When I told my aunt and uncle that I would be attending Bloomsburg University, the first thing they told me to do was to go to Berrigans Subs and get a cheesesteak. They both went to Bloomsburg when they were younger, so they are always telling me about what their lives were like when they lived here. My uncle said that him and his friends would take the walk , even in the blistering cold, just to get one of their sandwiches. Growing up about 30 minutes from Philadelphia meant that I would eat cheesesteaks a lot and they are one of my favorite foods. So when they told me it was the best cheesesteak in Bloomsburg, I just had to try it for myself.
Berrigans is a restaurant that has been making cheesesteaks, hoagies, and many other delicious items for over 51 years. The people who own it now are not the same people who started the place, but they try and do everything the same way it has always been done there. They have a homemade oil recipe that they have been making and putting on their sandwiches to give it their classic flavor. Although it is a family business, most of the people they hire are fellow Bloomsburg students. The restaurant has a family friendly atmosphere with employees who aren't afraid to have a little conversation while you wait for your food. The business does not condone rude behavior in there customers, but being on a college campus, the workers said weekend nights can get a bit crazy.
For a college student living on campus, Berrigans is a quick and easy place to get a meal any time of the day. Walking down the street with the chilly winds blasting, hitting all your exposed skin with an icy burn, you will come across a building not far into town. The big green sing that reads "Berrigans Subs" might catch your eye. Just from walking in customers will instantly know that they have made the right decision. Through a narrow walkway passing the red and blue cushioned diner stools you will see people talking happily and enjoying their meals. The sound of meat sizzling on the grill teases people waiting in line. The tan walls are barely visible behind all the Bloomsburg banners, hats, white boards, and other knick knacks. Passed the counter it opens to a bigger dining area with nine black wooden tables for groups to sit. Once at the register, a short, brown haired girl in a dark green shirt will kindly take the clients order. While waiting, mouths might start to water at the sight of cheesesteaks being eaten by other college students. Finally it is ready. The first bite into the sandwich is filled with so much flavor that your mouth will barely be able to take it. The cheese oozes out the top of the soft, warm bun. When finished, you will leave the small sub shop full and satisfied.
All in all, Berrigans is something everyone should experience for themselves. They have been around since 1964, and with the way they make food, they wont be going out of business anytime soon. If it wasn't for my aunt and uncle I may not have ever went to the place that will forever be a big part of my college experience. So if your sitting around your dorm one night and get hungry, take a walk over to Berrigans and try the best cheesesteak in Bloomsburg.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Cream or Sugar?
Sprinkled Donuts for Valentines Day
When visiting your local Dunkin Donuts you typically get your coffee and go, but have you ever wondered what goes on behind the counter? Dunkin Donuts is one of the worlds largest coffee and baked goods chain in America. Having over 13 coffee flavors and 4 different types of coffee, customers can never get bored of the rich flavors DD has to offer. Running through gallons of coffee and dozens of donuts a day, the employees at Danville Dunkin Donuts do some serious work that does not go unrecognized by the town.
Coffee Display
Customers open the doors to Dunkin Donuts and instantly get hit with the sweet smell of donuts and coffee. The door bell rings from behind and directly inside is a bright display that includes coffee, k-cups and reusable cups available for customers to buy. I am greeted by a tall girl, with long blonde pony tail, brown eyes, khaki pants, a blue shirt, and a visor on her head. All around customers enjoy their coffee. In the background the drown out sound of others conversations and soft music playing fill my ears. The sounds of ice being scooped into cups, coffee pouring and wax paper being pulled to pick up donuts occupies the restaurant. Cars pull in and out of the parking lot and consumers come and go, all being greeted with the same wide smiled "Hi what can I get for you today?". There are granite counter tops, with the mixed colors of emerald and hints of white. Tan benches and chairs take up the restaurant, accented by a grey tiled floor with black cracks separating each one. The windows are covered with pink and red signs showing featured Valentine donuts for the month. The store gives off relaxing and comfortable vibes, making it easy for the customers to enjoy themselves.
Brownie Batter Donuts
Shana, the employee who waits on me has worked at DD for over one year. She is a crew member, but also a finisher which means she makes the Donuts. "We start by separating the pre cut donuts into glazed and non glazed, they are baked accordingly and then ready to be filled, frosted and decorated. As soon as they're done they're ready to be served to the customers", She says. These Donuts are the freshest in the area making Danville Dunkin Donuts a go to for many people. Working the job at the drive thru means getting orders out as fast as possible to make a happy and satisfied customer, along with moving the line. " It's extremely fast paced. It can get super crazy especially if a customer wants to make a change in their order when ordering through the drive thru. We have a timer that runs out at two minutes, meaning orders need to be out within two minutes", Shana explains. A lot more goes on behind the counters than what the customers think. "We are constantly cleaning everything, from the coffee earns, to wiping all the machines down, to restocking everything. There is always something to be done, nobody gets to stand around", She claims.
Vanilla Frosted Donuts
During the month of February, Danville Dunkin Donuts takes pride in their decorative and heart shaped donuts for Valentines Day. The shelf includes over 21 different types of donuts on the regular and includes specialty donuts during the holidays. " The most popular donut during valentines season is the famous brownie batter donut. It's a brownie batter filled donut in the shape of a heart. It is chocolate frosted and topped with brownie crumbles. We sell out of them very quickly", she informs me. Not all Dunkin Donuts make their donuts fresh, making Danville one of the best.
Danville Dunkin Donuts is a great place to sit down, read a book, get work done, or just relax. Having what seems like an endless supply of donuts and coffee makes customers never want to leave. The phrase "America Runs on Dunkin" may seem tacky, but for the town of Danville, Pennsylvania it's true.
