With Groundhog Day just around the corner, our resident Nature of Things expert takes a look at the hibernating habits of different animals in northwestern PA. 

Here's a hint, groundhogs are notorious hibernators, but grey squirrels and the canine crew at the Nature of Things estate - not so much. 

Venango County is looking toward the future and is looking for help to identify needs, wants and priorities.  
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The county is looking for feedback and suggestions on a variety of topics, including the location, character and timing of future development, land use, housing needs, transportation, community facilities and utilities. 

Click here to read more about the four open house meetings to be held at various locations within the county. 

Thomas was the first-ever Venango County representative in the contest. She and the other contestants were evaluated by a panel of three judges on their written and speaking skills, knowledge of the fair and agriculture industries, and their poise and personal presentation in business attire. 

Chloe Bomgardner of Lebanon County was crowned the 2023 PA State Fair Queen on Saturday at the 110th annual convention of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs (PSACF) and Pennsylvania State Showmen’s Association.  

Updates on the contest were posted throughout the weekend on the Venango County Fair Facebook page including the following message on Sunday: " ... as a fair we want to thank Jaimie for representing us. She was graceful and flawless each step of the way. She has so many ideas that she wants to bring back to our county that she learned from the other queens. Even though she did not bring back the state title, she is still our hometown queen, and forever will be. We are proud of all you have done and will do in the future. We hope the memories you have made this weekend are unforgettable and that there will still be more to be made until you crown the next queen in August."

Watch the PA State Fair Queen broadcast on the group's Facebook page. 

Rocky Grove falls to Kennedy Catholic in their opening game of Region 1 play. 

Franklin defeated Titusville handily to improve to 2-0 in Region 6 while the Rockets fall to 0-2.

Congrats to Cranberry who recorded six first-place finishes on their way to winning the Howland Wrestling tournament.

Franklin grapplers Cael Dailey and Jonah Heckathorn also stood at the top of the podium during the weekend competition. 

Read more about the tournament under the Sports tab or by clicking here. 

The Titusville wrestling squad recorded two wins last week. Wednesday they won 57-12 on the road against Youngsville. We were there Friday when they easily defeated Slippery Rock 60-6. Lots of pictures of the match under the Sports tab.

EMT Course Starts Soon
​An EMT class will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursdays for 15 weeks starting Jan. 26 at the Venango Technology Center. Mark Baughman, who teaches protective services classes at the center, is facilitating the class and can be reached at 814-673-0681 or mbaughman@vtc1.org. 

Oil City has depth, but Franklin and OC match up pretty well with the top swimmers. What a swim meet that found the Oilers coming out on top on the boys side 97-71 and on the girls side 96-72. Below are several photos from the tight meet.
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Scoring in swim meets are:
1st - 6 points
2nd - 4 points
3rd - 3 points
4th - 2 points
5th - 1 point
6th - 0 points
Relays are scored:
1st - 8 points
2nd - 4 points
3rd - 2 points

​More pictures below and even more by clicking here.

Check out the semi-final action photos here and finals action here.

In collaboration with the Franklin Retail Association, we will begin having a "Feature Business of the Week."

​This is a paid advertisement by the association for its members and we're pleased to be able to help spread the word about the many offerings from businesses in Franklin. 

​We hope many members take advantage of this new opportunity.

The first "Business of the Week"  is Amy's Closet & Sassy's Gifts, which is having at Fill the Bag Sale. 

​This ad will appear in stories throughout the week. Look for it in the Tool City Wrestling Tournament  that involves many communities and has already been shared many times over on social media.

We spent the week covering all the major varsity winter sports.  Titusville boys and girls swim teams competed against Mercyhurst. We hit the road to catch Rocky Grove. Though the result wasn't what they wanted, they played hard and we were glad we went. Titusville girls also played hard this week but ran into a Sharon buzzsaw.

Has Eight & 322 taken a photo of a loved one that would make a nice addition to your refrigerator, walls or digital frame? We offer low-cost opportunities to get your own copy of photos here.

Nature of Things columnist Anna Applegate put together a look at ice and flooding in Oil City after noting (and photographing) all the ice on the rivers last week.

She also got outside with her favorite walking companions for a trek in the snow and lots of photographs, especially of Sherman, her elder statesman Saint Barnard.

​January 12, 19 and 26

KARMA CONCERTS - The December concerts in the Karma series will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Billy's on Seneca Street. Performers will be Jan. 12, Acoustic Earle; Jan. 19, Killin Time; and Jan. 26, Tunes in a Bucket. $5 at the door with the proceeds going to the Lyric Restoration Project. ​

January 14

ENGLISH DIALECT WORKSHOP - Shawn Clerkin will teach a class at 10 a.m. at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin. The class includes two primary dialects, and tea and crumpets. The cost is $10 and students must be 15 or older. 

PIG TOURNAMENT - The Rocky Grove High School basketball teams will host a co-ed PIG tournament from 4 p.m. at the school gym. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Ages groups are 9 to 11, 12 to 14, 25 to 18 and 19 and older. The cost is $15. Must register in advance. Registration forms available online. 

ELKS HOOP SHOOT - The Elks Lodge #264 will hold its traditional hoop shoot at noon at the Titusville YMCA. It is opened to ages 8 to 13. Birth certificates will be required. Registration will open at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be served prior to the competition. 

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - Franklin Preservation will hold a Divine Intervention gathering 5 to 9 p.m. at 1 Park Way in Miller Park, Franklin. ​