Lake Erie LifeStyle November

LAKE

ERIE

10 ANNIVE

LifeStyle NOVEMBER 2016

RSARY

issue

SOUND EFFECTS

Audiologist links hearing, health

PLUS: GENERATIONS:

Meet the class of 2020

It's holiday home tour timeÂ

LAKE

ERIE

10 ANNIVE

LifeStyle NOVEMBER 2016

RSARY

issue

SOUND EFFECTS

Audiologist links hearing, health

PLUS: GENERATIONS:

Meet the class of 2020

It's holiday home tour timeÂ

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NOVEMBER 2016 // LAKE ERIE LIFESTYLE |5

Contents Generations

NOVEMBER ’16

Generations 26 MAGIC OF MILLENNIALS Find out how the largest demographic navigates life, careers.

34 AGE BETTER

14

Experts share tips for success.

Home & Garden

Meet the Class of 2020 Lake Erie LifeStyle will follow 20 high school freshmen for the next four years as they weigh in on their education, growing up, technology and other issues they'll face between now and the time they graduate.

In every issue 12 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Lake Erie LifeStyle takes a trip down memory lane to the first issue.

40 TAKE A TOUR

Enjoy the decor at eight homes decorated for the holidays in Erie and Millcreek.

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1

58 ON SCENE

We caught up with you at the Athene Leadership Luncheon.

Bon Appétit 46 POUR IT ON Wine and beer businesses have increased substantially in the past decade.

Arts & Entertainment

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Teacher instructs meaningful lessons with artistic flair.

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health

PLUS:

: TIO NS 2020 GE NE RA class of

Meet the

52 MORE THAN ART CLASS

On the cover

ER 2016

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iday It's hol r time home tou

24 YOU HEARD IT HERE

Erie Audiology's Allison Keenan and her dog, Max, take a break from seeing patients with hearing issues.

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From the editor

November 2016

Reflections as we start our 10th year It's hard to believe this issue of Lake Erie LifeStyle marks the start of the magazine's 10th year. But here we are — bigger and better than we ever imagined.

Lake Erie LifeStyle started with Marnie Mead, Mary Solberg and Jill Chaklos Starr. I came onboard and eventually Solberg, Starr and Mead left. Brenda Martin joined us this year, and we've had a host of wonderful designers change the look of the magazine. Everyone who touches it makes it better. From the beginning, Tom New of WQLN Public Media was a partner with ideas and the printed guide for WQLN programming.

In this first issue of our 10th year, we revisit some memories that appeared in the premier issue, and we launch a new series called The Class of 2020. In it, writer Liz Allen follows 20 area high school freshmen as they navigate education and all that goes with it until after they graduate in 2020. I'm proud of this effort for several reasons. From 1996 to 2000, I had the pleasure of following dozens of The Lake Erie LifeStyle crew high school and college students for similar stories that celebrated the first year of publi- appeared regularly in the Erie Times-News. I visited with cation at the beach. each student periodically, and it was enlightening to me FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS as a writer, a reader and a mom. I cried with some parents, and I laughed with a lot of students. Watching them grow up was one of my favorite assignments ever. They're all in their 30s now. Time flies.

Throughout our 10th year, we'll take a look back at some memorable stories, and we'll share plenty of new ideas. If you have a favorite story idea you want to revisit or add to our list, drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, thanks to all our readers and our advertisers who love living the Lake Erie LifeStyle.

Pam Parker, editor pam.parker@timesnews.com

Lake Erie LifeStyle

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LAKE

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LifeStyle

NOVEMBER 2016

NICHE PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Brenda Martin brenda.martin@timesnews.com EDITOR Pam Parker pam.parker@timesnews.com CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER/WEB DESIGN Magazine design by Karlee Proctor Web design by Ben Smith, Dave Super and Paul Szymczuk PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Millette, Jack Hanrahan, Rob Frank, Dave Munch, Greg Wohlford ADVERTISING Lynn Dietz, multi-media sales supervisor lynn.dietz@timesnews.com 814-870-1664 CONTACT US 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534 www.lakeerielifestyle.com All content, including the design, art, photos and editorial content © 2016, Erie Times-News. No portion of this magazine may be copied or reprinted without the express written permission of the publisher.

NOVEMBER 2016 // LAKE ERIE LIFESTYLE |9

Contributors

November 2016

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”

- Rose Kennedy

LIZ ALLEN tracked down 20 high school freshmen that she will follow until they graduate in 2020. Allen has two grandchildren in the Class of 2020: Molly Nielsen at Harbor Creek High School and Cam Locco at North Point High School, a S.T.E.M. magnet school in Waldorf, Maryland.

Molly wants to be a doctor or a physician assistant; Cam wants to be an engineer. page 14 KAREN BEARDSLEY tells readers about the Erie Philharmonic holiday home tour that takes place Nov. 5 and 6 at eight homes in Millcreek and Erie. Beardsley is the media relations manager at UPMC. page 40 JOLAYNE GREEN interviews the folks at Erie Audiology, who share some great news on improving your hearing. Green is a freelance writer living in Meadville with her family. page 24

Coming in December Have fun and take the stress out of holidays and winter with ideas from regional experts.

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MARISSA ORBANEK, a proud millennial, introduces readers to the millennial mystique — what makes them different from the rest of us. Orbanek is the public relations manager at the General McLane School District and the girls lacrosse coach at McDowell High School. page 26 STEVE ORBANEK traces a decade of wine and beer happenings in the region, and he has covered a lot of them for Lake Erie LifeStyle. Orbanek is the marketing communications specialist at Penn State Behrend. page 46 PAM PARKER interviews experts age 60 and older on how to age successfully in life, fitness and finance. She also shares a memory from the first edition of Lake Erie LifeStyle. Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home. pages 11, 34 BRIAN R. SHERIDAN writes about an artist who is a teacher, and she teaches teens that their artistic abilities reveal much more than ink on paper. Sheridan is a lecturer and chairman of the communications department of Mercyhurst University. page 52

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Memories

Welcome to our anniversary issue What was inside the first issue of Lake Erie LifeStyle

T

he first issue of Lake Erie LifeStyle was mailed to WQLN Public Media members in October of 2007.

The cover story featured a beautiful pictorial on Great Lakes wildlife captured in photos and paintings.

Fairview residents Bob and Christie Ferrier shared a story of pedal power, and how they toured the Tuscan coast of Italy and Vietnam on bikes.

An Ohio couple shared their love of shipwrecks, and another article toured homes in North East and Ashtabula, Ohio, with connecections to the Underground Railroad.

Since that time, the magazine evolved to b be included in the Erie Times-News on the last Sunday of every month. This issue begins its 10th year of production. LEL

erristie F and Ch aly b It o B h g s throu sident s e r ip r w t e yle Fairvie heir bik e Erie LifeSt ared t ak L h it rier sh tnam w ber 2007. and Vie vem s in No reader

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The cove r of the fi rst issue Erie LifeS of Lake tyle in No vember 2 revealed 007 the partn ership be magazin tween th e and WQ e LN Public Media.

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Generations

MEET THE CLASS OF

2020 Story by Liz Allen | Contributing writer

So often, we look at teens and think they're living in a virtual reality. They're tech-savvy for sure, but it isn't just a Snapchat world for this group of high school freshmen. They have hopes and dreams. They have role models. What they'll face in the next four years, they can barely imagine. But they plan to share it, with all of us, as we follow them until graduation. They are the Class of 2020.

Madison Hill, 14, is a ninth grader at North East High School.

Taylor Carr, 14, is a ninth grader at Northwestern High School.

Dontayja Carr, 15, is a ninth grader at Central Tech High School.

Ian Baldauf is a ninth grader at Mercyhurst Prep.

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Kiernan Nies is a ninth grader at Cathedral Prep.

Karly Carnicelli is a ninth grader at McDowell High School.

Jordan Ziesenheim, 14, is a ninth grader at Fairview High School.

Kenny Berlin is a ninth grader at Harbor Creek High School.

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Madeline Luxon is a ninth grader at Girard High School.

Ryan Newton is a ninth grader at Union City Area High School.

Jameea Arrington, 15, is a ninth grader at Strong Vincent High School.

Ethan Kulick, 14, is a ninth grader at Iroquois High School.

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Rachel Daum, 14, is a ninth grader at Fort LeBoeuf High School.

Ryan Hess, 15, is a ninth grader at General McLane High School.

Paul Leech is a ninth grader at Meadville Area Senior High School.

Tyler Yatsko, 14, is a ninth grader at Corry Area High School.

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Cierra Boldorff, 15, is a ninth grader at East High School.

TJ Stronghart is a ninth grader at Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy.

Caitlin Nies is a ninth grader at Villa Maria Academy.

Kelly Cass is a ninth grader at Seneca High School.

