BARBERTON, OHIO:  Chicken Dinner Capitol of the Universe

THE GOOD LIFE  THE GOOD LIFE  THE GOOD LIFE  THE GOOD LIFE

            YOUR PERSONAL GPS
You might find your life's destination better if you remember
BUSINESS IS NEVER SO HEALTHY AS WHEN, LIKE A CHICKEN, IT MUST DO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SCRATCHING FOR WHAT IT GETS - Henry Ford

IT IS BETTER TO BE THE HEAD OF A CHICKEN THAN THE REAR END OF AN OX - Japanese Proverb

LAKE ANNA, BARBERTON, OHIO

In Barberton, Ohio today there are four chicken dinner restaurants.  They weekly serve SEVEN AND A HALF TONS of chicken. Their dinners are shipped around the nation, I once shipped them to Seattle.


I'LL CHANGE YOU FROM A ROOSTER TO A HEN IN ONE SHOT - Dolly Parton

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At the turn of the last century, Serbian immigrants opened Belgrade Gardens, selling what they claimed was the exact replica of the chicken they knew in Serbia.  Helen DeVore, who worked for the Topalsky's at Belgrade, opened the Hopocan Gardens chicken house in 1949.  The extreme success of the first two chicken houses prompted the Pavkov family to open the White House chicken restaurant in 1950 and the Serbian-American Milich family to open the Village Inn chicken house in 1955.

CAN IT BE A MISTAKE THAT STRESSED IS DESSERTS SPELLED BACKWARDS

POHOVAMA PILETINA, KUPUS SALATA, DJUVEK AND POMFRIT.  Don't speak Serbian?  That is Chicken, Cole Slaw, Hot Sauce and Potatoes.  That's the Barberton chicken dinner.  We get double hot sauce and skip the cole slaw.

The chicken, which is never frozen, is fried in lard.  Not healthy maybe, but it is crisp, crusty and delicious and you get four large pieces.

THE ROOSTER MAY CROW BUT THE HEN DELIVERS THE GOODS

HOPOCAN GARDENS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Our waitress tonight was pretty, efficient and friendly.  Christina looked much too young to have been married 36 years and have three children!  Two of her children works in the restaurant with her;  20-year-old Breanna is a hostess and her 17-year-old Cameron washes dishes.

WHAT'S WORSE THAN FINDING A WORM IN AN APPLE? FINDING HALF A WORM

Cassidy and Tatum shall always remember the good food and the big chicken at Hopocan Gardens.  What they will remember the most, however, will be the family fellowship.  I know.  My grown children, now grandparents, still talk about the Sunday dinners we ate almost every week at the Village Inn.  My Kimberly continued to eat the "drummet" children's dinner after she was in college.  I ate her slaw.  Yep, that's why she is "No bigger than a well used bar of soap" to this very day.  Oh, Yes!  Dinners back then was $1.50 for adults and $0.50 for children.  Same dinner.

(Thanks again Dad for allowing me to use the children's picture).


LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL AND KEEP THE CHICKEN A'COMIN'

MAY GOD BLESS CASSIDY AND TATUM WITH GOOD LIVES

MAY GOD SUPPLY CHRISTINA'S NEEDS

MAY GOD BLESS THE USA