You think a restaurant, you think food....that's a no brainer. You might think what chain is it. Seems today's society is born and bred to think Olive Garden, Red Lobster, TGIF, are the best, it's what foods all about. Do you associate people with those places...not really. Tourist areas are all about chain restaurants, not to say individuality doesn't exist, it does, you just have to search harder. As a transplant, we do search for the local hot spots, they are numerous, yet if I were a reviewer of restaurant cuisine, very few would get the thumbs up. It's just my preferences, I do not always rate a place, strictly because of the food. Perhaps there should also be a restaurant guide for character spots, local gossip, ambiance, scenery and so on. It might just be that after a number of years in the area, we might find a place that "has it all!"
As characters go, I would hate to think the Town of Sprague has cornered the market. I can now say this with the utmost love and affection, but Sprague's cup runneth over! Thankfully, not all are home grown, the area has a tendency to import more "lovables" than necessary. We laughingly joked at Fred's News about Town meetings, especially budget meetings. More "concerned people" showed up just for these meetings, making it all the more interesting, providing fodder for many weeks worth of hilarious conversations. There was a time, suggestions were made that Sprague could make money establishing a program called" Lend a Looney". Rent out the characters to area Towns, allowing their Town Meetings to be more "colorful!"
At Fred's News, lovable, colorful and "different" characters were the normal everyday patrons. Many felt it a safe haven, acceptance granted once you passed through the doors. Not all of these characters came from Sprague, some just had "business dealings" nearby, but understood Fred's News had a corner on the "character market" as well as delightfully good food, ambiance, and that "down home feeling."
Bill Haggis hailed from Vermont. Not many knew his name, yet mention hoof cutter, pedicurist to the Spielman Farm's "girls", everyone knew just who you were speaking about. No set schedule for Mr. Haggis, he'd arrive first think in the morning, looking like he'd just rolled out of a nights sleep in the barn with the animals, park his big-ass dirty "hoof cutter truck" in front of the place, plunk a stinky turd looking cigar in his mouth, give a half hearted wave as he entered, pick up a couple of the "scandal sheet papers", sitting himself down, alone in the "Paris Window". Backtracking a bit, with a few clarifications: the cigar was not lit, Mr. Haggis said.."bad for his health!" "Really, so was the smell that followed him around like Charlie Brown's pigpen!" was my first thought, yet I rather smell barn poop than toxic waste. "Morning, decaf coffee please! Don't want to get moving to fast, might hurt myself, that's bad for my health ,too" he mutter through the unlit stinky cigar dangling from he weathered lips. "Just let me read a bit, wake up, decide if I'm gonna make it, then I'll order" This conversation repeated itself numerous times during the many years Mr. Haggis sat at the "Paris Window" Very much a gentle-spirited, man with a wickedly dry sense of humor, he was an observer. By the obvious mass and girth of his body, he loved to eat. One morning he arrived just as we opened, everything, appeared the same, clothes, cigar, "barn smell", hair, what little there was sticking straight up, just not the untied cow poop covered boots. They had been replaced with extremely worn flip flop sandals. "Not working today,Mr. Haggis?" I questioned.."Got to" he mused, "Just came from the Casino, they cleaned my clock, so here I am, ready to work another day!" Well, that explained the flip-flop thing, he was "all dressed up!" The rest remained the same. "I'll have four eggs over lightly, double bacon, home fries, dry wheat toast, please. The little woman told me butter is bad for my health!" OOOOOkay, there's a "little woman", he'd been at the Casino, "dressed to kill", I might add, and he's worried about his health! Hmmmm, what am I missing. God love the man, he will forever be remembered by his profound statement early one morning, "Missy why in the name of God do you let those farm-boys in here first thing in the morning....they stinky to high heaven, that's not good for my health!" Here, here, Mr. Haggis, here, here!!
As characters go, I would hate to think the Town of Sprague has cornered the market. I can now say this with the utmost love and affection, but Sprague's cup runneth over! Thankfully, not all are home grown, the area has a tendency to import more "lovables" than necessary. We laughingly joked at Fred's News about Town meetings, especially budget meetings. More "concerned people" showed up just for these meetings, making it all the more interesting, providing fodder for many weeks worth of hilarious conversations. There was a time, suggestions were made that Sprague could make money establishing a program called" Lend a Looney". Rent out the characters to area Towns, allowing their Town Meetings to be more "colorful!"
At Fred's News, lovable, colorful and "different" characters were the normal everyday patrons. Many felt it a safe haven, acceptance granted once you passed through the doors. Not all of these characters came from Sprague, some just had "business dealings" nearby, but understood Fred's News had a corner on the "character market" as well as delightfully good food, ambiance, and that "down home feeling."
Bill Haggis hailed from Vermont. Not many knew his name, yet mention hoof cutter, pedicurist to the Spielman Farm's "girls", everyone knew just who you were speaking about. No set schedule for Mr. Haggis, he'd arrive first think in the morning, looking like he'd just rolled out of a nights sleep in the barn with the animals, park his big-ass dirty "hoof cutter truck" in front of the place, plunk a stinky turd looking cigar in his mouth, give a half hearted wave as he entered, pick up a couple of the "scandal sheet papers", sitting himself down, alone in the "Paris Window". Backtracking a bit, with a few clarifications: the cigar was not lit, Mr. Haggis said.."bad for his health!" "Really, so was the smell that followed him around like Charlie Brown's pigpen!" was my first thought, yet I rather smell barn poop than toxic waste. "Morning, decaf coffee please! Don't want to get moving to fast, might hurt myself, that's bad for my health ,too" he mutter through the unlit stinky cigar dangling from he weathered lips. "Just let me read a bit, wake up, decide if I'm gonna make it, then I'll order" This conversation repeated itself numerous times during the many years Mr. Haggis sat at the "Paris Window" Very much a gentle-spirited, man with a wickedly dry sense of humor, he was an observer. By the obvious mass and girth of his body, he loved to eat. One morning he arrived just as we opened, everything, appeared the same, clothes, cigar, "barn smell", hair, what little there was sticking straight up, just not the untied cow poop covered boots. They had been replaced with extremely worn flip flop sandals. "Not working today,Mr. Haggis?" I questioned.."Got to" he mused, "Just came from the Casino, they cleaned my clock, so here I am, ready to work another day!" Well, that explained the flip-flop thing, he was "all dressed up!" The rest remained the same. "I'll have four eggs over lightly, double bacon, home fries, dry wheat toast, please. The little woman told me butter is bad for my health!" OOOOOkay, there's a "little woman", he'd been at the Casino, "dressed to kill", I might add, and he's worried about his health! Hmmmm, what am I missing. God love the man, he will forever be remembered by his profound statement early one morning, "Missy why in the name of God do you let those farm-boys in here first thing in the morning....they stinky to high heaven, that's not good for my health!" Here, here, Mr. Haggis, here, here!!
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