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Erie PA News and Events Thursday January 4, 2007

While Erie City Council was raising taxes including a change to the 3 percent amusement tax to cover all ballgames, concerts and other events that cost less than $5 in Erie, the Pittsburgh City Council cut it’s 5 percent amusement tax to 1.25 percent. Pittsburgh found that a high amusement tax caused concert tours and other productions to skip Pittsburgh and crippled nonprofit cultural groups. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the tax was “inhibiting growth and development” Downtown. It took Pittsburgh 10 years to figure that out. How long will it take the morons on Erie City Council to see what’s it’s doing to Erie, 20 years?
Thanks to Bobby for passing along the info on Pittsburgh.

There was a story yesterday on All Things Considered about the large number of geriatric inmates in Pennsylvania prisons. Almost half of these men are sex offenders. (It’s a tragedy that Dr William Gravey isn’t there joining them.) One of the men at Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands Prison, a minimum security prison, is Donald, a 69 year old from Erie PA. He is bedridden. For 27 years, he’s refused all counseling. It costs taxpayers more than $75,000 each year to house a geriatric inmate.

Bob Nardelli needs a job. He resigned at CEO of Home Depot after six years. He received $400 million from the company in those 6 years. Someone should invite him back to Erie. He loved it here. Nardelli was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Transportation in Erie PA from 1992-95.

The Glenn O Hawbaker Company of State College is building a $4.5 million 450 ton hot mix asphalt plant in the Barkeyville Industrial Park in Venango County. Between 60 to 80 new jobs will be created.

Gem City Concert Band of Erie, PA, is seeking new members for the Spring 2007 season. The concert band, currently consisting of 40 members, is very versatile, playing music such as old overtures, show tunes, traditional concert band pieces, movie scores, and marches. The band presents a spring and fall concert at St. John’s Lutheran Church, as well as numerous other nursing home and community performances throughout the year. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the lower-level meeting room of St. John’s Lutheran Church at 23rd and Peach Streets. Spring 2007 rehearsals begin January 9th. Interested musicians should contact the director, Betty McKinney, at 814-602-9247 for more information. All instruments are welcomed. Membership is free

In an effort to make Christmas a little brighter for some of the Erie community’s less fortunate, Mercyhurst Student Government (MSG) conducted a three-week change drive to benefit St Martin Center of Erie. MSG representatives collected $408 between Nov 27 and Dec 15, which will be matched by MSG, raising the total donation to more than $800. In all, there were 18 locations across the Mercyhurst College campus where change jars were located. In addition, MSG representatives sought donations at athletic events.

The Erie Freeze Indoor Football Team will hold a final tryout to fill out their 2007 team on Saturday January 6 at Family First Sports Park in Erie, PA. Registration is from 7-8 am with the tryouts taking place 8-10 am. The cost is $45 if you pre-register. After Friday the cost is $50. You need to bring: a valid ID, workout clothes and running shoes. You must be 18 years old. If you haven’t played college football, you have no chance of making the team unless you run a 4.2 40.

Mercyhurst women’s lacrosse head coach Cecil Pilson has announced the signing of high school seniors Maria Rosettie and Maggie Yackel to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Both will begin competing for the Lakers in the 2007-08 season. Rosettie, a 5-foot-8 midfielder, hails from Corning, NY and played at Corning Painted Post East High School. Yackel, a 5-3 defender, hails from Camillus, NY and played at West Genesee High School.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program of Northwest PA is recruiting Erie area participants for spring and summer running, walking, biking, and triathlon events. Team In Training participants raise funds for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma research and patient services. Participants receive personalized training for a variety of endurance sports, including marathons, half marathons, century (100-mile) bike rides, and triathlons. There are a couple of meetings in Erie scheduled: Jan 13 - 10 am Raymond Blasco Library; Jan 17 - 6:30 pm Glenwood Park YMCA; and Jan. 18 - 6:30 pm Panera Bread at 1935 Keystone Dr. There is also one in Meadville on Jan 24 - 6:30 pm Perkins Resturant at 18276 Conneaut Lake Road. For more information, contact Vicki Johnson in the Team In Training Erie office at victoria.johnson@lls.org .

The Erie Broadway Series presents “Cirque Dreams-Jungle Fantasy.” A European circus act full of acrobatics and theatrics comes to the stage at Erie’s Warner Theatre on January 12 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $49.75, $39.75, $29.75. For more details call 814-452-4857 or 814-456-7070.

The Roadhouse Theatre production of “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm from January 12th - February 10. Admission: Regular seating $12, Riser seating $15, VIP table seating $20. Reservations can be made by phone at 814.456.5656. The Roadhouse Theatre 145 West 11th Street, Box Office hours: 2-6 pm Tuesday - Saturday. The Theater accepts cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard and Discover. It has been twenty years since Scott McClelland toured the country in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues. After 625 performances of that Tony award winning play, Mr. Simon’s timing and comedic style had become part of McClelland’s acting arsenal. Now for the first time since Biloxi Blues the actor returns to a play by the greatest comic writer of the American Stage. The show is being directed by his wife Kim McClelland who acted in this same play on the stage at 1505 State Street several years before the McClelland’s met.

