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contents WELCOME WINTER

November ’15

VOLUME 8

ISSUE 12

home & garden

11

ALL DECKED OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

ERIE PHILHARMONIC HOME TOUR RETURNS IN NOVEMBER.

Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

home&garden

14 HOME DEFENSE

Batten down the hatches; winter weather is coming our way.

16 THROWING POTS

Potter Tom Hubert converts garage to man cave pottery studio.

arts&entertainment

20 DANCING THE‘NUTCRACKER’

Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre gets ready for first performance of classic.

22 ‘MAD’ANTHONY WAYNE

Fans of ghost stories and history should visit site of his death and burial.

28 SALUTE TO VETERANS

In Every Issue

sports&adventure

10 THINGS TO DO

Erie Yesterday seeks help documenting area war memorials.

Gingerbread houses in Cleveland, Polar Express in New York, Holiday Lights at Kennywood and wine celebrations in Erie.

32 GET READY FOR EL NIÑO

Tires: check. Wipers: check. Be prepared to get to your winter destinations.

36 DON’T BE S.A.D.

Get out and play — sun and excercise are good for keeping winter blues away.

escapes

39 TRAVELING‘THE WAY’

Vagabonding Lulu follows The Way of St. James from Lourdes to Santiago de Compostela.

41 46 47

ON SCENE

We caught you at American Girl, Her Times 5K and more.

INSIDE PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Arlo Guthrie revisits “Alice’s Restaurant.’”

WQLN PROGRAMMING

WQLN honors veterans this month with a variety of features.

veterans

24 BATTLES AT HOME

After losing a brother to suicide, sister creates legacy to help families understand PTSD.

27 AT E.A.S.E.

Bayfront Maritime Center helps ease rough waters for veterans with PTSD. November2015

ONTHE COVER

23 50 YEARS OF CHANGING LIVES

GECAC CEO Robert A. Steele reads and sings with children in the Head Start program, from bottom right, Carson McBean, Rugaya Al-Nasari and Julia Ilyuchyk. Cover photo by Matt Kleck.

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 5

from the editor NOVEMBER 2015

LAKE

ERIE

WINTER WILL BE MY FRIEND When I was young, winter was my friend. I ran in the snow. I skied in it. I used to sled with my kids. We walked in it, and we ice skated. And I have shoveled snow every year since I was a child. But as I have grown older and creakier, my days outdoors are fewer than they were in the old days — I mean my younger days.

This year, I am going to change that. My friend Grace Perhacs got me into snowshoeing a few years ago, but I haven’t really kept up with it. Not this year. When the winds come howling around the bend at Chez Parker, my goal will be at least one day a week plodding along fields and hills on the snowshoes my husband bought me.

Snow also brings a blanket of peace. I find it in the midst of falling snow when the only sound in my world is the scraping of the shovel against the driveway or sidewalk. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? But I’m not crazy — I mean the snow can hold off for a while. Until then, this issue is dedicated to enjoying winter. We Lake Erie residents are a hardy breed. Winter officially arrives in December. Let’s welcome it.

LifeStyle

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Marnie Mead marnie.mead@timesnews.com EDITOR Pam Parker pam.parker@timesnews.com PAGE DESIGNER Holly Waychoff CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER/WEB DESIGN Karen Burchill, Steve Puskar PHOTOGRAPHERS Andy Colwell, Sarah Crosby, Rob Frank, Jack Hanrahan, Matt Kleck, Christopher Millette, Greg Wohlford ADVERTISING MaryBeth Ford, Special Sections Advertising marybeth.ford@timesnews.com 814-878-2201

Pam Parker Managing Editor, Lake Erie LifeStyle pam.parker@timesnews.com

CONTACT US pam.parker@timesnews.com 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534 www.lakeerielifestyle.com All content, including the design, art, photos and editorial content ©2015, Erie Times-News. No portion of this magazine may be copied or reprinted without the express written permission of the publisher.

Kim and Pam Parker

November2015

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 7

contributors NOVEMBER 2015

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”

— John Steinbeck

KAREN BEARDSLEY homes in on the Erie Philharmonic house tour that makes a dramatic return this month to the Frontier area. She also finds a dance company hard at work on the “The Nutcracker.” Karen is the manager of media relations at UPMC. pages 11, 20 PATRICK BROADWATER checks out events in Buffalo and shares tips on how to prepare your vehicle for winter. Patrick is a freelance writer living in Buffalo. pages 10, 32 JOHN CHACONA gets the great tale of Arlo Gutrhrie’s 50-year celebration of “Alice’s Restaurant” on WQLN-TV this month. John is a copywriter in Gannon University’s marketing department. page 46 JOLAYNE GREEN tells readers how to button up their homes for the winter season. JoLayne is a former reporter and current freelance writer for the Erie Times-News who lives in Meadville with her husband and three children. page 14 TIGGY TALARICO McLAUGHLIN writes about the man, the landmark blockhouse and the legend associated with “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Tiggy, an Erie native, is a Ph.D student at the University of Michigan, and she and her husband recently had their first child. page 22 MARSHA MORGENSTERN finds a fall event in Pittsburgh for travelers to enjoy. Marsha is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh with her husband and son. page 10 MARNIE MEAD has a great discovery in Cleveland.

She is the director of product development at the Erie Times-News, and she writes about adventures in food, sports and more for Her Times, Make It Erie and Lake Erie LifeStyle. page 10

LISA OBERACKER encourages readers to get out and enjoy winter, or stay inside, but stay active. Lisa is a strength and conditioning specialist at Executive Personal Fitness, and she writes regularly for the Erie Times-News. page 36 STEVE ORBANEK finds a fun fall wine event that spans a few weekends. Steve is the marketing communication specialist at Penn State Behrend. page 10 BRIAN R. SHERIDAN shares the story of Erie potter artist Tom Hubert at his home and his studio, and Brian interviews Venus Azevedo-Laboda, who shares a moving story of how she wants to help veterans with PTSD. Brian is an assistant professor at Mercyhurst University. pages 16, 24 GREG SPINKS shares a list of local war memorials to honor our veterans. He is a freelance writer for Crawford Voices. page 28 STACEY WITTIG tells readers about a spiritual walk in Spain that she participated in. Stacey is a travel writer who is working on her second book, “Spiritual & Walking Guide: Lourdes to St. Jean Pied de Port.” page 39

coming in December HAPPY HOLIDAZE Get ready, get set, get in on the fun.

Our holiday issue is included in your Nov. 29 home-delivered Erie TimesNews.

Subscribe now by calling 870-1600 or e-mail circulation@timesnews.com.

AMANDA LOOSE NAGLE discusses the Bayfront Maritime Center’s new program called Veterans at Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience, or E.A.S.E. Amanda is the Project S.A.I.L. Coordinator at the Bayfront Maritime Center. page 27

November2015

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 9

4

things to do this October

Compiled by Patrick Broadwater, Marnie Mead, Steve Orbanek and Marsha Morganstern

CLEVELAND The Cleveland Botanical Gardens will host two gingerbread workshops, Gingerbread House Family Workshop on Saturday, Nov. Photo by Marnie Mead 7, and Gingerbread Houses — Straight from the Woods on Sunday, Nov. 8. The chefs of Bon Appétit magazine will be on hand to help families create edible masterpieces from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7. Recommended for children ages 6-12. Cost is $45 for a member and child; $65 for nonmembers; $30 for each additional participant. Register online, www.cbgarden.org/calendar-of-events. aspx?rid=29230&ModuleId=285, or by calling 216-721-1600, Ext. 100.

If you are looking for a more natural approach to your home decorating, head to the Arboretum on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. for Gingerbread Houses — Straight from the Woods.

Build houses from real gingerbread and then decorate them with items found during a hike on the grounds. Participants can also bring in decorations from their own yards to use. Cost is $40 for members; $50 for nonmembers. Register online, www.holdenarb.org, or by calling 440-602-3833.

Photo courtesy of Medina Railroad and Museum

MEDINA, N.Y. Take your own magical journey to the North Pole on the Polar Express.

Departing from the Medina Depot, this one-hour round trip on a diesel locomotive will stop to pick up Santa Claus before returning to the station, located halfway between Niagara Falls and Rochester, N.Y. Enjoy a reading of “The Polar Express,”as well as hot cocoa and cookies.

All children will receive a bell from Santa. First-class passengers will also receive a Polar Express souvenir ceramic mug.

Rides will be every Saturday and Sunday from Nov. 28 to Dec. 20.

Departures are scheduled for 11:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; 11:45 to 4:45 p.m. on Sundays, with a 6 p.m. ride available on Dec. 20 only.

First-class seats are available for $50; coach seating is $35. Ride tickets include free admission to the Medina Railroad Museum. Children under 2 ride free.

For more information, visit http://railroadmuseum.net/polar-express or contact the Medina Railroad Museum at 585-798-6106.

ERIE

PITTSBURGH

Harvest Wine Celebrations take place weekends of Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 13-15 at 24 Lake Erie Wine Country wineries. A $35 ticket is good for all three days and entitles you to: food and wine sample pairing at each winery, wine tasting, free gift, a booklet containing all of the recipes of the foods you’ll be tasting, a Lake Erie Wine Country wineglass, a $5 voucher to use at any winery or at certain restaurants designated on the back of the voucher. Hours are Fridays from noon to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Ticket holders provide their own transportation and choose their own itinerary, visiting the wineries in any order.

There are no refunds, but tickets are transferable to other people. You must be 21 or older and take your I.D. with you to each winery, as you will be carded at every stop along the way. Make your online ticket purchase, and choose one of six host wineries where you will be picked up and dropped off. Designated Driver tickets are also available for $20 and include everything except the wine tastings.

For more information, visit www. lakeeriewinecountry.org/events/?event_id=5, or call 877-326-6561.

