Being an excellent drummer who had a flamboyant style of crossing hands and sticks over to the opposite side of the drum while marching may have gotten Franklin's Wes Law some attention as a supreme showman but in the days of segregation, it didn't get him a spot in a white band. Undeterred, an all-black band was formed and played for decades around the area.

Franklin's music history is long and diverse, and that diversity will now be celebrated for years to come thanks to a mural and descriptive plaque on the side of the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

A roughly 11 x 33 foot brightly colored mural was dedicated Saturday morning in front of a crowd of over 100 people. The project was made possible through a couple of grants from the Bridge Builder's Foundation and spearheaded by Franklin High School art teacher Rachelle Surrena. It was created mostly by Franklin High School art students, but many others contributed to the mural.

​"Making a gigantic mural makes big dreams seem more achievable," she told the crowd as she began to describe the project and the work of her students and community.

He said Saturday that after the death of leader Wes Law, their famed drummer, the band was largely forgotten. So he was excited to be able to speak Saturday about this band. "It is a great thing to see this chapter of Venango County's cultural history acknowledged and preserved here."

Several local leaders and school officials came out to the dedication ceremony. Two students, Kayleigh Beasly and Calista Judy each spoke of their involvement and thanked the community for the experience in creating this mural as a lasting tribute to this largely forgotten part of the city's and county's history.

“We had plenty of ideas on what to do for the mural, but in the end, we decided on representing the Sheepskin Band,” Beasley said. “It was incredibly interesting to learn about the band and to work on something big that would represent them and educate the community.”

​"In today’s climate, there is great importance in celebrating, and promoting visibility for our diverse history. Through music, the Sheepskin Band richened our culture and deserves significance," Judy said.

Read more about this project at:

A group of young people gathered in a large room above the Franklin Chamber of Commerce back in May to fly a few drones around obstacle courses mostly made up of blow-up dinosaurs. The youngsters were having fun but also learning. A small bit about coding and uses for robotics and drones in the future was the goal of this Remake Learning night.

The space they were in once housed the Franklin Masons, a fraternal organization that recently moved out when they merged with the Oil City chapter.

​That night turned out to be a testing ground to see if the space could be used for the Innovation Institute For Tomorrow, a project of the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative.

​Jodi Baker Lewis, the chamber’s director, is a long-time supporter of the robotics initiative. The Franklin Chamber owns the building and they needed a new tenant. The institute had its plans change suddenly and they needed a new home.
 
Coincidence? Fate?
 
Heffernan and his board began looking at these two floors that once held the secret society of Freemasons rituals as the possible future for their initiative.  It has large ballroom-sized rooms, storage,  kitchens and bathrooms - just about everything it needs to get up and running.
 
“I think it might even have more space than The Franklin,” Heffernan said. Certainly better overall space to suit the institute's eventual needs.

​One major improvement has already been implemented, the hiring of a full-time program manager. Steve Cutchall, who has been actively helping out, will handle a lot of the programming needs allowing Heffernan to spend more time developing relationships and bringing other opportunities to the local students.

When Meadville resident Roger Miller started ballooning in the late 1990s this area could've had a mini hot -air ballooning festival just about any day of the week. The city of Meadville itself had four balloonists. Add Cambridge Springs and Edinboro and there were even more. So for years the Thurston Classic made a lot of sense being a Meadville thing.

Now in 2022, Miller is the only one left with a balloon. Most others have given up their balloons, retired or passed away. A little less than two-years ago, the main organizer of the Thurston, Ted Watts Sr. died due to complications surrounding COVID-19. The pandemic had already cancelled the event in 2020 and then it took its leader.

The fate of the Father's Day staple event in Crawford County was up-in-the-air with the prospect that it could be grounded forever.

This past weekend, though the weather didn’t cooperate, the pilots, the committee, and Watts family answered the question with a firm commitment that the event will continue.

​When balloon meister, Alex Jonard, a long-time participant in the classic, was asked if there was ever a doubt the event would return he simply stated “Not to me.”

Disappointed with no flights, the committee looked to early Sunday morning to at least give people something before the weekend was over. “Alex Janard and the committee did the next best thing this morning,” said Miller. At sunrise the balloon pilots assembled in a line to inflate their balloons. 

