Retired, they swap tales that get taller every day and remember the good times growing up in Penn Township, hard as they were. They celebrate a brotherhood and a friendship that has survived years of wear and tear. They recall the days when milk and moonshine were both delivered to the doors of households.
They have paid their dues - fighting for their country, digging in the mines, working in the factories, toiling on the railroads.
Now, they come here to solve the world's problems.
'We get that done every morning, right here,' says Nundo 'Dry' Martini, gesturing toward Mel 'Peachy' Kukich and Ray Giacomel.
'Ray's nickname is 'Lover'; all the girls think he's cute, but I don't think he's any better lookin' than I am,' Martini says.
'They just want my money,' counters Giacomel.
Martini - who had a role in founding youth athletic leagues and is somewhat of a legend in Penn Township sports circles - and Giacomel worked in fertile township mines and at the Fisher Body automotive plant in West Mifflin. One of those mines was directly under the Festival Foods store.
Kukich labored on the railroad. 'My theory was, I never put the coal down there, so why should I go down there and get it out?' he says.
Mention 'Harrison City' to these three guys and they quickly and good-naturedly label it a 'suburb' of the village of Claridge.
But why, the men are asked, is Harrison a Cityâ¢
It is a question that launches more stories of days gone by, of the pivotal Forbes Road in the 1700s, of when the Wells Fargo mail route going up Raymaley Road (which today leads to a landfill) a few blocks outside 'downtown' Harrison City was considered a 'turnpike' between Hannastown and points west.
'(There was) nothing here then but some Indians and a few pioneers,' Martini says.
'Remember the log cabins downtown on Main Street where Lindsay's Funeral Home is?' Kukich asks. 'Lindsay's is one of the oldest buildings still around.'
'Before Lindsay, the only funeral director around was E.E. Barton,' Martini interjects.
'They called him 'digger,'' says Kukich.
'He was quite a character,' Martini continues. 'He liked to stop for a drink, and sometimes he'd send somebody from the club to fetch something from his hearse. The guy would come back in, all white and say 'there's a body in the back.'
'And he used to carry a tape measure around with him. When some of the new immigrants would first show up at a club, he'd just walk up to them and not say a word, just pull out the tape and start measuring. That guy would get his drink and get out of there fast.'
There is the briefest of pauses in the rapid-fire free-flowing conversation before Kukich says 'we still haven't answered the question. Why is Harrison a City?'
There appears to be no answer to the question.
Nobody seems to know, but everyone, when asked, refers to the 'History of Penn Township,' a book authored in 1982 by one of the community's most distinguished educators and a noted township historian.
The late John W. Mochnick was the high school principal with a passion for local history. He sheds a little light on the subject.
Harrison City is an unincorporated village west of Jeannette with just two traffic lights, encompassing but a few blocks in either direction of Route 130. It is governed by the Penn Township commissioners from a recently renovated municipal building which also contains a greatly expanded library on a campus that includes athletic fields, playgrounds and picnic areas.
The fire department, a pharmacy, a funeral home and a handful of other business outlets are located on or just off Main Street. The Penn-Trafford High School is perched high on a hill overlooking the town.
The Harrison part of the name came from Gen. William Henry Harrison, a successful military leader in the War of 1812 who would later serve just a few weeks as president before dying of illness in 1841.
In 1840, two men - John C. Rankin and John Lauffer - owned vast expanses of land (about 350 acres total) on either side of what is now Route 130, located in Huntingdon and Franklin townships.
Together, they carved out a plan for the village.
Rankin wanted 'city' attached to Harrison; Lauffer wasn't enthusiastic about the word but apparently surrendered to Rankin's wishes. No mention is made of Rankin's rationale or why it rankled Lauffer.
However, long before Harrison City was named, and even longer before Penn Township was incorporated (Feb. 23, 1855), an enterprising man named Andrew Byerly opened an inn at the request of Col. Henry Bouquet, the Swiss-born leader of British troops engaged in battles with American Indians.
It is believed Byerly established this 'Bushy Run' relay post in 1760 in what was to become Harrison City.
The Bushy Run Battlefield, just off nearby Route 993, is the location of one of the most pivotal clashes in the French and Indian War. This is the site of Bouquet's stunning conquest in early August 1763, after a surprise attack by warriors - the school district's mascot - of the Delaware, Shawnee and Seneca tribes.
Those American Indians had withdrawn from their siege of Fort Pitt to ambush Bouquet's troops.
Devastated by first-day losses, Bouquet devised a brilliant counterattack which brought him victory at Bushy Run by the end of the second day.
The site of that tremendous battle is just a mile or so from Harrison City. Bouquet's men had walked 17 miles from Fort Ligonier and were just that one last mile from a much deserved rest when they were ambushed.
Route 130 apparently began as a spur of Forbes Road, often referred to in the history books as the 'Great Road,' which led to Pittsburgh.
