Any time there's a "name the team" contest here in our area, "Miners" comes up. And, as I always say, the mines closed a long time ago, leaving scarred earth and workers with coal dust filled lungs. It's a throw back to the bad old days, and it reinforces every negative stereotype of our area-- that we're a bunch of coal crackers stuck in the 1940's.
Well, here we go again. The mining mentality phenomenon is rearing its ugly head. The Moonshine Theater on Adams Avenue in Scranton is looking for a new name. It's between The Anthracite and The Leonard. You already know how I feel about the Anthracite. The Leonard comes from the hardware store that used to occupy the first floor here. I made several trips here while I worked for the old channel 22. Our operations manager loved the place. Workers here were capable of duplicating any key you would ever want. I frequently volunteered to take a walk over from the Lackawanna Avenue office to help out the ops manager. It was a fun place to visit.
I'm not a member of Scranton's artsy crowd and I severely doubt I'll ever set foot inside to see a show. I'm sure it will be great stuff, but it's not for me. If Anthracite is chosen, the sun will still rise tomorrow.
If we're going to choose a name from the past, let's make sure it's the right one.
