Blog Archives - Eight & 322/Eight & 27

"I've got a bike you can ride it if you like" - Pink Floyd

2/28/2021

"There is a need here."
– Jim Cole, owner of 4 Season Cycle

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There will be 30 new youngsters able to tool around on bicycles in Franklin and Oil City thanks to an effort by a handful of avid trekkers on two wheels.

Eric Webber, of the Cranberry (the one down the road near Pittsburgh) heard about a program begun by a pro-mountain biker named Jeff Lenowsky, to promote biking and help kids in need.

Can'd Aid seeks to help get kids bikes and skateboards in underserved communities. "With children averaging 7 hours of screen time a day and only 1 in 5 kids receiving the daily recommended amount of exercise, we provide boards and bikes to encourage kids to opt outside," their website says.

Webber teamed up with Jim Cole of 4 Season Cycle, in Franklin, to provide 30 new bikes that will be distributed to kids through Youth Alternatives in the two communities.

"We have four bikes still looking for homes," said Webber who hope they won't collect dust waiting to find a young rider.

On Saturday morning a group of volunteers unboxed and assembled the thirty bikes that Cole will go over to insure they are ready and safe to ride, They also have helmets for each bike too. "Oh they're cool," Webber said when he took one out of the box.

Webber and Cole, who ride together often and organize the New Year's Day Frigid Frolic ride that began on Presque Isle but moved to Franklin last

year, are avid cyclists. When Webber found out about the program he jumped in and learned if he could just raise some money he could get 30 bikes. "I just asked people to give me money." he said. He got the matching funds he needed and Can'd Aid sent the bikes.

He hopes to keep doing each year and hopefully raising more money. The bikes are small and for aged kindergarten and first grade kids he said. These are solid great starter bikes for kids to learn responsibility and a love of riding, he said. "It's a good life lesson, it gives kids something to enjoy and take care of," he said.

2022 marks the 10th anniversary for the Frigid Frolic which will have a host of activities around Franklin and the bike trails on January 1.

Webber said anyone interested in the New Years ride, the program or if there is a kindergartner or first-grader in need of one of the four reaining bikes can contact him via email at [email protected]

To view a previous Eight & 322 story on 4 Season Cycle go to: http://8and322.weebly.com/eight--322/bike-enthusiasts-gearing-up-to-open-shop-in-franklin
Note: 4 Season Cycle os moving over to a new 13th Street location and is expected to re-open in March.

Yes I asked "Why the plunger?"

2/27/2021

I love what I do, I really do.
But sometimes I'm clueless.

I get to be around cool people doing cool things. I ask them questions and I get to write about them.

It's fun.

But sometimes it is an exorcise in humility and an acknowledgement of air-headedness. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather feel like an air head than prove that I am one.

So........

Today I covered the Two Mile Run County Park annual polar plunge. There were teams dress-up in costumes and it was a fun time. There may or may not have been adult beverages.

I'll never judge.

One team donned plunger hats. When this seasoned reporter saw this, I chuckled and took some photos. It was funny and from a cameraman's standpoint, cool as that place the devil resides!

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Educational opportunity

So I asked one of the participants, "Did the plungers have a particular meaning?"

A brief silence........

"Because it is a polar plunge!?!?!" said Jodi Baker-Lewis, one of the key event organizers. She was kindly unsure if I was joking.

I laughed immediately. It totally went over my head.

Sadly, it sailed clean over. I mean way over.

If I have any excuse, it is the concussion I suffered four months ago. I cling to that as my explanation for moments when I'm really just not that bright.

Truth is, sometimes we just don't see the forest through the trees. It's why I ask for someone's name even when I think I know it. It's embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as publishing the name incorrectly.

So yes the plungers on the head were not some Area 54-esque or Knights Templar deep state thing. They were simply because it was a plunge and nothing more. If my face were capable of blushing, it would have been as red as a Crimson Tide fan T-shirt.

The fourth annual polar plunge at Justus Lake took on a new meaning. This year's event raised nearly a couple grand for the park's discretionary funds that is used for events or needed amenities not covered by normal county funding.

Money was raised through a series of sponsors and the 30 to 40 participants who each paid 20 or 25 dollars to jump into the frigid waters.

