Delaware high school girls volleyball: All-State team announced

Saint Mark’s outside hitter Julia Yurkovich is the Player of the Year and leads the girls volleyball All-State team selected by the Delaware High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

Yurkovich, a 5-foot-11 senior, reached 800 career kills on Oct. 29 in the regular-season finale against Ursuline. The Presbyterian College signee then led the Spartans (17-2) to the championship match of the DIAA Girls Volleyball Tournament, where they lost 3-0 to Tower Hill.

She is one of eight players on the first team, along with Tower Hill senior Chloe Sachs, Smyrna junior Anna Richardson, Caravel senior Laila Glover, Newark Charter senior McKenna Ritchie, Wilmington Friends senior Jocelyn Nathan, Delmarva Christian sophomore Elaina Millaway and Saint Mark’s junior Taylor Holly.

Michael Sachs, who guided Tower Hill to an 18-2 season and the school’s first girls volleyball state championship, was named the Coach of the Year.

The Odessa Ducks, who improved from 6-9 to 9-6 in their second varsity season, received the Sportsmanship Award.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

All-State girls volleyball team

First team

Julia Yurkovich, sr., Saint Mark’s, Player of the Year

Chloe Sachs, sr., Tower Hill

Anna Richardson, jr., Smyrna

Laila Glover, sr., Caravel

McKenna Ritchie, sr., Newark Charter

Jocelyn Nathan, sr., Wilmington Friends

Elaina Millaway, so., Delmarva Christian

Taylor Holly, jr., Saint Mark’s

Second team

Ava Borcky, jr., Saint Mark’s; Katherine Kuehl, jr., Archmere; Alexis Parkinson, jr., Appoquinimink; Molly Pietlock, jr., Tower Hill; Alexandra Mardesich, sr., Caesar Rodney; Eliza Schneider, jr., Red Lion Christian; Camryn Ehlers, sr., Indian River; Janiece Lumpkin, sr., Middletown.

Third team

Meghan Mumford, jr., Tower Hill; Nancy Evans, sr., Tatnall; Ellie Millaway, sr., Delmarva Christian; Carly Timblin, jr., Smyrna; Megan Smith, sr., Cape Henlopen; Hannah Kelley, sr., Ursuline; Lila Sieler, sr., Newark Charter; Amanda Quinn, sr., Padua; Kate Hines, so., DMA; Alayna Dorst, sr., Middletown; Madelyn Way, fr., Saint Mark’s.

Coach of the Year – Michael Sachs, Tower Hill.

Sportsmanship Award – Odessa.

Smyrna volleyball state champs are team of the year in Delaware

In their most important huddle of the season, it was the player Smyrna volleyball had leaned on all year who took charge.

The Eagles had just dropped the third set of the state championship match against Ursuline, a back-and-forth affair the Raiders clinched 30-28 after warding off three match points. Smyrna head coach Danny Wandless was nervous. The Eagles still led two sets to one, but momentum flows like the breeze in volleyball.

Anna Richardson, however, was unphased. Her calming effect in the huddle kept the team relaxed. They focused on having fun and turned in their most dominant set of the match to become state champions.

Delaware has crowned a girls volleyball state champion every year since 1975. Smyrna is the first team from below the canal to win.

For that achievement, the Smyrna girls volleyball team has been named the team of the year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association. They are the first volleyball team to earn the honor, which has been awarded every year since 1999. The Eagles will be honored at the annual DSBA banquet on Feb. 19 at Riverfront Events at the Hyatt Hotel on the Wilmington Riverfront.

Reflecting on the championship win two months later, Wandless credited the school district and the Smyrna community who rallied around the team. Local firehouses blew their horns as the Eagles left town for the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center, the site of the tournament finals. Police escorted them the entire way. Inside the Carpenter Center, Smyrna had the largest and most vocal fan base of the semifinalist schools.

"Doing something that we had never done before, our community just surrounded us," Wandless said. "We felt like we were not alone."

In 2022, Smyrna lost in the quarterfinals to eventual state champion Tower Hill in a 3-0 match Wandless felt was closer than the score indicated. With most of the team returning, the goal was to go at least one round further in the state tournament.

Everything Smyrna did on the court started with Richardson, who entered the season as Delaware Online/The News Journal's no. 1 ranked player and ended it as the state coach's association Player of the Year and the Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year.

"That's a lot of weight to be on somebody's shoulders," Wandless said of the preseason ranking. "Her talent and ability on the court was huge for us, but she also made people around her better. There's no letting down. She's focused. She's going to bring it every time."

MaryPat Kwoka, Charter of Wilmington's head coach and a fixture in Delaware volleyball over the past three decades as the leader of several schools and programs, previously coached Richardson and most of the Smyrna rotation on Premier Volleyball club teams.

"She kept everything in control," Kwoka said of Richardson and her 20-kill state final performance. "She took over the game."

Eliza Schneider, a second-team All-State selection as a junior at Red Lion Christian, transferred to Smyrna for her senior year, which gave Smyrna "dual weapons" and strong "A and B" lines, Wandless said. Senior Elise Carter joined Schneider and Richardson on the 2023 All-State teams. Opposing coaches also credited setter Abigayle Osborne and libero Carly Timblin.

When Smyrna met Caesar Rodney in the state tournament semifinals, Delaware was assured of having its first-ever finalist from downstate. The sport has been traditionally dominated by northern New Castle County private schools. Saint Mark's and Ursuline had won 15 of the 22 state championships since the turn of the century. Only Tower Hill, Padua, Charter of Wilmington and Delaware Military Academy had broken their collective string of victories.

After the match, Wandless and Caesar Rodney head coach Jake Bluhm, who earned the distinction of Coach of the Year from the coach's association, credited the growth of the game downstate to the increased number of out-of-season club team opportunities.

The group of Richardson, Schneider, Carter, Osborne and Timblin have played together throughout their childhoods.

"There's definitely been more competition and it's gotten harder, but so has our team — we've gotten better as the years have gone on," Richardson said after the Caesar Rodney match.

Wandless said he is honored Smyrna is the team that "opened the door" for downstate schools. He praised the comraderie between coaches across the state, saying their rarely shy from sharing tidbits on how to improve their programs.

Premier Volleyball, the club Kwoka leads, has twice as many teams as it did a decade ago. The club instructs kindergarten-aged kids to high school seniors at a variety of skill levels. It's one of several programs that has experienced recent growth and has helped improve the level of competition across the state.

"It's grown the sport tremendously," Kwoka said.

Added Kwoka, "I think it's well deserved. They've definitely blown everybody's mind. ... I think Smyrna is going to start to be known as a volleyball school."

Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on X and Instagram @holveck_brandon. Follow him on TikTok @bholveck.

Delaware high school girls sports: Overall top 40 athlete rankings

With fall season practices for the 2023-24 school year right around the corner, it’s time to close the book on 2022-23.

The best way to do that is with our overall ranking of Delaware high school athletes, across all sports.

