Category: Local Businesses, Mon Valley Miscellany || By

It was nice of Greg Victor to quote the Almanac in the Sunday Post-Gazette's round up of local web commentary, "Cutting Edge."

But isn't there something perverse about newspapers reprinting days-old Internet comment? And I'm not just bitter because the P-G never hired me for any writing jobs.

At least I don't think I am. 'Course, I didn't think I was "cutting edge" either. Some days, my rapier wit looks more like a spoon.

. . .

They're Gonna Put You in the Movies: Last month, I noted that the upcoming Viggo Mortensen-Charlize Theron picture "The Road" was filming some scenes in Braddock at an abandoned car dealership.

Another little birdie, Alert Reader Glenn, now tells the Almanac that some location filming for "The Road" is underway on Huey Street in the city:

Coincidently I am reading the "The Road," about halfway through, and the book is not what I'd call a feel good book and I doubt the movie will be a feel good movie!

I have not been able to determine yet whether the setting in the book is an aftermath of a gigantic volcanic explosion, a meteor hitting the earth or a nuclear winter. But the bottom line is everything is nearly destroyed, covered in a gray ash and civilization is in chaos as a father and son try to make their way to the east coast via "The Road," to seek food, shelter and security.

Being the road they are traveling depicts destruction I wonder if McKeesport being a setting for the picture again doesn't depict Our Fair City as a disaster zone! Well then maybe on the other hand as I traveled through some of the neighborhoods.

Ah, Glenn, we've been typecast ever since "The Deer Hunter." We can play other roles besides post-industrial wastelands, but you know Hollywood.

. . .

Other Coming Attractions: Incidentally, it's worth noting that Kevin Smith recently did some filming up at the McKeesport Little Theater on Coursin Street for his upcoming movie, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." The MLT's building stood in for a community theater in New Jersey.

The title of that movie concerns me a little bit, and I hope all of the locals kept their clothes on.

Some of us in the Mon Valley need to expose less flesh, not more. We're less bow-chicka-wow-wow than the music they play for the clowns as they get out of their little car: doot-doot-deedle-deedle-doo-doo-doot-doot...

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Spell Bound: This weekend, the flashing message board in front of East Allegheny High School in North Versailles said "Reading is Knowledge."

Though I'm not sure exactly what that meant, it would have had more impact if whomever programmed the sign hadn't also misspelled Dr. Seuss' name. (The sign was also flashing the message: "Happy Birthday Dr Suess").

I can make fun of that because, of course, the Almanac never makes mistaeks.

. . .

I Go, You Go: Is the Washington County based CoGo's convenience store chain in trouble?

I ask because I stopped at a large Mon-Yough area location on Saturday and was disturbed to find the store was --- as they euphemistically say in the retail industry --- "overshelved." (There wasn't much merchandise for sale.)

And a sign posted near the coffee pots said the store would no longer be offering senior citizen discounts "due to the current economic situation in our company." Eeek.

It seems to me that CoGo's has a lot of relatively small, old locations, many of them in the center of a block, rather than on a high-traffic corner. And although I can't remember the last time I saw a new CoGo's location open, I know they've sold off some stores.

In the meantime, Altoona-based Sheetz has returned to the Mon Valley in a major way, while Giant Eagle continues to open "GetGo" stores everywhere it can find a flat piece of ground.

All of these factors, combined with the volatility in the retail gasoline business and the general economic slowdown, make it a rough time to be a relatively small operator like CoGo's.

For their sake, and their employees, I hope they turn things around.