Eight & 322/Eight & 27
[email protected]
  • Eight & 322
  • Sports
  • Arts
    • Artist resources
  • The Nature of Things
  • Eight & 27
  • News From You
  • Purchase Photos
  • The Photo Dude
  • Editorial
  • About
  • Community Photojournalism presentation

Demo Saturday Part 1

8/30/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
All Nathaniel Licht wanted for his birthday was for folks to come along with him on a community restoration journey. Licht bought the old YMCA building in downtown Titusville with plans to clean it all up and restore the 1912 building to as close to original as he can. He then wants it to once again become an important fixture in the community for people to frequent offering mixed commercial/retail spaces.

On Saturday, Licht's 26th birthday was celebrated with more then 30 volunteers coming into the building and putting in gallons of sweat equity to help him get one step closer to making the building a thriving center for downtown business opportunities. Cracked paint chips flew everywhere as 70s era paneling and 80s era drop ceilings were eradicated exposing the 1912 era architecture. 

It won't be an overnight project, but Licht was thrilled people wanted to celebrate his birthday by busting hump to help him get a step closer.

Here are a few photos from the day. 


Editor's note: I even managed to help scrape a small (very small) section of a wall but it emphasized why I tell the same joke over and over again - "I became a photographer so I wouldn't have to work for a living."

Here is a link to the first story about Licht's efforts - http://richardsayerphotojournalism.weebly.com/eight--322/demo-saturday-part-1
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Demo Saturday part 2

8/30/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
The second half of my "Demo Saturday" found me at the fairgrounds for the demolition derby in the evening. The motor sports weekend was changed a little when Friday night's tractor pulls were postponed again and moved to next week on Sept. 5.

The demo derby drew a substantial crowd Saturday nearly filling the stands and several people were walking around the grounds as well where food vendors and the like were set up. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

More swiping pictures of Artist of August Anna Applegate

8/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
As August winds down I went searching for a few more of Anna's photos to share as the last installment of the the artist of the month for August. This photo above really grabbed my attention for humor. Is the goat trying to help with yard work on the other side of the fence?

​Anna's columns will continue long past this her artist of the month feature. Her column, The Nature of Things is already a popular feature on our website. It is fun to read. Applegate's inspirations each week lead to great observations about the world and I love her sense of humor and cool images. She also peppers in great information about what she writes about and photographs.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: "Wait.... what?....  There's more?
Yes, this is the last artist of the month post featuring Anna's photographs but she has graciously agreed to keep sharing her adventures with you all with her blog The Nature of Things that you can find on this website or by clicking here!

​
Thank you Anna!
0 Comments

The show must go on

8/28/2020

7 Comments

 
Picture
Visitors to Town Square Park Thursday night got to tap their toes, clap their hands an even dance despite storms in the area threatening to cancel it all. Not so much in Oil City, where the storms seemed to skirt around them or were short lived. But south, somewhere out on Route 8 not to far from Grove City, a tree impeded the forward progress of a truck carrying "The Hip-Waders" equipment.
Yep, a tree fell on the truck and luckily there were no injuries.

Well except for the roadies truck.

"Actually it was my truck,"  Mike Fitzgerald, of the band, said not looking particularly happy as he scrambled to set up equipment.

The band members were already in Oil City waiting for their gear when they got the call from their roadie. So they hopped back on the road heading down the detour-riddled Route 8 to get their gear. All-in-all, despite the misfortune of nature and machinery, the Wexford based band were only about a half hour late getting the tunes rolling in Oil City.

By the time they began kicking it into gear, the Elks dinner, the Flex Bike and Brew pick-up and the Republican rally were winding down and the participants began filtering into the park for the show of classic rock tunes. It might have been the perfect storm for the occasion.

"We're all fishing fanatics," Fitzgerald said of where they got their name.
Picture
7 Comments

The Tweeter President

8/27/2020

0 Comments

 
Featured photograph of the day
Picture
I saved this one out of last night's coverage of the Republican rally in Oil City because I just want it to stand alone. It made me laugh seeing the "President" tweeting. To be fair I'm just guessing the guy in the Trump mask was texting someone while standing on Seneca Street with the other rally goers. But in my head I was thinking what might be getting put out to twitterland. "This rally is great, it's huge, biggest ever in history of Oil City."  

In actuality, he was probably telling his wife he'll pick up milk on the way home. This would make a good "caption this" post.

Hopefully it makes for some laughter today.


See last night's story by clicking here.
0 Comments

Hundreds turn out, but convention spotlight a no go

8/27/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Earlier this week the Venango County Republicans posted to social media that Oil City had been chosen by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee for television coverage to be played during the convention coverage the night President Trump was expected to accept the nomination for a run at a second term.

