Lou’s View

By Lou Bernard

I write the songs that make the county sing

I write the townships down and everything….

I’m in a musical mood today. Which is weird, as I have less than no musical talent. I can play the harmonica a bit, and I’m able to sing quietly if I’ve been drinking, but nobody’s ever going to give me an award for my musical skills. I have a certain gratitude toward my old college music professor, who was really cool about me learning how to play the harpsichord during the actual final.

But here I am, in the mood to write songs about the county’s history. I know that it’s really hard to make these things historically accurate, as I’ve tried doing a column or two in poetry before, which the readers have rightfully ignored. But hey, let me start by apologizing to just about every musician, and then let’s get to it.

Rolling down Bellefonte Avenue
Coffee at 209 on the right
Susquehanna down the hill
Piper Cubs in flight
I love LH! (We love it!)
Water Street! (We love it!)
Fairview Street! (We love it!)
East Park Street! (Well….)

Hunh. That’s pretty terrible, actually. I mean, it’s historically accurate; we really do border the Susquehanna River, which was a big economic consideration in the early days, and Lock Haven is home to the Piper Cub. (If you haven’t visited the Piper Museum, you should.)

I wrote song parodies in high school, though I seem to recall thinking I was better at it then. Once I won an award, but that may have been for having the guts to do this in front of an audience. Maybe I need to concentrate on a different geographical area. Let me try another one and steal from Marc Cohn a little.

Put on my Bulldogs
T-shirt, walked to Lafayette
If I start at West Park,
let’s see how far I can get
Yeah I’m walking in Avis
Walking at the corner of Brady Street
Walking in Avis Borough named for a woman along Pine Creek

Wow. I am really, really bad at this. Okay, it’s true that Avis was named after Avis Cochran, the daughter of one of the founders. But that’s not the easiest concept to write a catchy tune to. How about further north?

When the trains made a town
With no others around
That’s Renovo….

Absolutely not. Sure, Renovo was founded in 1866 mainly so the railroad industry would have somewhere to live and work in an otherwise very remote area, but I think we can all agree that doesn’t fit well into song. Maybe going south?

Sugar Oh, Valley Valley
You surround Loganton
Which burned in Nineteen Eighteen

I mean, yes, Loganton is a part of Sugar Valley, and it had a tragic fire that destroyed the whole borough in 1918. But again, that does not easily lend itself to song. Also, several years ago I got a really threatening call from the Sugar Valley Historical Society, and I’m in no big hurry to repeat the experience.

How about Farrandsville? I mean, Farrandsville did have a mansion that was built by the Queen of Spain, right?

You are the Spanish Queen
Built a place, century nineteen
….Mine that coal, make a train machine
Diggin’ the Spanish Queen!

NO.

Mill Hall, Pennsylvania?
It’s fun to stay at the MH, PA….No.
I fought Lamar, and Lamar won….No.

Maybe I need to get back into my comfort zone and quit trying to write song lyrics. I seem to have gotten it out of my system. Next week, I go back to what I’m good at, just writing about the history of the county. I promise to have something good for you—Better than my music, anyway.