Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) is coordinating a “Welcome Back Pitt Students” Downtown Hunt to welcome University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students back to town. The event, open to all University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students, will kick off at 4pm on Friday, September 2nd. The starting point for the Downtown Hunt will be the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce office at 121 Main Street, where hot dogs and soda will be served to participants by the BACC staff. Students who take part in the Downtown Hunt will receive a game card at the BACC office. By visiting participating businesses in the downtown area, they will collect stickers in an attempt to fill their cards, with special stickers indicating businesses who are part of the university’s Panther Post program. The Downtown Hunt is designed to help students become more aware of what downtown has to offer, while welcoming them back to Bradford in a fun way. The Downtown Hunt will conclude in Veterans’ Square...

Governor Tom Corbett today declared a statewide disaster emergency to enable state, county and municipal governments to respond effectively to the impact of Hurricane Irene, a massive storm expected to impact much of the eastern half of the state. The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel as necessary to cope with this emergency situation. Corbett issued the disaster proclamation this morning after meeting with Glenn Cannon, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and other emergency officials at their headquarters in Harrisburg. “We are urging all Pennsylvanians to take action now to be prepared,’’ Corbett said. “We will continue to monitor this changing situation statewide and plan for all possible emergencies. Should the need arise, we will be able to help as quickly and efficiently as possible.’’ Citizens can find a full list of helpful suggestions on how to plan for an emergency by visiting the state’s pre...

Smethport – Starting Monday, Aug. 29, McKean County drivers will encounter road crews along Route 3011 near the village of Ormsby. Crews will be performing drainage work from Ormsby south for 2 ½ miles in Keating Township. Flaggers will be on site to enforce an alternating traffic pattern and short travel delays can be expected. A detour will go into effect on Wednesday, Aug. 31, so that milling and paving work can take place. Southbound drivers will follow Route 59 east and Route 6 south before returning to Route 3011. Northbound drivers will follow Route 6 north and Route 59 west before returning to Route 3011. Signs will be in place to assist drivers on the detour. This roadwork is expected to last through early September. Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. of State College is the contractor on this roadway improvement project. All work is weather dependent. Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL .

For the fifth year in a row, the Bradford Chapter #330 Women of the Moose “adopted” CARE for Children as part of their annual community projects. The Women of the Moose purchased school supplies, including pencils, glue sticks, crayons, construction paper, notebooks, and binders which were distributed to school-aged children with special health care. Pictured from left to right are: Sandy Roulo, Chaplin; Taylor Sevrey, 6; Alexis Sevrey, 10; Rose Caswell, Senior Regent; Mandi Wilton-Davis, CARE for Children Development & Marketing Coordinator; Nean Wolcott, Secretary and Project Coordinator; and Vickie Cromley, Recorder. Taylor and Alexis Sevrey are the granddaughters of Vickie Cromley, and were in attendance to help organize the supplies. CARE for Children is a non-profit organization providing services and programs for children of all abilities in McKean County. Courtesy of CARE for Children

AMITY, NY – On Thursday, Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Jason Dunham was honored by over a hundred family, friends, elected officials, military personnel and veterans during a special road and bridge dedication ceremony spearheaded by Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I-Olean). A section of State Route 19 and the bridge that crosses over Interstate 86 in town are now known as the “Corporal Jason Dunham Memorial Highway" and "Corporal Jason Dunham Memorial Bridge” respectively - a designation signed into law by Governor Cuomo in early August. “Corporal Dunham is a true American hero. This bridge and roadway will not only honor Corporal Dunham for his sacrifices, but also will serve as a reminder to anyone traveling the roadways here that they are living in a free society because of the men and women who are willing to fight, and sometimes die, to protect our freedoms,” said Senator Young. In April 2004, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. Marine Corps. Cor...

Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jack Butler has been nominated by the Seniors Committee to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 83-year-old and guard Dick Stanfel are the two senior finalists for election in the Hall's Class of 2012. They will join 15 modern-era candidates on the ballot; the other candidates will not be chosen until December. The two seniors do not compete with the modern candidates for a spot in the Hall but are voted on separately and often both seniors are elected. Butler, a cornerback who played at St. Bonaventure University, played nine seasons with the Steelers from 1951-59. Pictured, Butler in his playing days at St. Bonaventure. ( St. Bonaventure Football -- Undefeated Since 1952 )

The Community Blood Bank is reducing the hours at the fixed site location in the BRMC Out Patient Lab, located at 24 Davis street Union Square in Bradford. The Community Blood Bank will no longer be open Thursdays for donors dues to staffing issues and lower donor turnout. "As the only supplier of blood in Mc Kean County AND the lowest cost blood provider in the United States," said Dan Desrochers, Director of Marketing at the Community Blood Bank. "We have to be as efficient as possible with our limited resources." The Community Blood Bank is located at 24 Davis Street in Union Square across from the Sports Café in the BRMC Laboratory. Hours every week: Saturdays 9am to 1pm. No appointment is necessary. Everyone over 17 is strongly encouraged to donate.

