Amherst News-Times, 2000-11-29

              Football players are all-stars — Page 8   Lady Comets win season opener — F
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Wednesday, November 29, 2000
Amherst, Ohio
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Pow wow Powers
Above right: students in Diane Lindway's class at Powers   hundreds of years ago. Teachers and students dressed up in    teacher at Powers, gets into the Thanksgiving spirit by dressing up
Elementary School participate in games that the pilgims played    Thanksgiving themed costumes. Above left: Mary Lou Stovicek, a    as a Native American.
Lighting festival includes Santa's visit
It is better to give than to
receive.
This holiday season the city
of Amherst will concur by
giving a little something to
everyone. The city, along
with the Amherst Downtown
Business Association (ADBA)
will be sponsoring the "Trees,
Trains, and Treats" program
this weekend on Friday and
Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2.
The activities will Irickoff
at 6 pjn. on Friday, with the
city tree lighting ceremony
held in front of city hall.
Everyone is welcome to the
event which will include outdoor caroling. Mayor John
Higgins will be in attendance
along with a very special
guest, Santa Claus himself.
Once the program has finished everyone will be invited
to the Century Tel building,
across from the old post office, to view the train exhibits. The trains have been
made available for display by
several area dealers.
In addition to the train ex
hibition, there will be a reading of The Polar Express," a
Christmas children's story.
THe reading will begin at
7:30 pjn., and again at 8:30
p.m.
At 8 pjn. children young
and old will be invited to
.JMBtW«V)oUy old Sat*
Niste-While the vision discuss their wish lists with the
big guy they will be treated
to coo—et and hot chocolate.
The Last Active Brakeman on
the 20th Century Ltd will
also be in attendance to tell
holiday stories to the children.
The Christmas fun continues
on Saturday with the train exhibition continuing from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. From 10 a.m.
to noon, kids of all ages can
get their picture taken with
Santa for free. Those who
love the arts and
be treated to a
of The Midwest School of
Ballet which will present a
recital at 1 pjn.
The Amherst Cinema will
be showing holiday-inspired
movies and cartoons at 11
ajn. throughout the holiday
season. Admission to the
show is $1 and a non-
perishable food item.
Several of the downtown
businesses are joining the
cinema in helping to raise
food for the Second Harvest
Food Bank. The Amherst Library, which has temporarily
moved to the old post office
on Park Avenue, the Chatterbox, Century Tel, Ceramic
Crossroads, and Your Deli
will all have drop boxes
where residents can leave
non-perishable food items.
People who donate food to
the food bank will receive a
downtown promo pack. The
pack includes discounts and
coupons to numerous businesses in the downtown area of
AmhersL
All of this should make for
a wonderful start to the holiday season in Amherst. Anyone with questions can call
the Downtown Business Association at 984-6709.
Recognize his voice? Loyal listeners will
by JASON TOMASZEWSKI
News-Times reporter
Name a major celebrity and
chances are someone will be able to
tell you where they are from.
Tom Hanks, started a stellar career in Cleveland. Michael Keaton
thought he would get into business
in Pittsburgh before he donned the
famous black cape and cowl. One of
the greatest entertainers in history.
Bob Hope, hails from the sunny
shores of Lake Erie.
But how many Amherst residents
realize that there is a celebrity living
in their own back yard? All you
have to do is take a ride down Grebe
Street in South Amherst to see the
home of the man that is known as
the "Voice of Lorain County
Sports," Tim Alcorn.
"I don't know about 'The
Voice,'" staled Alcorn, who is the
chief play-by-play man for WEOL
Radio in Elyria. "I just have a lot of
fun with what I do."
Fun doesn't even begin to describe the way Alcorn calls a game.
Anyone who has heard one of his
broadcasts knows that he brings an
excitement to the game that few
play-by-play men can bring. On any
given day Alcorn is approached by
someone who remembers what he
said during a certain game 10 years
ago. Tt is flattering to know that
people remember those things," he
Tim Alcorn (rt) and his partner Bob Tomaszewski share a
laughs before heading out to broadcast another high school playoff
game. Alcorn is considered by many to be The Voice of Lorain
County Sports."