Earlier in the week, they cut a large opening into the seven-inch thick ice to create a place for participants to jump, waddle or stroll into the lake and back out, all under the watchful eye of a couple Oil City Fire Department scuba team members.

And believe me, it was cold.

Real cold.

According to Baker-Lewis, there are plans to grow the event. Next year they plan to add a 5K foot race and possibly more. A soup cook-off sorta took place this year, but next year will be expanded.

This year, they added a costume contest that was won by a group going by the name "Cousin Eddie." Again, I was clueless until we looked the Pop Culture reference and discovered Cousin Eddie was a character from the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

After learning what Cousin Eddie was about, I mentioned to Baker-Lewis that her team with the plungers on their heads should've paired up with the Cousin Eddies as one group based on an iconic scene from the movie.

We laughed. (Look it up if you have to!)

Baker-Lewis said the Rotary and area sponsors, in coordination with Luke Kauffman, the park's manager, named the event the Justus Jaunt.

Baker-Lewis said fundraising for the park doesn't have to stop at the event. People who love the park and what it has to offer can donate by sending money to Two Mile County Park at 471 Beach Rod, Franklin PA, 16323 or call Luke at 814-676-6116.

Surprise, it may not be a terrible time to start a business

2/23/2021

According to Forbes Magazine there has been quite a surge in business startups during this coronavirus pandemic. More businesses are being launched and recent startups are growing rapidly than any time in the last decade.

The Forbes article said that changing lifestyle and spending habits drove many businesses to adapt their operating models to meet consumer's needs.

Gary Svetz, who has been helping businesses get off the ground around northwest Pennsylvania for over 20 years, agrees.

He said locally "we are mirroring the national trend.

With people shifting to a working from home model, many are in a place they want to be and aren't eager to going back to an office everyday.

This has changed, Svetz said echoing the Forbes article, how people are spending their time and money. "COVID has made people think about what kind of life they want. It's about the quality of life," he said.

He added many people have also, out of necessity from being laid off, decided to try something they perhaps had on the back burner for years. He cited small business loans at low interest rates making that jump more attractive.

Other businesses, again out of necessity, have grown though innovative ways to reach customers using social media and other forms of connection.

So the timing of Svetz's Small Business Jump Start classes kicking back into gear in a couple weeks might be just what the area business community needs.

Venango County Flyer

Crawford County Flyer

Classes in Franklin and Meadville begin in the second week of March. Svetz's program has helped over 700 businesses get started or grow. It boasts an 85% rate of businesses succeeding.

He also offers a program specifically for veterans who seek business help. Though he doesn't have one currently planned at the moment, he says he has helped many veterans and always welcomes the opportunity to help more.

The goal for Svetz is to make the class accessible and affordable. "We reach out to meet the needs of an underserved area," he said acknowledging his class is reaching into more rural areas.

"It only takes two or three businesses to change an area," he said. The purpose is to help the area sustain and grow.

"We're constantly changing the program to meet the changing needs of business and the community," Svetz said.

He admits it might not be the best time to start a restaurant or something in the hospitality sector because of the pandemic, but he says there is a lot of funding available now and interest rates are low. Innovation and the changing lifestyles of workers are making business opportunities more flexible.

The classes are a mix of seasoned business people who are looking to expand services or grow to folks who come in with only an idea. Svetz says he likes that the classes have a synergy and that the students want to succeed and help each other. "It gives me a lot of satisfaction, it is fun to see people develop and obtain their dreams," he said.

"I believe in the program. It is good for people and the whole community," said Ronnie Beith who is the Marketing and Events coordinator in Franklin and who helps Svetz sign people up for the class. She said there are many Franklin businesses who have benefitted from the class. She added the class fee more than pays for itself in the discounted services it provides to new businesses.

She also said once you take the class you have Svetz's expertise for life. "If call him up to meet for coffee, he's there." she said.

"It's my way of giving back," Svetz said.

The registration information can be found on the flyers above. You can click on them to enlarge.

Barbie and Margie lend helping hands

2/22/2021

When Margie Hart was little she wanted to make clothes for her Barbies. Some fifty years later she is still making tiny outfits for the dolls, but this time for a cause.

