Know how much you love those Seinfeld reruns?
(NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!)

That's right, my fellow Dell rats! The graffiti is on the wall. The robot got it right in my last post when he warned that Shady Dell Music & Memories is coming to an end. It is!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
But wait a minute.....dry your eyes, honey chile!
As it turns out Dr. Smith was right, too! It's full speed ahead for Shady Dell Music & Memories in 2011 and beyond!

The first chapter of Shady Dell Music & Memories comes to an end with this post, but an exciting new chapter is about to begin! Starting with my next post on Saturday, January 1st, I will be presenting the best of the old and the new. I'll be digging into the archives and reposting evergreens that many of you will be seeing for the first time. There will also be plenty of fresh content including breaking news updates about the Dell, its renovation and its sale, new information about the Dell's history and more vintage photos as they become available. I will also be following new threads provided or inspired by readers like you!
Let me assure you that I have no intention of abandoning the blog or my loyal readers. I will not resort to phoning it in. I won't lose interest and let weeds grow. I will be right here to keep the discussion going as long as there are Dell rats like you who care and want to share.
I have chosen to end this amazing year by letting my friends and followers know who I am, what I stand for, and where I'm coming from. This special Unmasking post is the culmination of a two-and-a-half year fight to save the Dell from demolition and to prevent the Dell and John and Helen Ettline from permanently fading into obscurity. I believe theirs is a story is worth telling. Theirs is a legacy worth preserving.

A few days ago I introduced some of the kind and generous people who helped to make Shady Dell Music & Memories a success. Now, I would like to introduce myself.

Damn!......
what the???.....
Don't tell me.....
Not another blasted
uploader malfunction!
Please scroll down.
More...
More...
More...

an exhibitionist and it was never my intention to become an escribitionist. For that reason I chose to remain anonymous and let Shady Del Knight do the talking for me.

an ambassador of goodwill, a purveyor of fun and frolic. Shady Del Knight is greater than me, greater than all of us. He symbolizes the Dell spirit that remains alive inside us through our adult years. He represents all Dell rats past and present, the living and the dead. Do you believe in magic?
I do. I also believe in Shady Del Knight. He inspires and empowers me. I hope that he will continue to have the
same effect on you.

Luckily for you this is the first and only time that I will disclose my real name or post pictures of myself. I promise that I will not be showing home movies of my second cousin's wedding reception or slides of my visit to Branson! The only excuse I have for boring you with my photos now is because many of you have pestered me repeatedly to post them!
Figure 3-b should serve as a friendly reminder.
Be careful what you wish for!
__________________________________________________
Figure 3-b
March 2010:
I delivered the keynote address
at the Tony Robbins Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California.

"Be Rat Here Rat Now:
Breaking Through to
Rat Thinking and Rat Living."
By the way, Tony, thanks for puttin' the
Vulcan Mind Meld on me. It worked! I expanded my chain of Kool-Aid stands, rode an elevator for the first time, and let a clown kiss me on the cheek. Baby steps, big guy! Rat on, rat on!
___________________________________________________
Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's hit rewind and go all the way back to the beginning. Here, in pictures and words, are some highlights of my youth. As Bill Cosby once said,
"I started out as a child."
July 1950

1952

Christmas 1956

1959

During my childhood I enjoyed:
* watching stock car races at Susquehanna Speedway...
* movies at the Stoney Brook and Lincoln drive-in theaters...
* the York Interstate Fair...
I got a basketball jones by age 10 and won a free throw shooting tournament at age 11.
1962

During the early 1960's I enjoyed:
* swimming and girl watching at Zimmy's, Wise Haven & Playland...
* bowling and hanging out at Suburban Bowlerama...
* watching Orioles baseball with Chuck ("Crabs & Bo") Thompson...
* Pete the Pirate on WBAL...
* P.W. Doodle on WBAL...
* The Buddy Deane Show on WJZ...
* and American Bandstand!
1965