At first only about a dozen people were milling around to see what was happening. By the time the balloons were all inflated and the sun was popping up over the trees, over 100 showed up. The organizers then invited them all to come down for a closer look.

“Our intent is to keep it going. We are transitioning in some younger people,” said Tim Cooper, the current chair of the committee. He said the hope is to grow their social media presence, thus growing the awareness of the event. He said it is all volunteer effort, but the event costs about $40,000 to put on. They are thankful for the corporate sponsors but are looking for new ways people can contribute.They created a QR code for donations this year and were happy with the results. “A bunch of $10 donations add up. The committee really believes this is a county treasure,” Cooper said emphasizing if the community supports this they take ownership in its success. And that bodes well for its future.

Watts family and friends agree. “This was Ted’s baby,” Miller said. “I think it really great they are going to keep this event going.” ​

Franklin's Bandstand Park was full of people and sound Saturday for the annual Blues and Barbecue. The weather couldn't really have been better. One of the event organizers, commissioner Chip Abramovic said that proceeds from these events go toward local music education. This weekend they have given $1,500 to the Franklin Madrigal singers and HOLeY Jeans. They will also present the Franklin High School Jazz band with $2,500 on Sunday.

Other performers Sunday will include the following:
11:30 - 12:00 FHS Madrigal Group
12:00 - 1:15: Miss Freddye and Glory Be
1:30 - 2:00 Franklin High School Jazz Band
2:15 - 3:15: Charlie Barath Blues Band
3:30 - 5:00: Vanessa Collier

During Meadville's bicentennial celebrations in 1988, organizers wanted to bring to light the tradition of ballooning from the late 1800s and early 1900s started by the Thurston family of balloonists.

The committee formed a sub-committee to bring a special balloon festival to the city that year. One of the members of that committee was Meadville lawyer Ted Watts. Watts and other committee members then took it a step further, Watts got his own balloon and the committee made it an annual event. 34 years later, sans two pandemic cancelled years, the festival is still going celebrating its 32nd event.

2022 marks the first Classic without Watts who died in 2020 from complications associated with COVID. Last year a memorial tribute flight was scheduled, but due to the lingering pandemic, a full Thurston Classic was not scheduled.

The Night Glow has been named after one of the long-time organizers Joyce Stevens who passed away in 2017.

​At the end of the glow a special and moving remembrance for Watts was also held - a 21 burn salute, where the pilots ignited their burners no longer underneath the balloon. Watts old balloon, the Legal Eagle stood alone in the field inflated but did not light its burner.

It was a surprise to Ted Watts Jr. who is helping to see the Classic continue.

The night glow always kicks off the weekend event. Friday, though a beautiful night in Meadville was just too windy for safe ballooning so the flight had to be cancelled. The next scheduled flight is Saturday morning with the balloonists, weather permitting, flying over Robertson Field at Allegheny College to drop a beanbag on a target.

​It is a standard test of piloting ability and luck of the gust (ie which way the wind blows.)

This year's event features a nearly double-sized special balloon called Neptuno. The 130 foot tall balloon is a stylized sea horse. Each year the committee tries to bring in a unique special balloon.

Another lift off is scheduled for Saturday night from Robertson Field around 6 p.m. There is music and food trucks at the event

The Classic will conclude with an early morning Father's Day flight into Robertson Field for a second target drop. If the flight goes off it will be a nice Father's Day gift from young Ted to his dad.

T​his said, poor attendance doesn't seem to stop those who organize this hour long-ish event. It reminds me of the person who does something they believe in even though no one else knows they do it. 

There is at least something noble in that.

A quick and quiet ceremony at Oil City on the football field saw 110 students receive their diplomas. Tori McClelland was named the class Valeditorian and Emily By the Salutatorian.

Commencement speaker  was 1972 Oil City graduate Denise Jones spoke about her time as the only black female student and how she dedicated herself to working hard to overcome any obstacles thrown her way. "Learning to adapt to your situation is key to your success," she told the students and guests.

She had some perspective advise to give about personal drive and commitment. "Remember, no one can make you feel bad about yourself  without your permission." She repeated that sentence. "You be yo. Don't be afraid to be different, use your difference,

Near the end of her speech she also quoted Muhammed Ali, "Don't count your days, make your days count."

