by Cindi Rinehart

Editor's Note:
Our communities are rich with talented and interesting people.One is Cindi Rinehart, a West Seattleite. In person, she is just as vivacious as she was on KOMO TV where she gave us the inside scoop for years on all the soap operas. She has had an interesting life. We asked her to consider writing a column for us. She said yes! Here is her introductory column.

Hi gang!! If you do know who I am, that’s great, but for those of you who don’t, here’s a little about me! In 1984, I landed my dream job in Seattle. It was called Northwest Afternoon. It was a one hour local/live talk show that lasted over 24 years. I had an entertainment segment on the show and was billed as Cindi Rinehart, the sportscaster for Daytime Dramas. Every day at three, I would go on the air and update folks about their favorite daytime shows like All My Children and The Young and the Restless. In the beginning, I had a live audience and we would chat about our favorite dramas. During that time I met and interviewed hundreds of folks in the entertainment biz including soap stars, movie stars, TV stars, writers and producers. During that time, I had a lot of crazy things that happened to me that I will share with you guys in the coming months. Here’s a couple of snippets. As a television talent, I wore heavy make-up everyday so on the weekends I wore none. One day I was shopping in the West Seattle Junction and a guy came up to me and said, “Hey, aren’t you Cindi Rinehart?” I said, I sure am!” He asked for an autograph and I gladly whipped out my photo and began to sign it. He seemed to be staring at me like he was mesmerized by something . I handed him the photograph. (Yes, I carried a bunch in my purse cause, well, ya never know) Then, he just stood there kinda peering at me and then he said, “You look really different without your make-up.” I smiled and said, “So do you!” He just sauntered away and I snickered.

Over the years I have had many, many people ask me, “Why do you watch those things, (soap operas) they are a waste of time.” I used to take the ethereal way trying to explain how soap operas are an electronic romance novel, that people can watch them and still do work, that they covered social issues such as alcoholism, drugs, having babies out of wedlock, divorce, illiteracy and so on. While that’s all true they are also an escape and company for people who are in a hospital, incapacitated or alone in this world. Most folks would say, “Oh, I didn’t think of it that way.” For others, it’s just plain entertainment. I now say to anyone who questions me that my job is to make people smile fifteen minutes a day and it doesn’t make any difference if I’m talking about soap operas or peanut butter.

Next week, I will tell you a little about how I got here! See you then!