Alcom was born in Buffalo. N.Y.,
but relocated to Massachusetts when
he was still a boy. That ia where he
caught the radio bug listening to
legendary Celtics play-by-play man
Johnny Most Most people remember Most for his now famous "Bird
steals the inbound pass" call during
die playoffs, but Alcorn remembers
listening to Celtics games with
iilfUSt
botany was great, but I am a
Buffalo fro from way back," he
"Buffalo and Boston were big
rivals back then, so I hated the
Celtics."
Alcorn moved to Ohio halfway
through his high school career. After graduation he enrolled at Lorain
County Community College where
he received his associate's degree In
telecommunications. Ron there he
went to Kent State University to obtain his bachelor's degree, tt was
while be was at Kent Stale that he
ran into his biggest influence.
T was calling games for the Kent
radio station at the time and we got
passes to get into the Cava
the old coliseum," explained Alcorn That is when I mat Joe Tait"
Over time the two would become
friends.
"Joe is going to be in the Hall Of
Fame one day," Alcom said. To
have a guy like that teach you the
business, to be your mentor, is great.
Joe is my biggest influence,"
After graduation from Kent State,
Aloom got a job as a aportscaaer Cor
WOBL Radio la Oberlin in 1985.
Ho spent several yean there before
moving to WBOL la 1992.
It was at WBOL that Alcorn got
involved in die sales end of the radio business. "I told them tint I
would only do It If they allowed ma
to contnue with cadfag '
trcplainnd Alcorn. The
It was
caBy a hand
they have Mod by tint"
Anyone wto is involved to the
ihe Kent to continue with calling the games," but I have a passion for bash
I we aot WBlahtnil Alcom. The station has Alcom explained. T read)
mw« been great about that. It was bari- doing the football games, b
sed Al- atty a hand -_» tantmm, aad srds the end of me season
asked if be would ever give up the
broadcasting in favor of sales Alcom stated sternly and emphatically
"No." This stuff gets in your blood.
Once you've called a game and felt
that excitement you can't shake it"
Alcom has called just about every
high school sport that is played in
Lorain County, but the one that he
enjoys calling the most is
basketball.
t   1 always say that I love football.
but I have a passion for basketball,"
really enjoy
bet tow-
I
doing the football
dm end of
looking forward to dm basketball
mg is where the big
Maybe because it Is getting
too sold outside for am."
In his IS yem of Bailing
the one that stands out in his mind
as the most memorable took place
during his first year with WOBL.
That was the year that Oberiin
won the State Otampionsrap," explained Alcom. The aanoaphere
was great. The fflcilwiwnt that surrounded the game was incredible."
While that game was the most
memorable for Alcom, die team that
he most enjoyed following was the
1994 Lorain High Steehnen.
That was the year the they were
closing the school," reminisced Alcom. "It was Roasitano's first year
and they hada't won a district tide
in I don't know how many years.
They put together a string of wins
that was incredible. They eveetualty
won the district title. The Mag about that mam that year, mm
they got into the tournament the
game they were playing could be
the last game in school history. The
emotion that those kids played with
was unbelievable. You could feel
the emotion in the stands."
In addition to his play-by-play
duties and sales responsibilities Alcom also hosts several shows on
WEOL including the Miller Time
Monday Night Sports Spotlight
Show. This show is broadcast every
Monday night during football season from the Church Street Bar and
Grill in Amherst The show spotlights area high school sports, as
well as local college and pro teams.
"We're very proud of our programing at WEOL," stated Alcom.
"When it comes to high school
sports it is all about the kids. That is
why you'll never hear me criticize a
kid. They are only 15-year-old kids
playing because they love to play."
While Alcorn would jump at the
chance to call games for a professional team, he feels that he can
bring a professional feel to the high
school games. That is why we do
things like the three-man team for
football games and half time highlights," slated Alcom. "Other stations don't do things like that You
might be covering high school
sports, but you can take it to a professional level."
Until the day comes when the
Cavs call him, Alcom is happy
working with WEOL and living ia
South Amhent with hit wife Diane
aad four children: Kan. Alyaaa,
Shawn, and Ryan.
When asked if he had any advias
for someone trying to get into
broadcasting Alcom stated, "Remember that radio is theater of dm
mind. You have to paint the picture
for the audience. It is up to yea to
make the person listening feel aa if
they were right there at that game."
It couldn't hurt to take advise
from the "Voice of Lorain mealy
Sports" could a?
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