Summer is all over but the heat. School is back in session and those with children still at home are probably glad to be back in a normal daily routine.

Other than the heat and humidity that continues to linger, the politicians do, too, though they’ve been narrowed down from a deluge earlier this year to a trickle.

This being an election year, there are several contested races locally, as well as on the state and national levels, so I’m guessing the heat of politics will keep us warm for the remainder of summer and long into fall at least until after Election Day in November and probably beyond.

With the Democratic National Convention getting under way in Denver tomorrow, followed close behind by the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, it’s a given that presidential contenders Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama will have their day in the sun in the weeks to come. Then, the heat will really be on as they do double time on their respective campaign trails that are certain to crisscross the country several times over.

All of which reminds me of another Democratic National Convention that took place in New York City in July 1976, when Sumter County’s own native son, Jimmy Carter, was named the Party’s presidential nominee for the 39th president of the United States. What an exciting time that was for all of us living here, especially those of us reporting through the pages of this newspaper highlights of the convention and other events leading up to Election Day, Nov. 2, 1976.

At the time, I was on the editorial staff of this newspaper and though not in New York at the big convention, it was exciting being on the home front helping the others of our small staff get “the paper out.” Our man in the field, Managing Editor Rudy Hayes, filed stories and personal columns from the convention daily, reporting the latest news highlights from the Carter camp and features about the many Sumer Countians in the Big Apple, either as delegates or lucky enough to just be there. Unlike today’s wealth of online resources with the Internet at our very fingertips and a laptop or Blackberry that we can flip open at a moment’s notice, we had limited resources. Hayes filed his stories from the field the old fashioned way. He called the office every morning, and as he dictated over the phone, I typed his stories on the dependable old Royal typewriter.

At the time the T-R was an afternoon paper with a 3 p.m. press time and reporters’ stories were written, edited and proofed during the morning. Billy Blair, then publisher, realizing we had a plethora of information worthy of front page status made the decision to have two front pages, which he designed, again applying the old fashioned method of using paper dummies and number two lead pencils. There was no such thing as putting an entire newspaper together on the computer back then.

Even if you weren’t around 32 years ago or two small to remember when Jimmy Carter, the Man from Plains, was nominated the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, you already know the outcome of events from that historical week in U.S. politics and the results from the November general election that followed. It was indeed exciting times in Sumter County and the rest of the nation and next week’s Democratic Convention and fall campaign pales in comparison.

SUMTER SEENS: It was with great pride that we watched former Americus resident, Ashley Riccardi Hatcher, of Columbus and creator of the Lappers dinner trays showcase her unique and stylish product on QVC’s “Kitchen’s Ideas” segment televised live from Philadelphia last Tuesday. She was superb! And so at ease showing how the trays keep plates and glasses from sliding around and creating a mess. It goes without saying her parents Carolyn Kinnebrew, Dr. Lou and Candy Riccardi and grandparents Nancy and Judge Griffin Bell were in front of the TV, cheering Ashley on. They, along with her many other local relatives and friends, have supported her efforts and encouraged Ashley for a little over two years as she enthusiastically nurtured her Lapper business. She has seen sales double in the past year, selling 70,000 of the Lapper trays primarily through 700 small gift shops and online stores across the country. With QVC’s national exposure, Ashley’s Lapper business could soar. Locally, Ashley’s Lappers are available at The Kinnebrew Co., Mary Baldwin’s and The Maze. We missed the Soul Survivor’s dance featuring beach music and delish food but heard it was a big hit. Some of the partygoers arrived in style, taking a limo to the Georgia Southwestern Golf and Conference Center. Sounds like fun way to go to me. They were Sparky and Aileen Reeves, Kevin and Jenny Reeves, Marshall and Susan Welch, Jim and Carleen Peace, Carl Popwell and John and Tiffany Dean; brothers Taylor and Andrew Austin along with Kappa Alpha brothers Elijah Hobgood and Wade Shiver all of Americus are home after an exciting and adventuresome three weeks of backpacking through Europe, beginning their trip in Amsterdam and visiting London, Paris, Switzerland, Turkey and ending up on the Italian Riviera. A few of their experiences were sky-diving, cliff climbing and white water rafting. The Austin brothers are Auburn students, Shiver is at Georgia Southern and Hobgood is a recent graduate of UGA; members of the Americus Blue Tide Swim Team celebrated the Olympics with what else? A swim party at the home of Blue Tide swimmers Athan and Lexie Cheokas and watched on the big screen TV Olympic swim team super star Michael Phelps win his eighth gold medal; Ferd and Millie Cohen gathered recently in Montgomery, AL., with her Johnson family members for a fun reunion at the Seth Johnson Elementary School, named in memory of her paternal grandfather and let’s sing happy birthday to Jackie Merriman and Robert Perry.

Leila Barrett Case lives and works in Americus.