Strolling towards Steph's Subs, two navy blue signs greet customers as it plasters the windows of the store. The intense smell of onions and oregano fill the senses as the door opens. Customers stand at the counter on the left ready to order their food before taking a seat at the red seated chairs and wooden tables. While waiting customers look out the window and can hear cars roaring as they drive by on main street as well as the occasional person walking by. Customers can even gaze at the chalkboards with the menu on it or their specials they are suggesting.
Logan greets all the incoming customers and takes the orders. He wears a red shirt that says Steph's Subs on it as well as a white hat. After correctly taking the orders, that is when the magic happens. He then is to make the orders with the help of other employees. "I would say our most famous sub is the regular sub," claims Logan. The regular has mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers. "Also our 6ft sub which is a party sub is another one," he adds. That platter typically serves 30-35 people. Logan also stocks the supplies; this means he restocks the wraps which is the paper they use to wrap the sub in and all the containers, the chip racks, make sure all the correct ingredients are fully stocked in their bins this means making sure the onions, tomatoes are freshly cut and ready to be used. He is to also make sure the refrigerators where they have sodas are fully stocked too.
Steph's subs is a very friendly place and ask for anyone to come in a stop by. Everyone loves their sub platters for parties and also they have a variety of many different side orders and hot subs. Their prices are low and very reasonable.
The Hillside Catering is a family owned business located in the heart of Montoursville, Pennsylvania. The owner David Miele has had this business for over 35 years, it opened in 1979 and is currently now being passed down to his son Michael and his daughter-in-law Adria. They strive for excellence with everything they do and receive nothing but positive feedback and complements. Hillside can do any event and will do whatever to make sure that the event is perfect and fits the person's needs in every way possible. "We execute parties flawlessly and appreciate challenges," says Adria Miele, a manager of The Hillside. Some events include weddings, company parties, holiday parties and so on. Hillside will do any kind of event, even one that takes a challenge. Events vary in size, but the largest group of people was 2,500. They have served presidents, congressman and senators. This past Christmas, there was a Christmas party for the owner of Moran Industries, John Moran, a half-millionaire if not yet a billionaire. He chose the Hillside for the amazing staff and food, and they've done their Christmas parties for the last couple of years.
The Hillside makes sure all of the food that leaves the kitchen doors is fresh and perfect. Not to mention, all of the foods are homemade from scratch and they make their own dips and spreads as well which are always amazing and tasty. They offer a variety of different menus to choose from, or you can choose what you want to eat and Hillside will make it. As you walk in the Hillside, you enter into a workplace with people cooking or baking or someone cutting vegetables or meats you name it, they do it. The aroma of the food is always so pleasing to smell. The kitchen is fairly large with stoves, freezers, fridges and a clean up area as well. Beyond the kitchen is where almost everything is kept, such as silverware, plates, display boards, chafing dishes and linens. Everything is organized nicely and has its own spot, so nothing should ever be misplaced. Behind this room is the office where people come in for tastings, bookings or just to go over things such as pricing for an event.
Display with The Hillside Catering logo
When asking Adria what her favorite part of working at Hillside was she responded with "working with brides to make sure their day is perfect and designing menus and food displays." So far, Hillside has done over 700 weddings. Adria loves to make sure everything goes well and it always does. She has been working with Hillside for 6 years now and loves what she does. Michael and Adria have both accomplished so much working here and are great employers with a great staff that is like family. The staff is always uniformed in classy black button up shirts with "The Hillside Catering" printed on them, black dress pants and black dress shoes. "Wearing black is unobtrusive, sleek and doesn't show stains," Adria claims.
The Hillside will travel anywhere for any type of event and they stay busy. They have traveled to places like State College, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia and the owner, David, has done an event in New Zealand. Hillside is advertised by word of mouth and Facebook and Instagram and you can find them @The Hillside Catering. Pictures of all different kinds of events are displayed on these platforms to show what went on that special day. The reviews for Hillside are always great and people could not be happier to have chosen such an amazing catering business that offers so much. You can tell they do their absolute best with every event and will continue to do so. Adria and Michael tied the knot in July of 2017, and the Hillside staff made sure to make their managers wedding beyond special.
the table,” says haggard veteran John Fritz, a thirty-year member of the Bloomsburg Public
Works Department. “Without us the town
would fall apart,” remarked John. The Public works street department is in charge of maintaining the streets and everything involved with the town.
The Public Works department is located on Catherine street in
Bloomsburg. The long tan building
is stuffed to the brim with heavy
equipment of all kinds. All are painted a shade of safety yellow. Many showing faded paint and rust with the exception of one shiny new red dump truck. Each truck gets equipped with a heavy steel plow and massive salt spreader getting ready for the impending snow. The wine of an air gun rips through the silence of the small break room as mechanic Larry Brown changes tires on an old beat up pickup truck.
Although winter is full of plowing and salting supervisor John Barton claims that summer season is the busiest
time for the department. Summers
consist of day after day of pipe
maintenance, grass cutting, and
paving streets. "The warm summer
temperatures provide us the only time to dig up and repair water and
sewer pipes without the headache of
digging through frost," explained Barton.
The job of cutting grass in and around town is usually given to three-part time teenagers who are willing to brave the heat.
Disaster relief also falls under the
wide umbrella of what Public works is responsible for. Floods like what happened in 2011 which flooded most of the town leave damage that takes months to repair. Whole weeks are spent collecting and hauling tons of flood debris and thick mud to landfills and dump sites. "It's tough to see things people have worked for their whole lives destroyed by water," says town employee Dave Eyer. Eyer has seen his fair share of floods over his thirty-six-year career. A look of distain is obvious when he proclaims, "those are the days when it's tough to show up to work."
