Stories of Hometown, USA and its people return in Volume 2.

Friday night lights seems to draw more people, but I prefer Saturday afternoons

By Ken Tingley

My first collection of columns two years ago was published amidst the call for less commentary and more factually based news articles in local newspapers.

It was a backlash for the political times we lived and the talking heads on cable news who constantly spewed out toxic opinions.

It was one of the reasons “The Last American Editor” concentrated predominantly on the stories of regular folks and less on politics and politicians. On wanted readers to be clear, that good commentary was about telling good stories, not opinions.

What I discovered along the way at book signings, slide-show presentations and readings was that people loved those stories. They loved hearing those stories of struggle and the challenges people like themselves face, but maybe most importantly they enjoyed hearing about other people’s lives.

They related.

You could see it in their eyes.

What so many of us forgot about our daily newspaper, about that daily read at breakfast table was that it was also entertainment.

Columns were enjoyable and engaged the reader.

They could be water cooler fodder at work.

They were a relief from the daily onslaught of bad news.

Those stories are not easy to do and not every reporter or editor has the right mindset for it. But in the right hands, they are the highlight of the daily newspaper.

At least, they used to be.

The people who read my book often told me they were lifetime readers of The Post-Star, yet they had long ago forgotten the stories published from years ago.

That is not unusual.

I had forgotten many of them as well.

What was also thrilling was that the stories held up over time.

They still resonated.

They still touched people in today’s world.

These stories can enhance people’s lives.

My columnist colleague Terry Pluto at the Cleveland Plain Dealer gave my writing perhaps the best endorsement ever:

“Ken Tingley not only writes from the heart, but he writes about the hearts of others. He tells great stories for those who live in his unique part of the world. Buy his book. Put it on the table next to your bed. When you’ve had a hard day, open it up: You can turn to any page and feel your heart restored.”

You can’t ask for anything better than that as a writer.

As I talked to people around the region and heard their feedback, I knew there had to be a second volume. The material was there. The content was needed to restore our hearts.

What I also realized after the book came out was these stories were community history. This put this era of our community on the record, just as Don Metiver’s book had done for another generation.

The one difference with this book is that I haven’t shied away from some of the politics of the time.

It’s important that the political beliefs of the moment be preserved as well.

I chronicle the rise of Kirsten Gillibrand, the fall of John Sweeney, Scott Murphy’s one trip to the Oval Office, the outpouring of loss as our community said goodbye to Jerry Solomon and a second failed mayoral bid by a great public servant, Bud Taylor.

But the politics still takes a backseat to the stories about life.

Volume 2 mirrors my first book and is divided into six sections - People, Hometown, USA, Life and Death, Sports, The World and My Life.

The columns go as far back as 1991 and as recent as 2019.

There is something for everyone here.

My colleague Will Doolittle, who I asked to write the foreword for this book, wrote: “Readers will find in this book stories of men and women from the upstate Glens Falls, New York region that resonate with universal human feeling - horror and grief, altruism and inspiration, disappointment and loss.”

I think that’s about right. In other words, it chronicles the lives that all of us lead. Hopefully, the stories are a reminder that we are not alone; that we all go through similar experiences.

Will says I’m trying to understate the dramatic events of people’s lives and pass on that understanding.

I suspect my stories often fall short of that lofty goal, but if they allow us to think about our own lives and the lives of our neighbors a little more closely, than my mission has been accomplished.

Beginning today, the book can be purchased on Amazon. It can also be purchased through my publisher Something or Other Publishing. It will be at the usual retail outlets in the coming weeks - Ace Hardware, Battenkill Books and the Chapman Museum - and I hope to be out there again talking to you readers personally this fall and winter.

I think “The Last American Editor, Vol. 2” is just as good as the first book.

This community provided me with great material. So thank you for that.

Friday Night Lights has become the norm at local high schools like Glens Falls.

Friday night lights

I made my first pilgrimage to Glens Falls’ version of Friday night lights last week. The crowd did seem larger than previous Saturday afternoon games, but in the end I preferred being out in the sunshine than the chill of a fall night.

Glens Falls was up 47-0 at the half and I left at halftime.

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The beauty out on the lake is timeless and, thank goodness, never changes.

Another beautiful voyage

For years, it was our tradition to do a Columbus Day cruise on the Lac du Saint Sacrement on Lake George. But it has been a few years.

We renewed the tradition this weekend.

I’m happy to report the voyage is still as relaxing as ever. You never tire of the beauty of the lake, although we could not remember it ever being this green so late in the season.