JUNE #188 2016

CHAMPION WRESTLER KALEB YOUNG SHARES HIS STORY

VFW to Hold First-Ever Triathlon

Father’s Day Prompts Memories of Dad

Gobbler’s Knob Hosts Inaugural Scout Camporee

WWII Veteran Fred Roberts Part of a Heralded Legacy

First Chuck Daly Memorial Golf Tourney Set to Tee Off

“Twin Doctors” Rise from the Coalfields

Walston – Home of the World’s Longest Row of Coke Ovens?

Father's Day Giveaway Inside

Laurel Festival Schedule of Events

PAHS Graduation Tab Included with This Issue

Happy Memorial Day!

www.kuntzmotors.com

CHEVROLET

BUICK

CHRYSLER

DODGE

JEEP

RAM

Kaleb Young

“A Once-In-A-Lifetime Athlete�

:@>0?@19 ?; @

Kaleb Young

"*+*. . $- . ,!& . "*+* %, "

"7: 87><4:?-@ 95?>94: )<+< 9:= > 8 /;9+'5> ,3 > >&66>09+'57>0=7=;%=42

"-#$ -. *$%. # -%+&'&) . ). $%. - +. #&+&*) ..

-.%-, ". .* .+"-. * , .,)#.,%-,."*!-'.,)#. $'&)-''-'

'@.9:1?:>;<>?2@.=;176<>=9:@'

*(3,, >-8 9=7>8 > $) '$+, )- . *!-+* ) )<+< 9:= <;=>49;=-5 )<96=4>58>'8)=7>9:>$1: 715< :=/><:4>71; ;81:49:+> 58 :7> <:4> <;=<7(> +9%9:+> 81;> <4%=;597=;7 :=<;6/>3,, >-8%=;<+=>2>2>2> =>4=69%=;>58>=%=;/>'8)= <:4> 179:=77

?@<;?@>0?@9:6- "7: 87><4:?-'94:?2@5?2=<

"7 6=80?; "<;/> 2>08 =;57

,2 ?;>=8=: "<;/> 2>08 =;57> > ;<-=/> 81:+ .9:>;= 7>=: @ ;=>?;8 .2> '8)<7> 1;;/ .'9;6=/>.'<; "<;/>!66=:>$8668- 0<:=;9 =::9 =;>. <; = "<;5/>&;)75;8:+

&2=>9;@ <)=7> <1 =;

,;>@ =;?1>9; "=6977<>.<67+9%=; ;<#0=1@,;>=8>8 "=6977<>.<67+9%=; #9-86=>"- == 8<::<>!; <6

O

By Jim Lauffer of Hometown magazine ften, life is likened to a book. The comparison is straightforward. An individual moves through life as a reader progresses through a book â&#x20AC;&#x201C; page by page, chapter by chapter. The key difference is that someone else has written the readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, whereas an individual has the freedom to write the chapters of his or her life.

In March, Kaleb Young closed the chapter on his scholastic wrestling career when he won the 2016 PIAA Class AAA 160pound wrestling title, becoming Punxsutawney Area High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-ever state wrestling champion. The win at Hersheyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Giant Center set his four-year high school record at 116-8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a record that includes four district titles, three regional titles, and two state medals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a fifth place and a fourth place during his sophomore and junior years, respectively â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in addition to his first-place medal. Kaleb was also the first three-time winner of the Joseph Kata Award, given to the outstanding wrestler of the District 4/9 Championships.

Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renown as a wrestler extends beyond state borders. InterMat High School Wrestling Rankings, as of April 6, 2016, lists Kaleb as the Number 2 ranked 160pound wrestler in the United States â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not in the Borough of Punxsutawney, not in Jefferson County, not in Pennsylvania, but in the entire country. Only Isaiah White of Oak Park-River Forest High School, Illinois, ranks higher. Looking ahead to the next chapter of his wrestling and academic

&66>)<5=;9<6>71 )955=4> =-8)=7>5'=> ;8 =;5/>8 $) '$+, )- . *!-+* ) )<+< 9:=2

"<;/>08 =;57 22222222222222222222222222222222 *3 > * , 3 ;<-=/> 81:+ 22222222222222222222222222222222 *3 > * ,* 1;> 9-=22222222222222222222222222222222222222 *3 > * 3 3 1;> < 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 *,, > 33* 095?>94: #7: 87><4:?-5< < =:?)195 7;@ 78=:?88@5<=6=: @<22;?88 3 >&7 =:>08<4(>$1: 715< :=/(>$&>>3 =>0@97;@9%%=1?@691<>?2@=: 0<96;8<4> 19649:+(>.195=>3,, #8;5'>$=::>.52(>$1: 715< :=/(>$&>>3

?<;6-@/7 81;=#>=9:8 @ ( @ @ =;8>@.6<88@ <=6

444)#7: 87><4:?-5< < =:?)195

DROP ANCHOR AT THE NEW ANCHOR INN The Areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favorite Family Restaurant /

, & @ ,. ! & , , !, !&

FEATURING ITALIAN AMERICAN CUISINE &, @ @ , &@

97>?@(3+ @&6 @ 7:@, ?) $-'( . -#( . "$%(. .,(!(. . . (!(.

$(*'*+ +

%&(. . ,+(. .,(!(. . . (!( NOW OPEN SUNDAYS

2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

Kody Young (left) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who recently completed his wrestling career at Mercyhurst University â&#x20AC;&#x201C; shares a smile with his younger brother, Kaleb, who won the 2016 PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championship at 160 pounds. (submitted photo)

careers, Kaleb has committed to wrestle at the University of Iowa, and Isaiah to the Ohio State University. Perhaps, the future Hawkeye and the future Buckeye will one day face each other in a Big Ten match.

Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scholastic wrestling career began

when he was a boy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started wrestling full time when I was six years old,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to come to practice with Dad when I was younger, but started organized wrestling when I was six.â&#x20AC;?

- Continued on page 4

M

Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Love - A Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Dedication

By Mary Ellen Pollock-Raneri for Hometown magazine y dad loved Punxsutawney and all its stores, churches, and restaurants.

He loved all the folks who made the town tick. Dad drove around the main street on a Friday evening, just to see the parade of folks who used to linger there; he tooted the horn of his old blue station wagon in a salute to friends or neighbors who hung out on the corner of the G.C. Murphy store. He parked his car in an old lot on North Gilpin Street and strolled up to chat with Mr. Denacko, who had the television store.

Later, he drove to Gambleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gas station and shot the breeze with Lee, the owner. Dad knew the manager of every grocery store and market; he was on first-name basis with the tellers in the bank.

His favorite waitress at Ruth and Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant was Abby, and he laughed with all the clerks at the supermarket, especially Emma at the Quaker Market.

My Dad loved his home, a yellow-brick house that he scrimped and saved to build in Fairview on a little piece of land that he purchased from Mrs. Corey in 1955.

My dad loved his old, blue wheelbarrow.

Next to my mom and me, I think that the rusted, rickety wheelbarrow was his greatest possession. His father, a coal miner who hailed from Coral, Pennsylvania, presented my dad with this prize when I was a little girl. Over the years, dad probably dug more holes than a pack of gophers; he hauled more dirt than a backhoe at a mall construction site; and he enjoyed every moment of his labor. His blue metal companion and he singlehandedly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rather, double handedly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; landscaped our house, performed multiple

septic tank digs, and mulched more flower beds than any other father-wheelbarrow team in history.

My dad loved being on time. In all the years my father worked, he was never late for his job. He was never late for any occasion, whether a birthday party, a mass at church, a doctor appointment, or even picking me up from school or my mom up from work. When he came home for lunch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you could set the clock by his landing time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you could make his fried egg sandwich, put it on a dish, and he would walk through the front door with a big smile on his face. His favorite gift was a watch or a clock, and I treasure his wrist watches. I love to smell his leather watchbands, which, to this day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; years after his passing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; still have a faint scent of Old Spice cologne.

My dad loved animals. I will always remember the day he brought home a stray, bedraggled police dog and tenderly bathed him in our washtub in the basement. Dad took me to a real wiener dog ranch when I was a kid. There, he let me pick out my first dachshund puppy that he named Gus. Other dogs followed: Heidi, Augie, Lilly, and Alfredo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dad cared for all of them up to the end. I particularly remember him wrapping one of them in a little baby blanket and nursing it back to health after a surgery. I also recall when my father burst into tears at his fiftieth anniversary party as he struggled to tell some guests that his dog, Heidi, had just traveled to the Rainbow Bridge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Did you know that my little doggy just died,â&#x20AC;? he whispered to my uncle and aunt.

Then, a tear rolled down his cheek, and he bowed his head.

My dad loved ketchup â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and lots of it. He slathered it on hot dogs and hamburgers. He dipped his French fries in it and never felt a bit embarrassed about pouring it on a juicy sirloin steak or prime rib. Dad even squeezed it into vegetable soup and irreverently put it on meatball sandwiches.

Full service grooming salon

Caitlinn Burkett - Owner We are not just a B&B IT'S A GREAT SPACE FOR PARTIES, WEDDINGS, SHOWERS, AND MANY OTHER EVENTS...

Call Us For Rates 814-952-2092 LOCATED JUST OFF RT 36 2915 WINSLOW RD., PUNXSUTAWNEY

242 N. Findley St., Punxsutawney

814-938-3974

burkettspaws@gmail.com Find us on FACEBOOK

Rugh

Mary Ellen and her father relax after mowing the lawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of her dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite activities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and they seem to have enjoyed the task and, even more, to enjoy each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company. (submitted photo)

My dad loved parades. My father went to every parade in Punxsutawney and held my hand as I walked in the snow during one Halloween procession! Dressed in my dreaded gray snow pants, Dad led me along with the other Halloween parade participants on a chilly October evening in the 1950s. As a former World War II veteran who played trumpet and was part of the Army band, Dad could not contain himself upon hearing a robust rendition of the Stars and Stripes Forever or The Washington Post March. He hummed, tapped, and even marched in place from his spot on the sidewalk as the parade streamed past him. To this day, I cannot listen to any John Philip Sousa marches without shedding a wistful tear.

Dad loved shoes. He loved polishing his State Police, shiny, black, leather uppers until you could see his face in the sheen.

Seated beside him at our kitchen table, I studied him every night as he buffed his black leather police shoes with Kiwi polish and used a torn T-shirt as a polishing rag.

Dad also loved shoes without laces and the tongues removed. Yes, my father created slip-on garden shoes, long before they were in style or invented, for that matter. Typi-

Ringgold Plumbing & Heating

Call Today for AC Estimates & Service Needs

814-541-2123

â&#x20AC;˘ Gifts â&#x20AC;˘ Cards â&#x20AC;˘ Yankee Candles â&#x20AC;˘ Delivery â&#x20AC;˘ OTCs â&#x20AC;˘ Full line of Vitamins/Minerals

Flu Shots Available Punxsy areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only

Official UPS Shipping Center

cally, he took a pair of garden shears and designed his outdoor wear from an old pair of beat-up tennis shoes. Dad was light years ahead of shoe designers and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know it.

Dad loved drawing pictures for me when I was a little girl. While we waited in the old blue station wagon to pick up Mom from work, my dad patiently sketched the same thing: two squares, then connecting the corners and adding a chimney with a puff of smoke, windows, and a door. Sometimes, seated at our kitchen table, my father drew funny cartoons with little bald stick people and dogs with big noses. Fascinated, I thought Dad was a phenomenal artistic genius and made him do those drawings over and over.

Dad loved spaghetti. He loved to buy Cumberland brand spaghetti at Mr. Infantinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little store near the bridge in town. In addition, when he ate pasta, he tried to speak with a fake Italian accent, which was kind of amusing since he was Slovak and German. Nonetheless, my Italian grandmother entertained his chopped Italian and continued to ply him with her juicy meatballs, braciole, and of course, spaghetti soaked in her delectable homemade sauce.

- Continued on page 10

THE PLACE WHERE GREAT MEALS BEGIN

Jody Bish Maintenance, Service and New installation

Nickolas A. Kernich, PharmD Gary L. Bowers, Rph.

As Unforgettable plays, Mary Ellen and her dad share a dance at her wedding reception in 1992. (submitted photo)

â&#x20AC;˘ Same day shipping Mon.-Fri., 5 p.m. cutoff â&#x20AC;˘ Drop off prepaid UPS packages here â&#x20AC;˘ Shipping supplies available or let us pack your items

Accepting 203 N. Hampton Ave. â&#x20AC;˘ 938-9150 www.punxsyhometown.com Most Insurances M-F 9 to 7; Sat. 9 to 3; Closed Sundays

Specializing in the finest quality Beef, Pork, Chicken & Smoked Meats

â&#x20AC;˘ PACKAGE DEALS AVAILABLE â&#x20AC;˘ DAILY SPECIALS We accept Visa, Mastercard and Access Card

Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

6036 Rt. 119, Punxsy Fri. 8 a.m. -7 p.m. Sat. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

John Biggie, Jr. North of Big Run

427-2363

The Ultimate Retirement Community One & Two Bedroom Luxury Apartments â&#x20AC;&#x153;55 & Olderâ&#x20AC;?

Call now for your tour and to experience the luxury you Deserve!

407 East Mahoning Street Punxsutawney â&#x20AC;˘ (814) 938-5474

www.graystonecourt.com

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3

PUNXSUTAWNEY COUNTRY CLUB 408 North Main Street, Punxsutawney

2016 MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL: Last Chance This Decade to Join at these INDIVIDUAL RATE..........................$925.00 FAMILY RATE ..............................$1,630.00 SUPER LOW PRICES! ADULT RATE - Under 35................$500.00 SPECTACULAR MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL Up to 50% OFF

New Members Available to anyone who was not a member in 2015. Call for details.

ADULT RATE - Age 35-40 ..............$655.00

Call Dan at 938-9760 or Stop in for Details

*These rates available to Non-2015 Members. Maximum 5% increase in 2017 for 2016 membership special rates.

or visit our website

punxsutawneycountryclub.com

FREE WATER ANALYSIS AND REGAL CHEMICALS

119 Roberts St., Punxsutawney Now Available

in our Showroom!

938-9396

4 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

Kaleb Young

Punxsutawney Area High School’s Kaleb Young defeated Trent Hidlay (left) of Mifflin County High School for the 2016 PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championship at 160 pounds. Nick Carr (right) of Abington Heights finished third in the weight class. (submitted photo)

Continued from page 2 “Dad” is Buddy Young, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the First Gulf War. Buddy started coaching in the Punxsutawney Area School District in 1999 and was responsible for the elementary school’s wrestling program. Buddy attended Punxsutawney Area High School, where he wrestled with Eric Eddy, who was named the high school’s wrestling coach in 2000.

The one-on-one nature of wrestling – the mano a mano competition – drew Kaleb to the sport, a sport that demands and rewards individual determination. “I was attracted to wrestling, probably, because of the combative nature of it,” he recalls, “and, also, because it’s all you. If you lose, it’s all on you. When you win, it’s you who scored the points. No one else scored them for you.”

As a father and a coach, Buddy exudes pride in his son’s wrestling accomplishments and speaks of the inner desire that motivates him. “One of Kaleb’s biggest strengths is his drive,” Buddy says. “He is driven to be perfect in everything. His second-grade guidance counselor once called to tell us that perhaps Kaleb was too intense in his pursuit of perfection.”

Buddy also mentions Kaleb’s tenacity and motivation as strengths. “His motivation is the biggest thing that amazes me about Kaleb,” he says. “It’s more internal than external. He doesn’t need anyone to wake him in the morning, to tell him what to do, to run, or to work out – he just does it.”

