Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

For the second consecutive year, the Zippo/Case Museum has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries, and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience. When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that take into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. “Winning the Trip...

The Zippo/Case Museum is rolling out the red carpet for an international fleet of 24 vintage Bentley automobiles from 11:30 to 2:30 on Thursday, May 21, as the North American Vintage Bentley organization brings their tour of the Twin Tiers to Bradford. The museum will remain open to the public that day, offering not only an exploration of the two all-American brands, but also a chance to admire these rare luxury automobiles up close. The main Zippo/Case Museum parking lots off will be closed to accommodate the group that day, so visitors will be directed to utilize the museum’s overflow parking on Chestnut Street during the midday hours. The Bentley owners will receive a tour of the museum from Zippo Ambassador Linda Meabon, and are utilizing the museum’s new event services to hold a private luncheon on the museum grounds. The North American Vintage Bentley Meet attracts Bentley owners from around the world, with the high-end classic cars driven in trailers from all corners of...

One of the Zippo/Case Museum’s most historically significant pieces– a lighter that was hand engraved on a landing craft en route to the D-Day invasion – is currently on loan, along with several other WWII-era artifacts from the Zippo and Case archives, to the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh for a special exhibit opening Saturday, April 25, 2015. The Zippo/Case Museum pieces will be featured in the upcoming “We Can Do It! WWII” exhibit, which explores how Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania affected the home front and battlefield during WWII. “We’re honored to be able to share so many of our important historical pieces with the Heinz History Center,” said Pat Grandy, Zippo Corporate Media and Communications Manager. “Zippo and Case’s reputation for dependable products was cemented by our performance during WWII. We have so many letters, images and artifacts from WWII in the Zippo/Case Museum, it was hard to choose only a few, but we feel they make an important contri...

Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Hal Fritz and Sgt. Sammy Davis were at the Zippo/Case Museum this afternoon to install a prototype of the commemorative Medal of Honor Zippo lighter Case knife set. And, in case you were wondering Davis -- who is known as "the real Forrest Gump" -- was wounded in the same place the fictional character was -- "In the buttocks, sir." In his speech, Fritz said after meeting Zippo and Case employees, as well as many people from the Bradford area, he believes the companies and the community represent "the spirit and core of America." You can see more pictures on our Facebook page facebook.com/1490wesb . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Medal of Honor recipients Sgt. Sammy Davis and Lt. Col. Harold Fritz took part in Veterans Day ceremonies this morning in Veterans Square in Bradford. At 3:30 this afternoon they will be at the Zippo/Case Museum, where they will install a commemorative Medal of Honor Zippo lighter/Case knife set. The public is invited. You can see more pictures of today's Veterans Square event on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/1490wesb . WESB photos The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two Medal of Honor recipients – a man whose life was saved by a Zippo lighter, and the man known as the “real” Forrest Gump – will be honored at the Zippo/Case Museum on Veterans Day. The two American heroes will install special Medal of Honor commemorative lighter and knife sets at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the museum. Harold Fritz was leading a column of heavily armored vehicles through Quan Loi in 1969 when they were ambushed by North Vietnamese fighters. Thrown from his vehicle, Fritz led a point-blank charge on the enemy and was hit several times by shrapnel and small-arm rounds. One particular blow on the left side of his chest knocked him down. He was evacuated by helicopter, but when he returned to the battlefield later that day, he found a Zippo lighter that had been given to him as a going away present by his wife. It had been in his left breast pocket, where it stopped the bullet that would otherwise have killed him. Fritz received his Medal of Honor from President Nixon in ...

W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery continued its 125th anniversary celebration today by holding a picnic lunch for its employees and unveiling a custom made knife that is now on display in the Zippo/Case Museum on a pedestal that carries the names of all the current Case employees. Zippo/Case President CEO Greg Booth joked about how happy he was to find his name on the display. "I made the cut," he said. As for the knife itself, Zippo/Case owner George Duke simply said, "That is great. Fantastic." Artisan Mike DuBois crafted the special knife. Case Director of Marketing John Sullivan said today’s events were designed as a thank you to the company’s dedicated employees. Sullivan also noted that the community is a big part of Case’s success, which is why the “Thank you, Bradford” message is on the sign at the Davis and Main Street intersection. The Case factory on Owens Way is currently going through a $10 million renovation which, Sullivan says, will keep the com...

