In reference to item 2 in my list: a reader tracked me down and called my home to inform me that ragweed and goldenrod are NOT the same plant. Mea culpa. My apologies to allergy sufferers of the world, and to the lovely goldenrod flowers.

Top 10 Signs Summer’s Almost Over

1. Lifeguards are gone from the beaches. Okay, so Ripley doesn’t have an accessible public beach and you’re not supposed to swim there anyway, but for places that have lifeguards, summer is over on Labor Day. Party poopers.

2. The Goldenrod, or Ragweed as it is also called, is in full glorious bloom. Every highway is lined and every farm field is swaying with those tall, golden yellow clumps of flowers. A lot of people are allergic to ragweed; sneezing, runny nose, water/itchy eyes are a few of the delights those sufferers go through. On the other hand, it’s quite a pretty flower. My mother used to cut goldenrod and bring it into the house for flower arrangements when I was young. Not one of us five kids suffers from hay fever.

3. The Ripley United Methodist Church is having a Meat Loaf Dinner tonight, Thursday the 9th starting at 5 o’clock in their church hall. If this were truly summer, they would be serving chicken barbeque or burgers and dogs. Meat loaf is comfort food, something to warm you on a chilly evening. I’m really looking forward to some comfort food about now.

4. Community Day is coming up quickly. Sunday the 12th will find a lot of Ripley residents, and hopefully some from the surrounding communities, strolling around Fireman’s Field, checking out the various organizations and groups’ offerings. There will be chances to win prizes, games, activities and of course, the Auxiliary Chicken Barbeque, as well as other fun things to do. The fun begins at 10 a.m., with the barbeque ready to serve by noon.

5. The Friends of the Ripley Library are winding down their fundraisers after a summer of high gear activity. For those of you not aware of the FoL, they are an organization devoted to raising funds to help the library as well as lending a hand when needed at the library. Their current project is to completely renovate the back room, which has become a catch-all for everything. All summer long they held various sales to raise money and are almost half-way to their goal. The bake sale at Community Day will wind down the flurry for awhile.

6. Temperatures are falling, and rising, and falling… And the wind has picked up. Sure signs summer’s back has been broken. We’re still in for some warm days, I’m sure, but the humidity seems to have left us and those glorious winds make any temperature bearable.

7. Grape harvest has started! It’s early this year and the grapes smell heavenly as you drive past the vineyards. No harvesting in the snow or worrying about frost this year! (fingers and eyes crossed) Time to work on those farmer’s tans a little while longer. And yes, to those non-believers, you CAN tan, and burn, on a cloudy day.

8. The first day of autumn falls on Wednesday, September 22 this year, so officially summer is over – but not the fun.

9. Noble Winery is the site once again this year for Skip Roberts to present A Tribute to George Strait. Mr. Roberts’ renditions of the music of the country greats are not only fun to listen to, but if last year is any indication, easy to dance to as well. The annual wine and cheese benefit for the Ripley Free Library will take place on Saturday, September 25th. Call the library at 716-736-3913 for more information and tickets.

10. School has started. Now if that isn’t the ultimate sign that summer is over, I don’t know what is. Have a great year, kids!

You Have to be Carefully Taught

The classic movie, South Pacific, is a powerful story of love and war set in the Solomon Islands of the south Pacific during World War II. The crux of the film is the song “You Have to be Carefully Taught,” which producers wanted to cut from the production. Song writers Rodgers and Hammerstein were incredulous at the suggestion. The idea in the song was the entire message of the story: hatred and intolerance of people unlike ourselves. “You’ve got to be taught, to hate and fear, it’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear; You’ve got to be taught to be afraid, of people whose skin is a different shade; You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, to hate all the people your relatives hate.” Those are lines from the song. Hate those whose skin is another color. Hate those whose eyes are shaped differently.