Kaleb achieved success early in his wrestling career – a success accompanied by expectations that increased with each passing year. “When Kaleb was six years old, he won every tournament he entered,” says Coach Eddy. “He won the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling State Championship Tournament (in the 13- and 14-year-old

class) in his last year of eligibility.”

“From the time he was five, Kaleb was supposed to win a state title,” Coach Eddy adds. “He downplays the enormous amount of pressure that was placed on him. He handled everything with a calm confidence and never cracked. He just kept getting better and better.”

For Kaleb, his victory at Hershey brought both relief and satisfaction. “I did feel relief when I won the state title,” he remembers. “I’d been aiming to get it for the last four years, and I was able to get it with my last chance. All the hard work paid off.”

Addressing the eight losses that Kaleb suffered during his high school career, Coach Eddy pointed out that seven were against top-flight competition. “Of his eight career losses, six were at states to place-winners,” he says. “One was at regionals, and only one was during the regular season.”

The losses motivate Kaleb to improve and, perhaps, reveal his mindset as much as his victories. Coach Eddy shares Kaleb’s response to a particular defeat: “After the loss at states during his junior year – we came home from Hershey on a Sunday – Kaleb said to me, ‘What are we lifting Monday?’

He lifted Monday morning and went to Young Guns Monday night. He is driven to get better.”

Kaleb finished fourth at the 2015 PIAA Wrestling Championships – the “states” that Coach Eddy refers to. Months earlier, on Christmas Eve 2014, Kaleb broke his hand – a tough setback for any athlete, but especially for a wrestler, for a “grappler.”

Because of the injury, Kaleb missed half a season.

“It was a tough row to hoe for him to get healthy and to get there (to states),” the coach recalls.

Kaleb remembers feeling a twinge of worry and anxiety immediately after the injury. “When I broke my hand, I felt a little - Continued on page 6

W

Four generations and over seventy years of U.S. Army Air Corps / U.S. Air Force air superiority, and the technological leaps that maintained it, are represented by a single formation of an F-22 “Raptor,” an F-86 “Sabre,” an F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” and a P-51D “Mustang” during the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, on March 5, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Formation of a Legacy

Student Pilots with the 47th Fighter Squadron, 1st Lt. Stephen Crump, top left, 1st Lt. Christopher Bryan, 1st Lt. Julian Rooks, and 2nd Lt. Tanner Riddles, far right, listen to Bill Lyons, 94, tell a story about his days flying the P51 Mustang, behind him, over Europe during WWII on the flight line at the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, on March 6, 2016. (Photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Fred Roberts, 93, (left) and Bill Lyons, 94, both P51D pilots in Europe during WWII, watch a formation flight of P-51s and modern fighters during the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB. (Photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Heritage Flight Merges Airpower Past and Present

By Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro for Airman magazine hen 93-year-old Fred Roberts walked into the bar at DavisMonthan Air Force Base in Arizona, all eyes turned toward him and all conversations stopped.

Roberts was a World War II P-51 Mustang pilot who tangled with the Luftwaffe on dozens of missions over Europe; the bar was filled with young Air Force fighter pilots who all thought their air-

craft were the best on the block. However, those young pilots knew the retired U.S. Army Air Corps Major had flown the best fighter of his time, too, and he had proved it in combat.

As soon as the legend sat down, two A10 Thunderbolt II pilots approached him.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” one said. “Do you have any advice for a group of young pilots?”

Roberts chuckled and said, “Fly high and fast.”

“But, we are A-10 pilots, sir,” the two replied. “We fly low and slow.”

Whether flying high and fast or low and slow, staying more advanced, adaptable, and prepared than the adversary, has always been at the forefront of the U.S. military’s mindset. This conviction provides a combat advantage for today’s pilots, just as it did for Roberts when he flew missions against the Nazis.

To showcase the need to maintain our advantage in the skies, a lively lineage of

WASHER AMANA

GAS RANGE MAYTAG

5.6 cu. ft., Aqualift Technology, 4 Burner MGR8600DE

MAYTAG ABOVE THE RANGE

MICROWAVE 1.7 cu. ft., 1,000 Watt MMV1174DS

3 Soil Levels, Extra Rinse, High Efficiency NTW4705EW

DRYER AMANA

3 Temperatures, End of Cycle Signal, Auto & Timed Dry NED4705EW

aircraft flies in formation with Heritage Flight; a group of aviation enthusiasts, military veterans, and active duty fighter pilots, who meld the past with the present at air shows across the country.

In its twentieth year of performance, Heritage Flight combines historic warbirds such as the P-38 Lightning, the P40 Warhawk, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the P-51 Mustang, and the F-86 Sabre flying in formation with their modern counterparts, the F-16 Falcon, the F-22 Raptor, - Continued on page 12

DISHWASHER WHIRLPOOL

Hidden Controls, High-Temp Wash, Nylon Racks WDT720PADB

ELECTRIC RANGE WHIRLPOOL Self Clean, Dual Burner, Smooth Top, 5.3 cu. ft.

WFE5155OEW

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 5

Tedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Meat Market Package Deals Large Selection Available

â&#x20AC;˘ Party Trays â&#x20AC;˘ Meat & Cheese â&#x20AC;˘ Fresh & Lean Meat â&#x20AC;˘ Our Own Old-Fashioned Sugar-Cured Hickory Smoked Semi-Boneless Ham Owned & Operated by Ted Palumbo & Sons Hours: Mon-Wed 8 to 5; Thurs 8 to 6 Fri 8 to 8; Sat 8 to Noon

Located 1 1/4 mile East of Reynoldsville on 4th St. or 6 miles West of DuBois on Wayne Road

653-2147

Stop & Visit Our Spring

Lawn & Garden Center 21920 Route 119, Punxsutawney

Kaleb Young

PAHSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kaleb Young (right center) excels in wrestling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perhaps the most individual of sports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but acknowledges the importance of the support that his family gives him: (l-r) brother, Kody; mom, Amy; and dad, Buddy. (submitted photo)

R.D. Brown Memorials 314 N. Findley Street â&#x20AC;˘ Punxsutawney â&#x20AC;˘ 938-2100

We have a full line of monuments, decorative stones, benches and more!

Presents

"Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"

(Based on the best selling books by Robert Fulghum) Conceived and adapted by Ernest Zulia, with music and lyrics by David Caldwell

7:30 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ June 23, 24, 25 Punxsutawney Area Middle School Auditorium Tickets sold at door Adults $11 Seniors $9.00 Students $6.00 See it also in Cook Forest at Sawmill Theater 8 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ June 30, July 1 & 2; July 7,8,9 Need more info? Phone 938-0378 or visit punxsytheatre.org

Produced by special arrangements with Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois.

6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

Continued from page 4 worried and anxious because I was worried being able to get back for districts,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but as it healed, I felt better about it. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get too worked up about it, so it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too bad.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to wrestling for the Punxsutawney â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chucks,â&#x20AC;? Kaleb wrestles for the Young Guns Wrestling Club â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a club founded by Eric Juergens and Jody Strittmatter, who met while wrestling at the University of Iowa. After graduation, they opened their first practice location in Hesperia, Michigan, and eventually expanded the club into the Midwest and Pennsylvania. Eric oversees clubs in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and Jody â&#x20AC;&#x201C; assisted by his brother, John Strittmatter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; conducts practices in Pennsylvania, including, most recently, practices in Punxsutawney. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been with Young Guns since after my seventh-grade season â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2011, the spring of that year,â&#x20AC;? Kaleb says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young Guns is tough â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of extra hours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but you have to push through. Jody and John constantly emphasize doing things the right way.â&#x20AC;?

Coach Eddy recalls a speech that the Strittmatters gave to their wrestlers after a practice at Franklin Regional High School: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were red hot and sweaty and could have been any place else, but they listened to what their coaches said â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We work toward being the best every day. In here, we wrestled, but outside here, we want to be the best son, the best brother, the best student, the best dad, and the best husband.

Every day, strive to make someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day better.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Remembering the Strittmattersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words, Coach Eddy says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb embodies this

Casteel Chiropractic DR. IAN CASTEEL

To restore function you need to restore posture.

"We address the cause, not the symptom"

Our job is to keep NOW ACCEPTING your spine in line NEW PATIENTS for a better, X-rays (on your first visit) healthier you!

Highmark, UPMC, Access & More 410 East Mahoning St. Medicare, Regular Hours:

938-4400

Mon., Wed., & Fri. 9-1 & 3-8; Closed Tuesday & Thursday

spirit. If you have a son, you want him to be like Kaleb. If you have a daughter, you want her to go out with him.â&#x20AC;?

The coach also alludes to the influence â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both actual and potential â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that Kaleb has on younger wrestlers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Buddy and I made sure that the younger kids, the young wrestlers, were around Kaleb to see that success doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just happen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it takes hard work,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We made sure they saw this.â&#x20AC;?

For Coach Eddy, the younger wrestlers have no better example than Kaleb. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have any weaknesses as a wrestler. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real technician and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why he keeps getting better,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young Guns has helped him work on technique. He simply does not have a weakness.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb never gets tired; he has incredible cardio. After he won the state title, he looked like he could wrestle another six minutes,â&#x20AC;? Coach Eddy continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is extremely strong. After his freshman and sophomore seasons, the knock on him was his strength, so he worked hard at getting stronger.â&#x20AC;?

The discipline and rigor that Kaleb displays in wrestling carries over into his work in the classroom. He is in the top ten of his graduating class and is a member of Varsity Club, Yearbook staff, and National Honor Society. On April 5, Wrestling USA notified Kaleb that he had been named to its 2016 Scholastic High School All-American team. His brief biographical entry listed not only Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career record and his state wrestling accomplishments, but also his grade point average. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb has a certain mentality,â&#x20AC;? Coach Eddy says.â&#x20AC;? He is competitive on the mat and in the classroom. He has a 3.96 GPA and takes Advanced Placement classes. He - Continued on page 8

TMB Services â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Sealcoating Gutter Cleaning Mobile Power Washing Exterior Maintainance Painting & Staining Siding & Roofing

Twins from the Coalfields Become Punxsutawney Physicians

J

By the Coal Memorial Committee for Hometown magazine ohn C. Benson and Sarah Kane left their native County Roscommon, Ireland, when that country was still suffering from the effects of the Potato Famine. They came to the United States of America to make a new life.

They first lived in Woodbury, New Jersey, where they married, and later moved to

ties, was a stockholder in the Punxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;y Brewing Company, and for whom Record Avenue in Punxsutawney was named.

The first newspaper notice mentioning the Benson twins was a funeral notice published in the Punxsutawney Spirit on July 1, 1896. The notice reported that Frank and Joseph Benson had served as pall bearers at the funeral of John Jay Shehan, age 18, who had died suddenly from an unknown cause.

As young adults, the twins were in different places. From newspaper items, one learns that Frank Benson worked away from his hometown, perhaps for the Company Stores of the Berwind-White Company in Cambria and Huntingdon counties.

Joseph attended Philadelphiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medico-Chirurgical College, now part of the University of Pennsylvania. He became Dr. Benson after three years of study and after completing a year of practice in Elmira, The graduation picture of Dr. Joseph Phillips Ben- New York â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all before he reached Frank Benson, nicknamed son, a graduate of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bennyâ&#x20AC;? by his classmates, Medico-Chirurgical Col- his twenty-first birthday.

By 1900, Joseph had opened an as it appears in the Clinic: lege in Philadelphia, Year Book of the College of practiced medicine in office and was the resident physiPhysicians and Surgeons Punxsutawney for over cian in Anita. In 1902, he married (Baltimore, Maryland, 1910). fifty years. He was born Born in Bradyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend, Armin Bradyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend, Arm- Mary Bennis, the daughter of Mr. strong County, Frank grew strong County, and and Mrs. John Bennis, who had reup in Anita and practiced grew up in Anita. (photo cently moved to California. The medicine in Punxsutawney. courtesy of the Punx(photo courtesy of the onsutawney Area Histori- Joseph Bensons remained at Anita line collection of the Medical cal & Genealogical until 1904, when Dr. Joseph Benson College of Baltimore) Society) leased an office in the Drummond Building on North Findley Street in Bradyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend, Armstrong County, Penn- Punxsutawney. That same year he ran for sylvania, where John found work in the the office of county coroner; however, he coal mines, and Sarah kept their home and was defeated by E.V. Kyle of Brookville. tended to their growing family. In 1893, His medical practice flourished, and in when John and Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s older children 1905, he was able to purchase, for $9,000, were becoming adults, they moved to the house of Jacob L. Fisher, Esquire, at Anita in McCalmont Township. They left 220 West Mahoning Street. The house was their eldest son, John, at Bradyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bend, located between the lots of James J. Long where he continued working in the mines. and Horace G. Miller. At the time, Fisher At Anita, John and his next two sons, planned to build an elegant new home Thomas and James, found work in the across the street, on the Altman Lot, on mines, as did William when he came of West Mahoning Street. Fisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new home was a magnificent structure, one that later age.

Their daughters were soon old enough to served Punxsutawney as the home of the marry. Mary E. became the wife of Joseph American Legion Post and the PunxH. Weiss, who worked for the Rochester sutawney Memorial Library. Later, the and Pittsburgh Coal Company at Adrian; building was razed to make way for the Sarah and her husband, Frank J. Hill, lived Rite Aid Pharmacy.

With Dr. Joseph Bensonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practice flourin Reynoldsville, where he managed a store; and Anna married Benjamin M. ishing, Frank Benson decided to enter Record, a contractor who lived in Punx- medical school and enrolled at the Physisutawney, had interests in mining proper- cians and Surgeons College in Baltimore, - Continued on page 20

90 DAYS SAME AS CASH ON VEHICLE REPAIRS in excess of $200 to qualifying customers.

Need insurance?

A& L

Availabalet Only

AUTO SALES, SERVICE & RENTALS

We can help.

Call or e-mail us.

Jacque Perry Insurance jacque@jacqueperry.com

938-3124 923 N. Main St., Punxsy NOWâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;OPENâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;SATURDAYS

938-7110

LOANER CARS AVAILABLE FULL SERVICE FACILITY ALL MAJOR ENGINE REPAIRS 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT FREE PICK UP & DELIVERY

CAMPER & TRAILER INSPECTIONS FULL NOTARY SERVICE www.alautosales.com

S1272G Not all companies are licensed or operate in all states.

Not all products are offered in all states. Go to erieinsurance.com for company licensure and territory information.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Serving the area since 1997 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Manufacturer of Roofing & Accessories

Commercial & Residential

â&#x20AC;˘ 40 Year Lynx â&#x20AC;˘ 20 Colors â&#x20AC;˘ 25 Yr. Bare Galvalume Great Service with Next Day Pick-Up CONTRACTORS WELCOME DELIVERIESâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;AVAILABLE Leave Message: 814-427-2921 444 Rt. 410, Punxsy

Open: Mon.-Fri. 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Closed Sun. & Holidays

FREE Vein Screening Thursday, June 16

Make a bigger splash this summer.

Over 25 Years Experience in Treating Varicose Veins

Appointments Fill Fast!

Call to Make Your Appointment TODAY!

