Laurel Mountain Post: March-April 2009

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST A Magazine from the Heart of Western Pennsylvania

Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. – Rossiter Worthington Raymond

MARCH/APRIL 2009 Every Story Begins At Home.

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LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

W MAR/APR 2009 (Volume VI, 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 practi-tioners 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 227 206 Weldon Street Latrobe, PA 15650

724-537-6845 Cathi Gerhard Williams Editor & Publisher

Briana Dwire Tomack Marketing Director

Justin Stuhlsatz Advertising Sales Director

Barbara M. Neill Features Editor

Vanessa L. Kolberg Copy Editor

Carol A. Gerhard Administrative Assistant Proud members of the Latrobe, Ligonier, and Strongland Chambers of Commerce, Pittsburgh Advertising Federation, and The PA 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.

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

– From a headstone in Ireland

elcome . . .

MOUNTAIN VIEWS Cathi Gerhard Williams

Wilted Leaves on the Tree of Life It’s not often that I get to quote Einstein. It’s pretty difficult for most of us to contemplate theoretical physics, the dimensions of time and space that he defined. Especially when we are not only busy and distracted, but emotional as well.

In the few weeks since my father passed away from cancer and my thoughts were devoted to grief, something Einstein wrote caught my attention: “Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.”

My father was known as a big, strong man – a tree trunk of a person, you might say. People called him a gentle giant, with a heart ten times bigger than his size 14 EEE shoes.

He made everyone around him feel safe and loved. As a farmer he was also the epic caretaker and provider. Not only did he support his family, but devoted most of his spare time to raising animals and tending the fields. If something broke, he fixed it; if there was a problem, he found a solution; if you needed him, he was always there – filling the room with comfort and laughter.

And now he’s not. The silence floats in the wind across the farm, as if that very patch of earth itself mourns the loss along with us. The dogs still wait for him to come outside and say hello; the cat keeps staring at his empty chair; the tractors sit idle in the barn; and I wake up every day

painfully aware of his absence, whether it be from the sting of tears or the overwhelming ache of loss.

I never imagined how far his life branched out toward so many other people and things. His memorial service was almost a “standing room only” event, and the cards of condolence keep arriving in the mail. Every day I realize ten or

My Dad: Shelly Gerhard with his daughters, Michelle (left) and Cathi (right), 1969.

twelve more things that are gone along with him. I’ve started mourning not just for myself but for everyone who loved him. The barren hole in my heart keeps growing.

It seems appropriate that he died in the winter – when the natural world is seemingly dead as well.

As the season progresses we get more depressed with the continuing bleakness and loss of life. Our world feels empty, lonely and dark.

We wait for spring and the promise that all things bright and beautiful will return to us.

My dad is not coming back; he’s gone forever. But all the reasons I loved him are still here. Just like planting seeds to grow in spring, I can start filling my heart back up with his generosity, compassion, grace and honor . . . the best of him.

He lives on through my sister and my children. Not because we are tall and loud or that I have his blue eyes, but by the choices we make in our living. We should remember him with actions, instead of words and stone.

I will build no monuments to my dad, except to guard the things he loved most. He believed that God created all creatures, great and small, and caring for the world in which they live was the most important thing a man or woman could do.

He respected the meek and braved the fierce.

He was my hero, and I always looked up to him.

Hopefully now my gaze will reach the sky . . . with all that I sow in empty fields.

My father died on February 1, 2009. His final thoughts were not about the things he never got to do for himself, but what he still wanted to do for us. As a columnist for the Laurel Mountain Post, he wrote a year-long series about farming in 2007. His follow-up project was a series of articles on battling cancer because he wanted to help others facing the same challenges. In 2008, when he became too ill to finish, he asked me to write it for him. The article on pages 4-5 is my family’s story. As he always said, he was never in it alone . . . he had us.

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DOWN ON THE FARM Shelly Gerhard & Cathi Gerhard Williams

All Seasons Are Beautiful for the Person Who Carries Happiness Within There used to be a cartoon pinned to my mother’s corkboard – she had cut it from an old farming magazine when I was a little girl. The caption read “and now the award for the biggest complainer about the weather . . .” She always teased my Dad about his obsession with the daily forecasts, but understood the importance of accurate prognostication in a farmer’s life. No matter how much you planned out your work for the week, Mother Nature was in charge. And you had to learn to make the best of it. You can only make hay when the sun shines (if you are ready for it), and sometimes the sky will rain

Always smiling (early 1950s). on your parade of workers and equipment anyway. Farming depends on your ability to take what comes and alter your careful plans accordingly. In education, it’s called an emergent curriculum. But for my Dad, it was a way of life.

Like Yosemite Sam in the Bugs Bunny cartoons, he would mumble and grumble at adversity. But that soon gave way to acceptance or determined problem-solving. He would spend a day “pondering,” as he called it, and then move forward – never back. And always with a smile on his face.

That sunny outlook on life is what actually carried him through an eight-year struggle against cancer. Like his father, a lifetime of too much sun exposure both at home and work led to skin cancer. Dad had endured over 30 years of surgeries (simple and complicated) to remove cancerous patches all over his body. Too many to count. It was exhausting to make and keep so many dermatology appointments with Dr. Hamaty. But my mother kept scheduling them, and he went.

One time he waited – because he had too much work to do. And, I be-

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lieve, because he was so tired of being prodded, picked and cut open. In 2001, that pause in continuous care and treatment led to a diagnosis of malignant melanoma which had reached his lymph nodes. It was a death sentence, a forecast of the inevitable that would be, for the most part, unpredictable.

The cancer was systemically within him now, no longer confined to surface spots. No one could say how fast or slow the cells would grow. Stormy weather was now certain with little hope for rainbows and flowers.

Instead of dwelling on the clouds, he just kept going. His first question was, as always, “What do we do next?”

Hard work kept him happy, and he had a lot of it ahead down a long road.

The first stop was a Pittsburgh surgeon named Dr. Edington, along with oncology consultations at Latrobe Hospital with Dr. Robinson. Soon they referred Dad to the Arnold Palmer Pavillion, part of the UMPC Cancer center community network and a joint venture with Excela Health. There Dr. Lee suggested a colleague of his named Dr. Kirkwood, a leader in the field of melanoma research. After three years of trying to keep up with all the new tumors, it was time for something more aggressive.

In 2004 Dad and Mum visited the Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside, the flagship treatment and research facility in the UPMC system and the world. It is home to internationally regarded surgical, medical and radiation oncology specialists, who perform treatment procedures unavailable elsewhere in the region. The Center also has the region’s most advanced imaging technologies to detect cancer and monitor treatment. Hillman Cancer Center is also home to a component of the National Institutes of Health-funded General Clinical Research Center, which also provides support for the conduct of clinical trials.

Dr. Kirkwood, the Director of the Melanoma Center at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, took over my father’s case. Dad was accepted into a clinical chemotherapy trial, and began treatment. Every three weeks for 11 months, my parents drove to Pittsburgh for the six-hour appointment.

Their long days began early in the morning with CT scans, bloodwork, MRIs, and the intravenous chemo.

Throughout the treatment, Dad lost all of his hair – even his eyelashes. Food didn’t taste good, and he was tired. But he only stopped working (driving trucks) for brief periods during the worst of his symptoms.

“If I stop moving and rest, I’ll start dying,” he said. Many times.

The worst side effect of the chemo was neuropathy. He said it felt like he was walking on glass, even when he was sitting down. The pain was made

bearable sometimes by drugs like Lyrica, Oxycontin and other narcotics. But that meant he could no longer drive. He needed help getting from one place to another, and felt like a prisoner. Two of his greatest joys, driving and walking around the farm, were taken away from him by the medicine trying to save his life.

As he spent more time confined to the house and his chair, my mother evolved from wife to constant caregiver. They passed the time reading, and watching TV – when they weren’t going to countless medical appointments. My father became interested in Days of Our Lives, focusing on the fictional problems of others instead of himself. But eventually he did ask for something.

He had spotted a fluffy red kitten out in the barn, and played with him whenever he was able to get outside.

After weeks of cajoling from Dad, my sister, my kids and myself, Mum finally relented to having the first pet in the house. Dad named him Buddy, and that’s what he was. The kitten slept on my dad’s lap during the long afternoons. They watched movies on Encore Westerns together, and had small snacks five times a day. He taught the cat to be ornery and mischievous, just like he was.

It was much needed comic relief.

Over time, the pain in his feet grew worse, and traditional cures no longer helped. Always willing to try new things, Dad investigated alternative therapies and met with Jerry Felton, a physical therapist in Greensburg. Unlike most traditional intervention and clinical locations that primarily focus only at the area of reported pain, he utilizes whole-body assessment and treatment approaches to

correct pain and dysfunction. These techniques are highly effective, quick to achieve results and are non-manipulative. Combining the best of traditional and alternative therapy with things like accupuncture, exercise and nutrition, Jerry helped ease my dad’s pain, eliminate his need for narcotics, and regain his mobility.

Medical science can often be very black and white; Jerry helped Dad sort through all the grey. Sometimes it was the fact that someone cared enough to sit down and talk with him three times a week during a devoted block of time (instead of running off to another patient in an overbooked queue) that made the most difference.

Dad was back in the saddle again, in the seat of the truck, tractor and lawn mower. He felt productive and active every day, though the length of those days grew shorter. Mornings still began at 4:30, but by early afternoon it was time to rest. Each time he established a routine of work, over a dozen medications, rest, and therapy, however, something would change in his treatment– and the scheduling process began again. Throughout it all, my Mum acted as secretary, pharmacist and chauffeur as well. Managing his care became her fulltime job.

His last chemotherapy trial required weekly visits to Shadyside. Every Tuesday my parents headed into the city for Dad’s treatment. There they met many others who travelled to Pittsburgh weekly – from places as far away as Virginia Beach and even Greece. It seemed the whole world needed hope when it came to cancer, and they found it at the Hillman Center. My parents often remarked about how nice the people were there, patients and em-

Mr. & Mrs. Shelly R. Gerhard – January 9, 1965.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

being overly dramatic. From what they ployees. It became a small, supportive When I arrived with her, we were community in the midst of fear and unhad seen, or heard from my Dad on both unprepared for the wonderful fathe phone, he seemed lively and highknown. As much as they dreaded the long cility we found. Newly-remodeled, the spirited. The doctors at the Hillman trips, they needed the care and encourcenter had opened in August of 2008.

Center always said he was the healthiagement they found there.

We were greeted by the nurses, aides est cancer patient they knew: robust with Mum and Dad usually made a day and social worker. Dad’s room was a wonderful attitude. But that was my out of it by stopping for either lunch or bright and clean, and the unit was Dad, always making hay because a little breakfast (depending on the treatment filled with amenities to help the famray of sunshine stayed near his side. schedule) at one of Dad’s favorite restauily members through their long vigils.

As our home care for him evolved to rants on Route 22: The Wagonwheel. Dad Everyone who worked there seemed as round the clock and golfball-sized tumor got to know everyone almost everywhere though they wanted to be there. They masses emerged all over his body, Christhe went, including their staff. He was seemed to be experts on dying – not a friendly, talkative guy who just the clinical aspects, but enjoyed where he was rather the emotional ones as well. than waste time wishing he There was almost always was somewhere else. The meals someone with Dad, even they shared at The Wagonwhen one of us couldn’t be wheel made them look forward there. The staff didn’t seem to those Tuesdays – any one of over-scheduled and were availwhich could be the day he was able immediately. I went home told that the treatment wasn’t a few times and got a full working and the cancer was night’s rest because I didn’t spreading. worry about him – I knew they That day didn’t come on a were there if he needed them, Tuesday though. It arrived on as the pain of cancer’s final my birthday last August (2008). days grew worse by the hour.

Instead of going out to eat as a On January 31, he started family, we ended up in the to show the unmistakable emergency room with Dad. We signs that accompany the last thought he had a bleeding uldays of dying. By the evening cer, but it turned out to be a it seemed he was entering the stomach tumor. Rare, but melafinal hours. Everyone was noma nonetheless; and he was called in to be there with Dad. bleeding to death. Surgery We took turns holding his meant stopping all chemohand while AMC showed a therapy treatment, but it was his Clint Eastwood western film only option. He was transferred festival all night. My Mum told to Shadyside Hospital, and the me that one of those movies tumor was removed. had been their first date back He never really recovered in October of 1963. As the from that event. Post-surgical hours passed, Dad’s breathing infections and brain seizures, became much more labored. as the cancer spread, dogged We’re not sure when conhim over the next several sciousness left him, but we months leaving him sick, think his last words were to Shelly Gerhard in one of his beloved fields of grain weak, and discouraged. It took my sister when she left once on Fairview Farm in Derry Township. several hospitalizations and inearlier in the day. He said, “I home IV antibiotic treatments love you, too.” mas came and went. Television had be(that my mother and I learned to adcome Dad’s constant companion, and minister) to finally beat the infections.

Dad passed away early in the morning after the holiday movies ended, the But by the holiday season, he was worn on February 1, around the time he tuner rarely strayed from the Encore out from it all. And so were we. would have typically gone out to work, Western channel on his new wideThroughout the fall, my sister and in the fields or on the road. I would like screen flat panel set (that we got early I took turns staying home with our Mum to think that he got up that morning and in October just in case). I think he felt to help take care of Dad. It took two of left us for what he valued most: a posisafe and alive surrounded by a joy from us to help him move from chair to tive attitude and hard work, regardless his childhood, free from worries. Siwalker, and then a wheelchair. The of the location or circumstance. lence seemed to frighten him, but the week before Thanksgiving we admitTitle quotation by sounds of TV were comforting. As the ted we needed more help and called Horace Friess, philosopher. cancer spread in his brain, and seizures the team at Hillman. Excela Health became more frequent, he emerged less Home Care & Hospice arrived to take clear about reality. Sometimes he merged over. We were relieved when they deinto the storylines of the movies with livered medical supplies like oxygen, his thoughts. The way in which he coma hospital bed, and medication. Both municated to us seemed confusing, but nurses and aides visited three times a almost metaphorical. week to check his vitals, bathe him, On January 25 he asked me if it pet Buddy, and talk to us about whatwas OK to make camp with the wagons ever was on our mind. Their help made here. And that he wanted to tell me everything so much easier for us: my and my sister goodbye. On January 27 Mum, sister and me. But their arrival he found enough mysterious strength broke my Dad’s heart. When the action to get up out of his chair and then fall started, he looked at us and asked, on the floor. Bloodied and confused he “Does this mean they have given up on told me to get the tractor and pull him me in Pittsburgh?” out of the ditch so he could go.

What do you say to someone you finally know is dying after fighting so Not wanting to give him up to what bravely so long? How do you encourage we imagined was a dark and depresshim and support the strength he still ing nursing home, we balked about needs to live the few days he has left . what to do next. We paged his nurse, . . in the face of the grim truth?

Janet, to come help us sort out the next I called and emailed our closest step. She encouraged us to call an amfriends shortly after Thanksgiving and bulance and take him to Excela Health’s disclosed the grave turn in my Dad’s new Hospice Center at Westmoreland condition. I wasn’t sure how long he had Hospital in Jeannette. Terrified, my left, but explained that now would be mother agreed and followed him there the time to come visit. I don’t think many an hour later.

Man’s Best Friend: Buddy of them believed me or thought I was

Every Story Begins At Home.

Shelly R. Gerhard April 26, 1944 – February 1, 2009

Shelly R. Gerhard, 64, of Derry, passed away Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, in Excela Health Hospice Center at Westmoreland Hospital, Jeannette. He was born April 26, 1944, in Latrobe, a son of the late George S. and Dora K. (McCurdy) Gerhard.

A lifelong farmer and 1962 graduate of Derry Area High School, Shelly was a retired transportation equipment operator for District 12 of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from which he received the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in 1993. Shelly was a deacon and served as a member of the consistory for Christ United Church of Christ in Latrobe. He was also a member of both the F&AM of Pennsylvania, La Monte Lodge 0568, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon, Westmoreland Forest No. 77. He enjoyed his retirement years driving trucks for Unity Hauling Inc. of Latrobe, reading mystery novels, and writing about his beloved farming experiences for the Laurel Mountain Post.

