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D.O.G. helps people gain independence
6th Paws-a-thon set for 4th of July
If you're looking for a way to spend the Fourth of July with your best canine pal, without the scary booms of firecrackers, Mercer County’s Dog Owners Group has planned an afternoon of food and fun.
D.O.G.’s sixth annual dog walk to benefit Canine Partners for Life is set for noon to 4 p.m. at the wooded Shenango Valley RV Park, 559 E. Crestview Drive in Delaware Township.
Canine Partners for Life of Cochranville, Pa., is a nonprofit organization that trains, raises and places puppies as companion dogs to assist people with mobility, seizure or other problems. Canine Partners operates puppy training programs in six prisons in Pennsylvania, including Cambridge Springs women’s prison and the State Correctional Institution at Albion.
The cost of training each dog is estimated at about $22,000, according to information from Canine Partners.
The local Dog Owners Group is helping to offset that cost on Independence Day by participating in Canine Partners’ PawsAmericacq. The afternoon will consist of a Paws-a-thon, a pledge walk around the RV Park from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m.; doggie games and costume contest from 1:30 to 3; and a Chinese auction from 3 to 4. Food, including sno-cones for people and pets, will be available starting at noon.
Special guests for the afternoon will be Tara McKibben of Youngstown and her dog, April, who was trained by Canine Partners to assist her with the tasks of daily living.
Participants in the Paws-a-thon can walk with or without a dog by their side; all dogs must be leashed. Pledge sheets are available at these locations: the RV Park; Hurlbert Hardware in Greenville; Baker Pet hospital in Clark; Hillcrest Flynn Dog Park and Hermitage Agway, both Hermitage; Greenville Veterinary Clinic in West Salem Township; Jamestown Veterinary Clinic; or online at www.k94life.org, clicking on “upcoming events are here” and scrolling to PAWSAmerica.
Shenango Valley RV Park is a gated community, but visitors attending the canine carnival will be met at the entrance and given wristbands to gain admittance for the day.
For more information, contact Robin Adler by phone, 724-301-0283, or by e-mail, indy41106@hotmail.com
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Sisters pretty accomplished
The most nerve-wracking moment in a pageant is when it comes down to the last two girls on stage, and 17-year-old Caroline Collins has stood in that spot three times in her life.
After two first-runner-up places in the National American Miss Pennsylvania Pageant, the pressure was really on for the Shenango Township girl the third time — her younger sister, Lexi, had taken the pre-teen crown in Harrisburg the day before in her first pageant run.
But Caroline wasn’t disappointed this year. In August, the Collins family celebrated the crowning of two daughters when the older sister was named Miss Pennsylvania Teen, and they all couldn’t be happier.
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‘Rat Packer’ pays homage to friend
When Jerry Chiodo was in the hospital, shortly before he died, Sirjio the Entertainer, his friend for 40 years, stole into his room one night after Chiodo’s family had left, and sang “New York, New York,” to him.
“I promised him right then, ‘I won’t let people forget you,’ ” Sirjio said.
Sirjio, of Farrell, has made good on his promise by creating the Jerry Chiodo Memorial Scholarship, a non-profit charity that plans to present music scholarships to high school students interested in careers in music.
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Pet project
There are two new faces at Strayhaven Animal Shelter in Hempfield Township, but they don’t belong to any cats or dogs.
Greenville-area residents Kristen Weaver and Todd Dunlap have been working as the shelter’s new managers since May, and they’ve already completed some upgrades to the property at 94 Donation Road.
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Car club hosting national antique car event here
Antique and classic cars are no strangers to local roads this time of year as old car enthusiasts cruise on sunny days.
Next week, expect to see not one or two cars as you drive around town, but dozens.
The folks who put on the Father’s Day Car Show will be hosting a national classic car tour Wednesday through Aug. 27 that will be based in the Shenango Valley.
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Flying fortress
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it,” 88-year-old John Grosbeck said in a weak voice that was filled with emotion.
It was the first time Grosbeck had been on a bomber since 1944, he said. The local stop was part of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s “Salute to Veterans Tour,” and on Tuesday and Wednesday people had the chance to buy a seat on a flight aboard the “Aluminum Overcast” B-17G.
The Aluminum Overcast is at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pa., through today and will be at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport Sept. 14 and 15. Ground tours are offered for a small fee but are free to all veterans. -
Teen wins two World Open baton twirling titles
Brianna Colbert, daughter of Steven and Melissa Colbert, Hermitage, won World Open Three Baton Twirling and World Open Flag Twirling titles at the National Baton Twirling Association’s America’s Youth on Parade at Notre Dame University, July 20-23.
This National and World Open baton competition held in South Bend, Ind., had thousands of twirlers from all over the United States, Canada and representatives from other countries as well. While there,Simone Esters of Hermitage and Marissa Pierce of West Middlesex, members of the Shining Star Competition Team, represented Pennsylvania in the Miss Majorette of America Pageant, founded in 1945.
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Blues will fill air
The Sharon Arts and Music Initiative’s inaugural Sharon City Blues Fest, like its headliner, is “The Real Deal.”
Grammy Award nominee John Primer will take the stage along with local and regional blues musicians on Sept. 11 in downtown Sharon.
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Teaching with technology
Technology in the classroom is always changing and one Greenville teacher has spent the last three summers learning new skills through a program limited to a select few.
Jan Abernethy, a fifth-grade teacher at East Elementary School, was one of 75 teachers nationwide chosen to attend the Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute, which is held at a different location each year.
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Actors visit Camelot
The magic and mysticism that abounds in the King Arthur legend has been just as prevalent in the life of a woman who has written a three-part play chronicling the history of Camelot’s famed ruler.
Youngstown native Carol Weakland said she’s been working for 12 years on the play that premiered last weekend: “The Arthurian Trilogy Part One, Arthur and Merlin: The Making of a King.” She was never able to assemble a cast to play the demanding roles or “whittle down” the lengthy script into a compact but complete show. But this year, everything came together.
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Annual senior fair is Friday in Sharon
State Rep. Mark Longietti will hold his fourth annual free Senior and Health Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Sharon American Legion, 1395 E. State St., Sharon.
The fair will feature farmers market coupons, free health screenings, about 50 vendors, door prizes and free information and services.
For more information, call 724-981-4655. - More Community Headlines
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Sisters pretty accomplished
