An hour 'til kick-off

VALHALLA — As I sit here at my improvised press box (that being an empty picnic table here at the Kensico Dam Plaza), we're little more than 60 minutes away from Opening Ceremonies.

Arriving even before the athletes get here, a school bus filled with media members pulled up to the plaza in a yellow school bus like this one (yes, I drove over an hour to get to Westchester County, only to take a ride in a school bus!) just like the thousands of spectators who are still filing into the venue, folding chairs and entertainment waiting to greet them.

A local marching band has just finished its performance, keeping the fans on hand pumped until the festivities here commence at 7:30 p.m.

Here's another shot I just snapped — this one of the grand stage where dignitaries and tonight's keynote speaker, Emmy Award-winning journalist Jeremy Schaap, will greet all in attendance.

(Just call me a "Mo-Jo" ... that's mobile journalist, taking pictures and writing stories! It's a "pro-am" approach.)

Well, time to wait for some local athletes to arrive so I can talk to them for stories I'm working on for tomorrow's edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal.

It's almost time to hear those four words we've been waiting a year for: Let the games begin!