Hi everyone,

Thank goodness that this is our long weekend this weekend. It's been a very busy week, with lots of things on and it's been nice not to have been so busy during the weekend. I think we all need a break here. Only two more weeks to the school holidays. James and I are certainly looking forward to them. Tim, on the other hand, is already on his semester break from University. Exams for him finished on Wednesday, and he doesn't go back now until mid July. However, he is working just about full time at the local supermarket, as he is trying to earn some more money to be able to buy a good computer system.

My only Waltons related news this week comes in the form of the Blue Ridge Chronicles which arrived in my post box. This is the newsletter of the Waltons Mountain Museum. If you need an address for this one, here it is:

Blue Ridge Chronicles,

Walton's Mountain Museum,

PO Box 124,

Schuyler, VA, 22969.

Anyway, a lovely front page article on the very happy news that Eric Scott has remarried his Cindy. As both of them have had partners dying from cancer, it is absolutely wonderful news that they have tied the knot and I'm sure we wish them a wonderful, full and happy life together. I expect little Ashley, Eric's daughter, is delighted with her Dad's choice too. It seems as though lots of Waltons people were at the wedding, with Earl Hamner, Michael Learned, Leslie Winston (Eric's other Cindy), Joe Conley and Mary McDonough all attending. Needless to say that good music was in order too, and Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison lent their talents for the occasion.

A congratulations notice also appears for Kami Cotler and husband Kim Howard, on the safe arrival of their daughter Callan Freya, born April 27th, 2000.

And on that happy note, I'll close my letter to you all. Till next week.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

In today's digest Karen, you gave the address for the Waltons International Fan Club as being in Ohio. Is this a different fan club newsletter than the one that Carolyn Grinnell does from North Carolina? Or has Carolyn given over the publishing to someone else?

Thanks, Nancy

KAREN'S COMMENT: Nancy it's the same fan club, but yes a different address to the one for Carolyn. It was taken from the latest newsletter so I'm assuming that someone has taken over the memberships part. If you want to get in touch with Carolyn, her mailing address is:

Waltons International Fan Club,

PO Box 1055,

Kernersville, NC, 27285.

Carolyn is still listed as being Editor.

Both The Milestone and The Rumor, which used the phone number 2346 were written by Kathleen Hite, so this may account for why the same number was used both times.

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: Interesting observation. Maybe that was the stock phone number she used.

Hi Karen and everyone!

It made me feel better to read that you get shut down without saving. It happens here, too, because I usually just type away and don't think to do so.

You were wondering about Debutante Balls. I live in Delaware, USA, and here they are only for the very rich girls when they really are presented to society. They are very lavish. Our high schools (grades 9 through 12), both public and private (tuition paid to attend a private school), have "Proms".

This word is taken from the meaning of "an opening grand march at a formal ball" for the word promenade. It is a formal dance at the end of the school year, either in late May or early June, where the young men wear tuxedos and the girls wear ball gowns, which now are sometimes short and not floor length. Some schools have both a Senior Prom, for those in grade 12, and a Junior Prom for those in grade 11. Other schools have a combination Jr.-Sr. Prom.

In Virginia where my grandson lives they have only one Prom. In the Texas area where my granddaughter lives they don't have them at all, but a club, or group within the school, has a formal dance which amounts to the same thing. In my day only the boys asked a girl to a Prom and no one went alone. Now they can go alone if they choose, both girls and guys, and the girl may ask a guy to go with her "as just friends" if they want to be sure to go with someone who will show them a good time.

My grandson is very active in many activities at his high school and has no time to give attention to a special or "steady" girl friend. Everyone is his friend. Before he could ask a girl to his prom one he had known since 8th grade asked him. He was flattered. She bought the dance ticket. He paid to take her to dinner beforehand at a very nice restaurant with two other couples they knew, and he bought her the type of wrist corsage that she said she wanted (white roses). All in all, it is an expensive affair! Some guys even rent a limousine for the evening. (He didn't.) They may go to the prom for their class with anyone of their choosing, and from any school -- not just one from their own class or school. Parents and teachers chaperone these dances, but they usually don't dance. My grandson says most boys have a fit if their parents agree to be chaperones because it is "embarrassing". He did agree to let his run the coat room, which was upstairs. Some schools hold them in the gymnasium at the school and others hold them at a hotel ball room or other large dance facility. His was at a dance club. I've not heard from my grand daughter if she went this year. She did last year and it was at a hotel ball room.

