Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

  Abraham Wolfe, First “Keep” of the Sea Girt Lighthouse The keepers assigned to Sea Girt Lighthouse were a colorful and diverse group. Major Abraham Wolf, a former Union Army major, was Sea Girt’s first keeper, posted in 1896. With a military bearing and a striking impression in his sharp uniform, coupled with a no-nonsense approach toward his duties, he served as one of the finest in the Lighthouse service. Wolfe served seven years at Sea Girt Lighthouse and by the end of his tenure was in his early 70s, making him the oldest keeper on active duty. Sea Girt Lighthouse is the last live-in lighthouse built on the Atlantic Coast. Being a lighthouse keeper was not a 9-to-5 job. It was anything but. A typical tour of duty began before dusk and continued well past dawn. The keeper tended to routine but essential duties, made repairs as needed, and was always prepared to respond to any emergency, including shipwrecks. And at any time, “It shall be the duty of light keepers and their ass...

  Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/bradfordareapubliclibrary/videos/675666416959784

  "A wonderful story of a family's misunderstandings, bruises, heartache, and love. A love that allows forgiving and healing." ~ J. Nolan  

 

  Scott Canfield of Erie, Pennsylvania, will share his research and train model depicting the horrific train wreck that occurred on January 15, 1884, just outside Bradford, Pennsylvania. Hear personal stories of the victims and survivors, as well as the details that contributed to this devastating accident. This in-person program will take place on Saturday, January 22 at 11 AM at the Bradford Area Public Library.

  Take a 'plain Jane' mug and transform it with Sharpie permanent markers! Create a unique mug for yourself or personalize it for a friend. We'll show you how easy it is! #bradfordareapubliclibrary #diycraft Thursday, January 13, 7 p.m.  https://www.facebook.com/events/1228079847601748

  I started this book after seeing a suggestion on my library's Facebook page. All I knew about it was one of the characters is a librarian. After listening to it, I understand why the post couldn't divulge much more than that. The Good Sister has so many interesting twists and turns I wasn't even sure until the very end what the true story was about the events that transpired. That's a good thing. The story centers on a set of twins who are as different as night and day. Several events from their childhood are brought to light in flashbacks, although they "remember" the events quite differently. As adults, one of the sisters learns she can't get pregnant. The other decides she will carry a baby for her twin to repay her for everything she did for her when they were growing up. Some of the most poignant scenes involve the birth mother and how she feels about the baby. Even before I knew which wa...

Jeanne Gehret , Susan B. Anthony re-enactor, will visit S.W. Smith Memorial Library of Port Allegany and Bradford Area Public Library on Saturday, March 2 as part of National Women’s History Month. She will visit the SW Smith Library at 10:00 am and the Bradford Library at 2:00 pm. The program is free and open to the public. Susan Brownell Anthony  is famous for being one of the most prominent leaders of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, which ultimately led to the  Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,  granting women the right the vote. Although the amendment, popularly known as the Anthony Amendment , that was ratified after her death, her contribution in it cannot be overstated. Apart from fighting for equal rights for women throughout her life, Anthony was involved in several other efforts, including the abolishment of slavery. Jeanne Gehret will portray a vibrant Anthony in period costume using many of the suffragist’s o...

The Creative Share program is an opportunity for people to share their poems, songs or creative writing with others. The library is expanding its former Poetry Slam to include other forms of writing as well.

In order to be 100 percent fair, I give you the complete, unedited audio of tonight's Bradford Mayoral and McKean County Sheriff debates: Go to WESB.com/listen , click on the "Local Programs" tab and then scroll to #56 for mayor and #214 for sheriff. (They are in alphabetical order.) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By Sandy Rhodes A perfect storm of events -- including an arid financial stream and rising costs -- have forced the One Book Bradford committee to postpone its eighth season. OBB is a community-wide reading initiative in which a book is selected by the committee and recommended to the community to read. The season consists of ancillary events which have culminated with a visit by the author. However, this year, the committee found itself with limited finances and a publishing industry which controls author visits and charge more. "We decided to postpone this season when we realized that we would not be able to bring the quality of programming the community enjoyed in the past and had rightfully come to expect," a committee spokesperson said. "We tried to choose a book but the obstacles Generally, the selection is announced the beginning of November and the author visit is held in May. The regrouping process will include Lacey Love, the executive director for ...