And finally I would like to thank Courntee for being the best big sister a little brother could ask for. I have always looked up to as a role model. We have always been extremely competitive with each other and I knew that you were the best at everything singing and it drove me absolutely crazy. You taught me how to get out of my comfort zone and try new things both in and out of school. I want to thank you for instilling this need to be involved within me  and propelling  me into this position where I am today. You walked through the halls of RG so that I could run. And with that, I now conclude my thank you’s… ​

Click here to see more photos: ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p1057270067

To say principal Kelly Hart has been waiting a long time for this moment would be an understatement. "I first saw this in 2020," she said about the idea of pairing up seniors with kindergartners.

Then COVID.

But she didn't forget the idea. Tuesday her wish came through.

The Rocky Grove graduating class of 2022 walked through the Valley Grove Elementary School for a senior walk and clap out, each with a little one in tow. "Cute" was the buzzword echoing in the halls.

The senior walk is an annual tradition, but now that tradition will not only celebrate the past accomplishments of the graduating seniors, but look to the future of the school by celebrating its youngest students as well.

Rocky Grove will hold its graduation tonight (June 8) at 6:30 p.m. outside at Valley Grove Elementary School. The class recently announce Dustin McMullen as the class Valedictorian and Riley Reed as Salutatorian. 

UPDATED: Dr. Eugene Thomas takes over as acting superintendent of Franklin Area Schools affective 6/8/2022. He will take over as full superintendent on July 1.

A special Franklin Area School Board will be held tonight (June 7) at 6 p.m. in the high school's library. The agenda on their website followed a posting on the homepage late last week.

The purpose of the meeting is to vote on appointing Dr. Eugene Thomas as the new acting superintendent. Thomas was voted by the school board to be the new permanent superintendent in a May 23 meeting. His contract is set to begin July 1. 

"This has been the plan all along," said board president Sabrina Backer. She said current acting superintendent Dr. Tom Holoman was filling in a much-needed role while waiting for Thomas' availability. That availability begins June 8. "I really appreciate Tom jumping in. He's done a fantastic job and he's a huge asset to the district," she said.

The board will first vote to accept the resignation of Holoman, who has been acting superintendent since May 16 after then acting superintendent Pat Gavin resigned. Thomas was named the new superintendent a few days later with his contract to begin effective the new school calendar year.

The vote tonight, which is expected to be passed, calls for Thomas to be paid $480.77 a day from June 8 through 30. "Everything is going good," said board vice-president Andy Boland, indicating this is all procedural and doesn't expect the meeting to last very long.

Blaze Myers' hot start to this season's Rush Wingless Sprint Car Series left him having to decide between attending his high school graduation or the Sunday races at the Tri-City Raceway Park. Missing the race would mean giving up a chance to earn much coveted points in the hunt for the championship. 

​He chose the race.

He is near the top of the leader board and he just didn't want to lose momentum.

​Instead of being salty about Myers' decision, Franklin principal Dr. Christina Cohlhepp decided to roll with the punches. After a suggestion from Denise Phipps, director of student support services and a friend of the Myers family, Cohlhepp embraced her student's decision.

After sending off 143 graduates into the world Sunday evening at the school's commencement ceremony, Cohlhepp raced, with Phipps to the raceway in order to personally deliver the 144th diploma to Myers who was just a few tenths of a point away from graduating with honors.

​Myers, who has been racing since he was in kindergarten, had no idea this was going to happen.

When Cohlhepp arrived, raceway announcer John McConnell had already begun telling the crowd that Myers had skipped his graduation to be at the track. "​(He's) a young man with his priorities all set,"  McConnell said as Myers stood in front of the crowd in his cap and gown. Myers thought that was the extent of it and that his mom had arranged for him to be embarrassed in front of all the race fans.

McConnell asked Myers if he recognized anyone walking across the track and then Myers spotted Cohlhepp. "I know who that is," he said into the microphone and then told everyone it was his principal.
 
"I was confused when they kept saying 'she's coming.' I thought they meant my mom," Myers said.

"We didn't want you to miss your opportunity to receive your diploma tonight," Cohlhepp said. 

A dog watches its owner eat some dinner beside the fountain in Fountain Park on Saturday as the late afternoon sun shone through the falling droplets of water.

Editors note: These words are from Rosalynne Ferraro's Valedictorian speech. She was gracious to allow us to print it here.We thought her said more about the class of 2022 than we could ever say.