Through the days in the blistering heat and freezing cold Public works is always there. The work isn't easy and there is very little appreciation from anyone. But if you ask the guys who work there they will all tell you they don't need the attention they are perfectly fine being the men behind the town.
"My favorite part of working at Scranton Commons is getting to know the kids and making them smile," explains Barb Dahlman, a card swiper at Scranton Commons Dining Hall. Scranton Commons, named for previous governor of Pennsylvania, William W. Scranton, is the main hub for a wholesome dining experience on Bloomsburg University's campus. The dining hall was initially opened in 1970 but just recently had a major renovation in 2014. To enter commons a student must use a meal swipe off of their Bloomsburg ID card, guests on campus can also make a cash or credit payment to enter. As a card swiper Barb has more of an interaction with the students than the other employees of Scranton Commons who just ask what food a student would like on their plate and move on. Most students find the dining hall to be a comfortable place to relax and eat with friends or eat alone and have a study session between classes. Scranton Commons offers a calm atmosphere for students at any point in their day to hangout and have a good meal.
Figure 1
After entering any of the three sets of double doors leading into the dining hall the mixed scent of Subway and Starbucks and the buzz of conversation immediately hits your senses. The card swipers on duty are there and ready to swipe in any student or guest at Bloomsburg University, telling each person to enjoy their meal. In front of the first set of booths for seating there is a glass wall that features Bloomsburg University's mascot, the husky named Roongo (Figure 1). The many options for food choice are laid out in a long line, ranging from the Home station, to Sushi, all the way down to the vegetarian station. At the home station students can usually find a kind of protein with potatoes, vegetables, and a pasta dish. At the busy times throughout the day students are more likely to take advantage of the home station rather than the create your own pasta or rice because the lines more quicker. The sushi station has four different types of sushi that are the same everyday, the favorite of students is the spicy crab roll. Following the sushi station a station with foods from around the world can be found. For dinner and lunch the options change but the favorites of students are perogies, grilled cheese, or chinese food. At the panini and sandwich station the daily options vary immensely, from a typical ham sandwich to a fancy type of panini. The create your own pasta station has long lines of students waiting for the delicious pasta that is made before their eyes. The sizzle station, located near the most popular seating area, offers foods such as hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled cheeses with fries. When the dining hall becomes hectic during the lunch or dinner rush students find it convenient to grab something quick from sizzle or home to avoid long lines.
On both sides of the dining hall an elaborate salad bar, including fresh fruit and yogurt, spreads out in front of guests giving them many options to top their salads with. Guests have four different types of lettuce to choose from, then they have the option to add corn, chick peas, olives, cheese, onions, chicken, tofu, or many other things, and finally they can top it off with any dressing that suits their craving. The final, and in some students opinions, the most important station is the homemade desserts. There are choices from freshly baked cookies with changing flavors every day to homemade cakes and pastries. Ice cream made right in commons has unique flavors that are rotated daily and if a student craves soft serve there is that option as well. Commons always has options for people of varying food allergies and lifestyle choices such as gluten free or vegetarian style eating. After grabbing some food students head to the seating areas and find a table to relax at with some friends. To see exactly what Scranton Commons has to offer view the following video:
The constant clinking of silverware on plates can be heard over the buzz of friendly conversation and laughter. Students are at peace in Scranton Commons and are able to have a calm meal with friends or family. Students wave hello to other friends from across the dining hall and introduce their guests to them, then proceed to enjoy their meal together as a big group. Guests in the dining hall are pleasant to staff by always cleaning up after themselves and never having a rude thing to say. Whenever a person seems to be lost or out of place many students and staff are there with friendly faces to help them find what they need. Most of the time the students eating at commons wear comfortable clothes, but a few students are dressed to impress. After finishing a delicious meal, the students bring the dishes to the conveyor belt styled drop off area and walk straight to the homemade dessert station where the smell of freshly baked cookies never fails to make students grab a couple before heading out to class or their dorm. Bloomsburg University student, Cara, expressed her love for the cookies saying, "The warm, homemade cookies are easily my favorite thing about dining in Scranton Commons!"
The modern lighting and large windows that are present on every wall create a bright and welcoming environment. The clear tables that are scattered throughout the dining area have a certain layout which includes, a napkin dispenser, a salt and pepper shaker, and a ketchup bottle (Figure 2). Without Scranton Commons Bloomsburg University would not be recognized by potential and current students as a great university in terms of food on campus. After entering Scranton Commons
Figure 2
for just a single meal swipe guests are able to enjoy as much food as they want, students find this option to be more appealing compared to other dining options on campus since most require an extra charge of flex dollars which students tend to run out of quickly. On Monday evenings the various sports teams of Bloomsburg University are found in commons gathering up the leftover food in a program called food recovery.
As the main dining facility on campus, Scranton Commons strives to be the best it can be for students not only in terms of meals but also in terms of atmosphere. Barb Dahlman explained her relationship with students, "I get to know a lot of them and they come back to see me after they graduate." With friendly staff and the great student body Bloomsburg University offers, it is near impossible for any person to feel uncomfortable or out of place in the dining hall. One of the most important factors for new students at a university is to feel at home and at Scranton Commons they can feel like they're in their own kitchen.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
The Most Social Hub in Town
As customers enter the only local cafe near the Bloomsburg campus, Fog and Flame, the scent of strong and smoky fragrances of coffee filled the air. Fog and Flame's (F&F) rich aromatic coffee was being made in a vintage looking cafe where there are nature and abstract paintings on each wall. Books and mugs lay out on a crimson assorted brick wall near the entrance door. Standing at the ordering counter, two workers chat with other customers (possibly their friends too) behind the bar while they are stirring up cups of coffee for the customers that were there before us. Noticing the new customers in line, one worker quickly finished up their chat and their last order to come take their order. He was kind and understanding that they were new to the cafe and kindly gave them suggestions.
