Earlier this month I noticed, along with another reader of ErieBlogs, that the Penn Stater magazine featured an article about Doug Moorhead of Presque Isle Wine Cellars in Northeast, Pa. It’s a great read about PI Wine Cellars and wine making in Pennsylvania.  Doug is credited for starting one of the first two wineries in Pennsylvania (there now are over 120 in the state). Kick-up your feet during lunch or read it over breakfast this weekend.

Here are the opening paragraphs of the article:

It’s a joke. It has to be.

Here, at the most prestigious restaurant in Pennsylvania-Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia-is a 2006 Pinot Gris. That’s not the funny part. A Pinot Gris certainly belongs here, on this famed wine list of classic French wines, served in a dining room that looks like a Manet painting, with crystal chandeliers and waiters who literally announce “Voilà!” as they serve meals of roasted squab breast and leg confit that can run (with wine, of course) upwards of $200 a pop.

But this Pinot Gris? It’s not from Alsace. Or the Loire Valley. Or even California. No, this Pinot Gris is from Pennsylvania, from grapes picked a few miles from Lake Erie and pressed at a little winery there called Presque Isle Wine Cellars.

Which is why it must be a joke. The only grapes that grow well in that corner of the state are Concords and Niagaras, right? Grape-juice grapes. (It’s no wonder Welch’s largest manufacturing plant is right down the road.) Wines made there are the kinds that teenagers sneak into the prom, that great-aunts serve with meatloaf, that people who drink White Zinfandel make fun of. Nobody takes those wines seriously. Who really takes any Pennsylvania wines seriously? A Philadelphia Inquirer wine columnist once described the state’s wines, collectively, as “painful to drink.”

To read the entire article, please click here [PDF].   The article was written by Vicki Glembocki, who grew up in Erie, and is now a freelance writer in Philadelphia.

My thanks to the Penn Stater magazine for being so amicable and allowing us to republish the article here.  This Penn State alumnus enjoyed it and I’m sure the readers of ErieBlogs will too.

This week’s YouTube video comes not from Erie but Harrisburg — The 2009 Pennsylvania Farm Show. This year’s farm show featured a butter sculpture dedicated to the PA state guard:

You might remember from our January 9 post that the life-size butter sculpture was to be sent to Lake Erie Biofuels here in Erie to be transformed into biofuel. Governor Rendell also announced at the farm show that the B2 mandate would go into effect no later than 2010 which requires diesel to contain a blend of 2% biodiesel (B2) from Pennsylvania alternative energy suppliers. Here’s a snippet from that press conference:

As for the farm show, here are some interesting facts: the show traces its history to 1685 and William Penn; the event is held on 25 acres and 400,000 visitors attended this years show; the farm show has no admission fee. Here’s an overview of the farm show:

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It certainly has been a long time coming but Mike and I are pleased to present the new ErieBlogs.  The design has been in the works for over a year, and despite some unforeseen challenges and seemingly insurmountable work and family schedules, the day has finally come.

Much thought and hard work has gone into the redesign.  Take for example the text you are currently reading where the width of this column is set so as to “optimize readability.”  (Yes, that’s how particular we’ve been in this redesign.)  You can even adjust the font size for entries according to your preference.  Here’s a number of other changes:

• Comments are now managed by Disqus, a global comment system operated off-site, which will make commenting more interactive and faster (remember those wait times on the old site?).  You can create your own profile or comment anonymously.  Choice is yours.
• The BlogBrowser has been updated with a new streamlined look.  Gone are the frames.  Instead, we present you with an ordered list showing the relative time a particular blog entry was posted.  It’s a little different look than what you’re used to, but we think you’ll like it.
• We’re running new publishing software on a brand new host.  As much as we love Movable Type, it had a number of limitations including the inability to effectively publish tags and it ran sluggish.  ErieBlogs is now running WordPress.  Also, we’re hosted by EngageIT located here in Erie.  (EngageIT also has a nifty business search called Erie County Yellow Pages.)
• And finally, advertising.  Don’t worry, we’re not going beat you over the head with pop-up’s, strobe like banners that cause siezures, or pages so loaded with ads you don’t know if you’re coming or going.  Instead you will see a few well placed ads for maximum exposure that are friendly to the viewer.  If you are a local business interested in advertising on one of Erie’s premier websites, then check out our advertising rates.

