wilford.green hat

Let the Festivities Begin – Vote Now (click above for photo)

Wilford O’Chuck will be one of the write-in candidates for the Grand Leprachaun contest. Votes cost $1 and the proceeds help to fund local charities. The winner of the contest will be highlighted during the 23^rd annual Grand Leprechaun parade which will march off at high noon from Diamond Park and end at the Downtown Mall on Saturday March 13^th.

O’Chuck, a resident of the Woodcock Nature Center, lives just outside the office of staff employee Brian Pilarcik.

“We were able to get the picture of him one day, Kathy Uglow, another employee of the center exclaimed. “He is really cute, isn’t he? We didn’t bother him on Groundhog Day but with the warm weather coming maybe he will wake up in time.”

The deadline for voting is March 12^th. There are six candidate names written on the official ballot, however, several write-in’s besides O’Chuck are also expected to be in the running for the prized honor.

There is no need to contact Voter Registration at the courthouse. Just show up at one of the following voting stations, pay the dollar for the ballot, and vote.

The past weekend's storms were bad for people and animals. Enough is enough.

Here are the voting box locations:
(1) The Body Firm
(2) The Creative Crust
(3) Mardi Gras Bar & Grill
(4) The Meadville Market House
(5) Meadville Town Tavern
(6) The Meadville Tribune
(7) Mickey’s Central Fire Station Restaurant & Lounge
(8) Douglas Smith DMD, Arch St.
(9) Tattered Corners Used Book Store
(10) Yolanda G. Barco oncology Institute, Conn. Lake Rd.
(11) Malady’s Mead Market
(12) Montana Rib & Chop House
(13) Woodcock Creek Nature Center, 21742 German Road, Meadville

Maple Syrup Open House and Festival

The annual “Taste and Tour” Maple Syrup Weekend is scheduled for the weekend of March 20 and 21^st from 10 am to 4 pm each day. Visit one of the participating sugar shacks to watch how maple syrup is made, enjoy free samples and purchase local quality products. For more information, go to www.pamaple.org or call 814-796-3699.

This year the first ever Maple Festival will also be held at the Edinboro Fire Hall on the same dates and times. Sample some great maple foods, enjoy the music and wander through the Arts and Craft Show. Cost is $7 adult, $3 per child.

A lot of tap lines will be running this weekend, according to Laura Dengler of the Association.

“We have all been waiting for the weather and this looks like the weekend the sap will run,” she said.

On Edge.

“I am tired of all the snow, and I’ve talked to a lot of people in the last several days and they are all waiting for spring. Enough is enough,” Ginny Shreve, a manager at the Erie-Crawford Co-op in Union City, said.

The Co-op, which has another location in Saegertown, is ready for the spring. Supplies are in and still scheduled to arrive for another busy season. According to Shreve, the price of seed corn is up this year by about 10 %, while the cost of fertilizer has dropped this year by about 20 %.

At the moment, there does not seem to be a lot interest in corn. According to Sherve, sales for seed corn are lagging behind this time last year, although there seems to be more interest in soybeans.

“It could be because of the bio-diesel plant in Erie,” Shreve said. “I’m just not sure.”

But a lot of customers are buying soybeans for wildlife food plots again this year.

“There seems to be a growing interest in planting for wildlife again this year,” Shreve noted. “We do sell a lot of wildlife food plot mixes.”

Dairy farmers are still struggling this season, according to Ginny. While the price for milk has improved somewhat, many are still re-grouping from the price disasters from last year. There are still many farms in financial trouble and the price paid in the grocery store for milk does not go into farmers bank account.

A second ice fishing tournament will be held at Canadohta Lake this Saturday, February 27, 2010. The one day tournament opens at 6 am and closes at 4 pm. It will be held at Hawthorne Park, next to Sally’s on the Lake similar to the successful Valentine Day tournament. The same rules apply and free food will be available for participants.
The registration fee is $10 per adult person; $5 for persons under 12 years of age. Registration forms are at Timberland Bait Shop at the lake. For more information, 814-694-3474.
The Valentine weekend tournament was a huge success, according to Gerry VanTassel who owns and operates Timberland Bait Shop at the lake and who sponsors the events. There were 280 adults on the ice Valentines Day and about 30 people under 12 years of age, an all time record for the annual event.
The winners of the Valentines Day tournament were:
Chuck Papinchak of Cochranton who landed the biggest trophy during the last twenty minutes of the ice fishing tournament., a 49 inch long muskie which weighed 22 ½ pounds. The prize awarded was $500.

