The Quest for the Holy Strat Shovels
 
Hey Phil, you’re right in that me and the "guys" go up every year. I'll always remember the first trip up to Glen Head. It was
about 10 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. We had made plans for myself and 4 other buddies from the 
league to head up. We live outside of Philly so depending on traffic we are looking at a 2 to 3 hour ride, not bad. So anyway
the weekend before we were to head up, One of the guys get sick, then another, and another, Leaving just 2 of us healthy
enough for the trip. Me and my buddy Tom, and we where beginning to think " AAh ya know we have been getting the cards
sent to us for over a decade, maybe will make the pilgrimage next year", Well the rest of the league "our buddies" wouldn't 
have any of that. They complained that we've rented a car, and if we didn't go that we would have to wait another week or so
for the cards, and that we've been planning this trip for months, damnit we just couldn't let down the guys, we had to go.
 
 
So for the sake of our sick comrades, Tom and I set out for the mecca of strat. Hell we wanted to see Strat HQ anyways, so
we grabbed a camera, some snacks, and directions and we were on our way. Well the trip up the NJ turnpike was uneventful,
the real trouble didn't begin until we reached the LI expressway. Armed with directions received straight from "some dude at
Strat" we became puzzled. The road was about to split and we were supposed to take "what the hell does that say" Oh #%7t
we had to make a choice, 50-50 we thought, 1 to 10 split pick, as usual I pulled an 18 or so, yeah we got lost. About an hour
had past, discouraged but not out, we finally got straightened out by some guy in a Mobil. Those guys are life savers.
 
 
Anyway we finally arrived at GlenHead around 11;30, still an hour and a half before doors open. We started driving down
streets looking for the specific turnoffs, we were getting close to the Mecca of Strat, we could feel it. A couple turns later we
see the business's on one side, the train on the other, divided by a small parking lot. THIS WAS IT BOYS, STRAT HQ. So
we started looking for a parking place all the while looking for the magnificent glass tower building sure to be Start
Headquarters. Looking... looking.. then we saw it.. something saying Strat. There were guys in a line forming out front, this had
to be it, but wait, WTF. A little white building, one shared with another company. No fountains, no high rise, We started to
laugh. Man o man wait til the guys hear that my store is almost as big as Strat HQ. 
 
Anyways we got in line looking around at the suburban setting that is GlenHead, quiet sleepy little NY suburb, not bad. Then it
happened, the train pulled in, Oh my god, it was the train out of Superman, you know the black and white series ages ago, and
this train looked as if it’s been running non stop for 70 years. Again we started to laugh our butts off. What type of bizaro
world had we gone to. As we were laughing someone took a picture. StratFan it later turned out. Hey we made the front page
of Startfan laughing at ourselves at how stupid we were to track all the way up to NY in the dead of winter, just to stand
outside some small obscure white building for an hour and a half.
 
So while would stood there fighting off offers to buy Lamanna Bulletin, we still held out hope that inside there was a nice lobby 
to be found at least, something, give us something we thought. Well the line moved and we shuffled our frozen limbs up the
sidewalk until it was our turn to enter Strat HQ. Here it was, I told Tom to get the camera ready, we're going in. In we went,
not very far however, considering that Strat's lobby holds maybe 3 grown men and that only if all the men forgo breathing.
Again we laughed and laughed. I told Tom to snap away with the cameras, the other guys had to see this. Well the Strat people
must of though we were nuts, for here were two guys laughing there asses off, taking pictures of 2 snow shovels in a corner. 
Well, soon we composed ourselves, got our stuff and headed back to Philly.
 
Much like kids who just figured out there was no Santa, we too were dismayed that there was no Strat HQ. No high Rise, No
fountains, nothing but a couple of shovels in a cramped wet entry way. Funny thing is now for the last 10 years we still continue
to head up to Glen Head. No longer a pilgrimage to see Strat HQ but rather one to see the Holy Strat Shovels.
 
A Strat Lifer,

TC Weidner

TC, maybe now we all know what the salmon who swim back upstream to breed feel like. It’s inexplicable…

inconceivable…unexplainable…but we’re all compelled to do it. And in the end, we enjoy every minute

of it and would do it again in a heartbeat.