Celebrate one day, and one haircut at a time!

This story begins with a haircut, although not just any haircut, but a milestone event for a young boy who recently celebrated his first birthday.

Long-time Owego resident, John Chandler, recently took his son, John-Glenn, to Andy & Son Barbershop, located at 26 Lake St. in Owego, N.Y.  There, the one-year old sat on his father’s lap while Matt Romano, a third generation barber, cut his hair.

Andy Romano, in business at the Lake Street location for just shy of 50 years, and with a birds-eye view of the historic district, welcomed his son, Matt, to the business three years ago. Several generations of families have walked through the front door of Andy’s since 1969, including the Chandler’s.

On the Andy & Son Barbershop Facebook page, the business states they are, “The longest standing location as a barbershop in the U.S.,” and posts that the building has housed barbers going back more than 100 years.

For Chandler, that piece of history holds special meaning to him, too.

He shared, “Matt has the potential to cut my son’s hair for the next twenty years or more,” and added that he would like to see John-Glenn be part of the next generation of history.

The occasion was made extra-special, too, when Matt presented John-Glenn with a “First Haircut Certificate.” 

This story continues with an 8,500-mile plane ride from New York to the Philippines, and quite the “first” for a one-year-old, and where John-Glenn’s mother, Dailyn, is from.

Chandler explained that he and Dailyn communicated by email and telephone for about a year-and-a-half before they met for the first time in August of 2015. Dailyn arrived in the U.S. in August of 2016, and then the couple married one month later.

In October, the Chandler’s traveled back to the Philippines on a 16-day trip to the island of Mindanao, and where one leg was 15 hours nonstop.

It was the first time in two years that Dailyn had seen her family, and while there, John-Glenn celebrated his birthday with his grandparents and extended family.

John-Glenn’s name, hyphenated to give a nod to his father and grandfather who carry the name John, includes the name Glenn in memory of Dailyn’s brother and another relative of Chandler’s. 

Although Chandler said that it took a few days for John-Glenn to warm up to family in the Philippines, some of the language was probably familiar sounding. Dailyn speaks to John-Glenn in both her native language and English.

When asked what one aspect of the U.S. she likes more than in the Philippines, Dailyn replied that the wages she receives at her job here are better.

Urban growth and modernization, along with an influx of prosperous business has transformed many areas in the Philippines. Multi-story buildings and fashionable shopping areas encompass the cities; however just past the city lines stand poor communities. For Dailyn, raising chickens and pigs, consuming fruit from trees on her family’s property, and utilizing a hand pump because of lack of running water are just a few examples of how one area greatly differs from another.

The Chandler’s took in some family fun on their trip, too, which featured a challenging 45-minute uphill mountain climb via horse to a zip-line, and at 4,000 feet, they were rewarded with a spectacular view. 

Traveling about, the Chandler’s said, can be a bit nerve-wracking, and especially when driving. Stop signs and traffic lights are pretty much nonexistent, and where many resort to other transportation means such as the Jeepney bus or multi-passenger tricycle.

Chandler said that he has invited his in-laws to visit the U.S. next year, and hopes they can stay long enough to experience seasonal changes. Otherwise, he describes the Philippines’ tropical weather as, “Hot and hotter.”

This story concludes with the hope that John-Glenn will take a liking to his dad’s construction business, J.O.C. Construction, and with potential dreams of bulldozers and excavators in his future.

But not to rush life too quickly yet, the Chandler’s are enjoying their son’s “firsts” one-day-at-a-time.