You may remember a few years ago that a man walked along Route 6 from Cape Cod to Long Beach California. Well, Joe Hurley is making another trip another the historic highway, and this time he’ll be stopping at libraries along the way. Among the places he’ll be stopping are Bradford, Smethport and Port Allegany in McKean County and Coudersport and Galeton in Potter County. We’ll be talking with Hurley on an upcoming LiveLine about his trek, and the book he wrote following his last journey – “Ten Million Steps on Route 6.” The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Bradford Area Public Library has hired Heather Carlson of Smethport as Office Manager. The library received 14 letters of interests for the position. The Human Resource committee, along with the guidance of executive director, Lacey Love, narrowed the field to three candidates to interview. “We had a very diverse group of applicants. Those chosen for interviews represented different skill sets that provided Lacey an opportunity to select the most appropriate candidate to assist her in the operations of the library.” stated Chris Minich, Chairwoman of Bradford Area Public Library Board of Trustees. Carlson was most recently employed by Zippo Manufacturing Company, after returning to the Bradford area in 2011. She aspires to serve a non-profit organization as a leader in management. She looks forward to advancing the operations of the library so it continues to be a valuable resource in the Bradford community. She lives in Rew with her husband Terry Carlson. Love commented, ...

Bradford Area Public Library has named Lacey Love as executive director of the library. An ad hoc committee of Lee Doynow, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees, Tina Martin, Chair of Human Resources and Governance, and Kelli Knapp, Seneca District Consultant with the Warren Library Association conducted the search and recommendations for the appointment of Ms. Love, which is effective October 13, 2014. “We are very excited to have Lacey accept our employment offer and serve as a leader for our library,” stated Chris Minich, Chairwoman of Bradford Area Public Library Board of Trustees. Ms. Love was most recently employed as a Library Assistant at Scott Township Public Library, located south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has a broad background in librarianship, having worked or volunteered in both collegiate and public libraries for the past 6 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English, while minoring in Psychology and Economics from Allegheny College. Ms. Love then pur...

Pulitzer Prize winning author Alison Lurie has written a book about how buildings speak to us. She said while getting ready for our interview this morning she looked up some of Bradford’s buildings and was struck by the differences between the old and current libraries, and that, at first, she was put off by the outside of the West Washington Street building. Listen to her brief comments here . She also talked about Old City Hall and Bradford Area High School. Her book is “The Language of Houses: How Buildings Speak to Us,” and you can hear my chat with her on an upcoming LiveLine. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Guy Bennett has resigned as executive director of the Bradford Area Public Library, effective August 6. Bennett is currently on a leave of absence. The library’s board of trustees accepted his resignation during a special meeting this afternoon. Board chair Chris Minich says the board and staff appreciate the improvements Bennett has provided over the past 10 months, and they wish him success in the future. The search has already started for a new executive director, which requires a master’s degree in library and information science. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

4-year old Jimmy Otto shows off the rainbow fish he created Wednesday during the United Way's monthly First Chapter program at the Bradford Area Public Library. 18 kids heard the story "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister, and the lesson centered around sharing, friendship and making their own fish. Jimmy is the son of Bill and Kim Otto of Bradford. United Way photo The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Anne Gingerich, Pennsylvania Association of NonProfit Organizations (PANO) New Executive Director, visited with Leaders from Local-Nonprofit Organizations on Wednesday at the Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center in Bradford. When Gingerich became the new Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) in December of 2013, she immediately started reaching out to people in communities around Pennsylvania to listen and learn about their strengths, resources and needs. The event was hosted by The Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, CARE for Children and The United Way of the Bradford Area, Inc; and also attended by representatives from the YMCA of the Twin Tiers, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services, Evergreen Elm, The Bradford Area Public Library, McKean County Department of Human Services, The Nonprofit Partnership of Erie, PA and board members from area non-profits. According to PANO officials, the event was part of PANO’s Listening Tour, wh...

Leadership McKean honored the graduates of its 2013-14 class on Friday at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Throughout the year, program participants focused on issues affecting McKean County in areas like health and human services, economic development, education and tourism. To end the year, participants developed presentations that were inspired by the year’s topics and presenters. This year’s class developed the following presentations, many of which will be implemented in the future: Bradford Ecumenical Home, Inc.—Residents on the Go! Financial Literacy Volunteer McKean Facebook Site Mobile Library Bradford Area High School Career Awareness and Workplace Readiness Program Mike Glesk, a member of the Leadership McKean Steering Committee said that with 24 graduates, this is the largest Leadership McKean class in the program's eight-year history. To date, 142 participants completed the program. During the graduation ceremony, Dan Minich a...

As part of the Leadership McKean program, our team is working with the Bradford Area Public Library to develop a book-share program for local children and their parents. Our goal is to encourage rising literacy rates in Bradford by providing great books, reading tips, and fun reading exercises at various sites around the city to help parents and their kids get excited about reading. To get the program started, we need good books! If you'd like to donate your gently-used children's books for readers up to age 12, here are two easy ways to do so: 1. Just email the library director@bradfordlibrary.org. We’d be delighted to pick up your used children's books at your convenience. 2. While at the Bradford Public Library, drop your gently-used children's books in the box labeled Leadership McKean, located in the circulation-desk area. We think that literacy begins with leadership. Thanks in advance for yours; we really appreciate your support! Team B, Leade...