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Erie PA News and Events for Thursday April 17, 2008
Posted by Dennis on April 17, 2008
In his first campaign visit to northwest Pennsylvania, Sen. Barack Obama will hold a Town Hall-style meeting at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Friday, April 18, at 10:30 am, in the Junker Center. Doors open at 8:30 am. Young Democrats of America, a Penn State Behrend student organization, is hosting the event. Admission will be by ticket only. All the details can be found here.
The Community Blood Bank will hold its 41st annual Donor Dinner at the Bel Aire in Erie Thursday April 17th at 7 pm. This year’s dinner theme is “Taking a Closer Look”. The guest speaker, Melissa Schweitzer is a mother whose children take a medicine called IVIG that is made from blood plasma. Last year the CBB provided over 3500 Liters of plasma to make this miracle drug. 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 95 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. “41 YEARS! It’s amazing how many lives have been helped by our donors,” Said Dan Desrochers, Director of Marketing. “We are so grateful for the community’s support.” In 2007, over 10,000 local patients in Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York received blood and blood products from the generous donors to the Community Blood Bank. 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.
In March, the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission closed five loans for four companies: Jason L and Jessica M Kennedy of Crawford County closed on a $125,400 EDA/RLF loan to purchase a farm. This is a farm loan; therefore job creation is not required. Lincoln Metal Processing of Erie County closed on a $200,000 SBF loan to purchase equipment. Eight jobs will be created within three years. Oskie’s Restaurant and Pub of Venango County closed on a $200,000 EDA/RLF loan to purchase the assets of the Celtic Cafe and the Boston Garden. Ten jobs will be created within three years. Regenex Corporation of Mercer County closed on a $150,000 USDA/IRP and a $50,000 EDA/RF loan to purchase the assets of Bama Plastic’s seawall business. Ten jobs will be created within three years. Also the Loan Committee approved one loan in March to Custom Tool and Design of Erie County
Brookings Institution analysis shows restoring Great Lakes will bring Erie economic gains of more than $400 million. Story. Lake Erie is MUCH cleaner than it was just a few years ago now that municipalities aren’t dropping raw sewage and companies aren’t putting their junk into the lake.
The Erie SeaWolves snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday morning with a thrilling 11-10 win over the Bowie Baysox at Jerry Uht Park.
The Mercyhurst Lakers men’s lacrosse team outshot the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals 58-17 in route to a 10-6 victory Wednesday. Mike Thon and Mike Bartlett each had six points on the day to lead the Lakers offensively. Mercyhurst improves to 7-3 overall while Wheeling Jesuit falls to 4-5 this season.
The Gannon University women’s lacrosse team crushed Seton Hill 22-7. Mary Eshenour and Taryn Millerd each had 6 goals for Gannon.
Greg Radwan’s (Lake View, NY/Frontier) ninth-inning RBI single up the middle with bases loaded gave the Gannon baseball team a spectacular 5-4 win against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe the University of Findlay in game two of a doubleheader at Gannon University Field late Tuesday afternoon. Gannon split the day with Findlay. The Oilers defeated the Golden Knights 11-6 in the opening game.
Red-shirt sophomore John Blike blasted a grand slam in the third inning, and senior Dan Bertolini snapped a tied game in extra innings to give the Mercyhurst Lakers a 7-6 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) win over Ashland in game one of Wednesday doubleheader. Ashland bounced back in the nightcap, though, using a complete game effort from pitcher Matt Schulz to salvage a split with the Lakers.
The Mercyhurst softball team was held to three hits in the opener, before exploding for eight runs in game two, but a four-run sixth inning sent the Lakers to a pair of losses to Notre Dame (Ohio) Wednesday. Mercyhurst lost game one 3-0 and game two 9-8.
In a doubleheader that was originally scheduled for March 29 before being pushed back on several occasions due to weather, the Edinboro softball team gained a split with visiting IUP on Wednesday thanks to a second game rally. IUP shutout the Fighting Scots in the first game, 2-0, but Edinboro came back from a five run deficit in the nightcap for a 7-5 win.
Gannon’s Kara Hensley (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) and Lauren Soldner (Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Southview) have been named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week.
