Sunday, June 11th
Latrobe, Pa to Harrisburg, PA
Great times in Latrobe. The biggest story in town was the sale of Rolling Rock to Anheuser-Busch. I truly believed that if you ordered a Budweiser product in town you would get your tail kicked, western Pa does not kid about this stuff. Here a story from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Latrobe lamenting loss of icon
Saturday, May 20, 2006
By Cindi Lash, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As residents and business owners in Latrobe, Kevin and Joyce Stern understood the hometown pride that prompted friends who'd relocated to Southern states to beg for shipments or suitcase stashes of Rolling Rock beer.
The Sterns, who own a computer business in the Westmoreland County city, laughed yesterday at the memory of sending cases of Rolling Rock to friends who balked at paying $14 for a six-pack after the green-bottled brew became trendy in their towns.
But their laughter faded as they and their customers mused over the uncertain future facing so many friends and acquaintances now that new Rolling Rock brands owner Anheuser-Busch plans to shift production to its plant in New Jersey.
The historic Latrobe Brewing Co. plant, where Rolling Rock was produced and generations of Latrobe families worked since 1939, is now for sale.
"It's an icon. It's the identity of this town,'' Joyce Stern said. "[News of the sale] has been the talk of the town all day long.''
Like so many other towns in Western Pennsylvania, Latrobe has experienced its share of businesses and factories that shrank or disappeared, of job losses that forced relatives to move away, of empty storefronts and residential streets that sprouted "For Sale'' signs.
But many residents said Rolling Rock's pending departure is particularly stunning because they didn't see it coming and because they share a common belief that Latrobe is famous for being home to the Steelers training camp, Fred Rogers, Arnold Palmer and Rolling Rock.
"Oh, my God, [community ties to Rolling Rock] are strong. There's so much tied up in it here,'' said Roy Burk, who with his wife, Kathleen, runs the Mozart House restaurant on Main Street. "Rolling Rock was the city.''
Mr. Burk learned of the sale of the brands and brewery shortly after the morning meeting in which plant workers were notified. The sprawling plant on 33rd Street -- named for the mysterious "33" painted on Rolling Rock bottles -- shut down for the day while heartsick workers spread the news to families and friends.
"There were rumors for a few days,'' Mr. Burk said. "But as soon as the meeting was over, the news was all over town. [People] are really upset because it was the biggest employer in town and the biggest-paying job.''
Through the day, workers, retirees and residents streamed in and out of the Mozart House to sip coffee and swap guesses about what would happen next. Ditto for Frank's Lounge at Main and Ligonier streets, where a neon "Rolling Rock'' sign glows in the first window and a "Rolling Rock'' stencil graces the mirror behind the bar.
Some said they believed the $14.5 million spent in 2002 to upgrade the plant's packaging line would make it attractive to other beer makers or bottling firms. Others said they were heartened by Mayor Tom Marflak's pledge to offer tax breaks to a new owner.
But still, they worried about what could happen to their friends and their city of about 8,900 if a buyer does not emerge right away -- or at all.
They grumbled that so many townspeople already must drive long distances each day because they can't find jobs close to home. They stewed over potential lost taxes and shrinking water bills and the city's ability to pay for police and street maintenance.
And some vowed to change the habits of a lifetime.
"A customer who drinks nothing but Rolling Rock came in and switched today to Coors Light,'' said Crissie Eagle, manager of Frank's Lounge. "I think Coors sales will go up now because everybody's so [ticked].''