Anticipation mounts for the selection of the 2008 New Year Baby. Some have compared the excitement surrounding the announcement of this year’s prized arrival to that surrounding the announcement of a new dalai lama in Tibet. I beg to differ, as the selection in Tibet of the successor child is a long process, sometimes taking years; the selection of the New Year baby in Schuylkill County, however, occurs rather quickly. Some say this is because the mother has to get back to the middle school on January 2nd, but that is not true. That was an ugly urban legend. It is similar to that urban legend that the fly on the trousers of the Henry Clay statue is down and that is why the statue was placed so high off the ground. Neither of those stories are true. Don't bother staring at the statue as you drive down Centre Street.
The only criteria governing the New Year baby contest is that the winning baby must be born immediately after the stroke of the New Year in the Pottsville Hospital before any other baby is born. Unlike the Spelling Bee Contest, which was popular when I was in the middle school, this baby contest is based solely on gestational timing, period. There is no practice or preparation involved whatsoever. Coincidentally, the word that sank my spelling bee chances years ago was the word, gestational.
If anyone would take the time to read the Official Guide to The Schuylkill County’s New Year Baby Contest, then there would be no more arguments, as the contest is open to mothers of all ages. It has never been restricted to those in the middle school despite what you may hear in the Giant Supermarket, Sheetz, the Roller Roost and other public meeting places. In fact when you think about it, older contestants have an advantage over the younger contestants who are under state driving restrictions. The state now prohibits persons under the age of eighteen from driving after eleven p.m.. Therefore, the younger mothers-to-be, even if they have learner permits, must get rides with older boyfriends, hook-ups or other adults willing to give up the hoop-la of New Year's Eve, drive over to the hospital and sit in a waiting room watching an aged Dick Clark on television with total strangers. What a way to spoil what should be a very fun evening. Not many volunteers for that task I may add.
In any event, all downtown Pottsville sport and wagering parlors will remain open until the wee hours of December 31st for those wishing to participate in the yearly tradition of betting on the outcome.
Having the New Year baby born to a couple married to one another will again pay off handsomely for those daring to take the risk.
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