Page 8 The Behrend Beacon On The Road... : eef, psychics and a bit of nightlife in Fredonia, NY by Melody Sherosky contributing writer Craving some Spinach Ripple ice cream? Want to get your dog blessed with the authentic remains of St. Francis? Looking for a little nightlife, beyond the Metropolitan? Look no further than Fredonia, N.Y., a college town just an hour from the dreary and familiar paths of Behrend. My friends and I arrived in Fredonia Saturday afternoon, and soon found ourselves in front of Aldrich's Beef and Ice Cream Parlor on Route 60 (right past the turn for "downtown" Fredonia). This was the first stop on our Fredonia tour, and we were happy to find several locals eating large portions of beef and ice cream at this terribly ugly restaurant. As you might imagine, the menu offered several beef items, but also had a section entitled "Chicken Parts. - I won't elaborate on the dinner but to say I would skip it and go straight to dessert. I had prepared myself for some interesting ice-cream options, and I was not disappointed. Aldrich's is well known for its ice cream, especially its annual April Fool's flavors. These ice cream flavors include bacon & eggs, chocolate spaghetti, pickles and cream, ice-creamed corn, and 'peachment Clinton-years special), among other appetizing selections. Newspapers write about these flavors annually, and the articles are pasted to the dining room wall for all to see. Of course, their regular 21 flavors would he more appealing to most. I tried ithe butter pecan and the peanut butter, both which I would recommend. Crista Hot Spots in Erie The Village Supper Club The Village Supper Club. located at 133 W. 18th St., offers live DJ music five nights a week by Ben Kundman editorial page editor If you're looking for a jumping place to go any night of the week, then head on down to The Village Supper Club located on 133 West 18' h St. Located a few blocks closer to Behrend than most of Erie's popular bars, the Village lets you spend a little less time sitting at red lights and a little more time throwing down beers. The Village's ambience could best be described as "classy." For the movers and shakers, Erie's largest gay club boasts a huge dance floor and a live DJ every Wednesday-Sunday. There is .0 , 0,-. ostcard from Fredonia, N.Y., home of chocolate spaghetti ice cream Williams (of Buffalo), one of my traveling companions, spoke highly of the peach, but said that the chocolate almond was skimpy on the almonds. While finishing our ice cream, we asked our young, blonde, high-school aged waitress for some information. But she said that nothing ever happened in Fredonia. We knew that was a lie; 10,000 Maniacs ample table seating for those who like to sit back and watch the action, as well as plenty of bar stools lining the fully stocked bar for the bar flies out there. The Village offers a wide variety of munchies for when the hops and barley aren't quite cutting it. They have popu lar bar foods such as wings, pizza logs, nachos, and greek fries. If you want to toss back a few for cheap during that lean time between summer job and book sell back, then I recommend heading down for the Long Island Iced Tea special Sunday nights. Trying out a • • • r?Zialid • A ' a s i rla 110.1111 Friday, October 26, 2001 and Natalie Merchant originated near Fredonia and, if nothing else, there was a sign in Aldrich's lobby reading: "Annual Steak. Ham and Turkey Auction, ladies welcome." As tempting as that sounded. we decided to head to "downtown" Fredonia. There are two parks at the center of Fredonia, and Water Street runs between Tea at The Village is the best way to find out how five kinds of liquor and a splash of Coke can somehow taste like iced tea. For those on a budget who are fans of "lower-octane" bev erages, the village offers Coors Light bottle specials Monday nights, Bud Light bottles Tuesday nights, Coors. Light draft Wednesday night, and. Labatts Blue bottles Thursday nights.! There is never a cover at The Vil lage, and the live DJ Wednesday-Sun-. day makes it the ideal dance spot. • ............. ~:, : ... - ~ \ '........:' e) ok.k them. If you follow Water Street past the opera house, it will lead you to Fredonia University. We asked around and I checked out the website but, much like Behrend, SUNY Fredonia had little going on over the weekend. We did, however, take note of the wonderful line of bars and clubs along the way. Apparently, Sunny's Club on Water Karl Benacci, Features Editor behrcolls@aol.com Street is worth the trip, espec , on Saturday nights. Cover is usually around $5 for 18-20 year olds, and just $1 if you're 21 and over. According to the girls I work with, who club it in Fredonia a fair bit, the music ranges from techno to rap and R&B. On the way back through town, we sat in the park and read the Dunkirk Observer. It had such blurry photographs in it that I almost did not believe it could be a legitimate newspaper. (Let's just say the Beacon puts the Observer to shame). While not visually pleasing, the Observer did inform us of an important animal blessing going on in nearby Sheridan, NY. It seems that a local church there will be blessing animals of all sorts, with an "authentic" bone fragment from the body of St. Francis of Assisi. Other news included "The Many Uses of the Versatile Cattail" and a question-only imaginary interview with Osama bin Laden. While we tried to find Fredonians who could explain such oddities, the only locals who seemed interested in talking with us were the teenagers in the Water Street Park. They too claimed that not much happened in Fredonia, but mentioned that we were only six miles away from Lilydale, the acclaimed psychic community. While I badly needed psychic guidance in winning the annual Steak, Ham and Turkey Auction, we decided to wait. After all, Lilydale might be a whole day trip in itself. Until next time...
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers