Wegmans will no longer carry its store-brand pop (or “soda”), the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported.
The company said the popular drink does not fall into the characteristics of Wegmans’ “Food You Feel Good About” mantra. The long-standing belief at Wegmans avoids artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
In a statement, the Rochester, New York-based Wegmans said it is “discontinuing Wegmans Brand Soda because it contains artificial ingredients like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup. We are committed to our mission of helping customers live healthier, better lives through exceptional food, and we want you to feel confident in our Wegmans Brand products.“
Over the years, it offered competitive flavors — including Dr. W, Mountain W and Cola (and Diet Cola).
The company hadn’t shelved cans of W Pop in quite a while. But 2-liter bottles were on shelves as of this month.
In a statement to WROC-TV, Wegmans said it “will not be producing any additional Wegmans Brand soda, and anticipate selling through our current inventory within the next week,” according to RochesterFirst.com.
At one time, the pop’s popularity was dynomite.
Wegmans launched its “Food You Feel Good About” effort in 1991 as part of a “commitment of great taste with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives,” the company says on its website.
Since 2014, Wegmans says it offers more than 2,000 Wegmans items that meet its “Food You Feel Good About” standards — noting that nearly 90% of all Wegmans brand items are “Food You Feel Good About.”
The company did not say whether it will replace W Pop with a healthier drink. It offers a store-brand sparkling water and continues selling Pepsi and Coke products.
If you’re looking for a very sugary pop, check out the Sheetz-brand pop.
Swiftburgh! From the Carnegie Science Center to Primanti Bros., here are 13 things to do during your June 16-17 weekend in Pittsburgh for Taylor Swift. And, of course, these things are themed with Taylor Swift lyrics!
13. It’s a roller coaster kind of rush
Get that roller coaster kind of rush at one of America’s best amusement parks — Kennywood Park!
Experience record-breaking thrills on the Steel Curtain, and check out Kennywood’s other wildly popular coasters: Phantom’s Revenge, Thunderbolt, Jack Rabbit, Racer and Sky Rocket.
And take a spin out of this world on Kennywood’s newest ride — Spinvasion. It’s the first of its kind in America!
Be sure to get some Potato Patch fries while there.
There are so many great places to eat in Pittsburgh.
You could go bougie, but why? Save that money for Taylor Swift merch!
Go to Primanti’s to chow down on the iconic sandwich with coleslaw and fries on it.
Be sure to get cheese fries, too.
Visit the Primanti’s in Market Square or Strip District.
Also recommend Bella Notte in the Strip District. Hands down, my favorite pizza in Pittsburgh.
11. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
The Carnegie Science Center might as well change its name to the Swift Science Center.
The facility — located next to Acrisure Stadium — has two epic Taylor Swift special events.
First up is the “Laser Taylor Swift” laser light show at the Buhl Planetarium.
“Calling all ‘Exiles’ and ‘Anti-Heroes!’ The Laser Taylor Swift sets hits from all the singer’s eras to dazzling laser lights and special effects,” the science center says about the show. “The question is: ‘Are You Ready For It?’ Warm up for the Eras Tour with us!”
And, as the science center notes, “If you didn’t score tickets to her concert, Laser Taylor Swift is the next best thing.” (Is it, though?)
The laser light show is an additional charge to the regular admission for the science center.
The light show will run daily at 2 p.m. through Sept. 4. Between June 12 and 15, the center will add a second showing at 4 p.m.
Be sure to check out the center’s Miniature Railroad & Village to find 10 tiny Taylor Swift figures — with each Taylor dressed as an era, of course!
“She may not fit into the Miniature Railroad’s timeline or aesthetic, but Taylor Swift never goes out of style,” Rosalie Garfinkle, assistant manager of the miniature railroad, said in a news release, according to WPXI.
The science center will close at 4 p.m. June 16 and will not be open June 17.
10. My baby’s fly like a jet stream, high above the whole scene
7. It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight
Sheetz food and drink!
You can get breakfast at midnight at Sheetz — a unique and totally fun 24/7 convenience store with locations all around the Pittsburgh area. Take it from me: A certified Sheetz Freak.
Of course, if you don’t want breakfast at midnight, Sheetz offers pizza, hoagies, milkshakes, loads of appetizers and so much more.
6. Green was the color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial Park
Point State Park fountain and Pittsburgh skyline
It might not be Nashville’s Centennial Park, but Pittsburgh’s Point State Park offers gorgeous views of the city skyline, all three rivers, Acrisure Stadium (where Taylor Swift is performing) and Pittsburgh’s hills and valleys.
And, yes, the grass is green, and you can read on a park bench at Point State Park.
Be sure to check out the fountain, too! Just don’t get in it.
5. The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama
Take in another drama, drama in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District with Pittsburgh Public Theater and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
CLO’s “Anything Goes” runs June 13-18 at the Benedum Center.
4. You held your head like a hero on a history book page, it was the end of a decade, but the start of an age
Learn about Pittsburgh’s history at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District.
The center features set pieces from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation,” “From Slavery to Freedom” and more. Plus, check out Western Pennsylvania’s sports history at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum (Heinz History Center admission includes admission to the sports museum).
