An American Institution - The Harlem Globetrotters

Two or three times each year, I do my best to take my family to an event at The Palace of Auburn Hills.  On Saturday evening, April 18th, I got the chance to see the ever-popular and entertaining Harlem Globetrotters in action.  I have to admit that I haven’t paid much attention to them in many years.  I’ll be showing my age when I tell you that the Harlem Globetrotters of my time were best known for the likes of Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal.  But the Globetrotters of today are still great family entertainment and very talented.  Saturday night’s game against the infamous Washington Generals was filled with a lot of laughs, interaction with the fans, and some pretty amazing basketball handling.  They look like they are genuinely having a good time together.  

If you’re a visitor to The Palace of Auburn Hills, you also know that they do a great job introducing other aspects into your Palace experience.  One thing that I truly appreciated was that they honored a Korean War veteran by the name of Mr. Quackenbush.  This gentleman was given the chance to step out onto the middle of the court and wave to the crowd as his military credentials were being announced.  This hit home with me because my own father was a Sergeant in the Army and was also a Korean War veteran.  Sadly, my Dad is no longer with us, but it was a privilege for me to join the standing ovation given to Mr. Quackenbush that evening.  

Tom Tanghe, City Manager