Page 12a
The Behrend Beacon
On The
Scare
by Melody Sherosky
staff writer
Strange things happen in Sherman,
N.Y. With just one restaurant on its
main drag and Amish crafts peeking
out of every window, you'd think
Sherman would be like the other
towns I've visited: a sleepy country
town, possibly with some historical
interest. On the contrary, Sherman is
the summer home of some of the
strangest events on earth.
Before telling you about the truly
out of this world happenings in
Sherman, I suppose I should tell you
something quick about the town
itself. Sherman is just a 20-minute
drive up Route 430 (Station Road)
from Behrend. Station Road is
Sherman's "Main Street" and
virtually every store in Sherman is
there: one antique store, Graham's
Sure-Fine Markets, the Sherman
Hotel and the Corrall Restaurant,
among others.
Graham's Sure-Fine will remind
you of Roseanne's store from
"Northern Exposure. - It is tiny and
jam-packed with general food staples
and household needs. And locals! It
is full of locals who will look at you
curiously. The Corrall Restaurant, at
100 E. Main Street, was also full of
locals. It had general American-fare
like roast beef, meatloaf, and pizza.
While the food was nothing out-of
the-ordinary, our waiter, Jason, was
more than spectacular.
Hot Spots in Erie
e Erie Zoo is !coati
by Karl Benacci
features editor
Erie is the home of a lot of great
wild animals. If a person looks hard
enough, one can find deer, possum,
raccoon and fox.
Not many people know, however,
about the tiger, bear and monkey
population in Erie.
Yes, that's right, there's a place in
Erie where tigers, bears and mon
keys reside.
Where? On 423 W. 38th St.,
which is home to the Erie Zoo.
The Erie Zoo began in 1924 and
Road...
the locals in Sherman, N.Y.
-rm.n NY i . one-rf My I. y • h. r-. f- ii y
You may wonder why the locals
(other than Jason) look at you
curiously in Sherman. And they will
look at you curiously. Well, it's
because the Sherman-ites have been
subjected to years of outsiders
rampaging through their little town to
attend the many music and
"alternative festivals that have
The Erie Zoo
, st 38th Street
is home to more than 300 animals,
ranging from bats to rhinoceros.
The Erie Zoo has something for all
ages.
There's a petting zoo for young
children, where one may interact and
even pet goats and other small ani
mals.
The Erie Zoo is open from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas
Day and New Year's Day. During the
summer months, the zoo is open un
til 6 p.m. on Sundays.
There are a number of zoo attrac
tions, including refreshment stands,
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Friday, November 16, 2001
occurred in the town's outskirts.
The Great Blue Heron Festival is an
annual music festival held in the
backfields of Sherman, N.Y. A few
years back, I attended and had a
smashing time, camping and watching
non-stop bands on stage. Their under
developed website
www.greatblueheron:com
a gift shop, a carousel and a train
ride.
Admission to the zoo is cheaper
during the wintertime (during the
off-season); an adult ticket costs $5.
Tickets are $5.50 during the prime
season
The Erie Zoo is also home to a
number of seasonal events, includ
ing Zoo 800.
Big cats and wild monkeys are
definitely a great combination, mak
ing The Erie Zoo this week's Hot
Spot in Erie.
PHOTO BY KELLY WALSH
:, ; ?rommi
roma
But I promk:ed von strange, right?
And it gets much stranger than the Blue
Heron Festival. "there arc many
alternative festivals that converge on
the fields of Sherman every summer,
but none compares to X-Day, put on
by the Church of the Sub Genius. The
Church of the Sub Genius, led by the
Reverend Ivan Stang, is a mock
is at
`Sin'sational
happenings
the Studio Theatre
The Behrend Studio Theatre will hold auditions for the
play "Sin," on Nov. 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Nov. 29,
from 5 to 7 p.m.
The play, which was written by Wendy MacLeod, is set
in San Francisco on the eve of the famous earthquake in
1989. The work is a contemporuy morality play featuring
"Avery Bly on High," a helicopter traffic reporter who is
attempting to keep herself above life's messiness.
"From the sky the world is perfect," says Avery, but on
the ground she is surrounded by people who are less than
perfect.
Her soon-to-be-ex-husband is a charming alcoholic, her
roommate is a glutton, she's trapped daily on a helicopter
with an envious co-worker, and her blind dates are
disasters. -
It takes her dying brother to make her see that pride is
the deadliest of sins, and it takos an act of God to bring
her back dow
The play wi,
with perform
and on Feb. 1
There are ei,
open. Staff any
Scripts are ai
contact Tony
6279, or by e '
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
••••+•••••••••••4peSio,••00,1•••044.••••
Karl Benacci, Features Editor
religion that has gained popularity as
it makes fun of, well, everything
anyone could possibly stand for. At
www.subgenius.com you can find
out more than you will want to know
about the prophet J.R. Bob Dobbs
and his religious teachings. You can
find out more about X-Day at
www.modemac.com/x-day/xxx
day.html (and you can ignore most
of the warnings, it is not a porn site,
I promise).
But what is X-Day? Here is a clip
from the X-Day Website to give you
a clue: "X
-Day is coming! The
Blessed Day when the Alien Sex
Goddesses shall at last arrive on
Earth and proceed with THE
RUPTURE! All card-carrying, Truly
Ordained, PAID UP Sub Genius
Ministers shall be SNATCHED UP
into the Cosmos to spend Eternity."
July, 5, 2002 will be the fifth X-
Day, as it is the fifth time J.R. Bob
Dobbs has predicted the coming of
the sex aliens.
As you can see, the residents of
Sherman, N.Y., have every right to
be suspicious of those they don't
know. I also wonder what Sherman's
Amish population thinks. To this you
might hear the Reverend Ivan Stang
recite the Sub Genius motto: "F*#&
`em if they can't take a joke!" So,
up for some alien sex-goddess
worship? Or just some fine Amish
crafts? Either way, head on up to
Sherman, N.Y. next summer and
scare the locals. Until next time...
by Karl I:kiiscei
features editor
behrcolls @aol.com
ate,
lies are
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898-
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