"A real honor: You have been chosen: Trump supporters and our GOP of Venango Co. has been chosen for TV & media from the Trump Campaign & RNC to be televised for the Republican National Convention THIS THURSDAY. You are needed to help show a Thank you and Support for Pres. Trump for TV this same evening before the nomination speech. Highlighting Oil City & Venango Co. on national TV is a real honor, privilege & showing us to the nation can potentially highlight us for later benefits to our community. Come on to 215 Seneca St., OC, this Thurs and help show our Thank you and Support," the post read.

A spokesperson from the Trump campaign indicated Thursday night that was the intention, but that it did not happen. Venango County Republican state chair woman Martha Breene championed this event and was expecting they would be a spotlight location. She was extremely happy with the turnout with over 200 Trump supporters lining Seneca Street. Though Breene was disappointed the spotlight fell through she felt the event still reflected the support Venango County has for the president.
Picture
A handful of speakers addressed the crowd that at times spilled onto the street. Commisioners Mike Dulaney and Sam Breene, Martha's son, rallied the crowd with chants. "Help with a bucket list item," Sam Breene told the crowd, He said he always wanted to lead a crowd in a "USA, USA, USA" chant. The crowd enthusiastically  complied.
Picture
Other speakers spoke of Trump's successes and the need to show up at the polls to vote. State Representative R. Lee James said at the end of his remarks that he had one thing to tell the crowd that is of utmost importance. "Vote," he said.
State Senator Scott Hutchinson got the crowd excited with chants of "Four more years," as he emphasized the direction the country was headed economically before COVID-19 hit. He assured the crowd that we will get through this and get the economy back on track if Trump is reelected.
Picture
Picture
The crowd was then told to hang tight for a very special guest at 7 p.m. Sam Breene showed up with microphone in hand on the hour to announce that Representative Glenn Thompson was in the White House with the President but took time to call and address the crowd. Via the microphone held up to Breene's phone Thompson spoke to his constituents huddled near the Republican headquarters.
Picture
Supporters cheered GT's remarks and went back to the rally-like atmosphere after Sam Breene's closing remarks.
Picture
Oil City was a busy place Thursday night with Elks offering up food, the Bike and Brew pick-up for the FLEX fundraiser and the Thursday night concert series in Town Square park all happening at the same time.
Picture
In the end, Trump supporters got a chance to really show their pride and support for the president together in a rally atmosphere where petitions were passed around and voter registration forms were handed out. Martha Breene said she ran out of campaign signs again despite ordering an additional 600 for the event. She said they have handed out over 2,500 yard signs to date at the headquarters.
Picture
2 Comments

Lets not forget other sports

8/26/2020

0 Comments

 
Featured photograph of the day
Picture
I made this picture Monday as the Franklin girls soccer team finished their practice. Head coach Ryan Umbenhaur pulled his squad of tired athletes together emphasizing the social distance protocols and when normally the squad would huddle and throw fists together in a unified Go Knights! He and the squad did what they could safely to be a unified unit during COVID-19 restrictions. It's a weird time, but good for them for trying. Let's hope everyone can stay healthy and safe so these sports can continue.
0 Comments

Styled for the start of school

8/26/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Audrina Daily-Jarzenski, 10, said she is pretty particular about her hair so when she sat down in the chair in front of stylist Jeanette Kooser-Yag she really gave the veteran stylist a challenge. But Cranberry Elementary student was smiling as Kooser-Yag worked.

The United Way of Venango County held its second annual Back to School Hair Affair at the Cranberry Mall. Several stylists set up shop socially distanced in the former Bon-Ton store. 153 were able to get back-to-school cuts and walk away with school supplies and more. The Salvation Army dental team gave free screenings and the Venango County Blind Association provided vision screenings as well. 
​One gentleman, Bill Baker, donated back packs filled with school supplies donated by the Salvation Army. The mall donated use of the space for the one-day event and stylists from Siverly Barber Shop, Designing Concepts Hair Salon and Nirvana Nails and Boutique all gave time for the effort. The Oil City Vineyard Church donated many hair supplies. Aetna Healthcare also donated several masks that were included in the back to school supplies.

Audrina and her siblings will all be styling when they go back to school next week thanks to this volunteer effort.
Picture
Audrina's sister Brooklyn sat nearby getting some added curl to her hair from stylist Traci Guthrie, owner of Designing Concepts hair salon in Franklin.
Picture
0 Comments

Haha the bug of the week continues...

8/26/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm not sure I've ever photographed this many bugs. Oh, I've photographed monarchs before sure, but I've never noted so many insect photos as often as I have lately. I got a call at The Meadville Tribune in the late 90s, this couple said the monarchs are incredibly numerous in their back yard. It was pretty cute, they were an elderly couple and they were in awe of the butterflies. One of the people I worked with laughed at me when I said I was going to check it out. I hated sitting in the office listening for the scanner to go off, so I went.
​And I had a blast talking to this couple and making photos. Of course when I got there they said I should've come earlier because there was twice as many. I truly only remember seeing one and I made a nice photo that went on the front page the next day with this couple in the background. I love my job.
Picture
This monarch was flittering about the Franklin High School Monday. I wonder if he/she will make it to South America.
0 Comments

New coach, heat acclimation and three claps

8/25/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Positivity was on display Monday during the first day of practice and heat acclimation at Franklin High School. Longtime head coach Tom Haynes stepped down after his son's senior season to focus attention on watching him play college ball. So this year begins a new era with a new head coach - Matt Turk.

