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You can follow Dorothy to Oz again and again

9/30/2021

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As you watch the Barrow-Civic Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz, it is easy to forget that Dorothy, who is supposed to around 10, is being played by someone who is only 14. Judy Garland was only 16 herself in the movie.

Aiofe Salusky. becomes Dorothy on this small stage in Northwest Pennsylvania and has the audience eating out of her tiny basket for the three hour-is performance. It's a demanding role for anyone, but for a 14 year-old it is amazing that she is able to command the stage night after night the way she has.

In a few hours she will take the stage with the large cast for the rare "Before Applefest" Thursday night performance. The show will run Oct, 1, 2, 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. No matinee show this coming Sunday due to the Applefest car show that draws thousands of cars and people to Liberty Street.

And if you really want to experience cute beyond cute, check out the munchkins who truly own the part. And the Wicked Witch's cackle is something that will stand the hairs on your neck straight up. And if you don't want to give Ian Best (the cowardly lion) a hug after curtain call then you're like the Tin Man before he gets his heart. So if you you're looking for something to do this weekend or next, seeing this show is a no brainer.

Below are some more photos from last week's show you can follow this link for even more photos including a few from dress rehearsal.

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​See more photos by clicking here.
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Local community leader offers incentive for getting vaccinated

9/28/2021

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United Way has partnered with Adagio Health
to offer walk-in vaccination services!
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The United Way of Venango County and Adagio Health in Seneca are teaming up help more people get vaccinated in Venango County.

“I am grateful to have this opportunity to help keep our community safe by offering a location for residents to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine.” said Will Price, Executive Director of United Way of Venango County in a press release. “I encourage anyone that has been on the fence to take advantage of these events and get vaccinated.”

Currently only about 39% of Venango County residents that are fully vaccinated, according to Price..
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Three walk-in clinics dates will be offered at Adagio Health, 3292 State Route 257 in Seneca on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Oct. 5 from 7;15 a.m to 4:45 p.m and Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

The incentive 

Through a United Way grant this program will give $10 gift cards to those who take advantage of this offer and a second $10 card for the second dose as well as eligible folks getting the booster per FDA and CDC guidelines.

These guidelines include: 
  • people 65 years or older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster of the Pfizer vaccine,
  • people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster of the Pfizer vaccine,
  • people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster of the Pfizer vaccine, based on their individual benefits and risks, and
  • people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine, based on their individual benefits and risks.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine will both be available for participating citizens. Individuals do not need to be a Venango County resident to receive the vaccine. Appointments are not required but are recommended and can be scheduled by calling 814-676-1811. 

“I am delighted to partner with Adagio and play a role in protecting our residents' health. I look forward to working with them to bring more vaccination services to our area.” said Price. The United Way of Venango County’s health goal is helping Venango County individuals and families live quality lives and achieve maximum health and independence.

More information: visit the United Way of Venango County website for further updates or call the United Way office at 814-676-6545 with any questions.

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Honoring those who who put their lives on the line

9/27/2021

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Something perhaps unintentional happened Sunday in Franklin's Bandstand Park as local firefighters joined together to remember those lost in the first Firefighter Memorial and Honor Service.

​There was an overwhelming cry for help.

​Volunteerism across the country is down and that was repeated by nearly every speaker who bellied up to the podium to address a crowd of around 100 people, mostly volunteer firefighters already or their family members.

This service was held a week earlier than the national "Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters" observance due to that date being smack dab in the middle of Applefest.

The event was organized by a committee led by Sandycreek chaplain Sandy Lewis and featured speeches from state Representative. R. Lee James, State Senator Scott Hutchinson, Venango County Commissioners, Mike Dulaney, Chip Abromovic and Sam Breene as well as keynote speaker Chaplain Paul Hammaker. Opening prayer and benediction was given by Rev. Mark Fultz and chaplain Sany Young handled the memorial service.Franklin High School's madrigal singers opened the event and Noah Taylor and Andrew Rugh played taps. Matt Perry played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.

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Another surprise testimonial came from someone in attendance who felt compelled to walk to the podium during a silent period where the passing of the boot for donations and passing out of tiny bells took place.

