Laurel Mountain Post :: May 2015

1 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST, September 2013

LAUREL MOUNTAIN

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Thanks, Mom!Tributes to Motherhood, Midwifery, Body-Mind Awareness,Ducks and Chickens, Healthy Living, Entertainment,The Land Around You, Writing, High School Musicals

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the

MAY 2015 | ISSN 2330-6629

2 - May 2015 LAUREL MOUNTAIN POSTPOSTPOSTPOSTPOST

Every Story Begins At Home. May 2015 - 3

When I first started planning this May issue, I felt as thoughI had no creative ideas. Mother’s Day seemed liked such anobvious and overdone choice. But once I sent out the themeassignment, I was gratified by the insightful and variedtakes on motherhood that started coming back.

Ruthie Richardson returns this month with her personalstory on becoming a mother, looking back through the cul-tural lens of the 50s and 60s. Also inspired by that era, Idecided to pursue the profession brought to life by one ofmy favorite shows set during the same era, Call the Mid-wife, now airing on PBS.

“Whoever heard of a midwife as a literary heroine?Yet midwifery is the very stuff of drama. Every child is

conceived either in love or lust, is born in pain, followedby joy or sometimes remorse. A midwife is in the thick of

it, she sees it all.” – Jennifer Worth,

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times.

What about women and babies today? I talked to a certi-fied nurse midwife born and raised right here at home inwestern Pennsylvania. A midwife is so much more than Iever thought, and stands center stage to support our “she-roes” as they navigate a lifetime of circumstances andchoices.

But if not for our mothers, we would not exist to do whatwe do ... raise ducks, direct plays, practice good nutritionand fitness, volunteer, build, travel, meditate, party, runtoward goals, write a novel or a letter ... all those other thingswe talk about this month in the Laurel Mountain Post,where every story begins at home. Thanks, mom.

The Laurel Mountain Post is an independent, monthly publication produced at Fairview Farm inWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania. All material printed herein is subject to copyright andpermission to reproduce in any format must be obtained in writing from the publisher. Thispublication is registered with the US Library of Congress, ISSN 2330-6629.

Cathi Gerhard, Editor & [email protected]

Megan Fuller, Web & Calendar [email protected]

Nancy A. Clark, Contributing [email protected]

Gregory Susa, Co-Publisher & Circulation ManagerCarol Gerhard, Copy Editor

Publisher cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy of the matter represented in the advertise-ments herein published. Please contact the advertiser to verify details.

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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the

“The Voice of Pennsylvania” – BBC News, 2006

– Cathi Gerhard

Mamma Mia!

My beautiful mother, Carol Davis Gerhard, “back in the day.”


Table of Contents

May 2015

On the DiamondANTIQUES

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Multi-Dealer ShopMulti-Dealer ShopMulti-Dealer ShopMulti-Dealer ShopMulti-Dealer Shop

5 Congratulations, Mom, the Rabbit DiedMemory Lane by Ruthie Richardson

9 GLLV Golf Classic & Dinner BenefitThere Goes the Neighborhood by Mike Dudurich

10 Parenthood from Scratch: RaisingChickens and Ducks in Yor Backyard

Down on the Farm by Cathi Gerhard & Gregory Susa

12 Krackin Thru by Hank Baughman

14 Eating the Livingby Hayley Chemski-Horwat MSN, CNRA

15 Westmoreland County Senior Games

16 A Contemporary Look at One of the OldestProfessions: Midwifery

by Cathi Gerhard

18 Body Mind Awareness for Positive ChangeWhat’s Cooking in Fitness by Meaghan Cutrell

20 May Flowers: Southwestern PACorners the Pageant Market by Megan Fuller

22 The Land Around Youby GregoryH. Clark, PLS

25 Heroes and She-roesThat’s What They Say by Rev. Marjorie Rivera

26 New Help for Vermiculite AsbestosRemediation Home Study by Brian Mishler

27 WCHS Trip to Harper’s Ferry

28 Eight Reasons You Should Finally TryYoga and Bring Your Notebook with You

Write Local by Krista Sarraf

30 Moms Know How to Party! by Carol Whelan

32 Muddy Mayhem, part 1 by Drew Williams

34 Writing A Trilogy–Why or Why NotbyJudith Redline Coopey

35 Morley’s Dog Show

36 May-June Community Calendar

43 Red Cross Summer Scholarship Program

44 LMP Distribution Guide

46 Thoughts on Letter Writing by Nancy A. Clark


MEMORY LANEby Ruthie Richardson

Congratulations, Mom, the Rabbit DiedAs another mother’s day rolls around,I was reminiscing about motherhood,and everything that word meant, backin the good old days. Things sure havechanged since I was ‘in the familyway.’ And boy, they have REALLYchanged since my grandma’s day. Isaw a very pregnant girl at the beachthis spring wearing a little stringbikini, and I swear you could see thebaby kicking inside her tanned, enor-mous, and bare tummy. Even thoughI realize how awe-inspiring, beautiful,and magical the entire birth processis, I sometimes find myself frowning.

Babies, who were on their way, backin those good old days, were a veryprecious, very special, and a very secretthing. Once they arrived it was a won-derfully exciting time for celebrations,announcements and sharing the bignews. But before that grand entrance,expecting a baby was not somethingthat was discussed in mixed company,and never when there were childrenaround. I remember when Lucille Ballwas expecting in real life and insistedher condition be written into the storyline of her hit series, I Love Lucy. Thisjust was not done, and it goes to showthe power and influence she had in theentertainment industry that she couldbreak that taboo. I remember that itwas forbidden for her to even use theword pregnant: the censors thoughtthat word was too vulgar. Google saysscripts for the episode were reviewedby a rabbi, a minister, and a priest inorder to make sure it would not beoffensive. But Little Ricky was on theway, and Lucy was not going to hideit. The episode of this groundbreakingbirth received higher ratings than theinauguration of President Eisenhower.

Ladies who were ‘expecting’ (theproper word for it) in those days dideverything they could to camouflagetheir condition. Maternity clothes

were mandatory. Propriety dictatedthat no hint of the growing bundle ofjoy should be apparent. As the preg-nancy progressed the clothing becamebigger and baggier. As a little girl, Iremember visiting friend’s houses withmy parents– and all of a sudden, therewould be a new baby in the house. Wenever knew where those babies camefrom; we certainly had never suspectedthe lady of the house had been carryingit around under all those ruffles! Andas for Lucy and Ricky, we would neverhave guessed how this all came aboutanyway, since,–even though they weremarried–they weren’t allowed to beshown sleeping in the same bed. It wastwin beds only on television* up untilthe 1960’s when Herman and LillyMunster hit the sack together, fol-lowed shortly thereafter by Samanthaand Darrin Stevens. And suddenly itseemed, the invisible door of modestyhad quietly been opened a crack. Wewere in new censorship territory, andKatie couldn’t bar the door any longer.

The decision to have a baby hasalways been a giant step in any youngcouple’s lives. But there weren’t alwaysthe alternatives available in this de-cision-making process that we see intoday’s society. And the decision NOTto have a baby was an even much big-ger burden in days gone by. AlthoughI hesitate in writing about these things,it is all a matter of history. So I will beas proper and sensitive as possible inthe retelling of these realities. Birthcontrol. There, I said it. And back inthose days there sure wasn’t much ofit to choose from. If you didn’t wantto have a baby, the common sensesolution, the one beaten into ourheads, was NOT to have ... well, youknow ... s-e-x. Unwanted pregnancywas a huge deterrent in the behaviorof the dating class of teens back in theold days. Even young marrieds faced

the dilemma of how to postpone oravoid an addition to the family. Al-though the Catholics had it written outfor them in black and white and hadto attest to it in the classes they tookBEFORE they got married. It wassuggested by the Church of Rome,quite enthusiastically, that they wereto have babies, lots of little Catholicbabies. And to try and stop ‘God’s will’in that process was frowned upon.The only birth control even hesitantlymentioned to the Catholic couple wasthe rhythm method, and I’m not talk-ing about dancing. It meant they hadto figure out the little woman’s ‘cycle’and work around it. Good luck withthat.

I remember sitting with my momand grandma one afternoon in the‘60’s, and my Grandma was telling usshe heard on the news about a newmedical breakthrough. It was called‘The Pill,’ and grandma thought it wasquite a leap forward for womanhood.She continued that we modern daygirls were so much luckier than whenshe was a new bride. She said theydidn’t have the ability to plan theirfamilies the way we did. She said theonly option she and my grandfatherhad in deciding whether to haveanother baby or not were those ‘dangovercoats.’ I remember my mom andI looking at each other and burstinginto fits of giggles over that term.Grandma didn’t understand what wefound so amusing.

I read somewhere recently that 40%of births today are out of wedlock.Back in 40’s and 50’s, that percentage,as far as we knew, was 0%. I’m surethere were the so-called ‘illegitimate’babies born back then. And what aterrible term, as if those innocent ba-bies were somehow illegitimate. I

continued on page 6


think we should have referred to theparents as the illegitimate ones. At anyrate, it just wasn’t done. If the un-thinkable happened, and a girl foundherself in a delicate condition, therewas no hesitation, no talking ofoptions; because there were only two.Option #1 – there would be a wedding… probably the following weekend.Shotgun or no shotgun, love or no love,the happy couple was gittin’ hitched!They would quit school and set uphousekeeping The fresh-faced younghusband would get a job, and the newlittle wifey would stay home and raisethe baby. No more high school sports,no more dances or parties, no moreeducation, no proms or graduation orcollege. That life was over; they would

settle into domestic bliss and grow upquickly, with the arrival of their eightpound, premature baby a mere sixmonths later. It was the solution tomake everything legitimate.

Option #2 - The girl would suddenlygo to live with her aunt, or grandmain another city for a while. You know,just for a little visit. The next schoolyear, she would return, a little older, alittle wiser, and a little sadder, to finishup her education. These incidentswhere whispered about but neverreally confirmed. We all had heard ofHomes for Unwed Mothers, wherethose unplanned babies were bornand given up for adoption. And wewere told about the shame and heart-ache for everyone involved. Thosestories were also a great example tohelp formulate our behavior. This old

adage was beaten into our heads, “Youmake your bed, and you will have tosleep in it.” And the fear of thatunknown journey did a great job ofthrowing cold water on our youthfullibidos.

And now, on to the happier scenarioof all the newly-wedded young cou-ples, the high school or college grad-uates, the ones who were settled intotheir new little homes, making a nicesalary and looking forward to addinga brand new bundle of joy to make thepicture complete. I remember whenthat biological alarm clock went offfor me. I was 22, and Doug was 24.We had been living in wedded bliss forthree years, owned our own home(well, at least we had a mortgage onit), were both working, and had saveda tidy little sum of about $300 big fatdollars. Plenty enough to raise a childin our opinion, even considering thefact that I would quit my job to stayhome to take care of the baby! As thesigns of impending motherhood star-ted to make themselves apparent tome, I decided to see the doctor on myown. I didn’t want to get my hopes upearly and have us both be disappoin-ted if it was a false alarm. In those days,the doctor wouldn’t even see you untilyou were ‘late’ by two months. And todetermine if your lives were about tobe blessed by a visit from the stork, youneeded a pregnancy test: and that testincluded a rabbit. If the rabbit died,you were given the happy news thatthe stork, was indeed on its way. Thusthe phrase, The Rabbit Died!

We expectant moms of the ‘60’swere just beginning to read up onwhat exactly was involved in this excit-ing new condition we found ourselvesin. There were actual books startingto be written to help us figure it all out:books by Dr. Lamaze and Dr. Benja-min Spock. Our mom’s generation hadno such information at hand. Theyonly had the opinions and suggestionsfrom THEIR mothers, and that waseven sketchier. The doctors took careof all the decisions, and the new momdidn’t need to know anything aboutanything. In my grandmother’s day,most all babies were born at home. Ifthe doctor couldn’t get there, a mid-wife was called. My grandma told me

continued from page 5

Grandma with my Daddy, 1924.


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that after her babies were born, shewas told not to get out of bed for aweek. And while most of our mothersgave birth in an actual hospital, theywere none too sure of what was goingon, either. It just wasn’t discussed.

Most moms-to-be in the 40’s and50’s were given an injection to induce‘Twilight Sleep’ once they arrived atthe hospital in labor. I guess it was aknock-out punch because when it woreoff, the baby was in their arms, andthey had no memory of what had tran-spired. Even worse, before that, thesedation of choice for childbirth waschloroform. By the time the ‘60’s rolledaround, modern medicine had evol-ved, and now we were offered the epi-dural or spinal block. You could stillbe ‘knocked out’ if that is what youwanted, but now you had a choice.And while men had always beenbanned from witnessing any part oflabor, let alone the actual birthingprocess, starting in the ‘60’s that rulewas beginning to be relaxed some-what. Before that, all expectant dad-dies were relegated to a smoky waiting

room to pace and worry and some-times listen to distant screams fromthe rooms down the hall where theirwives had been taken. No contactbetween them was allowed until afterdelivery, and that could be hours andhours.

By the time our much-anticipatedbaby was ready to greet the world,dads were allowed to remain withtheir wives in the labor rooms, butwhen it was time for delivery, out theywent, back to the daddy waiting room.I remember Doug begging my obste-trician to allow him to be with me forthe actual birth. When the time came,the fabulous Dr. Conte had mewheeled into the delivery room whilehe went out into the hallway, gotDoug, and secretly took him into thedoctor’s lounge. He told him to put ona pair of scrubs, a hat and mask, andfollow him. Doug was instructed to sitquietly beside me and not say a word.But he was there, by my side, againstregulations, to witness the birth of ourdaughter, Nicole. Although they whiskedher away quickly, we got to see her,

and hear her first sweet cries together.I didn’t get to see her again for 12hours, because that was the hospitalregulation for babies to be allowed toleave the nursery and go to their moms.It never occurred to me to demand tosee my baby, and we were not allowedout of bed until we got the OK the nextday from the doctor. It was the longest12 hours of my life. Meanwhile, everymember of our families and all of ourfriends were mooning over my newlittle angel down the hall in the nur-

continued on page 8

Latrobe Area Hospital – I finally get to hold her.


sery. And as for the poor daddies, theywere never allowed to be in the roomwhen the baby was with mom. Theycould only see their new little offspringthrough the glass windowof the nursery.

Today, not only can’tthe public see any newbabies, they can’t evenget onto the maternityfloor without what seemslike top-secret clearance.Babies stay in the roomswith their moms fromthe first breath and areequipped with tiny littleLojack devices because,in this day and age, peo-ple actually sneak intothe hospital and stealbabies. Not so back then.All the babies in the nur-sery were on full and de-lightful display for anyone who caredto look. You could point one out to thenurse, and she would wheel it over tothe windows so you could have a closerlook. Little cards were on each cribwith the baby’s date of birth, length,weight and parents names: pink cardsfor girls and blue for boys. All the birthannouncements were also publishedin the Latrobe Bulletin, along with allthe hospital admissions names and allthe discharges. I’m surprised they

didn’t add a little blurb by each namestating the reason for being in thehospital. The HIPAA folks would bejumping off the top floor of the park-ing garage if they had been aroundback then!

After my daughter was born, I wasin the hospital for five days back in1970. That was the standard stay fora standard birth. A C-section couldkeep you there for a week or two, de-pending on how you progressed. Butthere weren’t many C-sections doneback then. That procedure was re-served for emergency situations.

When it was time to take our littlebundle of joy home, we dressed her upin one of her new little outfits, and thenurse wheeled us to the front lobbywhere our car was waiting. Into thefront seat of our convertible I climbed,the nurse placed my little sweetie inmy arms, and off we drove. Not onlywas there no such thing as infant carseats, there weren’t even any seatbelts.

Today, the delivery room is the‘birthing room.’ It seems like the wholefamily and half the neighborhood areinvited to witness the miracle, if theycan find a seat around the film crew. Iagree that the regulations in place inmy day were much too restrictive, butI think we may have swung the pen-dulum a little too far. And the newmommy and baby are thrown out ofthe hospital in what seems like about20 minutes after the cord cutting cere-mony, which is now done by somepretty reluctant looking and queasynew daddies, if you ask me.

continued from page 7 Maybe the regulations and theprotocol have evolved over the years,but the miracle remains the same.When that brand new little face, withthose brand new little eyes look intoyours for the first time, you realize your

life has been changedprofoundly ... and youwill never be the sameagain. You become trans-formed, from the momentyou see that furrowedlittle brow, that has justendured what must be apretty difficult entry intothis world, and watch itturn into a contentedsleepy face upon hearingthe soothing voice thathas become so familiar:the voice of mommy.

Motherhood – thebest decision I have evermade. It was also the

most exhausting, confusing, worri-some, hand-wringing and worthwhilejourney a person will ever choose totake. You are forever changed, from thefirst moment you look at that little faceand fall so completely in love that ittakes your breath away. My mommyfelt the same way; she told me so whilecupping my face in her hands as shewas loosing her battle with breastcancer. Thank you, mom, for yournever-ending love and understanding.I miss you every day. And thank you,Nicole, for giving me more joy than aheart is prepared to hold. I think that’swhy the happy tears roll down mycheeks sometimes when I look at yourbeautiful face. It’s just that because ofyou, my cup runneth over.

*Editor’s Note: Several sources cite the “MaryKay and Johnny Show” from 1947 as the firstappearance of a married couple sharing a bed.However, it has been dismissed as a blip, and mostconsider“Bewitched” as the first official shift fromthe Hayes Codes, a series of rules and regulationsdesigned to moderate the action of Hollywood filmindustry directors and producers in the 1930s. Formore on the specifics of these TV guidelines, seewww.tvacres.com/broad_bed.htm.

* * * * *Ruthie grew up in an idyllic and magical place– a 1950's childhood, and she loves to sharethese memories with you. Stay in touch: emailher at: [email protected], and look forher on Facebook.

Pink card in the nursery announcing my little girl.

My mommy, happy with her new little bundle ...my brother, not quite so thrilled about it.


THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOODby Mike Dudurich

GLLVChamber Announces 26th AnnualGolf Classic & Dinner Benefit

In any endeavor, capitalizing on mo-mentum is always a good thing. Whe-ther it’s a couple good holes that leadto a good round of golf or a good weekin the office that leads to an uptick inthe bottom line, keeping a grip on thatmomentum, whenever it happens isalways big. And that’s where the Grea-ter Latrobe-Laurel Valley Golf Classicis as it heads toward the 26th playingof the event July 17 at Latrobe CountyClub.

The annual event is coming off oneof its best years ever, and celebratedthat by presenting the Greater LatrobePartners in Education Foundationwith a check for $5,000 on the GLLV’sweekly radio show on WCNS 1480,Good Morning Greater Latrobe. The showis hosted by chamber president DavidMartin and airs each Friday at 8 am.

“The outing was nearly dead in thewater,” said Jerry Supko, SVP of Com-mercial Bank and chairman of theevent. “With the re-branding of thechamber, things changed last year. Forthe first time in seven or eight years,we made some money. The commun-ity really stepped up, and it was nearlysold out.”

Jessica Golden, the director of de-velopment for the Greater LatrobePartners in Education Foundation, ex-pressed great appreciation for the gift.“It’s a tremendous honor and boost forour effort to boost the education pro-gram for our students,” Golden said.“It’s great for us to be a partner andthis is a natural fit.”

The 2015 golf outing will be heldFriday, July 17 at Latrobe CountryClub and, once again, Arnold Palmerwill be the honorary chairman.

“We always enjoy welcoming toLatrobe Country Club the golfers whosupport such fine organizations as theLatrobe Laurel-Valley CommunityChamber of Commerce through theseoutings, and hope that they will havea great day,” Palmer said.

While the check presentation from2014 capped that event, it also servedas a kickoff for this year.

“We’re absolutely hoping to build onthat momentum and it seems like weare,” Supko said. “We have four majorsponsors, and we’re almost halfwaysold out of the field of 120.” Registra-tion that day will be at 10 with a shot-gun start at 11:15 a.m. The round will

be followed by a happy hour and din-ner buffet. Cost is $200 per golfer.