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Generations

CLASS OF 2020 Name: Jameaa Arrington Age: 15 School: Strong Vincent High School Family: Mother Patsy Mitchell; siblings Tyvon, Jaymee, Jamere Extracurricular activities: Youth Leadership Institute of Erie Career aspiration: Culinary artist

Name: Ian Baldauf Age: 14 School: Mercyhurst Preparatory School Family: Parents Holly and Dan Baldauf; siblings Aidan and Lauren Extracurricular activities: Soccer; rowing in the spring Career aspiration: Undecided, but interested in photography and cinematography

Name: Kenny Berlin Age: 15 School: Harbor Creek Senior High Family: Parents Lisa and Ken Berlin; siblings Sydney and Danielle Extracurricular activities: Umpire for Harborcreek Little League; golf and baseball for Harbor Creek school teams; league bowling at Eastway Lanes Career aspiration: Engineering or sports medicine

Caitlin Nies is a ninth grader at Villa Maria Academy. Her brother Kiernan Nies is a ninth grader at Cathedral Prep. DAVE MUNCH/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

M

adeline Luxon, 15, an aspiring designer, graphic artist or architect, likes to draw eyes.

“You can put emotion into it. There’s like a story behind it,” says Madeline, a Girard High School ninth-grader. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, Alan Shattuck, who studied at Columbus College of Art and Design and Cooper School of Art

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and Design. “After he passed away, my mom inherited some of his art and I was inspired by that,” she says.

When Ian Baldauf’s dad, Dan Baldauf, bought a “fairly nice camera” to shoot the scenery on a camping trip, Ian asked if he could borrow it. “My dad said (my photos) were really good, so for Christmas, I got an even nicer camera,” says Ian, 14, a ninthgrader at Mercyhurst Preparatory School.

One of Ian’s favorites photos is of his dog Myla, a “mutt” who is part Norwegian Elk

Generations

CLASS OF 2020

hound and dachshund. “Every time I see this, I say I captured her essence. She’s the most innocent dog I’ve ever met,” says Ian, as he scrolls through photos on his iPad Air 2, the “super light” tablet that Mercyhurst provides.

Dontayja Carr, 15, a ninth-grader at Central Career and Technical School, wants to become a nurse, like her mother, Tocarra Starks, who earned her nursing certificate from Great Lakes Institute of Technology. But Starks never practiced nursing; she died from cancer when Dontayja was 7.

“She’s a good kid. She looks a lot like her mom,” says Yolanda Starks, Dontayja’s grandmother, who is raising her.

In 2014, Dontayja participated in the annual Walking Through Black History tour organized by Gary Horton, director of the E.F. Smith Quality of Life Learning Center.

They visited the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four black girls were murdered by a bomb in 1963. They walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the site of the “Bloody

Name: Cierra Boldorff Age: 14 School: East High School Family: Mother Krystal Sowers; siblings Aubree, Aneveah, Damien, Christopher, Daniel Extracurricular activities: Youth Leadership Institute of Erie Career aspiration: Joining the military, then becoming a teacher

Name: Karly Carnicelli Age: 14 School: McDowell Intermediate High School Family: Parents Kim and Bruce Carnicelli; sisters Jessica and Andrea Extracurricular activities: School musicals Career aspiration: Something in the medical field

Name: Dontayja Carr Age: 15 School: Central Career and Technical School Family: Grandmother Yolanda Starks Extracurricular activities: Youth Leadership Institute of Erie Career aspiration: Nursing or physical therapy

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CLASS OF 2020 Name: Taylor Carr Age: 15 School: Northwestern High School Family: Parents Rikki and Todd Carr; siblings Travis, Gena and Laura Extracurricular activities: Waiting to decide; played basketball in middle school Career aspiration: Therapist

Name: Kelly Cass Age: 15 School: Seneca High School Family: Parents Heather and Dan Cass; sister Lauren Extracurricular activities: Crosscountry; voice; piano; Erie Zoo volunteer Career aspiration: Undecided

Name: Rachel Daum Age: 14 School: Fort LeBoeuf High School Family: Parents Colleen and Dan Daum; brother Ryan Extracurricular activities: Volleyball; Blue Crew spirit squad; Student Council Career aspiration: Something math-related

Karly Carnicelli is a ninth grader at McDowell High School. DAVE MUNCH/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Sunday” attacks on civil rights protesters in 1965.

They toured historically black colleges, including Tuskegee University, Morehouse College and the all-women’s Spelman College. Returning home, Dontayja said she wanted to go to Spelman. “I said we can’t afford it. She has to get a scholarship,” says her grandmother.

Still, Walking Through Black History made

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a positive impact on Dontayja. “It opened her eyes up. I told her, ‘Anything is possible.’ I’m behind her 100 percent,” says Starks.

In this month’s Lake Erie LifeStyle, we introduce you to Madeline, Ian, Dontayja and 17 other freshmen from the Class of 2020.

Their comments don’t just offer insights into their own young lives. These teens also provide an optimistic glimpse of our region’s future, where “anything is possible.”

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CLASS OF 2020

We will check in with them periodically as they move along to graduation in 2020, but here are some of the things we know already.

Boys and girls alike are interested in science, technology, engineering and math, but they also embrace the arts. Some like using both the left and right sides of their brains and want to fuse both interests in their careers.

Cierra Boldorff, 14, an East High School student, says she does well at math but also

counts chorus as one of her favorite classes.

She wants to become a teacher after serving in the military.

These teens like movie superheroes and they enjoy playing video games. Ethan Kulick, 14, an Iroquois High School student, and Taylor Carr, 15, a Northwestern High School student, are both into Minecraft. “It’s really cool. You can build anything you want,” says Ethan, who creates pixel art characters for

Name: Ryan Hess Age: 15 School: General McLane High School Family: Parents Becky and Steve Hess; siblings Dan, Mike, Emily Extracurricular activities: Marching band; track and field; school musicals Career aspiration: Video effects (VFX) artist

Name: Madison Hill Age: 14 School: North East High School Family: Parents Melanie and Aaron Hill; siblings Hunter, Blake, Lyndsie Extracurricular activities: Track and field (in the spring) Career aspiration: Something in the medical field

Name: Ethan Kulick Age: 14 School: Iroquois High School Family: Father Josh Kulick; mother Christianne Steadman; sister Madyson Extracurricular activities: Undecided; played basketball in junior high Career aspiration: Undecided; interested in computer applications

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CLASS OF 2020 Name: Paul Leech Age: 14 School: Meadville Area Senior High School Family: Parents Cheryl and Tom Leech; siblings Tommy and Rachel Extracurricular activities: volleyball; cross-country; photography; concert band and jazz band Career aspiration: Possibly psychology

Name: Madeline Luxon Age: 15 School: Girard High School Family: Parents Natalie and B.J. Luxon; brother William Extracurricular activity: Junior varsity volleyball team; high school swim team and Girard summer team, the Gators; softball; Girard Alliance Church youth group Career aspiration: Designer, graphic artist or architect

Name: Ryan Newton Age: 14 School: Union City High School Family: Father Jason Newton; mother Paula Kunzen; siblings Jaime, Tyler, Austin, Angelina, Jazzmyn, Snyder Extracurricular activities: Football, wrestling on school teams; baseball on school team and in the PONY League Career aspiration: Undecided but possibly sports medicine or coaching

the game. “You need to know strategy,” says Taylor, whose brother taught her how to play on his PlayStation 3. She only knows one other girl who plays Minecraft but says, “I feel accomplished,” when she reaches a new level in the game.

Most teens can’t live without their cellphones to text and stay in touch with friends on Snapchat, and many also have broad access to technology at school.

Ryan Hess, 15, is eyeing a career as a “VFX,” or video effects artist. About three years ago, his brother, Michael, now a college freshman, introduced him to a computer program to add special effects to short videos. Ryan then polished his skills by watching YouTube. “It showed me how to make my own effects and how to edit videos,” he says.

He’d like to take Video 1 and Video 2 classes at General McLane High School, but says, “This year my schedule is so filled up, I didn’t

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have enough room.”

Fairview High School student Jordan Ziesenheim, 14, uses her school iPad to digitize characters for a comic book she and a friend are creating, “The Journey of the Changeling.” She also plans on programming her own “fan game” for Pokémon. She demonstrated how she could shoot videos of herself while she worked. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m watching myself draw,’” she says.

Yet in the cash-strapped Erie School District, access to technology varies. “It’s not for lack of wanting. We know our kids deserve the best and certainly everything that their peers in the county have,” says Daria Devlin, coordinator of grants and community relations for Erie’s Public Schools. “But because the resources are inequitable, we can’t provide what they provide.”

Still, T.J. Stronghart, 14, is happy to point out the amazing computer power packed

Generations Jameea Arrington, 15, is a ninth grader at Strong Vincent High School. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

into his “small, little device,” an iPhone 6. At Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, he has access to multiple computer labs and can use his phone in class.

