Everyones' friend.....Fred the Dog

One of our most visible and lovable characters of the Fred's News years was Fred the Dog! Not only was he a character but he was ever so special. The family welcomed him as a ten week old pure-bred sable collie puppy. From the time we set our eyes on him we knew he would be Fred's News mascot. We gave him the usual long AKC name but to all who knew him he was just plain "Fred the Dog".

As a puppy, he would sit out back behind the restaurant in the shade, tied on a very long line. We didn't want to tie him, but until he new better, we feared he would wander into the road. Whenever he was outside with us or the kids he was allowed to roam freely in the large back shaded area. Fred the Dog became so well known that our patrons would bring their children just to see him. Although collie dogs can have a quick temper, not Fred the Dog. Kids would hug, squeeze and sit on him. When he'd had enough he would just disappear. As he got older and was no longer restrained by a rope, he would walk customers to the back door. If they opted not to use the back door, Fred the Dog would watch until they disappeared around the front. With his long nose he would pry open the back door and let himself into the restaurant. At that point he would hide along side the big old Coke cooler, wait for them to come and pet him. Everyone loved him. Fred the Dog knew he shouldn't be in the place, so he always slithered really close to large objects trying remain undetected. One time with out our knowledge he had done just that. Needless to say, the Health inspector, who was making his rounds to all the food establishments in the area, noticed Fred the Dog at the very end of the long counter trying to hide. He was being gently petted by Johann the Great Nephew. Of course we were questioned why a dog was in the establishment. Johann without missing a beat explained, "he's my service dog!". Right on Johann! Fred the Dog was banished to the loading dock. He always made it a habit to walk old Lucille back to her front door, located just a stones throw from the back dock. When they arrived Lucille would say" Thanks Fred, now go home" He always did.

Every morning Bill and I arose at 3:00 a.m. to begin the day at Fred's News. In his younger years, Fred the Dog was not that early a riser. He preferred to sleep, upstairs, on the third floor with the younger members of his family. As they would get themselves up and ready for school, one would let Fred the Dog out to do his thing. One morning he did not return from the back yard. In a panic, they came into the restaurant. We were getting ready to open at 5:30a.m. They announced to the few regulars and us that Fred the Dog had not returned from his morning duties. The place cleared out, an all points bulletin was put out on the beloved Fred the Dog. About forty-five minutes later he was spotted, up the road, coming out of the woods. He appeared a mess and frightened. One of the local school bus drivers named Doris, stopped her bus, picked up Fred the Dog and brought him home. That poor puppy was so scared and a mess. Needless to say he was thankful to be home. He never wandered again.

Memorial Day in this small Town was always a fun time. There was a small parade, food and festivities at the local firehouse. We always took Fred the Dog to the parade. He was such a well liked dog, that as we walked up and down the street waiting for the parade, kids would yell "There's Fred the Dog, let's go pet him!" Fred the Dog loved this attention and all of his fans. True to his nature, he let everyone have their moment, then looked at us as if to say, "let's move on please." This continued for many years until Fred the Dog became a senior citizen and to old to move around. However, people still brought their families to him. When Fred the Dog passed away, Old MacDonald and I awaited the news from Bill. We reminisced about that animal and the many lives he had touched. Any child's fear of dogs were calmed by Fred the Dog. He was special and sadly missed. Fred the Dog was honored by his friends with their unique stories and sympathy cards to us.

The Nephew......Great!

Did you ever approach a situation or a conversation and a little voice within says,"don't go there!" What the hell! Remember Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in Back to the Future? Yeah....that's "the brothers" great nephew. I should leave it at that, but can't. He too has earned a nickname, Johann, and I have no Goddamn idea why.

