ErieBlogs.com: Erie PA News and Events for Saturday January 27, 2007

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Erie PA News and Events for Saturday January 27, 2007

Posted by Dennis on January 27, 2007

The Harbor Creek School District fired David Sidelinger for refusing a photo ID badge. Sidelinger sued the district wearing saying a photo badge was against his religious beliefs. The case was pretty much over when an attorney for the district wondered why it wasn’t against his religious beliefs to have his photo plastered on a dating site for years. Sidelinger was ordered to pay court costs.

The man killed in the I-90 50-vehicle chain reaction accident was identified as Terry Nagel of Mars PA. Nagel was hauling mail for Rood Trucking of Mineral Ridge, OH.

How seasonally appropriate. The Number 1 song on the WERG Top 30 is “Love Like Winter” by AFI and at Number 2 is “Snow (Hey Oh)” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Erie’s Argonaut posted yesterday that she found a video called “Waiting” by the Erie band Freewave on YouTube. There’s plenty of local scenes in the clip.

Erie PA native Ta’raach is making a name for himself in LA. He’ll be performing tonight at the monthly Fader magazine release party along with 3 other artists whose music is described as “LA hybrid soul.” The magazine write-up on Ta’raach is at the bottom of this page.

J Rake CEO Tamarah Black joined The Ophelia Project President and CEO Mary Baird to present J Rake’s first major philanthropic gift. The duo met at The Ophelia Project’s National Office, 718 Nevada Drive in Erie, where Black bestowed $7,500 on The Ophelia Project for national relational aggression prevention initiatives. J Rake, based in Erie, PA, offers a wide variety of fine jewelry, pens, leather goods, watches and gifts ranging from $50 to $15,000. The Ophelia Project is a national nonprofit headquartered in Erie, Pa. Internationally recognized as a leader in assessing social conditions and advocating healthy, safe relationships, the organization partners with educational, civic and community leaders to educate and empower kids and adults across North America.

Matt Smyth, John Hughes and Michal Klejna each scored once to lead the Brampton Battalion to a narrow 3-1 win over the Erie Otters in an Ontario Hockey League game played tonight in front of 3,320 at the Tullio Arena. Zack Torquato, with his 20th of the season, netted the lone Otters goal as Erie saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end. The Otters are now 12-33-1-2 on the season. The Otters wrap up a three-game home stand tonight when the Kitchener Rangers pay a visit in a 7:30 pm start. Career Concepts and Time Warner present a special live appearance of SpongeBob SquarePants and a select number of fans will receive a free gift courtesy of Career Concepts.

Freshman forward Meghan Agosta wouldn’t let it happen. Agosta had her first four-goal and five-point game as Number 1 Mercyhurst survived a scare from Yale Friday before defeating the Bulldogs 5-4. The Lakers improved to 22-1-2 overall while Yale dropped to 11-10-1. Mercyhurst is unbeaten in its last 13 games, 12-0-1. Mercyhurst will play at Quinnipiac Saturday night at 7.

Dave Lefebre of Erie finished in 67th place and cashed for $2000 at the BP Eastern Division event of the Wal-Mart FLW Series at Lake Okeechobee in Florida.

Pittsburgh Steelers DB Jovon Johnson is in town and visited his old school, JoAnna Connell Elementary, and spoke to the students. Johnson is a graduate of Erie Mercyhurst Prep and Iowa.

It’s only 68 days until Opening Day at Jerry Uht Park to catch an Erie SeaWolves game.

The Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge will take place on Friday night, April 6, 2007, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Over 180 student-athletes from all NCAA men’s and women’s hockey programs were nominated to participate in the skills challenge. The field of potential participants has been narrowed down to 89 student-athletes, who include Mercyhurst senior forwards Julia Colizza and Stefanie Bourbeau on the women’s team and senior forward Scott Champagne on the men’s team. You can vote for the women here and the men here.

The 31st annual King Cobra Open Karate Challenge Tournament takes place this weekend at the Avalon Hotel in downtown Erie. King Cobra Karate is the host for the event which will bring over 1,000 people to Erie to compete in 172 divisions.

Even if you’re familiar with the classic musical “Bye Bye Birdie,” you’ll want to revisit it this weekend when an all-student cast of 45 - music and non-music majors alike - puts a unique spin on the show in the Mercyhurst College D’Angelo Performing Arts Center. The plot of the Tony Award-winning musical from 1960 revolves around rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie and the complications that arise when his agent stages a publicity stunt on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in which he will kiss one lucky girl before heading into the army. In the original, Birdie was an Elvis look-alike. To bring the musical up to date, the Mercyhurst students are costuming their Conrad (played by freshman poli sci major Garrett Evans) a la Clay Aiken and promotional materials are playing on the popularity of “American Idol.” The teenagers who sing “The Telephone Hour” are in contemporary dress and carry cell phones rather than rotary dial phones; some even have laptop computers. This weekend’s performances are at 7:30 pm on Saturday and at 2:30 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $12.50 for adults; $10 for seniors and students; $6.50 for President’s Cardholders; $5 for youths 15 and under; and $1 for Mercyhurst students with ID. Call the PAC box office at 824-3000.

The Roadhouse Theatre production of “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm through 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 Sacred Heart WinterTime Ball featuring music by the Dave Stevens Big Band will be held at the East Erie Turners today, January 27, 2007. This semi-formal evening will include appetizers, a silent auction, cash prizes and ballroom dancing. You can purchase your tickets online or by calling Sacred Heart School at 814-459-7247.Tickets are $25 per person.

Paul Haas, Music Director Candidate, will lead the Erie Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra tonight. You can purchase tickets here.

Winterfest at the Arboretum - Weather or Not! will take place on Sunday January 28 from noon - 4 pm at the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park, 8th and The Bayfront Parkway. Join your friends for horse drawn wagon rides, children’s crafts and games, an interactive ice sculpture, snow art, musical performances, food and more. Chase away the winter blues at this fun family oriented event. The winners of the Snow Baby Contest will be posted here after 2 pm on Sunday.

The Highmark Quad Games Ski Race will be held Sunday January 28 at 1 pm.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host only the third performance of “Inspired by America,” a groundbreaking program that fuses live music performed by Cypress String Quartet with an original film based on Jacob Needleman’s best-selling book The American Soul. Directed by Emmy and Peabody winner Michael Schwarz, the film uses American art, landscapes, news footage, readings, and other images and sounds to reflect the diversity of the American story. The event, part of Music at Night: The Logan Series, will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, February 1, in the Reed Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. Tickets are required. Music at Night tickets can be purchased at the door on February 1, or in advance at the Reed Union Building main desk or online. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $8.50 for adults over 60, $5 for Penn State Behrend students, and $4 for children under the age of 16.

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.

On Feb 25, the Brewerie at Union Station in Erie hosts the Erie Illusion women’s football team Beer Fest.

The 25th annual Erie Sport and Travel Expo will be held at Family First Sports Park in Erie, Pa March 2-4. The show features fishing and hunting lodges, guides, outfitters, fishing charters and sporting goods vendors and boat and recreational vehicle dealers. General Admission $6 with children under 10 free.

Dennis Weed