Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

The tragedy at Virginia Tech is hard enough for any of us to comprehend. The families of the students do not have to be reminded every time they turn on the TV that they lost their loved ones.

No matter how many shrinks they question, they will never know why this man did what he did. Getting a handle on the insane that fall through the cracks is about as likely as winning the war in Iraq.

Since all of the gun incidents are in the news, it won't be long before anti-gun factions will be attacking our right to bear arms. They will want new laws to be enacted which will solve nothing, as our wishy-washy courts won't enforce the laws that are already in place.

There is a movement in Pennsylvania to have everyone register his firearms. At ten bucks a whack, a lot of money would be put in the state cash register.

When our Founding Fathers wrote our Constitution, little did they know our nation would swell to more than 300 million people.

Even so, the population in Cameron and Potter counties is on the decline, but that is because there is not much opportunity for the young adults. We must look for employment other than the powdered metal industry or the forest. These industries can only absorb so many.

The Game Commission is going to up the number of antlerless licenses by 37%. I guess you could say this is their coup de grace. It will probably finish off the deer herd in this area.

Again I would like to say that is all about money. They know that greedy sausage-makers will buy these extra tags.

Early Thursday morning at the Cabin Kitchen, Rick Andrus brought in an old bottle from Red Rock Cola, bottled in Emporium. Some of the patrons knew it well and I found out that Al Mack had a lot to do with its existence.

The historians at the Cabin said the syrup was shipped in and the other necessary ingredients were added here.

At 6:00 a.m., what you can learn at the Cabin Kitchen is amazing.

What I really enjoy is when Al Hertline scans the Bradford Era and picks out the interesting articles and reads them to the rest of the guys at the table, George Harrier follows along and points out the things that Al missed. Armed with this knowledge, I know I can make it through the day.

Emporium's Homestead Hotel has a glorious history, with many owners.

My silent partner, a lifelong member of this community, has locked away in his memory bank a wealth of historical knowledge about this town. Some is not only historical, but also hysterical.

I learned that there was a brewery at the Homestead Hotel. The beer was brewed and bottled in the garage by F. X. Blumle, who owned the Homestead and is the grandfather of Chuck and Mary Louise Blumle.

Red Rock Cola and F. X. Blumle beer are just two more things missing from the scene. Micro-breweries are pretty common today, so I guess F. X. was light years ahead of the times.

If you have done much hunting in this area, you will find ruins from some of the powder works. The deep dark hollows were used to provide some protection in case one of these magazines blew up.

Climax and Hercules hollows are just two areas that housed these very dangerous caches of powder.

There are still quite a few people around who remember when the powder works, located where Emporium Hardwood has its sawmill, blew up. I guess the people who sold window glass made a bundle from that big bang.

On Rt. 155 about a mile north of Sizerville State Park is a little black out-building with "Mail Pouch" painted on the end that faces the road.

That sign brings back a lot of memories, but I'm sure that the Mail Pouch Tobacco Company didn't do that paint job. Nevertheless, it adds to the roadside scenery and I am sure it becomes a topic of conversation for some oldtimers as they drive by.

While shopping for some razor blades, I noticed on the shelf a can of Burma Shave. Their roadside signs made your trip a little more pleasant.

The only one I can remember went like this, "Don't stick your elbow out too far, it might go home in someone else's car."