"I was making some Barbie doll clothes for my great nieces, when I found out that a friend, that had recently badly broken her arm, was now strapped with hospital and surgeon bills," she explained.

"I decided to make and try to sell Barbie doll clothes and donate the money towards her medical bills."

She sells them a few bucks a piece and has managed to bring in a couple hundred dollars.

Hart said she has been sewing since she was four. Her mom, Irene Keefer made some clothes for the family. Hart says her mom didn't really like it as much as she does, but it was a skill that could help the family and one she passed on to her daughter.

"I think she was happy when I took over the sewing machine," Hart said with a chuckle.

Hart, the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Rocky Grove High School says "If my skills can be used to help others, then that's what I'll do."

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She also started making masks at the beginning of the pandemic. After a student was involved in an accident, she began selling her homemade masks to help that family.

She admits the masks are less fun to make than the doll clothes, but important. "I think they'll be needed for awhile still," she said. So despite making them feeling more like a sweat shop, she sits at her sewing machine under a sign that reads "Sewing Mends the Soul," Hart has made hundreds of them.

"It would be unusual if I didn't sew everyday," she said.

Her sewing room is her grown son's old bedroom that she has commandeered. She has also taken over the dining room table in another part of the house. Swarths of material are stacked and little outfits are intermingled. "It's the creativity," she said. "If I get something in my head I just have to do it."

Teaching sewing to high schoolers, she looks for a community outreach project for her students to sew for. This year she is having them make toys for local animal shelters. She says she is always looking for more material and is especially in need of some fleece. "It is hard for some of them to get supplies for sewing," Hart said.

She said anyone interested in donating can bring them to the school. Anyone interested in Barbie clothes or masks can message her through Facebook.

The Nature of things is pretty cool

2/18/2021

Photograph of the day by Anna Applegate.

Anna says if you look into the drops her goat Kyle and Kennedy can be spotted.

Back in August I had a little conversation with a former colleague at The Derrick and News-Herald. Anna Applegate and I worked together for about four years and we both wrote blogs for the paper's website and companion website Venango Extra.

We both loved writing these blogs.

Anna's blog was called A Walk in the Woods and featured her adventures with her animal gang as well as a lot of information about local wildlife, plants and water, weather trends and featured her photography. She left the paper before I was laid off and then began sharing her photographs and writing her posts, often much shorter, on social media.

So in August, without any money to offer her, I asked if she wanted to write a blog and I'd do my best to get it out there through Eight & 322. Anna indeed took this serious and has produced at least a blog a week since then.

She change the name of her blog to The Nature of Things and ends each post acknowledging that life just happens the way it wants to and that is just natural.

She has talked about everything from Elk to floating frogs. Dog shenanigans and goat head butting also gets mentioned a lot.

She is a gifted researcher, writer and photographer,

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We're thrilled to have her contributions here at Eight and 322. It's a wonderful reminder that there is a great outdoors and our life doesn't have to revolve around a made up video game world or television, that here is adventure in our own backyards if we're willing to look for it and take along a rag-tag band of comic misfits on our journey.

Please check out Anna's blog The Nature of Things here and share it around. She is quite good about coming up with a new topic each week and gives us great inforamtion about the critters amoung us.

On a Wednesday 46 days before Easter

2/17/2021

Easter can occur between March 22 and April 25. Easter celebrates the the rising of Christ, but it isn't an anniversary. The date is set on the first Sunday on the vernal equinox each year. So too then Ash Wednesday, which kicks off lent where believers tend to give up something they enjoy as penance to God, changes too.

Easter is early this year falling on April 4.

Today Deacon David Belz, of St. John's Episcopal Church, with the help of member Robin Murray, pictured above, braved the chilly temperatures to offer ashes and prayer to anyone wandering by Liberty Street in Franklin. The reaching out to passer's by is a way to touch someone who might not be otherwise inclined or that their busy life might keep then from attending an Ash Wednesday church service.

The remote offering is made in conjunction with the Grace Lutheran Church and St. John's Episcopal.

"In the past we have been able to serve people who have perhaps strayed from the church," Belz said. Stopping for a brief conversation, prayer and receive ashes gave them something they remembered from childhood.

