Summer is rushing toward Labor Day and thoughts are changing to school and the regular routine. I have enjoyed chatting with many of you on how you have spent the summer.

During our week vacation we took a road trip through Michigan to Chicago up to Wisconsin then to Pittsburgh and finally back to Huntington. I have grown accustomed to air travel from point A to Point B and forgot that you miss everything in between. It was a real eye opener to see the many towns and cities in between our destinations. My view of Michigan has been dominated by thoughts of Detroit and the auto industry. I have to tell you that Michigan also has a beautiful countryside. Carole and I have resolved to visit again.

Talking with bakery owners you get a real sense of challenges many communities are facing. We stopped at a bakery in Clare, Michigan where a 113 year old main street bakery was preparing to close when it was rescued by a partnership of some local police officers. They aptly renamed it "Cops and Doughnuts". They bought it to preserve a bit of Main Street.

We stopped in Milwaukee and had German food at Mader's restaurant, in business for 125 years. Interesting was the past of Milwaukee, an important shipping terminus when the Erie Canal was the main passage way to the west.

Finally we stopped in the small town of Beaver, Pennsylvania just outside of Pittsburgh. I have enclosed a picture of Main street in Beaver. The area has been ravaged by lay offs in the steel industry. Unfortunately this affects the young more than the older workers so this lovely area is losing a lot of its young population. In fact the county has one of the highest average ages in the country.

I came back to Huntington with a new appreciation for what we have as a community. I also have a new resolve to make Reinwald's Bakery a strong presence in our community in order to protect what we have. There is an old saying, "You never know what you have until you lose it." Huntington is very lucky to still have a vibrant town. I hope we can keep it that way. Without any reserve I can heartily recommend a road trip to anyone through our real America. The insight gained is priceless.

If you would like to see more pictures from the trip CLICK HERE.

Until next time enjoy your days,

Rich Reinwald
Reinwald's Bakery