724.349.6677

HUNDREDS OF SATISFIED PATIENTS

PREMIER VEIN SERVICES Minimally Invasive Office Procedures: Vein Closure â&#x20AC;˘ Laser Closure â&#x20AC;˘ Sclerotherapy (vein injection)

YESHWANT G. PHADKE MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED

M.D., F.A.C.S., ABVLM, RPhs

Certified by The American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine; Certified General Surgeon; Member American College of Phlebology

1265 Wayne Ave. Suite 106, Indiana â&#x20AC;˘ 724.349.6677 CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE:

www.vein-doc.com

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7

938-9520 â&#x20AC;˘ Punxsutawney dunkelroofing.com

VINEYARDS & WINERY

â&#x20AC;˘ TOURS â&#x20AC;˘ SALES â&#x20AC;˘ TASTING

Moscato, Spring Fever & Blackberry Wines NOW AVAILABLE!

Wines, Gift Baskets, Gift Certificates, Wine-making Supplies, Books & Merchandise â&#x20AC;˘ THE SHOP AT THE WINERY PA Wine 1998 Hemlock Acres Rd., Smicksburg Competition Results OPEN DAILY 12-5 â&#x20AC;˘ (814) 257-8797

Double Gold Medal â&#x20AC;˘ INDIANA MALL Oakland Ave., Indiana â&#x20AC;˘ PITTSBURGH MILLS - Peach OPEN MALL HOURS â&#x20AC;˘ (724) 274-5901 Bronze Medal â&#x20AC;˘ THE COUNTRY CUPBOARD - Raspberry Downtown Smicksburg (814) 257-9831

www.windgatevineyards.com â&#x20AC;˘ www.windgateantiques.com

Grow an extra room.

Expert advice.

Quality products.

Guaranteed.

724.465.5684

1880 Route 119 Hwy N, Indiana Northern hardy trees, shrubs & perennials

8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

Kaleb Young

Punxsutawney Area High School's Kaleb Young â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who has committed to wrestle at the University of Iowa â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stands with his high school wrestling coach, Eric Eddy, (left) and with his dad, and coach, Buddy Young. (photo by Huey Family Photography)

Continued from page 6 is always striving to get better.â&#x20AC;?

Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom, Amy, sees her sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive and discipline every day and marvels at his capacity for hard work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb is the kind of kid that has always worked hard to be perfect or to do his best at whatever he was doing,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hard worker both in the classroom and in the wrestling room/gym. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always worked hard in school. I have never had to nag him about doing his homework or studying. He enjoys learning.â&#x20AC;?

Amy offers examples of Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to academic excellence: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kid that asked his coach to leave a few hours later for states, so he did not have to miss another day of AP Calculus. We also had to stop at the high school after his knee surgery a few weeks ago, so he could pick up a calculus packet from his teacher and make sure he had all of his work.â&#x20AC;?

Amy adds a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mom disclaimerâ&#x20AC;? to the words she shares about Kaleb. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my son, so I can brag and say that he is a kind, humble, honest, and hard-working kid,â&#x20AC;? she says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am extremely proud of all he has accomplished and am excited to see him wrestle as a Hawkeye!â&#x20AC;?

Her younger son plans to study human physiology at Iowa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to fulfill the prerequisites to get into medical school,â&#x20AC;?

Kaleb says. His dad and Coach Eddy point out that Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine consistently ranks among the top public medical schools in the country.

Kaleb committed to wrestle at the University of Iowa in 2014, becoming, at that time, the earliest commitment of Hawkeye coach Tom Brandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure. He was also the first member of the Young Guns Wrestling Club to commit to the University of Iowa. (Other club members have since followed, including Michael Kemerer, Spencer Lee, and Gavin Teasdale.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was attracted to Iowa because of its tradition of producing tough, hard-nosed wrestlers,â&#x20AC;? Kaleb says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Plus, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ignore the twenty-three national titles.â&#x20AC;?

As he considers the next chapter of his wrestling career, Kaleb has general and specific objectives: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My goals in wrestling are, on a day-to-day basis, to get better â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to every day get better at every position â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and, ideally, to win an NCAA championship and wrestle in the Olympics.â&#x20AC;?

Coach Eddy believes that Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choice of the University of Iowa reveals more than a desire to wrestle for the storied program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb talks about being attracted to the tradition of hardnosed wrestlers at Iowa, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only for the next four years,â&#x20AC;? the coach says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He also considered the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical school â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he is looking at the next forty years.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb understands that you give something, like wrestling, your all, but that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only part of it,â&#x20AC;? he concludes.

Successful athletes need strong support â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially from their families. Kaleb acknowledges that his family â&#x20AC;&#x201C; his dad (and coach), Buddy; his mom, Amy; and his brother, Kody â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have always encouraged and supported him during the rigors of his scholastic wrestling career. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Throughout the season and with just everything in life, my mom is nothing but supportive,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really see me much during the season because I get home late from practice, but she understands and is there for me in everything I do.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;She comes to every match and puts my wrestling before her own personal interests, which really means a lot,â&#x20AC;? Kaleb concludes.

Kody is five years older than Kaleb and recently concluded his wrestling career as a redshirt senior at Mercyhurst University, where he was a two-time national qualifier.

During the 2011-12 season, Kody recorded more pins than any other Division II wrestler. According to Mercyhurstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, he majored in pre-physical therapy with a minor in exercise science.

Kaleb notes that Kody provides an example, offers encouragement, and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when necessary â&#x20AC;&#x201C; serves as a critic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My brother has been great for confidence throughout my career,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He really keeps my head in the right spot sometimes and lets me know that I can beat anyone.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first one to congratulate me,â&#x20AC;?

Kaleb continues, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but he is also the first to tell me things I need to improve on, so heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely been beneficial.â&#x20AC;?

Amy adds her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective to her younger sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrestling regimen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb has always been in the wrestling room.â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has looked up to Kody and the older wrestlers since he was very young. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He trains hard constantly without anyone telling him he needs to. He gets up at 6 a.m. many mornings to go to the school to work out before school. Many days he would do this, and then have practice after school, - Continued on page 10

JUNE DRAWING NAME __________________________ PHONE ________________________ (front, left to right) Nick Kernich, Diane Hudock, Paige Mills, Mar Nagle, Savanna Hallman (back, left to right) Gary Hoffman, Morgan Miller, Wendy Domb, Norma Runk, Bill Love, Gary Bowers; Not picture : Jess Defoor, Michelle Parise, and Josh Harvey

No purchase necessary

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 9

Kaleb Young

Continued from page 8 then head to Young Guns practice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; getting home at 11 p.m. and doing it again the next day.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to the support of his family, Kaleb has been blessed with teammates who have practiced with him and pushed him to become a better wrestler. Coach Eddy praises these teammates, both past and present â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;they are quality kids and the guys who pushed himâ&#x20AC;?: Perry Arrington (Class of 2015), Joel Bowers (Class of 2014), Eli Lambiotte (Class of 2016), and Josh Schuckers (Class of 2014). The coach also mentions two volunteers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Scott Rendos and Lance Thompson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who helped Kaleb during his final high school season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those two guys really helped his senior year,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scott is a two-time state champ and wrestles for the University of Buffalo, and Lance wrestled for Buddy and me during his senior year of high school and has studied jiu-jitsu.â&#x20AC;?

Runner Steve Prefontaine (1951-1975) once said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.â&#x20AC;? The oft-cited quotation is part of Kalebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook profile. From a young age, Kaleb was recognized as a gifted wrestler. He embraced that recognition and the expectations that came with it. Kaleb did not sacrifice or shortchange his gift. With the support of family, friends, and teammates, he worked hard at getting better every day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; better as a son, better as a brother, better as a student, better as a wrestler. His commitment to improve in all facets of life is evident to all who know him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb has absolutely gotten better every year. He has not reached a plateau,â&#x20AC;? says Coach Eddy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He possesses a focus that a lot of people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have. He has always had the ability to work hard to achieve his goals.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;From a coaching standpoint,â&#x20AC;? the coach concludes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kaleb is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

DARLENE STUCHELL

Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Love

Continued from page 3 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take-a some more-a, Bernie (which was my dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s middle name),â&#x20AC;? my grandmother used her broken English to cajole my father into extra helpings of her pasta.

Dad usually replied with, â&#x20AC;&#x153;good-a spaghet,â&#x20AC;? and thought he had completely mastered the Italian language.

Dad loved every bar and grill in Punxsutawney. The Findley Hotel, The Blue Tavern, Murdockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and Villellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Elk Run were several of his favorites. He generally stopped at a â&#x20AC;&#x153;beer gardenâ&#x20AC;? for a brew or two after he mowed the lawn.

Dad loved Westerns. Part of my childhood television menu included Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Bonanza, The Virginian, and Wagon Train. Usually, on a Saturday night, we all watched Gunsmoke (my father admired Festus), and we munched on doughnuts that Dad brought home from the McKenzie Bakery.

Life just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any better than that!

Dad loved mowing the lawn. It was his â&#x20AC;&#x153;thingâ&#x20AC;? and no one was qualified enough to do it properly. I can still see Daddy dressed in frayed, pale blue shorts that hung almost off his skinny behind and flapped in the wind when he pushed the lawnmower in straight lines along the side of his property. Always greeting me with a big smile and a wave, my father would takes those measured, perfect strides over to my car, where I would make fun of his old sneakers with the tongues cut out and the orange paper â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety-Firstâ&#x20AC;? cap that sat crooked on his head. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Easier to put them on,â&#x20AC;? he would laugh, taking off his paper hat, scratching his head, and gesturing toward those beat-up, grassstained shoes.

Dad loved the Pittsburgh Pirates on warm summer nights, sled rides on snowy winter evenings, and burning leaves on crisp fall days.

Most of all, my dad loved me. One day, when I was a little girl, my father took me to a get-together that was held at a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer place on Route 36 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on the way to Indiana. Their stone home was located deep

GRICE GUN SHOP 216 Reed St., CLEARFIELD NO MILITARY OR OBSOLETE

We Offer Year-round Service Please call for an appointment 938-7070 Fax: 939-7070 76 Harvest Lane, Punxsy

814-765-9273

WHITEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

Frogg Toggs rainwear â&#x20AC;˘ Vests Hip Boots â&#x20AC;˘ Wading Shoes Chest & Waist Waders Fishing Boots for the Entire Family

Areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Largest Selection of...

(724) 465-8241 â&#x20AC;˘ Mon-Fri 9-7; Sat 9-2 1845 Philadelphia St., Indiana

Early in 2015, the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society announced a service called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Programs On Demand.â&#x20AC;? A number of the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs can be presented offsite to groups of students or at the meetings of other organizations. The hope is that folks will find something of interest and ask that a program be presented. Those that we have presented in the past have been well received.

Because the Punxsutawney regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history is so diverse, many possible topics can be covered. They include the following: Our Native American Heritage Native American Artifact Identification Early Settlers in the Region Establishment of Punxsutawney Our Underground Railroad Connections Our Civil War Heritage Through Writings Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Behind Our Street Names Effect of the Coal Industry on our Region Our â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boomtownâ&#x20AC;? Era The 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s Genealogy A to Z â&#x20AC;&#x153;Punxsy History Rocksâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Rise of Punxsy Philâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evolution of the Knobâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Greatest Gift: The US Constitutionâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;All Paths Lead to Punxsutawneyâ&#x20AC;?

Many other potential topics could be developed, according to your interests. Just contact the Society at punxsyhistory@verizon.net or (814) 938-2555 to schedule an on-demand program or to talk about your specific interests. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

USED GUNS

TEMPORARY TAGS AVAILABLE

Quality Friendly Service

CASH

PAHGS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Programs On Demandâ&#x20AC;?

paid for

â&#x20AC;˘ Tax Practitioner â&#x20AC;˘ Electronic Filing â&#x20AC;˘ Notary Public â&#x20AC;˘ Bookkeeping & Accounting

Variety Store

in a forest filled with lofty, dark, green pine trees; a wrought iron fence surrounded the entire property. Clutching my dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand, we walked through a big gate and down a dirt path that led to a small cottage that looked just like the one in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Fascinated, I gazed at the windows; they all had wooden shutters, and each window had a blossom-filled flower box under it. Covered in multi-colored field stone and almost completely draped with thick ivy, the house seemed magical to me, and I waited to see if a tiny fairy or a beautiful princess would peek out at me from one of the panes of glass.

To the left of the front of the fairy tale dwelling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there in the lawn â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a small puppet theater sat ready to entertain and amuse the children at the party. The problem was â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the show scared me for some reason. The puppets jerked their arms and legs as the puppeteer yanked on the strings. They banged into each other or stuck limbs in and out, up and down. Frightened, I clung to my dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leg and buried my face in the soft material of his trousers. He just held my hand a little tighter, and everything was okay then. Nothing could hurt me as long as my dad was there.

These days, dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer physically with Mom and me. Regardless, Mom still keeps his old garden shoes and a vintage can of his favorite car wax in her garage. His orange â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety-Firstâ&#x20AC;? cap hangs on a peg in the garage, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always careful to mow in straight rows when I cut the lawn. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always on time, I love parades, and I put ketchup on most everything, especially hot dogs at a Pirates game â&#x20AC;&#x201C; my dad sure would be proud that I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t folded to popular pressure and topped my dog with mustard. I still have his trumpet in its red velvet case, a poignant memento of Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service to his country. I think of my father every time I hear a military march.

Happy Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day to all our dads who do great stuff for us every day! And, I also tip my orange â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety-Firstâ&#x20AC;? cap to all heavenly dads â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including my own wheelbarrowpushing father â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who keep watch over us from above. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Your Small Hometown Attitude Company

WE HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED, INCLUDING HARD TO FIND ITEMS, TO DO IT YOURSELF!

Supplies for: Plumbing â&#x20AC;˘ Heating Well Water â&#x20AC;˘ Electrical YOUR HEATING HEADQUARTERS

Furnace & Boiler Parts for Trane, Reznor, Burnham, Beckett, Air Ease, American Standard, Rheem, Miller & More â&#x20AC;˘ Oil Nozzles & Filters â&#x20AC;˘ Duct, Duct Fittings & Registers

724-397-8838 or toll free 800-705-8838

6791 Rt. 119, S. of Marion Center

10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

www.keithspecialty.com

MCMILLEN â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CARPET OUTLET

MIDSTATE METAL SALES POST FRAME ROOFING

814.427.2989 814.427.5123 DELIVERY AVAILABLE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Cover Everythingâ&#x20AC;?

Mill Direct Quality Carpet & Flooring Guaranteed Brand Names COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL CARPETING

11993 Rt. 66 Clarion, PA

814-764-5651

Mon. thru Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION AVAILABLE Patrick McMillen, Owner

The Shortest Distance Between Hospital And Home Is . . .

The Short Term Rehab Therapy Unit at Christ The King Manor specializes in making the transition from hospital to home as easy and comfortable as possible. Our therapy department features highly trained physical, occupational and speech therapists.

Other amenities include: Private Rooms Mini-Kitchens Private Bathrooms Country Kitchen Separate Dining Facilities Spa

Christ The King Manor’s

Short Term Rehab Therapy Unit

For more information and a tour of our Rehab Therapy facilities call 814-371-3180.

Christ The King Manor 1100 West Long Avenue, DuBois, Pennsylvania 15801

814-371-3180 Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 11

Fred Roberts, 93, second from right, a former P-51D pilot during WWII with the 354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group in England, talks with Lt. Gen. Mark C. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chrisâ&#x20AC;? Nowland, Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, during the Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, on March 6, 2016. Roberts was tasked with destroying fifty-seven P-51s after the ceasing of hostilities in Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including one of the planes he flew in combat. (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Formation of

Continued from page 5 and the newest aircraft in the Air Force arsenal, the F-35 Lightning II. The multi-generational flight formations practicing in the arid desert air over Tucson were watched by a corresponding group on the ground as Maj. Roberts and fellow P-51 pilot, Bill Lyons, 94, stood alongside young pilots and maintainers based at Davis-Monthan AFB and provided them with a living history lesson about the WWII-era aircraft on the flightline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lightning, Warhawk, and Thunderbolt were tremendous aircraft,â&#x20AC;? said Roberts as he pointed around the flightline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each was reliable, played a pivotal role, and cemented their mark in history.