Proceeds will benefit the Chamber’slocal education programs and thework of the Greater Latrobe Partnersin Education foundation. An additionto the committee for this year’s outingis Katie Miller, who was a three-timePIAA girl’s golf champion at Hemp-field Area High School (1999, 2000and 2002). She went on to become astandout for the University of NorthCarolina golf team. She continues toplay the game at a high level and alsomanages the Latrobe Dairy Queen.

“I love getting involved with eventslike this,” she said. “I volunteer for theFirst Tee in Pittsburgh, we’ve gotteninvolved in a big way with BreastCancer Awareness Month in October.I’ve gotten to know David (Martin)and the GLLV staff, and it’s veryexciting.” Miller hopes to be able toplay in the event July 17.

“I can’t wait!” said David Martin,GLLV Chamber president. “This hasquickly become a very special event forGLLV members, and it highlights thechamber’s commitment educationalprograms in our local schools.”

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by Cathi Gerhard & Greg SusaDOWN ON THE FARM

Parenthood from ScratchRaising Chickens & Ducks in Your Backyard

"Regard it as just as desirable to build a chickenhouse as to build a cathedral.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

In early April, Greg and I took theplunge to become adoptive parents to-gether: we purchased 11 Welsh Harle-quin duck eggs from a reputable farm,and placed them in our new incuba-tor. We won’t know how many duckswill actually hatch before press time,because it takes 28 watchful days be-fore they emerge. By early May, weshould know and will report back toyou in the June issue.

Preparing for ducks to join the fam-ily has been much like furnishing anew nursery. First came the incuba-tor and related tools: flashlight, waterbottles, clean space, access to soap andwater, towels, and several ”how-to”books and articles. At 10 ten days, wetried our first “candling,” which iswhere you shine a flashlight behindthe egg while in a dark room to seewhat is developing. A few eggs lookedjust like the reference books, othersshowed nothing, while a few more re-vealed a bit of both: something sort oflike the diagrams, but also not muchof anything. Frustrated and impa-tient, like most expectant mothers, Icalled a local expert for help.

My neighbor, Wally Brewer, was mydad’s best friend, and also grew up ona family farm in in Derry Township(near Hillside). Wally has been rais-ing chickens in his backyard, on andoff for years, and was currently incu-bating some chicken eggs.

“I know it’s hard to do,” he said, “butyou need to have patience. If you havedone everything right, all you can dois wait.”

Doing everything right* includeskeeping the eggs at a steady 99.5oFwith a humidity reading of 86 for thefirst 25 days, and turning the eggs 3-7times a day. The last few days, youmust adjust the temperature down to

98.5oF, increase humidity to 94, andstop turning. Some sources suggestcooling and spraying the eggs withwarm water to simulate the motherduck leaving and returning wet froma swim. Actually, there is a lot of var-ied advice out there, and it’s just asconfusing as multiple editions of Whatto Expect When You Are Expecting.There does not seem to be a single de-finitive guide, but rather systems thatwork for different people after lots ofpractice. I am a bit squeamish aboutthe idea of “practicing” on live ani-mals, though, and am still wrestlingwith guilt over what might go wrong.

Soon I will need to have even moreitems ready to go for the ducks whosurvive this experiment and actuallyhatch. They will need a crib: a safe,heated box to live in with access tofresh water and non-medicated chickfeed (the medicated type is lethal toducklings). I will have to put marbles

Newly-hatched chickens – the fourth and smallestchick is hiding in the back for extra warmth!

in the bottom of the water dish to pre-vent drowning until they learn to swim,which will be several months. With-out a natural mother’s oily feathers tocoat the ducklings, they are sensitiveto cold and could freeze to death in thewater.

Once my ducklings are ready to ven-ture outside for their first tastes offresh, green grasses and insects, theywill need protection from predators:foxes, weasels, raccoons, large birdslike our barn owl, snapping turtles,cats and dogs–to name but a few.Greg is working on a mobile playpenfor them now called a tractor: ascreened in structure with wheels onone end, some protection from the el-ements, and plenty of room to roamfrom one green plot to the next. Wewill also build a permanent duckhouse for them with room to roost andbrood, plenty of storage, and an at-tached yard complete with in-groundswimming pool.

Once they are full grown, I hope totrain my flock to follow me on trips toour farm pond. I will also need to trainour Australian Cattle Dog to help herdthem, rather than pick them up likesqueak toys!

I chose Welsh Harlequins becausebooks describe them as very friendly,good layers, and can be quite broody(sit on their own eggs ,so I will not haveto endure the incubation anxiety again).

“The Welsh Harlequin originated in1949 from two mutant light coloredducklings hatched from pure KhakiCampbells by Leslie Bonnet, a duckbreeder living near Criccieth, Wales.In 1968, John Fugate imported hatch-ing Harlequin eggs to Tennessee, butby 1980, descendants of the originalimports were confined to two smallflocks. To broaden the gene pool,


Welsh Harlequins mother duck with her chicks.

*The method for chicken eggs varies slightly:chicken eggs should be incubated at a tem-perature between 99 and 102 degrees Fahr-enheit (99.5 is often considered to be ideal)and 50 to 65 percent relative humidity (60percent is often considered the ideal). Chickeneggs typically hatch after 21 days of incuba-tion. Consider that number to be a target –not an absolute. During the final three days ofincubation, the eggs should ideally be locatedin a slightly cooler (98.5 degrees) and morehumid (65 percent relative humidity orgreater) environment to facilitate successfulhatching. (according to Grit magazine)

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CONTINGENT

breeders imported additional Harle-quins in 1982, and in 1984 they beganto offer birds for sale in the UnitedStates. The silver variety of the WelshHarlequin was accepted by the Ameri-can Poultry Association in 2001.”(livestockconservancy.org)

Greg and I hope to explore recipesfor cooking and baking with duckeggs, and perhaps (if our flock is largeenough), begin selling them at localoutlets. Duck eggs are similar to a largechicken egg, but have much higherprotein and fat contents. They alsotend to make fluffier, richer bakedgoods. We’ll let you know!

* * * * *Wally’s chicken eggs hatched this pastweekend, and he now has four babiesto add to his new young flock of whiteleghorns (yes, just like Foghorn Leg-horn from Looney Tunes). The firstLeghorn chickens came to Englandfrom America. W.B. Tegetmeier im-ported White Leghorns in 1870 andLewis Wright imported Brown Leg-horns in 1872.

“Leghorns are active, even ambitiouschickens. They are always willing towork, hunting and scratching, givingno prejudice to flower beds or dung-hill; if there is scratching to be done,Leghorns are the chickens for the job.On range they are splendid foragersand small eaters. The breed is prolific,highly fertile, and hardy. Leghornchickens lay very large numbers ofwhite eggs – in fact, they lay as well orbetter than other breeds. It is the com-bination of hardiness, rate-of-lay, andsmall appetite that about 1870 turnedAmerican poultrymen’s heads andwon the Leghorn chicken lasting pop-ularity.” (livestockconservancy.org)

For more information about raisingbackyard poultry, we recommend thefollowing resources:• Hobby Farm or Grit magazine• Your local breeder• Backyardchickens.com• ModernFarmer.com• Local extension office• High school agriculture program• Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks byDave Holderread, 2nd edition


Krackin Thruby Hank Baughman

“Every show. Every show the kids sur-prise me.”

Kids in breakout performances.Cheering, growing audiences. Theydrive Dan Krack. The Latrobe HighArtistic Director has guided, nurtured,cajoled and pulled ever-better perfor-mances from more than 1,000 studentactors and actresses, thru ten straightyears of meticulous, grueling produc-tions.

“I thought I was done at five years,ten shows,” says the English teacherand former professional actor whotoured in a children’s show before be-coming an educator. “I was tired,” hesays. “There’s so much planning andmanagement in stage productions.Not even the casts are aware of it. ButI would have missed the magic and thethrills of seeing how the casts andaudiences are moved by the shows.The fact is, these performances areimportant, to so many people, for somany reasons.”

So, theater champion that he is, Dangeared up and drove on - thru twelveshows, then sixteen. And in March,Krack and a stage-bursting cast of 60high-amp teens put the director at alandmark 20 shows, with a blissfulperformance of Godspell that touched,uplifted and rocked.

“That was yet another show wherethe kids truly rose to the occasion,”Krack says. “Doing things they hadn’tdone in rehearsal, and which theycouldn’t do – until the audience. I satin the director’s booth and cried.”

The kids cried too, after the show.As always.

Krack’s 20, increasingly ambitiousproductions, have been equally di-vided between plays and musicals. Hisfavorite play?

“I would say Noises Off. Very tech-nical, very fast-paced. Also, The Mir-acle Worker and The Crucible. Bothvery challenging as well.” Favorite mu-sicals? “Children of Eden. First showwe did that was completely sung. AlsoGrease and The Wizard of Oz.”

Musicals, of course, are tougher.“They’re bigger, more complex, re-quiring greater collaboration, linkingdialogue, song and choreography,more intensive rehearsals,” Krackpoints out. “When I wanted to do Ozand West Side Story my theaterfriends said ‘Oh my God don’t trythose, they’re just too much.’ But wedid them. And well. We had the tor-nado in Wizard, and all the difficultdancing and music in West Side. Thatshow was a little scary, one I thoughtmight not work. But the kids, it wasincredible to watch them come to-gether and make it happen. The stu-dents on stage here are invested.Because they’ve seen the results. Theyknow the reputation of Latrobe Highshows.”

Indeed. The upward reputation andquality of shows by Dan Krack and hiscounterparts are making high-schoolmusicals an increasingly hot ticket,their popularity flaring beyond thefamilies and friends of talented teens,to regular theater-goers. No less than

the Wall Street Journal has taken noteof the sharper, richer productions onAmerican school stages.

“High-school shows have becomeincreasingly elaborate, with Broad-way-worthy sets and local compe-titions for best actor and actress,” saida Journal story last month, front page.“Fans seek out the student perfor-mances for inexpensive entertainmentor a chance to see a musical thatotherwise might not be performedlocally.”

Serendipitously, this discovery bythe elite Journal of ascending school-stagecraft was co-written by ErichSchwartzel, a 2005 Latrobe High gradand rising, Hollywood-based star atthe top national paper.

“It’s true,” Krack confirms. “Ourmusicals are getting more popular.”Big productions and on-the-moneyperformers are key reasons, of course.Another is that Krack stays aware ofaudiences. “I did the updated, 2012version of Godspell, rather than theoriginal, because it has elements thatkids connect with and today’s audi-ences can relate to.” Example? In oneBible-bending Godspell scene, Jesustakes a call on his cell phone, answer-ing, “Dad?”

Krack’s directing style? “Collabora-tive and demanding,” he says. “In thebeginning I yelled too much. Then Ithought, no, this isn’t the kind ofteacher I am. I won’t be that kind ofdirector.”

His young show-makers appreciateand depend on his high skill and deep

Krack’s Greatest Hits(Greater Latrobe Sr. High, 2005-2015)

Rumors

Bye Bye Birdie

Noises Off!

Pippin

The Miracle Worker

Guys and Dolls

The Foreigner

Grease

The Odd Couple (Female Version)

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

The Crucible

West Side Story

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

Children of Eden

Almost, Maine

The Wizard of Oz

Harvey

Little Shop of Horrors

Twelve Angry Jurors

Godspell

Creating the Beast for Beauty.


knowing. Say some of his studentperformers:

“He’s gifted at finding what eachindividual actor needs to do.”

“He really cares about us. He goesout of his way for us. ”

“He’s simply one of the greatest in-spirations in my life.” And, “He talksto us in professional terms. That ele-vates us.”

Krack appreciates the adulation,but confesses that, “At the beginningof productions, I’m rough and I some-times still lose my temper. The kidssay, ‘Be careful, don’t release theKrackin.’ That’s my wild persona. Butwhen it comes together, they’re allhugs and smiles, and at the end theysay we wish this could go on forever.”

The prolific director is especiallygratified that theater audiences aregrowing amidst the ever-flashingelectronic screens that project andsubsume American life.

“It’s thrilling that we can get peopleto unplug for a while. It shows that thecommunity appreciates good, liveshows.” But he wonders if schools cansustain or grow their arts programs,saying, “Everything comes down to

high-stakes testing and the dollars thatschools receive as a result of thosetests. And when there’s less money, it’sthe arts that are cut. But if they cuttoo much, they’re going to find that wedon’t have creative thinkers.”

For now, high school stage-showsare on a roll, and Krack fans will behappy to know he’s here to stay.

“Oh yes, I love this school. The sup-port is great. The students are welcom-

Troupe leader: a dance for Godspell.

ing to one another. It’s like family.English and theater. Teaching anddirecting. The perfect job.”

Next, Dan’s 21st production, in thefall. The kids will soon get Krackin.

* * * * *

Hank Baughman is a free-lance writer and media pro-ducer. He lives in Latrobe.


Eating the Living?by Hayley Chemski-Horwat, MSN, CNRA

Building Bodeez is located at 154 Pandora Road in Derry Township. 724-739-0105. www.building bodeez.net.

* * * * *Hayley is a Certified Fitness Trainer and the co-owner of Building Bodeez Fitness Center, locatedat 154 Pandora Rd in Derry, PA, as well as a full-time Nurse Anesthetist with the University ofPittsburgh Physicians, currently based at St.Margaret’s Hospital in Fox Chapel, PA. Hayleyoffers a wealth of fitness and health knowledge,serving as the Group Fitness Coordinator andWellness Programs Director at Building Bodeez.

Do you have living creatures deep inyour belly? Most people have the ideathat bacteria—any bacteria—are“bad.” Yet this is certainly not true.

As ‘icky’ as it is to think about ...your body (inside and outside) iscovered in bacteria. The breedingground for nearly 500 different spe-cies, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract orcolon contains about three pounds ofbacteria. Or at least it should! Thesebacteria help to ward off other, moreharmful, bacteria from invading yourbody when not wanted (such as thosewhich create diarrhea or vomitingspells).

The bowel is a comfortable homefor bacteria because it is dark, warm,and moist. For those of us that sufferfrom a diet high in sugar, salt, andfactory foods with less than ideal fiber

intake, our colons are crying for freshfoods (vegetables, fatty acids found infish) and fermented foods (as below)that can help to maintain healthy flora(or bacteria).

A balance between good and badbacteria is ideal. If your colon is “outof whack” and full of unhealthy bac-teria, eventually they spew into therest of the body’s circulation wreckinghavoc on the immune system. Stress,dietary changes, prescription medica-tions, contaminated food, and chlorin-ated water, and other factors can alsoalter the bacterial flora in the intestinaltract.

To maintain a healthy bacterialresidency in your colon you need toingest adequate amounts of probioticsor “good bacteria.” Foods to considereating that are high in probiotics are:

yogurt (Activia is “probiotic infused”),Miso soup, Saurkraut (unpasteurized),soft cheese, sourdough bread, butter-milk, sour pickles, and tempeh.

Probiotic supplements, such asfreeze-dried Lactobacillus acido-philus, are useful but not as whole-some as eating probiotic rich foods asabove. You can ask your health careprovider what supplements he or sherecommends, or stop at the pharmacy.Several companies have a probioticcapsule on market to be taken oncedaily.

Prebiotics are foods that feed theliving organisms in probiotics. You canfind prebiotics in items such as as-paragus, artichokes, bananas, oat-meal, red wine, honey, maple syrup,and legumes. Try prebiotic foods ontheir own or with probiotic foods toperhaps give the probiotics a boost.

A scientific basis for the use ofprobiotics has not yet been publishedwith enough certainty to warrant theprescribed use of probiotics in dailyroutines. However, some health pro-fessionals claim that probiotic use canalso improve skin function, bowelregularity, resistance to cedar pollen,excessive gas and bloating, protectionof DNA, and also act like antioxi-dants. Finally probiotics can avoid anupset in good bacteria brought on byprescribed antibiotics.

Maintain a healthy, fresh diet andmonitor your food intake daily. En-sure that you’re eating enough of theright bacteria so that bad bugs don’trear their ugly heads.

Source: Priobiotic Foods. WebMD. Retrievedonl ine: http://www.webmd.com/digest ive-disorders/probiotics-15/slideshow-probiotics

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Westmoreland CountySenior Games

The 2015 Westmoreland County Senior Games will takeplace May 5-15 at Mammoth Park and several other cen-tral Westmoreland area locations. Any person 50 years ofage or older is eligible to participate in any of the thirty-twoevents. Westmoreland County residency is not required toparticipate in the events. Registration for the Senior Gamescosts only ten dollars. All pre-registered participants willreceive a Senior Games t-shirt, and a free picnic lunch willbe provided for athletes at Mammoth Park on Thursday,May 7 and Monday, May 11.

A few of the events include high and low impact activi-ties, such as bocce, bowling, canoeing, cycling, darts, golf,horseshoes, running, shuffleboard and swimming. Manyof the events will divide athletes into age brackets: 50-59,60-69, 70-79, 80-89, and 90 plus. Medals are awarded tothe top three finishers in each event and age bracket. Thereis also an Awards Ceremony on May 15 honoring the year’ssportsmen and women as voted on by the athletes.

For over thirty years, the slogan of the WestmorelandCounty Senior Games is to “Bring a Friend for Fun and Fit-ness.” The ultimate goal of the games is to encourage anactive lifestyle and continued participation in recreationalactivities beyond age 50. Most of the participants come forthe camaraderie of the games and enjoy competing withfriends and meeting new people. The Games are more aboutfun and fitness than serious competition, and one does nothave to be a super athlete to participate.

The Westmoreland County Senior Games are sponsoredby UPMC For You / UPMC For Life, Highmark, WilliamPenn Care Center, Greensburg Care Center, HomeWell Se-nior Care, Harmon House Care Center, Senior Helpers,Community Care Inc., Humana, SuperValu, SeniorLife,Wholistic Health Center, and 1480 WCNS Radio. To re-ceive a registration booklet, call the Westmoreland CountyBureau of Parks and Recreation at (724) 830-3950, ordownload one online by visiting the County Parks' websiteat www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/parks.

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.

A Contemporary Look at Oneof the Oldest Professions: Midwifery

by Cathi Gerhard

I have been a fan of the PBS Series “Call theMidwife,” as well as the companion books byJennifer Worth, for four years. Ever since Iwatched the first season and read the mem-oirs, I have thought about doing an articleon modern midwifery for the Laurel Moun-tain Post. My knowledge of the profession wasvery limited, and frankly, I used to assumemidwifery was something that had to do withhippies and swimming pool births at home.

Midwives have been around as long ashuman history. The Ebers Papyrus, whichdates from 1900 to 1550 BCE, devotes fivecolumns to Egyptian obstetrics and gyne-cology.

“The ancient Jews called her the wisewoman, just as she is known in France as thesage-femme, and in Germany, the weise frauand also Hebamme or mother’s adviser,helper, or friend. The English ‘midwife’ isderived from Middle English “mit wif, or with-woman”(J.H. Aveling). The Latin term cum-mater and the Spanish and Portuguese termcomadre, have the same meaning: withwoman.” (midwifeinsight.com)

The insightful CTM screenplays and mem-oir pages opened my eyes to the realitieswomen faced in a time which seems so far

removed from my own. Now in its fourthseason on PBS, the online women’s magazineBustle .com has called the series “the mostfeminist and socially-conscious show you’renot watch-ing.” Set in the East End of Londonduring the 50s and 60s, the show’s historicalbackdrop is perfectly timed to explore avariety of issues important to contemporarywomen: motherhood, career, social stand-ing, economics, work-life balance, and theshifting cultural views of the post WWII erathat defined our modern age.

Thanks to the power of Facebook, I wasable to reach out to a highschool classmateand certified nurese midwife, Karen Lint-Nguyen, to find out more about the profession.

Have you seen or read Call the Midwife?

I have watched “Call the Midwife” offand on–I love the promotion of Mid-wifery as an honorable profession. Ihave read so many books writtenabout Midwives, and I love it when Isee documentaries on birth in the USand our fractured health care system.Midwifery has certainly evolved sincethe time period of Call the Midwife...

What is a midwife?

My definition of a Midwife is a profes-sional who is a safe keeper of normalbirth and other common life events forwomen (i.e. Birth, Lactation, andMenopause). Midwife literally means“with woman.” In the USA there areseveral paths to become a midwife.The American College of Nurse Mid-wives is governing body, if you will, ofCertified Nurse Midwives (like me) orCertified Midwives. Most are nursesfirst, and then continue onto graduateor post graduate education in Mid-wifery. CM’s have college degrees inother disciplines and then complete aMaster’s in midwifery. The North A-merican registry of Midwives certifiesthe “traditional” home birth midwife,and no college is necessary. They com-plete an internship, and then sit for anexam to become CPM’s (certifiedprofessional midwives). All types ofMidwives deliver babies. Since I am a

CNM, I can best speak to my type ofMidwifery. Nurse Midwives care forfemales throughout their lifetime. Ican provide gynecology care, careduring pregnancy and birth, someprimary care issues, and lactationsupport.

How did you get into this job?

I attended IUP (Indiana University ofPennsylvania) after high school, know-ing that I wanted to be a Nurse. Duringmy experiences in college in Nursing,and from becoming a mother myselfthroughout those four years, sparkedmy interest in Maternity nursing. Iworked in HIV nursing, Neonatal ICU,and Labor and Delivery and found adeep passion for caring for women inlabor. I had considered moving to Phil-adelphia to go to U Penn to study mid-wifery in 1995, but moved to VA in-stead. Within a year of my move to VA,Shenandoah University was develop-ing a program for CNM’s. I appliedand was accepted into its first class.Midwifery school was hard (like a Resi-dency) and is a real test for the Mid-wife’s family. I figured that I couldmake a big difference in the commun-ity by passionately helping womenwith their healthcare needs. Being anurse makes a difference, but beingsomeone’s Midwife takes it to a wholenew level. You become part of theirgrowing family and a rooted memberof the community.

I have been a CNM for 16 years now,and it has been such an amazing ride.The lifestyle is hard, since babies comewhen they want and not on any Mon-day through Friday schedule. But, if Ihave to wake up at 3 AM and go towork, I feel privileged that it is towelcome a baby into this world. It issacred, and I do not underestimate theimportance of being there for thebirthing family.

How many babies have you delivered?

Karen Lint-Nguyen, Certified Nurse Midwifein Winchester, VA.


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I have delivered over 2500 babies, andactually, I stopped counting since I candeliver anywhere from 10-18 babies amonth. I have training in home birth,but I deliver in the hospital setting. ILOVE that women have some optionsand hope that this expands throughoutmy lifetime. We need to look at coun-tries like the Netherlands and Swedenin order to improve our outcomes andpromote healthy birth choices.

Is midwifery more thanjust delivering babies?

Midwifery is certainly more than justdelivering babies. I love my yearly visitswith patients for their GYN care. It isso rewarding to see a Grandmother, amother, and her daughter for theirwomen’s healthcare needs. As I said,you become part of their family. In thenext few years I’ll enjoy delivering ababy from a baby I have delivered. Itwill be a full circle of life event for meas a midwife. I guess if I practice longenough I could conceivable deliver thegeneration after that as well. WOW...what a thought!

I see patients throughout their preg-nancy, and stay with them throughouttheir labor and birth. We provide careafter their birth, and then hopefullythroughout the rest of their life. I lovebeing with a naturally laboring moth-er in her course of labor. I love seeinga family come together and grow.Many births still make me cry, espec-ially when a mother is so overwhelmedwith joy at her efforts of giving birth. Ihave patients with epidurals too. I loveto support women in whatever man-ner they choose to labor. “With wom-an” doesn’t just mean only womenwho choose natural birth. I never hada midwife for my own births, but I hadfabulous MDs who supported mywishes as well.

What is a doctor’s role in the birthprocess when a midwife is invloved?

In my practice I work side by side withOB/GYNs. We complement eachother well, and it makes the transitionto high risk needs and surgery seam-less when we work together. If all isgoing well with a labor the MD is

usually in the office or at home. Mostof the time they never even see thepatient in her labor–unless I think sheis going to need a Cesarean Section.And I never hesitate to ask them forhelp when the situation calls for it.

What is your favorite midwifery story?

I have one woman I have deliveredseven times: I know her and her familyso well now. Each time I am with her

in labor is such a blessing for me. Youget to be lifetime friends with womenlike this. I have been with mothers ingood times and also bad times. My onepatient had a baby who died near theend of her pregnancy for no knownreason-–being with her in this delicatemoment of giving birth to her little boyhas left a deep impression on me aboutgrace and the strength of women toendure so many things in their life. She

continued on page 21

FOUR GENERATIONS: Karen (far left) pictured with (from left), her mother, Deb;her daughter, Katie; and her granddaughter, Kailynn.


by Mark Rullo MS, CSCS, MES with Meaghan CutrellWHAT’S COOKING IN FITNESS

Body Mind Awareness for Positive ChangeCognitively the mind processes onaverage of 15,000 to 50,000 thoughtsper day. Many individuals ruminateon past events or hold anxiety towardsthe future. Negative thoughts mayoverwhelm the mind creating blocksthat disable change of perspective overa situation. Often negativity leaves anindividual feeling stuck in quick sand,unable to escape. Consciously choos-ing to live in negativity, away from thepresent moment is a mindset thatmany individuals fall into when man-aging and coping with grieving loss ordepression. The key is to notice nega-tive thoughts that arise in the mind ineach present moment and allow thosethoughts to simply pass. The impor-tance of quietly observing the im-mediate environment dramaticallychanges the mindset and increasespositivity. This concept is known as“Mindfulness.”

As Marianne Williamson, Americanspiritual teacher, author and writer,states, “you must learn a new way tothink before you can master a new wayto be.” A positive psychological mind-set strongly benefits individuals em-barking on a journey to change phys-ically, mentally, emotionally and spir-itually. For example, individuals be-ginning a weight loss program needto develop patience while understand-ing the rules that drive weight loss viadaily behaviors. Results are not a-chieved instantly, as modern societyhas our mind programmed to believe.Changing the way in which one thinks,changes behavior and thus changesattitude. Maintaining a continuousfocus on positivity, while noticingwhen the mind begins to wander pro-motes mastering a better individualself or way to be.

Mindfulness personally trans-formed my life dramatically since2009 when I experienced the sudden

traumatic loss of my father. The griev-ing process I experienced significantlyaltered my mind, body and spiritconnection. My nutrition habits be-came quite poor with excessive overeating past the point of feeling full. Iwas consuming large portions doublethe serving size, and consuming foodthat did not harvest nutritional bene-fits. Along with nutrition, my exercisesignificantly decreased; I lived in amindset of negativity, and until I fullycommitted myself to mastering a newway to think that in turn, fostered anew way to be. Through ten monthsof dedication to self-love, mindfulnessand using positive methods to controlnutrition and exercise I experiencedsignificant results; I lost 40 pounds,and gained an immense amount ofstrength: physically, mentally andemotionally.

The first component that is essentialto improving psychological and men-tal wellbeing is nutrition. Many indi-viduals find nutrition one of the lar-gest hurdles in weight loss and main-taining weight loss. Expanding andbroadening an individual’s perspectivegrants the ability to embrace change.Ideally, begin by learning the caloricvalue of your foods while looking toincrease your intake of fruits, vege-tables and proteins. Then set smallintentions such as choosing to chewslowly and notice each individualflavor on the taste buds as small butextremely beneficial habits incor-porated into your lifestyle to make ahuge difference. In addition, portioncontrol is vital. For example, vegetableservings should be about the size of abaseball, protein about the size of yourfist or a deck of cards, fats are propor-tionate to two dice or teaspoons, fruitsabout the size of a tennis ball andcarbohydrates about the size of ahockey puck. Eating a well balanced

diet along with slowly mindfully eat-ing allows the mind to understand thatthe body is full.

Furthermore, the second compon-ent that improves psychological well-being is exercise. Exercise naturallypromotes the release of the endorphinsin the brain known as neurotrans-mitters, such as serotonin, dopamineand norepinephrine. These neuro-transmitters reduce symptoms of de-pression and anxiety naturally withoutthe need of an anti-depressant. Imple-menting an exercise routine alongwith mindful eating certainly pro-motes success in weight loss. Incor-porating fitness into weekly routinesis challenging for time management;however, not impossible and againstarts with your mindset. As the Na-tional Foot League promotes the “NFLPlay 60” encouraging 60 minutes ofactivity per day, if you would embracethat strategy, it is only 4.2% of yourweek leaving you with 95.8% to dowhatever you want or need to do.

My transformation substantiallybenefited through investing an hour aweek with a fitness professional at MyFitness Kitchen. Strength training andcombining metabolic exercises once aweek with a fitness professional wid-ened my perspective of various rou-tines that I incorporated into my indi-vidual workouts to drive my success.

Even with the general tips on nu-trition and the benefits of activitylisted above, without the proper mind-set one now can see how easy FOODcan be the most abused anxiety drugwhile EXERCISE is often the mostunderutilized antidepressant.

May is National Mental HealthAwareness month. Be mindfully awareof the intake of food and acknowledgeits primary role – to fuel your body.For activity try something new when


it comes to exercising, fight the agingprocess by beginning a resistancetraining program, add a walk to yourdaily routine or experience a work outclass with a friend.

The process begins in the mind, asthe mind notices positive changes, thebody’s awareness will adjust and changewill follow. Setting small intentions toslowly build upon gives you the foun-dation to naturally lead a lifestyle ofpositivity and mindfulness. Always bekind to yourself as you embrace posi-tivity as you embark on a journey toenhance your mind, body and soul.

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For more information, please feel free to consultwith any of the fitness professionals at My FitnessKitchen®. Additionally, as an on-going thank youto Laurel Mountain Post and its readers, mentionthis article for a FREE, no obligation, personalized,metabolic nutritional formula and fitness pro-gram that will leverage the “Hierarchy of FatLoss.”

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My Fitness Kitchen® is located in Latrobe 30plaza, Latrobe PA. My Fitness Kitchen® is aweight loss and body transformation center thatalso happens to have a fitness center connectedto it. From the moment you enter My FitnessKitchen® regardless of your age, fitness level orexperience, it’s all about “You.” The supportivestaff, welcoming atmosphere, and friendly mem-bers combine to create the most unique and com-fortable environment for your weight manage-ment and fitness success. Whether it is Nutrition,Fitness or both, you can be confident My FitnessKitchen® is the solution to a healthier andthinner you.

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About the Author: Meaghan CutrellMy Fitness Kitchen Exercise Psychology Intern,Saint Vincent College Bachelors of Science inPsychology, May 2015

Meaghan is currently completing a Mindful-ness Stressed Based Reduction course from Uni-versity of Massachusetts Mindfulness Centeralong with applying to graduate schools to com-pete her Masters of Arts Degree in Health andSciences.

Meaghan’s personal dramatic transformationoccurred over ten months with a 40lbs weightloss along with 25 inches over her entire body.This transformation truly inspired her to live alife of mindfulness while expanding her know-ledge in the field. Meaghan leveraged the toolsimplemented at My Fitness Kitchen that assistedin producing extremely successful livable results.Meaghan implemented My Fitness Kitchen’ssaying of “The Mind Trumps the Body” by strong-ly emphasizing daily nutritional coaching andpersonal training into her weight loss regimen.Weight loss is a science that Meaghan gracefullyembraced for long-term management and per-sonal success.


May Flowers:Southwestern PA Corners the Pageant Market

Susan Fancsali is 22 years old and the newMiss Pennsylvania. She started enteringpageants just three years ago, but impressedthe pageant director with her volunteerism,so much so, Susan won the Super Role Modelaward. Katy Chrisman of Whitehall, PA is thisyear’s Mrs. Pennsylvania. At 30 years old,she had never entered a pageant prior to thisone but she came out a winner! They werehappy to share their stories with the LaurelMountain Post.

Please give us a bit of background:where did you grow up? Attendschool? What do/did you study?

MISS: I grew up in Pleasant Hills,PA just a small borough of twosquare miles and graduated fromThomas Jefferson High School. Iattended Allegheny CommunityCollege for two years and thentransferred to California Universityof Pennsylvania –I will graduate inDecember of 2015 with a bachelor’sdegree in Human Resource Man-agement, with a minor in BusinessManagement and a minor in Market-ing. While in school, I work in the Aca-demic Records office at Cal U, and Iam part time front desk clerk at LAFitness in Pleasant Hills. I am also awedding gown model for WeddingClickers and do modeling for the Mallat Robinson. There I do the KDKA TV-Trend Report for the Mall at Robinsonon Pittsburgh Today Live.

MRS: I grew up in Castle Rock, CO(which is about an hour south ofDenver). I was very involved in sportsgrowing up, which allowed me to earna Division I Soccer Scholarship toMarshall University in West Virginia.While in school I studied Marketingand Management, and also met myfuture husband, Brian (who was astudent-athlete as well; a pitcher forthe baseball team). After graduatingfrom college we moved to the SouthHills of Pittsburgh; where Brian wasraised. We both began our careers,and started to build a life together

(Brian entering the Wealth Manage-ment/Finance field, and I in the Medi-cal Device/Supplies industry). Brianand I got married in September 2010,and welcomed our daughter, Char-lotte, in April of 2013. She truly is thebest thing that ever happened to bothof us, and brings a smile to our faces

every time we think about her. Whilewe were busy with a very indepen-dent toddler, I managed to obtain myMaster’s in Healthcare Administra-tion before she turned one (crazy- yes).

What is the story behind your entryinto the pageants? How did youbecome a contestant and what lead upto your entry?

MISS: I only started pageants at 19, soI was not a “seasoned” pageant girl.Many of these young ladies startedpageants at a very early age. I had onlybeen in two previous pageants; I wasfirst runner-up in both. I decided togive myself one more try and do theUSA National Miss Pageant since Ilove what they stand for. There areRunway, Interview and Evening gownportions of the competition, and theyare very community service-orientated.My official title at the state level is USANational Miss Pennsylvania.

MRS: I was never involved in BeautyPageants growing up; I was morecomfortable in cleats with my hair ina ponytail (and still secretly am). Ilearned about the Mrs. United Statessystem last summer, and after re-searching the delegates, and require-ments, I decided to do something

completely outside of my comfortzone–with some second guessing/reassurance from my husband; Ithrew my hat in the ring to becomeMrs. Pennsylvania United States. Ihave to say it is still surreal and veryhumbling holding the State title forsuch a great state!

Where and when do you go on tocompete? And for what title?

MISS: I will compete for the Nation-al title at the Swan and DolphinResort in Disney World beginningat the end of July. It starts July 27and ends Aug. 1st. The winner will

be the USA National Miss.

MRS: I will be competing in Las Vegas,NV this July for the title of Mrs.United States! This is such a tremen-dous honor, and I have to admit, I geta little nervous thinking about it al-ready! There will be one delegate fromeach state, and I cannot wait to becompeting with some of the most ac-complished, and well-rounded womenin the country.

What do you hope to accomplish asMiss/Mrs Pennsylvania?

MISS: I am focusing on communityservice and giving back to the state ofPennsylvania, while making our stateproud of what I stand for and who Iam. I volunteer for the Ronald Mc-Donald House, Special Olympics, andChildren’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

MRS: I had the opportunity to coach aclub soccer team in college with mybest friend/teammates. The young

Susan Fancsali and Katy Chrismon

Interview by Megan Fuller



will ALWAYS be so very special tome, and I hope to place a screamingbaby into her arms one day!

What does the future hold for you?

I grew up in Derry, PA. I went to yourtypical small town USA school andloved being part of a small com-munity. I graduated from DerryArea High School, IUP for collegein Nursing, and Shenandoah Univer-sity in Winchester, VA for Graduateschool. I am considering working onmy doctorate, but for now I amenjoying watching my children growup and get married. I have onegranddaughter that I got the joy ofwatching being born.

What are the biggest issues facingwomen today?

The biggest issues facing women iscontinued misogyny. Women havedecreased access to many things andrights in this world. My greatesthope is that women will be respectedand treated equally. My greatestissue, personally, is balancing work,family, and faith and trying to do allthings well.

Karen, once a glowing mom-to-be.

ladies we coached were 13 when webegan coaching them, and are nowonto their own careers. I had thechance to make an impact (which Ihoped was a positive one) on theseyoung women when I was still figuringout who I was/where I wanted to goin life. I think having a positive effecton today’s youth is priceless, andsomething I do not take lightly. I amnow a mother, and hope to become arole model for my daughter. I want toshow her you can be a wife, mother,business woman, and still have thechance to make a difference in yourcommunity. I think making my daugh-ter, and young women proud, whilebeing a role model is something (it maysound cliché) that is my top priority.

What types of appearances have youbeen making?

MISS: I met the Governor of Pennsyl-vania on Monday, April 13. I also metthe Mayor of Pittsburgh this past April6th and met councilman Corey O’Connorand State Representative Bill Kortz. Irecently spoke at a Rotary Club meet-ing and had the opportunity to ride theZamboni at a Pens Game!

MRS: I am involved with Project Linus(a National Non-Profit Organization)with a local chapter here in Pittsburgh.Project Linus donates handmadequilts and blankets to terminally ill,traumatized and in need children. Itis a fantastic association, so I hope tocontinue to bring awareness to theirefforts in the community with my title.I was the Mistress of Ceremonies at St.Elizabeth’s Spring Fashion Show andFundraiser several weeks ago, and Iwill be appearing on WPXI in earlyJuly. I am anxious to continue to makeappearances over the coming months;so if anyone has an event in mind,please reach out to me. I would love tocome out and help in any way I can.

What is your advice to otherswho are interested in entering similarcompetitions?

MISS: It is a wonderful opportunity tobuild self-confidence, make friend-ships, and learn about yourself in waysyou may have never thought possible.

MRS: Be confident, and don’t everdoubt what you can accomplish! Ithink surprising yourself keeps youchallenged and growing as an indi-vidual. One of my favorite quotescomes from Henry Ford, “Whetheryou think you can, or you think youcan’t; you’re right”.

What are your favorite things aboutSouthwestern Pennsylvania/theGreater Pittsburgh area? How do youcarry these things with you to thenational competition?

MISS: My love of libraries, our famousKennywood Park, the Heinz HistoryCenter, our sports teams. We have somuch to offer here in SouthwesternPennsylvania.

MRS: I really have enjoyed living inPennsylvania over the past eight years,and what makes Pittsburgh such agreat city is the “small town” feel it em-bodies. I have found that everyone isconnected to one another in someway, but the city continues to growtremendously, and continues to be oneof the top places to live in the country!I really enjoy the importance of familyin the Greater Pittsburgh area, andwill take these beliefs and mentalitywith me to Nationals, and throughoutmy reign.

Is there anything else you would liketo share?

MISS: The quote that I truly believe inis from Walt Disney, while he hadmany failures, he saw a lot of hisdreams come true. So his quote was;“All your dreams can come true if youhave the courage to pursue them.”

MRS: I am truly humbled and honoredto be representing the State of Penn-sylvania, and excited to make everyoneproud in Las Vegas this July! Thankyou all for your support, and I apprec-iate this opportunity to tell you a littlebit about myself. Please feel free toreach out to me with any requests forappearances:

Email: [email protected]: @therealmrspaus

Facebook: Mrs Pennsylvania United States Pageant


The Land Around YouBy Gregory H. Clark, PLS

National Surveyors Week, first pro-claimed in 1984 by the President, iscelebrated during the week in Marchthat begins with the 3rd Sunday.Several well-known figures of Ameri-can history were surveyors includingGeorge Washington, Thomas Jeffer-son and Abraham Lincoln. Three ofthe four presidents carved on MountRushmore were surveyors.

Today, land surveying includesvarious fields of expertise such asgeodetic surveying, hydrographicsurveying, construction surveying orboundary surveying. The boundarysurveyor must have special knowledgeof the law and history of the landwherein he works his trade.

