Canton Farmers Market

Wow! Has the Farmers Market really grown. My husband & I went downtown for the first day of the Farmers Market. My hopes were not high I will admit. I've been to the market the first couple of weeks & there wasn't much there but this year! WOW! There were so many booths open & the activities were great.

There were cooking displays, all organic produce, garden produce plants so you can plant your own little rural slice of heaven. I live a few blocks from Aultman hospital, my back yard is a postage stamp of a yard. Do I have a garden? You bet I do, my very own slice of 4x6 rural heaven. I have 2 cucumbers, (they are creepers so give them plenty of room to roam) 2 tomato plants, 2 green pepper plants. You'll see me in the backyard watering, pruning, weeding. Its work and time consuming but oh so rewarding. Summer salads full of flavor will be mine for the rest of the season.

Stop by the farmers market Saturdays from 8am to 11:30am. Rain or shine! Located at Cleveland Ave. N between 4th & 5th Sts. NW.3  I'll be there scooping out a different way to steam, saute or bake veggies and all that healthy stuff....did I mention the baked goods. I didn't? oooooh. Well, if you've been good all week & want a little treat, the farmers market is the place to go. Pies, breads, muffins, cakes, cookies, rolls...oh my.

Family Video in Massillon on Lincoln way E

Family video in Massillon, you been?

Great selection & deals, I love it there. I've had late fee's & membership mix-up and every problem has been handled professionally & quickly. By now you know I'm a stickler for establishments that have friendly employees & do things do help the community. I'm an avid gamer too & their video game selection is awesome. The new releases are sometimes hard to rent because they are always out. Which is understandable & short of buying a hundred copies to ensure one will be there when I go in, I'm  just going to have to keep asking. As a family we go in there often & are recognized by several of the employees. ...again, I'm chatty. Canton/Massillon is a huge community & it's nice to not always be lost in the crowd of the world. 

This is my respectful nod to Family Video in Massillon, you are the best! And my readers, when you visit, tell them the Canton Card sent you. Have a movie night & tell The Canton Card about it!

My only complaint about this business is don't be late returning videos. We were two days late retuning a video & they called us, my husbands father, his Aunt & Uncle to "track us down". After two days late I thought this was a bit much.

Dollar Trees On Tusc. (green roof)

I love shopping~

Even if I can't buy anything, I just like walking around looking. I always call this dollar store "The green roof one". There are several dollar type stores in Canton and this one is by far my favorite! The items them sell are nicer quality I think. Today I purchased a few birthday cards, some drinking glasses, (I break them all the time so I don't want to spend a lot of money) & a few other items. I like to look around that shop, they have a holiday sections which is right now Cinco de Mayo decorations. (Doesn't a cinco de mayo party sounds like fun!) 

The cashier there was friendly & engaged me in conversation. No one really wants to be at work on a Friday afternoon when its 80 outside. I understand that, thank you for being so nice. I can't wait to go back. I saw some things I wanted but I try to pace myself.

I look forward to Fridays, I do my Avon rounds. I put up flyers & drop off books to anyone who has requested from my website and I drop them off at business' around the area. Stopping at the Dollar Tree was an added perk to my outing. To anyone looking for the household item I recommend The Dollar Tree on Tusc (the one with the green roof!) It is organized, spacious, friendly & the everything is a dollar idea is brilliant. Tell them The Canton Card send you....Oh & don't forget to give a dollar item to the Canton's Battered Womens shelter. Show your community you care. (I know you do.)

I apologize for not blogging about this wonderful city in quite some time. Honestly, my husband & I haven't gone anywhere lately for me to blog about. So I have decided to tank about the places & things we have done in the past few weeks. Even if it means I have no place to send a Canton Card to.

We did a few geocaches yesterday & found some that have been eluding us. It was great to get out & stretch in the sun. The parks Sunday were filled with families and children running around all willy nilly. Geocaching was a bit challenging because non-geocachers look strangely at you. Of course an adult bushwhacking through trees & peering under tables and railing doesn't look exactly...right.

Mostly I've been doing my Avon rounds at nearby businesses and all that is is a pop in & drop off some books and/or a flyer. Avon has a sale going on right now (campaign 11) for lip gloss. For each lip gloss you purchase you are entered into a drawing to win a 2010 Malibu. (yay!) So I have been real busy spreading the word.