Here is our take on the Top 40 girls from the past school year. Every one of them played a key role — many times the leading role — on successful teams. Many of them won championships, were the Player of the Year in their sport or earned All-State honors. Some of them even thrived in multiple sports.

FHSAA beach volleyball: New Smyrna Beach is last local team in ...

DAYTONA BEACH — Jonathan Cunningham told his team not to take this for granted.

The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas beat Spruce Creek 5-0 Friday at DME Academy. They improved to a perfect 24-0 and advanced to the state quarterfinals in Tallahassee for the second season in a row.

After winning the first Florida High School Athletic Association beach volleyball championship last spring, winning has become normal for the Barracudas. All in a day’s work. Still, each victory matters, especially this time of year.

2023-2024 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards Girls Soccer ...

USA TODAY

The USA TODAY High School Sports Awards is pleased to announce its watch list for 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Player of the Year!

This initial list includes 50 current student-athletes who meet the nomination criteria for this year’s national Girls Soccer Player of the Year award. These athletes were either nominees in last year’s national show, or athletes who were seriously considered based on season-wide performance, state championships and any other state, regional and/or national recognition.

Watch last year's full show: 2023 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards

Here's a little more about this year's program and how it works:

The official 2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Team will be announced later this spring. All 25 final team members will be honored as nominees for national Girls Soccer Player of the Year. The winner will be revealed during the fourth annual USA TODAY High School Sports Awards. Visit the event website for updates leading up to this summer's on-demand event, and to view all of the award winners from last year's show!

Note: The purpose of this watch list is to track eligible nominees for this year’s national show. Athletes could be removed from this list if they no longer play for their high school team (either by choice or injury), or if their high school no longer participates in a state-sanctioned championship tournament for this sport.

Who else should we be tracking for national Girls Soccer Player of the Year?

This watch list is only a starting point. All student-athletes who compete for state-sanctioned interscholastic championships are eligible for our program. Player of the Year suggestions can be submitted to both roleary@usatventures.com and BFontana@usatventures.com.

2023-24 USA TODAY HSSA Girls Soccer Watch List:

Ryleigh Acosta — SR, M | Mariner High School | Cape Coral, Florida

Ashlyn Anderson — SO, F | Carmel High School | Carmel, Indiana

Alex Barry — SR, F | Immaculate Heart Academy | Township of Washington, New Jersey

Ellie Bishop — JR, F | North Kingstown High School | North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Gracie Brown — SR, M | Morgantown High School | Morgantown, West Virginia

Gabby Chan — SR, F | Albertus Magnus High School | Bardonia, New York

Cloe Chase — SR, M | Marist High School | Eugene, Oregon

Hailee Christensen — SR, F | Harrisburg High School | Harrisburg, South Dakota

Carly Ann Cormack — SR, M | Punahou School | Honolulu, Hawaii

Lana Djuranovic — SR, M | Scarborough High School | Carly Ann Cormack, Maine

Ellie Felt — SR, M/F | Sunset High School | Portland, Oregon

Kennedy Fuller — SR, M | Carroll High School | Southlake, Texas

Narissa Fults — SR, F | Norman North High School | Norman, Oklahoma

Faith George — SR, F | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Santa Margarita, California

Addison Halpern — JR, F | Rutgers Preparatory School | Somerset, New Jersey

Jordyn Hardeman — JR, M/D | Midlothian High School | Midlothian, Texas

Ellie Hodsden — JR, F | Dripping Springs High School | Dripping Springs, Texas

Kayla Hurley — SR, M/F | Bentonville High School | Bentonville, Arkansas

Faith Johnston — JR, M/F | Parkview Baptist School | Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Charlotte Kohler — SR, M | St. Francis High School | Mountain View, California

Emma Kucal — JR, F | Cumberland High School | Cumberland, Rhode Island

Ava Labocki — SR, F | Granville High School | Granville, Ohio

Ava Magnuson — SO, F | Sutton High School | Sutton, Massachusetts

Allison Marshall — SR, F | Gretna High School | Gretna, Nebraska

Zoe Matthews — JR, F | Carroll Senior High School | Southlake, Texas

Sofia Nehro — SR, G | Skyline High School | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Maddie Padelski — JR, M | Nolensville High School | Nolensville, Tennessee

Chloe Pecor — SR, F | Champlain Valley Union High School | Hinesburg, Vermont

Nevaeh Peregrina — SR, M | Ogden High School | Ogden, Utah

Emerson Perrin — SR, M | Minot High School | Minot, North Dakota

Alexa Pino — JR, F | St. Joseph High School | Trumbull, Connecticut

Gabby Riley — SR, M/F | Middletown High School | Middletown, Delaware

Ashley Roni — SR, F | Skyline High School | Sammamish, Washington

Anna Sikorski — SR, M/F | Muskego High School | Muskego, Wisconsin

Sammy Smith — SR, M/F | Boise High School | Boise, Idaho

Audrey Smith — SR, F | Fort Zumwalt South High School | St Peters, Missouri

Liv Stott — SR, D | Bearden High School | Knoxville, Tennessee

Amelia Streberger — SR, M | Grosse Pointe North High School | Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Taylor Suarez — SR, F | Ardrey Kell High School | Charlotte, North Carolina

Ivy Tolbert — SR, M | Commerce High School | Commerce, Georgia

Peyton Trayer — SO, G | Santa Margarita Catholic High School | Santa Margarita, California

Linda Ullmark — SR, M | Nichols School | Buffalo, New York

Hailey Wade — SR, G | Hamilton Southeastern High School | Fishers, Indiana

Solai Washington — SR, F | Chamblee High School | Chamblee, Georgia

Lily White — SR, M | The Benjamin School | North Palm Beach, Florida

Kelly White — SR, G | Boca Raton Community High School | Boca Raton, Florida

Jordan Whiteaker — SR, D | Dakota Ridge High School | Littleton, Colorado

Kami Winger — SR, D | Colgan Senior High School | Manassas, Virginia

Isabella Winn — SR, M | Ridgewood High School | Ridgewood, New Jersey

Desiree Zapata — SR, F | Smyrna High School | Smyrna, Delaware

5 high school volleyball teams to watch in the Volusia, Flagler area

Coach Rhea Simon, what are your first impressions of your DeLand Bulldogs this year?

“I think we’re really good. That’s the long and short of it.”

Yes, DeLand should be really good this year. Again. They went 19-9, captured their third straight district championship and made the longest postseason run of any local team outside of state-winning New Smyrna Beach last fall.

High school volleyball: 10 top players in Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns ...

Prep volleyball returns to the court this week with games set to start Tuesday throughout most of the Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns area.

Last season provided plenty of competition with top schools like DeLand and New Smyrna Beach each winning at least 15 games. Seabreeze also broke a playoff drought, returning for the first time since 2012.

High school beach volleyball: Bishop Kenny ready for inaugural ...