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This years annual Saint Paul’s Italian Festival will be held Friday, August 8 through Sunday, August 10. The highlight of the festival is definitely the food. Friday’s dinner is pasta Fagioli and Sunday is your classic spaghetti dinner. To top it off there will be cookies, pizzeles, knots, biscotti, breads, and other pastries. As if the assortment of food isn’t enough, the festival will have live music every night along with various games and entertainment. Kids will have their own entertainment including a Rock Climbing Wall, Dyno Jump as well as their own games and prizes

For those who love tradition, after Sunday’s 11 a.m. Mass there will be the Procession of Blessed Virgin Mary statue (the festival is being held in honor of the Blessed Mother). Children age 4-10 are invited to take a special part of the Friday and Sunday Mass.
The festival will be held in Little Italy (West 16 & Walnut Streets). If you need more information you can contact Charlene Sisson at (814) 440-1150.

Friday, August 8th

5:15 p.m.–Opening Mass

6:00 – 8 p.m.–Pasta Fagioli Dinner (begins immediately after opening Mass)

6 – 10 p.m.–Festival activities

7 – 10 p.m.–Music by Gene Leone

8 p.m.–The “Italian Dancers” of Erie will perform

Saturday, August 9th

4:30 p.m.–Mass

6 – 10 p.m.– Festival activities

7 – 10 p.m.–Music by The Four Jays

Sunday, August 10th

11:00 a.m.–Mass followed by a Procession of the Blessed Virgin Mary through “Little Italy”

Noon – 5 p.m.–Spaghetti Dinner

Noon – 9 p.m.–Festival activities

6 – 9 p.m. Music by the Contels

Feel free to share your thoughts, comments and concerns on any Erie topic you like on our ongoing series of weekly open thread posts. Last week’s discussion included the teenager ban at 8 Great Tuesdays and the news that CiCi’s Pizza might be coming to Erie.

Although ErieBlogs has an open comment policy, it reserves the right to delete comments that are off topic, abusive, or contain personal attacks. Be civil and be a part of the discussion!

“The most famous man you’ve never heard of.” That is how one author and historian has described Dan Rice, the once famous resident of Girard, Pa. Of course if you’re from Girard or the Erie area, you’ve heard of Dan Rice because of the annual Dan Rice Days celebration held in Girard, but possibly not sure of who he is. Dan Rice was the premier entertainer of his day back in the mid-1800′s and was more of a household name than Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain. Originally from New York, Rice moved to Girard and stationed his traveling circus in the small borough during the winter months. Girard was chosen because of its strategic location; it was a gateway between the mid-west and to the north east states.

Now you know a little about Dan Rice and have an idea of why Girard holds this annual celebration named after the great entertainer. The annual Dan Rice Days will be held this Friday and Saturday in the borough Girard. A number of events will be held including a parade, live entertainment, 5k race, and art & craft shows. “Crafters” will be selling their wares all along Main Street throughout the two days.

Local appraisers Herb Gold and August Fetcko will be available to look over your antiques at the Culbertson House. Although an appraisal will cost you, the fee is nominal and proceeds benefit the Dan Rice Committee. Now is the time to dust off that old family heirloom you have stored in your attic and find out how much it is really worth.

“Battle for the Yellow House: Civil War Re-Enactment” will be held at the Battles Museums on Walnut Street. Also a candlelight tour will be offered Saturday, August 2nd beginning at 8:00 p.m. departing from the “white house” every 20 minutes. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling 814.454.1813 x24 (Tickets: $4 Adult, $3 Senior, $2 Child, $10 Family).

While you’re out in Girard, you may want to consider spending part of your day visiting the Erie Bluffs State Park and the Roderick Wildlife Reserve that I blogged about last month. Gudgeonville Bridge isn’t that far away either.

Here’s a list of events along with an interactive map. Our thanks to the Chamber for helping us complete the list of events and interactive map.

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It’s hard to believe but the 15th Annual Discover Presque Isle is this weekend, July 25-27. From the event’s beginning in 1993, Discover Presque Isle has continually attracted thousands and thousands of visitors to Erie’s sandy shores every year. Favorite events include the concerts, bonfires, as well as the volley ball tournament at Beach 6. Proceeds from the three day event benefit the park.

We’ve done our best to provide you with an overview of the weekend’s events with the following schedule to get you started. In true ErieBlogs fashion, we’ve included an interactive Google map of the event.

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What do Peter Fonda, downtown Erie, and bikers have in common? They all will converge together this Thursday, July 17, for the annual Roar on the Shore Bike Rally, and ending this Sunday, July 20th. (Update: Peter Fonda has pulled out of the event. More here.) Despite being the second year the event will be held, organizers expect double the attendance from last year–from 10,000 to an expected 20,000 visitors. What is unique about Roar on the Shore is that proceeds benefit a local charity. Last year the event raised more than $52,000 for the John Kanzius Cancer Research Fund, and this year proceeds will go to the Erie Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Unfortunately if you do not own a motorcycle you cannot attend, sorry. Actually that’s not true–there will be quite a lot going on that is sure to interest a wide variety of people. Some of the highlights include: a daily stunt show running every day except Sunday, Peter Fonda who is the grand marshal of Thursday parade, and a rock concert by Blue Oyster Cult (tickets are $15). For those with motorcycles, a number of opportunities are available to guided tours around the region.

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The 13th annual JazzErie Jazz & Blues Walk will take place in downtown Erie this Saturday, July 12. Always a community favorite, the Jazz & Blues Walk features various jazz and blues vocalists and musicians playing at 10 different venues throughout the night. Admission buttons (tickets) are still only $10 and will grant you free admission to the venues, free rides on the Jazz & Blues Walk buses, and refreshments at the 7 p.m. reception. The evening culminates at East Erie Turners with the Dave Stevens Band (performers from the various venues may join in for a jam session) including a late-night “jazz breakfast.” How cool is that?

Here’s a schedule of the Jazz & Blues Walk venues along with an interactive map to help you get started. (Details on performers for each venue can be viewed at the JazzErie website.)

7 – 8:00 PM
Reception, Erie Art Museum Annex

8 – 11:00 p.m.
Molly Brannigan’s Restaurant
Baybreeze Restaurant
BrewErie at Union Station
Pufferbelly Restaurant

9:00 – Midnight
Billie’s Lounge, at the Avalon Hotel
Plymouth Tavern
Matthew’s Trattoria

10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Scotty’s Jazz Club
Docksider Restaurant

10:00 p.m. – ???
East Erie Turners Club

View Larger Map

Although we would all love to visit every venue and watch every band, that’s not always feasible. Here is a suggestion for maximizing your evening’s enjoyment (refer to the interactive map for details). North of Perry Square: spend your evening north of Perry Square beginning around 5th & State including Scotty’s at 3rd & German, and then ending the evening at East Erie Turners. South of Perry Square: start your evening around State and 12th Streets, and then ending the evening at East Erie Turners. If you’re adventurous and want to visit all the venues or your favorite performers will be at the opposite ends of downtown, there will be shuttles available.

Advance purchase of buttons may be made at these locations:

Erie Art Museum, 411 State St.
Romolo Chocolates, 1525 West Eighth St.
Glass Growers Gallery, 10 East Fifth St.
Erie Book Store, 137 East 13th St.
World Of Music, 1355 West 26th St.

Buttons will also be sold on the night of the event in front of the Erie Art Museum on State Street between 4th and 5th Streets from 6 pm until 9:00. You must be at least 21 to attend.

Tomorrow, the 8 Great Tuesdays concert series kicks off with two months of Tuesday entertainment giving Erieites a much needed mid-week break. Every Tuesday from 6:30 – 9:30, there will be a free concert at the Liberty Park, Pepsi Amphitheater. Here is this summer’s schedule for 8 Great Tuesdays:

July 8 – Little Brian and the Zydeco Travelers
July 15 – Donna the Buffalo
July 22 – Bernard Allison
July 29 – Jakes Blues
August 5 – Leon Russell
August 12 – Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers
August 19 – Dave Stevens Big Band
August 26 – Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Air Men

Shuttles will be available starting at 5 p.m. since parking is limited at Liberty Park. Here is a detailed map with shuttle pick-up locations:

View Larger Map

A new policy was put in place on July 25, 2008, regarding minors. If you’re under age 16 you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who also has to stay at the event. If you’re 16 or older, you must have a picture ID. The policy was instituted because kids were being dropped off unattended at the event, and a number of fights broke out as a result of rogue teenagers. Also, no pets, bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, or alcohol are allowed in Liberty Park.

Earlier this year in February, Governor Ed Rendell signed into law an amendment to the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law (RTK), which gives ordinary citizens access to public documents. (The federal government has a similar law: the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).) The new law is important for a number of reasons. For one, the current RTK law which was passed in the 1950′s, placed the burden on the person making the request to explain why it is a public document and the reason behind the request. Also, a person making a request had to fully indentify him or herself.

Under the new RTK law, a person does not have to disclose his or her identity, does not have to explain the reason for the request, and more importantly, the burden is on the government agency to explain why the requested document should not be made public. The new law also establishes a universal form to be used by all agencies.

Before getting too excited, the new RTK law does not go into effect until January 1st, 2009 so that government agencies have time to review the new requirements, attend training sessions, and establish a RTK officer/department to respond to requests. (If you’re a cynic, it gives time to government officials to burn the books and cover their tracks.)

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Last Wednesday, we linked to an article published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that discussed the Erie Bluffs: Conservationists protect state park along Lake Erie shore. Complimenting that article is a media slide show of different images of the Erie Bluffs (if you look closely, you’ll see at least one of the pictures doesn’t belong). The author does a nice job telling the story of Tom Fuhrman, who is the genesis behind the land becoming a state park. The Bluffs became Pennsylvania’s 117th state park on June 4, 2004.

Although records of visitors to the Bluffs are not kept, I would guess the park gets very few visitors each year, primarily due to the fact that it remains a rather well-kept secret. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) on its Erie Bluffs page gives these directions: “Erie Bluffs is north of PA 5 at Lake City, twelve miles west of Erie.” Huh? Those directions might work if I had a GPS, a map, and a protractor, but, for the rest of us, we can rely on the Tribune article: “the easiest access to Erie Bluffs is from Elk Creek. It includes a parking lot, paved access road and boat launch at Elk Creek several hundred yards south of the lake.”

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Last week, our colleague Dennis expressed to us his desire to step away from ErieBlogs. Since August of 2005, he’s posted nearly every single day which is a quite an amazing feat and his contributions have helped this site grow. We support his decision and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

ErieBlogs will continue to publish daily. In the last few days, we’ve made some changes to the site that we think are important.

First, blog comments are now published immediately. We want to foster discourse and give everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings. We’ve been fairly criticized in the past for not posting comments and that will change. We won’t condone personal attacks, hate speech of any kind and abusive comments.

We hope to make “News and Events” content more concise, topical, and entertaining for our readers, serve as a resource for local blogs, and spur discussion. Along these lines, we’ve started a weekly open thread where anyone can bring up a topic or share their thoughts. Look above this blog post for a quick link to that open thread.

ErieBlogs will continue to provide our readers and the blogging community:

• The area’s best Job Board where employers can post jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities for free.
• A Blog Browser which allows you to interact with local bloggers and view their most recent postings.
• Everything Erie Wiki offering everybody the opportunity to contribute information about our beloved hometown of Erie
• Government Contacter giving you instant access to local government officials in the Erie area.

In addition, ErieBlogs is in the midst of a complete redesign and relaunch that will happen next month. This will include:

• New and improved comment system
• Easier access to local bloggers and their content
• A forum for discussion related to Erie, Pennsylvania
• New look and more

We appreciate your patience and thank you for reading our site every day. We will continue to strive to promote Erie and all the Erie bloggers in a positive manner and deliver relevant news and events to the area.

If you have suggestions as to how we can improve, or you would like to submit your event or news, please contact us using our online form.

Mike & Richard

As reported here yesterday on ErieBlogs, General Electric Transportation landed a huge 99 million dollar contract with Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram which provides public transportation for the City of Rotterdam, Netherlands. GE Transportation’s Global Signaling business, headquartered in Paris, France, will be modernizing Rotterdams signaling and communications system. Work is expected to begin spring 2009.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act (SB 246) this past Friday, June 13, making Pennsylvania 1 of 24 states to have some variation of a public smoking ban law. (See last week’s ErieBlogs post discussing the Act including the actual text of the law.) The Act becomes effective 90 days from signing which means September 11, 2008, is the first day businesses will need to keep their establishments smoke free if they are not exempted from the Act. What can businesses do to prepare? The PA Department of Health will be the leading government agency enforcing the Act and will be providing information on compliance:

The Department has partnered with the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco to prepare and distribute toolkits for business owners to help them comply with the terms of the new legislation. The technical resources include signage, table top tents, assistance with informing staff and patrons of the new non smoking policy, as well as smoking cessation resources.

Although no useful information or guides on compliance have been posted, the Department of Health and Pennsylvania Alliance websites should have information soon. For a brief but good understanding of the Act, BLR.com has some useful analysis on the smoking ban.

Congrats to the Boston Celtics who won the NBA championship last night in a blowout. Speaking of NBA champions, Michael Jordan has been in the local news lately. It seems Lisa Miceli of Crawford County believes that Jordan is the father of her child. She has been pursuing him for several years to no avail. Jordan has completed 2 paternity tests that proves he is not the father, but Miceli has not stopped legal action and contacting him or his representatives, which Jordan’s camp has noted violates a court order. You can read more of this bizarre story here.

LECOM has announced plans to spend $4 million to upgrade and equip two buildings at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. LECOM at Seton Hill will open in the fall of 2009. LECOM also has campuses in Florida and is headquarted in Erie.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has this story about local conservationists and Erie Bluffs. Read it here.

Allegheny College has announced that Siemens Building Technologies has been selected to provide the college with a investment-grade energy audit. Allegheny is one of several American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) signatories to launch pilot projects through the Clinton Climate Initiative’s (CCI) Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program. Allegheny’s goal is to replace aging elements of its infrastructure in order to achieve better energy efficiency as well as emissions reduction across all facilities at the college, which is the 32nd oldest college in the nation.

Erin Howard, of Corry, will face criminal charges following a car crash that killed her six-year-old son, Samuel. Howard’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit at the time of the crash. As a parent, this breaks my heart.

John Guerriero is reporting at GoErie.com that PENNDot will soon begin roadwork on Route 20 at the Interstate 79 interchange. Weather permitting, the construction should take 6 weeks and costs $5 million.

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Often as drivers we can have the mentality that the road is ours and all others beware. Jack Yazembiak of Erie wrote a letter to ETN describing how some people dangerously drive too close to him while he is biking along the right-shoulder of a roadway:

I don’t understand why many drivers speed past someone on a bicycle, at 40-plus mph, just inches away, when they can just slide over to their left. I’ve had tractor-trailers, dump trucks, even a city bus and many cars pass so close I could reach out and touch them.

What Jack and many other’s don’t realize is that those drivers are breaking the law.

General rule: The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left of the other vehicle at a safe distance and shall stay to the left of the other vehicle until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. (Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.)

Guess what? Bicycles (or pedalcycles as referred to in the PA Code) are considered vehicles for purposes of the law. Not only that but bicycles are allowed on roadways–including left-hand lanes when making a left turn. (So don’t feel so self-righteous next time you honk your horn thinking that bicycles belong on the sidewalk.)

But do we really need to recite the law when common sense should prevail? Summer is just getting started and so we’re all going to see more bicyclists out on the road, especially with the price of gas averaging $4.00 a gallon. Please be safe and when you encounter someone bicycling on the road, slow down and give them some room.

Despite the numerous sources that have reported on the smoking ban that the Pennsylvania Senate has approved and sent to Governor Rendell to sign, there’s something to be said about viewing the actual legislation itself.

ErieBlogs.com has obtained a PDF version of Senate Bill 246 and is making it available for download: Senate Bill 246 “Clean Indoor Air Act” (Pennsylvania Smoking Ban) [PDF].

A few interesting notes about the legislation. First a business will be fined $250 for the first infraction, $500 for the second, and $1,000 for the third. It also appears that an individual can be fined for smoking in a restricted public area, facing the same penalties that a business would incur but with extra-added summary offense charge.

A more interesting provision is Section 7, “Retaliation prohibited.” This section addresses retaliation against an employee that turns in his or her employer for violating the Act. This section also prevents discriminating against a new applicant (hint to employers: don’t ask if the potential hire minds a little smoke in the work place).

Last observation is that a number of establishments may be exempt under the Act. However in order to become exempt, the business must make an application to the State and make available its records. For example, a business that operates as a “Cigar Bar” (as defined under the Act) will be exempt if at least 15% of its gross business involves the sale of tobacco products and accessories. The cigar bar will need to make its records available for verification of the 15% threshold.

Read the Act and let us know what you think! Comments are open.

Although ErieBlogs.com got this press release a little late, Country Fair is putting on a fund raiser both today and tomorrow for the Muscular Dystrophy Association:

All 75 Country Fair convenience stores are teaming up once again with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Inc. and Krispy Kreme Donuts to try and beat the $86,000 raised in last year’s shamrock sale. For two sweet days, March 13th and 14th, buy a special gold Shamrock for $5 and receive a dozen Krispy Kreme Donuts.

In other words, donut $5 for a good cause!

Yesterday’s news and events post by Dennis was the 1,000th post here at ErieBlogs.com.

The site has grown and changed since its birth in 2003 as a very modest link directory housed on personal blog. These days, we’ve built a pretty cool community that hangs out both online and offline. We’ve added features like the BlogBrowser, the Job Board, the Everything Erie Wiki and more.

Thank you, local bloggers, for the work you do on your blogs. We’re tracking over 70 blogs now with more being added every week. There are such diverse viewpoints and such a wide range of topics covered here, from politics to local media to life away from Erie to crafts like beading, cooking and scrapbooking to life with children and without. We all have certainly learned quite a bit from each other.

We’d also be remiss without thanking the readers of this site. Thank you for your feedback and the news, events and job postings you send us. Don’t forget there are many ways to get your daily dose of ErieBlogs.com: our RSS feed, our daily email blast, or adding our content to your favorite start page. Here’s a few links to get your started:

Now, on to some big news.

