The words of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns, are sung by many on New Year's Eve:  We'll drink a cup o' kindness, yet, for days of Auld Lang Syne.  Auld Lang Syne means times long past.   It is a song of reminiscence; a perfect sentiment to end the year.  We give our regards to the past, and welcome the new, which isn't always easy.

In Port Washington, where I live, we said goodbye to a very dear part of our community this past year:  Harry's Restaurant.  

When my husband and I moved from Cedarburg to Port Washington in the Spring of 1999, one of the first places we came to know and love was Harry's.  The owners, Bertie and Dale, recognized my husband from when he went to daycare with their children, but I suspect we would have been warmly welcomed, even if we had been complete strangers.  
Harry's quickly became our weekend Cheers - the place where everybody knew our names.  We nicknamed Joe, the cook, Satan, because of his pointy goatee.  My husband would nudge me as we waited in line for our table: "Satan's in the kitchen - that means our breakfast will be good."  Indeed, it was.

Wendy, our favorite waitress, always made time to chat with us.  In fact, when I was in the hospital the day after our first child was born in 2002, my husband stopped into Harry's for breakfast.  Wendy sent him to the hospital with a slice of Harry's famous Jewish Coffee Cake, and congrats from the staff.  She did it again when my husband and my daughter went in for breakfast one June morning in 2005, when my son was born.

My children grew up at Harry's, with Bertie, Dale and Wendy remarking on how much they'd grown with every visit.  First, they sat at the high chair.  Then, there were the mouse-ear pancake years.  Before we knew it, we were splitting the coffee cake over cups of tea and coffee, and they were ordering off of the grown-up menu.  My son would pay at the register, then take a spin on the stools at the counter before we would head out the door.  Harry's was an era for my family; as it was, I imagine, for many others.

We weren't in town for the party the community had for Harry's, but I stopped in on their last day - the place was bursting at the seams - to give Dale and Bertie a card, and one for Wendy, too.  A card to say thanks.  A card to say good-bye.  

Some people think that Harry's had to close to make room for the new Port Harbour Lights development that is going up as I type this, but that's not true.  Bertie and Dale were ready for a well-deserved rest.  Some people hope that someone will bring Harry's back when the new space is built; some people don't want that at all, because it wouldn't be the same - and it won't.  Dale, Bertie, Wendy, Joe, and the rest of the staff are what made Harry's what it was.  

Good byes are hard.  We have our memories, though, and we reminisce.  We give our regards to the past; then, we take each other's hands and we look to the future.  That is what the new year is for.  

Why, as Mr. Rogers said, "They're the people that you meet, as you're walking down the street; they're the people that you meet each day!"  

​If you've been in downtown Cedarburg at all over the past five years, you've likely met Jimmy "the Popcorn Man" Fortunato.  It's pretty hard to miss his antique popcorn wagon, parked just south of the Java House on Washington Avenue.  Lately, though, you may have noticed that Jimmy hasn't been in his wagon as much as he usually is.  We caught up with him to find out why.

Jimmy's a very well-loved local, as the community demonstrated during a cash mob sponsored by Ozaukee Magazine a year and a half ago, where just over $15,000 was raised in four weeks to help keep Jimmy, who had had some serious health issues over the summer of 2013, in business.  The fundraiser was a huge success, allowing Jimmy to catch up financially, and get back to business as usual.

This past summer, Jimmy was able to purchase a small, portable, antique popcorn wagon.  Unlike his large wagon, this new purchase has enabled Jimmy to travel to events and parties, both indoor and out.  Ironically, the success of the small wagon has been so great that it has kept Jimmy away from the big wagon.

"I can't be here enough and, unfortunately, it doesn't make sense, financially, to hire someone to run [the big wagon]," said Jimmy, who put his large wagon up for sale on Craigslist this past September.  "I don't want to sell to just anybody, though.  I want the wagon to stay here in Cedarburg; in fact, I'm hoping that one of the local non-profits will take it over and use it as a fundraiser, like they did with the Rivoli.  It's a fun place to volunteer in."

In the meantime, Jimmy is manning his big wagon on Washington Avenue as often as he can manage, in between parties and events with his portable wagon, but he has no plans to leave the Cedarburg area anytime soon.

"I love all of the people here - they've been so good to me," Jimmy said.  "I really hope someone can help me keep the tradition of the popcorn wagon going - it belongs in Cedarburg."

When Port Washington resident, Eric Armstrong, returned from four years in the Marine Corps, he felt as though he had lost his focus.  Then, his friend needed him.

"I'd be dead without this guy," insisted Josh Melton, who nearly became one of the many young adults in Ozaukee County to lose his life because of heroin addiction.  Luckily, with the help of family and friends, Josh has been able to get back on the right track, and his success made him and Eric wonder if they could do more.

Just two months ago, Josh, Eric, and their friend, Micah Henning, formed the group O.A.T.H.E. - Ozaukeeans Against The Heroin Epidemic - and the response has been overwhelming.

"I felt driven to do this," Eric stated.  "I wasn't sure where it would go, but I started the facebook page and it just went crazy!."

The support group page already has over 2,000 members, and their group page has nearly 350 "likes" -- pretty amazing for such a short time, and a strong indication that people are ready, and need to, talk about this issue.

OATHE intends to change the perception of opiate abuse in Ozaukee county, and their mission is clearly stated: To eradicate substance abuse in Ozaukee County by supporting addicts in their path to effective and long-lasting recovery, preventing addiction through community engagement and education, and replacing societal attitudes of apathy and judgment toward addicts with compassion and understanding.

Fundraising efforts have already begun for what the group believes is an excellent solution to the problem:  the return of a Youth Rec Center.

"We want to do outreach in schools.  We want to bring different groups together in the community and offer performance art, music classes, gaming - to teach positive activities kids can get involved in instead of drugs," Josh said.

The three said that lack of funding, video games and the internet all contributed to the closing of Rec Centers in the community, but feel that people are realizing it's time to "come up for air" and make those real connections with people because they're essential.

"I bring the real world experience to the group," Josh said, "and support makes all the difference.  We're creating a family for the ones that need it."

If you're interested in getting involved in O.A.T.H.E., there is a meeting at Tello's in the lower level at 6 pm on Tuesday, December 1st.  Contact (414) 573-1597 to r.s.v.p. or for more information.