All it took was one Case knife given to him by his mother for Terry Leonard of Franklinville, NY, to get the Case collecting fever. Leonard read about the Case 125th Anniversary Celebration at the Zippo/Case Museum in his newspaper and decided to make the trip down to talk to the Case experts about Case treasures in his collection. “After my mother gave me my Grandfather’s Case knife, I decided to collect Case knives since they are the most collectible knives in the country,” Leonard told Saar. During his discussion, Katie Shonts Saar, Case historian, identified a couple of his knives that were made as early as 1905 and valued at more than $700 much to Leonard’s surprise. Many bikers stopped by before the Kids & Cancer Benefit Run to pick up their Harley-Davidson knives, lighters, and even Zippo Hand Warmers for the Run. “It was like old home days where people gathered at the museum to visit with each other,” said Kyle Kleiderlein, museum assistant manager. “Many Bradfordia...

Zippo owner and Chairman of the Board George Duke places the 500 millionth lighter in its permament spot in the Zippo/Case Museum. He said his grandfather, founder George G. Blaisdell, would not have believed the company would reach this milestone. Listen here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Zippo is hoping to produce its 500 millionth light on June 5 – the birthday of Zippo founder George Blaisdell. Company president and CEO Greg Booth says, "We are looking forward to making the sparks fly as we celebrate this accomplishment with our employees and Zippo enthusiasts around the world." To celebrate the milestone, Zippo will produce roughly 60,000 replica lighters that day, each with a commemorative stamp. The actual 500 Millionth Zippo lighter will be a classic brushed chrome with two-tone engraving, a distinctive bottom stamp, a time stamp on the front and an individual serial number of “1”. It will be placed on permanent display in the Zippo/Case Museum. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

For a veteran, every day is Veterans Day. But when Nov. 11 comes around at the Eldred World War II Museum in Eldred, Pa., it’s a day for everyone to commemorate. The museum, located at 201 Main St., in Eldred, about 80 miles south of Buffalo, N.Y., is offering free admission for Veterans Day for anyone who wants to tour the museum and remember the war between the Allied and Axis powers. Director Steve Appleby said that World War II veterans will be on hand to discuss their experiences in the war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The Eldred WWII Museum is rich in memorabilia from Eldred World War II. The museum, which opened on Memorial Day 1996, is dedicated to the memory of the U.S. fighting forces and the 40 million people on the home front who provided the troops with the war materials they needed. The fact that this museum is located in Eldred is not a coincidence – Eldred was the site of a British and American munitions plat that produced eight million bombs, mortar shells and fuses....

By Sandra Rhodes Visitor & Member Services The Allegheny National Forest Region really rocks! Two overlooks in the Allegheny National Forest offer fantastic views of the Allegheny Reservoir and are also a part of a great trail system right in the midst of Trail Central. What makes the Allegheny National Forest rock even more is that it’s free and open to travelers from all over, welcoming them to northcentral Pennsylvania. Rimrock Overlook, located off Route 59, is a magnificent rock outcrop that offers a breathtaking view 200 feet above the Kinzua Creek arm of the Allegheny Reservoir. But Rimrock offers much more than views. A short trail system takes you down a rock staircase through a narrow crevasse and past spectacular cliffs boulders and deep fractures that emit cold air. This area is also a hotspot for viewing the mountain laurel, the state flower of Pennsylvania, in full bloom the end of June. Once you get back on the road, you have the opportunity to travel one of the best...

Six students from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s sister college in Japan arrived in Bradford on Wednesday for a two-week stay in the United States. The students from Yokohama College of Commerce arrived with their instructor, Dr. Akiko Sakai, and will hone their English as part of Pitt-Bradford’s Summer Intensive English Program. Students will live on campus and visit local attractions such as Chautauqua (N.Y.) Lake, the Zippo/Case Museum, Festa Italiana, the Seneca Iroquois National Museum in Salamanca, N.Y., Crook Farm and the McKean County Fair. On Sunday, the students will visit Niagara Falls, and next week they will attend the Potter County Bowhunter Festival at Ski Denton. Members of the community will host the students in their homes for dinners, barbecues and game nights. Before returning to Japan, the students will visit New York City, where they will see the off-Broadway show STOMP and explore the city. ...

