The abbreviated, first season of horse racing at Erie, Pa.'s Presque Isle Downs, which spanned 22 days last September, drew large, enthusiastic crowds. But, like most racing venues these days, most fans were middle aged or older. Seems racing appeals most to those of us who remember Northern Dancer, Majestic Prince, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Alydar and Affirmed.

We knew who Seabiscuit was even before the best-selling book and subsequent movie came out.

Today, the allure of horse racing is lost on many young people. And when things go horribly awry, as they did at Saturday's Kentucky Derby when Eight Belles, the filly who placed second, stumbled after crossing the finish line and broke both of her ankles, many young people wondered, "What kind of awful sport is this?"

That's the challenge facing Presque Isle Downs, one of America's fortunate new tracks, whose bottom line is greatly enhanced by revenue from 2,000 slot machines. It's why top-notch horses, owners and jockeys come here -- the purses are lucrative.

But is it enough to attract new fans and hook them on the sport that ranked, with baseball, as America's most popular past time from the 1920s to the '60s? We'll see.

Ted Arneault, chief executive of MTR Gaming Group Inc, which owns Presque Isle Downs, announced Monday that three concerts have been booked in the coming weeks to entertain the crowds after the races conclude. Grass Roots will perform June 13, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers on July 24, and Sha Na Na on Aug. 14.

The races, which start at 5:30 p.m., should be over by 8:30, which means people can enjoy themselves for a couple more hours and still get home at a decent hour. It's just one way track officials hope to make new friends in 2008. Will it work? That remains to be seen, but it's a smart first step.

-- Kevin Cuneo

The first thing that strikes you about "The Wall" -- the Vietnam Moving Wall -- which is currently on display at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, is the silence. No matter how many visitors crowd around the three separate walls, the atmosphere remains hushed and reverent.

The display opened Thursday on the shady campus, some 15 miles from Erie, Pa. Robb Frederick, an award-winning Erie Times-News reporter who often writes about veteran-related issues, covered the opening of the memorial. "It's such a catharsis," said John Williams, director of veteran services for Erie County. "Something happens inside you when you see this. The emotions come out. And the healing that happens ... I can't describe it."

Frederick explains in his story that in 1984, three California men built a 252-foot replica of the wall in Washington, D.C. "That smaller wall can travel, packed into cases," Frederick wrote. "It was set up for west coast veterans and Gold Star families that were too far from Washington, D.C." A second model, which also travels, is on the west coast this week.

The wall made it to Erie some years ago and was set up at the Villa Maria College campus. I had not visited the memorial in Washington, and did not know what to expect when we went to the moving wall. But I can tell you that you must prepare for a flood of emotions. If you lived through that era and knew people who died in Vietnam, seeing their names inscribed on those walls brings back so many memories.

Those who protest the War in Iraq, but who are too young to remember Vietnam, have no way of knowing the depth of antipathy against that war in southeast Asia. Of course, the soldiers who served there, the great majority of whom were drafted, bore the brunt of the horror of the fighting over there. Sadly, when they returned home, many were mistreated by opponents of the war. It was an unfair mess all the way around for the soldiers who served in Vietnam.

But, as many Vietnam vets have told me, the honor of the soldiers who served there, the loyalty they showed to country and to their fellow soldiers, remains a point of great pride to this day.

It's good to read that a proud veteran like John Williams finds healing when he studies the names on that wall. I think it's difficult for people like me, who were too young to serve, to look at the wall and feel the same sense of pride and purpose. I look at all those names and feel nearly overwhelmed by the loss of so many good people.

Frederick's story in today's newspaper bring the wall to life. I will be there this weekend.

-- Kevin Cuneo

It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while -- when all the stars align and everything in the cosmos clicks into place -- you can enjoy the perfect night. That's what happened Tuesday to Sarah Roussos and her family in Erie, Pa.

Roussos is a talented young singer, dancer and actress from Erie, who made it to the big time. Well, big enough to land the role of Brenda in a nationally touring company of "Hairspray," anyway. That's pretty darned good, and her parents, Tony and Julia Roussos, and many hometown friends and fans were looking forward to seeing her Tuesday when the show came to Erie's Warner Theatre.

Roussos is also the stand-in for Tracy, the lead role, played by Brookllyn Pulver. Sarah's played that role about 30 times. But when Pulver injured her foot, Roussos was suddenly thrown into the lead -- in her hometown, in front of all those familiar faces.

How did she do? "Roussos nailed it -- to perfection," wrote veteran Erie Times-News entertainment writer and critic Dave Richards. Sarah didn't swallow hard and give a wooden performance, she left the sold-out crowd of 2,200 people laughing with delight in their seats.

Richards wondered if Roussos' excitement about playing the lead bubbled over to the rest of the cast, because "Hairspray" proved to be such an exhilarating and hilarious triumph.

Richards tells the story well in today's newspaper by reaching the actress' parents and interviewing them during intermission. He also describes the long, warm standing ovation her hometown fans delivered at the conclusion of the performance.

Finally, he spoke with Sarah at the end of her perfect night. "It was unbelievable," she said, still wearing her brown beehive. "It was just so special -- so exciting."

For one night, in her hometown, Roussos gave her greatest performance. The people at the theater left convinced it was only the first of many more perfect nights to come.

-- Kevin Cuneo