingly matter-of-fact. “We finally hit the beach,” recalls a Marine of the 1944 invasion of Japanese-held Peleliu, “but we went through a whole lot of legs, arms and heads.”

The museum is a seamless blend of objects and narratives, the latter supplied not only through the usual placards but also oral histories and short films scattered through the exhibits. Sometimes it is technologically dazzling — in the “four-dimensional” film Beyond All Boundaries, shown hourly, soapy “snowflakes” fall from the ceiling during scenes of the Battle of the Bulge and seats rumble like engines as you watch a segment on bomber missions — but it never lets anything get in the way of storytelling.

Sometimes the stories need no elaboration from the photos of men with muddy, bloody faces and haunted eyes. Others emerge in their words, like those of an emaciated American survivor of the Bataan Death March: “It was something out of, what is it, Dante’s Inferno? It was hell.” Some emerge in grisly chapters: The junior Marine officer who wrote his family from the Pacific that he commanded 46 men, but refused to get to know any of them, because he didn’t want to order a friend to his death; the junior Army officer at Normandy who saw 23 of his 24 men killed in a single 25-yard stretch of sand.

Even the most mundane artifact has a tale to tell. The wristwatch that Pvt. Harold Baumgartner wore as he stormed ashore at Omaha Beach looks quite ordinary, until you learn that it was practically the only thing on his body that was not shot to pieces — he was wounded five times in two days. A photo of five grinning sailors loses its cheer when you realize they were the brothers known as the Fighting Sullivans, all killed in a single attack by a Japanese submarine in 1942.

Brutality of war

The war’s brutality is not merely implied; it’s shockingly explicit. Photos of burnt and battered corpses are plentiful. There are shots of Japanese soldiers using live Chinese prisoners for bayonet practice and the charred dead of the German city of Dresden after a massive Allied firebombing raid. Mountains of starved, gassed victims of Nazi concentration camps are underlined with the simple words of an American paratrooper who found them: “Now I know why I am here.”

A few sections are posted with warnings that they may be inappropriate for children, but the truth is that there’s hardly any part of the museum that doesn’t contain disturbing material. Practically nobody gets through it without some tears. Nick Mueller, the former University of New Orleans historian who’s the museum’s president and CEO, makes no apologies.

“It was a brutal war,” he says. “People need to remember that this was a war that was a fight to the finish — for our nation, our democracy, for civilization itself. … Sixty-five million people died in that war, and two-thirds were civilians. That’s a big number, a horrific loss of life. Over 400,000 Americans died, many more were maimed and wounded. We don’t want to glorify that. War isn’t pretty.”

Comic relief

But the museum is not without its lighter moments. A bombardier who flew on Gen. Jimmy Doolittle’s famous 1942 air raid on Tokyo recounts bailing out of his shot-up plane over China, only to land in a rice paddy generously fertilized with human excrement. “It sounds funny now,” he indignantly declares, “but it ain’t funny out there, I can tell you.”

A newspaper comic strip offers tips to Americans on how to tell apart their Chinese allies and their Japanese enemies: “Make them say lalapalooza.” A woman smiles wryly as she remembers her soldier husband’s vexed reaction at learning she had liberated herself from keeping house to work in a military factory. The gear commanders issued soldiers before the D-Day invasion includes packages of Ultrex Platinum condoms (“troops found these useful in keeping sand and water out of rifle barrels,” an information panel observes with a straight face) and a tourism booklet titled Pocket Guide to France. A Rupert, one of the large dolls dressed like paratroopers and armed with firecrackers dropped into France in an attempt to confuse the German troops. And the message to his girlfriend one American soldier painted on his empty tent in a British meadow before heading to his Normandy-bound ship: “Sorry Jean Had To Go. Johnny.”

The vast collection of material on D-Day even extends into what might be termed alternative history — a handwritten speech that Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower carried in his pocket in case the Normandy invasion was thrown back: “If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”

D-Day content

The D-Day content is a remnant of the museum’s origins. It was founded by the late University of New Orleans historian Stephen Ambrose, who while researching a book on the invasion learned that the thousands of landing craft that carried troops and tanks ashore that day had been designed and constructed by New Orleans shipbuilder Andrew Higgins.

“In 1990, over way too many drinks in Steve’s backyard, we were talking about how nobody knew what an important role New Orleans had played in D-Day,” Mueller remembers. “And at the same time, Steve was thinking he needed a place to showcase all the oral histories and photos and other mementos he had collected for the book, and I had been assigned a project to open a research park on the lakefront here. And it all came together.

