How do you pronounce Utz?

Some say po-tay-toe. Some say po-tah-toe. And now, apparently, some say “oootz” while others prefer “uhtz.”

I’m referring, of course, to the snack company rather famous here in the mid-Atlantic states. In an internal twist of corporate-competitor social media managers duking it out publicly on various platforms, a veteran SSM and a newbie SSM in the same company are having a friendly argument about the pronunciation of the brand name.

I’ve always admired the witty repartee of snarky yet funny and respectful digital content creators. I remember fondly when Wendy’s took social media by storm — and set a significantly higher bar — with an SMM who took on all comers. From corporate competitors to individual consumers, no one was safe from a witty dig from the writer, who is named by many online sources as Matt Keck. For some fun entertainment, search Wendy’s social media, make some popcorn and sit back and enjoy.

But back to the current debate being carried out by the Hanover, Pa., snack company (even though many Baltimoreans claim ownership of the brand). The online back-and-forth started April 14, with a video showing the veteran social media manager announcing that a second media team member had been hired. Pronouncing the brand as “oootz,” the veteran worker asked everyone to give the new hire a warm welcome.

Camp Oootz

The followup video featured the new hire, telling everyone how excited she was to be working for Uhtz. A third video showed the two meeting face-to-face, which resulted in an escalating argument after each heard the other’s pronunciation.

Camp Uhtz

There’s an on-going series of videos and memes that carry out the “debate.” I’ve lived in this region my entire life and I’ve never heard the snacks referred to as “oootz.” I have always been and remain in the “Uhtz” camp. But hey, the campaign worked because people are talking about the snacks.

I don’t want to give the ending away, but the two managers eventually land in the HR office, where the personnel guru ducks the debate by spelling out U-T-Z. Make some more popcorn and head over to Utz to enjoy the show.

Some say po-tay-toe. Some say po-tah-toe. Some say Uhtz. Some say Oootz.

But there’s no reason to call the whole thing off.

Heritage Fair: Time to step up is now!

The 2025 version of the Heritage Fair has been saved, at least in theory; at least on paper. Public outcry and an influx of new business interest in the once-canceled event convinced organizers to revive the effort.

But now, the fair needs to be built from the ground up, in eight short weeks. The time to step forward is now for all those who complained about and criticized the decision; begged for another chance; promised to help and offered suggestions. It’s time to make good on the talk.

Dundalk Heritage Fair Association executive director Mark Krysiak has put out the plea for volunteers, vendors and crafters and has announced a volunteer open house to allow community members to officially volunteer and get specific assignments.

The open house will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, at the Patapsco Masonic Lodge, 2 Trading Place in downtown Old Dundalk.

Volunteers are needed in the administration, admissions, construction, electrical, hospitality, security and ticketing departments, according to a notice published by the organization.

For more information, or to volunteer if you can’t attend the meeting, contact volunteer coordinator Michelle Gielner, mgielner@dundalkheritagefair.com.

Food vendors of all kinds (think burgers, pizza, pit beef, ice cream, lemonade, ethnic foods) are needed as well. If your business in interested in participating, contact Chantell, clake@dundalkheritagefair.com.

Efforts are also underway to provide a robust arts and crafts area. Crafters interested in offering their wares should contact Amanda, amccartney@dundalkheritagefair.com.

At the risk of sounding snarky, now is the time for all the critics and naysayers to step away from their devices and make good on all the talk, all the comments, all the promises made. Those comments and promises played a role in the decision to revamp the fair, and it would be a shame to see the community is all talk and no action.

I worked with volunteer-driven organizations for a couple decades, and it didn’t take long to see a definite pattern in “participation.” A plea for help would go out, the excuses would roll in and, in the end, it was the same handful of tired, overworked and under-appreciated volunteers doing all the work. Folks wanted their children to participate in activities, but no one wanted to help provide those activities. Some parents were simply looking for inexpensive babysitting; a place to drop their kids and make them someone else’s responsibility for a few hours.

The fair is in a similar predicament. Community residents have made it very clear they don’t want the event to end. But there’s more to staging such an event than simply showing up the day of, paying admission, walking the grounds, buying a sandwich and enjoying some music. Thousands of hours of volunteer recruitment and training, logistics and sweat equity are already on the books before the first paid customer goes through the gates.

Step up, Dundalk! The fair organizers believed you when you promised to help if they’d follow through on this year’s event.

Don’t let them down.

Sister Geneviéve and the Pope

Many different layers of Pope Francis’ life were spotlighted over the week between his death and funeral, as media outlets assembled teams, made travel arrangements, prepared scripts and researched archived materials to appropriately and respectfully cover his funeral.

But the story that most touched my heart was that of the friendship between Sister Geneviéve Jeanningros and the pontiff.

I was left with a lot of questions needing to be answered and my curiosity piqued when I saw brief — and misleading — references to the nun. A video of a tearful, mourning nun crying at the corner of the roped-off area with the bier bearing the pope’s casket recently made the rounds on social media. Clearly, she was the only woman amid the sea of upper-level clergy present. A headline superimposed over the video said the nun broke protocol in entering the basilica to pay her respects and that no one had the heart to remove her.

But in reality, Sister, in recognition of her long-time and close friendship with Francis, was escorted to the area and allowed time to pray and mourn for her fallen friend. In those moments, Francis was not a pope, not the global leader of Catholics, not a bureaucrat, not a celebrity. He was a friend being respected, mourned and missed by another friend. It was simply a very human experience being played out on a global stage.

Sister was allowed to enter an area usually reserved for cardinals, bishops and Catholic priests, according to online reports, which, of course, excludes all women. Protocol may have been broken, but the nun was not the one to break it. It was broken for her. I for one am glad hearts prevailed and rules were overlooked to allow this moment to happen.

But even with rules broken to accommodate her, she remained outside of the stanchions roping off a smaller area containing the bier. She touched hearts around the world as she stood outside a bordering post, wiping her eyes with a tissue as she gazed upon the body of her friend. In a move that would no doubt have been approved by the pope, she was allowed the time to publicly grieve her personal loss.  

Sister Geneviéve mourns her friend, Pope Francis.
Photo via Yahoo

Sister Geneviéve, 81 and French-Argentine, met then-Bishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 2005 under tragic circumstances. Geneviéve was the niece of Léonie Duquet, a French nun murdered in the 1970s while Argentina was ruled by a succession of dictators. When Duquet’s remains were found and identified in 2005,  Geneviéve met with the bishop, who granted permission for Duquet to be reburied in Buenos Aires.

Over the years since, their paths crossed often as they championed many of the same causes and attended many of the same gatherings. They were pictured together at many events, with Geneviéve sitting next to Francis, sharing a hug or enjoying a laugh in many of those images.

After being named pope in 2013, Francis often invited her to Mass at the Vatican and was known to visit her at her caravan residence, according to online reports.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, at Francis’ request, Geneviéve worked with fairground workers who lost their incomes because of imposed health restrictions. She also met with Latin American transgender sex workers during that time.

Sister championed the LGBTQ+ community and established the habit of visiting Francis weekly with a group of LGBTQ+ residents, according to the Agence France-Press. “I always wrote to him a little message to tell him who was coming,” she said, according to the AFP.

In an interview with Noticias Telemundo at the Vatican, she described Francis as “a brother, a pope, a friend.”

So as to protocol, in the end, right and good prevailed. This was a moment without job titles, without rigid rules, without a hierarchy that doesn’t value women, without gender exclusivity, without any other kind of bias.

Very simply, a friend had died and a surviving friend was allowed to mourn.

I’d expect nothing less from any church truly walking the walk.