GreeneScene Magazine Holiday I 2022

• GreeneScene Community Magazine

I Love this Place CANDY CANE LANE

Candy Cane Lane will appear like magic for a second year, just in time for Waynesburg’s Holiday Open House on December 2. For a few happy hours, Church Street will be transformed, bedecked with brightly lit booths offering an array of family friendly services to consider. Kids who come here looking for treats from the Corner Cupboard van or a chance to high five the Grinch will also find presents galore when they finally arrive at CASA office at the end of the block to shop for free gear as they bundle up for winter.

Office rooms will be set up to be a Macys with goodies in every room, where “kids can pick out whatever they want – hoodies, coats, hats, gloves, boots and shoes,” CASA direc tor Houser said. “They get a shopping bag when they walk through the door and it’s open to all Greene County kids. This year we’ve added pajamas.”

The inspiration for this shopping spree came during the “train wreck of 2020” Houser said. When the nation was in lockdown with COVID-19, classes were online and children in need could only be reached by phone or Zoom, county hu man services agencies and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) were worried that kids they advocated for were falling through the cracks.

Houser, who became Director of CASA in January 2020, three months before Pennsylvania’s lockdown on March 13, knows the troubling statistics.

“On any given day there are 100 kids in the system. Greene County is in the top five per capita rate in the state from generational poverty and now drugs.”

As winter approached, Houser got busy setting up the first Children’s Winter Gear Distribution in his office with more than a little help from his friends in the agencies, non profits, churches and organizations that support area fami lies. Distribution was held in the CASA office during Holi day Open House 2020, but those who came to shop walked down an ever-darkening, undecorated Church Street to get to

CASA’s door.

Candy Cane Lane was dreamed up the next year during a collaborative brainstorming session with Greene County Tourism director JoAnn Marshall, Greene County United Way Director MaChal Forbes recalls. “Tourism wanted to in clude local nonprofit organizations as a way to raise awareness and increase end-of-year giving. They reached out to ask us to invite our Community Partner agencies and seven showed up. Candy Cane Lane was a huge success – we had people up and down the street all evening.”

Candy Cane Lane made its debut with United Way, CASA, Cornerstone Care, Corner Cupboard, Domestic Vio lence Services and the Salvation Army on the street and Cor ner Cupboard’s Grinch on hand to show the way CASA’s of fice.

“To add to the fun this year, the nonprofits are lighting up Candy Cane Lane with themed booths – their favorite Christmas movies,” Forbes said.

Houser is happy to report that to date more than 250 children have shopped his pop up department store that depends solely on community sup port.

“We can do so much more when we work together,” Houser said.

CASA’s collaborators include Loved Again Charities of SWPA, Greene County United Way, Domestic Violence Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, FFA, Safe Parenting, Salvation Army, Corner Cupboard Food Bank and First Assembly Church.

Harvey’s Aleppo Grange became a Guardian Angel Donor in October when

By Colleen Nelson

it gave $1000 to help CASA match the $10,000 challenge grant Iron Synergy is offering. Iron Synergy is also sponsoring this year’s Winter Gear Drive.

The grant will be used to provide best-interest advocacy to Greene County’s most vulnerable children, Houser said. Part of that advocacy includes CASA shopping online for the best bargains in boots and shoes in every size to fill in the gaps in what is donated by the community.

Donations of new and gently used winter necessities for children from birth to age 18 can be dropped off at CASA dur ing business hours and checks to fill those gaps in shoe and clothing sizes are greatly appreciated. Monetary donations be tween now and December 2 will be part of the matching grant.

FMI, to donate or volunteer, call CASA during county business hours: 724-802-7347.

Harvey’s Aleppo Grange donates $1000 to help CASA reach its $10,000 challenge grant with Iron Synergy.

Corner Cupboard exec Candace Webster helped keep the lights on at Candy Cane Lane.

Salvation Army Red Kettle volunteers ring the bells for loose change donations at Holiday Open House.

Olivia Makel of United Way works the booth for United Way at Candy Cane Lane.

GreeneScene of the Past

Sometimes there are too many good old photos to choose just one - especially if it involves Toys for Tots – that perennial proj ect Tri-County Leathernecks do to make sure all Greene County kids have something under the tree on Christmas morning.

Present Commandant Buzz Walters made the original photo collage “a few years back” to celebrate the founding of the Marines at Tuns Tavern in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1775. Fast-forwarding a couple of centuries, he proud ly added Corsek’s Tavern in Dry Tavern, where he and fellow Marine veterans organized on No vember 10, 1982. They gathered there to “meet, eat and drink” like those original fellow vets… and make plans to do good work in the commu nity.

Toys for Tots is an official Marine Corps project and helping kids was something the group was happy to tackle. In the beginning re pairing old bikes and sleds was the first order of business. Used toys and cash to buy new ones for kids up to age 12 came in from the community, and Leathernecks and their friends and families got busy getting them Christmas ready. In those early years, dances, dinners and raffles helped refurbish and buy the extra toys that would be given out to cash-strapped families at their first distribution site at the Waynesburg Armory.

From the many files Buzz keeps at his Take Down Shop in Rogersville, I found other photos from Christmas past to add to his collage. (Sorry, Buzz – there wasn’t room for them all!)

That’s the late Max Devecka, Jim Walters and Dick Morgan in the upper right hand pho to holding two of the many sleds Max, a gifted woodworker, restored in 1988, with USMC painted on every one. (Buzz has one on display in his shop.) Dick Morgan’s specialty was restoring and repainting donated bikes, including those rescued by state troopers, and getting them back on the road with new riders. These were the hot ticket gifts for kids in those pre-computer years when biking and sledding were what kids did. Later, as Toys for Tots transitioned into buying all new toys for the giveaways, it would be vol unteers like Tom and Jeannie Hollowood, who purchased up to 100 bikes a year themselves, to make sure that kids whose families stood in line – sometimes all night – to get that one most begged for gift had a chance to get one. At Toys for Tots it’s “first come first serve.” Buzz pointed out. “We provide burn barrels for them so they can stay warm.”

I added a Toys for Tots collection box and a couple of coveted first time bikes with training wheels from an undated photo to remind every one that these boxes are in many stores, banks and offices around the county, waiting for the do nations of the new toys that keeps this program the success story that it has been for 42 years. The crunch year was 2008, when original mem

bers were dwindling and the group was “ready to throw in the towel,” Buzz told Bob Niedbala in Greene County Living’s Winter 2014 magazine. Luckily, Washington County Toys for Tots coor dinator Ralph Pallesco reached out with money and toys and the community pitched in to donate and offer assistance, so “we didn’t miss a beat.”

Finally, in the lower left is the photo that ac companied Steve Barrett’s 2021 story celebrating yet another great year for Toys for Tots. This is the year Laura Walters officially joined up with Uncle Buzz to be his assistant going forward – a job she’s had a lifetime to prepare for, she cheer fully admits. Her dad Jim was a founding mem ber of Tri-County Leathernecks and “I’ve been helping out since I was a teenager. It’s been a privilege for our family to continue the tradition. We’re in awe of how the local businesses and volunteers have given time and money over the years to support a program that provides toys for needy children at Christmas.”

You can mark your calendars now: the Tri-County Leathernecks have an nounced December 17 will be the dis tribution date for the 2022 Toys for Tots program in Greene County. “This will be our 42nd year for the program,” says Buzz Walters, Commandant of the Leathernecks.

New, unwrapped toys can be dropped at collection boxes throughout Waynesburg and Greene County – you’ll see them all over in places like Walmart, Community Bank, Giant Eagle, Big Lots, and Dollar General. You can also visit www.washpatoys4tots.org for locations.

The toy distribution will be from 10am-12pm. Toys will be distributed to parents of children ages 0-12 years. At the event, parents need to bring social security numbers and medical assis

By Colleen Nelson

tance card for every. You will not be able to receive toys without this information! Remember – children should NOT ac company parents.

The following locations will have toy distribution; contact names and numbers are provided if you have ques tions in advance:

Carmichaels Fire Dept. - Laura Wal ters, 724-986-6692

Clarksville Christian Church - Denise Prodan, 724-809-8458

Greene County Fairgrounds - Roy or Shirley Negley, 724-852-1026

Greensboro Volunteer Fire Dept.Toni Cline, 724-358-2272

Richhill Township Volunteer Fire Dept. - Crystal Smith, 724-8334104

The fairy garden tucked beside the front steps of the Salvation Army Greene County Service Center at 131 W. First Street Waynesburg is a first hint that the services here can turn frowns to smiles.

Service Center Director Bonnie Davis of Brave, who just celebrated her first year of ser vice in late July, is all smiles as she remembers finding her dream job posted on Facebook. She admits she once needed help with an electric bill to avoid termination and Salvation Army came to the rescue. Accepting this job seemed like a heaven sent way to pay it forward. “When I started here, Sister Audrey Quinn had already retired and [part time worker] Jessie Moats and two volunteers were keeping the warehouse open.” Looking at her desk covered with papers and files, she laughed. “I didn’t have a clue what to do first! I’m so grateful to Sister Audrey – I called her and she came right down and got me going. If I need help all I have to do is pick up the phone. We also have a wonderful board that is very supportive of all we do.”

The people and families helped since she started the job have been tallied – more than 100 households got utility assistance like Davis once did and 50 people were able to avoid evictions and homelessness. About five medication and funeral costs were aided and at least ten were able to secure emergency lodging for the home less or those in crisis from 911. “The State Po lice and 911 send these emergencies straight to my cell phone now, whenever they happen. Our objective is to meet with each client and assess their individual situation and immediate needs. When needed we connect them to other com munity networks to better equip them with the tools to manage if not avoid, such situations in the future,” Davis said. ”We’re here for those of you who need us.”

Emergency food boxes go out to approxi mately 20 people a week and to date five Thanks giving and at least five Christmas blessing food boxes will be given this year.

By Colleen Nelson

Davis points out the mission of the Salvation Army goes back to William Booth, who took the gospel directly to the streets of London in 1852, preaching to “the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute.” When fellow clergy took issue, he and his wife Catherine left the church and be gan to train an army of evangelists known as the Christian Mission. Members of this volunteer army became known as Salvationists and by the beginning of the 20th century their mission had spread worldwide. Today it’s active in 131 coun tries “offering the message of God’s healing and hope to all those in need.”