He was preceded in death by his sisterin-law, Peg (Conti) Gerhard. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Carol (Davis) Gerhard; a brother, G. Calvin Gerhard and his wife, Dorothy; two daughters, Michelle M. Schultz and her fiance, Daniel T. Chicka, and Cathi L. Williams; three grandchildren, Elizabeth C. Srsic, Chi-Anne S. Chicka and Robert S. Williams; and a number of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m.

Saturday in Christ United Church of Christ, 1414 Ligonier St., in Latrobe. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be made to: Excela Health Home Care & Hospice 134 Industrial Park Road, Suite 1600 Greensburg, PA 15601 Christ United Church of Christ 1414 Ligonier St. Latrobe, PA 15650.

Arrangements were handled by the JOHN J. LOPATICH FUNERAL HOME INC. 601 Weldon St. in Latrobe.

Postscript Our entire family would like everyone to know how grateful we are for the support and love we received throughout Dad’s illness and following his death.

We learned that help is there when you need it, and it’s OK to ask for it.

Whether it comes from family, friends, church, hospitals, social workers, etc., all of it is an equal blessing.

We encourage you to reach out when you have the need, and hope to highlight some of the important resources available to you in upcoming issues. It was impossible to include everything Dad wanted to share about his experiences with just one article. And so we are committed to making healthcare a more prominent feature in the future.

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Rock

“It is charity in disguise and gives a new outlook on volunteer work,” said junior Courtney Durick. This is only one voice from the 603 students who participated in last year’s Rockdown, an organization that raises money for the high school publications and Arnold Palmer Pavilion, a member of UPMC Cancer Centers and joint venture with Excela Health through Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation.

This year the event will be held on April 3, at the Greater Latrobe Senior High School with the doors opening at 6:30 pm. The 9 pm opening ceremonies will help focus the essence of the entire event. Last year’s opening ceremony featured the family of Greater Latrobe student Justin Smetak who passed away from muscular cancer in April 2007.

“Justin Smetak was a cancer victim that was a friend of mine throughout elementary school and junior high, and I felt that it was right to contact his parents for the opening ceremonies of the Rockdown. Hearing their sadness, they let us know that they have accepted his passing and Justin would not have wanted it any other way. That moment was one of the most memorable moments of my life. It was unbelievable how silent 650 people were. Many tears were shed, especially by our class of 2010,” said Meghin Kerila, a dedicated member of the organizing committee for two years.

RockStock 2009: Peace.Rock.Cure will feature John Challis a nationally recognized eighteen-year old from Freedom, PA, who passed away in August of 2008. His motto is one that the Rockdown of Greater Latrobe personifies: “Courage + Believe = Life.”

The Rockdown will be packed with competitions, food, sports, and live music such as the nationally famous band Rusted Root who is appearing at the Rockdown for the first time. Rusted Root is a local band from Pittsburgh that fits into the genre of rock, college rock, and blue grass. “I am excited that we secured Rusted Root, its an eclectic band that appeals to a variety of people,” said Lizz Bowlen, design committee chair of the executive board.

Lovebettie is opening for Rusted Root.

Alexandra Naples, a recent graduate, is the lead singer, songwriter, and piano player of this alternative band. “Lovebettie will make the teenage punk audience dance dance dance,” said Bowlen.

“There are so many activities that keep you busy throughout the night and there is always something exciting happening. If I could sum up the Rockdown in a couple words I would say it is an active environment,” said senior Rachel DeFelice. Sporting events throughout the night include activities such as dodgeball, rock wall, sumo wrestling, and many mini competitions that require skill, effort, and talent. Preliminary rounds will happen the week of the Rockdown, including a tournament at the All American Paint Ball Park.

Senior Paige Blawas said, “It is a really fun experience and I feel very lucky that my high school has such an exciting event.”

GLSD is unique in this inspiring community event that they develop to be successful each and every year.

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Cure

The event features a variety of student teams who are competing to earn points throughout the night when challenged in various activities. Teams can earn points by participating in the business oriented scavenger hunt, dressing up in costume the night of, and bringing in food for Westmorland County Foodbank. The winning team receives season passes to Post Gazette Pavilion, which features the booked acts of 2009 such as Phish, Jimmy Buffet, and other national touring acts.

“I think it is good that the students of our school are supporting a cancer foundation in a unique and fun way,” said senior Adam Sarnovsky. The Rockdown is giving the students a new insight into charity in an alternate and enjoyable way.

The competitions, games, activities, and sports are all organized by the Rockdown committee. This student-empowered committee puts forth a great deal of dedication to have this become yet another successful event.

“The success of the Rockdown basically comes down to how dedicated our staff is to putting time into this cause,” said Kristina Wiggins, Executive Director of Public Relations for the Rockdown.

The student committee has set high goals for the 2009 Rockdown. The plan is to have 700 individuals attend the event and raise a net profit of $20,000. This money will then be divided equally between the Arnold Palmer Pavilion and the GLSHS publications.

The committee is making sure that this event will be a safe environment with security and proper organization. “The committee really works hard to make sure it runs smoothly and safely,” said Patrick Lynch, Executive Director of Public Relations for the Rockdown.

Individuals throughout the student body feel very strongly about the essence behind the Rockdown. “This event holds a special place in my heart. My next door neighbor and lifetime friend died of cancer at a young age, so knowing that we are helping kids like him really makes me feel good when I wake up the next day and let it all sink in that we just pulled it off, and all of our hard work was worth it,” said Lynch, who has been dedicated to the organizing committee for two years.

Giving back is something that these students strongly believe in. “I think that it is great that we donate money to the Arnold Palmer Pavilion because we raise a lot of money and it is good to know that it is going to a great cause,” said Blawas.

The Rockdown will carry on the tradition with its seventh upcoming event. The participating students will come with spirits high and an extreme amount of energy. The night will be a remarkable, fun experience, but the real meaning of it shall not be outshined.

“To me the Rockdown is hope, because if our students can get together and organize this event for cancer then there is hope, hope to conquer,” said Kristina Wiggins. The students are our future, if the future holds hope to conquer cancer, the hope that their voice brings will forever keep it alive.

– by Maria Graziano, freelance journalist Greater Latrobe Publications

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

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Every Story Begins At Home.

March/April - 7

REPARTEE FOR TWO Barbara M. Neill

Taking A Chance on Lore

County Chronicler Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln Once upon another lifetime I knew a French teacher who taught in the secondary building across from my elementary school. We were not really friends, but our paths did occasionally cross. I have a vivid recollection of her proffering very tasty egg salad sandwiches to a group of colleagues on the picket line during an unfortunate work stoppage. I also remember her piquant personality, elfin manner and winning way with words. She was someone with a lot to say back then and I enjoyed listening to her. This woman left the Ligonier Valley School District in the early 1980s and I heard that she had taken up writing. I never knew what became of her after that and hadn’t thought of her in years.

When doing some internet research last fall for a few Fayette County facts, I inadvertently brought up the distinctive words: County Chronicles by Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln. I didn’t recognize the book title or the author, but the author’s name seemed somehow familiar. Since the book looked enticing, I did some investigating and found that County Chronicles had evolved into a broader series. The first installment was chiefly a collection of the author’s columns from The Daily Courier of Connellsville that had been published in 2004 and had spawned County Chronicles II (2006) and County Chronicles III (2007). All three works contained pieces concerning PA history (with an emphasis on Fayette County in the first volume). Always anxious to acquire quality reading and reference works, I determined that I had to examine and perhaps acquire the set.

(First borns have to have their sets.)

Assisted by the very obliging Joanne at the Greensburg Barnes & Noble, I gained my trio of Chronicles with some very determined book scouting. And, just as I had gradually come to the suspicion, the author photographs depicted the one and only “Ceane” of my life’s acquaintance (although her surname has changed since I knew her). I discovered that today the woman I once knew does indeed have a different occupation, and while she isn’t an antique dealer, she definitely “deals in antiquities.”

Initially, Ceane undertook commercial writing projects for various business concerns in Fay-West County area, including a series of travelogues for several local agencies. She also dabbled in poetry with triumphant results, winning the Editor’s Choice Award for her chosen selection in Great Poems of Our Time. She was awarded honors in the mid-80s at Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute when two of her screenplays made the top twenty-five: one was optioned by Kevin Costner and the other was translated into a mystery novel, A Toast to Destiny, (with a fellow teacher). Historical fiction in the form of a short story collection, Autumn Song, followed.

Ceane came to newspaper writing near the beginning of the new millennium and the compilation of her

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previously-mentioned Daily Courier columns became the first of the County Chronicles to be published by Mechling Books. The most recent edition, County Chronicles 1V, was released in October of 2008. The series is beautifully-done with cover art by Connellsville resident Helen Alt, a selected assortment of prints

by PA artist Robert Griffing and numerous photographs of interest in each installment. Because the book chapters are meant to be stories unto themselves and are not chronologicallyordered, they can be read in sequence or randomly, depending on the reader’s mood and interest.

Along the way County Chronicles has brought the writer Connellsville’s Athena Award, a Citation/Special Recognition Award from the PA House of Representatives and a Congratulatory/ Special Recognition Award from the Senate of PA. The historical volumes are to be found in the PA State Library, Heinz History Center and the libraries of many prestigious universities. Ceane has also been tapped to guest on 2 television programs: The Faces of Fayette in her home area and PA Books hosted by Brian Lockman on PCN, the PA Cable Network.

The author calls her style “conversational,” and I would have to agree with that chatty assessment. But, her eyes, ears, nose and fingers inform her writing as well. She charmingly writes of people, places, events and things with equal relish and her style is as much like that of the Gilded Age she so esteems as it is contemporary.

And, like all good tellers of fictional or factual tales, she merges a measured mix of analysis and imagination.

Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln is a selfconfessed time traveler. However, she doesn’t always travel forward from point A to point B or even from point A backward to point Z. She often moves “like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel.*” There are no finite beginnings and endings; only ongoing revolutions intersecting the two extremes. With a remarkable repertoire of literate lexis, euphonious expressions and sensory imagery she unwinds past and present wonders while exposing the kaleidoscopic windmills of her mind. ***** BMN: Gazing into your crystal ball, what do you foresee for the future of books?

CO’H-L: Ha! I don’t need a crystal ball to answer that. Books better be compelling today or people will not read them through to the end. There are simply too many distractions – big-screen, digital televisions, computers with all the amenities; you name it. A book has to hold interest, from beginning to end, like never before – a real challenge for modern-day writers!

Books are expensive, so I want to give my readers the best product I can for their hardearned money.

BMN: With the vast selection of informational sources as close as a click these days do you still frequent your beloved libraries as often as you once did?

CO’H-L: I often frequent libraries for I feel at home in a library – absorbed and uncharacteristically still and silent.

Connellsville’s charming Carnegie Free Library, my hometown library that has retained its Edwardian charm since its 1903 beginnings, has always occupied a special chamber of my heart. Another of my favorite libraries is the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on Forbes Avenue.

The majestic building takes my breath away each and every time I enter its aweinspiring portals. Recently, I had a wonderful book signing there, a dreamcome-true for this author.

choose. I enjoy researching and writing about our heroes of bygone days as well as our present-day heroes.

BMN: Your “Haunted Pennsylvania” segments in each CC volume seem to confirm that truth is still stranger than fiction.

BMN: I’m sniffing out a bloodhound. Is there a Miss Marple lurking within?

CO’H-L: I love research. Some writers don’t, but I do. To me, research is like a treasure hunt; one never knows what one will uncover. A writer of history is also a history detective; I love discovering gems of history, some of which lead to other Chronicles. Sometimes it’s hard to know when to stop sleuthing and get down to the actual writing/crafting, but I enjoy both the research and the writing.

BMN: You and I have discussed our “honing” devices. Tell us about “the writing and the rewriting of the words, words, words, words, words, words, words.”

(My apologies to that consummate revisionist, Mr. Poe. I just couldn’t resist.)

CO’H-L: I don’t know if I am a good writer or, as I strive to be, a great one.

Only Time, our greatest historian, will be able to tell us that. However, I know one thing for certain – I am a darn good REwriter, for I rewrite and polish, rewrite and fine-tune, rewrite and proof, then rewrite and proof again until the language flows. When I get reader feedback telling me my “… books read like whipped cream,” the work was worth the effort I put into it. Or when a reader relates that he or she could not put my current book down, or someone asks when the next installment is coming out. However, my favorite feedback is when a reader tells me my books make him or her proud to be a Pennsylvanian.

BMN: You could never be accused of discrimination, since you write about all and sundry. However, if you had your druthers, would you rather write about the living or the deceased? (Each set of souls has its spherical advantages to be sure.)

CO’H-L: Host Brian Lockman made a similar comment on the TV show PA Books. My Chronicles are quite varied. In response to your question, I cannot

Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln, circa 1980

CO’H-L: PA is brimming over with documented ghost stories. I also try and ferret out unusual happenings, as well as little-known or long-forgotten tales.

And though I tell these events in a storytelling manner, “History is not history unless it is the truth,” A. Lincoln once said. I do my homework, make use of paranormal experts, and visit those haunted sites. I have had paranormal experiences at a few of those sites, and have included some of these episodes within my CCs. BMN: Connellsville holds pride of place in your heart and in your works.

Conversely, you are the published pride of that city at present. Could you comment on this mutual admiration society?

CO’H-L: I love Connellsville because there is no place like home and for its history, from the time it was called “Stewart’s Crossing” to present day.

Connellsville has pulled itself up (after several years of decline) and dusted itself off from its smoky past to embark on a new era, one bright with tourism. We have come a long way from the smoky, industrial city known from the 1870s to the early 1950s as the “Coke Capital of the World.” My most treasured award is the Athena Award presented to me by the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce for career excellence. I hope I can always live up to that honor – I surely mean to try.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

BMN: What are your job perks, County Chronicler?

CO’H-L: One of the best perks of my Pennsylvania history series is meeting all the fine people I have been privileged to encounter along the exciting road to history. Among them are Margaret Mead’s daughter, Mary Catherine Bateson; Jim Thorpe’s daughter, Grace; Pennsylvania author/historian extraordinaire David McCullough; Robert Griffing, artist of the Eastern Woodland Indians; and Pennsylvania’s Sweetheart Shirley Jones. There are others, too numerous to mention, all wonderful people. The second great perk is traveling to the historical sites and places of interest of our great commonwealth; and third is learning as I research and write each Chronicle. I am continuously learning about our great commonwealth and our PA luminaries.

BMN: How would you describe your relationship with your readers?

CO’H-L: There is a definite love affair between me and history and me and my readers. From the outset, when County Chronicles ran as a history column, my reader feedback was so warm, encouraging, and positive. I owe my readers a great debt of gratitude for their word-of-mouth advertising about my books.

I love hearing from them and meeting them at book signings. I think readers can sense how much I love what I do; I was born to write history. I want my readers to know how much I treasure each and every one of them – and I always will. My response is my promise to always give them the best work I possibly can.

BMN: I have long been fascinated by Napoleon’s Joséphine. After reading your short story collection, I suspect you are as well. Do you think she was a victim, vamp, or a bit of both like so many unforgettable women throughout the ages?

CO’H-L: There is an old saying that “well-behaved women seldom make history.” I have come to know Joséphine quite intimately, more so than any other historical figure except perhaps Mary Todd Lincoln, another misunderstood lady. Most assuredly, Joséphine was both victim and vamp; but beyond that, she was incomparable and possessed of a noble heart – indeed, one of history’s great ladies.

BMN: I take pleasure in your attention to the aspects of apparel and ornamentation. By any chance do you seek out vintage clothing and/or jewelry for your own wardrobe?

CO’H-L: I adore vintage clothing and antique jewelry.

My favorite era for apparel and ornamentation is late Victorian, often referred to as Edwardian, that commenced in the 1890s and was swept away by WW I. Called by the French la Belle Époque this period included the popular Gibson Girl created by American artist Charles Dana Gibson. Throughout history fashion often reflects the economy, and the Edwardian was an era of beautiful clothes – the peak of luxury!

BMN: Considering your appreciation of music and ability as a poet, have you ever considered becoming a lyricist?

Every Story Begins At Home.

CO’H-L: Now that is one thought that has never danced in my head, but now that you’ve put it there, I might give it some shimmer. I have written and seen published several poems. One appears in Autumn Song, others in my County Chronicles PA history series.

BMN: You have an abiding interest in the Civil War era, exhibit a talent for exploring relationships and are drawn to themes of reincarnation and spirit worlds. Might you be ideally suited to author an epic rich in history – a New Age Gone With The Wind, perhaps?

