LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST A Magazine from the Heart of Western Pennsylvania
Life Ruins among the
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Running Down A Dream Car Crushes Clean Your Plate . . . OR ELSE ELSE Time For Tapas! Ivory Dominoes
MARCH/APRIL 2008: Celebrating our cultural heritage – yesterday and today Every Story Begins At Home.
The 6th century ruins of St. Kevin’s monastery in Glendalough, Ireland
FREE
March/April 2008 - 1
Neighbors Helping Neighbors!
Ligonier 250 Kick Off Weekend: June 27-29
Our Mission is to enhance the quality of life for persons 60 years and older who reside in the Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Areas by providing companionship and assistance.
Volunteers needed for the Tour of PA Bike Race
(Register online (www.tourofpa.com) to volunteer in Ligonier on Day 5: June 28)
Join us for a fun-filled weekend of live concerts, children’s bike parade, community picnic, ecumenical church service and fireworks! Sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce 120 East Main Street • Ligonier, PA 15658 • 724-238-4200 • www.ligonier.com
Volunteer caregivers are trained to assist elderly individuals with the following: • Transportation • Link with other community services • Caregiver relief • Friendly visiting and telephone calls • Correspondence • Small household repairs and chores • Errands We ask volunteers to commit just two hours per week and we provide great flexibility — you choose what you want to do and when you can do it. Get involved today!
724-539-4357 • www.laurelfia.org • faithinaction@msn.com
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Mandisa: 724-205-7033 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 Managed by Concord Hospitality Enterprises. 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 *Quality *Community *Integrity *Profitability www.concordhotels.com 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123 2 - March/April 2008 LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123
Courtyard by Marriott Greensburg 700 Power Line Drive • Greensburg, PA 15601
Host your next successful meeting in one of our state of the art meeting rooms. Experience the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Greensburg, the newest and friendliest of Greensburg hotels.
W MAR/APR 2008
“A man is a god in ruins.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
elcome . . . MOUNTAIN VIEWS
(Volume V, Issue 2)
The Laurel Mountain Post is a bimonthly publication designed to focus on the people, places and events of Westmoreland County and the surrounding areas in the heart of western Pennsylvania. We print stories about real people and their daily lives; feature local merchants, craftsmen and professionals; present short pieces of art & literature; and never lose sight of what makes this area a great place to call home. Most of our writers are not professional reporters, but accomplished local practitioners with years of experience in their respective fields who bring credibility and personality to every article. In October 2006, the BBC News quoted us as “the voice of Pennsylvania.”
Laurel Mountain Post P.O. Box 227 Latrobe, PA 15650 advertising: 724-331-3936 editorial: 724-689-6133 Office Hours by Appointment at 137 East Main Street in Ligonier, Pennsylvania
Cathi Gerhard Williams Editor & Publisher editor@laurelmountainpost.com
Briana Dwire Tomack Marketing Director & Business Manager advertising@laurelmountainpost.com Proud members of the Latrobe, Ligonier, and Strongland Chambers of Commerce, The Pittsburgh Advertising Federation, and The Pennsylvania Newspaper Assocation Special thanks to our advertisers for supporting this community publication!
www.LaurelMountainPost.com
Our distribution of 15,000 reaches beyond Westmoreland County into the neighboring counties of Allegheny, Washington, Armstrong, Bedford, Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Fayette. In 2006 our web traffic increased by 53% and continues to grow. Every day, more and more readers and advertisers across western Pennsylvania are discovering the Laurel Mountain Post.
Every Story Begins At Home.
Cathi Gerhard Williams
Let’s Go Get Some Shoes I have entered a mid-life world where my children are now responsible for the bulk of their mother’s cultural literacy. It seems like only yesterday that we were reading Beatrix Potter, watching Shakespeare and Bugs Bunny, and listening to my personal versions of classical music: The Beatles, David Bowie and Elvis Costello. I have been quite the pack rat over the years, and eager to share my time capsule of renaissance information with my kids as they grow up. But thanks to the internet, my library of CDs, books and video tapes make up only a fraction of their always-expanding catalog of reference and experience. They are always on the internet looking for news, funny videos, global music and things to read. I can’t really keep up, but always take a minute to stop and view something my junior editors find interesting and worthy of my time. Several months ago they introduced me to “Shoes,” a video on YouTube* by comedian Liam Sullivan. My first reaction to the simple and sort of vulgar video was “Gee, how immature and annoying.” I quickly dismissed their interest and moved on, growing more irritated each time I heard them play it. But I realized later that the more I saw it in unintentional bits, the more time I took to really watch and listen, and the more I participated in the experience with my kids, the more it began to grow on me. When I let go of being the generational warden, the detached observer—and became one of them, an enthusiastic participant—I started to love it. It spread to friends my own age, and we developed our own fun catch phrases based on the dialogue. I am
embarrased that I initially viewed it with such derision. In that moment I was too caught up in the narrow definition of myself. As we get older, it’s a lot easier to be comfortable with who we are.
editor@LaurelMountainPost.com
Cathi Gerhard Williams Briana Dwire Tomack advertising@LaurelMountainPost.com
We grow more confident, and that’s a great thing. When we were young, we were adventuresome and on the hunt for new and exciting discoveries, always trying to define ourselves. The problem comes
when that self-satisfaction turns to security, and eventually closes us off from everything else. We learn to resist change, or anything that’s different. We forget how it felt to be that blank canvas who sought color and inspiration. The layers of experience caked upon our faces become a prison whose walls grow thicker each year, separating us from the freedom of knowing new things. Monotony becomes a way of life because we are too complacent to try or tolerate an alternative. Two weeks ago, I tasted butter pecan ice cream for the very first time. Regretfully, I have been subtley afraid for 38 years that other varieties would let me down compared to the enjoyment I always found and trusted in vanilla: it’s white and has no foreign parts or complications. Racism, homophobia and other disrespect for others comes from the same rigidity of familiarity. We sometimes refuse to see any view but our own, let alone allow ourselves to imagine where another person has been or consider what road led them from mocked ruins to the place they are today. This issue is filled with many stories about culture, history and diversity, celebrating the best of the world that found its way to Western Pennsylvania. So let’s go get some shoes, or simply take a walk to the ice cream shop in someone else’s.
*Shoes has since won the 2007 People’s Choice Award for best user-generated video and has been viewed over 12 million times. YouTube was co-created by fellow IUP graduate Chad Hurley.
March/April 2008 - 3
TAKE IT ON FAITH Pastor Ron Durika
The Green, Green Grass of Home Last summer my wife and I were blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Ireland and Great Britain. It was the vacation we had long planned for, and the overall experience certainly fulfilled our expectations. We found the people, the culture, and the preserved history of the land to be a delightful experience that will long remain etched upon our minds and hearts. Unfortunately, however, (as with any plan so long awaited) it was not without some minor disappointments. While flying over Ireland, it is easy to see why the land is sometimes referred to as “forty shades of green.” From the air, the topography of Ireland looks like a patch-work quilt made of varying shades of green. It was so beautiful from the air that we were almost sorry to see the approaching runway. After we landed, it was immediately apparent that in Ireland, the airports are not as modern or efficient as ours, but the genuine warmth of the Irish people more than compensated for the cold nature of the airport facilities. There was also a feeling that we were now in a culture that
St. Mary’s in Salisbury, England’s tallest spire. It also boasts the world’s oldest working clock (1386) and one of four original copies of the Magna Carta.
was not so rushed or busy as our own. This calmness and peace that surrounded us helped us to realize that we were in a place of new adventure, yet at the same time 4 - March/April 2008
we could now relax and enjoy each new experience. One of the most interesting places we enjoyed was the ruins of St. Kevin’s, the center of Irish Christianity, near Glendalough, Ireland. This monastery was built in the early sixth century and many of the buildings are still standing today. Visiting there, we
found ourselves talking in hushed tones out of respect for the lives that had once been so dedicated to God. It is hard to explain, but my wife and I could have easily spent a couple of days in the ruins of this village, exploring and learning about their way of life. Throughout our trip, we were amazed with the beauty of the
The Ring of Kerry in Southwestern Ireland.
saw an interesting mixture of how the people at that time were concerned for their faith and also for their safety from hostile neighbors. The monastery was located at the confluence of two streams, a site was selected for its access to fresh water as well as its strategic and easily-defended aspects. The church at St. Kevin’s was made entirely of stone, with walls over two feet thick, in order to support the masonry arched roof. Another dominant building was a tower more than 110 feet high with an unusual characteristic. The door of the tower was twenty feet off of the ground. This structure was mainly used as a watch tower to give early warning of invaders, but it also served another purpose. When the village would be threatened, the people would go into the tower with their most valuable possessions. They would enter the tower by climbing up a ladder, and once inside, they would pull the ladder in with them and wait for the threat to pass. The grounds of St. Kevin’s were marked by large stone crosses and many headstones that recorded the lives of many departed saints. We
country, as well as the history which seemed to be present around every bend in the road. In the larger cities of Ireland and Great Britain, we were not disappointed in the shopping opportunities and the relative safety we enjoyed. Here, in the United States, we have sights that are a few hundred years old. However, in those countries, we found some castles, palaces, and churches that dated back to the time of the Romans. We were impressed by the architecture and developed a real appreciation for the hard work and craftsmanship used to construct these places. While visiting great cathedrals in England, however, I had one of my deepest disappointments. In the entrance of many cathedrals were ticket booths and brass poles with railings, to ensure that those who came to see these beautiful cathedrals were charged with admission. I was told that the primary source of income for these great churches was from the tourists who visited them through the week, rather than from the people who gathered to worship there regularly. It saddened me that these churches, built to glorify
God and to be a place to worship God, now had to rely on tourist trade to remain open. In London, the church where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were later married had, by the grace of God, survived the German bombings during World War II. The church now continues to survive by ticketed admissions and souvenirs. The souvenir shop located in the church’s basement was as large as the church in which I now serve in New Florence. Almost anything one could imagine was sold there, with the church’s name imprinted upon it. Sadly, even liquor shot glasses were for sale, but I do not remember being able to purchase a Bible in their shop. I was not alone in the way I felt about the tourism trade within these churches. I heard others comment on the commercialism of God’s houses of worship. I am sure there are many faithful people who attend these churches and support them as well as they are able. Nevertheless, I am saddened that at one time many people sacrificed to build these churches for God’s glory, but now it is difficult to find the resources to maintain and operate them. I wonder how the people who gave their lives at St. Kevin’s would have felt seeing what it now takes to keep some of today’s churches open. — Edited by Vicki Kubeldis
Ron & Deb Durika at St. Kevin’s in Glendalough, Ireland.
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
The American Way by Jennifer Smoker
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As a young child I was truly blessed to know Grandparents and even a couple great-grandparents who spoke many languages. My world was a rich tapestry of German, Polish, Slovak and Russian all mixed in with a bit of broken English. I tried to absorb it all. I begged to be taught the native tongue only to be told (gently but rather firmly), You are an American! You do things the American Way! The American Way? It’s an old cliché that brings about images of Mom, baseball and apple pie. But what is it about America that makes it so great? Our Declaration of Independence tells us this country was founded on certain “inalienable” rights”, which include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” President Abraham Lincoln ascertained in the Gettysburg Address that “all men are created equal.” These are principles that many of us take for granted. A rather intellectual explanation to a question that is best answered in the heart of the individual. Of course, as a youngster these ideals were far beyond my understanding. I went off to school where I learned my ABC ‘s, 1,2,3’s… and without a shadow of a doubt that Christopher Columbus discovered America. There was no such thing as cultural diversity or debate over who got here first. We did our best to be good citizens. We were patriotic and proud. After all, we were all the same or so I thought. That is, until one afternoon in 7th grade. I waltzed into class (late as usual) only to come face to face with a Vietnamese boy. Startled, I stood there dumb-founded and totally fascinated. Sure, I had seen characters on TV (Arnold from Happy Days) and one of my favorite commercials as a kid was Coke’s “I would like to teach the world to sing!” but I had never actually met anyone of any ethnicity in the flesh. It was the first time I realized that there was a real world outside of my little corner of Unity Township. I found the idea intriguing. In High School, we were all singing “We are the World!” “Hands across America” seemed like a cool thing to do with my friends. Although I couldn’t really identify with the plight of the hungry and
homeless, I embraced the spirit of these humanitarian efforts. Thankful to live in the richest country in the world, I knew I had an obligation as an American to help those less fortunate. It’s who we are and what we do or so I’d been taught. After graduation, I moved to “The Burgh” (Pittsburgh). Talk about culture shock! I found myself surrounded by people of every race, color and creed. Some were like me but they weren’t. In High School, I had access to computers, an indoor swimming pool and tennis courts. I was surprised to find that wasn’t the case for everybody. Others were drastically different, they expressed ideas about this country and its people that I found appalling. I took it all in stride because freedom of expression is also an American privilege. The total city experience caused me to re-examine and re-think everything I had been taught as a child. Somewhere within that process I became an adult with beliefs (a mixture of old and new) of my own. I wouldn’t really take the opportunity to re-evaluate them again until September 11, 2001. It was a day that rocked America to its very core and forever changed the world, as we knew it. The attackers intended to bring us to our knees but they totally underestimated the resilience and resolve of our people. We rallied back with a vengeance, proving our courage and conviction. It brought me back to my roots, reaffirming values and cementing ties with my family and friends in a way that words never could. I have heard the stories about The Great Depression and Pearl Harbor but I lived this. I finally understand and share the love and pride my Grandparents tried to instill in me for this country. I am an American! P.S. That Vietnamese boy I encountered in 7th grade, he grew up and married my best friend. I have been honored to know his family. His Parents speak a different language than my great-grandparents but the broken English has a familiar ring. His Mother, like my Grandmother, is always trying to feed you. The cuisine is different but always delicious because you know the food was prepared with love. Over time, I understood that they came to this country with hopes and dreams of a better life for their children and grandchildren. Just like my folks! It’s the same and different but together we make it work. After all, it’s the American way!
