When I lived in South Dakota, there was a radio program called “The Great Afternoon Smorgasbord,” which featured a little bit of everything.
The word smorgasbord is Swedish. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a “smorgasbord” is a buffet offering hot and cold meats, salads, etc. – very much like the Longhorn Café here in Bowie.
“Smor” is Swedish for butter, “gas” is a clump (of butter) and “bord” means table. The word has increased in usage, especially after World War II.
The Great Afternoon Smorgasbord discussed a myriad of topics, including current events, and it was like an auditory buffet. The presenter was a man named Grant Peterson of Brookings, S.D., who was of Norwegian descent.
His radio program was popular all throughout the Dakotas for its downhome, folksy style, which other on-air talent couldn’t quite replicate.
Well, this column will be a little bit like that, a smorgasbord of different topics. So please follow along accordingly.

High school football

As usual, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football provides Texas high school football fans with plenty of hype entering a season.
Here’s a two-part message I want to share with every football player in our county.
One, championships or district titles are never won on paper, and you should look at your predicted order of finish as nothing more than a guide from one pundit or prognosticator.
(An aside, I’ve decided not to have district predictions in our special fall sports section coming out on Aug. 30.)
Two, please remember that you are in control of your own destiny by your actions both on and off the field.
There’s nothing more upsetting to me than a player who doesn’t keep his grades up to remain eligible to play. Read more in the July 22 Bowie News.

Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.

Nocona’s Jeremy James and the rest of the Indians have high expectations heading into the 2017 season, if you read Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. The Indians are considered a ‘dark horse’ by the publication in Class 3A-Division II. (File photo by Donovan Winkler)