The Barking Dog Ale House

Kathryn Morgan

The Barking Dog Ale House is a Haverhill restaurant located at 77 Washington Street. Their comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, with dimmed lights, high ceilings, and classy pub-like style can be appealing to all ages. Their four story building can accommodate all different groups; renting out the fourth floor for a family party, or sitting in a cozy booth with your family and friends. I was able to speak to Clem Martineau, general manager of the Barking Dog Ale House, to see what the local hit was all about.

The Barking Dog originated in Amesbury, and the owner has been in the restaurant business his entire life. Ironically, the name “The Barking Dog” was inspired by the owner’s two dogs. Throughout the years, the owner has remained the same and their mission has not changed: to provide the best product and experience they possibly can. Clem Martineau gave a lot of credit to the staff when it came to the key to their success. He says the staff are extremely friendly and welcoming and they create a comfortable environment for their customers. He also mentioned that being located in Haverhill has great benefits; one being he finds that there is a lot support rather than competition between all the restaurants in downtown Haverhill.

Aside from the Barking Dog Ale House’s history and friendly wait staff, their food is a key factor in what keeps people coming back. Martineau says one of their most popular items on the menu is the mac‘n’cheese. Whether it’s buffalo chicken, chipotle, or your basic mac‘n’cheese with a side salad priced between $9.50 and $15 it can not be beat. They also have a variety of desserts you can enjoy after your delicious meal, such as the cinnamon bun sandwich, fudge lava cake, or red velvet cheesecake. 

I recently made a visit to the Barking Dog Ale House for lunch. I was seated in a spacious booth, and was greeted by a friendly waiter. It was an extremely relaxed and casual environment and that is something a lot of people look for in a restaurant not just myself. I only had a glass of water for a beverage, but I ordered a chicken salad pita pocket with tomatoes, onions, and herb dressing with a side of french fries. It did not take long at all for my food to arrive, and it was hot and presented nicely. It was extremely tasty and is definitely one of my favorites at The Barking Dog Ale House.

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Sales or Tales: Black Thursday versus the Family

Emily Mills

    

Thanksgiving is defined as the expression of gratitude. It is thought of as a time to be thankful for the things that we value the most. Typically, when a person hears ‘Thanksgiving’ the thought that slips into the mind is of families sitting around a dinner table, gratefully enjoying the family, friends and food they have been blessed with. However, it is very hard to spend time with family and close friends when some people have to go to work because so many now want to spend their Thanksgiving evening shopping.

Black Friday originally began at the break of dawn the Friday following Thanksgiving, but in recent years doorbusters and sales are starting even earlier. A handful of stores are now commencing sales on the afternoon and night of Thanksgiving. Another handful of stores and thousands of individuals are actually boycotting Black Friday on Thanksgiving. With 40,000 people, give or take,  within the facebook group, “Boycott Black Friday”, they plan to encourage big stores such as Walmart and Target to stay closed during Thanksgiving night. Given that people continue to shop, the stores continue to stay open during the holiday. However, as a “blue law” lies in Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts, it prohibits supermarkets, large box stores, and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving. Though there have been few legislative issues to attempt to change things, the attempts have failed and stores continue to open on Thanksgiving. Provided with this opportunity to shop-shop-shop, many people will choose to leave family events to go…shopping. 

Unfortunately, many store clerks will not be lucky enough to have the choice to leave their families and will be expected to meet customers at the store to assist them. The same customers that chose to leave their families to shop. Some retail employees, nevermind leaving early, may not even get the opportunity to make it to their Thanksgiving dinner due to having to show up for the crowds that often wait outside long before doors open. 

Top 10 Black Friday Stores & Opening Times;

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1.  Walmart - 6PM 11/26

2.   JCPenney - 3PM 11/26                          

3.   Michael’s Craft - 4PM 11/26                

4.   Dick’s Sporting Goods - 6PM 11/26     

5.   Gamestop - 5AM 11/27  
6. Target - 6PM 11/26
7. Big Lots - 7AM 11/26 6AM 11/27
8. Old Navy - 4PM 11/26
9. Best Buy - 5PM 11/26
10. Kohl’s - 6PM 11/26

However, there are stores who understand their employees’ desire to spend the holiday with their families. Some stores are simply sticking to the traditional opening of Black Friday on the Friday following Thanksgiving. 

Top 5 Stores CLOSED during Thanksgiving;

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- A.C. Moore  
- TJ Maxx

- Petco  
- Gamestop

- Staples

Some of the stores that stay closed on Thanksgiving tend to still have sales online. Handfuls of people will choose to shop online rather than in stores in return of having more family time during the holiday. According to Bankrate.com, a projected 75% of previous year shoppers are expected to be staying home and online shopping. There are many stores offering free shipping on Black Friday. Some stores may even have better deals online compared to the deals in stores----and don’t forget about Cyber Monday when more deals become available, just in case you were not able to get the deal you have been waiting for.

Choosing Cyber Monday over actually going in stores can lead to wonderful things. Yes, wonderful deals...but also wonderful memories made with family at home rather than a crowd of angry and greedy people pushing and shoving for a TV. The memories that are made on Thanksgiving will not be available in any stores this year or any other year for that matter. A big amount of the memories that stick with individuals throughout their lives are formed during times spent with family. It is not about remembering how big of a deal you received on one day of the year, it is a time to be with the ones we love and admire. It is a time to be thankful for the people around the dinner table and to realize, that quality time is important, a lot more than the materialistic things in stores. So this Thanksgiving remember how important family is and spend as much time as possible together. You going out to shop on Thanksgiving motivates these stores to keep the people who do not want to shop, on the registers. You might have been able to spend your Thanksgiving with family, but just because you were able to does not mean that others are as fortunate. Keep that in mind when you choose to leave family to shop. Most importantly enjoy the holiday season filled with warm food, drinks, and hearts. 

