Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By Dr. Richard G. Frederick When Tim Roudebush died last week in his home near Kansas City, he left an important legacy to McKean County. During the 1990s the Kansas businessman provided the impetus and much of the financial support for the foundation of the Eldred World War II Museum and Camp Penuel East, a Christian summer camp for inner-city youths. The Kansas entrepreneur was the founder and owner of several business ventures, notably Akro Fireguard, Inc., which sold a fire-retardant process to airlines around the world. Although he was born and raised in Cleveland, Tim’s family had interests in the Eldred area, where Tim’s lawyer father had facilitated an arrangement with both the United States and Canadian governments to establish a munitions plant during World War II. Following the war, the elder Roudebush purchased the land, which included a lodge and several miles of bridle trails. In addition to his businesses, Tim had a strong interest in history and politics, ho...

The man who founded the Eldred World War II Museum died last week in Kansas. Tim Roudebush was 83. He opened the museum in 1996, and it houses one of the largest collections of war artifacts. The museum hosts thousands of visitors and school groups every year. Roudebush was also responsible for building Camp Penuel East, a Christian camp that has welcome thousands of inner-city children since it opened in 1994. Funeral services will be held Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Every day is Memorial Day at the Eldred World War II Museum and there’s no better time to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom than to visit this remarkable museum in northwestern Pennsylvania. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday and will open at 10 a.m. Monday. One man’s story of survival will be the focus of Sunday’s talk at 2 p.m. Victor Peterson of Kushequa will share his experiences of surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and his four-year deployment in the Central Pacific. Since many members of the Greatest Generation are passing, it is sometimes up to the next generation to tell their stories. That is what is happening with the program on Saturday. Candy Kyler Brown’s father, John Kyler, never told his story about being a ball turret gunner during World War II. How he was shot down over Germany and held as a prisoner of war for 15 months. Brown will speak about her father’s experience as well as ...

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 Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau When Gen. Dwight Eisenhower retired after more than 30 years of military service, he was asked what his most vivid memory was. His answer was simple – the American solider. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower – through portrayer Bruce Hoff of San Antonio, Texas – was at the Eldred World War II Museum over the holiday weekend. He gave three talks – one each on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. An ode to the American solider was saved for Memorial Day. “The young men, most were citizen soldiers, who two months earlier were students, dropped everything to pursue freedom for the oppressed people of Europe,” he said. When Eisenhower was in command, he enjoyed taking time to meet those who served under him. He wanted to get to know them and perhaps, even meet someone from his home state of Kansas. One such moment captured by the media is not at all what it seems. Eisenhower was talking with a group of American paratroopers in England in 1944 before th...

By SANDRA RHODES ANF Visitors Bureau The headline could read “Dwight Eisenhower comes to Eldred.” Well, if not in person, then a pretty good understudy. Bruce Hoff will give three presentations as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower over Memorial Day weekend, May 28, May 29 and May 30, at the Eldred World War II Museum, 201 Main Street, Eldred, Pa. The presentations begin at 2 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Hoff will dress as Eisenhower, look like Eisenhower and talk like Eisenhower. However, the San Antonio, Texas, man favors the term interpretation over impersonation. “I try to give the listener what Ike would have done himself,” Hoff said. “They can make judgment as though they were meeting Ike. “I cannot sound just like him. I try. He had a very staccato walk of talking,” Hoff said, adding he has spent many hours studying the man. Hoff explained that the hour-long presentation will consist of about 40 minutes of him talking. The remaining 20 minutes will be devoted to questions ...