posted by Mike Madison at 3:49 PM /
[For the first post in this series -- on the centrality of children and dogs in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the second post in this series -- on the Fourth of July celebration in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the third post in this series -- on the status economy -- click here.]
This Hidden Mt. Lebanon tip isn't so hidden for most Mt. Lebanites; it comes mostly as a surprise, however, to folks who move to town from outside of Western Pennsylvania.
This town goes nuts for its football team. High school football has a following and an intensity in Western Pennsylvania that is matched in only a handful of regions around the country, and Mt. Lebanon is not immune. Quite the opposite, in fact; expectations for the team on the field frequently run high.
In some ways, high school football in Pittsburgh is more important than Steelers football. That's heresy to some Pittsburghers, I know, but the Steelers don't open training camp this summer for two more weeks. The Mt. Lebanon football team is already running organized summer practices. I was at the stadium last night, and that looked like coaching to me!
Even if you're not a football fan, stop by the high school stadium for a home game on a Friday night. Soak in the atmosphere. Chat with your neighbors. Watch the band, and especially watch the drum line after the half-time show. When you're on the soccer field the following morning, watching your kids run around, the town will be talking about the football game the evening before.
[For the second post in this series -- on the Fourth of July celebration in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the third post in this series -- on the status economy -- click here.]
This Hidden Mt. Lebanon tip isn't so hidden for most Mt. Lebanites; it comes mostly as a surprise, however, to folks who move to town from outside of Western Pennsylvania.
This town goes nuts for its football team. High school football has a following and an intensity in Western Pennsylvania that is matched in only a handful of regions around the country, and Mt. Lebanon is not immune. Quite the opposite, in fact; expectations for the team on the field frequently run high.
In some ways, high school football in Pittsburgh is more important than Steelers football. That's heresy to some Pittsburghers, I know, but the Steelers don't open training camp this summer for two more weeks. The Mt. Lebanon football team is already running organized summer practices. I was at the stadium last night, and that looked like coaching to me!
Even if you're not a football fan, stop by the high school stadium for a home game on a Friday night. Soak in the atmosphere. Chat with your neighbors. Watch the band, and especially watch the drum line after the half-time show. When you're on the soccer field the following morning, watching your kids run around, the town will be talking about the football game the evening before.
Labels: hidden Mt. Lebanon
10 Comments:
Little action on the blog lebo...Bloggers must be on vacation!
I can't speak for Joe, but I've been busy with work, family, and other blogs. Is there any news to report?
Mike, I think the Lebo Blog has simply fallen victim to an abundance of good news. Past experiences indicate that bloggers in Lebo aren't big on commenting on the positive events in their community. Instead they would rather insult, worry and panic. Just look at the stories that receive comments. Its a real shame.
Ha! But no one's a victim; Blog Lebo just catches its breath once in a while. The Fourth of July post, which was upbeat, drew some nice reactions.
A terminological distinction:
I think of Joe and myself as the bloggers (we run the blog); those who post comments are "commenters." Anyone can be a blogger, of course -- just start your own blog. ;-) Given Lebo's abundance of opinionated commenters, I've wondered for a while why there aren't more blogs out here. Start one! Link to us! We'll link back!
I find it much, much easier to be extemporaneous in response to a subject matter than to extemporaneously generate some subject matter. And despite the protested negativity, the comments on Blog Lebo are downright gentle compared to a lot of boards out there.
Gentle, yes, but you should see some of the comments that I delete!
Mike, perhaps you should start a pay-per-view version for those of us who would love to read the unedited stuff. I would subscribe.
Seconded. :)
On the subject of comments though, I read this article just this morning. Joel Spolsky (and by reference, Dave Winer) weigh in in opposition to anonymous comments, and to some degree comments in general. Their main point: get your own blog. :)
I could write a whole post on what Dave/Joel doesn't get. Making blogging about the blogger -- the unedited voice of the solitary, courageous individual -- is the worst kind of self-absorption. There is no one true definition of "blog." On this blog, comments are welcome and important, even if we're skeptical of the anonymice.
I do my blog catching up on weekends so no purposeful attempt to not respond here. I also would love to see the deletions :)
Ahhhhh, football in Mt. Lebo. Nothing like Friday nights and I am already making plans as a returning Leboist to haul my 3 year old up to the stadium for the "event"...the game, the band...
Glad you mentioned the practices because I saw them also and wondered "could it be??? in July??? football practice??" :) I also saw some of the band members practicing are they starting this early too? Band camp was in August I thought.
I had my own blog a while back and it fell victim to my own busy schedule. I may have to think seriously about bringing it back :)
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