At some time in history that patchof land you call home was deeded outof a larger parcel. The larger piece waspart of an even bigger tract, and so on.Far back in time we could find the en-tire world with no boundaries of indi-vidual ownership. At one time the landyou live on was considered wilderness.

Dividing a larger piece of land intotwo or more smaller parcels is called aland subdivision. The lines separatingthe individual parcels are called landboundaries. Land boundaries may bedescribed on paper, marked on theground, or both. Marking a boundaryon the ground is the setting of objectslike stakes, stones or other monumentsat appropriate locations to makeobvious to those in the neighborhoodwhen they are stepping from one pieceof land onto the next.

Each land boundary has its ownstory dating back to its time of cre-ation. If properly monumented on theground at time of creation, and if themonuments are preserved, the historyof that boundary is preserved.

Suppose you own a piece of land andlive on the property. It is obvious whensomeone enters the doorway and intoyour house that person is on yourproperty. But, exactly where is thatline that separates your land from theneighbor?

The deed for a parcel of land oftenincludes a written description of theboundaries around the property.Ideally the written description and themarkings on the ground agree, butsince we do not live in a perfect worldthis doesn’t always happen. Theaccuracy of the description comparedwith the physical location of monu-ments set by an original surveyordepends on the technology, methodsand standards of land measuring atthe time the original survey was per-formed. Methods and tools availableto the modern land surveyor are muchadvanced compared with a century ortwo ago. A measurement today be-tween two monuments first set in theground sometime in the past can beaccomplished with greater accuracythan at the time of the original survey.Still, surveyors are aware that everymeasurement contains error but striveto minimize that error to the acceptedstandards of the time. Monuments onthe ground set and recorded at thetime of an original survey are morelikely to control the location of landboundaries than the dimensions inyour deed.• “My deed says I own 28 acres”;which may or may not be true.• “My deed says I own 755 feet backfrom the road”; which may or may notbe true.

Original Surveys &Retracement Surveys

Land boundary surveyors perform twodistinct types of boundary surveysknown as either an “original” surveyor a “retracement” survey. An originalsurvey is the establishing of boun-daries on the land for the first time.The original surveyor walked theground and identified land boun-daries with objects such as stones,posts, pins etc. In the process, the sur-veyor recorded measurements ofdirection and distance between theobjects. The accuracy of those mea-

surements depended on the tools,methods and technology of the time.A deed was prepared which includeda description of the relationship ofthose objects. Perhaps a map wasdrawn and included with the deed orfiled elsewhere.

A retracement survey is the re-establishing of land boundaries firstcreated in the past, which may havebeen any number of years ago. Theretracement surveyor has one primarygoal, which is determining the locationof those objects on the ground indi-cating the “footsteps” of the originalsurveyor. The stone or post or pin men-tioned in the records of the originalsurvey controls boundary location. Asa surveyor in western Pennsylvania Ihave found it likely that a retracementdistance between objects will be largercompared with the written descriptionfrom a century ago.

The land boundary surveyor oftendedicates much time researchinginformation. Investigation mightinclude chain of title to the subjectproperty and adjoining properties,meeting with local residents in searchof landmarks or monuments, or ana-lyzing aerial photography. The sur-veyor investigates the history of theland to help determine boundaries.

The original surveyor may have beena person with expertise in land mea-surement employed to subdivide theland, or may have been the parties tothe subdivision meeting on the landand together setting stakes (objects) inthe ground to delineate new bound-aries. Without appropriate measuringtools and methods it is easy to see howdistances may have been estimated orstepped off and those numbers writ-ten in a deed description regardless oftheir accuracy.

Today, land subdivisions are oftenregulated requiring that licensedsurveyor’s measure and describe theland. Future retracement surveys oftoday’s subdivisions will be performedwith greater certainty compared with


resurveys of subdivisions from thepast.

Boundary disputes may arise whenmonuments cannot be found in theiroriginal undisturbed locations. Thewood post rots, the iron pin rustsaway, the stone corner is hidden by acentury of leaf debris, or perhaps thefarmer found it convenient to removea stone set by an original survey anduse it as foundation for a corn crib.When the objects defining the foot-steps of the original surveyor are lost,determining the true boundary locationon the land becomes more challenging.

Protect, Maintain andPerpetuate Your BoundaryMonuments

One of the best things a landowner cando to avoid disagreement and disputewith a neighbor regarding landboundary is protect and perpetuatethe location of original monuments seton the ground by the original surveyor.Utility companies have been known todisturb corner markers when diggingtrenches or setting poles in the ground.When clearing land for improvementsbe sure the equipment operator isaware of any monuments. When ac-quiring land inquire with the previousowner and neighbors where boundarymonuments exist. When passing titleto land make sure the new owner isaware of existing boundary markers.

A rotting stump may be all that re-mains of an oak tree boundary monu-ment mentioned in a deed. Before thestump completely disappears it maybe wise to perpetuate that location bypiling stones or setting an iron stake

at that spot on the ground. A stainlesssteel pin could be driven into theground where a pipe set 50 years agoto mark a property corner is nownearly rusted away at ground level.

Document any improvement orreplacement of monuments with‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs. Writedown a few notes describing the chan-ges. Any record of changes to originalmonuments is useful to future land-owners or surveyors. Ideally theserecords and notes should be recordedin a public office. You, your children,grandchildren, neighbors and otherfuture landowners will benefit fromthis effort on your part. The goal is toperpetuate and maintain evidence ofthe spot on the ground occupied by theoriginal monument.

Your boundary is also your neigh-bor’s boundary. Don’t be shy aboutsharing with others in your com-munity what you know of land bound-ary monuments in the neighborhood.Let others know of that stainless steelpin you set at the rusting pipe.

Boots on the Ground

If you engage the services of a landsurveyor, don’t be surprised to see himin places that seem to make no sense.What is he doing on the neighbor’s hilla half mile away? When performing aretracement survey, the surveyor mayneed to travel around a good portionof the neighborhood locating evidence

of original monuments. It may benecessary to define the perimeter of theparent tract from which your piecewas subdivided.

Before completing a survey, theremay be traverse points scattered inplaces other than on property linesand corners. After completion, thesurveyor can then identify those spe-cific marks and stakes on the groundsthat indicate actual boundaries. Thelandowner should meet with the sur-veyor in the field to walk the newlysurveyed boundaries together. Invitethe neighbors to join you.

The Undisputable Boundary

Speaking in generalities it would seemanything in the world can be disputed.When referring to land boundaries, itshould be essentially hopeless to winan argument that a land boundary isin a location other than as marked onthe ground by original monuments.True boundaries are those defined bythe footsteps of the original surveyoron the ground evidenced by originalmonuments.

* * * * *

Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors, anaffiliate of National Society of ProfessionalSurveyors, is a statewide professional organi-zation that supports the practice of land sur-veying. The society focuses on providing educa-tion, encouraging legislative involvement, en-hancing public awareness, and promulgatingethics of the profession. For information aboutPennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors, visitwww.psls.org; for information about NationalSociety of Professional Surveyors, visit nsps.us.com.


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Mainly, I wanted to cite this quote becauseDr. Angelou used the word “She-roes!” Yes,I do realize that the proper word would beheroine, and that hero is technically a gender-neutral word. But “She-roes” is just such anawesome expression, and I wanted to writeabout celebrating what we find miraculous.

I took a class once about storytelling.During this class, we were asked to go backin our lives and look for the storytellers.Could we remember who told us the goodones? I looked back in my life, and all roadslead to a particular teacher I had in HighSchool, named Mr. Bartoletti. Mr. Bartolettiwas tall and lean with a passion for math.I don’t remember if I was the teacher’s petor anything like that. I don’t rememberhaving any sort of personal conversationswith my teacher either. He was a teacher,and I was a student, nothing extraordinaryabout our relationship at all except Mr.Bartoletti was an exceptional teacher. He

Thought-Provoking Insights on CommonQuotations by Rev. Marjorie Rivera

THAT’S WHAT THEY SAY

Heroes and She-roes

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrateour heroes and she-roes!” – Maya Angelou, The Complete Collected Poems

was funny, and I remember laughing throughhis classes all the time. I was a pretty goodstudent, so let me say that I wasn’t requiredto take math at all after 10th grade, but Idid. I took two maths at all times. I likedmath because it has rules. Everything iseither cut and dry, right or wrong, and itmade sense. There were no gray areas. MrBartoletti was able to use his humor andstorytelling to help us see the gray areas oflife. He was also able to light within me arespect and love of all things math, order,and logic. He also helped me learn how Ilearn. Experientially. He would teach us aconcept and immediately let us apply it. Itwas then sealed into our noggins. Well, atleast I can say it was sealed into mine.

When I took the storytelling class, I wasin Seminary. “Fellowships of the Spirit” tobe more exact, in Lily Dale NY. The founda-tional pastor there is named Elaine Thomas;she is my mentor and teacher inspiration.

A true Heroine or She-Ro in every sense ofthe word, Elaine teaches by leading you toyour most authentic and powerful self. Ihave heard it said that the journey fromthe heart to the head is the length of theSpiritual Journey, I am glad I had a guideon that journey. Her name was Elaine. Elainehelped me learn that people relate to usthrough our story. When we have been there,and we have navigated the same waters, welearn a thing or two about helping.

Thank you to my Hero and She-Ro. Theteachers who helped me most, teach withhumor and teach with heart. To celebratethem, I also teach with humor and heart.

So, dear readers, who are your Heroesand She-Roes? What did they teach you?How do you celebrate them? I celebrate bybeing thankful for the lessons, and tryingto be a good teacher and an inspirationalminister. I think Dr. Angelou would beproud. She is a She-ro too.

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HOME STUDYby Brian Mishler

New Help for VermiculiteAsbestos Remediation

In many regions of our country, homeinspectors charge an additional fee for“older” homes – those over 60 yearsold. When I talk to those inspectors itmakes me smile; with the housingstock in our area what it is, I’d have tocharge extra on 90% of my inspec-tions. Alas, there will be no old homefee in my foreseeable future.

The oldest home that I’ve ever in-spected was built in 1773, and that’sone of the things I love about homeinspection – seeing history throughconstruction. Most of us live in themoment – and our house – withoutgiving much consideration to timespast or the condition of our own homewhen it was built.

We don’t stop to think that pioneersof the 1700s, 1800’s and early 1900’sdidn’t build most of their homes withthe intention that they would still bestanding over 200 years later. Theywere simply building shelter for theirfamily while at the same time tryingto provide food, defend from wildanimals and anything or anyone elsewith mal-intent. Electricity? Indoorplumbing? Central heat? Not evenheard of. Some creative types did man-age to put a well or spring in the stonefoundation basement, so they didn’thave to go too far or put themselves atrisk to fetch water. However, many putthe outhouse or latrine too close totheir drinking water source, as theydidn’t have an understanding of bac-teria. If you google a picture of BenFranklin’s house, please note his welland outhouse are 10 feet apart! To thisday, few have an understanding of howsubterranean water moves. We as-sume if the water source (well, etc.) ishigher than the septic (sewer) we’reOK, but forget that the rock stratabelow ground may move in the oppo-

site direction. But that’s a topic foranother day.

In the early 1900’s, and nearly si-multaneously, we added electricityand indoor plumbing. A guy by thename of Thomas Edison had deviseda way to create an electrical grid anddeliver it into homes. The light bulbwas the high tech invention of the day.But there were other less-noted, butequally important inventions: such asreliable piping, made of lead, steel,and clay. We started putting one outletper room and one light fixture. Whoneeded more? We didn’t have any-thing to plug into them anyway! Theflush toilet made its debut; we nolonger had to go outside, an especiallyexciting development in the colderclimates.

The 1940’s and WWII ushered in awhole new era of technology; the in-vention of plastic, an exploding popu-lation, and an ever-increasing demandfor comfort and permanence broughtabout changes to construction at anexponential rate.

A material that had been discoveredin the early 1900’s made a very largeappearance in the construction indus-try, as it was very durable, and had thebest heat resistance known. It couldbe purchased in any hardware store,and was a primary component inroofing material, siding, flooring, anda wide variety of insulation materials.

Today, that material – asbestos–can strike fear into the hearts of buy-ers, sellers and realtors alike. We’ve allseen the television ads about the lungcancer caused by asbestos, and thepeople it has affected.

Like most fears, a little informationcan go a long way in abating the fear,and its source. Most of the buildingmaterials that contain asbestos are not

a risk in their intended state. Roofing,flooring and siding materials, so longas they are intact and not “friable,” arenot considered to be a risk. Howeverif these materials are damaged, or arein need of replacement, removal orrepair has the potential to releaseasbestos fibers into the air, potentiallycausing a risk to the occupants of thehouse – or the neighborhood. There-fore, knowing it’s there, and knowinghow to handle it, is crucial. Insulationis a bit different. Most of the insulationof this era will be in some state ofdecay, it may be loose, and can be“friable” – fragile to the point wherefibers can easily and possibly inad-vertently released. Asbestos insulationwas used as pipe wrap on hot waterheating systems, duct tape/wrap onforced air systems, and a hard sheetplate was used as a fire stop abovesome furnaces and other heatingsystems. Sometimes we come acrossmaterials that are labeled: left overboxes of flooring, roofing or sidingtiles, or a label on the pipe wrap tout-ing the presence of asbestos. At thetime it was a selling feature – give usan easy way to identify the material.Otherwise laboratory testing is pru-dent; the cost of proper asbestos reme-diation is high. If it isn’t present, therecan be great cost savings. If it is pres-ent, proper handling can preservelives.

A cousin of asbestos, vermiculite wasand is today a popular insulation andpotting material. Just like asbestos,vermiculite is a naturally-occurringmineral that is mined. It, however,does not have the small fibers that canget trapped in lungs and cause thecancers we know.

However, much of the vermiculiteproduced from 1919 through 1990 was


produced by the Libby mine in Mon-tana. The operators of that mine care-lessly mined the vermiculite, and in theprocess of doing so, also extracted as-bestos which was mixed in with theirvermiculite product. While not allvermiculite contains asbestos, becausethe Libby mine was estimated to be thesource of over 70 percent of all ver-miculite sold in the United States be-tween 1919 to the mid 80’s, and ver-miculite from Libby was contaminatedwith asbestos, it is prudent to treat itas though it does. Most of this ver-miculite insulation was sold and distri-buted under the brand name “Zonolite.”

Caution should also be exercised asthis insulation may have been pouredinto wall cavities, and can be hiddenunder batt insulation.

The good news is that last year theW.R. Grace company, owners of theLibby mine, reached a settlement cre-ating a trust fund to help home andbusiness owners with the cost of ver-miculite removal and replacement.The Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust hasa website, zonoliteatticinsulation.com,where folks can go to file a claim; andupon doing so, have a sample of theirinsulation tested for free. There arespecific protocols for sampling, andthe sample should be removed withgreat care, as asbestos fibers can bereleased into the air.

Asbestos is but one example of a ma-terial once commonly used in homesthat later was discovered to be a prob-lem. Education is the key to over-coming such obstacles, and if you’reconcerned that you may have otherasbestos materials, the EPA haswebsites where you can get informa-tion on how to mitigate the risksassociated with this material.

www2.epa.gov/asbestos

www2.epa.gov/asbestos/protect-your-family-asbestos-

contaminated-vermiculite-insulation

You might ask why or how I can advisea person to be calm in the face of thistype of potential monetary/physicalrisk? How could we have been so fool-ish to permit the use of this material?The simple answer is that we consu-

mers demand the best there is avail-able, and we are not willing to bearthe cost of seemingly endless testing.There are probably construction pro-ducts on the market today that, justlike our forefathers, our children willbe asking the same questions in thefuture. With progress comes risk.Unacceptable you say? Look at thesafety devices in the cars of the 1960’svs. today. Or at the controversy cur-rently surrounding the use of cellphones up against one’s head, or thetexting and driving problem that iscurrently claiming over 4,000 teenlives every year, as it causes 1.3 millionaccidents. (Ironically enough, I couldnot find statistics on how manyADULTS are killed.) Who didn’t seethis coming? A solution will be found,

* * * * *

Brian Mishler is the owner of HomeStudy Inc.,and a 20-year veteran home inspector. He beganperforming home inspection after 15 years in theconstruction industry convinced him that hisbody wasn’t made for hard labor. Brian is theformer president of the Pittsburgh RegionalOrganization of the American Society of HomeInspectors (PRO-ASHI), and currently sits on theboard of Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh, a non-profit that rehabilitates homes for disadvantagedseniors and veterans, assisting them with pre-renovation inspection and selection. Brian alsoteaches a variety of real estate-related classes,and has mentored others seeking to become homeinspectors. He currently resides in Latrobe, with his betterhalf, Carol, their Boston terrier Gizmo, three cats,and three transient college students. When sparetime is to be had, Brian can be found on a motor-cycle, in a kayak, or hiking in the area. He canbe reached at [email protected].

Attic floor filled with vermiculite.

and there are some being tried, but inthe meantime, we must educate our-selves and take precautions.

WCHS Trip to HistoricHarpers Ferry, West Virginia

The Westmoreland County Historical Society is sponsoring a day-long motor coachtrip from Greensburg to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park on Saturday, June20th.

Upon arrival, a certified Park Guide will provide an in-depth private tour of HarpersFerry including battlefield areas and significant historic locations in the park.

The comprehensive park tour, lasting 2 ½ hours, will interpret all themes, includinggeography & natural history, the John Brown Raid & the Civil War, Storer College, theNiagara Movement, the freedom movement, waterpower & industry.

After a delicious lunch at the charming Anvil restaurant, the group will return tohistoric Lower Town where free time will be available to explore several museums, thebookshop, as well as many unique gift shops.

On the return route to Greensburg, the motor coach will stop for dinner (on yourown) at the Bob Evans Restaurant in Breezewood.

The group will leave from the Greensburg Walmart parking lot at 6 AM and returnthe same day by approximately 9 PM. Cost for the trip is $80 for WCHS members and$90 for nonmembers. Nonrefundable reservations are due by May 31st. Seatingis limited. Visit westmorelandhistory.org for complete details, or call the WestmorelandCounty Historical Society to make a reservation at 724-532-1935, ext.210.


8 Reasons You Should Finally Try Yoga …and Bring Your Notebook with You

WRITE LOCALby Krista Sarraf

You’ve heard of the health benefits ofyoga: improved flexibility, lower bloodpressure, better posture (the list goeson). Yet, something holds you backfrom buying those stretchy pants andheading to your nearby yoga studio. Ican relate. Luckily, I founda way to integrate my pas-sion for writing into my ex-ercise regimen, and I’vefound a renewed desire tohit the mat.

When I imagine a yogaclass, I picture a group ofultra-fit young profession-als holding their arms highas they strike a ninja likepose – and hold it for 90seconds. It can be intimidat-ing to say the least. Often,we restrict ourselves fromtrying something new – likeyoga – because we don’tthink we’ll fit in. We criticizeourselves: “I’m too old. I’mnot flexible enough. I’m notathletic.” What if we couldtry a yoga experience thatchallenged the stereotypes?

Imagine a yoga class with people ofall ages. Unusual scents and sights fillthe room. Your head rests on a pillowand none of the poses hurt. Notebooksrest at each mat’s edge. You hold a poseand break to write what-ever comesto mind. This is the kind of yogaexperience that restores your body andmind.

A scholar named Barbara StolerMiller once said, “The aim of yoga isto eliminate the control that materialnature exerts over the human spirit,to rediscover through introspectivepractice what the poet T.S. Eliot calledthe still point of the turning world.”

Yoga, then, intends to deepen yourself-awareness.

Journal writing also deepens self-awareness. “Journal writing is a voy-age to the interior,” wrote Seattle resi-dent Christina Baldwin, author of

Journal Writing as Spiritual Quest.Maybe journaling and yoga have morein common than expected. In fact, youmay benefit from bringing your jour-nal to yoga class. Here are eight rea-sons to get out the notebook and themat and get started today.

