Published: March 24, 2009 04:47 pm      

RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Antiques Roadshow" comes to Tennessee

If you are one of the 10 million who watch each episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” mark your calendar. The three upcoming Mondays, March 30, April 6 and April 13, were all taped in Chattanooga last July. The local PBS station had worked long and hard to convince the producers of the show to make a stop in Chattanooga. Finally they were chosen to begin the 13th season of the popular show.

By six on that July morning of the taping people were lined up, each with two items to be appraised. During the 13 hour taping at the convention center about 7,000 folks talked with one of the more than 70 appraisers. By day’s end the producers were pleased they had included Chattanooga in the six cities chosen for this year’s shows. They said, “This is one of the most fun cities we have visited.”

A special feature is a visit to the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. The park rangers and Civil War re-enactors fired an original 12-pound field cannon made in Massachusetts.

It was not until last Sunday that any of those who attended the taping learned if they appeared in the show. Chattanooga’s PBS station held a preview party and episodes of the shows were shown.

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Another very different celebration is being held in Oak Ridge this week. Sixty years ago on March 19 the Elza Gate to what was called the secret city during WWII days was opened and the public learned the secret. There the world’s first atomic bomb was built.

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Every Saturday morning we talk with our family in Durango, Colorado. This week our daughter told about a new experience as a mountain hiker. She checked in at the ranger’s station and told him where she planned to hike. He told her the sheriff and a number of his deputies were in the area because cars in that parking lot had been vandalized. Windows had been broken to gain entry to steal anything that was inside the car. I was reminded of a file I had on vandalism.

In December 2007, 26 teenagers held an unauthorized beer party in the former Vermont home of poet Robert Frost. After his death in 1963 Middlebury College became the owner and a 17-year-old former employee of the college decided to hold the party there.

Word spread and up to 50 people appeared at the home. The beer flowed and before the party ended the historic home had been thoroughly trashed. All those involved were identified and punished. Part of their punishment was unexpected. They were required to take classes on Frost’s poetry by the biographer of Robert Frost.

The prosecutor said he felt if these teens understood more about Robert Frost and his contribution to society they would be more respectful of other people’s property and learn from the experience.

In August 2008, the Florida lodge of Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy was vandalized by three preteen girls. They left damages of $30,000 to the residence but Cathy refused to press charges. Yes, he knew they should be punished but just as he built his business on principles borrowed from the Bible he would use the same method for their punishment.

He talked with the girls at the police station to learn about their family situations and why they did all the damage. The punishment he finally handed down was they must write 1,000 times: “I will not vandalize other people’s property.” Three hours a day they must read a good book and send him a book report every week for 13 weeks. For six months no television or video games.

I wish there was some way to learn if these approaches to punishment really worked. There was one statement Cathy made that every parent should think about. “My heart goes out to young people. If there is anyone on trial here, it should have been the parents.”

So much for the bad kids. This week about 44 college kids on spring break are building new segments of the Cumberland Trail near Sale Creek. A big thank you to them for the hard work and the good news!