Bishop Kenny's Tina Nika already helped raise a state volleyball trophy last year.

The senior and her Crusaders teammates might be one weekend away from repeating the feat on the sand.

"It's feeling like an incredible blessing, honestly," she said. "We put in so much time and energy and sacrifice into our program."

Bishop Kenny is chasing the chance to enter the history books as the first officially-recognized Florida High School Athletic Association beach volleyball champions at the inaugural state tournament on Friday and Saturday in Tallahassee.

Bishop Kenny and 15 other schools are gathering at the Florida State University Beach Volleyball Courts, playing up to two matches per day — regional semis and finals Friday, followed by state semifinals and the championship Saturday.

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A year after the FHSAA officially sanctioned a state tournament in the sport, Bishop Kenny begins its trek to Tallahassee in the top five of the national rankings and eager to become the state's first indoor-outdoor champions.

"It's very, very exciting," Bishop Kenny coach Suzanne Winkler said. "We've waited for this moment for a whole year now."

They're no stranger to the championship thrill. Several players on BK's senior-heavy squad lined up for the Crusaders on the Class 4A indoor volleyball championship team of 2020, when they defeated 20-time state champion Cardinal Gibbons 29-27, 25-18, 17-25, 25-20.

"It's pretty crazy, already having two opportunities as a sophomore," said Claudia Stockard, among the BK players in pursuit of a second championship. "I was really nervous getting thrown onto the varsity as a freshman last year [indoors] and having to work extra hard in practice, but it was all worth it in the end when we won."

On the beach, Bishop Kenny has made the most of contrasting styles. A classic example is the pair of Nika, a senior who normally plays libero indoors, and sophomore Stockard, a middle blocker.

"I'm just a very fiery, passionate player, and Claudia is as well, but she brings that goofy side to her," Nika said. "So whenever I'm too serious, she'll just make me laugh and get me right back into it."

In Tallahassee, the schedule of events turns particularly hectic.

The Crusaders take on Tallahassee Leon bright and early Friday, an 8 a.m. start that ranks among the earliest for any high school sports. If they win, they'll play again at 4 p.m. against New Smyrna Beach or Ocala Trinity Catholic for the regional championship.

Then comes a state semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday, ahead of a possible match for the FHSAA title at 3 p.m. Saturday.

That's a lot of volleyball.

"It's going to be a lot of self-discipline and hydrating and just keeping that focal point of energy conservation, especially when you get into those longevity matches in the span of a day," Winkler said.

Still, the Crusaders have cause for confidence. Not only have they honed their skills on the sand for years — Bishop Kenny's installation of beach volleyball courts on campus predates the FHSAA's official recognition of the sport for several years — but they've already shown they can compete with anyone in the Sunshine State.

Last spring, on the sand, Bishop Kenny finished second in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference beach volleyball finals, before the FHSAA began its tournament.

The only team to defeat Bishop Kenny this year was New Smyrna Beach, a 3-2 contest on March 5 in which both teams were below full strength. But the Crusaders turned the tables on their Volusia County rivals on March 29, also by a 3-2 count.

"That defeat motivated us even more to come out with that fire, and just to know that there's going to be teams that are just as good as us," Nika said. "It all just comes down to who wants it more and who wants to put in the work harder."

In the FHSAA format, which matches teams in five pairs on the sand, depth is crucial.

Winkler said the previous New Smyrna Beach encounter particularly helped Bishop Kenny prepare its less experienced players for championship-level competition.

"I think it was just a great growing point for the girls to realize that we do have a lot of great depth and a lot of our younger players got to play, and we were still right there," Winkler said. "That was a moment where we realized we could push our younger players to kind of make this one complete team, and we're just having a lot of fun with it."

There's a real chance that the Region 1 victor on Friday will end up carrying home the state trophy. The MaxPreps national rankings list Bishop Kenny third in the United States and New Smyrna Beach fifth. Along with Miami Westminster Christian and Oviedo Hagerty, they're among the pre-tournament favorites.

Champions in the gym in 2020. Is the sand next in 2022?

"For these girls, it's just getting back there, really trying to be where we were last year and if possible to take that next step," Winkler said.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

High school volleyball: New Smyrna Beach heads to state ...

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — Kaelyn Fredette-Huffman and four other New Smyrna Beach Barracudas had been in this situation before.

Six months ago, they won a state semifinals match in beach volleyball, sending themselves to the state championship. Saturday, those five and the rest of their indoor volleyball teammates had an opportunity to do the same.

Delaware's greatest 125 coaches: 100 to 76

Delaware has a splendid sports history.

During the last two years, Delaware Online/The News Journal has capsulized the First State's prolific past with two epic lists.

Last year, we published a collection of Delaware's all-time 100 greatest teams, a compendium of winners who left the most indelible marks on teammates, fans and followers.

That followed our 2021 recognition of the state's 100 most accomplished athletes. It was a tribute to more than a century's worth of icons who graced our landscape by excelling at their games, scoring victories, stirring emotions and instilling memories.

Those athletes and teams, of course, needed coaches. Now, we have assembled an honor roll for them. Many guided the athletes and teams on our previous lists.


Phish to bring newest music festival to Dover in August 2024

"I feel like I can ride a bicycle to it," jokes Brandywine Hundred's Justin Knott

"I'm actually nervous about it," says Wilmington's Andrew Stewart. "I just have butterflies for some reason."

When University of Delaware graduate John Yocca first saw the rumor that the jam band Phish was bringing its first festival in almost a decade to Delaware, a phrase jumped into his mind: "Always book on rumors."

Fans know that the Phish community is deep and has tentacles that reach into the band's official orbit, sometimes leaking big news on message boards.

Phish jam band hooked for new Delaware 2024 event at Firefly ...

CORRECTION: Glen Close is a ticket package that's been offered at Phish's Curveball festival in Watkins Glen, New York. A previous version of the story listed it as a campground.

Word on the street is the jam band Phish is performing at Firefly Music Festival's stomping grounds (The Woodlands of Dover) next summer.

The source?

Phish made the announcement just before noon Tuesday on Facebook that they're bringing a new, four-day festival to The Woodlands of Dover on Aug. 15 to 18, 2024.

"More info about tickets, camping, Glen Close and travel packages coming later this fall. Make sure you’re signed up for the Phish Update to hear about it first (via email + our shiny new SMS list). Sign up at phish.com/update," Phish announced on Facebook.

Glen Close is a ticket package that's been offered at Phish's Curveball festival in Watkins Glen, New York.

This new Phish festival coming to The Woodlands isn't connected to Firefly.

Phish has ties to Firefly organizers

The legendary band has a pre-existing business relationship with Firefly producers AEG. The Firefly organizers have promoted Phish's annual events at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

Has Phish played Delaware?

It was Feb. 1993 when Phish first performed in Delaware, dedicating the song "Lawn Boy" to First State fans who paid $18 each to get in.