Alton Keith – $400 for his 32 ¼ inch northern pike which weighed eight pounds, 8 ounces

Brad Bacher – $300 for his 24 inch walleye; 4 pounds, 14 ounces

James Curely – $100 for a 10 ¾ inch perch.

Eric Meyers – $100 for his 13 ½ inch crappie.

Trout Season – Think Spring

Trout season opens April 17th for northwestern Pennsylvania, a sure sign of approaching spring weather. The season opens up a week earlier in much of the eastern sections of the state.
The cost for a fishing license is $22.70, but if you want the trout stamp, it adds another $9.70, a Lake Erie stamp is an additional $9.70. However, a combination Trout/Lake Erie stamp reduces the cost somewhat, the combined permit will ring-up $15.70 in charges on top of the regular fishing license
The Corry Fish Hatchery, a public facility, raises many of the trout which will be stocked in local waterways this spring. It is a fun place to visit and free; the Union City Fish Hatchery is also a great learning experience. This state operated fish hatchery, along with the Linesville Hatchery, raises muskie and northerns among other species, such as walleye. Once the ice-out occurs, they are both fascinating places to visit as the big fish are brought to the facility to be milked. No fishing license is required to visit and observe. For more information:
Corry Fish Hatchery – 664-8560
Linseville – 683-4451
Union City Fish Hatchery- 438-2222

Grange Meeting

The Crawford County Pomona Grange meeting will be held at the Hayfield Grange on Saturday, March 5th with lunch at noon. The buisness meeting will begin at 1 pm. The guest speaker for the meeting will be Mark Neisrig o the Director of the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.

Last week, the deer herd could be seen along the Lake Erie shoreline in areas along and near Routes 5 and 20.

Valentine’s Day and Deer

The deer have herded in areas near the Lake Erie shoreline this past week. It is an amazing sight to see and one of the wonders of February. The deer are largely unseen in many inland areas during this month.

Those who travel and live in the lake shoreline areas say they have not seen herds like this in quite some time, maybe ten years or so. That was about the last time I saw a deer herd of 40 or more deer in the Spartansburg area. Let us know if you are seeing deer herds in your area or in your travels.

Blain Blakeslee, the owner of Artistic Wildlife Taxidermy in Union Township several miles from Canadohta Lake, has not seen many deer lately. Blain still runs everyday, about five miles on a woodland path. Last week, he saw just two set of tracks and wondered where all the deer went.

The number of deer mounts he works on this year is down by about 10 percent, making him and others wonder what happened to the deer. Blain added that other taxidermists are telling much the same story.

The economy could be part of the reason for a lack of business in local taxidermy shops; jobs are about as unseen as the deer in February. From talk I have heard, even the deer butcher shops did not see as many deer harvested. Maybe more people are butchering their deer at home?

As an aside here, Blain for the last twenty years has always had pet deer (all legal with the permits and like) which he kept in a pen behind his shop on Holden Road. During the winter months, the deer don’t eat or move much, according to Blain. His deer walk from a bedding shelter a short distance to a feeding station and then return to the bedding shelter.

According to Blain, the deer don’t eat much nor do they travel far, and he wonders if this is just their natural cycle during the cold winter months. Even so, there do not seem to be as many deer as in past years, according to many hunters and nature observers.

I’ll go out on a limb here. I don’t think the coyote population has any significant impact on the number of deer. Granted there could be cases where coyotes will take a deer, but I haven’t seen or heard anything reliable. There seems to be a lot of myths going around about the coyotes and deer. Thoughts? Comments?

Canadohta

The Canadohta Ice Fishing Tournament sponsored by Timberland Bait Shop is this weekend. The contest ends on Sunday at 3 pm. It is a great time, even if your not fishing. This year the tournament will be at Hawthorne Park next to Sally’s on the Lake.

