They had the determination. They had the drive. They had funky chicken hats.
Surely they had a hard-to-beat strategy?
“Strategy?” said Val Nesset to her fellow team, The Mother Cluckers. “We had one, right?”
Turned out the team from Buffalo was winging it in their first foray into the world of chicken chuckin’ Sunday.
But this year’s annual International Chicken Chuckin’ event gave no one home turf advantage. Organizers switched to rubber chickens over the frozen kind for the first time due to balmy weather.
Instead of sliding frozen chickens on Martindale Pond, participants in the fundraising tournament gathered in Lakeside Park to hurl rubber fowl into truck tires.
Nesset’s fellow chucker Larry White said he was counting on the ice, having advantageous experience with frozen turkeys on linoleum.
“It’s kind of like bowing,” he said. “Turkeys are 9 to 16 pounds. You can get good at it.”
Their team of five was made up of professors and a PhD student from the University of Buffalo, who flocked to Port Dalhousie with Nesset. A library and information sciences teacher, she lives in both Buffalo and Port Dalhousie with her husband, who was on a rival team Sunday.
She vowed The Mother Cluckers will be back next year, having invested $6.50 each in chicken hats they bought via the Internet.
They weren’t the only ones to display colourful gear. Others wore raccoon tails, rubber chicken hats and Scottish kilts.
Dave Prentice, owner of the Kilt and Clover pub that co-ordinates the event, said 26 teams were out Sunday in Lakeside Park, with the $80 entry fee per team being donated to charity.
“It’s going to be quite significant for Hospice Niagara,” Prentice said. “It’s no chicken scratch.”
It was the 12th year for International Chicken Chuckin’, though not the first without ice. Prentice shudders to think of the 2004 tourney, which was held in rain and mud.
“It was 10 degrees and the chickens were melting. It was awful.”
In order to avoid that fowl occurrence this year, 16 rubber chicken dog toys were purchased from a pet store, though Prentice admitted they were actually ducks.
Ducks wearing purple bikinis.
No matter the feather, or weather, nothing could have kept longtime chucker Michael Kearns from the event.
“It would have taken no less than an act of God to keep me from here,” said Kearns, of the team That Episode of Who’s The Boss Where Tony Sees Angela Naked in the Shower.
Kearns joked he bathed in Swiss Chalet sauce and meditated in a chicken coop before catching his flight from Calgary for the event.
The team was the chicken chuckin’ champion in 2006 and a semi-finalists in 2007.
But with the new duck chuck this year, their previous ice time counted for little. It was anybody’s game.
And the Buffalo team, White said, had a professor of anthropology on its side.
“She was able to study the long and ancient tradition of chicken chuckin’.”
2012年1月30日星期一
2011年12月12日星期一
Polar Plunge attracts top law enforcerment
Have you ever wanted to tell a politician or police chief to go jump in the river?
Tri-Citians won't have to do that this year, but they will get to a chance to watch some top law enforcers from the Tri-Cities -- and the state's top attorney -- take a plunge into the icy Columbia River.
Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg will be in good company this year as he jumps in the river for the sixth year in a row as part of Kennewick's annual Polar Plunge fundraiser.
State Attorney General Rob McKenna has agreed to take part in Kennewick's Polar Plunge this year, Hohenberg said.
"He has a real passion for helping children," Hohenberg told the Herald. "But secondly, he really supports the Tri-Cities."
The Polar Plunge is the police department's biggest fundraiser for Special Olympics Washington. And, the Kennewick Police Department has been the top fundraising law enforcement agency in the state for three years in a row.
Last year, the Kennewick Police Department raised $51,000. This year, they almost doubled that.
The 2012 event is set for noon Jan. 21 at the blue bridge boat launch at the east end of Columbia Park.
Hohenberg said McKenna felt so strongly about participating in Kennewick's event that he re-arranged his schedule so he could make it.
McKenna will get a chance to meet some Mid-Columbia Special Olympics athletes before he jumps into the Columbia River. If the winter conditions are normal, the water temperature should be 33 to 36 degrees.