His mother, Bethany Stronghart, attended Millcreek schools and considered moving outside of the city for his education. “We decided we couldn’t do that, because Collegiate has so much opportunity,” she says. JoAnna Connell Elementary School, where “the teachers were phenomenal,” did a good job preparing him for Collegiate, says T.J. At Fort LeBoeuf High School, Rachel Daum, 14, uses a Chromebook provided by the school. “We can share documents and work on things together outside of the classroom,” says Rachel, as she described how Lucidpress can be used to design customized student newspapers.

But Rachel prefers math to word subjects.

She has taken advanced math classes since

sixth grade and is enrolled in Algebra 2.

A good number of students count math and/or science as their favorite subjects.

“I can always remember numbers,” says Madison Hill, 14, who goes to North East High School. “My mom taught me to braid my hair in first or second grade and I memorized it as a number pattern,” she says.

At Union City High School, Ryan Newton, 14, is enrolled in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy, a school within a school.

Ryan’s sister, Jaime Kunzen, 24, encouraged him to apply for the S.T.E.M. Academy.

“She said, ‘Take the opportunity and run with it,’ because it’s going to help me out in the long run,” he says.

Ryan is studying both Biology and Introduction to Biomedical Science in S.T.E.M. As a three-sport athlete, he says he has learned “good time-management” skills. “My dad tells me to get on the ball with things. He keeps me in line and I have to say, he does it very well,” says Ryan.

Kenny Berlin, 15, a Harbor Creek Senior High student, is also a multisport athlete who is interested in going into engineering or sports medicine. To keep things in balance, he tackles “what’s due the earliest” first. “I set priorities. I piece it up a little bit.”

Although these teens are tech savvy, they are also mature and cautious about using social media.

“It’s a lot of drama,” says Jameaa Arrington, 15, a Strong Vincent High School student, explaining why she deleted her Facebook account.

“I don’t like social media. I don’t like taking pictures of myself,” says Jordan, the Fairview High student. “I don’t see why anyone would want to share every tiny aspect of their life with pretty much everyone on the internet.”

Outside the virtual world, these teens look to parents, grandparents, siblings and teachers as their true inspirations.

Tyler Yatsko, 14, goes to Corry Area High School, where he is taking Introduction to Engineering. His dad, John Yatsko, is a computer engineer and “does lots of coding,” says Tyler. He also admires his grandfather, Vic Savitz, who is “always fixing stuff (in his) whole barn full of tractors and equipment.”

In an “Extended Learners” class in fifth grade, Tyler had to do a career project. “I chose industrial engineering and it stuck,” he says.

Like Tyler and 14-year-old twins Kiernan

CLASS OF 2020 Name: Caitlin Nies Age: 14 School: Villa Maria Academy Family: Parents Lynn and Mike Nies; twin brother Kiernan Extracurricular activities: Junior varsity cheerleader Career aspiration: Lawyer or pediatrician

Name: Kiernan Nies Age: 14 School: Cathedral Preparatory School Family: Parents Lynn and Mike Nies; twin sister Caitlin Extracurricular activities: Waiting to decide; played soccer and tennis in elementary school Career aspiration: Architecture

Name: T.J. Stronghart Age: 14 School: Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy Family: Parents Bethany and Tim Stronghart; brother Cody Extracurricular activities: Waiting to decide; attended recent Collegiate club fair to see what is available Career aspiration: Physician (pediatrics or emergency medicine)

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Generations

CLASS OF 2020 Name: Tyler Yatsko Age: 14 School: Corry Area High School Family: Parents Jen and John Yatsko; brothers Cooper and Derek Extracurricular activities: Football; basketball; baseball Career aspiration: Industrial engineer

Name: Jordan Ziesenheim Age: 14 School: Fairview High School Family: Parents Sherry and Erik Ziesenheim; twin sister Kayla and sisters Molly and Anna Extracurricular activities: Art club; marching band Career aspiration: Something with math, science or art

To see more photos of the Class of 2020: GoErie.com/ photos

Kenny Berlin is a ninth grader at Harbor Creek High School.

DAVE MUNCH/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

and Caitlin Nies, most of the teens have a strong inkling about what they want to be when they grow up. Kiernan, a Cathedral Preparatory School student, read a book in sixth grade and decided he wanted to become an architect. Caitlin, a Villa Maria Academy student, wants to be either a lawyer, like her dad, Mike Nies, or a pediatrician. “I like kids and I like to help them,” says Caitlin.

Karly Carnicelli, 14, a McDowell Intermediate High School student, says her favorite subject is history. “I like past things, how it comes together.” A talented singer, she starred as Gabriella in “High School Musical” in middle school, but says her favorite musicals are the old ones, like “Easter Parade” and “Oklahoma.”

“Back then, they actually had a storyline,” says Karly, who wants a career in the medical field.

But what if you haven’t yet embraced a storyline at age 14 or 15? The teens offered

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thoughtful ideas on the choices they face.

“I think there’s more pressure on kids, about what you want to do, what you want to be. It was so hard for me because I don’t know,” says Kelly Cass, 15, a Seneca High School student who sings, plays piano and runs long distance.

Kelly has a prime example, though, about how you can fashion careers by combining your passions. At Seneca, Randi Heitman is Kelly’s voice teacher and her cross-country coach.

Using their life experience and their education, these teens are determined to improve the world.

Taylor, from Northwestern High School, lives on her family’s farm, where their pets include two goats, two horses, a cat, a dog and a couple of chickens.

In her Vocational Agriculture course at school, she is learning about worldwide population growth. She wonders “how we’re going

Generations

Community leaders have focused much effort on making sure that youth in our region have a bright future. Mary Bula, facilitator for Erie Together and vice president of collective impact for United Way of Erie County, explains why:

“ “ “

The Class of 2020 is our future. They are up-and-coming business and community leaders, employees, property owners, taxpayers and consumers. We know that, and because we believe that all children can be successful, our community has taken great steps to invest in their future.”

Through Erie Together, we are starting at the earliest of ages helping children be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten so they get the best start at their educational careers. We are surrounding middle schoolers with more caring adults to enhance their lives and help ensure they graduate high school on time through our More Caps & Gowns Project. We have made sure kids of all ages have ample opportunities to explore and consider future careers through Career Street. We are working with local school districts to develop solid career pathways in the high schools to better guide students for future employment.

And finally, we are helping high schoolers understand how to become involved and make a positive impact in their community through our youth civic engagement activities.

Now more than ever, I see our community rallying around local youth to give them the best chance at a bright future. And in the grand scheme of things, I can’t think of anything more important than that.”

Learn more at www.erietogether.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

to feed the world,” when only 2 percent of the population farms.

At Meadville Area Senior High School, Paul Leech, 14, is like many of the teens we interviewed — busy, smart and accomplished. He is on the volleyball team, runs cross-country and plays B-flat trumpet in the concert and jazz bands. His favorite class this year is civics, where he likes discussing politics and learning about citizenship.

He helps his dad, Tom Leech, with his side business, Tom Leech photography, shooting dance, sports and nature photos.

“The main thing that attracts me to a photo is its focus,” Paul says.

And focus — on the present, on the future — is exactly what attracted us to the Class of 2020. LEL -To see more photos of the Class of 2020: GoErie.com/photos

Leaders from business, industry, education and various organizations have established Career Street, a community service program of the Erie County Vocational-Technical School Foundation.

Jennifer Nygaard Pontzer, executive director, explains how the program works: “It is important for the youth of Erie County to make informed decisions about their future. Career Street provides the educators with a network of local employers eagerly interested in connecting with local students. If these employers can connect with our students now, they are making impressions that form tomorrow’s workforce. Jobs are not gone in Erie, and Career Street can bring this message from the employers to the students.

“Through Career Street experiences, students can identify their interests and abilities and match them with a local career, creating the next generation of employees, voters, economic contributors with an overall pride in community. There are kids that don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, and there are kids that don’t know what they can be when they grow up. Using educators to identify the possible connections, Career Street can help these students identify specific careers to pursue and know how to pursue them.”

Learn more at www.careerstreeterie.org.

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AUDIOLOGY SP ONSOR E D CONTE NT

HEARING WELL is a key to aging well

Allison Keenan, left, meets with staff members Linda Rossi, center, and Pam Postlewait. ROB FRANK/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Story by JoLayne Green Contributing writer

“Can you hear me now?”

It's a question used to make a point in a somewhat comical cell-phone commercial. Yet not hearing is anything but funny for many, and it has nothing to do with phone service.

Hearing plays a critical role in aging well, audiologist Allison Keenan, of Erie Audiology, said.

“As the Baby Boomer generation, which is unprecedented in size, comes of age, we will see a significant burden on the existing healthcare system,” said Keenan, who will complete her doctoral work in audiology this year.