Owner Aaron Rush
F&F is a craft and coffee shop near the Bloomsburg University campus. It is a social hub that is usually full of Bloomsburg University students but local Bloomsburg residents also come to take a taste of the cafe's lattes and cappuccinos. F&F provides a relaxing and calm environment that invites people to come read, study, socialize and drink really good creamy coffee with nice music in the background.
Crimson Brick Wall
Aaron Rush, owner of Fog and Flame, started his business with a friend , Josh Bumgardner, and with the money he and his friend saved from working regular day time jobs. "I guess I'm just naturally entrepreneurial" Aaron wittily claims. He mentions that he is also the oldest in his family so being the independent man he is, walking the path of starting a business was a pivotal decision in his life. Fresh roasted coffee at F&F are from a coffee roaster in Philadelphia named Gryphon. Aaron and the owner of Gryphon, Richard Mattis, are friendly companions and now friendly business partners. Through friendly companionship, Richard guides Aaron with his cafe business and provides basic material for the cafe. After two years of rough times after its opening, Josh leaves Aaron with the business; Although this does not stop the creative entrepreneurial Aaron from continuing the business. F&F makes its way as the top cafe in the area and the most social hub in town. "One thing in business is [that] you have to always remember to treat it as a marathon and not a sprint...to show up everyday and grind out the work and it's not always pretty but it's what needs to be done for the long term" Aaron reassures after reminiscing the cafe's years of hardship and success.
Employee Ian
F&F's Cappuccino
After some struggling times, F&F cafe hits the top with popularity in Bloomsburg. Loyal customers enters the shop each morning while loyal employees at F&F make their delicious coffee and small snacks. Cody, an employee at F&F, was one of the first few customers that went to F&F when they first opened. Cody says enthusiastically, "I like to be social...I love working here." Amicable with every customer and always eager, Cody communicates with everyone gleefully. Cody is not the only employee at F&F that is friendly and easygoing. Ian Stanley, another friendly and loyal employee that works at F&F. For the five years that F&F has been opened, Ian worked there almost half of the time it has been opened. As more people come in through the cafe, one wearing a Bloomsburg University hoodie, walk up to the ordering counter and the employees greet them with smiles and start having genial conversations. Staff members at F&F all have unique skills and techniques that makes them sociable to the customers that come in the cafe. Having any expertly coffee techniques is not needed because their coffee expert manager goes through the routines and teaches them the techniques to make their delicious coffees.
F&F's cappuccinos and flavored lattes, Ian indicates them as the most popular and satisfactory drinks on their menu. From time to time F&F holds up events for the customers to enjoy and continue to socialize. Open mic night and live music brings people together and sets the mood for an evening of joy and relaxation. F&F is the place to go for fun, studying, and to de-stress.
As the entrance of Elwell Hall on the second floor appears, there is two sets of double doors with clear windows and black timing around the windows with silver handles. To the right of you is a ID scanner that you have to use to get inside of the resident hall. However if you do not live in Elwell hall you can not get in without a student that lives in Elwell that has student ID card to scan you in for safety reasons. After going through the two sets of double doors in front is a big tan desk that the community assistants sit if you need help. "Community assistants is a person who is supporting upcoming freshmen as they transition from high school to college," says Kylie. As you continue making your way around Elwell to the to the left of the desk there is study room for students to do there homework and study. Also to the right of the desk it two study rooms as well on the right side are two sets of tan elevators that leads you to the upstairs and downstairs of the building. Not only does residents live upstairs and downstairs but also they live on the second floor, which is the entrance floor on the right and left of the building.There are tan and red titles on the floor with tan and red benches that are place around for people to sit on.
Elwell Elevators
After the sliver button has been pushed it turns red for the elevator to open up and on the side there numbers from one to seven including the ground and basement floor. On the basement there is white walls with a tan door at the end of the hall that leads you to the lounge. In the lounge there are black tables and chairs with tan cushioning and black timing around them. To the side there is a tan door with a sliver handle that takes you to the suits, where there is four people to a room. The suits usually have a bathroom connecting the two rooms with two beds per room. In the event of going upstairs there might be a wait if you take the elevators, because be are constantly going up and down. However, on the floor above is the ground floor quite like the basement with only rooms on the side. Given that on the right side is the laundry room, with constantly washing and drying machines going at the same time. To do laundry you have to go to the card center and there a machine to the left when you enter. Then you have to enter the amount of money you want on your card and scan your card for that amount to go on the ID to do your laundry. This room tends to always be warmer than the whole building because of all of the dryers. As a result of the warmth students will quickly load there clothes in and scan there ID to start there machine and come back when there clothes are finished.
The next floor is the first floor where the card center is and where my housing is. There is green and brown carpet with tan lines and and green lines with tan circles in a square shape. On each student door there are different decorations with there name printed and who lives there. The decorations that are on the students door usually matches the hallway decorations that the ca's make before the residents move in. With being a ca "you get to meet all new residents and other ca's plus free housing and a paycheck," says Cache. On each side of the hallways are two ca's usually a boy and a girl that has ca written on there door. With being a ca come a lot of responsibility because you are in charged of your residents that are assigned to you. Some requirements of being a ca is "good academic standing and a 2.56 gpa" says Kylie. However there are some con's with being a ca, they have late meetings and desk duty. Also they are in charge of if a student is harmed in the building in anyway, which might lead them writing a incident report. For this reason all ca's are older than freshman's because they have knowledge than them and more authority. Another con is when residents are disrespectful to the ca's and when there decorations fall down after spending a long time making them for us.