“Steve said, ‘We’ll have to raise a lot of money. It’ll cost $1 million.’ I said, ‘You’re crazy, it’ll be $4 million.’ And just $30 million and 10 years later, we opened the D-Day Museum for business.”

Almost instantly, though, Ambrose and Mueller realized they’d made a mistake. The museum was flooded with visiting World War II vets who loved it, but had done their fighting elsewhere and wondered why their stories couldn’t be told. A couple of them, U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska, who served in the China-Burma-India theater) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii, who lost an arm in Italy), helped get government money for a broader museum.

The museum has already added a vast, labyrinthine section on the island-hopping war in the Pacific, including a copy of President Roosevelt’s address to Congress the day after Pearl Harbor, complete with his handwritten corrections: “…a date which will live in world history infamy…”

And the museum is two years from the end of a $300 million expansion that will double the floor space for exhibits and add two more buildings. They’ll house major exhibits on the war in Africa, on the Asian mainland and the battle for Berlin, as well as tanks, planes and even a submarine in which visitors can take part in a simulated attack on a Japanese convoy. (Several armored vehicles already dot the floor of one pavilion, while combat aircraft are suspended from the ceiling.)

The World War II generation, which initially fueled the museum’s popularity, is steadily vanishing; even the era’s teenagers are now in their 80s. But that hasn’t dimmed the museum’s attraction. Mueller believes the war’s effects on American attitudes on race and gender and the political boundaries it redrew are still evolving.

“Every day in the newspaper, you see why World War II is still relevant,” he says. “We’re still trying to deal with people of different cultures and races and religions around the world. The 9/11 attacks brought that to the forefront. The Arab Spring brought it back up — the end of the monarchies in the Middle East is the end of a process that began in 1945. World War II is still with us today, and it’s going to be for a long, long time.”

If you go

Where: 945 Magazine St. (entrance at Andrew Higgins Drive), New Orleans.

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Closed Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Admission: $21; $18 ages 65-79; $12 ages 5-12, 80 and up, students, active or retired military and spouse with ID; free for military in uniform. Show-only and museum-and-show tickets available. Parking $6 at visitor lot on Camp Street.

Information: 504-528-1944, www.nationalww2museum.org

Dining and entertainment: The main building contains a counter-service cafe with oversized hot dogs, sandwiches and what it bills as “homemade” Spam. Save your appetite for the full-scale restaurant, the American Sector, across Andrew Higgins Drive. It has a huge bar graced with glamorous black-and-white portraits of wartime USO stars. The gourmet dishes, including lobster pot pie, are devised by chef John Besh. The restaurant is in the building that houses the theater for the Tom Hanks produced-and-narrated 4-D film Beyond All Boundaries (10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; tickets range from $5 for kids 4 and under to $14). In this same annex is the Stage Door Canteen with 1940s-style live entertainment and a buffet. Entertainment includes a lunchtime revue of World War II tunes and patriotic songs by young women impersonating the Andrews Sisters and other USO entertainers of the era; a Sunday buffet brunch and show; and a Friday-Saturday dinner show. Tickets $30 to $60. Information: 504-528-1943 or www.stagedoorcanteen.org.

Readers offer more responses to our question “What’s on your bucket list?”

Giving

I really have two things on my bucket list.

First, I would like to attain 20 gallons of blood donations (presently at 17 gallons, 3 pints).

Also, I’m a hospital volunteer and would like to achieve 20,000 volunteer hours. I’m at 18,700 hours (Summa/St. Thomas).

Vincent Zampelli

Akron

Blimp over Akron

I was 80 years old in August and have always wanted to ride in the blimp over Akron. My daughters have tried to buy one at some of the auctions, but have never succeeded.

I have flown in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam, but would also like to go in one over Akron.

When I was a young girl I climbed the big tree in our yard and pretended that I was a pilot — flying all over the world.

Norma Shaffer

Akron

Baby talk

I’m 3 months old. I have been hearing about this stupid Mayan calendar my whole life. I’m about sick of it. But since you asked, I’ll tell you about my most desirous wish to do before I kick the bucket.

I want to fill as many diapers as I possibly can. As you can imagine, I’m a busy boy. Hardly have time to write this letter.

