As I walked the grounds of Fort Mifflin last Saturday, May 16th, for the Fort Mifflin Rescue Event, I was struck first and foremost by the beauty of the grounds and the feeling of history one gets from experiencing it all firsthand. The second thing I felt was an overwhelming sense of pride at the sheer number of people who put their time and effort in to creating the event and making it a success; so successful, in fact, that just that weekend alone over $6400 was brought in and donated in full to Fort Mifflin.
And yet, as I read the newspaper coverage of the event, I am very disappointed to not see the efforts of these fine people recognized. People line Anthony "Tony" Selletti and his wife Barb who are integral to the Fort's charitable organization efforts. Mr. Selletti himself is the author of "Fort Mifflin: A Paranormal History."
People like Shannon Sylvia, a former cast member of the Sci Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters International, who lent her time and celebrity to last weekend's event; Nancy Ratliff and Jane, who run www.myspace.com/savefortmifflin - a tremendous site dedicated to the efforts of Fort Mifflin's upkeep and restoration were there. Dave Juliano of South Jersey Ghost Research was there in support of his famed Shadowlands Ghost Hunter Store, selling merchandise whose proceeds went to the Fort. Paul Michael Kane lent his photographic and graphic design expertise, and was there signing copies of his book and interacting with the visitors that day. More paranormal research and investigation teams like Montgomery County Paranormal, and S.P.I.R.T of PA were in attendance lending a hand, too.
And this is not even to mention the dozens upon dozens of other people, teams, and paying visitors Fort Mifflin had that day. Everyone who showed up helped to make this event a tremendous success.
But their work is not done. Robyn McKinney and Mark Davis of PARA (www.para-help.com) will be putting on another event on September 5th with, again, all proceeds going directly to keeping Fort Mifflin open to the public where it can be enjoyed for years to come.
What I saw just last Saturday alone was a collection of men and women who love history that put their egos aside for a good cause.
The bottom line is this: So many people deserve a little recognition for their selfless efforts last weekend. To ignore them is to ignore their time, efforts, and money which went into making this event a success. And if they're ignored now, what will happen in the future? Sometimes, even volunteers need a little nudge of encouragement.
Join me now in giving these people a round of much deserved applause.
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