The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. 

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

For as great a baseball player and tremendous all-around athlete as he was, Jackie Robinson more than held his own on the silver screen portraying himself in the classic film, “The Jackie Robinson Story”

Robinson became the first African-American to break the color barrier by playing professional baseball as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

The movie, filmed and released during the peak of his baseball career in 1950, outlined his life and focused on his struggles against racial prejudices and social injustices he faced to first play…and then excel…as a major league baseball player.

The racism Robinson endured started well before his professional playing days.  After graduating from college he was denied an opportunity to be a baseball coach, before he was even offered his first pro baseball contract. The film also connects with his education, home life and his tour of duty fighting for the United States Army in World War II.

Some of the best moments of this film are the inspirational messages he receives throughout his life, from various sources and from people of different races and economic levels.  One of the best speeches comes from Robinson himself when he delivers a message to the House of Representatives reflecting on his struggles for equality.  He also humbly addresses the inequalities of baseball, eloquently telling of its incredible prejudices and of the malicious acts he had to endure – even initially from within his own clubhouse.

The courage and class that Jackie shows throughout all these ordeals made the emotional impact of the scenes even more real and palatable for viewers to get a sense of what he went through.  The impact of these scenes hits home even more when you realize that it was Robinson himself reliving (and acting through) these real life events.

In 2006, the film was recognized by the American Film Institute’s top 100 films in the “100 Cheers” category.

“The Jackie Robinson Story” also features equally emotional and courageous scenes from Ruby Dee, playing the role of Jackie’s wife, Rae, along with stellar performances by Louise Beavers (portraying Jackie’s mother) and veteran character actor Minor Watson, who signed Robinson to his professional baseball contract.

Alfred E. Green, who was no stranger to great biopic films, also did a credible job mixing in realistic baseball scenes while also framing and highlighting the key personal moments and private conversations in the movie that were so integral in the retelling of Jackie’s journey.

Years later, the movie “42” took a more modern view of Robinson’s tremendous accomplishments and epic struggles.  Although that, too, is a great film, both baseball supporters and non-athletic fans alike really must see the original version of Robinson’s life story, featuring the man who transcended sports in multiple ways, complete with his brilliant acting performance in his own film. 

You can see “The Jackie Robinson Story” this Thursday, August 13, at 9 am on RCN-TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

Enjoy this guest blog from Catherine Neelon of the RCN TV production team. Chris Michael will be back next week. 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

September 17, 1908. West Park. Allentown, PA.

It must have been a glorious late-summer evening.

Though the park’s founder, General Harry C. Trexler, avoided the limelight and did not attend this opening night, plenty of eager music-loving residents from all across the city crowded around the newly minted bandshell to see the Allentown Band in concert. In the weeks and years that followed, many of the other Allentown-area community bands would also come to West Park to perform for the public in the warm summer air.

♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫            ♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫            ♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫

For several years, starting in the mid-to-late 1990s, RCN (and earlier incarnations of its TV studio) worked with the City of Allentown and the members of American Federation of Musicians Local 45 to share many of these summertime concerts with its subscribers – many of whom might not otherwise get to experience them. In this way, the program “Concert in the Park” was born.

I remember working as part of the TV crew on our “Concert in the Park” days – arriving hours ahead of time to set up cameras and lights and microphones and cables under the leafy canopy provided by West Park’s many majestic trees. I can’t recall a time that we weren’t the first ones to arrive for the concert – but, guaranteed, as the shadows grew and the park lights started to glow, the people would start to trickle in. Some took advantage of the wooden benches right up front, while others brought their fold-up chairs and settled further back from the stage. Though the faces would change, and the crowd size might vary from night to night, there was always great music and it always had a grateful audience.

♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫            ♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫            ♪♫   ♪♫   ♪♫

Then came 2020 and the threat of COVID-19.

All of the anticipation, all of the preparation was no proof against the pandemic, and Allentown’s summer concert season at West Park had to be cancelled.