Filling diapers is hard work. It’s like 24/7. It seems like just when you change one — POW! You fill another. This is so fun. Maybe not for Mommie, sometimes Daddy, but I could just do it forever. Eating, sleeping, crapping. Who wouldn’t love this job?

I was hoping I might get a chance to sink a tooth into something, but with only a month left, the chances aren’t bright. I won’t start teething for at least another two months. Ah, were it to be — a nice, juicy steak. I can only dream. I’ll wind up gumming stewed prunes, I just know it (cruel world).

It was mostly fun. I have no regrets. Except I was hoping to meet that sexy little bald girl across the street. She has a cute, little curl in front, right in the middle. I just love her gummy smile. Alas, it’s not to be.

Ta-ta for now… I feel a cramp coming on.

Tay Tay Lambert

Akron

Dedicated to a finding a cure

Top item on my bucket list: Raise funds and awareness for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation.

Why: On Sept. 16, 2006, my sister died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare disease. I called the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation and Florence Kranitz, the president of the foundation, came immediately to hospice and assisted me in arranging for the autopsy needed to document the disease and aid in research.

The disease is 100 percent fatal and there is nothing that can be done to help the patient. The foundation gives support to families of CJD patients and is active in research and educating the medical profession about CJD.

How I am working toward fulfilling my goal: I decided I could use my talents in music, photography, arts and crafts to raise funds for the CJD Foundation and raise awareness of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. I am a fundraiser of one, but I make a difference! I am getting close to meeting my goal of raising $5,000 for the foundation.

My music/photo story Hope … was shown at the National CJD Conference in Washington, D.C., July 2012. I did the photography, wrote the music and I play it on my hammered dulcimer. It is just one of many things I offer for donations to the CJD Foundation.

Mary Lou Jubin

Norton

Seeking a peak

It all started in October 2011, with a vacation to California with my wife. We drove thru Lone Pine, California to see the highest mountain in the contiguous United States. It was there that we parked the car at the base just 8 miles away and stared at the huge piece of snow-covered granite. The curiosity started. Has anyone climbed that? How would you do that, how long does it take?

When we arrived home I read everything I could on Mount Whitney. Two months later at the age of 60, I had made up my mind. I was going to climb that mountain to leave a legacy for my grandson, Camden, who was born in June 2011.

I mentioned this to a few of my friends and finally my friend Joe Bird, age 68, decided to go with me with the same enthusiasm and dedication.

The training started with biking the Canal Towpath trail 50-plus miles a week. On weekends and during our spare time Joe and I would put on a 15-pound pack and hike 8 miles over the steep hills of Sand Run and also walk up and down the 96 steps at the McKinley Monument in Canton.

We had never climbed a mountain before.

We had an opportunity to go to Colorado near Denver to climb a mountain. At the age of 61 and Joe, 68, we decided to go. August 1, 2012, we climbed Mount Yale, 14,200 feet. It took us 11 hours. We climbed with two experienced friends, Bob and Jackie of Green, to show us the safest way to reach our goal.

On Aug. 3, we climbed Mount Elbert, 14,433 feet, the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States. It took us 8.5 hours.

Joe and I will drive out and stop first in Colorado to climb Mount Torrey, 14,278 feet, and Mount Gray, 14,267, and then Mount Elbert, 14,433, for us to get acclimated for the altitude for Mount Whitney.

To climb Mount Whitney, we will have to have an overnight permit and camp seven miles from the parking lot at 12,000 feet at Trail Crest, which is above the tree line and have 4 miles to go to the summit the next day, and walk all the way down to the truck.

Upon descending Mount Whitney, we will attempt to also climb Mount Muir, 14,018. Mount Muir is about a mile and a half south of Mount Whitney. We will visit the highest point and we can sign our name to the registers at the summit of all peaks. We will also visit Badwater in Death Valley — 282 feet below sea level. This is the lowest point in North America. From the summit of Mount Whitney you can see Telescope Peak in Death Valley approximately 100 miles to the southeast.

Clarence Bechter

Barberton

Something fast and shiny

The top thing on my bucket list is to drive a really expensive car. Something in the Ferrari family would be amazing!

For the past couple of years, I have been really interested in all things car and I love to drive. Right now, all I can do to get closer to my goal is to get older and make more money. I’m currently a freshman in college. I might just have to buy a car to fulfill my wish. Unless I could just take one for a test drive.