The Book Swap program is on Sunday from 11am to 2 pm at the laundromat if your in the area. It’s a great place to find a good book or two.

There are many great place to dine at the lake and some great Valentine Day dinners planned. It is also Chinese New Year.

Bloomfield Township

It has been pretty quiet in the township, according to Marge Robatzen, the secretary. To date, the township is on target in the budget for snow removal despite the recent storms. Like most of us, a two foot snow storm hardly causes one to blink between yawns.

The township’s Rec Board though is putting the final touches on the annual Easter Egg Hunt. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Easter is April 4^th. Is it me or is February zipping along like January did?

Presidents’ Day

Monday is the holiday. Locally, there is a lot of history about politics and presidents. George Washington’s journey up and down French Creek is probably one of the best known. A statue of Washington’s journey stands in Waterford at the small park next to the Eagle Hotel. It is the only statue of the first president dressed in a British military uniform. One person who helped Washington even get out the wilderness back then was a man named Taracharison, an Indian Chief. There is no statue to the chief without whose help we might all be be speaking French today. For some more information, check out this article I wrote several weeks ago for Associated Content.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2608439/the_half_king_and_a_future_president.html?cat=37

Happy Valentines’ Day and Happy New Year.

Even though the deer aren’t as visible this time of the year, be careful driving. A friend of mine and I almost nailed one which jumped in front of the truck the other day on a back road.

French Creek Pete will make his prediction February 30th.

Okay, so Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and it means, possibly, six more weeks of winter weather. Ontario’s Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia’s Shulenacadie Sam also saw their shadows.

But Buckeye Chuck, Jimmy the Groundhog and General Lee Groundhog had a different vision; they did not see their shadows.

So it is a tied score between the six most famous critters, something like politics and perhaps heeding Phil’s advice, time to go back underground for awhile.

Or we could wait for French Creek Pete and his prediction scheduled for February 30^th. Course, he is a possum and not a groundhog. But he’s always right, winter will end when it wants too.

On a more serious note, the Lenni Lenapi people who inhabited this region long before settlement believed all people were animals in the beginning. “Wojak” or woodchuck (groundhog) was one of the first to become a human being and was held in esteem as the grandfather of all people.

Groundhogs are pretty good tree climbers (my dog is pretty good at this) and they are members of the squirrel family; just a few thoughts on our amazing natural history in this region.

CLABA is collecting aluminum cans to help fund the July 4th fireworks.

Canadohta Lake

This year the fireworks display at Canadohta Lake will be held on July 3^rd; rain date July 5^th. The Canadota Lake Area Business Association (CLABA) will be collecting aluminum cans in May to help fund the popular display. The date, locations and times will be announced here. If you have a lot of cans that you can’t store and need to move them beforehand, please contact any CLABA member or call Anita at 814-392-4115.

Ice fishing is good on all the inland lakes and next weekend there will be a tournament at Canadohta Lake.

Ice Fishing

Next weekend, February 13^th and 14^th, is the annual Candohta Lake Ice Fishing Tournament sponsored by Timberland Bait Shop. Cost is $10 per person, except for those under 12 years of age, $5.00 per person. The tournament this year will be held at Hawthorn Park next to Sally’s on the Lake.

The tournament opens at 5am on Saturday and closes at 3pm on Sunday. The price includes free food (which is pretty darn good) and plenty of prizes. It is a fun, family oriented event. Contact the bait shop for more information at 814-694-FISH.

The ice is plenty thick, according to anglers, about ten inches in most areas, and the fishing has been excellent over the last several weeks. The bait shop will be open throughout the tournament and is fully stocked with live bait and other supplies and equipment.

Maple Syrup Taste and Tour Weekend

The annual Taste and Tour weekend sponsored by the Northwest Maple Syrup Association is scheduled for the weekend of March 20 and 21^st from 10 am to 4pm each day. Visitors will be welcomed at a number of local sugar shacks. There will also be a Maple Festival held in Edinboro at the fire department hall, also sponsored by the association. For more information, check out www.pamaple.org

The price for aluminum cans has been rising helping fund some local activities.