"I don't believe he's ever taken the plunge before," Hohenberg said.
Last week, McKenna made a stop at the weekly meeting of Tri-City police chiefs and sheriffs, and Hohenberg took advantage of the visit to challenge other top cops in the area to join them.
Each year, Hohenberg has asked his fellow law enforcement leaders to jump into the river with him. He hasn't been successful at recruiting them until this time.
He already has commitments from several police chiefs, a sheriff and a prosecutor: Richland Police Chief Chris Skinner, West Richland Police Chief Brian McElroy, Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger, Connell Police Chief Mike Kessler, Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane and Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant.
"There was a little bit of arm twisting," McElroy said, "but once he made the challenge, of course we had to step up to the plate."
McElroy said he hasn't taken a plunge in an icy river since he left the military, but he was told the water temperature "will be survivable."
Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim said he is "going to support us in spirit," Hohenberg said.
Hanford Patrol always has supported Polar Plunge with a team of officers jumping, and this year Hanford Patrol Chief Monty Giulio also will take the plunge with Hohenberg's leadership team.
Rudy Almeida, who serves as a liaison when McKenna is in town, also will see how the icy water feels, the chief said.
Hohenberg said Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller supports the effort but has a scheduling conflict and won't be able to jump with them. Miller recently completed a swim in the Columbia River without a wetsuit to raise money for a teen homeless shelter.
In 2007, the first year of the event, Hohenberg said Columbia Basin Dive Rescue team members gave him a dive suit to help him stay warm, but it didn't fit properly.
Icy water pooled up at his hands and feet and he had a hard time getting out of the water.
"It floated me down river like a turtle," he said.
Hohenberg said he told McKenna and his fellow chiefs and sheriffs that he now wears old shoes, tactical pants and a shirt that he can quickly take off once he gets out of the water.
A jump in the hot tub afterward to warm up really helps, he said, along with changing into dry clothes.
"So far I've never caught a cold or gotten sick," he said, but he admits "it takes your breath away. Once you get it, you definitely want out."
Hohenberg said people tell him he is crazy or stupid for going in the icy water every year. Then he pulls out a laminated photo from the Tri-City Herald that he keeps in the visor in his car.
"All you've got to do is point to the smile," Hohenberg said as he shows the picture of Chief Joseph Middle School student Matthew Bumgarner with a huge smile on his face as he crosses the finish line at a Special Olympics race in May.
All the money raised by the Polar Plunge goes to help local Special Olympic athletes compete at events around the state. It costs about $650 to support each athlete.
"I tell people it's not only a great cause, but a noble cause," Hohenberg said.
Anyone can take the plunge as long as they raise a minimum of $50. Those who want to support Special Olympics but don't want to jump in the water can donate to someone who has signed up, or they can register with $50 in donations to stand in the Chicken Coop -- a joking reference of those "too chicken" to brave the frigid water.
Tri-Citians won't have to do that this year, but they will get to a chance to watch some top law enforcers from the Tri-Cities -- and the state's top attorney -- take a plunge into the icy Columbia River.
Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg will be in good company this year as he jumps in the river for the sixth year in a row as part of Kennewick's annual Polar Plunge fundraiser.
State Attorney General Rob McKenna has agreed to take part in Kennewick's Polar Plunge this year, Hohenberg said.
"He has a real passion for helping children," Hohenberg told the Herald. "But secondly, he really supports the Tri-Cities."
The Polar Plunge is the police department's biggest fundraiser for Special Olympics Washington. And, the Kennewick Police Department has been the top fundraising law enforcement agency in the state for three years in a row.
Last year, the Kennewick Police Department raised $51,000. This year, they almost doubled that.
The 2012 event is set for noon Jan. 21 at the blue bridge boat launch at the east end of Columbia Park.
Hohenberg said McKenna felt so strongly about participating in Kennewick's event that he re-arranged his schedule so he could make it.
McKenna will get a chance to meet some Mid-Columbia Special Olympics athletes before he jumps into the Columbia River. If the winter conditions are normal, the water temperature should be 33 to 36 degrees.
