Thursday October 12, 2017 Vol. 5, No. 32 Hot news tip? Want to advertise? Call (309) 741-9790
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SCENIC DRIVES
Pretty poison Fall color not limited to trees By RON DIETER
Cool nights and sunny days expose the brilliant colors of autumn. I say “expose” because those bright colors were actually there all the time. From spring through summer, the red and yellow pigments in the leaves of trees and shrubs are masked by the rich green color of chlorophyll. With the onset of cooler fall weather and shorter days, chlorophyll breaks down and its green color fades away exposing the rich yellow and red pigments. While on a trip to Scotland one early fall, I visited the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh with other members of the Perennial Plant Association. There a huge stone wall was covered with a brilliant scarlet red vine. It was a striking scene in the bright sunlight and caused most of the cameras in the group to start clicking. Someone stepped up to read the plant label. He called out, “It’s Toxicodendron radicans!” and everyone broke out laughing. I failed to see the humor since the Latin name was Greek to me. Later I learned that Toxicodendron radicans is the botanical name for poison ivy. Poison ivy is one of the first plants to show fall color. Its brilliant red leaves high up in the For The Weekly Post
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Full service hardware After starting with buildings, EB now sells much more By NANCY DAVIS
PRINCEVILLE – Shopping local is a growing trend in our communities. One business contributing to this movement is EB Buildings & Lumber Company, a family operation that is thriving in an era of big-box competition. Brothers Paul, Jeff and Don Streitmatter started the company, then known as Economy Builders & Supply, 57 years ago in 1960. They began as builders, selling post-frame buildings – more commonly known as pole buildings – out of Paul Streitmatter’s barn. The company quickly outgrew the barn and bought the land at their current location at 610 North Santa Fe Ave. in Princeville to provide more space. As customers came in to purchase post-frame buildings, they often For The Weekly Post
Doug Streitmatter, current owner of EB Buildings and Lumber, in front of the retail store with seasonal mums for sale. Photo by Nancy Davis.
wanted lumber as well, and the Streitmatters grew the business to accommodate that need. When townspeople began referring to them as EB rather than Economy Builders, they changed the name. Ownership shifted among various Streitmatter brothers with a few nonfamily members occasionally buying in. Doug Streitmatter, son of previous owner Alfred Streitmatter, along with his partner, Mark Herrmann, own the business. The business has continued to grow and change to accommodate cus-
tomers’ needs and requests. In 2011, EB Buildings & Lumber became a Do-It-Best partner, which helped diversify and increase their product selection. A walk through the large, brightly lit retail store bears this out. “The business is always evolving,” Doug Streitmatter said. “Our core business is still post-frame buildings and lumber, but over time, we have become a full-service home center, adding hardware, rental equipment, home and garden, farm and ranch, Continued on Page 10
Cloyd appearing in Princeville on Saturday By BILL KNIGHT
PRINCEVILLE – When Barry Cloyd takes the stage Saturday (Oct. 14) at the Princeville Heritage Museum for a fund raiser benefiting its programs and the Akron Townhouse School, the 65-year-old musician and storyteller will bring his distinctive blend of acoustic music For The Weekly Post
and American history – and also an energy that seems to chug along like a locomotive. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the Harvest Dinner (served at 6 p.m., featuring turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls and dessert) and Cloyd’s program (“A Golden Spike & A Silver Hammer:
Riding the Rails with Barry Cloyd,” at 7 p.m.), and tickets are $20, available at Princeville State Bank or by calling (309) 385-1916. “This show was a commissioned piece – about 6 of the 15 or so historical/musical one-man shows that I have written have been commissioned by outside entities,” Cloyd tells The Weekly Post. “I do love all Continued on Page 2