Monday, September 28th, 2026
My Dear America:
Although I had one issue with plugging in an Electric Heater and apparently causing the electricity in my new Apartment to shut off, My Landlord reacted quickly and my Electricity was restored right away.
Other than that annoying glitch, things have been falling into place in my new digs in Havertown, Pa. It was a bit sad to leave my long time home in Allentown, PA where I lived with my Wife since the Eighties and we raised 2 Daughters but the time had come and last weekend thanks to my daughter, I moved a great deal of my stuff to Havertown. I drove down to Havertown the next day, Monday because I have issues with driving at night these days. LED Lights make it a bit hard for me to see at night so I pretty much stay off the roads when its dark.
I know I'm going to miss my relatives and Friends who still live in the Lehigh Valley but there are some definite advantages to living down here in Havertown and I found that out last Saturday. I got a call from my one of my daughters early Saturday Morning inviting me to go to breakfast with her and her sister and my 2 youngest Granddaughters. Although the day was rainy I had my umbrella ready and easily walked the half block or so to meet them at the restaurant. It was wonderful to spend time with them and the Western Omlette Breakfast was outstanding. They all walked with me back to my Apartment which my one daughter had not seen furnished yet and we chatted for a bit and had a nice time. My Granddaughter who had already provided me with Artwork was pleased to see one of her drawings already on display, thanks to her Aunt.
It was truly a nice start to my first Saturday as a full fledged Resident of Havertown, PA. I had in mind a rather laid back Day and in many respects that's what it was. It had been a fun start to the day since any day spent with my Daughters and Granddaughters is a Great Day in my book. But there was more to come.
I knew that Saturday, September 26th was the date scheduled for Farm Aid, the Annual Fund Raising Concert put on by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews that I had watched online on occasion in the past several years. I checked on my new Computer and found that Farm Aid was being broadcast over You Tube so I tuned in.
Once again during the day Farm Aid was exposing some extraordinary talent on the Farm Aid Stage most of whom were not yet well known artists. Although I watched and enjoyed the Farm Aid lineup throughout the day I realized that at 7:30 one of my daughters had bought a ticket for me to attend a concert at "The Kelly Center" called "Imagine Lennon" that celebrated John Lennon and music of the Beatles.
As 7:30 approached I was watching all that I could of Margo Price performing at Farm Aid but eventually realized that it was time to get to the Kelly Center. I don't know why I thought that there would still be seats available for this show but I found out when I hustled around the corner to the Kelly Center that the show was sold out and there were no seats left. Luckily for me Tom Kelly, the Gentleman in charge of the Kelly Center came up with a chair for me and I settled in to enjoy the show.
It was clear from the First Downbeat that the group that was presenting this tribute to Jahn Lennon and the Beatles clearly had done it before and knew exactly what they were doing. They were sensational.
The leader of the group looked and sounded like John Lennon with a few miles on him. He played Guitar and Piano. There was a Bass player and a Rickenbacker Electric Guitar player. Both of them were good harmony Singers, as well. The Keyboard Player was terrific and had a grin on his face throughout the show. This guy was having a hell of a good time from start to finish. The drummer was as skilled as they come and to add to all that there were three excellent horn players, two sax players and one trumpet player.
The group played an exceptionally long set with no breaks and the Audience of Beatle Lovers was thrilled and appreciative of the extraordinary performance that they had seen and heard.
After the Kelly Show I quickly returned to my Apartment where Farm Aid was still going on. I was thrilled to find that still to come on Farm Aid was Neil Young and Willie Nelson and Family.
It occurred to me as I watched Neil first and then Willie and Family That both Neil and Willie were still outstanding performers but even though they played well both of these performers were not at the peak of their performance as singers. They had both seen better days as performers but that wasn't really the point of what was happening now. These two Old Timers were not done yet with their careers or with helping out the Family Farmers Of America and certainly Old Neil Young and Old Willie Nelson was certainly better than No Neil Young or No Willie Nelson., at all
I watched what was left of Saturday Night Live after Farm Aid ended and went to bed feeling pretty happy about my First Saturday as a Resident of Havertown, Pennsylvania.
Sincerely Yours
Jerry Gallagher