"Polishing the Rock"

Bob McCafferty and the crew at North Country Brewing Co. have been improving the quality of life within the Slippery Rock area by coming up with inventive ways to keep the community thriving and clean. After developing the concept of what Bob coined "Polish the Rock", he went on to coordinate and fund the clean-up day idea. Several volunteers supported the idea and the first "Polish the Rock" was held. Volunteers which included local residents, business owners, SRU students and faculty cleaned Main Street to include fresh mulch in the planters. NCB invited all volunteers for soup and beverages for their efforts.

Designated days of the year are set aside to continue to "Polish the Rock". With the continuing efforts of the people who participate in each event, Slippery Rock residents and visitors will enjoy a clean and beautiful environment.

NCB would like to thank all who have participated and welcome them again. Stop by our Events Page to see when the next "Polish the Rock" is scheduled!

An exerpt from a article in the Tribune Review By Joan Greene
Sunday, October 7, 2007

"The changes and improvements along Main Street have really brought the town around," says McCafferty, a member of the redevelopment committee. Once a month, local residents volunteer their time "polishing the rock," by picking up litter, pulling weeds and doing other general maintenance of the borough, he says.

Gregg Kristophel, of Harmony, did all of the intricate woodwork at the brewery, including the construction of the bar where he recently celebrated his 54th birthday.

"The redevelopment has improved the looks of Slippery Rock 100 percent," Kristophel says. "Hopefully, this will bring more business to town."

The microbrewery draws visitors to Slippery Rock from throughout Pennsylvania, says North Country general manager Keith Kolarosky, of Slippery Rock. "Microbreweries are popular and the restaurant helps bring people into town. The redevelopment has made the town look much nicer and now offers more to do," he says.

North Country Brewing was founded in the belief of "a little earth" - where the breeze of a butterfly's wing in Asia can be felt on the cool waters of Slippery Rock Creek. We strive to be a steward of our environment and a help to our neighbors, believing that acts of kindness have a rippling effect like a stone tossed into a still pond. In support of this belief, we strive to foster that which is good in life.

The select grains and fruits obtained from local sources, as well as the hops imported in from Great Britain, are returned back to the local environment as a delicious feed for cattle. As the community enjoys our handcrafted brews free of preservatives and additives, local cows also benefit from the spent grains that they find readily digestible. At NCB, we eliminate the need for bottles and other wasteful containers by offering our product 10 feet away from it's source in a pint glass, or in reusable returnable jugs for take out.

All of our electric purchased from Green Mountain Energy where it is generated by renewable resources. The North Country Brewery was the first business to partner with Green Mountain to bring 100% renewable energy into commercial application.

Our volunteer efforts continue to grow, just as time itself continues forward. We are an active member of the Rock chapter of the North Country Trail and have adopted the State Game Land 95 section of the trail. We have also adopted the veterans' Memorial Garden in downtown Slippery Rock and assist Slippery Rock University in keeping the park clean and well maintained.

NCB proprietor Bobby McCafferty is active in the community where he hosts quarterly workshops on primitive technologies in which the public participates in a wide-range of activities including arrowhead knapping, prehistoric pottery making, and dugout canoe building. According to Bobby, "the canoe isn't finished until it floats!" Any volunteers?