During the mid 1960's I also enjoyed:
* making the scene at The Oaks and other regional dance clubs.
* frequenting Bud's Drive-in on Violet Hill.
* listening to WSBA radio and deejay Ralph Lockwood.
* Ed Hurst's Steel Pier Show...
* The Lloyd Thaxton Show...
* Where the Action Is.
1966
During my mid teens I also loved:
* Rutter's banana splits & shakes and those great big pretzel rods!
* Gino Giants
* cruisin' the East York loop from Gino's to Avalong Dairy Drive-in.
Summer 1966
In addition to raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these were a few more of my favorite things:
* watching Batman...
* Geator's Discophonic Scene...
* The Monkees...
* late dinner/early breakfast at The Ram (York's Ramona restaurant)...
* catching the latest Russ Meyer flix at the Trail.
(Sorry, mom...the guys made me go!)
June 1969

* watching The Hy Lit Show...
* Philadelphia Warriors Roller Derby...
* The Banana Splits Show. (Tra-la-la!)
September 1970
During my college years
my interests included:
* amateur moviemaking...
* vacationing in
Myrtle Beach, SC...
* watching Philly horror host Doctor Shock.
(R.I.P. Shocky Doc!)
IN CONCLUSION:

Mad Magazine. Writing and publishing it has been challenging, rewarding, cathartic, and loads of fun.
I learned a lot about the Dell, about Helen and John, and about myself. I met some wonderful people along the way and forged new friendships.



Through this blog I have tried to reach back into the past, grab those memories and bring 'em back alive so that they could be reexperienced, not just studied in a detached manner like ancient history.
With each new post I have tried to entertain as well as inform, to leave you with something to think about and something to smile about.



If there's one thing above all else that I would like you to remember about John and Helen Ettline, it is that they were two of the most generous people you would ever want to meet.


Although John and Helen had no children of their own, they treated all of their young Dell guests like family.

They made us feel important
and special.
They gave us
a sense of belonging.
Shady Dell Music & Memories is dedicated to the memory of John and Helen Ettline.

I would also like to dedicate this blog to the memory of my high school friend and Dell rat buddy Dale Gill who was right by my side during many of the Dell experiences that I have shared with you. Gilly, you were a great pal and
I miss you!
In the end I think the most important lesson I learned
by going to the Dell is tolerance.

a grand experiment...a model...a microcosm of society.


Oh, yes it does!
The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker
The doctor, the teacher, the lawyer and the preacher
It takes the typist, the chauffeur, talkin' 'bout the
real estate broker
The dancer, the singer, the square and the swinger
When will we learn to live together like sisters and brothers?
When will we turn...the tide of hate to loving each other?
Come on and get it together
Open up your mind and you'll discover
That it takes all kinds of people to make a world...
Here's what I learned about Dell rats:

* Dell rats were made of sturdy stuff.

* Dell rats were tough on the outside...tender on the inside.
Dell rats loved:
* Sweet soul music
* Blue-eyed soul
* Churchy, gospel-tinged love ballads
* Classic 1950's
doo-wop
* Blue collar working class anthems
* Seasonal sounds
* Novelty tunes
* Dell rats were not hung up on superstars, supergroups
or million selling hits.
* Dell rats had an affinity for struggling artists and obscure songs that told the truth.
* Dell rats identified with the underdog.
* Dell rats respected the traditions of their Dell predecessors.
* Dell rats respected John and Helen Ettline.




As I noted from the beginning, this blog wasn't only about the Dell. It was about all things York and York County during the 1950's and 60's. Baltimore and Philly, too!

I loved to go there and ride the merry-go-round and participate in cake walks inside the large pavilion. Years later, I was back at the park when it evolved into The Oaks and hosted weekend dances.

