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Category Archives: music

August 18, 2026 · 12:16 pm

Play Ball!

(I’m pictured above as M. Edgerton, second from left, bottom row)

As this publication hits mailboxes throughout Lycoming County, youth baseball teams from all over the world, regional marching bands, colorful floats and special guests will soon participate in the Little League Grand Slam Parade, headed down West Fourth Street in Williamsport to the delight of onlookers packing the sidewalks. I can attest to the fact that this is a terrific parade each and every year, only to be superseded by the talent displayed on the ballfields in the weeks to follow.

It surely takes a special kind of athlete to advance to the level exhibited at the Little League World Series (LLWS) held in South Williamsport each August. I can’t imagine the determined effort and commitment from players, coaches and parents alike in order to wind up here in the waning days of summer. It takes an extraordinary kind of village, indeed.

I’m not sure if I ever rose to such heights as a shortstop, but I did, in fact, play Little League baseball as a 12-year-old on a boys’ team. I was one of only two girls in my hometown to meet the qualifications back in 1974 (to my knowledge)—the first year that girls were allowed to play nationwide. It was the perfect pastime for a tomboy like me. What’s odd is that I was apparently so wrapped up in playing the infield and stealing second base that I never knew the LLWS existed, in spite of the fact that the games were played only about an hour’s drive from my hometown. The important thing, I suppose, was that I truly loved the game and wanted nothing more than to play.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered that only one of our three children wanted to play baseball. The highlight that I remember most vividly from our oldest daughter’s experience was when she fielded a ball, threw it to first base and then completed a perfect cartwheel there in the infield. Granted, it was only Tee-ball, but her feat was certainly something to remember.

Thing One and Thing Two, by contrast, wanted nothing to do with baseball, or softball for that matter. I think they humored us, in large part, by participating in youth soccer, basketball and swimming for a number of years. Eventually, they expressed that they just weren’t cut out for sports and much preferred throwing themselves into their true passion—music.

And so, it began—purchasing expensive instruments followed by private music lessons, camps and hours upon hours of practice. In the end, I guess it wasn’t all that different from investing time, money and effort into a sport. Although my husband and I raised our youngest children without much influence from athletics (not for a lack of trying) and they followed their hearts along a musical path instead, both ended up performing in stadiums for thousands of people anyway.

One of them was a Penn State Blue Band member, performing in football stadiums all over the country throughout her college years. The other sang the National Anthem at Lamade Stadium before a packed crowd at a LLWS game. The irony here isn’t lost on me. They had come full circle and found a way to entertain people on an athletic field—just not the way I had imagined. The funny part was that the daughter singing for a crowd of 20,000+ had to ask where the pitcher’s mound was. I, of course, was in disbelief—but proud nonetheless, just as scores of parents from all over the world who are about to witness the Series will swell with pride for their kids on the field.

Play ball!

Welcome to my world. It’s where I live (looking forward to watching lots of LLWS games). Visit me there at www.melindawentzel.com. Signed books are available on Etsy at PlanetMomMarket.

I’m with the Band

Since our kids abandoned us and went off to college, my husband and I really miss the noise in our household. Sounds almost inconceivable, but it’s true. They had friends over frequently and we miss their noise, too. Really, we do—because they were delightful. There were countless Halloween parties, marching band sectional get-togethers, musical cast gatherings and just ordinary meetups for snacks and shenanigans around our kitchen island and sprawled across our back deck. I remember a veritable din of music and laughter emanating from what can only be described as a small herd of high schoolers, and I remember wishing it would never end.

I pine for the kids, of course, but mostly it’s the music they created that I long to hear once more. To say that our home was filled with music is an understatement, largely because of the encouragement and tutelage of Aegina and Bobby Leidhecker, Amanda Haney, Lee Saville-Iksic, Donna Elkin, Miki Rebeck, Ryan Bulgarelli, Jared Whitford, Meg McQue and Dr. William Ciabattari. Our twins ended up being music education majors so someone was always singing or playing an instrument at all hours throughout their middle and high school years. I’ll never forget witnessing them playing a riff from “Smoke on the Water” as fifth graders in the middle of our kitchen floor. Seriously. That happened.

My favorites of all time, though, were listening to the French horn as well as vocals accompanied by the strums of a ukelele. I’m sad to say that part of me took this beautiful soundtrack of our lives for granted. Somehow, I thought it would always be there, a constant in the background. Now the house is quiet, and they’re off on their own in the world, adulting, mostly.

Since the “free concerts” we’ve enjoyed inside our house have been egregiously discontinued, my husband and I have had to settle for the next best thing—attending concerts outside the house. Of course, this isn’t exactly a new thing for us, but it’s something we’ve certainly done more of lately. We’ve seen everything from Brahms Requiem at Carnegie Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra and Uptown Music Collective to Tom Petty, B.B. King, Smokey Robinson, Fleetwood Mac, the Stones and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Needless to say, we’re music appreciators and we have eclectic taste.

And although we continue to enjoy a variety of music, our priorities have changed somewhat over the years. Earplugs are more important than ever and if we forget them, we wad up tissues and jam them into our ears. Decades ago, we never would have dreamed of doing that. The louder, the better was our motto. Never mind that we couldn’t hear for three days. And now that we’re suffering the consequences of our own actions, we regret not taking better care of our precious ears. I remember distinctly watching an overhead light shatter and fall to the floor during an Alice Cooper concert because it was DEAFENING. And almost without fail, I can feel the music resonating deep within my chest even if it’s not rock ‘n’ roll.

Another change we’ve observed is that we’re not necessarily the youngsters attending anymore. Sometimes we’re smack in the middle of the pack, while other times we’re surrounded by throngs of people who likely color their grays and carry AARP cards. Nevertheless, and no matter the age, it proves once again that music is the great uniter.

That said, we met some lovely people who sat near us at a Collective Soul concert recently and remarked how similar our taste in music was. What’s amusing is how I ended up there in the F. M. Kirby Center on a Tuesday night in the first place. It’s because I held a grudge. For 30 years. I know it’s juvenile, but I couldn’t help myself. You see, my husband invited some friends’ teenage son (who was a musician himself and slightly obsessed with the band) to see them perform in their heyday over 30 years ago. I, of course, was also slightly obsessed with the band, but did not score tickets. Hence, the grudge.

Lo and behold, my husband redeemed himself by gifting me tickets to see the very same band, albeit three whole decades later. Better late than never, I guess.

Welcome to my world. It’s where I live (probably listening to music of some kind). Visit me there at www.Facebook.com/NotesFromPlanetMom. Signed books are available on Etsy at PlanetMomMarket.