"I don't believe he's ever taken the plunge before," Hohenberg said.
Last week, McKenna made a stop at the weekly meeting of Tri-City police chiefs and sheriffs, and Hohenberg took advantage of the visit to challenge other top cops in the area to join them.
Each year, Hohenberg has asked his fellow law enforcement leaders to jump into the river with him. He hasn't been successful at recruiting them until this time.
He already has commitments from several police chiefs, a sheriff and a prosecutor: Richland Police Chief Chris Skinner, West Richland Police Chief Brian McElroy, Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger, Connell Police Chief Mike Kessler, Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane and Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant.
"There was a little bit of arm twisting," McElroy said, "but once he made the challenge, of course we had to step up to the plate."
McElroy said he hasn't taken a plunge in an icy river since he left the military, but he was told the water temperature "will be survivable."
Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim said he is "going to support us in spirit," Hohenberg said.
Hanford Patrol always has supported Polar Plunge with a team of officers jumping, and this year Hanford Patrol Chief Monty Giulio also will take the plunge with Hohenberg's leadership team.
Rudy Almeida, who serves as a liaison when McKenna is in town, also will see how the icy water feels, the chief said.
Hohenberg said Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller supports the effort but has a scheduling conflict and won't be able to jump with them. Miller recently completed a swim in the Columbia River without a wetsuit to raise money for a teen homeless shelter.
In 2007, the first year of the event, Hohenberg said Columbia Basin Dive Rescue team members gave him a dive suit to help him stay warm, but it didn't fit properly.
Icy water pooled up at his hands and feet and he had a hard time getting out of the water.
"It floated me down river like a turtle," he said.
Hohenberg said he told McKenna and his fellow chiefs and sheriffs that he now wears old shoes, tactical pants and a shirt that he can quickly take off once he gets out of the water.
A jump in the hot tub afterward to warm up really helps, he said, along with changing into dry clothes.
"So far I've never caught a cold or gotten sick," he said, but he admits "it takes your breath away. Once you get it, you definitely want out."
Hohenberg said people tell him he is crazy or stupid for going in the icy water every year. Then he pulls out a laminated photo from the Tri-City Herald that he keeps in the visor in his car.
"All you've got to do is point to the smile," Hohenberg said as he shows the picture of Chief Joseph Middle School student Matthew Bumgarner with a huge smile on his face as he crosses the finish line at a Special Olympics race in May.
All the money raised by the Polar Plunge goes to help local Special Olympic athletes compete at events around the state. It costs about $650 to support each athlete.
"I tell people it's not only a great cause, but a noble cause," Hohenberg said.
Anyone can take the plunge as long as they raise a minimum of $50. Those who want to support Special Olympics but don't want to jump in the water can donate to someone who has signed up, or they can register with $50 in donations to stand in the Chicken Coop -- a joking reference of those "too chicken" to brave the frigid water.
2011年12月8日星期四
Chatfield couple buys Old Vasa Children's Home
The Old Vasa Children's Home, a historic property built in 1899, was recently sold to Scott Hanson and Denise Conway, a Chatfield couple. Reported price of the sale was $925,000.
Hanson says they have always liked the area and that the property is a nice place for Conway and him to host their kids and grandkids.
The couple was honored by the city council in Chatfield for the work they have done in restoring and preserving a number of old homes in that city.
Hanson says they have bought, fixed up and sold about nine old homes, mainly Victorians. He calls the work a hobby, but adds that they have done all right with some of the sales.
The Old Children's Home is in good shape and will need very little work, said Hanson.
Dedicated in December of 1899, the Children's Home was originally an orphanage built and run by the Swedish Lutheran Church. Pioneer Pastor Eric Norelius and his wife, who came to the area in 1855, took care of children out of the basement of the Vasa Lutheran Church and a few other structures before eventually building in 1899 on a property just a little bit west and north of the church, beyond the cemetery. The property is quiet and secluded; located on a dead-end gravel road, and not visible from Hwys. 19 or 7.