The young and young at heart will be dazzled by more than 1 million lights and a new 90-foot tall Christmas tree (the tallest on record in Pennsylvania) at Kennywood’s fifth annual Holiday Lights event. A ceremonial lighting of the tree will be held nightly during the event at the park’s lagoon area, followed by the Kennywood Holiday Lights Show.

Also new this year is “The Polar Express: A 4-D Experience,”a 15-minute spinoff of the popular holiday movie. A variety of Kennywood’s traditional rides, including the Gingerbread Express (Olde Kennywood RR), Ghostwood Estate (with a holiday makeover), the Turtle, Paratrooper, Merry-Go-Round, Kangaroo and several Kiddieland rides can be enjoyed.

Kennywood Holiday Lights begins Friday, Nov. 27, and continues every Friday and Saturday.

Admission is $17.99 (plus $1 amusement tax); free, children 2 and younger. Free parking. For information, call 412- 461-0500 or visit www.kennywood.com/ holidaylights.

Erie Times-News file photo

November2015

Photo courtesy of Kennywood

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

home & garden

Erie Phil returns home for holidays

By Karen Beardsley Photos by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

COMPLEMENTING ITS LONGTIME musical holiday tradition that brings such joy to many, the Erie Philharmonic is reprising a favorite Erie event that is equally certain to delight all of its guests.The Erie Philharmonic, which turned 100 years old in 2013, has ushered in the holiday season with its holiday pops concert for almost as many years.This year, it will also help area residents bring in this festive season with a self-guided tour of six beautiful Erie properties donning the best holiday décor the area has to offer.

The Erie Philharmonic’s Holiday Tour of Homes is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15.

The event will feature an up-close and personal look at eye-catching architecture and interior design in some of Erie’s most charming neighborhoods. Proceeds will benefit the programs of the Erie Philharmonic.

“The Phil has decided to revive this favorite Erie tradition of touring homes dressed up for the holiday season,” said Steve Weiser, executive director of the Erie Philharmonic. “We’re very pleased to be partnering with the area’s most talented designers to offer ticket holders the opportunity to tour and admire several stunning homes.”

Weiser said that when the Phil first mentioned the idea of bringing back the American Association of University Women’s tour of homes, then called the Holly Trail, the response was unequivocally positive. He said the homes will be open for self-guided tours with Erie Phil volunteers located at each property, much like the Holly Trail of 20 years ago.

From homes built in the late 1800s to the 1950s, each has its own distinct appeal. Four of the venues are private homes; the other two, while originally private homes, are both located on West Sixth Street, also right: Holiday decorations adorn Owen and Kim McCormick’s home at 1608 South Shore Drive.

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 11

home & garden

known as Millionaire’s Row. The oldest house on the tour has been home to the Woman’s Club of Erie since 1921.The club is located at 259 W. Sixth St., and its members have sponsored a Christmas tour of the mansion for many years and, this year, all Holiday Tour of Homes participants will also be invited to attend.

“We’re happy to participate in the Erie Phil’s tour,” said Judy Husted, president of the Woman’s Club and co-chairwoman of its Christmas in the Mansion House Tour and Boutique. “We enjoy collaborating with other nonprofits, and we’re delighted that this is an opportunity for even more people to come through our building who may never have before.”

Several local florists will transform the historical mansion into a Christmas wonderland, Husted said, with Santa making a visit at noon on Saturday. Guests can shop in the third floor boutique and purchase homemade candies and other specialty food, vintage jewelry, quilted items and much more.

The Erie Community Foundation was

in the know:

ERIE PHILHARMONIC HOLIDAYTOUR OF HOMES

Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15, noon to 4 p.m.

Tickets: $15, advance; $20, day of event; 814-455-1375; http://eriephil.org/hometour.

November2015

originally the home of Julius Siegel, managing partner of Erie Oil Works, who built his home and carriage house in 1905 (the Erie Philharmonic’s offices are in the carriage house).Traditions owner Maria Minnaugh said that decorating plans include an acorn theme.

The acorn is the logo of the Community Foundation, and a large acorn rests on the lawn in front of the foundation, representing power and perpetuity of endowments to the Erie community.

Sandwiched between the Woman’s Club and the foundation on West Sixth Street is another historic home owned by Dr. William and Tracy Diefenbach. Originally built in 1904 by William Forster, president of Hays Manufacturing, it was also the home of Gannon University’s Alph Phi Delta fraternity for nearly 30 years.The Diefenbachs, who live at 323 W. Sixth St., recently purchased and razed the adjacent property and added an English garden and a conservatory from which to view their new green space. Potratz Floral Shop will decorate the interior of the home.

Heading slightly northwest near the Frontier neighborhood, Karen Skarupski’s home at 456 Kahkwa Boulevard will be decorated by Larese Floral Design.

Built in 1920, it includes hardwood flooring, French doors, gorgeous windows, multiple fireplaces, sunrooms, coffered ceilings and a grand entrance.“I’m very excited that the holiday tour is returning,”said Carl Larese of Larese Floral Design,“I’m honored to be part of the Holly Trail’s resurgence; it’s a great way to kick off the season, and it offers visitors creative

holiday decorating ideas for their own homes.”

At 208 Superior Ave., the home of Keith and Mary Jean Taylor, built by Monahan builders in the 1950s, will be decorated by Allburn Florist.Taylor, the president of Gannon University, said that his dining room table is the original, ornately carved, wooden table from the Strong Mansion, which is now Gannon’s Old Main. Additionally, a chandelier, also retrieved many years ago from the mansion in the estate sale, hangs over the table connecting the home and the Taylors’ Gannon family on a daily basis.

Last but definitely not least, the home of Owen and Kim McCormick, at 1608 South Shore Drive, will be decorated by Trellis.This 1940 Monahan-built colonial features exquisite architectural details blended with modernday innovations. It features endless views of Presque Isle Bay, and with all of its amenities, the McCormicks say it’s been the perfect spot to raise their five children.

Exteriors will also be decorated for the tour — adding beautiful lighting displays for above left: Owen and Kim McCormick’s home at 1608 South Shore Drive is among the houses that will be decorated for the Erie Philharmonic house tour in November. above center left: A beautiful mix of greens and gold sparkles on this table at 1608 South Shore Drive. above center right: William and Tracy Diefenbach’s home at 323 W. Sixth St. is on the Erie Philharmonic tour and includes an English garden. above right: Karen Skarupski’s home at 456 Kahkwa Boulevard will be on the tour that benefits the Erie Philharmonic.

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

home & garden

homeowners and visitors. “We’re grateful to our homeowners for welcoming guests into their homes on this interesting and fun journey,�Weiser said. “Additionally, there will be brief musical

performances by members of our Erie Philharmonic Chorus and a Junior Phil ensemble at various locations on the tour.�

Guests may start at any home on the tour route. A brochure that includes a map will be

provided to each ticket holder.

Before your holiday calendar gets filled, call your friends and put the Holiday Tour of Homes on your list of upcoming must-do activities. LEL

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 13

home & garden

Leaves swirl around as an Erie city worker cleans up Gridley Park.

File photo by Andy Colwell/Erie Times-News

Defend your home before winter attacks

By JoLayne Green

THERE IS NO USE BURYING our heads in the sand of Presque Isle in denial. If those winter flurries haven’t struck yet, they surely will. With a little preparation of home and property, though, you can weather the winter and try to enjoy it.

Working our way from the outside in, now is the time to winterize evergreen plants. Gerlach’s Power Equipment, Garden Center and Property Maintenance of Erie recommends a product called Wilt-Pruf for protection of rhododendron.

“Anything that stays green over the winter has a chance of drying out,” said Kerry November2015

Williams, of Gerlach’s Garden Center on West 32nd Street in Erie. Fertilizing trees and shrubs also is key for putting more energy into plant roots, Williams said.

It’s not too early to dream of spring, and one way to do that is to plant spring bulbs such as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. “When the thaw comes, they’ll come up right away,”Williams said. It’s also a good time to deal with any pests on trees or shrubs by applying a 12-month systemic treatment.

Leaves can be mulched and used to add nutrients to the soil. For some homeowners, a mulching mower is a perfect solution.The

mulch or composting is great to protect flower beds and gladiolas. If DIY is not your thing, hire a professional for fall cleanup.

Lawn and snow equipment also require preventive maintenance. Mike Hilbert, of the parts, sales and service department of Gerlach’s Power Equipment, advises emptying a lawn mower’s gas tank and bringing batteries indoors. “Make sure the underside is cleaned out to prevent mold,” he said. Over the winter, he also tells people to take out the mower once a month and start it to keep it in good running condition.

To prep snowblowers, check tires, top off the www.lakeerielifestyle.com

home & garden in the know:

GET READY FORWINTER

â–€ Reverse ceiling fans to clockwise to push hot air down. â–€ Scan roof for missing shingles, breaks in flashing, chimneys; repair if necessary. â–€ Clean and inspect gutters. â–€ Divert water by adding extensions to downspouts. â–€ Disconnect hose and turn off outdoor faucets. â–€ Restock winter essentials such as ice melt. â–€ Clean, dry and store patio furniture. â–€ Check fireplaces and chimneys; call chimney sweep. â–€ Make sure vents and openings are covered to prevent animals from getting in. â–€ Remove or cover window air conditioning units.

Sources: www.bobvilla.com, www.kiplinger.com

warmer and more comfortable. “I always start with the simple things, so people don’t get overwhelmed,� said Bruce Hough, of the Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative in

Cambridge Springs, when giving advice on saving energy and money.

Lowering the thermostat just a few degrees can save about 10 percent on fuel bills, Hough said.

Remember to have your home’s heating system serviced and cleaned. For a forced-air system, change the filter monthly. It’s an easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself project and can save the furnace from having to run harder.

It’s not necessary to get a name-brand filter, but Hough said the generic kind may need to be changed more often.

To take care of older windows, seal any air leaks around windows and doors and make sure the gaskets have not worn off. Rubber stripping can be replaced with peel and stick strips. Caulking and plastic covering kits are also easy fixes. Be sure to check pipes under sinks and around phone lines or electrical lines for air flow.