Canadohta Lake

The popular Canadohta Lake July 4^th Fireworks display is set this year for July 3^rd. The rain date will be July 5^th. The fireworks display draws hundreds of people from throughout the region as well as many visitors from the Pittsburgh area.

This year the Canadohta Lake Area Business Association (CLABA) will once again collect aluminum cans. The cans are then taken to scrap yard and the proceeds help fund the traditional July 4^th festivities.

Prices paid for aluminum have been rising. Depending on the scrap yard, aluminum is in the mid $.50/pound range. With the rising prices, and more people willing to save and then donated their discarded cans, it could help to bring a brilliant display this year.

Anita Lemmon, the current president of CLABA, says the fund raiser is a very important one and that it helps keep the lake area free of litter. If anyone has a lot of cans, Lemmon can be contacted at 814-392-4116. Collection drop of points will be announced in May, so if you have the room to the cans, that will help the cause.

As an aside, a common belief among many is that rising prices for scrap metal is a good, early economic indicator.

The hill across the lake from the docks at Hawthorne Park, where the February Ice Fishing Contest will be held, are the site where the July 4th fireworks are set-off.

Ice Fishing

The annual Canadohta Ice Fishing Tournament is scheduled for the Valentine’s Day weekend. The popular, family oriented tournament is sponsored by is sponsored by Timberland Bait Shop at the lake where registration forms are available. The cost is $10 per/person, $5 for persons under 12 years of age. The ticket price includes food.

This year the tournament will be located at Hawthorne Park next to Sally’s on the Lake. Normally, the event is held at the public boat ramp. However, the public access area is still undergoing renovation work making the move to the small park on the other side of the lake.

Titusville

Want to help volunteer at Drake’s Well this summer? An informal get together will be held at the park on January 30 from 1pm to 3:30 pm for those interested. Sources say there will be lots of good food for those attend.

After the January storms, changes and chances.

Weather

The last week was wintry to say the least. The forecasts for the next seven days look to be an improvement; everything, however is open to change and chance.

It’s amazing to see the snow totals from one area to another; some have three feet, while twenty some miles away, there is hardly eight inches on the ground. Lake effect storm systems are complex and unpredictable.

The weather is expected to warm in the next couple of days, then colder again making for some perfect ice for anglers.

Canadohta

The annual ice fishing tournament at Canadohta is set to open in mid-February.

The annual ice fishing tournament is scheduled for the weekend of February 13^th and 14^th. Cost is $10 per person, $5 for persons under 12. The fee includes awards and prizes as well as free food throughout the tournament. Registration is at Timberland Bait Shop, for more information call 814-694-FISH. The make up date in case of inclimate weather is February 27 and 28. There is always a chance the weather could change.

The tournament opens at 7 am on Saturday and closes on Sunday at 3 pm.

This year the tournament will be held in the small park next to Sally’s on the Lake instead of the public access area on the other side of the lake. The access area is currently undergoing renovation work.

This is a fun and exciting, family oriented tournament. The food is great, the cash awards are good , there are always surprise gifts and the folks, terrific. It is sponsored by Timberland Bait Shop.

Gerry Van Tassel, who owns and operates the bait store, has it stocked with a good selection of live bait and other fishing equipment. He reports that the ice on Canadohta is four to six inches and anglers have been lucky over the past several days catching a variety of fish.

Another hot spot, according to Gerry, is Lake Pleasant where the trout are being caught in good numbers.

Penn Traffic : Changes and a Chance

Following last Friday’s bankruptcy hearing in Delaware, it would appear that Buffalo, NY based Tops has the upper hand in acquiring most of Penn Traffic’s assets. This could be some needed good news particularly for shoppers and employees of the Quality Markets in Titusville and Union City and the communities as a whole. Quality Markets could always be depended on to donate to community organizations and events, according to Cheryl Calepa, mayor of Union City.

Like the weather, there is a lot open to change and chance. A final hearing which could determine the outcome before bankruptcy Judge Walsh is scheduled for January 25^th. Another company could place a bid before the court which is higher than the bid submitted by Tops, $84 million..