CO’H-L: It’s funny you should mention GWTW, for it is my all-time favorite novel. Margaret Mitchell has influenced my writings; she was a true Irish seanchaí! In fact, I am often called the “Margaret Mitchell of Connellsville” due to the passion of my words I am told.

Melanoma Monday® - May 4, 2009 In 1995, the Academy established the first Monday in May as Melanoma Monday® to raise awareness about this potentially fatal type of skin cancer and to encourage Americans to practice sun-safe behaviors and examine their skin for suspicious moles and lesions. http://www.melanomamonday.org

I have been told four separate times in my life that I am an “Old Soul” who has lived many incarnations. Perhaps I revere the past and have the intense love for history that I do because I lived it. I have an open mind about it. I don’t think mine would be a southern epic. Perhaps a Civil War epic with a Pennsylvania flavor, or an epic on the Pennsylvania frontier during the years of eternal vigilance, the French and Indian War era through the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. At this point in time, I would need psychic field glasses to answer that question. One thing I do know is that magic happens, and maybe, just maybe, that GWTW magic will happen for this author.

BMN: You took a risk when you left the teaching profession to try your hand at writing. Was it worth it?

CO’H-L: Indeed, it was! Actually, I never thought of it as a risk; I knew I could do it. Writing is my life; it’s who I am. Without it, I would cease to exist … or perhaps that is all I would do – exist. Writing is such a wondrous process of discovery I can’t wait to get started each day! I’ve thanked my readers, and I should also thank my husband who is so supportive of my work. The only thing better than doing what you want in life, is having someone who loves you enough to let you do it. ***** Do I still like to hear what Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln has to say? You bet. Do I think her gamble on history, legend and lore has paid off? In spades.

– County Chronicles II, III, and IV can be purchased from Mechling Books, Barnes and Noble and other select bookstores, as well as directly from the author. County Chronicles V is slated to debut in late 2009.

Autumn Song is available from the author.

– Email Ceane O’Hanlon-Lincoln at ceane@zoominternet.net or call 724-626-1817 – To contact Mechling Books go to www.mechlingbooks.com or call 1-800-941-3735 *The Windmills of Your Mind, words and music by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand

March/April - 9

READER RECIPES Favorite Formulas from Neighborhood Kitchens

Beef Tips With Red Wine 2 lbs. beef tips 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 lg. onion, chopped 2 cans of Campbells Golden Mushroom soup 3/4 c. red wine (Walnut Hill Winery’s Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon) 1/2 c. water 1(8oz) can of mushrooms, drained Brown beef tips in butter, transfer to crock pot, include the pan drippings. Add remaining ingredients, cook on low, covered, until beef tips are tender (6-8 hrs). Serve on a bed of rice or noodles. Make a big salad, have some French bread and ENJOY! – Submitted by Samantha Crissman of Walnut Hill Winery

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Nancy Hoffman’s Cranberry Bread 1 2 1 1 1

orange T. butter egg c. sugar c. cranberries, chopped

½ c. walnuts or pecans, chopped 2 c. flour ½ t. salt ½ t. baking soda

Grate the rind of the orange. Squeeze the juice from the orange into a heat-resistant bowl and add enough boiling water to make ¾ c. liquid. Add grated rind and butter; stir to melt butter. In another bowl beat well egg and sugar; stir into the orange mixture; add cranberries and nuts. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Stir flour combination into orange/cranberry/nut mixture. Spoon into greased 9 x 5 loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees. Yield: 1 loaf – Submitted by Barbara M. Neill

Salvation Army Sets Dates and Food Guidelines for Camp Allegheny The Salvation Army in Western Pennsylvania is gearing up for its 2009 camping season. The organization's 95-acre Camp Allegheny, located along Slippery Rock Creek in Ellwood City, is readying for its summer camp program that

Our Famous Homemade Kolaci!

Large Nut, Apricot & Poppyseed Rolls $8.50 Each To place your order, please call Jean @ 724-539-1554, Lois @ 724-537-6742, or Jane @ 724-459-8574.

Orders must be in by March 25!

Pick-up Dates: Saturday March 28 - 10 am to 2 pm Saturday April 4 - 10 am to 2 pm

St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church 1520 Susan Drive Latrobe (Just off Mission Road)

10 -March/April 2009

will run June 22nd thru August 13th. Each year, nearly 2,000 needy children from all over Western Pennsylvania enjoy a program that provides not only fun and excitement, but also valuable character building activities. Accredited by the American Camping Association, Camp Allegheny offers a diverse program including recreation, Christian education, nature, swimming, boating, arts & crafts, archery, hiking and much more. For many of these campers, The Salvation Army provides their only chance of a summer vacation experience.

A seasonal food service program and full complement of staff provides three healthy meals each day. Through a contract with the Department of Education Summer Food Service Program, free meals are provided to eligible children during all camping sessions. This federally funded Summer Food Service Program provides approximately 9% of the total Camp oper-

ating budget, which helps keep the costs at a minimum for those attending. Meals are provided regardless of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any USDArelated activity should contact the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.

All Children from households that receive food assistance through the DPA Pennsylvania ACCESS Card Program or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are eligible. The family size and income guidelines for free and reduced priced meals are as follows: One family member, $19,240.00; two family members, $25,900; three family members, $32,560; four family members, $39,220; five family members, $45,880; six family members, $52,540; seven family members, $59,200; eight family members, $65,860; and each additional family member over eight, $6,660.00.

For information on attending Camp Allegheny or sponsoring a camper, contact your local Salvation Army or the organization's newly relocated uptown Pittsburgh Social Services Department at 1323 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-4700 (Life'sWork facility) 412-394-3580.

During the off-season, Camp Allegheny is also available to churches, schools, corporations and groups for retreats and special events. To learn more about its comprehensive facilities, contact Colleen Ley at 412-446-1551.

Founded in 1865 in London, England by William and Catherine Booth, The Salvation Army is both a church and a social service organization that provides critical services in 117 countries worldwide. For more information on The Salvation Army's 28-County Western Pennsylvania Division, log onto www.salvation army-wpa.org. The Salvation Army – Doing the Most Good for the Most People in the Most Need.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

Stayin’ on the Laugh Track: The Genuine LOL

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Every Story Begins At Home.

I am of the belief that the experiences we remember the most vividly are those that make us laugh the loudest or cry the hardest. Emotional extremes define our boundaries and much of the rest of our lives is just filler – significant, surely, but filler just the same. I’ll tackle tears another day; today I feel like taking up laughs. The letters LOL can stand for either “laugh out loud” or “laughing out loud.”

However, my subject is not to be confused with the overused text abbreviation/initialism; I am speaking of the purely human expression of the term.

Television has used a laugh track, or canned laughter, for decades. The process of adding a separate soundtrack of laughter to a show filmed in an audience-free environment was thought to elicit the optimum reaction to the punch lines and jokes in sitcoms, comedies and cartoons. A show filmed before a live studio audience could have the tract “sweetened” if not enough laughter was heard from those present. There have been arguments pro and con over the years, but one thing remains same: genuine laughter is the desired result, however it is attained.

Laughter has been highly prized throughout the ages. Victor Hugo felt that “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” and Mark Twain said, “The human race has one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Edward Estlin Cummings (aka e. e. cummings) claimed, “The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” Surely it would be counterproductive for the medical community to advocate that “laughter is the best medicine,” but health professionals do acknowledge the benefits of mirth. Numerous articles on the order of “Humor Your Tumor” by Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D. have been written urging patients to embrace the lighter side of life.

Think of all the expressions in our language having to do with laughter: rolling on the floor laughing, bursting with laughter, convulsed with

Daffodil Days is one of the American Cancer Society’s oldest and most beloved fundraising programs, which celebrates the Society’s mission to eliminate cancer as a lifethreatening disease. Since 1973, Daffodil Days has empowered people everyone from school children to corporate CEOs to make a difference in the fight against cancer by raising funds and awareness to help beat the disease.

Although Daffodil Days involves offering daffodils every spring to donors in appreciation of their contributions, it is about more than just beautiful flowers it is everyone’s opportunity to share hope for a world free of cancer. By giving daffodils to friends, family members, and even cancer patients, donors are really giving hope by enabling the Society to offer free programs and services to improve the lives of people facing cancer.

Cancer will affect the lives of one in every two men and one in every three women. It is a top health concern among Americans.

laughter, laughing your head off, laugh ‘til you bust.

Laughs can be described in ways positive and negative, e.g. hearty, warm, girlish, uproarious; irritating, derisive, raucous, grating. Consider, also, the types of laughs. There are belly laughs and horselaughs, giggles and guffaws, cackles, chortles and chuckles, snickers, sniggers and titters to name just a few.

My husband always knows when I am reading Christopher Buckley. Intoning from the next room he’ll ask, almost rhetorically – “You’re reading one of that guy’s books again, aren’t you?” He doesn’t find the satirist nearly as hysterical as I do. One of the many fond recollections I have of our newlywed days is the memory of listening to him howl over The Three Stooges while I cooked our dinner. I have never heard such uninhibited, unadulterated enjoyment. What little amusement I get from those juvenile gents are the punny titles Moe created for the shorts. A shared sense of humor is also to be cherished; isn’t a shriek with someone over an inside joke priceless? As Victor Borge once quipped, “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” But, no matter what it is that makes each of us LOL, it’s the end result that counts – the restorative power it has over our being.

In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice Gratiano bids, “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” Wrinkles, loneliness, sadness, illness, tragedy and grief are experienced to some extent by most human beings during the course of a lifetime. It’s difficult, if not nearly impossible, to stay positive in the face of adversity. I hope to remain on the laugh track and to indulge in at least one genuine LOL a day until I draw my last breath. (“Laugh” always trumps “apple” in my book.) In these troubled times it’s comforting to know that something has guaranteed worth – a laugh can never be too big to fail.

– Barbara M. Neill

Donations received through the Daffodil Days program enable the Society to offer free programs and services that help people fight cancer with courage and optimism, while providing physical and emotional assistance and financial information to ease the cancer experience.

Additionally, daffodil contributions provide the Society with much-needed dollars to fund groundbreaking cancer research, educate people about the importance of cancer prevention and early detection, and advocate for meaningful public health policies that benefit the community. Only with your support can we continue to help those touched by cancer, empower people to fight back against this disease, and save more lives.

During the past 14 years, Daffodil Days has raised nearly $250 million in gross revenue to support the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease.

Excela Health Spreads Hope: Latrobe Hospital, Little Shop Mall March 19, 20, 21 (9am - 3pm)

Westmoreland Hospital at Jeannette, Lobby March 20 (9am - 3pm)

Westmoreland Hospital, Front Lobby March 19, 20 (9am - 3pm)

Frick Hospital, Lobby March 19, 20 (9am - 3pm)

Norwin Medical Commons, Lobby March 20 (9am - 3pm)

March/April - 11

Lincoln Highway Consignment Shoppe Clothing & Shoes for Men, Women & Children

We have YOUR prom gown!

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HOURS Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri : 10 am - 6 pm Thurs: 1 pm - 9 pm Sat: 10 am - 2 pm Closed Sunday and All Major Holidays

Consigner receives 50% of selling price

SENIOR MOMENTS Area Residents Share the Facts of Life

Dr. John S. Parker Hometown Today: Latrobe Birthplace: Altoona, PA Number of Siblings: 2 sisters High School Alma Mater & Graduation Year: New Castle Senior High School, Class of 1946 College Alma Mater & Graduation Year: Washington & Jefferson College, Class of 1952; University of Buffalo Medical School, Class of 1957

Loyalhanna Care Center Providing you peace of mind and continuity of care.

SERVICES AVAILABLE 24-hour nursing care, wound care, hospice, respite, intravenous therapy, respiratory, enteral feedings, beauty and barber services, newspaper delivery, and telephone REHABILITATIVE SERVICES physical, occupational, speech, falls management, and dysphasia ACCOMODATIONS bright and attractive private and semi-private rooms, cable television in every room free of charge WE ACCEPT Medicare, Medicaid, Security Blue, and most insurances

For additional information or to arrange a tour, please call 724-537-5500

Spouse & Year of Marriage: Dorris McKean Parker, 1951 Number of Children: 5 – 2 boys, 3 girls Vocation: Physician (retired) – Practiced internal medicine in Latrobe from 1961-1994 Positions Held: U. S. Navy 1946-48, Hospital Corpsman; Jefferson Medical College, Associate Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine; Latrobe Area Hospital, Chief of Medicine from 1974-1993; Diagnostic Associates, President (until retirement) Past & Present Affiliations: Served in various capacities for American Medical Association, Pennsylvania Medical Society, and Westmoreland County Medical Society; AARP Health Services, Legislation Advisor; Southwestern PA Partnership for Aging, Board Member; Laurel Area Partnership on Aging, Cofounder and Chairman; W&J College, Alumni Trustee; Latrobe Presbyterian Church, Member and Elder; Union Mission, Board Member; involved in numerous community organizations including the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce Avocations: Gardening (Master Gardener of the Penn State University Extension Program; active in the Mini-Garden program of the Latrobe Area) Favorite Charitable Cause: Latrobe Presbyterian Church Favorite Quote: There is no limit to what can be accomplished if you don’t care who gets the credit. – Dr. C. C. Young Hidden Talent: Quiet arm-twisting!

Role Model or Mentor: David K. Miller, MD (Chairman of the Department of Medicine, E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY) Best Lesson Learned: Never give up – be optimistic even in the face of what appear to be overwhelming obstacles.

Most Memorable Accomplishment: Helping to create the Greater Latrobe Community Network (www.greaterlatrobe.net) Future Aspiration: Working to guarantee that GLCN is known as a great community resource

12 -March/April 2009

Friendship Farms Natural Farm, Bakery & Native Plant Nursery Route 130 & Deeds Road, Lycippus, PA (approximately 5 miles south of Latrobe)

ORDER YOUR ALL NATURAL HEARTH BREADS, PASTRIES, RANGE-FED ANGUS BEEF AND SPRING PLANTS NOW! Mon-Fri 10am - 6pm • Saturday 10am - 3pm • Closed Sundays Store: 724-423-1545 • Office: 724-423-8727 www.friendshipfarms.com • Email: sales@friendshipfarms.com Bread Available Noon to Close Monday thru Saturday

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

THE LIGONIER CHEF Scott M. Sinemus

A Little Cheese to Go with That Wine?

The first thing that went through my mind when Cathi asked me to make the topic of my article for this issue about food and wine pairings was: how can I break down so much information into such a small amount of space?

I am not a sommelier by any stretch of the imagination; however, cooking professionally in five-star establishments for 20 years has given me the opportunity to develop my palate more than most. In fact, when I was working at the Ritz-Carlton, Boston (my first job after culinary school) we had a wine tasting every Tuesday. We were welcome to attend every Tuesday but at least once a month was mandatory. I knew I’d found my dream job; mandatory wine tasting—could life get any better than that?

There was a wine appreciation course at my school, but it was nearly all from books and lectures about wine—we had only two tastings at the end of the semester, one for reds and one for whites.

Since I had grown up knowing several friends, neighbors and relatives making their own home made wines, most of which were so incredibly sweet I couldn’t stand to drink them, I didn’t have the

ambition to pay much attention to wine. Neither did most of the people here in the States, until the wineries in Napa started winning significant competitions over the French Bordeauxes in the early 80’s, did everyone seemed to start paying attention.

It’s always more fun to jump right in with tasting but it is advisable to learn some of the basics from a reference book like Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers & Spirits. There is a reason particular glasses are used for certain wines; temperature, storage, age, and variety make a phenomenal difference when consuming wine.

Every country in the world has wines they’re known for. The type of grape, soil, weather, crushing and fermentation processes have everything to do with that. These are the subtle reasons that make people love or loathe a wine. When someone says to me, “I love Bordeaux” the first question I ask is, “Which province in Bordeaux?

Graves? Pauillac? St. Emillion? St. Julienne…etc.” This is the point where the conversation either continues because I know the person actually does know something about wine or I politely

excuse myself and find someone else to talk to at the party.

It is true that there were very rigid and staunch rules to what wine one would serve with what food, the foundations of which are still valid. Perfect case in point: Chablis. The flint in the soil makes this wine somewhat difficult to drink alone; but when you pair it with fresh oysters it becomes an entirely different experience.

