August 2020 GreeneScene by GreeneScene Community Magazine / Direct Results

AUGUST 2020

â&#x20AC;¢ GreeneScene Community Magazine

FEATURES 4

I LOVE THIS PLACE

GREENESCENE OF THE PAST

SHINING THE LIGHT

INTENTIONAL WALKS

PUBLIC SERVICE PROFILE

GREENE ARTIFACTS

COUNTY OF GREENE

PILLARS OF GREENE

GOING GREENE

MESSAGE BOARD

GOOD NEWS IN GREENE

BUSINESS SECTION

MEET THE TEAM

Grooving Through Greene Rain Day Tradition

Mapletown United Methodist Church Sports and the community Loved Again Charities Ancient craftmanship

Greene County Planning & Community Development A tribute to John G. Brodak

A small town struck by tragedy Community announcements and opportunities Awards & acknowledgements within our community Featuring our Business Spotlights Get to know contributor Rochelle McCracken

EXTRAS

MISS RAIN DAY PAGEANT

JUS ADD WATER!

CHANGE A LIFE TODAY: FOSTER CARE

I YAM WHAT I YAM

CRUISE-IN 2020

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

ANGLERS’ SHOWCASE

GET TO KNOW DR

Meet the Miss Rain Day contestants Rain Day goes virtual for 2020 Greene County foster care needs your help

Richard Kronk’s antique truck named Popeye Our first annual automotive brag mag is here! Greene County Juior Livestock Show & Sale Our first annual anglers’ showcase is here! DR’s customer service is top-notch!

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

â&#x20AC;¢ GreeneScene Community Magazine

I Love this P l a ce

GROOVING THROUGH GREENE by Colleen Nelson

The 4-H Horse and Pony Club has also get to sample the products of new vendors that new members boarding their horses joined the market in June. Dyers Fork Farm is almost at the Fairgrounds and enjoying their sold out by the time I get there but they tell me their garevening rides around the tracks. Im- dens are coming on strong. Kiln to Table is busy dishing provements are happening on the so I wave and grab a three-berry muffin from Sue’s BakGreene River Trail which runs from ery and exchange virtual hugs as we catch up on another Greene Cove Marina to Jessop Boat year. My green thumb friend from Isaac Walton League Club in Carmichaels that will make days Rebecca Trigger is a new market regular and I get art part of the landscape. Two 20-foot to sniff sachets of the latest addition to her 140 acre namurals to celebrate the journey this tive plant preserve and nursery – Lavender Phenomepath along the Monongahela River nal. Its tag says it’s the “new gold standard variety in lavhas taken, from Indigenous tribes in their canoes to the present-day bikers and hikers are alMiss Rain Day 2019 Katie Swauger and her 2020 court came to the Waynesburg Farmready in the works. ers Market to collect canned goods for the Miss Rain Day Food Drive. (I stop by mural artist Jim Winegar’s t will soon be another scorching hot July day in studio in Richhill Township to donate Waynesburg but it’s not there just yet. Tucked into some brushes to the project and see the cool shadows of Washington Street, rows of how work is progressing. It’s really tables and pop-ups on both sides let you know it’s a quite a production, a story in itself. farmers market Wednesday morning. Shoppers with Stay tuned!) bags are heading to their cars while others like me are I chose to shop Waynesburg just arriving to say hello and browse the fresh picked Farmers Market on July 17 because produce Harden Family Farm has been bringing weekly the Rain Day Committee is here. Fessince the market opened, right on time in spite of COtival chair Athena Bowman tells me VID-19, on May 13. this year’s festival is a hybrid of tradiI’ve done my morning chores in record time and tional decorated downtown windows made it to High Street as the courthouse clock strikes mixed with the COVID-19 need for 11am. I’m ready to be charmed by a vegetable that isn’t distancing, with virtual entertainin my garden, happy to schmooze with folks I haven’t seen in a year. I’m here to shop local and I’m delighted ment, including contests, live speechby a new normal that is as alive and friendly as any nor- es and an all day lineup of music to tune into on the Rain Day Facebook Artist Jim Winegar works on a section of the new mural that will make art a part of the mal I can remember. page. The festival booth is filled with landscape at the Greene River Trail. When Greene County came out of lockdown and memorabilia, including T-shirts and tiptoed into code yellow, spring was in full bloom. Waynesburg Farmers Market Facebook page urged the the schedule of events that are availpublic to mask up and shop downtown for homegrown able ahead of time. Stop by Waynesproduce, baked goods and goodies, farm raised meats burg Borough office during business and sandwiches to go. By June and code green, more hours for what you need. Miss Rain Day 2019 Katie vendors were added and by July, the County of Greene Swauger and her court of 2020 canand Lions Club Park began hosting their own market didates have also come to the market on Tuesday evenings, along with the Sounds of Sumto collect canned goods for the Miss mer - live music in the handsome new amphitheater. Rain Day food drive. Their pageant Summer life was working on its new normal and rollnight performances at Carmichaels ing with the glitches. Carmichaels pool opened, then High School will be on Facebook at closed due to a lack of lifeguards but its passes are being 3pm on Rain Day. honored at Waynesburg pool, which is open to the pubIn a nice twist of the calendar lic and is also hosting the county Summer Day Camp year, July 29 falls on a Wednesday for kids. The day camp usually has six sites countywide so farmers market shoppers will get but this year has been limited to the one in Waynesto watch in real time as the umbrella Dyers Form Farm is new to the Waynesburg Farmers Market this year, but they’ve burg and all kids are welcome. Director of Recreation contest is judged on the courthouse enjoyed the sense of community that it brings. Bret Moore tells me other good things are in the works. steps starting at 10:30am. They will

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

ender markets across the globe.” I take an educated sniff and am taken by the potent aroma that fills my senses and lingers on my fingers as I hold the freshly dried bundles. Rebecca tells me she drove to Bucks County early in the spring to get her starters and now has two rows 120 feet long in production. Totally relaxed from sniffing lavender with Rebecca, I head back to Hardens Family Farm, am charmed by some beautifully mature hot peppers – mine are the size of my little finger at the moment – and an adorable basket of baby beets. Then I head head home to my kitchen. What to do with baby beets? Martha Stewart pops up on Google to inform me that pickled and speared with a fancy Rebecca Trigger, a new market regular, sells plants from her skewer, baby beets make a dra140 acre native plant preserve and nursery. matic “earthy flavored” addition to a chilled gin and vermouth martini called Bleeding Heart. Shop local. Be safe. See you at the Recipe to follow. Well now! Looks like I Rain Day Umbrella Contest on the 29th! need juniper berries. Hmmm….

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

G reen e Sce n e of the Pa st

did this pen and ink sketch of my favorite old photo of Daily’s Drug Store that I ran across in 1997. I turned it into a poster and a T-shirt design for Rain Day. It was fun capturing the many small details of the 1950s, the patterned socks on the “Cloud Catchers”, the jaunty tilt of their straw hats, the camaraderie that reaches out and shakes your hand when you look at them sitting there. Now, twenty some years later, I can’t remember where I found that photo but the art is still here to tell the tale. My best guess is the old filing cabinet that lived in one corner of the Observer-Reporter office on Church Street. Writing newspaper articles about Rain Day was my window into a past that is still alive in this rural western corner of Penn’s woods. I recognize the humor, honesty, alertness and hard work ethic that my farming neighbors still practice. It connects them to what the land and the weather have to tell them. Legend has it that an unknown farmer – finally sleuthed out in 2019 to be Civil War veteran Caleb Ely - stopped by J.T. Rogers & Co. Drug Store on High Street one hot July day in 1874 and told pharmacist William Allison it would rain on the 29th. How did he know? Well, it always seemed to rain on his birthday, he allowed. When it rained as predicted, Allison made a note of it. In time, this prediction would become a bet-your-hat wager with traveling salesmen; eventually those who commiserated on the drug store stoop would call themselves the Cloud Catchers and keep vigil all night waiting for the first drops to fall around Waynesburg. What a fun time that must have been! As the decades went by, statistics showed it was a safe bet that there would be rain on Caleb Ely’s birthday, so salesmen beware. Rain Day was baptized in sorrow when Boys of Company K died on the field of battle in France on July 29, 1918. The 20th century was bringing its changes - William’s brother Albert took over the Rain Day record and passed it on to Byron Daily in the 1920s. Cub reporter John O’Hara picked up the pace of this down home celebra6

tion in the 1930s with wit and journalistic verve. He sent out yearly press releases challenging the world to take the bet and many famous people, including Cassius Clay, did. When O’Hara became a stringer for the Associated Press, his stories about Rain Day went worldwide. Over the years July 29th became the day to come to Waynesburg for fun and maybe a little rain. One year High Street might be shut down for a carnival, complete with a Ferris wheel. The next year might pass with only a hat exchange on the courthouse steps. The occasional bathing beauty contests became the Miss Rain Day pageant when a special events commission was formed in 1979 to make this home grown celebration an official yearly street festival. In 1980 O’Hara, then 76, had his crowning moment when he persuaded Charles Kuralt and his “on the road” team to stop by on July 28th to describe and announce the upcoming festival. The segment was aired that night on CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Imagine my surprise when I moved to Greene County to be a country artist and discovered that the whole town of Waynesburg turned out for my birthday (yes, I was also born on July 29). Live music on the courthouse steps, people dancing in the street, good food to eat, games to play, sidewalk sales galore. Heck yeah! I started inviting the family down to join the fun. One of my sisters met the love of her life at Rain Day and she has me to thank, I allow. For more than a dozen years I would design, screen and deliver a new year’s worth of T-shirts to the Colonial Inn – now a grassy patch on High Street – on Rain Day, get my free birthday beer then be out on the street listening to live music and sometimes running for cover as a real honest to goodness summer storm

took the bet and charged down High Street, knocking over booths and cutting through the heat like a knife through

by Colleen Nelson

butter. What did we care? Farmers don’t mind getting wet. Open your umbrellas and smile - it’s Rain Day!

If you have an interesting old photo from the area you’d like to share, just send it to: GreeneScene of the Past, 185 Wade Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370. Or email to: info@greenescene.com with GreeneScene Past in subject line.