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Wicked Big Cafe: Local Charm for a Great Price

Kathryn Morgan

The Wicked Big Cafe is a local coffee house located right in downtown Haverhill, at 19 Essex Street. Recently I was able to visit the Wicked Big Cafe and speak with employees to find out all the secrets behind making the little brick building on Essex Street so enticing to people of all ages.

The Wicked Big Cafe has an extremely welcoming feel. The name Wicked Big comes from the New England location having ‘wicked’ be a commonly used term in the Boston area. They say their most popular age groups are high school students and college commuters. The Wicked Big Cafe is a great place for friends to get together or get some homework done. They are a very community based cafe, and they love the fact that they are located right on Essex Street. Now that Downtown Haverhill is really starting to come together, they feel as though they are receiving more acknowledgement along with it. The Wicked Big Cafe is always looking to give back to the community and support their customers. The cafe has an “artist of the week” and they display their artwork throughout the cafe, and the artist can choose whether to sell it or not. Wicked Big Cafe is not only a cafe with awesome drinks and food, but it is a place to bring the community together to hangout and enjoy each others company.

Wicked Big Cafe is an extremely convenient and inexpensive cafe to get the best of coffee and sandwiches in Haverhill. Their most popular drink is the “Turtle” with chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, espresso, and milk that can be served hot, iced, or frozen. A medium hot and iced priced at $3.75 and frozen at $4.25. One of the most popular wraps is the Bohemian Wrapsody. The Bohemian Wrapsody is egg, cheddar cheese, red potatoes, roasted red peppers, and red onion on a habanero salsa wrap. One other popular sandwich is the, “On the Road”. It is your basic egg and cheese on an english muffin or plain bagel and you can add either bacon, sausage, or ham. These popular items could satisfy anyone’s hunger or coffee desire.

The Wicked Big Cafe is open at very convenient hours. Whether you’re stopping in for a coffee before work, or grabbing a snack after school, they will be open. The Wicked Big Cafe is open Sunday 8am-3pm, Monday-Thursday 6am-6pm, and Saturday 7am-5pm.

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For a Healthy and Happy Budget

Colby Lawless 

For students, balancing school, work, and their social lives can sometimes compromise a crucial aspect of living: their health. People striving for the perfect picture of health understand the high cost of organic and locally grown foods, but gym memberships aren’t much easier on the wallet. However, gyms play a huge role in bringing people closer to their overall health goals.

Working out has more benefits than not. Besides, meeting someone new can’t happen behind a television screen. Going to the gym has been proven to strengthen the mind and be an amazing exercise for creative people. Working out strengthens your mind, builds your muscles, aids weight loss, can reduce stress, and invite new people into your life every week… So what are you sitting on the couch for?

Haverhill has a variety of gyms that offer affordable prices and varying amenities to fit every goal, every step of the way. The YMCA, for example, is not the cheapest option, but has pools that are well worth the price for those intending on using them. The most affordable gym doesn’t have all the benefits that other places do.

Gyms	1 Year	2 Years	3 Years	4 Years
Planet Fitness	$154.99	$304.98	$454.97	$604.96
Choice Fitness	$259.86*	$419.73*	$579.60*	$739.47*
Planet Fitness +	$279.87	$559.74	$839.61	$1,119.48
YMCA	$288.00	$576.00	$864.00	$1,152.00
Latitude	$409.99	$359.99**	$1,709.64**	$1,439.52**

* 12 month commitment **24 month commitment

The chart combines the cost of initial start-up fees (one time payment), monthly fees, and annual gym fees. Prices are subject to change, some offers expire and can be time sensitive. Prices may reflect discounts for students.

The most affordable membership, for any period of time, is offered by Planet Fitness. The standard membership includes unlimited access to the location the membership is purchased at, a t-shirt, and unlimited fitness training.

Choice fitness and Plant Fitness’ Black Card Program are also in the lower range of prices, and can offer a few more options for those willing to pay a bit more. For those that are trying to save and turn their goals into achievements, Planet Fitness is the most affordable gym. Whether you go to build muscle, lose weight, build stamina, meet new people or give yourself time to think, there aren’t any more excuses not to. So get off the couch and enjoy a day that you can feel proud of.

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The Station Makes the Difference

Stephanie Hathaway

Between working a part time job, and paying for other expenses, whether that be a phone bill, a gift for a friend, or grabbing a rare and much-needed latte, students' wallets are stretched thin. Money does not amount to much, but with all that extra spending, gas is really the last thing teenagers should feel stressed out about.

People are creatures of habit and convenience, as so very few stop to consider the costs of necessities. Sometimes going the extra mile can save the worth of the trip and make paychecks last longer than usual.
  

Gas stations	1 Week Gas	1 Month Gas
SpeedWay	$1.99 regular 15-18 gallon tank $29.85 per week full tank	$27.58 per week $119.40 a month
Irving	$2.15 regular 15-18 gallon tank $32.25 per week full tank	$32.25 per week $129.00 a month
Cumberland Farms	$2.26 regular 15-18 gallon tank $34.00 per week full tank	$34.00 per week $136 a month

As shown, these stations compared are almost as far in distance as they are in price, at least over the course of a month. Dependent on how much someone drives, it can start to add up dime by dime. Prices may not seem so differ by gallon, but per fill-up or month, differences can amount to five or six bucks. For students, that’s an hour’s pay after taxes. SpeedWay is proven to be the cheapest, but the least convenient to get to. Cumberland Farms, on the other hand, is always around the corner, but typically the most expensive. As many know, we have more time than money, so if you find yourself with extra time and in need of cheap gas, take a ride over to save yourself some much needed money. 

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