Be careful tonight as Thanksgiving Eve is a popular “bar night.” Those coming in from out of town are reuniting with old friends, or simply getting a last few drinks in before spending a long day with family. Some bars claim today rivals St. Patty’s and New Year’s Eve attendance.
Weather conditions for the next few days continue to be questionable so if you’re travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday, be sure to check our road condidtions box over there –> as well as the weather forecast video a little bit lower on the page. Be careful and give yourself plenty of extra time, just in case.
At the recent Ontario Motorcoach Association (OMCA) Conference and Marketplace, OMCA Tour Operators were surveyed to find out their top selling destinations for 2008 and 2009. Erie was ranked among the Top 10 for 2008 and projected into the Top 10 for 2009. Tour Operators surveyed responded that the ten top selling U.S. cities in 2008 were:
1) New York City, 2) Boston, 3) Chicago, 4) Washington, DC, 5) Atlantic City, 6) Erie, PA, 7) Nashville, 8) Branson, 9) Hyannis / Cape Cod, 10) Lancaster
VisitErie has released their latest hotel tax figures, and this October was the best in the past five years. October 2008 saw an amount of $48,324, a 17.4% increase from last October. Of the 5 percent collected tax, VisitErie receives 1 percent and the Erie County Convention Center Authority receives the remaining 4 percent.
If you’re looking for a Christmas or Hanukkah gift that really says “I care,” might we recommend the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Venango, Crawford County? It was built in 1893 and if desired, can be added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s not drivable at all and honestly could come down at any time, but we think it would look great under a tree. PennDOT says there’s no fixed price, so make them an offer. A few rules: if you buy it, you can’t tear it down and sell the scrap metal. Seriously. You also would be responsible for upkeep and maintenance on the bridge. The offer stands for two years.
Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott is expected to unveil his 2009 budget today–just in time for Thanksgiving (as in thanks for giving the city your money). No specifics yet, so we’re not sure if there will be tax increases and new fees. Hold on, let me get my Magic 8 Ball.
The expansion project for the Erie airport is moving along with a number of homes already torn down.
Girard Township supervisors will hold a meeting to figure out what to do with the burned out Gudgeonville Bridge. The supervisors seem to be doing more in a few months when it comes tearing down the bridge than in the last 25+ years when the bridge needed repairs and preservation. Girard Township supervisors (current and past) = FAIL.
The RFID Project of The Northwest Pennsylvania Technology Industry Partnership recently held its quarterly meeting at Penn State Behrend. The discussion dealt with the integration of RFID technology into every day use as well as educational opportunities held by the Partnership.
Sports
The Erie Otters will hold a Thanksgiving Day hockey game against Belleville at 7:00 p.m., at the Erie Civic Center tomorrow night.
The Mercyhurst Lakers defeated Salem International 73-43 in their home opener last night, improving their record to 4-0.
Marcus Kluczynski of Erie made 1st Team All UAA–University Athletic Association’s big football awards. Kluczynski plays for Case Western Reserve.
Events
The Erie Runners Club will hold their annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, November 27 at 9 a.m. at Presque Isle. There will be a 10k run, 5k run and a 5k walk.
Pennsylvania writer Tom Noyes will read from his work at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 in room 2W16 of the Memorial Student Center on Marshall University’s Huntington campus. Noyes has taught in the creative writing programs at Indiana State University and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Now a consulting editor for Lake Effect, he teaches at Penn State-The Behrend College in Erie, Pa.
An event entitled, “An Afternoon of Art for Carrie Hart” will take place at the Unitarian Church 7180 Perry Hwy, on December 14, 2008. We are having musicians, artists, poets, and dancers come together for Carrie to raise awareness and hopefully some funds for her unbelievable medical expenses. Carrie lost her job shortly after her cancer diagnosis, leaving her with no income or insurance. You can learn more about her here.
The Gem City Concert Band will hold its holiday concert on December 9 at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Peach St. The concert is free.
FREE Half Hour, Enterprise Class Video Conference on December 15, 2008. Families with loved ones stationed in Iraq at one of the following five camps: Camp Taji, Al Asad Air Base, Camp Fallujah, Camp Victory (Baghdad) and Camp Taqaddum, please contact Judy Baker at (814) 734-8388 or judy_baker@iu5.org to arrange your video conference. This is a FREE service provided by the Freedom Calls Foundation and sponsored by The Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit.
View this past Sunday’s comprehensive events list to see a list of events for the week and months ahead. If you would like your event posted here, please contact us via our online form.
