Tommy Carr would have been 45 years old today. He was born on April 17, 1961. Tom was a two-time District 10 AAA Champion and two-time All-State wrestler for Tech Memorial. He kicked my ass pretty bad one year. He went on to wrestle for Clemson University where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1984. Tom joined the US Air Force and became a fighter pilot. He served 8 years on active duty and then became a reservist with the Homestead’s 482nd Fighter Wing and got a job as a pilot with American Airlines based out of Miami. Major Thomas M Carr lost his life on September 12, 1998 when his F-16D crashed at Avon Park Range, south of Orlando. Tom was laid to rest in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Erie. He sacrificed his life in the defense of his nation, and in the name of freedom.

I came upon this Sunday aternoon near the intersection of Route 8 and Route 89. Only a minute of two passed from the time the driver of the Chrysler pulled over till it erupted in flames. He just bought the car last week.

Today is the last day to register to vote for the May 16 primary election.

Nationally recognized artist and metalsmith Cappy Counard will be lecturing and displaying her works at Colorado State University this Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22. Counard is an Associate Professor of Art at Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA.

The Erie SeaWolves lost to Bowie 5-2. The SeaWolves play Harisburg at 6:30 pm today in Erie.

Polish Falcons Nest 610, 431 East Third Street in Erie, will hold their 10th annual Dyngus Day Celebration today from 3-10 pm. Dyngus Day is a commemoration of the birth of Christianity in Poland (966 AD) in which Holy Baptism was administered to Prince Mieszko on Easter Monday, uniting all of Poland under the banner of Christianity. Entertainment at this event will feature DJ Ken Olowin, who will provide music from 3:30-6:30 pm. Afterward, the Mar-Vels will take over for the rest of the evening from 6:30-10 pm. Admission is only $2 per person at the door. Children are admitted free. Polish food will be available, and there will be a cash bar. The event is open to the public, so bring a friend.

If you’d like to join the Millcreek Kiwanis Club, here’s your chance. On Monday April 17, the Millcreek Kiwanis Club is opening its Membership Charter and is holding an evening meeting. The social begins at 5:30 pm and the meeting begins at 6:00 pm at the Blasco Library, the Admiral Room. Discover what fun it is to be a Kiwanian. Learn how they serve the Erie Community. Learn how you can become a member. Millcreek Kiwanis also meets each Wednesday morning at 7:30 am at the Avalon Hotel for a brief business meeting, informative local speaker and breakfast. Guests are always welcome.

Photographs taken by more than 70 student photographers at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will be on public display starting Wednesday, April 19, and continuing through Thursday, May 4. Photos in the annual Spring Show will line the second-floor halls of Kochel Center. The building is open daily from 8 am until 10 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am until 8 pm.

The Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, Gamma Theta chapter will host the Fourth annual Mr and Ms Penn State Behrend Pageant on Wednesday, April 19, at 8 pm in McGarvey Commons at the Reed Student Union Building. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted in advance and at the door. Checks can be made payable to Alpha Sigma Tau, 5091 Station Rd, Erie, PA 16563.

The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre will present “Tartuffe” on April 20, 21, and 22 at 8 pm and April 23 at 2:30 pm in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. Beginning at 2 pm and immediately preceding the performance on April 23 will be an event called the “Groovy 1960s Fashion Show,” featuring men’s and women’s fashions spanning that colorful decade.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour, an internationally acclaimed collective of anonymous feminist actors and comedians, will present “Silence is Violence,” a one-hour performance piece addressing violence against women, at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 20. The event will begin at 7 pm in the Reed Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. It is free and open to the public.

Ludacris performs at the Erie Civic Center Tullio Arena on Apr 21. Tickets are still available.

After winter storms pummel the beaches and bring debris, Presque Isle State Park needs your help to get the beaches ready for summer. The 50th annual Presque Isle Spring Cleanup will take place April 22. Volunteers for the day will receive a commemorative patch, lunch, and a chance at some great door prizes. No fee. Registration required, call the park office at (814) 833-7424. Meet at Rotary Pavilion on Presque Isle State Park at 9 am.

The 5th annual Northwestern Pennsylvania Autism Society of America Walk for Autism will be held on Saturday, April 22 at Presque Isle State Park. Registration begins at 10 am with the walk starting at 11 am from Beach 1. You can print out a Walk Registration Form from here.

Pat Monahan pays a visit to his hometown with Train playing a concert at the Erie Civic Center Tullio Arena on April 22. Some tickets are still available.

A Muslim imam will deliver a guest lecture at Gannon University on Bosnian assimilation and immigration into the United States. The lecture, to be given by Senad Agic, imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago in Northbrook, Ill., will be held at 7 pm Saturday, April 22, in room 101 of Gannon’s Zurn Science Center, 143 West Seventh St. The International Institute of Erie is supporting the event, which also will feature Bosnian music and folk dancing. Admission is $5 per person at the door. For more information on the event, call 814-871-7030 or 814-871-5654.

It’s time for bird lovers to pack their binoculars, note books and field guides, because the endangered piping plover and the brilliant scarlet tanager, as well as hundreds of other colorful migrating bird species, will be showing off their feathers at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA, during National Wildlife Week (Apr 22-30). Presque Isle State Park is one of the nation’s premier bird watching destinations. The 3,200 acre sandy peninsula arches into Lake Erie and features approximately 320 species of birds in six distinct ecological zones, each with a different plant and animal community.

The Erie office of Pennsylvania Career Link will hold a job and career fair, the 2006 Erie CareerFair on April 25, 2006 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Zem Zem Shrine Club, 2525 West 38th Street, Erie PA.

Ewabo brings the sweet sounds of the islands to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, for the final presentation in this year’s Rhythms of Life cultural series. The country’s preeminent steel orchestra will give a free performance at the college from noon until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25. They will appear in Bruno’s Café in the Reed Union Building; listeners are encouraged to purchase or bring a lunch to enjoy.

The Tony Award and Pulitzer prize winning Broadway musical ‘Rent’ plays the Warner Theatre in Erie on Apr 26. Some tickets are still available.

Critically acclaimed historian Thomas Fleming, author of a dozen books on the American Revolution and a distinguished historical novelist, will speak on “Washington’s Secret War” Wednesday, April 26, at 7 pm in Walker Recital Hall at Mercyhurst College. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Andy Dick and Marshall Cook will be at Edinboro for the for the East and North coast premiere of their new movie “Danny Roane: First Time Director” on Thursday April 27. Tickets are free for Edinboro students and $6.50 for the general public. Doors at 7:30 pm at the Louis C Cole Memorial Auditorium with the film starting at 8:30 pm.

Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba along with Ben Lee will play a concert at Gannon University on Thursday, April 27 at 8 pm at Gannon’s Hammermill Center, Peach Street and South Park Row. Tickets for the general public are priced at $15 and can be purchased at the front desk of Gannon’s Waldron Center, 124 West Seventh Street. For more information, contact the university’s Activities Programming Board at 814-871-7766.

The Erie area March of Dimes WalkAmerica will take place at Presque Isle State Park of April 30. With Jenny very pregnant, Eden (Stephanie) is walking for her. Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies’ lives. Our mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Click here to sponsor the Erie Bloggers team.