However, the members of AFM Local 45, who make up the rosters of the local community bands, still wanted to share their music with the Lehigh Valley – and to remind us all that their bands are still here and will play again once this crisis has passed. To this end, representatives contacted RCN-TV to see if we would be interested in re-televising some of our “Concert in the Park” programs from the past.

And in this way, “Classic Concert in the Park” was born. Starting in the beginning of August, over the course of several weeks, RCN-TV will be spotlighting a specially selected performance by each of six community bands.

• Tuesday, August 4 (repeat Sat., Aug. 8) – Pioneer Band of Allentown concert from July 3, 2007, with former conductor Jay Durner.

• Tuesday, August 11 (repeat Sat., Aug. 15) – Macungie Band concert from August 7, 2010, with conductor Mike Moran. (This concert was actually held at Macungie Memorial Park for Das Awkscht Fescht.)

• Tuesday, August 18 (repeat Sat., Aug. 22) – Marine Band of Allentown concert from June 9, 2004 with the late Ray Becker as conductor.

• Tuesday, August 25 (repeat Sat., Aug. 29 – Municipal Band of Allentown concert from July 18, 2010 with conductor Richard Steltz.

• Tuesday, September 8 (repeat Wed., Sept. 9) – Royalaires concert from July 19, 2003 with the late Richard Hinkle (my HS band director!) conducting.

• And just shy of West Park’s 112th anniversary, on Tuesday, September 15 (repeat Wed., 16) – Allentown Band concert from July 2, 2010 with long-time conductor Ron Demkee.

All concert airings begin 7:00pm on RCN-TV. Enjoy and stay safe!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company

I have the honor of interviewing two special guests for this week’s RCN Sports Talk show: PIAA Board of Directors Vice-President/District XI Chair Bob Hartman and District XI Treasure/Catasauqua HS Athletic Director Tom Moll.

As we have been doing the last few months here at “The Shop” and on our television show, we’ve been keeping you apprised of the latest news and rumors regarding scholastic sports in our coverage area. These two gentlemen agreed to be on the program to discuss the current status of high school sports and also address the many rumors that are flying around about the upcoming football season and all of the fall sports issues.

Here are the topics of discussion:

• Opinions on the latest directives from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the PIAA
• Reactions from coaches and students on the COVID-19 protocols in place
• Alternate possibilities for fall sports being scheduled if the number of coronavirus cases spike or additional directives come from the state or federal government
• Deadlines for scheduling for football and all other fall sports
• Addressing the mental impact on students and allowing for a “transition period” to get kids back in playing shape
• Financial ramifications of the spring sports shutdown and potential impact for any interruptions of the fall sports playoff season
• Rumors of switching sports to different seasons (i.e., baseball to the fall, football to the spring) and other “hot takes”

Two additional teases for this particular program – Bob and Tom tackle an issue that I have not seen nor heard of until last Friday when Norristown High School made headlines. That is addressing the issue of an individual school district (or a specific community or local government) taking exception to the directives implemented by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the PIAA…how would that affect a team’s potential ability to play?

Another hotly contested debate: will some sports like golf and tennis be able to start on time or will those sports be included with soccer, field hockey and football if the latter sports are forced to postpone or cancel their seasons?

Tune in to find out!

My thanks to both of these administrators for their time and insights and, if you want to hear their responses to these issues and the latest news regarding the possibilities of fall high school sports action, make sure you tune in to the “RCN Sports Talk” show on RCN TV and catch it through RCN “On Demand.”

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

 For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.

Robert Livingston (born Robert Edward Randall) may not be a household name today when you think of classic motion pictures but he carved out a star-studded career for himself in some of cinemas’ most iconic roles and popular film series in the 1930s and 1940s.

Billed in these films as Bob Livingston, he was one of the original members of “The Three Mesquiteers” and starred in a whopping 27 movies as “Stony Brook,” starting with the first movie in 1936.

