So, what about all these odd ball names for foods, towns, cities and marquee church signs?

Take, for instance, Buffalo wings. Now, why would chicken wings be called this? I see no relevance between a buffalo and a chicken. Or, how about hush puppies? There is certainly no connection between a fish and a puppy dog. And speaking of dogs, why in the world was that sandwich pinned with such a non-related name?

If you look in the food section of Facebook you often see “Pig In A Blanket” menus. I have never seen a pig wrapped in a blanket but I have seen a pig selling insurance in a TV commercial. I saw several pot liker recipes and they all seemed to fit right in with Facebook menus, no animal tags attached. In fact, we use these tasty pot liker servings quite often. They are real good.

When it comes to towns and cities, many big cities in America have identifying nicknames. For instance, New Orleans is known as the Crescent City and New York is referred to as The Big Apple. Cincinnati is called the Queen City, Los Angeles is known as The City of Angels and Las Vegas is often referred to as Sin City. Detroit is called The Motor City and Chicago is known as The Windy City. Boston is referred to as The Hub.

Down south, Birmingham is referred to as The Pittsburgh of the South, Atlanta is Hotlanta, Dothan is referred to as Peanut Capital of the World, Jacksonville is Where Florida Begins and Tuscaloosa is known as The Capstone. But the city name I really like is Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is called The Sweetest City.

So why am I writing in such a non-nostalgic manner this week? Here is why. I learned this week that quiz show contestants are asked questions similar to these prior to being accepted to appear on TV quiz programs. Wheel Of Fortune, especially, uses subjects like these before selecting their participants. I just did not want my readers to be unprepared (is that a word?) in the event the opportunity to appear on a quiz show arises.

Then, there are those marquee church signs.
During my Army days, I remember on our travels to and from home to Ft. Benning and Ft. Jackson, Ouida wiled away the time catching glimpses of church signs. “I Have Never Watched The Ed Sullivan Show” was posted in front of a church in Aiken, South Carolina. This meant, of course, that this pastor was always in his pulpit on those Sunday nights the Sullivan show was aired.

Other signs that caught our eyes were “God Expects Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts,” “Every Day Above Ground Is A Good One,” “Get Your Out of Hell FREE Card Here” and “If The Truth Hurts Then It is Working.”

Today’s church signs would be “Sunday 9-11 AM … Tebow 316 Yards … John 3-16” and “God Is Our Wireless Provider.”

Some old sayings not normally heard these days are bus left, slow as molasses, dumb as a stump, closing the barn door after it is too late and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Finally, here are some matchups you may know … or may not know.

Glass Airplane; Tonto; Billy Batson; Melts in your mouth not in your hands; Yes it always whispers to me; Just do it; Lives in the “Skull” in the jungle; Chester Gould; Lamont Cranston; Leonard Slye; Champion; Cattle Call; It is Better to Build Boys than Mend Men; Wood Choppers Ball; I Shall Return; Let’s Ride, Cato; When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain; and Evelyn and Her Magic Violin.

These are the answers: Captain Marvel, Horace Heidt, Dick Tracy, Roy Rogers, Woody Herman, The Phantom, The Shadow, Eddy Arnold, Kate Smith, The Lone Ranger, Wonder Woman, Lowell McGill, M&Ms, Nike, Gene Autry, Douglas MacArthur, The Hour of Charm and The Green Hornet. Can you match them up?

Next week, I’ll have more news of people, places and events from days gone by.

You can email Lowell McGill at exam@frontiernet.net.