Elwell Lounge
Once you make it to the third floor it and exit the elevator in front of you is a lounge with clear windows and tan timing and on the right side on the window says student lounge. In the lounge there is a black television with sliver timing that hangs on the white wall with two red couches and two tan chairs in front with a small black table. There is green,red and brown carpet on the floor with light green and tan stripes. Also there are black tables with tan cushioning and black timing, however if you do not have ID card to scan in you can not get into the lounges on each floor. To the left is a tall grey trash can with a black bag hanging on the outside of it. Also there is this tall tan thick pole towards the back of the lounge, where the long rectangular light hangs above you. Outside the lounge there is dark grey carpet and a set of black squared like recycling trash cans also towards the left are another set of regular trash cans that looks alike. To the right is a light blue and drake blue vending machine with a selection of different kinds of drinks of juice and sodas. Where you can scan your ID card or insert your money.
Elwell Hall
As the hall is very bright when walking down you usually see on one of the sides are the restrooms for women and men. The rest rooms are usually towards the end of the hallway that has a black sign on the tan door with white writing on it. As the door opens to enter the rest room there is brown and dark green titles with cream and tan tiles, that goes around the bathroom walls. On the side there is a medium trash can with a black and grey paper towel holder above it. On the stall side there are three regular stalls and one handicap stall. Facing the stalls is a long rectangular mirror with five sinks underneath with a tall sliver water head that is motion censored. Towards the side of the door are three regular showers with one handicap, that aloud you to sit down in. There are white thin shower curtains that are hanging from six sliver hooks. Connected to the showers on the side is a long sliver piece where you hand up your towel. Down on the floor there is tans tiles with white lining around the edges of the tiles. With two windows near the side of the shower that are not see through.
Elwell Hall is one of the better halls to live in because it is one of the newest halls with newer features. Like controlling your own air and heat and a window with a nice view and having better showers. Also it brings a warming welcome to freshmen's from ca's, and having a nicer hall to stay in makes you feel more at home. The ca's try to make you feel as comfortable as possible when knowing this is your fist time away from home. The here slogan is BU at BU so you wont have to be afraid and alone. Here at Bloomsburg University in Elwell Hall is all about making new friend and starting new beginnings for you to be as comfortable as possible.
"...Pancakes the size of the plates,
unlimited hot coffee in your cup, and the best sticky bun recipe in town," expressed animatedly by Mrs. Insinger. Mrs. Insinger is the co-owner of “Grigg's
Coffee and Dolly's Diner" restaurant in Montoursville, PA.
Grigg's and Dolly's restaurant provides the homiest atmosphere most
customers would say. The combination of professionally made coffee and the
best sticky bun most people will ever eat, keeps customers wanting more and more.
Along with the mouthwatering sticky buns, they serve single pancakes the size
of a car steering wheel and cooked perfectly golden on the outside. If that
hasn't made your stomach growl, let’s talk about their homemade coffee. Yes, homemade!
They roast their own coffee right in the restaurant with the biggest and oldest
working coffee and peanut roaster in the world. Along with the elegant smooth
coffee, the mouthwatering sticky buns, and even huge plate sized pancakes,
Grigg's and Dolly's now has a full sized kitchen, enabling them to serve any
meal of the day.
Figure 1: Grigg's famous coffee and peanut roaster.
Up until 5 years ago, Grigg's Coffee and
Peanuts and Dolly's Diner were separately owned restaurants. Grigg's Coffee and
Peanuts was established in the 1920's in Montoursville on the main strip Broad Street. Since then, Grigg's moved to Loyalsock
Avenue where it has a unique way of blending right
in with the town itself. When the founder of Grigg's passed
away, Ron and Carol Insinger, owners of Dolly's Diner in the next town over, bought
Grigg's from Steph Griggs. Out of respect for the Grigg's family the Insingers decided to keep the name
and the history of the famous Griggs coffee shop alive. Hundreds of antiques from the original Grigg's coffee shop cover the walls to add an old fashion look. Across the room sits a colossal
ancient coffee machine (Figure 1).This hundred year old machine resembles a
steam engine of a train with all the shiny knobs and levers. Since the
Insingers' bought the establishment, the town has fallen in love with the
little hometown restaurant.
Driving up to Grigg's and
Dolly's, this small coffee shop compares to the size of a small town house.
Fancy lights hang from the top of the building and a nice maroon and gold sign
that says, "Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts and Dolly's Diner." When the
double wooden and glass doors open, a sign apprises you to take a seat
anywhere. A dark aura cloaks the entire restaurant except for the most
important parts of the dining room like the bar (Figure 2) and the old coffee
roaster (Figure 1). The bar is actually the same bar from the original Grigg's
back in the 1920's. A shiny coat of polyurethane and beautiful dim lights cover
the bar like a blanket. Sitting at the bar, two glass cases hold captive the
famous sticky buns made from a secret Griggs recipe. With that glass case comes the sweet smell of fresh cinnamon and sugar glaze that triggers the taste
buds of everyone in the room. The smell of fresh coffee, coming from the right side of the bar, where 4 coffee pots sit to regain their energy. The
roasted coffee beans and peanuts sit in bags on shelves waiting for someone to
favor their specific flavor. The bar has a special coffee machine that can make
a combination of hundreds of different specialty coffee style drinks. It can
brew any flavor of coffee as well as any flavoring to sweeten the taste. A high
pitched noise that could break glass echoes
through the dining area. The frothier, as the waitresses call it,
makes this disrupting noise but produces the smoothest coffee that Grigg's
makes.