The Children's Home housed up to 80 residents before it was closed in 1926 and relocated to Red Wing near the intersection of Hwys. 61 and 19. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota operates it today as a 24-bed facility that supports children and young adults, 7-22 years of age, with a wide range of developmental, physical, psychological, social or behavioral delays.
According to histories compiled by real estate agents, the Old Children's Home in Vasa sat empty from 1926 until 1968, reportedly even used for grain storage at some point in that period. Richard and Marianne Bushbaum acquired the property (294 acres at that point) and began an extensive remodel and renovation.
One of the Bushbaum daughters, now a minister in the Twin Cities, had tried to raise money to purchase the property in recent years with hopes to have it run as a retreat center.
In 1974, the renovated home and buildings and the remaining 34 acres of land were sold to George and Rita Richcreek. The Richcreeks continued with improvements, including extensive gardens, orchard work and other landscaping. A chicken coop became a guest cottage. A heated garage was built. A bunk house became an artist's studio. Another garage and guest apartment were added.
Rita Richcreek passed away in 2007. Her husband preceded her in death in 2004. The property was passed on to her daughters, Twin Cities residents, who were the recent sellers.
The main home is now a three level, with the finished attic a very nice space that the grandkids really enjoy, said Hanson. The house features plenty of woodwork, a multi-windowed garden room and a neat mix of old features and modern amenities. Finished square footage is about 5,150.
The house and property had been listed at $1.2 million.
Hanson says they have always liked the area and that the property is a nice place for Conway and him to host their kids and grandkids.
The couple was honored by the city council in Chatfield for the work they have done in restoring and preserving a number of old homes in that city.
Hanson says they have bought, fixed up and sold about nine old homes, mainly Victorians. He calls the work a hobby, but adds that they have done all right with some of the sales.
The Old Children's Home is in good shape and will need very little work, said Hanson.
Dedicated in December of 1899, the Children's Home was originally an orphanage built and run by the Swedish Lutheran Church. Pioneer Pastor Eric Norelius and his wife, who came to the area in 1855, took care of children out of the basement of the Vasa Lutheran Church and a few other structures before eventually building in 1899 on a property just a little bit west and north of the church, beyond the cemetery. The property is quiet and secluded; located on a dead-end gravel road, and not visible from Hwys. 19 or 7.
The Children's Home housed up to 80 residents before it was closed in 1926 and relocated to Red Wing near the intersection of Hwys. 61 and 19. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota operates it today as a 24-bed facility that supports children and young adults, 7-22 years of age, with a wide range of developmental, physical, psychological, social or behavioral delays.
According to histories compiled by real estate agents, the Old Children's Home in Vasa sat empty from 1926 until 1968, reportedly even used for grain storage at some point in that period. Richard and Marianne Bushbaum acquired the property (294 acres at that point) and began an extensive remodel and renovation.
One of the Bushbaum daughters, now a minister in the Twin Cities, had tried to raise money to purchase the property in recent years with hopes to have it run as a retreat center.
In 1974, the renovated home and buildings and the remaining 34 acres of land were sold to George and Rita Richcreek. The Richcreeks continued with improvements, including extensive gardens, orchard work and other landscaping. A chicken coop became a guest cottage. A heated garage was built. A bunk house became an artist's studio. Another garage and guest apartment were added.
Rita Richcreek passed away in 2007. Her husband preceded her in death in 2004. The property was passed on to her daughters, Twin Cities residents, who were the recent sellers.
The main home is now a three level, with the finished attic a very nice space that the grandkids really enjoy, said Hanson. The house features plenty of woodwork, a multi-windowed garden room and a neat mix of old features and modern amenities. Finished square footage is about 5,150.
The house and property had been listed at $1.2 million.
2011年12月6日星期二
Vandals hit preschool
Many of our town’s youngest residents have been left frightened and angry after being the victims of senseless vandals.
Last Friday night the Narromine Pre-School and Kindergarten’s chicken coop was broken into and a prize hen was stolen.