1.Re-discover your inner child.Summer is upon us. Soon, we’ll bespending days at Idlewild, spittingwatermelon seeds, and enjoying lazyevenings on our porches. Children willblock off streets for hockey games,families will enjoy fresh farmer’s mar-ket produce, and we’ll be nursing ourbaseball game sunburns. As long days

encourage us to relax, we rediscoverour inner-child.

You can also discover your innerchild on the yoga mat. A student inWrite Local’s Reflective Yoga & Writ-ing workshop captured this thought

during the session: “Yoga–my first experience with it,and you know where it tookme? It took me here: thatsweet memory of what it feltlike as a little child leaningeverything I had into mymother. Pressing towardsher heart” (MarciaSpeicher). There is some-thing profoundly sacredabout contorting our bodiesinto comfortable poses. Weare restored to our former,innocent state.

2. Ignite your senses.My yoga mat neighbor,Jaynee, wrote during onejournaling break, “Relaxing... I purely feel the gentle-ness of this area. The softsounds, the smells of freshly-

brewed coffee and a complete feelingof “being.” Indeed, yoga can wakenyour senses and deeply bond you toyour environment. We had our work-shop at Latrobe Art Center, and I re-member looking up at the paintingsat one point and noticing a beautifulcanvas with purple and pink paintdripping down it. I connected with theimage in that moment; all this whilewe stretched our backs and let thestress melt away.

3. Deal with your past. When wejournal, we label our emotions. Thisallows us to heal past wounds. Ac-cording to Dr. James Pennebaker, a


to share these gentle thoughts withmyself. We are all led in directions,that we unknowingly require, for ourown depth of life and soul. This quietmorning with acquaintances, whonow strangely seem like friends ...together ... I feel gratitude for the giftof inspiration of this day. I am blessed.”

These are some of the many benefits Ienjoyed through our yoga and writingworkshop. What value will you find?If you are interested in experiencingthe health benefits of journal writing,Graceful Aging Wellness Center inLigonier is offering a Journal for Well-ness class through Write Local on May19 from 5:00-6:30 PM. You’ll learnhow exactly journaling helps keep youhealthy, and you’ll try some expressivewriting of your own.

* * * * *

After working and studying in Virginia for 10 years,Krista Speicher Sarraf, originally from Donegal, PA,now lives in Latrobe where she teaches compositionand critical thinking at Seton Hill University andWestmoreland County Community College. Addi-tionally, she writes poems and stories and is currentlyworking on her first novel. Krista is a founder of WriteLocal, a literacy initiative that inspires young writers tothink creatively and innovate locally. Write Local’sfeatured May events include the Academy for Writersand Entrepreneurs Open House (with a free class) atLigonier Valley YMCA on May 16 from 1:00-2:30 PMand Journal for Wellness on May 19 from 5:00-6:30PM at Graceful Aging Wellness Center.Visitwritelocal.org/events or call 724-691-4864 to enroll.

researcher from the University ofTexas, “Writing forces people to stopand reevaluate their life circum-stance. The mere act of writing alsodemands a certain degree of struc-ture as well as the basic labeling oracknowledging of their emotions”(Pennebaker 23).

4. Keep your writing private.Occasionally, I speak with potentialwriting students who hesitate to at-tend events because they don’t wantto share their work. If this sounds likeyou, journaling is the perfect outlet toexplore your thoughts but keep themprivate. That’s a good thing, sinceresearch suggests that writing aboutdifficult subjects can benefit ourhealth. Writing “about emotional up-heavals can result in healthy improve-ments in social, psychological, behav-ioral, and biological functioning”(Pennebaker 3).

5. Suspend judgement of your-self and others. Fifteen years ago,I wrote without considering the qual-ity of my work. Now, I find it difficultto retreat to a non-judgmental placeas a writer. What a way to live! Yoga,particularly its focus on breathing, of-fers me a way out of this. According toone practitioner, “Attending to theenergy of the breath attunes us to theflow of our emotional states becauseit requires us to be in the present mo-ment and to judge ourselves less harshlyas a result” (Wenger 38).

6. Get past writer’s block. As Iclosed my eyes and brought my atten-tion to the flow of air through my body,I found myself slipping into a restful,safe place. When we gently woke our-selves to journal, I found words flow-ing. Jaynee captured this idea of non-judgmental peace: “I often wonderedabout the deep affect such inspiration,peace and relaxation would have onmy writing ... now the words will notstop. They flow out, in no particularstructure, freely moving through myheart, as the nourishing blood andoxygen it requires. I am mindfullyaware that my thoughts and wordsoccupy a space alongside, and flowingwith, the life supply of my mere being.”

7. Increase your concentra-tion. A key component of yoga is tocenter your mind through breathing.When we breathe deeply, we learn to“concentrate on the present momentand to be attentive to our embodiedneeds in it” (34). It’s natural, then, thatyoga can help us to focus on writingfor longer periods of time. In oursession, we easily wrote for 15 to 20minutes without losing focus.

8. Be deeply inspired. Bringingour journals to yoga class left us moti-vated to write more. I’d like to shareone last excerpt from my mat neigh-bor, Jaynee: “No rush, no pressure –just passion for what I feel and thefreedom to employ a simple medium


Moms Know How to Party!by Carol Whelan

Growing up, every night there were tenpeople sitting around our dining roomtable, assuming none of us had invitedfriends and unexpected guests hadn’tsurprised us with a visit. We grew upright on Lake Erie, had a boat, horse,and acres of woods behind our homefor hours/days/months of endlessentertainment! Looking back I can’thelp to wonder what people werethinking, dropping in on such a largefamily at dinner time. She, my moth-er, was so gracious we never suspectedthe amount of work and creativity ittook to feed all of us.

Even though there were so many,my parents were sticklers on manners.You dressed for dinner (of course asyou looked around the table there wereseveral of us with wet swimsuits leak-ing through our dinner clothes), hadclean hands and faces, napkins on ourlaps, no elbows on the table, never tooka bite until our mother was seated andgrace was said. Grace before dinnerwas critical, especially when guestswere joining us, certainly good to givethanks but it was the three letters thatmay follow grace we were all hangingon for ... Amen, followed by F.H.B. ...ugh….the dreaded FHB! When therewere more people than my mother hadprepared for she would follow gracewith those horrible letters! Our guestsbelieved it to be something spiritual Iguess, but in all actuality it was justthe opposite to we children ... it stoodfor Family Hold Back! Meaning don’ttake very much food when passed toyou! Of course it was always on thenights of our favorite meals, probablythe only time in our lives we would havesuch an amazing spread in front of usonly to be denied by these strangers,gobbling up our food! Whyyyyyy? Imay seem overly dramatic, but as alittle girl I already had to fight toomany big brothers for my share oftable scraps, I certainly didn’t approveof these gobblers eating the remainderof what was rightfully mine!

Lessons learned back in those dayswill forever stay with me. No cabletelevision, (although I often kid thatmy father had the very first remotecontrolled television ... he would hollerfor one of us to come, and when wearrived, he would tell us to turn thechannel and adjust the rabbit earswithout ever having to get out of hischair! Ingenious!), no computers, cellphones (my eldest brother and his bestfriend did have soup can phonesthough), or any other creativity crush-ing device ... we had each other,friends, and our over active imagin-ations! Oh and an exceptionallypatient mother!

As Mother’s Day approaches I amoverwhelmed with memories of howincredible my dear mom has lived herlife. Now at 88 years old she is slowlyleaving us, but again not without beingan example of dignity and grace.Through my years she has shown mehow to be kind and tolerant. How toignore the small mistakes and laughat the big ones. Given me advice thathas made me want to be a betterwoman and parent. Cook, clean, andget almost any stain out of any thing.And if we were going to add chaptersand stories to the Bible one day, I

think there should be one about howa woman could make a single chickenbreast feed fourteen people with onlyher imagination, milk and a can ofsoup! (Well maybe it won’t be in THEBible, but if someone ever writes amom bible, then for sure it shouldmake the cut!)

A most treasured gift she instilled inme is my desire to entertain. Entertainthe way she did. People loved comingto our home because they always feltwelcomed, wanted, expected! Theynever knew any differently (how couldthey); she hugged them when theyarrived, insisted that they stay, andmade them promise they would comeback as they prepared to leave.

Of course with so many people com-ing and going, so many children totend to; oh, and my parents ownedtheir own business of which she didall of the accounting–she was notwithout hiccups. She should havewritten a book on “how to solve anyentertainment crisis, and hints tomake life easier when raising a mob!”

I leave you with some of the mostbrilliant tips for outdoor entertainingI learned from my mother andthrough my own years of experiencein the hopes that through these hintsit will help take the stress out of yourgatherings and put a little more joyinto your day, because that’s whatmoms do!

How Much Food Do I Need? Asa rule of thumb you need a serving anda half of your Main Dish for everyguest; Side Dishes, about one and ahalf cups; Appetizers before a meal,about 6pcs per guest– but if you arenot serving a meal then double that.Vegetable Platters, one for every 10-12guests; the same holds true for a fruittray. Alcoholic Drinks, figure 1-2drinks per guest per hour. Wine, 3bottles for every four wine drinkers.

Outdoor Entertaining Tips:When serving punch outdoors, use alarge ice block vs cubes: it melts slowerand won’t dilute your drink as quickly.

Photo by Jodie Johnson, 123rf.com


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In addition to being the proud mother of threeamazing children, Carol Whelan is also a corporateand non-profit event coordinator (relaxedevents.net),and the proprietor of Fairy Godmothers 3, a vaca-tion home concierge service (724-532-0436).Carol resides with her soul mate, Brian, her favoritefour-legged child, Gizmo (all the two legged oneshave moved out), and two spoiled cats in Latrobe.Email Carol at: [email protected]

Another cute idea for punch bowls is to soak lemons,oranges, and limes in food coloring; then freeze and floatthem in your bowl. Freeze edible flowers (begonias, daylilies, fuchsia, gladiolus, jasmine) in your ice cubes to servein drinks or put in a clear ice bucket. Another trick is toslide your punch bowl inside of another clear bowl and placethe ice cubes between them, keeping your drink from water-ing down. Consider freezing water balloons and puttingthem in your coolers. Labels will stay on your bottles, andit’s not as uncomfortable to put your hands into. Tie bottleopeners to your drink coolers/tubs, as not everyone has thestrength to twist off the caps. Pre-scoop your ice cream andplace in a muffin/cupcake pan back into your freezer; itwon’t melt while you’re scooping, you’ll stay cleaner, and itwill save you time during the party. Place glow sticks intoyour ice buckets and coolers just as it’s getting to be dusk,these make things easier to find, and are a very cuteinexpensive effect. I actually love glow sticks; they are greatfor outdoor evening parties and work in water. Considerfilling water balloons and placing one inside; then scatterthem around your porch and pool.

Mason jars are such a big thing right now. Punch a holein the top and place your straw in to keep bugs out of yourdrinks; or if you are using other cups/glasses, pop a holeinto the bottom of a cupcake liner, turn it upside down andslide over a straw. This is also effective and cute to keeppests from flying into your guests’ drinks. Cupcake linersare also good to slide over popsicle sticks, they will catchthe sticky mess as it melts.

On the subject of fun things to eat outside, remember toslide a mini marshmallow down inside your ice cream conebefore adding your scoops to stop the cone from dripping(the type of cone should determine what size marshmallowyou will need.) Always make certain you have sunscreen,something in case of bee stings, bug spray, a shady spot/umbrella, and plenty of water. Keep flies at bay by cuttinga lemon in half and adding cloves to it –then set out in smalldesert bowls about 30 min before food will be going on thetable. Large parties need a great many coolers, so considerblowing up or using a small child’s pool filled with ice (orfrozen water balloons) for your drinks. Cut a watermelonin half and use that as your punch bowl.

Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questionsabout these ideas or would like me to help you brain storm,I’d be so happy to pass along my ideas and hear some ofyours!

Wishing you the happiest of entertaining!

“My mom is a never-ending song in my heart of comfort,happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the wordsbut I always remember the tune.’’ – Graycie Harmon


Muddy Mayhemby Drew Williams

The following is Part 1 of a three-part shortstory about one man getting really dirty . . .

Pausing in her game of Trivia Crack,Sheila looked up from her laptop.“You’re doing what?” she asked me.

“A mud run,” I replied. “The MuddyMayhem. It’s an obstacle course outat some farm in Kittanning at the endof the month. I’m going to do it it withsome guys from work.” I could tellfrom the look on Sheila’s face that shewas not as enthused about the pros-pect of me running through somemuddy field as I was. “It’s for charity,”I added sheepishly when she didn’trespond.

She pursed her lips slightly andshook her head, a gesture I knew shereserved for judgment of what sheliked to call my brain-dead ideas.“Muddy Mayhem,” she said as herfingers slid across the keyboard. “Andhow exactly did you come up withthis?”

“Some of the guys at work do thisevery year,” I began. “And they havethese four man teams that raise moneyfor charity.” I paused, hoping that thecharity angle might soften Sheila’sattitude, but she didn’t even look at meas her fingers kept plucking away atthe keyboard. “Well, one of the guyson Tom Kreiger’s team broke his leglast week, and Tom asked if I wantedto take his place.”

“And you said yes,” Sheila said,finally looking up at me.

I shrugged. ‘What was I supposedto say? They need four guys to com-pete as a team, and today was the lastday they could make a substitution soTom asked me if I wanted to do it.What’s the big deal?” I said. “It’s forcharity, after all.”

Sheila allowed herself a slightchuckle. “So you’ve said. And how longis this mud run thing?”

I confessed that I didn’t know. “Iforgot to ask,” I said, quickly adding,“I don’t think it’s too far.”

“Right,” she said, shaking her head.“And the obstacles? What are they like,or did you forget to ask Tom Kreigerabout that too?”

From my silence she correctly con-cluded I had forgotten that too.

“Come here.” She patted the cushionnext to her and motioned for me to sit.Once on the couch Sheila turned hercomputer toward me. “Muddy May-hem 2015,” she read from the screen.“Get ready for the wildest day of yourlife! Twenty grueling obstacles over fivemiles of mud, muck and mayhem!”

She pushed the computer towardme. “Did you even think of what youwere getting yourself into, David?Twenty obstacles, five miles. And lookat the list of obstacles.” She scrolleddown the page and began to read. “Thebarbed-wire crawl. That sounds likefun. And how about this, The flamingpit of pain. Oh, and here’s a good one.The wall of death.” She rolled her eyesand laughed. “I love you,” she said,taking my hand in hers. “But there isno way you’re going to do this. You are48 years old and weigh about 230pounds.”

I wanted to correct her and tell herI weighed 225, but I didn’t. I just satin silence.

“You have to be in pretty good shapeto do something like this. Tom Kreigerruns marathons and the closest youcome to exercising is playing TexasHold-em on dollar draft nights atO’Mally’s pub. And now,” she said,squeezing my hand for emphasis, “youwant to run through the ‘flaming pitof pain’ and climb the ‘wall of death.’I don’t think so.”

Sheila was right, of course. Nowthat I saw what the mud run entailed,I had no desire to crawl under barbed-wire or run through flaming barbecuepits. As I scanned through the MuddyMayhem website looking at the pic-tures of the grinning and toned menand women navigating the variousobstacles, I knew I was in nowhere

near the kind of shape I needed to bein to do something like that. It hadbeen over twenty years since I hadjogged or done anything remotelyathletic. Though every New Year’s DayI vowed this was the year I was goingto lose weight and get in shape, by theend of the second week of January Iwas back to my couch potato ways. Ihad become a happy, middle-agednon-athlete and was perfectly contentwith things remaining that way.

I handed Sheila her computer andstood up. “We’ll see.”

“What do you mean by that?” shesaid as I was walking away.

“It means that I might want to tryclimbing the wall of death,” I said.“Did you ever think of that? This mightbe something I actually want to try.” Idon’t know why, but at that momentrunning the Muddy Mayhem seemedlike the most important thing in theworld to me. Maybe it was because forthe first time in my adult life someonehad asked me to be on a team. Or may-be it was because my wife didn’t thinkI could do it, and I wanted to proveher wrong. Or maybe I was goingthrough a mid-life crisis, and since Icouldn’t afford a new sports car, Iwould try my hand at some crazyendurance race. Whatever the reason,I was going to do it. “It might be fungetting all muddy and acting like a kidagain. Besides,” I added. “I alreadytold Tom I would do it. He’s countingon me.”

Sheila gave me a puzzled look andsighed. “You’re serious,” she said.“You’re really going to go through withthis.” When I nodded she turned herattention back to her computer andher game. “Your funeral,” she said.

* * * * *

The next morning my enthusiasmfor doing the run had already dimin-ished. The ramifications of runningfive miles in the mud for an out of


shape guy like me were beginning tosink in. All night I kept imagining thevarieties of injuries I was exposingmyself to. I could get caught in thebarbed-wire pit and have to get stit-ches; or accidently hang myself on thecargo net climb. I just knew that some-where on the five mile course I wasgoing to twist an ankle or break anarm. Or worse, I could have a heartattack half way up the Wall of Death,and then it really would be my funeral.No matter what, I just knew it wasgoing to hurt.

But despite my worries, I slipped intomy old sweat pants and laced up mysneakers. I had three weeks to whipmyself into shape, so there was no timeto lose. I finished dressing and wentto the kitchen where Sheila was sittingin her bathrobe reading the paper.

“Morning,” she said. “You wantsome coffee?”

“Maybe later. I’m going out for arun.”

“Ah, that explains it.” She took a sipfrom her coffee mug while eyeing mymake-shift athletic apparel. “Verysporty. So how far are you planningon running this morning?”

I told her my plan to run three milesa day for the first week and then add amile each week until the day of therace. “And I’m finally going to use thatfree 30-day pass to the gym I won atmusic bingo last fall.”

“I’d forgotten about that. Goodidea,” she said, returning her attentionback to the newspaper. “Have fun.”

“I will,” I promised and headed outthe front door.

It was a little cool for the first Satur-day in May, but perfect weather tostart preparing for the Muddy May-hem. I did a few stretches on theporch, a few deep knee bends andflapped my arms around like I hadseen Michael Phelps do in the Olym-pics. As I bent and twisted to loosenup, I started to hum a medley of songsfrom inspirational sports movies. Istarted with the theme from Rockywhich quickly morphed into “Eye ofthe Tiger,” and then the theme fromStar Wars. Not really a sports movie,but it seemed appropriate. By the time

I got to the music from Chariots of FireI was ready to run.

I really didn’t have a plan for thatfirst run. I thought I would just startoff with a pace that was somewherebetween a jog and a run and just keepgoing as long as I could. When I gottired I would slow down for a fewseconds to catch my breath and thenpick my pace back up again. Confi-dent that I would be able to completethe three-mile loop around my neigh-borhood I had scouted out the nightbefore, I stepped off my porch andbegan running.

The first thirty seconds were rela-tively pain free, but after a minute orso of what could only be described asa shuffling waddle, it felt as if mycalves were on fire. Obviously I hadstarted off too fast, so I slowed to amore manageable crawl – but that didnothing to alleviate the pain. Only nowthe soles of my feet were aching andmy left knee was making a funny click-ing sound. I tried to ignore the painby replaying the theme from Rocky inmy head, but that didn’t work as theagony of my feet moved up my shinsand into my thighs.

But I kept pushing on, passing myneighbors’ houses in a slow deliberateshuffle. Finally, when I could hardlybreathe, and the burning cramps inmy calves became too much to bear, Istopped and glanced at my watch. Ihad been running for three minutes

and had yet to even get out of my block.I groaned and glanced over my shoul-der. My house was still clearly visibleat the end of the street, as was Sheilawatching me from the front porch. Iquickly straightened up a bit and gaveher a brisk wave. When she wavedback I pointed downward toward myfeet, then bent over and pantomimedtying my right shoe. Just for addedeffect, I acted as if the left one neededtying too. Once done, I waved againand then turned and hurried to the endof the block as fast as my screaminglegs could take me. I don’t know howlong Sheila watched me, but I madesure that I turned the corner at the endof the road so that the house was outof sight before I stopped.

