I’ve worked in the same factory since 1990. Since then, my Labor Day tradition has been not going there.

In the 1960’s & ‘70’s, instead of hundreds of channels on TV, we had 11 or 12 (13 if you knew how to get UHF). Around midnight, they played the national anthem, displayed a test pattern, accompanied by a tone, then static.

The exception was Labor Day. As a kid, I routinely looked forward to the star-studded extravaganza that is the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, though I had no idea who many of the stars were. Grab a bowl of popcorn, and try to stay up all night.

It would air on 3 channels, but you’d want to watch TV 18, because after Liza Minnelli performed “Cabaret,” and Sammy Davis Jr. sang “The Candy Man,” they’d switch to the local station, where you might see someone you knew manning the phones, or challenging others to match their pledge.

Each year was exciting: Will we finally rid the world of this nefarious plague? I believe this will be the 43 annual running. The fact that Jerry keeps pouring himself into it at age 80 implies that he’s a better man than I – who can only keep my enthusiasm up for so many decades.

If I do tune in, will I be able to recapture the nostalgia? Johnny Olson won’t be announcing. Frank Sinatra won’t sing “My Way.” I’m not sure the band strikes up “What the world needs now,” if Ed McMahon even reveals the tally on the tote board anymore.

I wouldn’t know who many of the performers are now (de-ja-vu). If I catch the last few minutes, maybe I’ll recognize a bleary and teary-eyed Jerry Lewis, with his collar unbuttoned, bowtie unfurled, singing, “You’ll never walk alone.”

More power to him.

Mike VanOuse
Lafayette