“Your home will always be the place for which you feel the deepest affection, no matter where you are.” So says the Internet, when asked about the age-old proverb—and I suppose it’s true. While I have lived in (and loved) a variety of locales, I have a deep affection for my childhood home, which I had the opportunity to see last week. The reason for my trip to Binghamton was tinged with sadness, because my Uncle George passed away, but he had a long life, a successful life and a loving family. Although I was unable to make the funeral due to the blizzard and Dharma’s illness, I had a window of opportunity last Thursday to visit with Aunt Marcia and my cousin Andrew, sit with them for a few hours and reminisce.

Following our time together, I decided to drive past my old stomping grounds and snap a photo, which flooded my reverie on the drive home. While I do believe in the adage “You can’t go home again,” I accept the fact that you can, but understand that nothing stays the same. The house, a Victorian built at the turn of the century, looked pretty good, and while I may not have approved of the new blue color scheme, I appreciated the fact that another family is living and loving in the home which will forever hold a special place in my heart.

These days my heart belongs to the Catskills, and I never tire of the myriad opportunities to appreciate all that life has to offer here in the Upper Delaware region. With that in mind, and with the vet’s OK, I carried my dog to the truck and made my way to the Villa Roma for the ninth annual Sullivan County Boys and Girls Club (www.bgcorange.org) Celebrity Dinner and Tip Challenge. The River Reporter is proud to be one of many sponsors of the organization and this year, instead of performing, I was on board as the “official press photographer,” representing TRR.

This year’s theme was a tribute to the ‘80s, and local businesses, civic leaders and organizations went all out to entertain the packed house. As the cocktail hour and silent auction got underway, I placed Dharma in the capable hands of a trusted friend and set about capturing the wildly costumed revelers working the room for tips. While the organization serves both Orange and Sullivan counties, every dime of the funds raised during the (delicious!) four-course dinner here in Sullivan goes directly to our local club kids.

Teams exemplified iconic ‘80s memories like “Ghostbusters,” “Dirty Dancing,” and Richard (sweatin’ to the oldies) Simmons (to name just a few). There was also an inspired (IMHO) beyond clever twist concocted by the SUNY Sullivan theatrical troupe: a hysterical homage to the 1780s led by Marie Antoinette. Hosted by emcee extraordinaire Greg Goldstein, guests were encouraged and inspired to dig deep, and they rewarded the celebrity servers with a shower of tips.

Once again, everyone was amused and agog over the outlandish antics that these big-hearted folks are willing to perform in order to  secure money for the kids. All in all, more than $60,000 was raised, and while everyone’s efforts are to be applauded, this year’s bragging rights go to the Liberty and Monticello Rotary Clubs, whose “Team Ghostbusters” won the tip challenge, bringing in a whopping $14,000. Exhausted but exhilarated, I carried the pup to the truck and we made our way home, thrilled to be a small part of the larger picture.

Having heard that Bethel, NY’s wunderkind Shlomo Franklin would be performing with his new band in Parksville, (www.cabernetfranks.com), I gave the vet another call and asked if it would be too much for Dharma, who is still recovering from the dreaded Lyme disease. “Make sure she gets plenty of rest,” Dr. Joe said, “but yes, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

In addition to long-time guitarist Joe Miller III, Franklin is now performing with Christian Olivera (on drums) and Mike Jaekel (on electric guitar). As always, the 21-year-old singer/songwriter (www.shlomofranklin.com) blew the roof off of the place, and as he expressed concern over the dog, took a few minutes to cuddle with her and catch us up.

“Things are great!” Shlomo enthused. “I love working with these incredibly talented musicians and working on recording an album, so check out my website and stay tuned!” Franklin has a heart as big as the great outdoors, and his compositions reflect a wisdom beyond his years.

P.S.  I’m incredibly grateful to those of you who have reached out on Dharma’s behalf and thrilled to see her making baby steps toward recovery. She’s resting comfortably and back home… where the heart is.

To view a complete album of photos from the Boys and Girls Club Celebrity Dinner, go to www.facebook.com/theriverreporter.