It was a jingle and she knew the girls who were talking.
One said, "Canton Tire and Wheel, Canton Tire and Wheel." Then the other said, "We've got great tires and we've got great deals." Next, the first girl said, "So come on down, we've got the right tires for you." The ad ended when the second child said, "Oil change, brake service and alignment, too."
The girls in the ad are Hannah and Leah Garrison. The twin daughters of Julie and Steve Garrison are 10 years old. Steve is the owner of Canton Tire and Wheel.
After the jingle, Hannah advises listeners to call her dad and let him take care of their vehicle. Leah adds, "You'll be en-TIRE-ly spoiled - get it? En-TIRE-ly spoiled at Canton Tire and Wheel."
Cynthia got to know the Garrison family years ago when they would come into the bank where she worked. Julie would have Hannah on one hip and Leah on the other. Cynthia heard them on the radio so much, she learned the words to the ad herself.
Leah wrote the jingle. Then Steve had an idea. They would use it in an ad. The girls were excited. Before leaving the radio station, they were given WLJA t-shirts, yoyos, pens and cups. But best of all, they heard the spot on the radio while driving home.
While Leah wrote the first jingle, the second was a joint effort. They liked recording that one more. It was done in the real music studio.
Hannah and Leah live with their parents in the Salacoa Valley of Cherokee County. They like being twins. In some ways they are alike, and in other ways they are different. Both a lake and a creek sit on their property. Leah likes swimming in the lake; but not Hannah, who prefers a swimming pool.
Hannah is two minutes older than Leah. Leah says Hannah will not let her forget that. Leah talks more then her sister. When Hannah thinks Leah is talking too much, she sometimes "calms her down" with an elbow in the ribs. They both like horseback riding, jumping on their trampoline and riding their bicycles.
According to Hannah, Leah is the messiest eater in the family. Leah does not deny it. After lunch at school, Hannah makes sure Leah cleans off any food that she has on her face. They are both "A" students.
The girls agree that Leah is the daredevil while Hannah is more conservative. They are not identical twins, so it is puzzling to them that some people cannot tell them apart. They do not dress alike either.
The two have always been in the same classroom at school and although they have their own rooms at home, they sleep together at night. Leah's is the messy room. Hannah's is well organized.
Leah says that Hannah can sing, but she does not want people to know it. Hannah does not mind singing at their church, Goshen Baptist, but she is shy about singing other places. Leah, Hannah and their friend, Anna Catherine Ulm, have sung together at church. Anna Catherine is the daughter of Angela and Chris Ulm.
Both girls like country music. They listen to Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Salina Gomez and Sugarland. Steve and Julie do not permit the girls to listen to rap music.
The family likes to take trips with other family members. When they and their grandparents went to South Dakota their flight was delayed because of bad weather. They had to stay in a hotel overnight. Hannah and Leah were amazed because breakfast in the hotel cost about as much as the airline tickets for the trip. Since they were snowed in, less expensive places such as Denny's or McDonald's were not an option. On the flight back, when their tickets were upgraded, they learned the luxuries of flying first class.
I asked the girls to describe their parents. They think their mother is pretty, neat, organized, smart, thankful and does "lots of stuff" for them. Their dad is their buddy. He is funny, hard working and smart. Hannah and Leah take turns going to work with Steve on Saturday mornings.
So, what are their future plans? Leah wants to do something with animals. The family has two dogs and a cat. The cat's name is Goshen because they found it at Goshen Baptist Church. Leah thinks she might one day be a veterinarian or a marine biologist.
Hannah wants to be something like an air traffic controller. She wants a job that pays a lot of money so she can get wealthy. Hollywood is one of the places she might live some day.
Without a doubt, with their personalities, talents and parental support, they can be whatever they want to be.
They both have things to tell everyone. Leah wants us all to remember to recycle and to be happy. Hannah does not support free health care or illegal immigration.
For now, the girls advise listeners regularly on the radio, "Canton Tire and Wheel, Canton Tire and Wheel. We've got great tires and we've got great deals. So come on down, we've got the right tires for you. Oil change, brake service and alignment, too."
"You'll be en-TIRE-ly spoiled - get it? En-TIRE-ly spoiled..."
Marguerite Cline is a former county school superintendent.
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