With the weather so nice I have been working on my flowers and landscaping. It has been wonderful to work outside again. I'll start blogging about the roadside nursery's I visit when the time is right. Also the farmers market downtown is on my list.

If anyone has a place or business you'd like me to visit please drop my an email or post a comment on this blog post. I would love some feedback & ideas.

Cathrine's at 4525 Tusc. St. in the wonderful city of Canton.

I went to Cathrine's today on 4525 Tusc.St to buy some new clothes. Cathrine's is a plus size clothing store for women. I've been to a Catherine's before but this is my first time visiting this Canton Cathrine's.

All plus size girls know sometimes its hard to fine stylish outfits & fun clothes. Cathrine's from my observation is focusing on women's clothing, business casual, casual & workout clothes. I was very pleased with their selection & sales. With my husband laid off & me selling Avon the money is not exactly free flowing. A lot of items were 30% off and there was a 50% off rack. (Which was my best friend.) I went there during the day it was 1:30om - 2pm on a Friday afternoon, there were 2 other women shopping besides myself & the cashier. The dressing rooms are open, you don't have to wait in line to ask someone to unlock it for you. They have displays of outfits all around to try out. I liked the creative ideas to make one or two outfits into five or six outfits. The dressing rooms are spacious with plenty of hanging hooks & comfortable chairs.

Kathie was the cashier who rang up my purchase (two pairs of pants, two shirts & a  jacket) She is friendly & genuinely nice. She chatted with me as she totaled up my order & even gave me a coupon for $10 off that she had extra of. I appreciated that more then anything, right now Canton is really struggling. An extra $10 can be quite a bit to a cash strapped family. To find a company that realizes to survive you MUST take care of the consumer and the consumer will keep spending at your store. Cathrine's, you've acquired a new loyal customer from me.  (and hopefully anyone who reads this)

I know I posted a link to the Cathrine's website above & ordering off their website is both convienent & safe. But...I must interject with the whole reason I started this blog was to draw attention to the businesses in this wonderful city. So please, if you find this blog helpful go to Cathrine's! ( 4525 W Tusc. St) The staff is sweet, nice, will answer all or any of your questions and most of all will make you fell comfortable & beautiful.

Thank you Cathrine's and thank you Kathie for helping out a Canton resident. I love the outfits I bought & I will wear them with pride with my "Hello Tomorrow! Ask me about AVON." pin.

Canton Veterans Memorial Park

Ah, (stretching) what a beautiful day today. Ray & I took our day off and went to do some geocaching. We went to quite a few places today. I checked my Avon flyers & replaced ones that had all the tabs pulled off. 

Our first stop was Westbrook's Veterans Memorial Park the geocache was across the lake near the pavilion. (We weren't able to find it, I'm still new at this geocaching thing.) The parks in Canton I am so proud to call my own. Even on a snow-melting, muddy, first days of spring day this park was so beautiful. I don't know who is in charge of maintenance & cleaning of the park (I never see anyone.) maybe we are aware park-goers & don't make messes. (This is what I hope.) We walked around the Memorial also on this first day of warmth. Even after pounds & pounds of snow have finally melted away the memorial was impeccable. No debris, no water no weather damage at all.    

On the road again we headed towards Massillon in search of two more caches. We did find one but the other located somewhere near Tiger Stadium still remains hidden. I didn't fail to find them...no, I just am prolonging my search to include another day. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. (convinced?...me either.) 

On our way back home we stopped by my favorite Sheetz #342.  W. I've blogged about this Sheetz before. I stand by my "Great Coffee!" Proclamation from that blog post. Marshmallow was the featured mocha & it was delicious! 

Thank you Canton park system for your tireless & unwavering dedication to our parks. I'm not sure who to send the congratulations you've been carded to so I'm planning on sending out a few & hope the correct people see this praise. 

Strasburg Meats (Meyers lake plaza)

A bell rings & a person appears out of nowhere with a "How can I help you?" smile.


