Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stay out of Danville. The entire system is very corrupt. Keep your elderly parents out of there especially since the current District Attorney Bob Buehner works in conjunction with the Department of Aging. If you're parent/parents are old and do something out of whack that they normally would have never done when they were younger, the police harrass them and contact the Dept. of Aging. The Department of Aging has a scheme. Either be committed in our aging facility (nursing home) or we'll make a recommendation to the District Attorney to file criminal charges. My father is feeble now from old age and he is in that situation. The Danville news media even misleads their article. My father was discovered apparently nude. He's old and is indeed feeble but he also has family. The police went to his home and harassed him. The Dept. of Aging threatened him with a be committed or go to jail card. The media posted my father's name and address and I had no choice but get him out of Danville. The press portrayed my father as some kind of pervert. He is not. He is simply old and confused. Than the D.A. heard from the Department of Aging that I got my father out of Danville and the very following day, charges were brought against my father. YOU TELL ME IF THAT ISN'T CORRUPT? You see, a nursing home gets your elderly parent's pension and property if that parent is committed to a nursing home. Somewhere along the line, the D.A. could possibly receive a kick-back for not filing criminal charges. My father was not arrested yet they claim he walked outside in front of neighbors, school children, a church but the officer didn't have someone that day who witnessed my father? Nobody brought charges against my father and suddenly, fifteen days after the incident supposedly occured, a witness is suddenly interested in filing charges? Be prepared if this happens to you. Do what I am doing now. Take it to the Feds. It is a scheme to defraud the elderly people. Put fear into elderly citizens to comply, committ them to a nursing home and take control of their financial assets and property. Not to mention the money the dept. of aging receives from government funds. Stay out of DANVILLE. If you need an Attorney, make certain that Attorney is experienced in Federal law and the Federal court system. Trust me, that is a big plus for me and it will be for you.
Has anything new been going on in Sunbury? I'm a bit worried as my dad said Bimbo (an honest to goodness name of a bread company) bought out Sara-Lee which in turn owns Holsum-Buttercrust. Word around the rumour-mill is that some of the Holsums in PA may close. My dad is concerned he will lose his job in a couple of years.
My father's family hailed from sunbury and he moved away in 1946 or so, but his relatives still live there...those that are still alive. I remember him talking about the Squeeze Inn and his tales of the 1936 flood--he was 16 at the time and he was pushed along in the flood waters and saved his own life by holding on to an old gas pump. When I hear you "posters" talk about the crazies of sunbury, I fear you may know my relatives, one especially was quite the hoarder and very odd, with a nasty nick name his whole life. anyway, you know how it gets after parents pass away, we long for their history. thanks for talking about sunbury!
Ok so calling the Unique people of the area Crazies is harsh, and I apologize. That's the beauty of families we all have our unique members. I was just back to Sunbury last week, it was quite a sight. I don't ever remember feeling uneasy about walking the streets, but I do now. I was curious about all the changes being made to the park, and wanted to know what was done with the large square boulder with the plaque on it. The stone came from the foundation of the barn that once sat on my family homestead, if memory serves me the plaque on it was about the boy scouts. It's not just our parents history we long for, it's ours as well.
Some of you mentioned "Ziggy", whom I believe prefers to be called Philip? Anyway, I live in Norry and a couple months ago was in Sunbury and saw him go into Burger King, buy something and walk out. He looked exactly the same as I remember he always did in the 70's, 80's and 90's and since then when I've seen him on occassion. It's hard to imagine Sunbury without him. I remember riding my bike all over Sunbury as a child, and going to the Strand and Rialto theaters for $.50 matinees. I remember a lot of things, my first cherry coke at McCrory's, Kix concerts, playing around on the elevator in Bowman's dept. store (Bittner building), Ice skating, swimming all summer at the pool. If you look closely and compare, you can find some improvements, such as McCann school of business where GrandWay/Zayer's was, the riverfront project, the new library, and some quaint new businesses.
Some of you mentioned "Ziggy", whom I believe prefers to be called Philip? Anyway, I live in Norry and a couple months ago was in Sunbury and saw him go into Burger King, buy something and walk out. He looked exactly the same as I remember he always did in the 70's, 80's and 90's and since then when I've seen him on occassion. It's hard to imagine Sunbury without him. I remember riding my bike all over Sunbury as a child, and going to the Strand and Rialto theaters for $.50 matinees. I remember a lot of things, my first cherry coke at McCrory's, Kix concerts, playing around on the elevator in Bowman's dept. store (Bittner building), Ice skating, swimming all summer at the pool. If you look closely and compare, you can find some improvements, such as McCann school of business where GrandWay/Zayer's was, the riverfront project, the new library, and some quaint new businesses.