Jo O’Brien from the preschool said the much-loved hen, affectionately known as Mrs Chook, was a favourite amongst the children.
“The children love and care for the chooks here so it makes us really sad that this has happened,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“Early this week some of the kids noticed Mrs Chook was missing and after we told them what happened, they were definitely upset.
“I don’t understand why they did this? Why would someone break into the preschool and steal one of the kids’ chooks? It breaks your heart because you don’t know what they are doing with the chook either,” Mrs O’Brien said.
This is not the first time the chicken coop at the preschool has been the target of a malicious act.
“They got into the chooks another couple of times before this so this would probably be the third time in two years it has happened,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“After it happened before we had the coop reinforced with mesh and a padlock, but this time they wrecked the door just to get in. The wire was ripped off the coop and they also destroyed the worm farm.”
Mrs Chook’s theft has been reported to the police but those at the preschool are urging anyone with any information to come forward.
“She was an English Sussex - a white hen with black on her,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“She was very pretty and kind to the children, and we want to know who did this and what happened to her,” she concluded.
Last Friday night the Narromine Pre-School and Kindergarten’s chicken coop was broken into and a prize hen was stolen.
Jo O’Brien from the preschool said the much-loved hen, affectionately known as Mrs Chook, was a favourite amongst the children.
“The children love and care for the chooks here so it makes us really sad that this has happened,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“Early this week some of the kids noticed Mrs Chook was missing and after we told them what happened, they were definitely upset.
“I don’t understand why they did this? Why would someone break into the preschool and steal one of the kids’ chooks? It breaks your heart because you don’t know what they are doing with the chook either,” Mrs O’Brien said.
This is not the first time the chicken coop at the preschool has been the target of a malicious act.
“They got into the chooks another couple of times before this so this would probably be the third time in two years it has happened,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“After it happened before we had the coop reinforced with mesh and a padlock, but this time they wrecked the door just to get in. The wire was ripped off the coop and they also destroyed the worm farm.”
Mrs Chook’s theft has been reported to the police but those at the preschool are urging anyone with any information to come forward.
“She was an English Sussex - a white hen with black on her,” Mrs O’Brien said.
“She was very pretty and kind to the children, and we want to know who did this and what happened to her,” she concluded.
2011年10月24日星期一
Chicken Coops Growing in Popularity in American Backyards
When Owen Taylor got hired six years ago as the "city chicken intern" at Just Food, some people thought his job title was funny.
Today no one in the food world would make a peep. Backyard chicken-keeping is a growing pastime around the country, spurred by the interest in local food and sustainability.
"It's not a question of are you going to get chickens, but when are you ready to get chickens," says Taylor, now city farms manager at Just Food, a New York based non-profit.
Town officials in suburban Maplewood, N.J., decided this week that their community is ready—but only just. In a 3-2 vote, the Township Committee voted to allow a pilot program for a year starting next March where up to 15 households will be allowed to have a maximum of three chickens each—with roosters banned.
Residents will be chosen by lottery, and their neighbors on either side must be on board. The vote reverses a 2005 law that banned chicken-keeping because of some evidence that they were being used in religious rituals, according to Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta.
Profeta, who voted yes for the new measure, hopes to be one of the lucky 15 winners. "The whole issue of local food is growing throughout the country. Chickens are part of it," he said.
Township Committeeman Marlon Brownlee, who voted no, isn't so sure. "The idea is more appropriate for a semi-rural community rather than the suburban community that Maplewood is," he said. "I didn't like the idea of putting neighbor against neighbor."
Backyard Chicken Coops Becoming More Popular in 'Burbs
In his conversations in the community, he said, 99 percent were opposed to allowing chicken-keeping, and real-estate agents were naysayers.
"It's a really difficult time to sell houses. Chickens next door are definitely going to have a detrimental effect," Brownlee said.
Tro Bui, an extension associate in animal science at the Cornell University School of Agriculture, said that view is becoming less prevalent.
"We have some people who are not used to seeing live animals. They don't like it," Bui said. "The number is growing smaller because people realize that's the way to go now, a good supply of home food and better care for animals."
