SPECIAL DAYS: Our welcome to Case knife collectors in town for
the company’s two-day extravaganza. Today and tomorrow are also
downtown’s annual Bradford’s Summerfest.

We always love it when the whole town is buzzing with such
activity. A real treat for the entire community will be a fireworks
display set to go off at 9:45 tonight, so don’t forget to look
up!

AN IDEA: While Bradford is a gathering place these two days, we
thought it might serve as a forum for a discussion of a suggestion
made by resident Wayne Troy.

He writes: “The other morning over breakfast at a downtown
Bradford establishment, I overheard a patron ask another, ‘If they
could change/improve one thing in Bradford, what would it be?’
After some reflection, the individual stated, ‘The traffic roulette
intersection at the corner of Boylston and Davis streets.’

“Believing these individuals’ discussion was rather stimulating,
perhaps RTS should inquire of its readers such a question. The
responses may be interesting, especially to those in City
Hall.”

Let us know and we’ll be glad to pass along any worthy
suggestions.

ROMAN VILLA: Here’s another suggestion, particularly for former
Bradford residents returning home this summer.

Lisa Zurat Cropper of Bishopville, Md., wrote about an idea
proposed by Tom Costello to set up a location to preserve parts of
Bradford’s history that remain only in our memories – such as the
Roman Villa restaurant.

“I read Tom’s article regarding the Roman Villa and we, too,
have fond memories of the restaurant. My husband I had our
rehearsal dinner there. We have pictures of the inside, but nothing
of the exterior of the building.

“Perhaps at class reunions we could develop a timeline of
historical places to be shared through the generations. Each
graduating class would have different information to share and it
would have great historical trivia we might never again
remember.”

We also heard from Anthony T. Grill of New Philadelphia, Ohio:
“As a kid growing up in Bradford our grandparents lived in the
first house behind the Harri Emery airport near what would become
the Glass Bar.”

“Long before it was a bar, I believe it was a school house and
when we were kids it was an apartment building and we would play
with the kids who lived there at that point in time.”