May 2009 - Juniata River Valley

Inside the view...
Place to Visit
1
Schedule of Events
2
Member Spotlight
4
New Members
5
After Hours
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Jim’s Corner
8
WE WANT YOU! Open Auditions
will be held on May 20th & May 27th
(3-7pm) at the Historic Courthouse
in Downtown Lewistown, PA.
Contestants must be 12 years of age
and older. RiverFEST Idol is limited to
amateur contestants.
All Open
Auditions will be done “A cappella.”
information contact the office: 717.248.6713.
For more
Place To Visit For MAY! If you find yourself in search for
some inspiration in perking up your home for the summer months or you need a pickme-up gift for yourself to grab some warm weather spirit, we’ve got just the fix for
you. A trip to Reedsville and a visit to Squire Brown’s beautiful colonial two story
shop full of fine furniture and gifts will work wonders.
Michelle Logan started her dream business 16 years ago in a store room on the
back side of the Dairyland Antique complex in Reedsville. Michelle has always used
her retail business as a way of expressing her taste in early American decorating and
gift presentations. Her store was known as The Sugarbox for it’s initial 14 years of
doing business, until she built the colonial home style two story building next to the
Honey Creek Inn in 2007.
She chose Squire Brown as the name upon
relocation, based on famous local resident William
Brown, namesake of Brown Township and original settler and explorer of Kish Valley. He
established a grist mill where the town of Reedsville is today, was a Revolutionary War leader
and the first Mifflin County judge. Fifteen years ago she hired Jody Shaffer as her part time
co-worker and Jody is now her full time assistant, helping in all facets of the business.
Squire Brown is known for its selection of fine quality American crafted colonial
reproduction furniture, made of tiger maple or cherry. They are the exclusive Vera Bradley
dealership for Mifflin and Juniata Counties. They proudly present the Stonewall Kitchens
and Barefoot Contessa gourmet food lines, Lt. Moses Willard handcrafted Early American
wood or wrought iron chandeliers and wall sconces, Crabtree & Evelyn bath & body products,
Added Touch colonial upholstered furniture and exclusive jewelry lines.
May is a great month to plan a visit to Squire Brown’s on Edgewood Drive in
Reedsville. You just might leave with a new lamp, a piece of pottery, a
Squire Brown's, LLC
new bed, or a renewed interest in updating a room in your home.
8 Edgewood Drive
You’ll be joining regular shoppers coming from over a one hundred
Reedsville PA 17084
mile radius of the shop. Squire Brown’s - is just that unique.
(717)667-2556
Get Connected...
www.juniatarivervalley.org
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Pennsylvania’s Littering Laws
We are deep into the
spring season and many visitors will be coming to the Juniata River Valley to
“Discover
Discover Our Good Nature”.
Nature They come primarily to view our incredible scenery;
our rivers, streams and mountains. They’ll be staying with friends and family, at
motels, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds throughout our two county region.
The only things interfering with our beautiful nature are what a small minority of
citizens contribute.
We’re talking about things they do such as littering and things they don’t do such
as acting courteously and taking pride in their properties. Now is the time to check
out the “curb appeal” of your business and home. It’s time to remind our front line
staff, our co-workers and our friends and families just how important it is to welcome
our visitors and to make them feel at home in our communities.
Our visitors bureau is constantly striving to bring more visitors to our area.
Visitors spend money in our businesses and that creates more jobs and provides
more spendable income and tax dollars for our municipalities. Tourism is the
number two industry in the state of Pennsylvania. Our association with the
Alleghenies will definitely raise the bar on our quantity of visitors and increase
revenues.
Pennsylvania has a littering law on the books that has enough teeth to discourage
offenders. It includes up to a $300.00 fine per occurrence. It reads “the fine is for
dropping, throwing or depositing, upon any highway, or upon any other public or
private property without the consent of the owner thereof or into or on the waters of
this Commonwealth from a vehicle, any waste paper, sweepings, ashes, household
waste, glass, metal, refuse or rubbish or any dangerous or detrimental substance,
or permitting any of the preceding without immediately removing such items or
causing their removal.”