Suddenly broken by the shaking voice od Betty Ghering. "A few years ago I died." she said telling the tale of how a heart attack caused emergency personnel to respond to her home  in the middle of the night for what seemed like a hopeless resuscitation. Even the ER doctor on the phone said to stop CPR after it appeared their efforts weren't going to start her heart again. But Betty's heart slowly, perhaps miraculously, started beating again and the firefighters and paramedics on scene said they now had a pulse and were bringing her in to the ER. They were now bringing a person under their care back to life.

​Ghering pointed to one of the firefighters in the crowd. "If it wasn't for Sandy Creek fire department I wouldn't be hear today."
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Stories like Ghering's were not lost on the local political leaders who got up to express their admiration for the people before them that go into danger instead of running away from it and who serve their community daily by being the ones who try to help people during the worst moments of their lives.

One by one they agreed more volunteers were needed. Commissioner Mike Dulaney said that nearly 35,000 Venango County residence are served by volunteer departments and just over 16,000 are covered by paid and volunteer staffs He called for more volunteers emphasizing the numbers across the state are dramatically down. In 2018 it was estimated that only about 38,000 volunteers were answering calls compared to over 300,000 in the 1970s. Fundraising for volunteers are also strained with less volunteers to help.
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Though Sunday's event was in part meant to be a solemn remembrance of those lost, it was also a poignant honoring of those still stepping up to serve. The crowd may have been mostly made up of those who already are answering the call, but you could hear in the voices of the speakers a need to heard beyond those in attendance.
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And the remembrance of those lost is also acknowledgment that those local firefighters who have died have also not all been replaced.

Organizer Sandy Lewis asked all fire departments to provide rosters to show what the numbers looked like and to be sure those serving were recognized. The lists came in showing in the neighborhood of a $1,000 dues paying members.

​These members are all important but it is also important to note that there are not a 1,000 members who are capable of entering burning structures. Only about 20 to 30% of members go to calls and this includes the fire police, support staff and EMS crews.

​Lewis emphasized all members are important in making a department work. Fundraisers are crucial to keeping  the gear up-to-date and functioning properly. Having to purchase a new truck can devastate a small community volunteer fire company.

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Lewis hopes this becomes an annual event. "What people don't realize, that when a firefighter is lost in the line of duty, or even even just passes away, that the support for that individual is moving, but that person is not there to see what they meant to the community," she said. "I want this event to something that every firefighter sees the support they have.I want them to know they truly make a difference."

Not only the volunteer departments were honored, the paid Oil City and Franklin departments were also honored in the ceremony.
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Also at the event small bells were given out in hopes that on October 3 at 4 p.m. everyone takes a moment to to reflect on the men and women responders who have been lost as the nation observes the "Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters" together. You can ring them at Applefest even.

​Below are a few more photos from this event.
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To view more photos visit ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p406151525
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Hypin' it up on the plaza

9/23/2021

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The annual Oil City Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally was held Thursday with a parade from Penelec all the way downtown along W. First Street to Central Plaza. All fall sports teams from Cranberry and Oil city were recognized. Cranberry also crowned Maria Anderson and Josh Hacherl their homecoming queen and king. The Oil City king and queen will be crowned Friday during the homecoming game against Harbor Creek. The combined homecoming dance will be held this Saturday at Cranberry High School.
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Going Greene in the land of OZ

9/23/2021

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Peter Greene makes some notes Wednesday evening as he prepares to direct a dress rehearsal for "The Wizard of OZ" musical set to open Friday night at 7 p.m.
Eight & 322 was lucky to sit though some of the dress rehearsal Wednesday and take some photos. They can be seen on the Calendar Page along with more information on the dates you can all catch the show. 
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Igniting a tradition

9/23/2021

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Oil City workers construct the bon fire teepee on Central Avenue Plaza Thursday morning preparing for the evening's homecoming pep rally. The rally immediately follows the Homecoming Parade down W. First Street from Penelec to the plaza. This gathering recognizes all of Oil City fall sports programs and support organizations like the band, cheers and all that make of fall athletics happen. The bon fire is the backdrop for the couple hour long event that celebrates what the community does for the sports programs, and what the sports programs do for the community. Hundreds of people pack the plaza for this rite of passage celebration.