“Being proactive about hearing health can reduce dependency on healthcare services, as hearing and health issues often go hand in hand.”

Poor hearing can lead to other challenges, such as depression, fatigue, stress, mental health issues, shortterm memory loss, early onset dementia, difficulty in learning new tasks and in workplace or educational situations.

“There are a lot of far-reaching implications,” Keenan said. “For example, poor hearing reduces perception of acoustic spatial cues, which can affect safety and balance, and may lead to increased fall risks with consequent fractures and the need for surgery and rehabilitation.”

“Being proactive and trying to avoid those types of risks can lead to a better quality of life,” Keenan said.

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Keenan suggests people get a baseline test and be aware of warning signs such as having the television louder, ringing in the ears, struggling academically or receiving comments that a person seems to be disconnected.

Risk factors can include hereditary factors, environments with high noise, exposure to toxins including fumes from paints and certain fabrics, smoking or second-hand smoke, and health conditions such as diabetes, chronic thyroid, kidney and liver problems, cardiovascular problems and stroke.

“Like the canary in the coal mine, hearing loss is often a precursor or side effect of another issue,” Keenan said, using the example of miners checking carbon dioxide levels by seeing if a canary stops singing.

The good news is that advances are helping people.

For example, microphone technology mimics the hearing process better.

“It's really cool to see them put new devices in and be able to pinpoint where a sound is coming from,” Keenan said.

As people age, they want to remain active and relevant, and there is no reason for their hearing to prevent that.

“We're doing everything we can to keep people on top of their game,” Keenan said.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Erie Audiology 2550 W. 8th St., Erie, PA 16505 814-833-9533 www.erieaudiology.com

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Generations

Millennials are often connected to more than one device at a time.

THINKSTOCK

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Generations

Millennial A new tion genera s change e yw the wa work

mystique

W Story by Marissa Orbanek Contributing writer

hat does a millennial's workspace look like? At Radius CoWork, the layout is open with a modern desk and tables that foster collaboration, creativity and innovation among its members from different

backgrounds and industries.

There is no corner office. There is no hierarchy culture.

Phone rooms are available for private conversations, but they are not meant to be occupied for long periods of time.

In its break room, there are at least five different ways to brew local coffee. Local beverages fill its fridge, and the kitchen is designed intentionally to create conversation.

There really are no rules — workers can dress in casual attire and come and go as they please.

On some days, Radius CoWork founders Sean Fedorko and Bill Scholz bring in snacks and wine or beer for those who share their space.

During the day, they’ve expanded their building to host lunch & learns, as well as classes. On weekends or weeknights, they may host an event to support a local artist or charity.

Sitting on the ninth floor of Erie's Renaissance Centre, Radius CoWork was founded as Erie’s first Coworking

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Generations Faith Kinding founded Erie Urban Sproutz Farming, a shared community garden, during her senior year at Penn State Behrend. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Space in early 2015. This co-working center provides collaborative offices for entrepreneurs, teleworkers, freelancers, startups and mobile digital professionals.

Although shared workspaces are certainly not just for millennials, coworking spaces epitomize many of the traits that set millennials apart from other generations — they are flexible, community and tech-driven and interactive.

“This is a generation that grew up exchanging information as fast as their

fingers could move to as many people as electrons could reach from people who created value,” said Fedorko, a millennial who also serves as executive director of the Technology Council of Northwest Pennsylvania.

As this generation becomes dominant in the workforce, the term millennial is thrown around quite often. But who exactly is a millennial and what defines them?

“Millennials tend to be young adults who were born somewhere between

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1985-1990 through about 2001-2002,” said Karrie Bowen, a lecturer in social media, public relations and media production for Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. “But these are the young adults that predominantly grew up just as technology hit. Most of them were five or six during the advent of the internet and revolution of computers, so they’ve all grown up learning how to use computers and technology so they are very technology-driven and connected to the world on a larger scale.”

Generations

Millennials making a name for themselves in Erie, include, from left, Chris Schroeder, owner of Schroeder Creations; Bill Scholz, co-founder of Radius CoWork; David Baltusavich, owner of Synatree Software Development; Mike Embrescia, founder of WorkDesq and Sean Fedorko, co-founder of Radius CoWork. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Being immersed in technology and a digital native, according to Tungsten Creative owner Jody Farrell, plays a huge part in understanding millennials’ expectations. “This generation is used to pushing a button and having things work, so you have to remember that they are used to things working,” Farrell said.

Farrell added that social media channels must be part of the overall marketing plan if you want to reach millennials. "Especially Instagram and Twitter, if applicable. And we do see a lot of millennials ditching Facebook

in favor of other social channels," she said.

Bowen said this is the first generation of kids born to late-end Baby Boomers and Gen X, so the parents also play a part in shaping millennials’ attitudes. “I am part of the Gen X and our parents were able to give us a lot of stuff, but we were also given that idea that you always give your kids more than you had,” Bowen said. “This is the first generation of kids that were really expected to go to college and have been told they can do or be anything they want so millennials are not afraid to take risks.”

There are also different expectations for this generation in the workplace. Millennials are more attracted to engaging jobs with work-life integration and self-fulfillment.

“I will hear, ‘Oh, I struggle with millennials. They aren’t great workers, they have bad attitudes, and they don’t want to work full eight-hour days.’ But employers are measuring the wrong metric. The quality of output is what matters. Millennials are changing the concept of an eight-hour workday versus a four-hour workday, projects and outputs versus jobs and hours.”

The projects and outputs notion is something that many millennials will have to embrace. Nearly half the U.S. workforce will be working in independent contracting and other self-employment roles by 2020.

“The lifetime job or career doesn’t exist anymore,” Fedorko said. “But millennials grew up watching all of the layoffs and cuts

that occurred across a variety of industries so they’ve developed an attitude where they build their own job security. For businesses, it’s great.”

This change is impacting students and colleges, as well. Throughout her 17 years teaching, Bowen said one of the biggest changes is that more students want to start their own businesses.

“It used to be, ‘I am going to graduate from college and get a job.’ Now, students are putting together business plans and starting their own businesses before they graduate,” she said.

Startups start in school Two examples of these students are Ali Alqhtani and Faith Kindig.

While a sophomore at Gannon University, now-senior Alghtani co-founded Rentaba, an online platform that offers guided rental relationships between landlords and tenants by offering a variety of services including tenant screening and an online communication service that tracks and processes payment and conversations. Instead of offering a paper contract, Rentaba offers a “FairTract,” a living document that guides the renting process in an ethical manner by taking away the cons out of contracts and replacing them with fairness. “The story of me starting Rentaba is a personal need,” said Alghtani. “There's absolutely no guided standards or steps that guarantees a positive renting experience.”

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Generations

JODY FARRELL, OWNER OF TUNGSTEN CREATIVE, MARKETS TO MILLENNIALS. FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

KARRIE BOWEN, A LECTURER FOR PENN STATE ERIE, THE BEHREND COLLEGE, SHARES HER VIEWS ON HOW MILLENNIALS DIFFER FROM OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS. HEATHER CASS/COTNRIBUTED PHOTO

Kindig started developing Erie Sproutz Urban Farming during her senior year at Penn State Behrend.

Erie Sproutz is a coalition that brings fresh fruits and vegetables to the Erie community.

“With seven food deserts in Erie, there is a present need for urban farming,” Kindig said. “For me personally, I have to travel two to five miles to go to a Giant Eagle or Walmart to get fresh food. On days when I don’t have a car, it’s a problem. People want to be able to harvest their own food, but when you are living in a city, you just don’t have a place for it.”

Erie Sproutz is a shared garden with shared work, shared investment and shared benefits. In collaboration with Trinity Lutheran Church, the garden is located on E. 38th and State streets. The next phase of Kindig’s company includes creating an aeroponic house and mobile grocery store.

“My main goal is to give to the community, and that’s something I’ve seen a lot within this generation,” Kindig said. “Millennials are using their passion and seeing where it goes to give back to the community in some way.”

Alghtani agreed. “[Millennials] are the leaders of the future, and we are the ones who create our economic destiny. Why not design the destiny by investing in the city we live in?” he asked.

Farrell understood this when Tungsten Creative recently created a campaign for Lincoln Recycling.

“Millennials are environmentally conscious and want to be a part of the solution,” Farrell said. “They are more go-getters who all about making their world a better place.”

Fedorko added that in addition to being community-driven, millennials tend to place more value on peers and collaboration.

“They don’t want co-workers,” Fedorko said “They want peers who are smarter and faster than themselves so they can grow.” LEL

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WHY IT’S GOOD TO BE A MILLENNIAL I am proud to be a millennial because ...

