Peter Dunn Vlogs About the Factory Store

Runaway Pony

First let me say this is not the horse in question, though he looked similar. This evening I headed in towards Kidron, OH on my way to church league softball practice. My favorite route takes me up, down, and around these curvy two lane roads. I pass by countless small Amish farms and see lots of buggies. What I saw today was a little out of the ordinary. As I crested a hill I see this miniature pony running in my direction down the center of the road. Moments later I notice a couple of kids about a mile further running after him. I did a most English thing (English is what all us non-Amish are), I blocked the road with my car, waved my arms out the window and spooked the pony back in the other direction. Following behind the pony I kept pushing him towards the kids until about 20 feet from capture, the pony jumps a ditch and tears across a field! The kids laughed, waved and headed off after the freedom craving miniature pony. After softball practice about an hour later I am driving the same road home. Those poor kids, walking along the road and looking a little less enthusiastic, continued to chase down this stubborn pony. Just another day in Amish country...

An Unlikely Family

Every day when coming to work, or leaving to go home I always slow down or pull over to check in on the newest members of the family. Our facility uses a retention pond to collect rainwater and we have deliberately begun to plant native plants to Ohio around the perimeter. It's surprising that before any of our efforts have really taken root, we already host about a dozen Canadian Geese, two species of ducks, and a variety to mosquito eating, dive bombing birds! Early this spring a mating pair of Canadian Geese gave birth to 4 little goslings. They started as 4 little puffs of yellow and are now displaying that characteristic Canadian Goose color. When the weather is sour, the mother covers them with her wings and her mate is always nearby. Interestingly, about 3 weeks ago this white goose decided to adopt the whole family as his own. After some early feathery fights, this unlikely family is now inseparable.

New Website

If you're stopping by the blog via our website, you've probably noticed something a little different. Last week we unveiled our new website. Some of the new features include more organized categories, full screen images on the product detail page, greater detail in copy and description, customer reviews, and much more. Take a cruise around. While we still have a few glitches and unfinished pieces, I think you'll agree it was an improvement on the last design. Enjoy!

Please save Kidron, Jack Bauer!

Little did we know that in the quaint town of Kidron, OH just 3 miles away there was a disaster about to happen. No I am not talking about an Amish traffic jam during a Thursday auction, or that Lehman's had to close early due to a snow storm. No this disaster was much more sinister. It seems the terrorists in Fox's hit show 24 had targeted our quiet community for destruction. While the facts are a little mixed up (and this happens during disasterous events like this) it seems the show may have slightly exaggerated the population of Kidron by 29,000 or so, and while I couldn't find a chemical plant north of town, there is a Gerber Poultry plant just south of town. Their chicken is so good, it's no wonder the terrorists would target it.

It's been a lot of fun seeing our little community in the spotlight. I have a few links below you are welcome to click on for more about this unique story.

The Daily Record
New York Entertainment
Akron Beacon Journal

Happy Birthday Abe!

As a way to draw attention to one of the most influential leaders in American history, Eric Ebinger will run across the state of Ohio to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Beginning on Feb 12, 2009 (today) Eric will run the equivalent of 2 marathons a day to complete his journey on Feb 16. The course will be along the aptly named Lincoln Highway. This highway was the first to cross the United States and happens to run directly by P. Graham Dunn in Dalton, OH. You can read more about the Lincoln Highway here. Or click here for the Times Bulletin article about Eric.

On behalf of the staff at P. Graham Dunn, we wish Eric godspeed on his journey across the state.

Oversized Custom Doorkeeper

One of the more enjoyable aspects to my job here at P. Graham Dunn is to see all the custom projects that go through our shop. About 3 months ago, a customer of ours had us make a doorkeeper about 4 times the size of our stock product. It was such a simple adjustment to our regular item, yet we had a lot of comments about that piece as it went through production. Paul Dunn, my brother-in-law and head of our design department, decided to make a few extra to put in our Factory Outlet room in Dalton. Since then, all of the extra doorkeepers have sold, and at least two more customers stopped in to get their own over sized doorkeeper with a custom design. I have posted a couple of pics of one of those doorkeepers that can be found at the Seville United Methodist Church in Ohio.

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