Turk is a positive rambling speaker shifting from lesson to quips in mid-sentance but always supporting improvement over putting someone down.

"Come here son," he hollered out to a skinny, tiny player hobbling around the field after finishing every drill dead last. He brought the youngster in front of the whole team. He told the team to show this young man some respect and support. Despite being slower than everyone else, Turk singled him out as a positive influence the team should embrace. "Three claps for this young man who is out here with a bum ankle every day working just as hard as the rest of you." 
Picture
tTurk shifts from traffic cop to ball buster in the blink of an eye. He had everyone run a few sprints, sprints that were scheduled anyway, but he claimed one of the players called him fat so he was making everyone run. Heat acclimation with a twist.

He also bet a young man he could out sprint him, the loser had to wear the shirt of the other's favorite college team. So one Ohio State fan now has to wear a Penn State shirt at practice this week because he lost the race and bet. Hint on who won the race - coach Turk is a huge Nittany Lions fan.
Picture
In the middle of practice he had the team huddle around. "Spread out guess remember the distancing," he said before telling them how impressed he was with their effort and abilities in the first half of practice drills. He tried to correct a few things too. "You're heads are down in these drills. That's because you're tired, I get it, but it's also not acceptable. Keep your heads up," he told the team.
Picture
Turk said he has nothing but respect for those who came before him but emphasized it's a new program. "We're gonna surprise some people," he said.  He told his team on the first day of practice that "we are going to set the standard of living today." He stressed working hard and improving every day. While working with the lineman he told them to hit the sled "like it is Friday night, hit it like you're playing [Route 8 rival] Oil City every single time."
Picture
His encouragement seemed to filter through the team and staff who kept up a high energy first practice despite the heat. Turk seemed to feed off his players enthusiasm and he just kept the digs coming, praising his big men and calling the backs and wide receivers "skinny unskilled players" which no one took seriously, though the challenges back at the coach kept coming to see if the coach was all talk. But remember the earlier story about who is going to wear a Penn State jersey at practice to see whether it's all talk.

​Below are a few more frames from the first day of practice.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The teams around the region have safety protocols in place for COVID-19. Plays are to socially distance and are to be masked if proximity is an issue when not playing.
The players bring their own water bottles and maintain their own equipment.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Knights are expected to open their season on Sept. 11 if nothing changes.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Good luck Knights on the upcoming season. I hope to be on the sidelines for at least most of your home games.
1 Comment

Game on

8/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last week the PIAA announced that fall sports would be allowed to go on with restrictions due to COVID-19. The districts of PIAA then left it up to individual school districts to decide whether they could operate safely within the parameters of the restrictions. Across Northwest Pennsylvania practices started today (Monday). But there was one more thing that needed to be done - school boards had to approve the plan presented by athletic directors and administrations.

That little bit business was taken care of in meetings Monday night at Valley Grove, Cranberry, Franklin and Oil City.

So game on!
In Franklin, athletic director Becky Barnes laid out the plan for all sports to the school board. She went over the safety protocols that have been put in place and explained all coaches are aware what needs to take place in order to continue. She explained schedules are evolving as other school districts are deciding what they will do and what teams will be allowed to travel and how. But Franklin has a plan in place that unfortunately, at this point, does not include fans.

"From an athletes point of view I am happy for [the students]. From an athletic trainer and health point of view we have to be smart," Barnes said. "The kids have been good about the masks and hand sanitizer." She said she met with each squad before their practices to lay out what was expected of everyone involved.

Barnes also mentioned she is working to get everything live streamed in some way so the games can be watched. The board seemed satisfied with what Barnes presented.

Board president Brian Spaid asked if a vote on Barnes plan could cover fall and winter sports if nothing changes at the state level or with COVID-19. Barnes didn't see why not. The board then voted unanimously to go ahead with the programs.
​
Picture
Up Route 8, Oil City parents and coaches weren't exactly sure what the outcome for their fall programs was going to be. Over the last week rumors were spread around that the board was split on whether it was safe enough to put kids on the field or court or trails or the links. Several parents and grandparents positioned themselves outside Hasson Elementary School Monday with signs and a message to the board members that they want their kids to play.

Jacquelne Van Wormer has two children on the football team, one is a senior. She said there are 21 seniors on the team. "It would be sad if the seniors don't get a chance to play," she said. Standing next to Van Wormer was Alicia York, who is a cousin to head football coach Dan York. She was there for another reason, her son, James Williams, plays trumpet in the band. The band and cheerleaders have always represented what the Friday night football experience was all about. "I'm furious," said Williams about the prospect of not being able to play at the games. 