As the end of that video reminds us and as our own Dell Rats Jerre Slaybaugh and Lynn B. explained, many kids capped off a Friday or Saturday night by swinging by the Dell, a teen hideaway that stayed open until the last patron left.
To avoid hassles at home, many kids kept their nocturnal Dell visits a secret. Although the Oaks was somewhat notorious in its own right, at least it had a better reputation than the Dell. Real or imagined, the Oaks was considered safer than the Dell because there was police security on the premises. When the Spring Garden Township cruiser pulled into the Dell parking lot it was never an encouraging sign.

all know John was a one man swat team who carried a billy club and could take on any bully. Admittedly, there were a few at the Dell. That's why many parents didn't mind if their kids went to the Oaks. They considered the Oaks to be the lesser of two evils, a choice they could live with if it kept their offspring away from the G-D Dell!
Some moms and dads even drove their kids to the Oaks and dropped them off for the evening without worry. I didn't see many parents dropping their kids off at the Dell. Chester and Peg didn't want Babs to come home pregnant or Junior to become a hoodlum. "Stay away from that den of iniquity," most parents warned, "or you're grounded for life!"

I believe that I chose the Dell precisely because it did not earn the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval!
So what if the Dell failed to win the endorsement of parents, teachers and clergy? At that point in my life I didn't want safe. I wanted adventure. I wanted to test myself. I wanted the Dell!

Damn right, mister...and proud of it!

Stand up and be counted!

Be true to the Dell!
When some loud braggart tries to put me down
And says his hangout is great
I tell him right away
"Now what's the matter buddy
Ain't you heard of the Dell?
It's number one in the state!"
So be true to the Dell now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to the Dell now
And let your colors fly (black and blue)
Be true to the Dell!
Spread the word...the Rat Pack is back!

Click on the music clip below, scroll down, change a few of the lyrics, and sing along with me to “Shady, Shady Nights!”
Whoo! Here's a little song for all you Dell rats out there
People try to take my soul away
But I don't hear the rap that they all say
They try to tell us we don't belong
That's alright, we're millions strong
This is my music, it makes me proud
These are my people and this is my crowd
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights
Sometimes days are so hard to survive, oh yeah
A million ways to bury you alive, hey!
The sun goes down like a bad bad dream
You're wound up tight, gotta let off steam
They say they can break you again and again
If life is a radio, turn it up to ten!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, whoa!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, cmon!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, yeah, woo!
And they try to tell us that we don't belong
But that's alright, we're millions strong
You are my people, you are my crowd
This is our music, WE LOVE IT LOUD!!!
Yeah, and nobody's gonna change me, 'cos that's who I am, oooh!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, whoa yeah!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, whoa!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, yeah yeah!
These are Shady, Shady, Shady, Shady nights, hey!
(Keep repeating that chant forever, Dell rats!)

but for nearly half a century the Shady Dell was the
greatest hangout in York,
the best in the state,
best in the U.S.A.,
best in the world,
what else ya got?
The Dell was and will always be Number One with a bullet.
Every true Dell rat knows it!
I urge you to remember and put into practice the teachings of our intrepid leader, Shady Del Knight.



Remember the Dell rat credo:
Never grow up...
never grow old!
“You can’t live in the past,” the skeptics will advise you. Don’t listen! Ask yourself, "what's so great about the present anyway?" The past, after all, is where all your good stuff is kept -
your youthful energy, your optimism, your enthusiasm,
your childlike curiosity, your mojo. Tap into those things every day. Let them empower you!
Get up, get into it, get involved!
Let's shout and turn the joint out!
If you want to combat the aging process and avoid hardening of the attitudes you must declare war!



See that hydrotherapy control panel thingy over there, Chief?



29 months ago when I started Shady Dell Music & Memories, Shady Del Knight wrote:
More than a place...
the Shady Dell was
and will forever remain
a state of mind.

I promised myself that I would remain in a Shady Dell
state of mind all my life.

Once a Dell rat...always a Dell rat!
Thank you, Helen.
Thank you, John.
Thanks to all of you, my dear friends!

Bless you all...
and may all your days be Shady ones!

Tom Anderson
A little
traveling music,
Sammy!