Weekly Wrap

As submitted by Kerry Glenn on Facebook

By Magdalena Stuehrmann

This Saturday in the Parkesburg Today,  two tickets to the Lions Club Circus were offered to the first person lucky enough to identify the location and name of the old building pictured on the blog by noon on the fourth. Also in news about the fourth, residents were warned that no yard waste would be picked up this week to keep the area looking great for the holiday. The Parkesburg Lions Club made a generous donation of $250, to the library and residents were kept posted that the library would be closed in honor of the Independence Day holiday. The library’s June News was posted, alerting members of the community (including parents with children who need to be out of the house for a while) to various activities hosted at the library over the summer, including a poetry group, a knitting group, and an American Girl Club.

            This Friday, we were alerted to all the Fourth of July hot spots in Chester Country for planned fireworks, introduced to possible relief for the invasion of the stink bugs, which was my first post at Parkesburg Today, and updated on the situations of school budgets across the area. Administrators and teachers agreed to one-year pay freezes, though so far it looks like this has only occurred for administrators in the Octorara District. The day began with a reminder of the fireworks display in Minch Park around 9:30.

            This Thursday, we were treated to a picture of a flag-bedecked red barn, presumably in honor of the upcoming holiday, a whimsical photo out of a Strasburg Ave. window. We also met Mr. Gerry Treadway, a frequent contributor to Parkesburg Today and dedicated patriot, setting out extra flags in honor of Independence Day. We were updated on both the Octorara District budget (which includes $1.6 million in cuts) and West Fallowfield Christian School where 24 top achieving students were awarded the Presidential Education Award. Parkesburg's own The Tree Doctor, Mike Martorano, alleviated our confusion over the strange purple boxes that hang from trees on Route 41 – they are traps for the infestation of tree eating Emerald Ash Borers.

            Wednesday would have been a revelation day for many of us, if we weren’t already acquainted with the coffee addiction sweeping the globe! The world seems to love its coffee! It was also made apparent that some of us don’t feel safe enough in Walmart to leave our guns outside the store – the clientele of mothers, teens and families can sure be frightening!

            Tuesday saw the beginning of the Parkesburg fire company fair in Minch Park, and the opening of several rooms for rent at Parkesburg Arms – 42 rooms, 8 bathrooms and various common areas are features of the building. The history behind “TheFlats” was revealed as well as an excellent picture submitted by Parkesburg Today's frequent yet reluctant contributor, Kerry Glenn,  of the buildings, date as yet undisclosed.

            Sunday in the Parkesburg Today, the day care business, Curiosity Corner went on the real estate market, asking price $1, 300,000. Any takers, check out Loopnet.com for more details.

Packing Heat At Walmart

This story and dialog between a gun rights activist and two West Sadsbury police officers at the local Walmart a couple of weeks ago was posted on Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association bulletin board over the weekend.

The only reason to carry a gun at Walmart is to disperse the long checkout lines to get out of the place quicker. 

The likelihood of him having a positive impact on the outcome of a crime at the store is nill, zero, nada. 

This guy deserves a feature page on the People of Walmart. 

The complete, unedited story is below.  This ledger will help understand the acronyms used by the author:

• OC or OCing = Open Carrying
• CC or CCing = Concealed carrying
• LEO = Law Enforcement Officer
• LTCF = License to carry firearm
• MPOETC = Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission

Here's the question.  If you saw this guy carrying a gun in the store, would you call the police?

Sunday, June 19: After enjoying my first official Father's Day with my family I had to run out to Wal*Mart (Parkesburg / Chester County). So, my brother and I ran up to Wal*Mart. I'm OCing and he's CCing. We had grabbed what I needed and we were talking about buying some gold fish. So, we went on over to the pet section. While browsing around, I noticed out of the corner of my eye 2 LEOs approaching me. One female officer and one male officer.

Female officer: Hello.

Me: Hey.

Female officer: I bet you know why we're here.

Me: Kinda.

Female officer: You have ID?

Me: ::hands her my ID and LTCF::

Male officer: If you have a concealed carry license you need to be concealing your gun.

Me: I don't have a concealed carry license. I have a License To Carry Firearm.

Male officer: Yeah. So it needs to be concealed.

Me: ::hands male officer OC flyer / MPOETC update::

Male officer: What is this?

Me: This is your training that you took. Tell me where it says I must conceal my firearm just because I have a LTCF.

Female officer: OK. Well, you're not wanted and everything is OK. We were just called here because a customer had seen you walking around the store with a gun on your side. We know there's nothing we can do. But, why must you OC?

Me: Because I feel more comfortable OCing. Plus, it's hard to me to CC. ::covers my firearm with my shirt and has a huge buldge showing:: Wouldn't that make you more nervous seeing that weird buldge then knowing what's there?

Female officer: OK. I see your point. But, just consider how many people get nervous with you being so close to Coatesville and consider their crime rate.

ME: That's why I carry. Especially in this area. Because of their crime rate.

Male officer: This (OC flyer / MPOETC) doesn't say anything about having to conceal a firearm with a LTCF.

ME: Thank you.

Male officer / Female officer: Well, we're gonna get going cause there's real crimes being commited somewhere else. You guys have a good day.

Me / My brother: Thank you. You too.

Both officers were nice and professional. Except for the male officer insisting I needed to CC if I have a LTCF. The female officer was very nice. Neither of them once tried to take my firearm, put me in handcuffs or even hint that I was in trouble.

I'm pretty sure I know who called the LEOs on me. Cause he was following me around the store.

NOTE TO CUSTOMER: What I was doing (OCing) is 100% legal in PA. Know the laws before you start calling the LEOs and harrassing a law abiding citizen!