"I’ve been contemplating the perfect way to begin the perfect speech–to be eloquent in my words and concise in my message–but I’ve also been confronted with the reality that there’s really no perfect way to begin the perfect speech, and I think... that accurately describes my class’s high school experience: not perfect. Since March 13, 2020, our lives have never been the same or even close to normal.

I can confidently say, and I think my classmates would all agree, that our experience has been a unique one. Yes, the classes of ‘20 and ‘21 can empathize, and my heart goes out to them, but it’s this class that gave up almost all of our high school years.

Though we see success in our class, the world we are about to step into is an imperfect world that has been disrupted by hatred, fear, control, and misinformation. This all stems from the lack of human connection we’ve had these past two years. We’ve begun to think selfishly. We don’t remember what it’s like to casually disagree with a friend. We’ve become so caught up in our personal opinions that we forget that in reality, there are others who don’t agree with us, and that’s healthy.

I mean, I believe my high school experience would be quite boring if we all agreed on everything and got along perfectly!

​We have had the privilege of growing up and learning in an environment which promotes safety. It’s sad to say that not every child has had this privilege, and with that being said I would like to take a moment of silence to recognize the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School massacre...

Thank you.

Seeing the topic of school shootings trending a week before we graduate is completely devastating. These children were not given the opportunity to experience the years of life they had in front of them. Something in America has to change. Innocent children can not continue to die. The families of these victims will not forget and the communities of these victims will not forget, and I call on each and every one of you not to forget.

146 students received their Franklin High School diplomas Sunday evening at the high school football field. 
​
Class president Skylar Shields offered the audience a welcome titled "Coming Together as One."

Salutatorian and class treasurer Halle Plowman spoke about "New Beginnings" and valedictorian and class vice president Rosalynne Ferraro delivered the closing speech(above) on "Reconnecting with Reality."

​In between all the remarks, music was provided by seniors Khloe Adams, Noah Taylor (class secretary), and Grace Turk. The Madrigal singers opened up the ceremony prior to procession and sang the national anthem.

Principal Dr. Christina Cohlhepp presented the Class of 2022 to which Acting Superintendent Tom Holoman accepted. School board president Sabrina Backer, presented the diplomas to the class, which included her daughter Cambree Backer. Teacher Sara Gilbert provided the processional and recessional music. ​

​See more photo by clicking here.

Graduating seniors from Rocky Grove, Franklin and Oil City were awarded their certificates of completion at the Venango Technology Center Thursday morning. Seniors from Forest Area, Titusville and Cranberry were awarded theirs in the afternoon.

​Below are some photos from the morning session.

See even more photos at ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p1000818374

"This is live theater folks," Nick Hess said as he scurried across the stage to thank everyone who participated in the spring version of Red-Eye Theatre, a 24-hour experience where auditions precede writing of one act-ish plays that get created and performed the next night.

Everything from memorizing lines to blocking and props is done in chaotically beautiful choreography in order to put on a six-play show for an audience.

​Red-Eye Theatre is a testament to the Barrow-Civic's commitment to community theatre and development. This year they had a 7-year-old cast member. This youngster got a chance to work with seasoned actors and others who, like her, are getting their feet wet. 

Hess said this cycle's cast was the biggest yet - 46 - in the history of the five-year, twice-a-year program. He estimated that it took nearly 70 people to make the 24-hour experience happen. Folks traveled from as far away as Bradford to participate. 

It's awesome for those involved and though not all the shows will make it to Broadway, no one ever gets to Broadway without going through processes very similar to this. Though it could be argued that there is nothing truly similar to this.

Click here to view more photos: ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p1071742902

This four-legged weapon of mass destruction (if you know me you know my cars are in a losing battle with these cute creatures of God) was casually eating some of my prized hosts when I pulled in the driveway the other day. So I calmly got my camera out a made a few pictures when I noted another furry critter in the backyard. 
​That cat is a pretty good hunter I've noticed, but I think the deer is fine as long as it stays near the cat and doesn't get in my way when I head out down the road again.

Last year a reader of The Derrick, Darlene Suttle, sent a photo of a nearly white robin to the paper and they published it. Wednesday evening we were around the Venango County Courthouse listening to Oil City's Mitch Littler playing on the corner when this robin seemed to be flying around gathering insects to eat or feed a young one.