But, it was the Mustang that changed the War (World War II). With bomber losses at an all-time high, and the abandonment of (air campaigns) being considered, the introduction of the P-51 saved the day.â&#x20AC;?

In 1944, the P-51 replaced its fellow Heritage Flight fighter, the P-47, as the primary bomber escort. While the Thunderbolt was a tough and capable dogfighter, it did not have the range to escort the B-17s and the B-24s all the way to Germany. The Mustang had the firepower and range to protect the bombers all the way to the Reich and back to England.

Aside from the Mustang being a morethan-capable escort, it proved to be an outstanding fighter, instantly gaining respect from the Germans. It was the Nazi Party leader and commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goering who immortalized the aircraft when he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up.â&#x20AC;?

The flyboys Roberts met the night before in the bar joined him as he made his way around the chocked Warhawk and over to the Mustangs. Trading war stories and aviation banter, the young pilots followed the legend around, clinging to every word. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love joking with young pilots and

GROUNDHOG Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re In ...Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Out WE DO IT RIGHT!

Instant Lube and Oil

6# 6 6% # &

A P-51 Mustang takes off from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on March 4, 2016. The P-51 was participating in Air Combat Commandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heritage Flight Training Course, a program that features modern fighter / attack aircraft flying alongside Word War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War-ear aircraft.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro)

talking about our ventures,â&#x20AC;? Roberts said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It truly puts a visual to the lineage of the aircraft.â&#x20AC;?

Anchoring the expositionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commemoration of the past with a composite of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War-era airplanes was a group of pilots from the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation (AFHFF). The AFHFF is a group of civilian aviators from all walks of life who share a simple commonality â&#x20AC;Ś love for country, love for the military, and love for aviation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best thing about being a part of Heritage Flight is the impact that is has on people when they see us at an airshow,â&#x20AC;? said Dan Friedkin, the founder of the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation and demonstration pilot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The music, the sound of the airplanes, and the visuals, inspire great feelings. It makes people proud to be an American, proud of the U.S. Air Force, and happy to see others inspired.â&#x20AC;?

The inspiration that Friedkin referenced has surrounded the U.S. Air Force and

HORNER WILDLIFE

Taxidermy Studio LIVE BAIT OPEN 24 HOURS

& 6 &6 6 6 6 &6 Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. to Noon

814-938-3449

Rt 36 South in Cloe, 2 Miles South of Punxsy

Richard L. Fait Funeral Home

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Serve As We Would Be Served. . .

Because We Careâ&#x20AC;?

)) 6 6 5 51./06&4 6 -0 .$ 6 ! ! ""

*** 234 -0512,'/+5 (/+

roductsâ&#x20AC;Ś LOCAL P People!

LOCAL

PA8019

Financing Available

Quality Window & Door Products â&#x20AC;Świth Installation Done RIGHT!

FREE Estimates 938-7303

www.burke-sons.com 110 GASKILL AVE., PUNXSY

12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

Phone 814-653-8620 Cell 814-541-8309 hornerswildlife@comcast.net

&

Certified in Testing & Installation of Backflow Prevention Assembly

!) 6 ! " 6/16 !) 6 # "

Army Air Corps since day one. Korean and Gulf War veterans were just as inspired as the civilian spectators upon seeing the F-86 and the F-16 perform close-formation barrel-rolls and lowpasses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing the best aircraft from each generation, like the 86 and the 16 is very vivid reminder of how far we have come along,â&#x20AC;? said retired Master Sgt. Bill Cook, a twenty-one-year weapons loader and Heritage Flight spectator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The differences are so drastic that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like taking Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old â&#x20AC;&#x2122;48 Flathead Ford with a three-speed, six (cylinder engine) and running it against a new Ford Mustang.

There is no comparison.â&#x20AC;?

Although there may be no comparison between the capabilities of the modern fighters and their predecessors, there is one thing that they have in common; the aircraft shocked their adversaries with their advanced capabilities when introduced, but needed to be replaced with more advanced aircraft in order to main- Continued on page 14

Welcome To The Pharmacy Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Still Close By.

With five pharmacists ready to serve you: â&#x20AC;˘ Michael Horner, R. Ph. â&#x20AC;˘ Kim Horner, R. Ph. â&#x20AC;˘ Jennifer Moore, R. Ph. â&#x20AC;˘ Joe Presloid, R. Ph. â&#x20AC;˘ Matt Kunselman, R. Ph.

2 PUNXSUTAWNEY LOCATIONS:

132 West Mahoning St.

938-3077

Mon.- Fri 9 to 7, Sat. 9 to 2

Visit our website:

200 Prushnok Dr.

618-5957

DRIVE UP WINDOW TO BETTER SERVE YOU Mon.- Thur 8 to 6, Fri 8-4

www.medicineshoppe.com/1094

BOBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ARMY & NAVY Downtown Clearfield, PA #1367014

Crusader

5â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 0 Light Action

$

1899

One of the Region’s Other Claims to Fame A dusting of snow helps define the remnants of the string of coke ovens that sit parallel to Walston road. (photo courtesy of Clif Wineberg, a volunteer at the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society)

T

By Marty Armstrong for Hometown magazine he long, horizontal picture above this story was taken several years ago by Clif Wineberg, a volunteer at the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, after he noted that the light snow helped to define the remnants of a lengthy battery of coke ovens near Walston. “Battery” is the term, as I recently learned, used as a way to describe a set of such ovens. Walston is not the only local community to have been the site of coke ovens. Others were constructed near Anita and near what is now the Mahoning Shadow

We now have covered screened topsoil!

Trail off the No. 8 Road (No. 8 was the nearby mine’s designation). These ovens and the coking process in which they were used had a major impact on the life and conditions in neighboring communities. First, of course, they contributed to the economic coal boom that led to the growth of Punxsutawney. Second, they radically (at least for a time) affected the physical environment.

The fires lit up the sky, producing smoke and fumes, precluding any kind of natural landscape.

And yet I am told that the sulfuric fumes wafted for some distance, actually benefitting apple orchards in Henderson Township.

EarthWorx 849-WORX

Let us help you spruce up your lawn!

435 Rt. 36, Allegheny Blvd., Brookville • 849-9679

Delivery Available

SCREENED TOPSOIL • LIMESTONE & GRAVEL • RETAINING WALLS PAVING BRICKS • BARK MULCH • LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES www.earthworx.biz

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!SES FULL SERVICE OPTICAL & COMPLETE

LINE OF CONTACT LEN

Dr. Nathan Stebbins COMPREHENSIVE EYE CARE

200 S. FINDLEY ST. PUNXSUTAWNEY

814-938-5920

MOST INSURANCES ACCEPTED

Mon., Tues., Wed. & Fri. 8 to 5; Thur. 8 to Noon; Wed. Evening & Sat. by Appt.

Close by the ovens, little green was seen. All over Pennsylvania, of course, forests had been depleted through lumbering. So it wasn’t just Walston that was surrounded by treeless slopes.

Growing up in the Oliveburg area, my mother told me many times that as a young child in the early 1920s, her father would drive their wagon to Punxsutawney through Walston, his preferred route in later years, especially because of the “dug road” that circled and bypassed the steep climb up and then down into town from every direction.

He would urge the horses through Walston as quickly as possible because of the pol-

luted air.

Later, when I was a child in the 1950s, growing up in Grange, my father preferred traveling to town through Walston too. By then, there was no need to rush. The coke ovens were no longer in operation, and trees had sprung up everywhere, softening the scene. Also, homeowners had improved what might have remained of company housing or built other homes in a variety of styles; flowers bloomed everywhere. On the far side of Walston, visible alongside the road, was a long row of cold, crumbling, red brick ovens – a point of interest. Locally, we - Continued on page 18

AGING SERVICES,, INC. INC.

Wii - Open Acoustic Jam Sessions - Nutrition Education - Games Computer Club with Internet Access - Health & Wellness Presentations

PARTIES - TRIPS - FUN

Celebrating Our 30th Anniversary in July FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION VOUCHER DISTRIBUTION Tue., June 7 • 10 am - Noon FLEA MARKET Wed & Thurs., June 8 & 9 • 10 am - 2 pm Fri., June 10 • 10 am - 1 pm MUSIC - MUSIC - MUSIC Open Jam Session Monday, June 13 • 10 am - Noon Hymn Sing with Kay Thursday, June 23 – 11 am - Noon

GAMES – GAMES & MORE Games with Mulberry Square Tues., June 14 at 11 am Sunshine Games Fri., June 17 at 11 am

(Outdoors/Weather Permitting)

BINGO – Tuesdays at 1 pm TRUTH OR NOT? – (Come & Find Out!) Wednesday, June 22 at 11 am

FATHER’S DAY BRUNCH Monday, June 20th • 9:30-11 am

(Pssst! Dads Eat FREE!)

INFORMATIONAL SESSION Tues., June 21 at 11 am “Legal Advice” by Attorney Jim Carmella

CRAFTS - Card Making with Betty Gattuso Friday, June 24 at 10:30 am

Sign up in advance required/$1 Material Fee

4TH OF JULY CRAFT with Arlene Monday, June 27 & Tues., June 28 11 am both days

No Sign Up Needed & Sessions are Free

HUNGRY? This is for YOU! PIE DAY – Wed., June 29th (Come Early & Get Your Favorite) INDEPENDENCE DAY PICNIC THURSDAY, JUNE 30 AT NOON

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 13

Your Center for Quality, Advice and Value

HANZELY’S Quality Products at everyday low prices!

Nursery and Garden Center

WE HAVE ALL TYPES OF PARTY TRAYS & CAKES FOR YOUR GRADUATION PARTIES!

We’ll even help you to the car!

53 Taylor Street Brookville OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

849-8395

www.mikessupermarket.com

Shop Here For All Your

Large Selection of Trees, Fruit Trees, Shrubs, Bedding Plants, Bagged Mulches, Garden Supplies, Silk Flowers & Much More!

Mon.-Sat. 9 to 8; Sun. Noon-5 Rt. 119 South of DuBois • 375-0305

Treated Lumber Roofing Materials Top Soil Mulch & More Windows Paneling Tile Insulation Paint Kitchen Cabinets Pergo Flooring

LUMBER & SUPPLY COMPANY

Formation of Continued from page 12

PROJECTS

CLOE

n F-38 Lightening and an F-35 Lightening II fly around the airspace of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on March 4, 2016. The F-38 and the F-35 participated in Air Combat Command’s Heritage Flight Training Course, a program that features modern fighter / attack aircraft flying alongside Word War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War-era aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro)

All Your Building Needs & More!

1785 Cloe-Rossiter Rd. Punxsy 938-5220

Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 7 am to 5 pm; Sat. 7 am to Noon

14 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

tain air superiority over adversaries, both current and potential.

While the P-51 was king of the air space over Europe and the Pacific during WWII, it was no match for the jet aircraft introduced in the early 1950s. The arrival of the Soviet-made MiG-15 in skies over Korea ended the Mustang’s reign.

The U.S. Air Force answered with the F-86 Sabre, an equal of the MiG-15, but flown by many of the same pilots who racked up kills in the Mustang six years prior. The marriage of battle-hardened pilots with a state-of-the-art jet fighter led to the remarkable kill ratio of 10-to-1, which the Sabre attained during the Korean War. The advent of multi-role fighters, such as the F-4E Phantom, kept pace with the Soviet Union, but in order to ensure air superiority in an impending conflict, a giant leap in performance and firepower was needed. Enter the F-16, and its companion, the F-15. With unimaginable maneuverability and multi-role flexibility to perform precision strikes, night attacks, and beyond-visual-range interception missions, they were pioneers in modernday avionics and computer-controlled flight surfaces and giving their pilots ownership of the airspace. Serving in the U.S. Air Force and the air forces of our allies, the two aircraft are a combined 178-1 in aerial combat.

As they looked into the Arizona sky, spectators below waved flags and whispered “oohs” and “aahs” as the premier fighters of their time all flew together in one formation; telling the tale of seventy years of U.S. Air Force domination. The P-51 flew with its successor, the F-86.

Both were joined by the ground-breaking and battle-proven F-16 and the reigning monarch: the F-22 Raptor.

Impressing the crowd with its futuristic look and ability to seemingly defy the laws of physics, the fifth-generation fighter boasts a combination of stealth, super cruise, maneuverability and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability. It represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities and is unmatched by any fighter in the world.

“The F-22 is jaw dropping … no aircraft should be able to do the things that plane is able to do,” said Cook. “I guarantee if you took someone from a past generation

and explained what the Raptor is capable of, he would look at you like you are full of ‘horse-pucky.’”

With all the marvelous displays and formations being flown, it was actually a familial relationship that had everyone talking. There was no sudden electrostatic discharge or atmospheric pressure change, but still, it was the Lockheed “Lightnings” that stole the show. In their first side-by-side flight, the P-38 (Lightning) and the F-35 (Lightning II) were the ultimate display of a fighter aircraft developer’s past and present.

Nicknamed the “fork-tailed devil” by the Luftwaffe and “two planes, one pilot” by the Japanese, the P-38 showcased its ability to be an adaptable, multi-role airplane. Loved by the Americans, and feared by the Axis, the Lightning was flown by America’s two top aces of WWII, Richard Bong (forty victories), and Thomas McGuire (thirty-eight victories).

The F-35 is a fifth generation fighter and the Air Force’s most advanced strike aircraft. It boasts unprecedented capabilities that combine stealth technology with fighter speed and agility, fully integrated sensors and network enabled operations, and state-of-the-art avionics. The Lightning II will replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging fleet of F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, which have been the primary fighter aircraft for more than thirty years.

It is formation pairings, like the two “Lightnings,” that epitomize ACC’s Heritage Flight mission to present and preserve U.S. Air Force history, showcase the evolution of air power and promote recruitment and retention. However, it’s the more than half a century of family history that truly resonates with the program.

“I was enjoying myself on the flightline, preparing to watch the upcoming displays, when I was introduced to a man and woman gathered around the P-47,” Cook recalled. “Come to find out, her dad was shot down and killed (in December of 1943) flying with the 355th (Fighter Group). It wasn’t what she said about the moment that took me aback, it was the way her face glowed with joy. It was if a piece of her family history was finally complete. To me that is what the Heritage Flight program is all about.”

“Formation of a Legacy” originally appeared in the April 18, 2016, edition of Airman Online magazine. The story and its pictures are used courtesy of Airman.

•••

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 15

Inaugural Chuck Daly Memorial Golf Tourney Set for June 4

Western PA Laurel Festival Schedule of Events June 15, 2016 – June 19, 2016 Brookville, PA

Western PA Laurel Festival

June 15, 2016 – June 19, 2016 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825 814-849-4751 Celebrating 59 years in 2016! This annual celebration honoring the blooming of the Mountain Laurel features a pageant, carnival, parade, craft & sidewalk sale, food court, Battle of the Bands, Karaoke and much more. ***PAGEANT – JUNE 15th EVENTS – JUNE 16th-19th*** *** A MAGICAL TIME***

PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS: Saturday – June 11 • 1-5 p.m., Create; Art in the Park, Long View Park, Hastings St. • 1p.m., Scripture Rocks Heritage Park Grand Opening, Route 28 one mile North of Brookville

T

Monday – June 13th • 8 p.m., Art Show Critique, First United Methodist Church, Jefferson St. Call Jean Wolfe for info. 849-2159.

