Cash and chaos

By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
SHARON, Pa. -- An event designed to promote the downtown here turned into a near melee Saturday as people struggled to catch $2 bills dropped from the roof of the Winner department store.
Children were shoved aside as groups of teens ran around trying to catch the bills. A man and a young boy were knocked into a tree by a pile of rushing people. Another man flung himself against the Winner display window while trying to catch cash.
Businessman James E. Winner Jr., who sponsored the event, estimated that about 2,000 people were in front of the four-story department store when the bills were blown out of a large tube at about 10 a.m. The store is at 32 W. State St.
Kathy Swartz, 55, of Brookfield, got a black eye in the crush of people.
"I didn't think it would be this bad," Swartz said. Her granddaughter, Heather Camerlengo, also of Brookfield, said she didn't think the money was worth the risk of getting injured.
"It's only $2, you don't have to tear the place down," Camerlengo said.
Some of the trees and flowers downtown also were damaged in the frenzy, and a car parked in front of the store was dented by people standing on it trying to catch money. Several people also shook the awning in front of the store in an effort to retrieve bills that had landed on top of it.
"It can be fun, but you have people getting rowdy, fighting," said Marvetta Wells of Warren. "I had to tell some of the kids to calm down because they were really fighting."
Others in the crowd, however, weren't bothered by the pushing and shoving. Adryanne Williams, 12, of Sharon, said that to get the money, "You've got to take the consequences."
Downtown promotion
Winner threw 500 $2 bills and 2,000 "Sharon Fun Bucks" coupons off the top of the building in an effort to promote downtown. Each coupon offers a $2 discount for those who spend $20 in Winner's businesses.
Winner said that while he felt the crowd was civil, it also appeared as if "pandemonium" broke out in front of the store when the money began to fall. He is planning to give away the same amount of $2 bills and coupons at 10 a.m. every Saturday this month.
However, Winner said he won't be throwing the money off the building again.
Next Saturday, local adults can get a $2 bill and four coupons by wearing red, white, and blue or bringing a flag to a table in front of the store.
Winner said throwing the money off the roof was a "test run."
"We had no idea on how it was going to evolve," he said.
Preparations
Before the money fell, several people in the crowd said they appreciated Winner's generosity. Some also talked about how they planned to catch the money.
Don Wimer of Boardman brought a fishing net to the event.
"I'm going to try and get half [the money]," he said.
La'Trell Smith of Sharon said that when the money began to fall, "I'm going to run over there and start grabbing it off the floor." Mariah Mazyck, 11, also of Sharon, said she had plans for the money she was going to catch.
"I can go to the mall and go shopping and everything," she said.
Marlon Howard of Farrell said he hoped to use the money he caught to buy shoes and food. Howard also joked about what he planned to do to catch the money.
"I ain't going to hit nobody, I'm just going to kick people in the butt," he said.
The scene
As 10 a.m. drew closer, teens standing in front of the store began to push and shove one another. A few members of the crowd yelled, "Here it comes!" causing others to look up before the money was dropped.
At about 9:58 a.m., a black plastic tube was extended from the top of the building. The crowd responded with an enthusiastic cheer.
Then the money began to shoot out of the tube.
The wind carried the money east toward Donna's Diner and the Shenango River. A crowd that had gathered near the awning turned and ran toward the diner, swarming around and bumping a woman and a young girl who were walking in the opposite direction.
The woman leaned over the girl to protect her. After the crowd had passed, the woman said to the girl, "We're getting out of here."
People climbed the walls of Donna's Diner in an effort to collect money that was on the diner's roof. Sharon police ordered the people down. The crowd dispersed on its own in about 20 minutes.
Police had shut down State Street between Shenango Avenue and Porter Way for the event.