The parade kicks off around 6 p.m. The Oilers face Harbor Creek Friday night at 7 p.m., obviously at home.
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Extended family

9/22/2021

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In covering the Franklin football team we decided to write a piece about the efforts to build the team instead of focussing so much on the losses.

​In the article the coach talked about family. 
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I often write about how a football team is so much more than the coaches and players. At Franklin this is on display all the time.

There are announcers cracking corny jokes from on high in the press box; the guys who have spent nearly every fall Friday of their adult lives marking of ten yards at a time on the sidelines; the referees who are in high demand these days as they struggle to get new blood willing to officiate; the overworked trainer who also runs the entire athletic program for the school; the ball boy with funny hat; the cheers who toss swag into the stands between rallying cries for crowd enthusiasm and support for the team; the band who are the pride of Pennsylvania according to their long-time director and many others in the stands; the fans who holler encouragement as well as coach from five rows deep; the audio techs; the live streamers; the yearbook photographers; the walking taco sous-chefs; the ticket takers, security guards and countless others who come together to make sure these games go on.

Sometimes during a pandemic. This extension of what Coach Turk calls the Franklin Football family is what makes it all come together. And its what keeps Friday nights under the lights continue on.

Here are a few photos of this extended family.
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Click here to see more photos from Franklin's game against Warren.
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Franklin celebrates peace

9/21/2021

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Gathering around the latest installation of a Peace Pole in the city of Franklin, members of the Fine Arts Council and Gardener's Association joined the Rotary in celebrating the International Day of Peace by dedicating the new colorful monument at the Franklin Fire Department.

The event was part of the Internationl Day of Peace or World Peace Day, a recognition created by the United Nation's General Assembly in 1981 to strengthen the ideals of peace throughout the world. 


Zachary Covington, who it the Franklin Rotary's Peace Builder chairperson, said the event coincided with the giving of several copies of the children's novel by Todd Parr titled "The Peace Book," to all the area schools and children centers in the county.

At this small dedication, Covington spoke passionately about the possibility of achieving peace throughout the world and how it, like many things, starts at home.

Eight & 322 sponsors
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"We should consider what ways we can bring attention to our mission of service, and making our world...Franklin...a better place." he said.
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"Perhaps it begins with a toddler sitting down to read “The Peace Book” with their parents, learning that:
-Peace is making new friends
-Peace is keeping the water clean for the fish
-Peace is helping your neighbor
-Peace is growing a garden
-Peace is giving a hug
​(or perhaps my favorite thing, he added)
-Peace is taking a nap

Perhaps it begins with someone passing by this peace pole, or the one in the park, and having a calm, introspective moment to themself thinking,"
He then quoted the words on the peace poll, “Peace to alL. Make it. Live it. Share it. Spread it.” T​hey then released 21 doves from Bill and Cheri Baker.
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Baker talked about the symbol of peace the dove represents and read a framed poem that he wrote for the occasion and presented to Covington.

"May peace prevail on earth the day,
and hatred and hostility go by the way.
White Doves send our message high above,
with white wings singing a song of love.
As the birds dance from cloud to cloud,
their symbol of peace makes us proud.
They soar higher with heaven near,
far away from earthly fears.
So today the woolgathers on this day peace,
with a common prayer that war will cease."
”​Covington continued "Perhaps someone today will see these doves take flight, and a calming spirit will fall upon them. Peace can mean so many things when we make it personal. Peace is possible," he said.
"I would challenge each of us to leave here today with some idea of how we might be a simple, unifying force with a spirit to engage others in making the world a better place.”
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Just in case, Oil City moved senior night up

9/19/2021

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With all the issues and unknowing future of the latest round of COVID restrictions, Oil City High School was not about to let a rite of passage tradition be a victim. So they filled in their off week with a game and made sure they got to recognize their seniors. Prior to the game (which we were unable to make in time) the football team was recognized. Instead of a halftime performance by the band, the band and cheerleader seniors were recognized. 

To view photos from the game and halftime by us at Eight & 322 please visit this link.