GreeneScene by Evan Williams II

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

By Colleen Nelson his morning I was roused from a sleep town and in 1922 work began on the church to these words. ‘Lanfer, the church is that would sit next door to it. Ten years later, on fire.’” Rev. Lanfer Simpson shared a basement was added. By 1951 a kitchen adthis on the Mapletown United Methodist dition gave the congregation and the commuChurch Facebook page at 2pm on July 4. By nity a place to gather for fellowship dinners, then the fire that started in the parsonage holiday celebrations and later, as a county around 5am had been extinguished and the food pantry site. It was also the only place in family that lived there had been taken to the town big enough for the students of Maplehospital with “less than serious injuries” and town High School to shelter in during an would soon be released. The fire had jumped emergency. to the church next door and destroyed most Greensboro Methodists closed their of the back of the building, but the vestibule doors in 1968 and drove up the hill to join and front door were still intact and the bell in forces with Mapletown United Methodist front of the church was still in ringing order. Church. Rev. Simpson had been live streaming When I joined Lori Beth and her family his sermons from home since March. Two for Sunday service in 2018 while I was writSundays before the fire, he returned to church ing about Mapletown, I found a relaxed, kid to live stream sermons from the chapel that friendly congregation wearing comfortable now lies in ruins. Thankfully, those sermons country clothes and looking roll-up-your have been saved online and those who watch sleeves ready to deal with whatever the future them in can still see the beautiful details of might have in store. the lost altar and remember. That future came in like a flaming meteor Count your blessings. No one had in the early morning hours of Independence died, thank God! What was lost was “just Day. The balance that these parishioners are stuff.” Lori Beth Adams-Hamman shared striking now is to count their blessings and, that morning. “I rushed outside and saw as Jesus commands, take it one day at a time. the smoke coming from Mapletown. ImmeWhile the trustees sort out the gritty diately, as I began to think of all the things details of saving what can be saved from the that may have been lost…this hymn came to church building before demolition and admind. “I am the church! You are the church! dressing the matter of building anew, the We are the church together!” faithful will be back in Greensboro, holding I remember going to church with Lori services in the retired Catholic Church that is Beth, whose family history here goes back now the Greensboro Fire Hall. There’s plenty 200 years. The “charred remains of the only of room in the old brick building to play in church I’ve ever known” that flooded her the Greene County Dart Ball League and newsfeed that morning is not the only build- hold socially safe events and services such as ing her hardy frontier congregation has wor- the church’s monthly food bank (every third shiped in. Monday at 10:30 a.m. Volunteers welcome This branch of the Christian faith dates at 9 a.m.). Donations to help the family that back to the Redstone Circuit of 1784 when lost everything when the parsonage burned Methodist preachers were appointed to West- can be made by calling Rev. Simpson (412ern Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary 496-2868). When I talk to Rev. Simpson on War was won. Worshippers met outside of the phone he has more good news to share. town on Whitley Creek, according to church When the safety fencing was put up around history. Historian L.K. Evans tells us that the ruined church, the bell was removed and early settler Stephen Mapel’s son Benjamin will soon be ringing every Sunday morning at sold some of the family farm to trustees for the fire hall. a church in 1797. Parishioners from Greensboro had a steep hill to climb getting to ‘Mapel Town’ - Bishop Asbure wrote in 1803 that he was “stiff and sore” from walking the “rugged, perpetual hills” to preach. Greensboro Methodists opened a church of their own in Glassworks in 1820 and as Mapel Town became Mapletown the faithful continued to hold services in a log cabin school on Whitley Creek. The Mapletown UMC congregation will worship at the As the 20th century brought its former Holy Family Catholic church - not the fire hall changes, a church parsonage was built in in Greensboro temporarily.

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Intentional Walks

by Bret Moore

t the turn of the 20th century, Greene County had a daily paper for people of every political mindset. The Democrat, the Republican, the Independent, the Daily Times and the Messenger all flourished. There was even a weekly paper called the Waynesburg Clipper that was particularly vitriolic in its attacks on political opponents. The only things upon which these papers could agree were the local baseball and football scores. One of the most fascinating aspects of these early sports reports is the constancy of the traditional county surnames. Over a century later, the rules of the games have changed, but the names in the scorebooks remain the same. This as a testament to the deep cultural roots we share that bonds us with our towns and villages. For many people, sports are a visceral link to their past. These memories not only connect them to their youth, but also the accomplishments of their parents and grandparents. I have always loved the history and anecdotes of local sports. In every small town in America, people gather in local hangouts to debate and pontificate on the best running back, wrestler or pitcher the area has produced. Throughout the years, sports have served as an escape from the drudgery of the mine, of the mill, of the farm and of the factory. Local athletes provided an identity for villages otherwise too small to be noticed by the larger society. For decades, conversations in the Waynesburg Isaly’s, the Jefferson Hotel, and Serb’s Red Star have centered around the glory days of the town. However, time eventually washes away these shared generational experiences. Someday, the legendary feats of Cary Kolat and Coleman Scott will be as obscure as the heroes of the turn of the last century. While I was researching my book, a glaring example in my own life underscored this lack of knowledge. Bucky Murdock was my guidance counselor and high school baseball coach. Although I should have known there was something special about a 57-year old man who taught pop-up slides into second base by personally demonstrating them repeatedly, I was sadly oblivious. The man was a member of six sports halls of fame and a hero in two wars, but I failed to grasp his greatness because I viewed him through the blinders of youth. My ignorance existed despite the fact my father and grandfather always shared their stories of great athletes they had played with and against. My father was Jim Moore. He started his career as a sports reporter at the Democrat-Messenger in the late 1950s. He became an editor and columnist for both the

Bret Moore’s book will release this coming fall.

Messenger and the Observer-Reporter before starting his own weekly paper, the Greene County Messenger in 1990. In addition to the oral and written legacy of my family, I have loved reading the collections of local writers such as historian G. Wayne Smith and my father’s good friend John O’Hara of the Waynesburg Republican. Because of my desire to see this communal well of memories endure, I decided to compile and synthesize multiple sources of Greene County sports history into a two volume book series. Volume I will be published by Direct Results this fall. After reading the work, Pam and Kent Marisa asked if I might be interested in sharing some of the stories in a column for the GreeneScene. We share the same vision of using sports and activities as a societal glue that creates a true community. In addition to the sources mentioned, I contributed my own research by scouring yearbooks of all the local high schools, as well as the Democrat-Messenger and Waynesburg Republican archives for forgotten stories. The wonderful staff at the Cornerstone Genealogical Society and the Greene County Historical Society were extremely helpful. It is not my intention to create a dry academic tome of sports data. Nor is my goal to cover only the “greatest” athletes and teams. I wanted to use sports to capture the zeitgeist of an era. Times when the local stuff was usually more important to us than the larger world. My goal is to create stories that can be enjoyed by anyone who wishes to gain an overview of the thread of athletic DNA that connects us as a community. The book and this column will be a celebration of the accomplishments of our friends, of our families and of our fellow Greene County folk.

GreeneScene by Heather Conway

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Miss Rain Day Pageant It wouldn’t be Rain Day without the Rain Day Pageant! Photos by Bruno & Bruno

ASHANTI

MOLLY

EMILY

Ashanti Cole is the 17-year old Molly Mylan is the 16-year-old daughter of Jessica Cole and daughter of Barry and Darla Mylan Reginald Williams of Waynesburg. of Rices Landing. She is currently She is a junior at Waynesburg a junior at Jefferson-Morgan Jr. Sr. Central High School. She will be High School. She will be performperforming a vocal selection to ing a vocal selection to The Climb. Girl On Fire.

FAITH

ISABELLE

Emily Bennett is the 16-year old daughter of Katie and Tim Bennett of Mt. Morris. She is a sophomore and is homeschooled. She will be performing a saxophone solo to It Don’t Mean A Thing by Duke Ellington.

ALISON

Faith Andrews is the 16-year old Isabelle Tedrow is the 16-year old Alison Grace Blair is the 18 year old daughter of Crystal and Robert daughter of Tarisa and Ken Tedrow daughter of Laurie & Mike Blair of Andrews of Waynesburg. She will of Jefferson. She will be a Junior Waynesburg. She will be a senior at be a junior at Waynesburg Central at Jefferson Morgan Jr. Sr. High Waynesburg Central High School. High School. She will be perform- School. She will be performing a She will be performing a contempoing a jazz routine to Come Dance contemporary acrobatic routine to rary routine to LJ. With Me. Way Down We Go.

CROWN BEARER

2019 Miss Rain Day Katie Swauger

is the seventeen-year-old daughter of Judy and Kenneth Swauger of Carmichaels. She is a Senior at Carmichaels Area School District where she is a member of the National Honor Society. In school, she is a varsity cheerleader and has been in two school musicals.

AUGUST 2020

Blair Pierce

is the 7-year-old daughter of Jim & Megan Pierce from Sycamore. She attends West Greene Elementary Center and will be entering 2nd grade. Her activities include dancing and cheerleading. She plans on being a farmer when she is older.

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Public Service Profile by Michelle Church

LOVED AGAIN CHARITIES

ou were born with the ability to pated, sixty percent have been convicted of a change someone’s life - don’t ever crime. “They don’t have the same opportuniwaste it,” to quote Dale Partridge. ties to join in activities that require money,” Loved Again Charities puts those words into says Tammy. “Most people just don’t know, action every day. They create “duffle bags of we want to make people aware… it leaves love” for foster children, according to the them excluded, we want to change that, we charity’s president Tammy Davis. “When a want to help give them confidence and the child enters the foster care system, most of- drive to beat these odds.” ten they do so with just the clothes on their Currently, there are only three foster back or very limited belongings carried in a families in Greene County. This means that trash bag,” Tammy says. Loved Again Chari- foster children often have to move out of the ties fills duffle bags with personal care items, county when they are placed with another toys, books and new, or slightly used cloth- family. This causes the loss of everything that ing to give to the children. is familiar to them. And they have very few Loved Again Charities consists of Presi- belongings of their own to take with them to dent Tammy Davis, Vice President Scott make themselves feel at home. Church and Secretary/Treasurer Janette The good news is that anyone can do Kline. The charity honors Donna Evans their part to help this wonderful charity. and her incredible efforts with foster chil- Loved Again Charities accepts donations of dren. Donna was a remarkable woman and new and slightly used items including duffle a mother to many; she raised 37 foster chil- bags, back packs, toys, books, personal items dren. She passed away in 2019 but her love and clothing. If you would like to provide lives on in Loved Again Charities. donations, they can be brought to 79 South Loved Again Charities was established Morgan Street, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvain 2019. Since its creation, the charity has nia. Tammy says that the best part of her helped 72 children and at-risk families. Re- experience with Loved Again Charities is cently, they helped a young man who had that “every time we pack a bag for these kids, just graduated high school. They provided knowing what it will mean to them… these him with a new pair of shoes and gift cards items add just a little dignity to their lives. to help him get established as he enters into a That knowledge stays in our hearts…we are job apprenticeship. amazed at the overwhelming support from Loved Again Charities wants to bring our commu“awareness to the plight of foster and at-risk nity. It’s heartchildren.” Tammy shares that “we want to warming to help give them confidence and the drive to see the positive beat these odds.” responses from As foster children age out of the system, the community they deal with many difficulties and scary when they hear statistics. More than 23,000 foster children of a need.” age out of the system every year. Seventy percent of foster children would like to go to college but only three percent will get a college degree. Seven in ten girls who age out of the system will get pregnant before age 21. Of the boys whom Duffle bags like these full of necessities are provided to foster children. have aged out, or Inset: Donna Evans was the inspiration for Loved Again Charities. are legally emanci-

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Just Add Water! Rain Day Goes Virtual for 2020

fter a scorching hot July, Greene County is ready for some RAIN (DAY)! The 2020 Rain Day celebration may not be the traditional event that everyone is used to having, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a fun time – and you don’t even have to leave home to enjoy it this year. The Special Events Committee has been diligently planning to provide the very first virtual Rain Day Festival, overflowing with local entertainment, historical videos, and contests. The virtual festival will be an all-day event on the Rain Day Facebook page, with something scheduled every hour, starting at 9am and lasting until fireworks bring the evening to an end at 9pm. This year’s Rain Day celebrates 147 years of recording rainfall in Waynesburg on July 29 – with 115 of those years having rain. Waynesburg Troop Greene 1280 will continue their tradition as official Rain Watchers and camp out on the courthouse lawn at midnight. This year’s hat bet is with Stephen Cropper, chief meteorologist of WPXI. Stephen has been delivering local forecasts to the Pittsburgh area for nearly two decades. He has been awarded the American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval for Television