Jerry Garcia was still alive, the Grateful Dead were on the road and Phish hadn't been unofficially anointed as the scene's new center point.

The Vermont-bred band led by singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio was building an organic fan base on the road, touring heavily. Phish returned to the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark just 14 months later for another show on April 18, 1994.

Anastasio also returned to Delaware for a solo acoustic show at The Grand in Wilmington on Feb. 13, 2018.

What events are at The Woodlands?

The Woodlands are owned by Dover Motor Speedway, which hosts annual NASCAR festivities at the site. The Speedway also leases the events at the site like Firefly, a festival that took this year off because organizers decided to recalibrate for a return in 2024.

Phish-to-Delaware rumors started weeks ago

Starting on Aug. 14, posts were circulating on Reddit and on the forum section for Phish.net about Phish possibly playing in/throwing their own music festival in The Woodlands in 2024.

A clever Phish fan even fabricated a link to what was touted as a Delaware Online article about the rumor, which was shared on Phish.net on Aug. 14. The fake link actually led to a YouTube video by the Disco Biscuits.

Some fans on both sites thought it smelled Phishy that the jam band would be a part of a new Dover festival in The Woodlands. But they also were holding out hope that it was true.

"Not to be another rumor spreading guy ... but my wife and I sat next to a guy at MSG (Madison Square Garden) who told us this exact same thing," a fan wrote on Phish.net in August.

The Phish fan continued to say, "There's a high chance it's total BS," while pointing out that the buzz from this discussion might encourage Phish to play Delaware in the future.

"This is so out of left field that it makes me think that it might be true," another fan wrote on Phish.net forum.

Phish fans roast Biden, Delaware

The initial Phish conversation sparked several Delaware jokes across both social forums last month, including a few involving President Joe Biden.

"Biden's pulling major strings to make this happen. A special counsel will be assigned to investigate," a Biden conspiracy theorist wrote. "Hunter will be setting up on shake down," another person replied.

"Delaware still exists?" a commenter added.

"Surprised to find that [Phish rumor] from here in central CT, Dover is the same drive time as Watkins Glen," a jokester said.

Phish splash on tour

Phish is currently on tour this fall. Their next gig is Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday, Oct. 6. They'll play eight shows and end at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 15.

Meanwhile, Trey Anastasio is also on a fall tour and his next show is at Harvest Music Festival in New Brunswick, Canada, on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Phish will pick back up for its Riviera Maya 2024 tour. The tour starts on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 and will feature the band playing four straight nights at Moon Palace Cancun in Mexico.

For information about tickets to Phish's upcoming Dover event, visit Phish.com.

News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier rcormier@delawareonline.com contributed to this report.

Are you coming to the Mondegreen festival and have a cool Phish story to tell? Please email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

More Delaware Phish news

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Phish, Aubrey Plaza & more Delaware highlights to recap a crazy ...

While many of us are struggling just to jog, time is zooming by on speed skates this year.

If you need to catch up on the big stories in Delaware entertainment from this year, or if you want a refresher, we've got you covered.

Here's a story that blends all of these entertainment highlights into one stout smoothie of cultural information.

10 Phish facts before they play Delaware festival in Woodlands Dover

The legendary jam band Phish is as polarizing as fanny packs, comedian Amy Schumer, and pineapple pizza.

This popular crew from Vermont has been grooving listeners since the 1980s.

They're on pace to reel in a big school of Phish fans for their new four-day festival, called Mondegreen, in The Woodlands of Dover from Thursday, Aug. 15, to Sunday, Aug. 18.

Meanwhile, here are some interesting Phish facts for folks to dive into about the band.

Fans receive macaroni from Phish

There are lots of unique ways to make DIY music shakers. Phish fans discovered this when the band handed them boxes of macaroni to be used for percussion tools when they played Slade Hall at the University of Vermont on Sept. 27, 1985, according to Phish.net, the popular Phish forum where fans leaked the band's Woodlands festival a month before Phish officially went public.

Phish plays vacuum cleaner in concert

Drummer Jon Fishman is skilled at playing melodies on a vacuum cleaner. There are multiple videos of him on YouTube holding a vacuum hose to his mouth and creating quirky sounds with it during his vacuum solo. One YouTube video is titled “Phish 11-30-19 Vacuum Solo.”

Lead singer Trey Anastasio can play drums

When Fishman is doing his vacuum solo, who's on the drums? Lead singer Trey Anastasio has filled in for his bandmate behind a drum set. Anastasio joins a unique list of singers who also play drums like Dave Grohl (who has vacationed in Rehoboth Beach), Ringo Starr, Teddy Pendergrass and Phil Collins. You can watch Anastasio in action in the above vacuum solo video.

Phish's hot dog is in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, not the band

For years there's been a debate whether Phish will ever be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. There honestly isn't a clear answer. The irony is the band has a famous hot-dog prop that's featured at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio. The band first rode the iconic hot dog at their Boston Garden concert on Dec 31, 1994.

Page McConnell's dad developed Tylenol

Born in nearby Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, keyboardist Page McConnell was destined to make musical medicine that would heal the masses. His dad, Jack, worked for the McNeil Pharmaceutical Co. (later Johnson & Johnson) and helped develop Tylenol, according to a 2007 report by ABC.

Phish co-founder becomes a politician

Not all Phish members can be branded as one-dimensional musicians, especially percussionist Jon Fishman (who inspired the band's name, according to encyclopedia.com). Fishman's résumé also includes becoming a politician as he drummed up excitement in his hometown of Lincolnville, Maine, after becoming the newest selectman to win an election to the five-member select board in 2017.

Dress-wearing Phish member does movie with Bernie Sanders

Fishman has had a knack for wearing doughnut dresses in concert over the years. That might explain why he's credited as playing Ginger the "transvestite" drummer" in the 1999 film "My X-Girlfriend's Wedding Reception," per IMDB. Another Vermont legend in the film is Fishman's friend Sen. Bernie Sanders, who plays a rabbi in the flick. Fishman is a longtime supporter of Sanders and endorsed him when he was on the campaign trail in 2016.

Who is the fifth member of Phish?

It's common for bands to embrace members who aren't one of the group's founding musicians. But it's unusual when that adopted member is the lighting guy. Chris Kuroda, the band's lighting director, is the fifth official star Phish in the group. (It even says so on the band's website.)

Phish college thesis is on improvisation

The ability to ad-lib in concert is a cornerstone for Phish. McConnell takes it seriously, so much so that he based his senior thesis around it when he attended Goddard College in Vermont. His thesis, which was published in 1987, was titled "The Art of Improvisation," per McConnell's bio.

Phish has a 'Triple Nipple'

The jam band references nipples getting sliced in three songs, a theme nicknamed the "Triple Nipple." In the song "Fee," the band sings: "Floyd is dead; he's nothing but a ripple/Cause Milly took that paper/And sliced him on the nipple."

