Page 68 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

thunderous clicking and clapping of their tap dancing on the
linoleum floor in my aunt’s dance studio was magnificent!
And then there were the special guests. The truly famous
special guests.
“Kelita, this is Miss Anne.” My aunt’s smile completely
enveloped her face. She knew what this meant to me!
What? Who? Oh, my goodness! “I know exactly who you are.
You’re MISS ANN from “Romper Room” - my favourite TV
show. I watch you every morning!”
I was in total shock. Couldn’t believe my little eyes. Miss
Anne – the one and only - was standing right in front of me!
She was a superstar!
“Romper Room” was a wonderful children’s program that
was franchised all over the world. Each location had its own
special (and local) host. Mine was Miss Anne. The show was
heavy on music, moral lessons and fun games. It was live and
taught its young viewers to be polite and to pray before milk
and cookie time. “God is great. God is good. Let us thank him
for our food. Amen.” I was a middle-aged woman before I
realised the grace I had said for years as a child was probably
taught to me by “Romper Room’s” Miss Anne.
My favourite part of each broadcast was the end, when Miss
Anne would gaze through a “magic mirror” (actually an open
hoop with a handle). Then she would recite the daily rhyme.
After the verse she named the children she saw in “TV Land”.
We truly thought it was magic! That she could see us and know
we were watching and know our names!
“I can see Scotty and Mary and Julie and Jimmy and Linda
and Rodney and Judy.” On and on she went, day after day. We
were encouraged to mail in our names (first only) to be read
on the air. Every single day I desperately wanted to hear the
words, “And I see Kelita.”

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