Month: October 2009

Hey Peggy,

This is very cool.   I remember we used to think that Stoney Batter was called that because it was a gravel road.  Susan LaPenta and I raced our Mavericks down there once. What is really funny is all of the cross connections.  The Sin City Party in 1976 was my 20th Birthday; I got off of work at the Farmer in the Dell on Kirkwood Highway, changed in the bathroom and went there with my boyfriend at the time, Bob Perry, who just passed away this year. John Headley had told him about the party earlier that day.  I still see Scott and the guys in the band periodically (they played for my husband’s surprise 40th and 50th birthdays and for my 40th as well!). Scott’s new wife Lisa was an old friend of mine from college and has always reminded me of Leslie Noyes’ big sister Avaril who still holds the record for butterfly at Westminster Swim Club.  Kevin McBride used to give me a ride to school every day I didn’t ride my ten-speed.  Zack Greer, who lives in Canada now, is the big brother of my friend, Nita (bridesmaid in my first wedding with you) and she and I worked together at Klondike Kate’s when it opened.  I just saw Zack last month when he was East and came to our house for dinner with his sister.  Nita’s first husband Phil’s good friend Jimmy Hoffman ended up living at the house on the turn on Stoney Batter.  Phil dated Avaril in high school. Billy Coon’s daughters and ours went to Upland together, and we became and remain great friends (went to his surprise 30th birthday party!) and he worked for years with Bill Speakman who was one of my husband’s best friends.  Richard Sterling and Steve Mendala ended up being Sailors of the Shallow Seas with my brother, Rick and Scott Milar so, when Rick died suddenly last year, I was greatly comforted by them and all of the really kind words they shared with me about him. Life goes on, we make new friends but few things are as comforting as those friends who knew us “when”.    

I missed a lot of the wild and crazy activity shared by many of the players back then because I had those strict parents (God love ’em – – – – wasn’t it poor Jon Mason being greeted at the door with my dad in boxers holding a shotgun?), but I remember hearing all the stories!  I never would have been allowed to do half the things everyone did, but somehow managed to squeeze in a few good times nonetheless!  And, I’m always touched by the stories people (like Maryann) tell me about how my mom helped them out during the rough patches.  She was tough on you and me, but she seemed to have a haven for anyone who’d lost their way.  Mark Marine lost his way every night just before dinner time . . . .

Loved seeing you the other night,

xoxo

Cathie (and for Lou’s benefit, maiden name was Davis)

Catherine Davis Ledyard

The third reunion has been planned, the third reunion has occurred, and now we make plans for the next reunion. The third reunion was an opportunity to renew and revitalize old friendships, as we travel down our individual paths of life,  few things provide greater comfort than a fond memory and the warmth of our friendships from so many years ago.

“The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair.”

-Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) British lexiographer.

“True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.”

-George Washington

“One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.”

-Euripides, Greek playwright

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

-Mother Teresa

“… no man is useless while he has a friend.”

-Robert Louis Stevenson

“The best mirror is an old friend.”

-George Herbert

“I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man’s milk and restorative cordial.”

-Thomas Jefferson

“Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.”

-Ludwig van Beethoven

i saw joan at some point over the years. i think she was still in the area, working at dupont. we saw billy coon at the hagley fireworks last june, so i know he’s still in the area. (he recognized david) and i believe steve c. owns gateway gardens in hockessin and north creek nursery in landerberg. not much, but hopefully helpful.

thanks louie! this is great!!

Lou,

Thanks for the blast from the past – very cool and of course I remember several parties at “the farm” – and the one in August of ’76 I seem to recall setting up on the front porch…

I can’t make the reunion (we’re gigging) but please give my fondest regards to any of the ol’ timers.

Hope to talk to you soon,

Thanks again!

Scott Birney

—– Original Message —–

To: sincityband@comcast.net

Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009

Subject: One of your first gigs… “Live at Mermaid”

Good afternoon Sin City Band,

33 years ago you guys played at an old farmhouse on Stony Batter Rd,  Mermaid Valley, near Hockessin, five young men lived in that farmhouse for many, many years and I was one of them. I may have actually booked you guys and paid for that “far out” & wonderful performance.