Ryan Fogelsonger, the winner of more races at Pimlico and Laurel Park than any other rider since 2002, said that he has decided to move this season to Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie, Pa. Opening day in Erie is May 9.
Former President Bill Clinton will make a campaign stop at Penn State Erie today Thursday, April 17, to support his wife Hillary’s run for the Democratic presidential nomination.Young Democrats of America, a Penn State Erie student organization, is hosting the event, which will be held in Erie Hall. Doors will open at 9:15 am for the town hall rally. While his time of arrival is not firm, Clinton is expected to arrive at approximately 9:45 am to 10 am. His address is free to the public, and is designed as a standing-room rally for those in attendance. Limited bleacher seating will be available. No video recording devices will be permitted as he has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, but still photography cameras are allowed.
William Witherup, a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, will give a lunchtime recital at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, April 17. Witherup’s performance begins at 12:15 pm in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. It is FREE and open to the public. The organist and choirmaster at Christ Episcopal Church in Meadville since 1970, Witherup also taught music in Crawford Central schools for 24 years. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and did post-graduate work at Carnegie Mellon University and the Royal School of Church Music, then in Croydon, England. He became a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists in 1980, and has served several terms as dean of AGO’s Erie Chapter.
Registrations are now open for the Northwest Pennsylvania Association of Educational Communications and Technology Tech Fair and Student Showcase to be held April 17th, 3:00-7:00PM at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie, PA.
The Office of Adult and Graduate Programs at Mercyhurst College will host an Open House on Thursday, April 17, from 4-7 pm, at the Catherine McAuley Adult Education Center, 511 E 34th St. (at the corner of 34th and Wallace). Prospective students can meet with admissions and financial aid staff and learn more about Mercyhurst’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, teacher certifications and post-baccalaureate certificates. Refreshments will be served. Call (814) 824-2270 for more information.
Two members of the creative writing faculty at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will read from their newest works on Thursday, April 17, in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. The readings by George Looney, associate professor of creative writing and English, and Tom Noyes, assistant professor of creative writing, will begin at 6 pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public. Looney’s novella Hymn of Ash (Elixir Press, 2008) is winner of the national 2007 Elixir Press Fiction Chapbook Competition. Tom Noyes will read from Spooky Action at a Distance and Other Stories (Dufour Editions, 2008), a collection of short fiction that was runner-up for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ 2006 Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction.
Roger Knacke, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the School of Science at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host the next Open House Night in Astronomy on Thursday, April 17. “Sending a MESSENGER to Mercury: A Mission Update” will share the latest research on and photos of the mysterious Mercury beginning at 7:30 pm in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building. Admission is FREE and open to the public; weather permitting, astronomical viewing from the college’s Mehalso Observatory will follow. On January 14, NASA’s MESSENGER, the first spacecraft to visit Mercury in 33 years, swept by the planet at an altitude of just 125 miles. “Because Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, it is difficult to see and to study,” Knacke said. “This small, hot world still holds many mysteries, like how it can be almost 70 percent iron, and how it was formed so close to the sun.” Knacke also noted that Mercury’s surface records traces of the second-largest impact in all of the solar system. “There was a catastrophic hit by an object estimated to have been 90 miles in diameter that left a crater about 960 miles across. How did that event affect the surface and interior of Mercury?” MESSENGER will make two more rendezvous with Mercury before settling into orbit around the planet in March 2011.
“schism” is the story of one man’s descent into Alzheimer’s dementia. The movie by John C Lyons of Lyons Den Productions has it’s premier at Louis C Cole Memorial Auditorium on the campus of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 17 at 8 pm. You can purchase tickets for $7. John uploaded a couple of clips (Clip 1, Clip 2) on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
From the creator of “Buddy Holly: The Day The Music Died” and in association with the Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art, the Great Lakes Film Association announces The Man In Black, The Johnny Cash Show. The Man In Black production was a labor of love and respect that will star local Erie celebrity Shannon Solo and was designed to celebrate the music and the man who is widely considered to be one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century. The Man In Black musical production will enjoy a short run, the final performances will be on Thursday April 17, Friday April 18, and will close on Saturday April 19. The final performance will include a closing night party. Show times for each of the limited run performances will be 8pm with doors opening at 7:30 pm. Ticket prices will range from $10 to $15 depending on seating preference. Advance ticket sales and reservations will be available starting on Friday March 21st by visiting TheTheatre145.com or by calling (814) 879-0733 or 814-873-5069.
The Midwest Region of the Decision Sciences Institute (MWDSI) will host keynote speaker Albert H Brinkman, director of equity derivatives marketing for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX), on Friday, April 18, at 4:30 pm. The keynote at the Courtyard by Marriott, 7792 Peach St, is free and open to the public.
The Family Services of Northwestern Pennsylvania 26th annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake will be held April 18 and 25 at Greengarden Lanes.
Join us on Friday, April 18, at the Tullio Arena when the Erie RiverRats take on the Baltimore Mariners as we recognize Spring for SIDS Day, a national fundraiser and awareness day sponsored by the American SIDS Institute. Artwork totaling $2,700 generously donated by celebrity sports artist Kevin-John Jobczynski will be part of a Chinese auction. The artwork includes a $1,500 Jerome Bettis lithograph signed by Bettis and Kevin-John. Also available will be an AIFA Erie Riverrats football signed by the team and a Kevin-John lithograph of Jovon Johnson, signed by Kevin-John and Jovon. All proceeds from the auction will go to the American SIDS Institute. For more information see GradysGrace.com.
Prospective students can visit Mercyhurst North East for an Open House on Saturday, April 19, from 10 am - noon, at the Michele and Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building on the MNE campus, 16 W Division St, North East. Learn about MNE’s two-year associate degrees and one-year certificate programs, meet with admissions and financial aid staff, and tour campus. Call (814) 725-6144 for more information.
The Allegheny College Playshop Theatre concludes its 2008 season with a production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ daring play “Venus,” directed by Professor of Theatre Beth Watkins. The production will be performed at 8 pm on Thursday, April 17, through Saturday, April 19, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday, April 20, in the Playshop Theatre, which is located in Arter Hall on the Allegheny College campus. “Venus” is based on the true tale of a South African woman, Saartje Baartman, who was taken to England in 1810 and displayed as “the Venus Hottentot” in freak shows in London and the countryside. After Baartman’s death in Paris in 1815, a cast of her body was made and put on display in the Musee de l’Homme. Only recently, following an official request from Nelson Mandela in 2002, were her remains returned to her homeland. Tickets for “Venus” are $7.50 for adults; $5 for non-Allegheny students, senior citizens and Allegheny employees. With identification, Allegheny students are admitted at no charge. For more information or to order tickets, contact the Playshop Theatre Box Office at (814) 332-3414.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, hosts an evening of English, French and Italian art songs presented by Salvatore Champagne, associate professor of singing at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, on Monday, April 21. Champagne’s recital will begin at 7:30 pm in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel and is free and open to the public. He will be accompanied by John Champagne, his brother and an associate professor of English at Penn State Behrend.
Got Math Game? Elementary math education students and faculty at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host two Elementary Parent Math Night events to help moms and dads help their young children. “These nights are free and open to all parents of local elementary-age kids,” said Danielle Goodwin, assistant professor of mathematics education and program host. “We’ll share fun math activities and games they can use at home to build their child’s math skills and number sense.” Goodwin added that the evenings are “for adults only. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate children.” Elementary Parent Math Nights are scheduled on Thursday, April 17, and Tuesday, April 22. Both will be held from 5:30 until 7:30 pm in 114 Reed Union Building. There is no cost to attend, but reservations are mandatory and may be made by e-mailing Danielle Goodwin or phoning her in the Penn State Behrend School of Science at (814) 898-6090.
The community is invited to view a fireworks display beginning around 9:45 pm on Saturday, April 19 at Allegheny College’s Robertson Field. The fireworks display, which will last between 15 and 20 minutes, is sponsored by the student-run Gator Activities Programming Board and will kick off Springfest weekend at the college. Parking at the field, which is located off Park Avenue, is free. For more information, contact the college’s Office of Student Activities at 814-332-2754.
