West Newton
•This month I got started on one of my main projects of the year in West Newton. This is a walking tour of the town that will include stops at historical buildings. I am looking forward to creating a brochure that will guide tourists around the town and point out interesting facts about the town’s history. Currently I am gathering information and photos of the stops I plan to include in the tour.
~Cara Madden
Connellsville
•In the month of June, Connellsville hosted Braddock’s Crossing and Art on the Yough on the 24th. At The crossing, people dressed in old fashioned garb, shot off blanks from muskets and crossed the Youghiogheny River, reenacting Braddock’s Crossing at t he same location. At the Art on the Yough there was live music covering classic rock, and many kids activities including kite painting and sock puppet making.
•A Penndot Crosswalk compliance survey was completed near third st, and another one is set to take place soon for first street, which will eventually instate a “yield to pedestrians it’s the law” sign.
•The Caboose Welcome Center grand opening was a success, bringing in the local media and trail group, as well as many community members to support the event. The Welcome Center is now open to support the needs of trail users as they pass through Connellsville on the Great Allegheny Passage.
~Joe Crumbley
Ohiopyle
•In Ohiopyle the Adopt-A-Bioswale program is underway. Businesses have begun to sign onto the program, and we will be receiving some sample signs next week. The Adopt-A-Bioswale program will allow businesses in Ohiopyle to volunteer to tend a bioswale on the main road through the borough in exchange for having an Adopt-A-Bioswale sign with their business name placed in the bioswale.
~Cara Madden and Joe Crumbley
Confluence
•Attended Somerset County Rails to Trails Association meeting in June and talked with the group about Great Allegheny Passage cleanups and improvements
•Beautification project: flower planting around gazebo in the main square
•On June 30th, Confluence held its annual Old Home Day – a day filled with music, food, and Civil War & WWII re-enactments.
•That Dam Ride: September 8 – 9, 2012: overnight bicycle ride starting in Boston or Connellsville and ending in Confluence, PA along the Great Allegheny Passage
•Mt. Davis Challenge: August 4, 2012: 42 mile race that traverses the highest point in Pennsylvania
~Michelle Rapp
Rockwood
•On July 9, there will be a final public meeting for the Rockwood Amtrak Train Feasibility Study on at the Rockwood Fire Hall.
•3D sidewalk art is currently being created near the memorial in Rockwood.
•Trail counts continue in Rockwood to help compile data for the entire trail use season
•Similarly to Meyersdale, I will also become involved with various town projects to work toward my beautification goals.
~Rachael Christie
Meyersdale
•July 1st marks Meyersdale’s Independence Day parade and celebration. Festivities begin in the late afternoon, spilling over into the evening.
•Meyersdale Area Merchants Association will be hosting their annual meeting on July 9th.
•I will be overseeing several beautification projects within the town; actual project specifics are still to be decided.
•The Deal trail counter was not working properly, only for TTOC to discover the presence of a huge spider’s nest covering the counter’s scope lens. Needless to say, the spider caused us to lose all of our trail use data from the end of May till mid-June.
~Rachael Christie
Maryland – Frostburg and Cumberland
•Frostburg Appalachian Festival: September 14 & 15, 2012–Frostburg’s 200th Anniversary
~Michelle Rapp
