Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Here's hoping you and yours took time to remember the fallen.

I'll be telling you about my trips in the coming days, but tonight I want to talk about a special Memorial Day tribute connected to the reel-to-reel player pictured here.

Last Wednesday, I ducked into Greg McPeak's antique store, NYA, on Market Street in Clinton. It specializes in deco, modern, pop and industrial vintage art and design. I bought several do-dads, but I froze when I saw the reel-to-reel.

"It's got a great story," Greg said. "Belonged to a guy who bought it in Saigon when he was over there during the war. He's even got recordings from AFN (Armed Forces Network) out of Saigon."

I had to have it.

Jenn and I walked up to a cafe to grab a sandwich.

"Pull it up on the Internet and see if his price is in the ballpark," Jenn said.

"OK."

And, I swear, on Google's main page was an illustration of a reel-to-reel player. A chill snaked up my spine.

"Uh, we're getting it."

A dozen or so reel-to-reel tapes came with the player. Tonight I pulled out one called "Elvis hits."

And, yeah, it was a tape of a radio broadcast on FM 104 in Gates City, Va., from Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1977, the day after The King died.

The song that just played as I wrote this sentence?

"I'm Leavin'"

The final song on the tribute show?

"You'll Never Walk Alone."

Shiver.

Happy Memorial Day.

And God bless ya, Elvis. You are missed.

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