Sarah Fountain

Rootstown

Need for speed

Another birthday is approaching and I’m still working on my list. Oh, I’ve scratched off and added a few items, but the item at the top has not changed in over fifty years. I grew up in Akron during the Art Arfons era of muscle cars, land speed racing and the Bonneville Salt Flats. I raced at Dragway 42 with dreams of going 200 mph on the salt flats in Utah and joining the 200 mph club. That dream still sits atop my bucket list.

With the full support of my wife, I’ve been pursuing that dream. Five years ago we purchased a Mustang GT and started racing again. At Dragway 42, it starts with the 100 mph club, then the 120 mph club. The 130 mph club and 150 mph club, along with unlimited speeds, are at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. We made the 100 mph and should make the 120 mph club this spring. At that point the Mustang will be sold. With the proceeds, another car will be purchased and modified. We’ve discussed the requirements with Summit Racing and everything is within budget.

In September of 2011 we spent three days in Utah at the Salt Flats as observers and talking to drivers who were experienced at speeds over 200 mph. Unlike drag racing, this is land speed racing. Drivers have two miles to reach speed for the 130 mph and 150 mph club. Speed is measured for the next quarter mile with three miles to stop. For the 200 mph club, you have the entire five miles to reach speed with two miles to stop. God willing, our first attempt will be September of 2014.

Even though we’re both approaching retirement, we feel there is still time. You see, life is not too short, people just wait too long to start living it.

Ralph Carl Cannon

Akron

Reliving the past

At my age, I sit in my rocking chair stitching beautiful floral designs on Aida cloth, reading a good book and dreaming. But if I won the lottery I could buy the beachfront home on Wrightsville Beach, N.C., and go to Switzerland and enjoy the beautiful countryside, or go back to England and spend a lot of time enjoying the gentle land and its people.

During World War II we lived on Wrightsville Beach for almost two years and those memories are like they happened yesterday. I was 9 or 10 years old. That was 1944 or ’45.

My father, the late Dr. Earl W. Burgner, was head of the Army hospital at Blumenthal Field in Wilmington and he loved to fish, so we ended up on Wrightsville Beach. I went back in the early ’90s and found many changes both good and bad, and in 2008 my daughter and I spent a week on the beach and it was great. My heart remains on Wrightsville Beach. And we did live through hurricanes then too.

Life was very different in those days and we saw segregation at its worst. We Yankees could never understand the whys down there, and I’m sure they never got over the Civil War either. Different time, different place.

I’d like to try rollerblading, help build a Habitat for Humanity home and maybe learn to play the cello or tour the beautiful cathedrals around the world and hear an organ recital or two. I would love to visit J.S. Bach’s home and see where all his brilliant music was composed. I’d like to meet J.S. Bach!

I loved the movie The Bucket List. I think it gives us all the time to reflect on our dreams.

Judy Samuelson

Akron

Not so fast

My father once told me he never could die because he was too busy. Busy seeking new fishing holes.

I became a reader, not a fisherman, during the depression in Indiana. There was no such thing as preschool or kindergarten, but my mother taught me to read. And I read everything.

Today, 2012, I am still reading and giving oral book reports at the Northwest Akron library.

For the past 12 years, I have read, researched and presented over 140 book talks …

The pattern became clear. We called the monthly talks “Food for Thought.” I chose books and authors who have made a difference; many shaped world history.

Like my father, I can’t die yet. There are still so many authors out there …

Marvin Phillips

Akron

Name in print

Simply put, as an old geezer, it would be cool to witness my name in print before I have one foot in my grave. Or, perhaps more appropriate to share: New author, new book, new unique topic.

Off and on over past 10 years, I’ve sent query letters to approximately 200 publishers. No book as yet, just lots of polite rejections. …

I may have my manuscript accompany me to the Hammelman grave. I plan on still being here after that Dec. 21 date, so perhaps all is not lost.

George Hammelman

Hartville

Bring on the music

The one thing I want to do before I kick the bucket is see Hugo sing 99 Problems and Bread & Butter live at the Akron Civic Theater. Because he is an awesome singer with a big heart and he puts on great concerts…

Terra Albright

Akron

Living well

I would like to live 10 more years to see all of my grandchildren graduate from high school and maybe a few of them marry.

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I was told without treatment — one to two years. With treatment — five to 10. So I took the treatment with the goal of 10 years.

Barbara Halliwell

Rittman

The Voice

I was born with a beautiful singing voice and also had a congenital eye disease. As a result, I have been wearing very thick glasses all my life.

