You're invited to a 'town hall' meeting Sept. 12
Cash Saver store to open soon in Versailles

Wanda English Burnett
Editor

If you live in the Versailles area and are tired of not having a grocery store to go to, your wait is almost over.

While there has been much speculation about what type of grocery store would be put in the building formerly known as the Super Market, the new owers Bob and Dotty Wood have announced it will be a Cash Saver. They have leased the building to Eric Rabe, who is heading up the store.

Rabe is not new to the grocery store scene. He brings 40 years experience in every aspect of operating a grocery business. He told The Versailles Republican he worked his way up and knows the business inside out. He was a meat clerk when he was just 16 and eventually became an executive in a major grocery chain before retiring. Well, he's not retired anymore! He's back in the grocery business.

To see what his stores are like, one only has to make the short drive to Vevay to check out the new store there. He is the owner of that store and decided to lease the Versailles building from the Wood's.

"We looked and kicked around a lot of ideas," Bob Wood told The Versailles Republican. He said after all things considered, they decided the concept Rabe presented made more sense for this town with full service, instead of partial service.

What he means is there will be a full meat department, featuring Angus beef cuts of all sorts, all natural porkf and Pilgrim's Pride chicken. "We try to buy our products in Indiana and even more locally if possible," noted Rabe. He told that recently a farmer in Vevay brought in several dozen ears of sweet corn to their customer's delight.

At Versailles they are looking at getting brick house cheese and honey, both made locally.

They will also feature a full deli and bakery in the store, where they will prepare food on-site. They will also feature rotisserie chicken.

Rabe noted their dairy products are Prairie Farms, which includes ice cream, and a full array of dairy items to choose from.

Being involved in stores like Kroger and Rempke, Rabe says he knows what those stores offer and wants to go one beyond! We offer some of the same national brand items at the same or lower prices," he said. How do they do it? Rabe explained that the price on the shelf is their cost. Thenwhen the customer reaches the check-out, ten-percent is tagged onto their total bill. So if you spend $100 at cost saving prices, your final bill will be $110. He says you will still save money, get great products, and everybody is a winner. The store also accepts manufacturer coupons.

The Cash Saver will look similar to a Kroger store, according to Rabe. Maybe that's because he worked there for a number of years and just likes the layout! Maybe it's because he wants the people in Ripley County to have one of the best grocery stores to choose from.

After ‘retiring' from the grocery business, Rabe said he saw the need for a grocery store in Vevay. Then he broadened his horizons and also saw the need in Versailles. He lives on a farm in northern Kentucky, with his wife Christy, who will also be involved in the business. The couple has two children, both juniors in college.

The couple didn't lease the store sight unseen. They, along with the Wood's have done some research, and said they tried to make the decision that would be the best for those needed services in Versailles. Rabe is known to be a community supporter and has already given $1000 to Child Evangelism Fellowship in the Vevay area, and will also give here. He knows what being a part of a small community is all about. Of course, the Wood's, Bob and Dotty, live here and have the best interest of the people in mind.

Not only do the store's owners promise great products, they plan to hire about 60 people, perhaps more. They do have benefits and a competitive pay scale, according to Rabe. He said applications are now being taken at the store. Those interested may stop in Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when there are workers in the building. They can then drop them off at a box outside the store.

Also, there will be a community meeting where people can give input about the new store. This is set for Wednesday, September 12 at the South Ripley Elementary School Cafeteria at 7:00 p.m. Meet Rabe and the Wood's and let them know what you need in a grocery store in your area. They are open for helpful hints.

When will the Cash Saver open? Well, hopefully by the first part of October and maybe even before, according to Rabe. "We're shooting for the first of October, but, you never know," he said with a wink.

Everyday trucks are pulling in and out of the parking lot at the old Super Market store located on US 421 in Versailles. Everyday workers are inside the store making progress for the new store to open.

LINDA CHANDLER PHOTO

The clean, crisp look of the new Vevay Cash Saver Store is a model the Versailles location will be like when it is completed, according to Bob Wood, owner, and Eric Rabe, who is leasing the building. There will be a full deli/bakery as pictured as well as a full meat department.