Figure 2: Grigg's shiny hardwood bar.
Taking a seat in the dining
area customers have a choice of either a hard wood table with hardwood chairs
or a booth that is completely made of hardwood and polished to perfection.
When observing from the center of the dining area a ceiling that looks like it
belongs in a fancy mansion or historical building like the White House hangs
above. Specifically The same ceiling from the original Grigg's back in 1920. Many customers
enjoy the consistent smell of syrup that never leaves the air through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The waitress comes with paper place mats that contain all the
companies and businesses that help support the restaurant, many of which are
from Montoursville. Always introducing herself, the waitress offers to get
customers a drink or whatever else they might need. Around the room, hundreds
of antique coffee containers, old bags, and jars full of coffee beans perch on every open ledge available. These containers constantly give the air
a scent of fresh coffee beans. People in the restaurant, almost all above the
age of 50, might not be at the same table but will talk to people at other
tables and start conversations with complete strangers. There is a sound of
clashing silver ware with the plates and also the sound of people laughing
hysterically as they appreciate their morning coffee and company.
A key aspect to this great
restaurant is the workers and their hospitality. Back in the kitchen two giant
silver tables prepare the food for the restaurant with the help of the two
chefs of course. One cook wears an Eagles helmet and jersey ready for the big
game that night and the other cook wears ear buds as he dances and
cooks to the song in his ears. Right outside the kitchen sits the washroom
where the waitresses go to take their dirty dishes and keep track of the money
coming in out of the restaurant. Each waitress constantly runs in and out of
this room like an assembly line. The waitresses wear all black unless they have
a special jersey for the game that night. Some rooting for the Eagles, others
for the Patriots. These waitresses smile at every customer and are constantly sprinting to tables when the customers need anything. As the customers leave
the restaurant the waitress ecstatically advises them to "have a nice day,"
and waves goodbye. The right end of the bar is where the waitresses gather
while waiting for more customers or fold more silverware for the next group of
people to come in. These waitresses have a
strong backbone from dealing with difficult customers everyday and refuel on the happiness of other customers. The waitresses fly
through the skinny walking areas with a tray full of food using their amazing
balance skills to pass out all the food to everyone in one swift motion. These
waitresses do their job well but also care about all their customers no matter
how long the day gets.
Figure 3: A variety of flavored coffee and peanuts.
Grigg's Coffee and Dolly's Diner serves breakfast
all day, along with lunch and dinner. They are very well known for their amazing
breakfast entrees such as their big pancakes and sticky buns. However their
biggest hit for breakfast is "The Mess." This meal is a combination
of potatoes, eggs, bacon, peppers, onions, and cheesy goodness that comes with
some buttered toast and a variety of jelly. The "Big Bopper," another
top seller, presents an impossible to finish task, with three gigantic pancakes and their evil accomplice syrup. This dish also served with its kin, sizzling bacon and sausage. They serve many other entrees during the day but the food selection is that of any other basic style restaurant food. Along with
this food they serve 10 of the homemade flavored coffees that they sell in bulk to customers.
The workers at Grigg's and
Dolly's delight in seeing their customers as they walk in and find a place to
sit at one of many hardwood tables. Training for each waitress involves the
help from an official trainer or the help of the best waitresses available.
Mrs. Insinger adds, "We prefer to hire waitresses that have experience,
that way we can have the best staff for our customers." When the
restaurant the size of a mini mart is packed full, the waitresses do not get
worked up or overwhelmed because each waitress starts to help one another like a team aiming to win an important game. "They all work as a great team, unlike other restaurants I have been to," Mrs. Insinger states.
As the day comes to a
close, the entire restaurant becomes filled with the sound of dishes being
cleaned and racked. The waitresses start to count money and wash off tables.
All the coffee gets poured into the waitresses cups as they work exhaustively to start
wrapping up when their customers leave. And the amazing restaurant closes with
waitresses slowly filing out one by one. The lights outside stay on so that the
sign saying "Grigg's Coffee and Peanuts and Dolly's Diner," is
illuminated to greet guests the next morning when they open bright and early.
In downtown Sunbury, there stands a very important building. From the outside, this building looks like an ordinary business building with a dental clinic on the bottom floor. After a short ascent of dark green stairs and a quick walk through a bright white door, there waits a black sign that reads "Welcome to GSV United Way.... Hours 830-430" in snow, white lettering. For some, this represents just an ordinary sign. For others, this acts as a signal of hope and a marker of a safe haven. A safe haven for people that need some type of help. Whether it be "where am I going to live for the next week?" or "how am I going to eat today?", the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way strives to help find answers to these types of questions that people may have. After a ring of a tiny silver bell, a customer will be greeted by a woman with dark brown hair and a friendly looking smile. This woman, named Joanne Troutman, acts as the current CEO of the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way.
Joanne Troutman has been working in fundraising and nonprofit organizations for around 15 years now. A graduate from Susquehanna University, Joanne has her Bachelor's Degree in journalism and currently pursues a Master's degree in Management and Leadership. She has worked for 9 years in alumni and development at Susquehanna University and then spent 6 years as Director of Development for both Evangelical Community Hospital and Camp Victory. A woman in her late 30s and who stands at an average height, Joanne considers herself a very hard worker. She devotes a lot of time into the United Way in order to do her job to the best of her ability. "I almost kind of fell into this job," Joanne comments.
In a tan office, littered with bright blue objective posters and grey bulletin boards, there sits a lone brown desk with a dark grey chair. Joanne sits on this chair working diligently on her black Dell laptop. A sudden ring fills the void of silence as Joanne answers her office phone. "Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way, how may I help you?" Joanne asks. After some short conversation, she hangs up the phone with a quick and excited "let me see what I can do!". She then proceeds to shuffle through her tall, midnight black filing cabinet in the corner of her office.
