(Dec. 1, 2016) Although the Town of Berlin is officially calling the former Tyson’s Chicken plant on Old Ocean City Boulevard “Berlin Falls,” a new movement has begun to rename the space after James “The Mailman” Tingle.
Bill Todd, lead guitarist for Lower Class Citizens, jack-of-all-trades at Burley Oak Brewing Company and an on-air personality known as “The Dude” at Ocean 98 radio, is helping to lead the campaign.
“My girlfriend Chrissy [Ehrhart] and I were having a conversation about how we haven’t seen James working the mail route,” he said. “We knew he was retiring, but we didn’t know when exactly. When we found out he was officially retired, we wondered why there wasn’t some sort big ceremony or something for him.
“Everybody loves James,” Todd added. “We thought it would be a perfect way to rename the fantastic new park, Berlin Falls, which has no natural falls to speak of, to James Tingle Park.”
Todd brought up the idea on the radio and the reaction was more than positive. Fellow Ocean 98 radio personality “Schwab” wrote a Facebook post on Nov. 22 that was shared several dozen times.
“The ‘Berlin Falls Park,’ while a welcome addition to the burgeoning scene in the Town of Berlin, has one small problem: THE NAME! Stand up & ride the groundswell of this movement, it’s time to rename Berlin Falls Park and celebrate the army of wool-panted package delivery men and women that visit our homes daily, by honoring the most recognizable mailman in recent Berlin history, Mr. James Tingle,” the post read.
After talking with people in person, online and on air, Todd said the common theme has been a general dissatisfaction with the name “Berlin Falls.”
“They love the park, not the name. There apparently is a plan to build some falls in the future, but it’s just too put on. It doesn’t fit,” he said.
What does fit, he said, is “James Tingle Park.”
“Let’s honor a guy that means a lot to the community and is around to enjoy it … It seams as if everybody is on board that I’ve come across,” Todd said. “James is a great guy and everybody knows him. He is the coolest mailman I’ve ever come across.
“What James represents is something that is few and far between nowadays – total kindness and respect to anybody and everybody,” Todd added. “For a lot of people around Berlin, he’s been the mailman since they were kids and now they have kids and I’m sure they would want them to grow up with a mailman like James too. He’s like a blast from the past to a simpler time when people were nice to each other and they took pride in what they did and in their community.”
Although Todd said he has yet to speak with Tingle directly, he’s moving ahead with the campaign to name a park after him, including creating a petition that he plans to deliver to “any and all” businesses in Berlin.
“I’d like to have a large number of signatures collected before I approach town hall so they know this community wants to see this happen, and from there we’ll follow the proper procedures to make it a reality,” he said. “They need to know we are not thrilled with the Berlin Falls name, and that we have a wonderful suggestion in James Tingle Park.”
To contact Todd about the petition, email billtodd@burleyoak.com. He can also be reached through Facebook or through Ocean 98.
Bill Todd, lead guitarist for Lower Class Citizens, jack-of-all-trades at Burley Oak Brewing Company and an on-air personality known as “The Dude” at Ocean 98 radio, is helping to lead the campaign.
“My girlfriend Chrissy [Ehrhart] and I were having a conversation about how we haven’t seen James working the mail route,” he said. “We knew he was retiring, but we didn’t know when exactly. When we found out he was officially retired, we wondered why there wasn’t some sort big ceremony or something for him.
“Everybody loves James,” Todd added. “We thought it would be a perfect way to rename the fantastic new park, Berlin Falls, which has no natural falls to speak of, to James Tingle Park.”
Todd brought up the idea on the radio and the reaction was more than positive. Fellow Ocean 98 radio personality “Schwab” wrote a Facebook post on Nov. 22 that was shared several dozen times.
“The ‘Berlin Falls Park,’ while a welcome addition to the burgeoning scene in the Town of Berlin, has one small problem: THE NAME! Stand up & ride the groundswell of this movement, it’s time to rename Berlin Falls Park and celebrate the army of wool-panted package delivery men and women that visit our homes daily, by honoring the most recognizable mailman in recent Berlin history, Mr. James Tingle,” the post read.
After talking with people in person, online and on air, Todd said the common theme has been a general dissatisfaction with the name “Berlin Falls.”
“They love the park, not the name. There apparently is a plan to build some falls in the future, but it’s just too put on. It doesn’t fit,” he said.
What does fit, he said, is “James Tingle Park.”
“Let’s honor a guy that means a lot to the community and is around to enjoy it … It seams as if everybody is on board that I’ve come across,” Todd said. “James is a great guy and everybody knows him. He is the coolest mailman I’ve ever come across.
“What James represents is something that is few and far between nowadays – total kindness and respect to anybody and everybody,” Todd added. “For a lot of people around Berlin, he’s been the mailman since they were kids and now they have kids and I’m sure they would want them to grow up with a mailman like James too. He’s like a blast from the past to a simpler time when people were nice to each other and they took pride in what they did and in their community.”
Although Todd said he has yet to speak with Tingle directly, he’s moving ahead with the campaign to name a park after him, including creating a petition that he plans to deliver to “any and all” businesses in Berlin.
“I’d like to have a large number of signatures collected before I approach town hall so they know this community wants to see this happen, and from there we’ll follow the proper procedures to make it a reality,” he said. “They need to know we are not thrilled with the Berlin Falls name, and that we have a wonderful suggestion in James Tingle Park.”
To contact Todd about the petition, email billtodd@burleyoak.com. He can also be reached through Facebook or through Ocean 98.