ErieBlogs.com: Erie PA News and Events for Thursday April 19, 2007

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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday April 19, 2007

Posted by Dennis on April 19, 2007

If you plan on taking I-90 between Erie PA and Buffalo NY today, forget about it. The Seneca Nation of Indians has the thruway blocked and vehicles attempting to go through are trespassing. I-90 goes through the Cattaraugus Reservation. New York state wants to collect sales taxes on the sale of tobacco and gasoline products sold by Seneca Nation retailers. It would kill their price advantage and put hundreds out of work. In 1997, there were violent confrontations between Seneca Indians and New York State Troopers.

One man drowned in Presque Isle Bay yesterday after the 14 foot boat he and another man were using to fish capsized and threw them into the 39 degree waters. Neither man was wearing a flotation device. His body has not as yet been recovered.

The GE Foundation has a press conference scheduled today at 10:30 am in Erie to announce a $15 million grant to the School District of the City of Erie as part of the foundation’s College Bound program.

David Boyd is the author of “Falling Down.” Many of the events in the story take place in Erie PA. It will be filmed as a movie. Boyd just finished shooting a vignette that will serve as a preview to the film. The director and Boyd are looking for investors and government grants to fund the actual project. Once the finances, film crew and actors are set, they will take various location shots of Erie, Philadelphia and Chicago, while the interiors will all be shot in New York City.

The Erie area Metallica tribute band Whiplash is looking for a bass player. Must be 21, m/f, professional gear and attitude Transportation is a huge plus, prior gigging experience helpful but not required, backing vocals a plus and must be free Thursday and Friday evenings for rehearsal.

Citing his desire to continue to work with other City leaders to develop a vision for the City of Erie and an action plan to get there, Joe Schember recently discussed his candidacy for the Erie City Council 2-year term seat. He also unveiled his website, JoeSchember.com, which provides voters with his background, qualifications, campaign platform and position on the issues facing the City of Erie.

Terry Rensel recently took over as program director at KBBI-AM 890 Public Radio in Homer, Alaska. Rensel has worked as the master control operator for WETG-TV Fox 66 in Erie, PA, and master control operator and radio programming assistant for WQLN FM 91.3 /TV54 in Erie. He served as the program director for WUCF-FM 98.9 in Orlando, FL, and for WFPL-FM in Louisville, KY.

On the 19th of April 1785, Massachusetts issued a deed of cession to Pennsylvania giving up their claim to the Erie Triangle which comprises most of present day Erie County, PA.

The Erie SeaWolves fell in the rubber match of the three-game series in Akron on Wednesday in extra innings by a score of 2-1. Erie is back in action on Thursday night at Jerry Uht Park against the Bowie Baysox, 6:35 on the first pitch.

Mercyhurst fell in both games of a GLIAC softball doubleheader at Ashland, losing 9-8 and 7-4 to the Eagles.

Mercyhurst is ranked fifth in the North Central Region in the latest poll by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

The Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania will hold its 40th annual Donor Dinner at the Bel Aire in Erie Thursday April 19 at 7 pm. This year’s dinner theme is “Getting better with age”, perfect for the 40th anniversary of the event. The CBB expects to set a record with a 260+ person crowd. The annual dinner is held to recognize those people who give so selflessly to the community by giving blood. Those being honored have all met a Milestone in blood donations: 5,10,15, 20 and so on up to 85 gallons will be honored. Donor Chair People (those who coordinate blood drives at their place of business or other community location) will also be recognized for their efforts to keep the local blood supply safe. In 2006, over 40,000 units of blood and blood products were transfused in Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York. Chances are 1 in 3 that a person will need blood in his or her lifetime, yet chances are only 1 in 33 that a person is a blood donor. The Community Blood Bank is the exclusive supplier of blood products to all the hospitals in Erie, McKean, Warren, and Elk Counties and provides about 99 percent of all the blood used in the hospitals in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties in New York. Only blood donated with Community Blood Bank will help patients at these local hospitals.

Stand Up Against Hunger comedy night to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank will be held tonight, April 19 at JR’s Last Laugh Comedy Club. Headliner for the show will be Ross Bennett, a professional comedian who left West Point Military Academy to become a comedian. Well-known Erieites who will be sharing some of their own funny stories will be Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio and Erie Times News columnist Liz Allen. There will be two performances: 6 pm and 8:30 pm. DiVecchio will be making a presentation at both shows, and Allen is scheduled for only the 8:30 pm show. Tickets are $10 and advance reservations are requested. 100 percent of the ticket price is donated to Second Harvest.

The Walker School of Business at Mercyhurst College will sponsor a talk by Dr Luis Cosenza, executive director for Central America and Belize at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), on Thursday, April 19, at 11:30 am in Taylor Little Theatre. His lecture is free and open to the public.

Alto saxophone sensation Dave Pietro will be joined by four Brazilian musicians to present a special evening of Latin jazz at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 19. Music at Night tickets can be purchased at the door on April 19, 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 kids under 16. In addition to the Music at Night performance, Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil will perform at noon on Wednesday, April 18, also in McGarvey Commons. This one-hour concert, part of the Music at Noon series, is free and open to the public.

Literary nonfiction writer Marilyn Abildskov will close the 2006-07 Creative Writer’s Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, with a reading on Thursday, April 19. Abildskov will read from her works beginning at 6 pm in the Smith Chapel worship space. A 4:30 pm reception for her in the Smith Chapel living room will precede the reading; both are free and open to the public.

The D’Angelo Department of Music at Mercyhurst College brings one of Shakespeare’s most famous comic characters to life April 19 and 21 when it presents Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Falstaff.” Both Thursday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 pm in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center on the Mercyhurst campus. Tickets are $12.50 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $5 for youths. Call the box office at (814) 824-3000.

“Dead Man Walking” will be performed at the Gannon University Schuster Theatre April 19-22, 26-28. For more information or tickets call (814) 871-7494.

The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre will conclude its 2006-2007 season with Noël Coward’s comedy “Hay Fever” on April 19, 20 and 21 at 8 pm and April 22 at 2:30 pm in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. Dan Crozier, associate professor of communication arts and theatre, directs the production. Tickets for “Hay Fever” are $7.50 for adults; $5 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees; and free for Allegheny students with identification. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at (814) 332-3414.

The Penn State Behrend Lion Entertainment Board 5th annual Battle of the Bands is going to be hitting Erie Hall on April 20. This year legendary ska band Less Than Jake along with fellow Fueld By Ramen artist The A.K.A.’s will join the ranks of bands who have taken the stage for this massive event. The battle from 1:30 - 6:30 will be FREE ADMISSION. Admission to LTJ and AKA’s will be $5 for General Admission and FREE with PSU ID.

Former world heavyweight boxing champion “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier will be in Erie at a fundraiser for his foundation on Friday, April 20. The event, organized and hosted by students in the Master of Business Administration program at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will raise funds to benefit Frazier’s newly established foundation, which is partnering with Erie’s Trinity Center to develop a boxing/wellness youth center in Erie. The event is open to the public and will be held in the Junker Center at Penn State Behrend. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the evening’s presentation starting soon after. A suggested donation of $10 per attendee will be collected at the door. For more information or reservations, e-mail joefrazier@psu.edu. More information about the foundation can be found at www.frazierfoundation.org. Information about Trinity Center can be found at www.bethesda-home.org/programs/trinity.htm.

The Erie Micro Brew Festival presented by WQLN will be held April 21 at Union Station at 14th and French Streets. There will be 2 sampling sessions 1-4 pm and 5-8 pm. All proceeds support public broadcasting and all PLCB laws apply. Attendees must be 21. Tickets will be available soon at many Erie area locations. Scheduled to attend are: The BrewErie at Union Station, The Erie Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing, Pennsylvania Brewery, Voodoo Brewery, The Flying Bison, Ellicottville Brewing Company, North Country Brewing Company, Hereford and Hops, Sprague Farm and Brew Works, The Buffalo Brew Pub, Magic Hat Brewing and the East End Brewing Company.

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host an Admissions Open House for prospective undergraduate students on Saturday, April 21. The Open House begins at 10 am and continues through 1 pm. High school students and their families are invited to tour the campus and meet with representatives from the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Science, and School of Engineering. Faculty will be available to lead laboratory tours and demonstrations and answer questions about the college’s 32 baccalaureate majors. All events are free, but advance registration is requested and can be made online here.

The first Misery Bay Region SCCA autocross is Sunday, April 22 at Penn State Behrend in Erie PA. Registration is at 8 am with first car on course about 10:30 am.

Increasing global engagement at Mercyhurst College, inviting the world on to campus and sending faculty and students out into the wider world, provides the focus for this year’s Academic Celebration, slated for April 22-25 and titled “Mercyhurst: The International Arena.” Fifteen events are scheduled, and all are free and open to public.

The concert band and jazz ensemble at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will perform their “American Originals” program on Monday, April 23. The concert begins at 8 pm in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Union Building. Admission is free.

The annual Mr and Ms GU Contest, sponsored by Alpha Gamma Delta, will be held at 7:30 pm Monday April 23 in Gannon’s Hammermill Center, Peach Street and South Park Row. Five male students and six female students will vie for the titles of Mr and Ms GU. The students, who represent the university’s office of Student Living as well as a number of campus Greek organizations, will compete in a formal wear competition, a talent competition, and a question and answer session. Proceeds from the pageant-style contest will be donated to the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, the sorority’s international, philanthropic organization benefiting juvenile diabetes. Tickets cost $3 in advance, or $5 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the university’s Waldron Campus Center, 124 West Seventh Street, or by calling (814) 871-7119. Last year’s event raised more than $2,000 in the fight against juvenile diabetes.

The State of Pennsylvania’s Authorized Trade Representatives from Australia, Canada, and South Africa will be in Erie on April 24 to meet with regional companies to discuss their export opportunities in respective markets. Breakfast/ Registration begins at 8:30 am. To schedule one on one business meetings with the trade representatives, please contact Lori Moore or call (814) 677-4800 Ext 104. 30 min individual meeting appointments will run from 11 am -12 pm and 1 pm - 2:30 pm, lunch provided. The Northwest PA Regional Planning and Development Commission is sponsoring the event.

Erie PA based Free to Choose Media newest documentary titled “The Ultimate Resource” will premiere on HDNet Tuesday, April 24 at 10 pm. They travel to China, Bangladesh, Estonia, Ghana, and Peru and show examples of how people, when given the incentives and the tools, are proving they can apply their free choice, intelligence, imagination and spirit to dramatically advance their well-being and that of their families and communities. The program features 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, Hernando de Soto, James Tooley and Johan Norberg.

Most classical musicians refer to the Three Bs as Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, but an upcoming performance at Mercyhurst College will showcase another Three Bs: the beloved American composer Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Bozza of France, and the Italian Ferruccio Busoni. The program concludes this year’s Faculty Recital Series sponsored by the D’Angelo Department of Music. It will feature Geoff Wands on clarinet and Nathan Hess on piano and is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, at 8 pm in Walker Recital Hall. The program is free and open to the public.

John Kanzius and Dr Steven Curley will be holding an informational symposium on the Kanzius cancer treatment on April 28 at 7pm at the Mercyhurst College Mary D`Angelo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10. For more information call Mercyhurst at (814) 824-3000.

The Erie Art Museum Contemporary Music Series presents Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem in concert on Friday, May 4, 8 pm in the Erie Art Museum’s Annex, 20 East 5th Street. Tickets are $12 for non-members, $10 for Museum and JazzErie Members and $6 for students and seniors.

The Tragically Hip play the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pa on May 18. Reserved seat tickets are $31.50.

Dennis Weed