In Harlem

When in Harlem, Georgia, last weekend, for the Oliver Hardy Festival, it was so nice to see all of the progress the city has made in upgrading their sidewalks/curbs, store-fronts, streetlights, etc, on the main downtown area. It's such a nice place just to stroll around from store to store and to chat with the shopkeepers and local residents. And the Red Oak Manor b&b, just up the street from the Laurel and Hardy Museum, is just opening a new restaurant called The Acorn Restaurant &endash; a very nice addition to the downtown area of Harlem. Also, a large addition is almost done on the City Hall building. The Laurel and Hardy Museum is in the early stages of planning a future expansion - more will be coming out on this later. While visiting the museum, I looked at the sign-in register for guests; I noted that, during September, they had visitors from many of the USA states, plus such foreign countries as Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Iraq, England, Scotland, and Germany. The museum is now having large tour groups visiting on a routine basis - many making arrangements already for visits next year. The amount of Laurel and Hardy items on display continues to grow, thanks to the many donations from fans of the Boys. The museum continues to be a great success. You can reach the volunteers at the museum by e-mail: harlemvisitorinfocenter@charter.net. I also had the opportunity while in Harlem to spend some quality time at the museum owned and run by Gary and Jean Russeth, called The Ollie Also and Stanie Too Fine Mess Old Car Museum. There are so many great features in the museum, many having a Laurel and Hardy theme. While there, you can see some of the current projects that Gary is working on. Gary and Jean are always happy to give personal tours of their museum, which is located just several blocks from the Laurel and Hardy Museum of Harlem. They can be reached by e-mail: jrusseth415@charter.net. While returning home from Harlem, my wife and I stopped by Williamsburg, Virginia, for a short vacation. We spent our time mostly in the historic, restored area of Colonial Williamsburg. What a fabulous place to visit (which we have done a number of times). While there, one site we visited was the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, right on the main street in the historic area. Centuries ago, residents "owned" pews/benches in churches and had their names listed on those pews. One pew in this church lists distant relatives of Oliver Norvell Hardy; the nameplate reads: Hugh Norvell - vestryman - 1710-1721, George Norvell - vestryman, William Norvell - vestryman - 1775. And I might note that about six pews further up, there is a nameplate that reads "Thomas Jefferson". Gino Dercola 10 October 2008