Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Blair County Historical Society’s lecture series has officially started. The third Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m., the society will host a lecture at the Railroaders Memorial Museum. The lecture series will be as follows: • April 19, 2023 – Altoona Area’s Forgotten Cemeteries, presented by Jim Snyder • May 17, 2023 – Blair County’s Fallen Soldiers: World War I to the Present-A Memorial Day Retrospective, presented by James Lowe • June 21, 2023 – Glen White: The Town that was forgotten in the Allegheny Mountains, presented by Kevin Stiv...
The Claysburg Community Chorus and The Claysburg Rotary presented the 20th annual Hee Haw show this past Friday, March 3, at Claysburg-Kimmel High School. A second show was scheduled for Saturday, March 4, but due to a power outage, it was canceled and rescheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 10. According to the show director Dan Crist, the Hee Haw show is a form of variety show that has skits and jokes. Special groups come and perform as well as The Claysburg Community Chorus. It is patterned...
Hollidaysburg Heritage Guided Tours is currently organizing its fall tour schedule. Right, now there are three tours which include Canal Basin, Allegheny Street-Walnut Street and the Diamond to North Montgomery Street. “These tours talk about the buildings, the people and a little bit about the early history of Hollidaysburg,” Committee Chairman Tom Kopriva said. The tour of Canal Basin covers the Pennsylvania Canal and the people who helped build it, the work that was done and how much it affected Hollidaysburg. “I just learned that Holli...
Hollidaysburg businessman Matt Stuckey received the Donna D. Gority Servant Leadership Award at The Blair County Chamber of Commerce's 2023 Annual Meeting and Awards Presentation, which was held at The Casino at Lakemont Park on Jan. 27. The award was created to recognize a person in the community who makes a difference by choosing to serve first and then lead. The award was designed to recognize people in the community who have accomplished great things while maintaining a relatively low...
Duncansville native Aaron Kovach was a complete player. He played great defense. He had great speed. He stole some bases. He was a hitter, a pure hitter. Because of his success on the field, Kovach was chosen this past October to be part of the first class to be inducted into The Mount Aloysius College Athletic Hall of Fame. "He is our career leading hitter with a .401 career batting average," Mt. Aloysius Athletic Director Kevin Kime said. "He had somewhere around 218 hits in his four year care...
Christmas is coming to the Baker Mansion. The Blair Garden Club will be decorating the three trees that will be on the first floor. Executive Director of the Blair County Historical Society and the Baker Mansion Museum Kate Rimbeck said that Baker Mansion held on Santa Paws on Nov. 12, which is a fundraiser for the historical society and Mending Hearts. “It gives you an opportunity to get your picture taken with Santa Claus on the side porch, bringing your fur babies with you.” Then, they will go into their Christmas season. “We will be open un...
The Claysburg Area Community Theatre will present "Elf the Musical" at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19, at the Claysburg-Kimmel High School Auditorium. Director Dan Crist said that most people are familiar with the movie: Santa accidentally takes human baby Buddy to the North Pole by accident, where Buddy is raised as an elf. Buddy travels to New York City to meet his real father. "The story evolves from there, where he meets his family, gets turned away from his family and then...
"People are going to drive by and see the sign and they're going to remember that this bridge is dedicated to an awesome brother and patriot to this country," said Gail Regets, sister of Ralph Hammel, for whom the bridge near their childhood home is being renamed. The bridge, located on Charger Highway, near the Frankstown branch of the Juniata River will now be known as Corporal Ralph Hammel Memorial Bridge. The dedication took place on Sept. 28, 2022. Ralph's grandnephew Shane Kennedy read abo...
Baker Mansion is hosting a Haunted Tour by candlelight of the mansion, which will be held Oct. 14 and 15 and Oct. 21 and 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. Kate Rimbeck, executive director of The Blair County Historical Society and the Baker Mansion History Museum, said, "We are turning off the lights to the mansion and we are giving the participants an LED lantern and sending them through the mansion to hear stories about the hauntings of the mansion based on research, facts and first-hand experience." In...
Former Hollidaysburg author Tom Catalano has released his latest book entitled “Nicholas, the Santa Story.” Growing up, Catalano always celebrated Christmas the traditional way, with Santa, gift-giving, the Christmas tree and all of the other pageantry that goes along with the season. “We always knew that the reason that we did all of that was in celebration of the birth of Jesus,” Catalano said. “At our house, we have a Christmas tree ornament that shows Santa kneeling next to baby Jesus. I...
