Issue 003, November 3rd, 2011...In this issue

---Don't forget our Veterans

---Did I forget my favorite Halloween Song?

---Thank you for being a Friend

---My Top Twenty Songs of 1962

---Favorite Family Holiday

A Salute to American Veterans...A little history

November 11 was chosen to commemorate the close of World War I. Originally called Armistice Day, the day ws set aside to "not be devoted to the exaltation of glories achieved in war, but rather, to an emphasis upon those blessings which are associated with the peacetime activities of mankind."

In this light, the day was to mark not the "end of a great war," but the ushering in of a "new era of peace," according to the Congressional Record. The day was set aside as a day to honor the veterans of the First World War "who fought, and especially those who died, for that cause."

The name of the annual event was changed to Veterans' Day in 1954, in an effort to broaden significance of the day. So on Veterans' Day, we honor those who worked and fought for our country, as well as those serving in uniform now. My dad was a World War II B-17 combat crew veteran...He was and is my hero!

We Salute Them...

What was or is you favorite Halloween song?

Just a few days have passed since Halloween but I can still remember 1962 when my favorite "National Anthem of Halloween" went from being recorded in August '62 to #1 in eight short weeks. What was the song?...The Monster Mash.

Some Trivia you may not know about the Monster Mash.

The sound effects were all performed in the studio. That creaking door was actually a nail being pulled from a piece of wood. The bubbling sound was from blowing through a straw into a glsss of water, and the heavy chains were dropped onto plywood for that "shackled" effect.

It was one of only three records to make it on the Billboard Hot 100 three times. The original singer was Bobby Pickett but Boris Karloff performed the song on "Shindig" on October 30, 1965.

Thank You For Being a Friend