Many years have passed since then and I’m delighted to see you guys (via your website) are still alive and kicking, that farmhouse was affectionately known as “the farm”, we had a lot of parties, a lot of fun and a lot of good memories. One of the farm girls has organized a reunion at a bar off Kirkwood Highway this October 24 at 4 PM, and I have been working on a website to commemorate those days, while I was digging through old pictures, I found what may be the last remaining ticket to that show you guys performed at 33 years ago.

I left Wilmington a long time ago, however I will be returning on an increasingly frequent basis and would like to talk to you guys about having a private party and hiring your band.

Please feel free to check out the website – www.menofmermaid.us – it is still under construction, however you will find information about the reunion and   please check back often,  if you can make the reunion I’ll buy you a drink 🙂

Live long, live well and in a couple months hopefully we can get you guys onstage again for a private “farm” party.

LouLou

Dear Lou,

Well you did it – I don’t know whether it was the picture of Paula or Kim and Kevin, or Jane and John, or Avril, or Luke, or the several people I can name among your unknowns – Jeff Bow, Clem Bowen, Scott Gantt, Bruce from off 41 and Duncan Road (2 pics of him), Paul D’amico, Arlene the blond girl that was the first chef at Klondike Kates in Newark, and married Jim Basso, and the guy with the gray hat and beard – I think that was one of the Frogtown friends, who was from Delmar, DE and into environmental engineering, or all of the above that really got to me on the website!

I will try to bend my reality to be there for some part of Saturday evening if possible!

Historically, I still spend most of my days and some evenings just north of Newark in Kemblesville at my ministry called Vineyard at the Barn, and the rest of my time with Katy, at our post and beam home in our little 5 acre piece of woods out near the Susquehanna river in Peach Bottom, PA (think heading west on 272 to jump off the big cliffs at Conowingo Reservoir just north of the US Rt. 1 dam – I live about 2 miles from those cliffs in the little village of Wakefield), running our local volunteer ambulance company, not coming to these things much, but always remembering this part of my life. My kids are Sarah, Adam, Jess, and Leah – 29, 28, 26, 22 and living all over from San Francisco to Manhattan) – “from the redwood forest to the New York island…”

I have to give credit to Joanne Glanden (Cricket) and Jane Angulo, who have tried to lure me out in years past, and Dianne Angelo for her efforts to get AI people to come through the Classmates network (although I looked at that Classmates list and did not see one former resident of Mermaid on it – so I didn’t respond either).

Steve Mendala has been with me in some more recent contacts and we have felt those ancient connections each time we have talked!

Paula softened me up bigtime, especially sharing about Luke and George being gone!

Honestly, I have just missed hooking up with Kim in the past ( I lived right across the street from a woodworking shop he had in Kennett Square – but didn’t find out about it until either I moved to Cochranville – on my trek to the Lancaster County river hills – or he moved to Wilmington).

So, anyway, I really am very happy to make these contacts with you and the website and all those who have been part of my journey through life, and to sit and think of so many other folks who were part of our community in that time and place, to remember those who are gone, and to celebrate those who remain.

Thanks to you for being a catalyst and remembering old friends!!

You may remember that I moved to Delaware from Houston, Texas (off of Dairy-Ashford Road out near Katy, TX), so we will have plenty of conversation about those connections as well (just took my wife, Katy, on a road trip from Houston to Galveston to Austin, to San Antonio to South Padre Island to Brownsville to Matamoros, Mexico, to Corpus Christi this summer for our 30th Anniversary, so I am fresh on my Texas stuff!)

Sincerely and with great affection,

Rev. Gerald Cornelius (Neil) Uniacke, Jr.  AKA TEX!!!! 

PS – Feel free to post this on the blog and put me and my email address on the Friends webpage!

THANKS AGAIN AMIGO!

C Y’all soon! 

On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:32:01 -0500 Lou Zettler <lzettler@insurware.us> writes:

Good morning Neil,

Paula  forwarded me your e-mail and hopefully you’ve had a chance to see the  www.menofmermaid.us website that I’ve been working on to commemorate a special time of our lives and also to form a place to facilitate the outreach of our far flung members of the farm family…

I have been “out-of-town”  for a long time Neil, and life has a way of piling experiences on top of experiences and every once in a while it’s wonderful to stop and look back and appreciate friendships that were formed so many years ago.