On special exhibit now is “The Negro Motorist Green Book” — a look at the travel for African Americans in mid-century America.
3. And I think you should come live with me and we can be pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t home the weekend Taylor Swift is in Pittsburgh, but you can still tour PNC Park — one of America’s best ballparks.
The tour showcases a number of areas throughout the ballpark.
2. When they point to the pictures, please tell them my name
There are several art and photo galleries to visit in Pittsburgh. These are just a few:
Space Gallery; 812 Liberty Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museum of Art (admission includes the Carnegie Museum of Natural History); 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland
1. Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
Make the most of your concert experience! Whether you’re going into Acrisure Stadium to see her show or you’ll be dancing and singling along outside, just have fun!
While I spent much of the year navigating the pandemic, I still got to experience so many things. Every year is filled with love and loss and great memories. Here’s a slice of what my 2021 looked like.
Kicked off 2021 with … cold brew coffee
This was the first cold brew coffee of 2021. The first of many!
This was my first time walking on Presque Isle Bay from the Presque Isle side! I watched people ice fishing, playing hockey and doing other ice-related activities.
In the 101-year history of Kennywood Park’s Jack Rabbit, it had never operated in December. I got to ride it on Dec. 24! I also ate Potato Patch fries on Christmas Eve. Yinzplosion!
As the year winds down, I’m counting up the number of Sheetz cold brew coffees I’ve had in 2021! And, this year, I’m supporting Sheetz For the Kidz with this crazy cold brew coffee addiction.
As you might know, I’m slightly addicted to cold brew coffee from Sheetz. (If you don’t know, now you do.)
What began as a joke in 2020 from some people wondering how many Sheetz cold brew coffees I had during the year turned into a fun guessing game! Sheetz makes it easy to keep track in the MySheetz app.
The winner for my 2020 count was Sheetz worker Ashley who likely made a majority of those cold brew coffees.
Drop a guess under my tweet or Instagram post before the Times Square ball drops on Dec. 31.
That’s it! I’ll pull the guesses together and see who’s the closest.
I’ll share the actual total — and winner! — on Jan. 1!
As a bonus this year: For every cold brew coffee I had in 2021, I am going to donate $1 to the Sheetz For the Kidz nonprofit group that helps support children and their families in need in Sheetz communities.
The Sheetz employee-driven charity focuses on three areas: Gifts, wishes and food. Sheetz For the Kidz supports an annual holiday gift-giving program for children, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Feeding America.
Sheetz For the Kidz dates to 1992 when two Sheetz district managers raised $12,000 and took 126 children shopping for the holidays, according to its website. Today, the nonprofit organization supports 9,700 kids every year.
You can support Sheetz For the Kidz by making a donation here, using MySheetz rewards points to make a donation, buying Sheetz For the Kidz charity water and checking Sheetz stores for in-store efforts in July and December.
Need a hint for making a guess?
I offered a tip last year sharing how many cold brew coffees I had through the end of September. Not doing that this year! I have to make it a little more difficult. But here’s a tip to maybe help you get in the ballpark: In September, I had 35. In July, I had 40. Were other months higher, lower or about the same? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Quick rules and other things:
We’ll follow “The Price Is Right” method: The winner whose guess is closest without going over wins. (So, if you live under a rock: If the correct answer is 5 and you guess 6, you lost.)
There’s no prize for winning other than the satisfaction of making a lucky guess.
In the event of a tie, those with the correct answer will all be considered winners!
Post your guess to the above mentioned social media posts by 11:59:59 Dec. 31.
Disclaimer: Adding this disclaimer so you know that Sheetz is in no way connected to this, they didn’t ask me to do this, they’re not overseeing it, they’re going to find out at the same time you do when reading this. I’m just a crazy Sheetz Freak who loves Sheetz.
As people came and went, grabbing lunch or an afternoon jolt, there I was camped out in the corner booth.
Headphones in as others nearby talked about colleagues, family or life. As jarring alarms from the kitchen sounded each time a new order came in.
The clackity-clack of my computer keyboard. The amped up music from the store.
And there I was, camped out in the corner booth. For hours on end — usually doing some kind of work. Sometimes, watching a movie or playing a game. Other times, just watching the world pass by.
That was how I spent a large chunk of my life. At Sheetz, camped out in the corner booth. Before a pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
Some had a corner coffee shop. Others, Panera or a library. For me, it was Sheetz.
Ray Oldenburg coined the term “third place” — a neutral place where people can meet, gather and interact.
When I worked for a newspaper company, I spent long, countless hours in the office. Sheetz was the place I could unwind before going home.
I’ve used Sheetz for volunteer meetings, lunch meetups, post-theater show outings, midday cold brew coffee jolts, early morning cold brew coffee jolts, evening cold brew coffee jolts, late-night cold brew coffee jolts.
You get the picture.
But that all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic.
No longer did I sit for hours camped out in the corner booth.
My Sheetz trips became blips of time — orders placed on the app and quickly picked up inside at a display kiosk.
In recent weeks, Sheetz reopened the dining areas for use during daylight hours.
I don’t intend to sit down in Sheetz for awhile.
But, soon enough, when the pandemic has ended and I feel comfortable again in public and around others, you’ll find me at Sheetz, camped out in the corner booth.
BobbyCherry.com 