 Strasburg meats is a local owned Butcher Shop by name but once you walk through the door it is so much more then that. Having been a pillar of the Canton Community since 1977, one of the butchers said he has been working there since 1978. In the age of global everything it's nice to know you can buy dinner for your family that wasn't shipped from a different state or packaged in another country. When a major company recalls a packaged meal or a foreign food, you can rest assured that what you bought at Strasburg is perfect. Have a problem or a question? The owner is right there to help. The employees are so professional & a true family run business, if you go in there a few times they will recognize you. How nice it is to be seen as a person again. 


It's March & the sausage of the month is medium hot sausage links for $2.99lb. (that's three links) It does have a kick to it so if spicy foods are what you are craving you must stop by & pick some up. (I did & it was wonderful!) Strasburg also takes the Ohio card which is a big relieve in this financial stricken city.  Can't afford a full pound of hamburger right now? Just want enough for one hamburger patty? Want to buy enough meat to last a year? No problem. Strasburg even has a children's play area so take your time & browse around.


Thank you Strasburg for being there for us, for Canton. You stood tall when the superstores & the convenience seduced us. You knew we would grew tired of commercials, boxes & society telling us what to do. Convenience has taken the back burner to getting the most for your money, this is where you step up and provide for the families of Canton. Thank you.

Tim's Tavern (3323 Parkway St. NW)

Tim's has been in Canton since 1957 & has become an icon the symbolizes Canton as a neighborhood not just a city. Does Tim's need a blog from a Cantonite for residents to know the food is good? Absolutely not. So I am blogging about the places I go in Canton & the experiences I have there & you can't live in Canton without going to Tim's. (I believe the day I moved here, we went to breakfast there the next day. Boxes be damned, I had to become one with Canton.) 

My husband & I have a sidekick this evening by the name of Alex. My neighbors 6 year old son I'm watching this evening. Does childcare keep me away from Tim's Tavern on a Tuesday, No Sir! Even Alex proclaims as we walk through the door "I've been here! They have applesauce!" Yes, even the children of Canton  know and love Tim's.

Our server is Angela C. (who was a wonderful server, thank you Angela!) she tells us Tuesday's their fish sandwiches are $1.00 off, that was my intended order but once Angela handed me the menu & you start looking...I ordered the three fish combo dinner, Ray ordered the 2 piece fish dinner & Alex had the children's mac & cheese dinner, it cost about $35. We even brought some leftovers home for lunch tomorrow. Yay! I was too full to try a dessert. If you have a special meal, sandwich or dessert that you think others should try, please post a comment below. 

If you've never been to Tim's or haven't been in a while you it is a nice place to go. It has a sports bar feel to it but has the accommodations of a family night out.  You can sit at the bar, grab a booth or sit at a table. The staff are so friendly, the servers not waiting on our table still made eye contact & smiled. That is a big deal to me as you've seen it other posts. The food, oh boy! It is awesome! So good a 6 year old sat still & ate. (well, mostly.)

 Thank you Tim's Tavern for helping build this community to make it the great neighborhood it is to live in & thank you residents of Canton for supporting local businesses.  

Little Caesars pizza on Tusc.

A new Little Caesar's opened on Tusc. it is located next to the Dollar Tree near the intersection of Tusc. & Woodlawn. That building has seen a good amount of business' come & go. I don't know what it is about that building but hopefully Little Caesar's can change its luck.

We received a coupon in the mail for $9.50 Hot and Ready dinner. (I was only charged $9, that was a special treat!) It includes one large pizza, crazy bread & a 2 liter bottle of soda. The staff were very friendly, the employee waiting on the counter was taking another customers order so the drive-thru worker came over and took my order. I would praise them by name but no name tags! It was 5pm Friday, February 26th.

The pizza was perfect, the crazy bread makes me crazy for more! The man that finished off my order engaged me in conversation, smiled & was super nice. I was in and out of there so fast that is why I have so little to say.

Ten minutes I was back home, kicking off my snowy shoes & eating pizza like nobody's business.

Thank you Little Caesars, your workers are friendly & interact with customers and each other nicely. Your pizza is delicious, your crazy bread is awesome! Good luck to you & readers! post your experiences at this establishment below.

