ST. MARYS: Our new circulation manager Don Watts has been
traveling throughout our territory and comes back with some
interesting observations. St. Marys, in particular, has impressed
him.

His word, to be exact, was that it was “upscale.” He’s driven
throughout the town and has failed to find even one “bad area” in
St. Marys. The town is very neat and clean, he observed.

Don, who now lives in Cuba, N.Y., but has traveled widely in the
military, feels he’s good some pretty good background to make his
observations. 

As a native of that town, we can validate his impression. We’re
not sure if it’s because the powdered metal industry had long
provided a stable and relatively high income base for the
community, or because of the still-predominant population of
German-Americans.

So many small towns in rural America have succumbed to the
pressures brought on by lack of good-paying jobs, that’s it’s
increasingly rare to see one that’s well-maintained. Civic pride
can be a casualty of the economic war being waged in our turf,
resulting in pot-holed streets, dilapidated houses, broken
sidewalks, and litter.

In any case, let’s hope St. Marys continues to prosper.

Maybe Don’s impression was also colored by the fact that St.
Marys residents enjoy our newspaper immensely — or so they tell us.
We hope to continue to deliver a product that makes tSt. Marys
happy.

ELK COUNTY: While we’re already on the subject of Elk County,
allow us to pass along a couple facts we learned about Weis
Restaurant which at one time had been located on the road between
Johnsonburg and Wilcox.

A Johnsonburg resident tells us that the original building was
constructed by a Mr. Weirwich and he and his wife operated a
clothing and shoe store at the location called, of course,
“Weirwichs.” After her husband died, she married a man named Weis.
They converted the store to a restaurant and changed the name to
Weis’ restaurant.

After she died, the building changed hands and it became Bauer’s
clothing store. Not too many years ago, a tractor trailer plowed
into the building. It caught on fire and destroyed the building and
its contents.

The store was rebuilt on the same spot, and still offers women’s
clothing — mostly formal wear including dresses for the bride and
attendants.