“I live with full access to technology and innovation,”

— ALI ALGHTANI, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF RENTABA

“We are driven by our passion and we are willing take risks so we can learn, grow and innovate,” — FAITH KINDIG, FOUNDER OF ERIE SPROUTZ URBAN FARMING

“My generation turned the era of terrorism, recession and decaying sprawl into an era of social empathy, entrepreneurship and urban revitalization. We didn’t seize green-field opportunities like former generations; we had to build amid the rubble of metaphorical and literal collapses, and we’re building shining cities,” — SEAN FEDORKO, FOUNDER OF RADIUS COWORK

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Generations

BOOMERS’ guide to

AGING WELL

As people age, remaining active is important to maintain fitness levels, flexibility and balance.

THINKSTOCK

Story By Pam Parker | Erie Times-News

H

ow do some people age so well into their 80s and 90s and seem to be the picture of health and wellness? Aging successfully takes a lot of planning. Here are some thoughts from the region’s experts on how to stay at the top of your game. There’s advice about staying independent, dealing with financial issues and staying physically fit.

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Generations LIVING FITNESS: How to stay independent

S RICHARD MORYCZ HAS ADVISED PEOPLE ON AGING FOR 26 YEARS. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/TIM BETLER

AGING: GET HELP The Erie region is rich in offerings to help its residents remain active, healthy and vibrant. For general information, contact the Independent Council on Aging at www.icaerie.org/guide-toservices.html or 835-7485. For more information on other services: Area Agency on Aging Info and Referral 18 W. Ninth St. 459-4581 Ext 400 or 1-800-769-2436 Millcreek Information and Referral for Senior Citizens 833-1111 Ext 329 PA LINK to Aging and Disability Resources 800-753-8827

ince 1976, Richard Morycz, PhD., 67, has been helping people age well. The associate professor of psychiatry, medicine and social work at the University of Pittsburgh also works in Pitt’s aging institute and in outreach for older people and families. “I really believe in my experience that older people learn and develop but also grow more as they age,” he said. “I appreciate people do things very well and very differently.”

His approach to aging is simple. “What can you do to be happy?” he asked. He suggested that it quality of life would come to mind first for anyone of any age. He defined it as feeling satisfied and having a sense of ability to handle day-to-day life along with self efficacy. “That gives you optimism,” he said.

Morycz recommends that older people create, develop and maintain social engagements. “Make sure you have opportunity for face-to-face interactions,” he said. “Phone calls are great but we really need personal interaction.” He encourages younger folks to watch how seniors respond to something as simple as a good morning greeting or a conversation about the weather at the grocery store. “They are making a connection and interacting with people who care enough about you to ask about you. That consistent contact is what older people need, and many have done well with Skype and FaceTime,” he said.

Other advice Morycz offers: • Keep a list of a list of people you can count on if you need help: friends, neighbors — not just family.

• Find emotional support, social engagement and a confidante — someone you can rely on and count on.

• Avoid social isolation. If you or a relative can’t get out much, find a senior companion — a person to help you stay independent and in your own home.

Contact Independent Council on Aging in Erie County. An entire guide to services is available at www.icaerie.org/guide-toservices.html.

Care for others “Of all the patients I have seen, this is one of the most important rules. It’s important to be active — not for the sake of being active. It has to be meaningful to you. Find activities you like, and do them routinely. It gives us anchor points in our day or week,” Morycz said. He offered examples of cooking for people who need meals and becoming a member of a church or group that will distribute them.

He suggested becoming a phone buddy for people who can’t get out of the house often. “Allow yourself to care for others in any way you can,” he said. Offer to trade services. Do the shopping for someone, and maybe they cook for you.

Exercise mentally “Just as movement is good for the heart, it’s also good for the brain,” Morycz said.

Learning something new — a foreign language or a hobby — engages the brain and the senses. Being creative is also motivating. People start writing a journal or learn photography, and it opens new contacts for them. “In retirement, people often engage their creative sides, and they get feedback and enjoy the creative process,” he said.

Opportunities include: • Free or reduced classes are often available at various locations — even colleges — on occasion. “Classes are good, inexpensive and they engage you with other people in person,” he said.

• Solve problems. Morycz suggests math puzzles, and problems with spatial exercises are good. “It gives people a sense of mastering something,” he said.

He said crossword puzzles and other word problems are helpful, but dealing in spatial issues is best.

• Be a storyteller. “Read fairy tales to children and commit them to memory — it’s a great mental exercise, and your grandchildren will love. I do it myself,” he said.

Stay with your strengths “If we think about our strengths and focus on them and how we’ve coped with

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / / L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E | 35

Generations

Experts advise you should find something you enjoy to stay fit as you age.

THINKSTOCK

difficulties in the past, we can use that to maintain a sense of what’s good about us now,” Morycz said.

He shared that a woman he knew had been diagnosed with breast cancer and her husband had severe depression and Alzheimers, but nothing got her down. “She was really good at crocheting, and she started making afghans for kids in the hospital. That was a strength, and it helped her do something for others, and she didn’t feel isolated,” he said.

Have a zest for life Morycz told the story of a 98-year-old woman who had come to the United States decades ago from Greece and had brain surgery in her 90s. “She was full of life and enthusiasm,” he said. “She asked the doctors, nurses and other patients about their lives. She was

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always interacting with people. I think she arranged a marriage while she was in the hospital following the brain surgery,” he said.

How to remain in your home Where to live is always a question as we age, Morycz said. “Familiar environments make people feel comfortable, and you can bring services into the home, but you have to make decisions based on safety. Meals on wheels is one of my favorite programs because the people delivering meals check on the residents, and they get to know the neighbors. In some neighborhoods, people check on each other,” he said. Some people may never want to move, he added, and many don’t have to.

Interaction with others is the key to successful aging.

Generations

LEFT: Christopher Sorce, of HBKS Wealth Advisors, is a financial adviser in Erie. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO ABOVE: Personal financial planning figures in all your income and expenses. THINKSTOCK

FINANCIAL FITNESS: How do you retire comfortably?

F

or more than three decades, Chris Sorce, 63, a certified financial planner at HBKS Wealth Advisors, has helped people manage their finances. He said a retirement date depends on your assets and your ability and desire to work. He suggests you choose an age that you might want to retire, then you create a plan to get there.

“It’s simple, but it’s not easy,” he said. “A lot of people don’t want to retire, but they do want to be financially independent. That’s what we plan for,” Sorce said.

Of course a lot of factors are key to your success, including Social Security, but here are a few of Sorce’s tips: • Your plan should be long-term and include strategies for market trends. It needs to be tweaked along the way, and demands on your money will often change from year to year.

• Figure out all your assets, liabilities, income, expenses, taxes and savings. Figure out what you really live on every month, and determine if that is what you will live on when you are retired. Put numbers on

everything and determine your level of risk. “Most people don’t mind risk until the market goes down,” Sorce said. Adjust and modify those goals as needed.

• Sorce said a diversified portfolio is critical because the market is always going to zig and zag. “It’s rare that all sectors of the market would be moving in the same direction at the same time,” he said.

• Be realistic in your expectations. “The market has averaged about 7 to 8 percent a year over the past 20 years, less than what stocks have historically averaged, but that is a result of two corrections. One lasted from 2000 to 2003 and the Great Recession occurred in 2008 and 2009. Both of those corrections were more than 50 percent,” Sorce said. “Right now we’ve had 7 or 8 good years, but make sure you are prepared for the bad years.”

• Remember that things will change as you age.

College and weddings for kids, possible moves, job changes and more will affect the way you use and need your savings.

• In addition to your finances, have a will, a living will and power of attorney.

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Generations

PHYSICAL FITNESS: How to stay fit as you age

E

Erica Pistone Frank, 35, left, and her mother Jeri Pistone work together on fitness for life.

FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIME-NEWS

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xercise. Eat right. We’ve all heard these things, but aging doesn’t mean we have to change everything or anything to stay fit.

You may have to adapt, but that happens at every age. Runners may run less frequently and/or turn to walking, biking, kayaking, swimming, tennis, golf, pickleball or other sports. Many people turn to yoga, tai chi, qigong, reiki and meditation to improve flexibility and balance as they age. No matter what you do, do something, advises personal trainer Jeri Pistone, 62, of Fairview Township.

“My motto is ‘fit for life,’” she said. “You can do almost anything with modification.”

As an example, Pistone said her classes often included people of varying ages and abilities. “Don’t allow yourself to get bored, and do whatever you can at your level,” she said. Examples included 200 varieties of pushups and 100 different ways to do a burpee. In classes, she likes to keep her clients guessing.

“Muscle confusion, a term in the fitness industry, means tricking your body into doing something different and that’s what helps to increase metabolism and calorie burn,” she said.

Pistone is a great example of changing it up. The former teacher decided to become a certified personal trainer along with her daughter in 2013. At the time, she was a runner, but since then she has added boot camp, weights and even boxing classes to her own fitness routines. Here are her top tips: • Don’t be afraid to try something new. She started boxing this year at age 62.

