The Ringing Sideshow
MAJOR TEX ELLIS: “I’m the planning officer for the Salvation Army Citadel Corp and the fellow that’s in charge of 99 percent of the bellringing in the area. Things are going fairly well…although at last count we were probably lagging 15 percent behind last year at this time.”
JOHN EDWARDS: “I’m a bellringer for the Salvation Army…trying to get people in the spirit…the spirit of giving and of love. Different bellringers have different styles. I just — I came out last year and I just picked up a tune, and I have a number of different tunes that I play; I stay out here for so long. (He demonstrates “Jingle Bells” with his handbell) …and I try to change up so people won’t hear the same sounding bell all the time…because every bellringer’s different.”
MAJOR ELLIS: “Some are quiet, some are loud. Some love it. Some love it a little less. It’s a hard clientele to put together every year. You never know until you get out there…”
JOHN EDWARDS: “We got some who come out here and dance. Some who come out here and sing. That’s the one you should interview.”
DELORIS: “I’ve been ringing the bells for about 7 years. Enjoy it very much and the children. And glad to have — be able to help — because it’s a good cause (laughs). I stuttered a little bit… Well, I got this one here (rings her handbell) and this one here (rings her jingling bells). This one the kids enjoy — ringing this one (laughs again). But the one guy sings. I don’t got (sic) a good voice, so I don’t get into the singing… but he gets into it. Sings all day!”
JIMMY HENRY: (Singing “Happy Holidays”…with a rainy day twist…”Rain drops keep falling on your head right now!”) …Oh, my name is Jimmy…Jimmy Henry…and I’m here at The Summit, ringing the bells at this Christmastime, chasing frowns out of town and help putting smiles on peoples’ faces while we (sic) trying to raise money for The Salvation Army and filling up this kettle… and I’m doing my best even on this rainy day. (Then, sings) Happy Holidays to you!”
MAJOR ELLIS: “Jimmy is a very extraverted individual. Beautiful personality. Loves to play with the kids out there. Even the adults as well. Jimmy’s been our top bellringer for quite sometime.”
JIMMY HENRY: (Aside to shoppers) “Welcome to Parisian. Where you’re somebody special! Happy Holidays! I work in the parking deck for the VA Hospital and ringing bells for The Salvation Army. One day I was ringing and it felt like something wanted to jump out of my mouth…until I got out of my comfort zone…and I’ve been singing and ringing ever since. Haven’t been able to shut up yet! (Belts out the song, “Amen”)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ attorney cross-examines Cassie Ventura for the first time
An attorney asked Ventura a series of questions about Ventura admittedly feeling jealous during her relationship with Combs and Ventura begrudgingly planning parts of their sex life.
Dick’s Sporting Goods is buying Foot Locker for $2.4 billion
Together, the two retailers will have to wade the choppy waters of new tariffs on imports, including footwear. And they'll face the growing competition from shoe brands selling directly to shoppers.
Denver air traffic controllers had 2-minute communications outage, FAA official says
The outage in Colorado comes amid increasing scrutiny on the nation's main aviation agency following outages at Newark Liberty International Airport in recent weeks.
DHS asks for 20,000 National Guard troops to assist in deportations
If approved, the move would be the first time Guard troops at the national level have been asked to assist in the removal of migrants in the U.S. without legal status.
In Abu Dhabi, Trump makes first visit to a mosque as president
While it's common for U.S. presidents to visit churches, only a few have made official visits to mosques.
Could calligraphy help with anxiety? This study aims to find out
People have a lot of strategies for dealing with anxiety – medication, therapy or exercise, for instance. But a new study explored a different method – calligraphy.
