Anyone remember this bar in Homer City? (Indiana, Riverside: house, high school)

[janet14]

Hello,

I'm from Michigan but I have relatives who have lived in Homer City, MI for many decades, they migrated here from Italy in the 1920s.

I've lost touch with these relatives over the years, especially after my mom died.

I've been thinking about Homer City lately, and I recall with fondness a bar/restaurant that my mom's cousin used to own, it was a pizza place called the Out of the Way Inn. It was small but they made the best pizza there!

I know it's been gone for many years but just wondering if anyone remembers it anymore? I'm 42, and I know it closed when I was still a teenager, but I just was thinking about it.

Also, does anyone know of any Battistelli, Centi or Giampetroni family members living out in the Indiana area? Those are my mom's relatives.

Thanks!

[sudsy]

Originally Posted by janet14

Hello,

I'm from Michigan but I have relatives who have lived in Homer City, MI for many decades, they migrated here from Italy in the 1920s.

I've lost touch with these relatives over the years, especially after my mom died.

I've been thinking about Homer City lately, and I recall with fondness a bar/restaurant that my mom's cousin used to own, it was a pizza place called the Out of the Way Inn. It was small but they made the best pizza there!

I know it's been gone for many years but just wondering if anyone remembers it anymore? I'm 42, and I know it closed when I was still a teenager, but I just was thinking about it.

Also, does anyone know of any Battistelli, Centi or Giampetroni family members living out in the Indiana area? Those are my mom's relatives.

Thanks!

I have lived in Homer City all of my life. The bar you are referring to was owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Gib Reed. Mr. Redd is no longer living. I believe he past away last year. Mrs. Reed is still living. The flood of 72 and 77 did alot of damage to their bar. Guy Battistelli graduated from Laura Lamar High School in 1955. He was inducted into the Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Have a great day and take care.
Sudsy

[feildtech]

The bar you mentioned was destoyed and location is basicly a flood zone. I used to drink ther in my younger days. Last owner now owns a resturant-bar in Indiana,Pa

[janet14]

Hi there,

It's me, janet14, I can't thank you enough for validating my memories. SO, basically the building is not even there anymore, then, correct?

Guy Battistelli was my mom's first cousin, as was Jenny Reed. I did receive word that Guy passed away shortly after the time of his death. My grandfather lived in Homer City until he left in the late 30s and came to Detroit to work for Ford. He was Dewey Battistelli, his sister, Mary, was Jenny Reed's mother.

I vaguely remember talk of flood damages in the early 70s, I would have been about 9 or 10.

I was so sad to hear that my grandfather's childhood home, which was located near a RR track and sat in front of a large lot with lots of acerage and a little creek (can't recall the name of the street but I remember the house vividly) had been damaged and eventually torn down.

I hear there are still some relatives out there in the Indiana area, but that's all I know.

My uncles tell me it would be hard to go back there because basically, nothing is left from how I remember it, but I still vow to make the time to drive out and take a look around there one of these days!

The author Tom Wolfe may have said you can't go home again, but darn it, I want to see Homer City once more as it was a place of such fun and happy memories for my cousins and me! Thank you again, both of you!

[fatty]

As I read this post my mind travels back to a warm summer evening in Homer City during the mid 1970's. Making my way over the bridge and on to Riverside drive, I can see what looks like a small house just off the road in a gravel lot, the sign says "Out Of The Way Inn". Through the screen door you can almost smell the fresh pizza and hear the sounds of clanging bottles and the familiar voices of the people of the past.

As you turn to look accross the street there is Paul and Mary Jane Piccolini's home, Pauls 1968 Ford Torino sits in the driveright next to his oldest boy Chuuk's VW Beetle. As you walk around the the corner onto Sunrise Past Guy jr.and Peggy's place you come to a stop in front of Gib and Jenny Reids home.You can almost hear the sound of an accordian playing the beer barrel polka. through the shadow of darkness you can look in on what seems like 40 people laughing and dancing in the brightly lit garage.You seem to know them all, there's Billy and Mary lou, there's Tony there's Paul and Mary Jane and Susie and Tina and Chuuk and Tony. There's Barb and Guy and Mark. At a Table near the back you can see Ray, Dewey, Guido, Vic, Mary, Ida, Rose and Tony Centi all singing and laughing. You can hear the familar voices of kids playing hide and go seek off in the darkness.

Janet14 - Your uncles are probably right, but most of us try at sometime in their lives to go home again. And also like most people perhaps there'll be an occasion, maybe a summer night sometime, when you'll look up from what you are doing and listen to the distant music of an accordian, and hear the voices and the laughter of the people and the places from your youth. And you'll smile then too because you'll know it is just an errant wish, some wisp of memory that you hold on to and recall from time to time that reminds you who you are.

Fatty

[2wheels]

Janet, I live in homer city and know the batestelli's. Guy sr. Had two sons, guy jr. Who is 44 and mark who is 42. Guy lives in punxy and is a state trooper, and mark is still local. This town is still the same in the sense everyone knows everyone. If you need more info, please let me know.