Sicily's Pizza Buffet vs. Cici's Pizza in Massillon

I don't do many restaurant reviews for two reasons, one being a monetary reason in that we just don't have the cash to eat out that often & two being that I am not a restaurant connoisseur. I don't know if codes are being broken or if the fish compliments the rice. I just know if I like it or not.

When you walk in the door they have a beautiful fish tank in the doorway, It was lovely. The cashier Said "Hi" when we walked in & did her thing about checking us out. She had this goth, I'm so miserable thing going on and never once cracked a smile. (I'm over 30, maybe I'm out of touch with the teenagers.) In fact the 4 workers I saw through out my visit, none made eye contact or smiled at the costumers or each other. That is a big thing for me, its atmosphere & atmosphere is what keeps me coming back.

I know what this restaurant was trying to do, it looked exactly like CiCi's pizza. I've only gone to the CiCi's in Massillon on Massillon Marketplace Dr. and I have to say it is an amazing place to eat. The workers there, you can see them in the kitchen, the workers smile & I have even chatted with the cooks & workers. The food, its great, the desserts, oh, I dream about the apple crisp pizza.

Sicily's was the exact same layout, even had a video arcade like Cici's . The same kind of pizzas, salad bar & dessert bar. The salad bar was good, the pizza, I thought it was average. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. The dessert bar, it was horrible. I took a bite of the apple pie pizza & a bit of the chocolate cake. The apple pie was terrible & the chocolate cake was old. I used to be a cake decorator at Giant Eagle before we moved to Canton. I've seen cake that was to old to sell & this was it.
The best word I can think of the describe Sicily's is utilitarian It seemed that everything there severed a purpose and nothing more. No atmosphere, no extras.

Would I suggest this restaurant to anyone, no. I'd say drive a bit farther south & go to Cici's Pizza in Massillon. (Bring me back some of that apple crisp pizza.)

My first downtown Canton venture & Sheetz #342

Downtown.

I rarely go there. The lighting of downtown, the library or an occasional geocaching expedition were pretty much my exposure to downtown. Living on the SW side of Canton amidst Wal-Mart, Giant Eagle & various strip plazas, I don't ever NEED to go but now I have a WANT to go.  I have a desire to explore Canton & reveal what it has to offer so I diagonally parked & eagerly donated my quarters to the City of Canton.

Ray (my husband) & I were venturing to a small coffee shop downtown. Just a one shop stop to start off our venture. Unfortunately the cafe closed at "12ish" & we arrived at 2:15pm. I'm not quite sure of the technical clarification of "ish" but 2:15pm I can assure you, is not it. Perhaps a Saturday after noon was a bad idea, is downtown Canton better traversed on a weekday? I've mentioned in another post that I have only lived in Canton for a few years so I don't really know the ins & outs of downtown life.

Schooled but not discouraged we window shopped on our way back to the car.


Deciding to hit our old standby, Sheetz (#342 Tusc. st. west) was our next stop. The made to order counter is nice for undecided persons like myself. I could stand there for 10 minutes changing & rearranging my order. (frozen mocha latte carmel & hazelnut, with whipped cream & 2% milk, regular size) I do like to switch it up but that is my favorite thus far.

Sheetz isn't exactly a huge company nor is it a small business. In my opinon anyway, I don't know the technical terms. Sheetz has many stores in NC, VA, WV, MD, PA & OH. Is that considered "nationwide"? I really don't know, please feel free to comment if you do.

Anyway, back to the amazing coffee's they make. Oh yes, I said amazing and you can talk to the persons preparing the MTO items. I like that, I'm a chatty type. (probably picked up on the by now) I ask them the craziest questions too & the crazy thing is, most of the time they know they answer.

The fresh donuts, do they make them onsite?
A. They do not BUT they are made daily at the Sheetz baked goods headquarter & shipped out fresh every morning to their stores. (I picture a hollowed out French cruller somewhere in the highlands of Pennsylvania.)


Sheetz #342, your employees are always busy, I've never seen someone standing around. They talk to each other nicely & always smile. You have good workers at this store Sheetz. #342. (Raises all around! Fingers crossed for you guys.)

Oh right, Downtown. I've wanted to try out some little shops & restaurants there. I'll call first for the hours of operation & keep you posted.

Roza's Hair Design On Whipple Ave.

I woke up this morning fed up with my hair. I'm a girl, it happens.

