By the Light of the ’81 Moon

RICHLAND CENTER, Wis (WRCO FM) – My junior year in high school ended in 1981. That upcoming summer was one of the most memorable of my life. I was outstanding in my right field for the Ithaca baseball team.

The first round of the WIAA tournament was at Riverdale. We played the game that Friday (and lost) and had to hustle back to school so that the Seniors could attend their graduation ceremony. I played my Holton coronet so proudly during the Pomp and Circumstance song as the class of ’81 walked down the aisle between the folding chairs. I had a very good friend (yes, a girl friend) that graduated that night. She and I parted late in the summer as she moved away for college. It was a sad moment for me. I have never been a fan of change and perhaps that is why to this day I think that growing up is overrated!

That is why I love hosting my Those Were the Days radio show so much. It is all about fun. Listening to the songs we grew up with is great therapy. If you have heard my broadcasts, you know that I do need some. This Saturday night I will be right back in May of 1981 playing baseball, driving my Super C Farmall in the cornfields, cruising the one street in Ithaca, swimming in the Willow Creek, going to parties, and eating Coney Dogs at Dog N’ Suds in Richland Center. Another popular fad was mooning people from the back of a moving car. Fortunately, that pastime faded.

Today you would get in a lot of trouble for trying that childish prank. Some of my favorite blasters to hear in the old Ford Maverick in May of ’81 included Take It on the Run-REO Speedwagon, You Better You Bet-Who, I Love You-Climax Blues Band, Hold on Loosely-.38 Special, You Make My Dreams-Hall & Oates, The Stroke-Billy Squier, The Waiting-Tom Petty, and Winning-Santana.

Those Were the Days on WRCO FM 100.9 and WRCO.com will hit the airwaves Saturday night at six. You can request a pop radio memory from the five decades of music that we play. Listen for the ‘magic cowbell’ which signals the next trivia question. We were very busy last weekend with requests. Thanks for reading and for being loyal listeners.

Phil

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