Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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Resource Ranger at Canoe Creek State Park James Effinger spoke recently during the history hour at The Hollidaysburg Area Library. Effinger focused on the park's ability to supply different enjoyment for different people. Different groups are coming that didn't come before. After a spike during COVID, the park saw less people, but they are now seeing more people than ever using the park for different things. For example, disc golf is extremely popular. There isn't a day at the park, where...
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Rocky Bleier spoke at the season opener of the United We Can Luncheon on Sept. 21 at The Casino at Lakemont. Bleier's message to the almost-capacity crowd was no matter what obstacles that you may face in your life, don't give up. Instead, find a solution and overcome. Bleier emphasized that it is easy to quit at times, but you never know when that turnaround point is going to be. Bleier said that he thinks that the biggest takeaway received should be to not giving up....
Re-dedication of the Donald E. Witherspoon Memorial Basketball Court in Altoona took place on August 24. Witherspoon, a lifetime member of Blair County NAACP and longtime president, was born in Roaring Spring and graduated from Claysburg-Kimmel High School. He passed away on Dec. 26, 2020. The court was originally revitalized in 2011 under Witherspoon's leadership. Last year, the first dedication was held, and the court was renamed in his honor. This year, the re-dedication brings with it a new...
When the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame holds its 20th induction ceremony on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at The Blair County Convention Center, there will be five individual inductees and one team inductee. Artie Fink Jr. Artie Fink Jr. will be the first golfer and bowler inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame. "It kind of came as a shock. I am one of only three people in Blair County who has played in a USGA Event for Golf," he said. Fink won close to 100 tournaments, both...
It was a cold day in 1973 when Blair County residents opened their newspapers and discovered there was a story featuring the Baker Mansion and The Blair County Historical Society. Chairman of the Board for The Blair County Historical Society Jim Lowe said that normally, that would be a good day. However, that day, it wasn’t good news. The discovery was made that somebody had broken into the mansion the previous evening. Their mission was clear: they removed a number of valuable antique r...
Dr. John Eicher, associate professor of history at Penn State Altoona and current US National Endowment for Humanities Fellow, will present an eight-part lecture series titled "Modern Western Civilization (1500-present) From Dawn to Decadence to Disillusionment" beginning Sept. 13 at the Hollidaysburg Public Library. This is a lecture series that covers all of what historians refer to as the Modern Era - the Reformation and the Renaissance in the 1500s up until the present. The series is meant...
Local historian Julia Plummer Schokker (shown right) presented an homage to the WWII veterans, the local heroes, both alive and those killed in action during the war. The presentation, which took place on Aug. 16, had a special focus on the memorials to WWII. This was the first part in a series of lectures covering multiple wars and multiple memorials. Plummer Schokker said there are so many memorials around town, and all you see on a memorial is a name, sometimes the unit and maybe the date tha...
This year's African American Heritage Festival was held on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30. This is the second year of the event after Paige Lightner reintroduced the festival last year. Lightner said that organizers put together a lot of educational entertainment as well as an African American Drum Ensemble, soul and funk bands, a children's corner and food trucks. Lightner explains the origins of the festival. "About 20-plus years ago, my father, godfather, Harriett Gaston and Rev. Paul...
Community Historian Harriett Gaston spoke to a capacity crowd at the Railroaders Museum for the Blair County Historical Society's Speaker Series. She said that she was hoping to find, share and document the history of African Americans in this community of Blair County and beyond. "I want to show what I have found makes the evidence (of the Underground Railroad) that has been put out there before me." Gaston hopes that people will know that the underground railroad did exist in this county and...
Professional Genealogist Mary Kircher Roddy from the National Genealogical Society made a stop at July's meeting of the local branch. She talked about her research on the Bradley family, her ancestors. Rev James Bradley was pastor at St. Patrick's in Newry for 51 years, from 1832 to when he passed away in 1883. "I used him to figure out all about the siblings and where they came from in Ireland. I was really just interested in my great-great grandfather's brother. At first, I didn't know there...
After the late Dawn Morden lost her son Brian to cancer, she established the Brian Morden Foundation in 2003. With this, she began Altoona Gold Ribbon Game at Mansion Park. At this game, everybody wears ribbons and raises money for families affected by childhood cancer. David Beach, a Roaring Spring native and owner of Fox Chapel Iron Works, was approached shortly after Dawn passed last June. "I actually never got to meet her," Beach said. "The board of the Brian Morden Foundation came to me...
Billy Sweet passed away at the end of June, and leaves behind a lifetime of service to Blair County. Sweet was an active fireman for over 45 years at Claysburg and vice president of the Blair County Chapter of the NAACP for many years. "He wore a lot of hats. He was a firefighter, VP for awhile, Fire Police Captain for while..." Travis Finnegan from the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company said. "The NAACP's successes in Blair County would not have been possible without the added contributions of...
Billy Sweet passed away at the end of June, and leaves behind a lifetime of service to Blair County. Sweet was an active fireman for over 45 years at Claysburg and vice president of the Blair County Chapter of the NAACP for many years. “He wore a lot of hats. He was a firefighter, VP for awhile, Fire Police Captain for while…” Travis Finnegan from the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company said. “The NAACP’s successes in Blair County would not have been possible without the added contributions of Bill Sweet,” NAACP Andrae Holsey said. Sweet’s son...
The Isaac Awards recognized Central High School at the annual awards ceremony that was held in May. Central's drama program was nominated for best dance for its title number "Footloose." Izzy Boyer, who played Rev. Shaw Moore, was nominated in the category of best featured actor. He was one of the leads of the show. He is a freshman. Freshman Marah Goff was nominated for and won best supporting actor in a female role for her role as Rusty. Rachel Wagner, director of Central's production of...
Blair County Genealogical Society hosted a talk about Highland Hall at the May meeting. The hall is a good example of a public building created by a group of citizens who wanted to have a an educational institution. It has lasted for more than 160 years and it is still in use. Genealogical Society member and presenter Margaret Skriesath said that she hoped that the crowd understood the different uses of the building and how it continues to be an important place in Hollidaysburg. It all started...
On June 15, the Blair County Chamber of Commerce held their 2023 Business Hall of Fame and Awards of Distinction ceremony. This year, the two businesses inducted into the hall of fame were Greenwood Pools and Spas and Shoe Fly Stores. Greenwood Pools and Spas was started in 1960 by Clae and Norma Colyer. Clae wanted an in ground swimming pool in his backyard and discovered that there was no one in town to do this. Therefore, he did his research, found the materials and built his pool himself....
Claysburg Area Community Theater presented Clue on Friday, June 16, and Saturday, June 17, at the Claysburg-Kimmel High School auditorium. Director Maria Leppert said that the show is based off of the Parker Brothers board game. Viewers had to try to figure out who was the murderer as the bodies piled up. She said that the audience got a lot of laughs and they were able to use their detective minds to figure out who did it. "I think that it is important to keep the arts alive because it keeps...
Blair County's Fallen Soldiers were honored with a retrospective at the Railroader's Memorial Museum on May 17. James Lowe, chairman of the Board of Directors for Blair County Historical Society, talked about the veterans of Blair County from WWI through the War on Terror, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and never had the opportunity to enjoy the coming home celebrations and welcome home that so many other soldiers did. Lowe said that he has discovered that a lot of these...
The Blair County Sports Hall of Fame held its 2023 Scholarship Luncheon on Wednesday, June 7. The two scholarship recipients were Jeff Hoenstine of Central High School and Lydia Worthing of Bellwood Antis High School (shown). Hoenstine left his mark not only on Central High School but in the Pennsylvania record books. He owns the state record for most career touchdown passes (146) and most career touchdown passes in a single season (57 in 2021). In total, he threw for more then 10,000 yards,...
The Old Portage Railroad was the subject of May’s meeting of the Duncansville Historical Society. Amateur historian Donald B Miller talked about the rise and fall of the Old Portage Railroad. March 21, 1824, a board of Canal Commissioners were appointed. Surveys of routes over the Allegheny mountains were completed in December 1824. In February of 1826 construction of “Public Works” were authorized by legislation. On Nov. 21, 1829, Civil Engineer Mencure Robinson reported on his survey. In 18...
The Hollidaysburg Area School District Alumni Association honored this year’s distinguished alumni at a dinner held on Feb. 11 at the U.S. Hotel. HON. STEPHANIE MARTZ 2023 Distinguished Alumnus The Hon. Stephanie Martz, a 1987 HAHS graduate, is the chief administrative officer and general counsel of The National Retail Federation, where her responsibilities include managing the organization’s in-house counsel department as well as NRF’s policy positions on a variety of issues such as payments and intellectual property. Martz came to NRF in 20...
The last United We Can luncheon of the year welcomed former professional basketball player Tyler Smith. Smith spoke about his basketball career that took him all over the world. However, his main goal was to try to share something positive with the young people who were in attendance. "There is so much negative stuff that we think, we feel and we absorb through our social media and our culture," Smith said. "I want to share with them, things are always going to be hard. Life is hard, but when...
When Jake Webb looks around at the museum that holds his memorabilia and collection that showcases his career, the former bodybuilder sees more than that. "I have a chance to look at my life," Webb said. The Jake Webb Hall of Fame and Museum was opened this past October and is located on Rte 764 in Duncansville next to Progressive Martial Arts and Fitness Center. Owner Rocco Alianiello said, "I wanted to pay tribute to that man." Alianiello added that Webb was so far ahead of his time in...
Bookworms Against Bullies was the featured subject at the latest United We Can Luncheon. Author and Bookworms founder Typhani Russo (shown) shared her experiences with bullies. She also explained what bullying is and how to prevent it. Russo shared that she was bullied from a very young age. It started in elementary school around fourth grade. She said that it all started with the sideways glances and whispering behind her back. Every year, while in elementary school, it got worse. People began...
Off Pitt Street Theatre in Bedford is in the process of expanding its operations to the Johnstown area. “I happened to be in Johnstown last October,” Director Dawn Ziviello said. “I was in at a coffee shop called Classic Elements on Main Street and I struck up a conversation with a lovely lady named Michelle Adams not knowing that she was on the board of trustees of The State Theatre renovation project. We got to talking and a week later I met with the executive director of the project. We are moving toward becoming their resident theat...
The ninth Claysburg Hall of Fame induction was held on Saturday, April 1. The hall of fame committee is made up of members of Claysburg P.A.S.T. Family or friends nominate prospective inductees by sending in an application to the committee. Maria Leppert, chairman of this year's committee, said that the committee picks people who are from Claysburg, but don't necessarily still have to be living there. They have to have done something great in the community. "We meet and read all of the...
Dozens of artifacts stolen during the 1970s have been recovered and returned to the owning institutions. This includes the Blair County Historical Society. This was done through a repatriation ceremony on March 13. In December 2021, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania indicted Michael Corbett of Newark, Del., for possession of firearms and other items stolen from museums in the 1970s. In August 2022, Corbett pleaded guilty to the possession of stolen items transported...
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...