Bui said he has seen a growing interest in backyard chicken-raising in the past seven years. The backyard eggs are actually safer than agribusiness eggs, he says. "Salmonella is only a problem when you have many birds." A hen will produce six eggs a week, Bui said, starting at the age of 18 weeks for two to three years.
Noah Leff, whose new business Victory Chicken, supplies chicks and coops to urban backyards, says the enthusiasm is broad-based. "It's not just hipsters or foodies or locavores," Leff said. "It's middle-class families, retired people, young people."
Leff, whose day job is working as a financial consultant, keeps three chickens in his backyard in Brooklyn and helps care for the five chickens in the nearby community garden in his neighborhood. Chickens make great pets, he said, and provide a wonderful daily food source.
"People are excited about getting unmatchable quality eggs every day from their backyard chickens," says Leff, 39, and kids love the birds. "They have personality, they're very funny. They scratch, run around and flap their wings."
Three chickens are no more work than one indoor cat, he says, and contrary to reputation, "they don't make much noise, they don't really stink. It's a fun hobby and a very relaxing diversion."
Keeping chickens has always been legal in New York City, according to Taylor, and has in the past been popular with people who moved to the city from the South or from places like the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico where backyard chickens are popular. Roosters are not allowed and hens don't need roosters to produce eggs, only to fertilize them.
With the wider interest in chicken-keeping, his workshops are standing room only, he said, and his online meetup group for chicken enthusiasts has hundreds of members. "Most of the people I work with are just keeping them and letting them live out their lives as egg-layers," Taylor said, though some people take backyard chicken-raising a step further, and eventually turn their egg-layers into soup or roast chicken.
Today no one in the food world would make a peep. Backyard chicken-keeping is a growing pastime around the country, spurred by the interest in local food and sustainability.
"It's not a question of are you going to get chickens, but when are you ready to get chickens," says Taylor, now city farms manager at Just Food, a New York based non-profit.
Town officials in suburban Maplewood, N.J., decided this week that their community is ready—but only just. In a 3-2 vote, the Township Committee voted to allow a pilot program for a year starting next March where up to 15 households will be allowed to have a maximum of three chickens each—with roosters banned.
Residents will be chosen by lottery, and their neighbors on either side must be on board. The vote reverses a 2005 law that banned chicken-keeping because of some evidence that they were being used in religious rituals, according to Deputy Mayor Fred Profeta.
Profeta, who voted yes for the new measure, hopes to be one of the lucky 15 winners. "The whole issue of local food is growing throughout the country. Chickens are part of it," he said.
Township Committeeman Marlon Brownlee, who voted no, isn't so sure. "The idea is more appropriate for a semi-rural community rather than the suburban community that Maplewood is," he said. "I didn't like the idea of putting neighbor against neighbor."
Backyard Chicken Coops Becoming More Popular in 'Burbs
In his conversations in the community, he said, 99 percent were opposed to allowing chicken-keeping, and real-estate agents were naysayers.
"It's a really difficult time to sell houses. Chickens next door are definitely going to have a detrimental effect," Brownlee said.
Tro Bui, an extension associate in animal science at the Cornell University School of Agriculture, said that view is becoming less prevalent.
"We have some people who are not used to seeing live animals. They don't like it," Bui said. "The number is growing smaller because people realize that's the way to go now, a good supply of home food and better care for animals."
Bui said he has seen a growing interest in backyard chicken-raising in the past seven years. The backyard eggs are actually safer than agribusiness eggs, he says. "Salmonella is only a problem when you have many birds." A hen will produce six eggs a week, Bui said, starting at the age of 18 weeks for two to three years.
Noah Leff, whose new business Victory Chicken, supplies chicks and coops to urban backyards, says the enthusiasm is broad-based. "It's not just hipsters or foodies or locavores," Leff said. "It's middle-class families, retired people, young people."
