Delaney in the Morning

COLDWATER –  Mary Smith and Dan Lewis were awarded the coveted disco ball trophy at Saturday night’s “Dancing with the Celebrities” at the Tibbits Opera House.The audience gave the duo a standing ovation as the judges, Karen Hargreave, Flip Johnson and Karen Smith, gave them a perfect score of three 10s for their waltz.

 Four other dancing couples participated in the fourth annual Tibbits Boosters fundraiser: Ann and Tim Claar, Kara Hawley and Ethan Oberlin, Michelle and Bill Milnes, and Kali Wales and Colin Fraley. These couples danced, in order, the Argentine Tango, the Cha Cha, the Salsa and contemporary. Christine Lewis and Mary Roscoe were participants in the winning waltz.

 Booster President Diane Riegel said “Dancing” money over the past three years combined has totaled more than $15,000, which is donated to Tibbits. Riegel says early estimates place this year’s total raised to a little more than $3600. Winners are determined by the amount of money they raise by asking for monetary votes by placing canisters throughout Branch County for the past three months. Voting was also by on-line and at the night of the event.

 Last year’s first place winner Mary Gail Stevens danced with Mark Henderson because her 2010 partner was unable to perform due to health reasons. The Quinn School of Irish Dancing, in Marshall, also performed two dances to an appreciative audience. Sharon Duchi-Bloom was the Mistress of Ceremonies and kept the tone light and fun throughout the evening.

 There was more than just dancing performed on the opera house’s stage Saturday night. Comic relief was provided with EMT Jody Lewis with first aid, Doug Bloom handling the “Kiss and Kry” booth, and accountant Diana Butler handcuffed to the security task force of Bloom and Morris.

Betty Spahr from All Aboard Travel in Hillsdale joined us Wednesday morning for our monthly Travel Show.  We recapped her trip to Africa, which included her taking a zip line over the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe!

Buzz Lightyear talking about Coldwater?  Sorta.  Michigan native Tim Allen is the voice of the state's Pure Michigan radio commercials.  He just recorded one that began running this week in Toledo, South Bend, Ft Wayne, and Lansing to promote Branch County. 

Coldwater Country is also a featured link on the state's Michigan.org website.  Click here for the link.

Everyone has their favorite Ernie Harwell phrase..."He stood there like a house at the side of the road"..."Long gone"...and "A man from Lake Orion takes that ball home".  Nobody did it better than Ernie Harwell, who we lost Monday evening at the age of 92 after a battle with cancer.

After growing up listening to Ernie and Paul Carey, I had the chance to meet and interview Ernie during one of the Tiger Caravans prior to the 1983 season.  I was a 19 year old college kid, but that didn't matter to Ernie.  We spent probably 15 minutes together, while he made the "experienced" broadcasters wait their turn.  It's an experience I'll never forget.

Over the years I had the privelege to interview Ernie in person and on the telephone about a half-dozen times.  The latest was prior to his appearance in Coldwater November 2001.

Everytime I'm at an event like the Branch County Lincoln Day Dinner I get that little nagging urge to run for office again.  Hopefully I'll sleep it off.

Oakland County Sheriff and current candidate for governor Mike Bouchard was our keynote speaker (I served as master of ceremonies, in addition to being Branch County chairman).

It's hard to believe it's been one year since the first Branch County Tea Party.  Around 400 people crowded the Four Corners Park in downtown Coldwater.  I'll reprise my role as master of ceremonies tonight at 5:30 pm.

Here's one of the guys that got the crowd going last year.

On Thursday, March 32 I made a rather dramtic announcement with Congressman Mark Schauer.  By the end of the interview, I think he had figured it out, though.  Did you?

1994 Bronson High School graduate Amie Duong is one of the featured deputies in TLC's reality tv show "Police Women of Maricopa County".

Need a better explanation of the budget sleight-of-hand with the Health Care Reform package?  It's a plan that only a polititian could love.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FcMoiHH&h=99cab898c1b5ad965709e557b416c1bd

I'm with the government and I'm here to help....

Can someone tell me why I need to get a letter (written in 6 different languages) that tells me to look for another letter coming soon?  The letter arrived yesterday telling "Resident" to look for the U.S. Census packet to arrive next week.  I was also advised that I needed to fill out the census form so I can assure my local government, schools, etc get their "fair share" of government funding.  Isn't the census supposed to be about counting people, not handing out money to them?  This entitlement mentality from the top on down is what makes government spending so bloated and creates deficits that not even our kid's kids will be able to pay off.

And by the way, the advertising campaign for the U.S. Census has to be one of the dumbest ever created.