I was overlooked and also held myself back in my singing career. In high school, I sang in the Glee Club. When I was younger, I sang in church and community choirs.

I always felt I was not using the talent I was blessed with. So several years ago, I entered a karaoke competition and I have been singing karaoke for the past three years. Last year, I was chosen to audition to be a contestant for (television show) The Voice.

I want to share the gift of my beautiful voice with the world. I no longer want to be in a choir. I AM THE CHOIR. I don’t want to die with a song in my heart.

Doris Wolfe

Northfield

A local hospital system has found a possible cure for some patients who can’t afford expensive medications used to treat cancer and other costly disorders.

Since last year, Summa Health System has received more than $1.8 million worth of free medications from pharmaceutical manufacturers through a service run by Cardinal Health Inc.

The eRecovery program provides an onsite program manager, Lindsey Stephen, who reviews daily reports of uninsured patients at Summa facilities to determine whether they were given any medications that might be covered by patient assistance programs.

Stephen then gets permission from the patients to fill out the necessary forms to apply for any assistance programs offered by the drug manufacturers.

If medications are covered by a program, Summa gets free replacements and doesn’t bill the patient for the drugs dispensed, Stephen said.

“Once it’s approved, we get the medication reimbursed and I make sure that the patient won’t get charged for it,” she said.

Stephen estimates the program has helped provide free medications for 750 patients at Summa’s Akron City, St. Thomas, Barberton and Wadsworth hospitals, as well as at the health system’s outpatient facility in Medina County and home infusion service.

Ken Komorny, system director of pharmacy for Summa, said before launching the program the health system often ended up writing off the cost of many of the expensive drugs provided to uninsured patients who couldn’t afford to pay their bills.

“It was an opportunity where we were able to help patients and save quite a bit of money,” he said.

The health system pays Cardinal Health a fee, based on the number of drugs replaced through the program, Komorny said. There is no up front charge for the service.

Though he would not disclose the fee paid to Cardinal, Komorny did say “it’s a fraction of what’s recovered.”

Summa is one of about 140 hospital systems nationwide contracted with Cardinal Health for the eRecovery service, Cardinal Health spokeswoman Tara Schumacher said.

No other hospitals in Ohio are using the eRecovery service offered through Cardinal, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Some other software programs and services are marketed by competitors.

According to Cardinal Health, the service tends to be used by hospitals with a large number of uninsured patients. Participating hospitals typically specialize in specialty care — particularly cancer care — that need expensive, brand-name drugs for complex cases.

Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or cpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.

People Helping People is a list of charitable causes in our area that need donations or volunteers. The Beacon Journal has not investigated these causes, so donors should verify their worthiness and the tax-deductibility of contributions.

A link to a form for submitting requests to People Helping People can be found at www.ohio.com/charity, along with tips on researching charities and a list of causes already published.

Questions about submitting information? Call Mary Beth Breckenridge, 330-996-3756.

Here’s Hope Horse Farm, 2545 Northampton Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223, provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with special needs.

The farm is seeking sponsors for a new Percheron draft horse it hopes to lease from April through October so it can add more students to its program. The horse will cost $200 a month, plus expenses. Donations may be mailed.

For information, call 330-929-7694, email hereshope58@yahoo.com or visit www.heres
hopehorsefarm.org.

Helping Hands of Summit County Inc., P.O. Box 26601, Akron, OH 44319, assists children, women and homeless people who need help with housing or utility payments, groceries, vehicles or help with medical costs due to serious illness or unexpected events.

The charity is seeking donations of:

• Grocery and department store gift cards to make Christmas special for needy children.

• Money to make utility and housing payments; to buy gifts, coats, shoes and food for those less fortunate; and to help a family keep its home.

• A vehicle and a good, smaller refrigerator for a widow and child.

Donations are due Dec. 31 for holiday help, but the charity helps people all year.

For information, contact Phyllis Byrd at 330-773-7731 or pbyrd777@gmail.com, or visit www.helpinghands-sc.org.

Starting Over Airedale Rescue, 178 Water St., Wadsworth, OH 44281, saves, rehabilitates and finds homes for abandoned and abused Airedale terriers. SOAR is asking for pet store gift cards and gas cards. It also needs foster homes and volunteers to transport the Airedales.

For information, visit www.soar-airedale-rescue.com, call Lynn O’Shaughnessy at 517-546-8303 or email airejake@gmail.com.