Weathercasting. Stephen is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law and has been licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania as well as The United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania. He, serves on the Advisory Board of The Salvation Army and works with other regional charitable organizations. The entertainment this year is jampacked with performances from fantastic, local talent. The performers have been working closely with Ben McMillen to create prerecorded videos that will play throughout the day on Facebook. These amazing entertainers include Jessica Torres, Drew Johnson, Trenton Antil & Jolene Hillier, Cassidy Paige, Lucien Schroyer, & Graham Sterling, Jeff Grable, Lexie VanDyne, Tyler Jeffries, and the Shadow Cats. This year’s contests consist of the annual Baby Rain Day, Downtown Business Window Decorating, and Umbrella Decorating contests, but there are a few new contests to enjoy, also. The new-this-year county-wide decorating contest lets contestant from all around Greene County decorate their yard, house windows, driveway, sidewalk or porch in a Rain Day theme. And the new coloring contest for ages 5 – 8 and the poster contest for

The Special Events Committee would ages 9 – 12 challenges kids to dive into their inner artist. Both the coloring and the poster like to extend their very grateful thanks to contest winners will receive a goody basket of this year’s sponsors and their support. WithRain Day items. All contests this year require out dedicated sponsors, community pre-registration and the deadline for the con- events like this would not be tests (excluding Baby Rain Day, which has able to continue. already passed) is Monday, July 27th. Visit the Rain Day Facebook page for more information! Special Events will have a booth set up in front of the Courthouse from 9am to 5pm. They will be handing out programs and selling t-shirts and promotional items. This year, in addition to the standard Rain Day shirt, they will have a special edition shirt. There will also be a punch board with chances to win local business gift certificates and rain Day items. At 5:30 there will be an award presentation followed by a vehicle parade through some streets of the borough; the parade will include all the contest winners, Wayne Drop, the 2020 Miss Rain Day and her court, Rain Watchers, and more, escorted by the Waynesburg Borough Police Department and the Greene The Rain Day celebration goes virtual this year, but County Sheriff ’s Office. merchandise can still be purchased at the Courthouse.

GreeneScene by Michelle Church

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

CHANGE A LIFE TODAY WITH FOSTER CARE

very year, many children join families through adoption or foster care. These families may face struggles or unique challenges. While there are obvious differences between families formed through birth and those formed by adoption or foster care, acceptance of those differences offers positive growth. It is an unfortunate reality that faces hundreds of thousands of American children per year. When a home environment is not safe or appropriate for a child’s well-being, a caseworker is typically called to assess the situation. Many times, a therapist or pediatrician may be called to examine the child. If there is sufficient reason for concern about the health and/ or safety of the child, a court may rule that the child be temporarily removed from the home. In many cases, these are the children that become foster children. These children are children of all ages, origins, and backgrounds, but they all share one thing in common. All of these children need a loving family and a place to call home. These children are placed in foster care through no fault of their own. Every child needs and deserves the stability and hope of a loving home, where he or she feels cared for, safe, and supported. In the past year, Greene County has had approximately 100 children in need of foster care, and yet there are only three Foster Care Homes in the county. “Many of our children have had to be placed outside of the county, even further away from home and familiar life,” said Mike Holloway, Deputy Director of Greene County Foster Care. Many people don’t know much about the foster care system or Children and Youth Services and how they work. Some may base their opinions on what they see on television or in the movies, which don’t necessarily paint a pretty picture, and therefore, are often seen in a negative light. “There is not enough awareness about foster care,” says Michael. The foster family becomes not only a safe home for a child in need, the difference that a foster parent can make in the child’s life can be overwhelmingly positive. Foster parents are trained, dedicated, caring people who have opened their homes, and perhaps their family, to children in need for as long as necessary. Making the decision to become a foster parent is not always an easy one, and it is certainly not without challenges. A foster parent doesn’t always fit a typical mold. Foster parents are hard-working, caring individuals from all socioeconomic, religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Some are single or divorced without their own children, others may be married couples or older adults with adult children. The single most important factor for any foster parent is an unwavering commitment to provide a warm, safe, and nurturing environment for a child in need. The Greene County Foster Care system follows a strict protocol before a child is removed from their home. The agency must respond to any referrals received, and caseworkers are sent for assessment and investigation. If the caseworker notices any signs of danger, abuse, or neglect, then immediate steps are taken via legal channels to remove the child from danger. If a judge rules that the child be removed, the search for a foster home begins. Greene County Foster Care always begins their search with people the child knows, in an effort to maintain some stability for the child. “When a child is in foster care, there is trauma involved,” says Mike. If the option of a familiar person

by Stephanie Lampe

is not available, the agency begins searching for a suitable foster family. Children in foster care are often in a state of shock, and anything that a foster parent can do to help ease the child through such a difficult situation can be impactful. Once a child is removed from their home, the biological parents have 15-24 months to correct the issues that caused the child to be placed in foster care. During that time, biological parents may have visitation with their child. The ultimate goal of the foster care system is always to reunite the child with his or her original family, if possible. Greene County Foster Care strives to not have a child in foster care for more than two years. Usually, the best approach of the foster parent is to be calm and welcoming. And while the foster parent is willing to provide a loving home, they must also realize that the child may not always be able to give that love back, at least not right away. In the words of Carrie Underwood, “Little boy, six years old; A little too used to being alone; Another new mom and dad, another school, another house that’ll never be home. When people ask him how he likes this place, he looks up and says with a smile upon his face, ‘This is my temporary home…’” In a child’s world of uncertainty and doubt, foster parents are called upon to establish faith and trust, which takes time to build, and that can be difficult in a temporary situation.

But, whether it’s for a few nights, a few months, a couple years, or the rest of a child’s life, a foster parent can make all the difference in the world! There is no greater reward than helping a child thrive and grow. There is an urgent need for foster parents right here in Greene County. If you want to make a difference in a child’s life, becoming a foster parent may be for you. If you can open your heart, open your home, and change a life, then call Greene County Foster Care at 724-852-5217 or visit www. GCFosterCare.com for more information.

Meet the Director and Deputy Director of Greene County Foster Care/CYS

reene County Foster Care/CYS Director Mark W. Starostanko resides in Clarksville. He has two daughters, Emily and Alexis. He graduated from Jefferson-Morgan in 1990. He attended Waynesburg College (now University) and graduated in 1994. He later obtained a degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. The hardest part of his job is seeing people that have suffered abuse and neglect, but he wants to help. “I want to make a lasting impact on people’s lives,” he shares. “I don’t want to be idle.” As for the future, Mark plans to stay where he is. “I want to retire from here,” he says. “I want my deputy director [Michael Holloway] to take over.” Greene County Foster Care Deputy Director Michael Holloway, Jr. grew up in Greensboro. He and his

wife, Chelsey, live in Waynesburg with their five children. He graduated from Mapletown High School and obtained his degree from California University of Pennsylvania. He always wanted to make a lasting impression on the community so he got into social work. “I started as a caseworker,” he says. “It was hard when a child who had been removed from home asked you questions you didn’t know the answer to. Like when they wanted to know when they could go home, and you couldn’t answer because you didn’t know.” According to Michael, the most satisfying part of his job is when a child finally has stability. “It is so important to give a child stability,” he shares. As for the future, he plans to stay right where he is... Greene County Children and Youth.

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Jacktown Fair Invitational Market Goat & Rabbit Sale Results In an effort to provide a place for the hard-working children of 4-H and FFA to exhibit their animals, the Jacktown Fair held an invitation-only show and sale during their 155th Jacktown Fair Celebration, held July 17-19. Results for the show are as follows.

• •

Middleweight - Brendan Cole Heavyweight - Tristan Cole

RABBIT RESULTS • Grand Champion Pen - Allison Pecjak • Reserve Champion - Deakin Whipkey • Single Fryer Champion - Allison Pecjack • Single Fryer Reserve Champion Brielle Whipkey • Lightweight Champion - Weston McVeigh • Middleweight - Brielle Whipkey • Heavyweight - Allison Pecjack GOAT RESULTS • Grand Champion - Tristan Cole • Reserve Champion - Anthony Brookover • Lightweight Champion - Anthony Brookover

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Grand Champion Tristan Cole

I Yam What I Yam: Popeye, the Antique Truck

ars have been used as a rolling advertisement space almost since they first hit the road. It’s an easy and effective way to advertise a business. The many options for branding your vehicle - including window graphics, car magnets, and even full or partial wraps – allow for a completely custom design that reflects you and your business. Mobile advertising helps increase local exposure and brand awareness by creating a moving billboard. Imagine the surprise of local classic car enthusiast, Richard Kronk of Jefferson, when he discovered that his 1930 Ford Model AA truck was used as an advertising vehicle for the Coronado Brewing Company in the state of California. Richard purchased the privately-owned truck in 2014, and has spent countless hours on its restoration. He recently learned that his truck was named “Popeye,” and part of a duo of antique trucks that served as unique and successful advertising vehicles for the Coronado Brewing Company. Previous owner, Ron Chapman, reportedly felt that using the antique trucks, named Popeye and Olive Oyl, for advertising was an effective way to create a promotion on wheels. He used to keep both trucks parked in front of his restaurant, and

at times someone would drive them around the small town of Coronado. After Richard purchased the antique truck, he began to tear it apart and started his restoration process. The truck was disassembled and prepared for rejuvenation. He overhauled the carburetor and did some other engine work, as evidenced by his often-busted knuckles and the unending supply of grease under his fingernails. When the engine work was finished, Richard gave Popeye a fresh coat of paint, and he added sideboards to the back of the truck. Today, the classic Ford is not only popular at area car shows and parades, it is also roadworthy. Kronk states that the top speed for Popeye only runs between 25-30 mph, but the truck’s age and storied past makes it desirable to drive. Last year’s Christmas parade in Waynesburg saw the truck transformed into Santa’s Workshop, where it was named “Best Design.” The truck has also received the “Greaser’s Choice” award at the Skyview Drive-In car show. Trucks like these have become symbols ingrained in our national life and culture and remain many things to many people. For some, the truck may summon a wave of nostalgia; for others, it may represent an unvar-

nished and simplistic way of life or affirm the historic capacity of people to adapt to change. For Richard Kronk, his classic truck is much like him - simple and rugged, yet steadfast and resolute. Popeye, like the cartoon character, is a little scrappy and always ready for a fight. He’s an underdog and just an average sailor man, yet he often finds solutions to

by Vicky Hughes

problems that baffle others. Richard and his truck are much the same. They’re not pretentious, not looking for glory or glamour, just “tough to the finish ‘cause they eats their spinach” (...or gasoline!). He’s just a guy with his truck, living a dream and following the Popeye credo, “I yam what I yam, and that’s all that I yam.”

