Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Bradford Township firefighters were called to a wildfire behind the DeSoto Holiday House on South Avenue at just after 1 o’clock this afternoon. Derrick City and Lewis Run sent a utility vehicle and firefighters as well. Jason Bange, executive director of the McKean-Potter & PA Heartland Chapters of the American Red Cross, tells us it appears that 2 to 3 acres burned. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

In the past few months, the American Red Cross in McKean-Potter Counties received two new response vehicles to better enable the chapter to respond to emergencies in the local area. The 2012 Dodge Ram pickup truck was purchased in October with funding provided by the National Red Cross, and the 7’x16’ Disaster Response Trailer was purchased last month with donations provided by two local supporters. “The trailer will not only be stocked with shelter supplies, but will also be equipped to provide mobile feeding at disaster scenes,” stated executive director, Jason Bange. “This is a much needed addition to our chapter’s response capabilities and we are very grateful to all the donors who made this possible.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By SANDRA RHODES It’s no coin-incidence that there’s a new feature in the Trekking the Tuna Trails program this year. The Trekking the Tuna Trails, sponsored by the Tuna Valley Trail Association, is in its third year of raising money for the McKean-Potter Counties American Red Cross. Participants are asked to walk the trails in the Tuna Valley Trail System as well as help out the Red Cross. The program, currently underway, continues until Aug. 15. This year, a new challenge has been added into the trail mix. The Geocoin Challenge allows participants who raise $20 in addition to finding the nine geocaches on the nine trails of the TVTA plus a 10th cache when they turn in their log at the Red Cross, to earn a geocoin. The trackable geocoin, created by Glenn Melvin, is a two-inch wooden coin made of maple. One side has the Red Cross and Tuna Trekker logos, while the other side as the Erik Benjamin Covered Bridge, located at the Marilla Reservoir on West Washington Street. ...

The McKean-Potter Counties American Red Cross has launched its holiday giving campaign, urging residents to make a gift that could save the day for someone in need. The Red Cross campaign features a holiday giving catalog, www.redcross.org/gifts . A Spanish-language version of the catalog is also available, www.cruzrojaamericana.org/catalogo . The gift catalog has more than 20 gift ideas — such as assisting someone in the military with a phone card or supplies, providing food and shelter to a disaster victim, covering the costs of snacks at a blood drive, or giving basic necessities to a family in another country. “The holiday season is a time of hope, and a gift to the Red Cross provides hope when the next disaster strikes, when a neighbor’s house burns down, when someone needs life-saving blood or when a child needs a hug and a blanket,” said Jason Bange, executive director. “A gift to the Red Cross can save the day for people in need, whether they are down the street, across the cou...