Davis keeps a list of favorite gospel instruc tions on her desk for inspiration. It includes some plain talking from Luke 6:38: “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

That measure is on full display in the ware house where donated clothing, household goods and groceries fill every corner. Today, Jessie Moats and volunteer Donna Leposky are busy opening bags and sorting in the corner by the back door while not documenting shoppers.

The Food Pantry’s emergency food is sup plied by Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and weekly truckloads of donated Aldi bread and produce are available for walk ins who come to shop. Loaves of sourdough and rye bread are there for the taking today, along with some butternut squash. At least a dozen shoppers are browsing the racks and inspecting the holiday ornaments that just got put out.

Between 60 and 70 people a day come to shop, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Davis said. “People can only shop once a week so you can see how many people use our services.” Her daughter Abbigail, a senior at Central Greene, volunteers almost daily as her community service project and, yes the fairy garden was her creation, Abbi admits with a grin. “Have you seen the fairy gardens at Mason Dixon Park? I helped make them with my Nan, Mary Davis.”

The Angel Tree on the counter by the sign-in sheet has 300 tags and all have been adopted. “IRON SYNERGY took 125, EQT took 80 and church organizations got the rest,” Davis said. New this year is Adopt a Teen for the 13 to 18 year olds as they age out of being on the Angel Tree. “They need many

things at that age and I feel they shouldn’t be forgotten, especially at Christmas. We have 20 teens this year to adopt. Give me a call.”

Davis is delighted that “Waynesburg Ro tary paid for every child who went to Camp Al legheny this year. That was awesome! And this summer the Warrior Trail invited me to speak because they didn’t know much about the Salva tion Army. Now they’re willing to help however they can.”

Davis also praises Pat Bristor and her Bon ner volunteers from Waynesburg University who help with the yearly spring and fall flea mar kets that help pay the bills and keep the winter bundle up project going. This year the program helped 62 youth and three seniors stay warm. “We depend solely on donations and grants, so

we’re always fundraising. Our biggest fundraiser of the year is the Red Kettle. We raised $35,000 last year and it all stays in Greene County. With out that money we couldn’t do this.” The Red Kettle will be back on Candy Cane Lane for Hol iday Open House so stop by and donate or sign up to volunteer, Davis urges. “We need ringers for all our sites starting November 30 through December 23. We’ve put out a special request to churches that have youth programs and we’re happy to have you on our team, even if you can only ring one shift on one day.”

To contact Davis call the Service Center number 724-852-1479 any time and Davis will get back to you on her cell “as soon as I can. My phone gets pretty hot this time of year!”

L-R: Abbigail Davis, Bonnie Davis, Jessie Moats, Donna Leposky.

By Micah Leith

Public Service Profile SAFE SPACES

Greene County’s S.A.F.E program continues to provide support for families dealing with substance abuse. Now, S.A.F.E. is launching a new pro gram to further provide care to people deal ing with addiction problems.

According to Mike Holloway, a family center administrator with Greene County Human Services, the S.A.F.E. program can help people in their own homes.

“Unlike traditional drug and alcohol services that would come in and do an as sessment and then maybe recommend you for inpatient or detox or outpatient IAP or whatever it may be, we come to your home. So, you’re in the comfort of your own home, and we try to take a lot of the pressure off,” he says.

Holloway says the program is not lim ited to people who are already struggling with addiction.

“We try to keep it separate from the drug and alcohol program because it has a very heavy curriculum focused on parenting skills. So, for anybody that is dealing with past or current or even potential future drug and alcohol concerns that would put you in recovery or addiction or seek specialists are willing to work with you,” he says.

However, not all individuals are best treated within their own home. This is where the new Safe Spaces program comes in. It allows people struggling with addic tion problems to seek help voluntarily in a new location.

“How do you change people, places and things when you’re surrounded by other

addicts? Safe Spaces is our newest creation to try to combat those issues,” he says. “The safe space gives you a free space to tell your story, get it out, make it heard, and then identify peer support that can relate to you because a lot of your life experiences are go ing to be shared.”

Holloway says that the focus is on mak ing patients feel comfortable and safe when they come in.

“When you come to the safe space, not only is it non-judgmental and unbiased, not only do you have access to two highly trained professionals that are a wealth of in formation, you also have access to peers that might be experiencing similar difficulties or successes and an opportunity to kind of engage in a different way,” he says. “There’ll be food, beverages, and snacks to make you comfortable. We don’t ask you to wear a name tag. You don’t have to share your story. We have activities that are appropriate, like meditation and self-care practices. We’ll try to teach you some of the things that are found in our same program.”

Holloway says that the goal of Safe Spaces, as well as the S.A.F.E. program in general, is to give people who need help ac cess to the necessary resources.

“We’re going to alleviate that burden for you will carry the water, we’ll do the legwork and will connect you to the appro priate resource. And all along the way, we’re teaching you strategies to live a life in recov ery, to live a life to manage your addiction,” Holloway says.

Greene Artifacts

By Matthew Cumberledge, GCHS ExECutivE DirECtor

THE POOR FARM SHOESHINE SHOP

Many tales of tragedy and sadness have been related in recent years about the living conditions in the Greene County Poor Farm. Much of the tales specifically related to brutal treatments and the use of the West Wing basement, also known as the Dungeon. But even with all the horrible happenings in this aged institu tion, there are positive memories, and some positive memories from places even like the Dungeon.

After the close of the 19th century, living conditions at the poor farm had im proved drastically. While the conditions were certainly not to a standard that we would find acceptable today, gone were the days of abuses, mistreatment, and a com plete lack of understanding for the mentally ill. By the 1930s and 1940s most residents at the poor farm, or the County Home as it was then known, were aged and infirm and generally well treated in clean conditions with proper dietary necessities.

Some residents of the County Home even had jobs that allowed them to in teract with the com munity and provide a service to those who lived within and without the County Home. We know from historical ac counts that during

this period that one of the larger rooms of the Dungeon was used as a shoeshine shop and a coffee shop that both residents of the home and locals from Waynesburg utilized.

While history has lost the name of the individual who ran this shop, it does provide a glimpse into the happier times of what was once a sad facility. In recent years this room has been restored to give an appearance of what it may have looked like in the 30s and 40s, with several places where one may have sat to have their shoes shined and all the tools needed to repair worn and well used shoes.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things found during the restoration of that room was a small tin cup found in the ceil ing that was likely left there by one of the residents when the area served as a shoe shine shop and a coffee shop.

One of the most important roles of educators is to prepare their stu dents for the world that awaits them beyond school while allowing them to ex plore their interests and passions. One sci ence teacher at Waynesburg Central Greene School District has gone above and beyond in this task by creating a Forensics course that offers lessons to excite anyone with an inter est in the science field.

Alicia Plisko graduated Waynesburg University with an undergraduate degree in Forensics and got to further learn the craft through an internship under Dr. Cyril Wecht at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. She then went on to join the teaching staff of Central Greene in 2008 where she has taught a wide range of science subjects for the last fifteen years. Plisko has taught sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade science courses in Ecology, Earth and Space, Forensics, Physical Science, and Environmental Sustainability. During the 2009-2010 school year, she cre ated and implemented the Forensics class to cover a range of topics relating specifically to the investigative field.

“I ultimately decided not to get into the criminal justice field but still wanted to be able to utilize my degree in some way,” says Plisko. “I love the concepts and the way that

Cool at School

By Morgan Marisa CENTRAL GREENE SCHOOL DISTRICT

science is applied to help solve crime, so I cre ated a version of that for my students here at Central Greene.”

The goal of the course is to provide stu dents with a comprehensive knowledge of Forensics that can be applied in real-life situ ations. It develops their observational skills and analytical thinking as well as provides hands-on learning with activities and lab experiments to encourage students to really understand and engage with concepts. In the class, students get to study the history of fo rensics, crime scene processing, DNA, finger printing, serology, pathology, hair and fiber evidence, blood spatter analysis, and criminal profiling. Forensics combines all types of sci ences taught at Central Greene and applies them to the criminal justice system.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to apply science in real-life situa tions and to be able to see how specialized this career field actually is,” adds Plisko. “This class also offers a non-traditional way to ex perience three various kinds of science and combine those with real-life scenarios.”

Gifted and talented students have the

opportunity to participate at a Mock Crime Scene as well, getting to apply their knowledge and skills from the course. Additionally, Plisko collaborates with Waynesburg University and their Crimi nal Justice and Forensics Departments to provide her students with programs that they can take advantage of if they choose to pursue the field post-graduation. She also aims to keep the class relevant by incorporating a weekly “Current Events” discussion centered around various crime-related news and situations occur ring around the country.

“I think this really helps to open their eyes to what the real world is like and helps them to be observant, aware and more independent when they leave high school,” Plisko says. “My students work very hard and strive for excellence every day. I absolutely love teaching this class and seeing the lasting impact it has had on our younger generations.”

Plisko hopes to see interest in the class grow as she aims for her students to take away as many skills as possible. She has

seen students go on to work in criminal jus tice so she knows her work really has left a lasting impact on young lives.

Going Greene

THE WHISKEY REBELLION

The late 18th Century in southwestern Pennsylvania, and the nation, were turbulent times of change. The Revolutionary War was over, and a new Federal Gov ernment had been established, but times were uncertain. The frontier line edged along the western limits of Greene, at the time part of Washington County, and Indian attacks stem ming from the tragic murder of Chief Cornstalk years before were still an ever-present threat.

The new Federal Government was in a great deal of debt, stemming from the Revolutionary War, and government debt meant taxes. In 1791, upon a report of Secretary of the Trea sury Alexander Hamilton an Excise Tax was passed. Ten to twenty-five cents would be taken by the new Federal Gov ernment for every gallon of domestic distilled liquor. It was thought that the revenue brought in by the excise tax would alleviate the burden of the debt assumed by the government from the various states, accrued over the time since indepen dence was declared in 1776.

At that time, nowhere else in the United States could as many whiskey stills be found amongst the populace as here in western Pennsylvania. Nearly all of them were individually owned and provided a great deal of income to farmers whose only method of liquidating their excess crops was by convert ing them to whiskey to be sold or traded over the Allegheny Mountains in eastern Pennsylvania.