Popeye is a popular sight around Greene County, whether at parades, car shows, or just driving down the road.

GreeneScene by Kristina Householder

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

BUDDY HAWK

PATSY MORROW

TJ PORFELI

1932 Ford Coupe

Owner: TJ Porfeli, Eighty Four, PA This Ford is powered by a 383 Stroker motor paired with a 350 trans and a Ford 9” rear end. There are orange ghost flames on the front over the bright red paint. TJ’s father purchased the car in 2008 and TJ acquired the car from his father in 2014. “When I was 11, my dad and I built a 46 Chevy pickup truck and from that point he had me hooked,” TJ shares.

1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda

Owner: Patsy Morrow, Waynesburg, PA This ‘Cuda is numbers matching from every part to its original paint, as authentic to that time period as if it came off the production line in 1970. The vehicle was something valued and cherished for Patsy since he was 14 and was acquired through a lifetime of hard work to have the time, storage, and financial means, as well as a lifetime of searching in between. He is enjoying the fruits of his labor and wants to one day pass it on to one of his family to share in the memories.

1970 Ford Mustang

Owner: Buddy Hawk, Rices Landing, PA This Mustang was the same style of car that Buddy had when he was in his teens. The car recently won 1st place in the Hot Rod division at the 2019 King Coal Car Show. Pictured are Buddy’s son-in-law Shane, grandson Landry, granddaughters Hadli and Kolbi, and Buddy.

MELODY LONGSTRETH

1984 Chevy Monte Carlo

Owner: Smoke Loar, Clarksville, PA Smoke says that he has “always been a Chevy ‘gearhead’ and there’s nothing better than taking this all motor small block to the track, the smell of burning rubber, gas plus going fast!” SARAH ZOLGUS

1994 Ford Bronco

Owner: Sarah Zolgus, Crucible, PA The Bronco was something “my dad knew I would love when I didn’t even think I would want one,” Sarah shares. She got this 94 after she wrecked her ‘92. SMOKE LOAR

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

1978 Dodge Lil’ Red Express Truck

Owner: Melody Longstreth, Waynesburg, PA When Melody was 14, her dad bought a 1978 Lil’ Red Express truck brand new from a Dodge dealer in Waynesburg; when she turned 17, it became her daily driver until he sold it two years later. Five years ago, a friend found this one for Melody. “While it is not the one I drove as a teenager, it is every bit as much fun,” she shares.

RICHARD KRONK

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Owner: Richard Kronk, Jefferson, PA The car has a 455 big block motor and Rich enjoys cruising the neighborhood in this beauty.

1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Owner: Richard Kronk, Jefferson, PA “The Blur,” is Richard’s quarter mile race car, featuring a 383 Stroker. An interesting note is that this car shares its name with the Little Rascals prize-winning go-kart, also known as “The Blur!”

1976 Ford F-250 Highboy

Owner: Richard Kronk, Jefferson, PA Rich shares that this is one of his dream trucks. He always wanted one and was fortunate to add this one to his stable of classics.

ROBERT LATTA

GARRETT MILLER

CAROL & STEVE HIXENBAUGH

1967 Pontiac GTO

Owner: Robert Latta, Rices Landing, PA This GTO is the same kind of car Robert drove in high school. After he sold it, he missed and eventually purchased this one.

1936 Studebaker

Owner: Garrett Miller Rogersville, PA This Studebaker is a rarity, thanks to its great condition at its age. Garrett found and purchased the Studebaker at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction.

1930 Ford Model A Deluxe Convertible Owners: Carol & Waynesburg, PA

Steve

Hixenbaugh,

DERRICK TENNANT

RILEY HIXENBAUGH

2000 Dodge Dakota Clubcab SLT

Owner: Derrick Tennant, Carmichaels, PA The truck was bought new and belonged to Derrick’s grandfather, Albert Finnegan. It was given to Derrick after his grandfather passed. His license plate means, “Riding with Pap.”

1980 GMC Truck

Owner: Riley Hixenbaugh, Waynesburg, PA This GMC has a 6” lift, 350 motor, and has been restored back to original condition.

1936 Chevy Truck

Owner: Garrett Miller Rogersville, PA This 1936 Chevy was restored in Greene County and Garrett purchased it after he saw it advertised on Facebook.

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

JAMES FABER

BOB & ETTA LOGUE

1948 Ford F-1 Pickup

Owner: James Faber, Hundred, WV James purchased this truck from a grandson in Shinnston, WV that had inherited it from his grandparents in 2000. It was in the barn, covered in straw and dust. Jim and his third son, Jeffrey, purchased the truck after the grandson got it running. James and Jeff worked on this truck to make it comfortable to drive, but not perfect. It has a Ford 302 V8, wooden bed, and bench front seat. The truck was featured in Ford Motor’s monthly magazine in 2005.

1965 Ford Mustang

Owner: Bob & Etta Logue, Fairbank, PA This 1965 Mustang has a 6 Cyl Engine, automatic transmission and is factory color.

1957 Chevy Bel Air

Owner: Bob & Etta Logue, Fairbank, PA This 1957 Bel Air is a hardtop convertible, 454 V8 engine with 400 turbo transmission and is factory color.

Car Shows & Cruises 2020

Skyview Drive-In Car Show August 1, 10 am – 3pm Skyview Drive-In Registration Fee: $10 FMI: 724-966-9433

Lions Club Car/Vehicle Show August 22, 10am – 3pm Greene County Water Park FMI: 724-627-5284

50s Fest & Car Cruise September 12, 10am – 4pm Downtown Waynesburg No Registration Fee FMI: 724-627-5555

Car, Truck, Tractor & Motorcycle Show September 26, 9am Greene Cove Yacht Club Registration Fee: $10 FMI: 724-323-4397

Cruisin’ For Music September 27, 11am – 4pm Greene County Water Park Registration Fee: $15 FMI: 724-998-5729 Times, dates, and locations may change due to COVID-19, so please check with each show to see if it has been altered or canceled.

JIM SWEENEY

1928 Coach

Owner: Jim Sweeney, Greensboro, PA This 1928 Coach is a unique auto that Jim got from the Carmichaels Dance Studio after someone wanted to trash it it. It was created from wood, cardboard, and duct tape and it sits on a dolly on wheels. DANIELLE NYLAND

1994 Chevy Camaro

Owner: Danielle Nyland, Nemacolin, PA This 1994 Camaro has been heavily modified from stock appearance.

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Audrey Jacobs sent us this photo of her husband, Ben Jacobs Jr, when he was about nine years old. While a young boy, Ben would drive around the farm, accompanied by his Airedale Terrier, Lassie. Lassie reportedly fell out once in a while

rounding a curve, but quickly rebounded and hopped back in the car. The two vehicles In the background are most likely Fords and the gas pump beside the car was a gravity-flow type.

Gre e ne Art ifacts by Matthew Cumberledge, GCHS Executive Director

ANCIENT CRAFTMANSHIP

eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all grown accustomed to living in a post-industrial revolution world, where most of the items we buy and use have been mass produced, and true handcraftsmanship is something rare. Throughout most of human history, making objects by hand was the only option available. Each piece was carefully made to be as functional as possible, and, more often than not, the maker added a little style to it as well. Our artifacts this month are examples of such craftsmanship. These two combs, made from either bone or antler, were located on an archaeological dig in Franklin Township, Penna. by Frank B. Jones (a founding member of the Greene County Historical Society) in 1926. The Monongahela Native American Culture site on which these items were found was thought to date to the late 16th or early 17th century due to the presence of trade copper found. The Monongahela Culture existed from about a thousand years ago, until they seemingly disappeared from the archaeological record around 1635. It is thought that war

and conflict between neighboring tribes, as well as disease, wiped them out; there also are viable theories that they may have relocated elsewhere. The combs shown here exhibit stylistic influence from both the Iroquois from the north and the Susquehannock people from the east, and show a level of craftsmanship that can still be appreciated today. They are fairly small, measuring just a little over 2 inches from top to bottom, and the detail of the carving is almost unprecedented in similar works from the same period. Very few other comparable examples are known to exist. The Native American collection at the Greene County Historical Society Museum is always on display, and has examples of tools, projectile points, pottery and other artifacts from every epoch of our local prehistory, some objects being over nine thousand years old. Please keep an eye on the Greene County Historical Society Facebook page for our digital and in-person programming, and for more announcements on what is going on at the GCHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GreeneScene Community Magazine â&#x20AC;˘

AUGUST 2020

Co u nt y

Greene

GREENE COUNTY PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

reene County Economic Development is rebranding! The department name will change to Greene County Planning and Community Development (GCPCD) and will umbrella the County Development Office, Planning Department, Community Development Programs, Greene County Industrial Development Authority (GCIDA) and the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Greene (RACG). GCPCD will continue to assist the public with subdivision and lot splits, tax abatement, water and sewage planning and project assistance, MORE The GCPCD is thrilled to present these changes to the public via an Open House on August 31, 2020 from 10AM to 2PM at their new offices on the second floor of the Greene County Office Building located at 93 East High Street, Waynesburg, PA. They kindly request that you wear a mask as this event will follow all CDC regulations. GCPCD is also excited to introduce the new Development Team: Executive Director of County Development, Richard Cleveland; Planning Director, Jeremy Kelly; Director of Community Development and HOME Programs, Crystal Simmons; Planning Associate, Austin McDaniel; GCIDA Associate, Kayla Reyes; Community Development and HOME Associates Bonnie Davis and Nicole Mickens; Fiscal Associate, Rebecca Morris; Geographic Information System (GIS) Coordinator Dave Calverio David Craft, and Ad-

AUGUST 2020

ministrative Assistant, Constance Bloom. At this event they will review newly developed goals and strategies undertaken to assist the County during these unprecedented times and they welcome you to visit anytime. The team worked with the County Commissioners to review the County’s present economic challenges and developed goals with a focus on COVID-19. The following priorities were identified: Business Assistance, Housing Needs, Infrastructure Planning to include Water, Sewage, Broadband and other utilities, Education and Recreation. Strategies to address these goals include; building a network of resources for business development, creating a Countywide Economic Development COVID Response Task Force, holding more frequent Housing Insight and Planning (HIP) Teleconferences, developing a County Wide Infrastructure Plan, beginning discussions with technical training schools/university’s and prioritizing recreational activities and future recreational development. The GCPCD looks forward to making progress on these initiatives. You can reach the GCPCD Department by calling 724852-5300. Visit us online at greenecodpcd. com/ and like us on Facebook.

