Fridays, middle-schoolers celebrate in a restaurant

Poland has observed the
tradition for many years.

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

POLAND — Every Friday afternoon from September through June, a procession of children parade — and sometimes run — from Poland Middle School to a Main Street restaurant.

Friendly’s dubs the weekly affair Kids’ Rush and offers specials to their young customers: $5 or $4 depending on whether they want a meal or just a shake and fries.

Sixth-graders Chase Kondle, Zach Lamping, Ross Gould, Zach Bader, Tyler Evan and Jake Frost crowd into one booth. The weekly sojourn is a celebration of the end of the school week, they say.

It’s a way to get together with friends outside school.

Rachel Sines, Amanda McAuley, Jamie Bakalar and Emily Lyons, also sixth-graders, sit in another booth, looking over the menu, trying to decide what to order.

“We also go sometimes to the Village Pantry, the library, Bruster’s or Wittenauer’s,” Amanda explained.

All of the establishments are within walking distance of the school.

It’s a Friday afternoon tradition.

The girls say their older siblings did it when they attended middle school and it’s something they wanted to carry on.

“My older brother used to come here,” Emily explained.

Restaurant employees say it’s a tradition that started about the time the restaurant opened about six years ago.

But schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Zorn said it’s a routine that goes back even further.

“Poland’s always had the Friday tradition,” he said.

Years ago, children ran to Isaly’s after school for ice cream. They moved to other places when that business closed and to Friendly’s when it opened.

No one seems to know how it started or how long ago.

Although 10-to-13-year-olds crowded together in one spot can be a recipe for disaster, Zorn said he’s never received a complaint call about the afternoon gatherings.

Likewise, Friendly’s personnel said any problems they’ve encountered have been rare and minor: a broken light fixture here, clogged toilet there.

An employee last week even floated a buck to one boy who was short. He removed a wadded $1 bill and counted his change to get to $3, and the employee covered the remainder.

The children line up outside the restaurant, then deposit their backpacks, book bags and band instruments up front, creating a 2-foot-high mound.

Lauren Balestrino, one of the restaurant’s managers, said that’s to keep the aisles between tables free from obstructions and to make it easier for the wait staff to navigate through the sea of young patrons.

The number of pupils who rush to the restaurant varies depending on the weather, football and basketball games and other school activities.

The first week of school, 45 kids piled in, Balestrino said. The next week, it was 110.

“Most of our other customers know not to come here between 3:30 and 5 p.m. on Fridays,” Balestrino chuckled.

Fifth-graders Alexis Kotouch and Lindsay Loboy often run the short distance from the school to the restaurant “so we can get a seat together,” Lindsay said.

Seventh-graders Ryan Hurtuk, Kevin White, Mike Kinkela and Alec Grzelewski gathered in a booth by the windows, their menu slips at the ready.

Chicken quesadillas and chicken fingers were favorites at their table.

“We’ve been coming here since fifth grade,” Kevin said.