Before taking major steps, a home energy audit is a great idea. Pepare for winter now, and stay warm until those first spring blooms appear again. LEL

air, lube the drive, check the drive disc, lube up components, and check all bearings, cables and belts. “Make sure they aren’t dry or cracked,�

Hilbert said. “People who are mechanically inclined can do it themselves,� he said, but Gerlach’s offers service for about $90, plus parts. Don’t store a snowblower uncovered, and get to know your particular blower, he said. With proper maintenance they can last 30 or 40 years.

Working our way inside, windows are one of the first defenses against winter. “We have had major advances in the last 10 years in terms of efficiency,� said Paul Komorowski, a manager at Erie’s Seaway Windows.

The three major reasons to replace windows are energy efficiency, ease of operation, and cleaning and updating a home’s appearance.

New windows also negate the need for storm windows and increase the comfort level. “You see the very first year your fuel consumption is less,� he said. At $400 to $600 a window, you can do a few at a time.

If replacement windows aren’t in the budget, you can take other steps to be

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 15

arts & entertainment

At home with a potter

By Brian Sheridan Photos by Andy Colwell/Erie Times-News

November2015

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

MANY GUYS MAY HAVE a man cave — that retreat where a man can enjoy peace and quiet, while watching football on Sundays and drinking a cold brew. While there are probably many man caves, there probably aren’t many like the one Tom Hubert of Fairview has on his property.

First off, it is more than 600 square feet and has 4,000 watts of electricity, which is enough to power a small, twobedroom apartment. Plus, there are the three ovens that can reach 2,500 Farenheit each. Hubert doesn’t use them to make nachos. He uses them to make award-winning pots.

He and his wife, Maureen, bought the house and freestanding garage in 1983, so he could continue pursuing his vocation — making pottery full time, which he did for 12 years.

“We found this place, after a three-year search, and it had 3½ acres of land with a raw building that was just used for storage and an older house, built in the ’40s, that was in nice shape. It seemed like the perfect place to be, as far as working,” Hubert says.

Hubert, with the help of friends and family, went right to work transforming the unfinished back side of the garage into a pottery studio. He insulated it, installed a heating and ventilation system, a telephone and increased the level of electric power. When it was finished, his wife called it his man cave.

“I have three kilns, and each take 40 amps. When we purchased the place, it had enough power for a light.There

left: Ceramics artist Tom Hubert turned the garage of his Fairview home into a pottery studio. above: Tom Hubert’s work can be purchased at Kada Gallery in Erie.

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 17

arts & entertainment

was a cord that ran underground from the house, and it was probably a 20-amp line.

Penelec showed up with about 10 trucks. All the neighbors were worried we were setting up a business.” Hubert says.

Fairview Township officials were concerned, too. Hubert had to convince them the space was for creating and not selling. Since then, he has made thousands of pots that have been displayed, and sold, in art galleries and shows throughout the country.

Hubert also has 15 awards from national and regional exhibitions.

Additionally, his pottery talents secured him

To watch a video of Tom Hubert, visit GoErie.com/video.

November2015

first a part-time teaching position with the Mercyhurst University art department in 1980.

He went full time in 1992. Again, his artistic man cave comes in handy. Hubert says, as a studio professor at Mercyhurst, he is “expected to be doing what we are teaching.”The students he teaches can help him see things in his art differently, as well as influence his studio work.

“The students question you, and they come up with ideas and thoughts about what you are talking about that pushes you in new directions,” he says.

Music also plays an important part in the man cave. Hubert has a collection of compact discs that numbers around 3,000. He loves loading up the multi-disc changer with a lo variety of styles and letting the music play all va day. da He says he can’t work in quiet.

“I don’t choose music to work to, as far as what wh I think I will be doing. I simply choose music mu by what I want to hear that day. If it influences the work, that would be great. I in think th it just puts me in the right mind-set to work.” wo In addition to listening, Hubert set aside a part pa of his studio for creating music. A large electric organ and other keyboards stand ready el

for him to play. Hubert has played music since his grandmother gave him piano lesson in grade school. His music, he says, is his therapy, and he jams regularly with other amateur jazz, blues, and rock musicians.

If you did not look inside his man-cave studio, a visitor to the Hubert house might not even realize that an artist lived there. His pieces are not the dominating design elements inside the house. He says his wife likes the ceramic wall pieces that he makes but would prefer he sell the pots.

“If it were just me,” he admits, “I’d have the place loaded, every space covered (with art).

She wants it more of a living space than an art space.”

Hubert is also careful about keeping the dirt and dust from his studio out of the house.

“My kids make fun of me, but I am usually covered with glaze or clay or dust. I sometimes above left: Finished pottery pieces are stored on shelves in the Fairview Township studio of ceramics artist Tom Hubert. above center: Tom Hubert could fill his entire home with his works. His wife would prefer he sell the pots. above right: Tom Hubert explains the wood elements of an in-progress piece in his studio.

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arts & entertain-

just drop down to the skivvies as soon as I walk into the house and head to the shower. I have spaces for my dirty clothes. It is dirty, but it is also toxically dirty. (The pottery materials) can cause disease. I’m very aware of that and don’t bring it into the home,� he says.

While man caves can offer relaxation, Hubert’s version has helped him to be both

creative and productive. He makes 30 to 50 pieces of various sizes and complexities per year and still displays his work in juried and invitational shows around the county while continuing his full-time teaching work at Mercyhurst.

But when it comes to his man cave, his wife knows just where to find him. LEL

in the know:

LEARN MORE ABOUTTOM HUBERT www.hubertceramics.com Hubert’s work can be seen and purchased at the Kada Gallery, 2632 W. Eighth St., in the Colony Plaza.

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arts & entertainment

En pointe with the

‘Nutcracker’ WHEN SARAH PURVIS saw her brother dance the role of a soldier in “The Nutcracker” as a young girl, she decided she wanted to be a ballet dancer. More than 30 years later, Purvis, Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre’s artistic director, now works with an entire company of dancers and is in the middle of preparing for ECBT’s first production of this treasured holiday ballet.

“I think that’s what happens to a lot of kids when they see ‘Nutcracker,’” Purvis said. “They fall in love with this art form, and how can they not when this particular ballet is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye.”

More than 100 dancers and dozens of others who are collaborating with the ECBT are gearing up for “The Nutcracker,”which will be performed on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 28 and 29, at the McDowell Performing Arts Center.

Founded in 2003, Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre (formerly Erie Dance Conservatory Company) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, educate and enrich the November2015

By Karen Bearsdley

lives of dancers and the community through outstanding training in and the performance of classical and contemporary forms of dance.

“After 13 years and some rebranding of our organization, we’ve decided to open our season with this performance,” she said. “It’s a huge undertaking. Everything is brand-new and the dancers are excited, the volunteers are excited,

in the know:

“THE NUTCRACKER” ERIE CONTEMPORARY BALLETTHEATRE Saturday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 29, 3 p.m.

McDowell Performing Arts Center Tickets: $10 to $25 For more information: Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre 8335 Edinboro Road Erie 814-476-7123 www.eriecbt.org

and we’re proud to offer this to the community.”

Purvis said not only will the beginning of the season be exceptional, but ECBT will close out the season in June by hosting the Regional Dance America Northeast Festival, which hasn’t been held in Erie for 56 years. Members of pre-professional companies from the northeastern portion of the country will travel to Erie for the event.

Erie resident Mary Fabrizio McCarthy, who performed in the event in 1960, will be one of the dancers in “The Nutcracker” in November.

She will dance the role of the grandmother.

“Mary will have come full circle, and we’re very excited to have her be a part of our debut performance,” Purvis said.

Another familiar face in the dance community for the past four decades, Sarah Purvis’mom, Cindy Purvis, has created more than 75 percent of the costumes from scratch. Dozens of other ECBT volunteers are helping to sew buttons, and members of Mercyhurst University have had a big hand in the production. www.lakeerielifestyle.com

arts & entertainemnt Andrew Ferguson, technical director of Meryhurst’s dance program, was contracted to design and build the set this summer. “It’s going to be phenomenal,� Ferguson said. “We tried to keep the magic of the production by being as theatrical as possible.�

Ferguson said the Christmas tree in the dream scene is an example of one of the dramatic props.The 8-foot tree was created to double in height and width to fill the stage and make Clara, one of the main characters, appear smaller.

Danielle Feller Kaiser, administrative assistant in the Mercyhurst Dance Department, choreographed some of the scenes, while Abbey Mollo, instructor in the university’s fashion merchandising department, assisted with the design of the costumes for the party scene. “From the costumes to the set, everything is authentic,� Purvis said.

Matthew Huefner and Jake Washabaugh, both Mercyhurst dance students, were hired to dance the male leads. “This is a big moment for the studio, and I’m honored to be part of it,� said Washabaugh, a junior dance performance major from Cleveland who will dance the role of the Snow King. “The show has a lot of Mercyhurst influence in it; the collaborative effort has been really cool.� “One of our main goals is to keep the performance family friendly with the hope that it will become part of everyone’s Thanksgiving weekend,� Purvis said. “It’s classical ‘Nutcracker,’ but we’re keeping the length under two hours, and the fight scene not so scary.�

Two hours is plenty of time for audience members, young and young at heart, to escape to a land of imaginary dance with a young girl, a fairy and a nutcracker prince. LEL

facing page: Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre’s ballerinas rehearse to“Waltz of the Flowers.� Photo courtesy of Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre above: Jake Washabaugh, the Snow King, dances with the Snow Queen, Emily Emanuel. Photo courtesy of Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre

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arts & entertainment

Mad about Anthony Wayne

By Tiggy McLaughlin

NESTLED BEHIND the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Home, out of the way of casual foot and motor traffic, lies one of the most interesting and thoughtful historical exhibits Erie has to offer.This is the Gen. “Mad” Anthony Wayne Blockhouse, a reproduction built in 1880 on the site of Wayne’s death and burial.