"Everyday is different. I go to meetings and do various types of administrative stuff. I meet with the local community or sometimes, what we do, is go to campaign kick offs," Joanne adds. The United Way maintains six main priorities that direct their everyday operations. These priorities include behavioral health and addiction, poverty, diversity and inclusion, teens, early childhood education, and transportation. Each year, they become gifted with $400,000 to start with to fund grants that address specific issues. Joanne finds herself in charge of bringing money in or out in order to try and raise enough funds to help fund nonprofit organizations or additionally to help people in the community that need immediate assistance with any of the six priorities. She also commits to help people on a daily basis.
When people visit the United Way, Joanne starts by figuring out their basic information. She pulls out a white sheet of paper from a black trey and starts to write down people's name and the issue that they find themselves experiencing. After the issue reveals itself, the customers sit on the black waiting room chairs as Joanne retreats from the welcome counter into her vibrant office across the hallway. In this instance, the people looking for help find themselves in search of a place to live that they can afford. In her office, Joanne makes calls around the local area to try and find a landlord for the customer. Her face lights up with a sense of accomplishment because she found a place. After she grabs a gel point pen with black ink, she records the landlords information on a paper for the customers. She gets up and walks back across the hallway towards the beige welcome desk. After conversing with the customers, Joanne retreats back to her office.
Some people in this world do not have it as easy as others. It becomes a hardship for some people to even be able to live or do simple things such as eating dinner or sleeping in their own beds."The best part about my job is finding the easiest and simple solution to the problem," Joanne reveals, "That's what it's all about. I love helping people and being able to do that with my team to all come together is great. It truly is great to try and get everyone to live united."
The Women's Resource Center (WRC) is a place dedicated being a safe place, where women's equality and status is pushed by students, faculty and staff. Students get a chance to volunteer and reach out to their community about gender inequality, victim advocacy and better ways to become a Healthy Husky. They holds events like Consent is Sexy, Take Back the Night, and many more that promote gender equality, victim advocacy and community involvement. The WRC created a campaign called #HuskiesDontHarm. It is for the Huskies here at Bloomsburg University to become apart of and pledge to not harm anyone and promote a safe environment. Walking up to the Women's Resource Center just aside of Schukyll Hall on Bloomsburg University campus, a tree shades the brick outside. Entering the establishment, people of all genders sit around in a comfortable home-looking area in the center. It looks like a living room, with a flat-screen television to the side of the wall and dull colored couches surrounding the room. Against the farthest wall drapes red cloaks, with two signs held on them, "The More You Try To Silence Us, The Louder We Become." Beside the door, Albra Wheeler, the coordinator sits at her desk. "Tea?" people hear from Abra as they first walk in. Further behind the living room a kitchen locates where they have hot water and multiple tea options. All around the room, posters hang with encouraging feminist quotes such as "We Can Do It!" and "Clothing is NOT Consent."
Jill assisting Reiki with a BU student.
The WRC holds every Friday their Feel Good Friday's which bring people together in a safe environment to talk amongst friends and if interested, participate in Reiki. A male student at the WRC explained Reiki as "assistance guided meditation," and "a way of rebalancing." A curly brown haired short woman sits with everyone, as new people come in she repeats "is anyone up for Reiki?" I reply with "I'll go."
"Great! follow me," she responds with an uplifting tone .
I follow her to the back room which seems to be a large closet. Twinkling lights wrap around the coat rod in the closet. A folding chair sits pointed toward a shelf where a salt rock glows along with fake lit candles. Her cell phone plays relaxing wave sounds. On the cold cinderblock walls hang canvas' that say relaxing quotes. When we are both ready, she asks if it is okay for her to touch me, and I gave her my permission. She started by asking me if there was any place I wanted her to focus, such as my heart. "I'm okay," I told her. She then began telling me to imagine my feet are tree roots going into positive energy, like a tree into the ground. "Have you ever seen the movie Pocahontas?" She explained, "the Mother Willow tree is what I see as Earth." Then she directs me to take deep breaths in and out. "Breath in the positive energy, all the good, exhale the bad energy, get it out." She places her hands on the top of my head for what seems to be 3 minutes, then onto the back on my hand, my shoulders, and then the center of my back. She talks to me after, telling me how she felt as she was assisting me with Reiki. She felt "like a waterfall, washing away my negative energy and renewing with positive energy."
Conversations in the WRC furthermore discussed Reiki, and how it is actually used in cancer hospitals because it has been scientifically proven to reduce stress. With talking to Jill, I found out that you do not need assistance when doing Reiki, "I know lots of people who do Reiki at home, before they go to sleep." Jill tells us later on this semester she is going to hold her own class to teach Reiki. Reiki can help every single person to detangle their mind, it relieves stress. I would say any audience could do Reiki for any reason.
The Women's Resource Center still stands as an accepting place for individuals to come and have a good time. Chuckles fill the room as one of the student members at BU walks around with her blanket as a cape stating "it's part of the outfit." In the group of members, a student flips through encouraging, water color painted flash cards. As another student member walks in, hugs exchange and conversation starts. The students start to talk about classes, disclosing information back and forth. Even if the students do not want to do Reiki, they are still feelin' good on Friday's.