March/April 2008 - 5
The American Red Cross performs a critical role in our Nation and world by providing aid and support to people in times of urgent need. Chartered and authorized by Congress and with the support of more than 700 chapters across the country, the Red Cross helps alleviate suffering brought on by disasters; collects and distributes 40 percent of our Nation’s blood supply; assists our military and their families; and provides international relief. Red Cross Month • During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the American Red Cross to raise funds to support aid to the military and civilians affected by war as mandated by Congress. At that time, the American Red Cross set a goal of $125 million and in less than six weeks donations totaled nearly $146 million. This success caused the Red Cross to repeat the March drive during the remaining years of the war and to make it the occasion for annual membership and fundraising efforts every since. • As the honorary chairman of the Red Cross, in 1943 President Roosevelt was the first president to declare March as Red Cross Month. Each year since 1943, the president of the United States proclaims March as Red Cross Month. • March is Red Cross Month and gives the Red Cross an opportunity to promote its services and celebrate its successes in serving communities across the country. Disaster Relief • Each year, the American Red Cross responds to an estimated 70,000 disasters, including house and apartment fires, hurricanes, and other natural and human-caused disasters. This year during March is Red Cross Month, chapters across the country will designate
6 - March/April 2008
a day to honor our dedicated volunteers; our hometown heroes. On Hometown Heroes Day, we will celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of the many heroes for their role in helping to build a better quality of life. • In 2007, the Red Cross helped handle the largest evacuation in California history during the devastating wildfires, by providing more than 30,000 overnight stays in shelters and more than 360,000 meals. Volunteers and Services to the Armed Forces • Approximately 1.2 million people volunteer for the American Red Cross and volunteers make up 97% of all American Red Cross staff. Visit www.redcross.org for more information on volunteering. • For the next 125 years and beyond, the Red Cross will meet the needs of the public by fostering volunteers who are professional, prepared and committed to the tradition of providing supreme service delivery to our communities. • Red Cross staff members deploy with our Armed Forces to provide emergency communications and a caring presence to service men and women separated from their families. • Almost 40,000 Red Cross volunteers work at more than 100 military sites here and around the world, providing services to 1.4 million active duty personnel and more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard, the Reserves and their families. Preparedness • The American Red Cross makes every effort to save lives before tragedy strikes, by helping individuals and communities learn to prepare for disaster through training. • Nearly 11 million people have enrolled in training courses that range from first aid and CPR, to water safety, and use of automated external defibrillators that can save the life of victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
International Services • The American Red Cross shows the compassion of the American people to victims of disasters and crises worldwide. • In 2007, the Red Cross partnered with international Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and responded to 26 disasters across 32 countries. • The Red Cross is also helping to ensure a healthier future for millions of children and families worldwide by fighting measles, malaria and HIV/AIDS. Blood • The American Red Cross is a bridge between more than 4 million generous blood donors and millions of patients who need life-saving blood. • The Red Cross collects, processes and distributes blood to more than 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers around the country. • The Red Cross delivers a wide range of high quality blood products and blood donor and patient testing services. Chestnut Ridge Chapter would like to thank the following businesses for selling Red Crosses for $1 and putting out donation cans: • PIZZA HUT: 510 Hyde Park Rd., Allegheny Plaza. Leechburg; 2701 Leechburg Rd, Lower Burrell; Route 30, Latrobe • PAPA JOHNS PIZZA: 500 Hyde Park Rd, Allegheny Plaza, Leechburg • KING’S FAMILY RESTAURANT: 315 Hyde Park Rd, Leechburg • During the months of December, January and February Red Crosses were sold at the Dollar Depot located at Hyde Park Plaza, Leechburg. • The Dollar General Stores located in Latrobe, Ligonier, Derry, Lower Burrell and Leechburg. American Red Cross, Chestnut Ridge Chapter 1816 Lincoln Avenue, Latrobe 2895A Leechburg Rd. Lower Burrell www.redcross-crc.org • 1-800-red-cross
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
Time For Tapas! by JB Rossi Before traveling to other countries, I always like to prepare myself ahead of time so that I don’t make a “fool” of myself. I try to memorize a few important phrases in the correct language, familiarize myself with the culture, and maybe even learn about the traditional customs. I pride myself on trying to “fit in” and not “look like a tourist.” However, I found that I was quite unprepared for the latest adventure I had in the fabulous city of Madrid, Spain. To begin with, my language skills were not up to par. Apparently, I had not retained as much of the Spanish which I took a few years ago (okay, maybe it was more like “way back”) in high school as I thought I had. My first clue was when I ordered what I thought would be a plate of hot French fries, but was served a cold cheese sandwich instead. Next I summoned a taxi to take us downtown. The taxi driver dropped us off at a subway terminal with a smile. And when I asked for a good Italian restaurant, I was given directions to the local fish market. It was time to buy the Spanish/English dictionary which I did in short order. And much to my children’s dismay, I consulted it each and every time I spoke again. I broke the number one rule: “Don’t look like a tourist”. The kids would have forgiven my lack of conversational Spanish if I hadn’t continued to try to “fit in”. As we strolled along in a small mall, we came upon an ice cream store. Needing a bit of refreshment, it was of course only 95 degrees on this particular day in July, we decided to indulge. The children each pointed to the flavor they preferred and were instantly presented with their choice on top of a delicious homemade waffle cone. I, of course, wanted something different. I looked around and saw a woman at a nearby table sipping on what looked like a chocolate milkshake. That would hit the spot, I thought. Pulling out my dictionary, I looked up the word for milkshake. Not there. Maybe in Spanish it is two separate words. I looked up milk; leche. Okay, now for shake; tremblar. I looked up and with a proud smile ordered a leche-tremblar. The old Spanish woman looked at me with such a strange expression. Perhaps she was hard of hearing, I thought. I leaned closer to her and raised my voice. Leche-tremblar, por favor! She called her co-worker over and pointed to me. I shouted my order again. Now there were two dumbfounded women staring at me. I looked around for the other woman who had ordered a milkshake, so that I could point it out to the server, but the woman and her delicious-looking shake were long gone. Next I thought about asking my children for some help with ordering (after all, my son has had two years of Spanish in school), but the two of them had retreated to a table on the other side of the store, pretending that they were not with me. I turned back to the two women and gave it my last shot. In as loud of a voice as I could muster, I placed my order again, this time supporting my request with action. I pointed to the milk bottle on the counter and said, “leche.” “Si, senora,” the younger woman said. Finally I was getting somewhere. Then I shook my body up and down as I repeated the word, “tremblar” several times. The two woman looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. I repeated my shaking maneuvers several times. The older woman picked up the bottle of milk, danced up and down with it, and then poured it into a plastic cup. Her smile was so genuine as she handed the cup to me, that I
Every Story Begins At Home.
accepted the milk and said, “muchas gracias.” Was it too late to ask for chocolate? Nothing, however, frustrated me more than not knowing the local customs. The Spanish are serious about their siesta and many stores close between the hours of two and four in the afternoon. So instead of shopping in the mall, the children and I spent the afternoon bowling. The Spanish people are also great bowlers by the way. When I turned in my score card, the attendant looked at my low score and asked me if I had bowled all TEN frames! What a sense of humor they have, too! And speaking of ten, that’s the time the Spaniards eat their evening meal! As a matter of fact, the restaurants don’t even open until nine in the evening with their early bird specials. So what do they do between the time they leave work until the time they eat dinner? They hang out at the local “tapas” bar. “Tapas” are small courses of appetizers which are served in bars and taverns throughout the Spanish and Latino regions. Spaniards are known for their social tendencies and groups of eight to ten people often congregate at the local tavern to converse with friends, catch up on the daily news, and pass the time until dinner. The word “tapa” means “covered” or ‘top” in Spanish. (I looked it up in my handy dictionary!) There are several different legends about how the tapas tradition began. One legend explains that long ago it was the habit of the tavern owners to “cover” the top of a drink with a piece of flat bread or card to keep the fruit flies out of the drink. Soon they began to top this “cover” with a small snack. Other experts believe that around the 16th century, when tavern owners realized that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could mask the odor of cheap wine, they started “covering” the mugs with free cheese, thus beginning the tapas tradition. The more traditional explanation tells of the legend when King Alfonso XII visited a famous “venta” or inn in the city of Cadiz. There he ordered a glass of sherry. To protect it from the beach sand, for Cadiz is a very windy city, the astute waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham. After drinking the first glass, the King ordered another “with the same cover” thus creating the tradition. Word soon spread and when tavern owners realized that the salt in the ham boosted beverage sales, tapas began to be offered everywhere. Today each region has created its own unique variety. An entire cuisine has grown out of the tapas tradition. A tapas course can include quite a variety of different preparations. Some may be “cold” such as mixed olives and a sampling of several cheeses. Other tapas are served “warm” such as puntillitas (battered and fried baby squid) and sardines or mackerel in olive oil, or “semi-raw” such as seviche (raw fish marinated in a citric acid blend). I was first introduced to “seviche” (pronounced seh-vee-che) several months before while in South Beach, Florida where the predominant cuisine is a blend of Spanish, South American, and Latino flavors. A dear friend of mine grew up in Puerto Rico and loves this dish. Seviche, sometimes referred to as “Latino sushi”, consists of raw fish or seafood that is marinated in citrus juice and a variety of spices. The acid in the juice literally “cooks” the fish, turning it opaque and firm, thus creating a light,
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March/April 2008 - 7
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8 - March/April 2008
EARTH TALK Questions and Answers About Our Environment
Are the rumors true that refilling and reusing some types of plastic bottles can cause health problems? Most types of plastic bottles are safe to reuse at least a few times if properly washed with hot soapy water. But recent revelations about chemicals in Lexan (plastic #7) bottles are enough to scare even the most committed environmentalists from reusing them (or buying them in the first place). Studies have indicated that food and drinks stored in such containers—including those ubiquitous clear Nalgene water bottles hanging from just about every hiker’s backpack—can contain trace amount of Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that interferes with the body’s natural hormonal messaging system. The same studies found that repeated reuse of such bottles—which get dinged up through normal wear and tear and while being washed—increases the chance that chemicals will leak out of the tiny cracks and crevices that develop over time. According to the Environment California Research & Policy Center, which reviewed 130 studies on the topic, BPA has been linked to breast and uterine cancer, an increased risk of miscarriage, and decreased testosterone levels. BPA can also wreak havoc on children’s developing systems. (Parents beware: Most baby bottles and sippy cups are made with plastics containing BPA.) Most experts agree that the amount of BPA that could leach into food and drinks through normal handling is probably very small, but there are concerns about the cumulative effect of small doses. Health advocates also recommend not reusing bottles made from plastic #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET or PETE), including most disposable water, soda and juice bottles. According to The Green Guide, such bottles may be safe for one-time use, but reuse should be avoided because studies indicate they may leach DEHP— another probable human carcinogen—when they are in less than perfect condition. The good news is that such bottles are easy to recycle; just about every municipal recycling system will take them back. But using them is nonetheless far from environmentally responsible: The nonprofit Berkeley Ecology Center found that the manufacture of plastic #1 uses large amounts of energy and resources and generates toxic emissions and pollutants that contribute to global warming. And even though PET bottles can be recycled, millions find their way into landfills every day in the U.S. alone. Another bad choice for water bottles, reusable or otherwise, is plastic #3 (polyvinyl chloride/PVC), which can leach hormone-
disrupting chemicals into the liquids they are storing and will release synthetic carcinogens into the environment when incinerated. Plastic #6 (polystyrene/PS), has been shown to leach styrene, a probable human carcinogen, into food and drinks as well. Safer choices include bottles crafted from safer HDPE (plastic #2), low-density polyethylene (LDPE, AKA plastic #4) or polypropylene (PP, or plastic #5). Consumers may have a hard time finding water bottles made out of #4 or #5, however. Aluminum bottles, such as those made by SIGG and sold in many natural food and product markets, and stainless steel water bottles are also safe choices and can be reused repeatedly and eventually recycled.
Courtesy of Getty Images CONTACTS: The Green Guide, www.thegreenguide.com; Environment California, www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/ environmental-health/environmental-health-reports/ toxic-baby-bottles; SIGG, www.mysigg.com. GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or email: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
Fur, Feathers and Fossils: The Art of Mark Klingler Art Exhibit on Display at the Newly–Renovated Powdermill Nature Reserve – Now until June 28
Now on exhibit at Powdermill Nature Reserve’s newly renovated visitors center is the exhibit Fur, Feathers and Fossils: The Art of Mark Klingler, a solo exhibit by Mark A. Klingler, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s award–winning scientific illustrator. This exhibit, on display at the visitor center’s special exhibits gallery, displays many of Klingler’s illustrations of prehistoric animals as well as explaining the process of creating illustrations of fleshed–out animals based on fossil remains. Fur, Feathers and Fossils was exhibited at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 2006. The show was originally produced at the invitation of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), who asked Klingler to display his work at their headquarters in Washington D.C. As a scientific illustrator, Klingler creates reconstructions of creatures that no longer exist. In order to do this, he relies on clues based on fossil skeletons and fragments as well as from the modern relatives and plants living today. To realistically and accurately portray fossil creatures and their environments, Klingler researches living mammals and primates by taking photos at zoos, watching documentaries, and working with scientists. He also studies specimens, fossils of various species, and mounts or skeletons of modern relatives. His illustrations are used in scientific publications, exhibits, lectures, publications, and press releases. About Mark A. Klingler Klingler received his B.F.A in Graphic Design from Carnegie Mellon University and his Post Baccalaureate in Painting and Sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work has been published in National Geographic, Discover, Nature, Science, Journal of Human Evolution, the Johns Hopkins University Press, University of California Press - Berkeley, and Web sites such as CNN.com, BBC.com, and Reuters.com. Venues for Klingler’s shows, lectures, and workshops include Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Mellon University, National Audubon Society, New York State Museum, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science. An instructor at Pittsburgh’s Oakbridge Academy of
Every Story Begins At Home.
Arts and an active member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) and Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators (PSI), Mark has presented workshops and shows on wildlife illustration at both the local and national level. He is also an instructor for the Botanical Illustration certificate program offered through Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. About Powdermill Nature Reserve Located in Rector, Westmoreland County, Powdermill was established in 1956 and is Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s research station and nature education center. The visitor center at Powdermill recently underwent a $5 million dollar renovation and expansion project. The new visitor center was expanded from 3,200 square feet to 13,200 square feet and includes much–needed amenities as a second multi–purpose classroom, a permanent exhibit hall, special exhibits gallery, improved administrative areas, butterfly and herb gardens, an outdoor classroom/courtyard, and indoor restrooms. Powdermill’s expansion includes a host of cutting–edge eco–technologies such as fuel efficient heating and cooling, regionally extracted and recycled construction materials, an indoor living stream, and Western Pennsylvania’s first Marsh Machine. The Marsh Machine is an ecological wastewater treatment system that uses plants to purify and recycle wastewater. The wastewater will be used in the Living Stream Exhibit, which is an indoor re–creation of the ecosystem of Powdermill Run complete with living plants and animals. In addition to the nature center, Powdermill is home to the Powdermill Avian Research Center (PARC), now known nationally for the most extensive avian database in the country. The Reserve is also used as a teaching site for many university-based classes in field biology, a location for graduate and undergraduate biological research, and as a site where scientists from throughout the region and around the world conduct field research in ornithology, herpetology, botany, mammalogy, invertebrate zoology, and other natural sciences.