It was such a hassle & getting so so long I couldn't do anything with it. I had no intention for a certain hair cut. I'm a plus size girl so I simply wanted a haircut that looked nice. I had gone to Roza's Hail Design before a few years ago and had a haircut with some color. They had done a fantastic job, I loved it. With the recent economy I haven't been able to do anything special, we just don't have the money for it. I admit I was seduced by the Great Clips that moved into town thinking that they were quicker & cheaper. Money is tight so I went there, my haircut were quick, if I went on a weekday before 3PM. Was it great, well it was a haircut.Great Clips the franchise charges $12 for a haircut & they accept walk-ins. You will have to wait if they are busy.

 Roza's charges $12 & accept walk-ins. You will have to wait if they are busy. What you won't find in Great Clips and you will find in Roza's is the owner walking around the store offering you coffee & a cupcake. A comfortable waiting room with tons of magazines. (Roza, I sell Avon & put one of my catalogs on your magazine table. I hope that's ok.) Chatty regulars that smile & ask how you are. The place has atmosphere and I felt special sitting down in the chair. My hairstylist was Jessica, she listened to me, took her time & made some suggestions that she thought would work for me. Thank you Jessica for making a self conscious girl feel pretty. Thank you Roza for making me feel welcome.

Having lived in Canton for a mere 6 years, I have seen this town struggling with loss of jobs, homes & spirit. I'm hoping this blog will put a spotlight on the small business owners, I believe with them we can pick ourselves back up. Roza's is a local business, the money you give to it, stays here.  Here in Canton where we can do so much with it. We need to work together as a community and supporting the small business owners is where it is going to happen. It stars with a $12 haircut & ends with a glimpse of what it's all about.


Thank you Roza.

Stark County Humane Society

My first review (I use review loosely, its more of a my experience there.) Is of the Stark County Humane Society. It is located on Peach Street in Louisville.

Our cat Charlie had died. When we decided to get another cat, we headed to the Humane Society. Our last cat adoption was a 7 week old kitten wondering up onto our front porch & befriending Charlie. That was in 2004, now MaraJade (the kitten) needs a companion as she keeps walking around the house, meowing. I think she misses Charlie very much.

The Humane Society has 2 rooms for cats. Some of the smaller cats & kittens are penned together while the adult cats are in their own pen. Signs are posted not to remove animals from their pen without a worker present. I advise reading the papers describing the cat before opening the cage. The volunteers & workers describe the animals personality or background as best as they can. They also take care of the little guys everyday & can offer incites into a lot of the cats personality, just ask! The volunteer that assisted me was wonderful, she was nice & answered all my questions & pointed out a few cats that she thought I would want to look at. Workers behind the counter that finished up the paperwork on the adoption were friendly & informative. A big thumbs up to the Stark County Humane Society.

I'm a big fan of adult cats. So to pick out the perfect cat for me, I seek out the cats 3 years & older. I talk to them through the cage & see who looks at me, responds or comes to the front of the cage. Then (with a worker present) I open the cage & pick up the cat. Sometimes the cat will tense, or try to wiggle away that is normal. They don't know you & you are man-handling them. If they hiss, growl or show signs or aggression leave them be.

Now that you are holding the cat, I like to touch its paws & the tip of its tail. You will see if the cat is used to being petted or where it is comfortable with being touched. I also roll over & check the belly to see its reaction to me petting them.

For us, I choose a female 5 year old cat that was listed as a stray, she is declawed & fixed. I pick her up & she is a bit tense but she settles in my arms & starts purring. A great sign of a cat that is used to being held. Listed as a stray I don't know anything about her past but she seems friendly. We did not bring a carrier with us but the Humane Society does provide cardboard carriers for $5. The adoption fee was $15 plus the $5 for the carrier & my first vet visit is free. Mooby(photo above) which we named our new addition to the family, had picked up a cold. Which the vets at Mellet Animal Hospital on Tusc. told me was very common in animals from a shelter. An antibiotic for about a week & she was good as new. The doctors at Mellet Animal Hospital were great, so friendly & knowledgeable. (They don't have a website so I didn't include a link.) A thumbs up from The Canton Card, maybe I'll send them a "you've been carded" announcement too.