Inspectors were created by the Federal Government and were paid, by account of the frontier settlers, exorbitant sala ries. Soon protests would erupt, and a large-scale rebellion would erupt. Inspectors and tax collectors would be tarred and feathered, and farmers refused to register their stills. The Federal Government promised to seize all shipments of whis key on packhorses being sent over the Allegheny Mountains for sale elsewhere. The local citizens petitioned the govern ment, and the tax on whiskey was lowered, but otherwise their cries went unheard.

The Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania was the first major test of the new Federal Government. Prior to this time, the Federal Government had not applied a direct tax on the people and had funded itself largely from tariffs from in ternational trade, and though the burden placed on the citi zens of western Pennsylvania by this excise tax was great, it did stick. The Whiskey Rebels would also stick to their guns.

In July of 1794 a militia of local farmers formed at Brad dock’s Field to bring a stop once and for all on the Excise Tax. President George Washington would respond by issuing a proclamation demanding that the rebels disperse. He invoked the Militia Act of 1792, allowing him to use local militias to bring an end to the rebellion. Nearly thirteen thousand mili tiamen were brought in from surrounding states to end the rebellion. While no real battle ensued, about 150 rebels were arrested, two of which were convicted of treason.

The Reverend John Corbly, a resident of Garards Fort, also known for the massacre of his family at the hands of the Indians in 1782, is perhaps the most well-known person from this corner of Pennsylvania to have taken part in the Whiskey Rebellion. Corbly was one of the most outspoken participants from this area and had drawn the attention of the Federal Government as a leading rebel. The Reverend John Corbly was brought under suspicion and was marched to Philadel

phia. He was tried and found not guilty of treason but was found guilty of lesser charges.

Corbly was born February 25, 1733, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the small but mighty English Nation. Little is known of his early life, but he must have been born of very humble origins as it is recorded that at the age of 14, he indentured himself into voluntary servitude to pay for his transport to the colonies in the Americas. He faithfully served out his time in Pennsylvania, and at around age 18 moved to Winchester, Virginia.

Not long after he arrived in Virginia, he became ac quainted with a young lady by the name of Miss Abigail Bull who soon became his first wife. John and Abigail would settle in Berkley County, Virginia. There he would find the second, and perhaps most important love of his life, The Gospel of Christ. The Elder John Garrard, a minister of the Baptist faith was a prominent and zealous preacher of the Gospel in that area. When Garrard came to know the young John Corbly, the state of his soul and salvation became an important topic. Elder Garrard must have had an unforgettable effect on Cor bly, as at once he converted to Christianity and his life was consecrated to bringing others to the Baptist faith.

The now Reverend John Corbly took the commands of the scripture seriously and began preaching the Gospel with such zeal that other denominations would persecute him in his efforts. He suffered many trials and tribu lations, assaults, beatings and even was arrested and placed in the Cul pepper Jail sometime around 1768. But Corbly’s faith was strong, and he preached even during his con finement.

This time in prison however, along with the recent death of his wife Abigail, may have led to Cor bly’s desire to find a new home where he could freely preach the Word as he saw fit. In 1769 or 1770, Corbly, like so many others in the Colony of Virginia, would make the hard trek to the lands near the Monongahela River. He found a tract of land near the head waters of Whitely Creek where many of his friends and acquaintances were soon to settle. Among that early group of settlers were many members of the Garrard Family, no doubt relations of Corbly’s old friend Elder John Garrard. Corbly would marry his second wife Eliza beth. She was killed in the at tack in 1782. Less than a de cade later that Corbly would play his role in the Whiskey Rebellion.

By Matthew Cumberledge

John Corbly was pardoned for his activity in the Whis key Rebellion in November in 1794, along with all the other rebels arrested in 1794, including the two found guilty of trea son, and the Whiskey Rebellion would be over.

This test of the Federal Government would cement the idea that the newly established constitution did indeed have the authority to enact laws and taxes and maintain the union of the states, and the aftermath of this time proved that the new nation would stand united. The Whiskey Rebellion is now commemorated each year by a festival held in Washing ton, PA each July.

The home of Reverend John Corbly.

PACP Recognizes Chamber Professionals with Service Awards

Seven chamber of commerce profession als were awarded PACP’s distinguished Ser vice Awards during their 2022 PACP Cham ber Professionals & Leadership Conference held this week in Gettysburg, PA. Each year PACP recognizes chamber professionals who have served any five-year increment in cham ber management.

To qualify, candidates must have been in full-time chamber or chamber-sponsored af filiate management for at least five years, must now be serving in chamber management in Pennsylvania, and must have been a PACP member for at least three consecutive years.

PACP’s Service Awards are meant to promote and recognize outstanding chamber service not only to the individual’s commu nity but also to their professional association. The following chamber professionals were recognized for their service:

Local FFA Member Awarded National American FFA Degree

Each year, the National FFA Organization honors FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the orga nization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural educa tion.

The American FFA De gree is bestowed upon a select group of students in recogni tion of their years of academic and profes sional excellence. This year 4,305 American Degrees were be awarded.

Sarah Calvert, a member of the Waynes burg FFA chapter in Waynesburg, Pennsylva nia, was awarded the American FFA Degree at the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo Oct. 26-29.

Sponsored by Case IH, Elanco Ani mal Health, Pepsico Inc., and Syngenta, the award recognizes demonstrated ability and outstanding achievements in agricultural business, production, processing, or service programs.

To be eligible, FFA members must have

earned and productively invested $10,000 through a supervised agricultural ex perience (SAE) program in which they own their own business or hold a profes sional position as an em ployee. Recipients must also complete 50 hours community service and demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities and civic involvement through com pletion of a long list of FFA and community activities. Less than one percent of FFA mem bers achieve the American FFA Degree. Sarah was the first recipient of this award from the Waynesburg FFA Chapter in ten years.

Each recipient of the American FFA De gree receives a gold American FFA Degree key and certificate after being recognized at the national convention.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership de velopment organization of more than 850,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

“Something from Nothing” Winners

Waynesburg University’s eHIVE, the Entrepreneurial Hub for Innovative Ventures and Endeavors, recently announced the win ners for its fifth annual “Something from Nothing” Innovation Challenge.

The competition challenged students to create an innovation by repurposing or reus ing cardboard as the primary material.

The winners, listed by category, include: Commercial Value - First Place and Fan Favorite: “Circle Door Shelf” created by Lexie Vigna, Mitchell Price, Patrick Demory and Daeshawn Leghorn; Second Place: “Cus tom Cardboard Purses” created by Cheyanne Forson, Gavin Hornyak, Abbey McCoy and sponsored by Japanese Culture and Anime Club; Third Place: “WU THRONE” created by Guillermo Samudio, Hudson Pincavitch, Michael McFarland and Isaiah Greenway.

Artistic Value - First Place: “Cardboard Dog Beds” created by Elyse Morgan and sponsored by Waynesburg University’s Busi ness Club; Second Place and Fan Favorite: “Pinball Machine” created by Raelyn Bowser, Autumn Stemple, Joseph O’Rourke, Connor Schoenfeld and sponsored by the Waynes burg University’s Fine Arts Department;

Third Place: “Big Catch” created by Sadie Mink, Sydney Serrano, Jacob Brisky, Jaiden Torres and sponsored by BUS 155 (Creativity and Innovation).

Social Value - First Place: “Acoustic Sound Panel” created by Clay Webb, Eric Bur cham, Hunter Hamilton and Amanda Rine; Second Place: “Plant Your Box” created by Kristie Faber, Jacob Stewart, John Dalzotto, Benjamin Borneman and sponsored by BUS 155 (Creativity and Innovation); Third Place and Fan Favorite: “Homes for Homeless” cre ated by Haley Resosky, Marcos Mendez and Zane Cawley.

High School Value - First Place: “Lazy Man” (Commercial Value) created by Blaine Martin, Kyler Tuttle, Robert Martin, Aid en Moore and sponsored by Waynesburg Central High School Gifted; Second Place: “Endangered Butterfly Awareness” (Artis tic Value) created by Jaden Tretinik, Vivian Greenwood and sponsored by Waynesburg Central High School Gifted; Third Place: “Project C” (Commercial Value) created by Benjamin Maxwell, Joe Kirsch, Ferdinand Martinez and sponsored by Waynesburg Central High School Gifted.

WCHS Lions Club Students of the Month

Jade is the daughter of Robert and Jil lian Barnhart of Waynes burg. Jade earned a 4.0 GPA through out high school. While at WCHS, Jade has been a member of the marching band, concert band, pep band, de bate team, student council, Spanish club, and Future Business Leaders of America. Jade en joys studying business and earned first place in the region in accounting through her work with FBLA.

Outside of school Jade attends the Waynesburg Church of Christ where she serves as a custodian. She has also volun teered her time for art classes at the local li brary. Last year Jade attended the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. During her free time Jade enjoys reading, writing, and listening to music.

She plans to attend college for account ing and entrepreneurship and eventually open her own accounting business.

Jordan Dean is the daughter of Stanley and Kelli Dean of Spraggs. Jordan earned at

4.0 GPA into her senior year. Jordan stays very busy at WCHS. She has been a member of the National Honor Society, Student Coun cil, the alpha beta club, and the Leo club.

Jordan also loves to run. She has been a member of the cross country and track teams. She had an outstanding track season last year. She was the section champion in the 800m and broke the school record in the 300m hur dles. For her efforts she was recognized as the GreeneScene Magazine Girl of the Month in June. She also has top 20 finishes at the Min go Classic and TSTCA Championships this cross-country season. Outside of school, Jor dan trains at Viking Performance to help her running. She also helps train younger athletes at summer Track and Field camps.

Jordan is a member of the Olive United Methodist Church. During her free time, she loves spending time outdoors and with friends and family.

Jordan plans to attend a college and earn a de gree in nursing while continu ing her run ning career.

Melody Longstreth, Executive Direc tor of the Greene County Chamber of Com merce was honored for her 30 years of service in the Chamber of Commerce industry. Con gratulations, Melody!

Christmas Giveaways

The Carmichaels First United Meth odist Church is taking donations for the upcoming Christmas Giveaway which will be held Saturday, December 10, from 8:30AM-11:30AM in the Fellowship Hall. Please drop donations off at the church of

fice during business hours M-F from 8:3012:30PM. They are also looking for any volunteers that are willing to help with the giveaway. Please contact the Church Office if interested 724-966-7123.

Quilt Raffle

A quilt raffle fundraiser is being held to benefit the GCHS Museum. Two quilts are being raffled (separately). The first is ap proximately 72”x78” and is an antique quilt top, tied, backed, and no batting. the second is 80”x80” and is an antique quilt top, tied, backed, and with batting.

Chances are $2 each and winners will be drawn on December 4, 2022 at 4pm. Tickets are available at the GCHS gift shop or via paypal (gchs1925@gmail.com). In clude your full name, phone number, pay pal address, number of tickets purchasing, and which quilt you want.

Carmichaels Music Boosters Cash Bash

The Carmichaels Area Music Asso ciation is holding a cash bash on Saturday, December 3 at the Carmichaels Vol. Fire Company. Doors open at 5pm.

Tickets are $25 each (guests are $15) and can be purchased by contacting Jeanine at 724-366-5016 or Heather at 724-557-

3555. There will be games of chance, 50/50, and raffle baskets. Food and beverages will be provided. Must be 21 to enter. You don’t need to be present to win, but there are ad ditional cash bonuses for some drawings if present.

Library Trivia Night Story

Congratulations to the winners of the first ever Eva K. Bowlby Library Trivia Night. The team “We’re Just Guessing” took first place while second place went to the team “Candy’s Crushers”. The “Most Spir ited Team” Award also given award to the team “What the Fact” for the team that didn’t win, but had the best time losing. The event was held at the Denny House on November 5 with Bret Moore as the Master of Questions. Over 90 participants joined the fun and answered pop culture ques tions about music, movies, and TV from the 60s,70s, 80s and 90s. The Eva K. Bowl by Library Board of Trustees wishes to say Thank You to all of our sponsors, volun teers and participants for making our event a huge success.

Event Sponsor: The Denny House. $100 Sponsors: Assign Me That Task Er rand

Service, D. Moore & Sons Monuments , Dave Arnold, ReMax Reality, First National Bank, Humble Carpet, Jay D. Enterprises, McCracken Pharmacy, Specialty Herbal Products, Waynesburg Giant Eagle, 3 S Self Storage/ Walt Stout Auction. Food Dona tions: Hopkins Store, Domino’s Pizza, Fat Angelo’s Pizza, Scotty’s Pizza. Basket Do nations: Community Bank, Fruition Bowls and Brews, Greene Co. Association of Re tired School Employees, Hideaway Candle Bar, Waynesburg Chamber of Commerce.

Breakfast with Santa & Letters!

Enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast - and a free photo with Santa! The event will be on December 3 from 9am-11am at the Greene County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $8/ person and includes breakfast, photo, and crafts.

Let the Department of Recreation elves make your little one’s Christmas memories complete with a letter from their good bud dy - Santa Claus! Children wishing to write to and receive a personal letter from Santa Claus can do so by sending the letters to the Greene County Department of Recreation (Greene County Department of Recreation, ATTN: SANTA, 107 Fairgrounds Road,

Waynesburg, PA 15370). There is no cost to receive a letter from Santa and letters must be received by Thursday, December 15.

Each letter must include a form filled out by the child’s parent or guardian. The forms are located at www.co.greene.pa.us under Parks and Recreation or on the Greene County Department of Recreation Facebook page. Letters can also be brought at the Breakfast with Santa event on Decem ber 3.

FMI or to purchase tickets, stop by the Greene County Department of Recreation (107 Fairgrounds Road, Waynesburg, PA) or call 724-852-5323.

Small Town Country Christmas

The Ice Plant presents a Small Town Country Christmas on Saturday, December 10. Enjoy lunch with Santa and Mrs. Claus from noon to 3pm. There will also be cook ies, live Christmas music by Mapletown Jr./

Sr. High School Band, and horse drawn car riage rides for $5/person from 2pm to 5pm. FMI or to make a reservation, call 724-9434324.

Bowlby Library Holiday Open House

The public is invited to the Bowlby Public Library on Wednesday, December 7, 3:30-7pm for their Holiday Open House.

Patrons are encouraged to submit their holiday cookie orders from Willow Tree Farm online at www.evakbowlby.org. Dead line to order is November 26.

Enter the Cookie Raffle, Children’s Toy Basket Raffle, Door Prize and children can enjoy Holiday Story Time & Pictures with Santa! Raffle tickets are currently being sold for $1 each or 6 tickets for $5. Sponsored by Friends of the Bowlby Library.

Musical Mikes Holiday Craft Show

The 18th Annual Musical Mikes Holi day Craft Show will be held on Sunday, De cember 4, 2022 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Carmichaels Area Elementary Center Gym. The Musical Mikes Holiday Craft Show fea tures local artisans from Pennsylvania and West Virginia with hand-made crafts. Dur

ing the day, there will be a Chinese Auction, concessions, and Christmas concerts pre sented by the Musical Mikes Chorus. Ad mission is free to the public. FMI or table registration, contact Erin Drury at edrury@ carmarea.org. All proceeds benefit the Car michaels Elementary Music Program.

Holiday Craft Blast

Shop for the season at one of Greene County’s largest craft shows with an array of vendors from 10am-4pm on Sunday, December 11 at the Greene County fair gounds.

The annual Holiday Craft Blast is host

ed by the Nathanael Greene Community Development Center at the Greene County Fairgrounds on the second Sunday of De cember.FMI or to be a vendor, contact Mary Shine at shine201027@yahoo.com or down load the application at natgreene.org.

Christmas Caroling in Greensboro

The Greensboro Baptist Church and the Mapletown Methodist Church, will be Christmas caroling up and down the streets

of Greensboro and Glassworks on Friday, December 16 from 6-7:30pm.

WAYNESBURG TOY AND COMIC EXPO RETURNS

This past July brought a new type of event to Greene County – it’s very first toy and comic convention. The Waynesburg Toy & Comic Expo returns for a December show, bringing with it lots of toy, art, and comic vendors, celebrity guests, and more!

The July event had 560 people attend, from through the surrounding area and as far away as Chicago, Columbus, New York City, and mid-state Missouri. That show featured plenty of vendors selling a variety of collect ibles and art, the Outer Rim Praxeum’s light saber battles, and former WWE superstar Rosa Mendes (Milena Roucka).

At the December show, you’ll be able to meet Miko Hughes and Wayne Grayson. Miko Hughes is best known for his roles in the original Pet Semetary, New Nightmare, Spawn, Kindergarten Cop, Full House, and other movies. Wayne Grayson is a voice over actor best known for his role as Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that ran from 2003 - 2009, Joey Wheeler in Yu-Gi-Oh and hundreds of other characters over his extensive career. You’ll also have a chance to see Santa Clause and get a picture, with all proceeds going to a charity of Santa’s choice.

The show is organized by Legendary

Conventions, and at its head is Dave Plavi. Dave was born and raised in Nemacolin. He left for two years to run sound and lighting for concerts in Laughlin, Nevada. Upon his return, he was with the Nemacolin Volunteer Fire Department through 2010 and worked EMS professionally through 2015. He’s now the Regional Director for Pace Healthcare Transportation.

In 2010, Dave became a replica prop maker focusing on Power Rangers. After cre ating helmets and weapon replicas for over 40 Power Rangers actors, be began vending at conventions across the East Coast. Once the pandemic shut down conventions, he shifted his focus to running conventions instead of being a vendor.

He hosted the first Mountaineer Comic Con in September 2021, and taking a hiatus from that after its completion, introduced the Waynesburg Toy & Comic expo. He is also the organizer for both Salem Toy & Comic Expo and Salem Horror Festival, held in Sa lem, OH.

A lot of hard work and dedication go into hosting these events. “[Y]ou have to find the need and fulfill it… find what genre or in terest works best. Timing is one of the most important things, how close to it, in time, compared to other regional events. Once you

determine the type of event you want, you’ve got to attend some similar [events] and pos sibly even volunteer at some to see how they work, what would work for you and what could be changed.”

Dave and Legendary Conventions be lieve in giving back to the community and making the area a better place. For the past three years, they’ve organized the Carmi chaels Trunk or Treat event, which will be a part of the new Carmichaels Halloween Fes tival next year. They plan to organize a Food Truck and Music Festival but are waiting on permits to shut down some state roads. Currently in the early stages of planning are a sports memorabilia show, home services show, and an outdoor show, all held in Greene County or the surrounding area. There are also tentative plans to hold a professional wrestling convention in Waynesburg, as well as exploring interest in a show in Wheeling, WV.

“I feel we’ve lost our sense of communi

ty. I’m from here, live here, and have no plans to leave. Events that have gone on, in the past, have become shells of what they once were and I’m trying to come up with events that people look forward to yearly, to infuse new and fresh ideas to our area. The most impor tant thing to me is that there is something for the next generation to look back and talk about what they enjoyed in their childhood,” Dave says.

Dave adds that he’s “[t]hankful for all of the support the events have received so far.”

The Waynesburg Toy & Comic Expo is being held at the EQT Rec Center (400 Ev ergreen Drive Waynesburg, PA) on Decem ber 3, from 10am to 5pm. Early Bird tickets are available for purchase at ShowClix. All pre-sale ticket holders will be able to gain ac cess one hour before general admission sales, at the door at 9am. The Waynesburg Toy & Comic Expo is presented by Jack FM 101 and is a Legendary Conventions, LLC event.

20 Years & 150 Books

From Oprah Winfrey to Jenna Bush Hager to Queen Consort Camila Parker Bowles, book clubs in the past decade have become all the rage. But before book clubs grew in popularity one local community was offered the opportunity to come together to read and discuss books of all genres. This group, the Mt. Morris Book Club, recently celebrated twenty years of gathering to share their thoughts and opinions on their monthly reads. In addition to celebrating twenty years in October, they also celebrated an awesome accomplishment of reading 150 books. The number of literary journeys taken by the group is impressive – in twenty years, Oprah’s book club, has read around 98 books.

Chris Jarrell is the current leader of the club, and she has been with the group since the very beginning. The book club had been initially formed and facilitated by former Greene County resident Christine Bernosky. Christine was, at the time, an employee of Community Action Southwest (now Blue prints) and was working as part of a literacy program in the Mt. Morris area. She came up with the idea of starting a book club and se cured a small grant. The club was born. The first book recommended to the group was “Spoon River Anthology” by Edger Lee Mas ters. The initial grant cov ered the cost of the books, and the rest shall we say is history.

Considering we live in a digital age, it is im pressive this group has endured two decades of constant change. The rela tionship building that has taken place is a wonder ful thing. Chris explained that the dynamics of the group has changed some over the years: members have come and gone, and

some of the ini tial members have passed on, but the friendships that de veloped over reading books has truly lasted.

By Tracy Horne

There is never any negative debate – even if opinions differ over a read. She described the members as not just friends, but as fam ily. “What happens at book club stays at book club,” Chris jokes.

From a favorite book of the group, “The Penny” to the children book “Holes”, this group has had some great reads. Each member is afforded the opportunity to sug gest books. When asked what book may have been the most difficult read, it was not sur prising that a self-help book by Dr. Phil, “Self Matters” was not a popular group read. She stated it wasn’t because the book was of poor content. The group felt the book was a better “self” read then a collective journey.

Besides reading, the group has hosted several local authors to discuss their books, and a group of children were invited to share their thoughts on the book “Holes”.

Twenty years, 150 books, and many enduring friendships…what an accomplish ment. May they continue to collectively share and enjoy their literary journeys.

L-R (front): Joyce Simpson, Chris Jarrell, Dan Kendall. L-R (back):Mary Bowers, MaDonna Basile, Rose Perroots, LouAnn Lemley. Not pictured: Pam Yost and Virginia Claussen

ATTENTION PARENTS AND COACHES!

Email it to: sports@directresults.us.

Intentional Walks

Ira “Budge” Tustin was considered by many to be the best pitcher in Greene County history. He started playing short stop for a highly regarded Kuhntown team in 1905 when he was only 13 years old. In his 35year career, he took the mound for Rogers ville, Waynesburg, Mather, Brave, Ten Mile and Mt. Morris.

Few players were ever in such de mand. In October of 1915, he pitched for the Waynesburg Church League All-Stars against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the starter got roughed up in the first inning, Tustin entered in relief and surrendered only three hits and one run the rest of the game. After that, pro fessional offers poured in. However, Budge liked his job running the Kuhntown post of fice and didn’t want to leave the area. In 1916, he played for the legendary Hooker Phillips

By Bret Moore

THE TOP TWO GREENE COUNTY PITCHERS OF ALL TIME

on a Waynesburg team that went 38-7 on the season. Tus tin’s record was 14-2.

The following year, Phil lips was managing a Mather team that had scheduled the legendary Homestead Grays for a barnstorming appear ance. He called on Tustin to join the team for that game. The manager of the Grays wanted to bet Phillips $500 on the outcome of the game. With a huge crowd in at tendance most of the team’s financing for the season was dependent on that game’s gate receipts. At first, Phillips was reluctant to make such a dangerous wager. However, he turned to watched Tus tin warm up. After seeing the precipitous drop of his curve ball and the pop of his fast ball, he quickly agreed to the bet. Tustin gave up only a bloop single in the ninth inning and Mather won the game 4-0. He went on to beat the Grays two more time dur ing his career.

Honus Wagner recruited Budge for his Pittsburgh Yellow Cab Company team, but the mailman/farmer declined the offer saying he would rather keep his day jobs. In 1924, Clarksburg of the Middle Atlantic League (Class B Minor League) gave Budge an of fer he couldn’t refuse. They would pay him a handsome sum to pitch one game a week for them and then return home. He finished his career with the Equitable Gas team of the Waynesburg League. However, he was lured out of retirement to pitch one season with North Side of the Pittsburgh League at the age of 42.

The only hurler to rival Tustin in county lore was William McKinley “Chip” Helmick of Carmichaels. He started his career in the Waynesburg Church League in 1914. He was

also a member of the all-star team that played the Pirates. After winning a Bronze Star in France during WWI, he returned to pitch for several local teams, including Masontown and Nemacolin.

Then Hooker Phillips convinced him to pitch for Waynesburg for a three-year stint. He led those teams in both pitching and hit ting every year and signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox for $250 a month. For some unknown reason, he did not follow through on the contract. However, in 1924 he pitched for Mather against Honus Wagner’s barnstorming team. The crowd was stunned when Chip struck out Wagner four times on the day. He also had five hits, including two

triples, leading Mather to an 11-0 victory.

From 1926 to 1934 he played in the pro fessional Middle Atlantic League, where he was the first pitcher to toss a no-hitter in that league’s history. He spent his time in the Mid dle Atlantic with Fairmont, Cumberland and Charleston. He was the only pitcher in that league’s history to win over 100 career games. Incredibly, he also batted over .300 every year. Several times he was offered a promotion to the Class B Albany, NY team but declined be cause in his eyes the minimal salary increase would not make the move worth it. He con cluded his career by returning home to pitch for Nemacolin and “Old Timer” teams.

Do you know of an achievement in sports and would like to see it shared in Hometown Heritage?

Pitching great “William “Chip” Helmick

The Forgotten Scattergun

In today’s self-defense culture, high tech leads the way. Most avid shooters are interested in what’s new, trendy, cutting edge. Alas, most of us do not require this trendy, techy, cutting edge solutioning for our protection needs. What we may need is a shotgun. There is an adage that says “Use your pistol to fight your way back to your rifle. A rifle is almost always a better option than a pistol. Unfortunately, rifles are bulky and not as easily carried on one’s person as a pistol. On the rare occasion, a pistol may prove a bit handier in close quarters. I am fond of saying, “The best weapon for the job is the one you are carrying.” That being said, I’d nearly always prefer a rifle over a pistol. So, what is this shotgun business?

Shotguns are not magic. They are not “do all” miracle weapons of wonder. In fact, shotguns are usually not the best alternative for any single application. Shotguns perform most self-defense tasks adequately. Let’s lim it our shotgun argument to 12 gauge.

To simplify the discussion, shotgun ammunition normally comes in bird shot, buck shot and slug form. Bird shot is a com pilation of fine lead shot used for hunting of flying creatures. It can be quite effective for self-defense needs, as well. Bird shot is less likely to pass through the walls of an inte rior structure so it can be a safer alternative to rifle or pistol rounds. It is not particularly good at defeating body armor. Buck shot is a mass of larger sized pellets (12 gauge, 00 Buck Shot contains nine pellets about the di ameter of a 9mm bullet.) It is lethal at close range and is devastating upon impact. Imag ine being struck with nine, 9 mm rounds simul taneously! Not my idea of fun. Lastly, a shotgun slug is a single projectile. Big, heavy, slow by comparison but hugely effective.

A 1 ounce slug, fired from close range produces huge energy. Think of a bowl ing ball flying through the air,

shot out of a cannon and you are more on the side of the slug option.

Question: So, why choose a shotgun if it’s not the best choice for everything. An swer: Because it’s darned good at a lot of things. Shotguns can be fashioned in shorter lengths which makes them handy in close quarter combat (CQB) situations. Shotguns can often be loaded with four, five or six rounds in their magazine, some with even higher round counts. Shotgun ammunition is relatively cheap. Since shotgun rounds travel at slower speeds, comparatively, than rifle or pistol rounds, overpenetration is not as likely, and striking another target unin tentionally via a pass through, can be some what diminished. Alternative rounds can be carried in an onboard scabbard, attached to the weapon, offering different choices of rounds for varied applications.

What then is the con side of the combat shotgun? Shotguns can be big, heavy affairs. Recoil from a shotgun can be unpleasant, es pecially for those of smaller stature. Precise accuracy may be sacrificed for raw power. Like all firearms, shotguns take practice to become proficient in their operation.

You won’t know if a shotgun is for you until you explore your options. You may like a shotgun more than you thought. Full disclosure - I own two combat shotguns, a slide action riot gun and a well worn double barrel coach gun. Both are value priced (see cheap) reliable, serviceable pieces. When things go bump in the night, I almost always find myself reaching for the old double bar rel loaded with 00 buckshot!

BOYs and GIRLs OF THE MONTH

Tyler Richmond is the great-nephew of Bill and Ami Cree and lives with the Cree family. He is a senior wide receiver for the Mighty Mikes. He had 1,113 re ceiving yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Tyler has received multiple awards throughout his high school foot ball career. He also plays varsity bas ketball and baseball. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing and hanging out with family and friends. His future plans are to play football in college and major in Marketing.

Beth Cree is the daughter of Bill and Ami Cree. She is the granddaughter of Bill and Lura Ann Cree. She is a fouryear starter as an outside hitter on the Mike’s volleyball team. She had 248 kills and 247 digs this past season. Beth has received numerous accolades in the sport and played for two-time national qualifier Renaissance. She is also going to play basketball for the school this year. Beth is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to attend college for business and obtain a law degree. She is a 4-H member and in her spare time en joys running, working out, singing and photography.

Nate Jones is the son of Kevin and Amy Jones. Nate is a member of the threetime WPIAL and 2021 PIAA Champion ship wrestling teams. Last year, he was a section champ and placed sixth at the WPIAL Individual tournament. He was also named all-section for the Raid ers’ soccer team. His academic awards include the Lions Club Student of the Month and Bausch and Lomb Science Award Recipient. In school, he belongs to the Engineering Club. After high school, Nate intends to attend a universi ty and major in mechanical engineering.

Jordan Dean is the captain of both the track and cross-country teams at WCHS. This fall, in her first year running cross county she qualified for the state meet and placed 11th at the TSTCA Tri-State Meet. On the track, Jordan was the 800m section champ and broke the school record in the 300m hurdle her junior year. She was the Raiders’ Homecom ing Queen this year and maintains a 4.0 GPA. She is the president of the Alpha Beta Club and is a member of the Na tional Honor Society, Leo Club and stu dent council. Her plans are to attend a four-year university to major in nursing and run track.

Treslee Weston is the daughter of Tam my and Jim Stajnrajh of Mount Morris and Jeff Weston of Belle Vernon. She is a freshman on the volleyball team that advanced to the WPIAL semifinals this season for the first time in school history. She also plays on the Maples’ basketball and softball teams as well as Smash Fast pitch 16u travel squad. In school, Treslee maintains a 4.4 GPA. She spends her free time shopping and hanging out with friends. .

Levi Howard is the son of Robert and Kristi Howard of Garards Fort. He is a four-year letterman in football for the Maples. Levi has received both AllCounty and All-Conference honors. He is currently a student in the Welding & Fabrication program at GCCTC. Levi is also in the ski club and enjoys hunting, fishing and being outdoors in his spare time. After graduation, he plans to fur ther his welding education.

Preston Wood is the son of Jimmy and Jaime Wood of Waynesburg. He is a member of the Rockets’ basketball team. He is also the president of the National Honor Society and SADD. Preston is also the Secretary/Treasurer of the class of 2023 and involved with the Leo, li brary and debate clubs. He plans to at tend Waynesburg University to study business.

Jessica Torres is the daughter of Richard and Lorraine Torres of Mather. She is a senior on the Rocket volleyball and bas ketball teams. In school, she is involved with the student council, Leo Club, Spanish Club and SADD. After gradua tion, she plans to earn a degree as a sur gical technician.

Darren Knight is the son of Sean and Asher Knight of Rogersville. He broke the school cross country record as a freshman. Darren also plans on playing basketball and baseball this year.

Ali Goodwin is the daughter of Dave and Michelle Goodwin of Rutan. She is a junior and was a member of the WPIAL playoff volleyball team and the section and WPIAL champion softball team. Ali was also a prom attendant last year.

Mapletown’s Landan Stevenson broke the WPIAL regular season scoring record this year. He fin ished the regular season with 285 points. The talented senior had 2,031 yards rushing in the regular season, becoming the first Maple to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He also broke Dylan Rush’s career school record of 5,762 yards in the Maples’ first round playoff victory over Leech burg.

2022 Class 1A and 2a Section 3 All-Stars

Community

Lobero London Whipkey was a key player for the West Greene Pio neers this season.

Volleyball 2022 Class 2A Section 3 All Stars: First Team - Sarah Stephenson (Waynesburg); Second Team - Karlee Hogue (Waynes burg); Third Team - Abbigail Kidd (Waynesburg) and Keelan Sproat (Waynesburg).

Volleyball 2022 Class 1A Section 3 All Stars: First Team - Beth Cree (Carmichaels), Kendell Ellsworth (Carmichaels), Kasie Meek (West Greene), Ella Menear (Mapletown), Riley Pekar (Maple town), London Whipkey (West Greene), and Krista Wilson (Maple town); Second Team - Brianna Ashton (Mapletown), Chloe Mitch ell (Carmichaels), Bailey Rafferty (Mapletown), Carlee Roberts (Carmichaels), Mackenzie Wise (West Greene), and Sophia Zalar (Carmichaels); Third Team - Mikayka Andrews (Carmichaels), Mia Baker (Jefferson Morgan), Al lexis Berdine (West Greene), Alisa Long (Jefferson Morgan), and Sophia Plock (West Greene).

The Mapletown volleyball team advanced to the WPIAL semi-finals this year after defeating Eden Academy and Greensburg Central Catholic in the first two playoff rounds. The squad had the best season in school history after winning the section title and compiling an 18-4 record.

West Greene’s seniors led their volleyball team to a successful 13-6 record this season. L-R Back: MacKenzie Wise, Sophia Plock, London Whipkey, and Karlee PaytonL-R Front: Emily Wise, Emily Simms, and Kelly Courtwright.

Alec Anderson of Carmichaels leads the county in pass ing this year with 1,812 yards.

Greene County Football Stats

RECEIVING

Player Rec. Yards TDs Long

T. Richmond (C ) 51 1,030 14 82

E. Jamison (JM) 22 488 7 80 H. Guesman (JM) 22 405 1 40

B. Yekel (C ) 38 334 1 32

A. Donaldson (C ) 17 231 2 36

B. Evans (M) 12 224 3 44

J. Lamp (WG) 13 193 0 18

E. Griffin (M) 13 182 4 27

S. Burns (WG) 9 178 2 61

L. Stevenson (M) 10 152 1 29

C. Brady (WG) 3 133 2 74

A. Surber (WC) 13 120 0 P. Burns (WG) 7 116 3 14

A. Adamson (C ) 14 115 0 29

C. Chambers (WG) 7 98 0 31

R. Gradek (M) 4 95 0 36

B. Evans (M) 1 61 1 61 T. Zupper (WC) 5 54 1

Jefferson Morgan’s Cole Jones set the Rock ets career passing record this season after finishing with 3,788 yards.

Downtown Waynesburg Has the Spirit of the Season

Save the date and plan your visit to downtown Waynes burg from 4 to 8pm on Friday, Dec. 2, for the 14th annual Holiday Open House, sponsored by EQT and presented by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful. Serving as the kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, the event will feature shopping opportunities, entertainment, seasonal foods, and fun for the whole family.

Returning are many favorite activities like the free wagon rides, Candy Cane Lane, Letters from Santa, and pictures with Santa. There will be plenty of shopping available, both indoors and outdoors. Fire barrels will be lit along Washington and Church streets for holiday shoppers to pause for a visit and warm their hands.

“This special evening has become a holiday tradition for many people in the area, reminiscent of an old-fashioned Christmas, with all the sparkle and magic of small-town Amer ica,” says event chair JoAnne Marshall of Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency.

“With the generous sponsorship of EQT, we were able to welcome back Rocky Ridge Acres and the free horse-drawn wagon rides from 5 to 8 p.m. Take a ride through the decorated streets of town in a horse drawn wagon, enjoy the shopping op portunities… there is so much to see and do– and it’s for the whole family,” says Jeanine Henry, president of Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful.

The Holiday Market returns and will be open from 4pm until 8pm. Local crafters, artisans, and vendors will have items for sale along High Street. Vendors include Lippencott Alpacas, Thistlethwaite Vineyards, What’s Smoking’ BBQ, PA Poppers, Royce Concessions, Connellsville Candle Shack, Personality Painting, Toms Baked Goods, and more. Local restaurants and food trucks will be available for those that want to grab a bite to eat.

Beginning at 1:30pm, sections of Washington Street and Church Street will be closed to motorized traffic, and High Street will close at 3:30pm. Vendors will be open at 4pm and ac tivities start at 5pm with Santa & Mrs. Claus on site to welcome children, visitors, and shoppers alike. At 6pm, there will be a tree lighting ceremony for the big Christmas tree that graces the front of Greene County Courthouse. Special thanks to the Waynesburg Moose Lodge for acquiring and decorating the tree with assistance from Waynesburg-Franklin Twp. Vol. Fire Co. and the County of Greene.

Free pictures with Santa will begin after the tree lighting ceremony and are provided by McMillen Photography at the Greene County Courthouse with the 1925 American LaFrance Fire Truck from the Waynesburg-Franklin Twp. Vol. Fire Co.

(weather dependent). Treat bags will be available for the first 100 children.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will be open that evening for their winter coat distribution for area children. New and gently used coats, boots, gloves, hats, and scarves can be donated at the CASA anytime this month. FMI, call 724-802-7347 or email greenecounty casa@gmail.com.

Mark your calendar and watch for the specially deco rated store fronts to remind you as well. Downtown mer chants will be lighting and decorating their windows to compete for cash prizes, sponsored by Community Bank. The competition will be judged the evening of November 28 with the Community Choice virtually voting on Face book following the completion of judging through 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2.

Jeanine adds, “Please respect parking restrictions due to pedestrian safety and utilize the Waynesburg Borough public parking lots. These parking lots will be identified on the event map.”

The day after Holiday Open House would be full of additional holiday celebrations – namely the Christmas Parade through downtown Waynesburg. The parade is re turning to High Street this year on Dec. 3 at 2pm.

Volunteers for the event are a vital component of the event and allow the event to be offered to the community for no charge. If you would like to volunteer, please call 724-627-8687.

EQT is the event sponsor of Holiday Open House with additional support from community businesses and vendors. Waynesburg Pros perous & Beautiful is a Main Street program that oper ates in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Main Street pro grams emphasize critical time-sensitive stabilization and revitalization of his toric downtowns business districts. For more informa tion on and Holiday Open House, call 724-627-8687. Follow Waynesburg Pros perous & Beautiful on Face book for the latest updates.

Operation Christmas Child

Around Greene County, community members and churches are filling shoeboxes with a variety of necessities for needy children. The boxes include school supplies such as notebook, pencils, eraser, sharpener, school scissors and so on as well as hygiene items such as soap, wash cloths and toothbrushes. Shoeboxes are divided by sex and age, 2-4 years, 5-9 years and 9-14 years

One such group is the Greater Purpose Team Ministries. The Greater Purpose Team Ministries is a charge of six United Method ist Churches located in Jefferson, Rices Land ing, Fredericktown, Denbo, Howe and Ros coe. They have been working with Operation Christmas Child’s Christmas shoeboxes since 2010; that first year, they filled 62 boxes.

After 12 years of filling shoeboxes for children worldwide, 2022 will be their last “It has been a blessing to all of us and we are sad to have to give it up. This year we will be doing close to 600 boxes for our final packing,” says Susan Christopher. “The Greater Purpose Team ministries displayed these completed boxes at the Jefferson United Methodist Church on Sunday, November 6 and Sunday, November 13.”

You do not have to be a member with the Greater Purpose Team Ministries to be involved in Operation Christmas Child. Oth er churches and community members can participate by filling the shoeboxes and tak ing them to the drop off center during drop off week. The community continues to work together with a common goal in mind and make each year more successful than the last. Last year, the Greene County Collection site received 2,678 boxes from local church

es and individuals; we exceeded our goal of 2,500 shoe boxes for Greene County! “We would love to see 3,000 shoe boxes this year,” says Julie Gatrell, the drop off coordinator at the First Church of the Nazarene.

Churches, organizations as well as indi vidual people can drop their filled shoeboxes off at the drop off center located at the First Church of the Nazarene located at 115 Deer field Lane, Waynesburg, PA during national collection week of November 14 – 20.

The full collection of shoeboxes will be on display in the First Church of the Nazarene on Sunday, November 20, where they will be blessed by the pastor. This church will box ev erything up and load them onto a truck (or more) and deliver them to the Bible Chapel in McMurray to be trucked to a Volunteer Pro cessing Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Here all boxes will be opened and checked to see that appropriate items have been included in the boxes. If they find something inappropri ate, the item is replaced. The boxes are then sealed with tape and placed on pallets ready to ship to special children all over the world.