Let’s be propro-active in discouraging offenders.
offenders Remind the culprits that the fine
isn’t worth the crime. Use a trash can.
can Let’s keep the area litter free.
RECURRING EVENTS
Belleville Sale & Livestock Auction - Wednesdays – All year
(unless a holiday) in Belleville 717-935-2146
MAY EVENTS
Mifflin County Christian Academy - 19th Annual Benefit
Auction Friday, May 1st, 6:30 pm & Saturday, May 2nd,
9:00 am (General Auction, Bud Balliet, Auctioneer, Lic. AU3409-L) Mifflin County Youth Park, Reedsville, PA
Sat. May 9th - Touring Friends Downtown Lewistown
Cruize-In. www.touringfriends.com
"The Kitchen Witches" - The Stone Arch Players top off
their spectacular season with the funny yet moving comedy,
"The Kitchen Witches." When two old adversaries are
thrown together on a cooking show, watch the kitchen heat
up as insults are flung and tempers boil. Showtime's are 8
p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 88-9, 1515-16, 2222-23 and 2
p.m. Sunday, May 17 and 24. www.stonearchplayers.com.
“Here
Here to Help”
Help event - May 12 - for Mifflin and Juniata
Counties will take place from 2-5 pm at the Compass
Building on Dorcas Street in Lewistown. CareerLink in
Mifflin County at 717-248-4942.
41st Annual MifflinMifflin-Juniata Arts Festival - Saturday, May 16,
10:00 am – 5:00 pm & Sunday May 17th, 11:00 am – 5:00
pm.
JUNE EVENTS
June 19th & 20th - Rally In The Park at Derry Park Touring Friends - www.touringfriends.com
Juniata RiverFEST - June 27th 11am - 11pm @ Victory
Park, Lewistown PA Raft Regatta - Rockin’ by the River 5k Race
JULY EVENTS
Sat. July 11th - Touring Friends Downtown Lewistown
Cruize-In. www.touringfriends.com
Chamber Night with the Spikes - July 10th, 2009 - MARK
THE DATE NOW!
Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival—July
10-11, 2009.
Festival
Mifflin County Youth Park Fairgrounds, Reedsville, PA. 3rd
Annual. Visit: www.remingtonryde.com for more
information.
August EVENTS
Fri. Aug. 14th - Touring Friends Downtown Lewistown
Cruize-In. www.touringfriends.com
River Rampage 5k - Raft Regatta
Community Float - Food - Vendors
Rockin' by the River - Fireworks!
Get Connected...
September EVENTS
Fall Festival of Savings in Big Valley—Sept 12&13
Sat. Sept. 12th - Touring Friends Downtown Lewistown
Cruize-In. www.touringfriends.com
www.juniatarivervalley.org
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Belleville Mennonite School Middle School Students Community Service Day
On Friday, April 17th, a group of middle
School Students from Belleville Mennonite
School, led by teacher, Ann Quinn put in a hard
days work on two beautification projects in the
Juniata River Valley. Janet Walker with the
Visitors Bureau along with Duane Coulter with
County Maintenance led one team in the
Monument Square Area.
This team pulled weeds, mulched and
performed general clean-up of the Sailors &
Soldiers Monument area, anchor planters as well
as the new trees encircling the square
area. Another team, led by Rhonda Walters with the Chamber worked in Victory
Park. This team raked a mountain of leaves as well as collected mounds of trash to be
picked up by the Borough Refuse Department.
The students worked tirelessly and found some very unusual treasures while
collecting trash in the Tow Path section of Victory Park, including a crumpled kiddie
pool, large conch shell and even a bowling ball (which has now become the class prized mascot). If you have the chance, be
sure to say thank you to anyone associated with Belleville Mennonite School, Mifflin County Maintenance, or Lewistown
Borough for their efforts.
Community Service should not feel like an obligation; but a privilege! If we each do just a little it’s
amazing what we can accomplish!
