Zelienople News Weekly, October 31, 2002, Letters

Dream on Carter

It’s been several months since Ron Carter first made public his idea about buying the Strand Theater in Zelienople.

I had wanted to write this letter earlier, but with all the ugly things going on in our world, I put it on the back burner.

I grew up considering Zelienople my hometown. I graduated from Zelie High and always took pride in the town.

I spent many an evening at the Strand Theater with my friends, and later with my nieces.

I saw Gloria Nalevanko going up and down those aisles quieting the rowdies – or trying to quiet them.

It was a great place to go with friends, and the theater holds many memories.

The problem I have is with the remarks of Zelienople Councilman Jim Zeigler.

To sit there and tell Carter that his plan is a dream is absurd.

Zeigler has made his livelihood from the folks in and around Zelienople with a business that his father was involved in, probably at least 50 to 60 years ago.

I don’t know if his father started the business or if it had long been in the family.

My point is this: Was the Zeigler business a sure thing when it got started, or was it a dream?

I would think that it was a dream, and happened to be a dream come true – a successful business.

I would like to wish Carter much success with his “dream”. I’ve had dreams before; some have come true and some haven’t.

Maybe I didn’t work hard enough for all of them to come true.

That would have been my fault, not because someone told me that it was a pipe dream and never would happen.

If Carter’s dream does come true, I hope he will allow me to be the first to buy a ticket. I will give it to Zeigler. Success is a journey, not a destination.

I hope Carter will enjoy his journey.