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Erie PA News and Events for Thurssday March 2, 2006
Posted by Dennis on March 2, 2006
The Greater Erie Unity Committee (no website as they are clueless and unorganized) gave up trying to put a referendum on the Spring ballot about forming a study group to look at an Erie and Millcreek merger. Millcreek Township Solicitor Evan Adair, whose rat like features suggest a tiny gene pool, filed suit as a private citizen opposing signatures on the petition to place the question on the ballot. The question wasn’t about an actual merger. It was just about studying a possible merger. Backward, non-thinking is why this was opposed. It didn’t help that an alleged child molester, Dr Bill Garvey, and someone who wasn’t allowed to run for mayor of Erie because he lived in Fairview, Barry Grossman, were running the group trying to put this on the ballot.
The Erie Otters or Mississauga could be a candidate to relocate to the Niagara Peninsula area of St Catharines or Niagara Falls beginning in the 2007-08 OHL season. Don Cherry, Steve Ludzik and Ernie Coetzee have formed a partnership to buy an OHL franchise. Ludzik will be coach and GM. The group will soon be meeting with city councils in the respective cities to ask for permission to renovate an existing arena so a team can be brought in. Ludzik has coached in the NHL, AHL and the OHL. Cherry is a hockey legend who coached in Boston and Colorado and is all over Canadian TV doing hockey commentary and interview shows. Coetzee is an attorney who owns an AHL team.
This is going to be a great new Summer family friendly event for Erie. WQLN presents The Guelcher Film Series at the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park, Six Nights Twelve Movies - The Biggest Stars Under The Stars. An outdoor movie series starts this year at Frontier Park. Here is a tentative list of films. July 28, 2006 Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk Night: Swinging the Alphabet (1938) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), August 4, 2006 A Night of Missed OPERAtunaties: What’s Opera, Doc? (1957) and West Side Story (1961), August 11, 2006 A Knight of True Love: Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers and The Princess Bride (1987), August 18, 2006 CelebrateErie:That Thing You Do (1996) and tba, August 25, 2006 Chiller Theatre: Rear Window (1954) and tba, September 1, 2006 Half Way to Saint Patrick’s Day: Waking Ned Devine (1997) and tba.
Erie Blogger CJ Toledano is opening for Steve Byrne at the Pittsburgh Improv March 2-5. Toledano is a Cathedral Prep grad and is a freshman at Point Park in Pittsburgh.
The North Allegheny School District must not have phones, email or the ability to do a teleconference because a group of administrators from the district is coming to Erie to learn about the single sex reading and math classes at McKinley Elementary School. Half the fifth grade at the school attends single sex classes in two subjects with the other half in traditional coed classrooms. The one year project will see if test scores improve by splitting up classes for boys and girls. The test program was funded by the Department of Education.
Surprise Attack Records is planning to release a single from Erie, PA’s Hank Jones. The ‘hardcore’ band will be heading into the studio in March to record the tracks and will be headed out on the road. Didn’t the term hardcore go out with the 90’s?
Meredith Weir, a junior at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa, earned a scholarship award from the Jennifer Green Memorial Scholarship Fund. Established in 1998 in loving memory of a young woman who epitomized both the ideas of Mercyhurst College and the spirit of hospitality. This scholarship was first awarded in 2000-2001 upon recommendation of the faculty and family of Jennifer Green to a junior or senior majoring in Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management who exemplifies exceptional character and leadership potential.
Four of the Penn State Behrend student music ensembles will perform together in the appropriately named Collage Concert on today. The performance will begin at 8 pm in the Reed Student Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. It is free and open to the public. The Behrend college choir, the Studio Singers, the jazz ensemble and the Behrend concert band will perform.
The Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity at 109 German Street will be holding their Russian Maslenitsa Festival beginning from 3-10 pm on Friday March 3, 2006. This church is gorgeous. Come visit their re-creation of an authentic Russian village with hand-painted “storefronts” and vendors selling traditional Russian food and drinks. Entertainment includes Russian ballet selections by the Lake Erie Ballet, folk music by the Great American Gypsies and an amateur folk “wedding” performance. Homemade baked goods and Russian gifts also for sale as well as a 50/50 drawing. Admission is free.
Tickets for the Train concert in Erie go on sale March 4 at 10 am.
The 24th annual Erie Outdoor Sport and Travel Expo will be held March 3 through March 5 at the Family First Sports Park, 8155 Oliver Road in Erie (I-90 at Peach Street, Exit 24). Click here for a printable $1 off coupon.
The theater group All An Act Productions is performing the comedy “The Middle Ages” by AR Gurney. The show will run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through March 5th at East High School, located at 1001 Atkins Street, Erie, Pa 16503. General Admission is $5.
Religious Awareness Week, March 5-11, at Allegheny College will celebrate the theme “Many Faiths: One Community.” All events are free and open to the public. Events scheduled for the week are listed here.
The Woman’s Club of Erie presents the 4th annual Erie’s Famous Food Event to be held at Porters Restaurant and Tap Room on Sunday, March 5. Dozens of Erie’s best restaurants have been invited to participate and display their best dishes. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, children under 10 are free. Call 838-9036 or 864-8306, or visit Porters for tickets. All proceeds benefit Erie County CASA, SafeNet, and Mission Activities of the Women’s Club.