Our good friends Eric Elliott and Kelly Malek were on hand for the football player recognition as well as halftime and the game. You can see their photos by clicking on their names. A lot of memories were captured Friday night on the Oil Field. The Oilers host Harbor Creek this week for their homecoming game.
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Cranberry festival draws crowds to the mall

9/18/2021

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Venango Area Chamber of Commerce president Susan Williams decided the best way to hold a modified version of the Cranberry Festival in 2020, due to the many shutdowns around COVID-19, was to have it at the Cranberry Mall. This continued this year with an expanded version (and few restrictions) with plenty of room for the car show and many vendors. Stages for music were set up and, as the members of High Above 80 said, there was a large dance parking lot for the many listeners. 

The weather was also perfect.

Here are a few photos from early Saturday afternoon.
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For Your Car Connection, an annual big supporter of the festival, offered up a car for the kids to paint and draw on, always a popular part of the festival.
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Dozens of vendors were able to spread out together in one section. Lots of food and craft choices as well as information tents with the services available to folks around the county.
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And as always, the popular car show brought dozens of classic vehicles to be gawked at and envied. (By the way this photo was making me chuckle as I took it. I love to see these fun moments in time that really tell us a little bit about life and how fun it can be.)
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Photo of the day

9/18/2021

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I asked Anna if we could periodically use some of her photos as photos of the day, today I commented on this butterfly photo and then later this frog photo. I love her work and her The Nature of Things column that everyone should check out and follow.
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Paddling to find what America means

9/15/2021

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Oil City's Gale Boocks wanted to present a gift to Neal Moore that he once received from a famed paddler. Moore is paddling across the U.S. and made a stop here in the oil region this past weekend. They met up and this is an account of this connection.
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This past weekend a wanderer came through Franklin. A seeker really, a documenter, a man alone but among many, a former missionary on a different kind of mission, a paddler.

Neal Moore set out from Oregon on a Columbia River in a red 16-foot Old Town Penobscot Royalex canoe right around the time the Coronavirus was hitting the states. Being alone in a canoe was taking social distancing seriously, but that wasn't his motivation. This world traveling ex-patriot author and super curious self-identified middle-aged man was going to explore his country of origin after having been away for so long.


"What I’m trying to do traveling across America is to listen and learn," Moore said about why he is traveling in what would seem a very erratic pattern of 22 rivers across the continental United States from Oregon to the Statue of Liberty where he hopes to land in the middle of December.

His stop in Franklin is 19 months into his Journey. Along the way he has chronicled his encounters in dozens of handwritten journals, a blog on his website, and instagram account and countless stories that meander in and out of topic like the rivers he paddles.

In fact, he appears to crave meandering. From the swirls sent behind his paddle that mix and move with the current as they become one with the rhythm of the stream, to the mixture of bird calls intertwined with far off car horn reminders that civilization's hustle and bustle hasn't stopped during his journey.

"I think a lot," Moore said about his average 25 miles a day paddling on the rivers. Each place he visits gives him even more to think about, more people to weave into the fabric of his memories, more conversations about life to ponder the similarities we share despite the differences we hold in our outstretched hand stopping ourselves from getting too close to one another. "Once we put the party politics aside we have so much in common," he said about his many stops along the way meeting people of all walks of life and political ideologies. "I just try to listen, no judgement."

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When he landed on the shore of the Allegheny near where French Creek comes in this weekend it was the same day an article appeared in The Derrick and Hews-Herald about his stop down river in Emlenton a day or two earlier. Oil City's Gale Boocks, an avid paddler himself back in the day, saw this article and knew he wanted to meet Moore. The next morning he went to where an old paddler would think to find Moore, but no one was there. He, on a hunch, tried the local B and B appropriately named Peddlers & Paddlers and lo' and behold there was Moore sitting on the front porch talking with new friends.

Boocks sat and joined the conversation and after chatting awhile it dawned on him that he had something he wanted to pass on to Moore. A paddle he used many times on many rivers that was a gift from a person that could be described as a forefather to the modern paddling world. Moore was very familiar with this legend. Verlen Kruger  paddled over 100,000 miles in his lifetime, spoke many times about paddling all over the world and authored books on the subject. Moore said he had red Kruger's books and admired him greatly. Boocks, a preacher, performed Kruger's wedding vows.

