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My favorite part of my birthday every year is hearing from people.
I love the text messages, phone calls, Facebook posts and well wishes more than any party honestly, because I get to hear from a wide-ranging group of people: friends from high school and college, current and former colleagues from throughout the country, family members who live afar and others.
A birthday is a great time to reconnect with those you don’t hear from much, even if only for a few moments.
My big day was Tuesday last week. Apart from the nice notes from family and friends, it was a normal day, capped off with a splendid downtown dining experience at Café Toscana in Wilkes-Barre.
We love picking from the Italian classics or fish dishes there and always leave satisfied.
A nice added touch was the staff singing “Happy Birthday” while delivering tiramisu and a piece of chocolate cake with candles. We were also celebrating my sister’s birthday from just a few days earlier. (I am not sorry to report I ate both desserts, however).
While the birthday was fun, and I loved celebrating in Downtown Wilkes-Barre, I was even happier just two nights later at the Light up the Valley event on Thursday night, which was presented by Visit Luzerne County.
The Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Wilkes-Barre, hosted a well-lit night on Public Square honoring 40 inspiring changemakers in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The ceremony was followed by a free concert with Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentleman and the Brendan Brisk Band.
The changemakers honored were community activists, leaders and residents who strive to make the area a better place through diversity, inclusion, volunteerism and more.
These are people who genuinely care about their community and work to improve it each and every day. You can visit wyomingvalleychamber.org to find a full list of the remarkable recipients. Look for “2024 Light up the Valley” on the calendar.
It was such a pleasure to be there cheering them on as the names were announced and congratulating them all after the pictures were taken.
Plus, the restaurants nearby were open and got a boost in business.
We chose to eat at La Tolteca Bar & Grill. Did you know there was a La Tolteca Mexican restaurant right on Public Square?
It was a beautiful night, so we ate our queso and burritos at a table on the sidewalk listening to Dustin and his group perform.
I couldn’t have planned a more perfect week.
My little birthday dinner and watching the changemakers receive recognition was all I needed.
Mike McGinley is a Times Leader columnist who is often called a man about town. Email him thoughts at mikejmcginley@gmail.com.