What wasn't known just yet, was what the official feeling of the board.

Inside the meeting only six people were given a chance to speak due to the capacity limits of the COVID-19 restrictions handed down from the state. But the six were able to lay out the thoughts of those outside.
Picture
“We know there are risks,” said parent and volunteer golf coach Mark Motter. “But always the risk to reward ratio had been left up to the parents…. I see no difference this year.”
Motter was addressing the board for the second time in his life. The first being nearly 30 years ago when he was requesting permission to start a golf team at the high school. Now he was trying to save this season so his son Charlie can play.
“Today I stand before you asking you to continue that very same golf program that I asked you to start, along with all the other fall sports,” he said.

Other parents took the opportunity to remind the board of the physical, leadership, mental and academic benefits sports offer teenagers.
The lack of athletics would create a “significant void” said parent Shelly Stahl, who is the wife of Oil City's principal Scott Stahl.
Scott also voiced his opinion. He said his son Logan will miss his senior year of college at Carnegie Mellon because of COVID-19. But he said his son has his head straight on his shoulders. He told his dad he feels bad for younger players who aren't getting the chance to play. He's had three years of college ball and a full high school run to play the sport he loves. The Stahls have two children still playing at Oil City.
Picture
Several parents also pointed to the recreational leagues many children were enrolled in throughout the summer months.
“Student athletes will play sports this fall,” parent Amber Guiste noted. Her question to the board was whether it would be under the safety and health guidelines the school would have in place or the more lax environment offered by some recreational programs?
Another parent, George Svolos, pointed out that the students have been routinely following the guidelines during optional practices already held.
“They just want to play and be kids,” Svolos said. “We must give our children a chance.”

After the impassioned pleas, the board unanimously voted to let the fall sports go as planned.

A few moments later when the news reached them, cheers from the parents outside could be heard through the walls and even on the Zoom meeting.

The board had also addressed the topic of spectators.
“We are going to need the help of the community,” said board member Mark Kerr regarding the PIAA mandate that sports be held with only the athletes, coaches and support staff to keep under the 250 maximum mandate.

“It’s going to take the community to follow the rules, the guidelines, the recommendations – visitors, spectators and fans," board president Joseph McFadden said.

Oil City also is looking into live streaming the events for the families during this difficult time of sacrifice.
Picture
Cranberry and Valley Grove, who co-op some sports with Oil City and Franklin, but also have their own fall sports, also unanimously agreed to let the fall season begin. Not to be out shined by football, the area schools offer girls volleyball, boys and girls tennis, soccer, golf and cross-country to their students. 
Picture
Game on!
​

Jill Harry contributed to this story
0 Comments

Back porch sports talk

8/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Editor's note: I worked with the subjects of this story in the past, so I threw in a couple jabs just for some fun.
Picture
Saxon Daugherty and Zack Borland met on the diamond when they were kids. Daugherty remembers lighting up Borland's team with four hits in that first game. "How do you remember that?" Borland asked as they played catch outside Daugherty's home Saturday.

Their love of sports has kept them close ever since those days they competed on Little League fields. They would also find themselves at Little League games later on keeping stats and doing play-by-play from the press box for fun.

Now several years past college they are taking their passion for "bsing" about sports to the next level. And they are offering up their knowledge and opinions on their passion via a podcast called "Between the Lines."

"What's with them losing a 3-0 lead and giving up seven unanswered," Borland said to his lifelong friend.
"Welcome to the world of hockey," Daugherty responded.

The two banter back and forth whether they are recording or not. They reveal an almost encyclopedic knowledge of major sports (even though neither of them knew Doug Griffin, a Red Sox second baseman from the 1970s, haha).
Though Borland admitted to not really following or caring about the NBA, there are plenty of other sports for them to discuss.

They meet once a week to discuss whatever is happening on fields, courts, diamonds, ice and even in conference rooms. Saturday they opened up their discussion on the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's decision to allow schools and school districts determine if they will safely hold fall sports.

​It is a hot topic as school's are deciding how to conduct classes and extracurricular activities. 
Picture
Borland, who is a sports editor for The Titusville Herald, took the lead on the discussion since he covered it so closely for the paper. Daugherty asked Borland what he would do if he was on the school board. Without flinching Borland described the vast differences between school districts across the state and that it's smart for each to be able to determine what is safest for their students.

After the segment, however, Borland ribbed his co-host. "Thanks for putting me on the spot with that question." Daugherty laughed. "That's what makes for good content," he replied.

The two have three podcasts completed now and invite guests to the show. They are still working out some technical bugs but each week they see improvements. Only around 30 people have tuned in so far but they expected a modest start as they build. They haven't started a social media presence yet, though they said at the end of Saturday's cast that is in the near future.