Boocks invited Moore over to stay with he and his wife and sit out back to talk about life and the spirit that moves people to do what they do.

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Neal Moore sits in Gale Boocks back yard this past weekend during his stop in Franklin and Oil City.  Encounters like this one with Boocks and many others along the way are helping in the journey still to go. Boocks said the main reason he wanedt to meet Moore was to share his knowledge of the upper Allegheny. "It's not hospitible in places," Boocks said. "And know where those places are."
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And that's what they did.

Boocks presented a treasured paddle he had received from Kruger to Moore as a gift, Moore said he never met Kruger. This was quite an honor for him to receive this and vowed to use the paddle as well as eventually find a younger paddler to pass it along to in order to further pay this gift forward. 

Moore departed the next day adding Franklin and his encounters to the list of treasured memories and his scratched notes in his journal.

His goal is to get up north while its still milder temperatures knowing it is best to beat the famed western New York first snows of the year on his way to the Hudson. He is hoping to reach the end of his journey, the Statue of Liberty, by December 14. "I'm approaching her from the American side," he said adding that this country is so filled with those whose ancestors approached her from the other side, and that many still are. Adding again to the fabric of who each of us are as Americans.

Moore might realize the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but straight lines are boring and zigzagging is more fun and allows more time for reflection and encounters. Making connections is exactly what this journey is all about for him. How we are connected by water, how we are connected by similarities and sometimes even differences, how we connect to strangers and friends alike. That is what hours alone with one's thoughts can do, find those connections and add them to ones personal spirit that has grown from the experiences.

Moore embraces serendipitous moments, like meeting Boocks and adding him to his tribe. And he added several other Franklinites as well in his short time. Some, like Chamber director Jodi Baker Lewis also want to meet him again along the journey and join for a few miles of paddling and help him celebrate his arrival and end of this part of his journey.

Given his objective, his journey won't end at Lady Liberty. He is on a journey to seek beyond his own tribe and try to better understand the tribe of humankind. 
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Photo courtesy of Jodi Baker Lewis who met Moore and now wants to paddle along with him during part of his journey sometime after Applefest is over. Connections, fabric, stories. 
Moore left the next day from Franklin and began posting more photos on his Instagram account.

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Not his first try
This was Moore's second attempt at this journey. The two time cancer survivor set out in 2018, but once in a century flooding brought that journey to an end. He said he is self funding this journey and tries to live minimally, often pitching his tent where allowed or a spot offered. "
When you need help and help is offered, it becomes a part your life and your journey." He said he's learned over time that people want to help and he also like to help others. He and Boocks talked a great length about the spiritual strength of being in the service of others, a definate shared bond found beyond just the love of paddling on a river.

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Understanding America's heart and soul
Understanding who we are as a people with each stop along the way, Moore examines further the complexities and simplicities that makes Americans, Americans. Sitting on a patio in the back of Gayle Boocks‘s house on a Sunday night, waiting for roasted corn and a couple of slabs of meat off the grill, Moore and Boocks shared an experience that can only happen when someone is accepting of a wayward stranger on a long journey. These encounters become beautiful to witness and experience, The many encounters we have in life we take for granted, family, friends, neighbors.... sometimes it takes a stranger to remind us of that we have so much more to learn about each other. And sometimes, how little we know about ourselves.

Moore is getting to know people and by doing so, he is understanding the culture of a place and how each place is different while being the same.
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Moore and Boocks inspect the Kruger paddle that Kruger himself made. It is a kevlar paddle that Boocks said" if you were being attacked by a bear and you swung this paddle and hit him, the bear would stop and the paddle would still be able to be used." When I asked Boocks why he wanted to give this paddle to someone he just met, he said "It just seemed like the thing to do when I found out he was a foller of Verlen." Moore said he was humbled by the gift adding, "The power of this journey, the people I come in contact with and the nature around me. It builds. I'm in the best shape of my life at 49. I feel stronger everyday." He said he has be fortunate to stay healthy and during the height of the pandemic last year he was very careful and as soon as he could get the vaccine he found his way off the river to get it.
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Carrying people with him and how to follow his journey
Moore has been collecting s
ignatures on the canoe. Some have faded or washed off in the journey, but many remain. All who signed are with him in his strength to go on. He has written also a quote from Richard Bock, the famed auther of Jonathan Livingston Seagull 

"Bad things are not the worst thing that can happen to us, nothing is the worst thing that can happen to us.“

Moore tells a story like following a map of rivers with tangents and off-shoots. He has a penchant for describing adventurers of the highest caliber as "badass." At 49 he is in the best shape of his life and his body and mind have allowed hime to stay focussed for thousands of miles of hard paddling. He is earning the badass title.
Follow his journey on his website at https://22rivers.com/storytelling/ 
or on instagram at ​https://www.instagram.com/riverjournalist/?hl=en
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EDITOR'S NOTE: He made it. As he planned, earlier this week Neal Moore finished his journey of 22 rivers in 22 months when he paddled into New York Harbor. His story was told dozens of times along his journey from reporters as small as us here at Eight & 322 to the biggies like the New Yorker and New York Times. 
His stop here in Venango County back in September was one of the many memories he has shared along the way in his blog above.

​Way to go Neal! Looking forward to whatever your next adventure happens to be.
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Where is that sound right now in your mouth?

9/14/2021

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Breathing has been such a topic of stressful news over the last year and a half that we forget that it is actually a calming, soothing and sometimes vibrating peaceful exercise. This is not something Venango Chorus director Beth Orris has forgotten, nor takes lightly.
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During warm ups Monday night in a basement of Good Hope Lutheran Church in Oil City, she asked her singers to take some quiet breathes. Then began to quietly ask then hum as they breathed.

​This almost hypnotic sound began to build as she would play a note to guide the humming. "
Play around, where is the sound is in your mouth?" she asked as she had the singers expand their instrument's possibilities with consciously putting the sound origin in different parts of the mouth and throat. "Try it with your teeth separated," she said.

"
If I’m sounding crazy to you," she pauses,,.. "well, get used to it,"  she laughed.
 Everyone laughed. 


Sans a very socially distance outdoor gathering last October for fun, the Venango Chorus hasn't performed since their Christmas concert in 2019. Even now there is hesitation to perform or rehearse with the growing umpteenth wave of this bastard virus.
​Monday, only twenty showed up to sing. The chorus normally has in the neighborhood of fifty.
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Orris mentioned she knew of several others on vacation, but aknowledged the numbers now would likely be down.

"I understand why people are hesitant to come." Orris said as she opened up the rehearsal.  "But, boy it is good to see you.”


Dr. William Fee addressed the small group about the importance of vaccines and whether or not folks need a mask. "It's your life," he said emphasizing it is worth trying to keep. He has had patients die from the virus and he told everyone its nothing to take lightly. 

As for Orris, who is nervous about the virus's recent uptick, she said they will proceed with utmost caution until otherwise directed. "We’re not going to sing loud tonight, we’re going to keep our particles close to us, she said during warm ups.

So what are they working on?

Christmas. 

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Orris picked out a handful of songs she felt would ease the group back into singing and give them something everyone knows if they are able to get back to performing before an audience this winter.
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​"The concerts may or may not happen," Orris said. But emphasized how much they just love to sing and create a sound that can only come from combined voices. "I'm calling the season 'for the fun of it,' I stressed [to the members] we might not have a concert or be able to meet each week," she said.

Monday night watching the faces of many in attendance, they lit up at just being able to sing with others. They stayed socially distanced mostly and some continued to wear their masks even while singing, but they sang. And no matter how rusty it may have felt to everyone, itt was still music to Beth Orris ears.
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Interested in joining your voice to the chorus? Send them a message through their Facebook page. and also keep track of what they are up to even if all you want to do is listen.
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Halftime all night long

9/13/2021

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Eleven high school bands took to the Oil Field Saturday night for the annual Music in Oil Country showcase. The event, which happened on the twentieth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America, featured a closing festival tribute. All bands came back on to the field to play together the Lee Greenwood country anthem "God Bless the USA."  

Prior to the performance Oil City band director Dan Cartwright asked all veterans as well as all who work in fire, rescue and police to stand up and be thanked for their service.
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It was a beautiful night with some fine performances as each school got a chance to show off their halftime routines.
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More photos can be found by visiting ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p926505282
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The fascination went both ways

9/13/2021

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This praying mantis seemed as intrigued by me as I was with it. Here's hoping we can share a bit of good luck with each other as we both make our way through this world - it without a portion of its back leg and me on my adventure of storytelling. 
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The weather set up a picture perfect day for Pet Fest in Franklin

9/12/2021

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It was a perfect day to pet a little donkey, rub a dogs wet nose and have a snake rubbed into your hair. Well maybe not that last part, unless you were one of the kiddos encircling Jungle Terry as he showed off his sometimes squirmy friends.

Sunshine, warm temperatures, and and even water smiling faces created the perfect day for Pet Fest's return to Bandstand Park in downtown Franklin. Not to mention the abundance of tail wagging.

The day, now dedicated to all things animal, is a traditional doggie festival that has morphed from it's origin of Duke Fest, still draws more canine attendees than anything else, but there are also visitors of all sorts. 

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Jungle Terry, who oftentimes comes into town for the Penny Carnival in July, was back at it with his menagerie of snakes, turtles, birds, and small mammals. He entertained and educated the crowd of kids gathered around, most eagerly awaiting their opportunity to pet one of one Terry's animal friends.

Occasional squeaks were uttered when a snake got a little close, but it was mostly laughter from the children and their parents filling the air.
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Dozens of vendors offering their wares gave adults even more to do as they looked for more pet related items. A large tent offering a giant raffle of various items. ​
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The Saturday event is a fundraiser for Precious Paws Animal Rescue and meant to be a fun-filled day honoring the bond between pets and people. 

And that it was.
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A  brief walk through the park and you could feel the joy of pet owners proudly showing off  their four-legged family members. There was camaraderie and happiness in the air as folks gathered with their common love of animals.

​It was refreshing.

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Franklin sure knows how to throw a festival. ​

​Below are more photos from the day in the park.

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Remembering 9/11/01

9/12/2021

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Updated 9/12/21. Originally posted 9/10 with fewer photos.
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Brian Knickerbocker added one important thing to hi full firefighter gear - the American flag. He and over 100 others participated in a 9/11 remembrance Friday night at the Crawford County Fairgrounds. The event, organized by Evan Kardosh with help from the county commissioners and other local fire, emergency and police personnel, consisted of a brief ceremony and a stair climb to simulate the dedicated rescuers' heartbreaking climb up the towers 20 years earlier.

No one in attendance believed for one minute what they were doing equated what those responders faced, but it became evident quickly what an extreme mission they were on. Agreed, the adrenaline of an attack and the honor of remembrance are two different things as well, but this event emphasized the extreme dedication and loss of those killed in those attacks on this country.

Kurdish had 80 pre-registered step climbers, each paying $25 for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which assists families of firefighters killed in the line of duty. There were far more than 80 people participating Friday night.

​Saturday, September 11, 2021 marks 20 years since the coordinated attack on America resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths of Americans on American soil. Since then, countless others have died from residual affects of the attacks. Militarily speaking, thousands of more have died in the Global  War on Terror.

So the small remembrances, like this one in Crawford County, are more important than they may seem on the surface. Each step these people took, whether it was fit folks running up and down, or older folk walking at a pace they could handle, meant something. And for the firefighters strapping on their full gear lumbering up and down and sometimes taking breaks, it drew them even closer to the brothers and sisters they lost in 2001.

This was a reminder to those in attendance of who we are together, when we realize we are together in this life as Americans.

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Quietly they pass under

9/11/2021

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Quietly they pass under,
some with remembering,
some with sad thoughts,
some oblivious.

America lets us be oblivious.

Quietly they pass under,
the shouts and fears long...
are here in some,
gone in others and
in some topics in a history class.

America lets them fade to black.

​Quietly they pass under....
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Madness is the norm during Red Eye Theatre

9/8/2021

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When Nicholas Hess has an idea, it is usually best to get out of his way and watch his nervous energy, downright need for perfectly chaotic order and occasionally flailing of arms as he creates with trantrum-esque direction.

It is quite the thing to witness his stage characters and pushed-to-limit directing of full stage production, but even more so to watch his local Red Eye Theatre Project, a little gem he created about four years ago.
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Hess may very well be a madman, but he's the right kind of madman to attempt producing six short plays that are written, cast, directed, blocked, staged, rehearsed and performed within a 24-hour period.
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And he does this with a combo of experienced thespians working side by side with directors who have never directed before, actors who have never acted before and gutsy writers who create their scripts after picking their casts.
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This past week at the Barrow-Civic Theatre a fairly large audience got a chance see the results of this maddening effort with impressive performances. Hess and his team of Brooke Lawrie, Yelena Carvin and his equally energetic mom Bridget Tomaszewski intermingled veterans with inexperienced actors to create the ensembles. Along the way, some new directors learned they can direct and some old actors learned they can write.
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The outcome - they put butts in theater seats for a unique entertainment experience of raw, original work and once-in-lifetime performances. And they do it here in little ol' Franklin, Pennsylvania.
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Below see a few more photographs from the performance. Tto see even more visit this website.
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Caffeine Boost: Partnership Brings Alleyway Coffee Shop to Franklin

9/5/2021

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When Bossa Nova decided to close its doors earlier this year, the wheels were already spinning inside Tammy Bible and Danielle Benson's minds about a way to fill this gourmet coffee void in town.

Bible is the gutsy owner of the colorful and fun Olive Vault on Liberty Street in Franklin. She and her husband bought a building with a lot of space and potential. Their shop has successfully grown from a little shop hidden inside a building to a full blown main street storefront in downtown Franklin.

They sell olive oil and vinegars. 

In a small town in northwest Pennsylvania where pierogis and fried anything is king, they sell olive oils and vinegars. Try selling this business model here? Well the Bible's did and are finding ways to make their dream grow. 
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Enter Benson who is a world class chef and culinary business advisor to projects all over the world. She is hired by billionaires to cook for them in exotic lands, helps foodie type businesses establish, and sets up shop in kitchen galley's on million dollar yacht's and paradise homes. But roots are strong and she finds herself back home in Franklin, starting a restaurant of her own.

The Homegrown Kitchen is a work in progress. Set up in the back of Bible's shop, Benson is currently offering takeout meals and with possible inside table and chair dining just around the corner.

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Bible said the plans are to open the Olive Vault up so that The Homegrown Kitchen and her store become a feng shui of culinary experiences and delight. They will be tearing down walls to open the store from front to back so both businesses will coexist almost as one.

"We are not good for each other," Bible joked about this relationship with Benson. "I have big ideas, Danielle has big ideas... we need someone keep us grounded."

But their big ideas are soaring this building on the corner of Liberty and Rotary Way alley into into a foodie center centerpiece in downtown Franklin

Starting Tuesday morning, their outside the box thinking will result in Franklinites being able to get a sweet cup of joe, some tasty treats and other specialty drinks from a walk up window along Rotary Way, an ADA compliant walkway between Buffalo and Liberty streets.

Coffee In Between is the latest big idea brainchild of Bible and Benson who saw a void needing to be filled.

Bible said even if Bossa Nova sells the business to a new coffee shop owner she thinks this venture will still be worth the effort. "They have a big space and a place for music," she said welcoming the opportunity for that type of venue to remain in Franklin. Bible said this town is so unique that anyway to bring people downtown to enjoy what it has to offer is good.

​And no better way to do that than with a cup of coffee in hand.
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The window will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday, September 7. The menu will vary slightly due to the imagination of the proprietors, but there will be good old standards offered. They have tried gallons of coffees to find a roast that fits their personalities perfectly. Plus they've had fun creating drinks using items from the Olive Vault to increase flavors in lemonades and the like.

​Fun stuff to try.

To keep an eye on what they offer, visit their Facebook page or stop at the Olive Vault. You can also knock gently on the alley window during their hours and you'll get a smile and a chance to get just what you need to make your morning soar.  And in the coming months look for some outside seating and special events in the alley too.
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