Pinch Penny Pub

Drove by Pinch Penny Pub this evening and the parking lot was pretty full. Guess a lot of locals are stopping by one more time before the place shutters tomorrow night. By my count, that leaves fourbars in downtown Carbondale, four if you count Tres Hombres:  Cellar, PK's, Hangar 9 and Trax.

The Southern Opinion Page

Noticed that the Southern has removed or discontinued its opinion page for the past couple of weeks. Do not not remember seeing any notice from the paper as to why they had dropped it or when/if it would. I rather miss the letters to the editor as some of the screeds published from various letter writers were, unintentionally I am sure, quite humorous.

Downtown Transmodal Center

got to thinking about the planned transmodal center for downtown, given that the plans involve demolishing the building that houses Carbondale Cycle and Family Hair Center. Both businesses have occupied their locations for at least 15 years. Given how difficulty it is to attract business to downtown, I certainly hope the city has plans to help the two businesses relocate to desirable locations.

Pinch Penny Pub

Just a reminder that this is the last weekend EVER to visit Pinch Penny Pub. The 40+ year old bar shutters its doors at the end of the month. There does not appear any New Year's Eve event scheduled at the bar to say "Farewell" though.

Christmas Tree Recycling

If you want to recycle your Christmas tree, the city will accept them from Jan 2 through Jan 31. Strip all of the Christmas decor from them and leave them out on your normal refuse and recycling day. Note that this applies to your live tree only. The only way to recycle artificial trees is to take them one of the thrift shops in town or put them in your trash.

Town Square Lights

Really would like to see the city do something with lighting the town square. The new lamps along Illinois avenue brighten up the streetscape nicely but the square is still very dark. Not inviting at all. The Christmas lights do improve its appearance but they will probably vanish after the first of the year, leaving the square bleak and dark after nightfall again.

Hwy 127

Now if they want to do some work on 127, I would really like to see them add another lane to where 127 and Old Hwy 13 intersect. Lines early in the morning and late afternoon can back up a  quarter mile with people trying to get onto Hwy 13.