Another Memorable Memorial Day

BEAVER--

Local residents passed yet another Memorial Day in their typical fashion-- attending the holiday parade and festivities.

The parade was held on Third Street, where hundreds of people lined the sidewalks all wearing red, white and blue. The parade itself lasted about 15 minutes and included the local JROTC crew, veteran chapters, and youth baseball and softball teams.

After the march had ended, the crowd made its way to the cemetery for the memorial service, where speakers, clergy, and choral members respectfully paid tribute to the country's fallen.

Everyone enjoyed the day's blue sky, abundant sunshine and balmy temperatures-- perfect weather for cookouts and picnics.

Farmer's Market Preview 2015

BEAVER--

The Farmer's Market has returned to town for the summer promising exciting new attractions.

The local outdoor produce sale, which runs May through June at the court house parking lot, opened May 2nd.

Although fruits and vegetables have long been the main draw to the market, this year various vendor personalities are making appearances. Beaver's gourmet chocolate source, Duclienea Chocolates, has teamed up with the town's newest culinary start-up, Beaver County Bagel Co., to run a booth. Both seller's products have received rave reviews from consumers. Beaver Bagel Co. has generated particular excitement due to its wide selection of fresh bagels--available in varieties such as sesame and blueberry-- and baked goods. "We've never had a really good source for bagels in town. It's exciting," said one Farmer's Market customer.

Candy and bread aren't the only things making their debut at the Farmer's Market. A local kettle corn company recently set up shop, offering bagfuls of warm, sweet and salty kernels. They also offer free samples to any first-time skeptics. However, one taste is all that should be needed for this booth to lock in a sale.

Of course, the trendy additions won't make customers forget what they've really come for: the colorful arrays of produce and plants that growers like Spring Hill and Floyd farms have been offering for years. Currently, leeks and onions are the most abundant crops available. Spring Hill Farm told the Missy Times the wet spring has been hard on the pea crops, slowing down there growth. But with summer nearly here, Farmer's Market fans should expect abundant supplies of corn, tomatoes and squash in no time.

Yard Sale Season Returns to Western Pennsylvania

BEAVER--

Looking for bargains? You won't just find them at Good Will anymore.

On May 9th, the season of outdoor yard and garage sales officially returned to Beaver, Pennsylvania with the 2015 Town Yard Sale. The progressive sale spanning from River Road to Seventh Street continued a multiple-year tradition for the borough, fostering neighborhood camaraderie and resident cleanliness.

Locals went all out for the event, participating in large numbers as both buyers and sellers. Some sources even reported the most participants in the history of the sale this year. The added attraction of the Town Sidewalk Sale, in which Third Street Businesses hosted liquidations and promotions of their own, heightened excitement.

Merchandise included the typical yard sale wares-- clothes, toys and oddities --but a few sellers boasted interesting selections of artwork, antiques and household items. Missy Koshute snagged a brookstone iPad case and Keyboard from a neighbor's sale. "It was a great find," she says.

The best sidewalk sale display went to Sapling and Sons Snail Mail Supply Co. (although the judging was slightly biased). Sapling had an impressive array of specialty cars, holiday and party items available at discounted prices. Discontinued greeting cards marked down to $1 were the definite favorite.

Individual yard sale numbers are on the rise now that summer is here. Buyers can be sure to find at least one large sale being held every week in town.

Macy's versus Rose: Which Holiday Parade is Better?

About a month apart from each other, the Macy's and Rose Parades are as much a part of many families' holiday celebrations as Pumpkin pie and pork roast. Both offer a slice of entertainment during the annual festivities of Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Each features bands, floats and other marching attractions. Yet from there on their styles differ a lot, according to climate, types of attractions and layout. Which one is superior?

One may compare the two events on many separate levels. The viewer is given two extremes as far as location: frosty New York and sunny California. Then there are the types of floats. The Thanksgiving parade focuses heavily on either A.) the iconic balloon variety or B.) those that consist of fabricated, colorfully displayed vehicles made of various materials. The Rose Parade, on the other hand, flaunts the long-standing tradition of plant-based floats covered in floral and vegetative array, and made to look near-life-like. As far as climate and atmosphere, the Rose Parade wins the top award. According to a Thanksgiving Day weather forecast, the temperature at the 2014 Macy's Parade was projected to be roughly 30 degrees, although meteorologists said it felt more like 10 degrees. Talk about cold turkey! Comparatively, at 56 degrees and sunny--still abnormally chilly for Pasadena, California-- the Rose Parade offered a much more comfortable viewing experience this year. In terms of floats, personal preference determines which is better, but as far as creativity goes, as long as I'm judging, the Rose Parade again surpasses the Macy's Parade. Both types of floats take hours of painstaking labor, of course. But the fact that the creators make the beautiful Rose Parade floats entirely out of natural materials is quite impressive and unique.

Equally impressive is the Rose Parade's entertainment style. Unlike the New York parade the Pasadena event remains true to parade integrity. What does that mean? Over the years, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade has become increasingly commercialized, focused on advertising for singers and Broadway shows. Consequently, the event contains an unappealing lack of action and movement--unknown artists singing mawkish, unrelated tunes and sleazy entertainers traipsing around onscreen, while in the interim giddy reporters interview actors off-scene from the parade. Such a presentation lacks the freshness and flow of a real parade. The Rose Parade doesn't suffer from this problem. It's exciting and simple. Viewers can see each group walking by without interruption, and without all that fuss! The commentators are entertaining, not overbearing. Of course, the fact that there aren't any commercials (thanks to the parade's sole broadcaster HGTV) is a extra special bonus. From the Miracle Grow garden float to the roster of local and national high schools that participate annually the Rose Parade is both refreshing and family friendly.


So is the Rose Parade the ultimate holiday march? Overall it is. In my personal opinion it is. But is there anything superior about its Thanksgiving rival? How about history? Once again, the Rose Parade wins the prize, with New Year's day 2015 marking 126 years since its beginning, according to the "Tournament of Roses" website. By contrast, History.com reports Macy's Parade having been a Thanksgiving tradition since 1922, or just 92 years. However, 3 million spectators lined the streets of the big apple to watch New York's all-american festivity this year, while only one million turned out for California's January first extravaganza. Therefore, the Macy's parade wins in one category: attendance numbers. Nevertheless, more people doesn't necessarily mean a better parade experience, so we can't saw whether this statistic really earns a point in  the Thanksgiving parade's favor. It is safe to say that the Rose Parade wins the competition! I know I enjoyed watching it today!