These days, however, food and wine pairings are much more relaxed. I recently heard someone at another table in a restaurant say, “We have to pick a white wine since we’re all having fish.” The poor souls didn’t seem to know that since they were having a grilled meaty fish, a bottle of Beaujolais (much less expensive than the white they chose) would’ve been something fun to try and would’ve complimented the grilled flavor of their fish even more than the white they picked.

Price should never be a determining factor when deciding whether a wine is “good.”

Especially now that so many different wines from so many different regions are available.

The Wine and Spirits store behind the Westmoreland Mall has a vast

Here are just a few suggestions for pairings: Cheese

Meat

Fish

Sauce

Dessert

Chardonnay:

Asiago Havarti

Chicken Pork

Bass Halibut

Cream Pesto

Vanilla Pudding Bananas Foster

Sauvignon Blanc

Chévre Feta

Turkey Chicken

All Shellfish

Citrus Anything

Sorbet Key Lime

Riesling

Gouda Jarlsburg

Asian Spicy/smoked

Trout Sea bass

BBQ Spicy

Apple Pie Caramel Sauce

Cabernet

Roquefort Cheddar

Red meat

Grilled

Brown

Tiramisu Bittersweet Chocolate

Merlot

Romano Asiago

Lamb Veal

Grilled Swordfish

Béarnaise Bolognese

Fondue Berries

Pinot Noir

Brie Chévre

Duck Pork

Salmon Tuna

Mushroom Red Sauce

White Chocolate Crème Caramel

Zinfandel

Aged Brie Huntsman

Ribs Spicy

Cajun Style Seafood

Salsa Spicy

Carrot Cake Gingerbread

Every Story Begins At Home.

selection and even has a “cellar” room for high-end wines that even less than five years ago were a special order.

Wine, like most things in life, should be a personal choice.

Everyone’s palate is different. Five people can taste the same wine and arrive at five completely different conclusions on whether it is “good” or “bad.” None of the five are incorrect.

Although we don’t live in Napa or Sonoma, we are fortunate to have several local wineries around the area, all of which offer tastings of the wines they produce. The festivals in Pittsburgh and Seven Springs are fantastic events for developing a palate.

Gather some of your friends, take a day and try out some of the local wineries. It’s a relatively inexpensive activity, will benefit your wine knowledge, and it’s fun!

Or if you can’t decide who should be your designated driver, have a tasting at home. Have everyone bring a bottle of Bordeaux for instance, making sure that there is a bottle from each province in the region. This is the best way to notice all the subtle differences soil, microclimate and processing techniques can influence a wine.

The same can be done with California wines. Have everyone bring a bottle of Cabernet but make sure they come from all over Napa— the northern parts of Napa (St. Helena/Calistoga) tend to be the better reds.

Raise a glass and check out one of these local purveyors!

Walnut Hill Winery Greenhouse Winery Greendance Winery Raspberry Acres Winery Vite e Vino Foggy Mountain Lodge

March/April - 13

MARCH/APRIL 2009 COMMUNITY CALENDAR Mondays and Wednesdays starting Monday, March 16 @ 10:00 am Get Off Your Rockers!

Muncipal Building-Council Chambers, 901 Jefferson Street, Latrobe Physical fitness programs for seniors. Cost is $25 for Latrobe residents and $30 for nonresidents. Register by calling (724) 537-4331.

Through April 19 Artists of the Twentieth-First Century: Student Art Exhibition Southern Alleghenies Museum, One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South, Ligonier March 6, 7 (10-6), 8 (10-5) Pittsburgh Arts & Crafts Spring Fever Festival Events Center behind Westmoreland Mall Greensburg, PA Saturday, March 7 @ 10:30 am Read the Movie, View the Book Discussion Group—East of Eden Ligonier Library, 120 West Main Street, Ligonier To join the group or learn more, call (724) 2386451 or email lvlibrary@wpa.net.

Saturday, March 7 @ 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 8 @ 2:30 pm Ocean’s 7 & 7: A Roy Stargess Caper The Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh Street, Scottdale Tickets are $8 and can be purchased by calling (724) 887-0887 or by visiting www.geyerpac.com

Wednesday, March 11 @ 6 pm Composting Workshop Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284. Registration required/$10 fee.

Thursday, March 12 @ 9:00 am Gentle Yoga Conference rooms C & D, Westmoreland Hospital, 532 West Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg. One hour, eight week course on Thursday mornings throughout March and April.

Cost is $64 for community members and $32 for Excela Health employees. Call 1-877-771-1234 or email WellBeingCenter@excelahealth.org to register Thursday, March 12 - Saturday, March 14 Once On This Island 7:30 pm. Belle Vernon Area High School Auditorium, 425 Crest Avenue, Belle Vernon For tickets, call (724) 929-9800, ext. 247 or visit www.bvbroadway.com Friday, March 13/Saturday, March 14 @ 7:00 pm Country Cabaret Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh Street, Scottdale. For tickets, call (724) 887-0887 or visit www.geyerpac.com Friday, March 13/Saturday, March 14 @ 7:30 pm Grease Greater Latrobe Senior High School Auditorium, 131 High School Road, Latrobe. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and $5 for seniors and children under 8. Tickets may be purchased by calling (724) 539-4298.

Friday, March 13 - Sunday, March 15 @ 9:00 am Homecoming: Women’s Slopestyle Invitational Seven Springs Mountain Resort, 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA For information, call 1-800-453-2223

Saturday, March 7 @ 9:00 am USASA Halfpipe and Slopestyle Event Seven Springs Mountain Resort, 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA Accrue points toward a national ranking.

Register through www.usasa.org and www.mdxseries.com.

Saturday, March 14 @ 10:00 am Surreal Scenes for Kids Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main Street, Greensburg. Children learn fundamental art techniques while exploring the backrooms of the museum. Class is $15. To register, call (724) 837-1500 ext. 10.

Saturday, March 7 @ 10:00 am Your Changing Body for Boys Westmoreland Hospital, 532 West Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg To register, call 1-877-771-1234 or visit callctr@excelahealth.org.

Saturday, March 14 @ 8:00 pm Classical Elegance by the Westmoreland Symphony Orchertra The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $9, 18, 25 and 37 and may be purchased by phoning (724) 837-1850.

Saturday, March 7/Sunday, March 8 @ 2:30 pm Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Ligonier Theater, 208 West Main Street, Ligonier. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and can be reserved by calling (724) 238-6514 ext. 2.

Sunday, March 15 @ 7:00 pm Live Nation presents Brian Regan The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets may be purchased online at www.livenation.com.

Saturday, March 7 @ 8:00 pm River City Brass Band presents American Graffiti The Palace Theater, 23 Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $22, 24 and 29.

To purchase tickets, call 1-800-292-7222.

Saturday, March 7 @ 10 am Geneology and DNA Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284.

Monday, March 9 @ 9:30 am Yoga Basic Conference rooms C & D, Westmoreland Hospital, 532 West Pittsburgh St, Greensburg One hour, eight week course on Monday mornings throughout March and April. Cost is $64 for community members and $32 for Excela Health employees. Call 1-877-771-1234 or email WellBeingCenter@excelahealth.org to register.

Tuesday, March 10 @ 7:30 pm Ahn Trio Contemporary Chamber Musicians Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are $10, 22 and 24 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

14 -March/April 2009

Thursday, March 19 @ 7:30 pm Harold Betters in Concert Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main Street, Greensburg. Cost is $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers.

For tickets, call (724) 837-1500 or visit www.museumaa.org.

Friday, March 20/Saturday, March 21 @ 8:00 pm Greensburg Central Catholic High School presents Brigadoon The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $10.

Saturday, March 21 @ 12 noon Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Family Fun Day! Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main Street, Greensburg. Stories, games, art activities and guided tours for free.

Saturday, March 21 @ 1:00 pm Guitar Hero Competition Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh Street, Scottdale. For info, call (724) 887-0887 Saturday, March 21 @ 7:00 pm Maria Schneider Orchestra Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Saturday, March 21 @ 7:30 pm A Night of Doo Wop: featuring Kenny Vance & the Planotones, Charlie Thomas’ the Drifters, Frankie Ford, and Dickie Lee State Theatre, 27 East Main Street, Uniontown Tickets are $30, 40 and 45 and are available by calling (724) 439-1360 March 23 @ 7:30 pm Greensburg College Club Travelogue Series Pacific Coast Highway - Top to Bottom Greensburg Salem High School 65 Mennel Drive, Greensburg For info. call 724-834-0126 or 724-925-9221

Saturday, March 28 @ 8:30 am Forestry II Workshop Ann Rudd Saxman Nature Park, Donohoe Road, Greensburg. Fee is $10 for nonmembers and $5 for members of the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association. Advanced registration is required by calling (724) 837-5271 ext. 210 or by emailing christie@wcdpa.com.

Saturday, March 28 @ 9:00 am Annual March for Parks Twin Lakes Park, Greensburg For information and to register, call (724) 8303950 or visit www.co.westmoreland.pa.us Saturday, March 28 @10:00 am 7th Annual Pond Skim and Meltdown Party Seven Springs Mountain Resort, 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA Pond skimming competition and after party.

Registration is $25. For more information, call Seven Springs Ski Patrol @ (800) 452-2223, ext. 7814.

Saturday, March 28 @ 7:30 pm An Evening with Groucho (Comedy) Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are $10, 22 and 24 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Tuesday, March 31 @ 7:30 pm Westmoreland Cultural Trust presents Gaelic Storm The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $15, 20, and 25 and available by calling (724) 836-1123.

Thursday, April 2 @ 6:30 pm Ligonier Valley Historical Society presents Tastes of the Town Mill Creek Restaurant, 137 West Main Street, Ligonier. For tickets, call (724) 238-3968

Monday, March 16/Tuesday, March 17 @ 6:00 pm Time and Time Again: Abraham Through the Ages Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Waller Hall Studio. Tickets may be purchased by calling (724) 357-2547 or by visiting iuptickets.com Wednesday, March 18 @ 10 am Tiny Wonders Time Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. Learning about nature for children aged 2 to 4, register at (724) 537-5284.

Wednesday, March 18 @ 3:00 pm Titles and Tea Book Discussion Club—The Quilter’s Apprentice Ligonier Library, 120 West Main Street, Ligonier To learn more about the discussion group, call (724) 238-6451 or lvlinfocat@ligonierlibrary.org

Thursday, March 26-Saturday, March 28 @ 7:30 pm The Pajama Game Burrell High School Auditorium, 1021 Puckety Church Road, Lower Burrell For tickets, call (412) 334-1403

Thursday, April 2 - Sunday, April 5 @ 7:15 pm Actors & Artists of Fayette County present Steel Magnolias Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh Street, Scottdale. Tickets are $8. Call (724) 887-0887 or visit www.geyerpac.com

Wednesday, March 18 @ 7:30 pm Footloose (Broadway Musical) Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets cost $33, 37 and 39 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Friday, March 27 and Saturday March 28 @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, March 29 @ 2:00 pm Stage Right presents The Sound of Music The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $18 and $22 for adults, and $12 and $18 for students and are available by calling 724-832-7464 or 724-836-8000.

Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4 @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, April 5 @ 2:00 pm Back to the 80s: The Totally Awesome Musical Norwin High School Auditorium, 251 McMahon Drive, North Huntingdon. For tickets, call (724) 422-4009

Thursday, March 19/Friday, March 20 @ 9:00 am American Cancer Society Daffodil Sale Front Lobbies of Westmoreland, Latrobe, Frick Hospitals and Norwin Medical Commons

Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 @ 7:30 pm; Sunday, March 29 @ 2:30 pm Blue Suede Paws (family theater entertainment) Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh Street, Scottdale. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased by calling (724) 887-0887

Thursday, April 2 @ 7:00 pm Westmoreland Cultural Trust presents Karaoke on Stage!

The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Admission is $5 and singers are required to register by calling (724) 836-1123.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

Thursday, April 2 @ 7:30 pm Philadanco (Dance) Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are $10, 30 and 32 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4 @ 7:30 pm and Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 @ 2:30 pm Annie Derry Area Middle School Auditorium, Rte. 982 and North Chestnut Street, Derry. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased by calling (724) 7390052 or by emailing annieatderry@comcast.net Friday, April 3 @ 6:00 pm Your Changing Body for Girls Westmoreland Hospital, 532 West Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg. To register, call 1-877-7711234 or visit callctr@excelahealth.org Friday, April 3 @ 8:00 pm Elko Concerts presents Ray Montague The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $30 and 35 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Saturday, April 4 @ 8:00 pm St. Vincent College presents Carducci String Quartet Carey Center Auditorium for Performing Arts, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. For tickets, call (724) 805-2565 or visit www.stvincent.edu/ concertseries Saturday, April 4 @ 8:00 pm To Kill a Mockingbird State Theatre, 27 East Main Street, Uniontown Tickets are $28, 32 and 36 and are available by calling (724) 439-1360 Saturday, April 4 @ 8:00 pm River City Brass Band presents Strike Up the Band The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $22, 24 and 29 for adults and $20, 22, and 27 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets by calling 1-800292-7222.

Sunday, April 5 @ 6:00 pm Generation Exodus presents Skillet The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $19, 29, and 45 and are available by visiting www.skillet.com Tuesday, April 7 @ 10:00 am Eat Well for Life II Board room, Frick Hospital, 508 South Church Street, Mount Pleasant. Four-week program to promote wellness and long term weight management through nutrition and physical activity. The program is free to Highmark subscribers. For information, phone (724) 8308568 or email wellbeingcenter@excelahealth.org Tuesday, April 7 @ 8:00 pm Miro Dance Theater: Spooky Action Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fisher Auditorium. Tickets are $16 and are available by calling (724) 357-2547 or by visiting iuptickets.com

Wednesday, April 15 @ 10:00 am Tiny Wonders Time Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. Learning about nature for children aged 2 to 4, register at (724) 537-5284.

Saturday, April 15 Benefit Green Concert Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284.

Thursday, April 16 @ 10:00 am Discover Relaxation Within I Conference Rooms B & C, Frick Hospital, 508 South Church Street, Mount Pleasant.

Four-week program to help minimize stress by learning coping skills and relaxation techniques. Free to Highmark subscribers.

To register, call (724) 830-8568 or email wellbeingcenter@excelahealth.org.

Thursday, April 16 @ noon Tour of Greater Latrobe High School’s Art Collection Latrobe High School Center for Creativity, 131 High School Road, Latrobe, PA. Lunch at the Center for Creativity followed by a tour of the school’s art collection. For information, call (724) 238-6015.

Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18 @ 8:00 pm; Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 @ 2:00 pm Westmoreland Cultural Trust presents Late Nite Catechism Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road, Greensburg. For tickets, call (724) 836-8000 or visit www.thepalacetheatre.org Thursday, April 16; Friday, April 17; Wednesday, April 22 through Saturday, April 25 @ 7:00 pm and Sunday, April 19 @ 2:00 pm Boys’ Life Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Waller Hall Mainstage. Adult play about life after college. $16 tickets are available by calling (724) 3572547 or by visiting iuptickets.com Thursday, April 16 @ 7:30 pm Duquesne University Jazz Ensemble Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main Street, Greensburg. Cost is $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers.

For tickets, call (724) 837-1500 or visit www.museumaa.org.

Friday, April 17 @ 8:00 pm Elko Concerts presents Boney James The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $40, 45 and 49 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Saturday, April 18 @ 9:00 am Opera Ignite: The Dancing Cow Campana Chapel Lecture Hall, University of Pitt in Greensburg. Children’s performing arts literacy program. For information, contact Stephen Shrum at (724) 836-7483 or email sas114@pitt.edu Saturday, April 18 @ 1:00 pm Guitar Hero Competition Geyer Performing Arts Center, 111 Pittsburgh St, Scottdale. For information, call (724) 887-0887.

Saturday, April 9 Bunny Breakfast - 9am Peter Cottontail & Company - 10 am A Wild Egg Hunt - noon Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284.

Please call for registration information!

Saturday, April 18 @ 7:30 pm Barrage (Contemporary Music) Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are $10, 30 and 32 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Saturday, April 11 @ 10:00 am Art Adventure for Kids Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main Street, Greensburg. Children learn fundamental art techniques while exploring the backrooms of the museum. Class is $15. To register, call (724) 837-1500 ext. 10.

Saturday, April 18 @ 8:00 pm Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Gypsy Moods!