There's also the tune "Sloth":

“I'm So bad. He's so nasty Ain't got no friends. Real out-casty Stay out of my way. End up a cripple I'll take this piece of paper. [Cross?] your nipple.”

The third song about nipples is "Punch You in The Eye":

"Well it seems you didn't like my face I quickly learned that Prussia was an evil place They tied me to a chair with a giant clip And held a piece of paper to my tender nip."

Are you coming to the Mondegreen festival and have a cool Phish story to tell? Please email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

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Who in their right mind in Delaware is already thinking about can't-miss festivals for 2024? It's the type of person who messed around and found out that events do sell out.

To avoid that drama, you can get an early start on planning your schedule for 14 sweet festive events located in and around the First State in 2024.


Emilio Delgado, 'Sesame Street's' Luis for more than 40 years, has ...

CNN —

Emilio Delgado, who spent more than 40 years entertaining generations of children playing the Fix-It Shop owner Luis on “Sesame Street,” has died, according to his manager.

He was 81.

“We are saddened by the news of Emilio’s passing. Emilio was an immense talent who brought so much joy and smiles to his fans. He will be missed by many and we know his legacy will live on. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his wife, Carole,” Robert Attermann, CEO of A3 Artists Agency, told CNN in a statement.

The actor died Thursday at his home in New York City. He had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in 2020, according to a report from TMZ, citing his wife.

Delgado had remained active in theater, starring in “Quixote Nuevo,” a version of “Don Quixote,” before the pandemic struck in early 2020. His extensive stage work included serving as artistic director of the Barrio Theatre Ensemble of East Los Angeles.

Still, he’ll be best remembered for the popular children’s program. Delgado had cited the PBS show’s importance as a cultural touchstone in the way people of color were depicted on TV.

“For the first time on television, they showed Latinos as real human beings,” Delgado told the Houston Chronicle in 2020. “We weren’t dope addicts. We weren’t maids or prostitutes, which were the way we were being shown in television and in film. Here, on ‘Sesame Street,’ there were different people who spoke different languages and ate interesting foods, and they were all Americans.”

“A beloved member of the Sesame family for over 50 years, his warmth and humor invited children to share a friendship that has echoed through generations,” Sesame Workshop said of Delgado in a statement to CNN. “At the forefront of representation, Emilio proudly laid claim to the ‘record for the longest-running role for a Mexican-American in a TV series.’ We are so grateful he shared his talents with us and with the world.”

Beyond “Sesame Street,” Delgado appeared in such series as “Law & Order,” and early in his career in the dramas “Lou Grant” and “Falcon Crest.” He also co-starred in the 1975 TV movie “I Will Fight No More Forever,” a true story about Nez Perce Native American leader Chief Joseph.

Delgado was born in Calexico, Calif., but raised by his grandparents on the other side of the US-Mexican border in Mexicali.

1865-1881

Daily Record

YorkDailyRecord

Jan 25, 2005 —

1865: York

Orphanage established

The York community's most prominent citizens create the Children's Home of York to house and train orphans of Civil War soldiers. Two years later, they build a four-story red brick building on the corner of East Philadelphia and Pine streets. This building would serve as home for more than 3,000 orphans and children from broken homes until its demolition in 1973. Other youngsters under the Children's Home care are farmed out to county families. Young residents at the home spend decades living within its walls, except for walking in groups to Sunday school. They live highly structured lives in frugal surroundings, leaving little room for individuality. In the minds of those running the home, such institutional life works. By the turn of the century, the home has cared for 550 children and "only 30 of them have not done us credit," the board reported. Facing the loss of state aid, the home ended a restriction in its charter that prohibited admission of blacks in 1959. For decades in the 20th century, Mr. and Mrs. Percy B. Cooper served as superintendents. "They all come back home to see what's going on," Mrs. Cooper commented in 1948. "They're just like our own children."

1866: York

Farmers Market opens doors

The Farmers Market opens on West Market Street. The location points to sufficient population growth on the west side of the Codorus to support a large indoor market, York's first. Today, Farmers Market is a key piece in a city plan to turn West Market into an antiques district. It is one of the York area's three operating markets. The Central Market in York and the New Eastern Market in Springettsbury Township are the other two. The City Market house, constructed in 1878, was torn down in 1963. A market in West York has been converted to other uses. Colebrook-Terry used the building at West Philadelphia Street and Carlisle Avenue as a sewing factory until recently.

1867: Minneapolis

Photographer, ex-slave settles

William Goodridge, the ex-slave who became a prominent York businessman, is settled in Minneapolis, where he dies in 1873. Glenalvin, William's eldest son, dies there in 1867. The Goodridge sons, Wallace and William, and other family members live in Saginaw, Mich. There, they carry on William's business and photographic legacy. By the time Wallace dies in 1922, the three brothers have become part of a small group of black men to pioneer as professional photographers in America. One scholar said their "work was most definitely in the mainstream of the development of photography as a profession and as an art form in the nineteenth century."

1867: York

Small beats Small in vote

David Small squares off against David Small in the election for York's chief burgess. David Small wins. The winner is the Democratic incumbent who owns The York Gazette. David Etter Small, the Republican railroad car manufacturer, finishes 317 votes short. While often confused today, people in York could tell these two members of the prominent 19th-century York family apart. An industrial accident claimed David E. Small's right arm in 1853. This cost him a much-desired opportunity to fight for the Union Army. "If I can bring down a partridge with my gun," he said, "I certainly can shoot well enough to go to the defence of my country."

1867: Goldsboro

Prizefight disrupts area

Samuel Collyer of Baltimore and John McGlade of New York, accompanied by several hundred "roughs," duke it out in a field near Goldsboro. York County's sheriff and a posse try to break up the prizefight, but the bullies accompanying the fighters keep them at bay. Collyer wins the one-hour, 47-round fight and $2,000. The Baltimore contingent carries home a reported $200,000 in wagers. The visitors perpetrate various outrages on passengers and those at the stations on their train rides home. "It was a disgraceful and demoralizing affair," one historian commented. A newspaper concurred: "The whole affair happening under the nose of two governments, within a few miles of the state capital, was one of the most disgraceful in the history of this Commonwealth." Goldsboro does not see such excitement again until the accident at the neighboring Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979. Some residents evacuated town while national media descended on Goldsboro to cover the event.

1867: Dallastown

Ayres family faces tragedy

Long before young Jessica McClure was dramatically rescued from a Texas well in the 1980s, heroic York County diggers work to uncover 18-year-old Smith Ayres from a collapsed well. Ayres descends 60 feet into a Dallastown well to retrieve a bucket. On his way up, the walls caves in, and he cries, "For God's sake, take me out." Workers construct a frame to guard themselves against harm. After 26 hours, the diggers reach the youth's lifeless body. It is thought the rope bearing Ayres caught a stone in the wall about 20 feet from the bottom. Just a few years earlier, the Ayres family suffered through another distressing event: Samuel, Smith's father, died in a Confederate Civil War prison.

