It’s official. VanEnkevort Tug and Barge was awarded the Erie PA shipyard. VanEnkevort will be leasing the 240,000 square foot dry dock and manufacturing facility at an annual cost of around $500,000. They were awarded the shipyard Friday. Their lease will begin October 1 and they’ve promised 200 jobs within 12 months.

America’s Most Wanted tonight will feature the Brian Wells Pizza Bomber Case. They say they new clues in the collar bomber case. This could be the most bizarre case ever to take place in the city, maybe the nation. Catch AMW on Fox, Saturday Night 9pm Eastern and Pacific, 8pm Central.

Tom Ridge of Erie, former Secretary of the Office of Homeland Security, and Robert Gates, current president of Texas A and M and former Director of the CIA, are participating in a panel entitled “Government’s Use of Technology in Responding to and Preventing Disasters” on Monday night at the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Information Technology Symposium.

I’m a real estate agent at Prudential Advantage Realty in Erie. I’ve got some new, rookie competition. The Greater Erie Board of REALTORS recently welcomed the following new members: Michael J Kohler, Gregory W Marsh, Jennifer E Purpura, Howard Foht, Elena D Larson, Doris M Miller, Wendy M Mantsch, Mary Ellen Momeyer and Cheryl A Brochey.

The 2005 Albion Area Fair runs through Saturday. Admission is $5. Parking is free.

The 2005 Erie Irish Festival will be held thru Sunday at Rainbow Gardens. Admission is $1.

Today the McDowell Marching Band Aides will be hosting the 31st annual McDowell Marching Band Invitational. This year it will feature 20 high school marching bands from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York – making it one of the largest band competitions in the area. Tickets are $4 for students and seniors, and $6 for adults. Gates open at 3pm. In addition there will be a basket raffle, bake sale, and a full menu concession stand. Proceeds will benefit the McDowell Marching Band. For more information, contact Dave Hetrick at 835-5487.

The Gem City Concert Band will present a concert at the Shades Beach Off-Shore Improvement Project Picnic, to be held on Sunday, September 18 from 2-3:30 pm at Shades Beach, 7000 East Lake Road. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Because You Care Walk for Small Animals will be held October 2, 2005. Registration is at Noon with the walk itself starting at 1 pm. Because You Care is an animal rescue group. Pets are kept in volunteer foster homes, not in a shelter, with all expenses paid by BYC until they are adopted into new homes.

A group of football fans from Hillsdale College, the Hillsdale College Gridiron Club, will be attending the Hillsdale-Gannon game on today. They will be tailgating begining around 4:30 PM at the Erie Courthouse parking lot. A nice size group will be staying overnight. They have 20 rooms booked at the Ramada Inn. Welcome to Erie.

Saginaw Spirit forward Ryan McDonough’s three goal performance lead the Spirit to a 5-4 victory over the Erie Otters Friday night in Erie. Mike Letizia’s goal on the Whalers’ sixth shot of a shootout was the winner as Plymouth defeated the Toronto St Michael’s Majors 7-6.

Former University of Pittsburgh and Erie Cathedral Prep running back Jawan Walker is now attending St Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is now going by Eugene Walker, his given name. In his first game for the Huskies he carried the ball 9 times for 55 yards and caught 3 passes for 30 yards.