Recordpub.com - ALONG THE WAY: Mike Sever

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

Happy 200th Birthday, Portage County!

The Portage County Bicentennial Committee is throwing a spectacular birthday party on June 9 in downtown Ravenna, complete with parade, program and fireworks.

That's right, fireworks right here in downtown Ravenna.

Details are still being finalized at this point, but Mark Cheplowitz, chairman of the committee, said more than 50 units have already signed up for the parade down Main Street.

After the parade there will be a program on the courthouse lawn concluding in a fireworks display, with rockets firing off from atop the courthouse and a nearby parking lot.

The committee is inviting residents from around the county to come downtown for the festivities, and to appear in a commemorative photograph to be taken at the high point of the program. Just as the speakers conclude and the fireworks blast off, a photo will be taken to record the moment, Cheplowitz said.

This will be the one to show your grandchildren and say, "I was there," he said.

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As part of the bicentennial celebration, the American Red Cross of Portage County is looking to honor the oldest person in Portage County.

"We'd like to honor that person during the parade," said John Cook of the local Red Cross.

If you know someone who may be the oldest county resident, call Cook at the Red Cross at 330-296-9991.

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"Running on Empty." Is that going to be the theme song for your summer vacation plans?

With gasoline prices leaping toward $4 per gallon, the traditional family car trip is looking like a dinosaur ready to lie down and die.

Don't look for General Motors to revive Dinah Shore singing "See the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet" as a sales theme any time soon.

What's that? Fly? Oh, yes, now that's an enjoyable experience. Airlines are now charging extra for second bags, window or aisle seats and blankets. What's next? Are they going to charge for the seat belt and the in-flight magazine?

And getting through airport security is a flashback to the Cold War and Checkpoint Charlie, with TSA agents getting training tips from Gitmo "interviewers."

Yes, I think the days of loading up the kids into the SUV and heading off for a week-long tour of National Parks and the World's Biggest whatevers are headed for the history books.

Maybe that's not a very bad thing. Maybe people will spend time at home, or at least closer to home. Maybe they'll learn a little bit more about what's in their own backyard rather than driving across the country to see what's over the next hill.

High gasoline prices will have a profound impact on American popular culture, too.

I'm sad that today's teenagers may never have similar memories that I do -- of getting the family car on a sunny summer afternoon, picking up three buddies, everybody kicking in a dollar for gas, and going cruising for five or six hours.

A teenage boy's life once revolved around wheels and cheap gas, which allowed him to get a little way from home and start feeling more independent.

Maybe high gas prices will finally break America's addiction to the automobile. Think what it might mean -- a revival of railroads, perhaps? More options for mass transit, fewer acres paved over for new roads, more green space in our city centers to replace acres of gray asphalt parking lots, more attention paid to bikeways and pedestrian walking paths.

So, for now, maybe this summer will be the start of a revival of the Great American Backyard Vacation.

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Question for the Day: As we all ponder cheaper ways to commute to work, I wonder just how many miles to the gallon can you get on a John Deere riding lawn mower?