Governor Tom Corbett today launched a two-day kayak tour of the Susquehanna River through central Pennsylvania to promote the state’s vast natural resources and recreational opportunities. The governor set off this morning from the Sweigarts Island Boat Access in Paxton. He’ll talk with residents and visit local attractions during the trip. Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services

The Ashville, New York, man accused of traveling to Warren County and approaching young girls will be held in a federal detention facility until his trial. 40-year-old David Lopus waived a detention hearing in federal court in Erie. No date for the trial has been set yet. Lopus was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he attempted to lure young girls in Warren County in June of 2010 and twice in May of this year. A fourth alleged incident happened in Corry in March of 2010. After charges were filed in late May Lopus left the area but was picked up at a homeless shelter in Cleveland on June 9 and extradited to Warren County.

State Police have released more information about the crash that killed 21-year-old Bryan Hannon of Bradford Sunday night. They say Hannon was traveling south on Route 219 just north of Wilcox at 9 p.m. when, for unknown reasons, his car went into the oncoming travel lane. He tried to get back into his own lane but couldn’t, and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. The car and the truck both went off the road and into a guide rail, where the truck rolled onto its side. Hannon was pronounced dead at the scene by Elk County Cornoer Lou Radkowski. The tractor-trailer driver, 32-year-old Jeremy English of Woodland, suffered minor injuries. Funeral services for Hannon will be held Friday morning at St. Bernard’s Church. Visitation is tomorrow at the Hollenbeck-Cahill Funeral Home on East Main Street.

Harrisburg – PennDOT bridge inspectors in each of the agency’s 11 districts are doing precautionary inspections of bridges around the state after today’s 5.9 magnitude earthquake that was centered near Richmond, Virginia. “We have no reason to believe the Virginia earthquake caused major damage to any state roadways or bridges,” said Scott Christie, P.E., PennDOT’s Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration. “But to err on the side of caution, we are assessing those bridges that could be susceptible to quake damage.” The first bridges to be inspected are those that are at least 200-feet or longer and at least 60-feet high. PennDOT is starting these inspections today and will continue through at least tomorrow. In Berks County, police closed the Penn Street Bridge in Reading after noticing cracks in the pavement on the bridge approach but the cracks may have been there before the earthquake. PennDOT inspectors will thoroughly assess the bridge to make sure it was not damaged...

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit in Virginia at just before 2 o'clock this afternoon and it was felt, and felt hard, in the Twin Tiers. We got calls immediately after the shaking stopped from all over Bradford and all over McKean County and beyond. Mayor Tom Riel says he was on the second floor of city hall, where pictures on the walls were swinging back and forth. Ralph Bottone of Limestone was sitting at his restaurant talking to a friend, and the friend's pickup truck and the building where Rafael's is located were all shaking. The epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia, between Fredericksburg and Charlottsville. At the WESB studios we felt the shaking for at least 10 seconds. What did you feel? Let us know here, or on our Facebook page.

Bryan Timothy Hannon, 21, of 646 South Kendall Ave., passed away Sunday, August 21st, 2011 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born March 28, 1990, in Bradford, he was a son of Robert J. and Tammie (Hedlund) Hannon. Bryan was a 2008 graduate of Bradford High School. He was on the Bradford High tennis team, golf team and a member of the Ski Club. After high school he attended Penn State Behrend in Erie. He was a snow board instructor at Holiday Valley, and had formerly worked at B&T Contracting. He was currently employed by Venturi Technologies in New Jersey. In addition to his parents Bryan is survived by a brother, Jonathan R. Hannon of Bradford, a sister, Erin N. Hannon of Lincoln, NE, paternal Grandmother Beverly J. (the late Matthew) Hannon of Bradford, maternal Grandparents Jack and Linda Hedlund of Kane, maternal Great Grandmother Freda (the late Lawrence) Hedlund of Kane, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Family will be receiving friend...