The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $9, 18, 25 and 37 and may be purchased by calling (724) 837-1850.

Saturday, April 11/Saturday, April 18 @ 9:00 am Oil Painting with Jolene Joyner Latrobe Art Center, 819 Ligonier Street, Latrobe Fee is $70. Register by calling (724) 537-7011 or by visiting www.latrobeartcenter.org/ classes.htm

Every Story Begins At Home.

Saturday, April 18 Westmoreland Earth Day Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284.

Sunday, April 19 @ 2pm The Herb Stidy Group of Indiana County hosts author Susan Wittig Albert Chestnut Ridge Inn and Conference Center Blairsville, PA. Tea and refreshments will be served at signing of her book Wormwood and discussion of “Shaker Herbs.“ HerbStudyGroupofIndianaCounty@yahoo.com Sunday, April 19 @ 1 pm and 4 pm Westmoreland Cultural Trust and Mad Scientist present CSI: LIVE The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Student tickets are $10 and adult tickets are $18 and may be purchased by calling (724) 836-1123.

March 23 @ 7:30 pm Greensburg College Club Travelogue Series La Belle France Greensburg Salem High School 65 Mennel Drive, Greensburg For info. call 724-834-0126 or 724-925-9221 Tuesday, April 21 @ 7:30 pm To Kill a Mockingbird (Drama) Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, 450 Schoolhouse Road, Johnstown. Tickets are $10, 30 and 32 and are available by calling 1-800-846-2787 or (814) 269-7200.

Wednesday, April 22-Saturday, April 25 @ 7:30 pm The Mystery of Edwin Drood Hempfield High School Auditorium. 4345 Route 136, Greensburg. For tickets, call (724) 834-9000 Friday, April 24 @ 8 pm Elko Concerts presents Buddy Guy The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $37, 43, and 47 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 @ 8 pm Witness for the Prosecution The Ligonier Theater, 208 West Main Street, Ligonier. For information, call (724) 238-6514.

Friday, April 24—25 @ 7:00 pm Brewski Festival Seven Springs Mountain Resort, 777 Waterwheel Drive, Seven Springs, PA (continued in next column)

Admission is $39 for Friday and $49 for Saturday per person and includes a buffet, entertainment and seminars. Tickets can be purchased by calling (866) 703-7625 or by going to tickets.7springs.com. Discounted lodging for the event can be reserved by calling (866) 437-1300.

Friday, April 24 @ 10:30 am & 8:00 pm; Saturday, April 25 @ 8:00 pm; Sunday, April 26 @ 2:00 pm; Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29 @ 10:30 am; Thursday, April 30, Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2 @ 8:00 pm Children of Eden Reeves Theater, Seton Hill University, Greensburg. Adult tickets are $12 and student tickets are $5 and are available by calling (724) 838-4241 or by emailing boxoffice@setonhill.edu.

Saturday, April 25 @ 8:00 pm “Connie Francis”: The Legend Continues State Theatre, 27 East Main Street, Uniontown Tickets are $46, 56 and 66 and are available online at www.supremeconcerts.com Saturday, April 25 @ 8:00 pm Elko Concerts presents Andrew Dice Clay The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Tickets are $35, 40 and 47 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Thursday, April 29, Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 @ 7:00 pm Stage Right’s All County Musical: High School Musical 2 The Palace Theater, 23 W. Otterman Street, Greensburg. Adult tickets are $15 and 20, student tickets are $12 and 15 and are available by calling 724-832-7464 or 724-836-8000.

Saturday, May 2 Garden Art Workshop Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, St. Vincent College, Latrobe. (724) 537-5284. FREE. Registration required.

To submit your event to this calendar, please email complete information to: advertising@LaurelMountainPost.com

Questions? Call 724-537-6845

March/April - 15

Wine Storage Solutions

by Heather Haines

Business Benefits in a Tight Economy: •• •• •• •• ••

Meet Meet potential potential customers customers Increase Increase your your visibility visibility Strengthen Strengthen executive executive and and managerial managerial skills• skills• Have Have aa voice voice Save Save money money

It’s Time to Grow Your Business!

Join the Ligonier Chamber For more information, please contact us: 120 East Main Street • Ligonier, PA 15658 • 724-238-4200 • www.ligonier.com

16 -March/April 2009

Wine has been stored many ways in the past 7,000 years. In the beginning, wine was stored in clay jars, wood barrels, and animal skins.

Later, fragile glass bottles were used.

By proclamation of King James I of England (1567-1625) all glassmakers were to stop using wood to heat their furnaces so as not to deplete the natural forests.

He was an environmentalist before his time!

Glassmakers then turned to coal, which allowed for a much hotter fire.

The hotter fire from burning coal in combination with the use of a bellows allowed Sir Kenelm Digby to create the modern day wine bottle which is thicker, stronger and darker in color.

Cork also became popular at this time allowing for long-term wine storage.

Caves and catacombs became the optimum storage space for wine.

Since very few people have a cave on their property, many homeowners build a wine cellar, which can vary greatly in size, cost, and storage capacity. Six factors should be considered before a wine cellar is built: location in the home, storage capacity, temperature, humidity, light, and vibration.

The best location for many is a small, unused closet or an area under the stairs. Closets are relatively easy to adapt to climate-controlled environments and can be insulated, moisture-sealed, refrigerated, and humidified. When sealed correctly, closets make an ideal environment for long-term storage of modest wine collections. Spaces under stairs can work well with open air racking or with climate controls. Under stairs locations have a few drawbacks. Capacity may be limited and footsteps overhead may vibrate the bottles in the cellar.

Converting a room into a wine cellar may become costly. Electrical systems may need to be upgraded to accommodate the refrigeration system. The conversion may also necessitate reinforcing the structural frame and flooring to handle the additional weight. Remember, even a modest collection of 500 bottles weights half a ton. For those with large wine collections, a wine cellar is a great investment.

For those with no such facility, a freestanding cabinet may be the best option but should only be used for mid-term storage of about five years.

Depending on the types of wine being stored, some cabinets may need appropriate insulation to maintain a consistent temperature.

Temperature is the greatest concern when cellaring wine. Today’s modern home is kept roughly at 68° F but temperature fluctuates with most rooms warming rapidly during the day and cooling again at night when the thermostat is turned down. The ideal temperature for storing wine is between 50° F and 53° F with little to no fluctuation, allowing it to age properly. Storing wine at lower temperatures slows the ageing process

giving it greater complexity and the opposite occurs at slightly higher temperatures. A general rule is the higher the temperature, the shorter the shelf life.

A moderately damp cellar is ideal for most wine cellars as humidity helps to keep the cork from drying out. This is also achieved by storing a wine bottle on its side to allow constant contact between the wine and the cork. When the cork dries out, it may expand and contract allowing air inside the bottle, ultimately damaging the stored wine. High humidity levels

Chuck Walters with wine racks by Liberty Closet Systems, Inc.

result in mold forming on the bottles and cork. For serious collectors, high humidity also has a tendency to leave the labels ruined, which will devalue an entire collection.

Light and vibration are also very important factors to consider when building a wine cellar. Ultraviolet light destroys wine which is one reason why wine was originally stored in caves and catacombs. Like a cave, wine cellars should have no windows. If this is not possible, wine should be shielded from the UV light.

Vibration is also another concern but isn’t as much of a problem in the modern home. It is important to remember, wine needs to sleep and frequent disturbance of wine will agitate it.

For those of you beginning your wine storage adventure to others wanting to expand their cellar, Liberty Closet Systems, Inc. can help. We understand that every bottle of wineregardless of its vintage or varietydeserves proper storage and care creating a difference you’ll come to taste, appreciate, and nurture. Wine cellar design, fabrication, and installation is done entirely by our expert team of designers and craftsmen.

For more information, please visit us at www.libertyclosetsonline.com.

More pictures can be found under the “our work” section under hobby centers.

Sources: www.sutton.com, www.cellarnotes.net, The Home Wine Cellar by Perry Sims

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

Picturing America At Adams Memorial Library

Picture America . . . the way it has both Spanish and American Indian been seen through history’s great ancestry. The famous painting of Paul works of art. Adams Memorial Library Revere by John Singleton Copley has received a grant from the National displays symbols of Freemasons in the Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) same orientation as they appear on to bring these images to the Latrobe the back of the dollar bill. The state Area. Through the “Picturing America” capitol of Columbus, Ohio, was built project, the library, along with many in 1831 and is shorter than most other K-12 schools and public libraries modern buildings in part because across the country, has received 40 elevators were not yet common. In the pieces of art in poster format. well-known picture called “Migrant The NEH has carefully selected Mother” by Dorothea Lange, the woman American masterpieces that bring us is a full-blooded American Indian. face to face with the people, places, Contrasting matte and gloss finishes and events that have shaped our in black-on-black Pueblo pottery cause country.The images are just a small “second color” to appear—the bright sample of significant works, and serve white of reflected light. as a starting point The curator for learning about for the Picturing our nation’s America project is “The Picturing America grant history and artistic Alex Shivetts (picfrom the National Endowment for legacy through tured above), a 17the Humanities has truly sculpture, fine year-old junior at enriched our lives. crafts, archiGreater Latrobe The posters dovetail perfectly tecture, photograSenior High. He is with the scope and sequence of phy and painting. responsible for our district’s social studies The library compiling the facts curriculum. Valuable as the will present a and changing out Picturing America posters are to different work of the weekly disteaching our curriculum, art each week plays as part of his however, perhaps their greatest through Memosenior class proworth is their limitless potential rial Day, and then ject. With approval to teach us all—students, staff begin again on from his school and parents— about ourselves.”

Labor Day and supervisor, Recontinue through becca Snyder — Katrine Watkins, Librarian, the end of the (2009 PennsylShaler Area Intermediate School, year. Each week vania State TeaGlenshaw, PA we will display cher of the Year), the poster accomAlex is getting a panied by interhead start on esting facts about the art next year’s requirement. He will shown. Some art will be hung at have to write an essay in addition specific times of the year (such as to the weekly work he will be doing, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass and will then have to make a window entitled “Autumn Landscape,” presentation to a panel of three or which will be displayed in September). four teachers and administrators at The facts about each work of art the school around the middle of next will highlight something that either year’s term to be graded on the the viewer may not notice if they only entire project. look casually or else may not be able To view an online gallery of the to know just by looking. Some Picturing America art pieces or to read examples: The church called the about any pieces visitors to the library “Mission Nuestra Senora de la might miss over the year, please visit Concepcion” from 1755 shows an the grant’s website at: http://picturingamerica.neh.gov image of God with facial features of

Every Story Begins At Home.

It’s Our Anniversary!

March 28, 10-5 PM We’re celebrating with Refreshments, Discounts, and New Merchandise!

Equine Chic on the Diamond at 100 E. Main Street in Ligonier 724-238-7003 • www.EquineChic.com

Hanna Insurance Agency Weathering the storms of life with you . . .

since 1959!

John Hanna, Owner

PHONE: (724) 537-5140 • FAX: (724) 537-0687 www.hannainsuranceagency.us March/April - 17

Radon… Big Risk, Easy Fix

by Brian Mischler

Contact : SueAnn Zippi Independent Consultant

724-681-3184

sueannzippi@comcast.net 18 -March/April 2009

As spring approaches and that fresh clean smell is in the air, don’t you just want to take a big deep breath and soak it all in?

Whoa! Not so fast! What’s in that stuff your inhaling? “Air” is comprised of many components; nitrogen, oxygen, dust, dander, chemicals, and water vapor just to name a few. One component also found in air, most any air, is Radon.

Radon is a colorless odorless gas that is a product of naturally decaying uranium found in nearly all soils. It is present virtually everywhere, indoors and out.

In sufficient quantity, Radon poses a serious health risk. Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas, and is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer in America overall. It claims about 20,000 lives annually. That’s more than the population of Latrobe, Derry, Ligonier, Stahlstown, and Laurel Mountain Borough combined. Find the average test results in your Pennsylvania zip code at the following website: http:// www.dep.state.pa.us/Radiation Protection_Apps/Radon/. Don’t panic, keep breathing, and read on.

How does this nasty stuff get into our homes? Pretty easily; through cracks in solid floors, construction joints, cracks in walls, gaps in suspended floors, gaps around service pipes, and sometimes our water supply. If a house receives public water, the radon is naturally removed in processing. With a well, there is a chance the water is harboring radon, but it usually is a small source if at all.

Radon testing and repair is rarely expensive, usually takes very little time, and compared to the cost and pain of lung cancer treatments, it’s a huge bargain.

Testing and correcting radon in your home is a pretty simple affair.

First of all, education is important.

In Pennsylvania, go to: http:// www.dep.state.pa.us/brp/ Radon_Division/Radon_Home page.htm or log onto the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/radon/ pubs/citguide.html#overview for a citizen’s guide to radon.

Additionally EPA Radon publications can be ordered from: US Environmental Protection Agency National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) P.O. Box 42419 Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419

Second, is the testing. There are essentially two types of tests, long term (90 days or greater) and short term (less than 90 days, but at least 48 hours). Short term testing is usually the fastest and most popular, especially during a real estate transaction. Both are valid for making a repair decision, however long term tests will more accurately reflect the overall radon levels in the house over the seasons.

A short term test kit can be purchased at the local hardware store for about $20. If using this method, read and follow the instructions precisely. If the instructions are not followed correctly, the result is not reliable. Another option is to hire a licensed radon testing firm. Most of these firms can do either long or short term tests, and the cost is usually $125 - $150. To avoid any potential conflict of interest, use a testing firm that does testing only and does not provide radon repair or mitigation. You can find a licensed testing firm sorted by county at: http://www.dep. state.pa.us/brp/radon_division/ Rn_Services_Directory/County% 20Test.pdf or by calling the PA Department of Environmental protection Bureau of Radiation protection at 717-787-2480.

Regardless of the type or length of the test, the result will be expressed in Picocuries per Liter. (pCi/L) This is a measurement of Radon per liter of air. If the test result is 4 pCi/L or higher, the EPA recommends that the building have corrective action.

If repair is needed, the cost ranges from $700 - $1,200. The most common form of correction or mitigation is called “sub-slab” depressurization or suction. Simply put, a hole is drilled into the basement floor and a pipe installed into it. From there the pipe is run up out of the house where an enclosed fan is installed, usually close to ground level drawing air from under the floor. From there pipe, downspout, or some other material can be used to vent the system, usually above the roofline. Installation normally only takes a few hours, and Radon levels can be reduced in most homes to 2 pCi/L or less.

The long and the short: Just because you can’t see, smell, or taste it doesn’t mean Radon isn’t real. It’s a threat to your family you can solve by simply picking up the phone, or getting online. Do it today.

Brian Mishler of HomeStudy Professional Home Inspection has enjoyed 14 years experience in the home inspection industry helping to educate buyers and sellers on their current or new home/property.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

SHOPS AROUND THE CORNER Getting To Know Unique Local Businesses and the People Behind Them

Sister Act:

Colleen’s Massage & Wellness Therapies As far as I know they don’t sing duets, perform pas de deux or juggle, but Colleen Dougherty and Debby Forrest of Colleen’s Massage & Wellness Therapies are a hard act to follow just the same.

The sisters are united in their vision and work together to bring health and wellness to our area providing balm and alleviating discomfort for the stressed and physically-challenged – a “sleight of hand” feat, so to speak.

Proprietor Colleen is a Registered Nurse who trained at Pittsburgh School of Massage. She has additional training in repetitive use injuries (like carpal tunnel), raindrop therapy, cranial-sacral therapy, acupressure, orthopedic therapy, and lymphatic drainage therapy and has obtained Reiki II level. Debby is a Certified Nursing Assistant who trained for massage at Career Training Academy and is also trained in shiatsu, geriatric massage, ortho-bionomy postural changes (scoliosis and kyphosis) and spa technique therapies. Debby also owns and operates a massage and wellness establishment in White Oak, Deb’s Oasis. Each sister continues to learn new techniques to offer their patrons through continuing education.

Before opening the Latrobe facility both women were affiliated with Excela Health Latrobe working primarily with cancer patients and their care givers and they paired with the Arnold Palmer Pavilion at the Mountain View Medical Center in conjunction with the Nancy Hoffman Foundation and Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation. When explaining oncology massage Debby says, “A patient once told me that being without pain for 5 minutes is wonderful.”

