TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 06/12/19
10:06 | BAUMEISTER
Abington The
JUNE 13, 2019
SuburbaN
INSIDE
Fishing derby snapshots See page 6.
T H E VO I C E O F T H E A B I N G T O N S
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES-TRIBUNE • FREE • WWW.ABINGTONSUBURBAN.COM
SAME PLACE, NEW FACE
ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Suburban Subplots
Potfors, henways and driving lessons
ChriStOpher DOlan / StaFF phOtOS
Casey Carrick gives his brother, Rick, a haircut at Jake’s Barber Shop in South Abington Twp. on Tuesday, June 4. Carrick took over the business after longtime owner Jake Palmieri retired earlier this month after 50 years in business.
Casey Carrick takes over the scissors at Jake’s By Clayton ovER StaFF Writer
SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — The more things change, the more they stay the same inside Jake’s Barber Shop. Collegiate pennants representing universities near and far, including Marywood University, Penn State and the University of Wyoming, still adorn the walls, as do pictures drawn by children, photos of young customers receiving their first haircuts and older ones with deer they’ve shot and fish they’ve caught. A new face, however, now greets everyone who walks in. Casey Carrick, a 1999 Abington Heights graduate, recently took over the scissors and shears at Jake’s after the namesake of the Abingtons fixture, Jake Palmieri, retired at the end of May. “He’s a legend,” Carrick said. “These are big shoes to fill.” For Carrick, becoming the barber at Jake’s, 401 Northern Blvd. , is something of a prophecy fulfilled and a circle closed. His first job was at Armetta’s
Casey Carrick wears scissors and comb cufflinks. Restaurant & Pizzeria, located across Center Avenue from where he now cuts hair. Carrick, 38, recalls a conversation he had with his dad, Richard, shortly after high school graduation. His father suggested pursuing a career as a barber, pointing to Jake as an example, Carrick said. “He said, ‘Look at him, he’s his own boss, he has no employees to worry about, he makes a nice living. You become a barber and maybe
someday, you could take over for him,’” Carrick said. “And here I am now.” Carrick, however, took a circuitous route to the profession. He worked in the restaurant business and eventually managed eateries for about a decade before he considered taking it up. While getting haircuts at Mackrell’s Barber Shop in downtown Scranton, Mark Mackrell, the owner there, suggested Carrick attend barber school and
come work for him. While the restaurant manager gigs paid well, Carrick said he wasn’t passionate about those jobs any more and he decided to go for it. After attending Carbondale Barber School and learning as an apprentice under Mackrell, he earned his barber’s license in 2017. Carrick quickly fell in love with the craft. He sometimes wears cufflinks that depict the Please see Scissors, Page 10
JUlIE JEFFERy ManWaRREn | SUBUrBan liFe
Picking up the pieces NEWTON TWP. — After an EF-1 tornado with 90-mile-per-hour winds touched down on May 29, many residents saw damage to homes and property. Members of the Ayers family were at the Red Barn Village when the storm hit. Bert Ayers saw the sky grow dark and went home where he found his wife, Nancy in the basement. “I didn’t think it would be quite this bad,” he said. “But I saw on my phone that there was some tornadic activity in Falls heading southeast. I knew we would be directly southeast of Falls. I ran up to get some battery operated lights out of the bedroom. By the time I got to the bedroom I
thought that was going to be a very big mistake because the house was shaking and I was afraid the windows were going to go. I got back to the basement and then the storm was gone. It was very, very quick.” The complex at Red Barn Village on Newton Ransom Boulevard is home to apartment buildings, Ayer’s Country Market, a bed and breakfast and miniature golf course. Ayer’s brother called to report that the roof of the bed and breakfast was gone. As Ayers made his way around downed trees and debris, he was able to assess the damage. “The gazebo was flattened, trees were down and
While browsing Father’s Day cards the other day at Walmart, I realized most of the ones I saw as a good fit for my father included “dad jokes.” That should tell you something about my father, Ed Baumeister. The funny thing about “dad jokes” is, they aren’t that funny. Which makes them hilarious. (Did we just go in a circle?) And my dad is a master of the “dad joke.” One of the times Ed Baumeister’s fatherly sense of humor was at its best was when he was teaching me to drive. “Now remember, ‘R’ is for right in front of you and ‘D’ is for directly behind you,” Dad said, pointing out the gears. I let out a courtesy laugh and told him he was the one who needed driving lessons. I then put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway despite Dad’s erroneous directions. As I steered down our dirt road, he exclaimed, “watch out for the potfor!” “Potfor? You mean pothole?” I said, taking the bait. “No, potfor,” he said, offering no explanation. I sighed and asked reluctantly, “What’s a potfor?” “It’s for cooking a henway in,” he said. “What’s a henway?” I asked. And finally came his punchline, “oh, about 4 to 6 pounds.” Groan. Dad also keeps a stash of classic one-liners up his sleeve like “if you don’t like my driving, get off the sidewalk.” Ha. “Did you hear the news?” he asked my brother and I one day. “FedEx and UPS are merging. They’re going to be called “FedUp.” Facepalm. And then there’s his favorite weather report: “Buffalo (New York) has four feet,” he says every winter during the first big snowstorm. After a pause, he clarifies, “buffaloes always have four feet – four legs, and four feet.” Okay, Dad. My dad is a king of this type of humor. But I know he isn’t the only one out there. Otherwise, “dad jokes” wouldn’t be a thing. So, in honor of Father’s Day, I went in search of the best (meaning worst) “dad jokes.” I scoured Google, asked my Please see Jokes, Page 10
What’s inside Calendar ........................ 2 Court notes .................... 2 Suburban Family ............. 3 Contest .......................... 3 Obituaries ....................... 4 Churches ........................ 4 Just For Fun .................... 8 JUlie JeFFery ManWarren / FOr aBingtOn SUBUBan
A gazebo on the property of the Red Barn Village in Newton Township was flattened by a tornado that struck the property. A pile of trees sits in the distance, another reminder of the storm. part of the roof was torn off the bed and breakfast,” Ayers said. “I know it’s cli-
ché, but it did indeed look bed and breakfast. We had like a war zone. Thank God Please see Pieces, Page 7 we had no one staying at the
Sports ............................ 9
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