The Syracuse Post Journal is reporting that the top brass at Penn Traffic received large monetary pay increases as the food giant was financially out of control and crashing. Workers, at the same time, were asked to take a two week leave without pay to help the struggling finances of the company. There have been charges in the past the Penn Traffic’s top level management team in Syracuse was making some very poor financial decisions.

Many of the Penn Traffic’s supermarket stores, Quality Market, are located in smaller, more rural communities in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.

Smoking Changes and Chances

There could be some big changes coming soon for those who get cigarettes from the nearby Seneca Nation via the US Postal Service. Legislation is underfoot and appears likely to be adopted to outlaw transporting tobacco products through the US mail. The leaders of the Seneca Nation are not happy with the direction this is taking and claim it will put the smoke shops out of business.

All of the tax free smokes are now shipped by the US Postal Service since private carriers have agreed not to accept them.

Tax free cigarettes purchased from the smoke shops has been a thorn in the side for many other outlets and political leaders leaders in New York. In the recent past, there has been unrest on the nearby reservation over tax issues.

For the Seneca, this is another example of broken promises under a centuries old treaty between the Nation and the federal government. The land taken for the Kinzua Dam project in the late 1960’s was never adequately solved and the latest tax issue will likely add more fuel to a simmering fire.

For many in Crawford County, the smoke shops on the reservation are a short and beautiful ride with stops made at the Salamanca Casino.

January: The Changes and Chances

A hawk swooped out of an oak tree today and caught this unfortunate blue jay, leaving only a few feathers. January has many changes and many chances. The hawk was the lucky one this time.

Celebrate Jack Wax

The first week of January, 2010 has been all about the weather. It has been relentless and heavy, whipped by strong winds. Some areas are claiming snowfalls reaching three feet and concerns are being voiced about the heavy snow on roofs. Might not be a bad idea to take a look. If the forecasts are accurate, we are all in for more of the same weather for the next 7 days or so.

Ground Hog Day, of course is Tuesday, February 2nd, something of a sign of approaching spring weather. Crawford County gets to have it’s day in the sun when plenty of Jack Wax is made at some yet unknown date usually in February. Jack Wax, sometimes called “Sugar on the Snow”, is a rustic maple syrup candy. It’s made by pouring the simmering hot sap, almost syrup, on the clean snow or into a hole in the snow. The taffy-like candy is great. Nothing quite like it.

The sap begins to run and the trees are tapped when the daytime temperatures rise above freezing and the nights go below freezing. This year Jack Wax should be widely available as the Northwestern PA Maple Association kicks off the 7^th annual Taste and Tour weekend of local sugar shacks. The open house weekend is set for the weekend of March 20^th and 21^st from 10 am to 4 pm at a number of local, family owned and operated sugar shacks. There’s usually free samples available of a wide range of maple products which will be for sale. Local made maple products are unique gift ideas and won’t be found in the big box stores. Taste and Tour is family fun, entertaining, educational and the Jack Wax is exceptional, as are all the other goodies.

This year a Maple Festival, organized by the association will also be held at the Edinboro Fire Hall during the Taste and Tour festivities. Maple syrup is the real sign of approaching spring, and besides, the maple products are much better tasting. The local maple syrup producers work hard all year for this once a year maple run. Maple trees and products a community resource, made by friends and neighbors, who practice a time honored tradition. Mark the dates and make plans.

For more information Northwestern Maple Association, call (814) 796-3699 or visit: http://www.pamaple.org/index.html

Penn Traffic Bankruptcy Saga continues:

Friday Court Hearing

Decisions could be made in bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del. before Judge Peter J. Wash at 2 pm. The judge could issue rulings on several complicated bids on what will eventually happen to the company which was founded back in the “wild west days” of 1854 and is now pretty much broke.

Any decision made in the court will impact the local stores in Crawford County located in Titusville and Meadville and the store in Erie County at Union City which serves many of the residents of Bloomfield Township in Crawford County.

