Vince LaBarbera

March 14, 2025 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

The Madness Of March

March was the name of the first month in the original Roman calendar. Along with January, May and June, March is one of several months named after a god.The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, is traditionally credited with adding January and February . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

January 31, 2025 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Celebrate National Work Naked Day!

The designated National Day is on the first Friday of the month, February 7. If you’re reading this after that date – you missed it! But, you can still participate at home any day. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

January 17, 2025 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Get Ready To… Do Nothing

Did you celebrate National “Do Nothing Day”on January 16? This day is an ode to all the couch potatoes out there, providing them with a guilt-free excuse to embrace their inner sloth and avoid any form of productivity by grabbing their favorite . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

December 19, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Oooohhh Christmas Tree!

“O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches…” But when my wife and I hear those lyrics, while charming, we recall some harrowing memories. That’s because when we hear the carol about the fir tree’s evergreen quality of . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

December 6, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, But Not For Everyone

“Be of good cheer” … “it’s the hap-happiest season of all” …”and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near,” continues the beloved 1963 holiday classic originally performed by Andy Williams. . . Read More

Featured Local News Spotlight

November 8, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

Strike Up The Band!

Lots of events going on in November from the end of Daylight-Saving Time on the 3rd, Election Day on the 5th, Veterans Day on the 11th and, of course, Thanksgiving Day on the 28th. . . Read More

Writer Biographies

November 7, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 1 min read

Vince LaBarbera

Vince is a regular contributor to the newspaper, showcasing local highlights, personal stories, and much more. Vince LaBarbera is a Fort Wayne native. He attended Cathedral Grade School, Central Catholic High School and is a graduate of the University . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

October 11, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

The Cathedral Of College Football

What’s It Like To Attend A Notre Dame Game? As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame – I won’t tell you when but it was an all-male school then – I can answer the above question. . . Read More

Featured Local News

September 27, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 2 min read

Busy Weekend Planned At St. Therese

On Friday, Oct. 4, a contemporary music concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at St. Therese Church, 2304 Lower Huntington Road, Fort Wayne. The concert is free and open to the public. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

September 13, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Why We Celebrate September

How’s it go again, “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November…?” Did we have to memorize that rhyme in school or have we just heard it so much some of the words still stick? . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

August 16, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

One Never Knows About Volcanoes!

It’s certainly not something celebrated annually but the month of August is remembered for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano at the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, on August 24, 79 A.D., . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

July 5, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

A July 4th Mystery Or Strange Coincidence?

Remarkedly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

June 7, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

What Is Flag Day All About?

Flag Day, June 14, is a celebration of the American flag occurring each year on the anniversary of the flag’s official adoption. It’s not a federal holiday, but its observance is traditionally proclaimed yearly by the president of the United States. . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

May 10, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

‘Mayday!’ & May Day

If we delve into the past, the interjections: “Mayday!” and May Day have interesting origins as well as long and varied histories. The terms sound similar, but they are not spelled the same. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

April 12, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 3 min read

April Is The 4th Month Of The Year… We Think

The month of April has a variety of titles, meanings, and sayings, and some are contradictory with each other. For example, April is a spring month in the northern half of the world and a fall month in the southern half. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

March 1, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 5 min read

‘Time Will Tell’

The idiom “time will tell” means that the truth or correctness of something will only be established at some time in the future. It’s used to express that the outcome of a situation is uncertain and can only be determined with time. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

February 16, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 5 min read

‘I Cannot Tell A Lie’

Washington Did Not Cut Down A Cherry Tree! According to Author Sarah Pruitt, when it comes to mythic American figures, George Washington leads the pack. Commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

February 2, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

A Higher Sweeper Power

Our vacuum cleaner, literally, was not up to snuff and didn’t seem to be sucking up dust and dirt like it used to so we took it to Ye Old Sweeper Shoppe on Bluffton Road in Waynedale where we had bought it a few years ago. . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

January 19, 2024 Vince LaBarbera 5 min read

January Has Gone To The Dogs

Usually when January comes around, we think about new beginnings rather than the past year. Some individuals love January because they welcome the lull that follows the hectic holiday season. Others dislike the effort it takes to begin again, whether . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

December 11, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Happy ‘Holidaze,’ I Mean Holidays!

If you still have a calendar stuck on your refrigerator or can hear radio and television ads you know we’ve been in the holiday season since Halloween. But if you’re from another planet – it’s possible – or don’t speak-the-language you . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

November 10, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

I Was In The Army Then…

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable). . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

October 13, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

What Do Christopher Columbus, Sweetest Day & Halloween All Have In Common?

They are the major holidays occurring in the month of October that have some controversy and intrigue surrounding each of them, including the month itself. October is the tenth month of the year, named after the Latin word for eight (“octo”) because . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

September 15, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 5 min read

Up To Date On What’s Out Of Date

There are many words and phrases baby boomers and the generations before them used that rarely are in vogue today. That’s because language is constantly evolving. What may be the hip new phrase of today is often forgotten tomorrow. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

August 1, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

Who You Calling A Senior Citizen?

For some folks, those are fighting words. Some people just don’t want to be referred to as a senior, elderly, retired, aged, or heaven forbid, old! Just because someone’s approaching their golden years doesn’t mean they don’t still feel young . . . Read More

Original Leisure & Entertainment

June 23, 2023 Vince LaBarbera 4 min read

What’s In A Name?

While volunteering at the St. Therese Food Bank recently another volunteer added some grapefruit to items already in a food cart. I asked, “By the way, why are they called ‘grapefruit’ when they don’t seem to have any connection or taste like . . . Read More