Yep we use to call him "Phil" short for Philip and I think he last name was Bilbay or something like that? He supposedly use to dumpster dive at Amato's Pizza next to the old Strand Theater back in the day and a few other places for food. He also use to organnize the grocery carts down at Super Saver off of 4th street and was often spotted hanging out near Zayre and Wards, often in the dark shadows behind the store. Maybe he liked the Celotex aroma, who knows I'll never forget that smell!
Sunbury really went down the proverbial crapper, it's really a shame because it once was a nice city with a nice market street with lot's of nice stores and shops. I'm talking up to the 70's and that's about it, in the 80's or so it started taking a real deep dive.
Sunbury used to have a very strong manufacturing sector, which has faded to probably less than a third of what it once was, as many places have in the last 20 years or so.
They consolidated schools and empty elementary schools were renovated into apartments.
Shikellamy High School works miracles with a lame tax base. That's an honest perspective.
They're an ok school, with very little parental support from a majority of the community, which, if that improved, so would the quality of education there. They have a lot of school spirit and solidarity, a great football team and marching band. You hear from a lot of people who do nothing to help, but are quick to complain and criticize.
Sunbury has Shikellamy State Park, which is a real gem!! They dam up the Susquehanna with the "fabridam" every spring, and form a beautiful lake for waterskiing! You can picnic there and rent canoes and jet skis. There is a regatta every year, and a "cardboard regatta". There's a really neat contemporary building over the water on pilings that someone should do something with! There was talk of starting a nature center at the Marina, but the State is broke, and so on.. They have some great get togethers at the Sunbury Social Club over there (Annual Parrot Head party!) There is a small air-port and 2 large RV campgrounds on Sunbury City Island.
There's a winery down 890 now.
Much of the real estate is a steal, taxes are very reasonable. Hill section is pricier, safer, more landscaped, less business and industry. The hospital is (Again, there is a meme that the hospital is terrible)... Sunbury Community Hospital is a valuable employer and provides an extremely valuable service to the community...and they've been working very hard at improving and expanding facilities and services.
There are around a half dozen Volunteer, community fire companies, which really are "microcommunities"... like "Cheers"... all complete with "bar and grill" , very local flavor for clientele. These are fine community members and do-gooders who are very appreciative for any and all support of their members and donors.
There used to be a bus service that ran from Selinsgrove to Sunbury, but there wasn't enough support for that. There is a local taxi service, but it's pretty small time.
There is a strong social services presence due to subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled populations. There are two high rises in town for fixed income retirees, and a few group homes and nursing homes.
There are several decent restaurants, Jay's Tiffany's has the Senior citizens convinced with family style, and The Glass Onion is fabulous little place up by 9th and market, a sunbury native owns it, and it's good to make a reservation! There are a handful of bars that are a "handful"... and a few that are ok, not total dives. The "nightclub" the Peppermint Lounge burned down.
The old "Strand Theatre" is now "Phase One Graphics" and they do printing and graphics of marketing merchandise.
There's a PA Dutch Market selling bulk foods, and a little Asian Grocer.
The YMCA out on 4th street has a gym, a day care, indoor pool, and local swim teams meet there.
On 5th street, there is a beautiful new library, and the YMCA has an Arts center on 5th offering summer camps, and classes for adults in the arts.
Sunbury has an excellent enclosed ice-rink, a bowling alley (no more beer served in there).
The outdoor/canoe/bike shop is excellent local owned business. The Jasminaire boutique is still there selling minnetonkas and incense, rock tee-shirts, black light posters... (No more paraphernalia!)
The city is trying to dress things up. To make the city more aesthetically pleasing, a lot of gardening, and extensive bike/walking path along the wall that is awesome! They got new street lamps, widened sidewalks years ago in the down town. Plans in place for an amphitheater over the river. There's a great car show and street fair (Riverfest) every year.
Cameron park on market btwn 2nd and 3rd is very nice.
The fire company still does the Loving Care street fair w/ lots of food, and bands...
Two Weis grocery stores, one at Market and 2nd for locals to walk to, and a larger one out 4th street.
There is some local initiative to get Bloom U to put an annexed campus in town, maybe at the old human resources building on 4th and market.