A Sheffield man is facing a number of felony charges for helping two other people break into the Shaw House Bar last September. Police say 22-year-old Johnny Castor admitted that he agreed to leave the back door of the bar unlocked after closing between about 3:30 and 4 a.m. on September 21. Amanda McClellan and Andrew Osborne, both of Sheffield, broke into the bar and stole about $1,700 worth of cash and liquor. Osborne is serving a 15-to 50-month sentence in state prison for his role in the crime. McClellan pleaded guilty 3 weeks ago.

Someone broke into the Jones Township Senior Center in Wilcox sometime between Wednesday and this morning an stole a number of items. Police say the burglars forced their way into the Jones Township Municipal Authority building, which houses the senior center, and stole a Wii gaming system and Wii Sports game with an estimated value of $200. Damage to the doors and windows is estimated at $670. Anyone with information on this incident as asked to contact Ridgway-based state police.

A Dunkirk man who crashed his motorcycle last month while he was driving drunk with an 8-year-old passenger is now facing a charge of vehicular assault. 40-year-old Andrew Johnson ran into the back of a vehicle that was stopped at a stop sign on July 25, throwing both him and the 8-year-old on to the road. The child was taken to Children’s Hospital in Buffalo for treatment of his injuries. Sheriff’s deputies originally charged Johnson with driving while intoxicated and a Leandra’s Law violation, but after reviewing the seriousness of the boy’s injuries added the vehicular assault charge. Johnson was sent to jail in lieu of $2,000 cash bail.

By Tom Missel Director of Media Relations/Marketing The St. Bonaventure University graduate students had only begun their summer class in England when they were invited to a conference of the Business Wealth Club of Oxford. Many of the English business executives were surprised to learn at the end of the day that the five were young graduate students and not fellow business owners. The students, enrolled in St. Bonaventure’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program, are impressing their instructors and UK business leaders. “The Professional IMC Communication” course began with two weeks of classroom instruction at Trinity College at Oxford University, followed by several weeks of business integration seminars. The seminars are not lecture hall presentations, but intense internships in which the students are focused on integrated marketing on a global scale as they study — and in some instances produce — marketing operations for multinational and foreign corpora...

An Allegany man who barricaded himself in his house after firing a gun has pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempted reckless endangerment. Back in February, 49-year-old Thomas Gilray held police at bay for several hours. He had been drinking heavily with relatives, who fled the house and called police after Gilray found a pistol. Police were called at about 8:15 p.m. A state police hostage negotiator got Gilray to surrender at around 2 a.m. He will be sentenced in Cattaraugus County Court on November 14.

A Port Allegany man has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual conduct against a child and endangering the welfare of a child. 31-year-old Harold Graves is accused of engaging in two or more sex acts with a child younger than 11. The alleged incidents happened between June of 2007 and April of 2009 in Hinsdale, according to Cattaraugus County District Attorney Lori Rieman. The matter has been adjourned for motions.

Bradford City Police dealt with a public drunk on Mill Street early Sunday morning, according to the complaint report and request sheet. They were also called about criminal mischief on Pleasant Street, a retail theft on East Main Street, a hit and run on Edna Avenue and an unwanted person on South Center Street.

On Sunday, August 21, the 16th Annual KCH Charity Golf Scramble took place at Kane Country Club. Despite clouds and intermittent showers, a great day was enjoyed by 92 players of 23 teams taking part in this year’s tournament. Proceeds from the 2011 tournament will support KCH’s new Sleep Center that opens in September. Five teams enjoyed the $2,000 plus purse: First Place -- low gross, 55, went to the Northwest Savings Bank foursome of Randy Durante, Chris Sundberg, Joe Colosimo and Ron Dellen; Second Place -- low net, first team 55, went to the team of Scott McCann, Bob McCann, Mike Washington, and Tim Washington; Third Place -- low net, second team, 58 (blind draw #12) went to the Daugherty Contracting Team of Buzz Daugherty, Scott Bines, Tim Baker and George Horetsky; Fourth Place – low net, third team, 58 (blind draw #12) went to the threesome of Travis Menteer, George Saleh, and Robin Copley, who was not available for the photo. Fifth Plac...