The cold temperatures Wednesday didn't help this outside service, but seven people in the morning and nine during the lunchtime shift received their ashes because of their efforts. Another group were stationed at Sander's Market on Buffalo Street to administer ashes.

Belz hit the road after 1 p.m. to help administer ashes in Brookville where he also serves.

Not quite ready to kiss Franklin on Ice goodbye

2/15/2021

It will have to go quite some distance to beat the record, but the remnants of the February 6 winter festival, Franklin on Ice, are holding on due to the recent cold snap. According to Ronnie Beith, the annual coordinator, one year the area experienced such a cold snap they were able to keep the sculptures up for five whole weeks.
This year, 10 days in, there are still many still standing.

This boded well for Elizabeth Ulrich couldn't make it home for the festival this year. The Butler native who now lives in Atlanta, said she often attended the festival growing up. Today she got a chance to see what was still standing and as an added bonus got to give a kiss to the Unicorn Dragon near the fountain.

Special thanks to our sponsors at Buffalo Street Lanes for your continued support.

The city officials keep an eye on the sculptures and test them daily to be sure they are still safe. Though it has been cold, days with sun can weaken the sculptures. Scott Mook, who has worked for the city for over a dozen years said if there is any weakness he knocks the sculptures down. "I'd hate to see a little kid get hurt," he said.

The concern with the big sculptures is they are quite heavy, Mook indicated. But the danger of little kids climbing on even with the smaller ones is a concern. So Mook had to knock a few down Monday due to structural issues.

For now however, a few pieces remain for folks to enjoy during the cold spell. Beith said she doesn't think of it as being cold, she thinks of it as "Franklin on Ice extended."

OK, I guess it's time to realize I'm going it alone

2/9/2021

For the past 11 months, I’ve been taking my layoff endeavor in stride. It has been a time to focus on improving my writing and reporting skills and figuring out how to branch out on my own.

After 24 years in journalism, I'm not sure I know what else to do and, this is the most important part of this..... I love what I do.

The unexpected turn of events of the past year, from COVID-19 to my being laid off as the only photographer at The Derrick and News-Herald, means I need to find my own way to tell the stories of the community that has adopted me as one of their own.

In order to continue telling community stories through words and photographs I have decided it is time to turn this full-time layoff hobby into a full-time job. I decided to begin by taking on the business model used by some friends and fellow community storytellers in other parts of the country.

They are producing work with the help of sponsors.

If you like good community stories, documents of your neighbors and photographs of people living life, I hope you consider supporting this endeavor.

Eight & 322 has space on its website and now offers opportunities to support the website by purchasing a sponsorship. Averaging more than 5,000 unique visitors a week with high impact stories reaching 10,000 to 20,000 readers on a regular basis.

We will feature sponsors in someway within our stories or photo packages, on specific pages, on the sponsors’ page, along the rail to the right of our blog, or as a simple listing. Here's what we're putting together now for our introductory sponsor program.

Become a Sponsor
Levels 1 to 5 can be changed once a month.

1. Ad on sponsors page, on multiple page rails, in a story at least once a week and a social media mention
$125 a month or $1,250 a year.
(The rail is the area to the right on the stories when viewed on a computer and at bottom when viewed on a cell phone.)

2. Ad on sponsors page, on multiple page rails and in a story at least once a week
$100 a month or $1,000 a year.

3. Ad on sponsors page and on multiple page rails
$75 a month or $750 a year.

4. Ad on sponsors’ page
$50 a month or $450 for a year.

5. Line listing on the sponsorship page
$25 a month or $200 for a year.

Year sponsorships are paid up-front.

6. Special ads can be purchased by the week to run in at least two stories.
$50 a week.

This is my introductory offer and is subject to change. My hope is to grow with a long-term goal of adding more writers and to cover more stories. As time goes on, the ad structure may change.

Payments will be accepted through PayPal or check and due before ads will appear on the website.
Thank you for your interest in local storytelling. I look forward to telling more stories about this area in the future.

Katie M. Dewalt Photography

Richard Sayer Photography
Where you can purchase photos by Eight & 322

Contact me today at [email protected]

I don't know how they do it

2/7/2021

Year after year, festival after festival, Franklin draws folks in.