"Don Witherspoon was a man of few words but can be described by so many. A man of honor, distinction, of courage, of dedication, of perseverance, a man connected to his roots, a servant-leader," said Andrae Holsey, president of the Blair County NAACP. "My brother wasn't about a pat on the back. He wasn't about tooting his own horn. He was only trying to do God's will," Jerry Witherspoon said about his brother. "Every time I saw him, anytime we were together, we always hugged and I always said,...
Earlier this month, Historic Hollidaysburg Inc. presented Colonel Murray Civil War Days. It is named for Murray, who was the first colonel killed in the Civil War from Pennsylvania. Historic Hollidaysburg Inc. President Joshua Juda says that it is important to remember Murray because he was an important person in the community, including being a volunteer firefighter, the Hollidaysburg postmaster, local small business owner, and a high-ranking member of the military. Juda continued on to say...
Hollidaysburg Area Public Library Director Janet Eldred's retirement took effect as of July 15, the day before her 65th birthday. After receiving her Master's Degree in Library Sciences, Eldred worked at Mt. Aloysius, one of the libraries at the main campus of Penn State, and the Centre County Library. Eldred also completed an internship at the Library of Congress. "I have always enjoyed books, so this seemed like a good fit for me," Eldred said. Eldred was the library director at Hollidaysburg...
The African American Heritage Festival returns after an eight-year absence. The event will be held Saturday, July 24, from noon to 8 p.m. with a Gospel Fest on Sunday, July 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. along with a special presentation from a Frederick Douglas reenactor at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The festival will be held at The Railroaders Memorial Museum. African American historian Harriett Gaston said that the festival was started to help promote something called The African American Heritage...
Revolutionary War Days is a weekend of encampments. "We have reenactors from the Revolutionary War period that come to Fort Roberdeau and we have people representing the United States," Director of Fort Roberdeau Glenn Nelson said. "They have units that are fighting for independence and a couple of units that are loyal to the king and representing the king." They set up a field camp. They have a camp representing the continentals and a camp representing the loyalists. During the days, they do...
As part of a summer-long campaign celebrating television's number-one comedy, CBS continued the "Summer of Ghosts" campaign celebrating the Prohibition Era Songstress Alberta Haynes by bringing to life the storied Alberta Haynes Museum, an exclusive pop-up experience in her hometown of Altoona at the Amtran Metro Transit Garage on June 29. Amy Eicher, director of social strategy for CBS, said that they were there to celebrate "Ghosts." "It's the number-one new show of the past season," Eicher...
Mill Hill Farms of rural Williamsburg received the sustainability award at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame luncheon, held on Monday, June 13. Jim Biddle, who owns the farm, along with his son Josh and their wives, Carol and Amanda, said that he manages the crops while Josh manages the dairy. He added that they have a milking herd of about 490 Holsteins and 370 replacement heffers and they crop about 630 acres. “We started as Mill Hill Farms in 2000, but I think that I am about eighth generation and Josh is the n...
The sun will be coming out in Loysburg on Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, at The Cove Community Theater. According to owner/director Mary Ellen Laird, Annie Jr. is this year’s theater camp show. Participants will have two weeks of theater camp and will perform the play. “We have 43 children enrolled for the camp,” Laird said. “We have a lot of extras for the show.” There will be a Friday evening showing, mostly for the parents at a reduced rate. Saturday and Sunday, there will be a dinner show. Saturday’s dinner show will begin at 6...
Love is in the air in Claysburg. Claysburg Area Community Theater will present its spring production "Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses" by Michael and Susan Parker. The play follows the goings-on of The Lovers' Landing Beach Hotel, a popular wedding destination that has been recently inherited by Audrina Brown. She quickly discovers that her Uncle Bubba, who has worked for the hotel his entire life is running a variety of (illegal) "extra curricular enterprises" within the hotel. Arriving at the...
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Baker Mansion being used as a museum. The Blair County Historical Society rented the mansion from the Baker heirs beginning in 1922. To kick off this celebration, the historical society will be holding the Sunday on the Lawn Series. Beginning on May 29 and every other Sunday, they will have events that will be on the back lawn of the mansion. "Guests can bring a blanket or a chair to sit in," said Executive Director of The Blair County Historical Society...
