laurel mountain post :: holiday 2005

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LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST A Magazine for the Heart of Westmoreland County HOLIDAY 2005: The Return of the Gift Guru Mozart Hall Pie With Panache & Reader Recipes Coupon Values! FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE Every Story Begins At Home. www.LaurelMountainPost.com Happy Holidays!

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Page 1: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POSTA Magazine for the Heart of Westmoreland County

HOLIDAY 2005: The Return of the Gift Guru • Mozart Hall • Pie With Panache & Reader Recipes • Coupon Values! FREEFREEFREEFREEFREE

Every Story Begins At Home. www.LaurelMountainPost.com

Happy Holidays!

Page 2: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

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Page 3: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

Briana and I both had Christmasbaby boys. There truly is no bettergift than a healthy baby . . . a con-cept hard to fully embrace until youexperience it for yourself.

Alexander Edward Tomack cameinto the world by emergency C-sec-tion on December 22, 2002. Brianahad been planning a quiet Christ-mas at home with her husband andthen 1 1/2-year-old-son, Sam, toawait the winter birth of the newestTomack. But following an unex-pected set of complications, the fam-ily welcomed a premature son andspent the holiday in the NeonatalIntensive Care Unit instead. It wasa stressful week of various preemiestruggles, but little Alex made ithome from the hospital just in timeto celebrate New Year’s Eve.

My son, Robert Shelly Williams, wasborn December 7, 1998. He’ll beseven this year, and of course it stillseems like yesterday to me that I wasin the hospital with him. He camelate (I had been hoping for aThankgiving baby instead of a stock-ing stuffer), and I was in fruitlesslabor for two weeks. But a quick C-section later, and I had my whop-ping 10-pound “turkey” to wrap upfor Christmas.

And much like the Christmas story,there was no room for us that nightat the Birthing Center at Rex Hospi-tal in Raleigh, North Carolina . . .far from our families back home inwestern PA. The hospital staff sentus to stay on the surgical floor where

The Best Gifts Come in Small Packages

MOUNTAIN VIEWSCathi Gerhard Williams

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 3

Cathi Gerhard Williams, Editor & PublisherBriana Dwire Tomack, Marketing Director & Business Manager

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS - HOLIDAY 2005 (Volume II, Issue 5)

Jim Brewer, Linda Brewer, Walt Brewer, Daniel Chicka, Carol Dwire,Ron Durika, Megan Fuller, Matt George, Shelly & Carol Gerhard, Stacy Hunter,

Jim Kasperik, Carma Lamm, Susan Ransel McBroom, Jeremy Olson,Ruth Richardson, J.B. Rossi, Michelle Schultz, Nicole Vitale Smith,

Scott Sinemus, Elizabeth Srsic, Drew Williams, Robert Williams

PRINTED IN LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA

Proud member of the Latrobe and Ligonier Chambers of CommerceThe Laurel Mountain Post is a quarterly publication of biffBOOcommunication designed

to focus on the people, places and events at the heart of Westmoreland County inwestern Pennsylvania. We print stories about real people and their daily lives; featurelocal merchants, craftsmen and professionals; present short pieces of art & literature;

and never lose sight of what makes this area a great place to call home.

P.O. Box 227 | Latrobe, PA 15650 | 724-331-3936 | [email protected] thanks to our advertisers for supporting this community publication!

Briana Dwire TomackCathi Gerhard Williams

[email protected]

[email protected]

no one had time to help us. Theyput my son in a cart that looked likea manger on wheels and left us tofend for ourselves during the long,winter night. There were no cattle tolow and sing him to sleep, but therewere lots of Christmas lights hangingin the trees of the hospital parking

lot around our window. He seemedto find peace in the twinkles andsparkles. He didn’t really sleep much;he just kept staring at the lights. Andwhen I would push him closer to thewindow, I swear he would smile atthe light of the world outside.

When we brought him home, ourhouse was already decorated for

Christmas. His favorite spot was sit-ting in his car seat parked right be-side the Christmas Tree. That year,the tree stayed up for months – itwas the only thing that kept himfrom crying!

In his nursery, there was also atabletop tree with a little string oflights. That one stayed up for years!It never took long for us to realizewhy he stopped sleeping at night . . .the new night lights we tried were palesubstitutes for the comforting glowof his tiny Christmas tree.

The best gifts come in small pack-ages, and not all of them are foundunder the tree. Christmas is the timeto celebrate the wonderful life youhave, and look forward to the joysthat are to come.

Take that time to light up the earthby giving something back. The small-est and simplest of things can meanthe world. Show someone how muchyou love and care about them. Evenour “enemies” deserve to know peaceand kindness. Perhaps the lack of itis what makes them so adversarialin the first place.

I know it’s hard to be so righteous.Time is precious, and people rarelygive second chances. But slow downand look into the light this Christ-mas. It will be everywhere for all ofus to see, with lots of colors and lotsof choices.