St. Joseph Institute
Pennsylvania “Welcome
in
Central
to the St Joseph
Institute ! Located 10 miles west of Port Matilda. St. Joseph
Institute is unique – a mountain resort and hotel, spa,
conference center, retreat facility, licensed school for massage
and holistic studies, and nationally recognized center for
alternative and complementary medicine. “
The above description is directly from the website of
the institute. The Alleghenies Tourism Council held their
annual all-day strategic planning session there on Friday,
April 17th. This is where the council members plan the
marketing of the region for the fiscal year (07-01-09 to 06-3010). Jim is a voting member representing our Juniata River
Valley Visitors Bureau.
The marketing goal for this upcoming year is “To
position The Alleghenies as PA’s premier destination for
active outdoor recreation while featuring the heritage,
culture and scenery of the region”.
The current web-site will be revisited and enhanced
with Mifflin and Juniata County information added. A larger
presence of “scenery” photos, many including people, will be
offered. This is based on an extensive Penn State survey of
visitors to find out why they return year after year. The
majority stated the beauty of the scenery of the region for the
visits. Next is the outdoor recreational opportunities. Check
out the Alleghenies web-site: www.theAlleghenies.com
Get Connected...
E-MAIL BROADCASTS
It is certainly no secret that
the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce offers free e-mail
broadcasts as a member service. We are now into our fifth year
of extending this popular service to our members at no cost. We
have received rave reviews from users as well as from the
recipients.
Some days the requests
are overwhelming. It
has reached a point
where we must enact a
policy as to how we
handle the requests. First,
we do reserve the right to
reject any request due to
content and we exercise full
editorial privilege. We will alter a
flyer or an attachment if it is too
large for our system to efficiently
handle.
We won’t guarantee that we can
meet a specific
delivery date; however, we shall try our best whenever possible.
We require flyers be sent to us as a PDF, ready for attachment to
a memo of introduction and broadcast. We are in the process of
acquiring a scanner to handle flyers not available via electronic
copy.
Please get your information to us a few days in advance
and state what day you most prefer we send it. If at all possible,
we would like to have it a week in advance.
We cannot send more than three broadcasts on any
given day. Our chamber and visitors bureau broadcasts are
always top priority. We will send flyers out on a first come, first
served basis. The earliest date and time gets the first position.
Members are limited to four free broadcasts per year.
The timing is up to each member’s seasonal issues. Broadcasts are
intended to introduce new features, major product introductions
or special events concerning your business or organization. We are
not here to compete with our media members.
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The Chamber
sponsored our very
first
n oon - t im e
seminar on April 23rd
at the Waterfront Restaurant. It was titled “Gaining Ground in an
Economic Slowdown” and was presented by our good friends from the Penn State
Small Business Development Center. Michael Ryan from our local office in the
Regional Business Center (former Danks building) in downtown Lewistown and
Linda Feltman from the office in Centre County, both SBDC analysts, served as
presenters.
Twenty people attended and took advantage of the wide range of economic tips and
marketing suggestions. Among the topics presented was a hard look at how we measure up
locally in contrast to the national outlook. We are in better shape economically than many of
the more urban areas. An example being our housing recession is certainly no where as severe
as many regions of the nation. Our local banks were conservative and didn’t get themselves
into serious lending losses and foreclosure situations.
The good news is interest rates are at an all time low and our lenders are writing
loans. Our home values have held up fairly well and our contractors are doing more
remodeling jobs than new construction. Emphasis was placed on monitoring your credit
scores as they become the qualifying medium for more and more services. The higher the
score, the better the interest rate.
Attendees were advised to stay on budget, cut costs where it makes sense,
watch payroll, cross train staff, clear out slow moving merchandise and investigate
all the new marketing opportunities the internet presents. Highly recommended
were Facebook and Twitter. Both are controlled by you and require little, if any,
cost other than the time to update the information.
If you desire free and confidential advise and analysis to better your
business, contact the Penn State Small Business Development Center by logging
on to: www.sbdc.psu.edu.