Leff, whose day job is working as a financial consultant, keeps three chickens in his backyard in Brooklyn and helps care for the five chickens in the nearby community garden in his neighborhood. Chickens make great pets, he said, and provide a wonderful daily food source.
"People are excited about getting unmatchable quality eggs every day from their backyard chickens," says Leff, 39, and kids love the birds. "They have personality, they're very funny. They scratch, run around and flap their wings."
Three chickens are no more work than one indoor cat, he says, and contrary to reputation, "they don't make much noise, they don't really stink. It's a fun hobby and a very relaxing diversion."
Keeping chickens has always been legal in New York City, according to Taylor, and has in the past been popular with people who moved to the city from the South or from places like the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico where backyard chickens are popular. Roosters are not allowed and hens don't need roosters to produce eggs, only to fertilize them.
With the wider interest in chicken-keeping, his workshops are standing room only, he said, and his online meetup group for chicken enthusiasts has hundreds of members. "Most of the people I work with are just keeping them and letting them live out their lives as egg-layers," Taylor said, though some people take backyard chicken-raising a step further, and eventually turn their egg-layers into soup or roast chicken.
2011年5月18日星期三
New pecking order
“It’s a better location. We wanted to be closer to downtown Wilkes-Barre,” said owner John
Stuchkus. The location would be convenient for local college students, who make up a
significant percentage of the Chicken Coop’s customer base, he said. The large number of
other businesses nearby was also a draw, he added.
Inside, the restaurant’s doucor has a sports theme, with an emphasis on Philadelphia sports.
Memorabilia honoring the Phillies and the Flyers decorate the walls, just as in the old
restaurant. The soups and sauces are still homemade. The restaurant is open for lunch and
dinner, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., or “whenever the bar dies down,” said Stuchkus.
There are some changes, too. The new restaurant can seat up to 100 people. Stuchkus has added
more sandwiches and appetizers to the menu.
Stuchkus is particularly proud of the Chicken Coop’s hamburgers.
“Our hamburgers are 10 ounces. That’s the biggest in the area,” he said.
The Chicken Coop has a three-year lease with local architectural and engineering firm Pasonick
Engineering. The restaurant has six full-time employees, and is seeking to hire at least four
more.
This is not the first time that the Chicken Coop has moved. Founded in 1988, the first
location was on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming. The restaurant moved from there in 1991 to the
intersection of Fox Hill Road and Route 315 in Plains Township. After the roof at that
location collapsed during a snowstorm in 2007, the Chicken Coop moved to the former Arena Bar
& Grill on Scott Street.
Stuchkus is optimistic about the North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard location.
“We’ve had a good turnout so far. The response has been positive. Things are going good,”
he said.
Stuchkus. The location would be convenient for local college students, who make up a
significant percentage of the Chicken Coop’s customer base, he said. The large number of
other businesses nearby was also a draw, he added.
Inside, the restaurant’s doucor has a sports theme, with an emphasis on Philadelphia sports.
Memorabilia honoring the Phillies and the Flyers decorate the walls, just as in the old
restaurant. The soups and sauces are still homemade. The restaurant is open for lunch and
dinner, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., or “whenever the bar dies down,” said Stuchkus.
There are some changes, too. The new restaurant can seat up to 100 people. Stuchkus has added
more sandwiches and appetizers to the menu.
Stuchkus is particularly proud of the Chicken Coop’s hamburgers.
“Our hamburgers are 10 ounces. That’s the biggest in the area,” he said.
The Chicken Coop has a three-year lease with local architectural and engineering firm Pasonick
Engineering. The restaurant has six full-time employees, and is seeking to hire at least four
more.
This is not the first time that the Chicken Coop has moved. Founded in 1988, the first
location was on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming. The restaurant moved from there in 1991 to the
intersection of Fox Hill Road and Route 315 in Plains Township. After the roof at that
location collapsed during a snowstorm in 2007, the Chicken Coop moved to the former Arena Bar
& Grill on Scott Street.
Stuchkus is optimistic about the North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard location.
“We’ve had a good turnout so far. The response has been positive. Things are going good,”
he said.
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