The Laurel Partnership on Aging is an organization aimed at addressing specific issues of aging in the Greater Latrobe, Derry and Ligonier communities. The partnership was created in 1993 following a Conference on Aging held at Saint Vincent College. The event, attended by a broad cross-section of local business and civic leaders, inspired its participants to create a partnership that would strive to address issues of aging and its effect on our communities, now and into the next century. As part of its mission, the Laurel Area Partnership on Aging intends to develop ideas for solving existing problems for seniors while coordinating support services that already exist. To more efficiently achieve its many and varied goals, the partnership has created a steering committee to direct general operations. As the trend continues toward a growing senior population, the Laurel Area Partnership on Aging will continue to serve as a concerned guardian for seniors in the district. Spinoffs of LAPA haveincluded: • Senior Computer Associates development of computer instruction for seniors and provision of rehabbed computers for those who can’t afford them. • Faith in Action followed another investigation of senior needs and has spread to other communities, under the leadership of Jane Kerr. • Our housing committee has worked with many people and transformed Lloyd avenue and resulted in National Churches building the Laurel Highland Highrise for seniors. • We have enjoyed support from the Area Agency on Aging who have helped in identifying problems impacting seniors. • The Senior Center has benefited from our efforts with an elevator making the second floor handicapped accessible, a new roof, and several generations of computers being provided. • The PATH program at Latrobe Excela Health provides another program( s) to assist in assisting seniors in specific health problems. We continue to look for ways to assist seniors with their problems and welcome input from those who can alert us to their concerns. You are welcome to attend our monthly meeting the second Wednesday of each month at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Latrobe, at 8:00AM. For more information, please call 724-834-3278 or send an email to: johnparker330@comcast.net
March/April 2008 - 9
“TAPAS” continued from page 7
flavorful appetizer. By using different types of fresh fish and a variety of different juices and other ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, and peppers in the marinade, seviche can go from a mild but tasty preparation to a snappy tart lime flavor. The possibilities are endless. From my experiences with tapas in both Spain and South Beach, I fell in love with the idea of spending hours socializing with friends and sharing a variety of small appetizers. I was eager to continue this tradition, so I headed to (where else?) the bookstore.I was surprised to find a wide variety of books dedicated to this tradition and filled with easy recipes to create a variety of tapas. And in today’s global markets, the ingredints are not hard to find. Some of my favorite tapas include the special cheeses such as Cabrales, a crumbly, very pungent Spanish blue cheese, Queso Fresco, which translates to “fresh cheese” and is similar to Italian mozzarella, and Manchego, the best known Spanish goat cheese that comes from La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote. I also enjoy the Spanish dry-cured Serrano ham which is cut into very thin slices and is similar to Prosciutto but is not quite as salty. Add a selection of olives and plantains, and you are well on your way to a tapas feast. I also found that a “granita” was very refreshing during the tapas time. A granita is lightly sweetened ice that is intensely flavored. It is prepared from fruit juices and has a coarser, more crystalline texture than the smooth sorbet. The granita is definitely lighter than the milkshake and is easier to order also! So the next time you want to catch up on the local news, socialize with some friends, and enjoy a wonderful pre-dinner feast, do like the Spanish do, pass the time with tapas! And if you want to order a milkshake in Spain, try using the word “leche batida”. Hopefully, you’ll have more success than I did screaming the word “leche-tremblar” and shaking my body up and down.
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Platinum Anniversary Ponderings: Episode 2 My 20 Years with The Young and the Restless by Barbara M. Neill If you didn’t catch Episode 1, discussed and dissected were creators, writers, storylines & plots.* Addressed and analyzed in Episode 2 and 3 will be characters, wardrobe, makeup & hair, sets & props, and several sundry concerns. Allow me my pun-intended titles & subtitles, as I have led several other lives.** Some time ago this daytime drama began showing clips during commercial breaks that have been christened “Y&R riveting moments.” Well, they’ve got their moments and I have mine – one in particular. Over the Christmas holiday of 1997 my husband and I went to the local multiplex to view that cinematic disaster Titanic. When the actor portraying John Jacob Astor IV appeared onscreen, fully three-fourths of the audience (myself included) gasped and cried out, “VICTOR!” After almost a decade of viewing, I finally realized that Y&R is one big mass phenomenon. I’m an Extraordinary Man ‘Cause I am a Rich Man – The Y&R burgh is peopled with morally elastic magnates and the hierarchy is firmly established. • Victor Newman (Birth name: Christian Miller) aka The Mustache, The Black Knight, Tall, Dark & Gruesome – Absolutely everyone has an opinion about Victor. My manicurist, Julie, thinks he is arrogant and obnoxious; my 83 year-old friend, Charlotte, says, “He’s full of himself.” I’ve had strangers on planes tell me their thoughts on the guy. Personally, I find him a puzzling patriarch – the strangest mixture of the sinister and the sentimental. In the course of my Y&R research I found out all sorts of enlightening tidbits. For instance, the reason Christian changed his surname to Newman, was because he wanted to become a “new man.” (I suppose he chose Victor as his “christian” name since he feels that he and Winston Churchill are kindred souls. Nothing like choosing the obvious to make your point.) Mr. Newman loves to play God and he’s got people. Who else can you turn to when you need a private jet, a fabulous impromptu party, 35 million dollars to invest, a commuted jail sentence, a one-of-a-kind gemstone, all copies of a magazine with a compromising photo spread purchased, the most qualified specialist on the planet for any affliction imaginable obtained or rescued from a methane-laced disaster site? I must say that Victor has improved with age, as men so often do. Filling these rather large shoes since 1980 is Eric Braeden, the only actor to have ever played the role. • Jack Abbott (Birth name: John Abbott, Jr.) aka Jackie, Smilin’ Jack, Jacko – Whatever his name of the day, you gotta like him. Peter Bergman (a ringer for a younger brother of Richard Chamberlain) has created the character since 1989 after the departure of (the now-deceased) Terry Lester. As Victor’s nemesis, he has shown great versatility and won numerous awards for his efforts. Although
the ambitious Jack sends mixed signals with his anti-social antics, the Teflon tycoon usually redeems himself in the end. • Brad Carlton (Birth name: George Kaplan) aka Golden Boy, Bradski – It has been revealed that Brad is a Jew who as a youth stole the identity of a non-Jewish deceased friend. Played by Don Diamont (originally Fienberg), Brad should have some major identity issues. He has been everything from a hunky pool boygardener to a savvy corporate ladder-climber. In addition, the writers can’t seem to decide if he is a saint or a schmuck. (Incidentally, Brad always marries up; hence, the big bucks.) • John Abbott, Sr. – John is gone, but hardly forgotten, since his well-groomed ghost keeps showing up. An exceptionally upstanding citizen and a man of integrity in life, even this grand older man died serving a prison sentence for killing one of his last wife’s former husbands while defending her honor and his family. You’re a Good Man In The Town – GC is home to several fellows who dealt with their demons early or cleaned up their adult acts before all hope was lost. • Paul Williams – Resident gumshoe Paul would seem almost too good to be true except for the fact that he has a poor record in the parenting department. Just ask Heather, the Assistant DA, or little Ricky out in CA. This fatherly failing is nothing a little onscreen bonding can’t fix. • Neil Winters – Neil is the GC Good Guy who is forever getting passed over or undercut. As Newman right hand man, he gets promoted and demoted with ping-ponging regularity. It’s just a matter of daytime until Big Vic installs Young Vic as an exec. (You do the soap math.) In spite of the many slights Neil is very loyal to family, friends and work associates alike. • Michael Baldwin & Kevin Fisher – Now that they’ve been semi-converted to the ways of the establishment, this crack lawyer and the computer genius in the coffeehouse are the best brother act since The Smothers Brothers. I was very pleased when Glo’s boys both won a Daytime Emmy in 2005. It’s the Hard-Bod Life – Examples of present day Soap Studs would be Nick, J.T. (Jeffrey Todd) and Cane. Past members of this exclusive club that needs no explanation would include Jed, Tony, Diego, and Bobby. (And is Bobby dead? Brittany only received word that he was the victim of a hit and run driver. I’d need more proof, if he was my husband. Remember “The No Body/No Death Syndrome” that was explained in Episode 1.) To be continued in the May-June issue of the Laurel Mountain Post. OR you can read the complete story online NOW at www.LaurelMountainPost.com! LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
Animal Expert Jack Hanna Makes Surprise Appearance at The Kiski School
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Every Story Begins At Home.
The excitement was mounting as The Kiski School on February 13 as students were seated in the auditorium waiting for the famous guest speaker who was being introduced by The Kiski School’s Headmaster, Christopher A. Brueningsen. The students were only told that there was going to be an assembly. When Jack Hanna took the stage, the kids were amazed. Words like cool, awesome, fantastic and remarkable where whispered among the audience. Hanna graduated from The Kiski School in 1965 and went on to Muskingum College and shortly thereafter became Director of the Columbus Zoo– one of the most heavily attended zoos in America. His television show, Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures is a nationally syndicated program that reaches 96 percent of television households in the United States and 62 countries. He is a regular guest on Good Morning America, The Late Show with David Letterman, Larry King Live, FOX News and the Ellen Degeneres Show. He is also Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a former trustee of The Kiski School. Hanna began by telling the students how important his Kiski School experience was to him and that the dedication from the headmaster and faculty is phenomenal. Hanna said, “Not only do they teach you about academics, but instill values on what it takes to be bright and caring young men, globally. When Hanna arrived at Kiski this past week, he had the opportunity to take a walk around Kiski’s 350-acre campus alone to recall every single memory. Hanna tries to make it back to Kiski every five years or so, but assured faculty, administration, students and student’s parents who were in attendance, that he would love to come back even more often. He told the students that he was on the swimming and football teams and always worked very hard at his studies. He was born and raised on a farm in Tennessee and had always had a love for
animals. Hanna knew at the age of 16, that he wanted to be a zookeeper and travel the world. He encouraged the boys to work very hard and never waiver from their dreams. Hanna said, “When I retire, I would love to move back to Kiski and teach.” This statement was met by an audience roar and an enthusiastic applause. The live show continued with Hanna’s handlers, one being his daughter Julie, showing some his favorite and rare animals such as the Palm Civett, nocturnal omnivores who are expert climbers and spend most of their lives in trees, an African or blackfooted penguin which is a warm climate penguin, a Dingo which there are approximately 320 pure bred dingoes left in the world, a Hyacinth Macaw the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species in the world, and a clouded leopard, which is outwardly recognizable by its distinctive coat patterning each dark brown/black around the edge and lighter in the middle and it is this ‘cloud’ pattern that give the cat its name and a Bengal cat, a beautiful cat that was owned by people of honor in Egypt. Hanna also showed a video on his family’s work in Rwanda, Africa. Hanna explained that his trip to visit the mountain gorillas was the experience of a lifetime. He said we are all used to seeing lowland gorillas in zoos all over the world, but the only place you can see the mountain gorilla is in its natural habitat in either Rwanda or parts of Uganda. He and his wife and daughters sat within 10 feet of a family of mountain gorillas. Hanna is dedicating his life to helping turnaround Rwanda by helping his friend and Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame. He has a house in Rwanda and sponsors orphanages and has even helped increase Rwanda tourism. The show concluded with a video of Hanna’s television bloopers, and questions from the audience. Hanna stayed after to talk to the students and sign autographs.
Left to Right: Actor David Conrad, Jack Hanna, and Headmaster of The Kiski School, Christopher A. Brueningsen.
March/April 2008 - 11
REPARTEE FOR TWO Barbara M. Neill
Ivory Dominoes Martha Frick Symington Sanger: Frick Family Chronicler The domino effect – an inevitable succession of related and usually undesirable events, each caused by the preceding one; a falling row of dominoes standing on end. Little did young Helen Frick realize as she played with her Tiffany & Co. dominoes at Clayton (the Frick’s East End Pittsburgh home) that her family’s experiences would come to define the very phrase. Henry Clay Frick was a man of small stature who accomplished great things. The specifics of his rise from humble beginnings to coke and steel industry titan are welldocumented. However, it is difficult not to speculate on the “what ifs” when assessing the life and legacy of the cunningly calculating and creatively clever Frick family patriarch. What if Clay, as he was known to his family, had not been sickly as a child? What if he had never been drawn to art? What if Frick and Carnegie had never become partners? What if Frick had handled the 1892 Homestead strike differently? What if daughter Martha had not swallowed a pin at age 2 and died days shy of her 6th birthday? What if Adelaide, his wife, had not succumbed to never-ending depression after the death of a second child (Henry Clay Frick, Jr.) and the murder attempt on her husband? What if Frick had not become mired in pathological grief and survivor’s guilt that lasted until his dying day in 1919? What if he had not disparaged son Childs during his lifetime and slighted him after death in his will? What if youngest daughter Helen had not remained unmarried and childless? The consequences of these occurrences are being felt by Frick descendants and many others into the present century. What is apparent is that had the family history not played out as it did, Martha Frick Symington Sanger, a great-granddaughter of Henry Clay Frick and great-niece of Helen Clay Frick, may never have been prompted to write her trio of books: Henry Clay Frick: An Intimate Portrait (Abbeville Press, 1998); The Henry Clay Frick Houses: Architecture, Interiors, Landscapes in the Golden Era (Monacelli, 2001);
12 - March/April 2008
and most recently Helen Clay Frick: Bittersweet Heiress (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2008). It is widely believed that each of us is a product of our genetic endowment and our environment. If such is the case, the life of Helen Clay Frick was destined to be idiosyncratic from womb to grave. She was definitely her father’s
daughter, inheriting the best and the worst of his extremist qualities. Although her existence was privileged, it was fraught with confusion, control and conflict. In Bittersweet Heiress Martha Sanger has presented her great-aunt in a comprehensive biography that has shed fresh light on and raised many new questions about an enigmatic and controversial American woman and the family of Henry Clay Frick. ****** LMP: Born a quarter of a century after his death, you never knew your great-grandfather. However, you have gained great insight into his character through extensive research and a lifetime steeped in family lore. From your unique perspective would you say he: A) suffered from a Napoleon complex; B) was a consummate micromanager; C) was simply a product of his times; or D) all of the above? MS: Oh, Barbara, I think probably all of the above.
LMP: Since Frick was a demanding man whose needs could never be met, Helen was guaranteed a lifetime of filial servitude. She was forever caught between “pleasing Daddy” and trying to please herself. Who do you think was ultimately the more satisfied of the two? MS: Neither was satisfied. When someone is as needy as Frick was, no other person can fix that neediness. There is a real hole in the soul. People will fill it up with art, sex, cars, drugs, alcohol, food – whatever. It’s a kind of spiritual emptiness; a wound that really can only be healed by the individual. You can’t fill that void for somebody else. In looking to his daughter to fulfill his needs, he was disappointed. Helen, on the other hand, was charged with satisfying his neediness and making him feel good about himself. There was no end to that. No matter what she did, how much she did, or how hard she tried that couldn’t be accomplished. LMP: Do you think it unfortunate that Helen and her brother (your grandfather), Childs, could not reconcile their differences – many of them triggered by their father’s actions? MS: Oh, I think it desperately sad. It has had consequences all the way through to my generation, and I hope not into my children’s. The tragedy of their relationship was that it was based on betrayals. In a family when there is betrayal (whether it’s emotional, psychological, financial, or spiritual) the betrayal wrecks the relationship. Once betrayed, bridge building requires tremendous honesty and requires help from a very qualified professional. Therapy was frowned upon in those days and wasn’t as readily available as it is today, but it would have helped the brother and sister to deal with their wounds and get beyond them. Childs never understood that this was a betrayal and abuse of power by the father. He felt that his sister, who was younger and unmarried, had hijacked their father and his money and his love and everything else. LMP: I am curious as to why eminent society portraitist John Singer
Sargent, a contemporary of Frick and favorite of their mutual friend the art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner, was not commissioned to paint Frick family portraits. MS: Frick’s art dealer, Roland Knoedler, was promoting the French artist Theobald Chartran. Chartran, a lovely, cultured man, was part of the nucleus of Frick’s circle and became a very close personal friend. Although it sounds peculiar to say that Frick was modest, there was a certain modesty that was based in his Mennonite origins. While he did everything very beautifully and tastefully, you have to remember that his home in Pittsburgh, Clayton, was smaller than any of the other mansions of the big powerbrokers. The Frick Collection in New York was originally just a sliver of a townhouse on Fifth Avenue. He never owned more than a hundred paintings at a time. He’d get rid of artworks and then buy something new. He owned the very best, but really wasn’t ostentatious. To have flaunted grand portraits of the family by Sargent would not have been what Frick was after. In my view he was looking for an insider such as Chartran to paint the representations of his family, not an outsider as Sargent would have been. LMP: Knowing how intensely Helen disliked her portrait by Theobald Chartran, why was it chosen for the cover of Bittersweet Heiress? MS: That’s an excellent question. She didn’t like the portrait, because it made her look too much like the Gibson girl. That wasn’t the way she saw herself and it wasn’t the way she wanted herself to be seen. Therefore, she gave the portrait to my Mom. For as far back as I can remember we lived with that portrait. Alex Castro, who designed the book, chose the portrait after viewing various archival choices I had shown him and was absolutely right to use it. He has used the detail of the painting and angled her eyes to look right at you with that wonderfully quizzical, bemused expression that she had. LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
LMP: I was very appreciative of the pertinent quotes that you provided at the beginning of each Bittersweet Heiress chapter. Have you been collecting them all your life, or did you research them specifically for this book?
