What a town needs

[justthinkboutit]

I was reading this site after finding it by accident looking for a B&B in your lovely town. I am very moved by your determination and open discussions in trying to preserve your small town and its history. I wanted to share with you my perception of your town as an outsider, maybe helping you in your plans. I live just 40 miles outside NYC and let me say we no longer have our 'old towns' left anymore. As most metro areas, we have been engulfed with development, shopping centers, highways, etc. When I was young we visited family in WV often, and I always spotted your little town while going 220s. The vision of your town remained in my memory. I always wondered what it was like for the people living there, what kind of life style etc. As fate would have it my daughter has been attending Grier Summer and now she feels happy to be 'a part of your town'. She loves the candy shop especially. I come into the area about twice a year and each time I say "this is such a quaint town, too bad they don't offer something". They have a mill, old train tracks, rivers, old buildings, easy access (wow, Lionel town ) Where I live there was a town similar to yours and they turned the mill into a 'cute little coffee shop' and slowly it grew into a well known and often visited place, they expanded the barn into an antique center. They have people coming from all areas to visit. Not so slowly the adjacent old buildings and shops went 'cute as well' with the help of some wealthier residents who didn't want to lose out. They even built a 'village' of shops. As it goes, most of this area has grown by exploiting the quaintness and opening cute little shops, food places, crafty type shops, etc. They even have a little playhouse. Then the money is put back into the community somewhat, and it grows. They just did it again in next town. They keep the feel in the design, but I can say they are never lacking customers. At least they were able to keep the small town feel, and not lose it to some brick and mortar type developments, or wind mills. They are now thinking of turning an old quarry into a kids sports type place. I know, we live in a more populated area, but you have State College nearby, Pittsburg too. Many people must travel up/down 99?. I loved going to Bellefonte to eat along the stream, and the little towns nearby, a cute little "coffee shop", but those too disappeared. Get together as a town, act now, raise some funds together, get some Grier parents interested, and turn those old vacants into something cute, get the word out, and you might be surprised!! No one else is going to do it for you, its work work work...Look at other college town areas and that's what the trend seems to be. Sorry for going on here, but I only wish you guys the best and hope you can bring the love back to your town! I think you can do something wonderful!! Don't let your town go!

[Rick]

Welcome aboard, JTAI.

Thank you for your post, your comments are welcomed, and one of the main reasons I created the forums several years back. I wanted have people find out more about our community, and offer up stories of their own.

In case you were still looking for accomodations...

http://www.tyronechamber.com/business/c ... gorySearch

http://www.tyronepa.com/business/catego ... letter=all

Once again, welcome! :w

[My2Cents]

Great post and thanks for your input and concern. I often think of many things that I think would be of great interest to our town There are people out there right now that really do care and are trying to do something. I can remember when this town thrived and there were stores and shops, side by side, up and down both sides of the streets. At one time, we had an outstanding little town. You name it, we had it right downtown, most was top of the line.
The people living here, also worked here, and worked VERY hard to make a living and raise a decent family. No one asked for a hand out. If someone were in trouble, the town reacted as a whole to help. I left here in 1964 and moved back in 1991. During the time I was gone, I came back when possible to visit relatives. Each time I came home, I started noticeing the town was looking shabby... stores that thrived were empty. Buildings were being torn down (Railroad Station, Wilson Theater, ElPatio Theater, Logan Hotel, Rotherts, the A&P Store, the drug stores where we went for ice cream sodas) plus, many more buildings and business places were gone and/or deserted. Slowly, but surely, this town was on it's way out and each time I came home, it was more noticible.
THEN, all of a sudden one day, out of the clear blue sky, I was back here visiting and I began to notice how nice things were starting to look again... it was obvious, someone was caring and trying to bring things back again !! Being out in that big world, I didn't think I would ever come back here to live permanently. There was a noticable change around this town. Things were looking cleaner, beautiful flower beds and landscaping around different areas, new street lighting, new sidewalks lined with Bradford Pear Trees. Reservoire Park, the pond, etc. was being cared for, old shabby homes were being fixed up, and overall... this town was looking good once more. I am glad that those responsible took the initiative to get the ball rolling and persevere. I'm sure there was a lot of jealously and flack from some as the nice things were being implimented... but, it's looking good and I do hope it continues.
Yes, many stores and businesses are still closed. Yes, we are still proned for flooding. Yes, there is still so much more to be desired. However, our town has not crumbled... we're tough. Small town, and good people. Good people electing good people to represent us. We have a town to be proud of. Above all, right now, we do not need a foreign, or domestic, wind mill company trying to push it's way into our area. We do not need their money and we do not want them to ruin our beautiful mountain tops. I only hope our town comes together once more and gets rid of this curse that is knocking at our back door.
Once again... thanks for you comments and ideas. Things don't happen overnight and, like everything else, things cost money... but, not wind mill money.
Somehow, someway, I do believe it may take some time, but, our town will come back.
BTW, I am so glad to see that Grier School is still there and has not succumed to anything. :flag:

