Thumbs! (11/1/16)

SouthsideCentral is back, baby! (Well, we hope so at least.) We’ve worked out a new schedule to get articles written and we’ll see how good it goes over the next few weeks.

Let’s kick it off with some Thumbs! Are they UP? Or are they DOWN?  Let’s find out…

Thumbs! belong on a Big Board, so let’s bring one out…

• Thumbs UP! to Steven Collins. He’s a successful small businessman who’s expanded his Soundwave Entertainment business a lot over the past year. But he’s also very willing to give back to the community, and he was the driving force behind the Trunk Or Treat held recently at the tank museum. Collins started the event from his own home last year to involve his children, and it quickly expanded to the huge event last week. Yeah, I’ve had some words with Collins over some of his political views, but I’m being fair and objective when I give him this high praise that’s well deserved.
• And let’s also hand out a grudging Thumbs UP! to the AAF Tank Museum. I’ve seriously blasted them for the attitude they’ve had in the past when they talked bad about the area and was moving to some place in Ohio. Needless to say, that move didn’t happen and they’re still in business just past the Danville city limits. Opening up their building to the public for the free Trunk Or Treat event was a very smart move. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here and hope that this is the start of a better relationship with the region.
• And since we’re talking about the Trunk Or Treat event, let’s give a big Thumbs DOWN! to the Usual Suspects who bitched and complained that the candy ran out. They were expecting less than 1000 people to show up (which was a big increase), but got overwhelmed by almost triple that. It’s a free event, and there were more activities than just grabbing free candy. Face it, you Usual Suspects. Since you paid nothing to get in, you at least got your money’s worth.
• Finally, a big Thumbs UP! to Chuck Vipperman. Now that he’s publicly announced his dismissal from WBTM/WAKG, I can say what I want to. Chuck Vipperman was (and still is) the best newsperson in the region and his coverage of local issues was always fair and balanced. Chuck’s love of GW football was unsurpassed and he always did a great job covering the games. Chuck won well over 100 awards for his work at Piedmont Broadcasting and the company made a big mistake in their decision. Chuck also showed he was a class act by strongly discouraging a boycott of the radio stations, saying that he still had friends there who depended on the station’s success for their living. I have no doubt that Chuck will bounce back on his feet soon, but I had to publicly recognize and thank him for the way he handled it.

And that’s the Thumbs! for today… or tonight. We’ve got more coming up here on SouthsideCentral!