On my first run I was barely able toshuffle along for four minutes beforemy body gave out on me. Judgingfrom where I stopped, I estimated thatI had gone less than a quarter of amile. I looked down the road to wherethe flat portion begins a gradual,twisting incline. When I had mappedout the three-mile course in my car thenight before, I thought it might makefor a pleasant run through the tree-lined lanes of our suburban neighbor-hood. Now I imagined the next two-plus miles as a mindfield of pot holesand endless hills that I was going tohave to force my aching body to cover.

Or I could turn around and go back;admit to Sheila that she was right and

continued on page 35


Writing a Trilogy – Why or Why NotBy Judith Redline Coopey

A word of advice from a slow learner:never announce that you intend towrite a trilogy before you’ve actuallywritten the trilogy. Mine, The JuniataIron Trilogy, started out as what willeventually be Volume Three. Actually,it started out as a desire to write some-thing inspired by the Guernsey Liter-ary and Potato Peel Pie Society byMary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.I loved that book for its array of ec-centric and memorable characters.So with that in mind, I started todevelop my own set of strangebeings, delving into my memory ofthe 1950s in rural western Penn-sylvania. A gun enthusiast who shotout of his upstairs window at targetsacross the road as cars whizzed by.An eastern European immigrantwhose command of English was justabout non-existent, raising threekids on his own after his wife died.A crazy dare-devil kid trying towring every last thrill out of hisyoung life before tuberculosis tookhim down. A kind, unmarriedwoman dedicating her life to caringfor her father and two bachelorbrothers, finding joy in her collec-tion of African Violets. For these andother characters, I turned for fur-ther inspiration to a place nearwhere I grew up in rural Pennsylvania.

The place was Mt Etna, a lostsoul of a community when I wasgrowing up, more than 50 years ago,and barely a distant memory now. Inthe 1950s, Mt Etna was a collection ofrun-down former workers’ housesstrung out along the Juniata River:remnants of a once prosperous andenergetic iron plantation. As a youth,I passed through Mt Etna every day,not even curious as to its origins andformer glory. All I knew was that theplace was derelict, and the people wholived there were poor.

Mt Etna in the 1950s was fertileground for a collection of eccentrics,so I started there and went my merry

way, writing a little from memory anda little from imagination. What hap-pened along the way to divert me froma single volume to a trilogy was curi-osity. What had Mt Etna really beenlike back in its nineteenth centuryheyday? How and why had it comealong at all? For an historical novelistthose how and why questions are theessence of why we write. Our curiosity

leads us down roads we never ima-gined existed to destinations far fromwhere we thought we were going.

So to answer the how and the why,I began researching Mt Etna. Nowthis was a tiny hamlet, never more thanabout 300 to 350 people, and it’s beennothing more than a ruin for the past30 or 40 years. So where was I goingto find out anything about it? Enterthe internet. That’s right. Amazing asit seems, I found a treasure trove ofinformation about Mt Etna’s historyat the Historic American Engineering

Record, HAER No. PA-224. There itwas, all laid out before me – narrative,maps, drawings, a solid historicalaccount of The Mt Etna Iron Works.

Add to that local historical soci-eties: Blair County Historical Society,Huntingdon County Historical Soci-ety, and local newspaper archives. Ilove local historical societies. Theypreserve so much that would be lost–

simply by collecting, cataloguingand keeping. Someone has to dothat! And they do it without com-pensation for years. So, armed withplenty of historical fact and what isstill left of the buildings (includingthe furnace itself), the manor house(now under-going restoration), thecompany store, a tenant house,three log workers’ cabins, and ahuge stone bank barn, I becamefamiliar with the place again. Onlythis time I paid attention.

For me, the story always emergesout of the research. I read and studyand think about the time and placeuntil I think I know it, and then Iwait for the story to make its way outof the jumbled mass. Once I hadfamiliarized myself with the actualhistory of Mt Etna, I knew there wasmore than one book here. I’ve alwaysloved family sagas, where the readergets to follow the ebb and flow of afamily’s fortunes, so I opted for atrilogy about the MacPhail family,purely fictional, but true to time and

place.So that’s how I got to writing a

trilogy from the wrong end. The firstvolume, The Furnace, came out in thefall of 2014. Volume Two, tentativelytitled The Brothers, is due this fall, andVolume Three should follow in 2016.Writing the first volume came fairlyeasily once I’d studied the history ofthe place; and when launched inOctober 2014, it quickly claimed itsplace among readers. The only prob-lem was, once they read volume one,they clamored for volume two, and I

This beautiful, old, stone bank barnwas part of the Mt. Etna Iron works.

It housed a hundred mules at one time!


spare myself the torture of trying to push my body to its limits just to runin some muddy field with a bunch of strangers. It wasn’t worth it, Ithought. Even if it was for charity. After all, there was no shame in being acouch potato, I just had to admit it to myself. I would simply tell Tom thatI wasn’t going to do it, and he would have to find someone else to be on histeam.

It would be easy.But even as my brain was coming up with excuses why I should give up

and quit this lunacy before I ended up in the back of some ambulance, thepain in my leg started to subside, and I was able to catch my breath. I tooka few tentative steps forward and then a few more. By the time I reachedthe point where the road started to incline I was shuffling along in a slowhalf-walk, half-waddling gait that I am sure would have looked ridiculousto any-one who happened to pass by. But I was moving forward again,and that’s all that mattered.

It took me fifty-five minutes to cover the entire three miles with my oddwalk and foot-shuffle method. When I staggered through my front doormy knees were shaking, and my legs felt like rubber. I plopped myself onthe couch more exhausted than I had been in a long, long time.

Hearing me come in, Shelia called from the upstairs bedroom. “Howdid it go?”

“A little tougher than I expected,” I answered. “But I made it.”

To be continued ...

(Part 2 coming in the June 2015 issue)


Originally from McKeesport, and a graduate of both Slippery Rock (BS andMS) and IUP (PhD), Drew Williams is a Professor of English Literature atNorth Carolina Central University in Durham. He lives in Fuquay-Varina,NC with his wife, Laura, and their growing collection of dachshunds.

hadn’t even written it yet. Having donesuch extensive research (and havingestablished time, place and a cast ofcharacters), it should have been easyto slip right into volume two. Well, itwas, but… the pressure was on. CouldI keep up the tension? Could I shep-herd this family through another gen-eration? Could I keep my readers hap-py and looking forward to volumethree?

Who knows? All a writer can do iswrite. And hope. So I jumped intovolume two, and at this writing thefirst draft is simmering on the backburner. I’ll leave it there for a monthor two before I begin the revisionprocess. It feels pretty good right now,but that will be for the readers todecide. Volume three is already halfwritten. I know where this is going,and where it ends, but the pressure isstill on to produce a good story welltold – my ultimate goal.

Which brings me back to wherethis blog began. If I’ve learned any-thing from this experience, it’s this:don’t ever tell the world you are writinga trilogy until you’ve written a trilogy.The pressure can be deadly, and I’mup for it; but after this, I think I’ll goback to writing one book at a time!

This article was originally published as a guestblog post at www.hf-connection.com (HistoricalFiction Connection), March 30, 2015.

* * * * *

Judith Redline Coopey, born in Altoona, PA holdsdegrees from the Pennsylvania State Universityand Arizona State University. A passion forhistory inherited from her father drives herwriting and a love for Pennsylvania sustains it.Her first book, Redfield Farm was the story of theUnderground Railroad in Bedford County,Pennsylvania. The second, Waterproof, tells howthe 1889 Johnstown Flood nearly destroyed awhole city and one young woman’s life. LookingFor Jane is a quest for love and family in the1890s brought to life through the eyes of Nell, ayoung girl convinced that Calamity Jane is hermother. Her most recent work, The Furnace:Volume One of the Juniata Iron Trilogy, is set onan iron plantation near where she grew up andtells the story of an ill-conceived marriage ofconvenience as it plays out over a lifetime. As ateacher, writer and student of history, Ms. Coopeyfinds her inspiration in the rich history of hernative state and in stories of the lives of thosewho have gone before.

For more information please visit her websiteJudithRedlineCoopey.com. You can also find heron Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Morley’s Dog ShowSet for May 17

First annual event to take place at Peoples Natural Gas Park

(JOHNSTOWN, Pa.) – Woof — Johnstown’s going to the dogs! The Johnstown AreaHeritage Association will present the first annual Morley’s Dog Show at PeoplesNatural Gas Park on Sunday, May 17.

Awards will be given for Best In Show, Best Trick, Owner & Dog Look-A-Like, BigDogs, Little Dogs, High Fashion and more. Guest judges will include Lindsay Ward,a news anchor for WJAC.

Vendors of pet-related items will be there, along with local shelters and humanesocieties with information on adoptable animals. Basket raffles and small games ofchance are planned, and food will be available for sale as well.

Four local art teachers and one homeschool are having students create petpaintings for the event. These paintings will be offered in a silent auction, and someof the proceeds will go back to their art programs.

Doors will open at 1:00 pm, and the dog show will start at 2:00. Registration is$15 per dog – to register in advance, please visit the News & Special Events page onjaha.org and download a form, email to [email protected], or call 814-539-1889.

Admission to the event is free for people, but everyone is encouraged to bringpet food and other products to donate to local animal shelters. Proceeds benefit theJohnstown Children’s Museum.


5/5/2015 to 5/6/2015My Heart in a SuitcaseMountain Playhouse 7690 Somerset Pike,Jennerstown, PA 15547. mountainplayhouse.org

“My Heart in a Suitcase” is ArtsPower’scompelling dramatic adaptation of Anne LehmannFox’s courageous auto-biographical account ofher experiences as a 12-year old on the Kinder-transport out of Germany. Beginning in December1938, Anne and 10,000 other Jewish children fledGermany, without their parents, on the Kinder-transport, afraid and uncertain of what the futurewould hold for them and the families they wereforced to leave behind.

5/7/2015Hand Rolled Beeswax Candle Workshop SeriesSummer Smiles Honey Farm 939 Horner Church Rd.,Stoystown, PA 15563 814.525.0306shop.summersmileshoneyfarm.com

Workshops will be the 2nd Thursday of everymonth from February to July.

5/6/201519th Annual Westmoreland Night of the StarsThe Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg,PA 15601 724.925.1123. thepalacetheatre.org

The 19th Annual Westmoreland Night of the Starsfeatures the year’s most exciting night of high schoolmusical theatre with performances by GreensburgCentral Catholic, Derry Area, Franklin Regional,Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield,Home Schoolers, Jeannette, Kiski, Ligonier Valley,Norwin, Valley, and Yough.

5/7/2015Be the Difference Beyond Elegance HandbagSew Special 73 W. Main St., Uniontown, PA 15401724.438.1765

Be the Difference Foundation, formed by fourovarian cancer survivors, is dedicated to raisingawareness and money to fund programs forwomen fighting ovarian cancer today and toprovide research dollars for a cure.

5/7/2015Exploring the Small Farm DreamSlippery Rock University - SEA; 165 Elm StreetSlippery Rock, PA 16057. extension.psu.edu

Is starting an agricultural business right foryou? Whether your vision includes making goatcheese, selling cut flowers, or growing rare tomatovarieties, this course will give you the tools tostart making that dream come true.

Participants will discuss current opportunitiesin small-scale agriculture, explore objectives,assess personal and financial resources, conductpreliminary market research, and develop anaction plan for pursuing their interests in foodand farming. If you are thinking about starting afarm, this course is designed for you. This in-cludes people thinking about full-time farming,farming part-time while continuing other employ-

ment, changing careers to start a farm, and/ordeveloping an existing but informal farmingpastime into a more serious business activity.

Register by April 20: Extension RegistrationSupport, Phone: 814-563-9388, Email: [email protected]. Questions? Call JulietteEnfield, 814-563-9388; Email: [email protected]

5/8/2015 to 5/16/2015Noises OffLigonier Theatre: Home of the Valley Players ofLigonier 208 W. Main St., Ligonier, PA 15658ligoniertheatre.com

Performances: May 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7 pmand May 10 and 17 at 2:30 pm

5/8/2015 to 5/9/2015Perform-A-Thom at Mountain PlayhouseMountain Playhouse 7690 Somerset Pike,Jennerstown, PA 15547. mountainplayhouse.org

The public will be invited to participate in and/or watch a 24-hour performance marathon bysigning up to show off their talents. All ages,groups, schools and talents welcome.

5/8/2015Be the Difference Pretty PincushionsSew Special 73 W. Main St., Uniontown, PA 15401724.438.1765

Be the Difference Foundation, formed by fourovarian cancer survivors, is dedicated to raisingawareness and money to fund programs forwomen fighting ovarian cancer today and toprovide research dollars for a cure.

5/8/2015The Ten Band-A Tribute to Pearl JamMountain Playhouse 7690 Somerset Pike,Jennerstown, PA 15547 mountainplayhouse.org

One of AXSTV’s “Worlds Greatest TributeBands”, Ten is the nation’s premier fan tribute tothe legendary rock band Pearl Jam. Touring the USand beyond since 2003, the band has played over550 shows nationwide to standing room onlycrowds. Ten has generated a tremendous buzz inUS markets nationwide for their authenticreproduction of a live Pearl Jam concert. “This isthe most authentic tribute act I have ever seen,and I have seen a bunch” was the quote of arepresentative of Clear Channel Communicationsat the inaugural show in May of 2003. Since thatnight Ten has performed well over 550 shows over10+ yrs and has firmly established themselves asthe premier touring Pearl Jam Tribute act in the US.

5/8/2015 to 5/10/2015Throwdown 2015: A Ceramic SymposiumTouchstone Center for Crafts 1049 WhartonFurnace Rd., Farmington, PA 15437 724.329.1370touchstonecrafts.org

In the spirit of growth and change, TouchstoneCenter for Crafts is pleased to introduce for thefirst time Throwdown 2015! If you are crazy for

mud like we are, come join us in this gathering ofmakers for all things ceramics. We invitestudents, emerging artists, and seasonedprofessionals to participate in an event full ofcommunity building and idea sharing withdemonstrators Bill van Gilder, Greg Gehner, SandyMiller, and Vince Pitelka. This symposium willoffer an exciting weekend of artist demonstra-tions, lectures, and a good, old-fashioned throw-down! In addition to bragging rights, the top threelucky winners of this year’s Throwdown compe-tition will receive an amazing ceramics piece fortheir collection! To add even more excitement tothis year’s event, Touchstone is holding a prizedrawing in which a lucky attendee can win a fulltuition certificate* workshop in the clay studio.Only $5.00 per ticket for a chance to win! Regi-stration includes daily activities and demon-strations Friday through Sunday. Meals and/orlodging options can be reserved separately.

5/8/2015Wonderful WildflowersForbes State Forest Linn Run State Park/ForbesState Forest, Laughlintown, PA 15655724.259.2201. dcnr.pa.gov

Go for a leisurely, 1-mile walk, while learningabout common spring wildflowers. Field guideswill be provided. Meet at the Grove Run picnicarea, in Linn Run State Park. *Registration isrequired. Please register online or by contacting724-259-2201 or [email protected].

5/9/2015City of ChampionsThe Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St.,Greensburg, PA 15601 800.292.7222thepalacetheatre.org

River City Brass presents City of ChampionsPittsburgh is proud to be called ‘The City ofChampions’, and rightly so! Here we celebrate themusic of the ‘70s; the songs that were played inthe golden age when our great teams won theirfamous trophies. You’ll hear your favorite team’sfight song remixed with hits by rock iconsChicago, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, TheCarpenters, ABBA, Don McLean’s American Pie andSurvivor’s Eye of the Tiger. Come and meet aPittsburgh sports celebrity at every show! $31,$26, $24, $2 Discount for Seniors and Students

5/9/2015Spring Nature WalkBushy Run Battlefield, 1253 Bushy Run Road,Jeannette, PA 15644. bushyrunbattlefield.com

Calling all walkers and runners! Come along toBushy Run Battlefield, embrace their park andtrails and do their annual Spring Nature Walk!

Join Bushy Run volunteers and nature enthus-iasts Bob Learzaf & Dave Browning as they con-duct this annual rite of spring! Explore the wood-lands at Bushy Run Battlefield and learn about thevarious flora and fauna of Western Pennsylvania.

MAY-JUNE COMMUNITY CALENDAR“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” – Author Unknown


No registration is required. Bring sturdy, waterresistant walking or hiking shoes and dress forthe weather. (724) 527-5584

Time: 10:00am -1:00pm. Cost: Free for BRBHSmembers and $5.00 for non-members.

5/9/2015Antiques & Collectibles Salesat Historic Hanna's TownHistoric Hanna's Town, 809 Forbes Trail Road,North of Greensburg. (724) 532-1935 Ext: 210www.westmorelandhistory.org

Antiques Lovers of antiques, collectibles andone-of-a-kind items will enjoy the Antiques &Collectibles Sales at Historic Hanna's Town. Thislongstanding community tradition brings togetherover 200 vendors in a quaint and historic settingand is western Pennsylvania's oldest show of itskind. The staff, volunteers and vendors strive toplan and promote an atmosphere of friendship,camaraderie and fun, along with good buying andselling opportunities.

The gate opens at 7:30 Sunday morning and themarket continues through early afternoon,although many vendors are set up by 1:00 p.m.Saturday and sell that afternoon. There is parkingon site; admission is $3 per car. Parking revenuesare divided equally between the Forbes RoadVolunteer Fire Dept. and the Westmoreland CountyHistorical Society who administers HistoricHanna's Town for Westmoreland County Parksand Recreation.

The selling vendors pay a fee to set up theirwares at the Antiques & Collectibles with theseproceeds benefiting the Historical Society'spreservation and interpretation efforts at HistoricHanna's Town, site of the first English courts westof the Allegheny Mountains. The town wasattacked and burned at the close of theRevolutionary War by a raiding party of Indiansand their English allies. Historic Hanna's Town islisted on the National Register of Historic Places.

Antiques & Collectibles is held the secondSunday of the month May through September. Thepublic is cordially invited to browse for bargains,enjoy a variety of food booths and support localhistory preservation as well as a local firedepartment at the Antiques & Collectibles Sales atHistoric Hanna's Town.

5/9/2015Made in AmericaPasquerilla Performing Arts Center 450Schoolhouse Rd., Johnstown, PA 15904814.269.7200. upjarts.org

5/9/2015Amtrak’s National Train Day Car CruiseRockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House 450 MainSt., Rockwood, PA 15557 814.926.4546rockwoodmillshoppes.com

Spring has finally arrived. It is time to take offthose dust covers and buff up that wax job onthose classic and antique cars. Show them off inRockwood Mill Shoppes’ parking lot.

5/9/2015Come Cut Glass: Make It and Take ItMount Pleasant Glass Museum 402 E. Main St.,Mount Pleasant, PA 15666 724.542.5929

From Grandma to grandkids (10^), ALL arewelcome. All are invited to try their hand at the

ancient art of glass cutting. It’s that time of yearagain and Peter O’Rourke, master glass cutter tothe Presidents, is offering to share his knowledgeand his skills to a select few. BUT MORE THANTHAT HE WILL SUPERVISE YOU AS YOU CUT ANDTAKE HOME CUT GLASS.

5/9/2015Wabash Cannon BallRockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House 450 MainSt., Rockwood, PA 15557 814.926.4546rockwoodmillshoppes.com

Get dressed up and have fun for a good cause!On May 9th good hearted guests looking for alaugh will dress up as riders on the mythicalWabash Cannonball to benefit Somerset HospitalIn Touch Hospice.

5/9/2015Yogathon for the New WestmorelandWestmoreland Museum of American Art @rt 304764 State Route 30, Greensburg, PA 15601wmuseumaa.org

Bring your yoga mat and join us for Yogathon!Stay fit, have a good time, and help out aworthwhile cause. Hosted by Victoria Faris, anAFPA yoga instructor who has been teaching yogain Greensburg (including at The Westmoreland)and the surrounding area for the past 10 years.

