WFIL contests
by Marianne Farley, North Wales, PA
I had forgotten about this until I saw Bruce Warren’s bit about local radio today. While I was in high school at Archbishop Wood HS for Girls, the Philly radio stations would run these contests to win a free concert at your school. I think all you had to do was send in the call letters on 3×5 cards. Whichever school sent in the most won. Our student council took on the challenge and incited us to win this contest. And, we did!
Now, this was in the early 70’s and a Catholic all-girls high school was a pretty sheltered and anachronistic environment. The good sisters patrolled the halls with those little tin turtle clickers to keep order; and if you showed up to school without yellow shoelaces tieing up your dark green oxfords, they took the laces out and you flopped around the rest of the day.
So, the big day arrives. The mood at school is pandemonium, controlled pandemonium. We all file into the gymnasium, I was lucky enough to get an end bleacher seat right in front. And then, The Raspberries come out to perform their one hit — “Please, Baby Go All the Way”! This still makes me grin on so many levels.
I read someone else’s memories of this event either on the boards, a blog or something. I don’t think I realized that it was The Raspberries, though. And I sure as all heck don’t remember a mention of “Please, Baby Go All the Way”! Great story and wow ! what a show you got a your own HS !
August 27th, 2007 at 5:13 pmBTW, I teach at a Catholic HS. It makes the story bittersweet. The good sisters are all gone, save for one lone hold out, the clickers are gone and no one patrols the halls anymore. The level of discipline has changed considerably. The school dances are enough to make a p*rn star blush. Prolly b/c of all this, I don’t think they’d even allow such a concert at the school, today. They wouldn’t be able to pull off *controlled* pandemonium.