You’ve all heard the ghost story: “Mad” Anthony Wayne died in Erie and was buried under his fort on the bay. Almost 15 years later, his son exhumed his eerily well-preserved body, rendered the flesh from the bones, took them back east to bury them in their hometown of Radnor, Pa., and reburied the flesh in Erie.The ghost of Wayne now travels Route 322 once a year looking for the bones that were lost along the journey.

Wayne earned the “Mad”nickname supposedly because he had been a strict disciplinarian during the American Revolutionary War. But who was Wayne, and what was his significance for Erie history? This is something you can learn at the excellent historical exhibit inside the blockhouse-museum.

Getting to the museum is a bit of a challenge, but the experience is well worth the effort. A small street sign on the telephone pole outside the Soldiers’& Sailors’Home points you in the direction of the Wayne Blockhouse, which can’t be seen from the street.To visit the blockhouse, you have to go through the gates of the Soldiers’ & Sailors’Home. If you want to see the entire exhibit, you first have to get the key from the security desk at the home.The exhibit costs nothing, but the museum asks that you leave your ID while you have the key.Then, you get back in your car — or take a walk if it’s a beautiful day — and head around the back of the home, over the train tracks, past the veterans cemetery, and there before you stands the blockhouse.The real treat is inside, though. Using the key, take the padlock off the latch, slide it open, muscle the door a little, and behold the tomb of Wayne.

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Watch your step up the spiral staircase to see the rest of the museum.The exhibit details Wayne’s involvement in the Legion of the United States in the Northwest Indian War, in which he was instrumental in securing Ohio, Michigan and Indiana for the U.S. It presents Erie’s earliest history, as the French Fort Presque Isle, the British fort, and finally the American fort that was used by Wayne.

See a diagram of that fort, which originally included three blockhouses. Of course you will read about Wayne’s legendary death at the Erie fort on the way back to Philadelphia from Detroit — it was under one of the three blockhouses that he requested to be buried.

Finally, the exhibit presents the origins of the museum, which is itself a piece of history.

Learn about the 1880 reconstruction of one of the blockhouses, as well as the creation of the modern exhibit for Erie’s bicentennial in 1995. above: The Wayne Blockhouse, behind the Soldiers’ & Sailors’Home at 560 E. Third St., is home to a lot of history. Photo courtesy of Tiggy McLaughlin

The windows upstairs in the old blockhouse are also still open, and they are fitted with bars for your safety. Once you’ve had your fill of Erie history, take a look outside and see if you can view the lake. Even if you can’t, you will truly behold a piece of Erie history — and eerie history, when you see what’s left of Wayne’s original coffin. Accompanying the history lesson are photos, reconstructions, and archaeological finds from the site of the fort, including the brass tacks from the coffin that once held Wayne’s corpse and reinterred flesh.

Erie history buffs and historians like myself should love coming back to this museum, which provides rare information about Erie’s early history. But this mini-museum, with its short, understandable and entertaining exhibit, as well as its location inside a 19th century authentic blockhouse reconstruction, will be fun and informative for everyone. Fans of the ghost story, fans of the city, and people just looking for something to do should visit one of historical Erie’s best kept secrets — the “Mad” Anthony Wayne Blockhouse. LEL www.lakeerielifestyle.com

your health

Sister memorializes brother with nonprofit to help vets

By Brian R. Sheridan Photos by Sarah Crosby/Erie Times-News

LITTLE IN HER BACKGROUND SUGGESTED that Venus Azevedo-Laboda would become an expert on post-traumatic stress disorder. After all, she was a retail store manager, not a psychologist.The change came suddenly and tragically when her brother, U.S. Navy Combat Corpsman Phillip A. Azevedo, took his own life in March 2012. He was just 25 years old. It ripped her family apart, and she blamed herself. She knew he had PTSD, and that he was self-medicating with alcohol, but had no idea how to deal with it.

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“I wasn’t able to help him, and I said all the wrong things,” she says. “I couldn’t save his life, but I want to save others. I don’t want a family to go through what we’ve been through.”

A nonprofit veterans outreach program, “Boots on Ground,” grew from Azevedoabove: Venus Azevedo-Laboda, of Erie, lost her brother U.S. Navy Combat Corpsman Phillip A. Azevedo to suicide in March 2012, in Erie, after his tours in Afghanistan. Her brother, decorated with a bronze star, suffered from PTSD. Her mission is to help veterans and their families through suffering.

Laboda’s pain. She voraciously consumed every book and research paper she could on suicide in the military. She took classes and received certifications in grief and trauma. AzevedoLaboda learned how to talk with someone with PTSD.The work, along with therapy, helped heal her own personal trauma.

Azevedo-Laboda knew she was too late to save her little brother, but there were others who could be saved. “I want to be able to educate other families in our community on what to do, and what to say when you have www.lakeerielifestyle.com

your health a veteran in crisis. Because it is completely different from what you would say to a civilian in crisis,” Azevedo-Laboda says.

The Department of Defense reported that suicide rates among active duty members declined in 2013 to the rate equal to the suicide rate of the civilian population. Rates among National Guard and reservists, however, remain “significantly higher.” And a 2015 study found recent veterans committed suicide at a rate 50 percent higher than the rate for people who never served in the military.Twenty-two veterans take their own lives every day.

Azevedo-Laboda’s drive for changing a system that she believes let her family down took her from Erie to the Pentagon in search of answers. Why is this happening, she wanted to know, and how can we stop it? Her brother’s bronze star award, won for performing heroic action under fire in Afghanistan, helped her gain entry into the tightly closed world of the U.S. military.There she told a U.S. Navy officer that they need to warn families about the person who may be coming home to them once active combat duty is done.

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She says her brother had asked for help from his superior officers three times, but all that happened was they patted him on the shoulder, told him he’d get over it, and he would have “an amazing career.” Seeking treatment for mental illness, Azevedo-Laboda notes, isn’t something that helps win promotion within the military.

“It took a lot of courage for him to reach out for help, and then to be let down by the Navy that he loved so much, that’s why the Pentagon agreed to meet with me. And that’s when I decided that we needed to start a nonprofit, for our veterans and their families,”Azevedo-Laboda says.

After operating Boots on Ground from her home as a solo crusade, Azevedo-Laboda

in the know:

DONATIONS ANDVOLUNTEERS

Patricia Stucke, Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA 1101 W. 11th St., Erie, PA 16501 pstucke@mhanp.org 814-452-4462, Ext. 101

has been joined by Rob and Cyndi Treiber.

Rob Treiber is a veteran of eight combat deployments, and Cyndi Treiber knows what it’s like to hold down the household alone.

The passionate and tireless Azevedo-Laboda has earned support from local legislators and community leaders. She’s also been elected president of the Erie County Suicide Prevention Task Force.

In October, B.O.G. found a corporate home as a program of the Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA, a private nonprofit.

B.O.G. and MHA are now working to secure funding from the community that will make B.O.G. the only vet driven/run drop-in recovery center in the area. B.O.G. will be temporarily housed in office space at the MHA facility at 1101 Peach St., pending location and funding for a roughly 2,500-square-foot site for B.O.G. One might wonder why the Veterans Affairs Department isn’t leading the charge?

It recognizes the PTSD problem and has implemented many programs for suicidal vets.

The VA, Azevedo-Laboda says, does what it can, but often vets don’t feel comfortable going there.

November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 25

your health “You have one in five veterans who do not go to the VA,� she says. “Nothing against the VA, but these vets don’t trust the military. From 2001 to the present, more than 2.5 million men and women have been deployed.That is a lot of people who have come home.�Those vets, she says, need help readjusting to civilian life.

A 2015 study by the VA and the National Institutes of Health also shows that relying on doctors and the medical staff to identify the potential of suicide among vets often misses a majority of at-risk veterans. Azevedo-Laboda says medical privacy laws restrict interaction between doctors and family members of veterans. She often talks about a call she received about a young veteran who walked away from a veterans hospital. “No one could find him,� she says. “So you’re trying to call a VA saying this is what is going on, but they are saying, ‘Well we can’t tell you above: Venus Azevedo-Laboda, of Erie, started a onewoman crusade to help veterans and their families. It will now be part of the Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA.

anything.’We have a vet that is wandering around here, somewhere, and we cannot work together to find him because of confidentiality.

It is frustrating. And I love working with the VA. I just wish that there wasn’t so much red tape that kept us from actually working together when there is a crisis.�

While everything for Laboda starts with her

brother, she has learned that her life didn’t end on that horrific day. “Sometimes it is crazy to me that I have come this far, and (I) use Phillip’s story to help other people or use Phillip’s story to knock down doors and walls. But at the end of the day it’s not about Phillip. It’s about families.�AzevedoLaboda simply doesn’t want other families to go through what her family went through. “These three and a half years (since Phillip’s death) has been a journey of growing and learning, and my whole train of thought is different. It’s like (I’m) not the same person when this trauma had happened. But it’s hard to find who you really are, and with helping others, and doing the work that we do, it heals the heart. It really does. It heals the heart, and when I see military families able to stay together, and come together, because of the work that we do — that’s exactly what we want,� Azevedo-Laboda says.

And for Azevedo-Laboda, her work, or “her mission,� as she calls it, will never be done. LEL

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sports & adventure

Veterans program sets sail at Maritime Center

By Amanda Loose Nagle

THE BAYFRONT MARITIME CENTER announced the launch of a new program called Veterans at Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience, or E.A.S.E., where the Maritime Center, Veterans Administration and Vet’s Center staff began sailing with veterans in Erie.This initiative is modeled after the Veterans on Deck program, in Charleston, S.C. Founded in 2010, Veterans on Deck has achieved much success helping veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder readjust to civilian life by providing mentored sailing opportunities.