5/9/2015May Mart & Opening Day at West Overton VillageWest Overton Museums, 109 West Overton Road,Scottdale, PA 15683, westovertonvillage.org

Join West Overton Village for this greatgardener's event! Featuring heirloom and hybridtomatoes plus vegetable plants, annuals,perennials, herbs, unique houseplants, hangingbaskets, Oglevee's geraniums and flowers forMother's Day.

Guests are invited to bring a plant and take aplant from the Swap Table. In addition to plantsales, there will be vendors selling pastries andfresh roasted coffee, hot chocolate or tea.

Admission is free. 724-887-7910

5/10/2015Mother’s Day BrunchStone House Restaurant & County Inn 3023National Pike, Farmington, PA 15437724.329.8876, stonehouseinn.com

All you can eat menu, served family style toyour table! Adults $25.99, Children 12 & under$12.99, Under 3 Complimentary. All prices plus6% sales tax and 20% gratuity. Reservations arestrongly recommended!

5/11/2015 to 5/15/2015Skippyjon JonesMountain Playhouse 7690 Somerset Pike,Jennerstown, PA 15547. mountainplayhouse.org

Skippyjon Jones is a little kitten with big earsand even bigger dreams! Sometimes he pretendsto be a bird, sometimes he pretends to be a llama,and sometimes he pretends to be a whale...Anything BUT a Siamese cat!


Vernon Realty Ad - page 1


Vernon Realty Ad - page 2


5/13/2015Business After HoursGreater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Community Chamberof Commerce. gllv.org 724-537-2671

Golf, Cars & Cigars! And...Flowers! We are soEXCITED about our May Business After Hourspresented by First Commonwealth Bank. CelebrateMay, Mom, and outdoor GOLF FUN, all happeningat Glengarry Golf Links in Latrobe!

Here's what we've got planned:• A 9-Hole "pop-up" golf outing BEFORE our BAH.Tee times will be scheduled between 1:30pm -3pm. CONTACT THE CHAMBER FOR RESERVATIONSAND AVAILABLE TEE TIMES. $19 INCLUDES 9-holesand cart. Prizes to be awarded for male & femalelongest drive and lowest score. AND, all golfersparticipating in the "pop-up" golf outing BEFOREBAH will receive a Free Foursome of complimen-tary green fees (cart not included) for a return tripto Glengarry Golf Links.• Need a little "ZOOM"? Laurel Valley Motors isbringing a HOT car to steam things up!• Need a little "BLOOM"? All ladies will receive aFREE Fresh Flower in honor of Mother's Day, cour-tesy of Bloomin' Genius Exotic Flowers & Gifts(Greensburg) and Floral Fountain (Latrobe).• Enjoy delicious FREE appetizers from The Pub atGlengarry's 2015 menu!• Enjoy Happy Hour Drink Specials!• We're featuring another "Business After AFTERHours" - Cigars on the Deck! Bring your favoritecigar, or purchase one from The Pub at Glengarry.• Up for another 9-holes? Enjoy a quick round of 9AFTER BAH at the same low price of $19, includingcart. WOW! We're seriously planning some FUN!Are you in? 5:05 - 6:35 PM.

5/13/2015Doctor Suess’“And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street”Rockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House 450 MainSt., Rockwood, PA 15557 814.926.4546rockwoodmillshoppes.com

Inspires children to look past the world we livein and expand the mundane with theirimaginations. Like the main character is asked tokeep his eyes up while walking home, childrenwho see the show are encouraged to make themost of living!

5/13/2015Palate to Palette: Picnic FoodLatrobe Art Center 819 Ligonier St., Latrobe, PA15650 724.537.7011 latrobeartcenter.orgChef: Linda Earnest

5/14/2015American Red Cross Blood Drive for NationalNursing Home Week

Mountainview Specialty Care Center will beholding a blood drive May 14th from 2:00 pm to7:00 pm at 227 Sand Hill Road Greensburg PA tocelebrate National Nursing Home Week.

5/15/2015Doo Wop WeekendSeven Springs Mountain Resort 777 WaterwheelDr., Seven Springs, PA 15622 7springs.com

Join us on Friday, May 15 or Saturday, May 16,2015 for a night that will bring back memories ofsock hops and soda shops featuring CharlieThomas’ Drifters, Kathy Young and Pure Gold, with

Frankie Day and Stan Wall emceeing the event.Lets turn back the clock for a night of dinner anddancing and Doo Wop classics!

5/15/2015 to 5/17/2015Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh presents:Fiber Arts Weekend SymposiumTouchstone Center for Crafts 1049 WhartonFurnace Rd., Farmington, PA 15437 724.329.1370touchstonecrafts.org

Touchstone is teaming up with the FiberartsGuild of Pittsburgh to deliver an exhilaratingweekend of mini-workshops to bring together fiberartists and enthusiasts who seek to gain know-ledge about and advance the field of fiber art.Workshop topics include dyeing with Jan Bass,needle felting with Erin Carlson, and introductionto spinning with Lauren Sims. This exciting week-end will also include the opening reception ofMystic Summit, a collective of works from mem-bers of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh. To add abit of excitement to this year’s event, Touchstoneis holding a prize drawing in which a luckyattendee can win a full tuition certificate* fiber,paper and/or book arts workshop. Only $5.00 perticket for a chance to win!

5/15/20152014-2015 Classic Film Series: South PacificState Theatre Center for the Arts 27 E. Main St.,Uniontown, PA . 724.439.1360 statetheatre.info

Play a crazy game at every movie sponsored byThe Herald Standard for a chance to win prizes!

5/16/2015 to 10/3/2015Ligonier Country Market Corner of West Main St. & Springer Rd., Ligonier,PA 15658. ligoniercountrymarket.com

The Ligonier Country Market is located on theLoyalhanna Watershed Farm near the intersectionof West Main Street and U.S. Route 30 Ligonier,Pennsylvania (click here for map and directions).We are pleased to be affiliated with the Loyal-hanna Watershed Association and share theirideals about conservation and sustainability. It isour pleasure to provide a link to thier websitehttp://loyalhannawatershed.org for moreinformation about this organization that weheartily endorse.

5/16/2015Spring Tea at Bushy Run BattlefieldBushy Run Battlefield, 1253 Bushy Run Road,Jeannette, PA 15644. bushyrunbattlefield.com

Experience the beauty of Western Pennsylvaniaalong with the pleasures of a lovely afternoon teain the elegant Stone Room at Bushy RunBattlefield. On Saturday, May 16th from 1:00pm-3:00 p.m. enjoy tea, hot chocolate, sandwiches,and pastries with family and friends.

The cost of this event is $18.00 per adult,$12.00 per child ages 6-12. Seating is limited, sothis event is by reservation only. Call 724-527-5584 to reserve a spot in this event.

5/16/2015Jenny Wilson TrioConnellsville Canteen 131 W. Crawford Ave.,Connellsville, PA 15425 724.320.6392connellsvillecanteen.org The Connellsville Canteen presents the JennyWilson Trio. This great Jazz band is being

sponsored in part by Dr. & Mrs. FrankJacobyansky and the Community Foundation ofFayette County.

5/16/2015Showcase of the StarsPasquerilla Performing Arts Center 450Schoolhouse Rd., Johnstown, PA 15904800.846.2787. upjarts.org The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center willpresent an eclectic mix of music, song and danceat a feverish pace, as the Showcase of the Stars,featuring excerpts from the area’s best high schoolmusicals, comes to life at 7:00 pm.

5/16/2015Spring FrolicWestmoreland County Courthouse, 2 N MainStreet, Greensburg, PA. westmorelandhistory.org

The Westmoreland County Historical Societyinvites you to join them for a 1940's themedFrolic! Westmoreland County Courthouse will berecreated into a USO WWII canteen. Dance to themusic of a swing band, with guest appearance by"The Andrews Sisters." Buffet by The Supper Club.

Tickets: $70.00 for WCHS members, $80.00 fornon-members. (724) 532-1935.

5/16/2015Creating Heroes and Villains (Free Class!)Write Local at Ligonier Valley YMCA110 W Church Street, Ligonier, PA 15658724.691.4864 writelocal.org

Join us on May 16 from 1:00-2:30 PM for a freeclass on writing heroes and villains into yourstories. Stephanie Keyes, best-selling author fromPittsburgh, is leading the class. This event is opento students between ages 12-18 and their parents.Before the class, enjoy a meet and greet with WriteLocal's volunteer team. We will have informationabout our fall 2015 writing program , and sign upsheets avail-able. So come on out, have fun, andsee what Write Local is all about! RSVP requested,but walk-ins welcome. RSVP, 724-691-4864 [email protected] (Krista Sarraf)

5/16/2015The ChainCasino Theatre 145 Lincoln Ave., Vandergrift, PA15690 724.567.5049. casinotheater.orgFleetwood Mac tribute band

5/17/2015"Good Intentions... Gone Terribly Wrong"Baltzer Meyer Historical Society, 642 BaltzerMeyer Pike, Greensburg, PA 15601. 2-4 pm.

Join Baltzer Meyer Historical Society forprogram "Good Intentions... Gone Terribly Wrong"Speakers: Rob & Lydia Myers

In many cemeteries there are many headstonesthat have been irreparably damaged by peoplewith the greatest intentions, who were simplytrying to help. We Will look at some of thesefailed DIY attempts as well as damage caused bypeople who claim to be professionals. We willwrap up by looking at the preservation andrestoration results that can be attained by atrained conservator.

5/19/2015Journal for Wellness WorkshopWrite Local and Graceful Aging Wellness Center135 Kalassay Drive, Ligonier, PA 15658


Join us at Graceful Aging Wellness Center from5:00-6:30 PM on May 19 for a special journalwriting event with Krista Sarraf from Write Local.Sharpen your mind and strengthen your immunesystem with journal writing. Using the free writingtechnique, participants will overcome barriers tocreativity and reach within for inspiration. Thisclass is designed for those new to keeping ajournal who want to explore the mental, physical,and emotional benefits of a journal writingpractice. Open to all ages. RSVP by May 15. CallKrista Sarraf at 724-691-4864 to register.

5/20/2015Americana Mini-Herb Garden ClassLincoln Highway Experience, 3435 State Route 30East, Latrobe, Pa 15650. lhhc.org. 724-879-4241

Join Lincoln Highway Experience for an Ameri-cana Mini-Herb Garden class by Expert GardenerMary Jo Bullington. As with all Mary Jo's classes,attendees will have a beautiful take-home.

Pre-registration required. Cost: $25.00

5/20/2015 to 5/20/2015Pop-up Studio with Ryan Lammie Adult Art ClassWestmoreland Museum of American Art @rt 304764 State Route 30, Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.1500. wmuseumaa.org

Learn from an artist and create your own workof art! Wine, beer, snacks and materials areprovided. $15 per person. Space is limited. Toregister contact 724-837-1500 ext. 110.

5/20/2015Tiny Wonder Time- “Cloudette”Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve 744 Walzer Way,Latrobe, PA 15650 724.537.5284. wpnr.org

Nature play hour for children ages 2-4 with anadult. Will include a nature hike or outsideactivity (weather permitting), two interactiveactivities or experiments, a craft, and a story.Online Registration Required

5/21/2015 to 11/5/2015Bike NightStone House Restaurant & County Inn 3023National Pike, Farmington, PA 15437724.329.8876. stonehouseinn.com

Event is held every Thursday from 6-9 pmthrough late October, weather permitting. We havea great line up of bands and activities set for thisyear! Prizes given weekly! Great drink specialsand fabulous BBQ served! Family Friendly!

5/21/2015Westmoreland Jazz Society:Craig Davis ConsortiumSeton Hill University 100 Harrison Ave., Greens-burg, PA 15601 724.837.1500. wmuseumaa.org

Throughout the expansion & renovation of theMuseum, all performances will take place at theSeton Hill University Performing Arts Center at 100Harrison Avenue in Greensburg.Professional JazzPianist, Composer, Arranger, and Educator CraigDavis began playing the piano at age 5, takinglessons with the organist at his family’s Church inGlenshaw, PA. At age 10, Davis moved with hisfamily to Fox Chapel and started weekly classicaland jazz piano lessons with Bobby Cardillo, ahighly respected pianist and piano teacher fromStanton Heights. Davis attended Shady Side

Academy for 12 years and graduated in 1990,where he played piano in the SSA jazz band andreceived the Creativity Award and Jazz Award.

5/23/2015 to 5/24/201518th Century Military HistoryFort Ligonier 200 South Market Street, Ligonier, PA15658 724.238.9701. fortligonier.org

Over 150 troops from Seven Years War, Inc.and the Detachment of the 8th PA Regimentencamped throughout the weekend. Visitors willsee and experience a variety of living historyprograms, drills and artillery demonstrations.

5/23/2015Amish BurlesqueRockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House 450 MainSt., Rockwood, PA 15557 rockwoodmillshoppes.com

The Amish are about to get frisky on the stageof the Rockwood Opera House! A local favorite,and back by request, you will be entertained bystraw hats and dull colors. Book and lyrics byBrian Edward, a local of Pennsylvania. AmishBurlesque originally produced by Marty Schiff.Amish Burlesque featuring Goody Plenty and theAmlets originally produced by the McKeesportLittle Theater is now about to be performed by theRockwood Players!

5/23/2015Connellsville Geranium Festival Crawford Ave., Connellsville, PA 15425724.320.6392. downtownconnellsville.org

Celebrate the city’s designation as theGeranium Capital of the World. Craft and foodvendors line Crawford Avenue with a large varietyof items to sell. The event is from 9am-4pm andfeatures live music and contests throughout theday. Geraniums are sold to benefirt the GardenClub’s activities.

5/23/2015 to 11/21/2015Somerset County Farmer’s Market800 Georgian Place Dr., Somerset, PA 15501somersetcountyfarmersmarket.com

The Somerset County Farmers’ Market is aproducer only market, with the mission ofproviding children and adults in the Somerset

area with locally-grown foods and farm products.The Market’s goal is to providing a venue for thesocial, educational, and economic strength of theSomerset Community. It intends to fulfill this goalby the organization of educa-tional programs forits vendors and for the community in areas offood safety, health and nutrition, basicagricultural production and gardening. Adultsand children will benefit from these programs.

5/23/2015Bus Trip to Bedford for theAnnual Antiques on the Square FestivalLincoln Highway Heritage Corridor, lhhc.org724-879-4241.

Slick's Ivy Stone Restaurant is the location forthe hearty Lunch. In addition to perusing the 50+vendors and listening to live music, there will betime to visit downtown Bedford's boutique shops.The historic and grand Georgian Inn of Somersetis the site for the special Dinner meal. Bus pick-ups are Irwin, Greensburg and Latrobe.

$89 per person includes deluxe motor-coachand two fine dining experiences.

For reservations, call the Lincoln HighwayHeritage Corridor office at 724-879-4241; orpurchase tickets online at the top of this page byclicking "Gift Shop" then "LHHC Event Tickets."

5/24/2015 to 8/30/2015Sunday Evening Summer Band ConcertsOn the Diamond 120 E. Main St., Ligonier, PA15658 724.238.4200. visitligonier.com

Sunday Evening Band Concerts start May 24thand run through August 30th. Concerts start at7PM on the Diamond. If there is incle-mentweather, the concerts will take place at the TownHall Auditorium.

5/27/2015Hawaii in the HighlandsLigonier Theatre: Home of the Valley Players ofLigonier 208 W. Main St., Ligonier, PA 15658latshawproductions.com

Come to the Laurel Highlands, experience thedance of tonga and the ancient untamed HawaiianHula! Brilliant, blazing colors with the songs &dances of the wonderful world of aloha!


5/27/2015Hike to the HighpointForbes State Forest Mt. Davis picnic area,Laughlintown, PA 724.259.2201. dcnr.pa.gov

Celebrate PA Hiking Week by taking a hike tothe highpoint at Mt. Davis. Meet at the Mt. Davispicnic area, and come prepared for a 2-mile walk.Sturdy shoes are recommended. *Registration isrequired. Please register online or by contacting724-259-2201 or [email protected].

5/29/2015Family Story TimeWinnie Palmer Nature Reserve 744 Walzer Way,Latrobe, PA 15650 wpnr.orgFree family program, for all ages, which includesreading a story together in the barn and exploringthe grounds while completing a scavenger hunt.

5/30/2015LettermenThe Arcadia Theater 1418 Graham Ave., Windber,PA 15963 814.467.9070. arcadiatheater.net

The letter sweaters may only make a briefappearance at each Lettermen performance, butThe Lettermen harmony is non-stop. From theirfirst hit in 1961 - - “The Way You Look Tonight” - -through current hits of today, the sound is undeni-ably Lettermen. Whether singing acapella orbacked by an entire symphony orchestra, theLettermen theme still remains the love song.Lending that well-known harmony to everyarrangement, they have proven love ballads havean appeal that knows no boundaries and willcontinue to stand the test of time for many yearsto come.

5/31/2015“Weird Al” Yankovic The Mandatory World TourThe Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St.,Greensburg, PA 15601. thepalacetheatre.org

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-sellingcomedy recording artist in history. Now in hisfourth career decade, he has won three Grammys(with 15 nominations) and countless accoladesfor classics like Eat It, Like a Surgeon, Yoda, SmellsLike Nirvana, Amish Paradise and White & Nerdy.For the rollout of his 14th studio album, Manda-tory Fun, Weird Al world-premiered eight videosin eight days, taking the Internet by storm.

5/30/2015Imagine Nation Open StudioWestmoreland Museum of American Art @rt 304764 State Route 30, Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.1500. wmuseumaa.org

Every Saturday & Sunday from 12:30-5 PM,children of all ages and their favorite adult canstop by the Museum and create their own art inthe studio! There is a different art project featuredeach week.

Through 12/18/2015Paint and SipLiz Jones Arts 201 Fairview Ave., Connellsville, PA15425 724.455.3699

Art and Wine every Friday at 6:30 PM— unlikeother Paint and Sip places, each person attendingcan choose their own project every time, ratherthan having to all do the same one! Light refresh-ments are available... BYOB/ $20 person/ Allcredit cards and cash accepted.

5/27/2015Weekly PlaygroupSeaBase Family Fun Center 770 E. Pittsburgh St.,Greensburg, PA. 724.838.8887. seabasefun.com

Join us Wednesday mornings at 11 for weeklyplaygroup! Ideal for ages 2-5. Free w/ admission!

6/2/2015 to 9/29/2015Latrobe Farmer’s MarketLatrobe Community Revitalization Program LegionKeener Park, Latrobe, PA 15650 724.805.0112latroberevitalization.org

Held each Tuesday, from early June throughmid-October at the Legion Keener Park. The Park islocated where Chestnut Street meets Irving Street,just west of the downtown. The Latrobe FarmersMarket is co-sponsored by 1480 WCNS Radio andcontinues to grow each year. Farmers, vendors,caterers and other entrepreneurs sell a range ofexcellent produce and products grown or made bythem. No re-selling is allowed. This year’s Marketwill begin on June 3rd beginning at Noon andrunning until 4pm. It will conclude on October21st; running for 20 weeks. Come join us in abeautifully treed setting adjacent to LoyalhannaCreek. To become a vendor, call LCRP at (724) 805 -0112 or e-mail [email protected]

6/3/2015 to 8/26/2015Lincoln HighwaySupperMarketLincoln Highway Experience 3435 Route 30 East,Latrobe, PA 15650 724.879.4241lincolnhighwaysuppermarket.org

What is the Lincoln Highway SupperMarket? Itis an opportunity for families to savor thesummer flavors from 8 area restaurants everyWednesday during June, July and August from 5 to8 p.m. Six select restaurants will be offering pre-pared (ready-to-eat) a la carte entrees. In addition,one bakery will serve premium desserts! Suppercan be enjoyed at one of the picnic tables, or pickup a ‘take out’ for home.