[RedhairNFreckles]

Yanno, this is an example of why I love to come to this forum! So many of the members, new and old alike, remind me of what a great town Tyrone is, and always has been. Most of my childhood years were spent growing up there, and I have nothing but sweet, sweet memories of that time. To be honest with you, if my kids and grandkids didn't all live in NC, then I would be back to live out the remaining years I might have left, in Tyrone! I love you folks, and always will..... :thumb:
Thanks Rick for all you do to keep this special site online... :h

[Something to say]

When I was a young child my sister worked at the Fiesta.....I remember sitting in those booths playing with the countertop juke boxes... I so loved going there. It would be so awesome if someone put a restaurant like that downtown.

I still remember every poster, picture and the "stuffed shark" that hung on the walls in Dr Grebe's office. He actually made a house call when I was recovering from pneumonia... and I lived in Tipton.

My mom talks about the canteen, and the athletic park and how beautiful it was. We all have our memories, each of us, from our own era... as a teen I drove thousands of laps around town and pounded the pavement nightly. The Hub pizza was a staple.

You're right Just.... Tyrone is a quaint town. There have been many changes over the years but one thing is certain...those of us that knew Tyrone and its oldtimers....appreciate the memories, and I think we would all love our children and grandchildren to experience the Tyrone we know and love.

[stapnir]

I would like to add, as someone who has passed through Tyrone recently and got a good impression: I am also (originally) from a tiny, quaint town (in northern NJ, about 50 miles from NYC) that was mostly cow and turkey-farm country in the 1960s when I was a kid. Back in the day, if you lived there, you were thought of as a "hick from the sticks." In later decades, the town played up its quaintness and Revolutionary War history by opening up craft stores, antique stores, coffee houses and similar attractions. Today, it is a very well-off town, and people brag about living there. There is one thing Tyrone has, that my former home town didn't, and that is SCENERY! Your location is flat-out gorgeous. I hope you all don't let that scenery get messed up somehow. Because, I think Tyrone's beautiful setting is going to make or break the town, when Centre County gets too expensive and the folks there start looking for housing farther south.

Altoona is also in a beautiful setting, but from I-99, sadly, it looks sprawling and run-down. Tyrone, however, still has that old-town "look." If you can possibly help it, don't lose that. Please understand, I don't mean to act like it's easy, or play down the many challenges faced by the people of this town, which are laid out for the world to see on this discussion board. By the way, there is something very encouraging in the fact that Tyrone even has such a discussion board.

[My2Cents]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, Thank You for the nice post you made above stapnir. You are so very right about how beautiful this area is. Many folks living here have lived here, and worked here, all their life..... rarely, have they ventured far for any period of time. They don't realize what it is like to live out there in that concrete jungle. Or to live somewhere in the middle of flat,dried up, prairie lands.
So very much is taken for granted.
Once again, thank you for your kind comments.

[Something to say]

Stapnir...

You came onto this board during a very heated discussion and see it as a positive! People in this area are very devoted to their communities and if it weren't so you wouldn't have seen such a debate.

I live South of Tyrone ...in Tipton... and my dad's family has lived here since the 1860s. My heart is.. of course.. in Tipton. However, my mother and her siblings were all born and raised in Tyrone, and some still live there. Her father worked at the paper mill as did his sons and sons-in-laws. I have heard stories all my life of her upbringing in Tyrone. My mother is a very people-oriented person and she knows all the older families in town. She was...in her day... a techie...lol. She lived on the top of the hill in East Tyrone and used to play her stereo for all the neighbors. They would yell up the hill and request songs. That area of town was known as Little Italy. ( we aren't Italian, but sometimes I swear my mom picked the language..lol )

Anyway..you are right...there is a quaint feel to the town and for the most part people are genuinely friendly. I've never witnessed a town so dedicated to their scholastic sports. My brothers played football for Bellwood ( also a pretty town, but they don't have much to offer...very few stores and such ) and they are notorious rivals.....so we've taken a lot of heat from our cousins over the years!! ( One of my brothers lives in town and raised his children there as well ...so much for Bellwoodians hating Tyrone...lol )

I've always felt fortunate to be raised in this area. You are right, it is gorgeous. To me, breathtakingly so... Our mountains have drawn people in from all over the state in the fall.......the foilage is AWESOME.
Thank you for noticing the very thing we hold dear to our hearts....our heritage and it's beauty.