Memorable Tales
Have you been searching for something new to read? Perhaps you're looking for something that will transport you back to a simpler, more relaxed time period. The Warren County Historical Society has just the book for you: "Old Time Tales." Written by Arch Bristow, an author from Garland, the book is a compilation of the "picturesque and romantic lure of Warren County's pioneering days."
Originally copyrighted in 1932 and reprinted in 2010, Old Time Tales is a collection of stories told to Bristow by Warren County "old timers" in the early part of the 20th Century. The stories extend from the county's pioneering days through the oil boom of the 1860s and beyond.
Most of the stories are based in Warren County or very near the county lines. Many of the stories are partly truthful but many also contain tall tales and are often humorous. Bristow had a unique and entertaining way of bringing the 19th century to life.
Are you aware that there was once a plant which was considered deadly poisonous, yet women grew it in their flower beds? Did you know that six feet of snow fell in a single night in 1840? Have you ever heard of the "Great June Frost of 1859?"
Other stories include tales about the first Warren County churches and schools, and others describe 19th Century dances, doctors, rafting on the Allegheny, and more.
Copies are available at the Warren County Historical Society, 210 Fourth Ave., Warren; the Wilder Museum Warren County History Center, 51 Erie Ave., Irvine, or online at www.warrenhistory.org.
For more information, call 723-1795.
ROY meeting
The monthly general meeting of the Revitalization Of Youngsville Association (ROY) will be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10 at Youngsville Public Library. All are welcome. Youngsville's EG&G Planner will present an update on the progress of the downtown Streetscape.
Call Organization VP Helga Laibacher, 563-4959, for information on other committee meetings.
ROY Chess Club
The ROY Chess Club will meet Aug. 14 at Saint Francis Church. They will also be at the A"maize"ing Corn Festival on Saturday, Aug. 21 under the tent beside the food court if you'd like to try your hand at chess.
Absolute beginners to advance players are encouraged to stop in and enjoy the strategy of the game.
Davis St. Facility
Pastor Rick Hamrick wants the community to know that they are welcome to use the Youngsville Free Methodist Church's Davis St. Facility. The church is continually improving the property, and currently there is a pavilion with electrical service, a playground and a dock along the improved creek bank.
The pavilion is available for use free of charge, but reservations must be made in advance for larger, planned gatherings to help avoid overlap.
The dock will remain open as long as the water level in the Brokenstraw Creek is near normal levels.
The playground is always open. If you see any area that needs maintenance, let the church office know. The number is 563-9009.
Recently there have been several incidents of mischief on the grounds. Pastor Rick reminds area youth that the dock is a "family friendly" area, and aggressive behavior and foul language are inappropriate. Keep the area free of litter, and of course, don't vandalize the grounds.
The church wants to make this a fun place of all youth, and they are counting on those who enjoy the facility to help take care of it.
Bike ride from
Corn Festival
The Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association (NAMBA) plans to kick off a bike ride on Aug. 21 at 7 a.m. from downtown Youngsville during the Annual Corn Festival weekend. Eleven riders, from Warren and Chautauqua counties will be attempting a ride that will take them approximately 100 kilometers with more than 4,000 feet of elevation in total climbs, mostly off road.
Youngsville was chosen as the central command point for the ride. Due to its central location in Warren County, it has the greatest potential to take advantage of the biking tourism market. NAMBA will set up a booth during the corn fest, where visitors can learn more about the potential of mountain bike tourism, as well as local biking interests. Visitors to the booth will also be able to get regular updates on the riders.
In an attempt to bring awareness to the Jakes Rocks project and to the concept of joint tourism efforts, several members of NAMBA will be embarking on a one-day ride through portions of the county. Several areas within the national and state lands have always been open to mountain biking, but have never been to the level of being bike tourism worthy. The ride will feature several of these areas, including game lands near Althom and Chapman State Park, as well as national forest trails including Tanbark and Rocky Gap. The ride will also feature several points of interest from Tidioute through Chapman to Buckaloons and Youngsville.
Connect the dots
When the Pennsylvania Kinzua Pathways (PKP) team, came up with a plan to revitalize the Kinzua Dam area, the main goal was to connect all of the points of interest together with pathways and trails. One of those points of interest would be a new mountain bike trail system near the Jakes Rocks area. As the process moved forward, the PKP and the U.S. Forest Service invited the Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Assoc. (NAMBA) to be part of the project. Now members of NAMBA are continuing with the idea of connecting dots.
"Joint tourism is vital to this area" said team captain Keith Martin. "There is no single silver bullet niche, to solve the stagnant tourism in this region. Each special interest group must be willing to look at their respective hobbies and identify what it is about that activity that would make it worthy for people to travel, to a specific location, to participate in it. Then develop those concepts and institute them in this area." Members of NAMBA don't expect everyone to suddenly have a great interest in biking. They do however intend to make this area desirable to those who want to have great biking vacations," said Martin.
Donations to the ride and the new trail system can be made at www.bikeallegheny.org
Cross country bikers who would like to join the ride should contact Keith Martin at tbcreekco@verizon.net
New TV Channel
Among the numerous cable channels offered by the Youngsville Television Corporation, a non-profit organization, Scott Barber has announced the Turner Classic Movie channel (TCM) has been added. It is on channel 14. WPSU Create was moved to channel 64 to make room for the new channel.