Some pilot excursions got underway in fall of 2013, and the program developed further sailing the following season. According to retired Army Maj. Gen. and retired Erie County Judge Michael Dunlavey, “There has been some tremendous work already done by Veterans on Deck. We are working closely with those volunteers and counselors to replicate their efforts here in Erie. We are very fortunate to have the outstanding resources and great support of the Bayfront Maritime Center, which has worked with area residents, primarily at-risk youth, since 1998, using hands-on projects including boat building, sailing, rowing, navigation and environmental science as a www.lakeerielifestyle.com

means of teaching life lessons and helping those students who might have difficulty finding success in a traditional school setting.

“BMC founder and executive director Rich Eisenberg, his board of directors, and the entire staff of BMC, when hearing of our hopes for a program like Veterans on Deck, in Erie, opened their doors and their hearts in helping us to develop a program for these veterans in need,” Dunlavey said.

For more than 200 years, Erie’s bayfront has been a resource for commerce, transportation, recreation and relaxation. It is becoming a resource for the healing of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and one to possibly help them prepare for future employment within the maritime industry, both regionally and beyond. “BMC’s Veterans at E.A.S.E. program will offer a unique approach, which has proven to be very successful in helping veterans suffering from PTSD to readjust to civilian life. Using the forum of sailing as a therapeutic approach, above: Veterans sail on Bayfront Maritime Center’s catamaran, Taco the Town. Photo courtesy of Bayfront Maritime Center

Veterans at E.A.S.E. will foster experiences of empowerment, mastery, and successful social interaction, as veterans work together as a team to achieve reconnection, re-socialization, and personal growth and hopefully have some fun in the process,” said Dunlavey. “We are working closely with the regional office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Erie VA Hospital, to be sure that all aspects of this program are properly identified and implemented,” Dunlavey said.

In 2014, BMC received funding from the Erie Insurance Giving Network to begin Veterans at E.A.S.E., which is an expansion of the Erie Adaptive Sailing Experience, which is the first and only adaptive sailing program in Pennsylvania. Beginning in 2000, E.A.S.E. has sailed with hundreds of special needs children and adults every Friday, all summer, and provides sailing days with the Erie Shriners Ambulatory Surgery Center and Outpatient Specialty Care Center and other local groups. Beginning in 2016, BMC’s capacity to sail with these and other groups will expand exponentially with the Schooner Porcupine, now under construction in the BMC boatshop. LEL November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 27

sports & adventure

Erie Yesterday compiles list of veterans memorials

By Greg Spinks Erie Times-News file photos by Christopher Millette

THE ERIE-CRAWFORD COLOR GUARD attends about 100 military funerals every year, some held at various war monuments erected in the region to honor those who have served.

“We have about 35 members from VFW and Legion Posts in both Erie and Crawford County who participate,” says Clare Blakeslee, of Union City. “We see a lot of monuments and memorials, both large and small, throughout the region. It seems as if every town and four corners has a memorial of sorts to honor our war veterans.”

Although Blakeslee says he is preferential to his hometown memorial, the Union City War Memorial at First Avenue, and the Civil War Monument in Evergreen Cemetery, he is intrigued by one often called the “Fork in the Tree,” located on Hungry Run Road outside November2015

Union City and just across the Erie County line in Crawford County.

A Pennsylvania State Historical Marker was erected near the site where Timothy Sargent, a young farmer, left his pitchfork in a young maple tree when he and his two brothers left to join the Union Army during the Civil War. He asked those present to leave the pitchfork in the tree until he returned home.

above: Members of an American Legion honor guard fire a 21-gun salute during a ceremony in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’& Sailors’Home in Erie. The ceremony commemorated the anniversary of the unofficial end of World War II. The Honor Guard is made up of members of American Legion Post 105 in North East and Post 571 in Wesleyville.

He died in the stockade at Florence, S.C., and is buried in an unmarked mass grave there.

“My wife and I went to visit the tree this summer, it’s just a short distance from our VFW family picnic grounds,” Blakeslee says.

“The tree grew up and the tines are visible if you still look hard about 8 feet high off the ground in the tree.”

Small memorials and monuments can be found throughout Erie and Crawford counties honoring veterans. Erie Yesterday is attempting to document all of them in Erie County.

“There are so many of them, and we believe it is important to record them all,” Erie Yesterday secretary Melinda Meyer says.

“Besides the well-known memorials, there are bridges and athletic fields, highway, flagpoles, rock monuments and plaques, all of which are www.lakeerielifestyle.com

sports & adventure honoring the memories of our veterans. It’s so important, and we need to document them all.�

According to Meyer, the organization is encouraging the general public to help inventory the contributions of our military men and women by submitting their information.To participate in the veterans memorial inventory, visit www.erieyesterday.org.

The site provides an online information form that can also be downloaded.The Erie Yesterday site also contains information on some of the historic monument sites.

Erie County Councilman Jay Breneman is one of the key movers in the effort. “We had an organizational meeting back in March and started collecting information in August,� he says. “Long term, we would like to establish a management plan because so many of these memorials were put together with a handshake. We have 25 veterans organizations in Erie County, and this could be a unifying project, and we are already getting good support from the organizations.�

When asked why he began the initiative Breneman replies, “Well, I am a veteran myself.�

Meyer, like Breneman, has visited many monuments. She is fascinated by the statue of George Washington in Waterford, commemorating his journey to Fort LeBoeuf, and the grave of Michael O’Hare in the Waterford Cemetery.

O’Hare is one of many Revolutionary War veterans buried in Erie and Crawford counties. Some are buried in places well kept, while other are in cemeteries that have all but been abandoned.

Over the past several years, various civic organizations have helped restored one of the earliest burial grounds in Erie right: Erie County Councilman Jay Breneman, at podium, in August announced an effort to create a veterans memorial inventory.

in the know:

CONTRIBUTETO MEMORIAL SITES

To help create a log of all war memorials, visit www.erieyesterday.org.

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sports & adventure County, the Middlebrook Cemetery in Venango Township. While some of the graves have been moved to other cemeteries, there are still dozens buried in the rural setting, the site of one of the county’s first churches, including the graves of two Revolutionary War veterans. Bronze memorial plaques have been erected to honor the veterans buried in Middlebrook.

The Brawley Cemetery sits in a largely wooded area bordering the Erie National Wildlife Preserve in Randolph Township, Crawford County.

“It was difficult to locate and in a heavily wooded area,” says Allan Montgomery, of Edinboro. “But we located the grave of one of my

left: Erie County Councilman Jay Breneman, a veteran, is supporting an ErieYesterday effort to document war memorials, including photos.

ancestors, Joel Jones, who fought in the revolution. Flags are still placed on the graves in the place.”

Also buried in the old burial grounds is Hugh Brawley, a veteran of the War of 1812.

Crawford County, similar to Erie County, also has some large war memorials, according to Veteran Services Director Rich Kronkota.

“Every small town has monuments honoring our veterans, and in Diamond Park we have several wellknown monuments,” he says. “One monument in front of the courthouse is dedicated to all veterans, and there is a Civil War monument at the south end of the park.”

The Diamond Park Civil War Monument was erected in 1891 and is dedicated to those who served in the war. It is a statue of Samuel Peiffer, a color bearer who was killed at Gettysburg.

The Bucktails, a Civil War Re-

November2015

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sports & adventure

Residents and staff members of the Pennsylvania Soldiers’& Sailors’Home wait for the start of a ceremony that commemorated the 70th anniversary of the unofficial end of World War II.

enactment group, is bolstering efforts to help refurbish the statue.

“We’ve been holding fundraisers and selling bricks to help maintain the statue,” Rick Emig of the re-enactors groups says. “Hopefully, we can begin some of the restoration work next year, and then we would like to have enough money to work on the cannons.”

In Girard, Erie County, there is also a large Civil War monument, which was dedicated in 1865 and funded in large part by the late circus performer Dan Rice. Both Erie and Crawford counties are steeped in the amazing saga of American history from the very beginnings of settlement; nearly every patch of land has a story, and there are an untold number of reminders, large and small.

Lest we forget. LEL

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 31

sports & adventure

Give your car a total checkup before winter driving season

By Patrick Broadwater

“WINTER IS COMING.” That familiar refrain will be recognizable to fans of “Game of Thrones,” for which the phrase is often used in fictional Westeros as a warning to prepare for harsher days to come.

It means pretty much the same thing in Erie.

Lake-effect snow, bitter cold and howling winds can make travel treacherous and wreak havoc on your vehicle. But even if you can’t control the elements, you can give your car or truck a thorough checkup to help prepare for the stress of the winter driving season.

Don’t wait for the first snowflakes to fall before doing your inspection, said Matt November2015

Clark, general manager of Humes Chrysler of Waterford, especially if you’re taking your vehicle to a professional to be checked or serviced.There’s always a frenzy of calls once the snow starts to fly, he said, so schedule your appointment sooner. “There’s no detriment to doing it earlier rather than later,” he said.

When it comes to getting your winter checkup, be sure to have the following items checked out:

above: Make sure your vehicle can handle inclement weather. File photo by Andy Colwell/Erie Times-News

Battery Get your battery tested, and replace it if it’s weak or unreliable. “Probably half of our calls are for no starts or slow starts once the temperature drops,” said Clark. Make sure the battery terminals are secure and free of corrosion. Keep a set of jumper cables in the vehicle for emergency starts. (See sidebar for more winter driving essentials for your car.)

Coolant and other fluids Make sure you have the proper amount of coolant in the reservoir and double-check that you have the correct mixture — usually 50 www.lakeerielifestyle.com

sports & adventure percent each of water and coolant. Don’t forget to check the levels of other fluids, such as brake, transmission, power steering, etc.

