ANCHOR LEAD: The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park is responsible for everything from weddings in park property to programs for students. Fitting in to that list is a retail store that aims to enhance visits to the CVNP. TV2’s Patrick Shade paid a visit to Trail Mix.

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(Nat Sound of Train Whistle)

Objective Track: Normally, when you think of trains-

(Nat Sound of Cash Register)

Objective Track: -you wouldn’t think about shopping necessarily.

However, a store in Peninsula is bucking the tread.

Trail Mix, operated by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, is located along a stop on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The store offers goods such as drinks, accessories, and information about the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

As Chief Development Officer for the Conservancy for CVNP, John Debo is responsible for raising money to help the CVNP. Debo says that Trail Mix’s role is absolutely vital to the park.

John Debo: “It’s a place for people to meet, and a place for people to get information that might not otherwise be available about how to use the national park, what to go, where to go, and where the great trails are, and other things to do in the Cuyahoga Valley.”

Stand-Up: Now, Trail Mix is more than just a gathering place for people using the Cuyahoga Valley National Park as well as a place to get food and drinks. A good number of products found here at Trail Mix are not only made right here in the USA, but are also made locally as well.

According to the annual report, 34 percent of goods sold at Trail Mix have local roots, while 52 percent are made in America.

Mary St. John is the merchandise manager fot the Conservancy for CVNP, and has seen a rise of people wanting to buy American goods.

Mary St. John: “People demand that more, they are pulling away from China made or foreign made goods and into the USA made just because if fills a base, a good base.”

For now, Trail Mix will continue to be a resource to people using the CVNP.

For TV2 KSU, I’m Patrick Shade.