News at Noon
Community Partnerships Resource Conservation &
Development Just exactly what is R.C. & D.? I’ve been asked that
question dozens of times over the past few years and it’s time to focus
the spotlight on what it is, who they are and what they do. Simply put,
R.C. & D. is federally implemented through National Resources Conservation Service. Each local council is an independent non-profit 501 C
(3) corporation. Its mission is to address the long-term needs of our communities by promoting arts, culture and sustainable human and other
natural resources.
They are 375 unique multi-county councils, located throughout rural America, each with a federally employed coordinator. Each
regional council is comprised of a board of directors and a community advisory group. Together they seek funding from various grants and
contracted projects and community events in order to fund the staff, maintain an office and implement projects and fulfill contracts
To site some examples of the local R. C. & D.’s ever evolving work load, I would note the Great Chip Drop,
Drop the community wide
celebration/festival on New Year’s Eve on the square in Downtown Lewistown. The local council contracts with the Pennsylvania Partners in
the Arts and the Folk Arts Regional Support Center to conduct arts award seminars and to oversee the screening process and present the
grants each year.
They have conducted farmer training on eliminating invasive plants, energy audits, watershed conservation and perennial crops for
energy creation (hazelnuts versus corn and soybeans). They have distributed dry hydrants for
installation in streams and ponds for fire protection in rural areas and now are preparing GPS mapping
of those locations. The stream identity signage at all our regions bridges was a massive project.
Our locally headquartered R.C. & D. office at 23 North Main Street in Lewistown serves Mifflin,
Juniata, Perry, Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties. The staff includes Dr. Larry Schardt,
coordinator and Sam Price, Kevin Morgan, Janet Kearns, Kristen Price, Bob Lyter and several summer
interns. They are available to help our businesses and organizations research grant opportunities on a
password protected system at 23 North Main. Call to arrange an appointment at 248-4901 and enjoy
the beautiful historic home they call headquarters. Their motto: “Pride in Community, Partnerships in
Action”.
Get Connected...
www.juniatarivervalley.org
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Please join us in welcoming our new Chamber Members
by patronizing their businesses! Their membership
reflects their integrity as a responsible business owner and demonstrates their
commitment to the community.
Pampered Chef Consultant
LISA A SAVITTS
1147 Ridens Road
Lewistown, PA 17044
Phone: 717 543-5497
Cell: 717 994-4050
Email: lsavitts@verizon.net
Overhead Door
Corporation - PA
Division
23 Industrial Park Road
Lewistown PA 17044
(800)929-1277 Fax: (800)929-1782
Brad Knable, V.P. Operations
Other Contacts: Karen Knable, International Sales
Coord.
Have You checked Your Website
Listing?
Listing? To ensure that your business is represented
properly to visitors and residents, please review your listing
information at www.juniatarivervalley.org to ensure it is correct. If
you see that there are modifications to make, please email
jvacc@juniatarivervalley.org your changes.
Keystone Business Support, Inc.
214 (Rear) S. Allen Street
State College PA 16801
(814)234-2213 Fax: (814)234-2216
B. Perry Babb, President
Other Contacts: Masi Shahnazari,
Nathan Yocum, Manager
FROM VISITPA.COM: ATTENTION Tourism
Partners! Back in March we gave everyone a sneak
preview of our spring/summer campaign with a taste of
the Peter Arthur Stories. We are very excited about
this campaign and the web series that will debut on
May 14th. We invite you all to check out the teaser at
PAstories.com and be prepared for more fun. Thanks to
your assistance we are able to offer 12 exciting PA
Getaways prize packages from all over Pennsylvania
that should spur continued interest in the Peter
Arthur
Stories.
Look for the
premiere
Thursday, May
14th.
Click here:
PA Stories
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Trout Chiropractic Center, P.C.
• Juniata Valley Foot & Ankle
• Empire Kosher Poultry
Associates
• Lewistown Welding Supply Co. Inc.
• Gold Key Real Estate
• Haubert Homes, Inc.
• Lewistown Florist, Inc.
• Mifflin Co. Solid Waste Authority
• EconoLodge & The Stop Restaurant
• Hummel Associates
• Heller - Hoenstine Funeral Homes,
• PA CareerLink of Mifflin County
• Thomas G. Clark, CPA
• Representative Kerry Benninghoff
• Greater Lewistown Corporate Center
• Buchanan’s Fabrics & Sewing Center
• Olde Hatchery, Inc.
• Juniata Memorial Park, Inc.
• Strawser's Excavating & Hauling
• Lindsey's Decorative Concrete
• American Cancer Society
• Downtown Lewistown, Inc.
• Ewing & Company
• Downtown OIP & Grille
• Paint Shop at Brindel's Hardware
• Focal Tech, Inc.
• Reedsville Seafood Company
• Trolley Car Cafe
• Culligan
• Mary Kay Cosmetics
• Kishacoquillas Valley National Bank
• Gold Key Real Estate
• Hartman Center
• Curve Baseball, LP
• Deihls' Flowers, Inc.
•
Get Connected...
www.juniatarivervalley.org
Juniata Valley Council Boy Scouts of
America
• Strut and Stroll Exercise Class
• Love Shine Agency, Inc.
• Central Penn Real Estate
• Geisinger Health Plan
• Mike Kalin
• Gisewhite Construction Inc. Keystone Sprayfoam
• Simply Health.Calm
• Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
• Burnham OIP
• Triple G Design Group, Inc.
• Shaklee, Independent Distributor
• Republic Development Corporation
• Mahoney's Construction Inc.
•
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Calkins Automotive,
Dunkin’ Donuts and the
Waterfront, hosted the 49th
monthly “After Hours”
networking event with
approximately 120 in attendance.
The trio of hosts certainly provided an exciting
and rewarding evening of mixing, information and tasty
victuals & beverages. Several café tables enabled the
munchers well, Waterfront servers with trays of hors d’
oeuvres wandered freely and the dessert station handled
by the Oden family of Dunkin’ Donuts topped off the
food offerings.
A very informative feature of the evening took
place at three different times. The staff in the repair shop
demonstrated air bags by deploying them for all the
guests to witness (they were removed from the
automobile). This dramatic action certainly left a deep
impression with everyone and we do not want to
experience a bag activating in our lap. Drive defensively
and with care.
Generous tote bags filled with goodies and
discounts were appreciated by everyone.
Partnering with other businesses certainly enhances events
and we thank all three of our hosts for a wonderful
evening. Remember Calkins for all your automotive
needs, the Waterfront for fine dining and catering services
and Dunkin’ Donut for the best treats around (plus many
Mark your calendars for
other food offerings).
in
2009
partnership
with
Wednesday, May 13th at HealthSouth in Mifflintown.
2009 after hours:
May 13th - HealthSouth Mifflintown
June 17th - Juniata County Historical Society at the
Pomeroy Academia Bridge
July - Edward Jones, Cross Country Coach &
Caretaker LLC
August - Buttonwood Campground
September - Bings Diner
October - Mifflin County Historical Society
November - Dairyland Gift Shops
December - Holiday Gathering hosted by...
2010 after hours:
January, February, March - OPEN
April - After Hours EXPO
May - Metzler Forest Products
June - Central PA Dock & Door
July - OPEN
August - Embassy Theatre
September - OPEN
October - OPEN
November - OPEN
Get Connected...
CHAMBER AWARDS and the Workforce of Tomorrow
Educator of the Year Awards will be presented.
Special Guest Speaker: Mr. Nick Moraitis with Moraitis
Properties. Mr. Moraitis is the developer and owner of the
160 acre parcel of land located off the 322 Burnham Exit.
