It’s amazing, sometimes, how baby steps can grow into leaps and bounds.

Take, for instance, the accompanying photograph.

It was taken by yours truly as the snow flew early Monday morning out the back window of my home in Jefferson. I thought the blue of the dawn, contrasted with the white of the season, made for a wonderful contrast.

As I updated the sports on our Web site that night, I posted the photograph with the headline: “Out-of-town readers: Wish you were here? Bring back memories?”

In the body text portion of that post I asked our online readers if they had any memories of winter weather while they spent time here in Northeast Ohio and, if they did, to write me and tell me about them.

Well, talk about an avalanche!

I had no expectation of the, ahem, flurry, of a storm that simple posting would initiate.

As of Sunday night, I had received just shy of 550 column inches of replies. Translation for those not sharp on newspaper lingo — a lot. As in, a whole lot.

Anyway, while reading these stories, I was amazed at how much time and effort people put into their words. For their tales of the “Thanksgiving Blizzard of 1950” or the “Blizzard of ’78” are compelling, fascinating and downright fun to read.

Armed with that, I approached Jim Frustere, the biggest of big-wigs here at the Star Beacon (aka, The Publisher). After he read the stories we had received, he agreed with my assessment.

With that in mind, Loyal Readers, we’re going to package them and do a special section to bring all these stories — and, hopefully, many more — to you for your “viewing pleasure,” so to speak.

So once again, I come to you, Loyal Readers, hat in hand — all these special stories have come from readers of our Web site — starbeacon.com — so now I am offering the same forum to our bread and butter — the Loyal Readers of our print edition.

I want to hear all about your tales of winters past. Our online readers have written about sledding, ice skating, snowmen, snowball fights, etc. But the sagas that grab me the most are about how families and friends survived monster storms by banding together and hunkering down, or about opening their doors to strangers who had become stranded or isolated, or about having to be evacuated or rescued by the National Guard.

Then, almost everyone mentions how absolutely thrilled they were to hear WICA, which became WREO and WFUN in later years, announce on their airwaves, “schools are closed.”

Amazing how while so many things have changed in our worlds, those words are still akin to the feeling of Christmas morning, even to the kids of today, just as they were half a century (or more) ago.

The big difference being, however, while most from half a century ago would get outside to have fun in what Mother Nature had left as soon as possible, today’s kids choose to roll back over in the sack and arise at the crack of noon, or so. The Internet, cable or satellite television, DVDs, Ipods, PlayStation, Xbox, Wii... they’ve played a big part in making many of our youth of today almost shutins.

Not only do I want to hear your stories, I want to see your images. That also goes for the many online readers who have already submitted their memories — send me as many photographs as you want that pertain to your words. Images will add so much to what I believe will be a great read.

You can submit your stories and images several ways, the easiest being via email at donmac@suite224.net.

However, you can also fax your words (doesn’t work with photographs, though, obviously) to me at 998-7938, or you can drop them off here at the Star Beacon offices, located at 4626 Park Avenue in Ashtabula. And, as always, you can send them via snail mail in care of me to P.O. Box 2100, Ashtabula, Ohio 44005-2100.

Since we’re in the business of deadlines, I have to set one, so here’s the deadline for me to receive your stories and photos — by the end of the business day, Wednesday, Jan. 13.

Once again, Loyal Readers, you’ve provided yours truly inspiration. You are still out there. You want stories to be told... and you want to tell your stories.

Thank you.



McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.