Punxsutawney High School students practice their golf strokes at the Punxsutawney Country Club in 1958. (photo courtesy of the 1958 PHS Mirror and the Chuck Daly Memorial Foundation)

he first-ever Chuck Daly Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday, June 4, at the Punxsutawney Country Club. Participants will be served lunch and dinner and will be given a special Chuck Daly

Punxsutawney High School golf coach Chuck Daly helps a student with his swing. (photo courtesy of the 1958 PHS Mirror and the Chuck Daly Memorial Foundation)

souvenir. A dinner-only ticket will also be offered. All proceeds will benefit the Chuck Daly Scholarship program and are tax deductible.

Chuck Daly, a world-renowned basketball coach, started his career at Punxsutawney High School, not only as the school’s basketball coach, but also as its golf coach. In addition, Daly was the

Punxsutawney Country Club Champ in 1961. He loved golf and played every chance he got, sometimes with NBA players like Michael Jordan, with whom competition was fierce. While at the 1992 Olympics, Jordan demanded a rematch after Daly won the first match.

Jordan won the second match!

Daly coached at Punxsutawney High School from 1956 to 1963. As his career escalated, Daly became coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1983 and led them to nine straight winning seasons. After winning NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, Chuck Daly gained worldwide fame as coach of the Olympic Dream Team in 1992. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Hall of Fame twice – in 1994 and posthumously in 2010. Daly was also the first Hall of Fame coach to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic Gold Medal.

Chuck Daly passed away in 2009 from pancreatic cancer. PHS students felt privileged to learn from Daly and decided to honor him by founding the Chuck Daly Foundation, which awards a scholarship each year to deserving male and female students in both basketball and golf.

For more information on the Chuck Daly Memorial Golf Tournament, please contact Dan Pisarchick at the Punxsutawney Country Club at (814) 9389760.

•••

Hometown Magazine 100% Home & Business Delivery Each and Every Month

16 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

Tuesday – June 14th • 5 p.m. – FOOD COURT SETUP & OPEN, Pickering St. NEW – WINDY’S WILD ROOT BEER & BAILY’S WITH FROG LEGS, WINGS & MORE! • 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library,Valley St.

FESTIVAL EVENTS Wednesday – June 15th • 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., FOOD COURT, Pickering St. • 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library,Valley St. Largest Used Book Sale in the Area, thousands of books at bargain prices. Call the Library for exact hours, 849-5512.

• 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., ANNUAL Author Luncheon, Pine Crest Country Club, 29 West Pine Crest Ln. Diana Farley Author – call the Library for tickets (849-5512). Price: $30.00.

• Noon - 6 p.m., Laurel Festival Art & Photo Show, First United Methodist Church, Jefferson St. • 7:30 p.m.,Western Pennsylvania Laurel Queen Pageant, Brookville High School Auditorium, $1.00 at the door

Thursday – June 16th • 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., FOOD COURT, Pickering St. • 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthur’s Memorial Library,Valley St. • 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., History Center (free day for the public), Main St. • 5-8 p.m., Bowdish Model Railroad, History Center, Main St. • Noon - 6 p.m., Laurel Festival Art & Photo Show, First United Methodist Church, Jefferson St. • 5-8 p.m., Health Source Chiropractic & Progress Wellness; (Free), Main St. Massages for anyone over 18 yrs. Old, along with spinal screening • 5 p.m., Register for Kid’s Pet Parade, Main St. • 6-6:30 p.m., Kid’s Pet Parade, Main St. • 6-9 p.m., Family Fun Night, (Games & Activities), Main St. • 6:30-7:15 p.m., Ray Owen interactive children’s program, Main St. • 7:45-8:30 p.m., Includes Children’s Chicken Karaoke. Mega Rock will provide music & announcements as needed.

Friday – June 17th • 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Craft Sale, Main St. • 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sidewalk Sale, Main St. • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Jefferson County History Center, Main St. • 9 a.m. - 11 p.m., Food Court, Pickering St. • 11a.m. - ?, Chicken BBQ, Pine Creek Vol. Fire Dept., Main St. • 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthur’s Library,Valley St. • 5-8 p.m., Taste of the World & Wine Tasting, Main St., $15.00 per person; Call (814) 8494751 for tickets & info.Tickets for sale at: Hoak Insurance, Main St.; Coffee Cake, Main St.; Create, Main St. or call the above number.

• Noon - 6 p.m., Laurel Festival Art & Photo Show, First United Methodist Church, Jefferson St. • 6-8 p.m., KARAOKE (KARAOKE REGISTRATION 5-6 p.m.) NO PROFESSIONALS Please!

Adult 1st & 2nd Prize; Children 1st & 2nd Prize; Dazzle-U Productions - DJ • 8-10 p.m., ISAAC COLE, Main St. STARRED ON AMERICAN IDOL

Saturday – June 18th • 10 a.m. - 11 p.m., FOOD COURT, Pickering St. • 1 p.m. - ? Chicken BBQ, Pine Creek Vol. Fire Company, Main St. • 4 p.m., Grand Parade, Main St. • 2-5 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library, Valley St. $2 per bag except specially priced items.

• Approx. 5:30-7 p.m., Magic Show & Comedy, Main St. • 7-9 p.m., Band, Chaos, Main St.

Sunday – June 19th • 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. – FOOD COURT, Pickering St. • 10 a.m. – CAR & TRUCK SHOW Extravaganza (Registration) – Entry Fee: $5 per Vehicle • Noon – 2:45 p.m. – CAR & Truck SHOW EXTRAVAGANZA, Main St. (DJ – Dazzle – U – Productions) DJ • 1-4 p.m., Used Book Sale, Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library, Valley St. $1 per bag except specially priced items, Books are FREE from 45 p.m.

• 3 p.m., CAR CRUISE, Follows Car & Truck Show Extravaganza and ends at Kim’s KruiseIn, Rt. 36 North, Queen’s Choice Award will be awarded to the Queen’s favorite car at Kim’s Kruise-In • 3-5 p.m., Cruise on over to Kim’s Kruise-In & have a Sweet Treat while you check out all the sweet rides. In celebration of the Laurel Festival, Kim will be offering a make your own sundae bar. Special Pricing & Lots of Toppings.

• 4-6 p.m., Open House, Dr. Steven Greenberg will be hosting an open house featuring his collection of Antique and Classic Cadillacs at the South White Street Complex, Rt. 36 south. All Cadillac owners welcome to show their Cadillac, new or old, if showing you should arrive at 3 p.m., contact Steve Greenberg, 814-952-1616. Public Invited. ** Bring a Lawn Chair to sit & enjoy events.

For more information call (814) 849-4751, email jere@penn.com or visit their Facebook page.

Schedule is subject to change. Additions to the schedule may have occurred since press time.

Check for changes on: Facebook – Western Pennsylvania Laurel Festival.

Not responsible for tyopgraphical errors.

•••

CHILL OUT WITH ONE OF OUR COOL DRINKS...

Bundle & Save up to 30%

LESLIE MALBURG (814) 715-7319

Subject to terms, conditions and availability. Savings vary. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Indemnity Co., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co. Š 2015 Allstate Insurance Co.

135275

110 PICKERING STREET BROOKVILLE

Iced Coffees Iced Mochas â&#x20AC;˘ Shakes Smoothies â&#x20AC;˘ Sweet Tea

A Better Vision for You

Punxsutawney â&#x20AC;˘ Brookville

Martiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hair Fashions Formerly the Brenda D. Shumaker Funeral Home, Inc.

153 Jefferson Street Brookville

(814) 849-8355

Howard L. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chipâ&#x20AC;? Peterson, Funeral Director/Supervisor

Cremation and Pre-Planning Funeral Arrangements Available

Serving Brookville and the surrounding communities as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;friendâ&#x20AC;? since 1996!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Family Hair Care Centerâ&#x20AC;?

Paul Mitchell â&#x20AC;˘ Biolage

â&#x20AC;˘ Acrylic Nails â&#x20AC;˘ Waxing â&#x20AC;˘ Tanning Bed

66 Pickering St.,Brookville

849-8983

Our Average Oil Change Only Takes 10 Minutes!

No Appointment Necessary Open 8 to 5 Mon.-Fri.; 8 to Noon Sat.

814-849-4712

www.laureleye.com

Advanced Disposal Formerly known as Veolia ES Solid Waste of PA, Inc. $

25 OFF

any temporary container when you mention this ad.

814-265-1975 or 800-338-8971

Senior Citizen Discounts A Pennsylvania Corporation.

Mon.-Fri. 7-5; Sat. 7-Noon; Closed Sun.

(814) 849-7346

441 Madison Ave., Brookville, PA

www.brookvillelumberco.com Custom Millwork & Cutting

SUPER MARKET

OPENâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;7 DAYS A WEEK

Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for your shopping convenience

Daily Take-Out Lunch Specials Complete Bakery Cakes for Every Occasion 53 Taylor St., BROOKVILLE

849-8395

www.mikessupermarket.com

For Quality Products & Everyday Low Prices Mon, Tues 6:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Wed, Thurs & Fri 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Sunday 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

"$/1,210.4 -- 4 1 24#$-

Oil and Lube Express

West Main St., Brookville

800-494-2020

Lumber â&#x20AC;˘ Siding â&#x20AC;˘ Roofing Windows â&#x20AC;˘ Insulation â&#x20AC;˘ Paint/Stains

+.34' 2$42$/+4 +.34' 2$

$+/,&0! 4 /1&0! 4 4#02+/&0!

Located 1 mile South of Exit 81, I-80 on Rt. 28 S. Brookville, PA 15825

Family-owned and operated, family-centered care

For more information or a personal tour, call Steve or Kristen Mazzaferro, RN

814-849-3924

4 4 **4 3 +*0/4 /1%3&4 3/%$0.&1,3 #1&3(0* 4#0*34 /1&0! +.34' 2$4 4

1&34 0/132!4- 4 23),

Stop In Before, During or After the Laurel Festival!

Route 36 N, Stanton â&#x20AC;˘

849-6396

4- 40.&4)-/3

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17

PTAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summer Show Gives Audiences â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything They Really Need to Knowâ&#x20AC;?

Other Claims

The small print of the Coke Oven Signage at the Walston ballfield declares, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Longest unbroken string of coke ovens in the world. c. 1890â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an oft-repeated tidbit of local history. (photo courtesy of Clif Wineberg, a volunteer at the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society)

Continued from page 13 learned that Walston was noted for having the longest continuous chain of coke ovens in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one and one-quarter mile in length, it was said. Our local papers reported it proudly and county historians repeated it.

Still, the world record is hard to document using outside sources.

A generation later, when my husband and I would take our family to town, we again often chose the Walston route, and the school busses taking the kids to junior and senior high school traveled that way as well.

At that time, in the 1980s, our nephew, Gary, who did not grow up in the area but who lived with us as a young teenager, was fascinated by the coke oven display adjacent to the Walston ballfield. We explained many times the ovensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; history and purpose and what it represented, but not all that we explained registered. Their importance, yes, but their proper name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not in the way we expected. Gary took to pointing out the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pepsiâ&#x20AC;? ovens at the ballfield as we went by.

So those ovens had a multi-generational impact on a family whose forebears were engaged in lumbering and farming.

And now, through the efforts of the Punx-

sutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society and its Coal Memorial Committee, we hope to ensure that the impact of the coke/coal operations and their related industries will not be forgotten.

One thing the Society will do this August when we schedule our history day camp will be to create a three-dimensional representation of a battery of coke ovens. Each participant will create several miniature replicas and place them in a row near a mine town â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and take a tiny oven home at the end of the week.

For adults, the three seminars scheduled for May 31, June 28, and August 30 will bring to the forefront many facts about the coal boom era that may be unknown. We look forward to this opportunity to make past events fresher in the minds of current community members and all those others interested in that part of our regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

Persons wishing to register may contact PAHGS by phone (938-2555), by email (punxsyhistory@verizon.net), by mail (PO Box 286, Punxsutawney, PA 15767), or in person, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday (400 W. Mahoning Street).

Marty Armstrong is a trustee of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Bundle & Save up to 30%

Coroner of Jefferson County

18 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

135275

SNYDER

LUNDY & LUNDY Law Firm of

â&#x20AC;˘ Civil Litigation â&#x20AC;˘ Real Estate â&#x20AC;˘ Power of Attorney â&#x20AC;˘ Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Compensation â&#x20AC;˘ Wills,â&#x20AC;&#x2C6;Trusts & Estates â&#x20AC;˘ Landowners Rights â&#x20AC;˘ Oil, Gas & Minerals â&#x20AC;˘ Businesses, Partnerships & Corporations

110 PICKERING STREET BROOKVILLE

Bernard P.

in more than 2,000 performances from Singapore to Prague, from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. Pointing out that the show has attracted the interest and participation of newcomers Joe Cary, Efren Rey Gonzalez, and Anthony Simmons, Dinsmore said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a rare treat to have three new male performers in PTAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ranks.â&#x20AC;? The trio joins veteran actors Debra Dinsmore, Kathy S. Dinsmore, Doug Fye, Ilona Fye, and Chris Snyder.

The production staff includes Jef Dinsmore, director; Kathy S. Dinsmore, music director; Matt Dinsmore, stage manager; and Karen Rummel, rehearsal and show pianist.

Assisted by the volunteer house staff, the production will be staged for only three nights in Punxsutawney at 7:30 p.m. June 23, 24, and 25 at the Middle School auditorium. Tickets will be sold at the door.

For the two weekends that follow the Punxsutawney performances, the busy troupe will perform at the Verna Leith Sawmill Theater in Cook Forest at 8 p.m.

June 30, July 1, and 2 and again July 7, 8, and 9. For more details and ticket information at both locations, please telephone the directors at (814) 938-0378. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergartenâ&#x20AC;? was conceived and adapted by Ernest Zulia, with music and lyrics by David Caldwell. The show is presented by special arrangements with Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Jeffrey Lundy & Jay P. Lundy

LESLIE MALBURG (814) 715-7319

Subject to terms, conditions and availability. Savings vary. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Indemnity Co., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co. Š 2015 Allstate Insurance Co.

H

ave you heard the story about a shy little boy who insisted on playing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;pigâ&#x20AC;? in his class production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cinderellaâ&#x20AC;? and stole the show? What about the tale of the man whose dream of flying carried him high over Los Angeles in a lawn chair buoyed by surplus weather balloons?

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not forget about the â&#x20AC;&#x153;mother of the brideâ&#x20AC;? who staged a perfect wedding until the â&#x20AC;&#x153;bowling ball of fateâ&#x20AC;? rolled down the aisle. And on a more somber note, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another story about a modern-day Greek philosopher who found the meaning of life in a piece of a broken mirror from World War II. These vignettes are among the highlights of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,â&#x20AC;? the two-act musical that the creative members of the Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild (PTAG) will stage as their summer show. Based on the collected observations of best-selling author Robert Fulghum, including the book that gives the production its title, the presentation is a mixture of humor, sentimentality, playful antics, and original songs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The delightful blend of moods and themes illustrates not the meaning of life, but the meaning in life,â&#x20AC;? according to veteran Guild director Jef Dinsmore. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This unique musical covers the range from childhood to old age in an evening of joyous entertainment.â&#x20AC;? Employing theatrical storytelling in revue format, with monologues, dialogues, and multiple-voice narration the play has earned standing ovations

Punxsutawney â&#x20AC;˘ 938-8110 www.lundylawpa.com

Serving the manufacturing & gas drilling industries.