​Daugherty who is a public relations specialist for the Child Development Center in the Northwest Pennsylvania has wanted to do play-by-play and have a career in sports casting, though he says he loves his current job. Borland was three years into a college degree in Chemistry before his sports calling became too much for him to ignore.
Picture
On Saturday they recored their podcast on Daugherty's back deck.  Amid the sounds of cars going by, birds chirping and a next door neighbor's toddler riding around the yard in toy fire truck, Daugherty launched into his plea for Major League Baseball to "grow a pair" after an incident this past week involving a pitcher hitting a batter and erupting into a brawl and a series of fines. "Just stop whining," he said. 

Daugherty and Borland remembered something from their youth baseball days. "Make it hurt on the scoreboard." They both seemed to want the league to act like adults and just play the game without the theatrics and what they described as arbitrary unwritten rules.

Then they took on the hockey's playoff season and the NFL West, where physicality is more a part of the game. Each making supporting arguments for their predictions on who will take home the trophies this year.
[Editor's note: They somehow think the Tom Brady-less Patriots won't be very good this year despite the coach still being with the team so we're not sure how much they can be trusted in their analysis? They do think the Tom Brady Tampa Bay squad will do just fine.]

Their podcast offers analysis, opinion and plenty of banter back and forth between Borland and Daugherty. "We feed off each other," Borland said. They also try to have invited guests when they can to add voices to the chorus.

When they need a brain break, they conjure up their 9-year old selves and toss around a ball in a game of catch. But they don't stop talking about sports.
Picture
Check out their Between the Lines podcasts here.
0 Comments

Eagle scout project recreates Rosary walk, adds Stations of the Cross

8/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
With eyes clenched tight and hands feeling each bead, Catholics have long spent time in deep prayer as they recite the Rosary. For visitors of the St. Thomas More House of Prayer in Cranberry Township experiencing the Rosary can include a walk in the woods. A path winds through the wooded area near the chapel and stones dot the path to mimic the beads of a Rosary.

These stones have weathered in time.

Up steps Franklin Boy Scout Andrew Rugh who was looking for a project to complete his requirements for Eagle Scout. "Obviously as parents, we're proud of the work he did. We're also proud of the fact that he chose [a project] based on faith. I think in these times, not a lot of teenagers are keen on the idea of organized religion," his mom, Christina Rugh said.

Andrew found casts and made his own pavers to replace the ones along the walk. He also had built wooden structures depicting the fourteen Stations of the Cross along the Rosary path. The idea is a place of meditation and prayer.
Picture
​The St. Thomas More House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat tucked away off Hill City Road in Cranberry, Venango County. It is a part of the Erie diocese.

Andrew's mom found out about the place years ago on a retreat. "I appreciated the concept of being faithful in nature," she said. Andrew said he glad to be able to create something in the quiet place for others to enjoy and find helpful in their religious practices.
"Setting the posts," Andrew said was the hardest part though he admits it was a bit of trial and error getting the pavers made.  

"I'm just impressed we came out of it with all of our appendages intact," Christina joked describing how neither she nor her husband Chad are "builder types" and how looking up how-to videos was their go to for this project. Several hours of research, arranging qualified help and making the pavers has led to finished project for visitors to the retreat to use as a means for spiritual reflection for years to come.
Picture
Once his project is reviewed Andrew joins the storied history of scouting and a member of a brotherhood. 
Over 50,000 Scouts earned their Eagle Award in 2018, one of the largest classes in the Scouts 110 year history. Each Eagle logs on average about 150 hours in their qualifying projects. Of all Scouts who begin early in life, only about 65 go on to get the Eagle certification, which is the highest honor in the Boy Scouts. In 1912 only 23 scouts earned the honor - a hundred years later they reached their highest total just 331 shy of 60,000. Pennsylvania consistently ranks in the top four states for number of earned Eagle Scout projects completed. 
0 Comments

Artist of the month Anna Applegate, more favorites stolen from her page

8/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I love humor and one of the things I love about Anna's photographs of her critters and the critters she finds in her travels is that they often just make me chuckle. I'm not sure what it is about this frog, but I laughed, literally, out loud when I saw it. Beyond that it's a great photograph with color harmony, solid design and a story that I want to know.
Awesom. 
As I've said before I couldn't be happier that she is a featured columnist for Eight & 322 and I'll be posting her latest blog soon about some slippers left behind in the forest. And she says she has two more in the works. What a gift to us to see her natural world through her eyes and observations. 

​That's one thing I love about journalists and storytellers, their ability to observe.
Picture
Please check out her blogs at http://richardsayerphotojournalism.weebly.com/the-nature-of-things
Picture
0 Comments

Old YMCA building to be saved by lover of local history

8/20/2020

1 Comment

 
 "If you lose buildings, you lose history."

Y he bought it

Picture
Thousands and thousands sneakers have pounded the hardwood floors of the former Titusville YMCA basketball courts since it first became a gathering place for area youth in 1913.

Nathaniel Licht was one of the of many children who laced up their Doc Martins, Adidas or Nikes for a few hours after school or on the weekends. Now, as he remembers those days, he sees a future of heels and dress shoes gliding across a dance floor in a converted ballroom to host weddings, music and special events.