There are bids and counter bids competing in the sale of assets. Tops Market is one of the players, so is Price Chopper, so are several companies which deal in liquidations. There have been reports of some behind the scenes players who also want to purchase most if not all of the company which billed itself as the largest food distributor in the eastern United States. There appears to be some friction between labor union and non-labor union companies.

In the end, hopefully, Wash will issue ruling which will not cripple, employment, food supplies and prices in the small communities. Friday afternoon could bring some major developments in what will happen.

Penn Traffic filed for bankruptcy around Thanksgiving and ever since the financial condition seems to have worsened.

Meadville

Civil War Roundtable

The first Civil War Roundtable discussion of 2010 will be held January 13^th at 7 pm at the Crawford County Historical Society. The discussion, led by Dr. Glenn Thompson, will focus on the famous Union General “Fighting Joe Hooker”. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Linesville

Woodcock Creek Nature Center

January 14^th a discussion on “Incredible French Creek” begins at the nature center at 4:30 pm. It is free and open to the public

Canadohta

Book Swap

Opens January 10 at the Canadohta Laundromat from 11 am to 1 pm. Bring a book take home a book program. Even if you don’t have a book to share, show up and get some winter reading.

What will the next bend in the 2010 journey bring?

Happy New Year

The Best Ever New Year to All. 2010 will be ushered in by a rare Blue Moon this year; the next time this will happen will be December 2028! Another unique aspect of 2010, will be the Chinese New Year; that’s on February 14th this year. It is named after the Tiger; adventurous, determined, powerful.
For those concerned about the end of the world coming in 2012, forget it, not even the Mayan Elders believe the story. Google search, “Mayan elders, end of world”, for more information. Nice story, but fiction.

Weather

Everyone got a taste of winter last week and more is expected over the weekend. Be careful on the highways and don’t drink and drive. Plans are for some friends from Meadville, Las Vegas and friends and neighbors over to watch movies, play poker, dice and eat good; it will be a sleep over for anyone traveling. Who wins at Zonk gets the couch.

Penn Traffic Bankruptcy

Employees at the local Quality stores don’t know much except that they expect the stores to remain open until late January. There hasn’t been much news about the bankruptcy in the last week. But the company has been in trouble for the last decade.
Here’s a little of troubling developments over the last ten years. A previous bankruptcy was filed in May 2003. The company emerged after selling it’s Big Bear stores in Ohio and West Virginia and closing another 37 stores in various locations.
In December 2008, Penn Traffic sold it’s wholesale business to C&S Wholesale Grocers for $43 million and closed stores in Oswego, NY and Lebanon, NH.
In January 2009 more stores were closed in various locations in New York and Vermont.
It wasn’t a good decade for the company and certainly the New Year will have some anxious moments for many of the employees and vendors who are sort of stuck in limbo this New Year’s.

New Year’s Resolutions – Be a Tiger – adventurous

How about checking out some of the free events at the Woodcock Nature Center?

Jan.14th from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm “Incredible French Creek” learn more about this fantastic natural resource and what is being to protect it’s diversity.

Jan. 20th – Healthy Homes Healthy Children from 4pm -5pm discussion about home safety

Jan. 25th – Ice Fishing – learn the secrets and how to be safe and actually get out on Woodcock Lake with the experts and do some fishing. Call for times Woodcock Creek Nature Center 763-5269

Jan. 28th – Backyard Sugaring – learn how to make your own maple syrup (the snow candy is good stuff) call the Nature Center for more details 763-5269

Canadohta Book Swap

The popular book swap program open back up on January 10th at the Canadohta Laundromat from 11 am to 1 pm. The book swap is a popular event throughout the year. Brin a book or two and take a book or two home. It’s free and even if you don’t have a book to swap, show up and get one.

Christmas ferns were once used by many families for decorations at Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

The weather might get a little ugly, particularly on the back roads, if the rain develops as forecast. Be careful driving, there have been too many tragic accidents lately. After the rain turns back to snow, there’s a good chance of some significant snowfall by Sunday. With Christmas on Friday this year, it promises to be a long weekend.

Christmas Ferns

The Christmas fern can be found in many local woods, one of the few green plants in the snow. The native ferns were once used by many families for Christmas decorations along with pine moss and wild grape vines.

The fern is an evergreen and likes the shade and moist soil conditions. It’s a hardy, native plant and a natural for shady locations in the yard. Plants can be purchased at many nurseries and online. Note: The ferns are a good source of food for colorful swallowtail caterpillars and deer don’t bother the ferns. Why go plastic?

The Quality Journey

Tops and others have been granted a little more time to get their bids in order to present to a federal bankruptcy court. Although the sale of the stores was to happen Monday, it appears an extension to sometime in late January is likely.

Tops recently placed a bid for all 79 Quality stores. The bid was $90 million; Price Chopper has also placed a bid on the stores as well as a group of investors. According to the Syracuse Journal data center on the bankruptcy, the investors have placed a bid on both the Titusville and the Union City stores.

The extension has to be a brief sigh of relief for the workers and vendors this Christmas. The future of the stores remains uncertain, although, it is possible with the extension, that new buyers will step forward.

A storage place for some animal in an old bird's nest found during deer season. Wonder if the acorns will hatch?

Penn Traffic Bankruptcy Updates -The Quality Market Journey

As the Penn Traffic bankruptcy case journies through federal court, Tops Markets carved out a new twist in the path. Penn Traffic, which operates supermarkets known as Quality, Bi-Lo and Price Chopper stores, declared bankruptcy in late November.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is the third and final journey for Penn Traffic in the last decade and came after the company lost over $17 million this past year.

Initially, the stores were scheduled to close: then came word the stores would remain open as buyers came forward with bids. Several weeks ago, Tops offered to buy a “majority” of the stores; then late last week entered a bid to buy all 79 stores.

There are three Quality stores in the local area, Union City, Titusville and Meadville; all vital and important assets for families.

The $90 million dollar bid for the stores by Tops has not yet been approved by Penn Traffic, located in Syracuse, New York, for submission to the federal bankruptcy court. Previously, Tops made an offer to buy a majority of the stores.

There have been other bids. Price Chopper, based in Schenectady, New York, also made a bid totaling $54 million for 22 stores. Previously, the company made a bid for four Penn Traffic stores.

Another group of four companies, which specialize in liquidation made a $35.5 million bid for Penn Traffic assets.

An auction for the Penn Traffic stores has been scheduled for December 29^th although even that might change if New York U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has his way. The senator is asking for a month’s extension on the auction deadline to give more buyers time to prepare bids.

Locally, Quality stores employ hundreds of workers and vendors. Union City and Titusville would be particularly hard hit since the Quality stores are major supermarkets in those areas which are face to face with some bleak economic times.

According to Union City manager, Cheryl Capela, Quality Market has been a good neighbor funding and providing food for many of the events held in the borough. Additionally, she and the town council are concerned about elderly residents who are unable to drive to nearby communities for groceries.

Union City government has also sent a letter to state representative Kurt Sonney seeking any information or help with the situation.

Laura Klus, the director of the Union City Senior Center is watching the events unfold carefully. She too expressed a deep concern about the loss of the Quality Market. Like Capela, she noted the store has been an excellent neighbor, donating many food stuffs for senior events. She is hoping for another good neighbor.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s decision at the end of the Penn Traffic bankruptcy will have a far reaching impact on many communities and many families who live in the small towns of northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York. There is more to this story than the drama in corporate boardrooms. It is an important story for the small towns.

Sherman, New York Lesson

There use to be a Quality Market in Sherman which was scheduled to close back in 2003. However a local couple re-opened the store as Mack’s Hometown Market with help from Chautauqua County and local lenders. I found this story in the Jamestown Post Journal the other day; they too had a long journey. http://www.post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/547459.html?nav=5018

Meadville Christmas Gift Shopping

Both the Meadville Market House and the Crawford County Historical Society have some unique and local gifts available.  The Market House has a cookbook on sale which was locally produced and includes many historical footnotes and photogrpahs. Several local farms have put together some gift baskets for the Christmas season which feature local produce.

The historical center also has a heritage cookbook for sale as well as other unique gifts. Proceeds all remain in the local community.

Gift baskets filled with local produce are available at the Meadville Market House.