Filed under: News and Events

Erie PA News and Events for Sunday September 18, 2005

Family First Sports Park Erie PA
A press conference is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 am to announce that Family First Sports Park is being given free to the YMCA of Greater Erie. Gary Renaud and his family own Family First as well as Erie Steel Products. Renaud founded Family First about 10 years ago to give kids a place to go and play sports with a safe, healthy, Christian atmosphere. That’s the mission of the YMCA but they really weren’t providing that kind of service in this area. About 2.5 million people will use the facilities of Family First Sports Park this year, an average of 7,000 people a day. The soccer, basketball, volleyball and others draw tens of thousands and have fueled tourism to the Erie area.

1/112 Infantry US Army National Guard
The US Army National Guard unit based in Erie, the 1/112 Infantry, is distributing food and supplies to hurricane victims in Hammond and Franklinton, LA. A huge area was affected. Not just New Orleans. Hammond is 55 miles and Franklinton is 70 miles inland from New Orleans.

WSEE is designated by the NFL as a Buffalo Bills market, this means that WSEE is required to show ALL Buffalo Bills away games. Today at 1 pm they will show the Buffalo – Tampa Bay game. If you want to watch the Pittsburgh – Houston game a 1 pm you either have to have a satellite dish or go to a bar.


The Erie Civic Music Association has a concert today at the Warner Theater at 3 pm. This performance called “Lost in the 50′s” features the New Chordettes and the Crew Cuts singers.

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

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 Beneficial Fishing Derbies Steelhead Tournament runs from October 1, 2005 through October 31, 2005. The waters included in the tournament are all the Pennsylvania Lake Erie tributary streams which are open to public fishing. Sign-ups will be at the Elk Creek Sports Store on Route 5 in Lake City, PA; Erie Sports Store, both locations; The Boot Box in Meadville; Smithy’s Bait in Erie PA; and Hansen Bait Shop in Erie PA. Grand Prize is $5,000 with $250 weekly prizes. Proceeds of the tourney benefit the Erie Shriners Children’s Hospital.

Chen Reiss, a Soprano, will perform today at the Mercyhurst College Walker Recital Hall at 2 pm. Pricing runs from $17.50 for adults to $1 for Hurst students.

Area college fotball scores:
Hillsdale’s Phil Martin rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns as the Chargers pounded Gannon 43-9.
Northwood’s Torris Childs ran for two touchdowns as the Timberwolves beat Mercyhurst 35-7.
Edinboro defeated Tiffin 42-7. Complete lack of class by Edinboro still throwing the ball when they were up by 5 touchdowns.
Washington and Jefferson beat Allegheny 45-21.

High school fotball scores:
Erie Mercyhurst Prep 18 Seneca 7
Erie Strong Vincent 41 Oil City 12

In the Championship Game of the Ontario Hockey League Pre-Season Tournament held at the Tullio Arena, The Plymouth Whalers downed the Saginaw Spirit 4-2. Nick Palmieri scored two goals including the game winner to lift the Erie Otters to a 4-3 win over the Toronto St Michael’s Majors. The Otters 10th Anniversary Home Opener takes place nine years to the day of their very first home game when they face off against the Plymouth Whalers on Thursday, September 29th at the Tullio Arena.

Tara Gerlach (Erie Villa Maria Academy), a senior at Duquesne, finished 12th at the Catholic Cross Country Championships held at Notre Dame.

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7 Responses to “Erie PA News and Events for Sunday September 18, 2005”

  1. Unbelievable news on Family First. I truly hope the YMCA doesn’t screw this one up.

    By the way…GO BILLS!

  2. Mike says:

    The story in the Times said that Family First wasn’t making any money. How is that possible? Is it bad management or did those 7,000 people a day never pay?

  3. eden says:

    WSEE = bastards

    What about Family First’s joint venture w/ Nautilus? Will it remain a Nautilus as well?

    BTW: Smart tax break, donating it if it’s supposedly not making any money.

  4. Mike says:

    One good thing about being in Meadville is we get both WSEE and KDKA so we always get Steeler games, and in beautiful crystal clear High Definition. If anyone wants to come over, feel free. :)

  5. Dennis says:

    Gary Renaud serves on the board of trustees at Mercyhurst College. Maybe this gift is a payback for allowing the (alleged) child molester Bill Garvey continue as president of the college for years and then go quietly without a completed investigation.
    If Family First is losing money I’d bet it wasn’t much and probably was only a paper loss. I’d love to see their financial statements.
    I’m sure Nautilus, the Barbatos pizza shop and St Vincent sports medicine will stay.

    RichardZ – Where should the Bills go? I suggest golfing by the looks of their play today.

  6. Sticks and stones… Just because you Pittsburgh fans have had a good couple of seasons doesn’t mean you need to get all righteous on me. In fact, the Squeelers have looked a lot like the Bills did in the mid 90′s.

    Go Bills!

  7. ben wilson says:

    Family First is all about giving. If you look into the history and the dream of the park it was always intented to be given back to the community. Money is not the big motivator and 7.5 million is not much when you are looking at a 25 million plus facility. It could have been paid off but I feel that family first wanted to go to the next level in blessing people.

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