Peggy Guggenheim and Doris Duke. Some of these women fared better than others dealing with great inherited wealth. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being high) how would you rate the Bittersweet Heiress – Helen Clay Frick?
MS: My development editor, Susan Leon, was very instrumental with the quotes. She and I agreed that to make the book special and different from a lot of other biographies of women, we should pull quotes for each chapter. I found two or three and she found the balance.
MS: It depends on what lens you look through. As far as money goes, she’s pretty close to a 10. Most of Helen’s money during her lifetime went to the public good. Upon her death all of her assets were put into her foundation. Of Frick’s fortune five-sixths benefited the public and since he left Helen the lion’s share of the remaining onesixth, you could almost say that his entire fortune ultimately benefited the public. If you consider historic preservation, she’s way up there again. Even though critics like to smack at her for immortalizing her father, she was enough of an historian and scholar to know that her father was an important figure in the industrial revolution. By preserving the birthplace, his house, the archives, and by creating the Frick Art Reference Libraries, she preserved his historic legacy. She knew if someone didn’t, it would be lost. Today we would know a great deal less about Henry Clay Frick and his role in the shaping of America had Helen not done what she did. So many of the other industrialist daughters had bad marriages and numerous divorces, took multiple lovers, and were haunted by drugs and alcohol. She didn’t succumb to those things; she kept her name out of society pages and gossip columns. I really do give her full marks.
LMP: At the age of 14 Helen took you and each of your cousins in turn to Europe. What sort of traveling companion was your “Grauntie?” MS: Oh, she was marvelous, she was just marvelous. She had a very lovely sense of humor; she was cozy and fun. Her mission was to expose us to art and to Europe, while letting us have our own experience. Many people as knowledgeable as she was will layer a child with all sorts of information and just stuff them with facts. She didn’t do that. She would provide you with enough information to give you a good idea of what you would be seeing, and then let you come to your own conclusions. She would revel in your joy and your insights. Although she had undeniable warmth, at the same time she could be distant. For
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LMP: With so much of the family history related to the name “Martha,” has your given name been the bane or boon of your existence?
Helen in Red Cross uniform on the trans-Atlantic crossing to France where she served in World War I. (Credit: Frick Art Reference Library/Frick Collection Archives)
instance, I had no idea she was thinking of purchasing the Lochoff frescoes for the University of Pittsburgh when we went abroad. LMP: The industrialist father/ daughter heiress generation included the likes of Barbara Hutton, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Electra Havemeyer Webb, Every Story Begins At Home.
MS: It’s been both. My Mom was born in 1917 and she was the third girl in her family. Her mother (Child’s wife, Frances Dixon Frick) had wanted to have a son to name after Henry Clay Frick. At that point the only thing that my grandmother could do to endear herself to Frick was to name my mother Martha after the little daughter that he’d lost and was still mourning. When I was born, I, too, was the third daughter. (My Mom had very much wanted a son, but he didn’t come until the next baby.) She named me Martha. Later in her life when I was old enough to understand certain things, she would often point to all the “Martha” portraits in the dining room and say, “You’re cursed like all the “Marthas” in this family.” She would also say I was a spare child – an extra. I realize now that because of all this, I ran from my Frick heritage and became involved with other pursuits. I spent my life doing charity work. Also, I was very involved with steeplechase horses and served as a steward for the National Steeplechase
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Call for Photographers The Pittsburgh Signs Project invites photographers from the 14 counties of southwestern Pennsylvania to submit up to five images for possible inclusion in Pittsburgh Signs: 250, a full-color book showcasing the unique culture of the region through images of signs, past and present. Submission deadline is March 31. For full guidelines, please email 250signs@gmail.com. Pittsburgh Signs: 250 is being made possible, in part, by the generous support of Community Connections Pittsburgh 250. View some of the signs in their growing collection online or get more information at: http://www.pittsburghsigns.org 14 - March/April 2008
Today’s Victory Garden The term “Victory Garden” came about during the early 1940s to describe small vegetable fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences in response to the growing pressure on the public food supply as a result of World War II. While soldiers fought the war abroad, home gardeners found empowerment through their backyard contributions, which made up over 40% of all produce consumed in the nation at the time. Public campaigns encouraged people to “sow the seeds of victory” by growing their own fruits and vegetables in order to help lower national food costs, diverting more funds to the military. However, there is a lot more to the concept of a “victory garden” than simply patriotism or nationalist propoganda. Self-sufficiency is an endangered concept in our modern generation. Basic farming and gardening skills are becoming extinct in a world of supercenter grocery chains and corner convenience stores. The global market has facilitated an on-demand, full-menu mentality, especially among Americans. We have grown accustomed to eating bananas every day . . . regardless of season or geography. The result is a stress on our environment and natural resources caused by the energy wasted in constant long-distance transport of fruits, vegetables and other food products . . . all at the expense of freshness and quality as well. How many times have you purchased a pint of grape tomatoes at a cheap price in the middle of winter, only to toss them into the garbage because they didn’t taste very good or started to rot in a day or two? What was the price of that off-season convenience, not just personally, but environmentally? Nothing tastes quite as wonderful as a ripe tomato plucked from the summer vine growing in a pot on your patio. And you have the power to preserve that flavor and convenience yourself through the lost arts of canning and freezing. With food, a little expense and time now saves even more money later with less waste. As the PBS program of the same name has been teaching for over 30 years, home gardening doesn’t require extensive knowledge of acres of farmland. Vegetables can be grown in small containers or backyard plots. Insects and other pests can be controlled by planting marigolds and other flow-
ers nearby. There are also wonderful resources available to answer questions and provide guidance. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is a nonprofit organization working to improve the economic prosperity, environmental soundness and social propriety of Pennsylvania food and agricultural systems. They work with farmers who grow our food, consumers who eat the food, and those concerned with the ecological wellbeing of our environment and natural resources, among many other interest groups. PASA is the only statewide, member-based, sustainable farming organization in Pennsylvania and the Northeast, and is one of the largest in the nation. The Association seeks to address the sustainability of the entire food and agriculture industry, and places great value on efforts to build bridges between various and disparate participants in the food system. PASA creates networks and markets to strengthen the ties between concerned consumers and family farmers. PASA is building statewide channels that link farmers with farmers, farmers with consumers, and consumers with markets. As our organization has grown, they’ve had some real successes with a variety of educational programs – both on and off the farm – that are shaping new partnerships that enhance the lives and livelihoods of producers and consumers. PASA is a network of people who care – we all have a role in assuring the health and longevity of our regional farms and food supply. PASA is the catalyst that brings together those dedicated to advancing sustainable food and farming systems. PASA is a dynamic new model for partnerships between traditional agricultural and our everchanging society and has worked to forge positive and needed changes in the way food is grown, harvested, distributed, and marketed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you are unable to participate in growing some of your own food, please consider buying locally. A directory of local food growers and vendors can be found at www.buylocalpa.org. The benefits are great for everyone! For more information please call PASA at 814-349-9856 in Milheim, PA or visit www.pasafarming.org.
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
“DOMINOES” continued from page 13
and Hunt Association. At some point I decided to deal with the demons. In doing the research to cleanse myself and understand what was going on, the whole family story came out of the dark into the light – where it loses its power. The insight I acquired resolved generations of baggage that I had carried. When I began to heal, the books were born and, hopefully, they have offered something unique to the public. The curse that was laid on me actually became my blessing. LMP: Do you collect art symbolically as your great-grandfather and great-aunt did?
plans for a future family biography or even an autobiography? MS: Yes, two things. On my father’s side of the family my uncle, T. Edward Hambleton, commissioned me to write a history of the Hambleton family in Maryland. I have finished my research on thirteen generations of the family, which includes pioneering members in a number of different fields. Someday I would like to rework a previously-written memoir, because so much has happened in my life since it was composed. ******
Preparing for this interview I was constantly reminded of one of the loveliest children’s MS: I believe you bring to yourself what is books I have ever read – Miss Rumphius familiar. I happen to love the English (written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, Staffordshire that was made around the 1850s Viking Press, 1982). The main character, and I especially like the Alice Rumphius, is the greatdonkeys, horses and so forth. aunt of the book’s narrator. I am also fond of British The subject of Bittersweet watercolors and have begun Heiress, Helen Frick, was the a small collection of those. I great-aunt of her biographer. notice that they are generally The parallels in the life of the rural themes of some sort. I fictional Victorian girl who have a very few things that grew to adulthood in 20th came down through the century America and the life family, such as lovely lamps of the Frick heiress are and a camelback sofa. My startling. Both girls lived by taste seems to be more 19th the sea in their youth (Helen century rather than conduring her summers on temporary; I like balance Boston’s North Shore). Alice and proportion. I think I am became a librarian, as did definitely marked by my Helen as director of her Frick heritage that way. Art Reference Libraries. Neither young woman Martha Frick Symington Sanger LMP: Helen was interested married nor had children, (Credit: Cappy Jackson Photos) in the preservation of things but they enjoyed the company historical from a young age. In 1922 she of children immensely. Each woman purchased and in 1928 she opened her traveled the world seeing the wonders they Overholt ancestors’ homestead in Scottdale, had read about and learned much from them. PA as an Historical House. As the only intact Miss Rumphius and Miss Frick were pre-Civil War Mennonite village in America considered eccentric by many and lived to a today, would you comment upon West Overton ripe old age. Alice Rumphius eventually Village, the Henry Clay Frick Birthplace? accomplished what her grandfather had encouraged her to do long ago – she made the MS: For Helen this was to be a teaching world more beautiful**. As an art collector, art enterprise. Her intent by founding the historian and prodigious philanthropist Helen Westmoreland-Fayette Historical Society Frick followed her father’s wishes and her own (which originally operated and maintained heart. Employing her considerable intelliThe Historical House) was to educate the gence, organizational expertise, steadfast community about the history of Pennsyldetermination and boundless energy, she vania, since many of the families were indeed made the world more beautiful. immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Helen Clay Frick was not the self she might At the time the value of Americana was just have been. Her sex, her era, her heritage and being recognized. her upbringing precluded self-fulfillment as we Now, as the Henry Clay Frick Birthplace, I think of it today. Nevertheless, she played the truly do think it is a very unique and special ivory dominoes she was given as best she could. place. I suppose that because I am a country Martha Frick Symington Sanger has told her girl, it’s almost my favorite among the Frick story well and revealed the winning player her sites. I love the setting – the countryside, the “Grauntie” truly was. hills, the beautiful barns. When PBS did the *as defined by Encarta Dictionary; as defined by documentary The Richest Man in the World based Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on the life of Andrew Carnegie, I took the producer, Austin Hoyt of WGBH in Boston, **I won’t spoil the story of Miss Rumphius. Purchase and his people out there so they could better or borrow a copy to see how Alice made the world understand where Frick came from and the more beautiful. Everyone needs a Miss Rumphius in their life. I’ve had three in mine and Martha bridge between the agrarian and industrial Sanger has had at least one in hers. societies. LMP: To date you have written about the princess, the pop and their palaces. Any
Every Story Begins At Home.
Cover Art: Theobold Chartran, Portrait of Helen Clay Frick, 1905, detail. Oil on canvas, 71 ½ x 39 in., © the Collection of the Frick Art & Historical Center. Jacket Design: Alex Castro, Castro/Arts, Baltimore.
The Encyclopedia of Religion and the Encyclopedia Britannica thinks that the timing of April Fool’s Day is directly related to the arrival of Spring, when nature ‘fools’ humans with erratic weather.
Heather & Bob Kuban Owners
March/April 2008 - 15
Indiana County
EXPERIENCE OUR OUTDOOR RECREATION! Jimmy Stewart Festival Llama hikes State and county parks Hiking and biking trails Dane Castle Amish countryside Covered bridges
Stop by our Visitor Center or Call us for your Complimentary Visitor Guide
INDIANA COUNTY TOURIST BUREAU 2334 Oakland Avenue – Indiana Mall – Indiana, PA 15701 1-877-7INDIANA – WWW.VISITINDIANACOUNTYPA.ORG
Duck, Duck, Goose, Chicken
Her mom’s polish chicken proudly shows off its fancy feather hairdo (above) while two silver lace wine dots pose timidly for the camera (below).
Jodi Musick with her Champion Bantam Drake
16 - March/April 2008
Not many people know that there are 42 varieties of Old English Game Bantams, let alone how to raise and care for the small fowl and even explain their dinstinctive characteristics. Jodi Musick is a ninth grader at Greater Latrobe Junior High School, and has been raising poultry her whole life. Her family hobby is one of science combined with a practical interest in the value of self-sustainable life skills, and at 15 she has already taken it to a competitive level. Over the years she has earned an impressive collection of ribbons, awards and other honors from local, regional and national venues. An active member of her local 4H chapter (advised by her parents, Brian and Shirley Musick), Jodi has turned her yearly club lessons into competitive projects. A study in embryology yielded a 2003 Champion Large Fowl award at
a show in Uniontown. Posters, booklets and other studies have also been honored at events such as the PA State Farm Show, 4H competitions, and community agricultural fairs. In 2007, Jodi received Champion Old English Game Bantam, Reserve Grand Champion Bantam and a 5th place prize for showmanship at the PA Farm Show. She followed up at the 2008 show this January by winning Champion Bantam Duck with her drake (pictured at left), who was also named American Poulty Association class champion. She is considering a future career in poultry education, but is still enjoying her life as a serious hobbyist. Next up is an experiment with ducklings from the January Farm Show that were just given away as freebies. “I think I can raise them to be show ducks,” she said, “just to prove their value.”
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
Lilo
Has Arrived!
Celebrate Our Grand Re-Opening! Just Two Doors Down at 100 East Main St!
Make-A-Wish Foundation® Easger to Make Wishes Come True Foundation Needs Your Help To Make Magic Happen Children with life-threatening medical conditions need the magic of a wish come true. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia needs your help to find children who may qualify for our magic. Children can be referred by anyone – a parent, guardian, family member or teacher – but are qualified by the child’s physician. Life-threatening medical conditions, which generally qualify children for our services include, but are not limited to, various forms of cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and transplants. Children with more chronic conditions like cerebral palsy, developmental delays, diabetes, Crohn’s disease or spina bifida, may qualify if their conditions are coupled with other complications and the combination is considered life-threatening. If you know of a child, aged 2 ½ to under the age of 18, who may qualify, please contact the Make-A-Wish office at (412) 471-9474. Referring a child only takes a few minutes, but the memories of a wish last a lifetime. The Make-A-Wish Foundation ® of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia is a non-profit organization, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. It was founded in 1983 and serves 57 counties in western, central and northeastern Pennsylvania and 23 counties in southern West Virginia with headquarters in Pittsburgh and regional offices in Erie, Punxsutawney, Pottsville, Wilkes-Barre and York, Pa., and Charleston, W.Va. In fiscal year 2007, the Foundation fulfilled 707 wishes with the help of nearly 900 volunteers. 85.4% of all donations fund wish granting activity. Currently, the Foundation is the most active chapter in the country and has fulfilled more than 9,500 wishes. For more information on how to refer children or to volunteer, please call the Make-A-Wish Foundation at 1-800676-WISH or visit its Web site at www.wishgreaterpa.org.
