5 Possible Missy Times Headlines

Have you been wondering what's been going on in Beaver? Well wonder no longer:

1. Missy Takes on Projects to Escape Summer Boredom
2. Ice Cream Shop Moves To Beaver
3. Carnival Arrives in Town
4. 10 Tips to Surviving a Graduation Party
5.  Koshutes Battle Garden Pests

(Bonus) Missy Runs Race


Which headline would you like to see a story on?

In Rogers Neighborhood

-Friday, June 17th

Seeking adventure on a mellow summer day with no other particular plans, my Mom and I, along with my neighbor friends Grace, Harper and her little brother Zane piled into the van for a trip across the state line into Ohio. There, accompanied only by a few dollars, some snacks, and our spirit of curiosity, we were to tour the regionally famed Rogers flea market.

Having only been there once before when I was little, my excitement was peaked. I'd always heard people talk of their Friday ventures to Rogers, but now I would finally have a fresh picture in my mind to match with the name.


The parking lot was packed with cars, most from Pennsylvania, although some liscense plates were from as far away as New York and North Carolina. We entered the gate, and our experience began. And boy, an experience it was. The atmosphere was a cross somewhere between a giant yard sale, a fair, a farmers market and the History Channel show "American Pickers".

People trudged up and down the gravel paths that wove around the scores of vendors. There were Amish Country Donuts that smelled as only donuts do; there were fuzzy siamese kittens and velvety puppies; there were smooth wooden rubberband guns that we got to practice shooting at pop cans. Bold entrepreneurs shouted out sales pitches about no fog window cleaners, rug whiteners and squishy little animals that flattened like scrambled eggs when slapped on the ground. Old "Colman's Mustard" and "Cook's Breakfast Cocoa" tins were laid out on tables next to knives and outdated action figures. Vintage metal posters with scenes of Norman Rockwell's "Saturday Evening Post" sat in a box underneath one table near a stand with a huge ferocious looking bear head.

Under the roofed pavillions, the merchaindise varied from T-shirts and hermit crabs to produce and Club crackers. Inside the barn shaped buildings, there were Cucumber Melon and McIntosh Apple flavored candles from "Your Own Candle Company" and a whole hardware store's worth of tools.

Although we didn't purchase anything save a few postcards and some fries, the fun of exploring this eccentric place made it well worth the trip . Just like so many of the items at Rogers, our mediocre day had been turned from trash, to treasure....a summer memory we soon won't forget.

Behind the Scenes, Part 1: 70 Things You Can Buy In Beaver For A Dollar or Less

One night on Easter break, our family was sitting out on the porch and I was pondering what I should write for next main story in The Missy Times. I asked my siblings if they had any ideas and Phil, my oldest brother came up with a good one:
"Why don't you go around Beaver and see what you can buy for less than a quarter?"

That sounded interesting, but I doubted that there were many things for sale these days for under 25 cents. After concluding that the 3 cent nails at Fischer's Hardware Store would probably be the only item I would find for that low of a price, we raised the limit to a dollar or less.  I finally had a topic!

It was a pleasant warm April day when my friend and I walked up to main street to carry out the survey. I brought along with me a pad of paper and a pencil to record the information, and some money in case I wanted to purchase anything we found.

Starting at Cafe Kolache, Beaver's well-known coffee shop and eatery, we made our way down Third Street stopping at as many businesses as possible. "Can I help you with anything?" many of the cashiers would inquire. I knew must of certainly looked odd that we were walking around their store copying prices down from tags, but I wasn't really in the mood to explain our mission to every single shopkeeper. We preferred to work "undercover", per say. "No thank you, we're just looking, ma'am. (or sir)" I'd answer politely. A few times when prices weren't printed clearly though, we did have to ask the cost of an item. One store, "Kathleen's", was particularly talented at not labeling their merchandise. "How much are these cards? How much is this painted lady bug? What about this candle?" my friend kept calling to the lady at the counter. She answered our inquiries one by one, but  seemed puzzled. "Exactly how much money do you girls have to spend?" she finally said. I explained our task. "Oh, well this isn't that kind of store" she declared almost proudly with a chuckle "We don't have anything here for under a dollar." We did find one item, though. It was a fancy kind of instant hot chocolate called "Cocoa Amore".


Some places really impressed me with their selection: Who knew Pizza Joe's sold espressos? Since when has Pollock's sold so many pens? Why hadn't I ever noticed that the cookies at Kretchmar's were so inexpensive?

And others really disappointed me: When did the previously 99 cent silly bands at the toy store go up to $1.21?  Are sugar-free cookies all Cafe Kolache can offer for under $1? Why can't Philly Originals lower the prices on their drinks?

At the end of the day, this had to be one of the most enjoyable Missy Times surveys I've ever done. My friend I both agreed that it was a lot of fun.

Here are a few last notes:

• In only a little over an hour, we collected info from nearly 20 stores.

• I ended up buying an egg roll from China house for Grace to try, a postcard from the Hostess Shoppe to send and a star cookie from the bakery to munch on. All were very successful purchases.

• One of the few stores we had to leave out was Beaver Super, on account of their overwelming array of products.

• When I posted the results in The Missy Times, I forgot to mention that we didn't include tax. If you want to come to Beaver to buy these items yourself, make sure you bring a few extra pennies. 

Stay tuned for "Behind the Scenes, Part 2" for more info on my trip to Baltimore.

Corrections

In the article about "Punks Ice Cream Shoppe" two errors occurred:

• In the quote "Once I made jalapeno ice cream for a man who really loved jalapenos" jalapeno was incorrectly spelled J-A-L-E-P-I-NO.

• The price for ice cream sundaes was listed as "Less than $4". While this fact is certainly true, four dollars is much higher than the real price:  $1.65.

I apologize for these mistakes.

Coming Soon......

Sorry folks for the long delay! Expect the Missy Times soon!

Inside the Times

Got A Buck? 75 Things You Can Buy In Beaver For A Dollar Or Less

Maria vs. The Cicada

A Sweet Treat

Inside Baltimore

Grated Tomato Salad Dressing

Pictures from Beaver's Memorial Day Celebration

Men dressed as civil war soldiers march down the parade route

The people bow their heads in prayer as Dr. William H. Silver gives the innovocation at the cemetery service

The soldiers stand at attention as they prepare for the volley fire salute

The people rise from their seats and applaud

Springtime in a Small Town

 Spring is finally here. And for the residents of Beaver Pennsylvania, that's a relief to know. After months of cold winter weather and weeks of damp March/April/May showers, it seemed as if spring had forgotten our little town.

But spring is making a comeback.

• If in the fall it looks like all the life is slowly being drained out of the world, the spring seems the exact opposite, as if life is being squeezed into it. Everything appears fresh and renewed, bursting in spring newness. Every color is to the most extreme and vibrant degree. The greens of the trees and grass are GREEN, the pinks of the flowers are PINK, and the blue of the sky is BLUE. As you can see, this fact rings true on our street (see picture above).

•  As I mentioned before, people in Beaver are very prone to catch spring fever.  As I ride my bike up and down River Road and around town, I notice all the people out and about, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. Some are playing in the parks, working in their gardens, taking brisk walks, sitting on park benches, or like me, riding their bikes. That's one of the great things about living in a small town. You can get practically anywhere in town by walking, or riding your bike. This past week since the regular soccer fields were closed, my team got to practice by the fire station which is only a few blocks away. It was nice not to have a ten minute drive to get to practice and be able to walk home in the warm evening twilight. I think the place where people mingle the most in the spring/summer around here is River Road since the scenery looks so pretty this time of year.  Yesterday I saw a woman reading a book on a park bench while a man sat leaning against a nearby tree and strumming on his guitar.

• Besides the spontaneous spring activities, there are some organized events planned as well. The Beaver Town Yardsale took place this Saturday. People flowed from one street to another to mull over the many yardsales and see who's junk would become their treasure.  Museums all over the county were open to visitors this weekend for the Beaver County History Days. I wasn't able to participate in this event, but from what I saw from last year's celebration, I'm sure it was a big hit. Fort McIntosh was rededicated with great fanfare on Saturday in front of it's beautiful new memorial which was built as a thank-you present from the president of the dredger company, whoose ugly dredger has graced our river for the past few years. The Borough is gearing up for all the other upcoming summer festivies as well, such as the Memorial Day Parade, Garrision Day, the summer carnival, and more.

Ah, spring.....its such a great season, isn't it? What's spring like in your town?