Breakfast Menu: At the welcome station - Coffee, Tea,
Assorted Juice & Water, and Assorted Danish & Pastry. Table Service Entrée - Mushroom Egg Divan, Corned Beef
Hash, and Rum & Ginger Infused Fruit Salad.
www.juniatarivervalley.org
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A Visit to Allensville
On a recent Wednesday, Jill, Rhonda and Jim traveled
up the Big Valley to Water Street in Allensville for a visit with Nick and Tara at Dayze
Gone Bye Carriage Rides. We had no idea what a wonderful experience we were
about to embark upon.
Allensville is a quaint little village at the end of route 655 in Mifflin County (a mile from
the Huntingdon County line). It is surrounded by
many Amish and Mennonite farms and beautiful
mountain ridges. Many of the in-town residents are
also Amish and Mennonite, several homes are owned
by people from a great distance away who love to
vacation in the valley.
Owners, Nick and Tara Richtscheit, will take you on a trip back in time on one of two
horse drawn carriages. They can handle from one to 14 passengers and will customize your
tour to suit your interests. They offer sunset rides, moonlight rides, private parties and
Halloween tours. We guarantee you’ll enjoy every minute of your trip through the back
roads along pastures, farmland and Amish schoolhouses. This will prove to be a
wonderful way to experience farm animals, wildlife, nature, people and streams with all
your senses being stimulated. Be assured they’ll stop for visits with Amish produce farmers,
greenhouses and crafters of your choosing.
Nick and Tara will be accompanying you on your tour and will share fascinating stories
and educate you about our Amish neighbors. They also offer a beautiful white Vis-à-vis
carriage for weddings, proms and special events. You’ll find them on Wednesdays at the
Belleville Sale offering carriage and pony rides.
The Richtscheits started the business four years ago following their permanent relocation
from Houtzdale. Nick took the position of Chief of
Police in Mt. Union, which he still holds. They reside on
Water Street on the same grounds as the business, next
door to the Allensville Library and the Kish Valley
Historical Society.
For reservations, pricing or more information, call
(717)
483-0099,
email
them
at
dayzegonebye@yahoo.com or visit them on the web:
www.dayzegonebye.com
Some Chamber History
In 1925, some 84 years ago, a series questions and answers
appeared in the SENTINEL pertaining to the Chamber of Commerce, similar to the “Voices” feature
of today, but, without the photos. The Chamber was an infant at that time, just seven years old. On
May 19th the question was: What can the Chamber of Commerce do to help your business?
H.L. Berkheimer, Grocer, 482 West 4th Street: “The greatest aid to business would be a
greater spirit of co-operation among businessmen in Lewistown.”
W.H. Yocum, Barber, 28 East Hale Street: “The building up of a spirit of co-operation
among the businessmen in each line of business and among the various lines of business would help a
great deal. What helps one helps the other.”
Lynn B. Mitchell, Manager, Mitchell Electric Company, Chestnut Street: “Establish a Retail
Board of Trade for the purpose of bringing the local businessmen in closer contact with each other. This would raise the
standard of local retailing. Why not make the Chamber of Commerce the business place for all the business places in the area.”
C.H. Quigley, Ticket Agent, Pennsylvania Railroad, Chestnut Street: “We try to co-operate with the Chamber of
Commerce in giving better service to the public in every way. There is nothing I can suggest which they could do just now.”
John Benner, Watchmaker & Jeweler, 10 West Water Street: “Devote some time to putting an end to the useless and
reckless expenditure of the public monies, so that taxation may be lowered and the City of Homes be made a fact rather than a
fallacy.”
Luther Kepler, Photographer, 127 East Market Street: “Persuade the public to have their pictures taken. I’ll do the
rest.”
Most of the answers involved one of the key objectives of today’s Chamber of Commerce: networking. Business
and Chamber working together to improve business in general and promote doing business with one another.
Get Connected...
www.juniatarivervalley.org
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J i m ’s
s Corner
2009
Mothers Day 1964
It was Mother’s Day, 1964. I was
the 19 year old son of a widowed waitress who was forced to
work seven days a week including every Sunday until 4:00 P.M.