Tires Measure the tread depth on all of your tires and replace any that are balding or have uneven wear. Even if your tires have passed your state inspection, be wary of tires that are nearing the end of their life span, as they may not perform well on snow-covered roads. “If you run all-seasons, make sure you have 5/ or 6/32nd’s of tread,” said Marty Kerr, owner of Kerr’s Tire Corner. “Anything less than that will be practically useless in the winter.” Kerr recommends replacing all-weather tires with studded snow tires. “They’re the ultimate in traction,” he said. “The cheapest snow tire is better than the best all-season tire.” In addition to providing better handling, snow tires also help drivers feel more secure and less anxious while driving. “If they make you more comfortable and give you more confidence, great.That will help you overall,” said Gary Ross, service manager at Roth Cadillac. Also be sure to monitor air pressure frequently throughout the winter. It’s normal for tires to lose pressure in cold temperatures. Proper inflation will help your vehicle run more efficiently and gain better traction.

Wipers and washer fluid Make sure your wipers are in good working order — they will get a workout on slushy or snow-covered roads. And don’t forget to check your rear wiper, if you have one. Replace any torn or ripped blades. Verify that you have only windshield cleaning solution — and not water — in the wiper fluid tank.“That’s an issue, especially for snowbirds,”said Ross. Water will freeze quickly when it hits a cold windshield, hampering your vision.

STOCKYOUR CAR

A well-stocked vehicle can help you get back on the road quickly or even help save your life in the event of an accident or breakdown. Keep these items in your car or truck to fend off the elements and minimize delays to your travel plans: Snow brush/ice scraper and a shovel: A snow brush is practically a given, but consider carrying a small snow shovel as well, if you can make room for it. It can be extremely valuable to help extricate you from a sudden heavy snowfall or a snowbank if you slide off the road.

Mobile phone and charger: In the winter months, make sure you keep your lifeline fully charged. Bring a charger and any necessary cords and adapters with you, especially if you’re planning to travel a long distance or if your battery is running low. Program roadside assistance and emergency numbers into the phone, so they are easily accessible.

Sand or other gritty material: If you drive a light truck, some heavy sand bags placed over the rear axles can help your vehicle handle better on snowy roads. Loose sand or other abrasive materials, such as salt, kitty litter or even asphalt shingles, can be spread around your tires to help gain traction.

Emergency kit: A flashlight (and spare batteries), jumper cables, traffic warning devices (such as reflective triangles or flares), and basic tool and first-aid kits are essential should you need to do any work under the hood.

Carry a reserve bottle of wiper fluid, as well, so you can keep your windshield clear without fear of running out.

Food, water and clothing: Roads may close entirely, or bad weather may delay help from getting to you. Keep hats, gloves and extra clothes in a bag with a blanket or two in case you are unable to stay inside a running, heated vehicle.

Stash some nonperishable foods, such as granola bars or crackers and bottled water in the vehicle, too, in case you’re stranded for an extended period of time.

Four-wheel or all-wheel drive systems Even if your vehicle is equipped with four-wheel drive, you may encounter handling problems.Test your four-wheel drive system to make sure it works properly and refresh your memory on specific protocols you need to take to engage the system.

in the know:

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 33

sports & adventure

Make sure you have a scraper in your car to clean off snow like Monica Bishop, of Erie. File photo by Greg Wohlford/Erie Times-News.

Miscellaneous items Defrosters that don’t work properly will affect visibility, so correct any problems as soon as possible.

Give your vehicle a general safety check — inspect belts and hoses for cracks; make sure all lights, including taillights, work properly; check that your brakes are responsive; and you may consider lubricating door hinges and locks to prevent freezing.

Of course, it’s always best to rely on good winter driving habits to keep you safe — maintain a safe speed for the conditions, keep a fair distance between vehicles, brake gently, steer into skids, keep your gas tank at least half full, and whenever possible, give yourself extra time to get to your destination.

And, if things should start to go bad, keep this mind: Spring is coming. LEL

November2015

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 35

sports & adventure

Cope with winter inside and out

By Lisa Oberacker

IT’S THE SEASON of jackets and gloves, and many people begin to dread the cold weather.

For some, this feeling of uneasiness may be more than just the normal Erie winter apprehension.

Mandy Fauble, of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health of UPMC Hamot, says autumn is a popular trigger time for seasonal affective disorder. While it’s not an illness, S.A.D. is a clinically diagnosed mood disorder, described

by Fauble in a couple ways: disturbed sleep patterns, feelings of worthlessness and just not feeling yourself.

On the other hand, don’t be so quick to selfNovember2015

diagnose.“A person feeling down is part of the human experience,”Fauble explains.“You’re going to have natural ups and downs. But if you’re at all concerned, talk to your doctor.”

Paying attention to yourself and being proactive in terms of how your mind reacts to this time of year is an important step in taking action.

Believe it or not, treatment of S.A.D. can be above left: Some people enjoy getting out in the snow, such as the tubers at Mount Pleasant in Edinboro. File photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News above right: Coventina Day Spa offers many services to deal with winter weather. Erie Times-News file photo

as simple as changing up some daily lifestyle behaviors, such as adding exercise. “A moderate level of exercise can be helpful for people, and having a buddy system is great,” Fauble says.

Someone to be active with is a great way to combat seasonal mood issues.

Daniel Hesch, behavioral therapist at Saint Vincent Behavioral Health, says exercise can release the endorphins needed to positively affect our moods. He adds that outside exercise is best, during which we can soak up whatever natural light we can.

Luckily, we are in an area with plenty of winter outdoor activities and nearly endless www.lakeerielifestyle.com

sports & adventure ways to engage in winter workouts. Enforcing time to pick up and change scenery for a weekend is important for your mind to stay pleased with winter months.

So get out there and explore the winter fun our region has to offer: Peek’n Peak Resort/Splash Lagoon Peek’n Peak is a popular spot for Erie residents to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tubing. It’s a great way to enjoy the company of good friends and family while also getting some fresh air.

Lodging at Peek’n Peak also sparks interest for Erie residents. You’ll have access to a pool, and even have the option of treating yourself to the spa.

If you’d rather stay local, Splash Lagoon’s indoor water park is a great way to experience summer activities in winter months. Being able to enjoy the warm atmosphere makes your experience feel just like summertime.

Holiday Valley A trip to Holiday Valley, in Ellicottville, N.Y., is worth the travel. From the snowboarding, skiing and tubing, Holiday Valley offers an endless amount of fun for the family. Additional activities to consider are snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing, which are great ways to get some exercise in.

If you’re looking for something a little less strenuous, Holiday Valley offers a Mountain Coaster ride. You’ll get the feel of a roller coaster, but be low to the ground, and get a tour of the

terrain, making this something your entire family can enjoy together.

Mount Pleasant Another popular spot, Mount Pleasant also offers skiing, tubing and trails, a great nearby escape for the family to enjoy winter activities.

Mount Pleasant has always been a place of fun, and getting out in the fresh air can really help alleviate some concerns of S.A.D. Wilderness Lodge Wilderness Lodge, in Wattsburg, offers snowshoeing and trails to try cross-country skiing.

If you’ve never considered either activity, they can be quite the workout for anyone, but with the lodge on site including a restaurant and bar inside, it’s a nice finish to a day of outdoor exercise.

Asbury Woods The protected hollows of Asbury Woods can provide a shelter from winter’s biting winds.The open canopy of winter also allows the sun to peek through, often dancing across the snow-covered paths and the near-freezing run of Walnut Creek, which cuts through the woods.

The park provides great opportunities for crosscountry skiers and snowshoers, both novice and experienced, to enjoy the pristine setting that is just a short drive away.

Spa time Aside from exercising in the winter months, Fauble says taking some time for yourself at the spa can really ramp up your mood. Getting

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in the know: WINTERWONDERS

Peek’n Peak Resort Clymer, N.Y. 716-355-4141 www.pknpk.com Splash Lagoon Erie 814-217-1111 www.splashlagoon.com Holiday Valley Ellicottville, N.Y. 716-699-2345 www.holidayvalley.com Mount Pleasant Edinboro, Pa. 814-734-1641 www.skimountpleasant.com Wilderness Lodge Wattsburg, Pa. 814-739-2946 http://thewildernesslodge.net Panache Salon & Spa Yorktown Centre, Erie 814-838-3333 www.panacheerie.com Sandcille Spa & Treatment Studio Colony Plaza, Erie 814-456-7400 www.sandcille.com Coventina Day Spa Waterford, Pa. 814-796-9038 www.coventina.com

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sports & adventure

summer glow.

Panache Salon and Spa offers body healing treatments, with body scrubs and wraps. Spa parties are also available to have a fun-filled spa above left: Bins of rental snowshoes await users at Asbury Woods Nature Center in Millcreek Township. File photo by Andy Colwell/Erie Times-News above right: Mount Pleasant in Edinboro is one of several places to ski in the region. File photo by Jack Hanrahan/ Erie Times-News

day with all of your friends, a great way to keep winter fun and social.

Overall, a seasonal mood disorder is a real issue, especially in this part of the country.

Paying attention to your symptoms and properly treating them are important to stay good-natured.

Book your weekends with outdoor activities in a different scene than what you’re used to.

Don’t forget that taking care of your body and mind hold high priority. LEL

a massage or pedicure can make you feel wonderful when walking out the door, even when you’re suddenly greeted by a cold breeze.

While all spas provide massage services, pedicures and manicures, some have unique services that may be what you’re looking for.

Coventina Day Spa’s body treatments are for helping your entire body feel at its very best.

Sandcille Spa and Treatment Studio is another great location for spa days, where they also provide spray tan services for that

November2015

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escapes

‘The Way’leads to uncommon friendships

By Stacey “Vagabonding Lulu”Wittig

VAGABONDING LULU WALKED more than 500 miles on Spain’s Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James.

While trekking the medieval pilgrimage route, made famous by the movie “The Way”

starring Martin Sheen, she met people from all over the world. She began her pilgrimage in Lourdes, France, and ended in Santiago de Compostela, in western Spain, with many new, if not uncommon, friendships.

Vagabonding Lulu completes her pilgrimage in front of the Santiago Cathedral.

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November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 39

escapes

Zuzana and I are the odd couple — she’s 27 years old and a beauty, and me, at 60, feeling like an old woman for maybe the first time in my life. We met while walking Les Chemins de St. Jacques — the Camino de Santiago — near Lourdes.