I gather from your e-mail that you will be unable to make this reunion, however I have developing business interests in Wilmington Delaware and will be spending more time back home, and I have every intention of hosting dinner parties and get-togethers when I am in town and would like to learn more about your church and its programs.

Please visit the website and although I haven’t got a clue what a blog is, I’m using that page to place e-mails from our family members and was wondering if you would allow me to post the e-mail you sent Paula up on the blog?

Best personal regards,

Lou

See ya – Lou

Cell # 800-268-5731 

Fax # 800-460-7766 

Office # 800-460-0999 

I can’t believe you forgot that you and your croonies use to call me Alberniece! you made it up. I can’t remember why? It’s nice to know that your doing well, I ran in to Steve M. and I asked about you, but know one had any information about you. Then Midge and I tried to look you up online, but no info.

Hope to see you soon, on the 24th. Need a time.

Deb

hey there, just sent some pics… the guy in the “who are they” section- in the blue/green shirt is jimmy lucatamo. (luke) he’s from the faulkland heights crew, and unfortunetly, isn’t with us anymore… cancer took him years ago. (god, do we need a catagory for those who have “moved on”?)

i don’t know what the hell a blog is either! i’m pretty computer illiterate and am fine with that!!!

man, things have changed, huh? some for the better,some not so…

but i sure am enjoying this ride you’ve created for us all.

Lou,

You look comfotable on that horse, me – only on skis.  I did see Jane, we had dinner a few months back when I was in Denver for work.  She’s quite a Colorado girl now, bike, ski, raft. But she said she wouldn’t support me so I’m still married (chime in any time now Jane).  She looks Marv.  Wish I could jet back for the reunion but …work and all.  Maybe next time, keep me in the loop.  

Like I said pretty sure that Bruce split the country for Chile, married a latina and had some kids.  On occasion over the years he’d call from the Denver airport with about 0 minutes notice and say he was available for two hours that I could never make.  Some things never change.  Hope he is well so if you get any news let me know.  I may have his sisters contact so I’ll try that avenue.

If you ever get up north let me know, you and Jane can help me with my rental horse.

On second thought let’s raft (Paula will run I supose by her email address maybe she will raft too).  Send me a picture of the three of you at the reunion.  If I get a windfall I’ll make it, what’s the date again?  Good to hear from you.

Kevin

P.S. I have a facebook page if anyone else does…

Kevin McBride

Cell 970-420-1659

779 Amethyst Drive

Steamboat Springs, CO 80487

CC: runpaulirun@yahoo.com; ubwild2@yahoo.com

From: lzettler@insurware.us

To: kmcbeeski@msn.com

Subject: Reunion and re-connections

Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 12:25:47 -0500

Kevin my man,

It’s great to hear from you, perhaps with this website and the opportunity to gather contact information we can reconnect with our past and have fun in the future.

Did you ever meet Jane,

She is also in Colorado, but I don’t know where. I’ve copied her and Paula on my reply to you.

 where the heck is Bruce, I don’t know but I’ll ask around at the reunion in a couple of weeks.

Any chance you come in to make the reunion?

 Lulu

PS if you subscribe to the photo albums on the website every time I add some new pictures and/or get pictures from everyone and that means you too, it’ll automatically let you know when something new has been added. Please, please dig up some old pictures and send them to me…

On Oct 8, 2009, at 12:14 PM, KEVIN MC BRIDE wrote:

Lou,

It’s Kevin McBride!  Paula sent me the link to the Mermaid site, nice.  I’m hiding out in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, running a Water Conservancy District and skiing and hiking a lot.  Kids 23 yr old son and 16 yr old daughter and Wife.  I don’t recognise any of those unknown’s either.  Where the heck is Bruce!!??  Last I heard, Chile.

Kevin

I’ll give you some support Kevin.  I’m sure the little woman will appreciate it! 

And perhaps if we can find Bruce we can do a reenactment of your first ski experience but with a horse instead.  (private joke guys).  Love the pictures of you and everyone as  teenagers.  Can’t wait to see more.  I’m digging around but I just didn’t take pictures back then.  Glad somebody had the vision to do so…Hey, I do believe I took that cool pic of Paula, Lou and Scott on the porch at the Marvel Motel.  Paula made a marvelous marvel maid.  Good times and more to come….

Jane