Adults and students in grade 6 through 12 can try out for “Charlotte’s Web” in Duke Center on Tuesday (Aug. 30) and in Bradford on Wednesday (Aug. 31). The first production of Bradford Little Theatre’s “Fun, Furious” 15th season will be mounted October 21, 22 and 23 at Otto-Eldred Junior-Senior High School in Duke Center. Tryouts on Aug. 30 will be held at the school from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; tryouts in Bradford will be held at Bradford Area Public Library on Aug. 31 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. “We are hoping that having the show and tryouts in Duke Center will offer more opportunities for actors and techies in that area to take part in this children’s classic,” said director Nanci K. Garris. She noted about half of the rehearsals will also be at the Duke Center school. Joseph Robinette’s adaptation of the tale about a friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider remained true to the spirit and intent of the original, said author E.B. White. There are at least four ro...

A couple from Dunkirk is facing welfare fraud and other charges. Barbara and Bruce Siverd are accused of submitting false child care timesheets to the Chautauqua County Department of Social Services for payment from November 2009 to April of 2010. They also allegeldy applied for energy assistance at their place of business that they were not entititled to have. In total, they received nearly $16,500. They will appear in City of Dunkirk Court at a later date.

Bryan Timothy Hannon, 21, of 646 South Kendall Ave., passed away Sunday, August 21st, 2011 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born March 28, 1990, in Bradford, he was a son of Robert J. and Tammie (Hedlund) Hannon. Bryan was a 2008 graduate of Bradford High School. He was on the Bradford High tennis team, golf team and a member of the Ski Club. After high school he attended Penn State Behrend in Erie. He was a snow board instructor at Holiday Valley, and had formerly worked at B&T Contracting. He was currently employed by Venturi Technologies in New Jersey. In addition to his parents Bryan is survived by a brother, Jonathan R. Hannon of Bradford, a sister, Erin N. Hannon of Lincoln, NE, paternal Grandmother Beverly J. (the late Matthew) Hannon of Bradford, maternal Grandparents Jack and Linda Hedlund of Kane, maternal Great Grandmother Freda (the late Lawrence) Hedlund of Kane, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Family will be receiving frie...

Three teenagers have been arrested for stealing a vehicle from a parking lot in Silver Creek earlier this month. 19-year-old Casey Bennett of Dunkirk along with a 17-year-old from Perrysburg and a 16-year-old from Tonawanda were picked up this morning following an investigation by Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputies. Deputies say the three teens did cooperate with the investigation, which also determined that this incident is related to an incident in Lackawanna, New York. All three have been charged with grand larceny and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The 16-year-old and 17-year-old are also charged with criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a weapon.

No one was hurt in an accident last Tuesday evening on Route 146 in Sergeant Township. In a report released today, state police say 61-year-old Thomas Allen of Arkansas was traveling south about 2 miles north of Clermont when another vehicle crossed the center line and forced him off the road. Allen lost control of his car, which spun around and rolled onto its driver’s side.

Someone stole about 100 ginseng plants from property in Eldred Township over the weekend. State police say the plants were taken from a fenced-in portion on the east side of a mountain off Barnum Road. The theft happened between 5 o’clock Friday afternoon and 5:30 Sunday afternoon.

A fire damaged the Pennsy Restaurant in Ridgway Sunday afternoon. The fire happened at around 2:10 and did about $25,000 worth of damage to the two-story building. Damage was contained to the attic and roof areas of the builidng. A state police fire marshal is investigating but says it does not appear to be suspcious. The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire and no one was in the building.

A Brocton man is in jail after being accused of robbing another man at gunpoint during a party. Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the village say they were flagged down Saturday by a man who said he was the victim of a recent crime. The victim said a fellow partygoer led him to an upper apartment at a residence, where he was held against his will and robbed at gunpoint. Deputies found 21-year-old Chad Lynden at his home. He allegedly slammed the door on deputies who were trying to arrest him, then struggled with them. Lynden was charged with felony counts of robbery and unlawful imprisonment. He’s jailed without bail.

A woman who tried to pass cigarettes and marijuana to an inmate at the Chautauqua County Jail is now an inmate there herself. 19-year-old Andrea McKoon of Celeron was visiting the inmate at 2:40 Sunday afternoon when she allegedly tried to pass the cigarettes, the pot and matches. McKoon was charged with possession of marijuana and promoting prison contraband. She was jailed on $5,000 cash bail.

Author Gordon Zuckerman has a new book that will be of interest to many people in this area. "Crude Deception" is about "an oil supply controlled by corrupt hands, murderous assassins who will do anything to keep that power intact - and a group of friends with a wild plan to thwart them all." Listen to my talk with Mr. Zuckerman here . Get more information at http://gordonzuckerman.com/ or at the Bradford Area Public Library .