A Chautauqua Lake Pops Inspired Valentine

                                                                                

Happy Valentine's Day

The oldest record of a valentine being sent was a poem 

written by a French medieval duke named Charles to his wife in 1415.

According to Hallmark, a whopping 145 million Valentine's day cards are exchanged every February 14 (and that's not even including all those kids' valentines exchanged in classrooms). This makes Valentine's Day the second biggest holiday for exchanging greeting cards, after Christmas.  And how sweet: Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards annually, followed by children, mothers and wives.  Needless to say, we've come a long way from 1913, which was when Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine's card. 

Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury, started packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales. He introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates for V-Day in 1861, and today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That's 58 million pounds of chocolate!

And what better day is there for a marriage proposal than a day literally dedicated to love and romance? Valentine's Day is one of the popular days to pop the question, with as many as 6 million couples getting engaged on February 14. And according to the results of this survey, Valentine's Day was voted the best day of the year to propose than any other day — and of those people who voted, 40% were men!

He's the charming cherub that appears on Valentine's Day cards, often depicted with a bow and arrow — but how did Cupid become a common symbol of Valentine's Day? According to Time, the figure can actually be traced all the way back to 700 B.C., to the Greek god of love named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating power to make people fall in love. It wasn't until the 4th century that the Romans adopted Eros into the image of a cute little boy with a bow and arrow, naming him "Cupid." By the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had become linked to Valentine's Day due to his love-matching powers.

Every February 14 from around the world sweethearts exchange chocolates, flowers and lavish gifts to celebrate the most romantic day of the year: Valentine's Day.  This popular day is now known as a day full of Hallmark cards, flowers and dinner for two. 

 

Be Safe.

Pat Locke, Maestro Muse 

 

This is the snowmobile trail in Mayville near the historic train depot and where the Chautauqua Lake Pops is located in the summer months.  Today was a beautiful blue sky day with not a cloud in the sky so I decided to visit the site of the Pops and could hear the sounds of music in my head as I stood on this snow packed trail looking towards where the Pops lawn chairs are placed for concert ticket holders.  

This photo was taken in 2020 as a lone snowmobiler was approaching from the East.  The Chautauqua Belle was nearby though this year it is spending its winter at the South end of the lake.  

This view is near where the Chautauqua Lake Pops floating stage was anchored in 2019, the first Pops concert season since leaving Bemus Point NY in 2017.  In the month of Feburary when the lake is frozen several inches deep one can see many ice fishing huts dotting the shoreline near Mayville, Chautauqua Institution, Dewittville Bay, Bemus Point and many other locations.

Photo Credit to Dr. Jeanne Wiebenga

Photo Credit to Dr. Jeanne Wiebenga

Photo Credit to Dr. Jeanne Wiebenga

Be Safe.

Pat Locke

Maestro Muse

 Punxsutawney Phil

Punxsutawney Phil is the famous groundhog in Punxsutawney, PA who is the central figure in the borough's annual event called Groundhog Day celebration.  On February 2 each year, the town holds a civic festival with music and food.  During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob located in a rural area about 2 miles southeast of town.  According to tradition if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather.  If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early spring".  The town's event is the most famous of the many Groundhog Day festivals held in the United States and Canada.  The event began in 1887, although its roots go back even farther. 

The event is based upon a communal light-hearted suspension of disbelief.  It is organized by the "Inner Circle" which is a group of men recognizable from their top hats and black overcoats.  The Vice President of the Inner Circle prepares two scrolls in advance of the actual ceremony, one proclaiming six more weeks of winter and one proclaiming an early Spring. 

According to the Stormfax Almanac, which has been tracking Phil's predictions since 1887, Phil has been correct only 39% of the time.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which analyzed Phil's predicitions from 2008 to 2018, he was right only 40% of the time. 

Here Ye, Here Ye, Here Ye

Now this second day of February, two thousand and twenty-one, the one hundred and thirty fifth annual trek of the Punxsutawney Ground Club.

Punxsutawney Phil the Seer of Seers, the Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, was awakened from his borrow at 7:25 a.m. by his handler and friend, on this quiet morning where few can attend.

In Groundhogese, Phil directed the President of the Inner Circle to his prediction scroll that reads.