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MOZART HALL: Latrobe’s Oldest LiveEntertainment House Is Reborn

Many people in our area today may not know thename George Seiler, but most are familiar with whatbecame the culmination of his work, at least thosein the Latrobe area. In 1890, Seiler built the MozartHall on what is now Main Street. Fashioned afterthe famous Opera Housein Europe bearing thename of one of the mostfamous composers of alltime, the Mozart Hall fea-tured operettas, singingand dancing for the resi-dents of turn-of-the-cen-tury WestmorelandCounty. Today, 115 yearslater, the Mozart not onlyremains standing, it isready for performances.

The building where theHall is located, 338 - 340Main Street, Latrobe, wasrecently purchased by NewAlexandria native JeremyOlson. It underwent somedeep cleaning in prepara-tion for its grand-reopen-ing on November 12, whenit will hosted area teensand live bands.

Mr. Olson has opted tokeep the name of the build-ing, with the addition of his own- Olson’s MozartHall. He has also moved Eastern Alliance Taekwon-Do, llc to the building and operates it from the firstfloor location. Roy Burk will continue to operatethe well-known Mozart Restaurant on the adjoin-ing first floor area of the building.

Along with cleaning and preparing, Olson has beenbusy researching the history of the building andspeaking to area and state agencies about the spot.He has found that the Latrobe Historical Societyhas determined the Hall to be historically signifi-cant and that the State Historic Preservation Officehas determined the Mozart as eligible for listing withthe National Park Service’s National Register of His-toric Places. Certainly, the building has an inter-esting history and place in our community and inour hearts.

George Seiler used his personal fortune from prof-its in the bologna business to fashion a buildingnamed after his favorite composer and musicianand followed the design of the original Hall in Eu-rope in expressing his reverence for WolfgangAmadeus Mozart. The cast iron façade, which re-mains today, features two Turkish “Onion Domes”

and an Egyptian Column (most of which remains).Stained glass windows, later sold in the 1960’s,adorned the front of the building as well. Posses-sion after Seiler appears to have gone to the LatrobeClub, a social setting for men in the community. In

fact, while cleaning thebuilding, Olson found amembership roster fromthe Latrobe Club from1932, including a notethat 34 members were inarrears and asking thatthey maintain paymentsto keep the Club func-tional. It is not clear ifthese members have madetheir payments over thelast 73 years. Olson re-ports that he will gladlyaccept all payments fromthese members – withoutinterest!

After the Latrobe Club, theF&A Masons used thebuilding in the 40’s to holdmembership meetings.The location was also em-ployed for military drillsfrom Company M, recruit-ing servicemen and pre-paring to enter the Euro-pean Theater. It seems

that the Hall was then used variably for public en-tertainment, showing of poultry, recreation andcommerce under uncertain ownership until fallinginto the hands of the Lamprolis family. It was dur-ing this ownership that the stained glass was re-moved and sold to a company in Maryland. In theearly 1980’s, Bob and LorettaSlates bought the buildingand opened the Mozart Res-taurant, which Roy Burk op-erates today.

Even with unclear ownershipties, the building has alwaysattracted the attention of theyoungsters in the community.During his preliminary re-search, Olson has found a let-ter to the Editor of the LatrobeBulletin from Latrobe HighSchool Senior Ms. BobbieUhring. Despite the uncleardate of this letter, it is severalyears old. In the letter, Ms.Uhring expresses concern forthe possible demise of the

Showalter Theater and the Mozart Hall and calls forcommunity attention to these icons of the past. Whilepreparing this article, a Journalism student from theLatrobe School District, Maggie Lawrence, and herfriend approached Olson for information on the build-ing for a current report. This interest can only per-petuate the uniqueness of the Mozart.

Current events at the location include live bandsfor youngsters, cabarets and plays (in associa-tion with Wolfgang Amadeus Productions andother area players), dances and parties for thecommunity. The Mozart Restaurant will continueto serve Latrobe the best homemade food in thearea and Eastern Alliance Taekwon-Do will pro-vide self-defense and character building trainingfor a well-fed population. Several events hostedby Olson at the Hall throughout the year will ben-efit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundationthrough Dalton’s Teamsters, named after NewAlexandria resident Dalton Merichko who wasdiagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of four.Dalton, his brother- Tyler, and mother- Dr. Jen-nifer Olson-Merichko, are students at Eastern Al-liance and continue to work toward their BlackBelts under the instruction by uncle and twinbrother- Master Jeremy Olson.

The Laurel Mountain Post will also be occupyingsome space at the Mozart Hall and will be report-ing all the good news about the area from therein the very near future.

So, feel free to stop by and say “Hi” or tour thebuilding. You may also reach information aboutevents at the Mozart Hall by pointing towww.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe, calling Jer-emy Olson at (724) 532-2358 or by seeing us atour website, www.laurelmountainpost.com.

