Compiled by Marie Elium
Breaking Records:
Son of Ghoul’s Wild TV Ride
Forty years isn’t a lifetime in television; It’s four lifetimes, and the names that have reached that summit are part of an exclusive club. They include Dorothy Fuldheim, Dick Goddard, “Big Chuck” Schodowski and… Keven Scarpino?
It’s true. For more than four decades, Scarpino has hosted his weekly movie show behind a phony beard as the costumed horror host Son of Ghoul, and he’s still going strong. In that time, he has never been off the air even for one week, and the Guinness World Record Register is determining who might have even come close to that run.
Inspired by Ernie “Ghoulardi” Anderson, Scarpino’s show runs twice a week on WIVM-TV with B-movies and a healthy dose of blue-collar humor. Some might consider the show low-brow entertainment, but that’s also the way folks described Lenny Bruce, Sam Kinison and Frank Zappa.
Plenty of people tune in, week after week, to see Son of Ghoul and flock to his personal appearances. Scarpino interviewed an impressive list of guests, including The Monkees, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Paul McCartney, to name a few.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Stevie Ray Vaughn was a fan and friend, giving Scarpino concert tickets and backstage passes. All Vaughn asked in return were DVDs of the Son of Ghoul show for the tour bus.
Today, Scarpino is the focus of a new book, “Forty Years Behind the Beard – The Bizarre Journey of the Son of Ghoul” (Bear Manor Media).
What’s in the future? Nothing lasts forever, but as Scarpino puts it, “As long as folks want to see the Son of Ghoul, I’ll keep giving them what they want.”
—Mike Olszewski
What are You Reading?
Start with These
I’m a cluster reader; I go months without a good book, then stumble upon two or three that I can’t put down. Locked in, I become buried in a word-drunk daze, resurfacing days later. If you toggle between feast or famine with your reading choices, a good book list is a perfect way to narrow the field.
We reached out to Jason Lea of the Mentor Public Library for his summer book recommendations. Let us know what you think.
Such A Perfect Family by Nalini Singh
A man’s death-ridden history comes to light when someone burns down the home of his new wife, killing her parents and stabbing her. How can the killer be brought to justice when everyone, including the police, thinks it is him?
Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan
This is a murder mystery with a sweet, ghostly romance at the center.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
The first book in a portal fantasy where Maggie the Undying ends up being transported to the land of her favorite book series. Even though she knows the secret histories, thoughts and motivations of the main characters in the story, surviving (even when you are undying) is not easy.
Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik
Riela, an untrained mage, is sent into the forest to stop a creature from killing her fellow villagers. Death is now stalking her. Will the trapped, lonely elven king take pity on her?
We Burned so Bright by TJ Klune
In a month, a black hole will envelop the earth. Don and Rodney have had 40 long years together and — to take care of unfinished business — the couple take a cross — country trip, meeting people who are handling the impending end of the world in various ways.
Editor’s Picks:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
A social media influencer who idealizes traditional 19th-century homestead life, but with a team of nannies, tutors and assistants behind the scenes, suddenly finds herself back in 1855. The reality is much more difficult than the sanitized version she presented to her followers.
Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy
The author of “Dopesick” digs into the fractured relationships and uncomfortable reality of her hometown of Urbana, Ohio to understand the factors that have led to sharp political division among her friends and family still there. Her memoir gives context to the distrust of government, education, and life outside a small rural city.
—Marie Elium
If You Like Trains,
This is Your Summer
Union Pacific’s famed Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, will journey to the East Coast to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, landing in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July.
The routes both to Philadelphia and back out West afterward go through Northeast Ohio, with public stops and plenty of opportunities to see the massive steam engine as it makes its way through cities and long stretches of farmland.
The 1941 engine was built to haul heavy freight between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Ogden, Utah. Stops on the way back West include June 8 in Lorain and Euclid, July 12 in Struthers, then on July 13, it will travel on Norfolk Southern tracks throughout northeast Ohio, both on its way to Philadelphia and on its return trip back West.
Stops in Ohio include Lorain, Euclid and Rocky River. You can find the schedule and more information on Union Pacific’s website.
Farmers Markets:
Who’s Selling & When
We’re in the thick of strawberry season, with the blueberries following close behind. And if that’s all you know about Ohio’s produce, that’s okay — We’ve got your covered.
Nothing beats a great farmers market, but it helps to know when and where to find one. We’ve got an updated list on our website at northeastohiothrive.com
