125376124_web1_20200722_150304

Luzerne County buildings closed Wednesday after third confirmed workforce coronavirus case

125375809_web1_Michael-Marchese-KingstonPD-pic-05052020

Federal grand jury indicts Swoyersville man on drug trafficking, firearm offenses

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Wednesday, July 22 was National Hot Dog Day.
				I&rsquo;m sure this annual event was as celebrated this year as in the past, and our newsroom sort of participated.
				We ordered out for some hot dogs to do our part in celebrating the delicious part of Americana.
				So we had six with everything, two with relish, onions and mustard; one with just mustard and two with, as was stated, &ldquo;not a damn thing on them.&rdquo;
				A pretty good sampling for National Hot Dog Day.
				Of course, the term hot dog has been applied to non-food issues as well. Anytime a certain kid would celebrate his or her athleticism in a most annoying and obnoxious way, they were termed a &ldquo;hot dog.&rdquo;
				It wasn&rsquo;t a term of endearment.
				And we had plenty of hot dogs back in the day. Most of them did receive a come-uppence of sorts. Whenever that happened, the crowd would roar.
				But when it came to the edible hot dogs, in old Plymouth PA, Mergo&rsquo;s was the place to go. Owner Steve Mergo, a lanky man with a pleasant smile and a sense of humor, would grill the dogs right there in front of you.
				He would tell us that he put a little beer in the mustard &mdash; his secret ingredient, despite all of Plymouth knowing this potent potable fact.
				Steve kept the hot dog buns in drawers behind the counter. They were the freshest buns I have ever tasted.
				Steve would add onions or relish of you asked, but most of us just wanted that beer-laden mustard. And a soda. And a bag of chips.
				Mergo&rsquo;s was where we went after basketball practice at the Gaylord Armory. It was where we stopped after a Saturdays afternoon matinee at the Shawnee Theater. It was where we went whenever we ventured downtown.
				I remember an interview I did years ago with a woman celebrating her 100th birthday. I asked her what the secret to her longevity was, fully expecting her to tell me about her healthy diet, etc.
				She told me she ate at least one hot dog every day &mdash; not once a week or every month &mdash; every day.
				This is not an endorsement for eating hot dogs every day, but for that woman, it worked for her.
				According to the National Day website, something is celebrated just about every day.
				For instance, on July 25, it will be National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. That should create a jam-up at every ice cream joint in the area.
				July 27 in National Scotch Day. Be careful.
				July 31 is National Mutt Day &mdash; talk about a group that could use a celebration.
				But we missed July 5th&rsquo;s celebration of National Bikini Day.
				If you go to the National Day website, you will see all of the celebrations for each day and you can plan accordingly.
				And the website tells us to celebrate National Hot Dog Day any way you chose.
				&ldquo;Just make your hot dog your way, and enjoy it however you&rsquo;d like. Honestly, in the Dog Days of Summer, who doesn&rsquo;t like a hot dog with all their favorite fixings?&rdquo;
				National Hot Dog Day began in 1971 with some students in Alfred, New York.
				As you might have guessed, the hot dog&rsquo;s affordability is something that many in school favor. They are also pretty easy to find. In fact, some students celebrated hot dogs for an entire week.
				Hot dogs are mandatory when you attend a baseball game. The National Day website tells us that hot dogs and baseball were officially paired together in St. Louis by the owner of the St. Louis Browns. He also distributed them at an amusement park he owned.
				And, the website claims, more than 9 billion hot dogs are sold each year in the United States &mdash; Americans eat approximately 155 million hot dogs every July 4th.
				So enjoy your hot dogs anyway you like.
				Just don&rsquo;t act like one.

Beyond the Byline: Enjoy a good hot dog; don’t act like one