There is so much beautiful grand old Victorian architecture, Federal style, and Arts and Crafts era...
Sunbury is the county seat of Northumberland, so the OLD courthouse and jailhouse are there.
People run it down, because there's been a lot of drugs and poverty affecting many families in the area, but that is a subjective experience, and not entirely accurate. There are colorful characters, people who are on disability, walking downtown, doing their local shopping and socializing. They probably make people scrunch up their nose and feel offended. The nose scrunchers offend me far more than the folks who walk around town.
The place will never improve if people keep calling it "Scumbury" and running it down as if it were a hell hole, and I hate to hear that kind of negativity. Sunbury is a great old city that has meant a lot to a lot of people. It's really mostly safe, and needs decent people to move in and give a 5hit rather than the local negative vibe (so common to the locals around here who are quick to say something negative about nearly anything). Many families have a black sheep or two who take too long to grow up... it has become pretty easy to fall into drugs and despair when there's so little economic activity.
I'm not from Sunbury, but I have family there, and i have made a lot of very good friends from the area, all very decent, family oriented people. I think it's a great little city. Very walkable (which is rare for a town ) and safe for the size and economy. I make it a point to go there, walk the downtown, eat at the OIP's, buy some stuff from the little markets that are there, bought a great bike from Runner's Roost.
Other people are quick to say only bad things about why everyone on the planet should just avoid the place, and then others get this idea and avoid the town. It's been this way for years, so it's had a hard time making a come back, because it can't shed that reputation. (People around here have a penchant for ugly ugly gossip, because they don't have much else to talk about.)
Things are changing, but people just are not on the ball yet. They are still waiting for someone to create them a "job"... and the new economy says, get off you butts and make stuff happen.
Sunbury really needs to attract creative, energetic positive people who can start up small businesses who will support each other throughout the down town. It's really poised for that right now, and when things start to take shape in a new, more localized economy, Sunbury will come out of this recession and will be sitting pretty in the near future. Enough people need to be shown how they can do positive things to make things better, even if they're just little things, and it will be on the up sooner rather than later. Meanwhile these sprawling "neighborhoods" (where people don't know their neighbors) still don't "get it". It's the suburbs that will be going to hell next. Full of people who can't see the value in local economies or shopping in a locally owned "downtown". They're the first ones to talk about how bad "scumbury" is in one breath, and in the next, moaning about the price of gas because they choose to work a half hour from home.
To you I say if you can't say something reasonably respectful of the situation, or do something to improve the situation, then do the world a favor and stay out of the conversation.
I lived in Sunbury my whole life also. Just moved out of town about a month ago. Ziggy is still walking around town. Just seen him the other day. The town is very full of crime now. I moved cause I have 2 daughters that I want to grow up safe and not have to worry about all the stuff I did. The school district is a joke. Murders, Drugs you name it, its there in sunbury. You would expect it in a big city but as small as Sunbury is its very bad town.
Wondering what area you moved to? Good luck if you're anywhere in central PA. It's all going down hill... I support revitalization efforts in Sunbury, and I think it's going to improve. I don't have kids now, so my experience is not yours, so please don't get me wrong... I'm not criticizing you for your choice to leave. No one can blame anyone for leaving to keep their kids safe. I hope your new community is able to attract and keep people who stay and actually do good things in the community that make a place safe and keep it from being exploited and left for dead...
Maybe places just keep going downhill because too many people think the solution is "pull the blinds" and complain? Isn't it just the ultimate solution to move somewhere that's better? What place just magically keeps getting better if, when the going gets tough, good people just up and leave? It seems it is always " up to someone else", and lots of places just continue to get worse. Things don't just "happen" to be better in some places. Sunbury needs more people willing to stay, and move in who can do things to make it a better place.
Maybe in the future more people see the need to be active to safeguard a community's well being. I think it's worth it to recover the Sunbury's and Milton's, Williamsports and Shamokin's and "Lewistowns" and other little old cities that have been left for dead since the "captains of industry" finished wiping their a55es on the environment and the workers in the area. Everyone still just looks down their noses at it as they speed by though. It's sad to me. These are still places called "hometown" for good people, and a place many would really prefer to be proud to call home and so I think that deserves a modicum of our humanity and respect that is really lacking.
Kids used to pick on Ziggy and he'd yell at them,
"Get the h*** goin'... You G***D*** Kids!"
What a character!! OMG it's hard to believe he's still around!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