Practiced for centuries as a healing art in numerous cultures, massage benefits both the body and the mind. It helps reduce blood pressure, stimulates lymphatic drainage, activates the immune system and increases flexibility

of the joints. Massage induces relaxation and aids in the alleviation of migraines, neck, shoulder and back pain.

Endorphins, enkephalins and other pain-reducing neurochemicals are released through massage. The procedure also increases levels of dopamine and serotonin thereby decreasing levels of stress and depression. (Stress and disease have long been thought to have more than a passing relationship by many experts.)

Colleen’s Massage & Wellness Therapies seeks to provide a total experience that combines therapy and relaxation. A soothing water fall, mood music and the scent of aromatherapy oils greet you upon your arrival. Colleen relates, “We blend modalities to do a truly customized massage for each client.”

Available are Swedish massage, hot stone massage, connective tissue massage, neuromuscular therapy, lymph drainage therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, raindrop therapy, shiatsu and reiki. Spa therapies include exfoliation, body wrap, herbal wrap and aromatherapy wrap.

Clients are encouraged to drink the suggested amount of water following their therapy, but a variety of flavored teas are also offered to continue the relaxation process.

You certainly don’t have to be unwell to visit these sisters. “I massage healthy people, who stay healthier with massage,” Debby states. Take a step toward better health today by making an appointment at Colleen’s Massage and Wellness Therapies. You provide the body; Colleen and Debby provide their magical helping hands.

For more information about Colleen’s Health & Wellness Therapies visit www.colleensmassage.com or call 724-537-7353 or 412-527-7543. Therapy available at 1103 Ligonier Street, Latrobe by appointment only – Story and photo by Barbara M. Neill

Caring, sharing sisters – Debby Forrest (l) and Colleen Dougherty

Every Story Begins At Home.

More than the Sum of Its Parts: Wigs ‘n More Mastectomy Boutique

A business is so much more than a of 2008 and had a mastectomy the commercial venture. The building that following month. “Kathy and her staff houses it is a shell, however grand. A were wonderful, making a difficult list of products or services offered can situation a little more bearable. I was be learned from a trip to a website or a impressed with the large selection of wigs phone call to the establishment. To truly that were available. I ordered 3 and am appreciate an enterprise, one needs to gain more than pleased with the quality. In fact, an understanding of the people involved – people can’t believe that I wear a wig, proprietors, employees and customers. because it’s so beautiful,” says Debbie.

For 9 years Wigs ‘n More proprietor When she was diagnosed for the Kathy Hendrickson has dedicated second time with breast cancer, herself to helping her clients accomplish Greensburg’s Ovie Marshall was told that what at times must seem like an this time she would be losing her hair. impossible feat: looking their best during She was referred to Wigs ‘n More by a the worst of times. The boutique is a full friend who was also battling the disease. service salon that carries the prosthetics, bras and wigs a lumpectomy or mastectomy patient needs and is also amply stocked with attractive accessories such as hats, scarves, sunglasses, jewelry, and makeup. Skin and hair care products and hair extensions supply the finishing touches. (FYI: Skin care and massage therapy are also available.) Featured items include ContourMed custom prosthetics, LeMystere bras, Amoena intimate apparel Raquel Welch Signature Collection wigs, Gabor wigs, Wicking sleepwear and Spanx undergarments. Since a cancer ordeal can be a confusing experience Kathy explains, “Women are often unaware that “Some” of the parts that make W&M special – insurance covers many products Nancy Kimmick (l), Carol Dominiczak (modeling wig) for breast-related procedures.” and owner Kathy Hendrickson.

Kathy also operates Tangles Hair Salon & Day Spa which is housed in the same site as Wigs ‘n More.

She relates, “I was devastated, but I Trained in hair styling and cosmetology, thought if I was going to go through all Kathy has managed her hair salon for of this I was going to look great. When I 21 years. She is active as an instructor arrived I took a deep breath and went in Look Good…Feel Better program and inside. The staff was so nice and educates the public about Relay for Life, friendly. I was taken to a private area to the signature activity of the American try on wigs and talk about the needs I Cancer Society. In 2008 she won the would have with my double mastectomy.

YWCA Women’s Health & Fitness Award I left feeling educated about the and she is an active member of Latrobe importance of caring for my wig and Business and Professional Women’s Club. scalp and knowledgeable about how to Employee Nancy Kimmick shares wear scarves and hats to compliment my these thoughts about her job. “I am so hair loss. Kathy explained that my blessed to work with the most caring husband and kids know me best and are and passionate women in the industry. It my best critics, so I brought them in to is a pleasure everyday to engage with help me decide on length and color. I our clients who are such wonderfully got 2 wigs – one short for summer and strong, beautiful women who have the one long for winter – and lots of scarves. burning desire to beat this horrible Kathy and the staff took such care cutting disease that robs them of life. It can be my long wig and helping me to style and very emotional at times when you look care for both. They are always getting new in their eyes only to see the sadness skin care products that I just love. I still go they are experiencing, but also is very back and visit with Kathy; she makes rewarding when you fit them properly everyone feel welcome and at home. “ with the right wig and see them smile And what is the sum of these parts? and glow with confidence once again.”

They all add up to Wigs ‘n More.

We all know the old saying: If you don’t look good, you don’t feel good. Sounds For more information about Wigs ‘n More, frivolous, perhaps, but, if you talk to Inc. go to www.wigsnmore.net, call 724532-1901 or visit Kathy and her staff at cancer patients and survivors, you get a 5924 Route 981, Latrobe. whole new perspective on that glib remark. Debbie Cost of Ligonier was – Story and photo by Barbara M. Neill diagnosed with breast cancer in January

March/April - 19

THE GARDEN GUYS Jim & Joe Prengaman

Proper Planting Techniques

724-834-4688 271 Frye Farm Rd. Greensburg, PA 15601

20 -March/April 2009

Taking the time to plant trees and shrubs correctly takes no longer than planting them incorrectly.

Many factors may contribute to their failure to thrive. Poor soils, exposure to extremes of sun and wind, and poor drainage are common factors that may cause a specimen. These can be overcome by proper site selection, good planting techniques and care, maintenance and upkeep.

There are three basic forms that nursery plants are sold, bare-root, balled and burlapped, and container grown.

Each form has distinct advantages and disadvantages for the consumer.

Bare root plants usually are mail ordered products that are shipped without soil to reduce shipping weight. This does reduce the initial cost but these trees will frequently need staked and they can only be shipped and planted while they are dormant.

Balled and burlapped are usually locally grown in conditions similar to where you will plant them in your yard. Depending on the size these plants they can be quite heavy and awkward to move and transport. If you are looking for large mature trees this is your best option.

Most plants and trees sold are container grown both locally and nationally. They are available during the entire planting season. They are usually smaller in size and easy to transport and plant.

These plants are shipped with all of their roots intact which aids in their survivability. They are grown in a light soilless planting mix which is very different from the soil they will be expected to grow in and tend to dry out faster than the other types.

The steps for planting bare-root, balled and burlapped or container grown trees do not differ.

Correct planting depth , size of hole , soil amendments and mulching all remain essentially the same .

Arguably the biggest cause of tree and ornamental plant death is over-planting. Basically this is planting the root ball below existing soil level. In the past it was recommended that plants should be planted at the same depth that they were originally grown, generally it is now accepted that a plants root mass should be planted one third above the existing soil grade.

Now we can gauge the size of the hole we will need. The plants root ball should sit on existing compact soil after digging the hole to a depth of two thirds of the plants root ball. The holes width is three times the size of the container or root ball, with the sides tapering in towards the center.

The area around the roots should be filled in with the excavated topsoil from the hole. If the soil is of extreme poor quality, such as a heavy clay, the excavated soil may be amended. Organic compost, leaf mold, composted manure, or high quality topsoil are commonly used examples, but should be limited to twenty percent of the backfill.

All of the grass should be removed form around the hole so that the newly planted tree will not have to compete with it foe water and nutrients.

This area and the soil above the root ball can be covered with a shredded dyed hardwood mulch that we sell and deliver to your jobsite.

A good basic rule of thumb is plant it low never grow, plant it high never die.

plant and how many seeds/transplants of each vegetable to plant. In addition to eating freshly harvested vegetables, you will want to determine how much produce you want to can, freeze, dry, or store. Successive plantings of certain crops, such as beans, will give a longer harvest period and increase your yield. Make a list of recommended varieties and their planting dates. Use care in choosing the seeds, making sure the varieties you select are adapted to your area and intended use.

• How much space is available? That is, how much area can be converted into usable garden space, not simply how much empty ground is available.

When planning your garden, it is important to ask a few basic questions: • How much time will you be able to devote to your garden on a regular basis? The answer to this question will dictate the size of your garden. You must remember that, once planted, the garden will have to be weeded once a week, irrigated during droughts, and vegetables harvested when ripe.

Depending on the type of vegetables, you may also need to undertake pest control measures.

• What vegetables do you like to eat and how do you plan to use the harvested produce? The answer to these questions will dictate what vegetables to

Locating the Garden • Vegetables grow best in a level area with loose, welldrained soil and at least six hours of sun (eight to ten hours is ideal).

• Use contour rows, terraces, or raised beds on sloped or hillside sites to avoid erosion. South-facing slopes are warmer and less subject to damaging frosts.

• Avoid placing the garden in a low spot, at the base of a hill, or at the foot of a slope bordered by a solid fence. Such areas are slow to warm up in the

Some Additional Planning Hints • Summer is the best time to plan next year’s garden so you have the fall to prepare the soil and winter to order the seed.

• Plan the garden on paper first. Draw a map showing the arrangement and spacing of your crops.

To keep the garden growing all season, make a spring, summer, and fall garden plan. (See Intensive Gardening Methods, Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 426-335.)

• Plan the garden and order seeds by January or February. Some plants may be started indoors as early as mid-February.

• In your plan, place tall and trellised crops on the north side of the garden so they won’t shade the shorter vegetables.

• Group plants by the length of their growing period. Plant spring crops together so later crops can be planted in these areas when the early crops mature. Consider the length of harvest as well as time to maturity. Place perennial crops to the side of the garden where they will not be disturbed by any tillage that is needed.

continued on page 28

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

Remembering the Great Depression First, there were skyrocketing gas prices. Next came the government bailout of the banking and auto industries. And while the gas prices have come down, the grocery bills certainly haven’t. Our economy is in trouble and some say it’s going to get worse before it gets better which reminds some of another “Great Depression.”

But what exactly does that mean?

History books tell us that this time period from 1929-1939 was one of the most desperate times in American history.

People lost their homes, their jobs, and their hope. As a child, I recall Grandma Smoker describing it as a time when you had to “make do” with what you had (which wasn’t much). It was a lesson she carried with her through out her life. She used or re-purposed everything, including one of my broken up old dolls. I grew up watching her weave bread bags into floor mats and sew old clothes into multi-colored quilts.

With visions of soup lines in my head, I stopped to visit my aunt, who

was a child/teenager during The Depression, to gain a little insight on this historical period. My aunt, who very adamantly said, “Jenny Ann, I’m not at all interested in seeing my name in print!” recalls what it was like to live during the Great Depression. She lived on 1 st street, house # 6 in Hostetter (located outside of Latrobe) across from the company store. Her dad was a coal miner for Frick Coal Company. (In order to live there someone in the household had to work for the mine.) When the mine closed he worked as a deliveryman for the store. Not everyone had cars to get to the store so her dad would take their call or slip and deliver their groceries. A can of milk cost only 8¢. It was always great when the order total ended in an 8 because the family would get an employee discount and anything that ended in 8 or 9 meant they would receive a bag of candy.

Their dad also worked for the Works

Progress Administration (WPA) building roads. They would bring in these huge blocks of limestone and the men would be out with sledgehammers busting them apart to form the roadbed. Her brother Steve joined The Civilian Conservation Camp where he traveled and worked on different building projects. He got paid so much and the rest was sent home.

My aunt had to quit school after the eighth grade to help out at home. There was cooking and canning and the younger children to look after. In those days things weren’t handed to you. Everyone was expected to work and contribute.

My aunt also states that what made this time period so different and, at times, so frightening was that there really wasn’t any money. But even if there were you couldn’t depend on the store to have what you needed.

Shoes were especially difficult to come by. When you needed a pair of shoes you had to have a coupon. The

family would go to a shoe store on Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. It didn’t matter what kind of shoes you got but you had to have a coupon to get them.

My aunt only got one pair of shoes a year, unlike now where some by a new pair every time they go shopping. At that time, shoes were made only of leather and would wear out. She was always cutting out cardboard to put in the bottom of shoes to make them last. re always peeking out of the tops due to the excessive wear.

While the Great Depression was a rough time in American history, there also was a real sense of community in those days. Someone was always there to listen, laugh and lean on. You could always find willing hands to help you if you needed them to carry you through the hard times. Perhaps, with a renewed sense of community now, we can weather our economic crisis today.

– Jennifer Smoker

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Every Story Begins At Home.

March/April - 21

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Gilda Radner: She’s Really Something

by Paula J. Forte

In the late 1980’s, Gilda Radner, who made us laugh on “Saturday Night Live”, found herself in a very serious situation: she had ovarian cancer. The woman who managed to resolve many problems through humor found herself dealing with something that was out of her control. Radner was discomforted by the fact that cancer patients often found themselves feeling very alone during their illness. Therefore, she wanted to create an atmosphere to calm and comfort cancer patients through their difficult times.

In 1995, the first Gilda’s Club opened in New York City. It was sponsored in her honor by Radner’s husband, Gene Wilder, and Joanne Bull, Gilda’s personal therapist. Several years later, Bull opened another club in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois. From there, the project took off and, in 2006, a Gilda’s Club opened in the Strip District in Pittsburgh through the work of a Pittsburgh oncology nurse, Cindy Stanish and her husband Al. Located on the corner of 28 th and Smallman Streets, the building is easily recognized by the big red front door and the free parking lot located across the street. The staff of six attends to the daily chores of organizing activities and paying bills.

Volunteers donate their time to engage members in activities that span a variety of interests. Membership in the club is free; donations fuel the costs of running the place. Carol Lennon, the executive director, claims that “raising the operating budget every year is somewhat

22 -March/April 2009

of a challenge.” However, it is a challenge that they have managed to meet.

Since Radner felt that no one should deal with cancer alone, the goal of the club is to attend to the emotional

Colleen Dwyer (left) and Kathleen Balzer Petulla work to make the lives of cancer patients and their families and friends a little brighter in a dark and threatening time. and social support for cancer patients, their families and their friends. Support and networking groups have been formed to help cancer patients share their experiences, loved ones to express their feelings, and mourners to live with their loss. Lectures and workshops are available on exercise and relaxation techniques, cooking and nutrition, crafts, and stress reduction. There are also many social activities designed to let cancer patients and their loved ones enjoy themselves awhile and forget their problems.

The Club building itself is a series of rooms designed to accommodate many types of activities. A large, state-of-theart kitchen can serve as a classroom for nutrition classes as well as a staging ground for a community dinner. Preschool and elementary-aged children call Austin’s Noogieland their own, while Matt’s Media Room — with its gaming consoles and laptops — was designed with the preteen in mind. There are also several large group rooms for classes and workshops and cozy spots where families can talk and unwind after a stressful visit with the doctor.

To join for free, call 412-338-1919 to schedule a New Member Meeting. The program director, Colleen Dwyer, and program managers, Kathleen Balzer Petulla and Ann O’Leary Amato, will assist new members in creating plans from a variety of events that best meet the social and emotional support for each person. The Club is currently working on an online support network for members who are unable to make the trip to downtown Pittsburgh. Visit www.gildasclubwesternpa.org for information about this network.

The Club is a free, non-profit organization that exists because of the generosity of the community. Anyone interested in volunteering on an ongoing basis at the Club can call 412-3381919 for information about the monthly volunteer orientation meetings.

Donations, both monetary and in the form of dry goods, can also be made by

calling the previous number or by visiting www.gildasclubwesternpa.org.

Radner spent much of her adulthood making us laugh at ourselves. As her character Rosanna Rosannadanna used to say, “It’s always something.”

Unfortunately, the something that stopped her laughter was cancer. Gilda’s Clubhouse is her testament that life — spiritual if not physical — does not have to stop because of a cancer diagnosis.

