Editor:

It's that age old dilemma: I don't know whether to kiss or slap him.

Last week (Dec. 2), Andrew Goff wrote a scintillating, splendid, superb, sensational column announcing Red Grammer's return in the Calendar section (those were the letter "S" lyrics to the song he quoted). In each of the five years I've been putting on this concert, I have longed for the Journal to help me spread the word to families ... except for this one. This year's concert was for school groups only. Additionally, it was geared toward students 8-14 years old. I was neither prepared to have surprise guests nor was I able to accommodate the very young children, despite very enthusiastic parents.

At the time, I had no idea the Journal listed the concert. Now that I've conferred with Bob Doran, I realize that he saw my e-mailed invitation as a request for inclusion. Under the circumstances, this was my mistake. I should have realized how bombarded the NCJ is with this-that-and-everything, leaving little time to observe the details. Consequently, the information was both inaccurate and misleading.

Ultimately, I need to apologize to those families who walked in to an inhospitable environment, to the teachers for the resulting delay and to the performing children whose names were printed in the paper. I do not believe children's names should ever be published without parent approval.

But Mr. Goff, you are my hero for finding the words to describe how marvelous and magnificent ("M") it is to see Red Grammer in person. Unfortunately, I have no plans (no money) to bring Red back in the future, but his music is available online and at our libraries. But if I do do this again, you'll be at the top of the VIP invite list.

H. Sage, Arcata