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By Gwen Albers
New Castle News
Fombell sisters Laura Gruber and Janet McClean like to keep people guessing.
Gruber, a co-owner of Ellwood Auto Repair, and McClean, its office manager, post riddles weekly on a changeable letter sign along state Route 288 outside Ellwood City.
Passersby try to solve the riddles.
"We want people to think," said McClean, 45.
Gruber and AJ Dilulio in 2017 purchased the building at 114 Woodrow Drive, just off state Route 288, for the auto repair business. A Husqvarna shop had formerly occupied the building.
About a year later, Dilulio purchased a two-sided changeable letter sign to advertise the business. That's when the sisters went to work.
"Janet and I thought it would be fun to do riddles," said Gruber, 46. "There's one in Cranberry.
"We just thought it would be something to engage people."
They go to Google, do searches for "difficult riddles" and then post them on the sign. They also include the answer to the previous week's question.
Examples of riddles include "I'm lighter than air, but 100 people cannot lift me." The answer is a bubble. "I have two bodies joined as one and when standing still, I run and run." The answer is an hourglass.
The sisters had to buy another set of letters to make sure they have enough. Occasionally, they discover letters missing.
"It's like a wind tunnel here," McClean said. "Our niece and nephew (who live next door) gather them up for us."
They keep track of the riddles so as not to repeat them and use the sign to celebrate things like holidays, graduations and high school athletics.
Right now, the sisters are using the sign to promote their niece Morgan Gruber. The 19-year-old from Fombell appeared on "American Idol" in 2022 and is up for best country music performer in Pittsburgh.
Tim Candito, owner of Candito's Pizza at 1025 Old Zelienople Road in Ellwood City, and his wife, Jessica, and daughter, Alexis, enjoy the riddles.
"Well, I'm middle-aged now and I like exercising my mind," Candito said.
He's pretty good at solving the riddles and at times - instead of waiting a week for the answer to be posted on the sign - he calls Ellwood Auto Repair to see if he's right.
"I even called from South Carolina when I was on a golf outing," Candito said. "It's fun."
Danelle Martin is another fan.
"I always read it out loud (while driving by) to see who (in her vehicle) can guess it," Martin said. "It's fun."
Dilulio also likes the idea.
"I just hope no one crashes going down the road reading the sign," he said.