Keep Best of Old and New In Technology and Life
On returning from probating a new estate at the Lancaster County Courthouse with a client, I made a point last week to stop by an old favorite location of mine in Gap, Pennsylvania in the midst of “Amish country”.
My special stop in Gap was to determine whether an old custom of mine was still active and alive or had it, as with so many other practices, gone the way of new methods and new technology.
On Friday nights, with friends and sometimes by myself, for years I ventured to a large old converted garage surrounded by a large parking lot and prepared for an old fashioned auction. Pickup trucks rolled up with gun racks. Amish and Mennonites in their customary outfits arrived. I cannot remember any horse carriages but there could have been some. There were the usual families and visitors of all ages from elementary school to aged. I had the feel of sawdust under my shoes. There were hot dogs and pizza.
In the yard behind the garage, old furniture was stacked – cabinets and bookcases – up for sale. We took handwritten tickets and walked to the front to review the goods that included model trains, hand tools, jewelry and toys. The auction before Christmas was especially popular.
I once bid on a set of silverware for a ridiculously low price and discovered, on being named the successful bidder, that it had many butter knives but not many spoons or forks. It did not matter. It was fun. I discovered a full set of matched plates and dinnerware for $12 that is still good.
Auctioneers made fun of some of the items and dispensed local color since they knew so many of the attendees.
Of course, as I discovered last Friday, those days are over. The garage still stands and is in good repair. A sign indicates that auctions of specific types of items will take place on certain Wednesday’s in the afternoon. Auctioning, of course, was also indicated online. Somehow, placing an e-bay type bid online is not what I had in mind as a social event.
It was not hard to see how this happened. No one makes money on $12 dinnerware. Auctioning on line is more efficient, although not nearly as enjoyable. From a business perspective a lot of what we find to be fun does not necessarily make much money. In fact, if it had not changed, this company might not be in business at all. It was like the parent telling the child to grow up and recognize reality. Still, socializing matters even if it cannot be measured in dollars.
This is not the only place where I have seen this happen. When I served on the Board of the old YWCA on Church Street (not to be confused with the YMCA a few blocks away), we used to have Saturday nights at the movies where old movies were brought in and played and there was popcorn at cost and children could sit in their parent’s laps to watch. The YWCA is now a sushi bar – a good looking one at that – and, while it is true there are a few places like township buildings where family movies are still played as recreation, to discover real old fashioned family fun of the type I am describing, you really have to look for it.
My sister saw a reality show recently where people in their late 70’s and 80’s were paired with young men and women in their twenties. Predictably, older seniors had some difficulty with computers, printers, smart phones and GPS devices. The surprise was the younger ones. They could not decipher maps and were at a loss with a manual typewriter. They could not get used to striking keys or operate the carriage return.
The point is that there is good in the past and in the present. Knowing what is an antique to be valued and treasured and what has served its purpose and can be discarded is an art. We can make money and be efficient but, in all of this, we need to keep fun. It is the icing on the cake. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
About the Author Janet Colliton
Esquire, Colliton Law Associates, P.C. Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 38 years, 37 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administration.