His grandfather was a brother to "the brothers". Johann and parents moved to California when he was young. Oldest of three, they are all in their own way remarkably brillant and unbelievably strange. Even too strange for California, (ain't that a pisser), Johann returned to the little hamlet of Baltic by age sixteen. I did say he returned, alone. I might also make note that only one of them returning at a time was enough for the Town. If memory serves me, Johann drove cross country alone, in a vehicle he had altered, (not as much as Doc Brown's DeLorean), but much more suitable to his personality. A likeable kid, rumor was he had just broken up with a girlfriend, a champion surfer, and needed to get away. Lucky for California!

Now his great uncles, "the brothers", Emil & Fred lived on Main St. with their sisters, Rita & Rhea. Nice ladies, never married they took care of the homestead which was the old "nursery" when the Baltic Mills were in full swing. Once you entered this house, it was a step back in time. So impeccably neat and filled with beautiful furniture, antiques and everything else imaginable, it now housed Johann.

The family was thrilled to have someone to look after. Soon after his arrival they realized he needed a much larger space to do whatever it was he did. Johann's uncles owned half of the Town and just on the outskirts they had an old trailer with land where Johann could do his thing. Eventually the yard made Mad Max's stomping ground look upscale! That boy, a genius with electricity, an accomplished pianist,(that's right) and an inventor of just about anything he wanted to invent ( thank God no patents), lived on Bushnell Hollow Rd. for years. He did work at Fred's News because his uncles said he had to help, but he would of been just as happy if no one ever disturbed him. One time Johann built a noise cannon that he wanted to fire off on the 4th of July. You ask, "did he?" Absolutely! For you doubters of the strange, "did it work? Silly people, "of course it did!!!" It was so loud it rattled windows in the Town. The local fire chief( just for the record, did not like Johann and the feeling was mutual), headed to Johann's domain. When he arrived Johann was outside having the time of his life, thrilled to bone the damn thing work. The fire chief yelled, Johann did not reply. He yelled again, still no reply. Finally at wit's end he approached Johann to tell him to knock it off. Johann turned laughing uncontrollably, couldn't hear a Goddamn thing the fire chief said, but by the look on the man's face, Johann knew he had pissed him off. Needless to say, Johann was pleased. For awhile whenever Johann was pissed at the man, he pointed the noise cannon in the direction of the man's house, and fired. Thank God the man just let it ride and quit bugging Johann. The nephew as great as he is would of been deaf in no time if the feud continued.

I enjoyed conversations with Johann and he was a big part of our years at Fred's News. We will share more of the nephew, as great as he is, does have the ablity to irritate the shit out of you!

The Hoss and The Boss

We cannot tell you how many times customers, friends and just about everybody else asked the same mundane question over and over. "This place is so cool, it must be so easy working together 24/7. Is it as easy as it looks?" Hello.......is Prince Charles handsome or better yet is his "Mum" a raving beauty?" There ya go! I think you've got your answer! Is marriage easy? If it were there would be very few divorces. Anything that is a success takes time, patience and the determination to succeed. Did we have the love and understanding to make it work? Absolutely! Was it fun? For the most part yes, neither one of us would have done it for twenty-two plus years if it wasn't. We enjoyed our life at Fred's and we enjoy our life in Florida, we just enjoy each others souls. Once when I was at the gynecologist's office for my annual physical, lying flat on my back, I remembered a very profound statement I had read, "The depth of one's soul isn't measured by what you see, but what lies deep within the heart." Great moment for a flashback! However, that is the basis of our relationship.

I think what most patrons really wanted to know was, "did we argue or ever disagree?" Just ask a customer named Linda who walked through the unlocked door about thirty minutes before we actually opened. I betcha she thought,"I won't do that again!" Or perhaps one should ask Richie or Ward about my wrath one evening when I was more than slightly pissed off at the love of my life. I think the next day they came in with white flags! Point being or as my children would say, "get to the point Mom!" Of course we disagreed and argued. We tried not to in front of our public. Mostly we succeeded, however sometimes we might have used "that glare" at each other. Ours is a great relationship always has been, it definitely has weathered the years. After one particularly busy morning of me shouting orders to Bill and him cooking non-stop for hours, joking with our customers and just the two of us putting on what one of the regulars called "our shows", Emil, one of "the brothers" said, "this is why I sold the place to the two of you!"