1868: Hanover

Grant makes side trip

Newly elected President U.S. Grant stops in Hanover on his way to his first Gettysburg visit. A defective locomotive causes the unscheduled stop. Grant makes a few remarks to an audience, largely praising the performance of Union commanders in the Battle of Gettysburg. Gen. George Meade directed Union troops at Gettysburg, while Grant was negotiating the surrender of Vicksburg in Mississippi. Grant later became Meade's boss as military commander of all Union troops.

1868: Wrightsville

Bridge makes comeback

The third Wrightsville bridge over the Susquehanna River opens to rail, wagon and pedestrian traffic. The span replaces the structure burned to keep the Confederate Army from crossing. County residents have depended on ferry service to make connections with points east in the five years since the bridge burned. Two iron spans connect in the middle to prevent any future fire from devastating the entire bridge.

1869: Washington, D.C.

York man caught in Booth scheme

The government grants a York native a pardon after he serves about four years of hard labor in Florida's Fort Jefferson for a role in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Actor John Wilkes Booth asked Ned Spangler, an acquaintance and stagehand at Ford's Theatre, to hold his horse for a few minutes. "Booth had failed to mention to him that he intended to shoot President Abraham Lincoln, a fact Spangler found difficult to prove to a jury," a newspaper reported many years later. Spangler, a 40-year-old descendant of Baltzer Spangler, one of York's fathers, probably knew Booth since 1853. Booth came to York to attend a local academy. Spangler, a carpenter, helped build a house for the Booth family in Maryland. Spangler unsuccessfully argued that he arranged for another person to hold Booth's horse because his duties as a scene changer required his attention inside. After leaving prison, Spangler lives out the remaining six years of his life in the Maryland home of Dr. Samuel Mudd. Mudd was implicated in the conspiracy for treating Booth. He meets Spangler in prison. Nettie Mudd, Samuel's wife, describes Ned Spangler: "His greatest pleasure seemed to be found in extended kindness to others and particularly children, of whom he was very fond." Today, part of an exhibit at Ford's Theatre is devoted to Ned Spangler, listed as Edman Spangler.

1869: Franklintown

Town aims for national fame

Franklintown, located along the Harrisburg to Baltimore pike, incorporates. This sleepy borough is sometimes called Buttstown after one of the town's founders. Martin Carl, father of future two-time York Burgess Jere Carl, buys a mercantile business and establishes a post office. In recent times, the borough spent time in the national spotlight by passing an ordinance requiring residents to own firearms. The unenforced ordinance came on the heels of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, as council sought to uphold the right to bear arms. "As far as I'm concerned, it's one of those things that somebody thought was a good idea at the time," Frankintown Council President Marvin J. Wilson said in 1993. Wilson did not see a practical purpose for the law.

1870: York

Graduates make good

William H. Shelley, a former student and teacher at York County Academy, is the first principal at the newly founded York High. Flora B. Hays and Edward B. Stair, members of the first graduating class in 1872, make long-term community contributions. Hays later teaches in York public schools, and Stair becomes an executive at Farmers National Bank. Mary Kell, one of four original faculty members, teaches in York schools until 1904. The high school moves to a new building on West Philadelphia Street in 1872. The original building still stands on South Duke Street, outliving its successor, a victim of a fire in 1942.

1870: York

Paper changes over years

The York Daily, the county's first daily newspaper, starts publication. The Daily attempts to steer a middle ground between the Republicans and Democrats, a change from the usual partisan approach to producing a local newspaper. The Daily does not have the staying power of The York Dispatch and The York Gazette, later its daily competitors. The Dispatch purchased The Daily in 1904. The Gazette bought the newspaper from its competitor, The Dispatch, in 1918 and became known as The York Gazette and Daily. The Daily's name re-emerged in 1970, when new owners of the former York Gazette named their paper, the York Daily Record. The Record came from the York Legal Record, previously published by The York Gazette and still in operation today.

1871: Railroad

Town named appropriately

Railroad, whose name matches its primary reason for existence, is formed. The borough serves many years before and after its incorporation as a depot for Shrewsbury on the Northern Central Railroad. It boasts industries of its own, including a tannery, grist mill, brewery, brandy distillery and a furniture company. Frederick Helb, the borough's first chief burgess, is a force behind several of these interests. The Helb name is particularly connected with brewing and bottling. Theodore, Helb's son, operated the domed Keystone Brewery in York, the county's best-known brewery. At the turn of the century, the six-story-high brewery shipped its product across the nation. Prohibition closed the Helb brewery. It re-opened in 1933 and closed in 1950. The massive structure at the corner of Queen and King streets was demolished in 1952. Back in Railroad, Helb's death in 1905 and the decline of the railroad turns the town into a sleepy roadside community. Today, the York County Heritage Rail/Trail has sparked new service-oriented business interests.

1872: Hanover

Square sees changes

Officials order a makeover for the center of Hanover's Center Square several times over the years. The 60-year-old market sheds in the square, scene of heavy fighting in the Battle of Hanover, are torn down to make way for a fountain in 1872. The fountain was moved to Wirt Park in 1904 to make way for The Picket, a statue honoring HanoverÕs war dead. The fountain eventually was sold to a Florida resort. The Picket was unveiled with fanfare and visits from Gov. Samuel W. Pennypacker and Battle of Hanover survivors in 1905. The bronze equestrian statue was moved from the middle of the square to its northeast part in 1968. There, the mounted soldier sits today, accompanied by Iron Mike, the statue of the dog that has accompanied The Picket since the 1950s. In the 1990s, Hanover officials attempted to lighten the traffic load in the square through development of Eisenhower Drive.

1873: York

Small start for college

Samuel Small, the S. Small in merchant P.A. and S. Small, helps found York Collegiate Institute. The school moves into new quarters in 1887 after a fire destroyed its building two years before. It joins with the York County Academy in a reciprocal teaching agreement in 1929. The two institutions evolve into York Junior College in 1941 and close their doors to secondary education seven years later. With the growth of public secondary education across the United States, the two private schools follow the path of many others by converting into a post-secondary institution. In 1959, York College starts calling a site along County Club Road, its present location, home. The golf course of the Out Door Country Club previously occupied the site. With the introduction of bachelor degree programs, the college becomes known as York College of Pennsylvania in 1968. Today, national college-rating publications regularly list York College as one of the best values and most efficiently operated liberal arts schools in the north.

1874: Red Lion

Railroad starts for long haul

The Peach Bottom Railway opens between York and Red Lion. The rail line runs to Delta two years later. The narrow-gauge railway hauls slate from Delta and cigars and furniture from factories along its right of way. In 1901, the now-York Southern Railroad merged with Baltimore and Lehigh Railway to become known as the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. The "Ma and Pa" followed winding Muddy Creek, making the route 77.2 miles. The distance between York and Baltimore is 49 miles. The railroad serviced southeastern York County for 80 years before freight service was suspended in 1954 and passenger service soon thereafter. Emons Transportation Group of York later absorbed the Ma and Pa. The railroad's buildings still stand in Muddy Creek Forks. The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Society purchased 31 acres of the village that grew up around the railroad complex in Muddy Creek Forks in 1992. Since then, the 100-plus members have been converting it into a living-history museum. The site includes the turn-of-the-century Alexander M. Grove store, roller mills and grain elevator and scale house.