The Allegheny College Art Department will present its Senior Projects Exhibit in the Bowman, Penelec and Megahan Galleries from Tuesday, April 22 through Saturday, May 10. This show is an opportunity for graduating studio art majors and art and technology majors to present to the public their senior projects, which are the culminating experience of their art studies. A public reception for the exhibit will be held in the galleries on Tuesday, April 22 from 7 until 9 pm. All events are free and open to the public. The Art Galleries are wheelchair accessible and are located in Doane Hall of Art, east of North Main Street, between College and John Streets. Please call (814) 332-4365 for special hours during this exhibit or for more information.
The GE (NYSE: GE) 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held on April 23, 2008 in Erie, Pennsylvania at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center.
The Saint Vincent Auxiliary invites you to join them for A Runway Event from Noon - 2 pm on Wednesday, April 23 at the Lakeshore Country Club, 5950 Lakeshore Drive in Erie. Doors open at 11:30 am for shopping. Fashions by Talbot’s followed by a light luncheon. $25.00 per person. Registration - Checks payable to St Vincent Auxiliary, mail to: Sue Krzeszewski, 725 East 34th Street, Erie, PA 16504. RSVP prior to April 16th, 2008. Proceeds benefit the projects of the Saint Vincent Auxiliary. For additional information call: Jackie at (814) 452-5323.
Poet Malena Morling will read from her works at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, as part of the college’s Creative Writer’s Speaker Series. Morling’s reading will begin at 6 pm on Thursday, April 24, in the college’s Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. A reception for her will precede the reading at 4:30 in the chapel’s first-floor living room; both events are FREE and open to the public.
Michael Acri Boxing Promotions presents the 2008 debut of undefeated former IBF lightweight champion “The Pittsburgh Kid” Paul Spadafora. Returning to the ring for the first time in over a year, Spadafora (40-0-1), fighting in a 10-round welterweight bout against an opponent to be named shortly, headlines a six-bout card at The Avalon Hotel in Erie, PA (16 West 10th Street) on Friday, April 25. Tickets, priced at $60 (Golden Ringside), $40 (Ringside), and $20 (General Admission), go on sale Monday March 10, and can be purchased at the Avalon Hotel, Dee’s Cigar Store, Pony Express (1903 W 8th St) and the Ringside Restaurant. The card will also feature Cincinnati super middleweight Stephan Pryor (10-3-1), Erie heavyweight Rocky Mullooly (2-1), Pittsburgh middleweight Chris Archer (9-2), and the pro debut of heavyweight Andres Taylor from Johnstown, PA.
You’re invited to a night of fun and fellowship at Community Board Game Night on Saturday, April 26 at the Community United Church, 1011 West 38th Street. At this event, you can play Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, or Scruples (just to name a few). It always is a great night of laughter and good-natured game playing. Doors open at 7 PM, Games begin at 7:30 PM and run until 10 PM. Admission donation is $2. Youth under 18 must have a guardian.
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, will host the 36th annual Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Psychology Conference on Saturday, April 26. The all-day event will be held in the college’s Research and Economic Development Center. Registration for the Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Psychology Conference is open to the public; for details visit the conference link or phone Victoria Kazmerski, Penn State Behrend associate professor of psychology, at (814) 898-6246.
Students from the Mercyhurst North East Dance Institute and a group of Mercyhurst musicians will combine their talents in a performance on Sunday, April 27, at 2 pm in St. Mary’s Chapel on the Mercyhurst North East campus, 16 W Division St., North East. The event is free and open to the public. Call (814) 725-6277 for more information.
The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, US Commercial Service and the Gannon University SBDC are sponsoring a seminar, “Exporting: First Steps to Success”, on Tuesday, April 29 at the Bessemer Corporate Conference Training Center, 764 Bessemer St, in Meadville. Cost is $40.
OneRepublic and Fabolous will perform an outdoor concert on April 29 at 7 pm at the Gannon University Athletic Field. In case of rain it will be moved indoors to the Gannon Hammermill Center. Tckets go on sale Monday March 17 at GannonTickets.com.
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On April 29, three well respected local Business Leaders are pooling their knowledge and experience in order to help their fellow Professionals and Business Owners. They have put together a high impact conference for The Ultimate Executive. The three presenters and creators of The Ultimate Executive are, Tom Kennedy (Business Leader and Real Estate Developer), Steve Rosen (President of Domino Effect, Inc), and Tom Benson (Training Director, JL Nick Associates). The cost of admission is $69 before March 31 and $79 after April 1. Group rates are also available, call for details. The conference will be held at the Bel-Aire Clarion Hotel in Erie, PA from 8 am till noon. A continental breakfast is included.
Dr Charisse Nixon will present “Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Adolescence” on April 30 at 7 pm at the Villa Lecture Hall on Villa Maria Elementary School’s campus. The event, hosted by The Ophelia Project, is free and open to the public. “Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Adolescence” will provide those involved in the lives of adolescents insight into the development challenges they are facing. Nixon will also address what adolescents need during this time, whether their outbursts are normal and more. Dr. Nixon is an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. To RSVP, e-mail or call 456-5437. Villa Lecture Hall on Villa Maria Elementary School’s campus is located at 2551 8th Street, Erie, PA 16505. United Way of Erie County, Healthy Youth Development and Villa Maria Elementary School are supporters for this event. The Ophelia Project is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Erie, Pa. 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.
The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Washington DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial that has been touring the country for more than twenty years, will be on display in Edinboro, PA May 1-5.
The Erie County Bar Association and The Erie Runners Club Law Day 5k Run and Walk will be held Saturday, May 3 at 9 am. The race will start at the Erie County Courthouse.
New Found Glory will perform a concert at the Edinboro University McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday May 3 at 8 pm. Tickets are available online or at the Edinboro University Pogue Student Center SGA Convenience Store.
In celebration of The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2008 Preservation Month theme, “Place Matters,” the Erie Center for Design and Preservation is hosting a lecture, seminar and walking tour on May 9-10. All three events are FREE and open to the public. The internationally-known founder of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Mr. Arthur Ziegler, will be the featured speaker at the Erie Center for Design and Preservation’s first public event. Ziegler’s lecture, “The Good Works of Historic Preservation,” will be delivered Friday, May 9 at 7 PM in the Orientation Theatre of the Erie Maritime Museum, adjacent to the Blasco Memorial Library on Erie’s Bayfront. Ziegler says “historic preservation should be looked upon as both a cultural and economic development tool, leading to community revitalization, local investment, jobs, and a better quality of life.” On Saturday morning, May 10, the Erie Center for Design and Preservation (ECDP) will sponsor a seminar on historic preservation. Topics include: an overview of the National Register of Historic Places, the economics of preservation, and the tax credits afforded to property owners who rehabilitate historic buildings. The seminar will be held Saturday, May 10 from 9 AM to Noon at the Erie Art Museum Annex, 20 East 5th Street. On Saturday afternoon, May 10 , Mr Jeff Kidder AIA of Kidder Wachter Architecture will offer a 90 minute architectural walking tour of lower State Street and Perry Square. Kidder will meet members of the tour on the front steps of the Erie Art Museum, 417 State Street at 1 PM. Kidder will discuss the history of the City of Erie, neighborhood changes and attributes of the remaining historic structures. Kidder believes that “historic preservation in Erie is an effective tool for managing growth, revitalizing neighborhoods, fostering local pride and maintaining community character while enhancing livability.” Kidder serves on the City of Erie Planning Commission, the Downtown Improvement District board, the Erie Center for Design and Preservation board, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Historic Preservation board.
The charity bellydance event, “Shimmy for a Cure”, will be held May 31 at the Erie Playhouse in downtown Erie, PA. This event will benefit the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.
Head Coach John T Reilly of Gannon University will conduct three sessions of basketball camp this summer. Sessions will be held June 9-13, June 23-27 and August 4-8. His coaching staff, area high school coaches and several of his players will serve as camp instructors. The sessions are designed as teaching camps that emphasize the fundamentals of the game of basketball. The camps are for students in Grades 3-10.
There will be a Rust Belt Bloggers Summit on July 11-12 in Erie. People from Youngstown, Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other area cities will be attendance to discuss economic development issues in the region.
Posted by Dennis at April 17, 2008 7:00 AM
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