It is a beautiful morning this I can see,

With all my fans viewing virtually.

With my faithful followers being safe and secure,

Our tradition of Groundhog day must endure.

We all have passed through the darkness of night,

But now see hope of morning's bright light.

When I turn to see, there is a perfect shadow cast of me.

Six more weeks of winter there will be!

Punxsutawney Phil isn't the only famous groundhog on February 2.  On the list are  Chattanooga Chuck in Chattanooga, TN; French Creek Freddie in French Creek, West Virginia; Buckeye Chuck in Marion, Ohio; Essex Ed in West Orange, New Jersey; Jimmy the Groundhog in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; General Beauregard Lee in Jackson; Georgia; Staten Island Chuck in the Staten Island Zoo, NYC; Chuckles IX in Manchester, Connecticut; Sir Walter Wally in Raleigh, North Carolina and Pierre C. Shadeaux, the Cajun Groundhog in Broussard, Louisiana and Queen Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina and Buffalo Bert in Buffalo NY. 

A groundhog named Grover is giving Punxsutawney Phil a run for his money in the State of Pennsylvania.  Over in Schuylkill County's Pine Grove, Grover has been known to make a different weather prediction than famous Phil.  Imagine that!  Locals in that PA County say "Grover's prediction is more centralized for Schuylkill County".

So let's give a round of applause for these other little guys who aim to predict the arrival of Spring.   

 Last, but not least is  DUNKIRK DAVE, a local groundhog who resides in nearby Dunkirk NY. Dunkirk Dave holds the auspicious title of being the world's "second-longest prognosticating groundhog" reports his official website (www.dunkirkdave.com). In 2019, the New York-based animal predicted an early Spring.  Bob Will, Dunkirk Dave's handler, attributes his furry friend's popularity to an article that appeared in the Dunkirk Evening Observer.  "I have used a groundhog for over 58 years to predict the coming of spring weather," says Will.  On the website, Dunkirk Dave has a guestbook so sign it and let him know you came by.  

The town of Punxsutawney PA is 15 miles South of my husband, Bill's hometown of Brookville PA.  Several years ago while visiting Brookville we drove to Punxy as the locals call the town and paid a visit to the town's famous groundhog.  Even though there are many groundhogs who seem to predict the weather, there is only one original and he resides in Punxy!  

If you know of other weather-predicting groundhogs that I have not mentioned, leave a comment.  Thanks and Happy Groundhogs Day!  

Be Safe.

Pat Locke

Maestro Muse

 

A snowflake is a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size then falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through differing temperatures.  Individual snowflakes differ in detail from one another.  Snow appears white in color despite being made of clear ice.  Each snowflake may not be quite the same as another though it turns out that all snowflakes fall into one of 35 different shapes.

Enjoy the beautiful snowflakes this winter!

Be Safe.

Pat Locke

Maestro Muse

 

Sweet Caroline

2020 was a tough year for everyone, so we wanted to bring people together the best way we knew how:

through music.

Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter and actor.  He has sold more than 100 million records worldwide making him one of the best-selling musicans of all time.

Born January 24, 1941 in Brooklyn NY turned 80 this year and so we celebrate this iconic singer whom most of us grew up listening to and dancing to throughout the years.

Diamond has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 which included songs such as Cracklin' Rose, Song Sung Blue, Longfellow Sereade, I've Been This Way Before, If You Know What I Mean, Desiree, You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore, America, Yesterday's Songs and Heartfelt. 

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.  He received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.  In 2011, he was an honoree at the Kennedy Center Honors and he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

In 2019, his 1969 signature song Sweet Caroline was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant".  

As many Pops attendees have come to know and recall the Diamond Project out of Ohio appeared on the floating stage in Bemus Point numerous times during the days of the Bemus Bay Pops.  In the summer of 2019 when the first official Pops concert series was held in Mayville NY under the new name, Chautauqua Lake Pops the audience was once again treated to another Neil Diamond tribute concert by Diamond Project.  The lead singer of Diamond Project is Gary Gomez and during the concert in Mayville Gary performed a duet with Sharon Owens, Barbra Streisand impersonator.  The duet was You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore.  The Pops audience was mesmerized by their rendition that evening.

Be Safe.

Pat Locke, Maestro Muse