Richard Cleveland, Jeremy Kelly, & Crystal Simmons

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

GreeneScene Community Magazine â&#x20AC;¢

AUGUST 2020

â&#x20AC;¢ GreeneScene Community Magazine

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

hen the Greene County Fair Board announced that the fair would be cancelled for 2020, the notice was met with a range of emotional responses, especially through social media. While most people understood the fair’s decision wasn’t made lightly and was in the best interest of everyone involved, many people expressed their sadness that the children of 4-H and FFA would be left without a place to show and auction the animals they worked so hard on for the past year. These children, some of whom we talked to last month in our article about youth in agriculture, expressed their own sadness and understanding of the situation. Benjamin Archer, a member of both 4-H and FFA, took the news pretty hard. “I am very upset that this year‘s fair was cancelled. I have been working very hard for it, as I know other kids were,” Ben says. “But I have a sense of hope. I’m hoping that the fair next year will be twice as great as any other year.“ Karlie Wright, the current Agriculture Educator and co-FFA advisor at West Greene High School, believed the cancellation was inevitable. “Of course, it’s sad and I feel bad for members who are going to age out. But it’s better to focus on the positive and work on a plan to create a way that members can safely show and sell the projects that they have worked hard on.” And thanks to the tireless efforts of the Fair Board, parents, and 4-H leaders, an organization – the Junior 4-H Livestock Sale Association was created. “The organization was established with the sole purpose of helping the children that haven’t been able to sell their animals cause of the cancellations,” says Debbie Stephenson, fair board secretary/treasurer. “We worked with the Commissioners and the County of Greene to arrange the use

of the fairgrounds.” Through these efforts, the Greene County Junior Livestock Show & Sale was built. The sale will be held at the show barn on Wednesday, August 12, at 6pm, corresponding with the week the Greene County Fair would have been held this year. The sale is open to buyers only and will be closed to the general public. All interested bidders must pre-register and have the choice of either attending the sale or bidding by phone. To register, please contact the office at 724-6273745. After registration, bidders will receive a packet explaining the process, as well as a list of do’s and don’ts. Bidders have until Tuesday, August 11 to register for the sale. During this year’s sale there will be no resales allowed. If you are bidding to assist the 4-H participants but don’t actually want the animal purchased, there will be announcement at the close of the show explaining what to do. If you are interested in bidding but are unable to attend the sale, phone biding will be available for the event. “When bidders receive their packets after registration, there will be instructions on the phone bidding process,” says Debbie. “Bidders will be able to call in when the animal wanted comes in and we will stay on the phone with the bidder though the process and bid for them. There will be a live feed of the shows available on the Greene County Fair’s Facebook page so that bidders from home will be able to see the animals.” Prior to the sale, the Market Lamb and Market Steer shows will be held. The Market Lamb show will start at 10am and the Market Steer show at 2pm. These shows are also closed to the public and will offer the youth a chance to compete with their animals in different categories before the sale.

The Jacktown Fair recently held an invitation-only livestock show and sale during their adapted fair schedule for youth 4-H and FFA members. Photo by Colleen Nelson.

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Pi lla r s of G re e n e

A TRIBUTE TO JOHN G. BRODAK (4/1/39 - 4/25/20)

he week before Father’s Day would have marked John Brodak’s 24th Annual Fly-In. As his daughter, Jackie, travelled to her father’s gravesite, she noticed the silent & empty skies that lay over Carmichaels. There was no buzzing of engines from control line airplanes. There was no familiar smell of engine fuel that quickly let Jackie and her siblings know, as they were pulling into our home’s driveway, that “daddy was flying.” This year, there were no Brodak FlyIn banners or road signs along the way to her parents’ home. There were no newspaper interviews or TV news segments. There were no RV’s lining the field. There were no voices welcoming friends back for the 24th year. There were no handshakes, smiles, or high fives exchanged. There were no Brodak Fly-In blocks of rooms at the local hotels. There were no once-yearly visitors patronizing local restaurants. There were no people standing in a long buffet line in front of the Brodak’s garage on Friday night. There were no hot dog stands, tee shirts for sale, or award ceremonies. You might ask yourself, just how much of an impact can one man make? For Jackie, it reminds her of the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life, in that you never know how many lives you would not have impacted if you had never been born. “My father did exist and his caring touch along with his gentle, giving heart impacted thousands of lives,” Jackie shares. “His businesses provided numerous job opportunities, and most of the people in Carmichaels have worked for my father in some way, shape or form. He had a strong belief in the Chamber of Commerce, and ‘buy local’ is what he always taught us. His annual Fly-In brought people to Carmichaels from around the world.” Recently, Jackie watched her father’s last Fly-In interview. In it, he was asked how the Fly-In began. John said, “A dream.” That is something that my father has instilled in his children. He would always say to Jackie, “Spottie, if you can dream it, and are willing to work hard for it, put your whole heart into it, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, it will come true.” In John’s last interview, he also was asked what the biggest change over the last 23 years of Fly-In’s was. He replied, “The bell curve changed with the age category of participants. In the early years, mostly the elderly flyers dominated.” He also noted that “over the years I have lost 45 older flyers,” and each of their names is on a plaque in the airfield behind the Brodak’s house. In the later years, the trend was more towards the children. John said “This (last) year, we have more children than any other competitions, including 5Ks, and me and my daughter can relate to the popularity of local 5Ks.” “It is very fitting that 24 years ago, my father chose Father’s Day weekend to host his Fly-In,” Jackie says. “My father was ‘daddy’ to four [Missy, Jackie, Dena, and Joe], but a wonderful father figure to hundreds. My father has given these children a positive hobby that they can participate in their whole lives.” She adds, “Every Halloween, my father made sure every child received a bag of candy at the Carmichael’s store, as each department in the store handed out candy.” John Brodak had been seriously ill for over a year before the pandemic arrived. During that year, Jackie did not let anything take precedence over visiting him, no matter if he was home or in one of the different hospitals he had stays in.

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

She “made” him do his physical therapy. When he was home, they would walk (and talk) in the airfield together. “When my father’s condition became life threatening, and he had to be hospitalized as of last December 12th, I began spending every weekend with him, and one day during the week when I had a day off,” Jackie shares. “My father and I talked (while he still could), and he wrote with me when he couldn’t. I asked him for his opinion/advice about my present and my future. We laughed, cried, remembered when, and when my father started to fall asleep, he always placed his foot on my knee to make sure I wasn’t going anywhere.” When the quarantine went into effect on April 5th, Jackie had spent her last day with her father on the 4th. “He was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t understand. I handed him a tablet and he wrote ‘Not give up.’ At the time, I thought he was talking about himself, and maybe he was. Now that my father has passed, I believe he was giving me his last bit of advice.” The last two weeks of her father’s life, Jackie and her family were forbidden to visit him. She called hospital personnel and directors twice a day and begged, but was never allowed in. It was not until April 23rd that she received the call saying, “You can have 45 minutes on the 24th to say goodbye to your father.” “How does a daughter who worshipped her father tell him all that she needs to say in 45 minutes? I’ll tell you how - don’t wait until you only have 45 minutes. Don’t waste a minute, especially when your loved one is ill and suffering. Comfort them and help them along their path,” Jackie shares. “I am an eucharistic minister. As I left my father’s side, after saying a rosary for him, I shared communion with him and said ‘Daddy, I’ll see you soon, and I’ll make you proud of me, I’ll always choose to do the right thing, although it isn’t always my first choice, and I’ll ‘not give up.’“ John passed on April 25th at 1:57 pm. Jackie believes that those who suffer immensely on earth are cleansed here and they go directly to heaven. She trusts that her father was through heaven’s gate before 2:00 pm. Because of the COVID restrictions, John was unable to receive a proper viewing or burial and Jackie was not granted the honor of reciting the eulogy that she had written for him over the winter months as she watched him sleep. She would like to share a version of those writings. “When I started junior high, I came home from school and asked my father, ‘How old do I need to be before I stop calling you daddy?’ My father replied, ‘When you think you are.’ I’m 56 years old, and I want to share what is was like having my father as my ‘daddy.” “When I was 9 months old, it didn’t take long to discover whose side of the family I would take after. I never crawled. I rolled to the coffee table, reached one hand up, grabbed ahold of the tabletop, reached the other hand up, steadied my legs, and took off running.” “I started in my daddy’s stores when I was 12 years old. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Children who have electrifying, explosively high energy, as

Top: John with one of his beloved planes. Left: John and Jackie, at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

I admit I had and still have, sometimes are put on drugs. Instead, I asked my grandmother to please put me to work. In the stores, my father taught me to respect everyone, judge nobody, always seek ways to help others, and always thank those who help you. My father instilled in me the belief that if you can dream it, are willing to work hard for it, put your whole heart into it, and don’t let anyone say you can’t, it will come true.” “My father was a powerful man, and he deeply loved his youngest and last living brother, George. George passed on May 1st, the day after my father was taken to his final resting place. It’s said that he died of a broken heart, and this I can understand. The day my father took his last breath, I felt my heart break in half. Half of my heart is in heaven with my father, and it won’t be whole again until we are back together.” “Daddy, I can still hear you. I can still feel you guiding me, and your electrifying spirit dwells inside of me, encouraging me to ‘Not give up.’ So long as I am alive, you will never die. You were too powerful of a man to become dust to dust, as I know I won’t either.” In 1954, John purchased his first reel to reel camera. From 1954 to 2019, he recorded every birth, birthday, holiday, vacation, graduation, marriage, grand opening, Fly-In, anniversary, and family get-together; wherever he was, he had a video camera in his hands. “It was critical to my father that our family history would be preserved and passed down through the generations. Every Christmas, my siblings and I would receive a leather box of DVD’s of that year’s events, each dated and titled. My favorite DVD’s are the earlier years when we were all just small children. There was no sound capability at that time, and my father added his voice years later to narrate our family’s beginning and he’ll always be with me.”

G o in g G re e n e

A SMALL TOWN STRUCK BY TRAGEDY

pril, throughout history, has brought with it a great number of tragedies. Lincoln was assassinated on the 15th of April 1865, the Great Earthquake that devastated San Francisco occurred on April 18, 1906, the Titanic sank April 15, 1912. Even in more modern times Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was consumed by fire on April 15, 2019. Greene County too has experienced more than her fair share of tragedy in Aprils of years past. The little village that is now Brave, in Wayne Township, Penna. has existed in some form since the early 1800s. It was mostly a small farming community in the early years, but in the 1850s, William Kent came to town, built a mill and later established a small store. Dent, as the town was known then, grew slowly over the years. The same families that settled in the area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries all still remained, however in 1905 a new world of change would hit the small town. Thomas and James Hoy sold a parcel of three and a half acres located along the banks of Dunkard Creek to the Peoples Natural Gas Company. This insignificant parcel of land would become home to the largest gas pumping station in the world, known locally as “The Brave Station.” Construction was underway by 1906. The site was chosen due to its proximity to the Lantz gas field, which was under development around the turn of the century, and it was also near a twenty-inch pipeline installed in the preceding years that connected the West Virginia gas fields to Pittsburgh. The area was ripe for development. A small but booming town would grow out around the “Brave Station” as she was built and provide homes for employees and their families. The bricks used to build the station were made from clay found directly behind the construction site, on the south bank of Dunkard Creek. As the walls went up, large pieces of equipment and machinery were brought in on sleds driven by teams of horses. In 1910, a cooling system was installed in Dunkard Creek to keep the pipelines from overheating. That same year the Maple Grove School was built; this was the first of one of the many improvements brought to the town by the Peoples Natural Gas Company. The following year in 1911,

Kent’s United Methodist Church was built, using the leftover bricks from the Brave Station. The automobile industry was booming during this time period as well. In 1908, Henry Ford began production of the Model T, and by 1918, over 15 million had been sold, creating a huge increase in the demand for gasoline; as a result, in 1914 the Brave Station built a gasoline plant to process the gasoline that was a byproduct of natural gas. These early years brought much prosperity to the once small hamlet known as Dent and now called Brave. The Brave Station made it possible for the town to see improvements such as electricity, running water, sewage, trash collection, streetlights and many other amenities we take for granted today. Many of the houses that still stand in Brave were built as company houses for the management and employees of the station. Unfortunately, this booming town was soon to experience a great tragedy. At 11:30 AM on April 2, 1917, the loudest explosion ever heard in the tri-state area occurred. Reports of the explosion came from miles around. A shut off valve that linked the main plant with the nearby gasoline plant had failed. Unknown to the men repairing the valve, gasoline had been able to flow freely through the pipes and the friction resulting from the unrestricted flow caused the explosion. Michael Wise was on the pipe that exploded; he miraculously survived when the explosion threw him into Dunkard Creek and allowed him to make it to safety of the far bank. Jack Hoskinson, thrown nearly 70 feet, was able to get on his feet and was found at a spring nearly half a mile away, getting water. He was taken to his home where he died later that day due to severe burns. Pete Cumberledge was killed instantly due to severe burns; his death certificate sadly reads “burned to a crisp.” Charles Cain, Ira Cole, and John Roupe also were killed nearly instantly by severe burns. Levi Barber Cumberledge, too, was burned in the explosion. He was not killed instantly, however; he was taken home and by 2PM he was under the care of his doctor, Charles Spragg. Nearly half of his body was charred by burns and he was experiencing shock. By 10PM that night, Levi had suc-

Circa 1910 Postcard Showing the Brave Station.

by Matthew Cumberledge

cumbed to his injuries. Harry Ormiston was burned severely about the face and hands but survived his injuries, passing in 1950 at the age of 71. Rolley Cumberledge suffered burns to his face and hands but also survived; Joe McNeely and J. A. Hein survived similar injuries. Nearly all of these men had spent their entire lives in Brave and were descendants of the first people to settle that area. Likewise, all of these men still have family and descendants living in town today. This was not to spell the end for the Brave Station; by July 5th of that year the gasoline plant had been rebuilt and the local community began healing from the tragedy that took many of their sons, fathers and husbands. Brave continued to grow, and the roaring twenties looked highly upon the town. Four different stores operated in town, as well as several barbershops and even a hotel. An ice plant had been built in town and supplied the residents with ice for their ice boxes, and by 1928 a very modern four-room school had been built. All of these amenities were, at least in part, thanks to the presence of the Peoples Natural Gas Company. This prosperity would last for a few more decades and by 1956, the Peoples Natural Gas Company had been a part of Brave for 50 years. Unfortunately, Peoples had been expanding into other areas and a pipeline was being built that would make the Brave Station obsolete when it was completed in 1958. By 1959, only 45 employees remained at the once thriving plant, and on September 28, 1959 the Brave Station closed for good. From 1960 to 1963, the old Brave Station building was used as a warehouse for Mike Bell Wholesale Grocery; in 1964 Accurate Brass took over the building for their brass forging and fabrication operation. Though other businesses have taken over since Accurate Brass, the old Brave Station is used in the production of brass fittings. Even though Peoples Natural Gas has been gone for ages, the structure they built still remains an important part of the community as an employer and as a visual reminder of the prosperity of a once great town.

Photo taken April 2nd 1917, immediately after the explosion. GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Does your family need more room

to run?

Whether your kids have two legs or four, a bigger backyard may be at the top of your wishlist. Let First Federal of Greene County lead you through the process of applying for a mortgage loan. Our friendly loan officers will be with you every step of the way. Get started online today, or visit our main office in Downtown Waynesburg. Serving Southwestern Pennsylvania since 1924

NMLS#458729

www.firstfederalofgreene.com

AUGUST 2020

â&#x20AC;˘ GreeneScene Community Magazine

Recycling Program Reopens A cooperative relationship between the County of Greene, Greene Arc, Inc. and Gateway Recycling provides an opportunity for Greene County residents and businesses to participate in a recycling program. The recycling program has been shuttered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It began reopening in phases on July 13, 2020. Greene Arc, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation providing Residential, Vocational, Day Support, Job Support, Job Opportunities, Advocacy and Mental Health/ Recovery services to citizens with disabilities from Greene and surrounding counties. For decades recycling programs have paid for themselves or even earned revenue, but much has changed over the last couple of years and recycling, although well intentioned, has become an expensive proposition. Costs associated with the collection, transportation, processing and marketing of those recyclables have recently increased substantially. A coordinated effort in Greene County has the potential of reducing the overhead cost associated with our recycling program, but it relies on cooperation of the public and businesses, as well. In order to effectively receive, sort and process the anticipated onslaught of recyclable materials accumulated over the past several months, specific measures will be in effect until further notice. The recycling center located at 197 Dunn Station Road, Prosperity, PA 15329 resumed operations on July 13 for private citizens who individually deliver products for recycling. The facility will be open to the public Monday - Friday, 09:30am – 1pm. A staff member will examine your products to ensure they are acceptable. This will not be a “drop & go”. Greene Arc Recycling is unable to accept aluminum products (pop, soda and beer cans) at this time. If non-acceptable material is recognized by the staff, the citizen will need to return that to their home.

You will not be permitted to use the dumpsters to dispose of products on site. The second phase of re-opening on July 20, allowed participating townships to retrieve their trailers & begin the rotation process of their assigned trailers. FMI call Greene Arc, Inc. at 724-627-5511. The following is a list of acceptable and non-acceptable recyclable products. Paper as listed (please separate) • Cardboard (Corrugated Boxes, Chipboard, Empty Cereal Boxes) • Sorted Office Paper (White Paper, Envelopes, Copy Paper, Shredded Paper – staples and paperclips OK) • Mixed Paper (File folders, Junk mail, Magazines) • Newspaper (Black and White) Metals as listed (must be clean & empty) • Tin Cans (Soup Cans) • Plastics as listed (please separate) • #1 PET Bottles (Water and Soda Bottles) • #2 HDPE Jugs (Milk Jugs) NOT ACCEPTED • Aluminum Cans (pop, soda, beer) • Plastics (Mixed Bottles, jars, bags, Styrofoam, vinyl siding, toys, buckets) • Wood (Furniture, TV Stands, Speakers, Pianos, Cabinets) • Glass (Windows, Automotive Glass, Mirrors, Ceramics) • Electronics (TVs, Computers, Speakers) • Clothes • Light Bulbs • Ink/Toner Cartridges • Mattresses or Carpets • Medical Equipment • Home Appliances • Batteries • Used Motor Oil • Tires • Any item with food residue • Construction Waste • Car Parts and Bicycles

Cornerstone Care Health Centers Offer COVID-19 Testing Cornerstone Care is now testing any person who needs a COVID-19 test at no cost and regardless of insurance status. Testing is available at several drive-through sites for persons with COVID-19 related symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and chills, or for anyone who suspects exposure to someone infected with COVID-19. Persons diagnosed or suspect they may have COVID-19 must avoid contact with others to prevent spread. Sarah DeCarlo, Director of Clinical Operations, explained that Cornerstone Care can do contact tracing to identify anyone who may have been exposed to a person with the disease. DeCarlo also offered several reminders. A person without any symptoms may test positive for the disease and can spread the virus. As with any test, results are not 100% guaranteed, so multiple tests may be

Carmichaels Pool/Day Camp Close Due to low attendance and lack of lifeguards, Greene County Commissioners and the Department of Parks and Recreation announce the closure of Carmichaels Day Camp and swimming pool for the remainder of the season. Carmichaels Day Camp attendance has been as low as zero children for some days and even at the highest attendance rate does not justify keeping the camp open. Carmichaels Day Camp is cancelled for the remainder of the summer. The camps were free to attend, but if families purchased pool passes for use with day camp, they can receive a refund for that purchase. Since opening the pools this summer, the county has continually struggled to maintain adequate lifeguards available to keep both Waynesburg and Carmichaels pools open. With the increase in COVID-19

Unique Opportunity to Promote Your Business

Greene County Career and Technology Center is offering an unique opportunity to promote your business while also helping high school students learn about the world of work. We are asking that interested businesses create a video (roughly 15-20 minutes) that we could assign to students. Topics to be covered in the video could be active listening, researching a job, career

needed. A negative test is a moment-intime assessment and should not be construed as a reason not to take standard precautions. She stressed that social distancing and masking remain vitally important to protecting each other from getting the disease. To schedule a test at any drive-up location call 724-947-2257. Telephone screening for COVID-19 is available by calling 1-855-469-6322 between 8:30am - 5pm Monday - Friday. Callers receive health advice and may be given an appointment for testing at drive-up sites or at one of Cornerstone Care’s Community Health Centers. Patients with a drive-up appointment must remain in the vehicle as the test will be given while inside the vehicle. Testing results are available in three to five days. FMI, visit CornerstoneCare.com.

portfolios, entrepreneurship as it relates to personal career goals, lifelong learning on career retention and advancement, personal budgets based on career choices, or something of your choice related to skills needed in the workplace. In this video, businesses are encouraged to talk about their company and opportunities within that students could take advantage of either while in school or once graduated.

positive cases in the county, new guidance from the Governor’s Office increasing requirements of masking and maintaining social distancing has become impossible to maintain staff requirements at both swimming pools. Swim lessons will be discontinued and the Carmichaels pool will remain closed until next season. Refunds are available for swim lessons and pool passes. For individuals who purchased Carmichaels’ pool passes, all passes, no matter the color or timeframe will be honored at Waynesburg Water Park without restrictions. You may come anytime, with any valid pass to swim at Waynesburg Water Park. Additional information can be obtained on the Greene County Commissioners Facebook page or by calling (724) 8525210.

Students in grades 10-12 will be watching the video as an assignment and will be answering a questionnaire following the video. Some presenters have opted to record a Zoom meeting among a few of their staff members and then send in the recorded meeting as their video. We are open to ideas and can help with creating the video if needed. Please contact Katie Sleasman, the school counselor at Greene County CTC, if you are interested and/or have any questions.

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

GreeneScene by Janet Pennington

JULY CONTEST

WINNERS

$50 ANGLER SHOWCASE: Denise Lewis $50 CRUISE-IN: Sarah Zolgus GREENESCENE CONTEST: Heath Vavrek knew the answer that the menagerie of animals is located along Ceylon Road in Carmichaels, near Wana B Park.

AUGUST 2020

â&#x20AC;¢ GreeneScene Community Magazine

County of Greene/West Penn Power Awards Scholarships Rotary Club Awards Scholarships Each year the Rotary Club of Waynesburg awards two scholarships to worthy high school students. The awards are selected based on academic performance, community service involvement, letters of recommendation and the student’s response to the essay question, “What does the Rotary motto, ‘Service Above Self ’, mean to you?” “This year the club selected two $1,000 recipients from more than 20 applicants”, shared the club’s scholarship chair, Melody Longstreth. “The committee was very impressed by the quality of our applicants and enjoyed learning about so many talented and generous students.” The winners selected for 2020 were Cole Newland of Carmichaels Area High School and Abigail Ozohonish of Jefferson Morgan High School, both are 2020 graduates. Newland is the son of Greg and Minnie Newland of Carmichaels. He will attend West Virginia University this fall and major in Business and a double minor in Advertising and Marketing. Ozohonish is the daughter of James and Tracy Ozohonish of Clarksville. She will attend Waynesburg University to pursue a degree in Nursing. Both students will be presented with the scholarships at the Rotary Club of Waynesburg’s Annual Dinner held at Thistlethwaite Vineyard later this year.