A hand-painted mural of Gilda Radner overlooking the Point in Pittsburgh adorns the front lobby of Gilda’s Club.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

Build It and They Will Come

by Carolyn C. Holland In was true in Laurel Mountain Borough long before that phrase was coined by the 1986 film Field of Dreams. In 1926, Lawrence William Darr and Charles B. Hegan, brothers-in-law, had their own dream—to develop a summer cottage community on acreage at the bottom of Laurel Mountain, off Route 30, which they purchased in 1926.

Other persons didn’t agree. “Why are you building houses there? No one will ever want to live in rock pile!” they asked.

Darr, Hegan and Harry Lohr, a later partner, had a brilliant idea: create recreational facilities, a swimming pool, shelter house, and tennis courts—and people would come…

Their idea worked. Eighty-two years later, one hundred “cottages” exist in the community, once known as Laurel Mountain Park, but renamed Laurel Mountain Borough in 1982. The clay tennis courts have been transformed into a community garden. The swimming pool and shelter house remain, encouraging property sales and serving the people who occupy the over one hundred residences.

Originally, the pool area was much more “woodsy,” according to the late Nell Williams, who noted that many trees were cleared before the pool was handdug and cemented. Her father and the late Charles W. Darr, whose son John Darr still swims there regularly, helped dig the pool.

According to Phil Rose, current resident whose family built a cottage in the Park in 1934, water to fill the pool came from a three-inch stream-fed pipeline about 100-150 yards away, where Darr Dam was located. “Water came into the dam through nine different holes,” former resident, Steve Harwig, said. “It flowed into the pool by gravity.

The dam is now obliterated.”

“They filled the pool every two weeks,” Rose noted. “The water was not chlorinated or anything, and being unfiltered creek water, algae grew in it.

The underwater would get so dark and we couldn’t see. You could dive up beside someone and surprise them.”

Resident Daneen Kinsey recalls them emptying the pool on Sunday nights. “Someone would dive down in the murky pool and pull the plug. On Monday morning when you dove in it was cold. We would turn blue. As kids, we didn’t mind.”

Stormy weather created such murkiness from silt and dirt that the pool had to be emptied and cleaned, using a wire brush. Then the pool had to dry in the sun for five to six hours, after which it filled all night.

Rose recalls people swam anytime, day or night, in the unfenced pool, with sixty to eighty kids played at the shallow, safe end of the pool. “They all got along together.

There were no fights,” Harwig said.

“The place was…an absolutely fun place to be,” Rose said. “It was amazing how many people used them (the pool and tennis courts).” Lifelong friendships were formed here, noted Harwig.

There was no lifeguard, but there was a prominently displayed sign, “Swim at your own risk,” Kinsey recalls. Harwig credits “old man Darr” with keeping kids safe. Darr, “taught the kids to doggie paddle.” Children, challenged to swim across the deep part of the pool, could swim by age six.

The pool developed cracks over the winter, and each spring it was painted and maintained. By 1934 new legal

Every Story Begins At Home.

regulations required fencing around the pool. Further regulations concerning water circulation and chlorination necessitated hiring a caretaker. The expenses led to charging a “usage fee, eliminating free swimming and angering some residents, and restricting hours.

Although scheduled swimming hours were between 10:00 a. m. and 5:00 p. m., with an hour closure at noon, with

Pool Circa 40s from the collection of Donnell R. Wilson, former resident, now of Texas.

occasional evening hours, numerous youth sidestepped the designated hours.

“We used to go over the fence at night and skinny dip,” Rose said. “We weren’t supposed to get over a barbed wire fence, but we did.” Residents and “guests” reported “that was when the real fun started, after dark,” even though the barbed wire injured some of the swimmers.

Resident Craig Miller said that, by the time he was a teenager in the 60s, most of the lifeguards were his peers, who “made the pool accessible at offtimes. The lifeguard was always one of us. We would just go down and swim at night if it was warm.”

UPCOMING EVENTS AT WEST OVERTON MUSEUMS WEST OVERTON VILLAGE - SCOTTDALE, PA 15683 March 14, 2009 11:00 AM DOUG OSTER Gardening for the FUN of it !

Tips, Tricks and Stories to get the BEST GARDEN EVER. $5.00 admission fee. Luncheon (catered by Miss Martha’s Tea Room)

by RSVP only Additional $ 10.00 specialevents@westovertonvillage.org March 15, 2009 2:30PM Parlor Talks Civil War Historian Ken Williams The Campaign for New Orleans “ Our only fear is that the Northern invaders might not appear “ April 19, 2009 2:30 PM Parlor Talks Dr. Kevin Kopper “ George Washingston’s Diplomatic Mission to Fort Leboeuf and the Opening of Western Pennsylvania 1753 “

Children frolicking in Laurel Mountain Borough’s pool.

The shelter house was built “as a sort of a dressing room,” said Rose. Later, state-required restrooms were installed.

Through the years the pool raised needed funding by inviting nonresidents to swim for a fee slightly higher than residents paid.

The pool is managed by the Laurel Mountain Park Association. Board members are president Amy O’Brien; vice president, Gretchen Griffith; secretary Elizabeth Fuchs; treasurer Craig Miller and past president, Susan Crouse.

Borough residents, and those with a pool membership, look forward to enjoying the pool with the arrival of the 2009 swimming season. For further information about pool membership and/ or shelter rentals contact O’Brien at 724/ 238-9248, e-mail laurelmountainboro @yahoo.com or check the Laurel Mountain Park folder on the website, www.laurelmountainboro.wordpress.com

Next issue read about our upcoming MAY MART !

Get your garden gloves ready !

Phone: (724) 887-7910 • Fax: (724) 887-5010 Email: tourism@westoverton.org • www.westoverton.org

Are y ou good-n atured and friendl y ? you good-na friendly Working as a volunteer in a historical setting may be the right place for you. West Overton is looking for people with special talents and energetic personalities ! Work with the public or behind the scenes. We have many events and social programs that may need your special touch. Families welcome ! Please mail or email us a letter telling us a little about yourself and why West Overton would be a great place for you to volunteer.

West Overton Village Scottdale, Pa. 15683 info@westovertonvillage.org

March/April - 23

E Ja nr Op n. oll en 1 me – M nt ar is .3 1

It’s not too late to change Medicare Advantage plans.

Find out why UPMC for Life members are talking about our NEW UPMC Resources for Life program available through their Health Care Concierge.

Choosing a Medicare Advantage plan is an important decision. UPMC for Life offers you: • Choices, including an HMO with a $0 monthly plan premium* • A personal Health Care Concierge** who, along with his or her team, can help you understand your benefits and connect you with counselors who can assist you in preparing for retirement, coping with stress, and other routine or unexpected matters impacting your life

• Silver&Fit® fitness program, including membership to a participating fitness club, at no additional cost • Routine vision and hearing benefits with most plans For more information about UPMC for Life, call us toll-free at the number below. You can also attend one of our informational seminars or request a home visit, where a knowledgeable sales representative can meet with you one-on-one to discuss your options.

Call, 7 days a week, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

1-866-400-5076 TTY/TDD call 1-800-361-2629 www.upmchealthplan.com/medicare UPMC for Life is a Medicare-approved Medicare Advantage plan. Please contact UPMC Health Plan to find out what plans are available in your area.

UPMC for Life is a product of and operated by UPMC Health Plan, Inc., UPMC Health Network, Inc., and UPMC Health Benefits, Inc. *You will still have to pay your Medicare Part A and B premiums as applicable. This plan does not include Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage. **This service is neither offered nor guaranteed under our contract with Medicare. It is not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any dispute regarding this service may be subject to the UPMC for Life grievance process.

H3907_H5533_09_255 (12/2008)

24 -March/April 2009

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

DERRY REMEMBRANCES Ruth Richardson

Chicken Pox, Measles, and Mumps….Oh My! Just about everyone I know had a childhood filled with various maladies, injuries, and illnesses.

For my generation, the first sign of illness would find our moms springing into action with a plan for restoring us to rosy-cheeked vigor. As I recall, it’s a wonder some of the “cures” didn’t kill us. Mom didn’t always have a cure. Some of our ailments simply needed to “run their course”, but she sure did have a bag full of tricks for treating all the symptoms.

One of my most vivid memories of being sick was the summer I got the mumps. Like most other contagious diseases, I got it from my brother, Keith.

Every time something was “going around”, my brother would catch it at school and happily bring it home and pass it along to me. One spring, he contracted the mumps. I found it very amusing when my mom tied a scarf under his chin around the top of his head, leaving the ends to look like little ears, and I couldn’t resist pointing and laughing. She said it would keep down the swelling. My brother was not nearly as amused as I was, but it wasn’t long until the shoe was on the other foot. My mom knew it was only a matter of time until I showed the first signs of contamination, and sure enough, I woke up with a low grade fever, had a scratchy throat and we all watched my neck begin to swell—two days before the Derry School Picnic. Although Keith laughed delightedly at my appearance, and referred to me as “No-Neck” Ruth Elaine, he also felt bad that I would have to miss the picnic. And to add insult to injury, my mom informed me that Keith would be allowed to go without me. I had no feelings of charity towards him; after all it was his fault that I was sick and I wanted him to be punished by staying home, too. Alas, it was not to be, and I stayed on the couch, miserable while my brother and everyone else in the neighborhood laughed it up at Idlewild.

The bag of caramel corn he brought home for me later that day did little to diminish my resentment.

We were lectured that the mumps were nothing to trifle with. Our moms told us if we didn’t listen to their instructions, we could go deaf. In addition to that, the mumps could trigger some sort of mysterious consequences for boys. We didn’t know exactly what it was, but boys who contracted the mumps had to remain quietly in bed, and avoid any kind of jumping. We heard our moms whispering about the mumps “dropping.”

We had no idea where they were dropping to, and we didn’t want to find out. In those days our moms didn’t worry too much about psychologically damaging us, and would make up all sorts of horror stories to keep us in line. Just a few I remember: “Keep crossing your eyes and they will stay like that”, or, “If you eat that uncooked dough, you will get worms”, and my personal favorite, “How

Every Story Begins At Home.

would you like me to give you something to cry about?”

Then there were the measles. I remember three kinds, but there may have been more. We had the three-day measles, the nine-day measles, and German measles. I can recall one of them being much more dangerous than the rest, and it could lead to blindness. My mom would hang blankets over the windows to block out sunlight since it was supposed to contribute to loss of sight.

Everybody got the chicken pox, too.

The very first case in Derry would assure that every one of us would be passing it around, school to school, classmate to classmate, and, at my house, brother to sister. The one common denominator of these “spotted syndromes” was the itching. I recall it feeling like ants crawling on me, and I was admonished continuously not to scratch, as well as the bottles of Calamine lotion we would go through. Too bad they didn’t sell it by the gallon jug. My mom would allow us to put it on ourselves with little cotton balls and I usually ended up looking like

mileage making house calls to diagnose and treat all of the outbreaks. I remember little signs tacked to the front doors in some neighborhoods, telling you the house was under quarantine, as they tried to stop the spread of some of the most prolific illnesses.

I believe we were the first generation to take preventative steps to eliminate some dreaded diseases. I remember as a first grader at West Derry School being bussed down to Derry B where we lined up to receive polio shots (we knew it as infantile paralysis), and how frightened I was to have this horrible procedure done to me without my mommy there to hold my hand. They sent permission slips home with us to have our parents sign so we could receive the shot. I begged my mom not to sign it, but she just gave me a hug and signed away. At that tender young age, I had no idea what devastating illness polio was, or what a miraculous discovery had been made right here in our backyard by Dr. Jonas Salk.

I also remember going to Dr. Oliver’s office the summer before first grade to

a pale pink ghoul. If you ask me, it never really seemed to do much good. When the itch started getting the best of us and she noticed us scratching, Mom would put us in the bathtub filled with tepid water and some oatmeal.

The chicken pox itchiness was much worse than the measles. Those spots would evolve from a red rash, to little blisters, to scabs. We were relentlessly lectured about not picking those scabs since they would leave scars.

I still have several of those scars to prove my mom wasn’t completely successful with her stern lectures. I’m sure Dr. Oliver and Dr. Blair racked up lots of

get my smallpox vaccination. I seem to recall him sticking a little needle over and over in my arm then bandaging it all up, and how I cried and cried. When the bandage came off, I had a big scab that was very itchy and that I was, again, forbidden to touch. We didn’t know what calamity would befall us if we picked it, and our parents told us we never wanted to find out. Like I mentioned before, fear and intimidation went a long way with kids in the 50’s. I’m not sure when they stopped giving vaccinations, but my daughter was born in 1970 and she wasn’t required to get one. You can tell if someone is your contemporary today

just by looking at their upper left arm.

That telltale round scar will tell you they are indeed a baby-boomer.

Another common memory we babyboomers have is that fatal trip we all made to the ear/nose/and throat specialist. From the ages of five through 12 most of us were marched to the hospital for removal of our tonsils and adenoids. My parents took me to Dr. Trongo in Latrobe, whose practice was kept quite busy in the 50’s and 60’s. Our parents would deliver us in small groups to the pediatric floor. The night before surgery was a great big pajama party, with jumping on the beds, anticipating all the ice cream we could eat, and awaiting the presents that we had been promised if we were good. The party atmosphere dissipated rather quickly the next morning when our first roommates were brought back from surgery—groggy, crying, and clutching their throats.

Worst of all, they were unable to speak so they couldn’t tell us exactly how they had been so horribly maimed. This ghastly spectacle was usually followed by an hour or so of watching them throw up. One by one, we had to wait our turn to be wheeled out, with the knowledge that soon, they would be trying to kill us too.

I can remember when my turn came—they placed the little wire mesh mask over my mouth and nose and told me to just breathe deeply. With the first whiff of ether, I promptly held my breath and tried to climb off the table. They held me in place and waited for me to take that first choking breath as, thankfully, I blacked out. But all too soon I joined the ranks of my freshly tortured roommates, where sadly, the party was quite over. Several years ago, my dad’s car wouldn’t start and I was in the garage with him when, for whatever reason, he sprayed ether in the engine. I had not smelled that odor in 50 years, yet it took me immediately back to that terrifying operating room and I could recall exactly how panicked I had felt.

As for the minor maladies of childhood, our moms had countless remedies. Some of the goofiest ones have actually been proven to work. For instance, when I would develop a redness and itchiness in my eye and my mother suspected the onset of a sty, she would take off her wedding ring and rub it across my eyelid three times. The next morning, the redness was gone.

Several years ago I read that the perspiration from your hands causes some sort of chemical reaction in gold that actually does kill the sty-causing bacteria. Neither I nor any member of my family has ever had a sty, and I still use my wedding ring to stop their onset.

Who remembers being treated for diarrhea with Paragoric, and how awful it tasted? It was available over the counter at Kasperik’s Pharmacy. Today continued on page 26

March/April - 25

continued from page 25 we know its principal ingredient is powdered opium. It was also used to quiet colicky babies.

On a much less scary note, putting on a pot of chicken soup really did the trick to cure a cold (and it still does).

The combination of ingredients has been proven to actually slow down the growth of respiratory bacteria.

Dr. Mommy, holding my hand!

I haven’t been able to verify my Grandma Stewart’s remedy for wart removal. It involved rubbing a raw potato on a wart, then burying the potato under the back porch steps. I don’t know if it worked or not, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to try.

My mom had a medicine cabinet full of cold-fighting ammunition. At the first sign of a sore throat, she gave us two aspirins, and several times a day she would give us a little square of Aspergum, either orange or cherry. If the sore throat turned into a cough, she bought us little boxes of Smith Brothers Cough Drops for daytime use. For nighttime, we were lathered with Vicks Salve, now called Vick’s Vapo Rub. The Vicks was applied liberally to our chests as well as our backs, and sometimes we got a little dab under the nose. How it burned your nose when it was already sore from the sniffles! Sometimes mom would put a little soft cloth on my chest after she rubbed on the Vicks so my pajamas wouldn’t stick to me. Vick’s is still popular to this day. My daughter rubs it on the bottom of my two year old granddaughter Riley’s feet at night when she has a cough, covers them with warm socks, and swears by the results. The mother of my husband, Doug, didn’t use Vicks — she used something called Numotizine. Doug tells me that when he woke up the morning after his mom had spread this goo on his chest, he could literally crack the thing off in chucks because it had become so brittle. At least there was one tortuous treatment I somehow managed to avoid while growing up.