The work would not be possible without the generosity of some very special people that are dedicated to making the event a suc cess. Many volunteers are needed to help with the boxes, transportation, and more. I If you are interested in helping Greater Purpose Team Ministries please contact Susan Chris topher with Greater Purpose at susanc14@ windstream.net or to help at the collection drop off site please contact Julie C. Gatrell with the First Church of the Nazarene at 724833-3387.

The Greater Purpose Team Ministries filled 600 shoeboxes this year. L-R: Audrey Duke, Lyndia Smith, Marjie Shaffer, Jim Howard, Pat Bates, Keira Bates, Lilly Ealy, Kathy How ard, Skip Smith, Amanda Ealy. Not pictured: Susan Christopher, Tiffany Wolfe

Russell’s Bikes for Kids

Aflood of memories growing up with a father that was as much his best friend as an amazing father is what drove Nathan Pierce to start Russell’s Bikes program in 2021. As Nathan talks about his father, he expresses how Russell Pierce was a man that would do anything to help others, especially kids. Nathan fondly remembers Christmas as a special time for the Pierces. Russell would do whatever he could to bring toys to those in the area that couldn’t afford them. Nathan’s dad believed that while it was nice for those in need to get items like clothes and necessities given by charitable organiza tions, every kid needed something to bring joy to their lives.

Russell was a construction worker, a baseball coach, and loved kids. Nathan re members one Thanksgiving when their house burnt down two days prior to the day. His dad, while trying to rebuild their life from this great loss, still found a way to help kids at Christmas. That year he donated toys to Blueprint kids for the holidays. “Even when he didn’t have much, he would try to give the shirt off his back to help a kid,” says Nathan.

Nathan grew up with a love of bikes that he shared with his dad. Russell thought it was especially important that a kid get to experi ence riding a bike. He started Nathan young

riding bikes, and their love of bikes grew into Nathan participating in BMX bike competi tions. Nathan remembers a Christmas when his dad asked him what he wanted. Nathan wanted a particular type of BMX bike to race. He had Nathan look through the catalogue to pick out the bike he wanted. What he want ed wasn’t the top of the line but was a bike that would give him the competitive edge he needed at the time. As Nathan put it his dad went, “above and beyond” to get him his bike. He ended up with the top of the line for BMX bikes. Nathan proudly owns this bike to this day. It’s a 1998 20” GT Speed Series bike. It was basically the bike that started it all for Nathan riding in the South Park BMX Bike events.

Sadly, Nathan lost his dad to cancer in 2020. He wanted to find a way to honor his dad. The memories of biking with his dad and his 1998 BMX bike sparked the movement to start Russell’s Bikes. A bike can be an ex travagant purchase for most families. Nathan wanted to create a way to bring a bike into the lives of a kid that wanted one but couldn’t really afford it.

Last year Nathan put out the request on social media for those needing a bike for Christmas to contact him. There were no requirements to get one. Nathan learned

By Rochelle McCracken

from his dad that it was between that person and God if they were trying to take advantage of get ting something free when they could afford it. It was not for them to judge.

When Nathan put out the appeal, he was expecting about 20 re quests. Anyone could request a bike, including teenagers. He was flood ed with requests, receiv ing about 100 in total. He ended up buying out an entire Walmart of their supply of bikes. Along with the requests on social media for the bikes, Nathan reached out for donors, help, and more space to ac commodate all the requests.

The project first started with funds out of Nathan’s own pocket and space in his backyard. It quickly snowballed into some thing much bigger. The community came to Nathan’s aid with support in many ways. He received donations to purchase more bikes, Valley View farms donated the space in their wedding venue to assemble and store the bikes, and many donated their time to get the bikes ready to distribute. Ben McMillian, Neil

Juran, and Andrew Gump are some of the volunteers that helped assemble and prep the bikes for delivery.

What started as a project of love and honor for an amazing father has grown into a huge occasion. Nathan is sure his father, “has been looking on from above with a big smile on his face, helping to bring it all together.” Nathan is looking forward to continuing this project in partnership with Cross Point Church in what Nathan states is, “True Rus sell Pierce fashion, we never want to turn a kid away in need.” FMI about Russell’s Bikes can be found on Facebook or calling/texting Nathan Pierce at 724-747-8776.

Russell’s Bikes fulfilled many children’s Christmas dreams with bikes. Pictured in front is the GT Speed Series that Nathan’s dad bought for me in 1998 that he still owns.

All Things Christmas Festival

Break out your trees and crafts it is about that time of year! The 3rd Annual All Things Christmas Festival returns this year, starting November 28 and lasting until December 3.

The event started as the Annual Christ mas Tree Extravaganza held at the Carmi chaels First United Methodist Churches Fel lowship Hall. The event in 2019 was the last year for the annual event organized by the A.C.T.S. shop. In 2020, the 1st Annual All Things Christmas Festival was held in its place, sponsored by the Cumberland food pantry.

“I personally want to thank [A.C.T.S.] for their many years of hosting such a beau tiful and giving tradition,” says Nicole Baker, event organizer. “This year the food bank has agreed to sponsor [it].”

The All Things Christmas Festival raises funds for the Cumberland Township food pantry. In 2021, the Extravaganza raised more than $4400 to donate to the Cumber land Township Food Bank. Each year, the pantry gathers all its resources to provide the best boxes for those in the community. The food provides plenty for the holiday season and upcoming winter. With the new year approaching, funding to purchase goods be comes imperative, and funds raised at the fes tival are extremely important.

The All Things Christmas Festival is reaching out to the community and local businesses for much needed support to make their first year successful. They are accept ing donations of decorated, themed Christ mas trees, wreaths, crafts, baskets, and more for the event. Each item should have its own theme and will be listed with the name of whom it donated it. The Christmas items will be displayed for a week in the Carmichaels First United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall from November 28 to December 3.

Setup will take place on November 25 and 26 starting at 9:30am. Those interested

can bring their decorated items for setup in the Fellowship Hall. Decorated trees can be real or artificial and from 18” to 7.5’ tall. Oth er possible Christmas displays could include wreaths, crafts, and baskets.“I am excited to see all the Christmas trees and unique ideas this year,” Nicole says.

Raffle tickets may be purchased from 9:30am to 7pm all week in the Fellowship Hall. Tickets are used to select items that you are interested in winning. Winners will be an nounced on Saturday, December 3 at 6pm. “This is not just a raffle, but a way to raise funds to provide food for Greene County families in need,” Nicole adds.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to the food pantry during the event, please make all checks payable to Carmichaels FUMC and include food pantry in the memo section of your check. All proceeds received go directly to the Cumberland Township food pantry. FMI, contact Nicole at 724-970-3276 or visit @allthingschristmasfestival on Face book.

Waynesburg’s Miniature Railroad

With the holidays right around the corner, Waynesburg will soon be bright and decorated for the sea son. One Waynesburg resident is taking the joy of the season to a new level, opening his home to the public for the Waynesburg Min iature Railroad.

Warren Hlafcsak has been creating model railroad displays for the last two and a half years in the basement of his old house in Waynesburg. Now that he has moved to 137 Huffman Street, he is opening his home to people from around the community to come see his creation.

“I used to live in a duplex in Waynesburg and I would clear out my basement and build the layout,” Warren says. “Everyone we know loves it so we decided to open it up to the pub lic so kids and adults can get the chance to see it and love it too.”

When you enter Warren’s home, guests can expect to see three trains running through a variety of scenery places along the track. The main train features a logging train while a rail bus will travel between two sta tions. As guests head out, there will also be three autonomously moving vehicles as War ren wanted to create a bigger experience.

The planning for the project began more than two years ago and is still growing. War ren wants guests to know that the railroad is a work in progress that is constantly changing with new ideas.

“I have been working on the layout for two and a half years and the planning began in one room with a figure eight track,” Warren says. “Then, I cut a hole in the wall, and it led into another room. The track quickly comes together and it just kind of pops in my head as

By Zack Zeigler

I go along. It isn’t a finished product and that’s why I call it a work in progress. I just wanted to give the public something they can come see and enjoy.”

Along with the model train show ing, Warren is also taking donations for two charities that mean the most to him. Guests can make donations to Breast Cancer Aware ness and the Greene County Humane Society. Both have played big roles in Warren’s life, and he is excited to be able to give back.

“My wife is a breast cancer survivor and we wanted to help raise awareness about the disease,” he says. “We have also gotten several pets from the Greene County Humane Soci ety and been customers for 20 plus years. It just helps bring awareness to both charities and helps them with funding and volunteers.”

However, Warren’s ultimate goal is to make people smile with his display. He has been into creating model railroad displays for years and wants to bring joy to those who come to see it. He says that if he can impact just one life, the work would have been worth it to bring this display to life.

“I get a lot of compliments from people, and it feels good that I have done something that people like,” Warren says. “At the end of the day if I can get one kid interested in rail roading and model trains or I can bring back childhood memories for one adult that will make it all worth it.”

The Waynesburg Miniature Railroad (a work in progress) is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5-8pm at 137 Huffman Street in Waynesburg. Warren says if the lights are on come on down and experience this one of a kind holiday display.

Greene Gardens

By Lisa Lewis of the Greene County Master Gardeners

The Many Gifts of the American Chestnut Tree

The American Chestnut tree once made up nearly 25% of the hardwood trees in our virgin forests, with a range extending from southern Maine through Georgia and as far west as the plains of Illinois. Chestnut trees, especially those growing wild in the forest, reached an age of 600 years and a height of 100 feet and were up to 10 feet across at the trunk. Their flower catkins, up to half a foot long, dotted the hillsides and ridges with splashes of creamy white in late spring and early summer and were a source of nectar for bees and other pollinators when most other flowering trees had already fin ished blooming. In fall, the spiny chestnut burs began to drop and provided a source of nutrition for bear, deer, turkey, squirrels, and other mammals.

What are some of the other gifts these magnificent trees have given us?

These trees and their nuts were an im portant part of the rural economy a century ago. People ground the nuts into flour used in baking, stuffed their holiday turkeys with them, fed them to their livestock, and sold the nuts by the truckload (a 20-millionpound yearly sale) to big cities where street venders sold roasted chestnuts throughout the holiday season. Chestnut wood is fine grained and easier to work than oak and was valued for furniture and cabinetry. The lum bered planks from a single tree could fill an entire railroad car. Families could rock their baby in a cradle fashioned from chestnut wood or bury a loved one in a coffin made of it. As rot resistant as redwood, it was of ten used for building log cabins, especially the lower foundation logs in contact with the ground. The bark, rich in tannins, was chipped and soaked and used for tanning the hides of bear, deer and other ani mals who had been fattened by the nuts. Folklore has it that chestnut wood was fa vored for running moonshine stills as it gives off relatively little smoke and was therefore less easily spotted by law en forcement.

These are just a few of the gifts offered by the American chestnut tree. Unfortunately, a fungus blight first detected in New York in 1904 began killing these trees off. A mile wide trench or chestnut blight “firebreak” was dug across Pennsylvania to halt the spread, but to no avail. It showed up in North Carolina in 1912. By the 1950s, four billion American chestnuts stood dead.

But thanks to an army of volunteers, in cluding The American Chestnut Foundation founded by three plant scientists in 1983, an intensive breeding system is underway to try to bring the American chestnut back. Until then, we content ourselves with the splendor and bounty of the blight resistant Chinese chestnut or a hybridized variety. The two trees in my backyard, whose nuts I compete for with the squirrels, are likely a hybrid cross of the Chinese and American chestnut. There are not many trees that have inspired a classic American Christmas carol and we hope that our grandchildren live to see the American chestnut tree regain its place of glory in our forests.

Restoring the American Chestnut. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 2021.

The American Chestnut Story. The American Chest nut Foundation Virginia Chapter newsletter, 2019.

The Lord of the Forest: The American Chestnut. August 31, 2012.

Smith, S. From the Wood:American Chest nuts. Penn State Exten sion, October 23, 2017.

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at our nose…..”. Robert Wells, 1945

Christmas Parade Returns to High Street!

The Greene County Chamber of Com merce has begun planning the 2022 Downtown Waynesburg Christmas Parade to be held Saturday, December 3rd at 2:00pm. The Parade is sponsored by West Penn Power.

More than 200 applications were mailed to schools, churches, civic organizations and other interested parties throughout the county. All units must be pre-registered by November 18th in order to participate. Late entries will be accepted through November 23rd. No entries will be accepted after No vember 23rd and please note that there is no entry fee this year.

Miss Rain Day 2022, Isabelle Tedrow, and the Chamber’s 2022 Distinguished Ser vice Award honorees, Jack and Peggy Rock, will have the honor of leading the parade down High Street as its Grand Marshals.

The line –up for the route will begin at noon and will encompass Wayne and Col lege streets, from west to the loop around the east of the parks, all of Richhill Street from High to Second Avenue and the First United Methodist Church parking lot. Traffic will be restricted on those streets beginning at noon. De tour traffic will follow Franklin Street to West and Second Av enue to West. West Street and Franklin Streets along with all of the streets in volved in the line –up will be posted for no parking between noon

and 4pm.

The parade will begin at the intersection of High and Richhill and travel East on High Street to the intersection of Cumberland and High where the majority of the units will turn North onto Cumberland and travel to the East Borough Parking Lot where units will disband.

There is no central theme but all entries are asked to portray the true Christmas Spirit. Float judging will take place prior to the start of the parade. Trophies will be awarded to the top three floats. All floats and other entries are reminded that no live Santa is permitted on any unit in the parade as he is the guest of honor at the conclusion of the parade.

Anyone wishing to participate in the parade who did not receive an application is asked to download the parade application by visiting the Chamber website at www.greene chamber.org Alternatively, call the Chamber and we can take the information over the phone or by email. For more information contact the Chamber office at 724-627-5926 or info@greenechamber.org

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Black Friday? Forget it. Crowds, traffic, common merchandise on sale for a few hours so everyone can fight over it. It’s just too crazy and overboard… and not the value you once thought. It starts earlier each year, even running into traditional Thanksgiving time with your family. Why stress about it? Definitely out.

On the other hand, Small Business Saturday (No vember 26) is much more appealing – and a great way to kickoff your holiday season shopping.

Going strong more than a decade, Small Business Saturday was introduced by American Express in 2010 as a contrast to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which fea ture big box retail and e-commerce stores. Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and locally owned during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

The 2010 event was so successful, that the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day in 2011. Local officials in all 50 states promoted and par ticipated in the day. Around the country, local organiza tions, businesses and more began signing up as Neigh borhood Champions, and business associations, officials, municipalities, and nonprofit groups joined to create the Small Business Saturday Coalition. Greene County’s 2021 Neighborhood Champions were Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful.

To endure the effects of the pandemic, small busi nesses need your continued support. American Express shared that in 2021, consumers chopping small through out the holiday season had the potential to contribute $695 billion to the United States small business economy, providing needed support for small businesses to STAY in business.

And according to American Express, “In 2019, shop pers came together to support their local communities more than ever. The 10th Annual Small Business Saturday hit a record high with an estimated $19.6 billion in reported spending.” The 12th annual event (2021) was even more successful and reached a record high with an estimated $23.3 billion in reported spending, up 18% from 2020, and an increase from pre-pandemic spending as well. Of those surveyed, 79% of shoppers recognized the positive impact they were making by shopping small, with 66% saying that the day wants to make them Shop Small all year.

In 2020, social media and online shopping played a key part in supporting small businesses. With the pandemic still running rampant, many people chose to shop from home as opposed to facing crowds and the possibility of illness. Small businesses adapted to selling online or through so cial media during the pandemic and have continued to of fer these services to customers. In 2021, approximately 58% of Small Business Saturday shoppers shopped online with a small business on the day, an increase from 56% in 2020 and 43% in 2019.

Social media recommendations were more important than ever, and research found that social media endorsements of businesses may be worth an estimated $197 billion for the U.S. small business econ omy. Recommending your favorite busi ness through your social media is a way to help the small businesses you love—even if you can’t shop from them. Over half of the Americans that shopped on Small Business Saturday said they supported a small busi ness through their social media, either by a

recommendation on their feed or shopping at a business that was featured on social media.

Want to support your favorite business on social me dia? Give them a shout out, share their promotions, and en courage others to shop there. Consider including hashtags like #ShopSmall, #SmallBusinessSaturday, #SmallBizSat, #ShopLocal, and other similar tags to promote conversation.

Make Small Business Saturday a part of your annual holiday shopping tradition and be a part of the Shop Small Movement supporting business all year around. “The Small Business Saturday movement has evolved into a year-round global campaign to support small merchants,” shares Ameri can Express.

We’ve got plenty of awesome small businesses in Greene County and its neighboring communities, and if you haven’t been shopping small recently, you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety and affordability you’re going to find. Make that discovery on Saturday, November 26 by checking out the unique shops all over our little corner of Pennsylva nia. You’ll find better stuff, better deals, and MUCH better service… Try it and see!

Over the past year and a half, small businesses all over the world have been hit hard by the on-going pandemic. Many of them were unprepared for the changes the pandemic would create – customers shopping from home and utilizing online shopping and deliveries, restaurants limiting capacities, and the dangers a new vi rus present. Many businesses continue to struggle and need the support of their local communities to keep them going. More than ever, it’s important to support your local small businesses during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Small businesses support local economy and com munities in more ways than you realize. Every time you purchase a local item or participate in a local event or class, you’re making a difference in your community. For every $100 spent in a local business, approximately $67 remain in the local economy. When spending the same at a non-local business, only $43 stays in the community. Over the United States, more than $9.3 billion would be directly returned to the economy if every family spent just $10 a month at a lo cal business. Wages, taxes, and donations from local busi nesses support the local economy. Small business donations and support help fund many of our local events, such as 50s Fest & Car Cruise, Light Up Night, and even the Greene County Fair. In fact, small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to community causes and that makes a BIG impact for local charities, youth organizations, and local service groups. (Visit https://www.score.org/resource/ infographic-small-business-charitable-giving-big-impactlocal-communities for more information on small business es and charitable giving.)

Small businesses offer employment opportuni ties and committed employees. 56% of workers at locally owned businesses have high commitment scores compared

to only 38.7% of workers at non-locally owned businesses. And because these employees are usually local, they have community ties that make them passionate about helping those in their community. This often is reflected in the cus tomer service offered by local businesses; because they are part of your community, employees and owners are engaged with the customers on a one-on-one level and want to make them happy.

Shopping small is better for the environment. Many small businesses use locally sourced, recyclable, or recycled materials in their business. This helps reduce their economic footprint; by purchasing locally you can help reduce pollu tion, processing, packaging, and transportation waste.

Small businesses offer a unique selection of items. Among the many reasons people shop small, the majority says it’s the availability of unique products that keeps them shopping local. There’s no better way to sway shoppers to your own business than emphasizing what makes your busi ness unique, whether it’s the merchandise you sell, the out standing customer service you offer, or something different. Other reasons consumers shop locally include not finding the items from bigger businesses, supporting the commu nity, trying new retailers, broader assortment if items, and innova tive shopping experiences.

Our quiet little corner of southwestern Pennsylvania has more to offer local shoppers than you may recognize. Spread throughout the county and its neighboring communities are specialty gourmet candy & baked good shops, several antiques &

collectibles shops, hand crafted Americana gifts and décor, great deals on brand name fashions for men & women, or ganic foods, herbals, skin and health care, salons, pet & farm supply, custom computer store, a home decorating centers, seasonal flag stores, sporting goods stores, floral shops, gift shops, an independent book store, and more.

Oh, and speaking of food… you can find plenty of delicious options to choose from: sizzlin’ steaks and BBQ, authentic Mexican, enchanting Chinese, kiln to table delica cies, homemade baked goods, home-cooked cuisine, and so much more. It’s ALL right here!

And don’t forget our local artisans! Greene County is home to a large creative community, including potters, painters, jewelry fabricators, soap makers, custom home décor creators, authors, and more. While many don’t have physical storefronts to sell their creations, they often have online stores or can be found at the local vendor & craft events held throughout the county during the holidays.

This year remember that “Shop Small” or “Buy Local” are more than just slogans for many businesses. It’s the dif ference between being open in 2023 and having to close their doors permanently.

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