Brian A. Smith - President

(814) 939-8999

Fax: 814-939-8990 â&#x20AC;˘ Cell: 814-591-5244 E-mail: brian@fastrakpa.com

Punxsutawney, PA

Plumbing Heating & Construction LLC

PA104408

24 HOUR PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICE NEW CONSTRUCTION ADDITIONS â&#x20AC;˘ REMODELING KITCHENS AND BATHS

Tim Steffey Kyle Steffey 814-939-9255 814-249-5798

Subscription Campaign for Concert Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Season Continues Adam Trent

I

n early April, the Punxsutawney Concert Association kicked off its subscription campaign for the 2016-17 season by announcing its selection of talented performers of a variety of musical and entertainment styles and appeal.

The associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Phase I promotion of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Early Bird Specialâ&#x20AC;? will end on Wednesday, June 1, for interested residents who will renew or begin a subscription at the reduced rate of $40. After June 1, the annual adult subscription is $45 for the season of three local concerts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a several years now through a slow economy, we have had success with the special offer as a way of helping interested folk get on board for the season with some savings,â&#x20AC;? said Bessie Depp, subscription chairman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Phase I of the campaign also helps us gather early financial support to permit us to sign the contract with the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performers through Live On Stage and make the down payment.â&#x20AC;?

Each season, in a larger part, is underwritten by many supporters at higher levels as patrons, donors, and benefactors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That support gives us the opportunity to

Jim Witter

offer to many adults the reduced fee, and guarantees the season of entertaining stage and musical experiences by highly professional performers,â&#x20AC;? added S. Thomas Curry, concert association president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The campaign will continue through the summer to receive renewals from current supporters and to enlist new members.â&#x20AC;?

To add more value to local subscriptions and to help families afford and enjoy a concert experience in Punxsutawney, the association offers free admission for students when they are accompanied by an adult concert association member. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This action is our commitment to families to involve their younger members with our selection of performing artists who visit town,â&#x20AC;? commented Robert Barone, a concert board member and supporter.

Within its budgeted resources, for the past several years, the concert association has provided a diverse offering of entertainment, including orchestras, cellists, pianists, brass groups, and talented soloists and ensembles in a variety of music genres, from pop, classical, and jazz to rhythm and blues and country.

Tenore

In recent years, the concerts have included programs for the younger generation, such as the futuristic musical sounds of Audio Body, the vaudeville entertainment of the Handsome Little Devils, veteran performers from Broadway musicals, teen piano prodigy Ethan Bortnick, and ventriloquist Kevin Johnson.

The new seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schedule begins in late October with the appearance of Adam Trent, an illusionist who appeared in the 2014-15 Broadway show â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Illusionistsâ&#x20AC;? and in the television special of the same name. He has also been seen on Good Morning America, SyFy, the Disney Channel, and the Travel Channel, making him one of the most in-demand illusionists working today. He uses state-of-the-art high-tech tricks in his magical show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is one of our family-friendly shows,â&#x20AC;? Curry said about the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selection of Trent for its upcoming season.

In late March 2017, the season continues with Jim Witter and his â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Write the Songsâ&#x20AC;? tribute to Barry Manilow. Performing professionally for thirty years, pianist Witter and his band focus their attention to the

TIM HUBER Owner

Residential, Commercial & Bucket Truck Service 814-952-0069

579 Nye Branch Rd., Punxsy Fully Insured

PA073994

GRACE PLACE SENIOR APARTMENTS #1 Hotline 1-800-927-6167 or 814-849-8313 www.brookvillegmdealer.com

We really will save you money!

- Continued on page 26

- ,!- ) ,#- - ,)$+* $# &$'+( %* ,-#& )+*&' - &'+*'$*' - )(, ,+*(,",'+- &""$'*+ - ,(%&')#- )(, - !&- ,",'+*)- )(,- '*+% (* )+,-(&&"% %$*+,%- - $#+- ) - )(, &",- $ &(+- ,( * ,%

- ,%+- &' - , - $ &*%

Dunlap Lawn & Garden of Brookville

VACANCIES

30 East Main St., Brookville

1970s music made popular by the famed singer / songwriter Manilow. Songs like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mandy,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Could it Be Magic,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even Now,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Copa Cabanaâ&#x20AC;? will delight the local audience members who remember those times.

The 2016-17 season will conclude in early May 2017 with the appearance of a trio of Canadian tenors called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tenore.â&#x20AC;? With successful solo acts behind them, the three young tenors combine their voices in a concert that will remind audiences of three other famous tenors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will be music from lyrical pop to the dramatic strength of opera,â&#x20AC;? said Curry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We welcome new people to the experiences. Our mission is still the same, to provide a concert season of high level talent in the performing arts in a suitable venue for stage performance and to encourage the performing arts in the Punxsutawney area schools,â&#x20AC;? Curry added about the campaign effort.

Local subscription support has more value through the reciprocal agreements with

814-938-3008

â&#x20AC;˘ Spacious 1 & 2 bedroom apts â&#x20AC;˘ For those 62 Years & older â&#x20AC;˘ Your Own Temperature Controls â&#x20AC;˘ Community Family Feeling â&#x20AC;˘ Sitting Room â&#x20AC;˘ Community Room â&#x20AC;˘ Utilities included â&#x20AC;˘ Refrigerator, Stove, Dishwasher, Disposal â&#x20AC;˘ Elevator â&#x20AC;˘ Close to Shopping, Drug Stores & Salons â&#x20AC;˘ Yard graceplace@ndcrealestate.com

www.dunlaplawnandgarden.com

(814) 849-7197

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19

Shaffer’s Greenhouse

Take Rt. 36 North of Punxsy 11 miles, at Stanton Dynamics take a left & go 2 miles. on the Pansy-Ringgold Road

Last Day for 2016 Sales - Sat. June 18 • Geraniums • Hanging Baskets • Perennials • Vegetables • Bedding Plants • Shrubs Mon.-Sat. 8 to 8

(814) 856-2232

Sts. Peter & Paul Byzantine Church Festival June 25 th & 26 th 2016 at Adrian Picnic Grove

SATURDAY, JUNE 25: • 4 p.m., Divine Liturgy on the grounds • 5:30 p.m., Festival opens Homemade Ethnic Food, Bingo, Games, Basket Auction SUNDAY, JUNE 26:

off Rte. 310 • 11 a.m., Ethnic Food, (11soldam.out)until Bingo, Games, Basket Raffle continued • 7-10 p.m., Dance with the Vagabonds

Coalfield Twins

Bread • Rolls Cakes • Candy Chips • Drink Mix Much More S. Main St. Ext., Punxsy • 938-7430

Family Dentistry 203 CLEARFIELD AVE., PUNXSY

938-8554 938-5800 New Patients Welcome!

Amy Peace Gigliotti, DMD ronald j. walker III, DMD

20 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

Continued from page 7 Maryland, as a member of the Class of 1910. During his summer vacations, Frank came home to Anita and worked. He graduated from medical school in 1910 and worked as an assistant to Dr. W.C. Quinn at Brockwayville, now Brockway. In 1911, after receiving his license to practice medicine, Dr. Frank Benson relocated to Punxsutawney and affiliated with his brother, Dr. Joseph Benson. The Benson twins now served Punxsutawney as medical doctors.

In 1912, Dr. Frank Benson married Julia Kennedy, whom he had met while in Baltimore. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Kennedy of Jersey City, New Jersey.

By this time, Dr. Joseph Benson and his wife had two children, Joseph and Mary Louise, and in 1913, they expected their third child. On June 18, 1913, a headline in the Punxsutawney Spirit announced: “Twins Become Fathers at Almost the Same Time.

To become fathers of baby boys within two hours of each other was the unique experience of Punxsutawney’s twin physicians, Doctors Frank and Joseph Benson.

Yesterday afternoon a son was born to Dr. and Mrs. Frank Benson, on North Findley street, and to Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Benson, on West Mahoning street.”

Dr. Frank named his son Julian, and Dr. Joseph named his boy Paul.

The brothers continued their joint practice with Dr. Joseph specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, and Dr. Frank attending to general practice. They were successful and well-respected members of the medical community and greatly appreciated by those who sought their help.

On February 9, 1919, tragedy struck Dr. Frank Benson’s home when his wife, Julia, died, at age 34, of influenza, leaving him a widower with a five-year-old son. Two years later, Dr. Frank Benson married a second time. His new bride was Mildred Clark, the third daughter of Daniel H. and Mary McDonald Clark.

Then on November 4, 1922, Mary Bennis Benson, the wife of Dr. Joseph Benson, died after a short illness at the age of 43.

Dr. Joseph Benson found himself a widower with three children, Joseph Jr., 17; Mary, 14; and Paul, 8. In 1924, he married Anna Clark, the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel H. Clark. With this marriage, the twins became brothers-in-law and the sons-in-law of Daniel H. Clark.

Daniel H. Clark was a member of the firm Clark, Kiser & Kipp, a lumbering company that purchased vast tracts of timber in McCalmont, Oliver, and Young

townships, where they operated sawmills.

Clark was a man who invested in the community. He was active in banking, construction, and manufacturing and was a prime mover in establishing the street railway systems through the Mahoning Valley, connecting Punxsutawney, Reynoldsville, Sykesville, and the coal towns and villages in between. He was also instrumental in starting the Indiana County Street Railway Company.

About 1924, Dr. Frank Benson and his family relocated to Elmira, New York, where his sister Anna and her husband, Ben Record, were living. In 1929, he died suddenly at the age of 50. His widow, Mildred Clark Benson returned to Punxsutawney and lived with her parents until their deaths in 1933. Later, she married again and moved to Greensburg.

Dr. Joseph Benson continued to practice in Punxsutawney. In 1925, a son was born to Dr. Joseph and Anna Benson. They named him Daniel in honor of his grandfather, D.H. Clark. In 1949, Dr. Joseph Benson was recognized for having completed fifty years as a practicing physician.

Among those honoring him was another Punxsutawney physician, Dr. Frank. A. Lorenzo.

The Benson twins are just one example of the thousands of children of the coalfields, and first-generation Americans, who seized opportunities to become educated in the professions. The Doctors Benson, their father, and their brothers are among the many who may be recognized at the Punxsutawney Area Coal Memorial, where their contributions to the community will be visible to future generations of Punxsutawney residents and visitors.

The form for purchasing a memorial tile is available at the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. For additional information about the coal memorial, please send an email to the Society at punxsyhistory@verizon.net or call and leave a message at (814) 938-2555. Forms may also be picked up Thursday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lattimer House of the Society, 400 West Mahoning Street, Punxsutawney.

Resources used in the preparation of this article are available at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, and the Library of Congress. This article has been prepared by the Coal Memorial Committee of the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc. Comments on this article may be directed to PAHGS, P.O. Box 286, Punxsutawney, PA 15767.

••• Hometown Magazine 100% Home & Business Delivery Each and Every Month

F

Around Town

By the staff of Hometown magazine rom the staff of Hometown magazine and the Community Calendar at Punxsutawney.com, here is a list of events coming up in our area.

May 26: Mid-Day Chamber Mixer, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at DuBois Regional Airport. For reservations, call 371-5010 or email dacc@duboispachamber.com.

Sponsored by the airport, Jefferson County Development Council, and Punxsy, Brookville & DuBois Chambers of Commerce.

May 28: Hogtoberfest, featuring craft beer, 2 to 5 p.m. & 6 to 9 p.m., at Gobblerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Knob. Call the Groundhog Club at 618-5591 or email director@ghogclub.com for more information.

May 28: Splash of Color 5K Run, 10 a.m., at George C. Brown Community Pool. Registration information can be found on the poolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page.

May 28: Bark for Life, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Barclay Square. Benefits American Cancer Society.

May 30: Memorial Day Parade, 10:30 a.m. on Mahoning Street. Services at Barclay Square after the parade.

May 31: Book Signing & Author Event with Diana Lynn, 6 p.m., at Punxsy Memorial Library.

May 31: Summer reading program begins at Punxsy Memorial Library. Preregistration is required.

June 1: Last day of school for Punxsy Area School District. Watch for children.

June 1: Blood Drive, 12:30 to 6 p.m., at First Church of God, for the American Red Cross.

June 2: Social Media Seminar, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Room 122, Punxsy IUP, sponsored by the Clarion Small Business Development Center.

June 4: George C. Brown Community Pool opens at noon for the summer!

Sausage Egg McMuffin or Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit Downtown Punxsy Open Til Midnight

2/ 4 $

VINEYARDS & WINERY

June 4: First Annual Chuck Daly Memorial Golf Tournament, noon to 7 p.m., at Punxsy Country Club. Benefits the Chuck Daly Foundation Scholarship for student athletes.

June 4: Golf Tournament at Hemlock View, benefits Punxsy Sports Hall of Fame.

June 4: First Annual Western PA Charity Sporting Clays Shoot, 8 a.m., at All Seasons Trap & Skeet Club in Luthersburg. Benefits Snacks to Grow On. June 4 & 5: Hazen Flea Market is open.

June 7: First Tuesday Community Meal, 5 p.m., at Punxsy Presbyterian Church. Free & open to the public.

June 11: A Day at the Knob, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Gobblerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Knob. Community Yard Sale, Groundhog Games & nonprofit showcase.

June 16: Community Classic Golf Tournament at Punxsy Country Club.

Benefits the Chamber of Commerce, the Weather Discovery Center, the Community Center, and Make-A-Wish. Contact the Chamber for information.

June 18: Sloppy Science Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Punxsy Weather Discovery Center. Call 938-1000 for information or to pre-register.

June 18: Hunter Trapper Education, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Rossiter Sportsmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club. Sponsored by the PA Game Commission.

June 19: Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. June 20: First Day of Summer!

June 20-24, Vacation Bible School for Cross Town United Methodist Churches, 9 to 11:30 a.m., at Grace United Methodist Church. Call 9384030 to pre-register. Theme is â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Armor of God.â&#x20AC;?

June 21: Blood Drive, 12:30 to 6 p.m., at SSCD, sponsored by American Red Cross.

Book Your Wedding Reception at the Area's Largest and Most Enchanting Facility - The Beautiful

Four Locations to Serve You: The Shop at the Winery 1998 Hemlock Acres Rd., Smicksburg â&#x20AC;˘ (814) 257-8797

Indiana Mall, Pittsburgh Mills & The Country Cupboard www.windgatevineyards.com www.windgateantiques.com

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auxiliary to Fraternal Order of Eagles Seeks Members

T

he Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Auxiliary, Aerie #1231, to the Fraternal Order of Eagles is an active community group â&#x20AC;&#x201C; donating to charities and organizations, holding bakes sales and various events, working together to support not only itself, but also other groups and organizations. The Annual Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas Party for members, the Fall Bash, the PennDOT trash pickup, the Punxsutawney Appreciation Day, and a craft show are among the events that the Auxiliary has held. In addition, the group has donated to local food banks, the Eagle Riders Club, and to the Special Olympics.

The Auxiliary seeks new members to help the group grow and serve the community and encourages folks to join in order to be part of helping the group to develop ways and ideas to support both the organization and the community.

Prospective members can pick a registration form at the Eagles club from one of the bartenders during the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regular business hours. A prospective member must be twenty-one years of age or older to join. There is a one-time initiation fee of $10, plus $21 annually thereafter. Prices are subject to change. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

It isn't just for weddings!

Lakeview Lodge & Conference Center at Treasure Lake!

Make Your Special Day Memorable

Book your celebration with us!

Weddings â&#x20AC;˘ Anniversaries Birthday Parties â&#x20AC;˘ Showers Graduation Parties & more

Elks Lodge

Seating for up to 400 Guests All Inclusive Wedding Packages Beautiful Setting at the Water's Edge Pirate's Cove Bar Adjacent to the Dinning Room

PUNXSUTAWNEY B.P.O. #301

205 North Findley St., Punxsy Call After 3 p.m.

938-6620

The Public is Always Welcome!

Private Label Wines Gift Certificates & Gift Baskets

Now booking the Vine Room and Winery for special events in 2016-2017

June 23, 24 & 25: Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild presents â&#x20AC;&#x153;All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,â&#x20AC;? at 7:30 p.m., at Punxsy Area Middle School. Based on Robert Fulghumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international best-selling books, the two-act play is a whimsical revue with stories, monologues, multiple voice narrations, and music. Tickets available at the door. The show will then move to Cook Forest for two weeks. For more information, call the Dinsmores at 9380378.

June 23: Music in the Park, 6:30 p.m., at Barclay Square.

June 25: Knights of Columbus Chicken BBQ at SSCD parking lot.

June 25 & 26: Saints Peter & Paul Byzantine Church Festival, at Adrian Picnic Grove, off Route 310. Saturday, 4 p.m., Divine Liturgy on the grounds; 5:30 p.m., festival opens with homemade ethnic food, bingo, games, basket auction. Sunday, 11 a.m., ethnic food until sold out, bingo, games, basket raffle continued; 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., dance with the Vagabonds.

July 1: Blood Drive, 12:30 to 6 p.m., at SSCD, sponsored by American Red Cross.

July 3-9: Groundhog Festival, Fiftieth Anniversary! Watch Hometown magazine for events!

Registrations are being taken for the Western PA CARES for Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; annual Duathlon, 5K Run & Community Walk on July 30 at Cook Forest State Park. Go to www.carescac.org for more information.

The Punxsutawney Area Community Center offers indoor cycling, batting cage, Fifty & Fit, SilverSneakers, AM menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball, Pilates / yoga, and gymnastics. Call 938-1008 for more information.

Email your event today for Around Town to hometown@punxsutawney magazine.com. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

A Lifestyle to Treasure

For additional information or to schedule a tour 814-371-0711 ext. 903 or 814-913-1430 www.treasurelakepoa.com

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 21

Bob Lott â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Commander of VFW Post 2076 and race director of the Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mahoning Valley Triathlon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; created the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bombersâ&#x20AC;? to compete in the triathlon, which will be held on Saturday, July 9. Members include (l-r) runner Paul Hicks, age 72; runner Birdie Farrell, age 80; biker (and Birdieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother) Joe Cary, age 84; runner and canoeist Gary Harrold, age 72; canoeist Naomi Harrold, age 72; and biker Wib Stamler, age 84. The average age of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bombersâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; carried out to three place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is 77.333 years. (submitted photo)

Construction Continues on Building for VFW Post 2076

Organization to Host Inaugural Mahoning Valley Triathalon

T

he new home of Mahoning Valley VFW Post 2076, Punxsutawney, is now under roof, and construction continues at a moderate pace. Mahoning Valley Post 2076 was created after the Big Run and Punxsutawney VFW Posts consolidated in the summer of 2015. Since both posts claimed Mahoning Creek as a landmark, the new post was named for the creek.

Funding for the new structure comes from donations from community members and other fundraising efforts, many of which have been spearheaded by the Punxsutawney Lions Club. Members of the Mahoning Valley Post appreciate the efforts of the Lions Club in getting the building process started and for its loyalty to the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VFW. Post Commander Bob Lottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first goal

FAMILY DENTISTRY

was to increase his Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To do that, I felt I needed to have a way to reach out to younger veterans in a way that might also include the whole family,â&#x20AC;? he writes in an email. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My first effort in that regard is to organize a triathlon that will make use of our current location on Maple Avenue.â&#x20AC;?

The triathlon will use the Mahoning Shadow Trail and Mahoning Creek as its course â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thus, the raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, the Mahoning Valley Triathlon.

The triathlon is open to anybody â&#x20AC;&#x201C; young and old, male and female. The course â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for running, biking, and kayaking (or canoeing) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; covers thirty-four miles. Due to the raceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distance, the triathlon will challenge the solo participant. The race also includes three-person and six-person relay options. The

Huey Family Photography

By Vanessa L. Huey

Jon J. Johnston, DMD PDA MEMBER

DuBois, PA 15801 814.299.9995 hueyfamilyphotography@yahoo.com www.hueyfamilyphoto.com

YOU CAN HAVE THE PERFECT SMILE FOR YOUR PERFECT DAY! Ask how you can whiten your smile 938-4210

BROSIUS TOWING & TILTBED SERVICES 3000 Mill Street, Big Run, PA

www.brosiustowing.com

22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188

100% U.S. Mail

& Postage Statements to Prove It!

The Best Choice for Advertising!

Hometown Punxsutawney magazine 938-0312 or 938-9141

PHOTOGRAPHY

Catering your special event of any kind, big or small!

24-Hour Emergency Road Side Assistance

â&#x20AC;˘ Towing â&#x20AC;˘ Lockout Service â&#x20AC;˘ Jump Starts â&#x20AC;˘ Out of Gas

do another that same day.â&#x20AC;?

Vice Commander Brown, however, pledged a donation and asked the local commander to do something for him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He told me that he would send me a check and that he would have me assemble a team,â&#x20AC;? writes Commander Lott. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I received the check and decided to put together a team that would prove that the race can be done by anybody.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have named the team that I assembled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bombers,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doing the running will be Birdie Farrell, Paul Hicks, and Gary Harrold. Biking will be Joe Cary and Wib Stamler, and bringing up the rear in a canoe will be Gary and Naomi Harrold. The average age of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members is seventy-seven.â&#x20AC;? Truly, the Mahoning Valley Triathlon is a race for all ages.

Area businesses have a unique opportunity to support the race and, by extension, the VFWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building program, by sponsoring a mile-marker sign for the race. A race sponsorship of $100 provides a business with a sign that will be used as a mile marker during the triathlon. After race day, the sign will be placed on the fence near the Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s building, where the sponsoring businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name will be visible to folks who attend baseball games or park their cars before hiking the trail. Advertising your business will help VFW Post 2076 complete its new home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a home that will benefit Punxsutawney area war veterans and members of the community.

For more information about Post 2076 in general or about the Mahoning Valley Triathlon in particular, please visit the Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website (www.vfwpost2076.org) or call Post Commander and Race Director Bob Lott at (814) 938-4589 or send him an email at ralott@comcast.net.

Tax-deductible donations for the Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new building are gratefully accepted and may be mailed to Home Association VFW Post 2076 Building Fund, PO Box 33, Punxsutawney, PA 15767. â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

Family, Wedding, and Birth Photographer

106 W. Mahoning St.

Whitening System

triathlon will be held on Saturday, July 9, and will begin at 8 a.m. All legs will start and end at the VFW on Maple Avenue, P u n x s u t a w n e y, near the baseball fields. The entrance fee for an State Senior Vice Com- individual is $25; mander Tom Brown of the Pennsylvania State for a three-person VFW Headquarters in team, $20 per perHarrisburg cannot at- son and $60 per tend the inaugural Mateam; and for a honing Valley Triathlon, but he sent a six-person team, donation and asked $15 per person and local Commander Bob $75 per team. The Lott to organize a team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registration deadBombersâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to com- line to ensure repete on his behalf. ceiving a T-shirt (submitted photo) and a finisher award is Saturday, June 25. An entry form is available at the Postâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website (www.vfwpost2076.org).

Please click the Mahoning Valley Triathlon tab.

Commander Lottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary focus in promoting the race is the six-person relay team, which provides an opportunity to include an entire family or another group whose members might enjoy being part of a team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a picture in my mind of a father or grandfather in a kayak or canoe with a five- or six-yearold child being included in a race for the first time,â&#x20AC;? he writes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think of it as good, clean fun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as long as Mahoning Creek is not too muddy on race day!â&#x20AC;?

The commanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promotional efforts led him to contact the Pennsylvania State VFW Headquarters in Harrisburg. Recently, State Senior Vice Commander Tom Brown returned his call. (Vice Commander Brown will become State Commander in June.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;He let it be known that he is past seventy years of age and would have liked to have been here for the race,â&#x20AC;? writes Commander Lott, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but he was already committed to

724-465-6242

Tues.-Wed.-Fri. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thurs. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. judysstudio350@gmail.com Judy Hicks, owner

Deli Salads From Our Kitchen CALL FOR PRICING To Your Diane Defelice Powell th

814-938-8098 Call for Wedding & All Occasion Pricing Kitchen Wi Home Cooking!

Sausage McMuffin with Egg / Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit Downtown Punxsy Open Til Midnight

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

2/$4

PUNXSUTAWNEY

207 N. Hampton Ave.

814-618-5653

GIVEAWAY

ORDER ONLINE: www.FoxsPizzaPunxsy.com HOURS: Mon.-Thur. 10:30-9 Fri. & Sat. 10:30-10; Sun. 11-10

HANZELYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Nursery and Garden Center Trees, Fruit Trees, Shrubs, Bulbs, Bagged Mulches, Garden Supplies, Silk Flowers & Much More!

Rt. 119 South of DuBois

375-0305

Mon.-Sat. 9 to 8; Sun. Noon-5

facebook.com/HanzelysNurseryGardenCenter

Hanging Basket

Pizza Town Fresh Homemade Dough & Sauce Made Onsite Daily For All Our Dinners & Pizza!

Sun. - Thurs. 11am - 11pm Fri. & Sat.11am - Midnight W. Mahoning St., Punxsy Plaza

938-2380

$20 Pizza Town Gift Certificate

! " " !

For more information, call 814-371-3180 and request more information on PERSONAL CARE as performed by the professionals at Christ The King Manor.

')$*, +, )& , (&%' ! !

, +$*, %& , + , # %)$ $20 gift card from Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce member

$20 Foxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gift Card

Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day

Route 36 N, Stanton â&#x20AC;˘ 849-6396

Mon, Tues 6:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ Wed, Thurs & Fri 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sat 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. â&#x20AC;˘ Sun 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

220 N. Jefferson St.

938-1008

Home of the Big Daddy

$20 Gift Card

Great Daily Specials!

$30 Community Center Gift Certificate

FATHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAY IS JUNE 19 Register Dad to win one of these great gifts from participating merchants on this page .

Contest rules: 1. No purchase necessary. Clip and complete coupon on this page and mail to: Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Giveaway, Punxsutawney Hometown magazine, 129 Aspen Road, Punxsutawney, PA 15767.

2. All entries must be received by Thursday, June 9, 2016.

3. One entry will be selected for each participating business through a random drawing from all entries to be held in our Hometown office on Friday, June 10, 2016.

4. By participating in the contest, all entries are subject to contest rules.

5. One entry per envelope please.

No purchase necessary to 6. Winners will be announced on our Facebook page after June 13 enter the contest. Must be & in July Hometown magazine.

18 years or older to enter.

All you have to do to register to win is clip, or photocopy, and complete the coupon and mail to:

Punxsutawney Hometown magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Giveawayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 129 Aspen Road, Punxsutawney, PA 15767

Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Name_______________________________________________________

$20 Gift Certificate $

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re In ...Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Out WE DO IT RIGHT!

GROUNDHOG Instant Lube and Oil

$

$ $ $

" #$ # $ # " $ ! $ $ #

SPRING HOURS: 8 to 5 Mon. thru Fri. Saturday 8 to noon

938-3449

Rt 36 South in Cloe, 2 Miles South of Punxsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;y

$25 Gift Certificate

BRING THE FAMILY to the New Anchor Inn A Menu to Serve Every Taste Open 7 Days a Week

Entered by__________________________________________________________

Punxyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family Favorite Always Was, Always Will Be!

Your Phone #_______________________________________________________

% ",)-"$"& "

# ',+*+-(-

Address______________________City_________________State___Zip________ E-MAIL TO NOTIFY YOU___________________________________________

$25 Gift Certificate

VACANCIES

" " " " " ! !

, (! , , " !+'

'+ +"$# " %!

$25 gift card

GRACE PLACE SENIOR APARTMENTS â&#x20AC;˘ 1 & 2 bedroom apartments â&#x20AC;˘ For those 62 Years & older â&#x20AC;˘ Section 8 vouchers welcome â&#x20AC;˘ Income Limits Apply

814-938-3008 graceplace@ndcrealestate.com $20 Chamber Gift Check can be redeemed at any participating Chamber member

Golf Umbrella

Punxsutawney Hometown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2016 - Issue #188 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 23

Boy Scouts Enjoy Home of the Groundhog Camporee

(Editor’s Note: “From Our Past,” researched by S. Thomas Curry, features items of interest from past editions of Punxsutawney and area newspapers.)

May 19, 1897 — One of the liveliest towns for its size in this section is Big Run. Nearly every person is busy. Seventy men are employed in the tannery.

(Punxsutawney News)

May 20, 1891 — The Berwind-White Coal Company have built four wire foot bridges across the Mahoning creek between Horatio and Whitesville, shortening the distance between the two points at least two miles. The company has gone to the expense simply for the convenience of their employees, and the act should be thoroughly appreciated by those whom it was meant to benefit.

(Punxsutawney Spirit)

May 21, 1902 — People living in the East End, and especially those in the vicinity of the street railway power house, will be pleased to know that the power house is to be removed, or at least will not be used after the new power house at New Florence is ready for use.

The smoke from this place has been considered a great nuisance by people living near, and many times the steam has been blown upon people passing the power house, causing an uncomfortable feeling.

(Punxsutawney News)

[Note: The power house was located on the corner of Elk Street and East Mahoning Street, where the Kurt Lumber & Supply Company was later located.]

June 1, 1887 — A little child from near Hudson was brought to Big Run on last Sunday to have a grain of corn that had in some way got up its nostrils taken out.

Dr. Wilson very successfully ejected the grain by pressing one side of the child’s nose and blowing into its mouth. (Valley News)

June 2, 1908 — The old Torrence residence which stood at the corner of Torrence and Findley Street has been torn down to make way for the new Y.M.C.A. building, the construction by which will begin in a short time. (Punxsutawney Spirit)

June 13, 1900 — A large number of Jefferson county farmers, after selling their coal lands in Jefferson county, bought farms in Indiana and Armstrong counties to get away from the coal operations. Most of them were able to buy better farms than they had and have considerable money left. But most of them are right in the way of the new coal operations, and either have sold their coal again, or are likely to do so. (Punxsutawney Spirit) •••

The Spirit Building

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Customizable Executive Residences

• 1 & 2 bedroom • 55 & older Community • Tons of historical architectural detail • Tons of closet space • Commercial storefronts built to specifications • Off-street parking

909-518-4505

www.spirit-building.com

www.facebook.com/spiritbuilding

R.D. Brown Memorials

better water. pure and simple.®

• Home & Industry • Reverse Osmosis • Salt Delivery Service Sales • Sales-Rental-Service • Culligan Preferred Credit Rental • FREE Water Analysis Service

114 Horatio St., Punxsy

938-2240 or 1-800-828-4267

Boy Scouts from Ebensburg, Gallitzin, Punxsutawney, and Tionesta braved the elements to hike into Punxsutawney from Gobbler’s Knob as part of the first-ever Home of the Groundhog Camporee. (submitted photo)

Inner Circle member and co-handler Ron Ploucha and Punxsutawney Phil regale Boy Scouts during Friday evening, May 13, the opening evening of the inaugural Home of the Groundhog Camporee, held at Gobbler’s Knob. (submitted photo)

Camporee.