What I couldn’t avoid, no matter how hard I tried, was the most dreaded remedy of all, and I hesitate mentioning it. I apologize in advance if I offend, but usually with the first sign of the flu, my mom would initiate the treatment we hated above all others. Moms were taught that a good cleaning out of bacteria went a long way toward nipping certain viruses in the bud. When we saw that red rubber contraption with the long hose come out of the closet, we would run for cover—always to no avail. When Mom said you were getting an enema, you didn’t argue.

26 -March/April 2009

My mom also had a seemingly endless list of cures for the cuts, scrapes and bruises that go along with raising a family. The bottle of Merthiolate was always front and center, and that hot pink liquid would send you through the roof as Mom rubbed the glass applicator over your cut. If it wasn’t too big of a scrape, my mom would allow me to choose Mercurochrome. It was darker red in color and didn’t burn. Guess that meant it didn’t work as well, but I didn’t care.

Funny thing, when I was researching the spelling I found out that Mercurochrome is banned now, because it contained such large amounts of mercury.

I still have a little jar of Sayman’s Salve, one of my mom’s miracle creams, on my shelf and use it on most skin irritations. It’s another old-fashioned remedy that still amazes me with its healing properties. If we got a burn, we would spray on the Unguentine. I remember the container was a little red plastic fire extinguisher. If we got a sprain we knew to dab on Arnica. And for a bee sting, nothing was more soothing that a little baking soda mixed with water. That is after mom made us stand still while she removed the stinger with a pair of tweezers. And I’ll never forget what happened when I stepped on a nail. Mom said if I didn’t let her tape a piece of bacon on the wound to draw out the poison, I would get lockjaw.

I didn’t know what lockjaw was but it sounded pretty horrible, so out the door I would limp, with a shoe full of bacon.

Warm olive oil would soothe our earaches, and a few drops of clove oil would tame the worst toothache. We had a little tin cup that fit precisely over your eye, and we filled it with Eye-Low to rinse out an irritated eye. When the summer sun would burn our shoulders, Mom would apply a little vinegar and the stinging would magically stop. My friend, Joe Yarchak, told me his mom would apply a piece of bread to many of his injuries. The yeast had some healing properties that my mom didn’t know about.

Mom could make anything better.

And if she didn’t have the remedy in her medicine cabinet, she would cure us with something from her pantry. At the first sign of any injury, from falling off my bike, to getting beaned in the head with a baseball, from bruised knees to bruised feelings, I ran to mom. She doctored us through broken bones and broken hearts. To this day, the most healing medicine I have ever known, better than all the antidotes and antibiotics in the world, was Mom, sitting on my bed and holding my hand. Just seeing her smiling face through the haze of my fever reassured me that all would be well. Her cool hand on my heated brow was usually the only thing that would make me feel better.

Moms are very magical creatures. They can stop the hurt with just a kiss. They can take away our tears with a hug and a smile. They healed our hurts and our hearts and helped us grow and flourish with the promise that they would always be there to pick us up and make it all better.

And Mom, I know you are still close by, looking out for me. Even if I can’t feel your hand in mine any more, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I have no doubt you will always be taking care of me.

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LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

TECH TALK

“too much fun for such a small town” check upcoming events and our menu on line at www.ligoniertavern.com

Bob Appleby

They’re Coming to Take Memory Away!

Malicious Computer Code1 has been causing havoc on our computers for years. Their method of delivery has become sneakier and the damage to our systems has become so much greater. Some code keeps making a comeback through more ingenious delivery methods revolving around what has been tagged as social engineered attacks.

The Wikipedia definition of Social Engineering is “the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.” We have seen it on television and read it in books and newspapers; Confidence Men work on our sense of trust to obtain information (personal and financial) or to perform destructive acts. Whether they are doing this to obtain some monetary gain or are just hoodlums, the result is the same. You or your computer system can be compromised if you are not careful.

These new attacks are showing up as news bulletins or special offers that you can’t resist and when you click on the site you are either infected by the action of going to the site or tricked into running some executable code. One of the most recent attacks has come from a security attack called ANTIVIRUS2009.

Sounds like something you might want to have to prevent infections but it is a program that bundles many different Viruses, Trojans, Spyware and other Malware onto your system. The first rule of thumb to protect yourself from Malware is: If you didn’t ask for the information don’t trust it!

How do you protect yourself?

1. Make sure that you are running all the current updates for your operating system. Your operating system manufacturer is constantly issuing new software patches to protect against recently discovered vulnerabilities. Because Microsoft Windows has such a large installation base it is the most often attacked system. Be sure to turn on your automatic updates and check your other software products for updates as well.

2. Be sure to have anti-virus software installed on your system and make sure the automatic updates switch is turned on for this as well. Make sure that your antivirus program has the capability to scan your email and files that are downloaded from the internet. You will also want to make sure that it is capable of scanning floppy disks (if you are still using them) and USB Flash Drives when they are inserted in your machine. Make sure you schedule full system scans periodically.

3. Install a firewall on your system as well. Firewalls can be either hardware or software based, and are used to control inbound and outbound traffic to the internet and notifies you when there is an intrusion attempt on your system. The combination of a firewall and a good anti-virus program will decrease the risk considerably of your being hacked or infected with a virus.

4. Most attacks come through your email so be critical of all that you see hitting your Inbox. Remember, the

malicious code may not be in the actual email that you receive so your computer system’s anti-malware applications might not catch the problem. As good as all these antivirus and anti-spyware programs are, they can’t protect you from invitations from sites that host malicious code. If you accidentally invite the code to be installed, your computer is going to do what you ask it to do. Once the code is installed many of these programs are smart enough to attack the software on your system that is supposed to protect you and turn off these features or mask their destructive natures. So do not respond to unsolicited (SPAM) email.

5. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting personal information via e-mail. Please don’t fall for the poor slob in Kenya who can’t access the money that their recently deceased parent left them without your help. I know you are a Good Samaritan, but don’t become another duped statistic. If the situation is too good to be true, it probably is.

6. Be cautious of email containing files because these files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

7. Be sure to validate the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the organizations website instead of following the link provided in an email message. A classic subterfuge that is used is an email that appears to be from your bank, credit card company, or PayPal. The email has all of the logos and website links that make it appear as though you are going one of these financial institutions. If you receive an email that you think is real, go to your browser and type in the URL address for that company. Manually make the connection to see if the offer or information request is valid. Most financial institutions makes it a rule not to solicit personal information from you by email; they like the phone. I won’t give my SSN over the phone unless I am the one requesting the contact.

Be careful.

If you follow these simple rules you will be able to safely navigate through the turbulent waters of the Internet. Remember, with the current state of affairs around the world, we are only going to see more attempts to access our information and resources, not less. Hill Street Blues writers gave us a very well used phrase that is even more important today. So don’t forget to… Be Careful Out There!

Bob has been working in the computer field since 1975 and started Computer Connections with his partner Jude Daigle in 1981 at the beginning of the personal computer revolution. Bob grew up in Ligonier and graduated from Ligonier H.S. in 1972. George Washington University is his college alma mater and he is currently living in the Greensburg area. You can see more tech tips and product reviews in Bob’s Blog pages at www.bobstechtalk.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 Ligonier, PA

No Time Like Now To Learn About Computers Beginner basic adult computer classes will be taught at Latrobe Senior Center beginning Wednesday March 4, Thursday March 5, and Friday March 6 at 9:30 am to 11:30 am. An evening class will begin Monday, March 9 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. An advanced computer class begins Tuesday, March 10 at 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Classes run for four consecutive weeks. A $20 non-refundable donation will reserve your seat.

Scholarships are available if needed and a free computer will be given to any student who needs one. Classes are sponsored by Senior Computer Associates through (LAPA) Laurel Area Partnership of Aging. You can sign up at the Senior Center, Avenue C, Latrobe or call 724 539-9288 for more information.

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Every Story Begins At Home.

March/April - 27

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GARDEN GUYS continued from page 20

Use your previous years’ plans as guides for rotating crops.

• Avoid locating the garden on a site where buildings with lead paint have stood; lead may be present in the soil in toxic amounts. If you are unsure about your chosen location, have the soil tested for lead content, or have tissue analyses done on some leafy vegetables.

• Gardening where sod has long been established, whether converted pastures or lawns, requires a great deal of preparation to eliminate sod, weeds, and soil insects.

Many factors influence the growth of plants: water, light, air, temperature, humidity, nutrients, and soil. Growth depends on a favorable combination of these factors. Any one of them out of balance with the others can reduce or even entirely prevent the growth of plants. Thus, the factor that is least available (e.g., eight hours full sun, adequate water) will inhibit plant growth.

spring, and frost settles in these places since cold air naturally drains into low areas.

• Avoid windy locations; if you must plant in a windy spot, build or grow a windbreak.

• Locate the garden near a good and easily accessible supply of water.

• Choose a garden location near your home so it is convenient to work in the garden when you have a few minutes.

• Avoid planting near trees and shrubs; they compete for nutrients and water and may cause excessive shading.

• Sites too close to buildings may result in plants not receiving enough sunlight.

Observe shading patterns through the growing season, if possible, before starting the garden. If you have a shaded area you wish to use anyway, plant shade-tolerant crops. If needed, increase effective light by providing reflective surfaces around the plants.

• Try not to plant vegetables from the same family (peas and beans or squash and pumpkin) in exactly the same location in the garden more often than once in three years. Rotation prevents the buildup of insects and disease.

28 -March/April 2009

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Jim and Joe Prengaman are both graduates of Derry Area High School’s Horticulture program.

Jim received an AAS in Greenhouse Production from the Ohio State University and then went on to receive a BS in Horticulture from the Pennsylvania State University. Joe received a BA from the University of Pittsburgh in Secondary Education. They had worked together in both greenhouse producton and landscape and nursery production for different companies before founding Prengaman Landscape Contracting in 1993.

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

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March/April - 29

A Major Player: Jerry Grcevich

by Barbara M. Neill Present this ad at our sister store The Cheese House Too and receive 10% off our wines!

For over 30 years, sixth grade students from Greater Latrobe School District have had the opportunity to experience the great outdoors and discover the beauty of Western Pennsylvania. The Greater Latrobe 6 th Grade Outdoor Education Experience is conducted for two and a half days for each of the three elementary schools: Baggaley, Mountain View and Latrobe. Dawna Bates is the long-time 6th Grade Camp director and taught physical education at Latrobe Elementary School before her retirement.

This outdoor education experience is held at Heritage Reservation in late spring and each student pays approximately $100, which is the responsibility of the students. However, no student is denied this opportunity if they cannot afford the trip. Parents can choose to have the students raise the money through fundraisers sponsored by the Parent Teacher Organization or pay for camp on their own.

The camp was started in 1976 and has continued each year involving approximately 300-325 sixth grade students, 40 high school students and 60 teachers.

Students are divided into teaching groups of 10-13, with a high school student and teacher for each group. Each group follows an exciting rotating schedule involving science, math, social studies, language arts, fine arts and physical education. The physical education activities include fishing, boating, rifle (optional), and archery. The evening includes more physical education, camp fires, songs, night walks, and ice cream making. The outdoor experience enhances the 6th grade curriculum by providing the students with opportunities to use skills learned in the traditional classroom in an outdoor setting. It also provides students with activities that will enrich their education that cannot be done in a regular classroom. Greater Latrobe 6th Grade Camp instills the concept that the opportunity to learn is everywhere and the importance of taking care of our natural resources.

To make a contribution or learn more about 6th Grade Camp contact the GLSD Development Office at 724-539-4220 jessica.golden@glsd.k12.pa.us.

Contactor: email: SueAnn Zippi Contributions will be used to provide new activities Independent and to purchase itemsConsultant that will help keep students safe. This gift would not only benefit the students this year but also students in the years to come.

724-681-3184

sueannzippi@comcast.net 30 -March/April 2009

North Huntingdon resident Jerry Grcevich is definitely a prim and proper guy – not as unseemly as it sounds after some explanation.

The tamburitza musician who was born in Turtle Creek has been playing the prim since he was a boy of 7 and he has certainly made a proper name for himself in the world of folk music. (The “i” in prim is pronounced as a long “e”.)

Similar in some ways to the traditional string family, the tamburitza string instruments of Eastern Europe are of graduated voicings. The prim (or prima) is the smallest of the group and usually carries the melody. The brac, tamburitza cello, bugariaj (which provides the chords and rhythms) and the berda (tamburitza bass) complete the family ensemble.

Of Croatian descent Grcevich was first taught by his father, Joe, and his Uncle Marko, who were themselves taught by their father. A quick study, he joined his father’s band, the Sloboda Tamburitza Orchestra, at 11. Later as a 21 year-old he traveled to Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to study with the famous prim player Janika Balaz (1925-1988). The musician, who plays all of the tambura instruments, played with several groups before forming his Jerry Grcevich Orchestra in 1993. After studying music theory at Seton Hill College Grcevich tried his hand at composing with great success.

Acknowledgement of Grcevich’s skill and musician-ship has come in forms tangible and intangible. As was his father before him, he was inducted into the Tamburitza Hall of Fame in 2001.

Grcevich received the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in the Traditional Arts in 2003 and in 2005 the National Endowment for the Arts presented him with its Heritage Fellowship Award in the category of folk and traditional artists. However, honors are not all that please The Tamburitza Man. He once explained, “I always get excited about the event if it’s a birthday party down the street, a three day festival somewhere or a huge concert. It’s always a thrill; it’s

The Gipsy Stringz: (l to r) Bob Sestili, David Kosovec, George Batyi, Peter Kosovec, and Jerry Grcevich.

always a challenge. No matter whether there are 25 or 2,500 people, you want to touch them in some way. You want to satisfy them and make them feel good.”

Grcevich is deeply dedicated to educating the American public and the young people of Croatia about tamburitza music. Always willing to share his knowledge and talent, he strives to promote the music he holds dear and inspire others to do the same. He travels often to the home of tamburitza, Croatia, with this purpose in mind. He is highly thought of in the motherland and his arrival is anticipated by many.

His recordings air on Croatian cultural radio programming and his compositions are enthusiastically played by the native musicians.

The musician has over 20 LPs, tapes and CDs to his credit.

Today he tours extensively, composes and records. His newest CD, Mila Moja (My Dear One), was released in September 2008. He regularly performs at the Gypsy Café on the South Side of Pittsburgh with the Gipsy Stringz. If you’re in the mood for a melody, Jerry Grcevich will have you feelin’ alright.

BMN: I was told that you have family roots in the local village of Luxor.

JG: My great-grandparents settled in Luxor when they came from Croatia. My great-grandfather got a job in the coal mines, as so many immigrants did. I still have numerous relatives there today.

BMN: Master tamburitza luthiers (makers) Ivan Hlad and Andrew Groeschl are gone. Are there many skilled luthiers in this country at present?

JG: There are very few left and let’s give credit to several who are nearby. Frank Valentich of Monroeville and Greensburg’s Walter Naglich make and repair instruments, and also play tamburitza music themselves.

BMN: It seems, sir, that you are a one-man band. Not only do you

play multiple instruments, you have used the “sound-on-sound” recording technique. Could you explain this process briefly?

JG: That’s when you overdub.

You record each instrument part separately and when they are combined you get a complete orchestra sound. It’s good in a way, but in another way it’s not good. You don’t get the feeling of a live band producing something.

If I can, I like to get everybody together to rehearse and record.

BMN: In mid-January you are set to travel to Croatia. How will your time there be spent?

JG: I will be rehearsing for and performing in concerts. These will be live concerts; some will be simulcast on radio and television. When I travel abroad I also enjoy going to the schools and meeting with the young children. I take the students tamburitza music, and listen to them play and show their accomplishments. I sometimes give them one of my own compositions and teach a little of what I know.

BMN: I understand that you are a very sharing musician and composer. How important do you feel it is for one generation to pass on their musical knowledge and insight to the next?

JG: I think it’s very important.

Folk music has not been formally composed by any one person; no one is given credit. You have to be careful to protect the integrity of this traditional music; you try to keep it in its original state.

BMN: You are widely considered the premier prim player in the world. Where do you go from here?

JG: Musician, unlike athletes, can reach their prime a little later in life. I hope I’m still going up the ladder to do more music work and touch more people. As I continue to play, I also hope to continue to learn – that’s part of me.

– To contact Jerry Grecvich call 412-823-2321 – A special thanks to Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area for their assistance

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32 -March/April 2009

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