Licht bought the building this week with lofty intentions to have a mixed commercial and retail space occupying the first floor right around the time when summer turns to fall. Licht is excited about the possibilities.

The more than a century old building has stood vacant for six years. Licht had been interested for awhile and when the price was right he nabbed the building. Now a few days in, he is going to start by turning the water on and see what leaks. "I'm sure we'll find some, but hopefully not many," he said as he is ready for the quick repairs and moving on to the next step.

Licht has been around renovations since he was a kid when his mother one day decided to take a hammer to a wall in order to start a project in their home. He even has an uncle who purchased a former YMCA building in Alton, Illinois. "To a lot of other people [this] seems like a lot of work - to me it's just another day at the office," he said.
Picture
He has some lofty goals for the 20,000 square foot structure that was built solid with a steel skeleton and plenty of layers of thick hardwood through out. He is hoping to restore the first floor to what it looked like in 1913 and have it ready for the first tenants by the end of September.

To achieve that, he needs to get a picture of exactly how it to look.
​
"I'm looking for photos, especially of the common [first floor] area," he said as he showed some of the buried features covered up from years of paneling and drop ceiling "improvements" to the building.
His goal is preservation, not goldmine.
He said he hopes to break even, but knows its going to cost him some money to save this piece of history. But he has a passion for keeping the building as a thriving part of Titusville. "I think if you lose buildings, you lose history," he said.
Picture
Licht 26th birthday is coming up at the end of the month. He posted on social media a perfect gift for him would be help clean up the building. The response has been impressive. "People I don't even know," Licht said about the response. "They all have a memory, a good memory of being in the building, I think that's the common denominator."
So on August 29th, a slew of volunteers are expected to ascend on the old building to begin ripping up old carpet, tearing down boards over windows to let light flow in again, washing windows and scraping paint. He also wants to really spruce up the grounds outside the building, pull up weeds and sweep sidewalks. "There is a long list of chores for any skill set," he said.

Volunteers are welcome to come anytime that day after noon and should bring with their own masks and gloves. 

As a thank you, Licht will provide dinner and a parting gift. "I'm sending them all home with a trophy," he said with a laugh as he looked over at dozens of old YMCA trophies that have been left behind.
​
​"It'll probably be the best birthday party ever," he said.
Picture
His vision of returning the building to how it was designed in the early 20th century means tearing out what appears to be over a mile of paneling and a sky's worth of drop ceiling to reveal the ornamental architecture. There's also linoleum glued to original tile and hard wood molding covered by paint for decades. All of which he hopes to bring back to life again.

First floor is his immediate priority. He's like to get tenants in that space as soon as possible. He is hoping for niche shops or "stores that can work as an attraction to Titusville." And he wants to offer office or studio spaces as well and expects to be able to have an apartment or two eventually on the second floor.

The gym will be after that will be revitalized as a ballroom and concert space, but he doesn't expect that to be ready for a couple years. He will work his way through the building as time and money allows. The old two lane swimming pool he isn't sure what wants to do with yet. "I'm looking for ideas," he said, though his self-diagnosed "car problem" has him wonder if it might make a good space to park some classic cars.
​The top floor will be a last priority but he hopes eventually to make it into a working part of the building down the road.

​The building will be renamed the Parkside but will have many reminders of its rich YMCA history.
Picture
Licht has a small box of photographs that will also be a part of the decor in his renovation vision and he welcomes more photos. The more pictures he has, the more he preserves the history of the building. And different views from the past will help him restore it to its original form.
Picture
He has been overwhelmed with the response from the public in just a few short days. After posting he bought the building, word spread like wildfire with many people sharing it and offering support. Comments on his social media post range from congratulations to inquiries about renting space.

​"You've started something magnificent, labor intensive, and worth the struggle that lies inside those walls. I have no doubt this will be one of your greatest achievements. You are a natural visionary," one Facebook response read.
Picture
For Licht it is simply a "labour of love," that he is excited about developing. People have asked him what he plans. He laughs and says "plans are for people seeking grants, I have a direction and we are going to head in that direction." 

This story was updated at 4:45 p.m. August 21. 

1 Comment

Art in the trees

8/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Cochranton Junior Fair Board is at it again bringing color and art to Lions Park up behind the fire department. "Art in the Trees" has many community members making colorful objects that line Greenways Trail, hang from the trees and some are wrapping trunks. The theme was circles according to organizer Peggy Massung. The “Circles” will be part of a silent auction on Friday  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday ending at 2 p.m. during the Fun at the Park event. Winners will be announced at 3 p.m. The money made from the silent auction will help support the Gingerbread House Competition in November. This event is free.
0 Comments

"We're a volunteer fire department, every fundraiser is important"

8/19/2020

0 Comments

 

Modified Venango County Fair leaves fire departments
​to find other ways to raise much needed money

Picture
If the lack of full-scale festivals has left you craving fair food, the Reno Volunteer Fire Department has a deal for you.

