Sweeping the clouds away!
The other day I was out in Philadelphia getting regular people’s reaction to a news story I was working on, and I started chatting with this woman who was very well spoken. It was a story about that soap opera “The Guiding Light” that was going off the air after 72 years of being broadcast first on radio, then on tv. The woman I ran into was quite interested in broadcast history and made some articulate remarks. When I asked her about her interest and knowledge about radio and tv history she mentioned that she was an actress. Turns out, the woman I was speaking to was Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on Sesame Street! As soon as she told me that, I was so excited! I suddenly recognized her as if I recognized an old friend.
Manzano told me she had been playing Maria on Sesame Street for the past 30 years! That woman does not age! Anyway, she was in Philadelphia getting ready for an appearance at Sesame Place the next day. I caught her as she was exploring the city, looking for an ATM. I was starstruck for Maria. Imagine how I would’ve felt around Elmo!