• Walk — with friends, family, your dog, grandkids or all of them. Walking improves fitness and takes you outside.

• Lift weights — they help men and women maintain and improve bone density and flexibility • If you have challenges, stick with the basics. “I work with people who can do very little because of physical limitations, but we can climb stairs together, and I work with clients who can’t do lower body workouts, but we can lift dumbbells and kettle bells with our arms. You can always adapt,” she said.

• Enjoy your workouts. Don’t dread them. Make fitness a habit and look forward to what you can do.

“It makes people more likely to succeed,” she said.

Pistone encourages people to be happy in what they can do, no matter what it is. “It doesn’t matter how many miles or repetitions you do, enjoy what you can do,” she said. LEL

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Home & Garden

Home tour promises holiday decor

By Karen Beardsley Contributing writer

T

he first weekend of November is the perfect time to tour area homes professionally adorned for the holiday season.

For the second year, the Erie Philharmonic’s Holiday Tour of Homes will offer a self-guided tour of several beautiful Erie properties donning the best holiday designs the area has to offer.

“The response was overwhelmingly positive last year when we brought back this favorite Erie tradition of touring homes dressed up for the holiday,” says Steve Weiser, executive director of the Erie Philharmonic. “We’re just as excited this year to present an up-close and personal look at eye-catching architecture and interior design of eight private and public residences.”

The tour of homes is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6. “We’re grateful to our homeowners for welcoming guests into their homes on this interesting and fun journey and to our talented designers for getting us all in the spirit with their creative ideas,” Weiser says.

The eight homes, built over a span of 110 years from the late 1800s to the 1990s, have distinct appeal. Four of the venues are private homes; the other four, while originally private homes, are located on West Sixth Street, or what was known as Millionaire’s Row. This year, there are two clusters of residences to tour. Five are located in the

The staircase of the Erie Woman’s Club was decorated for the holidays on the 2015 tour. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

downtown area and three are in Millcreek.

Here's a description of each home: Craig and Diane Schneider 518 W. Ninth St. The Schneider home, built in 1885, is the oldest home on the tour. A Victorian Queen Anne-style home, it features patterned fishscale shingles and decorative window brackets.

The home tied for first place in the 2013 Erie Historic Homes Contest and has been included on the Erie Garden Tour in the past.

Visitors will note the use of various types of wood: the entrance and stairs are made of oak, while cherry dominates the parlor and living room. English walnut is found in the dining room. There are three Waterford crystal chandeliers, and pillars from a full front porch have been recycled and installed in the upstairs bathroom. It will be decorated by Gary Maas, owner of Gary’s Flower Shoppe, and he was a former owner of the home and responsible for many of the renovations.

“We’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet some of the previous owners who have shared stories and photos,” Diane Schneider says. “I most definitely enjoy decorating, especially for the holidays, with vintage decor, since I've been selling and collecting vintage items for many years.”

Strong Mansion — Gannon University’s Old Main 109 University Square Construction on the Strong Mansion began

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in 1890 and was completed in 1893 at a cost of $480,000 and furnished for an additional $800,000. The 46-room mansion was the showplace of Erie with one of the most famous guests being President William H. Taft in 1912.

What was once known as the ballroom, featuring a ceiling hand-painted in the form of a sky with cherubs peering over the clouds, is today the university’s boardroom. Next to the ballroom was the reception room, now called the parlor, richly decorated in 14-karat gold leaf. Bishop John Mark Gannon bought the mansion in 1941 for $50,000. He wanted it to serve as the center of the recently-founded college at the time. The mansion had been vacant for many years. Today, it’s currently valued at more than $7 million. Allburn Florists will decorate Gannon’s Old Main.

Galbraith Mansion — the Woman's Club 259 W. Sixth St. Completed at about the same time as the Strong Mansion, the Galbraith Mansion has been home to the Woman’s Club of Erie since 1921. Surrounded by a decorative black wrought iron fence, the home has been part of holiday tours for many years.

“We’re delighted to participate in the Erie Phil’s tour again,” says Judy Husted, president of the Woman’s Club and co-chair of their Christmas in the Mansion House Tour and Boutique, which features entertainment, electric train displays and raffles of decorated miniature trees and wreaths. Unique arts and

Home & Garden wares by local artisans, including gourmet items and specialty shops, will also be featured.

“Seven local florists will transform the historical mansion into a Christmas wonderland,” Husted adds.

Watson-Curtze Mansion and Carriage House 356 W. Sixth St. The Watson-Curtze Mansion and Carriage House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were built in 1891 by Harrison F. Watson, owner of the H.F. Watson Co., manufacturer of tar paper and roof coverings. His wife, Carrie T. Watson was an avid gardener and active in local and state gardening groups. The Carrie T. Watson Garden Club is still very active in Erie today.

In 1923, the Fredrick Felix Curtze, a banker and entrepreneur, purchased the home. The Historical Society of Erie County now owns the home. “The craftsmanship and details of the house are striking,” says Kathy Watts, event coordinator at the Historical Society.

“Woodwork is pierced and hand-carved, and mosaics, stained glass and friezes abound.

Tiffany light fixtures are featured along with

decorative motifs such as cherubs, peacocks, leaves and shells.”

The home, which will be decorated by Potratz Floral Shop, features 24 rooms, 12 fireplaces and five baths. The second and third floors of the mansion currently feature eight exhibit galleries highlighting Erie County history, as well as a beautiful ballroom featuring the original decorative ceiling painting. In 2015, the Society completed a major renovation of the mansion and a reconfiguration of the original carriage house to an archives and reading room. A Made in America Gift Shop, offices and a new 10,000-square-foot archive building complete the Thomas B. Hagen campus.

EmKey Energy 558 W. Sixth St. Most recently known as the Lay Law Building, EmKey Energy, a natural gas pipeline company, moved into the Greek Revival building in August. The mansion was originally constructed as a residence for Erie industrialist Robert Jarecki, whose company made oil well supplies among other products.

The home was built in 1909, according to

One home on the 2015 tour included decorating with candy and crystal in the kitchen.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JODIE FARBOTNIK

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Home & Garden

TOP LEFT: The solarium at the Erie Woman’s Club was decorated for the holidays in 2015. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JODIE FARBOTNIK TOP RIGHT: Holiday decorations adorned nearly every window of homes on the Erie Philharmonic tour in 2015. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JODIE FARBOTNIK

BOTTOM: In 2015, Erie florists decorated homes for the Erie Philharmonic tour. The 2016 tour takes place Nov. 5 and 6.

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Home & Garden

Dennis and Margaret Unks, of Millcreek Township, are shown with their Wurlitzer theater pipe organ. Their home is decorated for the Erie Philharmonic holiday home tour. JACK HANRAHAN/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

the National Register of Historic Places, or in 1911, according to Erie County property records. Traditions will decorate the historic building.

Mark and Carolyn Sabolcik 4250 W. 38th St. Moving on to the next cluster of homes in southwest Millcreek, this unique Swiss Bauerhaus home was built in 1956 and designed by Vincent Van Veenschoten, an Erie industrialist who also designed his previous home at 1950 South Shore Drive, which was featured in the Erie Historic Homes Contest.

This 3,800-square-foot home is situated on 2.5 acres of land and features five bedrooms, four full baths, two kitchens, two fireplaces and an in-ground pool. Characteristic of all Swiss Bauerhaus designs, the home features large windows, exposed beams, gabled roofs with wide eaves and balconies.

The grounds feature some unusual plants, including beauty bushes, Japanese Dogwoods, and a Hemlock, adding beauty to the exterior grounds. A new designer to this year’s home tour, Plantscape Greenhouses, will work its magic inside the Sabolcik home. WeissEarley Landscape Design & Contracting will decorate the exterior.

Charlie and Ann Rutkowski 4410 Aveniel Court Heading a bit south on Sterrettania Road

to Westbury Farms, the Rutkowski home is being decorated by Allburn Florists. The house was built in 1994 by Caesar Lombardozzi, and the Rutkowskis are the second owners of the home.

“Since purchasing the home in 1999, many of the rooms have been renovated or redecorated, including the kitchen, master suite and office,” Ann Rutkowski said. “The most recent room to be completed is the family room, where the fireplace was redone with limestone and a custom-built mantle. “ The house includes the latest technology: lights, music and alarms that can all be accessed through a computer and smartphone.

Dennis and Margaret Unks 4002 Westbury Ridge Drive Last, but certainly not least, this home is known as the Wurlitzer of Westbury Ridge, because it was built around a Wurlitzer theater pipe organ that includes three layers of keyboards. Dennis Unks, former president of Organ Supply Industries, has had organs built into all of his homes. “Having a home with a theater pipe organ for the fourth time would lead one to believe that another challenge might have been a better choice,” says Dennis Unks of the 1997 construction of his current home. “With lessons learned from past experiences and the musical enjoyment and memories we shared with family and friends, N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / / L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E | 43

Home & Garden Regional florists decorated homes for the Erie Philharmonic home tour. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JODIE FARBOTNIK

we set off to do it again.”

