Winning! I have completed my stay in rehab and have returned to Schuylkill County.
My first stop was the Eagles Club in Pottsville. My second stop was the Yuengling Dairy on Mahantongo Street where I indulged myself with a double scoop of Prothonocherry Ice Cream.
What did I miss while I was in rehab? For one thing, I was informed that a
local tax collector was busted for allegedly having sticky fingers. This saddened me as I am a big supporter of the profession of local tax collector and recommend it to any school age child who has the wear-with-all and skills to open envelopes. Schuylkill County has at least sixty six other local tax collectors, all elected by the people and for the people, so one fallen angel won’t be missed but if there is a problem then I suggest a senior tax collector can be brought out of retirement to fill the void. People don’t realize that it is a lot of work opening those envelopes and marking “paid” into the ledger.
Some naysayers have even argued that the position of an elected tax collector for each municipality should be abolished but I believe having a tax collector that lives in the neighborhood offers us all a sense of comfort and security. I bet you do too. I hate sending my Comcast, PPL and ATT bills to some anonymous person in some distant city. I would prefer a local Comcast, PPL and ATT bill collector in every municipality.... I take that back.... On second thought I would prefer a distant Comcast bill collector rather than some local blabbermouth telling everyone how many Spice Channel movies I pay for every month. So maybe just a local PPL and ATT bill collector. Scratch a local Comcast bill collector for now. The further away, the better.
What else did I miss while in rehab? Well, the big headline in the local paper announcing the closing of Minersville’s Frank and Burger Restaurant. This announcement is one of the biggest blows to the county economy since the closing of Argo Mills and the Schuylkill Haven Bounce-O-Rama ( note: the Argo Mills and Bounce-O-Rama did not close simultaneously) and this can have a far reaching impact on the county’s fragile economy as well as the flegling local wedding planning industry.
One local woman, standing on her front porch, expressed concern about how the closing will affect her, the neighbors, the other businesses in the borough and the general way of life in the community.
“It’s gonna hurt,” she said, “we are all struggling with the news…we are all crying and – you know, nervous. The County Commissioners had promised to send in grief counselors, but I have yet to see one. I plan to write a letter to our Congressman to see what he can do for us. This is worst than Katrina.”
I am showing my age when I confess that I am old enough to remember the time before “the big merger.” At one time there was a hot dog restaurant and then there was the hamburger restaurant. Hot dogs and hamburgers were not allowed to be sold at one restaurant simultaneously in Schuylkill County. Many youngsters don't realize this and take it for granted. Shame on them.
In time the two restaurants eventually merged, but not without a fight. Supporters of the 
merger argued that that it was a-bun-dantly unfair for an individual who wanted to both dine on a frankfurter and a hamburger to have to make two stops. They were frank and upfront with their complaints and the County Commissioners did not relish a fight and eventually approved the merger; stating that the Sherman Anti-trust law did not apply. Sharia or Murphy's Law did not apply either. Hot dogs and hamburgers could be sold on one menu in one restaurant at one time to one individual. And soon afterwards, spaghetti could be served with meatballs. It was a liberating feeling that we all shared. I remember the jubilant crowds filling up Sunbury Street, bigger than when the local softball team wins.
merger argued that that it was a-bun-dantly unfair for an individual who wanted to both dine on a frankfurter and a hamburger to have to make two stops. They were frank and upfront with their complaints and the County Commissioners did not relish a fight and eventually approved the merger; stating that the Sherman Anti-trust law did not apply. Sharia or Murphy's Law did not apply either. Hot dogs and hamburgers could be sold on one menu in one restaurant at one time to one individual. And soon afterwards, spaghetti could be served with meatballs. It was a liberating feeling that we all shared. I remember the jubilant crowds filling up Sunbury Street, bigger than when the local softball team wins. Now, with the demise of the Frank and Burger Restaurant, efforts are underway to make sure the people of Minersville are not without hot dogs and burgers. STS busses will have special runs between Coney Island in Yorkville and Minersville, where they will be met by special grief counselors hired through a summer work program.
