When I taught my eighth grade English classes about the poetry of Bob Dylan’s lyrics, I always included a cultural literacy unit on the 1960s. Someone always asked if I had been at Woodstock. When I told them I had not, and they asked why, I told them the story.

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At 7:00 AM on Saturday August 16, 1969, I pulled into the parking lot of the West End Armory in Binghamton, NY. A private in the New York Army National Guard, I was in Binghamton for my monthly Active Duty for Training weekend...

CATEGORY: General Society

TAGS: Herm Card Woodstock

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“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”
Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

On November 21, 1965, Bob Dylan walked onto the stage at Loew’s State Theater (now the Landmark) for the second half of his concert. As he and his band (The Band) cranked up their electric set, a voice from the crowd yelled “Dylan, play Dylan,” a plaintive criticism of his legendary performance earlier that year at the Newport Folk Festival. Musically, for Dylan, “The times they were ‘a changin’.”

In the nearly 44 year s since that night, Dylan has, indeed, “played Dylan.” He has risen several times to the status of icon – folk, rock, folk rock, pop, country, whatever label people might put on it, Dylan’s music has always been just that – Dylan’s music...

CATEGORY: Music

TAGS: bob dylan,abs syracuse,dylan poetry,dylan lyrics, Loew’s State Theater,Alliance Bank Stadium

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Syracuse City School District coaches, administrators, teachers, school safety officers and others met on the Burnet Park softball diamonds on Friday to compete in the 4th annual SCSD Coaches Versus Cancer Softball Tournament.

In the first round, Fowler knocked off Corcoran 12-3 and Nottingham squeaked by Henninger 7-6...

CATEGORY: General Society

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Poets and Musicians Wanted!

The annual Strathmore area "Art on the Porches" Celebration will be taking place on June 20th in the Ruskin Avenue (off Summit) area of Strathmore. We are continuing the popular poetry and music stage, "Poetry and Music Under the Shade" at 113 Ruskin. We are looking for poets of all ages to share their words with us. Join us beginning at 11 AM. Bring your poetry, bring your energy, bring your friends...

CATEGORY: General Society

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I realize that picking a favorite poem can border on the impossible. But, it allows us to search through our memories as we might search through the boxes we discover as we clean the attic – letting each old letter or photo or dried flower reenter our consciousness and make us happy or sad, or perhaps young again or strong. These memories, these poems, remind us who we are, where we’ve been and maybe provide a glimpse of where we’re going.

Or, maybe a poem is just a poem, and maybe that’s enough.

Thanks to everyone who has shared the poems in their pockets.

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“My grandfather was a stern, pretty forbidding man – he’s German, it comes with the territory - although a really great grandfather...

CATEGORY: General Society

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On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s 20th century color barrier making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In so doing, he opened the doors for African Americans – not only in baseball, but in American society. His number 42 has been retired by all major league teams since 1997, with only Mariano Rivera still wearing it, until he retires...

CATEGORY: General Society

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We are celebrating National Poetry Month, created by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.

Although we should celebrate poetry all year, this month provides us an opportunity to focus on it. April, a month by nature no more poetic than any other, does provide a transition from one season to another, as poetry my provide a transition from one sense to another, from one awareness to another, from one mood to another...

CATEGORY: General Society

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