Secret to a long life revealed;
Lawrence Green will soon turn 100

Wanda English Burnett
Editor

"Don't worry. Don't complain." Words Lawrence Green lives by and perhaps the secret to him living to be 100 years old.

Green was born the same year, 1912, that The Versailles Republican was advertising high school text books for as little as .45 cents apiece. His parents, John and Anna were from rural Cross Plains.

Green told The Versailles Republican he feels good and enjoys everyday of his life. "There's no reason to complain, because someone else is worse off than you are!" he noted. He has a positive attitude and says worry is something he never does. "It doesn't do any good any way," he noted.

Things have changed a lot in the century Green has lived. He's had a full life with no regrets with this motto: faith first, his family second, and his beloved Lions third.

When people are in disbelief about older people's comments of walking to school miles in the snow and rain, it's true! Green reports he walked a mile from his home to school and back every single day. "I had to drive to Versailles High School to finish because Cross Plains only went so far," he noted. He drove a Chevy Coupe the last two years of school and was among the 18 graduating class of 1930.

When some friends encouraged him to go to Anderson to get a job at the GM Plant, he went. He made 60 cents an hour and only had to pay $1.50 a week for room and board including meals.

He remembers taking his mother, aunt and uncle to Nebraska in 1931 with only a $10 bill for gas. "Of course, gas was only 15 or 16 cents a gallon back then," he laughed.

In April of 1938 Green married Mari Jo Maxwell. His dad also had plans for him. "'I've got something for you to do'," my dad told me. His dad had bought a farm just south of Versailles and Green said he and his wife moved to the farm on Labor Day of 1938 where they raised two sons: David, who came first in 1940 and then John in 1942. They also had a full running farm complete with livestock and grain.

David married Ruth Lafary and they have three children: Stephanie and (Mike) Baker of Milan; Angela Green of Indianapolis; and David (Fritz) Green of Greenwood.

John married Phyllis Hoeferkamp and they have two daughters: Michelle Steinback and Natalie Pfister, both of Cincinnati.

Green is proud of all of his family and told The Versailles Republican that he has five grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. When it looked like he was only going to have 12, he commented to a few, he'd really like to have a "baker's dozen". Then he got two more.

Green talked aboaut his faith next. He was confirmed in 1926 into the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Olean. He served in the church with the same zest for life he exhibited in everything he did. He served in many capacities over the years and remains a member there today.

When the area businesmen gathered to start a Versailles Lions Club, Green was in the middle. He learned what the club was about and decided he wanted to be in on the ground floor. He was. He is a charter member and said he had perfect attendance at their twice a month meetings for 50 years. He has been a member for 57 years. Not only was he a member, he was an active member, working alongside his fellow Lions for the good of the community. He was awarded the WP Woods award, a prestigious award through the Lions Club.

"Everything revolved around the Lions Club," noted his son, David. He said they knew what night it was because his father would begin closing farming operations down early and begin to get ready to go to town. It was a Lions meeting night!

Green also was the county president of Farm Bureau, where he was also the county chairman, and served on the board of directors for many years. He worked in a government office in Versailles and was actually there when an Army representative came and put a lock on the filing cabinet with the recorded deeds of those who owned property in the Jefferson Proving Ground.

He was on the board of directors for the Bank of Versailles, which eventually became MainSource, for several years, and was just that all around good community servant that makes a community what it should be.

When asked what has been the best part of his 100 years, Green closed his eyes for a moment and then replied with a twinkle in his eye, "It has to be the fact that I have hundreds more friends now," and, he added, "everybody calls me by name."

Green will be 100 on September 10. His family is compiling a scrapbook and have asked the community to join them in sending greetings to him. You can send a personal card or greeting to him at 1200 Whitlatch Way, Milan, 47031, at Ripley Crossing, where he now makes his home. If you have a story you would like to share in the family scrapbook, please send it to Stephanie Baker at 7414 E CR 200N, Milan, IN 47031 or bakercardeals@frontier.com.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO

Lawrence Green is pictured in front of the fireplace at Ripley Crossing where he enjoys sitting a lot of the time. He said he also sits by the door sometimes and they affectionately call him the "guard". He enjoys life, never worries or complains and says maybe that is the secret to a long life! He will celebrate his 100th birthday on September 10, 2012.