And about Memorial Day: it is always the last Monday in May in the U S. It always used to be on May 30th, no matter what day of the week that fell. Some years ago they changed it so it would be a 3 day weekend holiday, as they did with other non religious holidays except New Year's Day, July 4th (Independence Day), and Thanksgiving Day, which is the 4th Thursday of November and many places now give people a 4 day weekend holiday then. Other Monday holidays are President's Day in mid February, Labor Day the first Monday of September, and Veterans' Day in mid October. Memorial Day was originally set to honor all of the war dead from all wars, but many families honor other deceased family members as well. Veterans' Day honors all those who served in a war and lived to come home. The American Legion, a veterans' group, puts flags on all of the graves of all veterans who have died either in service or since serving, for both those holidays. Many communities have huge veterans cemeteries and there is the National Veteran's cemetery outside of Washington, D C. It takes a lot of paperwork (proof of service in a war) to have a veteran buried at the National cemetery, now.

School days are set here by the local and/or |State Board of Education. The State mandates the number of school days and the local Board usually sets the hours. Our high school kids go from 7:45 a m to 2:30 p m, with a half hour lunch at some point between 11:30 and 1:00 -- not all at lunch at the same time. The youngest children up through grade 4 go at 8:30 and get through about 3:30 and have "recess" time during the school day both morning and afternoon, usually 20 - 30 min. each. Those in middle school have schedules which are similar, but no recess. The school year ends by mid June and begins just before, or a day or two after, Labor Day. They have the usual national holidays plus 7 to 10 days at Christmas time and about a week at Easter, when the number days of usually depend upon if they have to make up days when school was closed due to heavy snow. Most schools build in 2 or 3 snow days and if they are not needed then they get out 2 or 3 days earlier in June. In Texas my grandchildren start school the middle of August and are out before Memorial Day.

University schedules are by quarters, or semesters, and they do not have as many classroom days. The Univ. of Delaware also has a winter session and two summer sessions, which are short concentrated sessions of 4 to 6 weeks in January and during the summer. Only one or two courses are taken at these short "sessions" but they are not required. Some students travel or do other things then, or have jobs to help pay their tuition. They graduate, usually in 4 years, when they get the required number of hours accumulated for a degree, no matter how many years they take to finish it.

More than enough from me! Thanks again for the great, and informative, newsletters on all sorts of subjects! I've been trying to figure out when you write them (day and time) and how long they take to get to the U S. Sometimes mine don't arrive until Monday, and other times they come on Saturday. (I think there is a 16 hour time difference between Eastern Standard Time here and your time, but at the present we are on summer "daylight time", which lasts April through October.) Best wishes to all!

C. J.

KAREN'S COMMENT: C.J., I have now learned to save and up to your letter I think I have saved about 4 times! Probably a case of overkill, but I'm not about to take chances again. Very frustrating when the computer suddenly shuts off the program you're using, telling you it's found an error.

What a fantastic lot of information...thank you. Our primary schools and secondary schools all run about the same times, usually 9 to 3.30, although some go to 3. As a teacher, I'm expected there from 8.30 to 3.45, but my hours are usually a bit earlier and I tend to come home at about 5 or so. Depends a bit on the weather. We get about 45 minutes for lunch and one half hour break for morning recess. I think James would prefer the early start, early finish though. Being a senior student, he finishes at lunch time one day a week and enjoys that a lot. Gives him time to catch up on things.

Like your grandson, CJ, James is a bit too busy with extra activities to find time for a girlfriend, and tends to have lots of friends, who all go out in a group. In fact he is going to a formal ball as a friend of two girls from a private school near us. They all became friends when James appeared in their school musical earlier this year as the school didn't have enough boys. Anyway, this formal is being held at a ballroom which is part of a restored theatre complex in Melbourne. The Ballroom is actually underneath the theatre/stage area. They have done a wonderful job restoring the theatre, so I'm sure that the Ballroom is just as magnificent.

Memorial Day sounds like our Anzac Day. It's interesting how two cultures can be so similar, yet so different in such a lot of ways too. Thanks again for the letter, and to others who took the time to write about your school days and how it all works.

Karen: I enjoyed your last newsletter and thought I would respond to a few of your questions. I think that the wealthier in the US still have Deb balls(?). We don't hear much about them though. Our high schools (gr. 9-12) all have semi formal and formal dances(proms-reserved for 11 & 12 gr.). No one is really "presented". The students spend way too much $$ on everything (clothes, hair, flowers, limos) for 1 night. The Debutante ball I would have loved (being more Erin-like, myself)! On Memorial Day we remember all the service people who lost their lives in the line of duty, defending our country. And lastly, we school teachers do not get paid throughout the summer (unless we are 12 month employees i.e. administrators). We are not exactly the most well respected, but it is getting better. Yes, we take a lot of ribbing about having summers off and having an easy job. To that I respond that anyone should come and spend the day and do my work.

