Happy Ken Screven Day today!!

It started out as a good-natured joke comment between two bowlers, but it has today morphed into a one-day celebration of one of the most iconic local television news reporters.

I shall explain.

For many decades, Ken Screven was a top reporter for WRGB, Channel 6 in the area. He would cover national and local news, whether it involved the gubernatorial race or incidents in Albany’s inner city. He also participated in well-researched history pieces, including this profile of how his surname became synonymous with an entire county in Georgia.

Now, let explain why October 7th is known as “Ken Screven Day.” Apparently there was a group of bowlers in Albany who, if they somehow left a 7-10 split on their first ball of a frame, joked that it was really a “10-7,” or a “Ken Screven.” Screven good-naturedly took that to heart, and it provided a nice chuckle now and again.

But, like naming March 16th Steve Austin Day (“Austin 3:16”), or May 4th as Star Wars day (as in “May the fourth be with you”), or September 3rd as Temptations Day (the first lyric of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” should help you with that), we now have October 7th – 10-7 – as Ken Screven Day.

So how does one celebrate Ken Screven Day?

I have suggestions.

First, do like Ken Screven and speak out against injustice and racism. Don’t let your friends perpetrate ignorance online. Don’t repurpose that godawful I ❤ Trump meme that your stepbrother posted on Facebook. Have some respect for yourself.

Next – enjoy some 70’s music. Anything performed by Diana Ross is a start, you can also add tracks from Chaka Khan, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and any deep house 70’s dance music that might have spun on the turntables at Paradise Garage or Danceteria or any myriad of New York City clubs.

Next – honor your family. Break out a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Make it fresh and share it with friends. And make sure someone else knows that recipe.

Next – check your health. Get your Fauci Ouchie, if you haven’t done so already. Listen to your body. It’s the only one you have. And if there’s a vice you want to eliminate from your life, make today your first day to do it.

Next – watch some decent television. Start off with the Wonder Years reboot. Maybe an episode or seven of Downton Abbey. Expand your mind.

Next – learn something new. We are all students, even if we’re not in school. There are so many things in our lives that we can learn, even today. Start out with a new interest. Write down the first page of your novel.

And finally … appreciate the life you have. Make each day better than the last. Don’t let the bastards win. And don’t let the needy suffer.

So with that in mind, Happy Ken Screven Day to all of you!