Mom couldn’t drive and we lived seven block’s from Aunt
Selma’s Swedish restaurant, the Hillcrest. I had recently
purchased my first automobile, a 1964 pea green Volkswagen
beetle for $1,640.00 cash, my entire lifetime savings (that’s a
bunch of lawn mowing jobs). We never had a family car so I
was officially the taxi driver for Mom whenever I was available.
Since it was Mother’s Day, I convinced my two best friends,
ironically Jim and Jim that I had to be in town at four o’clock to
take Mom home from work. Mom had imagined a significant
investment of my time. We had a different agenda. She
thought I would spend the rest of the day with her, take her for a ride in the country, maybe a meal along the way and some
television viewing together. Certainly not the plan we three Jims had in mind.
We picked Mom up at four, took her home and immediately boarded the guilt trip train. As we pulled out of Kane I was
dealing with anger (after all, I waited around most of the day so I could drive her home) and the guilt trip she exercised so often
and so well (I must be a terrible son).
We were en route to a state park to hike and as I drove the rural two lane road to our destination I was pushing the beetle to
its max (65 mph). As I entered a sharp right hand curve in the road I quickly realized I was going too fast to negotiate the turn.
I hit the brakes and the fact I was driving a rear engine car, I found myself looking backwards at the passing roadway. Next
thing we were airborne over an embankment, rear end first, landing abruptly, wrapped around a single mature oak tree in the
middle of a clearing at the base of the embankment. We bounced off the tree at about four feet above ground level, landed, the
two doors flew open, both front seats ejected and Jim and I landed on the ground a few feet from the beetle, unscathed. Other
Jim hit the front windshield from the backseat, smashing it with his head, climbed out uncut and conscious. There were no
illegal substances or alcohol involved.
The demolished beetle was resting out of view of the roadway. There were no witnesses to the event. It took us two hours to
get a passing motorist to pick us up. He took us the 15 miles back to Kane to the Pennsylvania State Police Barracks. We all
agreed that I slammed on the brakes to “avoid hitting a deer”.
Jim and Jim were told to go home and the investigating officer took me back to the scene of the accident. Lucky for me the site
was in the Allegheny National Forest and there were deer tracks on the berm everywhere we looked. The officer doubted my
story but couldn’t prove otherwise. After completing the investigation he noticed a county line marker. We were not in
McKean County, we were in Elk County. The officer radioed the Ridgeway State Police and we waited until another officer
arrived on the scene. He repeated the entire investigation. When he was finished he walked over to the county marker and
discovered to his disgust we were not in McKean or Elk Counties, we were in Forrest County. A third investigation took place
and much to the distress of the new officer, he had to drive me home to Kane.
It was truly amazing that none of us had any visible injuries. Later that evening I experienced an extreme case of gastric
distress. I had all the usual symptoms associated with the flu. My Mom called our family doctor and after hearing of the
accident he prescribed a visit to the hospital to explore the possibility of internal injuries.
My first visitor the next day was the most charming person I ever met. After completely wooing me, I signed an insurance
release and a form to allow his firm to promptly have my car repaired. They had it towed it to a body shop in Warren, thirty
miles away. I worked in a shoe store and we closed at noon on Wednesdays. I would pack a sandwich in the morning, walk to
the north side of town along route 6 after closing the store, hitchhike to Warren and check on my car’s condition every
Wednesday for the next six weeks. Finally, it was ready. Cost new: $1640.00, repair bill paid by insurance company:
$1590.00, my deductible: $100.00. Hmmmm!
The sad part, since I wrapped the rear end around the tree and Volkswagen was a rear engine
auto, it never ran properly again. It was in the repair shop (fifty miles away in Jamestown, New
York) every Wednesday afternoon until I traded it for a 1965 (rear engine)
Corvair. It is now recorded in the annals of automotive history that
Corvair was the worst engineered and least safe vehicle ever conceived. My
relationship with that lemon will be a lengthy and colorful story.
The moral of the story is simply: spend Mother’s Day with your Mother or
something bad will happen to you!!
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