My dear husband "Chef Pierre" said to his wife "DeeDee Gourmet", "this marriage works because I'm the hoss and you're the boss!" And that's all I'm going to say about that!

A shrinking world.

Technology has allowed society to see or speak with anyone around the world in a matter of seconds. We as a people have allowed our immediate social interactions to be controlled mostly by this technology. As wonderful as it is people sometimes need a place just to meet, talk, perhaps work out a problem, laugh, cry and share a meal or just a cup of coffee. Fred's News was such a place. Although it's location was just a small New England town, it's reputation was far reaching. The Sisters of Charity, Holy Family Academy is the Motherhouse or headquarters for this order of nuns and also a world known boarding school for teenage girls. Over the years, young ladies from Africa,Mexico, Korea, Vietnam, South America and many more countries would attend the Academy during the school year. Everyday they were allowed a certain amount of free time to be out in the community. Many frequented Fred's News for the usual American snacks, chips, soda, fries, burgers and ice cream. Many came back after their graduations to tell us of the memories they cherish, the fun times and good food of Fred's News. To this day as we now live in Florida, many contact me through Facebook just to tell me thanks for the memories.

When our youngest son decided to move after graduating from college it was difficult for me. He wanted to leave the area, especially this fishbowl of a place. His original plan was California but a change left him in Orlando, Fl. Immediately he went to Disney for job, was hired and never looked back. His tenth anniversary is just two months away yet it seems like yesterday I cried as he left. His first day at Disney he had the opportunity to meet a young lady who took one look at his name tag which said "Mark, Baltic, Ct." Hers said "Becky" and the state listed was Georgia. Becky told mark, "I know where Baltic is." Surprised Mark was doubtful but listened. The story of a shrinking world unfolded. Becky was from Middlefield, Ct. or there abouts. As a child she had spent many summers with her Grandparents at the Salt Rock Campground in Baltic, Ct. She told him her good friend was Sara, whose parents owned the campground. Sara is also Mark's friend. She used to go into the Village and eat at a small diner named Fred's News. Mark listened in amazement, then told her his parents owned Fred's. From that day forward they have had a friendship that has never wavered. For almost ten years they were roommates, only recently has Becky and her boyfriend Sean moved in together in their own home. Mark and Becky's friendship continues, they are always together. Even more amazing is the fact that Becky's parents came into Fred's News after they found out the unbelievable story. They introduced themselves and we have kept in touch. About six months before we retired to Florida they too sold their home,moving on to Orlando. It is so wonderful to have what is now our extended family here in Florida. Truly exciting is the fact that it was Fred's News as the common denominator that brought it all about.

Gone but not forgotten!

In our lifetime we have had the opportunity to meet many people. Some famous but many not really, at least not in the grand sense of the word. All were fortunate that they were part of the Fred's family from it's inception and passed long before its' demise. You knew they were famous and well liked because all the generations of "Fredsters" spoke of them often, each with a story of their cherished memory.

Of course we must start with "the brothers". Fred left his mortal life way to soon. While driving home one evening he suffered a massive heart attack and died. There were no goodbyes, no time to think about death, it just happened. Shock and sadness filled the restaurant but true to Fred's personality of moving on, everyone told stories from their memories of his life. He had touched many. He knew many influential people, he loved to play tennis and yes he loved to gamble. In his later years, his knees hurt and he had a bad heart but tennis was his love. He even gave lessons. However, his passion was to bet on the game, his game! His serve was wicked but his gait was slow. Fred's theory "don't give them a chance to return the serve!" Was he a ringer, probably. Did he loose any bets? If he did he never said. Did he make money or settle an argument with a tennis game? Absolutely! At Fred's graveside service some of his closest friends threw some dice into the grave before it was sealed. The games must continue!