Thus, in its earliest incarnation - in the days of the French and Indian War - what is now Harrison City was the approximate site of a strategic way station, where travelers could find food and drink and rest their weary bodies.
They still can, even if they aren't on foot or horseback, or engaging in battles with American Indians.
Janet's Restaurant is at the corner of Route 130 and the Harrison City-Export Road, the hub of downtown Harrison City. Janet Whirlow opened the restaurant 27 years ago, and though she was among the first real-estate brokers in the area, her heart belonged to food preparation.
'It's that simple, I love to cook,' she says amidst the noise of a busy kitchen.
Sprinkled about the dining area is a cross-section of diners of all ages.
Russell Miller, 82 last month, and Bud 'Earl' Garlow, 81 next month, both of whom live in eastern Allegheny County communities, are tucked away in a corner, making one of their periodic visits to Janet's.
'We try and come out here about once every three weeks or so,' explains Miller. He and Garlow have been friends for so long they no longer remember how they met. Both men did some of their childhood running between Plum and Penn Hills, but work often brought them together into the Harrison City area.
Miller worked in land development, and Garlow was employed in heavy construction equipment supply.
'We pass up a lot of good restaurants on the way here,' Garlow says. 'The food is good, and it's a nice town. Janet makes such a pork chop dinner that I tell my wife I found someone who makes pork chops almost as delicious as she does.'
The drive doesn't bother either man.
'Sometimes, we're sitting here for a while, and one of us will look at the other one and say, 'Do you think we ought to go?' Then we'll both just start laughing, because there's no place we have to be at our age,' Miller says. 'But seriously, if I was ever going to live somewhere else it would be here.'
Attorney Steve Morrison, who has an office downtown, understands that concept. He and his wife Adele moved into Harrison Park about eight years ago.
'I had been with a firm on the North Side of Pittsburgh which opened an office on the East End and then Downtown, and I just decided I didn't want to make that trip anymore. So I traded in a commute that could be more than two hours for one that's about two and one-half minutes.'
They meet for lunch on occasion at Janet's, and both have cozied up to the general Harrison City environment.
'It's a nice, small-town atmosphere, and we can look outside and see some wildlife,' says Adele. 'It's also close to major highways that can take you in either direction.'
But Morrison, president of the local Rotary Club, also mentions something other residents bring up with a bit of a frown: the morning and evening 'rush hour' traffic which jams downtown.
'It's a growing area, that's for sure, but it's still got that country feel,' he says. 'We're not planning on going anywhere.'
However, Lynne McCutcheon and Melissa Fligger will indeed be planning on going somewhere as they enter their senior and junior years in high school, respectively.
They have joined McCutcheon's mother Mitzi and her grandmother, Dolores, for lunch at Janet's.
'It's a good area to grow up, and you always have friends nearby if you live in a development,' McCutcheon says, 'but sometimes it gets really crowded downtown, and the mall is far away.'
Notes Fligger: 'It can get boring with nothing to do because it seems like the municipal parks seemed to be geared for either little kids or senior citizens. There's not much for teen-agers. You have to go to the high school if you want to use a pool, but even that's only open three days a week.'
Jean Ann Elliott strolls up to the counter and takes an end seat, better to 'harass' Debbie Robb, the restaurant's full-time waitress. Elliott knows all about the growth of Penn Township because she works in the municipality's zoning office and grew up here.
'I come for lunch almost every day,' Elliott says. 'It's just a few minutes away, so it's convenient. The food is good, and Debbie's an excellent waitress.'
Elliott knows why more and more people want to live here and has insight into the particular challenges Penn Township faces because of its popularity.
'When I was younger, I think you could say you knew everybody, but I don't know if you could say that now,' she says. 'Everyone's still friendly, but I don't think everybody really knows everybody else - the way you used to.
'People who come to the zoning office tell us they are moving here because it's in the country, the taxes are lower and there's an excellent school district.
'But when you have that kind of growth, you've also got to provide expanded infrastructure. The district has to build or expand schools, and more services have to be provided in general. That puts pressure on taxes. Sometimes, you get the impression that people would like everything to stay the way it is just after they've moved in.
'There is still a lot of agricultural areas in the township but for how long⢠That's a concern the commissioners are addressing. One of the major problems is affordable housing development for seniors. And a recreation survey shows that people would like to see a swimming pool, a bike and skate track, picnic areas.
'Traffic is another major concern. Most of the people who live here probably don't work here. We are so accessible from the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. You only have to get to Pleasant Valley Road in Murrysville, and you're practically here. There are a lot of cars on the road.'
Ah, traffic.
Originally built in 1913, the Jeannette-Harrison City Road was 14 feet wide and paved with brick over a 4,800-foot section to facilitate use by horse-drawn vehicles. Shortly after construction began, plans to extend the road to Trafford were approved. By 1922, the brick was replaced with reinforced concrete and widened to 16 feet.
The Harrison City-Export Road was also brick in its first incarnation, but it too became all concrete in the early 1920s. Built in segments, the road ultimately connected the villages and created service to outlying villages.
