Todd Paris, Staff Writer and Salisbury Attorney
As I walked out of the courthouse Thursday, I was surprised to see three Salisbury Police Officers in front of the George Washington statue. They were holding up signs that said “shine” on them. At first, I thought that maybe were supplementing their meager Fibrant-starved incomes by offering shoeshines, however they had no shoeshine boxes. Then it hit me, they must be selling corn liquor! I ordered a quart, but the officers said they were making a video and to step back off the sidewalk.
Then what to my wondering eyes did appear, but Mayor Alexander and Commissioner Edds strutting down the street in front of a cameraman walking backwards. To paraphrase Greg Edds, “Holy Cow, what kind of people are these?”
I whipped out my video phone but before I could look up again, our Commission Chairman, evidently seeing me, made like a running back and quickly “doglegged right” with amazing speed, straight out of the view of the camera and into the parking spaces in the street.
Undeterred, Salisbury’s favorite “cheerleader” continued on her path right past me belting our some tune with the word “shine” in it. Her summer dress and matching hat and purse were just splendid. While her vocal skills gave no indication she should quit her day job, she bravely belted out the tune and completed her mission. It was almost like watching Streisand herself shooting a scene from “Funny Girl.”
Edds skulked up behind me and said this was for a charity’s kickoff and true to my word to him I won’t make fun of the organization.
I had such a good chuckle that I have decided to give a modest donation to the charity this year. I just hope when the video comes out that they use Karen’s real voice and don’t dub someone else’s in like they did to poor Audrey Hepburn in the movie version of “My Fair Lady.” I think Audrey Hepburn’s singing voice was just as good as Marni Nixon’s who was dubbed in for Audrey in the movie. You be the judge.