1874: York

Fighting more than fire

Competitiveness among York's fire departments flares one evening. Laurel and Vigilant firefighters end up in a fracas after responding to a fire in George Hay's pig pen. Laurel firefighters believe they are sprayed intentionally with water from the Vigilant's steamer. Firefighters from both departments square off, mixing Hay and a police officer named "Selack" into their fight. The firefighters spray water, throw stones and use a discarded table leg as a club. Henry Brown, one of the fighting firefighters, is treated for a gash in his forehead. An account of the melee in a city fire department history ends: "The origin of the fire in the straw is not known."

1874: York

York Int'l elects its first president

S. Morgan Smith is elected president at the first stockholders meeting of York Manufacturing Company, future York International. The company initially makes washing machines, but it soon produces ice-making machines and later air conditioning equipment. The scope of the company's products has grown. One of York International's recent projects was chilling the Chunnel -- the English Channel Tunnel. Smith, pastor of York's First Moravian Church from 1861-66, leaves York Manufacturing in 1880 and later forms S. Morgan Smith Company. Waterwheels, an early company product, gave way to massive turbines sold around the world. Allis-Chalmers acquired Smith in 1959. Today, two companies are heirs to Smith. Voith Hydro continues to make hydraulic turbines. Precision Components fabricates vessels to contain and ship radioactive material and chemical weapons.

c. 1875: Hanover Junction

Ice cream a major industry

Cornelius Gladfelter builds an ice cream plant in Hanover Junction, one of several in the vicinity. Gladfelter and other ice cream makers dam up creeks and harvest blocks of ice from the resulting pond in the winter. If the ice house is close enough to a creek, the ice is floated inside. Sawdust and leaves are placed between blocks, insulating the ice so it wonÕt melt during the summer. Area dairy farmers supply milk to the ice cream makers, who ship their product in tubs covered with ice on the Northern Central Railroad to Baltimore. Many ice cream makers set up parlors to sell their wares to local folks.

1875: York

Firemen lose a link to past

Michael Edwards Sr., a member of YorkÕs Laurel Fire Company since its birth in 1790, dies at the age of 108. "He was the representative fireman of the past," a fire department history states, "the connecting link between the fire department of ladders, bucket, basket and hand engine brigade, and the firemen and their apparatus today." Many people at the funeral comment that it is unusual to see four sons as old as Edwards' at a funeral. The ages ranged from more than 50 years in age to 70 years-plus.

1875: Red Lion

Red Lion woman prospers

Years before women are granted the right to vote, a Red Lion woman becomes widely respected for her ability to get things done. Catherine Meyer builds a general store, saloon, post office and railroad station in 1875, 10 years after her husband died. The "Mother of Red Lion" plays a part in her town's incorporation as a borough, although she is not eligible to vote or hold public office. The Red Lion Cemetery and Fairmount Park, sitting on some of the highest populated ground in the county, are located on former Meyer land. "For nearly half a century she was the leading business spirit of the prosperous cigar manufacturing center (Red Lion)," a newspaper said in 1914, five years before Meyer's death. "Businessmen of York and the county recognized her ability and esteemed her for the unalterable integrity, the good sense and judgment she showed in all transactions."

1876: York

Dispatch starts as a weekly

Hiram Young, owner of the weekly True Democrat, starts a daily newspaper, The York Dispatch. Young arrived in York about 12 years before and started publishing his weekly. The York Dispatch follows its weekly predecessor by aligning itself with Republican politics for about 115 years.

1876: York

York celebrates U.S. centennial

York begins a day-long celebration of the nation's centennial. Festivities begin at 12:01 a.m. on July 4, when the bells in the borough ring in chorus for an hour. Festivities end with an 8:30 p.m. fireworks show that causes one York resident to observe: "That evening excelled anything attempted before in the history of York when it comes to celebrations." Henry Lee Fisher writes a 100-stanza poem about county life to commemorate the event. He writes in German, and York resident Henry Barratt liberally illustrates the work. It is dedicated, "To the honest, virtuous, intelligent and patriotic Pennsylvania Germans this humble effort to illustrate their manners, customs and general mode of life in their own dialect, is respectfully inscribed by the author."

1877: York County

County spared epidemics

County residents enjoyed good health the past few years and have remained "remarkably free" from epidemics. The York County Medical Society reports common diseases are pleurisy, pneumonia, rheumatism and typhoid fever. "The people are industrious, intelligent, healthy and temperate and generally live to a ripe old age," the 4-year-old society said.

1877: York

Synagogue lays its foundation

A new Hebrew Reformed congregation meets in homes and rented quarters for 30 years before a cornerstone for a building is laid at the corner of South Beaver Street and Newton Avenue in 1906. Rabbis William Roseman of Baltimore and J. Rosenthal of Lancaster officiate in a ceremony attended by the congregation and a large number of people from gentile congregations in the community. The congregation, known as Temple Beth Israel today, worships in Spring Garden Township. Leopold Rosenbaum, Joseph Lustic and Ivan Trattner organize an Orthodox Jewish congregation in 1883. The present-day Ohev Sholom (Lovers of Peace) congregation evolved from this York congregation. The congregation built a house of worship at the corner of West Princess and South Water (Pershing) streets in 1904. The congregation meets today in a synagogue in Spring Garden Township. The Young Men's Hebrew Association, a social and cultural organization, formed in 1910. The organization incorporated as the Jewish Community Center in 1925. Today, it serves people of all ages and faiths.

1878: York

Farmers markets move indoors

Construction begins on the York City Market, for years one of the largest covered markets in Pennsylvania. The market, sporting a Gothic design, features a 140-foot-high tower. This indoor marketplace, as well as the Penn Street Farmers Market built in 1866, helps replace the open air Centre Square market sheds as the place for farmers to turn their excess goods into cash. The new market house, located at South Duke Street and East College Avenue, also serves as an exhibition center. York school students and Gov. Henry M. Hoyt attend a county Horticultural and Industrial Association exhibition in 1879. The City Market was demolished in 1963 to make way for a gas station.

1878: York

Fire companies built in city

The Laurel Fire Co. completes a station at the northeast corner of East King and South Duke streets in York. The Rex Hook and Ladder Co. constructs its station next door 10 years later. The buildings house the fire companies to this day. The Rex forms, in part, because some believe that a section of the York Collegiate Institute could have been saved if the borough had a hook and ladder truck to fight the fire. The institute was destroyed by fire in 1885. "Spectamur Agendo" appears above the Laurel's bay door, meaning, "Let us be judged by our actions."

1879: West Manchester Township

Teachers set robust agenda

The topics on the program of the township Teachers Institute could have been on a 20th-century teachers' meeting agenda. They include: a morning-long discussion of school discipline; an afternoon session on how to teach reading; and an evening discussion on the relationship between parent and teacher. The institute urges all township teachers to attend the important meeting.

1879: Hanover

Firefighters mull equipment

The Hanover Fire Department debates whether to purchase an engine that deploys water or a chemical to extinguish flames. Chemical fire engines are coming into use because they require no water source and can be deployed more quickly because no hydrant hookup is necessary. Chemicals also minimize damage to property compared to water. Firefighters agree on one thing: a new "fire extinguishing apparatus" is needed.

1879: Lancaster County

Marietta girl's honor is saved

Samuel Sprenkle of York tries to entice a Marietta girl to York under the pretext of doing housework. Townspeople discover that he actually wants her to work in a house of ill repute. Concerned citizens accost the man on his way to the train with the girl and tell him to get out of town. Sprenkle reaches into his pocket as if to pull a revolver but is advised he should leave town before he is arrested. He jumps on the train and quickly departs. A Marietta newspaper advises Sprenkle to make himself scarce or "he may have a wooden, legless horse to ride, and tight-fitting black coat of tar and feathers to wear."

1880: York

Population booms in city

Beginning this decade, York kicks off 50 years of population growth that causes the census to climb from 13, 940 in 1880 to 55, 254 in 1930. The newcomers arrive from cities and the South and include many blacks and people of foreign origin seeking employment in factories. York gains unprecedented racial diversity.

1880: York

Small opens early hospital

Samuel Small, founder of York Collegiate Institute, doesn't stop there. He provides the force behind organization of York Hospital and Dispensary, one of the first 200 hospitals in the United States. Small purchases a piece of property on West College Avenue and spearheads a $70, 000 fund drive to construct the building still standing on the banks of the Codorus Creek. The building is occupied in the spring of 1881. The cost to patients: board, fuel and light, $4 to $6 per week; add washing, $1; add nurse's services, $3. With a common founder, these two key county institutions forge a working relationship, which continues to this day.

1881: York County

Historian Gibson becomes judge

County voters elect John Gibson as judge to replace his uncle, Robert J. Fisher. Fisher, dominant force on the county judicial scene for the past 30 years, chooses not to seek re-election. Mary L. Fisher, the judge's wife, gaines prominence, too. She writes widely about her experiences nursing wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Gibson is best remembered today for his historical work as the author of an extensive county history, published in 1886.

1881: York

Opera house is a smash

John Sleeper Clarke, brother-in-law of Edwin Booth, stars in the opening act of the York Opera House. Booth stars in "Toodles" and "The Widow Hunt." "The large and fashionable audience present was delighted with the performance," a newspaper reported. Before its opening, friends and opponents spar over the appropriateness of entertainment the opera house would bring to the community. Opponents also fight the decision to hold a York High School commencement in the new theater. As the years passed, opposition cooled. The annual meeting of county teachers and evangelistic meetings of Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey used the facility.

1881: York County

Saying good-bye to Garfield

About 50 children, carrying bouquets and baskets of flowers, march in twos to the Northern Central Railroad tracks in York. They join an estimated 6, 000 others to observe the passing of the train bearing the body of assassinated U. S. President James A. Garfield. "Lest the gesture of standing in silence with bared heads should seem too meagre in its expression of bereavement such as this, billows of flowers had been strewn between the tracks and floral wreaths were brought to be tossed aboard the coaches," a newspaper later reported. Chauncey F. Black is prepared to use his new telephone from his home near the track to alert townspeople of the approaching train. The message would be delivered to courthouse custodian John D. Gallatin, who would ring the county building's bell as a signal. The train passes through, and the crowd then gathers up the flowers and coins placed on the rail, now flattened souvenirs. ÒThat was York's goodby (sic) to James A. Garfield, the second of the nation's martyred presidents," the newspaper said.

Bruce Sutter, baseball Hall of Fame closer and pioneer of split-finger ...

CNN —

Baseball Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter, who saved his career while popularizing the split-finger fastball, has died at the age of 69, Major League Baseball announced Friday.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred called Sutter’s 12-year career in which he led the National League five times in saves an “incredible baseball success story.”

“Bruce ascended from being a non-drafted free agent to the heights of Baseball by pioneering the split-fingered fastball. That pitch not only led him to the Major Leagues, but also made him a Cy Young Award winner with the Cubs and a World Series Champion with the 1982 Cardinals,” Manfred said. “Bruce was the first pitcher to reach the Hall of Fame without starting a game, and he was one of the key figures who foreshadowed how the use of relievers would evolve.”

According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Sutter was a “struggling minor league pitcher with an injured arm” when Cubs minor league pitching coach Fred Martin taught him the split-finger fastball – in which the thumb pushes the ball out from between wide-spread fingers – in the spring of 1973.

“Fortunately for me, it clicked right away,” Sutter said at his National Baseball Hall of Fame induction in 2006.

The deceiving pitch looks like a fastball before quickly diving as it arrives at home plate.

Sutter made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs in 1976. He would win the 1979 National League Cy Young Award when he saved a league-record-tying 37 games.

He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1981 season, where he featured as the team’s closer and notably recorded the final out in Game 7 of the 1982 World Series to clinch the title for the Cardinals.

Between 1979 and 1984, Sutter led the league in saves each year except 1983, and he recorded 300 career saves, which ranked third at the time of his 1989 retirement. He ended his career with the Atlanta Braves where he battled arm injuries.

“He had the best makeup of any closer I’ve ever seen,” St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog said of Sutter, according to the Hall of Fame. “He just cut the percentages down for me from 27 outs a game to 21.”

Bruce Sutter changed the game with his split-fingered fastball. His legacy will be preserved forever in Cooperstown.https://t.co/CReC6l614O pic.twitter.com/KtSCFdUHK6 — National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) October 14, 2022

When Sutter was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he was the fourth reliever to be enshrined.

“When I played, I never needed the spotlight, nor did I want it,” he said during his induction speech. “I simply wanted to play baseball and be respected by my teammates and the opposing players.

Bruce Sutter waves to the crowd during the 2018 home opener game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 05, 2018 at Bush Stadium. Jimmy Simmons/Icon Sportswire/AP

“So today my name (Howard Bruce Sutter) goes on this plaque. This day is not about me. It’s about the many people who have helped me along the way.”

Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. sent his condolences to the Sutter family on behalf of the organization.

“Bruce was a fan favorite during his years in St. Louis and in the years to follow, and he will always be remembered for his 1982 World Series-clinching save and signature split-fingered pitch,” DeWitt said. “He was a true pioneer in the game, changing the role of the late-inning reliever.”

Homero De La Fuente Steve Almasy
Homero De La Fuente
Steve Almasy