Even a pandemic doesn't seem to deter them from making sure everyone has something to do in their little haven.

The annual Franklin on Ice drew folks downtown day and night to enjoy the shopping, the soup and chili and, of course, the dozens of ice sculptures.

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No melting this weekend

2/5/2021

The annual Franklin on Ice may be a little different, like everything else, this year, but it will still showcase many DiMartino Ice sculpture creations. The big difference Saturday will be the lack of chainsaws and grinders or that very fun and spirited competition to create a sculpture in a short amount of time.

But tomorrow the Franklin Fine Arts Council will open up the showcase to the public at 10 a.m. though many of the sculptures are already grabbing some eyes of the folks passing through Fountain Park.

"There will also be a new twist this year with a Signature Soup and Chili Competition." a press release read.
Many stops along the 1200 block of Liberty. Tickets and other festival information will be available at Edward Jones and all the proceeds will be divided up among the downtown restaurants as part of a little local pandemic relief.
This event is sponsored in cooperation with the Franklin Retail Association.

Temperatures are expected to be good for the ice sculptures, for people it isn't expected to get out of the 20s. Downtown retail businesses will invite people to come inside to warm up with their "sidewalk sales" being moved indoors. Organizers say opportunities to express love will abound as well. "Many of our unique stores will have great ideas for gifts for your Valentines." the release said.

As usual the Franklin on Ice festival won't stop when the sun goes down, the sculptures will be lit up with color lights to add to the winter wonderland.

The organizers ask attendees to be respectful and mindful that we're still in the midst of a pandemic. They ask everyone to wear masks and practice safe social distancing

PHOTOS: CASH visits Oil Country for a round of games

2/2/2021

To view even more photos please visit sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p818152589

To view even more photos please visit sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p818152589

To view even more photos please visit sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p818152589

A Historic Future

2/2/2021

Edited 10:45 a.m. 2/2/21

19th century building to play key role in the 21st century

Franklin, Pennsylvania

Soon, instead of a bride and groom twirling around in love during their first married dance together on the more than a century old Franklin building's hardwood floors, high school students will be navigating high tech machinery performing intricate dances of their own in skills learning competitions.
And instead of cooks preparing chicken, potatoes and apple pie banquet meals in the kitchen, smart teenagers will be assembling gears, sprockets and wiring into programed devices to perform complicated functions as they learn about future jobs and the needs of industry.

In the old barroom where folks once mingled with cocktails in hand while trays of hors d'oeuvres circulatied around, now a state-of-the art computer lab that will be abuzz of mingling smart teens figuring out how to make complex coding move the assembled part being put together in the adjoining kitchen come alive.

It may be hard to wrap one's brain around how the Liberty Street landmark, The Franklin, built in the1800s can now become a center of 21st century technology and development, but that's what people of vision and a sense of preservation do. Yes, this historic building that was once a single men's social club and then a long-term event venue and pub, has fallen in disrepair in recent years, but does indeed have a future.

And if Tim Heffernan, a former history teacher turned Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) teacher has his way, this building will take a similar path as his life has and move from history to the future of high tech with optimism and forward thinking.

Heffernan can see it clear as day. "Everything we want to do can be done in that building," he said.

Heffernan left his job at Franklin in December to pursue what he hopes is a broader education opportunity for young people across the region. In 2018 he established the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative in order to 'provide sustainable, world class STEM education opportunities for students to prepare them for twenty-first century careers," according to the initiative's mission statement.

Since then, the initiative has reached 25 school districts in over eight counties.

Leaving the classroom allows Heffernan to devote more time to making connections and seeking the funding to help make Franklin a center for technology. "I couldn't wear three hats and do it right," he said. Since before Christmas out of an empty office in the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce in an effort to build the non-profit. His focus has been to help more schools developing more programs and finding more permanent home with the space he needed for this idea.

Then, last month, chamber director Jodi Baker Lewis had a meeting with the new Philadelphia based owner of the historic The Franklin building. She came back to the office with a wild idea for Heffernan. A very short time later Heffernan was looking at the building and making a pitch for its use.