The Unks' goal was to create as much volumetric space as possible for the sounds of the organ to blend and develop properly. The focal point of the home is the Grand Salon, which measures 35 feet wide, 45 feet long and 32 feet high at the peak. The two organ chambers house 1,485 individual pipes. The smallest pipe is about the size of a pencil, and the largest is more than 16 feet long.

Theater pipe organs were originally designed and built for silent motion picture accompaniment and to play popular music of that time.

The Unks’ organ is a collection of parts from many organs around the country removed from theaters in Brooklyn, Denver and Cleveland, to name a few.

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The natural sound of pipes can sound like drums, piano, cymbals, marimba, chimes and more. Sound effects like train and boat whistles, car horns and the ocean surf are also under the control of the organist.

“It can be truly said that our instrument is a marriage of oldworld craftsmanship and current state-of-the-art technology,” says Dennis Unks. The indoor and outdoor decorations by Larese Floral Design and Manzi Services will certainly add to the loveliness of the home, and the sight of the organ is also a jaw-dropping moment.

How to participate in the tour “Guests may start at any home on the tour route and may even choose to spread their tour over both Saturday and Sunday,” says Weiser. “Additionally, there will be brief musical performances by members of our Erie Philharmonic Chorus and a Jr. Philharmonic ensemble at various locations on the tour.”

A brochure that includes a map will be provided to ticket holders.

Volunteers will greet participants at each property. Plan now to spend your first weekend of November among mansions, pipe organs and glittery, festive decorations on the Erie Phil’s Holiday Tour of Homes.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the event. They are sold at the Erie Philharmonic offices, 23 W. 10th St. You can purchase them online at www.eriephil.org/hometour. For more information, call 455-1375. LEL

Home & Garden Homes on the Erie Philharmonic Tour Strong Mansion Gannon University Old Main 109 University Square Allburn Florist

Woman’s Club of Erie 259 W. Sixth St. Local florists

Watson-Curtze Mansion 356 W. Sixth St. Potratz Floral Shop

EmKey Energy 558 W. Sixth St. Traditions

Gary and Diane Schneider 518 W. Ninth St. Gary’s Flower Shoppe

Mark and Carolyn Sabolcik 4250 W. 38th St. Plantscape

Charlie & Ann Rutkowski 4410 Aveniel Court Allburn Florist

Dennis and Margaret Unks 4002 Westbury Ridge Drive Larese Floral Design

Erie Philharmonic Holiday Tour of Homes Saturday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m. — 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6, Noon — 4 p.m.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 day of event. They are available at the Erie Philharmonic offices, 23 W. 10th Street, Suite 3, in advance and on the days of the events. You can also purchase tickets online at www.eriephil.org/hometour. For more information, call 455-1375.

The home of Dennis and Margaret Unks, of Millcreek Township, is decorated for the Erie Philharmonic holiday home tour. JACK HANRAHAN/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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Bon appĂŠtit

AND

BEER WINE

where we were

By Steve Orbanek | Contributing writer

Brewing and winemaking have become bigger business in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York in the last decade, and we've been following the scene for all of those 10 years. Take a look back at this industry's explosive growth.

A bottle of whiskey from Five & 20 Spirits, left, was photographed alongside a Strawberry WestďŹ eld Mullet drink at 1201 Kitchen in Erie. FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

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Bon appétit July 2006: Sprague Farm & Brew Works opens in Venango.

October 2006: The Brewerie at Union Station opens as Erie’s only brewpub and restaurant.

June 2007: Kevin Daughrity opens Quincy Cellars in Ripley, New York.

September 2007: Voodoo Brewery in Meadville bottles and distributes its first beers in 22-ounce bomber bottles.

February 2008: Longtime grape farmers Gary and Pam Burmaster and their daughter Beth open Liberty Vineyards & Winery in Sheridan, New York.

May 2008: Sam and Becky Best open Lakeview Wine Cellars in North East.

August 2008: The Blue Canoe Brewery opens in Titusville’s Towne Square commercial complex in the same spot where Four Sons Brewery was previously.

2009: Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, New York, completes construction on a 20,000-square-foot building that allows the company to significantly expand its distribution.

August 2009: Lavery Brewing Company is founded by husband and wife Jason and Nicole Lavery.

2010: Daughrity expands his operations, opening Sensory Winery across from Quincy Cellars in Ripley.

July 2010: Courtyard Winery opens in North East.

Summer 2011: Lago Winery opens next to Pymatuning Lake in Jamestown, Pennsylvania.

September 2011: 21 Brix Winery opens in Portland, New York.

2012: Erie Brewing Company is purchased by Rob Lowther, and the brewing’s distribution expands.

Spring 2012: A new brewery, TimberCreek Tap & Table, opens in Meadville.

Chris Sirianni, owner of The Brewerie at Union Station, which opened in 2006. FILE PHOTO JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

S

top in at any of the Lake Erie Ale Trail’s craft breweries, and you’ll likely see a familiar scene. Folks are tasting brews, chatting it up, and there’s no shortage of smiles to go around.

It’s exactly what Chris Sirianni loves to see. “(Craft beer) creates conversation.

No one is having a conversation about their experience drinking a domestic, light beer. To share a beer with someone and to have a conversation is a really cool possibility,” says Sirianni, the owner and founder of the Brewerie at Union Station.

It’s a conversation that Lake Erie LifeStyle has significantly contributed

May 2012: 6 Mile Cellars opens as Harborcreek’s first winery. In addition to wine, 6 Mile Cellars has gained a strong reputation for its selection of hard ciders.

Spring 2013: Red Eagle Distillery opens in Geneva, Ohio, offering the first bourbon and rye whiskey made legally in northeast Ohio since prohibition.

September 2013: Lavery Brewing Company opens its pub on West 12th Street.

September 2014: After raising startup money through a Kickstarter campaign, Erie Ale Works opens on West 12th Street.

Fall 2014: Arundel Cellars & Brewing Company opens in North East as both a winery and brewery.

March 2015: Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing becomes New York’s first combination winery, distillery and brewery.

November 2015: Millcreek Brewing Company opens in the old Sportsman's Club on West Lake Road.

Spring 2016: Daughrity once again expands, this time opening 7 Sins Brewery in the same building in which Sensory Winery resides.

June 2016: Erie Brewing Company announces plans to build and relocate to a new 19,900-square-foot facility in Harborcreek Township, next to Penn State Behrend.

June 2016: Mortals Key Brewing Company opens right next to Lago Winery in Jamestown, Pennsylvania.

September 2016: Voodoo Brewery opens its latest location, and third overall, in Erie’s historic Boston Store.

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Bon appétit

The main hall at Millcreek Brewing Co. is shown in Millcreek Township in 2015.

FILE PHOTO GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

to over the past 10 years.

Since its inception in 2006, the magazine has been there as the region has embraced craft beer. A decade ago, craft beer was barely established locally but today, the Lake Erie

Ale Trail includes 11 craft breweries.

It’s appropriate then that 2006 is also the year in which Sirianni opened the Brewerie as Erie’s lone brew pub and restaurant.

“I had a passion for craft beer, and I would

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go out and not see craft beer available at your local watering holes. That was one of the drivers, not seeing regional craft beer or even craft beer at bars around town,” Sirianni says.

“So we thought, 'Why not create our own

Bon appétit

Boston Store Place in downtown Erie is now home to Voodoo Brewery’s second location, with 7,500 square feet of first-floor space.

CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWs

craft beer and support all things local?' That was kind of like the start of the movement.”

It wasn’t easy.

“We were definitely before the game, which was difficult at first,” Sirianni says.

Craft beer had been on the rise nationally, but few folks had been exposed to it locally.

At the time, Jeff McCullor was one of the first Erie residents to really embrace the craft beer movement.

“Ten years ago, there was a slightly different mindset of Erie beer drinkers, and there were less beer choices at the bar level with a heavier microbrewery influence,” says McCullor, co-owner of Erie Ale Works. “The

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Bon appĂŠtit Mario Mazza, of North East Township, holds a bottle of rye whiskey produced

by Five & 20 Spirits, his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distillery, that opened in WestďŹ eld, N.Y. in 2013. FILE PHOTO ANDY COLWELL/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS

lack of digital marketing alone would have made it tougher and costlier (for a brewery to survive). I have to tip my hat to the local guys who were in business then because it couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been easy.â&#x20AC;?

McCullor had his own part in helping the movement grow. In 2009, he helped develop the Erie Beer Society, which started with just 35 members. Every month, the organization would meet at a bar around a town and offer samplings of a unique brew.

At its peak, the organization had more than 200 attendees at its meetings, and its website now has more than 2,500 members.