In the wake of September 11, I am powerfully reminded of how hatred and fear can affect even the most normally sane of people; but more so those people who thrive on and live for anger, hatred and vengeance. Fundamentalist radicals like Pastor Terry Jones and his proposal to burn Korans (Quran) incited a lot of otherwise peaceful people to a bit of insanity.

I read on Facebook one person’s rant against the “towel heads,” and how we should wait for mosques to be full of Muslims and then bomb them. I read words like retaliation and revenge in conjunction with the events of 9-11. People talk of murdering the innocent and peace-loving of a population different from ours in the name of self-protection and God. Kill all those with views different than ours in the name of God. How is this different from what the extremist, militant Islamic group Al-Qaeda proposes?

I know there are a bunch of you out there right now, fuming and sputtering about the innocent lives that were ended on that horrible day in September 2001. Calm down and reread what I wrote. There are extremist, radical, militant groups in the world whose intent is to kill as many Christians and Jews as possible. These people are our target, NOT the millions of peace loving Muslims who worship in their own way, with their own beliefs.

Religions of all kinds have relentlessly tried to convert the world to their brand of belief throughout history. I don’t dispute the fact that they try to do this in the name of salvation. Murder is another thing. The idea of “believe as I do, or I’ll kill you” is a cancerous sore on humanity that does not seem to heal. The Crusades come powerfully to mind. Couched in religious fervor, Christians and Muslims fought for nearly 200 years with ramifications that reach even into contemporary times.

How many Blacks, Hispanics, Jews or Muslims do you personally know? It is easy to hate an anonymous face. It’s easy to believe that “they” are all alike. How many religious or ethnic groups have we as a people hated? We all know the unkind words that describe other races and religions. We all have our prejudices. Where did we learn those words and prejudices? Were we born knowing? No. We have to be taught to hate. It does not come naturally.

Be sure you read the next post after this one. It is the article I wrote that prompted this tirade in my weekly column.

It Takes a Village…

Sometimes it’s hard to notice when things around you are getting a bit run down and shabby looking. It’s usually when company is coming that you notice the cobwebs in the corners, or how the cement step is a bit crumbly, and you rush to fix things up before your guests arrive.

I wish company was coming to Ripley. If you haven’t noticed, the place is a bit shabby. Most of the buildings in town are vacant and look like a demolition ball would be the right piece of equipment for the job. While we don’t want a “gap-toothed” look, meaning empty spaces throughout town, I can’t imagine anybody is happy with the ramshackle look we currently have.

But what are we doing about it? A few enterprising souls have opened new businesses here, Laura and Mark Mason being the most recent addition with Wings and Things on Main Street. Others are in the process of trying to bring some much needed revenue and jobs to this small town and yet others have tried and failed to make it.

How many of us remember Leon’s Drug Store, or Loretta’s Delicatessen? Greeley’s Hat Shop, Ripley Feed & Coal, Abbey’s Grocery, and The Red and White Store all vied for business. McAteer’s, Teemley’s Barber Shop, Johnson and Day, Charlie Hunt’s Service Station, Kelly’s Dress Shop all made a living here, along with dozens of other businesses. That was in Ripley’s heydays of the 40s, 50s and 60s. Our young people wouldn’t recognize the Ripley of the past. The townspeople were filled with pride and hometown spirit and had plenty of places to shop. But in the past 40 years how many businesses has this town seen fail?

The beginning of the end was with the opening of the New York State Thruway in 1957. Travelers no longer drove through town on Route 20. In the 60s, Sam Walton came up with a great idea for a BIG five-and-dime store, Wal-Mart, further cutting into the prosperity of the hometown businesses. It was cheaper to drive further afield and one-stop-shop, saving a few bucks. Businesses started closing in town. The party was over.