The roar of the bikes will be returning to Duncansville four different weekends this summer. Debbra Heath, marketing director for Roundhouse Harley Davidson said, "We are doing four events this year: May, June, July and September." She added that it will be very similar to what they did last year, except they will be doing only Fridays and Saturdays this year. "We will have vendors and bands," said Heath. "One month, the demo fleet will be here. There will be stunt shows. The Wall of Death will...
After an amazing 2021 season, Central High School student Parker Gregg earned an all-state selection in football. He is the first player in PIAA history to gain 1,000 rushing and receiving yards. He has lettered in football, track, basketball and baseball. Gregg is in the top 50 of his graduating class with a 95 grade-point average (GPA). "I am in both the regular National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society," Gregg said. He is also an innovator. With the sudden passing of his...
Looking for some exciting things to do this spring and summer? Downtown Bedford is the place to be. Coming up on May 7 is the car show, bed races and wing off. Bed races For the bed races, there are teams consisting of four runners and a rider. The cart not an actual bed. It’s in the shape of a bed with wheels on it. “They can make it into their own thing,” said Downtown Bedford Main Street Manager Lindsay Salas. There are seven teams signed up and they are going to race on South Juliana Street toward the Coverlet Museum. The overall winne...
Hollidaysburg Heritage Guided Tours Spring season runs Saturdays from April 30 through June 4, 2022. All dates provide the popular brunch option, at the U.S. Hotel and Tavern, with brunch beginning at 11 a.m. and including an informative presentation to enrich the overall tour experience. Tours are recommended for anyone interested in history, architecture, engineering marvels, or just an enjoyable, educational event. Three different tours will be offered this spring: Canal Basin, North Montgomery and Allegheny/Walnut. The Canal Basin tour...
Claysburg-Kimmel Senior Bailey Garver was one of two local students to receive a scholarship from The Blair County Sports Hall of Fame. The other senior, also from the Cove, was Central's Parker Gregg. "This scholarship is going to be a huge benefit to my college tuition," Garver said. "It is a great prize to receive and a very prestigious award. The best of the best receive it." Garver said that her guidance counselor came to her one day and told her to fill out a paper. "I said there is no...
From his early days racing go-carts on dirt tracks in Blair County to his championship days at drag strips across the country, John Lingenfelter excelled in everything he did. If he won, he wanted to do better the next time. If he lost, which wasn't very often, he wanted to know why. Lingenfelter was posthumously inducted in the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame on April 9. "My brother John was a very humble person, a man of few words," Charles Lingenfelter, John's younger brother, said. "He...
Members of the Claysburg community are presenting the 19th edition of Claysburg's annual Hee Haw show to benefit the Rotary Club. The program will take place Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, at 7 p.m. Director Dan Crist said that the show is a take on the old Hee Haw show from television. "We adapt some of the skits like the Schoolhouse scene," said Crist. "On TV, they would use one little quick thing. We make a little scene out of it with the kids and Miss Pearl, always getting the brunt...
Dorothy and all of her friends are easing on down the yellow brick road to the Northern Bedford High School on March 17 through the 19 at 7 p.m. According to director Brett Keith, “The Wiz” is a contemporary retelling of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. “ It is the exact same story,” said Keith. “However, it is told through music that is rock, gospel and pop styles.” Keith said that the theme of the show – returning home to a family and people who care about you – it is relevant coming out of COVID shutdowns and pandemic situatio...
The Bedford County Business Hall of Fame induction will take place tomorrow, March 4. “We have been giving a Hall of Fame Award since 1998,” said Kellie Goodman Shaffer, president and CEO of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce. “It has traditionally been given at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner, which is held in the fall.” She continued on to say that there are a lot of businesses that have been given the award. The annual dinner has grown, and the Chamber allocates about 16 awards every year. The Hall of Fame Award is one. “This is an importan...
Two childhood friends from Hollidaysburg have made their dream of working on a major television production a reality. After graduating from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1999, Matthew McLoota received a degree from Syracuse University in 2003. He was a film major with a minor in acting. Then, he moved to New York City. He started doing live shows as a production assistant. McLoota said that he would send out three or four resumes every day for months until he started to get replies. Most of...
Off Pitt Street Theater (OPS), Bedford, will play host to “Molly’s Hammer,” a play based on true local events in the 1980s. According to Director Dawn Ziviello, “It is a really compelling drama about community activism and putting others before yourself.” The play features Molly Rush, a suburban housewife from Dormont near Pittsburgh in 1980. Molly was working with a group called The Plowshares Eight, a political and social activist group adamantly against the prospect of nuclear war. They took many actions to protest nuclear war. The group...
Baker Mansion, home to The Blair County Historical Society, continues to undergo renovations with the help of artist Michael Allison. The professional artist has dabbled in different disciplines, including sculpture, murals and abstract, is working on restoring the various rooms of the museum to their original glory. Allison has been an art advocate all of his adult life and has worked commercially in various art-related fields and has worked in the building trades. He said that because of his...
Historic Hollidaysburg Inc. will hold its 30th annual Candlelight Christmas Open House on Dec. 4 and 5 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The theme for this year's event will be 175 years of Christmas to coincide with the 175th anniversary of the formation of Blair County. The award-winning, completely restored 200-year-old Jacob Walters Log cabin will showcase the early years of Christmas from the early 1800s to 1880s. The cabin will feature what a Christmas and a holiday was like in 1846, the year that Blair County was founded. It is one of the...
Cove Community Theater in Loysburg will present an age-old musical with a twist. The group will be presenting "A Christmas Carol" Sunday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. Show director and theater owner Mary Ellen Laird said that the show is a very well-known show, but this version has a little bit more of a Christian perspective. Laird said that it is great to be back inside the theater building. Because of COVID-19, las...
Author and Roaring Spring native Trisha Ridinger McKee's new release is a Christmas romance, where the main character, Winona, was sheltered by her father growing up. He had the best of intentions and was hiding a past from her. She finds herself pregnant, and the guy wants nothing to do with her. Winona knows that she has to branch out and start her own life and take responsibility. The book is about Winona finding the courage to move on and branch out. McKee said that she was inspired to...
Claysburg Area Community Theatre (CACT) will present Annie Jr. on Friday Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning best musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie Jr. tells the story of a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents. Making his directorial debut with CACT, Edward Weiss believes that the show has an upbeat message. He said the positive message it tells makes it the...
Blair County Historical Society announced their upcoming fall and winter events beginning with this year’s Trick-or-Treat on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. on the lawn of Baker Mansion. Along with candy, they will have little trinkets and toys. On Friday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 31, the Altoona Dance Theatre will be doing a murder mystery at the Baker Mansion. Kate Rimbeck, Operations Manager for the society, said, “The event consists of someone being murdered and then you have to go room to room and talk to each individual. By the end...
In this time of uncertainty, Off Pitt Street Theater (OPS) in Bedford continues to bring live theater to the stage. The fall theater schedule begins with "Fall Fright Nights," a Halloween edition of the group's Atomic Radio, on the third and fourth weekends of October. Director Dawn Ziviello said, "We've got a great cast with a lot of people, a changing cast, probably fifteen different actors." She continued, "We have been hired by several business organizations to do original interactive...
Historic Hollidaysburg Inc. will be presenting a Halloween Fundraiser at their location at 516 Walnut Street, Hollidaysburg on Friday, Oct. 15, and Saturday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 10 p.m. each evening. The event is a fundraiser to raise additional funds to continue renovation projects of the Hollidaysburg Museum House. The roof project is finished. Now repairs to the exterior wood trim, restoration of the original windows, and painting of the wood frames need done. “We decided on a more educational style Halloween event because we are a h...
It is that time of the year again. Homecoming is here. Claysburg’s homecoming will begin with the traditional football game on Friday, Oct. 1, at the Hollidaysburg field. Claysburg-Kimmel will play Juniata Valley, which just recently acquired players from Williamsburg, as Juniata Valley and Williamsburg are doing a co-op. On Saturday, there will be a parade featuring Claysburg-Kimmel’s band, cheerleaders and football team, as well as community organizations, Little Bulldogs and Little Cheerleaders. The parade will start at 2 p.m. and will las...
The Blair County Historical Society will be holding a Ye Old Time Fair on Saturday, Aug. 28 from noon to 5 p.m. in the yard at The Baker Mansion. According to events committee member Barbi Burns, there will be a wide variety of vendors including both crafts and food vendors. There will be a beer tent, plus music, games and a scavenger hunt. One of the highlights of the event, beginning at 2 p.m., will be a beard and mustache contest, which will be from Victorian Times. There will be ten different categories. Winners will receive prizes. There...
Suzanne Pequignot is not only opening a new art gallery. She is also set to take over her brother-in-law Brian Smith's custom framing business, which he has run for 29 years. Pequignot said that Smith decided that he wanted to do something new. "He was thrilled when I said that I was interested in taking it over. So, I am doing that along with expanding to include an art gallery," she said. She added that she has been having an amazing time interviewing many very talented artists in the area...
Movies, dance, music, history and a Ye Old Time Fair: These are just some of the exciting things that are coming up in August at Baker Mansion in Altoona. The month kicks off Aug. 4 at 8:45 p.m. with a free movie night featuring “Toy Story 4.” Then, the 2019 version of “The Lion King” will be presented for another movie night on Aug. 23, also at 8:45 p.m. The mansion’s Sunday on the Lawn series will feature a variety of entertainment starting on Aug. 8 with the Huntingdon Dance Academy on the backyard stage. A week later on Aug. 15, the Altoo...
In conjunction with the 175th anniversary of Blair County, the Blair County courts are also celebrating the milestone birthday. A special free event will be held July 27 at 3 p.m. in courtroom one and is open to the public. According to District Court Administrator Janice Meadows, there will be a celebration commemorating the date of the first court case in Blair County. Senior Judge Jolene Kopriva will be presiding over the event. She says that the ceremony will include admission of new...
Induction into the Claysburg Area Hall of Fame is the highest honor any resident or former resident can receive. "It's normally an annual event" said Rich Allison, founder of Claysburg PAST, the Claysburg history group. The group annually selects up to five people for the induction. The 2020 event, which was postponed due to COVID-19, will be held Saturday, July 17, at 3 p.m. in the Claysburg-Kimmel High School's auditorium. Light refreshments will be served afterward. The seventh annual event,...
The celebration of Blair County’s 175th anniversary continues the weekend of July 17 and 18. The Colonel William Murray Civil War Days will be a two-day event taking place at two different locations including the Historic Hollidaysburg Inc., (HHI) House Museum Headquarters located at 516 Walnut St., Hollidaysburg, and the Jacob Walters Log Cabin Homestead, built in 1820, located at 819 3rd Ave., Duncansville. A wreath laying ceremony will take place at the Union Soldier Monument in front of the Blair County Courthouse Sunday afternoon. Also o...
Editor's Note: The craft show and charity auction have been postponed due to the forecast of thundershowers. The craft show and auction will take place Sunday, July 18. The craft show will last from noon to 5 p.m. The auction will begin at 2 p.m. The Blair County Historical Society is holding a craft show and charity auction to benefit the society. The free event will take place on the lawn of The Baker Mansion. The craft show is from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. with the auction beginning at 2 p.m. Events coordinator for the historical society Kate...
Blair County is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. There will be several events marking the occasion throughout the summer into the fall. • July 17 and 18, Historic Hollidaysburg Inc., is holding Colonel Murray Civil War Days. The cost is $10 for adults and free for children under fifteen. Events will take place in both Hollidaysburg and Duncansville. There will be reenactors, a presentation on Lincoln, information about medicine during the Civil War and Colonel Murray himself. • J...
Summer in Blair County can only mean one thing for motorcycle enthusiasts. It is time for the Pennsylvania Roundhouse Rally to be held at Roundhouse Harley-Davidson in Duncansville. The event started in 2018. The first two years, it was held at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in downtown Altoona, and it was a three-day event in June with vendors and bands. Then, according to Marketing Director Debbra Heath, the organization decided at the end of 2019 that they wanted to do weekend events that wo...
Off Pitt Street Theatre (OPS) in Bedford will provide many entertainment options for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. Starting Friday, May 14, and Saturday, May 15, OPS will be performing a special edition of Atomic Radio. Titled "Spaceballs," based on the late '80s movie by the same name, the show has been adapted for radio by OPS director Dawn Ziviello and will feature a very talented cast of voice actors. The times for the show will be 8 p.m. each night with the doors opening at 7:30...