This weekend the volunteer department is breaking out their fair menu during their monthly fundraising dinner. The menu was chosen on the heels of a decision not to participate in the Venango County Round-Up, this year's modified version of the Venango County 4-H Fair.  

"That's one of our biggest fundraisers," Reno Volunteer Fire Department volunteer Bob McClintock said of the Venango County 4-H Fair. The department typically sets up a food stand along the main row between the Phillips Arena and the Kiwanis Bowl horse ring.
This year, the modified fair schedule and the health concerns cut down on the number of volunteers available so the department opted not to open it.
"It takes a lot of manpower... to cover all those shifts," McClintock said of the traditional 12-hour days at the fair. 

In past years, the volunteers would forgo monthly dinners in July and August to focus on the fair. This year, to help fill the budgetary hole left, the department kept the monthly fundraisers in place. 
"Due to Covid 19 we decided in the best interest to pull out of the fair this year. Now with that being said we know everyone was quite upset with that decision. So we met on Monday (August 10) and have decided to do a dinner with some of our fair favorites!" the department posted on its Facebook page. 

Sunday's menu will feature items inspired by their traditional Venango County Fair food stand, including hot sausage and smoked pulled pork sandwiches, fresh cut french fries, and hot dogs. The meal will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the social hall as takeout only. 
​McClintock hopes turn out will be good. The fire department has few fundraising options right now.
​
 "This virus has really affected what we can do," McClintock said.
Picture
Like Reno, the Utica Volunteer Fire Company had also grown to rely on the Venango County 4-H Fair to fund department needs. 
"It's definitely become one of our major fundraisers," Larry Dunkerlly, fire company president said. The group was already forced to cancel their top fundraiser - a gun raffle, so his crew decided to give the fair a try despite the expectations of low attendance. 

Regardless of money, the group was also compelled to participant because that's just what they do. 
"It's more or less become a tradition," he said about the department's hoagie stand. 
Dunkerly said volunteers were not an issue for them, describing their small squad as a close group. "That's one of the things I'm proud to say."

But half way through the week, sales were down significantly, something that will need to be addressed by hosting another fundraiser of sorts, he said at the time. "We knew that coming into it (the fair)," he said, undaunted by the low turnout.
Dunkerly notes the company's fish fry dinners have become more popular as of late and the group was hopeful. 
​
"We're a volunteer fire department, every fundraiser is important," he said. 

Follow the departments on Facebook to find out about future dinners and other fundraisers - Reno VFD and Utica Volunteer. ​

​Story contributed by Jill Harry
0 Comments

Is it VIABLE to have equality

8/19/2020

0 Comments

 
Editor's Note: So is the Black Lives Matter movement slowing down? A couple weeks ago Eight & 322 wrote a column about what's next in the movement? There is a group forming in Venango County that will seek to enact positive change here. Perhaps this grassroots movement can grow community by community until we do have long-lasting positive results.
Picture

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margeret Mead
​

VIABLE (Venango In Alliance with Black Lives Empowered) seeks to work in several areas of local society to bring about awareness and change in how we treat each other. The group will facilitate discussions through subcommittees dealing with the issues of race in education, justice, community and through faith based initiatives. Michelle Jones and Angela Wofford hope the name and organization becomes a resource for positive change.

Jones comes from a long line of community leaders. Her grandfather was a well-known and respected police officer and her mom has been in charge of elections and basically ran Venango County for several years. Wofford, a white woman with bi-racial children has experienced the full-force of racism through her children growing up in an overwhelmingly white county.

Make no mistake, Venango County is overwhelmingly white. The schools employ few if any people of color. According to Jeff Polley, another local activist and educator, there are very few people for students of color to turn to who look like them. Jones, Wofford and Polley see this as a problem and perhaps one of the reasons "subtle" racism exists in the halls still. Racial slurs and jokes are bantered around in locker rooms and hallways as if it is OK. Black students generally accept the banter because it's supposedly meant in jest, according to Polley. But it is a systemic problem that has never gone away.

"Some people are just so clueless of their white privilege that they think what they are saying is alright," Jones said.  She said getting people to understand white privilege is a hard sell. "People think they always need to go on the defensive," she said. Saying things like "I'm not racist, but..." usually leads to saying something racist, Wofford pointed out.

VIABLE is hoping to do something about this.

The group seeks to build relationships with schools, civic organizations and law enforcement to bring about systemic change. The fact that some people are listening is hopeful, Wofford said. She has already met with the new Franklin School superintendent, who comes from another more diverse school district. The hope is to get diversity training in the schools in order to affect permanent change.

Wofford has presented a plan that focuses on ending racism in the hallways through continuous training and support, focusing less on "Holiday and Heroes" teaching such as delegating teaching of Blacks in history to Black History month. Making Black history part of the ongoing curriculum, recruiting and retention of people of color within the schools and stricter policies on the uses of racial slurs in classrooms and hallways... these are all the goals and means to overcome racism, according to Wofford.