"You can see a completely different amount of growth in these students," insists Mrs. Dietterick, one of the five teachers at Compass Academy, an alternative education school in Mount Carmel. From the outside, Compass Academy hardly looks like a school at all. Large picture windows stretching across the first floor break up the homogeneity of the dull beige building (Figure 1). Above rests a hunter green awning with faded, barely visible letters announcing, "Deli 339." The exterior of the building paints a poor reflection of the lively band of students and teachers who work diligently inside, striving to forge a better future. Compass Academy consists of a mere fifteen students ranging from twelve to eighteen years of age. Every student who attends the school has been removed from their previous public school due to consistent disruptions or violence. Hand drawn posters listing appropriate behavior and school rules sporadically cling to the walls, often times covering a hole fixed with plaster where a student lost their temper and bombarded the fragile wall. On the occasion of a violent outburst, the educators must follow a de-escalation procedure. If talking one on one with a student does not work, the student must be physically restrained to prevent harm towards the other students. "The police have been called for serious threats, violence, and property damage," explains Mrs. Dietterick in her light, melodic tone that resembles a songbird. But the school contributes more than simply managing violent teenagers. The majority of students attend regularly and express a genuine interest in learning. If a student completes the program, they have the opportunity to return to their public school or even earn a High School Diploma if age permits. The corporate company, Justice Works, oversees Compass Academy. In addition to providing standard academic education through courses such as Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Life Skills, Health, and Gym, the school also offers group counseling, truancy remediation, and community service opportunities to their students. In the group therapy classroom, four long tables arrange to make a "C" shape around the white board. Students hunched in chairs are scattered haphazardly around the tables or up against the dark wood paneled walls. Rambunctious chatter and the light shuffling of feet on the red and white tiled floors engulf the room while faint whiffs of smoke mix with the overall fragrance of men's deodorant. One student scribbles, "Once youre calm express youre anger" on the white board; clearly oblivious of the grammatical errors. The teacher, much younger that all the others, stands in the middle of the "C", ready to begin today's lesson on anger management. The students only remain quiet and attentive for seconds at a time before returning to their usual squabbles. "Mr. Eck sucks!" exclaims a tall, lanky student in a white baseball cap. Mumbled agreement erupts among the other students. "Nah, Nah, I can defend Mr. Eck," interjects a much older student with a husky voice and dainty facial features, "Mr. Eck is smart, I just hate it when he proves me wrong." Before long, the teacher regains control of the boisterous bunch and continues the lesson. Students take turns volunteering their personal experiences of anger or triumph over their temper. In the background of their narratives, faint squeaking of chairs and the occasional sniffle disrupt the otherwise quiet and attentive room. Constant movement and fidgeting serves as a distraction from the various stories. One petite student with fiery red hair contributes a constant "tap tap tap" of his pencil while another frantically shuffles papers in a corner. Before the end of the thirty minute period, the class covers all ten steps of anger management from "Think before you speak" to "Practice relaxation skills." Compass Academy utilizes incentive strategies in order to promote acceptable and valued behavior. Each student begins the day with thirty points and has the opportunity to earn more by actively participating, doing their work, or volunteering to clean. Likewise, they can lose points for bad behavior like being disruptive or instigating other students. Depending on the amount of points earned, students reach different stages; stage four being the highest. According to each stage, students can order lunch on Fridays from nearby businesses or even get five dollars contributed towards their lunch. Multiple students tentatively slurp their fountain drinks from McDonald's as they sit in class, trying to make every drop last. In another room, a rough and crackly voice excitedly proclaims, "Bro, I got 6 points!"
Compass Academy Educators
Mr. Eck, another teacher at Compass Academy, maintains responsibility for most of the math, science, and current event courses. Like most of the other educators at the school, Mr. Eck procured a bachelor's degree in Psychology. The group of ten students, mostly consisting of males with the exception of one reserved and serious female, meander into another classroom for Mr. Eck's current event class; their feet dragging on the floor since the end of the school day draws near. The room's crisp cool air contrasts the more musty and suffocating room used for group therapy. Two groups of lab benches rest on either side of the room with a projection screen strategically placed on the wall between them. Mr. Eck casually leans on the cart supporting his laptop from which the current event video will play. He brushes his shiny silver hair away from his face and places his glasses on top of his head, making his matching, grey goatee visible. The silver hair tangles into an unkempt bird's nest resembling that of Einstein. Mr. Eck towers at six feet tall with a large belly, dressed in a sweatshirt and cargo shorts. The room fades into darkness, other than a soft light shining through the picture windows that provide a view of the street. Clamorous chitchat erupts once again, but suddenly silences with a thunderous, "HUSH!" bellowed by Mr. Eck who readily begins class. In preparation for current event class, students playfully grasp a handout regarding the CNN video that will be played (Video 1). The narrator of the video assertively, yet almost in a poetic rhythm, presents information about the religious tension residing in Yemen as well as facts pertaining to smoking. Some students scribble answers on their handouts in the hopes of earning more points for the day, while others don't bother to watch the video at all. An older male student with dark, swooping bangs and deep set eyes repeatedly asks his classmates for answers. As a result, Mr. Eck pauses the video every five minutes to go over the questions on the handouts and help students catch up. Above one of the green lab benches hangs a model rocket that students from the previous year constructed, painted, and displayed with pride. Following the video, Mr. Eck collects the handouts, making sure to check that students' names occupy the page as the students rush out of the room like a herd of cattle to catch their vans, vibrating the building as they go.
Video 1
From the outside, Compass Academy certainly does not look like a school, but rather an abandoned deli. On the inside however, resides a group of vibrant students with goals and achievements just like any of us. Whether it be to earn enough points to advance a stage and get McDonald's for lunch or to earn their High School diploma, each student strives to make the best of their experience at Compass Academy. They participate in lively debates among on another about which teachers they like and share heart to hearts in group therapy. Ultimately, it hails true that these students express a "completely different amount of growth" than can be seen anywhere else.