The boys began their adventure by setting up camp Friday evening and meeting Punxsutawney Phil, his co-handler Ron Ploucha, and Groundhog Club member Bill Cooper, who told the boys the history of Groundhog Day and other interesting facts about the Seer of Seers. On Saturday

Asphalt Paving Grading Line Painting Topsoil & Compost Sealcoating Chip Sealing Crack Filling FREE Estimates!

Phone: 849-8838 or Toll-Free (877) 4-Paving www.jeffersonpaving.com

Quality, Integrity and Professionalism...

Making life smoother.

Gobbler’s Knob was the site of the first-ever Home of the Groundhog Camporee, held Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14. Nearly fifty Boy Scouts from around the region converged on Phil’s historic home. (submitted photo)

morning, at 9 a.m., the boys broke camp and began the mile-and-a-half hike into Punxsutawney. Unfortunately, the rain began falling at this time! Once in the downtown area, half the boys went to the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society’s Lattimer House for a Native American program and activity, and the other half continued to the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center for an Energy Merit Badge program. After lunch, the two groups exchanged places. The Scouts finished their day at 3 p.m. and headed home.

•••

100 W. Mahoning St., Punxsy

www.fairladycompany.com

814-938-1255 Gift Wrapping

Gift Certificates

Punxsutawney Area Historical and Genealogical Society

All Cemetery Needs

314 N. Findley St.,Punxsy • 938-2100

Daily 9 to 5; Sat 9-12 • Sun & Evenings by Appt.

Large Indoor & Outdoor Display “Carved in Stone”

O

n Friday and Saturday, May 13 and 14, nearly fifty Boy Scouts from Ebensburg, Gallitzin, Punxsutawney, and Tionesta came to Gobbler’s Knob for the first-ever Home of the Groundhog

24 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

Bennis House - 401 West Mahoning St. Lattimer House - 400 West Mahoning St.

938-2555 (general)

938-5536 (genealogy)

Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Sat. 7:30 a.m. - Noon

Indiana Street, Punxsy

Independent Auto Parts of America

OWNER

LESA WALKER

Practical Gifts for Recent Graduates

W

hat graduate doesn’t wish to find a new car with a big bow on top in the driveway? While it would be nice to begin a new phase in life with a fresh set of wheels, many gift-

givers tend to lean toward more practical items when buying gifts for recent graduates.

Though they might not prove as flashy as a new car, the following gifts can still

excite and help students who are going off to work or continuing their educations.

• Résumé service: In this competitive job market, individuals need to take advantage of every opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Résumé rules have changed, and graduates will be best served by companies that know the ins and outs of writing effective résumés.

Employers often use digital scanning software to sift through applicants, so knowing which keywords and tags to use can ensure a résumé gets noticed. Costs can range from $100 to $200, depending on the services desired.

• Electronics: Technology changes on a dime, and it benefits graduates to be equipped with the latest gadgets. A new tablet, laptop or desktop computer may make a great gift. If the price tag is a little high, consider pooling resources with other family members or friends and give electronics as a joint gift.

• Noise-cancelling headphones: A set of durable headphones to block out ambient noise may be helpful for graduates going on to college or post-graduate work.

Grads entering the workforce can enjoy silence or music as they commute to their offices. These headphones also work well on flights, making them ideal gifts for new grads whose first jobs require a lot of travel.

• Home luxuries: Outfit soon-to-be college freshmen with some of the niceties of home. Upgrade dorm furniture with accent pillows or a more comfortable mattress. Put together a luxury gift basket with a high-quality robe, electric razor, spa shampoo, and other toiletries.

• Travel tickets: Treat graduates to a trip

away from home. Travelers often gain new perspectives and inspiration when visiting a city, state or country for the first time. Travel is good for future entrepreneurs and may help a person stand out in a long list of job applicants. According to Forbes.com, travel can help cultivate relationships outside of one’s existing network and provide ideas from others outside of graduates’ existing personal and professional circles.

• New wardrobe: Gift cards to retailers that specialize in business attire often make welcome gifts for new grads. Some students may need to update their wardrobes so they can look more professional on interviews or at school networking functions.

• Luggage: A new suitcase or travel bag is quite handy for students studying abroad. Choose durable luggage that can handle the rigors of travel so cashstrapped new grads have something they can rely on for years to come.

• Money: Money remains a one-size-fitsall gift that can be put to many uses. Invest in a graduate’s future by buying stock in a stable company, contribute to a college savings account or help grads begin paying back their student loans.

Practicality can come in handy when buying graduation gifts. The best gifts are often those that graduates can put to good use.

••• LOOKING FOR FULL COLOR ADVERTISING? CALL US TODAY 938-0312 affordable rates - 100% direct mail

CURVED, FOUR-VANE AGITATOR

• Delivers an extra-long, 210-degree agitation stroke — longest in the industry — with 68 strokes per minute for superb washing results

HEAVY-DUTY 1/2 HP, TWO-SPEED MOTOR

• Provides excellent spin speed for maximum water extraction • Allows faster drying and energy savings

SPIN AND DRAIN

• Keeps dirty water moving during the drain process, forcing it to the outer tub for better wash results

COMMERCIAL-GRADE STEEL CABINET

• Three-coat, commercial-grade finish keeps washer looking new for years to come

EXTRA-LARGE 3.3 CU. FT. STAINLESS STEEL TUB

• Won't corrode, chip, crack or pit with normal use

INDUSTRY-LEADING, TRANSFERRABLE WARRANTY AWN432

• Three years parts & labor • 5 years on motor & cabinet* • 10 years on transmission • Lifetime on all stainless steel washtubs and outer draintubs.*

* Limited. See Speed Queen warranty bond for details.

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 25

SHYLOH’S EXCAVATION

• General Contracting • Site Clearing • Public Utilities • Dump Truck Service • Excavation • Ponds • Demolition • Sandmounds • Septic Tanks & More

PETE POERIO

814-938-6599

Free Estimates • Fully Insured All ADA Approved Work

All RIO HOMES types of concrete MR. CONCRETE PA# 039200

• Floors • Sidewalks • Driveways • Patios • Retaining Walls • Stone Walk • Pole Barns • All Masonry Projects

PETE POERIO

814-938-6599

Free Estimates • Fully Insured All ADA Approved Work PA# 039200

STRUCTURES, INC.

FOR ALL YOUR STORAGE NEEDS RIGHT AT YOUR HOME $ ,159 Garages from$ 3 99 Sheds from 1$,1 5 Coops From 49

1 & 2 Car Garages - In Many Styles • Chicken Coops • Storage Sheds

ATTRACTIVE - DURABLE - AFFORDABLE DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME!

(888) 624-7365

Call Today For A FREE Color Brochure

26 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

D

How to Make Father’s Day More Enjoyable for Dad

ad gets to be king of his castle at least one day during the year. Come midJune, children near and far scramble for ideas to treat their fathers to a special day and award him with gifts for being a role model, provider and confidante. Father’s Day activities should be centered around Dad’s interests. With that in mind, the following are some ideas to honor Dad or another special man in your life. * Sports Sunday: If Dad is a sports fan, his idea of spending a fun-filled afternoon very well may be cheering on his favorite players.

Whether your father enjoys golf, tennis, baseball, soccer, or another sport like hunting or fishing, chances are there is a television broadcast on that you can watch together.

Otherwise, you can surprise Dad by purchasing tickets to a sporting event and making a day of it at the ballpark. * Beach bound: A relaxing day at the beach may be the perfect way to spend Father’s Day. Dad can enjoy the entire family while sitting back in his beach chair and watching the waves roll in. Pack a picnic lunch with his favorite foods and a cold beer, and Dad may just say this was his best celebration yet. * Adventure seeker: If yours is a father who enjoys living on the edge, a Father’s Day activity built around action and adventure should be a winner. Take Dad base jumping, rock climbing, scuba diving, or race car driving. Any of these activities is bound to get Dad’s adrenaline pumping. * R&R: Dad’s idea of the perfect Father’s Day may be an afternoon free of obligations and deadlines. A relaxing day in the yard swimming laps in the pool or hitting a few grounders to your waiting baseball mitt may be all the excitement he needs. Toss a few steaks on the grill to give Father’s Day a truly perfect ending. * Impromptu party: Some dads like to be the center of attention. A Father’s Day party thrown in his honor, complete with friends and family, can be an entertaining way to

spend the day. If you are worried about interrupting others’ Father’s Day plans, host the gathering on the Saturday before Father’s Day and let Dad be the life of the party. Finger foods, barbecue, a limited list of cocktails and other beverages and some background music are all that you need to host a festive function.

Plan a Father’s Day celebration with your dad in mind. Cater to his favorite activities and opt for entertainment that he will enjoy.

•••

Subscription Campaign

Continued from page 19 neighboring community concert associations, particularly the concerts provided by the DuBois Concert Association. Punxsutawney concert association members can attend the four concerts in DuBois free of charge by showing their current Punxsutawney subscription card.

“That’s seven concerts with one subscription level,” said Memoree LeCompte, concert association treasurer. “It’s all a fantastic bargain for folk who enjoy live, stage entertainment, and very affordable.”

The Mifflin-Juniata Concert Association, in Lewistown, provides a similar courtesy with its five concerts.

With the cooperation of the Punxsutawney Area School District, all performances will be at the Punxsutawney Area High School. The Jim Witter performance in March will be a matinee event.

For anyone interested in experiencing the concert season, brochures, with applications, are available at Beatty’s Jewelers in downtown Punxsutawney. For more information or a subscription brochure, individuals and organizations may contact Bessie Depp, subscription chairperson, at 9385333 or S. Thomas Curry, president, at 9388628.

•••

How to Mow Your Lawn Like A Pro

Y

ou might not earn your living taking care of lawns, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the same quality of cut as landscape professionals.

For a consistently superior cut, experts say average consumers should look for commercial grade products.

“Homeowners can also benefit from the performance and reliability a true commercial mower offers,” says Lloyd von Scheliha, product manager at Exmark, a leading manufacturer of lawn care equipment. “You’ll get lawn care done faster and it will look better in the end. Your mower will also last longer and require less maintenance.”

Homeowners should be advised however that the term “commercial grade” is thrown around a lot these days in advertising. If you’re in the market for a new mower, you should understand what commercial grade really means before making a purchase.

“Take a look at the equipment your local landscape professionals are using and you`ll get a good feel for what commercial mowers look like,” says von Scheliha.

He says homeowners should consider the following:

• Your mower should offer superior durability to stand the test of time. Look for fabricated cutting decks, which are stiffer, stronger and more durable than stamped decks — even reinforced models. The durability advantage should extend to the components as well.

• Productivity and maneuverability in a mower offer average consumers timesavings, reducing the time that’s needed to cut a lawn, and then do trim work.

Consider a zero-turn mower, which delivers a finished appearance more quickly than other mower types.

• Even a commercial mower will deliver superior results longer if you perform routine maintenance. Always consult your owner’s manual to determine what specific maintenance is necessary for your machine. Cleaning, sharpening or replacing blades as they dull, replacing belts as they become worn, oil and filter

changes, and other specific maintenance as outlined in your owner’s manual, will improve equipment performance and longevity.

More information about lawn care and commercial grade lawn equipment can be found at Exmark.com.

This season, take steps to be informed so you can mow like a pro.

(StatePoint) •••

HOMETOWN’S 2016 MOTHER’S DAY CONTEST WINNERS

$10 Gift Certificate B’s Books Jill E. Marie

by Bob Marie

$25 Gift Certificate Emma’s Catering Janet Billett

by Shery Billett

$25 Gift Certificate Christian Book & Gift Shop Sara Macormac

by Caden and Maddock Macormac

$20 Fox’s Gift Card Fox’s Pizza Den Linda Miller

by Michelle Aul

$15 Gift Card Biggie’s Meats Cindy Turnbull

by Amanda Turnbull

$25 Neko’s Gift Card CNB Bank Joann Fetterman

by Jeff Smith

$25 Chamber Gift Card Christ the King Beth Winebark

by Barb Postlewaite $30 Community Center Gift Certificate Community Center Jennifer Ferko

by Amanda Ferko $10 Gift Certificate Country Cone Nikki Verdill

by Caleb

$30 Gift Certificate CRW Home Center Edna Bish

by David R. Bish

$25 Gift Card Fairlady & Company Bonnie Bennett

by Lisa Roy

$20 Gift Certificate Grandma’s Kitchen Susan Glessner

by Cole Miller

$20 Gift Certificate to Chamber member Grace Place Becky Hockenberry

by Brittany Martz

$25 Gift Certificate Groundhog Instant Lube & Oil Norma Kriebel

by Micah & Maddi Kriebel

Hanging Basket Hanzely’s Garden Center Sunni Reddinger

by Easton Reddinger

1/2 Hour Session ($30 Value) Healing Touch Massage Jodi Lynn Shaffer

by Bailey Lynn Shaffer

Bath & Body Gift ($70 Value) Hot Spot Family Tanning Salon Lora J. Wonderling

by Anna Wonderling

Emergency Roadside Safety Kit, Kengersky Nationwide Insurance Vickie Waltman

by Jessic Waltman Krevel Supply Gift Certificate Krevel Supply Susan Gleason

by Megan Reed

$25 Gift Certificate Lily’s Restaurant, Bakery & Deli Joan Lingenfelter

by Alex Lingenfelter

$20 Gift Card McDonald’s Sandy Payne

by David

Gift Certificate Musser’s Garden Center Cynthis Hoover

by Elise Butler, Karley Haag and Bethany Butler $25 Gift Certificate The New Anchor Inn Dorothy Painter

by Pam

S&T Blanket S&T Bank Janet Billett

by Ronda Billet

$25 Gift Certificate Neko’s Family Restaurant Cammi Kunselman

by Maisie Eberhart, Brylan & Jamesen Kunselman $20 Gift Certificate Obsessive Apparel Judy McAdoo

by Jackie Neufeld

Stello Food Gift Basket Stello Foods Marie Emberg

by Elaine LeVier

Coffee Mug and a Package of Coffee Phil's Official Souvenir Shop Mary Murray

by Eric Ritchey $20 Gift Card Pizza Town Darlene Stuchell

by Cindy Reed

$20 Gift Certificate to the Greenhouse Punxsy SHOP’n SAVE Kim Titus

by Tyler Titus

Hanging Basket Gift Certificate ($25 value) Reagle’s Notary Betty A. McKinstry

by Allison S. McKinstry Birdhouse ($20 Value) Roseman’s Florist & Gifts Jane Wulfert

by Shaun Wulfert

Lovely Gift Basket Wal-Mart Supercenter Lucille Farcus

by John Farcus $25 Gift Certificate Yoder's Furniture Allie & Zane Carley

by Marsha Carley Wild Hair Salon Cathy Rishel

by Jared & Nichole

2 Bottles of Wine redeemable at Windgate Winery Mona Conners

by Brandy Conners

If you are a winner, please email hometown@ punxsutawneymagazine.com or call 814-938-0312 to receive your gift.

THANK YOU! Happy Mother’s Day!

Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188 – 27

PUNXSUTAWNEY LOCATION

28 – Punxsutawney Hometown – June 2016 - Issue #188

DuBOIS MALL