IT’S TODAY: Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Eddy sends greetings
from Kuwait: “I would like to wish my brother Bob Eddy Happy Friday
13th Birthday.” And if you don’t like our weather today, consider
this: “Weather forecast low 100s. Chance of rain … ha-ha,” he
writes.

ELF FUND: Barney Snyder writes, “As we get older, perhaps we get
a more empathetic, nostalgic, whatever, and realize (in my case at
least) how fortunate we were to have been brought up in a town like
Bradford, where the rich rubbed elbows with the not-so-rich and
people cheerily greeted each other on the street.”

“It was the times as well as the place. My mother, Virginia
Wolfe, was born in Rew and my father, Harlowe, although born in
Franklin, worked for Forest Oil his entire working life, 44 years,
in Bradford and as far as he was concerned life began and ended in
Bradford.

“He loved Bradford but eventually gave in to my mom’s wishes to
move to Tucson.

“In memory of Dad and Mom, I will be sending my check for the
ELF Fund. It would be nice if many of us who can afford it would be
able to help the folks back home with whatever they can. Mom and
Dad would be more than pleased that I have done this in their
memory. What a place to grow up Bradford was.”

The ELF Fund, which many of our readers know, provides gifts to
the young and old at Christmas. It’s been going on for 22
years!

The “E” in ELF stands for Era – as in, The Bradford Era – so we
know the program well. And we have always been staggered by the
unbelievable generosity of the Bradford community in taking care of
its own.

And with the popularity of the Internet, Bradford’s “cyber
community” has also joined in.

Like Barney, more than a few former residents have “helped the
folks back home.”

For that, we are very grateful.

DOG DAYS: Every puppy has his day, right? And a pup photographed
by our own Francie Long had his or her day Tuesday morning on
Channel 2 TV out of Buffalo, N.Y.

A sharp-eyed viewer tells us one of the photos Francie shot at
the McKean County SPCA was featured as part of its regular “Dog of
the Day” photo segment.

Pretty cool.