Slowly the town decayed into what we see today. While businesses have come and gone here, so many more businesses never saw the light of day because residents didn’t want Ripley to change. We like our small town, no hustle and bustle lifestyle. But we’ve become very short-sighted in our efforts to keep Ripley “like it was.” Look around. It isn’t like it was. It never will be if we don’t inject some viable enterprises into the local economy. We not only need to invite light industry here, we need to support the few businesses we currently have. Does it really save money to spend gas to drive to Harborcreek’s Walmart to get a few things we could buy locally? I’m not saying we should have embraced B.F. Goodrich’s tire plant, but we can’t keep turning down every viable business opportunity that comes along.

Ripley has a website (www.ripley-ny.com) and in the opening sentence it says: “Welcome to Ripley, the Gateway to New York State. Why not make Ripley the first stop of many in New York?” What is there to stop for? We ARE the “Gateway to New York,” but there’s not much to show for it. We need renewed pride in our community. Let’s open up to tourist money and put our beautiful corner of the world on display. Sitting around Meeder’s talking about it ain’t gonna get it done. Moaning that nobody wants businesses in Ripley doesn’t help. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. This town can be a bustling place again, but it’s going to take every bit of support and ingenuity each of us can muster. One or two entrepreneurs can’t do it alone. Please do your part. Attend town board meetings, get involved. Make your ideas and concerns known. It takes a village to make a village.

This is an article I wrote for the paper about a couple who want to open a restaurant in Ripley. The neighbors are up in arms. Do they (the neighbors) fail to see that another business in town will lower their tax levies? Do they fail to see that increased business will bring more business to town? It frustrates me.

Proposed Restaurant Meets Opposition

An application for waiver of zoning laws has been made by Jim and Wendy Eimers of Ripley, New York to open a restaurant/lounge at the current site of Wendy’s House of Crafty Ceramics on Route 20, Ripley. Appearing before the Ripley Planning Committee on August 24, the Eimers’ and several of their neighbors argued their cases for and against the proposed restaurant.

Wendy Eimers has operated a ceramics shop on the premises for the past ten years and their plan is to convert the existing business into a lunch and dinner establishment, serving sandwiches and salads at lunch time and full meals at supper time. Proposed hours would be from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., seven days a week. “No additional lighting or space will be needed,” stated Jim Eimers. “We have a workable building here. The water and sewer have already been approved for use as a food service facility,” he continued.

The major sticking point for the neighbors seems to be the service of beer and wine at the proposed restaurant. There is fear that alcohol will contribute to greater noise levels and public drunkenness. Several people attending the hearing voiced concern about alcohol being served and the possibility of future application being made to serve hard liquor. Jim Eimers assured neighbors that they are not proposing to open as a bar and that beer and wine service would be primarily served with meals. “We’d like to have a lounge area in the back where customers can come and watch a ball game and enjoy a beer,” said Eimers, “but our main focus is on the restaurant.”

While the proposed business has multiple storage units on the east and west sides, serving as a noise barrier and buffer between the building and its neighbors, concern was also voiced about creating additional buffers to control cooking odors. Increased traffic into and out of the restaurant was also a concern for some residents, including bus loads of people on the Wine Trail. “We’d like to be a stop on the Wine Trail,” said Wendy Eimers. “But buses have to book in advance to come here, so we have control over the number of visitors at any one time. It’s not like they can just stop because they’re driving by.”

In a Chautauqua County Planning and Economic Board letter regarding the proposed restaurant/lounge, the county found “no adverse affects” to granting the license, stating it was a “local option.” According to their findings, local traffic on Route 20, creating safe egress from the business, sound buffers and determining the appropriate number of parking spaces should all be considered by the town when making their decision. “The (Ripley) Planning Board takes all these things into consideration,” said Bob McIntosh, board member. “There are all kinds of permits and approvals needed. Special use permits are unique to every situation,” he continued, “and not as easy as people think.”

While many surrounding residents encourage new business and growth in Ripley, a “not in my backyard” sentiment seems to prevail. The Eimers’ both claim, “We just want to open a nice, alternative place to have a meal and relax with friends and family.”