Lou’s View
IN AND OUT
By Lou Bernard
So the other day I was paging through People Magazine, and I saw the annual In/Out List. (Yeah, I looked at People Magazine. Get that smirk off your face; it was a slow day.) The list is where someone decides what’s in and what’s out in the fashion world. And I thought about it, and thought: Hunh. Why don’t I do that?
Well, I mean, short answer is that I have the fashion sense of a homeless baboon. But I do know our local history. And I have the urge to write my own In/Out list about that, and decide what’s in and what’s out. You may disagree with much of this. Too bad. Get your own newspaper column.
IN: Jerry Church. This guy will always be in. He founded not only Lock Haven, but Clinton County, and Carlisle, Iowa. Jerry Church created at least three communities that still exist and thrive.
OUT: John Moorhead. This is no big surprise—John Moorhead was out even when he was alive. His idea for the county seat was rejected, his donation of a courthouse was turned down, and he was never able to win a public office. Nice try, Moorhead, but you’re out.
IN: “The Indigo Scarf.” This book by PJ Piccirrilo is a great piece of work! Detailing the life of escaped slaves in present-day Clinton County, it draws heavily on actual historic events. It’s suspenseful and enjoyable; a great read.
OUT: “Dr. Nina and The Panther.” I am, by this point, heartily sick of the story of Doctor Nina and the damn panther. This book, for some reason a huge favorite of book clubs, purports to be the true story of a female doctor who lived in Clinton County. The incidents don’t match the actual history, however, and the book seems to have been heavily fictionalized, not really a biography at all. Dr. Nina, you’re out.
IN: Satirical In/Out lists.
OUT: Self-referentialism. (Also in: Overestimating your audience’s vocabulary in search of a joke.)
IN: Celebrities from Clinton County! We have quite a few famous people connected with our history. Artist John Sloan, actress Nancy Kulp, writer Alison Bechdel, musician Elaine Shaffer, writer and actor James Bacon, and opera singer William Raymond, to name a few, lived here or had connections here. I love writing about that sort of thing; it’s always neat to see someone famous who has local connections.
OUT: Fake crap from Clinton County. I’m sick of correcting the record on some of these garbage stories that are out there. To the best of my knowledge, Chuck Norris and Beatrix Potter have no connection with Clinton County, and I’m getting tired of being asked about that. Over the years, there have been a variety of lies told about abused ghosts, colonial heroes, and snack foods, and I’m encouraging the lies about our history to stop, mainly for my own sanity.
IN: “Otzinachson” by John Meginness. This is a great book about our local history. It’s highly accurate and contains a lot of neat details about Clinton County and its founding, as well as fascinating artifacts that have been discovered and explanations of local legends. I’ve actually delved into this book a lot for background for some of my columns.
OUT: Facebook groups about local history. This may surprise you, but getting information from random strangers is not the best way to ensure accuracy. Facebook groups where just about anyone can post anything are largely responsible for some of the aforementioned false stories.
That’s it, the 2022 In/Out list! Thanks for reading. Next up: Henry Shoemaker or Levi Mackey: Who wore it better?