Cole Newland

Abigail Ozohonish

Greene Co. Chamber Awards Scholarships

Bryn Patton

Carrie Ricco

The Greene County Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund Committee has announced the winners of their 2020 scholarships. The 30th Annual Educational Fund Scholarship will be presented to Cameron Bryn Patton of Waynesburg Central High School. She is the daughter of Michelle and Randy Patton of Waynesburg. Miss Patton plans to pursue a degree in Business and Finance at Penn State University Main Campus in the fall. In addition to the $2000 scholarship, Bryn will also receive a laptop courtesy of John Frownfelter, owner of PCsquared to use during her college career. The Dr. Nancy I. Davis Memorial Scholarship for Educational Support is awarded to provide financial assistance to teachers in Greene County. Carrie Ricco, a second-grade teacher at Jefferson-Morgan Elementary, was selected by the panel of judges as the 2020 recipient. Her project will add four Osmo kits and two coding kits into her second-grade classrooms. The Osmo kits have limitless uses and will be used in conjunction with iPads that are already in the classroom. With Osmo, students engage long and build a better collaborative learning environment. The scholarship is presented in honor of Dr. Nancy I. Davis of Green County, a life-long educator and leader in local education.

Waynesburg University and the Greene County Commissioners recently announced ten Greene County high school seniors as recipients of the 2020 County of Greene/West Penn Power Scholarship. The recipients include: • Mari Rose Bowden (Jefferson-Morgan High School), daughter of James and Theresa Bowden, Jr., of Clarksville. She plans to study nursing. • Jacob Caldwell (Waynesburg Central High School), son of Christopher and Amy Caldwell, Sr., of Mt. Morris. He plans to study nursing. • Bree Echegaray (Waynesburg Central High School), daughter of Ronald and Tracy Echegaray of Waynesburg. She plans to study early childhood education. • Alexis Feather (Carmichaels High School), daughter of Scott and Amy Feather of Rices Landing. She plans to study nursing. • Christopher King (Waynesburg Central High School), son of Kirk and Lynn King of Waynesburg. He plans to study nursing. • Savanah Milliken (West Greene High School), daughter of Samuel and Marsha Milliken of Waynesburg. She plans to study nursing. • Jessica Moore (Waynesburg Central High School), daughter of Shane and Denise Moore of Waynesburg. She plans to study nursing. • Abigail Ozohonish (Jefferson-Morgan High School), daughter of James and Tracy Ozohonish of Clarksville. She plans to study nursing. • Kaitlyn Pratt (Carmichaels High School), daughter of Kelley Pratt of Carmichaels. She plans to study nursing. • Kailey Stover (Mapletown High School), daughter of Leon Stover and Megan Smith of Greensboro. She plans to study biology (pre-medical). Awarded annually, the scholarship presents a $1,000 award to each eligible graduating senior who plans to attend Waynesburg University. The money is to be used toward costs associated with their first year of enrollment. “Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s County of Greene/West Penn Power

Scholarship,” said Stacey Brodak, vice president for Institutional Advancement and University Relations. “We are thankful for the generous support of our many donors. Their commitment allows us to remain an affordable higher education option for students.” Qualified students must have a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.0 and be accepted to Waynesburg University as a new, non-transfer student. Applicants are also required to provide essay responses to two questions and submit a list of honors and activities. Funding for the scholarship was made available through Allegheny Energy as part of an agreement reached with Greene County in 2008 related to the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL) project. “We are pleased to continue this longstanding tradition of academic scholarship support with monies provided through a partnership of energy companies, the Greene County Commissioners and partnership with Waynesburg University,” said Mike Belding, chairman of the Greene County Commissioners. “We are proud of each of the applicants and wholeheartedly congratulate these students.” In the agreement, Allegheny Energy subsidiary Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo) agreed to contribute $750,000 to the county for educational, environmental, public health and community infrastructure projects. In June 2009, the Greene County Commissioners and officials from Allegheny Energy – which in 2011 completed its merger with FirstEnergy – presented Waynesburg University with $100,000 to start the scholarship. A second $100,000 gift was presented in 2010. Then, in 2011, the Commissioners and officials from FirstEnergy made a final donation of $50,000 to the scholarship fund, bringing the total to $250,000 and ensuring the scholarship’s permanent endowment at Waynesburg University. “The ability to contribute, even a fraction of today’s cost of higher education, helps this next generation in preparing for their futures,” added Belding. Formerly known as the County of Greene/Allegheny Energy Scholarship, the 2011 merger brought about the change in the scholarship’s name to include West Penn Power, FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania subsidiary.

Do you have good news? Share it with the GreeneScene! Submit online at greenescenemagazine.com or email it to info@greenescenemagazine.com. GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

GRANT MCCLURE

WYATT GOODWIN

BRIAN SWIFT

Brian of Brownsville caught this 36” 10.5lbs northern pike by crank bite while fishing in Lake Erie in April. Nice job, Brian!

Wyatt, age 6, of Masontown caught his first catch, a rainbow trout, at Laurel Mountain Pond in May. Congratulations, Wyatt!

ERYKA HACKNEY

Grant of Rogersville caught this while kayak fishing with his father, Nathan, near Water Dam Road. Congratulations, Grant! MASON MULLINS

JIM RANKIN

Eryka, age 12, of Wind Ridge caught this fish by the waterfall in Bucktown (Waynesburg) in May. Nice work, Eryka!

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Jim of Carmichaels caught this rainbow trout while fishing at Meadow Run in Ohiopyle. Great job, Jim!

Mason of Harrisburg, caught this catfish with nightcrawlers while fishing in Greensboro in May. Great work, Mason!

KAYAKING IN GREENE LAUNCH LOCATIONS

eady to spend some time on the water in your kayak? Here’s a list of launch areas around southwestern Pennsylvania, provided by KayakGreeneCounty.com. Before heading to a new location, remember that it’s a best practice to research useful information prior to your trip. Some areas have restrictions, and kayak registration and/or launch use permits may be required. And don’t forget to follow safety precautions. Safe journeys! TENMILE CREEK • Center Township Park, Rogersville, PA • Bucktown Dam, Waynesburg PA • 188 Soccer Fields, Waynesburg, PA (Ramp) • I-79 Overpass, Waynesburg PA • Beagle Club Road Launch, Jefferson, PA (Ramp) • Pollock’s Mill Rd, Jefferson, PA (at the iron bridge) • Clarksville Kayak Launch, Clarksville, PA • Swinging Bridge, Clarksville, PA DUNKARD CREEK • The “Car Wash,” Confluence with Big Shannon Run in Mt Morris on Big Shannon Run Rd • Rising Creek Bakery, Mount Morris, PA (Ask for parking permission behind building) • The “Pigeon Hole,” Intersection of Pigeon Hole Rd and Bald Hill Rd. (Large dirt area with quick access.) • Baseball fields on Bobtown Hill Rd.

MAP Small access rd behind back field for pickup and drip off, but parking is further out from creek. • SR88 at Dilliner crossroads, Dilliner, PA (Dunkard creek bbn is visible under highway. Several gravel/ dirt off street parking areas off SR 88 before bridge. DO NOT PARK IN FIELDS OR UNDER BRIDGE. Ask permission to park.) MONONGAHELA RIVER • Glassworks Boat Launch, Greensboro, PA • Old Ferry Road Landing, Crucible, PA • Lock Wall Ramp, Rices Landing, PA • Ferry Crossing Ramp, Fredericktown, PA WISECARVER LAKE Currently this lake is difficult to get to and has no easy drop in/pull our locations. But once you’re in, the lake is perfect for a relaxing day of kayaking. The designated parking area is 500 feet from the lake so be prepared to walk. There are 2 other places to drag your kayak through the woods but it’s not much easier. Located just a few miles from downtown Waynesburg, PA. OTHER KAYAK FRIENDLY AREAS • Masontown Bridge, Masontown, PA • Riverside Wharf, Brownsville, PA • California Boat Launch, California, PA

• Coal Center Public Docks, Coal Center PA • Point Marion Park Boat Launch, Point Marion, PA • Hazel Ruby McQuain Riverfront Park, Morgantown, WV • Edith Barill Riverfront Park Boat Ramp, Star City, WV • Dunkard Creek along Rt. 7, Blacksville, WV (Parking is available at Lake Wilma in PA or several businesses along Rt. 7 in WV with permission.) Photo submitted by Melissa Hilliard.

KENT MARISA Kent of Waynesburg caught this Bonefish when he went on a fishing trip in the Bahamas with his brothers. He has a friend who is a fishing photographer and he sends his photos to magazines across the world. Kent caught the fish in 2003, but in 2006, he went to the airport and found that his face was on the cover of this magazine. The fish itself is a 9 pound bonefish, caught in the Bahamas around the equator.

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

BRANDON REMINGTON

CARSON VANATA

MOE VOJACEK Carson of Greensboro caught his largest bass to date while fishing with his mom at their favorite fishing hole. Great job, Carson!

Brandon, age 11, of Clarksville caught this 8lb 10oz channel catfish while fishing in lower Ten Mile. Great work, Brandon! Moe caught this 5lb flathead catfish while fishing in lower Ten mile. Congratulations, Moe!

ADAM “JOAD” CORWIN

KATIE BABIRAD

Katie of Jefferson caught this 16.5” brown trout while fishing in Marianna in May. Awesome work, Katie!

Joad of Waynesburg caught this 45” musky while fishing Dunkard Creek in Mt. Morris in June. He released the fish back into Dunkard. Awesome work, Joad! DENISE LEWIS

Denise of Carmichaels caught this trout near the White Covered Bridge in Garards Fort in April using nightcrawlers. Good job, Denise!

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

KEVIN ROHLAND Kevin of Brownsville caught these fish in Peters Lake, Woods Lake, and Ten Mile Creek. Well done, Kevin!

KIM BEDILION

Kim of Waynesburg caught this catfish at the Waynesburg Sportsmen Club. Congratulations, Kim!

WILLARD BIDDLE

Willard of Brownsville caught this bass at the Patsy-Hillman Park in Hiller, while fishing with this grandfather Will Biddle of Clarksville. Congratulations, Willard!

BRIAN REMINGTON

ZACK ZEIGLER Brian of Clarksville caught this 3lb sheephead while fishing the South Fork of Ten Mile Creek. Congratulations, Brian!

Zack of West Mifflin caught this Red Mouth Grunt while fishing in the Atlantic Ocean near Beaufort, NC. Way to go, Zack!

GreeneScene Community Magazine â&#x20AC;¢

AUGUST 2020

FAVORITE GREENE COUNTY FISHIN’ SPOTS AS SHARED BY GREENESCENE READERS

Lake Wilma & Ten Mile Creek “Lake Wilma has good fishing. The Pa Fish & Boat Commission stocks trout in the spring and the lake has a lot of largemouth bass, catfish , bluegill, and crappie! Ten Mile creek is a good stream to fish while wading and a lot of places are great for kayak fishing. The stream has a good population of smallmouth bass, rock bass, catfish and a fish able population of musky. A lot of the creek is accessible from the road and are easy to fish. Wading to the out of the way places can produce some good fishing!” - Tom J. Bohan

Mile Creek downstream from Mt. Morris, Browns Creek, Muddy Creek and Whiteley Creek. • In the ponds on State Game Lands 223 near Garard’s Fort, which are seldom fished. • Ruff Creek, South Fork Tenmile Creek, Dunkard Fork, North Fork Dunkard Fork, South Fork Dunkard Fork, Blockhouse Run, Roberts Run, PA Fork Fish Creek and Enlow Fork.

Enlow Fork State Game Lands 302 Colleen Nelson & Kerry Clipper Ten Mile Creek Larry Despot The forks at the juncture of North and South Tenmile in Clarksville Mel Remington Other places to fish: • Wisecarver Resevoir • Muddy Creek in Carmichaels • South Fork of Dunkard Fork and the Dunkard Fork of Wheeling Creek, Ten

Wisecarver Resevoir

SCOTT LACEY

Muddy Creek

VICTOR FRYE

Victor of Carmichaels caught this catfish while fishing in Carmichaels. Nice work, Victor!

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Scott of Fredericktown caught this catfish while fishing in the Potomac River in Washington D.C.. Well done, Scott!

PATRICK FRYE

OAKLEY GELLER ASHTYN FRYE

LARRY FRYE

Oakley of Holbrook caught this fish while fishing in Ryerson Park in April, while practicing her fishing theory of “the muddier, the better!” Awesome work, Oakley! Larry of Millsboro caught his catfish at Seghi’s 5 Lakes. Congratulations, Larry!

Ashtyn, age 10, of Millsboro caught this rainbow trout at the Marianna Outdoorsmen Association. Nice work, Ashtyn!

Patrick, age 7, of Millsboro caught this Palomino trout at Seghi’s 5 Lakes. Awesome job, Patrick!

COOKING TROUT IN THE OVEN Here is a simple recipe for cooking trout in the oven. 1. 2. 3.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cut a sheet of foil that is large enough to wrap the trout fillet (or whole cleaned trout)very well. Cover the baking sheet with the aluminum foil, and place the trout fillet in the center. Fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Season the trout with any herbs you have on hand, such as parsley, dill, or oregano. And of course, let’s not forget salt, black pepper, some garlic, and red crushed pepper. You can also lemon, if you would like. For more flavour and to avoid drying

6. 7.

the fish too much during cooking, melt some butter in the microwave or on the stove and drizzle it over the trout until evenly coated. Fold the sides of the foil over the trout. Cover it completely. Bake for about 13 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of the trout fillet. 8. Open the foil, and broil for 3 minutes. Done!

GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

MARIA RANKIN

Maria of Graysville caught this trout while fishing in Ryerson State Park. Good work, Maria! JOHN “OOB” RANKIN

Oob of Carmichaels, and his nephew Jackson Beabout, caught an assortment of freshwater fish while fishing in Somerset County. Way to go, Oob and Jackson! NOAH CLARK

GAGE KUNDLY

ABBY SHIPLEY

DONNIE ARNOLD

Gage, age 12, of Crucible caught this trout while fishing at a private pond in Carmichaels. Congratulations, Gage!

Noah of Bobtown caught this bass in June while fishing in Dilliner and using a topwater lure. Great job, Noah! Donnie of Clarksville caught this trout while fishing in Ten Mile Creek near Clarksville. Well done, Donnie!

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

Abby of Greensboro caught this bass while fishing at a private pond in Mapletown. Nice job, Abby!

CHRIS KOSS

Chris of Butler caught these fish while fishing in Lake Arthur. Pictured with him are Anna and Luke Coss. Nice work, Chris!

KAITLYN COURTWRIGHT

STEPHEN KOSS

Kaitlyn of Holbrook caught her fish in the North Fork of Dunkard in Ryerson. Congratulations, Kaitlyn!

Stephen of Graysville caught these fish over the summer in Lake Arthur in Butler County (right and center) and Enlow Creek (left). Well done, Stephen!

GreeneScene Community Magazine â&#x20AC;¢

AUGUST 2020

Meet our Tea m

very month, our enthusiastic team of editors, writers, designers, and advertising specialists work behind the scenes to create each issue of GreeneScene Community Magazine. This passionate team is dedicated to creating a fascinating, optimistic, and relevant magazine that our readers love. Over the next year, we’ll be introducing you to our team, member by member, so that you can get to know the devoted crew that brings you the GreeneScene. This month, we’d like to introduce you to one of our contributors, Rochelle McCracken. Rochelle was born in Waynesburg, PA and spent most of her time on her grandparent’s farm growing up. She has always had a love of animals and the farm environment was her favorite place. After graduating high school, she went on to receive her degree in biology and spent several years working at various companies on the east coast. Much of her work required writing

but technical in nature. However, over the years she realized she enjoyed the arts and became involved with the local playhouse where she was living and expanded her artistic side. Rochelle soon found herself learning to play the violin and writing on occasion. Her professional life had changed, and she started working with business partners in the agricultural field. When her father died, she moved back home to take over care of his farm and a family farm where she raises cattle and has many other animals. Being back in the area and needing

work, Rochelle answered an ad placed by DR looking for writers and was delighted when Shelly gave her her first assignment.

JUST FOR FUN Favorite Music: Blues/Jazz Favorite Movie: Indiana Jones/Mummy series Favorite TV Show: NCIS New Orleans Currently Reading: The Cosmic Serpent (Jeremy Narby) Favorite Hidden PA Gem: Ten Mile Park Favorite Vacation Spot: Many places! Favorite Season: Fall If you could live in any period of history when would it be?Among the dinosaurs What’s your dream car? Getting a sidecar for my motorcycle

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING GRANT

WINNER

Congratulations to DJ’s Diner in Carmichaels! They won the first Small Business Marketing Grant from Direct Results & GreeneScene Magazine. The grant provided 2 quarter page ads in the GreeneScene, 24 custom t-shirts, 500 business cards or 250 flyers, 50 custom hand sanitizers and 10 face masks for their business. Pictured are owners Jackie Gifford and Debbie Allen with GreeneScene Advertising Specialist Michelle Frye.

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine • Business Section

ustomer service has always been a priority at Direct Results. One step inside our 10,000 square foot office space will make a lasting impression! We make every attempt to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction. Our goal is to understand the expectations of our customers, and anytime we fail to meet those expectations, we will do everything in our power to make it right. Good customer service typically means providing timely and attentive service to meet the needs of customers in a positive manner. But great customer service focuses not just on treating customers well but engaging with clients, exceeding their expectations, and building strong relationships. At Direct Results, we take “good” customer service to another level and endeavor to create raving fans. We set an atmosphere that helps to showcase the unique culture that we have created and make everyone feel welcome. Every customer is greeted with a smile, and our staff is eager to meet their needs by asking specific questions to understand their expectations. The Direct Results team is passionate about delivering exceptional products and positive expe-

riences for every customer, every time. Our goals are unswerving, and we strive to create memorable experiences for each company and every individual. Executive Assistant Nichole Sowden is at the heart of the Direct Results customer service experience. She enjoys helping others and is known in the office as the sunshine that brightens our day. Handling customer service at Direct Results means versatility for Nichole. She needs to have knowledge of all departments, merchandise, operating systems, and more. Nichole possesses expert knowledge for our screen printing, embroidery, print shop, and sign shop departments, and always handles everything with a smile and sincerity. She is married and lives in Mather with her husband, Frank, and their two sons Miles and Trenton, along with their dog Trump. When she’s not at work, Nichole spends most of her time as a sports mom. She can usually be found on the side-

lines of a baseball, football, or basketball game cheering for her boys! Direct Results is committed to providing you with a customer service experience that proves extraordinary. Our team will guide you through every step of the purchasing process and answer any questions that you have along the way. We offer a broad range of products and services, and our customer base extends across the nation and the globe. Give us a call at 724-6272040 to see our dedication to helping your business or organization firsthand.

Nichole Sowden makes sure that every stop into Direct Results is an extraordinary experience.

GreeneScene by Angie Brozik

Business Section • GreeneScene Community Magazine •

AUGUST 2020

Greene County United Way

ver the last few months, we have all seen the effects of change. We know how quickly normal can become unknown. And we’ve felt the impact these challenges can take on us and our community. Often during times of change, there is comfort in the familiar. Throughout these crazy times, United Way has never wavered on our commitment to Greene County and the folks in it. In fact, we partnered with the Community Foundation of Greene County, creating the Greene County Emergency Response Fund to quickly fund local nonprofit organizations on the front lines. So far, we have funded 19 agencies a total of $71,635. In April, Greene County United Way also gave $40,000 to 12 agencies through our Community Impact Grants. Now, we are preparing for the 18th Annual Stuff the Bus this August because we are

dedicated to continuing a program that helps 650 children every year across our county. But this reliability doesn’t mean we aren’t open to new ideas. In January, the GCUW Board began strategic planning to expand our reach, looking for new ways we can help. We’ve also been planning a new event (actually a couple – watch for the upcoming announcements!) that we would’ve never tried if it weren’t for the current situation. Both the strategic planning and the new events are our way of better serving our community. GC UW is here to help. We help by providing important resources. We help through partnerships to meet emerging community needs. We help by offering necessary supplies or volunteer opportunities. If you need us, we are here to help. 724-852-1009 / www. greenecountyunitedway.org

Your CBD Store

wareness and education on products produced directly from the hemp plant is what Your CBD Store owners Beth and Chris Jolliffe want you to understand about the uses of CBD. While no official claims can be made, many testimonials have been recalled in the relief people are experiencing when using CBD products for both mental health and physical ailments. Many of the Jolliffe’s clients come to their store seeking relief from those ailments and purchase the many CBD products that come in a wide variety of forms. Some of those CBD products include water soluble oils; gummy rings, bears and worms; gel capsules; skincare products; vape products; products for pets; and more. With CBD’s wide variety of forms and different strengths, full spectrum or broad spectrum, everyone can find a product beneficial for their use. Suffering from many conditions and not getting the relief needed from traditional medicines, Chris sought the use of CBD a few years ago. It changed his life dramatically. This led them to becoming strong advocates of CBD, promoting its benefits, and starting their store in August of 2019. CBD products are produced as an ex-

AUGUST 2020

• GreeneScene Community Magazine • Business Section

tract from the hemp plant. The hemp plant is not the marijuana plant. THC, known to produce hallucinogenic effects, is produced in very low amounts from the hemp plant and extracted during the production of CBD for use. Only the full spectrum products offered contain trace amounts of THC at .3%. FMI, give the staff at Your CBD Store a call at (724) 206-0576 or check out their website at www.cbdrx4u.com.

Masontown, PA 724-583-2680 724-583-2685 amedisys.com

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Pittsburgh, PA Permit No. 1219

GreeneScene Community Magazine â&#x20AC;¢

AUGUST 2020