[janet14]

Originally Posted by 2wheels

Janet, I live in homer city and know the batestelli's. Guy sr. Had two sons, guy jr. Who is 44 and mark who is 42. Guy lives in punxy and is a state trooper, and mark is still local. This town is still the same in the sense everyone knows everyone. If you need more info, please let me know.

Hi 2 Wheels, thanks for the update! I haven't looked on here for quite awhile, but if you get this note, I am hoping you can tell Guy Jr. and Mark their 2nd cousin Janice (Dewey's granddaughter) remembers them and says hello. They may better remember my little (well, he's certainly not so little anymore) brother, Mark, who they used to call skins because of his buzz haircut. My brother and my other male cousins blasted Mark & Guy's dad's house with blueberries when we were kids...(I'm Guy's age).
*** sigh...kids***

Anyway, My hubby and I are actually looking out that way as Detroit is drying up all around us and my hubby is in the powdered metal field, he's a metallurgical engineer, and we were told he could find work in PA easier than out here....

How is my mom's cousin, Jenny Reid doing, does anyone know? Last I heard, not so well.

Are there any of the old landmarks from there still around? The creek? The old bridge? I wish I could see some pix of the old homestead, even if it's not the same.

Thanks again!!

[janet14]

Originally Posted by fatty

As I read this post my mind travels back to a warm summer evening in Homer City during the mid 1970's. Making my way over the bridge and on to Riverside drive, I can see what looks like a small house just off the road in a gravel lot, the sign says "Out Of The Way Inn". Through the screen door you can almost smell the fresh pizza and hear the sounds of clanging bottles and the familiar voices of the people of the past.

As you turn to look accross the street there is Paul and Mary Jane Piccolini's home, Pauls 1968 Ford Torino sits in the driveright next to his oldest boy Chuuk's VW Beetle. As you walk around the the corner onto Sunrise Past Guy jr.and Peggy's place you come to a stop in front of Gib and Jenny Reids home.You can almost hear the sound of an accordian playing the beer barrel polka. through the shadow of darkness you can look in on what seems like 40 people laughing and dancing in the brightly lit garage.You seem to know them all, there's Billy and Mary lou, there's Tony there's Paul and Mary Jane and Susie and Tina and Chuuk and Tony. There's Barb and Guy and Mark. At a Table near the back you can see Ray, Dewey, Guido, Vic, Mary, Ida, Rose and Tony Centi all singing and laughing. You can hear the familar voices of kids playing hide and go seek off in the darkness.

Janet14 - Your uncles are probably right, but most of us try at sometime in their lives to go home again. And also like most people perhaps there'll be an occasion, maybe a summer night sometime, when you'll look up from what you are doing and listen to the distant music of an accordian, and hear the voices and the laughter of the people and the places from your youth. And you'll smile then too because you'll know it is just an errant wish, some wisp of memory that you hold on to and recall from time to time that reminds you who you are.

Fatty

Hi dear cousin Randy, I LOVE your memories, they so parallel mine, weren't those the happiest days for us??? ** sigh ** I hope the old gang of Battistellis are all up there singing and clanging their bottles in the big bar in the sky, with Uncle Vic's accordion jamming, too, of course! (Of course, my dear mom would still be reminding me to act like a lady and not dance quite so wildly, hee hee.)

[pinetar10]

Originally Posted by janet14

Hi 2 Wheels, thanks for the update! I haven't looked on here for quite awhile, but if you get this note, I am hoping you can tell Guy Jr. and Mark their 2nd cousin Janice (Dewey's granddaughter) remembers them and says hello. They may better remember my little (well, he's certainly not so little anymore) brother, Mark, who they used to call skins because of his buzz haircut. My brother and my other male cousins blasted Mark & Guy's dad's house with blueberries when we were kids...(I'm Guy's age).
*** sigh...kids***

Anyway, My hubby and I are actually looking out that way as Detroit is drying up all around us and my hubby is in the powdered metal field, he's a metallurgical engineer, and we were told he could find work in PA easier than out here....

How is my mom's cousin, Jenny Reid doing, does anyone know? Last I heard, not so well.

Are there any of the old landmarks from there still around? The creek? The old bridge? I wish I could see some pix of the old homestead, even if it's not the same.

Thanks again!!

I would look into St. Mary's, PA for the powdered metal field. Its in Elk county and is a nice town. One company is Keystone Powdered metal. you can google it for more info and a contact number.
Are you talking about the bridge where you would get butterflies in your stomach when driving into town? if thats it, then it is gone. They have flattened it out and made a new bridge over the creek. Floodway Park is still there and is a nice park and they have made a nice trail for walking/biking that goes through homer city called the hoodlebug trail. The trail goes down by graceton/coral and goes the whole way up to indiana and connects near hoss's and the iup campus.

[wardrop]

I grew up on Jacksonville Road from 1960-1981. Just returned from visiting my parents. Acoording to the neighbors, Gib Reid is still alive. He's in a nursing home. Out of the Way Inn pizza was the best. Have never found anything like it, the cheese was really good.