A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies Colloquium will take place at Allegheny College on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 5 pm in Campus Center rooms 301-302. This inaugural event provides an opportunity for members of the community to share research, pedagogy and strategies for campus activism on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The colloquium is free and open to the public. The event will begin with a keynote address at 1 pm by the Reverend John Colatch, former Allegheny College chaplain and current chaplain and director of religious life at Lafayette College.
The North American Youth Sports Annual Northwest Pennsylvania Spring Basketball Tournament will be held in Erie April 7-9 at Erie Central High School. Ten brackets, from grades 5 to 12. Entry fee is $100. Two games guaranteed. Deadline is March 17. Call 1-800-787-3265. Teams finishing in first place, second place, or as the consolation champion will receive an automatic berth into the NAYS National Tournament in July 2006
Andrew Hotham scored the winner just 27 second into overtime as the Erie Otters ended a four-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack in an Ontario Hockey League game played tonight in front of 2,567 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Vince Scott netted the other Otters goal. The next Otters home game takes place Saturday when the Sarnia Sting visit the Tullio Arena for a 7:30 pm start. Fans can also see the game live on the Image Sports Network (Adelphia Channel 12, Time Warner Channel 20).
Erie Freeze players swept the American Indoor Football League Northern Conference Players of The Week awards. QB David Dinkins was offensive player of the week, DB Sam Reynolds was defensive player of the week, OL Shea D’Ambrosio was named lineman of the week and K JR Cipra was named special teams player of the week. The Freeze home opener is Friday at 7 pm vs Canton.
Steve Fleming was named head basketball coach at Hiram College. After a year as a graduate assistant coach at Hiram, Fleming became an assistant coach at Gannon University in Erie in 1996, moved to Tiffin University in 1997, also as an assistant, and was named head coach at Tiffin in 1999. Fleming moved to Division II Ashland University in 2002 and served as assistant coach until 2005, when he joined the staff of the National Basketball Academy.
Posted by Dennis at March 2, 2006 7:03 AM
Comments
CelebrateErie:That Thing You Do (1996)
"Gotta be quick. Gotta be quick with me. I'm from Erie P.A.!"
Seriously, those are pretty good movies. Don't get me started on MP&tHG...
Posted by: eden at March 2, 2006 8:39 AM
MP and THG
King Arthur: Look, you've got no arms left.
Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound.
Posted by: Dennis at March 2, 2006 9:00 AM
Otters need to stay far away from Don Cherry. He may be a hockey legend to some but the only place he can run a team is into the ground. Just look at his first stint with the Mississauga franchise.
From what I've been reading about the Otter's woes, it's about money, or lack there of profit. I've been sucked into the Penguins situation so I haven't been able to spend as much time on the Otters story. Do the Otters need a new arena with more luxury boxes and seats? How is the attendance for games? Does anyone know if there's a way to divert money from Presque Isle Downs for a new arena?
Posted by: spoon at March 2, 2006 10:47 AM
Two of the local stations interviewed Garvey yesterday after the merger effort was withdrawn. At first I was surprised that Barry Grossman wasn't the one in front of the camera. After all, Grossman was brought in by Garvey to be the "public face" of the Greater Erie Unity Group for the final months of the merger drive.
But then in today's Times News, there is THIS
"The Co-Chairman of the Greater Erie Unity Committe resigned after the group ended its effort for a public referendum on whether an
Erie-Millcreek marger should be studied. Co-Chairman Barry Grossman SAID HE HE WITHDRAWING FROM PUBLIC LIFE, saying he doubts the merger study will ever get on the ballot under current law. He also cited frustration with opposition to his group's efforts"
What a big baby Barry Grossman is. And THIS is the guy who wanted to be Erie Mayor? Something doesn't go his way, and Grossman gets so upset that he's "withdrawing from public life"??
Good thing Erie never elected Barry Grossman mayor. If something he wanted hadn't worked out, we may have seen Barry resign, "withdraw from public life," and then move back to Fairview.
Posted by: Matt at March 2, 2006 10:24 PM
WJET/WFXP reported tonight that the group had approached the Otters.
A couple of years ago, I remember them saying that they had to play at least 3 home playoff games to break even. Ain't going to happen this year. For a team that's only won 22 of 61 games, the attendance has been VERY good. They could use more luxury boxes. There are only 2 in the arena.
I think the Otters are like many sports franchises. Maybe they make or lose some money each year but the value of the franchise itself has skyrocketed.
Erie County will only be getting $1 million a year from Presque Isle Downs.
Posted by: Dennis at March 2, 2006 10:48 PM
Give Barry Grossman a break. This is a guy who lost the election yet still is trying to work on improving northwestern Pennsylvania. Who cares if the guy may have moved from Fairview to Erie to run for mayor. Like it or not, if the city continues its downward spiral, all of the surrounding townships will be impacted.
So cut the guy some slack and at least give him some credit for actually trying to accomplish something in the real world.
Posted by: Eric at March 3, 2006 12:10 PM
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