Equine Chic For Horse & Home
EBOOST is now available in our store – save the shipping charges by picking up your supply today, right on the Diamond! EBOOST is an orange flavored vitamin supplement that increases energy levels, supports your body’s immune system, aids in recovery and electrolyte replacement, and boosts focus and performance. We recommend EBOOST . . . on the trail or around town! (also endorsed by Oprah and Lance Armstrong)
100 East Main Street . . . On the Diamond in Ligonier! 724-238-7003 • www.EquineChic.com
You Don’t Have to Own a Horse to Find a Great Gift! Every Story Begins At Home.
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Miss Maddie’s Gifts & More
March/April 2008 - 17
THE LIGONIER CHEF Scott Sinemus
Clean Your Plate . . . OR ELSE I was recently in State College for the conference on sustainable agriculture in Pennsylvania. There was an all day seminar about cheese I thought was quite interesting. It began with how to set up a farm, the equipment needed, techniques all the way through to packaging and marketing the cheese being made. Peter Dixon compared the surge of independent cheese makers to the micro-brewery craze that swept (and is still sweeping) the country not too many years back. I was extremely impressed with the various cheeses being made here in the northeastern part of the country. Many of which can stand side by side with their traditional European counterparts. I was a bit disheartened to learn that the closest farm in our area producing cheese is in Bedford. It seems the eastern part of PA is where most of the interest is being generated so far; hopefully it won’t take too long to catch on here. I wound up getting a nice break for lunch so we decided to go into town to grab some lunch and stop by the creamery, as no trip to the Happy Valley would be complete without bringing home some ice cream. Lunch being the top priority we slowly drove down College Ave looking for parking and a restaurant for lunch. After missing a good parking spot near the diner we noticed an awning advertising an Austrian restaurant, I took an immediate left and instantly found a meter that still had time on it, so considered that a good sign of things to come. As soon as we got out of the car I could smell the wafting aroma of schnitzel! Upon entering the small but open dining area of the restaurant the first thing I noticed was a very large chalk board high on the wall to my right. It was the menu, which changes every day with the whims & hunger pangs of the owners. Stepping up behind the man ordering his lunch I heard Gundi the cashier say to him, “you just can’t point, you have to sound it out.” He did manage to convey his selection while I was agonizing over what I should have since everything on the menu was tantalizing to me. When he finished his order she pointed to a table and told him to get his drink & go sit there and wait and his order would be right out. I stepped up and she said, “Hi Scott.” Cathi looked at me as if to say, how does she know you, then we realized we still had our press badges on from the conference. Cathi ordered the “Tagessuppe,” soup of the day and a sandwich. I had the Geschnetzeltes” pork with mushrooms special.
18 - March/April 2008
Just as we were about to be assigned our seats a young man behind the counter said, “Oh the press is here, the press is here!” As it turned out, he was the owner’s son Bernd, who has a penchant for collecting ID badges from customers; since I still had last years expired press pass, I handed it over and he immediately taped it to his chest. After some good natured banter
we got our beverages and took our seats. As we were talking about how cool the place was I looked down and read a small table tent sign that said: We ask that you eat all of your food. If you are not able to finish your food, we do offer you the following choices: • You may clean dishes with scrubby bubbles • You may be beaten with a large, wooden stick (according to Austrian Culinary law) • We can charge you $35 for a box • You can alert us to your small appetite and we will charge you double and give you half the food. Thank you for dining at Herwigs, Guten Appetit!
We were hysterical. Bernd brought out our lunches and we dove right in…it was absolutely delicious! The ladies (Katheryn & Shannon) sitting next to us seemed to be finished with their lunches, but there was still some food on their plates. A white haired man with moustache & goatee to match came out into the dining room with a bright red four-foot long spoon & fork and asked which of the choices on the tent they were going to choose. We all laughed as he sat down next to her, picked up her fork, chose a few morsels of her remaining lunch. As he brought the fork up to her mouth he softly said, “how can you not want just one more bite of this delicious schnitzel?” To my surprise she opened her mouth so he could feed it to her! We asked them where they were from, and if they would come back. They had both just moved to the
area and replied, “of course we’re coming back… we’re bringing our husbands tonight for dinner”! As it turns out it was the owner himself, Herwig Brandstatter (say: Hair-vig). He told us how the restaurant had been in business for seven years, but the last six were spent in an alley behind a parking garage! They had just moved to the Main street location a handful of months ago and haven’t looked back. Herwig told us that they believe in making everything they serve from scratch from the freshest of local ingredients (save for a few very specific sausages – blood sausage is something best left to a charcuterie anyway – but they make 600 pounds of their own bratwurst every week!). They also believe in only making enough food that they anticipate selling each day so there are no leftovers. In fact at the bottom of their flyers and sandwich board it says, “closing hours subject to change…if we run out of food… we close for the day.” I can’t express how refreshing it was to find such a Euro-style restaurant not too far from home. One of the first things I noticed when dining in Europe was if there are empty seats at a table where folks are already dining, you’re seated with them . . . a concept that just never seems to fly here in the States, but lends credence to the authenticity of Herwig’s. The familiar nature of the mostly family staff, lovingly prepared home made food, and being able to BYOB. at dinner time are just a few things that make Herwig’s a destination even if you don’t have any other reason to travel to State College. It only took us about two hours to get there from Ligonier; if the acid rock-road construction problem is ever solved it will take even less. I know we’re trying to make it at least a monthly destination. Voted #1 Ethnic Restaurant three years in a row by the readers of State College Magazine and a new favorite of the Laurel Mountain Post, Herwig’s Austrian Bistro is located at 132 West College Ave, State College, PA 16801; Phone: 814.238.0200. www.herwigsaustrianbistro.com
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
The BattleBots Are Coming In the beginning, it was simply about entertainment.When BattleBots aired on cable TV, homemade, remote-controlled robots squared off in competition. It made for good television and a fan-base that grew with each season.Among the avid followers, producers noticed a great number of students who not only enjoyed the show, but wanted to get in on the action. Bots IQ was born. Show creators put together a Robotics Curriculum based on the National Curriculum Standards and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) mechanical engineering methodology; Teacher Training; and a National Competition where students showcase their custom built robots, and compete for top honors. That was six years ago, and now the “smart sport” is sweeping the nation. Students love Bots IQ because it makes education fun— drawing on their knowledge of math, science, engineering and even public speaking. Educators love Bots IQ because of the enthusiasm it sparks in their students and the resources it provides to their classroom. But, it’s the manufacturing industry that is standing firmly behind this new sport because of the potential impact it has on business. Young people who are interested in how things are made are the future of the high tech manufacturing workforce. Seeing the impact of Bots IQ in other parts of the US, a group of manufacturers and educators got together to explore the idea of a Bots IQ program in southwestern Pennsylvania. The idea took off and quickly evolved into a pilot program involving six area career and technology centers. Instructors were trained, teams formed and within a matter of months the very first Bots IQ competition was held in Southwestern Pennsylvania on May 13, 2006 at the Westmoreland Mall. By the second year, 17 schools competed. On March 3, 2007, a regional event at the Century III Mall was another resounding success. Now, firmly implanted in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Bots IQ is entering it’s third season. The next competition is set for March 28 & 29, 2008 at Century III Mall. Thirty-two teams are expected to participate, including: Albert Gallatin Senior HS, Belle Vernon Area HS, Butler Area Senior HS, Center Area HS, Central Westmoreland CTC, Connellsville Area HS, Derry Area HS, Eastern Westmoreland CTC, Fayette County AVTS, Forbes Road CTC, Greater Latrobe Senior HS, Greensburg Salem HS, Hampton HS, Hempfield Area HS, Mars Area HS, Mon Valley CTC, Northern Westmoreland CTC, North Hills Senior HS, Parkway West CTC, Plum HS, Rochester Area HS, Schenley HS, Serra Catholic HS, Shaler Area HS, Somerset County Technology Center, South Park HS, Steel Center AVTS, West Mifflin Area HS, Western PA School for the Deaf. Learn more at www.BotsIQpa.org.
What is Direct Access Physical Therapy? Simply stated, Direct Access is the opportunity to obtain services by a licensed Physical Therapist without a physician's referral (or prescription). As a result, it is your opportunity to save time and money. Currently, most states have granted consumers the freedom to seek physical therapy treatments without a referral.
• Eliminating the referral mandate results in timely, and thus more effective, physical therapy services.
What does this mean for you?
• Improved continuity of care.
• Immediate evaluation, diagnosis and treatment from a licensed Physical Therapist without the delay in visiting another healthcare professional.
Does insurance pay for Direct Access Physical Therapy?
• Immediate consultation with your Physical Therapist to determine if therapy is needed or if further examination by another healthcare practitioner is warranted.
• Freedom to choose a Physical Therapist as you would an M.D., D.O., Chiropractor, Dentist or other healthcare profession.
Presently, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, Health America/Health Assurance, Erie, auto claims and other third party reimbursers will pay for physical therapy services rendered under Direct
Access. Medicare is not paying for Direct Access Physical Therapy at this time; however, a bill is in Congress to allow for this.
Health Tip: To relieve tired, sore, aching feet (especially at the end of a work day): keep a small, plastic water bottle in the freezer and roll your feet on it while relaxing watching TV, reading etc. This simple, self-help technique works well as the cold will soothe and decrease pain/inflammation and also provide pressure on numerous reflexology points adding a further benefit.
Jerry D. Felton, P.T. 2000 Tower Way, Suite 2039• Greensburg, PA 15601 Phone:(724)834-7400 • Fax:(724)834-7402 • www.JerryDFeltonPT.com
integrating traditional and alternative physical therapy services
Every Story Begins At Home.
March/April 2008 - 19
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT by Paula J. Forte
You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile While I taught at Derry, I visited every morning with my friend, Carol Vesco, to hear about her adorable granddaughter. At the age of three, Mia Parillo was onstage performing in the Nutcracker with the Laurel Ballet at the Palace Theater in Greensburg. By the time she was thirteen, she had worked with the Civic Light Opera and the West Virginia Public Theater in a host of theater productions and was a cardcarrying member of Actor’s Equity with an agent. Mia had always enjoyed performing. When she was very little, she mimicked Lucille Ball as she watched tapes of the old I Love Lucy shows. Her mother, Laurie Vesco Parillo, was musically talented and participated in the Derry Area High School musicals directed by Susannah Calvo throughout high school. Recognizing her daughter’s budding talent, she asked family friend and Derry music teacher, Cindy Baltzer, to listen to Mia sing. Cindy affirmed Mia’s natural vibrato, or quiver in pitch, in her singing voice and encouraged Laurie to nurture that talent. By the time Mia was six, she was back in the Palace Theater playing the part of Peaches in the musical Annie. She graduated to the starring role in Annie in the Stage Right production performed at Westmoreland County Community College. While at Stage Right, she met Tony Marino and his wife Renata. Mia said that she learned a great deal about stage presence from Tony. She said that Tony taught her how to move onstage and how to stop upstaging herself by turning her back on the audience. With Tony, she also honed the comedic talent that she practiced as a baby while watching the tapes of Lucille Ball. At the age of eleven, Mia auditioned and became a member of the CLO mini-stars. The mini-stars are a traveling group that promotes the regular Civic Light Opera productions. With the mini-stars, Mia had a chance to perform with the West Virginia Symphony, at the Pittsburgh Regatta, and in the opening of the annual Gene Kelly Award show. While working as a mini-star, she also had a chance to work in summer stock with the Civic Light Opera. She played the part of Shprintze in A Fiddler on the Roof, a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, Belinda Cratchit in A Musical Christmas Carol, and Duffy in Annie. While with the Civic Light Opera, Mia had a chance to meet many celebrities from stage and television. Two of her favorite people were Adrienne Barbeau, who played Maude’s daughter in the 80’s television sitcom Maude, and Sally Struthers, who played Archie Bunker’s daughter in the 70’s hit television show All in the Family.
20 - March/April 2008
Mia still corresponds with Sally Struthers whom she worked with in the Civic Light Opera’s production of Annie.
Mia, a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic High School, plans to major in nursing this fall in Pittsburgh.
In this picture, taken after her opening night as Annie, Mia is being congratulated for her great performance by her maternal grandmother, Ann Tobias.
Both of these remarkable women treated Mia like family. Mia watched Adrienne’s twin boys backstage while she waited for her cues. Sally kept in touch after the show and sent her books and correspondence. Both women, however, had a common message for Mia: She should develop skills outside of acting to ensure that she had a promising future. Mia said that whenever she turned thirteen, she was not allowed to play juvenile parts under the guidelines of Actor’s Equity. Therefore, at that point, she concentrated on developing her social life beyond the stage. She followed her school friends to Greensburg Central Catholic High School where she is currently the captain of the cheerleading squad and a four-year letterman of the sport. In her spare time, she volunteers in the Rehabilitation Center at Excela Latrobe Hospital. Not surprisingly, she is also involved with the school’s drama program. She had the lead in this year’s Christmas play. She also has the title role in the musical, Cinderella which will be presented at the Palace Theater in Greensburg this spring. Mia said that the most exciting part of her high school experience so far; however, was a summer tour of Italy, France and England that was offered through her high school. Her best friend, Vincenza Pimpenella, was with her as they explored “a vastly different world that [she] didn’t know existed.” She was especially impressed by the clothes which she said were much more fashionable than those seen in the United States. She is planning to go on a field trip to New York City this semester to see The Lion King and tour the Soho district. At seventeen, Mia has begun performing professionally once again. She has begun working with the Ligonier Valley Players where she rocked the house as Audrey in The Little Shop of Horrors this summer. She has also recently auditioned for the summer series at the Pittsburgh Light Opera. During the audition, she told her mother that she felt that she belonged in the city and would like to someday perform on a New York stage. She said, however, that she is listening to those who are wiser and more experienced than she and is not anticipating a career in the theater. She is planning to study nursing at Saint Margaret’s School of Nursing in Pittsburgh following her graduation in June. Her dream is to practice nursing in New York City while auditioning for parts. She said that if a good role is offered her. . . However, she wants the security of a steady income and a rewarding career of making a difference by helping other people. Mia, you see, is a really adorable person.
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
KIDS CARE PEDIATRICS Kids Are Our Priority
CHRISTINE C. FLORENDO, MD MELANIE B. SEMELKA, DO 5927 Route 981, Suite 8 • Latrobe, PA 15650 Phone: 724-537-2131 • Fax: 724-537-2153 Hours: Monday–Friday 9 AM to 6 PM
Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 9!
Every Story Begins At Home.
A celebration of Ligonier’s rich heritage, history and beauty will take place throughout 2008. “Ligonier 250 – The Fort – The Town – The Valley” is an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to discover and commemorate the town’s beginnings, its important place in history, and everything that has happened since. Ligonier’s roots date back to the stirring days of young Colonel George Washington, General John Forbes, the encounters of the British and Americans against the French & Indians and the historic events that took place here in 1758. Chaired by Mr. Charles A. Fagan, III, the Ligonier 250 Committee will oversee and promote this year-long celebration. Signature events include: • May 10 – August 30: Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in the Ligonier Valley: “Portraits and Patriots: Celebrating 250 Years of Ligonier History,” featuring Robert Griffing, John Buxton, and Chas Fagan. • June 27-28: Ligonier 250 Kick Off Weekend, featuring the “American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania” Bike Race, which will traverse the Commonwealth from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Race-related activities will take place in Ligonier on the morning of Saturday, June 28 as the tour departs for Pittsburgh, the final leg of the week-long race. • August 16-17: Fort Ligonier: National Encampment of the Brigade of the American Revolution • October 10-12: 49th Annual Fort Ligonier Days • September-November – Fall Lecture Series Community organizations are encouraged to utilize the “250” theme in special events, activities and programs. An example of this community-wide “250 spirit” was evident at the recent Ligonier Ice Fest. Other organizations and businesses currently planning themed events include the “Weeders and Seeders” Annual Flower Show in July, titled “Ligonier 1758,” and a special performance at Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, “The Road to Washington – The Making of a Man. The Making of a President,” September 17-28. Ligonier Goldsmith, John Clark is creating a gold medallion, tie tacks, charms, money clips, pendants and key chains to commemorate this historic event. These items will be available for sale at his Main Street store. A commemorative book, “The Fort, The Town, The Valley,” written and edited by Ralph Kinney Bennett, is in the works and will be published and available for sale this summer. This high quality publication will serve as an enduring souvenir of the celebration. The committee is also working in partnership with the Ligonier Valley School District on educational programming and coordinating an exciting lecture series to premier in the fall. A dedicated web site for the celebration, www.ligonier250.com, is in the development stage and will be maintained by the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce. To list a related event on the site, contact the Chamber at 724.238.4200.
March/April 2008 - 21
22 - March/April 2008
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
THE REC ROOM Jim Kasperik
Running Down A Dream I have always been a huge sports fan and in addition to that, enjoyed participating in many sporting activities. Basketball, football, golf, skiing, volleyball…I’ve tried them all and still enjoy doing those today. But one physical activity that you would never hear me discussing my enjoyment of was running. I viewed running as a way to not get hit by a moving vehicle as I crossed the street, or maybe a way to not get so wet as I ran from the restaurant I ate at to the car as it was pouring rain. It was definitely not something I enjoyed. In fact, I would venture to say that I rather disliked it! So when I started running out of sheer boredom two years ago, I never thought I would still be running today. Never did I think I would actually be enjoying my time running! Never did I think I would actually look forward to my run. I often sit and look back and wonder what happened?
Becoming A Habit As I continued to run each day (sometimes twice!), I began to see all kinds of benefits from my new found activity. The excess weight I had put on over the years began to fall off and my physical health continued to improve. In addition, my mental well-being also continued to progress to new levels of clarity.
Physical and Mental Health Approximately two years ago, I had a great deal happening in my life that caused me to look for an outlet for some excess energy that was building up in me. I weighed approximately 230 pounds at that time and although mostly felt good physically, was at my highest weight in my life. So one morning I decided to take a short jog around my neighborhood. I jogged for barely twenty minutes, but I felt good about what I did. Little did I know…the addiction had started! That evening when I came home from work, I was again looking for something constructive to do and in a moment of weakness, I decided to run again. I thought to myself, what am I doing getting all ready to run again…was I losing it? As it turns out, I was doing quite the opposite. I ran again that night for a little longer than I did in the morning and then, on the first day I had decided to run, I realized a benefit that I was not expecting. My jogs during that day had not only helped release some excess physical energy, but they had a wonderful affect on my mental health! The running had cleared my mind, albeit momentarily, and I felt much better about the prospects of the next day. Every Story Begins At Home.
The most intriguing part to me of my addiction to running was that I was not only starting to reap the benefits, but I was actually starting to enjoy it. Yes, you read that right…I was enjoying running! So much so that when I missed a day, I was disappointed and just did not feel like myself. As the year went by, I dropped my weight down to my high school level and felt clearer mentally than I could remember. I knew that I was really hooked and truly a runner when I started turning down offers to play hoops and instead was choosing to run. As I continued on, I thought “wow”…no one could have told me that I would be doing this! Running for A Reason I had always played team sports and while enjoying the games, I always looked forward to the camaraderie
that playing on teams offered. Now as I was running, I often found myself alone (alright, alone with my iPod!!) pounding the pavement on a warm, sunny summer evening or a cold, snowy winter’s night. I rather enjoyed the solitude. But as time went on, I found myself wanting to run with people. Because of this I starting to register for different local running events. I was not sure how long I could run, so I looked for the shorter events first. The 5K Turkey Trot seemed to fit the bill and I ran that with my cousin Michael and enjoyed the time with him and enjoyed all the people running around us. The next step was signing up for the Fourth of July 5 Mile run in Latrobe. I ran this event before when I was in good shape at twenty years old and again when I was totally out of shape at thirty-two! Now a couple years later, I ran it again with great success. But what was next? I was on a run shortly after and started to think I should try something bigger. It was then I decided on my first half marathon. I would make sure to choose one that would not only be a good run, but a vacation as well! In the next days, I signed up for the 2008 Disneyworld Half Marathon in Orlando in January. The Half I prepared and trained for the half, following a mix of what the experts said and also following what my body was telling me as well. As the days went by, I felt better and better on the longer runs. I felt stronger physically and mentally was able to make sure my mind was not always thinking about when the run would end! As the holiday season ended, and the calendar changed to 2008, I was completely excited about my run. I boarded a plane from snowy Pittsburgh Airport on January 10th and arrived in sunny, 75 degree Orlando three hours later. I had two days of fun at the parks before the run and thoroughly enjoyed the great weather. But as I woke up for the Half at 3AM Saturday morning, I could not wait to get started and see how I could do. It was not a race against anyone else;
it was a race against my expectations and myself. The weather could not have been any better as the gun sounded at 6AM to start the run. 16,500 runners hit the roads in and around the Disneyworld theme parks as fireworks shot off above our heads. The scenery was great as we ran through the parks and the Disney characters were there to greet you and cheer you onward! I began to run without even thinking about where I was on the course, but at one point I thought to myself …who would have ever thought I would be doing this?!? I went on to finish my first half marathon in 1 hour and 47 minutes. This was good enough for 600 th place overall…I was thrilled with that and more thrilled with my accomplishment. But one thing bothered me. As I crossed the finish, I still felt great. After 13.1 miles, I had no aches or pains to speak of and my breathing was fine. So immediately I thought…I should have ran the marathon! Getting Ready for the Marathon While I was still at Disney in my hotel room in the Caribbean Resort, I started to investigate what marathon I could sign up to do. I decided on the San Diego Marathon on June1, 2008. I have been training since I returned from Florida and building up by stamina with longer training runs. I am truly excited to be preparing for this run and anxious for the time to get here. Me signing up to run a marathon is a classic example of the phrase we all have used or heard before…never say never! Physical Activity in the Laurel Highlands I found running in the recent years as a way for me to feel better both mentally and physically. I can find all kinds of ways to take advantage of this in the Laurel Highlands. I can run around where I live, trail run, run in parks and even participate in races in our area. I have found my passion…and so can you. It does not have to be running, just get out there and enjoy life and reap the benefits that exercising in our area can bring! March/April 2008 - 23
DERRY REMEMBRANCES Ruth Richardson
Car Crushes My friend Ron Edsall recently welcomed a new baby into the family, and I don’t mean his little granddaughter, Abby. No, I’m talking about his black Chrysler Crossfire convertible. Nice ride, Ron! I must confess I have always had a love affair with the automobile. I think it started when my Grandpap Stewart pulled into our driveway behind the wheel of his fabulous turquoise ‘57 Chevy. Something clicked when I saw those fins. While browsing through my mom’s old photo albums, I see lots of pictures of our holiday gatherings, numerous shots of us kids blowing out birthday candles, and plenty of vacation memories. But every few pages, you will find a photo of me posing in front of a car. There I am with my brother, leaning against our ’48 green Chevy, next, I am captured lovingly draped beside our ’56 Chevy. And later you find me almost hugging that classic ’57 Chevy, the one with those wonderful fins, and the factory fender skirts. Back in those days, I liked to place cars into distinctive categories: My favorite category - THE FAST CARS – Compact, midsized, full sized, none of that mattered. It was the engine size that counted. Like my brother’s ’63 Chevy 409 Impala SS, four speed convertible. We lovingly named it Charlie. Jack Balega also had a 409, as did Radar Wienbrenner, and Nick Hamerski had a beautiful white 409 convertible. Ronnie Barron (alias – “Culligan Man!”) drove a great looking, and dangerously fast, black Plymouth Fury. Bill Hensel, an old beau of mine had a 1963 little red Porsche 911, very fast, but more importantly, it could corner better than any car I ever drove. I remember him nearly having a conniption the day I ‘red lined’ it in second gear and wouldn’t shift until I thought it ‘sounded’ right. When I first started dating my husband, he drove a cute little gold Corvair four speed. But better than that, his mom had a white ‘63 Buick Riviera with a 425 h.p engine. We called that car The Jet. It was aptly named. I remember the day he stopped it in front of my house in West Derry, stood on the brake and at the same time floored the gas pedal. When it sounded like the engine was just about to blow, Doug gently let his foot slip off the brake. At first you couldn’t hear anything; you could just see the car shifting slightly, side to side, as the white smoke began to pour from the rear wheels. When the spinning tires finally connected with the pavement, the screaming started- both from the tires, and from the group of delighted friends gathered on my front porch. A few minutes later, Doug came ripping back into my driveway to the applause and laughter of everyone waiting there, that is everyone except my dad. Daddy walked up to Doug with a stony look on his face, and told him in a very low and controlled voice “If I ever see you do that again, I will go straight in the house and call your dad.” You could have heard a pin drop as our laughter came to an abrupt halt and we watched the smile disappear from my future husband’s ashen face. It’s a wonder my dad ever let me get in the car with him again. Next category - THE LUXURY CARS – These were the Caddy’s, the Lincolns, and of course the full sized Jaguars. While my car of choice was, and always will be, the E Jag, my friend Chester Jaworski preferred his 1960 Jaguar 3.8 sedan. We called this car The Pussy Cat. It was a great looking ride, even if he never did let me drive it. Everyone always let me drive their cars - everyone but Chester. He was friends with my
24 - March/April 2008
brother, and to him I was always just Keith’s little sister. Guess he thought of me as a fourteen year old who hadn’t learned to drive a stick yet. I could have taught him a thing or two about tachometers, and Bill Hensel would have verified it. Next up - THE PAP PAP CARS – These were the four door sedans, the station wagons, the Chevy Bel Airs, or Novas, the Ramblers, you get the picture. I’m not talking about the souped up, tricked out versions, these were the no frills, marked down basics. I know you remember the type, no chrome, three speed on the column, bench seat, no radio. If your dad had one of these cars and let you drive it, I guess it was better than sitting at home, but not much better. Then there was the group of cars that just didn’t fit into a category. One that I remember belonged to a friend from Latrobe, Bob Sanzi. He drove a black Peugeot. It was a very strange looking little car. Its looks could have placed it into the Pap Pap category, but the foreign sounding name and the added feature of a sun roof (which I had never seen before) set it apart. Cliff Johnston also drove a car that seemed to defy all
the LORD to buy her a Mercedes Benz! Cars have always had a prominent place in our movies and television programs, too. Who could ever forget James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, the Batmobile, or Buzz and Tod, cruising down Route 66 in a 1960 baby blue Vette. And what about Magnum P.I. with his red Ferrari, or Knight Rider, starring a black Trans Am…that could talk! I have been in love with cars for as long as I can remember. I loved the little tiny cars, like the classic ’56 T-Bird, the Triumph, or the sleek, exotic Porsche. In 1965, I longed for a Sunbeam Tiger. As cute as it was, that little blue Sunbeam convertible was never my first choice. My dream car, the one I thought I couldn’t live without, was a Jaguar XKE. Since the Jaguar brand was far above my price range, my backup car choice was that darling Sunbeam. Although even if money had been no object, I never could have bought either of those cars. My dad told us that no child of his would ever buy a foreign car. I remember him emphatically stating “You make your money in this country and I’ll be damned if you will spend it somewhere else.” Since we needed our parents to co-sign a loan to buy a car, that was the end of the subject. He never wavered from this position until the day he died. I’m sorry, Daddy, but someday, before I head to that big car lot in the sky, I intend to own an XKE. I also coveted some of the great big cars of the day, like the black four door Lincoln Continental that was featured in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger. I remember the groans of shock and remorse in the theater when Odd Job took it to the junkyard, had it crushed and loaded onto the back of a little Ford Falcon pick-up truck. The Continental convertible was no ordinary convertible, because it had four doors. We called the Continental’s doors ‘suicide doors’, since the back doors opened from the front. My uncle Glenn Parrish had a white one and he lent it to my brother for his senior prom. It was a great car. And rumor has it, it was a very FAST car to boot. My friend Suzie Shaw’s mom drove a huge boat of a car, too, and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. It was a 1964 white Cadillac convertible with red interior and those gorgeous fins in the back. Another friend, Mitzi Fisher’s dad drove a big black ‘63 or ’64 Mercury Monterey with a retractable back window. I also remember two very similar red Chevy Impala convertibles. One belonged to Gary Stuchal and the other belonged to Laddie Slevak. I got to ride in both.
Here’s Chester, saying “Hands off, RuthElaine!” categories. It was a ‘55 Desoto a big black tank of a car that was pretty much indestructible. This car also had an added feature that I don’t think came stock from the factory - A quarter keg of Duquesne beer in the trunk. If you grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, like I did, cars probably played a big part in your life. It certainly was that way for me. Cars were a huge influence on almost every facet of our lives. They certainly influenced our music, from Mustang Sally, to that famous Little Old Lady From Pasadena. We had Commander Cody’s Hot Rod Lincoln, and more recently, Bruce Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac. Even poor Janice Joplin, she wanted
Then there were the middle sized cars. These were some of the sharpest, fastest, and tuffest (our favorite word in the 60’s) cars of all. Today they are referred to as ‘muscle cars’. You could always find them cruising Eat-N’Park or slowly making their way around the block at the Rink in Latrobe, revving their engines all the way. They were sleek, shiny, and fast, with an engine rumble that foretold the power that was ready to be unleashed, and it always was – as soon as the light turned green. Some of my favorite mid-sizes were the Oldsmobile 442, the Chevelle SuperSport, and the GTO. Fred Shine had a really fast, and really ‘tuff’ navy blue GTO. We called all GTO’s goats, I have no idea why. Do you remember the song by Ronnie and the Daytonas? Little GTO, you’re really lookin’ fine, 3 deuces and a 4 speed, and a 389, Listen to her tachin’ up now, Listen to her why-ee-eye-ine, C’mon and turn it on, wide it up, blow it out, GTO
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Legend has it that General Motors gave a brand new GTO to every member of Ronnie and the Daytonas because their hit song had sent sales through the roof. The company also gave each of the Monkees a GTO to drive. The television program “The Monkees” was very successful, and featured the MonkeeMobile, a customized GTO. Brilliant marketing, huh? Ford Mustangs were awfully cute, too. Joyce Merlin had a brand new blue one, and we loved to go cruising in it. Jimmy Thomas’s dad had a little green Mustang convertible with a white rag top. He and I went to the Sadie Hawkins Dance in that car. The Corvair, as well as the Mustang, were somewhere between the mid sized and the sport car sized vehicles. My friend Frank Crispin had a car that was also that in between size. It was a ’64 blue Plymouth Valiant with a push button transmission on the dash. He and Kathy named this car Prince Valiant. My dad had a four door 1963 Corvair Monza that I took my driver’s test in. The four doors automatically put it in the Pap Pap category, and to make matters worse, it was a real dog. The only fun we ever had in it was at the empty high school parking lot after a big snow. We would race halfway across that icy, snow covered expanse, stand on the brakes and spin the steering wheel (using the spinner my brother had attached for quick turning). This gave you a ride very reminiscent of the Tilt-A-Whirl. I remember my dad taking that ‘Vair’ (our nickname for a Corvair) back to Needham Chevrolet in Latrobe to find out why it was riding so rough and what the strange clunking noises were. After examining the car, the mechanic came out and told my dad he had never seen anything like it. He was sure there had to be some sort of factory defect because all four motor mounts had snapped completely off. My brother and I listened to this, feigning shock and disbelief, while continuing to badmouth that stupid Corvair, and telling daddy he needed to get rid of the crummy little lemon. We somehow managed to get out the door right before we both broke out into hysterical laughter. The fact was, just the night before we had heard something go dreadfully wrong as we were spinning wildly out of control at the deserted high school, and we were ecstatic that, for once, no one had thought to blame this latest malfunction on one of us. I must admit, when a boy asked me out on a date, I would quickly search my memory banks and try to recall what he drove. Much as I hate to admit it, his wheels definitely figured into my answer. I remember dating Louie Oliver one summer and being very happy when he pulled into my driveway in his dads burgundy TBird. We always had great fun, but I couldn’t help being disappointed (as was he) when he arrived in his mom’s Ford Country Squire Wagon. Jill Green’s mom had a white Buick Wildcat. It was almost a full sized car, but pretty sporty, too, with a big engine. I recall the day my brother, Keith, and Jill had this car out for a cruise. My brother was behind the wheel as they were leaving Elliott’s Dairy Queen in West Derry. He backed out on the road, kept it in reverse until he reached probably 20 mph, and just to see what would happen, he dropped it down into drive. That Buick hesitated for a second, and then started to burn rubber. The white smoke was pouring out the back and the kids standing at the Dairy Queen loved every second. I remember Keith’s head thrown back in riotous laughter, and Jill, smiling in the passenger seat, puffing on a cigarette. I also recall some folks in Derry who didn’t care one whit about cars; they were more interested in trucks, like Luther Hunter, provided those trucks had the right amount of lights. As you can see, we were not easy on the cars we drove. I think it is a great tribute to the American Auto Industry that those cars sustained the amount of abuse we subjected them to, and still remained on the road. Granted, my driveway was the site of numerous
Every Story Begins At Home.
clutch replacements, rear end repairs, and many a transmission patch up. Boys learned to work on their own cars back then; they souped up their own engines. It was much easier because they didn’t have today’s computer systems to deal with. But mostly they did their own work because no one had extra money to hand out every week to a mechanic. You could get a great deal on a real clunker, and turn it into the fastest car around. Add a little body putty, some sanding, and a quick trip to Earl Scheib’s in Swissvale for a $29.95 paint job and you were set. Doug took his ’55 Plymouth to Earl Scheib’s one Saturday. They had four colors to choose from for the $29.95 price tag, black, white, red, or robin egg blue. Any other colors meant they had to clean the paint guns and you had to pay more. Doug chose the blue, and an hour later he was on his way back to Derry, thrilled with his ‘brand new’ looking car. Imagine his shock when he arrived at home and beheld the endless array of colorful splattered bug fragments bound forever to that still tacky lacquer. My dad had a great mechanic’s background and lots of tools. He had always loved cars, too, so whenever he had time he was glad to lend a hand to all our friends at the “Parrish’s Driveway Amateur Repair Shop”. I can still hear him telling us “You kids will think twice about spinning those wheels someday when your dads aren’t the one paying for the tires.” He was right, as usual. But sometimes I would catch him laughing and shaking his head when someone we knew pulled out of Bernie’s Restaurant, across the street from my house, and we would yell “HEY, LET’S HEAR IT!” This challenge was never ignored, and was most always followed by screaming tires and patches of black rubber that covered that stretch of West Fourth Avenue. Several miles down the road, we would sometimes hold drag races. The straight stretch from Palombos to right before the curve at the Kingston cutoff is a perfect ¼ mile. We used to actually stop traffic near the stop sign at the cutoff. These drivers assumed there had been an accident up ahead. When the Bradenville light turned red, the two cars would line up and someone would hold a flag up in the air. The engines would rev and tach up until the moment that flag dropped. Next step – pop the clutch and punch it! How we all loved that sound, of screaming tires and whining engines. I can still hear the exhilarating sound of gears shifting as the two modern day warriors raced to the finish line. Like it or not, I think our cars reflect our personalities, our attitudes toward life. Our car is usually our second biggest purchase, after our house, so a little of ourselves had better go into the selection. Although I always promised myself that I would never buy anything in the Pap Pap category, I do drive my dad’s big honking Cadillac Deville in the winter. It became ours when he passed away several years ago. I know it’s a great car, it’s just not me. My real car, the one I prefer is my little Sebring convertible. Even though I think today’s cars could use a few fins, every once in a while something that really inspires me comes along, like my Sebring, and Ron’s Crossfire, or that new little Pontiac Solstice Convertible – my latest crush! To all my friends and long ago car enthusiast buddies, thanks for taking me cruising with you, and even more, thanks for letting me drive. And to all the car companies in the 50’s and 60’, to the bookish engineers and grease monkey mechanics, thank you for turning a basic mode of transportation into an art form. I hope you keep pushing the envelope of design; maybe one of you will even get the brilliant idea of pulling it a little toward the past. And for everyone who had any part in giving us those magical machines, the ones with the big engines, the big attitudes, and all those lovely fins…..Thanks - It was a great ride.
1 to a 1000! Come to Indiana County “The Christmas Tree Capital of the World” for all your Christmas Tree needs!
B. P. Insurance, Inc. Brian E Panichelle Panichelle_Agency@nwagent.com 3720 Rt 711 Suite 9 Ligonier, PA 15658-5004 (In Ligonier Valley Mini-Mall ) (724) 238-2148
Foxfire April 25 & 26 and May 2 & 3 at 8:00 PM May 4 at 2:30 PM $12.00 Adults, $10.00 Seniors & Students Annie Nations, an indomitable Appalachian widow of 79, lives on her mountain farm with the acerbic ghost of her husband Hector. Her tranquility is threatened by a brash real estate developer who wants to turn her land into a vacation resort and by concern over her son Dillard, a country singer who has come home with two stranded children because his wife has run away. Written by Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn, Foxfire “glows with funny, touching and magical moments.” 208 West Main Street in Ligonier
724.238.6514 vpltheater@wpa.net www.valleyplayers.org
Ruth loves to share memories with you. Email her at: Ruth-Elaine@comcast.net
March/April 2008 - 25
SHOPS AROUND THE CORNER Getting To Know Unique Local Businesses and the People Behind Them
She
Books
Reba Kreger and Somerset’s Young Heart Books
“too much fun for such a small town” The Ligonier Tavern is a full service restaurant in a turn-of-thecentury Victorian house located in beautiful, historic downtown Ligonier, PA. Our three distinct dining rooms downstairs offer a uniquely elegant atmosphere. We use only the finest, freshest ingredients in all our dishes, and our service is extraordinary. Our aim is to create an exceptional dining experience just for you!
check upcoming events and our menu on line at www.ligoniertavern.com Sun. 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm Monday -Thurs. 11:30 am - 9:00 pm Fri. & Sat 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
724-238-4831
137 West Main Street in Ligonier, PA
26 - March/April 2008
Years before elementary school teacher Reba Kreger ever thought about owning a business, she attended a luncheon lecture that featured the author Maurice Sendak. He read the group gathered at Johnstown’s Sunnehanna Country Club his classic Where the Wild Things Are and discussed his (then) most recent work, Outside Over There. He also explained that he didn’t enjoy seeing his books on a shelf labeled Ages 4-8, because he felt he wrote for all “young at heart readers.” Reba could relate. As an adult, she discovered that she had mitral valve stenosis, caused by a bout with rheumatic fever as a child. After a successful surgical procedure that replaced the damaged valve with a mechanical valve, Kreger felt that she truly had “a young heart.” In 1989 after Kreger and her husband, Larry, adopted their second child, she chose to remain a stay-at-home Mom. But, her love of children’s literature prompted her to stay in the educational arena and the perfect enterprise name came instantly to mind. For 1 year she ran Young Heart Books, a mail order kiddie lit company, out of her home and later she organized and ran book fairs for local school districts. Having taught for 14½ years, she had the background and experience to supply the students that the fairs targeted with a wide-ranging assortment of reading materials. In the mid-90s a local business owner’s offer of an empty store space on Center Avenue in Somerset proved irresistible, and Kreger opened her book store on a shoestring budget. Several months later she moved the store to its present location at The Shoppes at Glades Court. As so many small business
owners do, Kreger worked in the red. Not wanting to compromise her “books only” philosophy, but needing a “transfusion” of sorts, she decided to add developmentally appropriate items such as puzzles, science kits, and cross-curricular items that related to her inventory of books. Proving to be a wise decision on all fronts, Young Heart Books now operated in the black for the first time in 4 years. Since then cards, journals, plush items and a myriad of other educationally-inspired treasures have been added. Packed with colorful, attractive items for every imaginable taste, Kreger attempts to guide her patrons to the selections that are right for them. “If they give me some information about the person they are buying for, then I can provide them with options and zero in on what that person might like. I’ll help them choose a complete
gift – not just a book. I want to help children to focus on creative play; not be stupefied by a computer game.” However, in 2008 Kreger knows that to stay competitive in the age of internet shopping she needs to provide her customers with an online presence. Her website, which showcases any number of available books, toys and accessories, has recently been completed (www.youngheartbooks.com). Kreger feels you don’t need to own everything that is written. “Certainly try to read it all, but purchase only what best suits you or the person you are buying for,” she states. Reba Kreger is ready, willing and well able to assist you with your choices. Stop in at 101 West Main Street in Somerset and count yourself among the very young at heart. Story & Photos by Barbara M. Neill LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
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Won’t You Wear A Sweater on March 20? Since 1968, when Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood made its national public television debut, Fred Rogers began each episode with his simple signature question in song: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” This year, more than 30 Southwestern Pennsylvania organizations are planning to show just how neighborly they can be as the first-ever “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Days celebration takes place March 15 – 20 as part of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. “It started simply enough,” explains Margy Whitmer of Family Communications, Inc. (FCI is the nonprofit company founded in 1971 by Fred Rogers.) “We wanted to recognize Fred in a way that would reflect his deep appreciation of what it means to be a caring neighbor.” So, “’Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Days – WYBMND for short, although not by much – was born as a means of promoting neighborliness throughout the region. “We’re also planning something special on what would have been Fred Rogers’ 80th birthday on March 20,” says David Newell, FCI’s public relations director and Mr. McFeely. “We’re asking everyone everywhere – from Pittsburgh to Paris — to wear their favorite sweater. It doesn’t have to have a zipper down the front like the one Mister Rogers wore on the program, it just has to be special to you.”
Every Story Begins At Home.
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Beatty Road, Latrobe http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/gristmill
Jan Gebicki honored as United Way’s School Readiness Children’s Champion Greensburg, PA (March 6, 2008) – The United Way of Westmoreland County will be honoring one of our communities’ most dedicated volunteers, Jan Gebicki of Derry, by awarding her the School Readiness Children’s Champion Award. The recipient of this annual award is recognized for their vision, leadership, and commitment to quality early childhood learning for our region. Ms. Gebicki has spent her career assessing the challenges facing children and facilitating creative solutions to meet these challenges. In collaboration with a local human service agency, the staff at Grandview Elementary School in the Derry Area School District partici-pated in a poverty simulation to experience the issues children and their families face on a daily basis. Our honoree felt it was important that the staff have a heightened awareness of what it is like to try and survive month to month, and the realities families living in poverty face. Following a professional path that included teacher, Title 1 Coordinator, Middle School Associate Principal and Primary Principal was not enough for this educator. She was involved in laying the groundwork for the Barbara Thompson Literacy Center in the Derry Area School District as well as a team leader for the Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for early childhood. She also finds time to be an adjunct professor at St. Vincent’s College
as well as a presenter at educational confer-ences on both a state and national level. In her ongoing efforts to champion the causes of children and education, she is a member of the Board of Directors as well as the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Westmoreland County. Jan believes in the power of partnerships and the importance of linking early learning with a child’s future educational success. School Readiness is a commun-ity impact program that strives to be a vehicle for leadership and support to improve the quality of early childhood education through-out the area serviced by the United Way of Westmoreland County. The United Way of Westmore-land County is a nonprofit organ-ization that invests its resources in efforts that solve critical community problems with measurable results. Covering Westmoreland and portions of Fayette and Armstrong counties, we serve over 70,000 people through partnerships in three targeted areas: Helping Children & Youth Succeed; Building Strong Neighborhoods & Communities and Supporting Vulnerable & Aging Populations. Our goal is to create longlasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of issues. For more information, please contact us at (724) 8347170 or www.unitedway4u.org.
March/April 2008 - 27
MARCH-APRIL 2008 COMMUNITY CALENDAR Thru April 11 Free Tax Assistance for the Elderly Sponsored by AARP Upper Level, Bon-Ton Wing, Westmoreland Mall, Greensburg. (724) 836-5025 community@adamslib.org
March 6-9 Peter Pan Musical Derry Area Middle School Auditorium, Derry www.derryasd.schoolwires.com March 7 Seton Hill University Dance Academy “Dancing for a Cure” a special evening of dance entertainment, 7 PM Latrobe Senior High School Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe. 724-331-4605 www.setonhill.edu
March 1 River City Brass Band presents On A World Tour 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg, PA 412-434-7222 or 800-292-7222. www.rcbb.com
March 7-8 Spring Fling: Indoor Rummage Sale, Chinese Auction & Bake Sale 8 AM Salvation Army, Latrobe. (724) 537-6300 community@adamslib.org
March 1 “Birds are Back” Walk at Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve 8 AM Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA 724-5375284 to register. www.unitytownship.org
March 7-9 Sustainable Food & Farming Conference 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant; 724-423-2056 www.laurelville.org
March 1 Fabulous Forests Hike 1 PM Keystone State Park (Stone Lodge Trail), Derry 724-668-2566. www.dcnr.state.pa.us
March 8 CPR & First Aid 9 AM-5 PM American Red Cross-Chestnut Ridge Chapter, Latrobe, PA. Pre-Registration & Pre-Payment Required 724-537-3911. www.redcross-crc.org
March 1-2 Prom Dresses For Life Event 10 AM Courtyard Marriott, Greensburg (724) 875-3318. community@adamslib.org March 4 Senior Social 2 PM Country Cafe & Video, Pleasant Unity (724) 537-4331. www.latroberecreation.org March 5 Foreign Film Festival (Spanish) “Innocent Voices” (rated R) 7 PM Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe www.grlatrobe.k12.pa.us March 5 A Tribute to Nat King Cole featuring Walt Maddox, Dinner & Show 6:30 PM Mountain View Inn, Greensburg 724-834-5300. www.mountainviewinn.com March 6 Senior Social 2 PM Valley Dairy, Latrobe. (724) 537-4331 www.latroberecreation.org
2008 American Cancer Society Daffodil Days March 24-30, 2008 Give daffodils. Give hope. Help support the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days in Westmoreland County during its 35th anniversary. Fresh daffodils will be available for a donation of $8 for a bunch of 10 flowers at a number of locations throughout the area including Westmoreland Mall, Seton Hill University, Excela Health hospitals, and area Giant Eagle and Wal-Mart stores. Funds raised support the American Cancer Society's research, education, advocacy, and service programs. For more information, contact Dawn Keefer, dawn.keefer@cancer.org, 724-834-9081.
28 - March/April 2008
The Last Supper to be Presented at Latrobe Presbyterian Church Please mark your calendars for the presentation of THE LAST SUPPER on Maundy Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 7:30 PM in the Sanctuary. Twelve men from LPC, Rev. Kerr and Bonnie Lewis will perform a living tableau depicting the final evening of Christ’s life. The tableau will reproduce the image of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous work of art produced from 1495-1498. Narrator, Bonnie L ewis, will welcome the congregation to the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover meal. Each disciple relates his life experience with Jesus of Nazareth, of whom Moses and others wrote in the Old Testament. (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Disciples include: Kent Snyder, Nathaniel; Bob Johnson, James the Lesser; Steve Brown, Andrew; John Jamison, Judas; Paul Prichard, Simon Peter; Matt Sweeney, John; Ed McKinnon, Thomas; Don Gobbel, James; Larry Ruffner, Philip; Gary Zimmerman, Matthew; Lee Stewart, Thaddeus and Jud Beltz, Simon the Zealot. Rev. Kerr will portray Jesus.
March 8 Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Presents “Nordic Nights” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg. 724-837-1850 www.thepalacetheatre.org March 8 11th Annual Starlight Black Tie Bingo 6 PM Stratigos Banquet Centre, North Huntingdon, For Reservations contact Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation, 724-832-4155 March 9 Charter Day - Somerset Historical Center Celebrate William Penn’s founding of Pennsylvania! 12-5 pm; FREE admission; 814-445-6077 www.somersethistoricalcenter.org
March 15 Comedian Melanie Maloy, Dinner & Show 6:30 PM Mountain View Inn, Greensburg 724-834-5300. www.mountainviewinn.com
March 12 Foreign Film Fest1ival (Finnish) “Man Without A Past” (Rated PG-13) 7 PM Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe www.grlatrobe.k12.pa.us
March 15 The 16th Annual Taste of Westmoreland 6 PM Chambers Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg Campus. www.tasteofwestmoreland.com
March 12 Free Morning Movie and Popcorn 10:30 AM Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe 724-537-4331. www.latroberecreation.org
March 15 Relay for Life Kickoff Celebration 2008 6:30 PM Four Points Sheraton, Greensburg Reg. Reqd 724-837-5076 RelayForLife@Verizon.net
March 12 Senior/Silver-Sneakers Potluck Luncheon/Speaker 12 PM Aerobic Center, Lynch Field, Greensburg 724-834-2153. www.aerobiccenter.org
March 15 Janaki String Trio 8 PM St.Vincent Archabbey Basilica, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe. Registration required (724) 805-2565
March 12 Speed Networking 5:30-8:15 PM Ferrante’s Lakeview, Route 30, Greensburg. Register by March 7: 724-832-9703 www.westmorelandchamber.com
March 15 Student Poetry Contest Deadline www.ligoniervalleywriters.org
March 13 John Sloan: Searching the City Presentation by Bennard Perlman 7PM Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. 724-837-1500 ext. 20 www.museumaa.org March 13 “Celebrating 250 Years of Ligonier’s History” 12 PM SAMA Ligonier Valley, Ligonier 724-238-6015. www.ligonier@sama-art.org March 14-16 Indiana Armstrong Builders Association Home Show White Township Recreation Center, Indiana
March 15 Snow White, The Evil Queen & The Three Slobs 7 PM Ligonier Town Hall, Ligonier, PA For Reservations 724-238-9867. peltzpalko@comcast.net March 15-16 Western PA Cat Fanciers Show Pittsburgh Expo Mart, Monroeville. 412-373-7300 www.pghexpomart.com March 16 Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Laurel Region Present “The Clarks” 7 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg. 724-836-8000 www.thepalacetheatre.org March 19 Brown Bag Lecture - Everlasting Architecture 12 PM Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, 724-837- 1500 ext. 20 www.museumaa.org
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
April 20 YWCA 3rd Annual Spring Fashion Show 12 PM The Greensburg Country Club, Greensburg 724-834-9390 Info@ywcawestmoreland.org.
March 26 Cahal Dunne’s Grand to be Irish Matinee or Evening Show, Mountain View Inn, Greensburg, 724-853-4050 www.mountainviewinn.com
April 24 Latshaw Productions Presents “Moments to Remember: The Diamonds, The Four Aces, The Four Lads & The Four Coins” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg, 724-853-4050 www.thepalacetheatre.org
March 28 Arrivederci, Al! A Dinner with the Godfather interactive dinner theatre show Mountain View Inn, Greensburg.724-834-5300; www.mountainviewinn.com March 29 Westmoreland Heart Gala Ligonier. Registration Required (724) 837-5468
April 25 The Westmoreland Cultural Trust Presents the 70’s band “America” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg, 724-836-8000 www.thepalacetheatre.org
March 28-30 9th Annual Pittsburgh Arts & Crafts Spring Fever Festival Pittsburgh Expo Mart, Monroeville. 412-373-7300 www.pghexpomart.com March 29-30 Steel City Con (Toy, Comic & Childhood Collectible Show) Pittsburgh Expo Mart, Monroeville, 412-373-7300 www.pghexpomart.com March 28-29 Greensburg Central Catholic High School Presents “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg. 724-836-8000 www.thepalacetheatre.org March 30 Laurel Highlands Doll Show Mountain View Inn, Greensburg. 724-834-5300 www.mountainviewinn.com March 30 Millcreek Bridal Show & Expo $5; Noon - 4 pm, Ligonier; 724-238-4831 www.LigonierTavern.com April 2 Gary Latshaw Presents “Some Enchanted Evening” Mountain View Inn, Greensburg. 724-834-5300 www.mountainviewinn.com April 3 Foreign Film Festival (Mandarin/Tibetan) “Mountain Patrol” (Rated PG-13) 7 PM Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe www.grlatrobe.k12.pa.us April 5 Derry Cash Bash 5 PM St. Mary’s Dome, Bradenville, (724) 532-1424 April 5 River City Brass Band Presents “The Talk Of The Town” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg. 412-434-7222 or 800-292-7222. www.rcbb.com April 8 Adult Basic Tutor Training Workshop 10 & 15 6-8:30 PM YWCA Mansion, Greensburg 724-834-9390. www.ywcawestmoreland.org April 9 Family Style Luncheon (Seniors/Silver-Sneakers) 12 PM Aerobic Center, Lynch Field, Greensburg 724-834-2153. www.aerobiccenter.org April 10 Foreign Film Festival (French) “The Chorus” (Rated PG-13) 7 PM Center for Student Creativity, Latrobe www.grlatrobe.k12.pa.us April 11-12 WCCC Choir & Orchestra Concert Westmoreland County Community College - Youngwood, $5; 724-925-6890. www.wccc.edu April 12 First Annual Yough River Trail Council 10 am, Connellsville. 724-628-5500
Every Story Begins At Home.
April 25-26 Brewski Festival 7 PM Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion www.7springs.com
The Merry Wives of Windsor A Comedy by William Shakespeare through March 8 at Seton Hill University (pictured: Melissa Lingsch of North Huntingdon as Mistress Ford and Nathan May of Latrobe as Sir John Falstaff) 724-838-4241 www.setonhill.edu
April 25-27 Pittsburgh Comicon Pittsburgh Expo Mart, Monroeville 412-373-7300 www.pghexpomart.com April 25 - May 4 The Valley Players of Ligonier present “Foxfire” Ligonier, PA 724-238-6514, Ext. 4. www.valleyplayers.org
April 12 Nature’s Images Art Show 9 AM Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284. www.adamslib.org
April 26 Historic Winchester/Clarke Co. House and Garden Tour (One Day Bus Trip) First Baptist Church, Vine & Sixth St. West Newton. 724-872-6439
April 12 Pianist Benjamin Moser 8 PM Science Center Amphitheatre, Saint Vincent College Latrobe. Registration Required (724) 805-2565
April 26 Women’s Entrepreneur Expo Four Points by Sheraton, Greensburg
April 12 Ligonier Valley Writers Panel Discussion On Historical Writing 1 to 4 p.m. Ligonier Valley Library, Ligonier www.ligoniervalleywriters.org
April 29-30 Stage Right Presents “All County Musical - Les Mis School Edition” 7:30 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg, 724-836-8000 www.thepalacetheatre.org
April 12 CPR & First Aid 9 AM-5 PM American Red Cross-Chestnut Ridge Chapter, Latrobe. Pre-Registration & Pre-Payment Required 724-537-3911. www.redcross-crc.org
May 1-3 Abigail’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Ligonier, 724-238-9373. Specials and giveaways!
April 16 A Tribute to Nat King Cole featuring Walt Maddox, Dinner & Show 6:30 PM Mountain View Inn, Greensburg 724-834-5300. www.mountainviewinn.com April 15 Ligonier Camp & Conference Center Open House 11:30 am - 7:30 pm. FREE. 724-238-6428 Fun, food and prizes! www.ligoniercamp.org April 19 7th Annual Westmoreland Earth Day St. Vincent College, Latrobe. 724-238-7560, 12-4 pm FREE. www.westmorelandearthday.org April 18-19 The Westmoreland Cultural Trust Presents the comedy “Late Night Catechism” The Greensburg Garden and Civic Center Greensburg, 724-836-8000 April 11-13 Stage Right Presents “CATS” Palace Theatre, Greensburg, 724-836-8000 www.thepalacetheatre.org April 18 Arrivederci, Al! A Dinner with the Godfather, an interactive dinner theatre show. Mountain View Inn, Greensburg 724-834-5300. www.mountainviewinn.com April 19 Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Presents “Fireworks Finale” 8 PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg. 724-837-1850 www.thepalacetheatre.org
Pittsburgh Banjo Club to Perform in Ligonier It’s music that can put a smile on your face, a tap in your toe, and a song in your heart - and it will soon be returning to Ligonier. The popular Pittsburgh Banjo Club will perform in the Ligonier Valley High School Auditorium on Saturday, May 3rd at7:30 p.m. The performance is sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Education Trust. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is a nonprofit group of one hundred musicians including banjo, trumpet, tuba, and bass players, who share the common goal of encouragement and preservation of the banjo. The program includes vocals, music from the 20’s and 30’s, polkas and Dixieland and is well known for providing “miles of smiles”. Advanced tickets can be purchased at the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce Office at the Ligonier Town Hall and at the school offices of the Ligonier Valley Middle School, Ligonier Valley High School, and Laurel Valley Elementary School. Tickets will also be available for purchase the night of the performance. Prices are: Adults - $8.00 and Students - $5.00. All money raised will benefit the Ligonier Valley Education Trust and its mission to support educational projects in the Ligonier Valley.
To submit your community event to this calendar, please email complete information to:
advertising@LaurelMountainPost.com
March/April 2008 - 29
Greater Latrobe Community Network
Your Gateway to Online Local Information www.greaterlatrobe.net The Greater Latrobe Community Network was established to improve the quality of life in the Latrobe area through the creation of a community network. The mission of GLCN is to cultivate a greater sense of community and civic participation, through the use of an electronic forum. Its commitment is to develop strategies to foster widespread community participation. The site is maintained by volunteers and has been working with the Latrobe Historical Society, Greater Latrobe High School. and St. Vincent College to present the Latrobe Area: Past, Present and Future. Visitors to the website (www. greaterlatrobe.net) can view the latest headlines from the Latrobe Bulletin, schedules for local sports teams, weather, events calender, puzzles and games, and regular contests. There is also a directory of information on such topics as: resources for seniors, community links, and general interest categories like hunting, fishing, cooking and gardening, with more topics coming soon! GLCN has been around since 2000, when an exploratory program for community leaders was held at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Attendees suggested a community site should include access to government officials, allow a method for doing business on line and providing local event information. A mission statement was developed. Then
many discussions were held to determine how to proceed and what should be included on the site. The volunteers worked very hard to provide the community with a valuble resource for a wide range of information. The Adams Memorial Library was felt to be a logical site for the operation of this community website. The volunteers proceded to develop funding for staff and equipment and the library assumed ownership and proceeded to move foreward. Unfortunately funding for the library was greatly diminished and they were forced to eliminate some services. In May of 2005 the volunteers assumed the operation of GLCN. A board of directors was chosen a new webmaster came on board and the community site began to evolve. Efforts to make the community aware of the site were aggressively pursued and good coverage was provided by the Latrobe Bulletin. Other marketing efforts included a presence at the annual street craft event, in the fall, development of a brochure which was widely distributed and word of mouth communication. GLCN continues to add more content and are working with the Historical Society, St Vincent College, Latrobe High School, sports organizations and are looking for input from anyone who is interested in making this resource more valuable for all people in our area. Join our network today at: www.greaterlatrobe.net!
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Electronics Recycling Collection: May 24 Westmoreland Cleanways, in partnership with the Roaring Run Watershed Association, has scheduled an Electronics Recycling Collection to provide area residents and small businesses the opportunity to properly dispose of computers and household electronic items. The Roaring Run Watershed Association has been protecting the waterways around Apollo since 1982. They manage 652 acres of land, open to the public for hiking, picnicking and enjoying the recreational opportunities along the Kiski River. RRWA volunteers have spent countless hours cleaning up acres of dump sites and other sources of pollution to create the scenic retreat in the heart of the watershed. To celebrate 25 years of service to the community, the directors wanted to do something special to highlight their accomplishments and continue their commitment to eliminating sources of environmental pollution. Environmental Committee Chairman John Linkes contacted Westmoreland Cleanways to propose a joint project. Westmoreland Cleanways, helping to protect, restore and maintain the environmental qualities of Westmoreland County since 1990, was only too happy to work together with the Roaring Run Watershed, long-time partners in many cleanup efforts. Thus, the idea of an electronics collection was borne. The electronics recycling collection is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2008 at the Allegheny Township Municipal Building, 136 Community Building Rd, Leechburg. Time of the collection will
be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The collection is open to all residents and small businesses wishing to safely and properly dispose of computers and other household electronic items. Scott Electric and USA Lights will deconstruct the items, reclaim the metals, glass and other recyclable material where possible, and safely dispose of the material that is not recyclable. Modest fees will be charged on a per unit basis. Westmoreland Cleanways and Roaring Run Watershed Association members will receive a discount on the disposal fee. Computers, televisions and other electronics contain materials such as lead, cadmium and mercury, which can pose a risk to human health and the environment. Improper handling or disposal of these units may contaminate soil or water. While federal and Pennsylvania law currently does not ban the disposal of consumer electronics from landfills, waste industries experts and environmental organizations agree that the large volume of electronics in need of disposal definitely presents a challenge to landfill operators to keep them safe. In addition, collectively, the amount of metals that can be reclaimed becomes a valuable commodity that can be recycled into new electronic components. For more information about the May 24 collection or other recycling, disposal and environmental cleanup opportunities, call Westmoreland Cleanways at 724-836-4129 or visit www.westmorelandcleanways.org.
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST
Every Story Begins At Home.
March/April 2008 - 31
32 - March/April 2008
LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST