There’s no rule saying the newspaper’s editor can’t also appear at public events as the mascot, Scoop the News Hound.
Jessica Trinko | The Lima News
It’s always interesting when you hear someone say they can’t imagine you doing something that you genuinely enjoy doing.
So it’s been this week as coworkers and general public alike learned I spent last weekend as “Scoop the News Hound,” The Lima News’ mascot, at the Safety City Trick or Treat event.
For some reason, people I know find it unfathomable that I’d willingly put on a costume, entertaining kids and adults alike.
To be fair to them, I’m not the most animated person in the world. I tend to have the same look on my face, whether I’m annoyed, cheerful or sleepy. On our wedding day, my wife had to ask me if that was what “happy” looked like.
That’s part of the beauty of putting on a big mascot head, though. Scoop’s face never changes either. It’s up to his actions and his motions to help you understand how he’s feeling.
I’ve donned the giant head five or six times now, including several visits to the Allen County Fair. I learned over the years how Scoop plays with different types of children. Some people want a fist bump. Some want a high-five. Some want to dance with him.
You try to read the child’s eyes and deliver something fun and memorable.
It’s always challenging to try to read that fine line between shyness and fear. Some kids want you to inch closer to them to give a high-five. Others are rightfully terrified of a 6-foot dog up on its hind legs walking toward them, carrying a newspaper bag over a shoulder. If you’re not a little afraid of that, there might be something wrong with you.
Strangely enough, I probably smile more inside Scoop’s head than outside of it. It’s hard not to, when you see the joy of children running up to him, asking if they can hug him or take a picture with him.
Over the years, I’ve also dressed up as the Easter Bunny. Before I shaved my beard, some children mistook me for Santa Claus when I wore a red shirt to the store, which made me self-conscious about both the white beard and my bowlful of jelly belly.
I’ve generally been opposed to wearing costumes, which makes me wonder how I ever got into the mascot business in the first place. Perhaps it’s the total anonymity that’s best. Perhaps it’s knowing that for as long as I keep that big dog’s head on my shoulders, I don’t have to talk to anyone,
We all have different things that we enjoy. It’s that diversity that makes life enjoyable.
My wife and I talk about that a lot lately. She’s become a decent sports photographer for the newspaper over the last few years. It’s so different from her 9-to-5 job as a nursing home administrator. People seem shocked that she’d also enjoy photography, sports and the combination of both.
As a journalist, I always enjoy learning about the weird hobbies in which people engage. If you have a cool one, I’d love to talk to you some day.
Of course, we’d have to do the interview when I’m not dressed as a big news-sniffing dog. I can’t imagine doing something like that.
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See past columns by David Trinko at LimaOhio.com/tag/trinko.
David Trinko is editor of The Lima News. Reach him at 567-242-0467, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
