Zero miles on the motorcycle today but I did roll it out of the garage and scrubbed all of bugs off the windshield, headlights, and mirrors. Considering the miles I’ve put on it, 5,271 since May 20th, it’s not that dirty but with all the rain I’ve been through it’s had baths along the way. I let it sit out in the sun for a while and dry off the seat cover and my gloves.
Today’s adventure is a visit to Canonsburg, about 13 miles southwest of where I am staying. It’s described as a “suburb of Pittsburgh” but it is it’s own city with a population of just under 10,000. Things are different here in terms of what is or is not a city on its own. There are cities, townships, and boroughs. Boroughs are self-governing. Many places are “home rule municipalities” but could be a township or a borough. It’s all quite complicated and goes back to the 1600s and William Penn.
OK, so why Canonsburg as a destination? Well, it’s the hometown of two famous American singers: Perry Como and Bobby Vinton. The town really lays claim to Como who not only grew up there but worked there as a barber before his big success in show business. On the other hand, Vinton, who also grew up there, claimed Pittsburgh as his home so the town has done little to honor him outside naming a street after him.
But Como was/is big there. I’ve mentioned his name to some other people and no one younger than 40 has heard of him and I’m surprised how few older ones are not familiar with him. He was BIG. He sold LOTS of records, was in films, was on radio (“The Chesterfield Club”), and eventually had his own TV show as early as 1948. In the late 1950s, his became the first weekly TV show broadcast in color. In fact, the first time I ever saw a color television (this was in a department store) it was about 1960 and it was the Perry Como Show.
During in my years of acquiring vinyl LPs, I did not pick up any Como albums but always liked his voice. When my grandmother gave be her 45 RPM records, about 250 of them, there were plenty of Perry Como records in that collection and I enjoy listening to them in that format. When I figured out that his hometown was close by, I knew that it was worth a visit.
It was a relatively short drive, about 30-minutes with traffic and a detour from me getting lost. I had Apple Music streaming “Perry Como’s Greatest Hits” on the sound system. The first stop was 305 Perry Como Street to see his childhood home. There are no markers and it’s still a private residence. I grabbed one photo. It the house on the right.
Next it was to downtown. We parked on a side street and walked back to city hall. The trees that grow out of the sidewalks on the main street have cast iron grates around them and these grates have the name of the artist, the title of a song, and the year it was popular. The first one I saw was for Bobby Vinton’s “Blue Velvet” from 1963.
The rest were from Perry Como. Here’s a sampling.
The statue to Como is in front of city hall and police department along with their veterans memorial and clock from the Italian-American group in town.
He appears holding a microphone and wearing his trademark sweater.
The pavers around the statue are dedications from a variety of people. Many of the inside ones are from family members. One of my favorites is from Ervin Drakes a songwriter who wrote some of Como’s hits and it says “To Perry Como a songwriter’s best friend - from Ervin Drake.”
We wrapped up it there went back down Adams street to Sarris Chocolate Factory.
I wasn’t interested in vast number of candies they have, but I was in the mood for ice cream, something I rarely eat unless I am traveling. A big scoop of chocolate peanut butter on mint and chip was perfect.
That’s all the excitement for today.
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