I just returned from my annual trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio, with my friends Susann Barker, Tammy Herb and Kathy Phillips. Before COVID I went with Susann and two other friends and now we four are the fearless or fearsome four depending on what day of the week it is.
I want to go everywhere, see everything and do everything. I believe I am a sojourner here on Earth, a person who resides temporarily in a place. In other words, I am a tourist and I don’t want to miss anything. Jack Kerouac said, “All of life is a foreign country,” and it is true; each day is a new day to explore.
When I had to give up driving a few years ago it would have put an end to my wandering, but because of a wonderful family and amazing friends I havenât missed anything. Iâm so grateful that they lovingly take me along.
On our way to Sugarcreek, we leave early in the morning and stop at Popâs Greasy Spoon in Alliance, Ohio, for breakfast. It doesnât sound like a good choice, but we found Popâs a few years ago when we were so hungry that a greasy spoon sounded appetizing. Popâs motto is “Itâs not healthy, but it tastes so good.” That is truth in advertising.
I always get biscuits and gravy. Many years ago when I lived in Virginia I learned to love cornbread, biscuits and gravy and grits.
The food was great at Popâs so it is now our go-to for breakfast.
Tammy is our designated driver and photographer, so she deserves stars in her crown just for putting up with all our in-put. Four independent, opinionated women in an enclosed space and each one having a suggestion or idea.
We always stay at the Dutch Host Inn, and I highly recommend it.
We spend two nights and receive a coupon book that we take to the local businesses and we get free goodies like a pound of bologna, a pound of cheese, jar of jelly and a whole carload of fun stuff to bring home. The coupons for freebies get us in the stores, and since we are in the store we do a lot of looking and shopping.
Because it doesnât take much to amuse us, Tammy took our pictures with a huge metal buffalo, a stuffed bear and a plastic horse.
Tammyâs car is a Honda Fit and the trunk could not hold it all so we had some of it at our feet, but thatâs not a complaint.
With the temperature in the 90s, we opted out of the free miniature golf and instead went for an Amish buggy ride.
When we arenât eating, shopping, and talking we go to the Amish Theater. This year it was âSheep Thrills,â which is just plain down-home-on-the-farm humor with a ventriloquist Todd Oliver and his talking dog, a juggler, singer Donnie Abraham. When singing âIâve Only Got Eyes for Youâ he singled me out and I went up to the edge of the stage, and he held my hand while he sang. When the song was over he kissed my hand.
He made me believe I still got âitâ if only for a fleeting second. I know I was chosen because I was the oldest-looking woman in the front row and possibly in the whole 600-seat theater. Donnie not only sings well, he is very good looking. Age does have its privileges.
Lynyrd, a talented comedian who has played Las Vegas and other big-time places, keeps the show rolling along. Lynyrd came down in the audience and he talked to Tammy and Kathy asking them where they were from. When we get there next year we are going to ask him why he left Susann out and warn him not to do it again. Our fabulous foursome is a force to be reckoned with.
We are already making our plans for next year. Look out, Sugarcreek, here we come.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Carroll: Look out, Sugarcreek, here we come
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