Hours vary. My daughter (in 11th gr) starts classes @ 7:15 am and is done @ 1:45pm. My day @ a different HS starts @7:45 & ends @2:30. But, of course, we have to stay on past the students and if we have clubs or sports, it lengthens the day. After teaching for 27 years, I don't take much work home with me. I teach Family & Consumer Science (cooking, sewing, child dev.). I love hearing about your life in Australia. Thank you again.

Nina

KAREN'S COMMENT: Glad you enjoy hearing about our Aussie lifestyle. I can tell you know that it is one of the coldest winters (and wettest) we've had here for quite some time.

Hi! I'm writing to you from England, UK. I've just discovered your Waltons Website and found it full of interesting news and articles. I've been a huge fan of The Waltons since they first aired the episodes here in the 70's. It was the one show that I could watch with my parents while growing up since it had no bad language, sex or violence. Now I have kids of my own and they too have grown up watching the Waltons! This show truly does cross the time barrier and still retains the magical quality I so fondly remember from my youth.

We still get 'The Waltons' here every Saturday at noon along with Little House on The Prairie (another one of my all time favourites!).

Anyway, I'd love to be included in your mailing list and hope that you will get round to replying me. I look forward to hearing from you. Oh by the way my name is Lubna and I live in a suburb just outside London, UK.

Oh, one more thing before I forget Richard Thomas (John Boy) was in a sequel to 'Little House on The Prairie' - called 'Beyond the Prairie' - He played the part of Charles Ingalls (Laura's Pa). Did anyone see it? - it was really good and Richard Thomas played the part so well.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Welcome Lubna. I thought I'd add your letter as an introduction. Did you get to see Richard Thomas in Art? Many of us have been lucky enough to see Richard in Beyond the Prairie, although it hasn't been shown on TV here in Australia yet. I enjoyed it a lot.

Hi Karen, and all -

It's Robin from Ohio. I haven't written in ages, but I'm still enjoying reading all your messages. I wonder if anyone else ever noticed this:

Tonight I'm watching the second part of the episode where Elizabeth falls from the log pile and breaks her legs. In one scene where Mama, Daddy, Grandpa and Jim-Bob are visiting her, Elizabeth mentions all the flowers that Ben has brought her. Grandpa says, "He must have bought out all the flower shops between Lynchburg and Schuyler." As many of you know, Schuyler is the 'real' Waltons Mountain. I had the good fortune to visit there briefly a few years ago with my husband. Has anyone ever heard them mention Schuyler on the series before? I may not be spelling it right.

Anyway, keep up the good work, Karen. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Robin

KAREN'S COMMENT: Wow you've got great ears. I'd never noticed that before. I guess there really is a Lynchburg too? No doubt someone will let us (me!!) know.

Hi everyone !

There are just a couple of things....

First, Karen, I live in the midwest and there aren't debutante balls or "coming out" parties in the small towns or rural areas here. However, I live just across the river from St. Louis , Missouri ...a large city, and I have seen print ups of them in the paper there.. I suppose it's more of an "upper class" thing around here . Funny...

Next , someone mentioned that Ellen Corby was on the I LOVE LUCY show. So, just thought i'd add to the collection of her credits .....I'm a huge fan of the Andy Griffith show and have bought a few of the tapes, happily i discovered that there is an episode called "Barney's first car" # 90 air date April 1 , 1963 . Ellen plays an old widow who sells Barney Fife a "lemon" of a car!!! As always it was just neat to see a Walton in another role!

The weather here in the St. Louis metro area has been great! Sunny and about 80 degrees. Although this can be prime storm and tornado weather.

Can't wait to read the next digest ! Bye for now!

Sincerely,

Judy

KAREN'S COMMENT: I had always believed that Debutante Balls were a thing of the upper classes too, when young ladies were presented as now being allowed to socialise, but here it has definitely taken on new meanings with many schools, churches and groups having them. Thanks for adding your Ellen sighting.

Hi Karen,

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy getting the Digest. It is such a pleasure to know I'm not the only Walton fan out there. I love reading everyone's comments, and am amazed at all of the details I learn about the show.

I have a question that I'm hoping someone out there may know the answer to. I was wondering how many books there are in the series of books that Whitman published in the 70's about the Waltons?

Goodnight everyone!

Karen

KAREN'S COMMENT: This is one I can answer Karen. There were 6 from memory. Check it out on my site, under the Memorabilia section. They are all pictured there.