ParkandShopBlog

The Park and Shop Blog is a blog of a family-owned small chain of grocery stores in Western New York State. The blog is mainly about Health and Nutrition news, food news and food history. But other things may make it on there too! ;)

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

An update on the Bear

The Story was on WIVB channel 4 last night. Here is a link to their coverage:
http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=2538468&nav=0RapStm1

(Olean, NY, November 8, 2004) - - The call for a cleanup in the aisle took on a little extra urgency when a black bear ambled his way inside an Olean grocery store. News 4's Ellen Maxwell reports the beast left behind an ample reminder of his brief visit.
You might say it was "bear-ly" visible, because it happened so fast.
A surprise customer at the Park n' Shop on West State Street in Olean was caught on store surveillance tape.
As a customer goes to leave the store, a black bear runs through right in front of the ice machine.
Cashier Chris Rau said, "There was a horn beeping out in the parking lot. And we heard this big bang. We thought it was one of our regular customers hitting the building, so so we all headed up to the door to see what it was, and it was the bear barreling in one door, and it got stuck on the out door, trying to get out."
The whole scene unfolded very quickly.
The bear didn't stay for long, but it did manage to leave a memento behind.
Store Manager Dale Threadgill said, "Before he left, he decided to leave his mark; he urinated on our floor, and then he took off down [toward] 12th Street and 13th Street."
It appears someone in the parking lot tried to warn people in the store about the incoming guest by honking his or her car horn.
The bear seemed to be running away from everyone in the store.
Chris Rau said, "We think it got spooked by a car, and just headed this way, and just happened to hit the right door to come in."
A caution sign marks the spot where the bear passed through.
Rau said, "I've seen a lot of crazy things come in here, but that was probably the worst I've seen."
Once the bear left the store, it headed up the street, and climbed a tree.
After a few hours in the tree, the bear finally headed back to the woods.



and it was picked up by the AP
http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=2534948

Monday, November 08, 2004

Store Signs: Learning and Shopping fun

If you shop in our Allegany store, you probably have grown familiar with our many small signs that give historical information about various products.

I was asked this weekend why I put them up. Well, for starters I think they are fun. And shopping should be fun. Sure they are trivial, but who cares. I love history and I am sure some (many?) of you do as well. And even if the signs just add a little bit to your shopping experience, I am happy.

But more than that, I think the signs help to build interest in history. Which may help some student, or lead someone to read more about it. And as new research shows, if you do not use your brain, you will lose some of its ability. So you can think of shopping at Park and Shop as good for your mental health :)

Ok, off my soap-box...But I will start putting some of the signs in the blog. That way if you shop at our other stores (where the managers are a bit less interested in history ;) ) you can still see what Allegany is doing!

So here you go, a few examples of signs we now have hinging in the store:

By the salt
Salt played an important role in the US Civil War. By 1863 the Union had captured or cut off the Confederate deposits around the Chesapeake and Louisiana, and destroyed salt works in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. For the Union, their main salt production came from Syracuse and Michigan.
The People's Chronology, James Trager, p. 494

By Pineapple:
Did you know? George Washington liked pineapple! He first had it when he took his sick brother to Barbados. It quickly become one of his favorite fruits.

more soon...

:) jimmy

The BEAR!!!

Well, honey is on sale, so maybe that is what brought him (her?) in!

From the Olean Times Herald
The'>http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13308108&BRD=386&PAG=461&dept_id=444919&rfi=6">The Times Herald, Olean, N.Y.

"OLEAN A black bear entered the Park N Shop using one of the automatic doors, urinated on the floor and left Friday at about 8:40 p.m.Police don't know which direction the bear came from, but the visit by the bear to the Park N Shop on West State Street surprised store clerks Chris Rau, Jennifer Doty and Dan Densmore."

The bear then did its business and left, police said. Police tracked the bear behind a home on the 100 block of 12th Street resting in a tree.