Last week I had hoped to deliver you three separate stories all in one extended column. Well, I blabbered on for too long and ran out of room. For those who read last week’s column, you know to be expecting a story about Warren’s father’s tractor.

I can’t not watch the Olympics. I’ve been watching it all or, I should say, reruns of it all since it’s happening several hours prior to when I finally catch the action. I’m trying to stay off social media so it doesn’t ruin my experience. I hated knowing that Simone Biles and Suni Lee both fell off the balance beam in the individual final and missed a trip to the podium. I saw the headline on with their friend and competitor, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, when she won gold in the floor routine. I wanted to see that live and be wowed and humbled by their amazing sportsmanship. Instead, I saw it first in a picture on Instagram - dang it, anyway.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia I was just a young man doing the afternoon show on a Top 40 radio station in Springfield, Massechusets. My newsman’s name was Craig.

Hello, dearest readers! This week’s column is going to be a doozy, so buckle up buttercups. This piece is going to start with the typical recap of a particularly amazing weekend, a story of positivity that just might make you cry, and if I have room, a story about a tractor, but that may have to wait until next week.

By Sara Goodman Eight years ago, Greg and his buddy, Eric, invested in a fishing boat without their wives’ knowledge. When Greg made this announcement, I was surprised and a little upset.

By Bob Simmons, CEO, Simmons Multimedia Saturday, July 13, 2024, was sunny and hot, a perfect day for the Langdon Musicfest DUNK TANK! Jessica Tull, who works alongside us at Simmons in the Borderland Newscenter, also moonlights as the executive director of the Langdon Chamber. Jess has a unique way of getting me to agree to certain things. Back in January she presented me with a sign-up sheet for the dunk tank which the Chamber would be setting up on Main Street during the Musicfest weekend later in the summer. Back in January when it was cloudy and minus 15 degrees, Musicfest seemed a lifetime away, but alas, as every death row inmate can tell you, the fateful day and hour eventually arrives. I showed up in a pair of running shorts and tank top, baseball cap and aviator sunglasses, ready for action. Fun fact- Diane calls me Joe Biden when I wear my aviators. The attached photo is “Bob Biden.”

Hello, August and all that it brings. I can say, so far, it’s been kinda crazy for me.

Kudos to Jessica Tull, Chamber director; the Langdon Chamber of Commerce Committee; and their Musicfest team on a job well done planning, organizing and working their rears off to bring a great weekend of fun, games, music, shopping, eating and more to Langdon’s Main Street last Saturday! I had a blast and particularly enjoyed the dunk tank along with many others! (Watching, not dunking.) It was a nice hot day for the unlucky souls perched on the little seat that plunged them into the water whenever any participant hit the red lever with the softball. They didn’t seem to mind!

Twenty years ago when Greg and I ventured to Germany for the first time, we thought about adding a stopover in Iceland. Iceland was on our travel bucket list early on because Greg’s heritage on both sides of his family originates in Iceland. Unfortunately, a stopover never happened, but Iceland remained high on our list of “mustsee” places. Last summer, two events occurred that moved Iceland back to the top of our travel bucket list. Event number one was the Northern Musicians Abroad tour that Catelyn was nominated to take part in. She would be traveling to Europe in mid-June of this year for two weeks, and if you read last week’s article, you know that I had decided to join her for the last week along with Gage and my sister. When I started looking into flight options out of Minneapolis, I was checking times and prices on IcelandAir, and it reminded me that I could include a stopover in Iceland at no extra cost. This got the wheels turning.

I have a strong DITTO to follow our publisher’s column. For those who no longer use “ditto” or even know what it means, essentially it means “I second” or “I strongly agree.” It was a cool slang term when I was younger, hehe.