Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Diane Sheeley will be leaving her position as executive director of the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce on April 22. Sheeley has been with the chamber for about 8 years, and is taking another position in the community. Chamber board members say they will hire someone to replace Sheeley soon as possible.

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Street Dreams Car Club may be traveling from Main Street to the Bradford Mall. During Monday's Foster Township Supervisors meeting, Street Dreams President Gary Hoy said the show has "outgrown Main Street," adding they had 321 cars last year and there wasn't enough room for them. He said some people even had to leave. Foster Township Supervisor Jim Connelly Jr. said he will be contacting the managers of the mall to see if they agree to having the show there. "It's not written in stone because I haven't talked with the mall yet," Connelly said. But he added, "This is an opportunity we can't miss. We're going to continue to try to make Foster Township grow ... Our door's open. We're welcoming new business." There was a question as to whether the car show would be held at all when the City of Bradford enacted an ordinance that requires anyone holding an event downtown to pay a fee of...

The Ninth Annual Kinzua Outdoor and Travel Show, February 26th and 27th, offers a broad range of speakers and children’s programs with a wide variety of interests that appeal to all ages. The Show, held at the Bradford Mall, is scheduled for 4 pm to 9 pm Friday the 26th, and 10 am to 6 pm Saturday the 27th. “The 2010 speaker series and youth activity lineup will compel you to attend the event,” stated John Sullivan, event chair. “It is impossible to select just one to attend in either our main speaker area or the youth activity area.” The Speaker Series kicks off on Friday the 26th at 6:30 pm with Rick Esch and John Shinaberger of the Tuna Valley Trail Association to discuss Tuna Valley Trail Association: Past, Present, and Future. At 7:15 pm, Kirk Johnson of the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness – Warren will present Preserving Wilderness Areas in the Allegheny National Forest. Both programs appeal to all ages interested in exploring and protecting the abundant natural resources thro...

The first of two Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Call-in Auctions is from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday on The Morning Buzz. Here are the packages that are up for grabs: Package 1 - Total Value: $475 20 ft. Stainless Steel Flag Pole - Allegheny Bradford Corporation ($450) Standard American Flag - Representative Martin Causer ($25) Package 2 -Total Value $190 Weekday Green Fees for Two - Holiday Valley Resort ($80) Shuttle King Golf Club Travel Cover – Anonymous Donor ($100) 2 Sleeves Golf Balls – Bradford Regional Medical Center ($10) Package 3 – Total Value: Unknown Sit on the bench January 22nd at 6pm plus 2 tickets - University of Pittsburgh Bradford Women’s Basketball vs. Hilbert College University of Pittsburgh Bradford T-shirt Basketball signed by University of Pittsburgh Bradford Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams Package 4 - Total Value $ 232 Two certificates for continuing education courses- Bradford Area School District ($95) Use of W. Washington Street Library Sign for one week -...

During a break in the action Frank Williams chats with Diane Sheeley, executive director of the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce. Summer Hannold from Maryland was visiting her grandfather Bob and, it seems, she's practicing for when she's old enough to compete. Considering the sweltering heat, she was also smart enough to get a drink of water from Grandpa. WESB/WBRR Sales Rep Jessica Gilbert introduced her little one to Scott Douglas, Don Fredeen and Igor.

Toucan Jam (above) performs in the Veterans Square gazebo during Lunch in the Sqaure Wednesday. At left, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Sheeley chats with Terri and Bill Leven. Diane also chatted with me on LiveLine, which Scott Douglas and I (and intern Kevin Clark) did from Veterans Square. Becky Plummer from the Chamber, Main Street Manager Anita Dolan and Elm Street Manager Lisa Campogiani also stopped by to chat. All the cool people were there!

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year says when you're trying to make changes, it doesn't matter how big you are. What matters is how dedicated you are. American Refining Group CEO Harvey Golubock asked everyone at the chamber's annual meeting Thursday night to step back to 1997 – the year Harry Halloran bought the refinery from Witco. "It was a frightening time," Golubock said. "The community was afraid and downtrodden. Closure of the refinery meant the loss of many high-paying jobs. Repercussions throughout the community would be felt far and wide." But, he said, because small group of concerned businessmen was determined to not sit back and watch Bradford die – "That was then and this is now." Since then, ARG has invested $50 million into the refinery and has bought three trucking companies and an oil production business. "All this from a company that most of the indus...

Change is what you get when you give more than what is required. ~~Diane Sheeley Executive Director, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Think about it -- and think about the people you know who are giving more than required.

Jazzabilly performs during Lunch in the Square Wednesday at Veterans Square. Fred Pysher and Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Director Diane Sheeley (left) and Mayor Tom Riel and Police Chief Mike Close (below) were among the people who attended Lunch in the Square. For the second month in a row, I did LiveLine from the Square. My guest today was Fran Stewart from the American Cancer Society