Dear Customers,             The 107th NFL season is scheduled to begin this week on Wednesday night in the annual NFL Kickoff Game.  It will feature the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots.  From that moment until Super Bowl LXI on Valentine’s Day, 2027 you will have the opportunity to either…

Dear Customers,              Saying goodbye to August has always been bittersweet for me.  It’s most likely a throwback to my days growing up in Smethport as a young boy.  September always signified all things associated with back-to-school, earlier bedtimes, homework, stricter schedules and shorter days.  In fact, I had been out of college for several…

Dear Customers,              Summer vacation ends this week for most of the school districts here in McKean County.  Years ago, all the neighboring districts chose their own start dates and end dates for the school calendar.  When the Seneca Highlands Career and Technical school was started in Port Allegany, it just became easier for those…

Dear Customers,              This week marks the 33rd week of 2026.  That only leaves us 19 weeks remaining till New Year’s or about 1/3 of the year to go.  The older I get, the faster times flies by.  I guess it’s true what they say, “when you get over the hill – you pick up…

Dear Customers,              As the calendar approaches mid-August this weekend, I was surprised to notice there were only a little more than 2 weeks of summer vacation left!  Kids go back to school, at least in the Smethport School District on Thursday, August 27th which is actually a bit later than in recent years.             …

Dear Customers,             It’s reassuring how the various seasons generally have the same type of weather every year.  For instance, you can pretty much bet on snow, ice and cold temperatures from January into March.  Then we enter our rainy, muddy season and by the time May & June roll around we’re often blessed with…

Dear Customers,             Fifty years or so ago, this week – was right about at the point of the summer where my stomach would start to clench. That “endless” summer gifted to us at the end of May was essentially 2/3’rds over!  While we still had August there were several reminders that our glorious summer…

WEEK #29 JULY 20th, 2026 Dear Customers, If you stop to think about it, we are never deprived of fresh fruits and vegetables, even out here in rural Pennsylvania.  Our ancestors relied on drying, canning and “root cellars” to ensure that they had produce – and of course gardens from mid to late summer onward.…

Dear Customers,             If you’d ever told me that personal phones would be carried by virtually everyone from children to the elderly, I never would have believed it.  I’m as guilty as anyone, constantly reaching into my pocket to check; the weather, sports scores, the latest news or just to idle away a few minutes…

Dear Customers,              By the first week of July, summer has taken on bit of sameness.  The thrill of vacation from school has waned a bit and you might even hear the occasional, “there’s nothing to do!” from your kids.  Families that didn’t rush off on vacation as soon as June arrived are getting around…