By Sandra Rhodes Visitor & Member Services Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau Start your engines! Sites within the Allegheny National Forest region have been selected as the stunning backdrops for a calendar photo shoot that includes a variety of modified vehicles and the German model “Miss Tuning”. Kristin Zippel was crowned Miss Tuning 2010 during the Tuning World Bodensee event in Germany. Part of becoming Miss Tuning includes an exclusive photo shoot for a 2011 calendar. This year, organizers selected the Great Lakes region to photograph iconic sites as backdrops for the calendar. Last year’s photo shoot was in the British Virgin Islands. During a photo scouting trip last month, representatives from Messe Friedrichshafen, the Great Lakes of North of America, and the ANF Visitors Bureau toured the area visiting locations as possible sites to be featured in the upcoming calendar. Toby McCarrick, executive director of the Great Lakes of North America (GLNA) - a marketing ...

Children attending the CARE for Children/YMCA Day Camp toured the Zippo Case Museum on Wednesday. Museum curator/historian, Linda Meabon, shows some of the campers a giant rolling flint. Pictured from left to right (front row) are Blayke Bridge, Cody Yohe, August Whitford, and (back row) Zethan Brougham,David McClelland, Jane Hartle, EI Coordinator at CARE, and Meabon. Each summer CARE offers the day camp that incorporates craft activities, field trips, gym classes and adaptive swimming led by physical and occupational therapists, CARE also has provides camp scholarships through their campership program for children with a permanent disabilities in McKean County, that wish to attend Camp JJ or other camps. Day camp and the Summer camp scholarships are made possible with funding provided by the Orak Grotto Tag Days. CARE for Children is a non-profit organization that provides services for children of all abilities. Photo courtesy of CARE for Children

Left, fans check out a replica of the Zippo/Kwik Fill #47 Toyota that Marcos Ambrose will be driving in the Zippo 200 at The Glen later this summer. Below, a man tries out the NASCAR simulator that was on hand Saturday for MotorSports Day Saturday at the Zippo/Case Museum.

Motorsports fans will want to be at the Zippo/Case Museum on Saturday, June 26, when Zippo celebrates with special sales and promotions, car displays, and the opportunity to win tickets to the Zippo 200 Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen. Here’s a chance to get up close to the show car replica of the Zippo / Kwik Fill #47 Toyota that Marcos Ambrose hopes to bring to Victory Lane in his only Nationwide race this year, the 2010 Zippo 200 at the Glen. Try your skill at taking on the twists and turns of The Glen in the NASCAR racing simulators, or grab a photo of the pace car that leads the field at Watkins Glen International. NASCAR not your speed? See the 1947 Zippo Car and browse the traveling museum for a look at hundreds of Zippo lighters that tour with the Zippo Car. Don’t miss this chance to see the Freedom Bike, a custom-painted 2010 Harley Fat Bob that will be raffled off Saturday, July 17, by the Kids and Cancer philanthropic organization. Save 20% off all Zippo MotorSports...

The Ninth Annual Kinzua Outdoor and Travel Show, scheduled for Friday, February 26, 4 to 9pm and Saturday, February 27, 10 am to 6 pm at the Bradford Mall facility in Bradford, PA, offers a wide range of activities and events for everyone to enjoy. Prior to the official start of the show, individuals who wish to display a trophy mount on “The Bragging Wall” can sign in their large game, small game, or fish starting at 1 pm. Exhibitors representing sporting goods retailers, recreational vehicle dealers, travel and tourism destinations, and more; food court vendors; and other activities will be prepared to welcome the public at 4 pm. Friday at 5 pm, the children’s activity venue will feature the McKean County Conservation District program, “Down the Drain,” followed from 5:30 pm – 8 pm by LPX Gaming with a wide variety of sport and outdoor-themed video games to entertain youth of all ages. The Freedom Bike will be unveiled by the Kids and Cancer Committee at 6 pm at the Zippo/Case Mus...