Back in August, after another period of downtime from our web host, we asked you readers if you’d mind if we added some advertising to the site to offset the costs of better, more reliable hosting. 85% of respondents to our survey said they didn’t mind having an advertising area on the page.

After some discussion between Dennis, Mike, and Rich, we came to the conclusion that the best way to go about this was to make ErieBlogs.com official (sort of speak) so that advertisers would see us as something more than just a fly-by-night blog. And of course we are more than just a website with a pretty face. ErieBlogs.com gets on average more than 100,000 page hits and over 15,000 unique visitors a month (most hailing from and around Erie, PA). Getting to those numbers didn’t happen overnight and we’re proud of the work we’ve done to get there.

As of October 1st, 2007, ErieBlogs.com is operating under the business ErieBlogs, LLC. Yes, we’ve formed a limited liability company, organized here in the great State of Pennsylvania.

What does this mean? Well for starters much will remain the same. You’ll get the same useful daily news digests from Dennis, easy access to local bloggers, and all those other great features discussed above. Our hope is that with a little bit of revenue we can improve these services as well as begin to add new ones. We’re excited and hope you are too.

In the meantime, if you are a business and are curious how advertising on ErieBlogs.com will benefit you, drop us a line using our contact page. Although we’re not quite ready to introduce our advertising packages, we think you will be pleasantly surprised with our prices and our audience reach.

Thanks again everyone and have a great weekend.

Over the past week, we’ve been restoring the Everything Erie Wiki (EE Wiki) to its former glory after some neglect on our part and not to mention the help of countless spammers. The EE Wiki has been cleaned of nefarious spam and new preventative measures have been put in place to help stave off the onslaught. Here’s what’s new:

• Spam has been stripped and suspected spammer accounts deleted (sorry if you were one of them, just re-register).
• Everyone must register and confirm via email if they wish to edit or create a new entry on the wiki.
• After editing or creating a wiki page, you’ll have to confirm you’re a “real person” using the captcha system (usually by giving the answer to a simple addition/subtraction problem).
• A more polished look to the interface as well as upgraded the software running the wiki.

In addition to the above, we hope to feature a page from the EE Wiki each week in order to bring more attention to the site as well as highlight some of the more interesting entries. Also, we hope to do a better job at policing the wiki so spammers don’t run-a-muck.

More importantly we want you to feel free to edit and create new pages on the wiki. Don’t worry about breaking it or if what you write isn’t up to the standards of Encyclopedia Britannica. The nice thing about a collaborative site like the EE Wiki is that there are other people interested in helping with the editing since creating content might not be their thing. In short, find something that interests you and contribute! Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

If you want some background information on the site you can read the original ErieBlogs.com entry premiering the EE Wiki or just visit the wiki yourself and poke around. If you’re clueless as to what a wiki is and what it means to you, check out these resources: Wikipedia, SitePoint, and ZDNet.

Does anyone know the details on a legal dispute going on in Crawford County over land formerly used by railroads? This Sunday Erie Times News has a letter to the editor by a disgruntled land owner over impending public usage of the former railroad property as a walking/bike trail. It seems to me that the landowners are trying to claim property that was probably condemned by the state back in the 1800′s and given to the railroad’s to use.

One thing that struck me in the letter was the following: “Without notice to any of the 18 adjoining landowners in a 3.5-mile stretch, [Roger Stranahan and the Clear Lake Authority] entered our land with a bulldozer… We asked the whole time to see the so-called proof of their ownership. It turned out they had only a quit-claim deed.” The letter goes on to say, “I’m hoping a judge in the near future will agree with our group that the burden of proof of land ownership is on the holder of the quit-claim deed, and we can recoup our money to repair property damages.” One thing I do know is that a quitclaim deed is certainly a valid instrument to transfer and show proof of ownership of land but I wasn’t to sure on the burden of proof of a landowner. Turns out the “Angry 18″ would have the burden:

The plaintiff’s burden in an action of ejectment is clear: he must establish a right to immediate exclusive possession. In order to recover in an ejectment action, the plaintiff must show title at the commencement of the action and can recover, if at all, only on the strength of his own title, not because of weakness or deficiency of title in the defendant. This rule places upon the plaintiff the burden of proving a prima facie title, which proof is sufficient until a better title is shown in the adverse party… Until and unless the plaintiff has made a prima facie case by showing title sufficient upon which to base a right of recovery, the defendant is not required to offer evidence of his title.

Hallman v. Turns, 334 Pa. Super. 184, 189 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1984) (emphasis added) (quotes and citations removed for easier reading).

Ruh-roh Raggy. Looks like the Angry 18 have the burden but I suspect they already know that and are not in a position to prove ownership (as apparent from a failed lawsuit in 2006). Assuming the land was condemned back in the 1800′s and the Angry 18′s predecessors in interest had property taken away from them, it’s hard to sympathize with those land owners today who clearly never expected to regain the property and purchased the land knowing there were railroad tracks abutting it. In short, they’re no worse off.

This land is going to be used to expand an already existing and successful trail. As far as I can see, there is no valid reason to impede the progress and provide a land-windfall to various land owners.

If you haven’t read this morning’s New York Times (or read the Erie Times article from a few days ago), there is an article about Erie, PA transplants now living in New York City: Erie in New York. These NY Erieites take the time to meet up once a month and reminisce about days at the Plymouth and Erie in general. I thought the following paragraph was rather striking. From the NY Times article:

With nearly 100 people on its e-mail list, Erie in New York is a testament to the flight of college graduates from the Rust Belt. Thanks to that region’s inhospitable job market, many of its smart, ambitious and adventuresome young adults come to New York pursuing careers in the theater, advertising and fashion. As a result, much of the chatter at the Erie gatherings centers on landing that coveted gig or promotion. Still, it’s not uncommon to detect notes of wistfulness about Erie.

Wow. No argument there but I would venture a guess that New York isn’t the only city picking up home-grown Erieites hungering for something more than a dead end job and a poverty level pay grade. I’m still waiting for the brain trusts that run Erie City and County government to cultivate a job climate not dependent on industry. I’m afraid it will be a long time coming as well as for those contemplating returning home.

The photo of former Erieites found at the NY Times page is captioned, “Something’s telling them they’re not in Erie anymore.” Now what do you think that’s supposed to mean?

The NY Times article was published February 4, 2007 Sunday (Late Edition – Final); Section 14; Column 4; The City Weekly Desk; NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: CHELSEA; Pg. 6.

Since I now live in the Detroit Metro, every day I take time out to reconnect with my Erie roots which involves not only reading Dennis’ daily blog entry, but also GoErie.com–Erie’s preeminent newspaper online (even if it is by default since it’s Erie’s ONLY newspaper). As most of us know, GoErie went under a face lift of sorts which has received generally poor reviews by readers (see here and here). It seems that the newspaper’s online trouble child is having some problems (surprise). Take a look at this screen grab;

(see link which might have been changed by now.)

This picture is of an article that should have been seen within the new design but apparently there was a glitch in the Matrix and we’ve been harkened back to the days of old GoErie. But is there a difference? It seems that the new ‘redesign’ is less of a redesign and more of a band-aid over a gaping wound. It’s like puting a fresh coat of paint on a rusty, beat-up car… it still remains a rusty, beat-up car. Was the redesign really just a ‘re-skin’ with no real palpable changes offered to the readership? It would seem so.

GoErie apparently uses software produced by Saxotech which creates content management software (CMS) for newspaper companies, but not very good software apparently. Maybe it’s time to make the difficult decision of either going to another CMS package or a custom solution. Otherwise we’re left with the same user unfriendly news site and the GoErie staff will continue to have to worry about fixing broken pages and babysitting a temperamental CMS instead of working to improve GoErie user experience (not to mention working on real money making projects).

I appreciate the contribution that the Erie Times News makes to the community but is the current state of affairs of its online counterpart really excusable?

This Thursday, Erie bloggers are getting together at Panera’s for some food and conversation. Although the event says its for Erie bloggers, I’m sure they’ll welcome many of you who just like to comment and don’t have blogs of your own. For you lurkers who just like to read, well this is a perfect opportunity for you to take it to the next level–sit in a corner or your car and watch from afar (creepy).

If you’re like me, then you make it a daily ritual to parse through the various opinion letters on GoErie. The recent spate of letters crying foul over the proposed smoking ban has caught my attention. In large part I think criticism surrounding the proposed ordinance is unfounded. As an occassional cigar smoker (yes, I’m one of those people) I have no problem smoking elsewhere. In fact, I’m already unable to smoke in most places that allow smoking, but only for those with cigarettes.

My (least) favorite argument being made is that non-smokers can choose to stay home or go to non-smoking establishments. Why not turn it around and say smokers can choose to stay home or go to open-air establishments? The argument works both ways and doesn’t advance any reasonable discussion on the issue.

Another poor argument is that the smoking ban is an example of big government making health decisions for people. Although this may be an indirect result of the ordinance I think it is better understood another way: not so much the government keeping people from hurting themselves but instead, preventing people from hurting others. Therein lies the purpose of the smoking ban. Its the unwelcomed carcinogens. Smokers are free to continue smoking at home or outside public places. Politicians and government officials need to keep the argument limited to those who are being exposed to the second-hand smoke. Smokers have already made their choice.

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Last night I found myself creating an entry on the Everything Erie (EE) Wiki and thought that it would be a good time to remind everyone that your contributions are needed. Don’t be shy. One of the great things about the EE Wiki is that anyone can contribute after taking the time to register. After that you can create and edit most existing wiki pages. Don’t worry about breaking something, the quality of your writing, or what ever may be preventing you from making a contribution. The nice thing about wiki software is that there are others to correct your mistakes or add to your work. In addition to the community effort, Mike and myself are making sure things are running smoothly in the background and that the EE Wiki stays organized.

Sometimes it takes the initiative of just one person to get things rolling. Here’s a good example. Last night I noticed that someone updated the Erie Urban Legends page about the historical Gudgeonville covered bridge. While making some minor changes to that entry, I realized that a separate main entry for the bridge was nonexistent. I spent a good part of last night creating a Covered Bridges of Erie County page, specifically the entry about Gudgeonville.

Even if you only have a line or two to add to an entry–do it. Incremental additions add up and often it might spur others to contribute. If you’re real motivated, here’s a link to find out how to make advanced edits to a page (although simple text entry without all the confusing markup is fine). If you want to keep track of what’s being updated on the EE Wiki, here’s an RSS feed link which tracks changes made. Also, if you’re not sure what to write or if you disagree with something contributed, each page has a ‘talk’ tab where you can hash things out.

Don’t know where to start? The City and Municipality Information page could use updates to each entry (ideas include trash pick-up and recycling schedule, list of supervisors and contacts info, and helpful tips to working with the local government). Better yet, here’s a list of pages that have been ‘linked’ to but have no content.

This past Saturday I had an opportunity to visit the new Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) located at the entrance of Presque’ Isle state park. I was impressed with how sophisticated it was in featuring environmentally friendly building components, including “raising” the building a foot or two off the ground to improve air circulation. Also, the Center’s size is impressive and the various displays inside are done well.

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Looking out the window this morning you’d think only crazy people would play football in this kind of weather –20 degrees with blowing wind and snow. And in fact, that was exactly the case when 8 of us got together and made history in the 1st Annual Erie Blogs Turkey Bowl. Two of the eight in attendance were actual bloggers (both Rich and Mike).

To show everyone just how big the event was, Fox 66 (in the WJET 24 truck) came by for some footage along with a brief interview with me. You can catch the interview with some pretty funny footage tonight on Fox66 news or maybe WJET (I’m not sure). Anyways I was so fricken cold that I’m not sure they’ll even show the interview because I wasn’t making any sense. Props to the camera man for coming out and taking the time to be freezing cold like the rest of us.

I won’t be able to post any pictures until Monday on my flickr account but check Mike Sheakley’s since he might have some put up sooner. Sorry that everyone missed a good time (and thank you Corry for bringing that Irish hot chocolate!).

When I was younger (and we’re only talking 5-10 years ago) there used to be a tradition where on Thanksgiving day we would hold a scrimmage football game. Carrying on that tradition, however hackneyed, I introduce the 1st Annual Erie Blogs Turkey Bowl to be held on Friday, November 25th. The touch football game will be held at Jefferson field (E. 36th and French) at 9:30 AM and should be over around 11.

I can’t attest to how many people will show up but I’m hoping for a semi-decent number (about 10 committed so far, looking for around 25). I’ve posted the rules for the game below. It’s not an exhaustive list but it should be enough to give some sort of structure to the game. Even if you’re not interested in playing we’re looking for some impartial referee’s (about 3) or even spectators (bring some hot chocolate to share). If you’re interested in reffing the only thing you need to be worried about is keeping time and making calls as to whether the player was down by two hand touch or not (very simple).

So join us the day after Thanksgiving to burn off the copious consumed amounts of calories from all that turkey, stuffing and whatever else you shoved down your throat the night before.

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A friend of mine who currently lives in California, sent me the link to this auction on eBay. The item up for bid was a 1912 reproduction of a panoramic photo of Erie. Here’s a small pic that links to a larger image;

Here’s a quiz for you, where exactly is this picture taken (both the shooting location and the visible area). My answer is in the comment section.

Although I had the winning bid on eBay, I’m sure the seller would produce copies for sale.