"He was on board with everything." Heffernan said about the meeting with the new owner.

Now, just a few days after that first meeting Heffernan says he doesn't sleep much. "My mind is spinning," he said. He goes down to the building and just visualizes what each space can be. "Can I fit 12 or 15 computers in here?" he wonders. Though there is a lot of work to do including a big roofing project, he is hopeful to be ready for the fall school year.

"A lot of people are now seeing the possibilities of this and are stepping up to help out," Heffernan said. He's meeting with contractors and is getting feedback on ways to get the space ready to go. The building, that many had given up hope on isn't in as bad of shape as some thought Heffernan said. "Structurally it's in good shape."

So, he will move forward with the plan to get the first floor and basement done and ready for the fall. Longer term projects include more office space and conference rooms upstairs and possibly a studio for high quality video production to reach further with instruction. Heffernan sees The Franklin building becoming a center for technology education for young and old alike. He hopes to offer adult training as well in the future.

"Technology is impactful with the kids, and it isn't going away," he said. He hopes the new center of technology, which will be called The Innovation Institute of Tomorrow Inc. will offer a broader scope of opportunities for the kids beyond what they get in school and provide space for them to work after school and through the summer to learn even more. "It will be like a YMCA for geeks. I'm a geek and I love it," Heffernan said. "People are going to think I'm nuts, but I'm OK with that."

What it takes
The overall project took a bit of serendipitous luck. A Philadelphia investor saw a historic property for sale on the other side of the state and got involved. Without a direct plan he was open to discussions, seemingly took what Tim Heffernan had laid out as something important to do and decided to work with Heffernan's vision to make it happen. Through partnerships they agreed on a future for a very old building and they are moving forward.

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Heffernan is always seeking and obtaining grants for move forward. He is working with partners from all over the country and has a group of local leaders of education, industry and community dedicated to making this project happen. Once the necessary building work and upgrades are done, the institute will begin offering a place of training and exploration for young people. Franklin is already being looked at as a leader in this form of STEM education. Thiss will take it up a notch. Heffernan says this will be good for the community and establish Franklin as a center and leader in this technologically based education.

Editors note There are dozens of stories to tell about this program that we'll tackle as they come.

Some misinformation and more today

2/1/2021

It was erroneously reported in the region which then spread on social media that there were over 500 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Crawford County today. The official number was 13.

Crawford county's daily positive numbers are on the decrease overall, however that appears to be slightly misleading. According to a post on the Crawford County PA Covid19 Information page one in four being currently tested are still coming back positive.

"We are seeing continued community spread in our area," said epidemiologist Becky Dawson who answers questions each week about the virus on the Crawford County Covid page. Though the numbers are down in the area, we're by no means out of the woods yet and it is unknown how the new variants spreading around the country will impact the next few months.

To keep up to date on what is happening in the area checking in with the Crawford County PA Covid19 Information page is a good start. There is and app that can be downloaded on you cell phone called Covid Alert PA that is loaded with information including a county by county daily count update.

Also this was posted today and released by the Meadville Medical Center, "Due to an overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine and a very limited supply, Meadville Medical Center (MMC) and Titusville Area Hospital (TAH) are temporarily disabling the online request forms and not accepting any additional requests at this time.
Since the first point of distribution (POD) on December 16, 2020 MMC and TAH have administered approximately 9,000 and 3,000 doses respectively, ranking Crawford County as one of the most vaccinated counties in the Commonwealth per capita.
However, the current waiting list of eligible individuals consists of approximately 6,000 people from primary care physicians, the website request forms and individuals identified as medically at risk through specialty care services. Everyone on the waiting list is 65 years of age and older or has a medical condition that puts them at risk. Neither MMC nor TAH is able to fulfill requests for confirming the status of who is on the waiting list.
When doses are available and there is a vacancy at a POD, each person will be contacted by email or phone. Due to a limited supply of doses that are shipped each week, MMC and TAH are unable to schedule appointments more than one week in advance.
We are again asking for your patience in this process. Conservatively, it will take an estimated 50,000 doses in order to complete the new Phase 1A in Crawford County at an approximate rate of administering 3,500 doses per week between MMC and TAH if a supply of doses continues to come to each organization."