The growth of craft beer in this region has not stopped there, though.

Lavery Brewing Company was founded in 2009 and then opened its pub in the fall of 2013. Erie Ale Works and Millcreek Brewing Company opened in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Erie Brewing Company will open a new facility this spring on Knowledge Parkway, next to Penn State Behrend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I talk and text with (area brewery owners)

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Bon appétit on a daily basis, and it's good because we've built something that’s not only good for the craft beer drinker, but good for the region.

What we're trying to do is bring people into Erie to have that craft beer experience,” Sirianni says.

One positive is that Sirianni and other Erie craft brewers have the perfect blueprint to follow in the form of beer’s grape-based cousin.

In this region, wine has been enormous for years. Lake Erie Wine Country includes 24 wineries, and North East alone has 10 different wineries. Like beer, it’s an industry that continues to grow.

Perhaps no one has a better idea of the local wine industry’s significance than Amy Vercant, executive director of the North East Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The wine and grape industry is so important to North East and Erie County. We are an agriculturally-based community and that industry provides countless jobs, thriving businesses and it’s a significant draw for

tourism to the area,” Vercant says.

For a look at wine's popularity, look no further than North East’s Wine Country Harvest Festival. Every year in September, the threeday event draws more than 20,000 people to North East for a weekend.

The past 10 years has also seen the local beer and wine industries develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

Lavery Brewing Company and 6 Mile Cellars, for instance, co-host wine and beer tasting dinners called Bines vs. Vines. Several wineries have also begun brewing beer.

Sensory Winery in Ripley, New York, has expanded to include 7 Sins Brewery, while Arundel Cellars & Brewing Company opened in 2014 as both a winery and brewery.

Then, in 2015, Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing launched as New York’s first combination winery, distillery and brewery.

There’s no shortage of options for folks in this region, and there are sure to be more on the way.

“Anything you can have a food experience

with that can create something new for your taste buds and sensory is great,” Sirianni says. “Who picks up a plain, old bag of chips anymore? You go down a chip aisle, and there are a million different options. That’s kind of the appeal with beer and wine. It's nice to have variety.”

The local beer and wine industries also directly impact two important sectors of Erie’s economy: manufacturing and tourism.

“We’re manufacturers, which is something that a lot of people associate with death or dying here locally. We’re making some serious products and supporting other businesses purely by being open,” says McCullor, who expects the industries to rise significantly during the next 10 years. “At my brewery, we call Saturday the out-of-town day because craft beer fans will travel from Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh to brewery-hop.

We always ask where the patrons are headed next and they usually answer, ‘Lavery Brewing, The Brewerie, Erie Brewing or Millcreek Brewing.’” LEL

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Arts & Entertainment

t r A r e h c a e t l l a s d fin an c s kid art y o j n e Bethany Krowsoski uses still life settings in her home as ideas for her paintings.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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Arts & Entertainment Story by Brian R. Sheridan | Contributing writer

G

PAINTER AND MCDOWELL HIGH SCHOOL ART INSTRUCTOR BETHANY KROWSOSKI, 32, PAINTS AT HOME. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

rowing up in Butler County, McDowell High School art instructor and painter Bethany Krowsoski spent her free time immersed in art, with ample opportunity and materials that allowed her to express her creativity.

Krowsoski’s mother taught her, at the age of 10, about painting and drawing using the art materials she had had from her own education in interior design.

“We didn’t really have the amount of toys, or types of things, you would see kids with today,” Krowsoski says. “My mom would set out huge stacks of newsprint paper and set out hundreds of colored pencils. Normal kids are using Crayola and I was like ‘I have like 200 colored pencils.’"

And being bored was never an option.

“Whenever I was bored she would be like ‘let’s go make something then.’ That was always a good thing. It was never like ‘here’s a game you can play or go do this particular task’ but instead we would make stuff,” she says.

Krowsoski says that always “making stuff” never made her feel different from other children her own age who just played with stuff.

She only realized later that having art materials that other children didn’t have helped her develop as a creative person. It also shaped her teaching in that she sees children who have regular access to art supplies are “more creative and ambitious to try new things.”

While she had entertained the idea of becoming an interior designer in college, the art world beckoned as she became more and more competitive. Drawing led to painting.

Oil paint replaced acrylic as Krowsoski challenges herself by even changing her style.

“I moved into doing acrylics and eventually into oils and tried to expand and push myself from doing a really tight, tight (painting) style into more impressionistic with looser brush strokes. That’s what I’m trying to work on right now,” Krowsoski says.

Krowsoski also isn’t afraid of bringing her works-in-progress into her classroom so that her students can see the creative process in action. She has found that letting her students watch as her paintings come together

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Arts & Entertainment

Bethany Krowsoski uses still life settings in her home as ideas for her paintings. CONTRIB-

Bethany Krowsoski pairs her paintings with unique textures or shapes in her home. CON-

An orchid in her home becomes part of the canvas in Bethany Krowsoski paintings. CON-

UTED PHOTO

TRIBUTED PHOTO

TRIBUTED PHOTO

improves their understanding of a technique or concept beyond what can be accomplished through a lecture. The student see what she is telling them isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pointless. It also offers the chance for the teacher to interact with her student on a different level. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sitting there working and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come talk to me. The more valuable stuff is generally through conversation, not through (making) a big demonstration on the board.

The students are like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;oh thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and then understand they can do it too,â&#x20AC;? she says.

Krowsoski believes it is important that her students understand it is not just those born with talent who can become artists. She says it is about having a particular way of seeing

things that is developed and trained over the years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is really about practice. I teach that way too," she says. "I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m particularly talented. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that I just have been doing it for so long.â&#x20AC;&#x153; For her, there is nothing more satisfying in the classroom than seeing a student create something new. Krowsoski says she is often impressed with what her students can do when they are inspired and â&#x20AC;&#x153;throw themselvesâ&#x20AC;? into an art project. She recalls the captain of McDowellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football team surprising everyone last year with his ability to draw.

What it takes to command a sports team, and what it takes to create a piece of art, aren't too dissimilar. Krowsoski points out that art requires problem-solving abilities, which is

something people forget when they allow the arts to be cut from school curricula. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not about the product,â&#x20AC;? Krowsoski says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is about the thinking.â&#x20AC;?

Krowsoskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own thinking about art can be seen in her home, where she has created still life pieces that inspire her paintings. She has been praised for her attention to detail that give her works a â&#x20AC;&#x153;lifelike quality.â&#x20AC;? Krowsoski likes pairing flowers in boxes or jars with other organic items that have unique textures or shapes like bones, glasses or shells. She says she never realized how her â&#x20AC;&#x153;tchotchkeâ&#x20AC;? creations reflected her paintings until she had a date with a man familiar with her work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This one guy had seen a bunch of my paintings online before he came to my house.

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Arts & Entertainment way. It doesn’t seem to be society’s attitude toward it but that’s important to me and my fellow teachers at McDowell,” she says.

Her five years in the art department at McDowell have shown Krowsoski that by approaching art from that perspective, coupled with teaching proper techniques, her students have created work that has amazed her. It doesn’t matter that students may not pursue art as a career like she did, but that art has helped them become more creative and ambitious to try new things. LEL

You can see and buy Krowsoski’s paintings at the Kada Gallery, 2632 W Eighth St. Erie, PA 16505 or online at www.kadagallery. com/featured-artists/ bethany-krowsoski.

TOP: Ink drawings on dictionary pages are displayed at the Erie home of painter and McDowell High School art instructor Bethany Krowsoski. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS BELOW: Bethany Krowsoski uses still life settings in her home as ideas for her paintings.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

He’s walking around my house saying, ‘that’s that painting and there’s that painting,” and he’s pointing them out all over the place.

This is like walking into your paintings.’ I had never thought of it like that,” she says.

What Krowsoski has thought about is how art reflects society, not just life, and it isn’t just something reserved for the special few.

She believes that's what students should be taught in all art classes. “(Art is) not something that’s meant to be on a shelf but it is something that is in society and reflects society. Art is something they (the students) can actively take part in, and I don’t think they were ever taught art that N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / / L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E | 55

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On Scene

Athena

luncheon celebrates leadership

Women who attended the Athena Leadership Luncheon included, from left, Casey Naylon, Karen Torres, Jami Sundberg, Rae Jean Catrabone, Adria Johnson, Erin Sekerak, Sarah Giambanco and Corinne Monahan. PAM PARKER/ ERIE TIMES NEWS

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t the Athena luncheon held Sept.

15 in Erie, more than 200 women gathered to network at the Ambassador Conference Center. Interactive small-group discussions offered women the opportunity to share experiences and help one another with business advice. Across the nation more than100 communities celebrated with similar luncheons. The leadership luncheon is designed to inspire, support and develop women leaders with teams of women â&#x20AC;&#x201D;one established leader brings an aspiring leader to the luncheon.

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