The 24th edition of the McDonald’s High School Basketball Classic will be held in Erie on Friday, January 12 and Saturday, January 13, 2007 at Gannon University’s Hammermill Center. This year’s event features nationally renowned programs from California and Ohio, featuring rosters replete with top-ranked players.
The field is highlighted by the appearance of two of the most renowned players in Classic history. Delvon Roe, a 6’7” wing player for St. Edward of Lakewood, Ohio, is currently ranked as the Number 2 player in the junior class by PrepStars Recruiter’s Handbook, and is regarded as one of the best players in the nation regardless of class. Dallas Lauderdale of nearby Solon, Ohio, also is slated to perform, and the 6’10” explosive athlete is on everyone’s list of top centers in the nation.
Also entering the field for Classic 2007 is vaunted Westchester High of Los Angeles, California. The Comets, competing in their third McDonald’s Classic, are annually one of the nation’s top interscholastic programs.
The Classic will tip-off on Friday, January 12, with a first round, 7:00 PM match-up between Westchester and St. Edward. The 8:30 PM nightcap will feature Solon High and the host team Cathedral Prep.
St Edward is making their second appearance in the Classic, having won the title back in 1997. Head Coach Eric Flannery has been guiding the Eagles for eleven seasons and boasts of a 177-60 record including seven District titles, four regional crowns, and one state championship. His top players include current professionals Sam Clancy (USC), Jawad Williams (North Carolina), Steve Logan (Cincinnati), and Steve LePore (Wake Forest).
Also coming from neighboring Ohio is Solon High, featuring 6’10” All-American Dallas Lauderdale, who will play next season for Ohio State. The Comets are coached by highly-successful mentor Todd VanReeth, who in an 18-year career has compiled a 302-120 record, including a 92-29 record with Solon. His squads at Solon have won four league titles in the last six seasons, and have twice been a regional finalist.
The other visiting squad always brings impressive credentials and high aspirations for national championship recognition. Westchester High was California’s AAAA State Champions in 2005 and will feature 6’7 Dane Suttle, the reigning Los Angeles player of the year and junior Oscar Bellfield, who has been offered a scholarship by USC. The Comets are hoping their third trip to Erie ends with their second Classic crown.
Making a return to the Classic for the 24th consecutive year will be the Cathedral Prep Ramblers who are under the direction of head coach Brian Flanagan, who has gone 48-11 in his two seasons on the bench.
In his first season in 2004-‘05, he led the Ramblers to the Final Four in Pennsylvania with a banner record of 26-5, the fourth highest win total in school history. The Ramblers return just one starter from a year ago in junior Mark Blazek, but also have three seniors who saw regular minutes in guards Josh Licata and Ryan Heidt, along with center Jeff Wisinski.
General admission tickets cost $7 per night in advance for adults and $5 in advance for students, and went on sale to the general public on November 29th, 2006. Any remaining reserved tickets will also be on sale beginning on Wednesday, November 29th at the Cathedral Prep athletic office. General Admission tickets will be available on the same date at the Erie Sport Store, the Avalon Hotel, Dee’s News, and select McDonald’s Restaurants while they last. No phone orders will be accepted, and no tickets can be held. Another sell-out crowd is expected, so fans are encouraged to buy their tickets early.

A comprehensive, hands-on, 2 day RFID training will be offered in Erie, PA on January 17-18, 2007 from 8 am - 5 pm. This course is designed to prepare attendees for the CompTIA RFID+ examination, at a fraction of the cost of other national trainings. CompTIA certification is the industry standard for foundation-level information technology skills. Individuals interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of RFID technology, hardware and software capabilities, RFID system implementation and system maintenance should attend this course. The course is presented by the RFID Center of Excellence at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and the Center for eBusiness and Advanced IT (eBizITPA).

Martin Luther King III, oldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King, will speak at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, as part of the college’s 2007 King holiday celebration. King’s address, “My Father’s Dream, My Mission,” is part of Penn State Behrend’s annual Speaker Series and will be held at 7:30 pm on Thursday, January 18, in the Reed Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. Admission is free and open to the public, and King will take questions from the audience following his talk.

The Cleveland Indians have announced the line up for this year’s Winter Caravan that will be visiting Erie on Thursday, Jan 25. The event will be held at the Dr Gertrude A Barber National Institute, 136 East Avenue. A ball park dinner will be served in the gym starting at 5 pm, with the program beginning at 6:30. Players scheduled for the Caravan include star first baseman Ryan Garko, left fielder Jason Michaels, and second baseman Josh Barfield. Hitting Coach Derek Shelton is also on the roster, along with team announcer Matt Underwood. The players and coach will present a brief program and answer questions from the audience, and will sign autographs for youngsters in attendance. A charity auction will be held featuring team memorabilia and apparel and prime game ticket packages. All proceeds from the auction and the event will benefit services to children and adults at the Barber National Institute. Dinner includes hot dogs, chips and beverages. Tickets are just $7, and are available in advance at the Barber National Institute and Hector’s Restaurant. For more information, please call 453-7661.

The Erie Chamber Orchestra in residence at Gannon University presents “The Annual Tribute Concert to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr” on January 19 at St Patrick’s Church, 130 East 4th St. The Shiloh Baptist Church Choir, under the direction of Evangelist DM Jamerson, will honor Dr King’s memory at 7:30 pm. The performance is free and open to everyone.

The 9th Annual MECA United Cerebral Palsy Barstool Open is set to take place on Saturday, February 24, 2007. Last years event had 1200 participants and raised $30000. Yes, 1200 people out drinking in downtown Erie on a cold February afternoon. Teams of 4 will compete in golf at 9 bars in downtown Erie PA. The putting exhibition contest takes place on holes with wacky designs. This year there are 14 bars participating. Click here for a registration form. Mail the registration form and enclose your check for $100, $25 per person, made payable to: MECA United Cerebral Palsy, 3745 West 12th St, Erie, PA 16505.

Dennis Weed

Posted by Dennis at January 4, 2007 7:15 AM

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