The films would focus on a trio of friends/cowboys–true to each other a la Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers.” They would participate in various “western-themed” adventures–always triumphant in the end. Their name was a combination of the “musketeers” and mesquite, a popular plant found in the western part of the United States.

In 1938’s “Outlaws of Sonora,” the trio’s loyalty is put to the test as a villain, who looks similar to one of the heroes, goes on a crime wave and it’s up to the Mesquiteers to discover the truth, vindicate their friend and stop the bad guys.

In “Hit The Saddle” (which featured a very young Rita Hayworth, nine years before her turn as “Gilda”), the protagonists seek vengeance for the wrongful death of a young boy’s father but a love interest adds complexity to their battle for justice. 

Most of their movies followed similar plot lines, with the cowboys pitted against criminals and outlaws from the old west.  However, after the United States entered World War II, the Mesquiteers would also fight Nazis in a few of their adventures.

The films were very popular throughout the series’ run that lasted until 1943.  The Motion Picture Herald records that these films were consistently ranked in the top 10 westerns of each year, even after Livingston left the franchise.

Livingston’s last role as Stony Brook was in the 1941 movie “Saddlemates,” but he also starred as the titular character in other famous western characters like Don Diego / Zorro and “The Lone Ranger,” before, during and after his run with “The Three Mesquite” film series.

In all, the Quincy, Illinois native would appear in 136 total movies in a career that began as a silent film actor in 1921. Livingston would end up appearing in over half of the 51 “Mesquiteers” films.

His final acting role was in the 1975 comedy “Blazing Stewardesses” — a film that made references to and tried to build on the success of Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” that came out the year prior.  The original intent of the “Stewardesses” picture was to pay homage to the “B Film Westerns” that Livingston had made so popular in the 1930s and ’40s.

You can see a marathon of films (including all the ones listed in today’s blog) starring Livingston’s Stony Brooks character, starting with 1938’s “The Purple Vigilantes” on Monday, August 3rd starting at 9 a.m. on RCN TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. 

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

From 1939 through the late 1960s, the comedy quartet of George Balzer, John Tackaberry, Milt Josefsberg and Sam Perrin were responsible for some of the funniest bits and comedic sketches on the radio and television mediums.

The four writers not only developed some great sketch comedy routines but also found a way to develop a winning program formula and have success repeating that same episode, literally for decades.

Wait…they repeated the same episode and continue to get new laughs every time?

Let me give you some examples.

On “The Jack Benny Program” alone, the writers developed annual shows like the popular Christmas Shopping and New Year’s Eve programs, which followed the same basic pattern, but would add increasingly funny jokes and added comedic bits with each episode.

For the former, the entire episode each year was Benny looking to buy Christmas gifts for his staff. Utilizing his well-known “skin flint-ness” as a backdrop, Benny would find new ways to save money with increasing cheapness as each show went on.  Every year the cheapness would reach new “highs,” and would culminate with Benny frustrating a salesperson beyond reason, with great comedic results (many would say the 1955 version with Mel Blanc portraying the salesman — ultimately blowing his brains out — was the best/funniest version of this type of episode).

The New Year’s Eve show would feature Benny as the current year’s Father Time, waxing poetic about the highs and lows of the previous year.  While mixing in jokes about the biggest stars and events of the completed year, the climax would be his handing off the role to a young boy portraying the following year’s Baby New Year and a wish of hope and prosperity for the 12 months to come.

Another popular reoccurring episode was the “Lunch Counter Murders.”

Originating as a radio play, the show would focus on Benny running a small-town diner with different members of his cast popping in and for a quick bite while portraying quirky characters.  The show’s second half would feature a guest star heading a group of “dangerous villains” who were on the run from the police and holding Benny hostage at his late night eatery.

Without question, the 1953-version of this skit, with Dan Duryea (who was very popular in films around this time) as the main guest star and cast regular Dennis Day as his sidekick, was the best version of this particular skit.  This edition built on the best comedic gags from the radio version and mixed in humorous visual jokes (complete with a hand-grabbing cash register for people foolish enough to ask Benny for change).

The jokes in this version were fast and furious and featured a surprise, additional guest star at the very end of the skit to top off one of the most popular episodes during the TV program’s early years.

You can catch the laughs for yourself of this specific version of the “Lunch Counter Murder” featured this Wednesday, July 30, at 10:30 am on RCN TV.

Also, see one of the best versions of the “New Year’s” shows, this Tuesday, July 28, at 8pm.

Be on the lookout for more of the annual Benny shows scribed by Perrin, Josefsberg, Balzer and Tackaberry as part of RCN TV’s annual holiday marathon programming.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation. 

Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

Whether you’re a fan of rural comedy or not, you can’t argue that The Beverly Hillbillies was one of the most successful television comedies of all time.

Spawning two other successful shows, a “return” episode over a decade after its cancellation, and a major motion picture, “Hillbillies,” its low-brow comedy set a high standard (along with boffo ratings) throughout the 1960s.

The plots were simple: take a backwaters family who strikes oil and inherits a fortune, and dump them in the ritziest area of the country, while having Beverly Hills’ greediest banker be their guardian while watching over their money. “Fish out of water” hijinx always ensued, complete with memorable special guest star performances, and big- named actors often portraying themselves.

Heading the creative team was Paul Henning, who had worked as a writer on other TV classics, including the “Burns and Allen Show,” which had a 10-year run on television after a lengthy radio run.

The cast was anchored by veteran song and dance man, Buddy Ebsen, who was ready to retire before reading the pilot episode and deciding to put those plans on hold.

Veteran radio and television character actress, Bea Benaderet, who had wanted to play the part of “Granny,” saw Irene Ryan’s screen test and insisted Ryan take that role.  Benaderet ended up with a recurring guest starring role as Jethro’s mother before starring in “Hillbillies”’ first spin-off, “Petticoat Junction” (more on this show in a future blog entry).

Ryan brought interesting dynamics to the program as she had both played as, and starred in front of, hillbillies in summer stock theater.  (On EmmyTVLegends.org

Henning tells a humorous story about Ryan’s early career and also recalls how the banker Milton Drysdale was based on a real character he knew.)

According to “Variety’s” article, “The Top 100 Television Shows of All-Time,” The Beverly Hillbillies was the number one show in its first two years and finished in the top 20 in the Nielsen ratings in eight of its nine-year run.

The only year the show was not among the top ranked shows was its last year, when CBS made the bizarre decision to drop the show out of its primetime lineup and air the program at what is an extremely unusual (for a network show) timeslot of Tuesdays at 7:30pm.

“Hillbillies” never lost a ratings battle within its timeslot against any other program during its entire run.

Several of its individual shows are ranked in both the most-watched and the critics’ choice for the greatest 100 television episodes of all time, including 16 of its episodes ranked among the top 100 programs watched in television history.

It captured many Emmy Awards in multiple categories during its production and has remained on TV in syndication to this day.

“Hillbillies”’ network run came to an end, not because of declining ratings, nor did the cast nor creative team run out of ideas, nor did viewers want to see the series end.  It, along with several other very successful TV programs, were cancelled because CBS executive Robert Wood decided to cancel every successful show that had a tree in it (according to actor Pat Buttram.)  This was part of the great “rural purge” of 1971, in which CBS jettisoned many of its feel-good, rural shows in lieu of comedies that tackled serious social and cultural issues. 

You can relive the hilarity of “The Beverly Hillbillies” on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. on RCN TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming on RCN TV, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other other agency, organization, employer or company. 

While there hasn’t been much action on the fields this summer, it has actually been a pretty busy last 6-8 weeks in terms of the amount of turnover for some pretty big head coaching and athletic director positions in the Lehigh Valley.

The area said goodbye to three head coaches, each with incredible longevity at their respective schools:

Mike Grasso at Bethlehem Catholic – 45 years

Doug Snyder at Allen HS – 24 years

Chad Landis at Liberty HS – 20 years (12 as a head coach, 8 more as an assistant)

All three were on our RCN SportsTalk show this spring (each one had their own show) and told stories of their careers, their programs’ highlights, lessons learned and the many student-athletes their teachings impacted. (RCN customers can see these exclusive interviews for free through RCN On Demand).

Likewise, over the last month, we’ve also talked to a number of new head coaches and athletic directors – some with some pretty big shoes to fill (their stories also were told on SportsTalk to hear them in their own words).

One person who I did want to focus on today was the new Hurricanes Boys Basketball Head Coach, Nigel Long.

Nigel was a great student and basketball player at Freedom High School. After one year playing college ball outside of the area, he transferred back to the Valley to have a very successful playing career at Muhlenberg College.

Since then he has been a great AAU head coach, an assistant coach at Bethlehem Catholic and a mentor to a lot of young people in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Nigel was on a Freedom team that wasn’t the tallest team, nor a squad with what the basketball experts would call a top-tier, talent-laden team “on paper.” However, his Patriots squads always battled hard and made for competitive games, even when being the underdog.  I believed his teams installed a work ethic that continued after Nigel’s graduation – one that culminated in his school’s first District XI championship in decades, this past winter.

I made a point of mentioning on our sports program that I believe Long may be the most significant hiring, in a summer in which so many great names and qualified basketball individuals were given new positions.  This includes Long’s mentor, Darnell Braswell, who takes over the William Allen basketball program.  The former Canary great  — another local product who had an outstanding playing career locally — took over the Allen head coaching position just a few days after Long was approved by the Bethlehem Area School District School Board to take over at Liberty.

The Hurricanes are no doubt a team in transition as they lost one of the most underrated and best all-around players to graduation.  Long will be responsible for cultivating a new leader after the departure of Will Harper, who played varsity basketball for his entire four-year career.

Likewise, Liberty has a number of freshmen and sophomores who will be responsible for stepping up their games and keeping the program playing at a high level.

Furthermore, I’ve heard from insiders in the Bethlehem community that there’s a number of very talented 7th and 8th graders coming into the program this year and Nigel will be responsible for implementing his hard-working and aggressive, defense-driven style of play that he was so well-known for during his playing days.

It should also be noted that with the hiring of Long, Braswell and Dieruff High School’s Marlon Randall, the Lehigh Valley tripled the number of African-American head basketball coaches within a 10-day span.  As far as I can remember, this number had never been more than one at any given time during the same calendar year.

Each of these head coaches discussed the cultural significance of this fact and other ways their hiring will positively impact their respective communities. I enjoyed my conversations with each of these men on our most recent shows.  I am very much looking forward to working with them and hope I have the opportunities to announce their games this winter.

Thanks to all of our local coaches and administrators for being on our show and best of luck on the new chapter in your careers!

The views expressed in this blog arethose of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.

 Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on RCN TV with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances. 

When one talks about the show that’s the typical, quintessential 1950s “TV family,” you need to look no further than “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” program.

But do you know how this television show came to fruition?

Ozzie Nelson was an orchestra leader who sometimes teamed with Harriet (born Peggy Lou Snyder) for events before both were asked to appear at the same time on a national radio show called “The Baker’s Broadcast” in the early 1930s.  One of the initial hosts of the show was Robert Ripley (remember “Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not?’ “)

Ozzie and Harriet married in 1935 and decided, as opposed to continuing to work independently, they would see more of each other by working the same gigs.

Featured appearances on some of the top radio programs in the 1940s included “The Red Skelton Show,” “The Fred Allen Show” and “Suspense,” which led to their own radio vehicle.

When Skeleton was drafted in 1944, Ozzie was left to create his own family situation comedy on Red’s program, giving him valuable experience he would need a couple years later to develop his own television show.

The Ozzie and Harriet radio program actually switched networks, from CBS to NBC and finally to ABC, who was significantly behind the other two networks in the Hooper ratings that were used at that time. In the late 1940s, all three networks started looking at existing radio shows that could successfully make the transition to television.  Because ABC was desperate to hold on to their talent and not lose them to the other two networks, they pretty much offered the Nelsons carte blanche when it came to creating their own television program.

First of all, Ozzie and Harriet never had to produce a pilot episode for ABC. Instead, the couple’s successful movie, “Here Comes the Nelsons,” was used to convince the network that America would fall in love with this real-life family.

Also, before a single episode aired, Ozzie convinced ABC to guarantee them a 10-year contract.  This meant that regardless of whether or not the series would ever be canceled, the entire family would still get paid for a decade–a virtually unheard of television contract concession, even to this day.

The contract actually turned out to be a godsend for the network and not as much for the Nelsons as the show became an instant hit and easily surpassed the 10-year contract, making it the first weekly prime-time scripted television program ever to last for more than a decade.

In all, the series would go on for a record-setting 14-year sojourn on television alone.

We’ll have more on this program’s legacy coming up in a future blog post.

In the meantime, you can visit with the Nelsons yourself.  “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” airs weekly on Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. on RCN-TV.

Plus…we’re hosting an “Ozzie and Harriet” mini-marathon this Monday evening starting at 9 pm on RCN-TV.

To view the complete rundown of classic programming, check out the weekly listings here on our website.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company. 

Normally by this time every year, I have annually made my way out to at least a few dozen of the summer basketball league games and to two or three (or more) different tournaments that feature teams from the RCN coverage areas in Lehigh Valley, the Delaware Valley and even teams from the Washington, DC area.

Obviously, those plans have been put on hold, with a number of spring and summer tournaments canceling their usual events.

In speaking to several of the local summer basketball organizers, there remains some optimism that, while the full slate of “summer league” games will not be played, there could be some events over the next two months to give the kids a little bit of outdoor basketball activities in late July or August.

Thinking of these games made me look through my computer and discover there were quite a bit of “new” pictures that I took at last year’s summer games that never saw the light of day because of space and never made it to our website.

As fate would have it, I’d like to present a whole batch of these never-before-seen summer basketball pictures as we reflect on last year’s outdoor basketball action.  I will continue to be in contact with summer basketball league organizers over the next several weeks.  I very much hope that I will be able to pass along some positive news soon for summer hoops fans on “SportsTalk” and here at “The Shop.”

In the meantime, we look back on the action from last year…

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop” for the latest news – positive or negative – regarding summer basketball, or any other local sports, returning to action in the RCN viewing areas this year.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

A few weeks back here at “The Shop,” we started to bring you all the All-Stars for the past sports season involving teams in the RCN-TV viewing area.

We continue to honor those student-athletes this week. We’ll start in the DMV area by taking a look at those recognized for high school basketball.

First, here’s the DC State Athletic League releasing their girls and boys list, followed by teams identified by “Major Moves” spotlighting players from Virginia.

Next, here are the scholar-athlete award winners for District 11 for this past school year:

2A Scholar Athlete Winner
Harrison Bernhard- Northwestern Lehigh HS

3A Scholar Athlete Winner
Kenny Herrmann- Bethlehem Catholic HS

2A Essay Winner
Andrew Cerniglia- Notre Dame Green Pond HS

3A Essay Winner
Caden Wright- Emmaus HS

Here are the wrestling student-athlete award winners from each school in both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the Colonial League:

2019-20 DXI WCA Scholar Athlete Information

And last but not least, the EPC girls and boys Sportsmanship Award Winners for the 2019-20 school year:

Avery Francis (Stroudsburg)
&
Sheamus McConnell (Pocono Mountain West)

Remember to keep checking back here at “The Shop” for more recognition of our local high school student-athletes’ achievements throughout the year and congratulations to this year’s honorees!