Reunion – The Shawshank Misdirection – Forever Youngstown – August 27, 2020

 

Karen and I met her cousin, Dave, for breakfast this morning at a local Greek restaurant called Cosmos.  Properly socially-distanced, we ordered a hearty meal (the spinach and feta omelet must have had a half dozen eggs in it) while Karen and Dave compared family stories.

After breakfast, we visited Karen’s Aunt Carol (Dave’s Mom, and Karen’s Mom’s sister). Karen had not seen her aunt in more than 50 years before today. In accordance with strict protocol, only Karen and Dave were permitted (only two visitors at a time) to sit with Aunt Carol. I’m sure she enjoyed the company. It was great to see the small family reunion in the shaded outdoor patio.

 

We left Fort Wayne at noon. Karen, in her capacity as navigator of the trip, set a course for us that took us due east on State Highway 30. A couple of hours later, she awoke from a brief snooze to find that I had somehow wandered off course. Somewhere just west of Mansfield, OH, we were now headed south.

Mansfield is known outside of Ohio for a few notable reasons. In the 19^th century, it was considered the ‘carousel capital of the U.S.’, due to its manufacturing of merry-go-rounds. Karen also informed me that in 1945, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart staged their high-profile wedding at a farm called Malabar, near Mansfield. In a more recent era of cinema, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was filmed in and around the Mansfield area, including the Gothic style Ohio State Reformatory building.

After consulting with Karen, we reversed course and got onto some local two-lane roads to get us back to the correct highway. One positive by-product of this error is that we got to see some small towns that we’d normally pass by.

Bucyrus, OH is one such place. It’s mottos, “The Small City in the Middle of Everywhere”, and “The Bratwurst Capital of Ohio” pretty much sum things up. The Wikipedia entry for the town’s ‘notable residents’, lists ‘Nate Thacker – high school graduate’. Enough said.

 

Further east, we also got to see the thriving metropolis of Massilion, OH. Going back even further in movie history, one of the main streets in this town is named for Lillian Gish, who spent a short time living here in the early 20^th century.

As we got close to Youngstown, OH, the skies opened up and the rain came down. We decided to call it a day and get a hotel. We found a place next to a cemetery, so it should be quiet. Speaking of quiet, we went to a local fish and chips place for dinner and found ourselves to be the only people in the dining room.

 

The rain cleared up for awhile just after dinner, but as I’m typing this note, the lightning and thunder are crashing and the rain is coming down in torrents. Time to say goodnight!

 

Next: Oil City, PA, then Southbound…