Of Almond Roca and Tacoma

The next time you need to hustle a free drink here's one that ought to stump most of the local barflies: Where does Almond Roca candy come from?
The answer of course, for those on top of their Pacific Northwest lore, is Tacoma, Washington.

You may wonder how I, a well traveled broadcast tycoon, came to know this particular nugget of candy goodness. Well, the story begins in San Francisco sometime in the early 80's. I had just

been blown out of my morning radio show by a new program director who objected to my spending four hours a day at the radio station and six hours a day hitting the saloons in North Beach and Chinatown. (Picky SOB!) In those days the morning news guy, John Emm, and I were out the door of the station by 10:01 AM and in the bag at one of our favorite bars by 10:02. We were "The Boys" and, probably because we had a radio show, seldom had to actually buy a drink. It was heaven. But, I suppose if we had continued riding the Jack Daniels limited much longer the train would have ultimately jumped the tracks and left us as a couple of grease spots on the road bed. That prick PD probably saved my life.
After a couple of months spinning the "Howdy hits", (radio speak for the Country format), in Oakland--of all places, I wound up being rescued by my former radio partner, Rob Sherwood. Rob, who had a long career in the Minneapolis market, had spent a year teamed with me on K-101 in San Francisco and was now running a station in Tacoma, Washington. He hired me for the morning show on KTAC.

San Francisco to Tacoma...It was a hell of a bounce.


Tacoma is drizzly and gray. And, as you know by now, they make Almond Roca there.
The station was sort of a fading star. It had been one of the big top-40 stations in the Northwest for years, but because it was an AM station in an FM world, was a work in progress. Rob, and the general manager, Harold Greenberg, were both great to work for and the staff were all friendly and talented. I liked it there. Tacoma and the rain depressed me, but the job was fun. I got to work with Chuck Boland, a curmudgeonly news and sports legend in the Puget Sound area. "And that's the way the ball bounces." was, and probably still is, a tag line familiar to most denizens of the Pacific Northwest. He was a master of all that was snarky and snide. MY kind of guy!

The morning show also came with a female traffic reporter who is one of the funniest and most delightful friends I have ever had--Dayle Nelson. Her name was Parks back then and, like most of us, she has since acquired a couple of kids and moved on from the radio business.

Dayle has glasses now and will no doubt be furious with me for putting this picture in the blog. She thinks that the glasses make her look smart and serious, but don't be fooled. She is still a total wackjob. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I lasted only a year in Tacoma. The rain was too much. When a shot at owning a station in Las Vegas came my way, we booked for the fun and sun of Sin City, but left knowing there was a lifelong friend in Tacoma.


I never know who reads this blog. I do it because a middle-aged white guy who spent nearly forty years talking crap on the radio needs a place to spew when he no longer has the keys to a station. It's this or the goon garage.


What got me thinking of Almond Roca and the laughs I had working with Dayle is this...
Her son, Andrew, is a 22 year-old sailor who is up for consideration to sail in the Audi Medicup which is being held in Portugal this August. This is a very big sailing deal and Andrew has submitted an essay which will determine who gets the coveted slots in the event. He needs votes to win AND YOU CAN VOTE!
Here's how: Go to HTTP://www.quantumsails.com/Dream2009/Vote.aspx
Click on Andrew's essay and vote for him.
Andrew will thank you and I know Dayle will be forever in your debt. She has most likely scheduled a heavy makeout session with her current boyfriend during Andrew's absense.

That's why I do this. TO SERVE HYSTERICAL MOTHERS EVERYWHERE!

Vote NOW; vote OFTEN.