HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio — On the road again, we just can’t wait to get on the road again …
In this week’s 92nd episode of the News Man Weekly, four grown men road-trip two hours down I-71 and across I-70 to visit Buc-ee’s — a gas station with a cult following, a beaver mascot and apparently bathrooms nice enough to justify burning half a tank of gas just to see them.
Because nothing says journalism like chasing brisket and jerky in a retail complex the size of Mansfield all the way down in Huber Heights, Ohio.
Yeah, that Huber Heights. As in nearly to Dayton.
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(Our photos from our road trip to Buc-ee’s grand opening in Huber Heights on Monday. The story continues below the photos.)
In all seriousness, with a Buc-ee’s potentially coming to Mansfield at the I-71/Ohio 39 interchange, we had to see one for ourselves. After all, the one we visited is now the first in the Buckeye State.
Our team of Larry Phillips, Carl Hunnell, Zac Hiser and Hayden Gray made the trip to the grand opening. We joined thousands of curious shoppers. We caught remarks from Gov. Mike DeWine. We interviewed Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry, who led a contingent of local officials to the opening.
We even grabbed a quick moment with founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Aplin earned a bachelor’s degree in construction science at Texas A&M in 1980 and opened his first Buc-ee’s in Lake Jackson, Texas, in 1982.
Aplin told us he is optimistic Mansfield would be the next location in the Buckeye State.
“There are plans that we’re trying to work through to accomplish that. So there’s still some details to be done, but I’m optimistic that we’ll get everything worked out and I’d love to have another store here in Ohio,” Aplin said.
He said the undeveloped I-71/Ohio 39 interchange is the kind of place he likes to locate Buc-ee’s Travel Centers.
“I actually love places where there’s not a lot of development. It kind of lets us be a beacon on the highway, if you will,” Aplin said.
“Sometimes we end up where there are a lot of development, but I never shy away from a location that doesn’t have a lot of development, either. And then development usually, if history repeats itself, it will come once we get there,” he said.
The Texan, who founded his chain in his home state, said he didn’t worry about straying too far from the Lonestar State. A Mansfield location would be the most northern location among the more than 60 Buc-ee’s stores.
“Yeah, we’re this far (north). What’s a little farther?” he said with a laugh.
In the “News of the Week” segment, it was a classic spring chaos cocktail — flooding that turned Bellville into a temporary waterfront community; a multi-agency drug crackdown that kept law enforcement busy; and a sewage scare courtesy of wipes-that-are-definitely-not-flushable.
Thanks for tuning in! Join us again next Tuesday when we’ll be back in the studio with better audio.
This episode is powered by the great folks at Relax, It’s Just Coffee.
Related links:
- Vero ‘confident’ Buc-ee’s development will meet environmental requirements
- Buc-ee’s travel center buzz builds as Mansfield lawmakers move development forward
- Bellville Mayor: Watch for road closures as forecasters call for more rain
- Mears: Failed pumps & alarms led to sanitary sewer issues along Ohio 97
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