I actually met Zuzana’s socks before I

met her — or anyone else — on this remote pilgrimage route. I found her socks on the first day out of Lourdes, lying in a rain puddle in front of a big sign describing the abundant nature of the surrounding area. Because so few pilgrims walk from Lourdes to St. Jean Pied de Port, I picked them up.

I toted the important footwear until the next

day when I met my first pilgrim, the longlegged Soren. It was my second day of walking, and both the temperature and humidity were high. Sweat poured down my red face. I was having trouble keeping up with Soren, who begged me throughout the day to get rid of some weight from my 30-pound pack. “Stacey, darling! You’ve carried all that long

November2015

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above left: Vagabonding Lulu, left, with Zuzana atop Alto del PerdĂłn in Spain above right: Looking back at Castrojeriz, Spain.

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“It’s French for something like ‘how to behave,’� I offer.

I instruct her on blister care, and she teaches me how to say blister in Spanish: ambule. Zuzana has been working in Spain for the past several years as an architect. Her command of the Spanish language is impeccable, but how would I know?

I’m a bumbling student of the language.

Zuzana is a vegetarian and nutrition nut; I’m having withdrawal from Lay’s potato chips. She’s getting me hooked on chia seeds, “Breakfast of Champions� for Aztec warriors, or so claims the label. According to the European package, Aztec ancients could run for 14 hours on one meal of chia seeds.

When she asks me if I found her hiking pole tip, I pull it out of my pocket. You see, she walked the pilgrimage route very much ahead of me. And I found the things that she drops: a hiking pole tip or a pair of socks pinned together with a clothes pin.

Solo travel opens up possibilities for uncommon friendships. I would never have guessed that a beautiful, young girl in the prime of her life would ever want to be friends with me, a 60-year-old woman. Yet the Camino brings together people who have something special to share with each other. LEL

enough. It’s time you got rid of something. I don’t mean to lecture, or pontificate, but really!� exclaims Soren, pontificating. “Oh, no. Go ahead — I need to hear it,� I interrupted her. I left the socks and a baseball hat at a bus stop in a small country village.

It wasn’t much to leave behind, but it was a beginning.

I met Zuzana the following day, and when she mentioned that she had lost her socks.

I shot Soren a “look,â€? as if to say, “See, I was much too hasty in ridding extra weight.â€? Later Soren, who planned to cross the PyrĂŠnĂŠes at Somport, turned west and bid us goodbye.

Zuzana and I continued our walk north-ish along the foothills of the PyrĂŠnĂŠes. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

She calls me her guardian angel, but to me, she is my caregiver. She gladly lets me use her phone recharger and patiently assists me when I can’t get it to work. As she makes dinner for the two of us, I sit and talk about Camino “etiquette� while she chops fresh vegetables. “What is that word?� the native of Slovakia asks.

November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 41

November2015

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on scene

HER TIMES 5K CELEBRATES 10 YEARS More than 700 women preregistered for the Her Times 5K that took place on Saturday, Oct. 3, and celebrated its 10th year with a commemorative pin, awards, cookies, cake and camaraderie. Her Times and Saint Vincent Hospital sponsored the Erie Runners Club event.

Heather Cass, race director, started the 5K in 2005 to encourage and promote exercise and good health among women. Since then, women of all ages have walked, run and even pushed strollers with kids in them, and brought pets on leashes. Children’s races have also become part of the event.

Kelly Latimer, 31, of Edinboro, was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 19 minutes and 30 seconds. Mark your calendars for 2016. The Her Times 5K will take place Saturday, Oct. 1, at 8 a.m.

above: Runners take off at the start of the 10th annual Her Times 5K on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Presque Isle State Park. left: Samantha Randall, 28, left, and Kristina Stovall, 28, both of Erie, hug after crossing the finish line. below: Alesha Walter, left, and Linda Straub-Bruce, both of Erie, dressed as superheroes for the Her Times 5K.

Photos by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

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on scene AMERICAN GIRLS

The first American Girl Gala was a sold-out affair in September at the Clarion Lake Erie & Bel-Aire Conference Center, 2800 W. Eighth St. Girls and their dolls had an afternoon of primping and prepping, including a parade and a girl/doll look-alike contest.

Other activities included crafts and activities, a photo booth, doll hair salon, doll ear piercing and exotic face painting. Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

Genelia Kang, 6, left, and Mary Jane Moubarak, 7, both of Erie, attend the American Girl Gala on Sept. 27 at the Clarion Lake Erie & Bel-Aire Conference Center.

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Representatives on hand for a check presentation from PNC to H.A.N.D.S. included Bryan Danch, left, Brian Hammel, Jim Stevenson, Charles Scalise, Melissa McGill and Gary Winschel.

PNC SCORES FOR H.A.N.D.S. Twenty-eight local businesses participated in a charity golf match hosted by Erie Insurance on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Kahkwa Club, raising $106,000 to be divided among local charities.

Each business that participated selected a local charity to benefit and sent a foursome out to play golf. The better the golf team did, the greater the percentage of the proceeds the selected charity received.

PNC Bank and Housing and Neighborhood Development Services partnered for the first time this year, and PNC won the event, awarding $15,000 to H.A.N.D.S. H.A.N.D.S. is an Erie-based organization focused on developing and providing quality and affordable low-incoming housing to the Erie community. This was the first time H.A.N.D.S. was sponsored by a business team. “The donation to H.A.N.D.S. could not have come at a better time,� says Charles Scalise, CEO of H.A.N.D.S. Scalise plans to use funds raised by the golf outing to help support the completion of the Goodrich House, which is the first phase of the agency’s veterans housing community, located at 2676 Peach St. Photo courtesy of PNC www.lakeerielifestyle.com

November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 45

wqln PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Guthrie celebrates 50th anniversary of ‘Alice’

By John Chacona

MOST POP STARS of the late 1960s — the ones still performing — these days are content to trot out their old warhorse songs, swaybacked and bandylegged though they may be, for audiences on the oldies circuit or at casinos.

Not Arlo Guthrie who, while never exactly a pop star, nonetheless wrote and performed one of the most emblematic songs of the late 1960s.

It’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” the accounts of a fateful Thanksgiving Day in 1965.

Guthrie, now 68, tours relentlessly, but he only plays “Alice,” as he calls the song, in the manner of a former intimate just remembered, once every 10 years, and this, you might have guessed, is a big anniversary.

Guthrie has commemorated the event for a PBS special, “Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Concert With Arlo Guthrie,” which airs on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 26.

A veteran of four feature films, Guthrie knows what to do in front of a camera. He also knows about the technology available to modern recording artists, and like his peer Neil Young, he’s not always comfortable with the compromises that technology imposes on the artist.

“Technology has advanced the live show,” he said in a long, rambling and wry interview from his home in western Massachusetts.

“When I started out, you were lucky to have a microphone. Nobody had monitors or lights, but almost none of that has transferred to TV, so when we had to mix the sound to be delivered to PBS, it had to be mixed for the station with the least capable equipment.That was really disappointing.

“Having said that, the fact that we’re actually on TV is wonderful. I think it’ll sound as best as we could make it given the restrictions. I spent a lot of time on stage talking, and people don’t like people talking, so that was an issue.”

Not much of one, thankfully, because “Alice” is a talking blues, and an 18-minute talking blues at that.

And therein lies the reason for the tour and November2015

It’s a lot to remember, and there are a lot of people in his audience, especially the ones who have made the playing of “Alice” a counterculture Thanksgiving Day tradition, who remember the song better than they remember the ’60s generally.

“Most of my audience has allowed me to present an overall take of the last 50 years, for which I’m very grateful, but that doesn’t mean I want to abandon those for whom “Alice” is the only thing they associate with me,” he said So even though you may be uncomfortably stuffed with turkey and stuffing this Thanksgiving evening, there’s a reservation for you in the name of Mr. Guthrie at Alice’s Restaurant.

Feel free to get anything you want, but please dispose of your trash responsibly. LEL the commemorative program. Guthrie doesn’t perform “Alice” once every 10 years to build a sense of occasion (though one certainly exists).

He has a far more prosaic reason for the nineyear hiatus.

“I’m happy to do it, and I would probably do it all the time like I do with ‘City of New Orleans,’ but for the fact that it takes so long.”

above: Joining Arlo Guthrie, center, are from left, Darren Todd on bass; longtime friend Terry A. La Berry on drums; Bobby Sweet on guitar and fiddle; and Guthrie’s son Abe Guthrie on keyboards, right . Photo courtesy of Ron Elkman left: The logo for the upcoming PBS event includes a posterized version of a 1965 album cover. Photo courtesy of PBS

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WQLN Public Media 8425 Peach Street, Erie, PA 16509, www.wqln.org 814-864-3001, 800-727-8854, FAX 814-864-4077

WQLN Station Guide November 2015, Issue 257

WQLN TV

Honors our

Veterans

By Halle Kostansek

The struggle to save our communities continues. The WQLN TV Original Production Erie Now: Community Violence, Part 2 will be on WQLN TV on November 5 at 8pm when guests Kathy Dahlkemper, U.S. Department of Justice Special Agent Andy Hromyak, Melissa Lyon, Amy Eisert, Ben Speggen, and Pat Howard continue the conversation about the violence that lately besets the neighborhoods of Erie.

As Veterans Day approaches, Debt of Honor takes an unflinching look at the reality of warfare and disability through interviews with prominent disabled veterans, November 10 at 9pm.

All month, we celebrate the country our military heroes serve, from its literal foundation . . .

NOVA: Making North America premiering November 4 at 9pm is a sweeping “biography” of the geological formation of our homeland.

Earth’s Natural Wonders, 8pm Wednesdays, November 4-18, explores natural wonders, their evolution, and the rarely told stories about the challenges their inhabitants face. . . . to its literary achievements . . .

Live from Lincoln Center: Act One, November 13 at 9pm, captures the magic of the theatre as a poor kid from the Bronx becomes a lion of Broadway. . . . to industry innovators . . .

