TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 17, Number 25 Thursday, June 28, 2001 Page 1 June 28, 2001 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/Beacher/ Published and Printed by THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $26 6 months $14 3 months $8 1 month $3 Have a Heart For John Hart This Fourth of July by Charles McKelvy “First prize: one week in Philadelphia. Second prize: two weeks in Philadelphia.” —W.C. Fields My parents are from Philadelphia, and many of my duty every Fourth of July for the last 51 years with relatives still live there, so I know how hot and the “shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and muggy it can be there on the 4th of July and the rest illuminations” bit. of the summer. But I’ve been more than a little remiss on the In fact, I once had the dubious duty of serving two solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty part. At least weeks of active duty as a Naval Reservist at the until last year when I read an article in a national mag- Philadelphia Naval Yard during a particularly hot and azine about the suffering that nearly all of the 55 sign- wet Philly summer. ers of the Declaration of Independence endured after All of this is by way of saying that pity those poor that happy day in 1776. delegates to the Continental Congress that was meet- For our mutual reflection before we all head back ing in Philadelphia in the early summer of 1776 to for a fifth cheeseburger followed by a pathetic attempt declare independence from King George III and his at beach volleyball, allow me to offer up the story of lot. Despite the inventiveness of Pennsylvania del- just one signer. egate Benjamin Franklin, there was no air-condi- tioning at the Pennsylvania State House in which Franklin and his 54 brave brothers in liberty affixed their signatures to what was essentially an act of trea- son against the Crown and Jolly Old England. I’ve always imagined those 55 gentlemen swelter- ing in there with their waistcoasts and stockings and what-nots, but Virginia delegate Thomas Jefferson has finally set me straight. Jefferson, who of course went on to become our third President, was the Weather Channel of his day. So he noted that the birthday of the United States of America at 6 a.m. on the fourth of July, 1776 in down- town Philadelphia “was bright and pleasant” with the mercury at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind south- east, and a later day-time high of only 76. Not bad for Philly on the Fourth! Massachusetts delegate John Adams, who of course went on to become our second President, wrote his wife Abigail that the occasion “ought to be celebrated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this con- tinent to the other, from this time forward, ever- more.” I’d say we’ve done a terrific job of following Mr. Adams’ advice, and I for one have certainly done a patriot’s John Hart June 28, 2001 Page 3 My choice is John Hart, who at 65, was the oldest signer from New Jersey. I offer Mr. Hart for consid- Open ‘til 7 p.m. eration not only because I am proud to claim him as Evenings an ancestor, but because he is an unsung American hero. And in this age of boisterous self-promotion by moral midgets and grasping fools, it is well and good to pause on our nation’s birthday and consider what www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the it really means to be a super star in the American con- [email protected] Conscious Woman stellation. Women’s Apparel Allow me, if you will, to quote directly from THE STORY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPEN- DENCE by Dumas Malone (Oxford University Press, All Summer Clearance 1954): “Elected with four others to the Continental Congress in June 1776, (Hart) voted for the Declaration in early July and signed the engrossed parchment in Up to 50% Off early August. “About this time he was elected to the first Assembly under the new state constitution (of New Jersey) and was unanimously chosen Speaker. His lands were laid waste and his mill property was badly damaged early in the war, and he himself was for a time a fugi- tive from the British invaders. His health became impaired, and he died in 1779 at the age of 68, before independence had been won.” So, while we’re all out toasting our local Fourth of July “illuminations” this year, let’s also hoist a glass for a man fellow signer Benjamin Rush described as “a plain, honest, well-meaning Jersey farmer, with but little education, but with good sense and virtue enough to pursue the true interests of his country.” God bless America! The Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell is a pre-Revolutionary War relic that was first hung in 1753 in the newly finished Pennsylvania State House, the building that would eventually become Independence Hall. It weighs more than 2,080 pounds and was originally pur- chased by the province of Pennsylvania for about $300. The bell is inscribed with the words “Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” and is from the Bible (Leviticus 25:10). It was rung on the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776, inaugurating an Independence Day tradition that was observed every Tent Sale BARGAINS year (with the exception of 1777-78 when the bell was removed and hidden from the British occupiers of 75% off Last Sale Price Philadelphia) until 1835. It broke July 8, that year, while tolling during the funeral of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United State, who had died in Philadelphia. Meet Us For Lunch And A Style Show The Liberty Bell is no longer rung, but it has been THURSDAY, JUNE 28 - ROSKOE’S, LA PORTE struck on special occasions. On June 6, 1944, when THURSDAY, JULY 5 - ROSKOE’S, LA PORTE Allied forces landed in France, Philadelphia officials 409 Alexander Street LaPorte, IN 326-8602 409On Alexander Hwy 35 - 5 Street Blocks LaPorte,South of LincolnwayIN 326-8602 struck the bell. Special sound equipment picked up On Hwy 35Turn - 5 Right Blocks on SouthAlexander of Lincolnway the tone, amplified it, and broadcast it to all parts of Monday - FridayTurn Right 9:30 toon 7 Alexander Saturday 9:30 to 5 the United States. Monday-Friday 10 to 6 Saturday 9:30 to 5 Page 4 June 28, 2001 ReBorn on the Fourth: A Renovated Town Centre by Paula McHugh Something old, something new. Something brassy, Just last week, I was given an informal tour of the something blue. newly finished Town Hall courtesy of Police Chief Robert All that and more can be said to describe the newly Sulkowski and Town Council President Tom Ringo. renovated Long Beach Town Hall, which will be ded- Tom said that an openhouse for later this summer is icated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony after the in the planning stages, and the building will not be town’s annual Fourth of July parade. open for tours during the July 4th ribbon cutting. The something “old” is, of course, the 70-year old Chief Sulkowski pointed to the ceilings in the John Lloyd Wright-designed town centre, the hub of police wing, where cameras watch and record a vis- town government that marks Long Beach’s downtown. itor’s every move. Just inside the dispatcher’s area, The something “new” is the redesigned interior space, a small lounge with a television allows staff a place a nine-month project performed by architects Greg to relax during long night duty hours. The Chief was Momberg, Lee Brockway and Doug Wickstrom. The especially pleased with the ample size of the squad something “brassy” are the two shiny poles that had room with its yet unused new holding pen and two com- been used by former police chiefs to slide down from puter stations. A fingerprint machine, breathalyzer, the upper living quarters to their work office. The “blue” and mug shot camera sit at the ready for offenders. is the LBPD’s redesigned offices, garage, and dis- It’s one of those places that’s nice to visit, but you would- patch room and holding pen. n’t want to stay there. “We used to have just one manual typewriter,” Robert said. “With the two computers, bookings, especially when there are a lot of people, can be done much more quickly.” The Chief related how past offenders had to be led up a narrow flight of stairs to the second floor book- ing area, which he described as “not fun.” The new garage has doors leading directly into the squad room and another leading to offices and the dis- patcher’s area. The garage, squad area, and evidence rooms are part of the new structure built behind the original 1931 building.