In 1925, another road connected Harrison City with Manor, and all roads did - at that time - lead to Harrison City.
The conditions of those roads and the number of vehicles jamming the roadways in and out of Harrison City and surrounding Penn Township continue to draw a lot of attention.
'There is a 'rush hour' every morning and late afternoon,' says Bruce Light, Penn Township manager and a Level Green native. 'And it gets pretty jammed on Friday nights when there's a football game at the high school.
'We do get a lot of complaints about traffic, whether it's the volume or speeding. We've got a study going of that with PennDOT, and we're looking at what our options might be - widening Route 130, some turning lanes, more signals. Our roads are crowded, and some of them are just in horrific condition.'
Though most of the township's residents work elsewhere, there are popular local destinations in every direction, including Kistler's golfing range complex, Schramm Farms & Orchards and Zackel's Restaurant. It's when traffic funnels into Harrison City, especially on the winding 'S' curve on the Export Road, that the problem becomes obvious.
In a few years, Penn Township's population has grown from 15,000 to 19,591, which has meant pressure on the infrastructure and various woes, including traffic.
The commissioners, Light says, have begun to address the problem by assessing each lot a fee to help address the roadway system inadequacies and by 'going slow' on new residential development.
'We have great schools here, no doubt about that,' Light says. 'We are in a rural atmosphere, taxes are lower, and we have a tremendous amount of people interested in moving here from places like Penn Hills. But we've got challenges ahead, too. We need to get water lines extended; some of the wells are in really poor shape. We need to address the need for sewage collection and treatment.
'We're also charting our recreation services, and we expect to be hiring a recreation director.'
There are 92 miles of roadway in Penn Township; still, despite all the residential development, there remains a considerable amount of open space, Light says.
A bumpy drive up Raymaley Road - one of those roads in terrible condition - leads to one of the township's highest points, a spot where the twain meets, where rolling open green land is separated from rows and rows of houses by a singular tree line.
Along the way, you'll pass a place with a cow on its roof.
Anthony Pecora says he liked growing up on the family farm near Harrison City. The first man to hold the rank of detective in the township's police department, Pecora also has deep roots in farming.
'There used to be about 25 active dairy farms between here and Route 22, and now there's just us in the township,' Pecora says, seated at a full-service store and restaurant he opened late last year along Raymaley Road. Here, you can get gourmet ice cream created especially for Pecora customers.
This is the roof upon which the cow is perched.
'I just never wanted to get out of the business. I've always wanted to see it grow and tried to improve it. We're taking a financial risk, but we think it's worth it.'
The Pecora farm is a family affair with help from wife Barbara and sons Attilio, 24, and Anthony, 16. Daughter Angela, 21, has also helped out over the years.
Attilio will soon marry and is interested in continuing farming the land.
'We also haul milk every day from about eight to 10 farms for Turner (Dairy),' Pecora says.
'Everybody pitches in, so it's not full time for everyone,' he adds, noting that his children have been active in 4-H and attended specific agricultural programs sponsored at Derry Area High School.
About 100 acres of feed is grown for the dairy herd.
Pecora sees both sides of the evolution in the Harrison City area.
'I don't think you can get much better,' he says about living in this vicinity. 'The schools are good; the services are good. Crime has changed, but it's no worse than anywhere else. Some days are good on the farm, bad on the job, and some days are the other way around.'
Back at Pitaso's, the boys reminisce how baseball teams in the 1920s and '30s provided the chief entertainment and community rallying point. Every village had one, from Harrison City to McCullough to Claridge and stretching to mining communities through the region.
Things have changed.
The stadium floor at Penn-Trafford High School is a sports-turf blend, an artificial surface still new, sparkling with lush green color. There are - these guys know - rules about who can play there and what you must wear when you do play there.
'This is how different it is,' Giacomel says. 'We played in pastures and sometimes you had to clean away all the cow-- before you could play.' Or, Kukich says, 'if it was hard enough, you made it one of the bases.'
'Every coal mining town had a team. Remember, there wasn't any television back then,' adds Martini. 'There were always big crowds for the game.'
Martini, who once worked his way through several professional baseball organizations, still plays in an old-timers league. Things aren't the same there, either.
'In my softball league, three of the guys in the infield died within the same year. I walked up to my first baseman and said, 'Who's next?' He looked right back at me and said, 'I hope it's not me.''
And they all laugh again before switching gears.
'I used to hunt deer on this spot,' Martini says.
'But this is a nice place with all the stores. You have the bank, the pharmacy,' notes Giacomel.
All three agree, 'You want to stay out of Harrison City between 4 and 6 p.m.' because of the traffic.'
'You go far out of your way to avoid it, or you just don't go anywhere then,' Giacomel says.
'But it's still a great place to live,' says Martini.
Even if nobody knows why it's called Harrison City.
Gerard DeFlitch is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review.