She said she hopes to connect the schools more closely with parents and students. She hopes these connections lead to better planning throughout the school year. She also believes starting at the elementary school level is important for long-term change.

"Nothing grows in the comfort zone," she said.

The rallies are good for awareness the organizers say, but they are focused on the bigger picture.
 "Rallies are like a wedding, but, we want to now focus on the marriage," Jones said.
0 Comments

I was kidding, but maybe not... Bug of the Week continues

8/18/2020

0 Comments

 
Featured photograph of the day
Picture
Last week I joked about posting a bug of the week. I really didn't think this was going happen, but here I am again with phone in hand, risking my life to photograph pollinators in the backyard. And check out the little guy hiding too. I'm really not a nature photographer, but maybe I'm inspired by our new columnist Anna Applegate whose words and photographs are already a big hit on Eight & 322. Check out her blogs which will have something new soon that will brighten your day.

http://richardsayerphotojournalism.weebly.com/the-nature-of-things
0 Comments

"We don't want to see any Kerplunks"

8/16/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Kerplunk is a perfect word for what it stands for, which is the sound of a rock that is tossed into the water.
It is not the sound a competitive stone skipper wants to hear however. Nor is it a word he or she wishes to hear the judges yell, almost mockingly, when the rock they throw fails to even make a single skip.
Picture
Saturday, at the point where French Creek dumps it waters into the Allegheny a few dozen people gathered to skip rocks. The annual Rock in the River Festival was cancelled this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each year a few hundred people gather in Riverfront Park in Franklin for the Pennsylvania State Championship. This year they decided to have an unofficial gathering of a few champion skippers, but when word got out a few more wanted to come and then a few more and.... well it wasn't the usual crowd but folks showed up.
Picture
Dave "Spiderman" Ohmer, who has won this event before, said "All these people came out basically so 10 of us could throw."  Ohmer and world record holder Kurt "Mountain Man" Steiner have both won several events and they were joined by a dozen other competitors, one drove in from Arkansas and another from Baltimore.

A crew from GoLive Sports based out of Michegan also made the trek to do a story. They are content providers for ESPN, though they don't know if or when the segment will air at this point. They had four camera angles to capture this event.
Picture
Judge and sponsor Patrick Pelletier pushed for the event to go on despite it being cancelled this year. They dubbed it the Unofficial Underground Stone Skipping Competition. No trophies where handed out, but the traditional fudge was still the coveted prize. 

Picture

Long-time former record holder, the late Russ Byers of Franklin, started the tradition because he loved fudge and would be seen wearing t-shirts with "Skip Stones for Fudge," around Franklin. He and Events Coordinator Ronnie Beith began the event in Franklin many years ago. Byers passed away after a battle with cancer over a year ago.

Picture
Saturday the river didn't look hospitable for good tosses, it was choppy and the waves can really affect the skips.  However, right before 1 p.m. the waters calmed and several high scores recorded. Ohmer had tossed a 43 to set the tone. Steiner soon followed with a 44. This skip held up until Ohmer's next toss when he released one that actually achieve a round of applause from the socially distanced crowd as the masked judges huddled to figure out what they each witnessed. 50 was announced by Pelletier. This number held up despite a few more tosses garnered crowd applause. Several 40s were recorded and several more skips hit into the high 30s.
Picture

At the end of the professional round, some of the youngsters got a chance to competel. First timer David Mohnkern, who came with his brother Jerry, was given a special rookie award and a small box of fudge. Ohmer's son David followed in his father's footsteps and won the youth division. Jerry Mohnkern, who has been to the event many times took home the top amateur prize.
Picture
Jerry spent time making videos and encouraging his younger brother. His brother was paying attention. "I was really focussing on the power and the spin," he told the camera in his brothers hand. "You're doing awesome," Jerry told him. "It's harder when you know someone is watching and recording it," David told his brother. "You have to almost think that isn't happening, you have to really just think about nothing."
Picture
Kelly Rime, of GoLive Sports went around asking all the competitors a series of questions like how to spell their name, where they are from and what is their nickname. Almost all rock skippers have some sort of nick name. But perhaps the most telling question for those serious about rock skipping was this one, "What makes your rocks so special."
​ Brian Ferry, of Warren, told her that he gets his rocks locally from his hometown and he probably uses a slightly heaver rock than most. Ohmer and Steiner get a lot of their best rocks in Erie. And yes, they know when they have a special skipping rock and will save it for competition. ​​​​​​
Picture
Even though Saturday's event had to be dubbed "unofficial" by all accounts it wasn't a kerplunk.
Picture


To view more photos from the event please visit ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p201717493sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p201717493
1 Comment
<<Previous
    Sponsors of Eight & 322
    Picture
    Visit them on Facebook.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Follow them on Facebbok.

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Picture

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly