Posts by MarkMartin:
Harrisburg Egg Drop: A Sad Day for Mankind
March 20th, 2008 · 10 Comments
If you didn’t attend the Harrisburg Egg Drop on Saturday, March 15th; be glad you didn’t. The press coverage in Harrisburg Horizons did not accurately describe what took place on that day. The letter to the editor which ran in the current issue of Harrisburg Horizons did. I attended the event with my family, so here is my eye witness account.
First let me say that I am sure the organizers of the event had good intentions. I blame today’s society and the philosophy created by today’s secular environment. It was clear on the day of the egg drop that children and adults (yes, adults) are living today with one thought; “we better get ours before someone else, no matter what the cost”. It was so sad, as my wife and I stood there and witnessed the shameless, selfish, acts of adults with their children in tow.
We arrived at the event around 2:20 PM with the ‘egg drop’ scheduled for 3:00 PM. Immediately as we walked into the park, it was amazing to see the number of people in attendance. I would speculate that the crowd was equivalent if not greater than the numbers that attend the July 4th festival. We found the registration table and were informed that only kids age 12 and under could participate. No problem, our youngest is 11 and she was the reason we were there.
Mistake number 1, the football field that was intended to be used for the egg drop also included all of the festival entertainment, thus the large crowd was already covering the field. Organizers began announcing as the 3:00 PM hour approached that everyone needed to clear the field and entertainment areas should close. OK, let’s imagine 4,000 + kids with their parents in a confined area of entertainment, ‘clear the field’. Needless to say, many people chose to ignore the announcement and stand in the middle of the field (perhaps thinking they would be first to get the eggs). So the organizers then proceed to attempt to walk across the field with a rope to force people to get off the field. At the same time, organizers begin announcing that there in fact, could be a problem. 20,000 eggs + 4,000 kids… some controls need to be established. They announce that kids who are participating (remember 12 and under), should only pick up 5 eggs each. And, that parents are NOT allowed on the field. The field was divided into 2 sections (separated by the 50 yard line, but no physical barrier). 7 - 12 year olds on one end, all others at the opposite end.
Mistake number 2 (after the helicopter left), someone said… ‘go’. Now imagine, 4,000 kids, adults, teenagers, anyone that thought the rules didn’t apply to them, charge the field in every direction. Yes, I said ADULTS. And yes, I said, EVERY DIRECTION. No regard for the fact that the little kids had a ‘reserved area’ for their egg hunt. My wife and I witnessed adults pushing kids aside to pick up eggs. We witnessed kids taking way more than their 5 egg limit. We witnessed kids and adults opening eggs on the spot to see what was inside and discarding the eggs and their contents if not satisfied with the results. It appeared as if it was the end of life on earth and everyone was trying to get on the last bus to heaven. I was embarrassed to be human being at that very moment. WHY? What was the driving force behind the actions of adults and kids on this very day… the chance to walk away with a Wii, a Xbox 360, and many other essential ‘must haves’ in today’s society. For all of the adults and kids who ignored the rules, or who thought they were above the rules; I hope you are satisfied with your prizes from your eggs. Congrats! OH, but it gets better.
Yes, there is more. Now it starts raining. People ran, yes ran, to get off the field. No regard to the trash they left behind, no regard for running over kids. We witnessed little kids (well under the age of 7), wondering off the field in tears, no eggs (not one), no parent, just an empty egg basket and utter fear. Organizers quickly announce that missing children should report to the registration area and parents looking for missing children should do the same. My wife and I tried to ask kids as they ran by with bags full of eggs (20+) if they understood what ‘5 eggs meant’. Of course, we were ignored. They got theirs and to heck with everyone else. We then focused our attention on looking out for our 11 year old as she returned from the battle field. She wasn’t crying, but the disappointment was written on her face. She was one of the lucky ones. She had been pushed down to the ground by an adult only once and she did have 1 egg in her basket. As we walked away, she opened her egg and found a piece of gum and a piece of hard candy. She was thankful for managing just 1 egg and apologized to us for putting us through the ordeal.
The journey from football field to the library parking lot was like marching home from battle in defeat. Kids crying, parents screaming, mass confusion all around. Our 11 year old daughter even stopped and tried to give her egg to a little one who was crying because they didn’t have one. The parent showed great appreciation for the gesture, but declined. As we cross the library parking lot, my wife sees a little girl, standing in the middle of the street, crying. So scared, she can hardly breath. My wife bends down, comforts her, and the little girl accepts her invitation to hold her in her arms. What is so amazing to us is this fact, thousands of people passed by this little girl; and no one stopped.
Did you hear me? NO ONE STOPPED. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. NO ONE STOPPED. We begin the journey back to the football field to the registration table (it is still raining). We find out her name, she is 4 years old, and we return her to family who are relieved. As we begin our journey back to our car, I said a prayer… “God, please be with those family members who are separated and help them find each other, thank you for the rain, and God, please save the World”. March 15, 2008 - A Sad Day for Mankind.
→ 10 CommentsTags: Harrisburg
Do elected officials make decisions prior to public hearings?
January 16th, 2008 · 4 Comments
An interesting observation from an article in Monday’s Independent Tribune titled ‘Development’s future rests on vote by Harrisburg Town Council’. In the article, Bill Williams is quoted as saying, “I don’t want to vote for four houses per acre,” said councilman Bill Williams. “If they’re willing to pull their density down to something more reasonable - four houses is way too many. Three houses may be too many. I don’t think it’s going to go at what they’re asking for.”
This article ran prior to the Council meeting. The developer withdrew the petition, but regardless, if the developer was requesting a rezoning allowed by the UDO and opposition had signed a legal protest; then by law both parties are entitled to a fair public hearing. It appears that Bill Williams had already made his decision prior to the public hearing.
So the question is: Do elected officials make decisions prior to public hearings?
I know on numerous occasions people would tell me prior to a council meeting that they didn’t waste their time going to council meetings because all of the decisions had already been made. I would try to assure them that a statement like that was not true. Elected officials are suppose to listen to all the facts in a public hearing, deliberate, and then make a decision. Perhaps the people are right.
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