6/4/2015 to 9/10/2015T.G.I.S. Thank Goodness It’s Summer!The Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greens-burg, PA. 724.836.1123. thepalacetheatre.orgThursday Free Concert Series

6/5/2015 to 6/7/2015Alchemist Picnic II: A Mid-Atlantic Metals RetreatTouchstone Center for Crafts 1049 WhartonFurnace Rd., Farmington, PA 15437 724.329.1370touchstonecrafts.org

The Alchemist Picnic is an annual gathering ofmetalsmiths and jewelers from the mid-Atlanticregion and beyond. This weekend event is hostedby Wayne Werner, renowned for his metal-smithing expertise, jewelry design, musical talent,and ebullient personality. He is the perfect emceefor this lively event and Touchstone is the idealsetting with its beautiful woodland campus andwell-equipped metals studios. As Pennsylvania’sonly residential craft school, Touchstone’s con-venient geography makes it the ideal mid-Atlanticplatform for the Alchemist Picnic to take flight. Inaddition, Touchstone is holding a prize drawingduring the Saturday evening auction in which alucky attendee can win a full tuition certificate* inthe Metals Studio. (Tickets $5.00 each for a chance towin! Tickets may be purchased at the event.)

6/5/2015Honey Tasting PartySummer Smiles Honey Farm 939 Horner ChurchRd., Stoystown, PA 15563 814.525.0306shop.summersmileshoneyfarm.com

Learn how to pair our raw honey (vs otherhoney), with various foods and wine. Local cheesefrom Van Grouw Farms, Glades Pike Wine, organicfoods from Frankferd Farms, and Wild for Salmonproducts.

6/5/2015 to 8/28/2015SummerSoundsSt. Clair Park Greensburg, PA 15601summersounds.com

SummerSounds is a free series of exciting andinteresting concerts under the stars in Greens-burg’s downtown St. Clair Park. Emphasizing highstandards of contemporary musicianship in afamily atmosphere, this series has been called“the best outdoor music series in Western PA.

6/6/2015 to 6/6/2015Amish BurlesqueRockwood Mill Shoppes & Opera House 450 MainSt., Rockwood, PA. rockwoodmillshoppes.com

6/6/2015Antiques on the DiamondOn the Diamond Ligonier, PA 15658 724.238.4200visitligonier.com

Over 50 antique dealers located around theDiamond

6/6/2015This Old HomeLincoln Highway Experience 3435 Route 30 East,Latrobe, PA 15650. lhhc.org

Home improvement tips from three experts onmaintaining and updating historic homes.

6/12/2015 to 6/12/2015Family Story TimeWinnie Palmer Nature Reserve 744 Walzer Way,Latrobe, PA 15650 . wpnr.org

Free family program, for all ages, which includesreading a story together in the barn and exploring thegrounds while completing a scavenger hunt.

6/12/2015Pollinator DayWinnie Palmer Nature Reserve 744 Walzer Way,Latrobe, PA 15650. wpnr.org

Celebrate pollinators, but especially bees onthis special day. Learn about the bee life cycle,honey production and much more! Free forfamilies of all ages. Registration required.

6/13/2015\Ethnic Festival/Spring Craft ShowMain Street Irwin, PA 15642 724.863.3093irwinborough.org

Main Street closes between 3rd Street and 5thStreet for this event

6/13/2015Laurel Ballet presents Alice in Wonderland & AMidsummer Night’s DreamThe Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St.,Greensburg, PA 15601 724.836.8000thepalacetheatre.org


JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (April 27, 2015) — This summer, high school and collegestudents can win a scholarship by hosting an American Red Cross blood drivethrough the Leaders Save Lives program. Registration is now open to host aparticipating blood drive between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2015.

The Leaders Save Lives program encourages community-minded 16- to 24-year-olds to host blood drives to help maintain the blood supply over the sum-mer months. Students who participate as a blood drive coordinator are eligibleto win a scholarship up to $2,500 for higher education and to earn a gift card.

“The Leaders Save Lives program is a great way for students to learn valuableleadership skills while helping hospital patients in need of lifesaving blood trans-fusions,” said Red Cross spokesperson, Josh Hauser. “Summer can be a chal-lenging time to maintain a sufficient blood supply. With this program, studentsare helping the community by recruiting their friends and family to donate dur-ing this crucial season.”

A total of 10 scholarships will be awarded via drawing to students who achieve100 percent of their blood drive collections goal. All students who achieve thedesignated blood drive goal will receive an electronic gift card to giftcertificates.com

For more information and to register to host a Leaders Save Lives blood drive,visit redcrossblood.org/leaderssavelives.

How to Donate Blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App at redcrossblood.orgor call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for moreinformation. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients.A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification arerequired at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental con-sent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good healthmay be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 yearsof age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotionalsupport to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that savelives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of theAmerican public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us onTwitter at @RedCross.

Students Can Register Now for RedCross Summer Scholarship Program

Join Laurel Ballet Performing Company on anenchanted journey through two classic, magicaltales. Order online or call The Palace Theatre BoxOffice at 724-836-8000 beginning April 1.

6/13/2015 to 6/13/2015Laurel Highlands UltraOhiopyle State Park 124 Main St., Ohiopyle, PA15470. laurelultra.com

Each year the race is held on the second Satur-day in June. 2015 will be the thirty-sixth runningof the 70.5 mile race and the tenth running of the50K race. The races will start in Ohiopyle, PA, withthe 70.5 mile individual and relay races runningthe entire length of the trail and the 50K racesfinishing at the 31 mile point near the intersectionof Route 31. All of the races are point-to-pointalong the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

6/14/2015Antiques & Collectibles MarketHistoric Hanna’s Town 809 Forbes Trail Rd.,Greensburg, PA 15601 724.532.1935westmorelandhistory.org

6/15/2015 to 6/19/2015Fort Kids Camp IFort Ligonier 200 S., Market St., Ligonier, PA 15658724.238.9701. fortligonier.org

Day camp for kids who have completed grades1-6 (ages 6-14). Pre-registration required.

6/19/20152014-2015 Classic Film Series: Father of the BrideState Theatre Center for the Arts 27 E. Main St.,Uniontown, PA. 724.439.1360. statetheatre.info

Play a crazy game at every movie sponsored byThe Herald Standard for a chance to win prizes!

* * * * *Please send all community calendar listings to:

[email protected] will do our best to consider your event based

on available space and editorial review.

Place Ligonier Country Market Ad Place Offica Space Ad


Second Chapter Books

139 East Main StreetLigonier, PA 15658

724-238-7933fb.com/secondchapterbooks

New and Used Books • Children’s GiftsJewelry • Greeting Cards • Neat Stuff

Derry AreaAction for AnimalsAllison ChiropracticAmeriServ FinancialBarkley's Derry KingBuilding BodeezCaldwell LibraryChef Dato'sDerry MedicalFirst Commonwealth BankHansen & Torba - DentistsJean Marie Flowers & GiftsLaundromatMastrorocco's MarketNew Derry Municipal AuthorityPalombo's RestaurantS&T BankState Farm InsuranceSugar BearsSunoco

Route 22DELMONTCenter for Rehab SvcsChestnut Ridge ExcelaCiggy’s TobaccoCogo’sDelmont YMCSExecela Health PTHoliday Inn ExpressHot Rod Lounge (Spaghetti House)LamplighterSalem Plaza LaundrySuperCutsThree Rivers Six Pack ShopWagonwheel RestaurantWatson ChevroletEXPORTArtisita SalonChoice Gas StationClaire Bridge Memory CareCozy InnMurrysville MusicMurrysville RehabPgh ChiropracticRestella Dance StudioMURRYSVILLEEye DocAluring Designs SalonChaye Coffee and TeaDancer’s ClosetDean’s FitnessDick’s DinerDr. Abraham/Dr. Gill

Duff Park Info CenterEat n ParkEn V SalonFocus Hair DesignGolden Living CtrHealing Arts BldgHoss’s Walnut ShopsLibrary Borough BuildingNature NailsNew Horizons CounselorsPaneraPanther Chiropt TherapyS&T BankScott MedicalSportszoneStandard BankStarbucksSuperCutsUPMC Partners in HealthVarious Prof AgenciesWest Historical SocietyYoga Flow

Donegal/Jones MillsBP/McDonald’s - turnpikeBrady’sDairy QueenDays InnDonegal PharmacyHardware StoreHoliday Inn ExpressHoneybearTall CedarsThe Inn at LigonierSarnelli’s

Greater Latrobe/Unity TwpAdams Memorial LibraryArnold Palmer Regional AirportBarnes HouseChestnut Ridge - Bursch DivisionChicora'sChris Pakos, CPAChrist UC ChurchCoffee BeanCommercial Bank - DowntownCommerical Bank - Route 981D’s Windy CottageDainty PastryDenny'sDoggie DivasDunkin DonutsEat n Park

Excela Health Quick DrawThe Eyeglass ShoppeFantastic Sam'sFour Seasons Brewing Co.Gino's PizzaGyno AssociatesHanna InsuranceDr. Scott HudimacJerald JewelersJoe's Store - Lawson HeightsL&L Quik LubeDr. Patrick LallyLatrobe Animal ClinicLatrobe Art CenterLatrobe HardwareLatrobe Hospital & Little ShopLatrobe News Stand - DowntownLatrobe News Stand - Laurel 30Laurel Highlands VillageLatrobe Post OfficeLincoln Highway ExperienceLoyalhanna Care CenterMcCarl Coverlet GalleryThe Medicine ShoppeDrs. Mucci & Campfield, DDSMy Fitness KitchenNeighborhood Visitor & Info CtrPizza SienaProAdjuster ChiropracticRoadman's Country LivingRose Style ShoppeRusbosin's FurnitureS&T BankSanctus Spa & SalonScotty G'sSenior CenterShop n SaveSpringHill SuitesSt. Vincent CollegeSt. Vincent De PaulSt. Vincent Gristmill StoreUnity Township Building, LibraryUPMC Vascular InstituteValley Dairy - downtownValley Dairy - Route 30Vasco Federal Credit UnionWCNS/Unity BuildingWestmoreland FederalWestmoreland Historical SocietyWigs n MoreWingate

GreensburgBarnes & Noble

Courtyard by MarriottCafé BaristaCellar Door CaféCouture SalonDV8 Espresso Bar & GalleryGateway Convenience Rt. 66Getty’s GrillGreensburg LibraryGreensburg NewsGreensburg YMCAHampton InnHoliday InnJioio’s, CarbonMr. Bones Rt. 66Nature’s WayOld 66 GrillPC ConnectPizza SienaRamada InnSenior Life E. G’burgShop n SaveSun Dawg Café DowntownThe Medicine ShoppeVittone’s MusicWestmoreland Athletic ClubWestmoreland HospitalWhite Rabbit Café

Ligonier ValleyA Touch of GraceAbigail's CoffeeAmicaBP InsuranceBarb's Market - RectorBerkshire HathwayCarol & Dave's RoadhouseCeltic CultureConnections CafeDarlington InnDavies Real EstateDiamond CafeDiamond Hair CutsEquine ChicExcela HealthFirst Commonwealth BankFlavors CafeFox's PizzaGet GoGiant EagleGino'sHoward Hanna Real EstateLaughlintown Pie ShoppeLigonier Chamber of CommerceLigonier Country Market (in season)

Laurel Mountain Post Distribution Guide

Pick Up a Copy at Your Favorite Community Location!The new Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Visitor & Information Center, located on Route 30 below Sharky’s Cafe, is the main hubfor each new issue release. However, we will continue to distribute copies in your neighborhood at the following 300+locations:

open

Grow Your Businesswith Word of Mouth Marketing!

BNI-Laurel Leaders is an official chapter of Business Network-ing International. We meet every week at 11:30 am in theWingate Hotel on Route 30 in Latrobe. Guests are always wel-come! To learn more about growing your business with us,see www.bni-westernpa.com or visit a meeting!


Ligonier LibraryLigonier Outfitters/NewstandLigonier TavernLigonier Valley Railroad MuseumLigonier Vallery Real EstateLoyalhanna RealtyMack M. DarrMain Exhibit GalleryModern EleganceOn the Diamond AntiquesThe Paper HouseRamada InnRosalia Jioio's Little ItalyRuthie's DinerScamp's ToffeeSecond Chapter BooksSubwayThistledown/Bo PeepThe Toy BoxThe Twisted VineVernon Realty ServicesValley School of LigonierWicked GooglyYMCA

LaughlintownCompass Inn/Historical SocietyFirst Commonwealth BankLigonier Country InnPie ShoppeWashington Furnace Inn

New AlexandriaBP - 819 crossroadsFirst CommonwealthGrabiak’sJohna’s Hair SalonKaufman's ChiropracticKeystone PharmacyKeystone State ParkKids Care PediatricsLibraryQuik StopSheetz

StahlstownFlax Scutching FestivalLoyalhanna Veterinary ClinicMain Street Wine Bar

Mt. Pleasant andSouthern WestmorelandCounty MarketCrystal ConceptsThe FrickFun ServicesThe General StoreHerbaliciousKraisinger's MarketLenoxLeo'sMericonda Beer DistributorMount Pleasant Glass Museum

Mt. Pleasant LibraryNino'sOrourke CrystalSandhill BerriesSpeedy Meedy'sVicky's CrossroadsVolero GasWest Overton DeliWest Overton Quilt ShopYMCA

Youngwood - coming soon!

Allegheny CountyAllegheny GeneralChildren's HospitalDowntown HotelsManchester BidwellMonroeville LibraryPleasant Hills LibraryStrip District merchantsSquirrel Hill businessesUPMC Hospitals:

Monroeville, Presbyterian,Mercy, Shadyside, Hillman

Cambria County (Johnstown)Comfort Inn & SuitesDancer’s ClosetEast Hills Family PharmacyHoliday Inn - Downtown

Holiday Inn Express - RichlandNature's Habitat - GalleriaThe Sleep Inn

Fayette CountyAdrian's - HopwoodBraddocks Inn RestaurantChalk Hill Flea MarketMiller’s Grocery StoreNemacolin Inn - FarmingtonOhiopyle FallsOhiopyle PubSummit Hotel - Route 40

Indiana CountyBLAIRSVILLECokeville Produce MarketComfort InnDean's DinerHampton Inn - Chestnut RidgeSenior CenterSheetzCLARKSBURGShaulis Convenience MarketINDIANA119 Professional CenterThe Artist's HandBook NookThe Coventry InnCucina MiaDiamond Drug

Downtown Indiana AssociationHampton InnDr. Hilliard & TarnoffIndiana Chamber of CommerceIndiana County Tourism BureauIndiana Hospital LobbyIndiana Free LibraryIndiana University of PAJimmy Stewart MuseumRustic LodgeStarbucksSALTSBURGexclusively at: Saltsburg Pharmacy

Somerset CountyJENNERSTOWNGreen Gables/Mtn PlayhouseOur Coal Miners CafeThree Rivers DentalSOMERSET AREAComfort InnEat n ParkEcono LodgeHampton InnHoliday Inn ExpressMountain Craft DaysOakhurst Tea RoomSheetz (route 31)Somerset Family Eye CareSomerset Historical CenterSummit DinerQuality Inn

Subscribe to the Laurel Mountain Post!Complete and return this form, along with payment of $20,

to reserve your monthly issue for home delivery!

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Laurel Mountain Post189 Fairview LaneDerry, PA 15627

MAY 2015

Write Local is a nonprofit literacy initiative basedin Latrobe, Pennsylvania that offers novice and K-12 writers

workshops, publishing, mentoring, contests, and more.Sign up for an event today! www.writelocal.org/events

"Inspiring young writers to think creatively and innovate locally."Are you interested in supporting your local literacy initiative?

Contact our team: [email protected] | 724.691.4864facebook.com/thewritelocalproject

Instagram @writelocal | Twitter @writelocal


END NOTESby Nancy A. Clark

Thoughts on Letter Writing“Maybe today will be the day,” I mut-ter, standing here at the side of theroad, sorting through the inevitablehandful of bills, circulars, and solicita-tions addressed to “Occupant.” It’s nota sweepstakes check I seek; I’m pan-ting for at least one letter with a returnaddress bearing the name of a lovedone or friend. When such a personal-ized prize does materialize, bells ring;birds sing and my feet do a happydance. Such joy catapults me some-where over the rainbow where trou-bles melt like lemon drops.

I highly respect the technology thattransmits data near the speed of lightvia phone or computer; and thrill tothe come-hither tones indicatingincoming e-mail. But I break forth intosong when a latter day mail snail,having marked the ancient pony ex-press trails, deposits a personallyaddressed, lovingly sculpted letter inour mailbox.

My love affair with letter writingbegan with a 10th-birthday gift sub-scription to the legendary Jack and JillMagazine. Every page of the “slick/four-color” publication, first pub-lished in 1938, was magical. Pages ofpuzzles to solve, and stories about far-away places with strange soundingnames mesmerized me. But it was theWANTED: PEN PALS page that sentme over the moon. There I studied theprinted pleas from kids all over theglobe seeking a writing buddy. It wasthere, in the early 1950’s, that I foundSigna Smith, my first pen pal.

Signa, her Italian mom and Ameri-can-born dad lived in a small town insouthern Italy. Once a month, I putcursive styled words onto crinkly onionskin paper and printed Signa’s ad-dress on an airmail envelope trimmedwith distinctive red and blue “wings.”Then I waited with bated breath forher response. My parents willinglysubsidized the cost of that long-dis-tance friendship for five years whenSigna and I lost each other in our res-pective puddles of teen angst.

Phone calls are unrivaled for sharingimmediate news and hearing the voiceof a loved one; but for me – she with asieve for a brain – details exchangedduring a phone conversation are oftenforgotten or misconstrued. Facts orfigures documented in writing have amarginally better chance at survival.Furthermore, I suffer with “tongue-tied-itis,” a socially paralyzing con-dition characterized by hesitancy orinappropriateness as regards on-the-spot verbal response. My symptomsare less prominent on paper.

As the letter writer, I have the luxuryof collecting my thoughts, organizingmy words, selecting phrases, expres-sing interest, forming an opinion anddeveloping a literary rapport with myintended recipient. Hence, I canpresent my totally discombobulatedself in a softer, saner light.

As the letter recipient, I have thepleasure of connecting with words myeyes can touch, and the gift of revisitingthe epistle anytime and as often as Ilike, to linger over nuances and sen-timents at will.

The benefits of a letter writing dis-cipline are, in my humble opinion,inarguable. A letter is the least ob-trusive of all visitors. It never “ringsup” during dinner nor does it demandan immediate explanation for notholding one’s undivided attention.

Sans static and call-waiting, it waitspatiently for me – not me on it. A letteris a welcomed guest no matter what elseis happening in my life. And, always,its presentation is blissfully quiet.

The rewards for this discipline, alsoin my humble opinion, are life-longand often unexpected. I treasure a wri-ting relationship with Sherry, a friendI’ve yet to meet. Sherry lives in Michi-gan and has, without fail, mailed anote of encouragement to me everymonth since May of 2001 when Ireceived a troubling medical diagnosis.Her witness to the power of literaryconnectivity is an ongoing inspiration;her faithfulness to this routine is medi-cine for my soul.

So fiercely determined am I to pro-mote the diminishing craft, I continueto write to folks who never write back.(Some call that desperation; I call itpersistence.)

But Beware: Old fashioned letterwriting is not for sissies. There are risksto fanning the embers of this fadingart. Letter carriers have been knownto delete mail as unselectively as docyber carriers, and there is potentialfor anxiety related to non-reciproca-tion from those with whom one triesto connect. Lastly, there’s the dangerof developing LWS – Letter WritersSyndrome. LWS symptoms includedespair over the rising cost of postage,a shortage of ballpoint pens and inevi-table disappointment at the mailbox.

Risks, indeed; but risks I’m willingto take. How ‘bout you; wanna tradeaddresses?

If you would like to become Nancy’s Pen Pal, or bematched up with another Laurel Mountain Postreader, please send your letter via US mail to:

Laurel Mountain PostPen Pals Project

189 Fairview LaneDerry, PA 15627

Nancy Clark and her husband, Tom, rejoice in more than a half century of marriage, threechildren, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She dabbles in freelance and mem-oir writing when she isn’t baking, knitting, reading, sewing and building jigsaw puzzles.


Westmoreland Financial


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Laurel Mountain Post :: May 2015