Comedy icon Eddie Murphy is honored by other geniuses of American humor as he receives the Mark Twain Prize, November 23 at 9pm. www.lakeerielifestyle.com

. . . and healthy dissenters: Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Concert with Arlo Guthrie, November 26 at 8pm, brings The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree back to the stage on the 50th anniversary of Guthrie’s notorious arrest for littering.

Experience more of the cultural cornucopia this month as the PBS Arts Fall Festival continues with Live from Lincoln Center: Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton on October 30 at 9pm; Great Performances: Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do, November 6 at 9pm; First You Dream: The Music of Kander and Ebb, November 20 at 9pm and Great Performances: Andrea Bocelli: Songs from the Cinema, November 27 at 9pm.

And continue the dramatic tradition as you prepare to bid farewell to everyone’s favorite Downton Abbey aristocrats and ordinary folk, too. The final season premieres January 3, 2016, on WQLN TV, and in case you missed any of the previous season, Downton Abbey Season 5 will be on WQLN TV Sunday evenings beginning November 15.

At times, programs may change without notice.

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone for more detailed information, up-to-date listings, and program schedules for Create (54.2) and World (54.3). Or visit us online at WQLN.org.

This November on WQLN-TV 54.1 Mannheim Steamroller Saturday, November 7 at 8pm A rockin’ concert and a ticket opportunity to see the Mannheim Steamroller 2015 Christmas Tour Live at the Warner Theatre December 1.

Also look for Celtic Woman: Destiny Jacques Pepin’s 80th Birthday Celebration Josh Groban: Stages A Salute to Downton Abbey

Kirk Johnson rappelling down the Grand Canyon to discover the mighty forces that shaped our continent in NOVA: MAKING NORTH AMERICA. Photo courtesy of ©WGBH. left: Disabled WWI veteran at Walter Reed General Hospital, c. 1919.

Photo courtesy of the Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine. right top to bottom: EARTH’S NATURAL WONDERS contributors on a boat in Raja Ampat, Indonesia as they explore the most extraordinary places on the planet in this three-part series. Photo courtesy of BBC 2014.

Andrea Bocelli pays musical tribute to the silver screen in a lush concert of beloved songs from blockbuster classics including The Godfather, Scent of a Woman, Dr. Zhivago, Once Upon a Time in America, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and many more. Photo courtesy of Nick Spanos.

Matthew Schechter and Tony Shalhoub (both playing Moss Hart) in a scene from Lincoln Center Theater’s production of ACT ONE, a play written and directed by James Lapine from the autobiography by Moss Hart. Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus.

November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 47

Radio

By Brian Hannah

Andrew von Oey en

. Photo co urtesy of

Taghi Nad er

zad.

Do you have that one room in the house that you started to paint and never finished? Maybe you always meant to finish the basement as a family room, but after doing the drywall, you pushed the project aside. Well, when it comes to composing, Robert Schumann had any number of concerti for piano that he started but never found the motivation to complete. In 1828 he began one in E-flat major never finished. From 1829 to 1831 he worked on a piano concerto in F major again, not finished. Then there was the concerto in D minor. Nope, he did not finish that one, either. But then in 1841, Schumann composed his Phantasie for Piano and Orchestra, and between 1841 and 1845 he continued to work on this piece, sculpting it into the full-fledged romantic piano concerto we know today as the Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54.

Fresh off his debut at the Chautauqua Institution this summer, rising star pianist Andrew von Oeyen joins Maestro Daniel Meyer and the Erie Philharmonic to bring Schumann’s stunning Piano Concerto in A minor to life on the Warner Theatre Stage on Saturday, November 7 at 8pm. But if you would like the opportunity to experience the artistry of Andrew von Oeyen in a more intimate setting, join us on the afternoon of November 6 for a Live from Studio Q concert broadcast! The concert and broadcast begin at noon, and I would love for you to join us.

All Live from Studio Q concert events are free and open to the public. If you can’t attend, that’s ok because you can listen live on 91.3FM or stream the program live via WQLN.org.

And don’t forget . . . after the concert, finish painting that room! om!

there’s still time

Your School on Top! to put

November2015

The WQLN Radio Collegiate Challenge is still in full swing, and there’s still a full week left to make your donation and help your favorite college or university win. Which school will take home the trophy and the pride of knowing they raised the most money for public radio? It’s up to you. And how can you help your school win? By tuning in to 91.3FM and calling (814) 866-5454 or visiting wqln.org to donate in the name of Mercyhurst, Gannon, Allegheny, Penn State Behrend, Edinboro, or Pitt-Titusville and helping WQLN Radio celebrate Victory Day on Friday, October 30!

www.lakeerielifestyle.com

Education

book club

By Kathy Carducci

Sponsored by

Are you looking for a fun way to increase your child’s independent reading? Enrolling your child in a book club is a great way to achieve this! WQLN Education has a free book club called Q-Kids Readers. Enrollment is simple, and the monthly book requirements are attainable.

You and your child can set a monthly goal of 5, 10, or 15 books. There’s just one additional requirement. Each child must read at least one PBS character book, like Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, or Arthur, just to name a few.

get

Older or more advanced readers are required to watch a PBS program like Nature or NOVA and select a book related to the episode.

To celebrate your child’s accomplishment, we will air their name on WQLN TV 54 for 30 days, usually starting the first week of each month.

Book lists are due the 25th of each month.

Remember, your child can an sset a new book goal and start all over again the month. he next mo mont How cool is that?

Join the Q-Kids Readers Book Club To enroll your child, go to wqln.org/readers or call Kathy: 814-217-6001.

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone for more information on how your child can join the Q-Kids Readers Book Club as well as information about contests and events.

Or visit us online at WQLN.org/Readers.

out and

Play!

Fred is a fish out of water.

Actually, he’s a cat out-of-doors, and he’s the star of the new WQLN Kids program Nature Cat, premiering November 25 the day before Thanksgiving on WQLN TV. Like many of us, Fred the Cat wants something really badly, but once he gets it, he has no idea what to do with it. Fred dreams of exploring THE GREAT OUTDOORS, and when his family leaves for the day, he becomes a backyard explorer extraordinaire! But there’s one problem: he’s still a housecat with no instincts for nature. Luckily, with the help of his animal friends, he has action-packed adventures that are full of nature investigation, amazing discoveries, and lessons about just exactly how to go outside and play.

One of the best ways to help Fred and a fun way to get out and play is by joining the www.lakeerielifestyle.com

WQLN Kids Club. There are many any clubs for kids in our area, but only the WQLN Kids ds Club directly supports the safe, educational children’s’s programming on WQLN TV. Kids Club members get a year of events and coupons for local kid-friendly places, while WQLN receives support for programs like Curious George, Odd Squad, and Nature Cat. We already have a fantastic Kids Club year planned for 2016, when we’ll visit Waldameer, the Seawolves, the Bayhawks, the Otters, and Sunview Golf, just to name a few. And Kids Club members receive a special T-shirt and a personal greeting on WQLN TV during the week of their birthday!

Enroll your child in the Kids Club by calling Shannon at (814) 217-6040 or visiting wqln.org.

Then tune in on Wednesday, November 25 to meet Fred the Cat, and let the adventures begin!

Join the WQLN QLN Kids Club Club WQLN Kids Club: $60 for one child; $ $5 for each additional child.

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone for more information on how your child can join the WQLN Kids Club as well as information about exclusive WQLN Kids Club events.

Or visit us online at WQLN.org/KidsClub.

NATURE CAT, an all-new PBS KIDS animated series, premieres Wednesday, November 25, 2015. Photo courtesy of NATURE CAT and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned by Spiffy Entertainment, LLC © 2015 Spiffy Entertainment, LLC, All rights reserved.

November2015 Lake Erie LifeStyle 49

Events

‘tis the

Season for Joy&Cheer!

By Shannon Ferrare

The 32nd Annual WQLN Holiday Craft Show kicks off the official start of the holiday shopping season!

Perhaps it’s a yearly tradition to shop with your family, so why not make it fun and support local crafters as you jump start your holiday cheer?

Check off names from your shopping list with visits to more than 100 vendors from the tristate area who offer their handmade goods such as wooden items for the home, artwork, holiday decorations, gorgeous jewelry pieces of every kind, unique gifts, and delicious food offerings.

As always Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on stage for photos with the kids on Saturday and Sunday, The Erie County Clarinet Choir will take the stage on Saturday from 2 until 4pm, the Chinese Auction will give you chances to win that special something, and the WQLN Food Court will satisfy those hunger pangs brought on by all that shopping! You won’t want to miss this year’s show!

All proceeds from the Holiday Craft Show benefit WQLN Public Media.

32nd Annual Holiday Craft Show Rainbow Gardens November 13-15 Friday, 1-6pm Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm Admission: $3.50 or $5.00 weekend pass Children under 12 are admitted Free Santa - Saturday & Sunday 11-3

Fall is the perfect time to travel with WQLN Road Trips and experience the beauty of the changing seasons. Whether you’re a shopping enthusiast, a fan of Broadway, or a Downton Abbey devotee, we have a trip suited for you. Just get on the bus and leave the planning to us!

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone for more information about WQLN Road Trips. Or visit us online at WQLN.org/RoadTrips.

New York City

Wizard of Oz

December 3-5

(Pittsburgh) January 8

Sound of Music

(Pittsburgh) March 25

Sponsored by

England’s Treasures July 21-August 2

For more information visit wqln.org or contact Jocelyn at 814-217-6055 or jtaylor@wqln.org.

Support Free Public TV and Radio

WQLN Radio 91.3 FM

calling (814) 864-3001 ext. 0 November2015

Member Services Monday – Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm 8425 Peach St., Erie, PA 16509-4788 1-800-727-8854 ext. 299 receptionist@wqln.org

Visit Us Online Or att ww www.wqln.org www.wqln.org. www.lakeerielifestyle.com