​It was a beautiful thing to witness, though other than the coloring or lack of typical pigmentation, it was no different than any other robin. Seems there is a lesson here.

Littler is bringing back his summer Good Vibes tour hoping to reach over 200 of these impromptu sidewalk shows. The lone troubadour posts his location on his Facebook page.

A leucistic albino robin isn't known to be too many places, but apparently, the Venango County Courthouse is a good place for this one - assuming it is the same one documented a year ago in the same spot.

When Sam Breene watched his sister go out on a date with Andrew Tabler more than 20 years ago, he had no idea that day would lead to hosting an ambassador from a country on the other side of the earth.

Tabler, a 1990 graduate of Oil City High School, has gone a long way from his days running around Oil City and visiting with the Breene family. "He has always stayed very close with us," Breene said of Tabler, who spoke fondly of Breene's mother Marty.

Tabler was in Turkey recently and mentioned he always wanted to visit Baku, the birthplace of oil in Azerbaijan. The city on the Caspian Sea almost due north of Tehran, Iran discovered a means of extracting oil around the same time as America did. Their Edwin Drake was Ivan Mirzoev. 

The early histories are very similar, though Baku is still producing large amounts of oil today.

When Tabler, who has done extensive work in the Middle East, returned to Washington, D.C. from his Baku trip, he talked with Khazar Ibrahim, the ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States, about his experiences. Ibrahim then wanted to visit Tabler's hometown to see the history of the oil industry in America. "We drilled first, but you set the price," Ibrahim joked as he met with several dignitaries, including the Venango County commissioners.

The ambassador spent the day touring the Drake Well Museum, meeting with students at Oil City High School, seeing where Standard Oil once conducted business, visiting the courthouse and Trails to Ales in Franklin. He met up with many of the regions movers and shakers including members of both area chamber of commerce and the Oil Region Alliance.

Ibrahim also met with Oil City Mayor Bill Moon, who presented him with the key to the city and several other Oil City mementos including a 150th-anniversary coin. Moon is hoping to establish sister city status with Baku. The tentative plan is to do proclamations when the ambassador returns for a proposed second visit this fall to see the fall foliage. "The ambassador will meet with his officials in Baku to confirm being sister cities with Oil City," Moon said. "Petty cool." 

Six years ago a little girl was in tears because her prized bottle of One Direction perfume was accidentally buried in the Sandycreek Elementary School sixth-grade time capsule. She had placed the aromatic prize on the table of items for the container, and Mrs. Amanda Walters didn't know it was left unintentionally.

When the former Sandycreek students from the Franklin Class of 2022 gathered behind the elementary school Tuesday to unearth the capsule, the perfume incident was the talk of many students and parents. One of the first items found in the unearthed plastic container was the bottle of perfume intact still in the box. The owner, Halle Plowman, lifted it and sprayed it into the air in more than one direction so everyone could get a whiff of One Direction and remember the once-popular boy band.

Apparently, some of Plowman's tastes have changed. "It smells quite bad," she admitted now. "But I still love the band."

Mrs. Walters, who is now Amanda Heller, was the teacher in Sandycreek who organized the class time capsule back in 2016. Her son Scott was also a sixth-grader that year.

Heller said she had almost forgotten about it, but was able to get the word out to the seniors that they were going to dig it up Tuesday if anyone wanted to come.

Then they went outside to try to locate the buried treasure. Heller knew approximately where it was but it took a little searching and several boys and girls taking turns with the shovel to unearth it. Sadly, the items were soaked. Though care was taken to put items in plastic bags and taped, six years of northwestern Pennsylvania weather cause a fair amount of seepage. Not everything was ruined, Plowman's perfume bottle almost looked new and still sprayed, but papers were soaked and mushed together.

"Gangnam style, Emojis, Bae, Peppa pig, Little Einstein song, OMG and LOL, the iPhone 6 came out...." Heller read through the list of about 100 items for the time the capsule was created.
​
Some of the items seemed to delight the seniors and some made them roll their eyes.

Hittle was looking over his wilted paper, "It said 'describe your perfect meal' and I wrote one word and one word only - Arbys. He also put in an Imagine Dragons CD.

Skylar Shields, who is the senior class president, read her prediction of who she will be when she is a senior. "I will still be as picky." Her mother Tammy shook her head,  "well that’s true." Skylar retorted "well I’m not as picky."