Rushed out after that. I didn't want to miss the Collingswood Farm Market! They were swarming with people today, too. Peaches and plums are gone, but I saw the first winter squash and pumpkins of the season. Bought small Honeycrisp apples, grapes, and my annual pumpkin. I always get a medium pumpkin in late September or early October to use as a centerpiece on the table in the main room. I never carve my pumpkin. I'm afraid I'd end up carving me! I keep it on the table until after Thanksgiving or it goes bad, whichever comes first.
Started towards the Collingswood Book Festival next...but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fix the hair clip that came loose. I ended up going a block in the opposite direction to Rite Aid instead and buying headbands. Since I was there, I bought an Apple Pie Smoothie for a treat (and it did really taste like chilled apple pie).
The Collingswood Book Festival is held every year on the first Saturday of October. Thank goodness the weather was gorgeous today, sunny and warm. This is the first time since 2021 the weather's been nice enough for them to hold it on Haddon Avenue instead of the high school. Most of the tents are local authors selling their wares. I watched my friend Sarah O'Brien play music on her guitar and encourage kids to dance in front of the Old Zane School building.
The children's area was on the street between the Old Zane School and the block with Innergroove Records. This was mostly activity areas and play spots, but I did see the Collingswood Library selling books for a dollar. I ended up with two Dear America titles I hadn't read, A Light In the Storm - The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, and A Journey to the New World - The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple. (The latter will be for Thanksgiving.)
My main interest was in the last couple of blocks...but I was disappointed to see that the used book sellers, which used to cover two or more blocks, was now limited to a block. Two specialized in sci-fi, one was more general, and one sold new and old books. I didn't do as well here as I hoped, but I did end up with:
The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
Jinx High and Burning Water, by Mercedes Lackey
I did better a few blocks back down Haddon Avenue at a church yard sale. It was so big, they had books for sale outside and downstairs in their basement. The lady who made those nice doll dresses in the spring was back, too. In addition to buying a pink flowered dress and a purple gingham, both with embroidered roses, for Molly and Whitney and picking up two country CDs for Lauren, I dug out of the bins downstairs:
Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco
Draw and Order by Cheryl Hallon
Grandmother's Wisdom by Lee Farber, a kitchen tips and recipe book
Christmas Around the World, a vintage Ideals book for kids
Had lunch at Sabrina's Cafe next. They were really busy even an hour before closing. I had to wait for ten minutes. When I did get a table, I tried the Jack Skellington PB&J French Toast. Oh boy. Turned out to be four thick French Toast slices welded together with strawberry syrup and peanut butter and topped with strawberries and whipped cream. I didn't close to finish it.
Thought I'd visit the record stores next, since I was in Collingswood and it was too nice to run home. Ducked into Collingswood Music 15 minutes before they closed. I had just enough time to pick up:
Elton John - Caribou and Tumbleweed Connection
The Monkees - Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones LTD
Innergroove Records was much busier. There wasn't enough room for me to check the dollar bins, but I did just as well with the two dollar ones. I came up with:
The Dave Clark Five - The Dave Clark Five's Greatest Hits
Jefferson Starship - Red October
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further Out
Pete Townsend - Empty Glass
Herb Alpert - Rise
The soundtrack from The Broadway Melody of 1940
With the Book Festival shutting down by quarter of 4, I figured it was time to head home. Watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood when I got in. It's Dress-Up Day! Daniel is excited to put together his Tigey the Adventure Tiger costume, while Miss Elania makes her robot costume. "Katerina's Costume" might be a superhero, or a fire fighter, or a ballerina! She can't decide. Lady Elaine assures her that "Katerina's Costume" can be anything she imagines. All of the kids are excited about trick-or-treating for stickers on "Dress-Up Day." O loves being a traffic light, but when he rips his costume, he has to figure out what else he wants to be.
Switched to The Fox and the Hound while working on adding my new record finds to the inventory. I go further into this bittersweet Disney animal tale from the early 80's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Moved to the musical version of Little Women after the movie ended. On one hand, this charming retelling of the beloved novel has sterling performances by Sutton Foster as Jo, Maureen McGovern as Marmee, and Janet Carroll as grumpy Aunt March. Some of the songs aren't bad and suit the characters, like Jo's "Amazing"...but it does seem like there's one too many belted anthems in a score that should be quieter and more intimate. In fact, I suspect the story as a whole may have been too intimate for a huge Broadway theater. It's actually a pretty accurate retelling, even using episodes from the book like Beth at the seaside after she gets sick that don't turn up in other adaptations.
I have the feeling this show would work better on smaller regional or high school stages, where its sweeter qualities and familiar story could be better-appreciated. At any rate, the score is still worth a look if you're a fan of McGovern, Foster, or Louisa May Alcott's work.
Finished the night with the Match Game Saturday Night Classics marathon. Some of the most memorable panelists on Match Game were guys named Joe. Amiable Joe Santos, for instance, was playing a cop on The Rockford Files when he made his first appearance on Match Game late in 1978. Joe turned up fairly frequently through the syndicated era, ending on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. Truth be told, he probably kept getting booked because he was a good-natured guy who contrasted nicely with some of the crustier panelists than for his terrible playing. It was a cause for celebration when he actually did get one right. Once, he even called his son onstage to help him with an answer.
Former Rat Pack member Joey Bishop, on the other hand, was a decent player, but a grouch whose notorious sourpuss personality carried over to the show. He could be a real jerk...but he occasionally had a point, like when he called Ira out on his inconsistent matching or pointed out that the audience was acting unruly even by the show's standards. His grumpiness and obnoxiousness is likely the reason he only appeared in 1976 and early '77.
Voice actor Joe Alasky was a semi-regular on Match Game '90. He's best known to kids who grew up at the time like me as the original voice of Plucky Duck from Tiny Toon Adventures, but he would continue doing voices for Looney Tunes and other franchises up through his death in 2016. His voices and cheerful nature added a lot to the show, and he was a darn good player, too, winning people big money at least twice.
There were other men named Joe on the 70's show who appeared less frequently. Character actor Joe Flynn turned up early in 1974 in what would be one of his last performances before his untimely death later that year. Bass-voiced comedian Joe Silver appeared on a memorable week later in 1974. Game show host and former baseball player Joe Gargiola got to witness a new camera angle and Richard's continuing frustration early in 1978.
Get to know a bunch of guys named Joe in this funny and unique marathon!
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