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Learning about York County one coffee at a time

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into Macklin’s Cupcakes & Coffee in York Township early this morning.

There I met Barry Ness, a man passionate about motorcycles and local politics. He taught me a little bit about NASCAR, told me about motorcycle-related events in the county and beyond and explained how to build a motorcycle from the ground up (You don’t build it from the ground up, according to Barry, you get a bunch of parts together and assemble them in a way that resembles a motorcycle).

Barry said he was born and raised in York County. But he doesn’t consider himself a normal York countian.

He said he wishes he won the Mega Millions jackpot this past weekend so he could pump money into York’s economy and fix its problems.

He also told me stories about Caterpillar, where he worked for decades before the York County manufacturing plant closed down. We also talked a little bit about what it was like living in York County during the Three Mile Island accident. (The 33rd anniversary of the partial nuclear meltdown was March 28.)

Barry also gave me a plenty of tips for meeting local people.

He said a group of people get together every morning to walk at the West Manchester Mall. Afterward, he said, they read the paper and probably have a lot of good stories to tell.

Another event he told me about is the York Biker barbecue which kicks off May 13 at Cityview Community Church, 1655 Roosevelt Ave, West Manchester Township. The proceeds from the event go to charity.

At 8 a.m. next Monday (April 9), I’ll be at Round the Clock Diner, 222 Arsenal Road. I hope to meet you there to learn more about you and what you like (or even what you want to change) about the county.

Keep the stories coming!