GREAT BEND, Pa. – It was a quiet day on the campus of the Blue Ridge School District thanks to the winter weather. But a snow day for students does not mean a snow day for some businesses along Main Street in the borough of Great Bend.
“It's a curse and it's a blessing all at the same time. We're in the same weather as you guys are too. It's icky and nasty and we have to go out and get it ready for you guys to come in,” Daniel Glezen Jr. of Stone’s Trustworthy Hardware said.
All of the winter weather essentials are on display at Stone's Trustworthy Hardware. And a few storefronts down, employees at Mr. Tire Auto Services are working hard, too.
“We never get a snow day. As a matter of fact, this is a busy day for us with the snow, the sleet, and the ice. Definitely increases sales because out there it's treacherous,” Dennis Granger of Mr. Tire Auto Services said.
The borough takes care of the streets, but volunteers take care of the sidewalks.
Ronald Welch woke up Tuesday morning and decided to help out his neighbors. He said he'd rather shovel all snow, than an icy, sloppy mess.
“I've got all up Main Street in Great Bend. A couple of the back streets,” Welch said.
It seems many here in Susquehanna County agree that the wintry mix makes things a whole lot more difficult than just plain snow.
“It's so icy, lots of times you can't really put rock salt or calcium chloride down on dirt because it turns into mud. So we put sand on it or some sort of anti-skid like that," Glezen said.