Emil was the last one of my "famous" people that passed away. Yes, he was one of "the brothers", a man with a medium build, dark rimmed glasses and shocking white hair. Always a twinkle in his eye, but strictly business. He too loved to gamble and was a master of his dice game. Emil and Fred had purchased many of the "mill homes" over the years. This was just one of the many facets of the "family" business. With Emil's passing the "family" business was turned over solely to the "great nephew". That in itself is a whole other story! Emil lived well into his eighties, his exact age I can't recall. In his earlier years he had suffered a heart attack and had by-pass surgery. Much luckier that his brother Fred, he took the doctor's advice concerning exercise. One could see Emil walking everyday, rain, snow, wind, hot or cold, at least five miles. His gait unlike Fred's was quick and precise with a sense of purpose. Neither brother had married, both had longtime girlfriends. Their only "child" was the great nephew. Emil groomed that man to take over the business. The great nephew did everything for his uncles and was Emil's sole caretaker to the very end.

Jim alias Old MacDonald was another of the Fred's News regulars. Jim had moved to Sprague in his teen years and quickly became a regular at the place. He was close friends with "the brothers". Jim played a good game of tennis, very competitive and did not like to loose! His personality was such, that people either loved or hated the man. Those of us who knew him well loved him. Although he was often the center of a heated argument, he was a genuine family man who loved his wife Lu and his children. Jim would do anything for you if he liked you. If he came into the restaurant after "the rush" he could be seen clearing table for us. My most cherished memory of Jim was when our beloved collie "FRED the DOG" was dying. My husband Bill knew it was the end and FRED had to be taken to the vet and put to sleep. I stayed at the restaurant, Jim stayed with me. When Bill called to say it was over, Jim and I cried together. Thank you Jim!

Then there was George. A fairly short, barrel shaped man, he had been born and raised in Baltic. If memory serves me correctly he lived his whole life in the same house. George was retired by the time we had met him, but he too was a regular at the place from it's inception. In the morning it was coffee, in the afternoon it was iced tea. As a regular, it was his job to get the conversation rolling. George started many a heated argument then sat back and with the lively twinkle in his eye, you knew he was a master at his job! George used tell all who came in that him and I were twins. Same birthday same anniversary day, all on April 19th just about twenty five years apart. For a long time after George passed, no one sat in his chair at their afternoon gatherings.

Lucille affectionately known as "loose wheel". No rhyme or reason for the name just that everyone of the regulars had a nickname. Lu lived diagonally behind the restaurant in what was known as the old ice house. Actually it was a real ice house in the days before refrigeration. She lived alone, never married. Some called her a spinster. Lu was well just Lu. She had suffered from breast cancer many years before and in her later years osteoporosis. She never drove and could be seen walking everywhere in Town. My friendship with Lu had begun many years earlier. Lu always came into the restaurant for one egg and toast. She was a pencil thin woman with a definite opinion, born on Halloween and by her own admission looked like a witch. One year on Halloween I had put two rather large papier mache witches at either end of the counter as decorations. Lu stopped in later in the afternoon. When I looked up to greet her she was staring at the witches. I asked if she was okay, she looked surprised and smiled saying, "Oh my God, they look just like me!" From that point on they were called Lucille and her sister Lucille. Every year people used to ask "isn't time for Lucille to sit on the counter!"

Perhaps one of our grumpiest regulars was "Happy" better known as "Hap". An old bachelor he and his sister lived across the street from Fred's. Hap really wasn't a grump he just didn't smile much. Oddly enough he had a wickedly dry sense of humor. That man could tell some stories! There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you. Sometimes Hap needed protection from those who took advantage of him. He knew this and when he'd had enough he sought our opinion on what to do. One winter he asked us to drive to Florida with him in his van. Bill and I obliged, the kids ran Fred's News for one week. We had a great time with Hap. Bill and I did all the driving and we made it to Lehigh Acres in less than twenty four hours. As we headed to Fort Meyers beach Hap announced that he hadn't brought his bathing suit. He ducked into a surf shop and purchased a suit slightly larger than he needed. That was the first and last time he wore the thing. Said his sister made curtains out it when he got home.

Everybody is Welcome!

Diversity has it's good points. It can how ever have some challenges. Fred's News was no exception. It's customer base was as diverse as New York City. Local teens could be seen every evening hanging out in front of the place. Emil would always let them put the food charge on their tabs. Most of the time they would pay by week's end. By day this well known hot spot was a busy coffee shop but by night it had became a hang out for the young people. Although it was a way of life comparable to "Happy Days" many townspeople began to think of it as a nuisance. It was probably one of the main reasons the brothers decided to sell. Emil felt he was getting to old to deal with the issues. The vast majority of the young patrons eventually grew older and moved on. However their were a few that rebelled when the brothers "sold out" to us. Our first Halloween as owners we decorated the inside, much to the delight of our patrons. We invited everyone to bring their families and get their treats at Fred's. The Jack-o-Lanterns were set out and the young children arrived. It was a great night but we knew that some of young teens were upset that their "hangout" was a thing of the past. We had encouraged them to participate but we would no longer accept their unruly antics as the norm. True to form later that night they "egged" the beautiful front windows. They had no idea we were watching from the upstairs windows in the dark. Of course the local resident trooper was called. After asking us if we wanted to press charges we adamantly said "no, just have them wash and clean those windows!" Needless to say, he rounded them up and watched as every last bit was cleaned. Not the easiest job trying to remove dried egg yolk and slime from cold plate glass! I do believe this was the turning point in our relationship with the group. Many returned as regulars and enjoyed the movie nights with free popcorn. Eventually they all began to grow up and returned as the morning regulars, talking and laughing about their antics during their teen years.

Another group called the "old guys" would meet every afternoon. They talked about everything "back in the good old days". The highlight of their day was to shake dice for a cup of coffee. This dice game had been started by the brothers in their early years. It was five dice in a leather cup. The cup had been made fifty years earlier out of a belt off one of the machines used in the old Baltic Mills, a former textile mill that was once the center of the Town. Let me tell you those gentlemen took their dice game very,very seriously!

A Step Back in Time

Built in the 1880's Fred's News was an impressive building whose architecture was of the Victorian period. Not overly ornate but it had some great features. It's best features were the crisp wooden dental work along the roof line and it's scalloped wood shingles outlining the set of three bowed windows along the front of the second story. The entrance was a door that open in the center of two massive and thick ceiling to floor plate glass windows. These beautiful windows allowed Fred's News to be a stage beckoning all to stop, watch and enjoy! Many local business men, especially in the early years of the place, used Fred's News as their unofficial office. After listening to many an old-timer, I do believe to some it was their only office! One such character was Saul, a crusty and tough old man who owned and operated the local grain store. In the days long before smoking was banned in restaurants or any buildings for that matter, Saul always had a cigar in his mouth. The end of it so chewed up, you wondered how he could ever smoke the damn thing. His outstanding feature was his hands, so large and weathered, they were the strong hands of a hard working man! Rumor was he could carry a hundred pound sack of grain under each arm and another on either shoulder at the same time. Although I never had the opportunity to witness this feat, his tough looking hands, stooped shoulders and bent back was evidence enough he had done this many times! Saul would sit in Fred's News, drinking coffee, waiting for his customers to find him. They'd place an order with him, he'd head out in his old Cadillac, pick up the grain and deliver it. If it was a smaller order, you could see him driving along the road with the grain bags thrown atop the trunk or hood of the old caddy. He did have a delivery truck, a shop and an office but preferred Fred's News as it was the hub of activity and the first place you'd hear all the news that was the news!

Henry was another tough old man who had seen many years of hard labor. Henry and his sons owned the local well drilling company. Henry's hand were so strong and tough they were like leather, So much so that the old-timers tell the story of Henry reaching into the smoldering forge that he used to sharpen his pounding bits, grabbing a hot ember, lighting his cigar, and throwing the ember back, all with his bare hands. Always a colorful character, Henry loved to consume the "spirits". By the weekend, Henry would notify his customers that a relative had passed away and he would be gone for two to three days. So, in the process of Henry finding water on your property, you could expect Henry to loose as many as twenty relatives! Although I never had the pleasure of knowing Henry, my husband did. His sons were just as tough and strong, massive men that were also gentle spirited in their later years. That team could find water in the Sahara!

Reference of a character

To understand Fred's News is to understand the diversity of its' patrons and friends. Where else could people go and immediately become one of the "regulars"? It is not a bad thing, actually having a "cast of characters" for an extended family can be quite heartwarming. Many times people would come in, perhaps having a bad day or just feeling down. They knew they could count on this extended family to immediately change that. Even if the conversation had nothing to do with their problems, it made them forget,if only for just a moment. Who knows it might have just given them enough time to gather their thoughts, regroup and have a different outlook. Then maybe, just maybe the problem is't that bad after all.

Big Dick was one of those characters. He had been one of the regulars at Fred's News long before we took over. More importantly he has been a friend of ours for many years. Big Dick, real name is Richard but family called him Dick, was an only child. Big Dick had grown up in this Town,Dad was the Chief of Police,(and my kids thought they grew up in a fishbowl!), Mom was a homemaker. Their lives were centered around their son, Dick. Dick loved a good time, never a vicious person but sort of a wild child. Someone asked him where his quick wit and fast comeback lines came from. "With a name like Dick what the hell do you expect!", was his poignant reply. Why did we even ask! One day when walking to the first tee of a golf game someone yelled "Got any gum on ya Dick?" "Only if you put it there!" was his smart ass reply. For a split second was there an uncomfortable silence and then uncontrollable laughter.

Politics was another subject at Fred's News that should have been taboo, but in the spirit of the place, it wasn't. Local politics was even nastier than national only because you knew everyone. One patron told Big Dick he should run for the top spot in the municipal elections. True to his form, without batting an eye, he announced his campaign slogan, "Dick Simoneau before he dicks you!" That ended that conv ersation rather quickly but the crowd just loved it! Later on in the conversation someone asked Big Dick if he had the time. Right on queue "Sure, what ya got in mind?" Some people just never learn!

Who would of Thought?

In the early 1980's did we ever think about owning a restaurant, let alone Fred's News or Libs as the locals called it. Everybody and their brother wanted to buy the place, but the brothers weren't selling or should I say the brothers weren't telling they were selling. Okay, okay let's start at the beginning. My husband was one of their cast of characters. He'd stop in every morning for a drink, something to eat and get a cigar. Oh yes, did I also mention the place sold tobacco, every kind even the papers to roll your own and the snacks to go with that great time!!! Anyway...Emil wanted someone to be a morning cook. Bill(husband)had just been told his job as plant manager at a nearby plastics firm was being relocated to Arizona. We thought about moving but obviously that changed, as did our lives. Bill became the morning cook. Cooking was all done out in front of the customers. His wit and sarcasm was an instant hit. Moving ahead two years, Bill was still the morning cook. Emil out of the clear blue sky asked,"you and Diane want to buy the place?" After picking up his jaw from the floor Bill asked why me, many people want this place? Emil's response was "do you or don't you want it?" "You two can handle this place, clean it up, give it a better reputation" (many thought it was a local hangout and parents wouldn't let their kids hangout in front with the "hoodlums!") The rest is history. At first people thought it was a joke. They asked "why them?" It too might have been a jeaslousy factor. Many had asked the brothers but they always laughed and said they weren't old enough to retire. Actually both older than dirt! The warning from the brothers to us was clear and concise, "don't change a thing!" Right, they didn't have a family or a mortgage on anything. They owned half the Town and were well connected, (love that term!) This place was just a write off for them or maybe a better term would be "it was helping the family business!"

Did we change anything? Hell yeah! Did we do it all at once? Oh yeah! Did we close while we did it? Not on your life, we had bills to pay, kids to raise and patrons that came for great food and to see what the next change was going to be. Many of those changes came on a daily basis, fast and furious. I truly believe people came and ate just to see if we were going to fail and of course for the GREAT FOOD and conversation!
At first some of the "Hoodlums" rebelled, but they too grew up and many became patrons eventually bringing in their own kids and telling the stories of Fred's News. New people moved into Town, the little shop grew and grew but never lost it charm. We greeted our cast of characters and welcomed the new ones into the fold everyday. We opened up our hearts,lives and truly became the first "reality show" ever. Sometimes, much to the dismay of our children, who said, "they felt like they were growing up in a fishbowl." As the years have passed and the kids are grown, stories abound about some of the things they did, which, if they truly did live in fishbowl, those antics got by half the Town!

Rich History

Sprague has a very rich history as a major textile producing Town. Although the Town was an early New England settlement and at one time was even named Lord's Bridge, it's main fame came in the 1800's when it built a large textile producing mill located on the banks of the Shetucket River. The homes, all duplexes, were mill houses owned by the Baltic Mill Company. Everything and I mean everything was center around this livelyhood. It's population was mainly French Canadian and even today's Sprague still hold evidence of it's French Canadian roots as does many of the small surrounding towns. The village of Baltic was and still is the hub. "Back in the day," as the old timers would say, you did not have to leave the Town. They actually meant Baltic. It was self contained and had dance halls,a movie theater, markets, garages, a doctor, dry-goods stores, insurance offices and seventeen bars. Did I mention that the Town was and is about three-thousand in population and yes in its' heydey it had....seventeen bars! Of course it no longer has seventeen bars and it no longer looks like the booming Town of yesteryear. It has fallen into the category of a "vacant mill town." It is still quaint with its' mill houses and remnants of the former Baltic Mill which rises on the banks of the Shetucket like the Acrocpolis. Its' people are much more diverse than the original population but they are fierce in their loyalties to small town America. It is these people that over the course of my lifetime I learned to love and respect and yes miss. It is these people and their ancestors that make up the Town's rich history. These people were the heart beat and pulse of Fred's News. We laughed, cried, enjoyed each others stories and families to the point that all who patronized Fred's News became everyone's extended family.

The Inception

Understanding how Fred's News came about is all about the rich history of the Town which it served as well as the surrounding Towns which it beckoned. Sprague is made up of three villages, Hanover, Versailles and Baltic. Baltic being the largest of the three as well as the location of all the municipal offices. Those offices do not included Fred's News which was more often than not dubbed the "center or meeting place of the Town." Many important decisions were made at Fred's, some by Town officials others by my wonderful "Cast of Characters." Looking back I'd say the "characters" were more likely to be "right on"!

Started in the late 1940's by Fred & Lillian, it was basically a coffee shop,with donuts, pastries, a few basic sandwiches and loads of hand dipped ice cream with the highest butter-fat content available and probably the best coffee available anywhere. The water for the shop was from a well more than 300 hundred feet below the surface. It came from an aquifer that runs through Connecticut. When pumped to the surface it appeared sparkling and bursting with energy as if to say "freedom at last, drink me and today will be a perfect day"! They say water is tasteless. On the contrary this was the sweetest, freshest unadulterated drink that has ever passed over my palate! Until we purchased Fred's I never consumed coffee!

Back to Fred & Lillian. Not too long after they opened her brothers, Fred & Emil decided to purchase the place from them, never changing the name as the original Fred stayed involved, the second Fred was more of a character and uninvolved, other than his life-long girlfriend, Barbara who worked for the "brothers" her entire life, Emil as well as his life-long girlfriend and a few other close friends that worked the shop. Understand when I say the second Fred was uninvolved, this is perhaps a miss-statement. (Gotta love that term)! He was involved in the "family business", which if you listen to all the stories swirling around the Town, were even more colorful than they brothers and the shop themselves. The store soon became the precursor to today's convenience stores. There was not an available empty spot for anything else. Penny candy (when it was a penny), boxes of chocolates, greeting cards, stationery, magazines, newspapers of all kinds and even more so on Sundays. It would take pages to describe everything in the place. Perhaps the best description might be take today's CVS or Walgreens leaving everything in it but put it in a space maybe 50 feet by 35 feet. The only thing we'd leave out is the "Male Enhancement" products near the cash registers. They did however sell products that helped males who didn't need enhancement but needed protection!

Beacon of Light

One of my favorite photos of Fred's News was taken by one of our patrons named Billy. He too was a local business man and neighbor of the shop. During one particularly harsh New England snow storm he evidently was up before the crack of dawn to clean the snow away from his business parking area. Ours too had already been cleaned by my husband. The road in front of the restaurant still hadn't been plowed so the new fallen snow created a beautiful yet eerily still landscape reminding all that Mother Nature as beautiful as she is was in charge. The shadows cast upon the new snow looked so lonely and cold yet the one beacon of light was Fred's News with its sidewalk all cleaned off, lights shining brightly, bidding a good morning welcome to all who ventured out. This was the story that photo told but before anyone could blink an eye and before anyone had a chance to wonder who would venture out in the cold, one by one plow truck drivers and patrons would file in shaking off their snowy boots at the door, sitting down waiting for that cup of steaming hot fresh brewed coffee. This would be the beginning of a new day, new conversations and perhaps new friends at Fred's News. That frozen moment in time captured for all to remember is hopefully still posted inside the old Fred's News Restaurant building.

Cast of Characters

Understanding how we look at people is an important part of my cast of characters. Whether they worked with me or were patrons of Fred's they fell into categories I created , none any better or for that matter any worse than the other. All beloved and tucked into that special place forever locked within my heart. My youngest son vowed when he reached a certain age he would be "outta here." He was but to talk to him now it is an amazing transformation. He'll tell us about people from that small New England town that have sent him messages and pics. Amazed and bewildered I listen. We all now understand that "outta here" doesn't mean "outta mind." He too has a cast of characters he follows as does his brothers. I am sure that when they tell each other about someone from the past it can be directly related in someway to Fred's, a constant place.



At Fred's many went by nicknames and not necessarily created by us. There was Happy, Pee-wee, Sim, Sweet Corn, Albie, Gracie Baby, Doc, the Sarge, the Colonel, Heiney, Prune Face (that was created by us) as was Dip-shit but all are cherished memories. Many in our cast put themselves into their own category. You were either a regular or irregular. Depending on their day it could of also meant a bowel habit. Each could and did tell the other "no way..you're full of shit!"

It's is all about Fred's

When we decided to sell our long time business in a small New England town people were somewhat upset, (that might be an understatement), others were excited for us saying we deserved a retirement. Just for the record it is my husband who is retired, I am not and probable never will be. I can't just not have something other than deciding what I should do with my time in my thoughts. I believe I need a purpose and like millions of other middle age middle income people...need money and of course insurance. Regardless of that fact, when we decided to sell everyone said..."Fred's will die without you two." We laughed and said "no, we have found a young couple who really seem to want to carry on a way of life that is sadly disappearing in America." We were wrong they didn't even make it a year. Alas this blog isn't about them it is about the rich history of the place, its' people, which read like a cast of diverse characters, the lives it touched and the memories of those who were lucky enough to be included in the cast. Not exaggerating I have been asked to write the stories which make the memories of Fred's even more vivid, dozens of times.

Where do I begin...obviously at the end. More to come very soon.