Page 5: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 5

ROUTE 30W, LATROBE • 724-539-9233kitchenbathgalleria.com

EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY,PRICE AND DESIGN

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The First Annual GingerbreadHouse Contest & Silent Auction

Proceeds of the auction will benefit theWestmoreland County Food Bank

Please join us in our new holiday tradition ben-efiting a local charity. This year we have cho-sen the Westmoreland County Food Bank.Our local friends and neighbors will appreciateyour support.

Categories:Children, Adult, and Professional

Place:Ramada Inn Historic Ligonier,

West Loyalhanna Street

Time:December 1st 9:00~Noon— Drop off entries

Entry Fee: $15.00 child or adult and $20.00 professional

Silent Auction Pickup:December 12th 9:00am ~ Noon

The houses will be on display and open tothe public from: 9:00 am December 2nd

through 5:00pm December 11th.

In each category there will be a First, Secondand Third place winner as well as the Best inShow entry. The judging for prizes will be inthe afternoon on December 1st. Contest win-ners will be announced over the PA systemon the Diamond before 5:00 during the Townwide Open House on December 2nd. The prizesare Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce GiftCertificates! 1st $ 50.00; 2nd $ 30.00; 3rd $20.00; Best in show $100.00

There will be a silent auction for each housefrom December 2nd through December 11th

ending at 4:00pm. Don’t forget to stop by fre-quently to see if you’ve been outbid!

Olson’s Mozart Hall338-340 Main StreetLatrobe, Pennsylvania

NOVEMBER 12 : Latrobe LineupFailure to Fall, Fallbrooke, Under Black Skies,

Penance and Still I Fall). $5 adv, $7 door. Info 724-532-2358or www.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe

NOVEMBER 26: Thanksgiving Break InvitationalMartial ArtsTournament. 724-532-2358

DECEMBER 3: Latrobe Lineup. Bands to be Announced.$5 adv, $7 door .Info (724) 532-2358

or www.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe

DECEMBER 10: Wolfgang Amadeus Productions PresentsCABARET with dinner. $20 adv, $25 door. Info (724) 532-2358

or www.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe

Lo, How A RoseE’re Blooming

The Christmas Rose is native to the mountains of CentralEurope and blooms in the depth of winter. Legends tell ofa young shepherdess named Madelon who had nothingto offer the Christ Child, not even a flower. When an angelsaw her weeping, she brushed the snow away to reveal awhite flower tipped with pink the Christmas Rose.

A Rose has sprung from a tender root,From Jesus, as those of old have sung,And it bore a flower,In the middle of a cold winter,

When half spent was the night.Isaiah foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;Is Mary the pure, the little flower has brought us.From God’s eternal wisdom, she bore a child,And remained pure.

The Flower, so small, whose sweet fragrance fills the air,Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;True man and truer God, helps us out of all sorrows,Saves from sin and death.

Oh Jesus, until we leave this misery,Let your help guide us into joy,In Your Father’s Kingdom, where we eternally praise You.Oh God, allow us this.

Translated from the early 15th century German poem“Es ist ein Ros’ Entsprungen.” Author unknown.

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DERRY REMEMBRANCESRuth Richardson

The Christmas trees have been sparkling since pre-Halloween. By the time the 25th finally arrives I amon Santa overload. When did the stores start deco-rating for Christmas in October? What happenedto actually celebrating Thanksgiving? I rememberwhen Thanksgiving was the time to say goodbye tothe lingering warm days of autumn and to bundleeverything up for a snuggly winter. Only afterThanksgiving was over, did we start thinking aboutChristmas. I guess those days are gone. The mall iscompletely decorated and playing Christmas car-ols by Trick or Treat night.

I miss the symbolism of late fall. I used to think ofit as Mother Earth going to sleep for another year. Ihave always loved fall’s shorter days and crispnights, the changing leaves, the season’s first firein the fireplace and the quiet time to reflect on ourblessings. The observance of Thanksgiving used tobe a wonderful and significant time of the year. Nowit is glossed over and pushed aside. We go directlyfrom Halloween to ‘Sparkle Season’. Which bringsup another point, when did Christmas become‘Sparkle Season’?

My family had November rituals. My dad’s ritualbegan with sighting in his deer rifle. After that, hewould unfasten the big pin of his hunting licenseand remove it from the back of his gold ‘small game’jacket. He would then refasten it to his heavy redand black plaid Woolrich coat in preparation forthe first day of buck season. November also meantthe mailman would be delivering my mom’s Christ-mas Club check. She had been contributing to thisritual every week since the previous Christmas. Aftershe cashed her check, she would get a secretivesmile on her face and make mysterious shoppingtrips, always coming home, seemingly, emptyhanded. And my ritual was to wait impatiently, mynose pressed against the dining room window, forthe first snow flakes to magically appear in the skyand dance toward the frosty earth in my little yard.The first snow of the season was what I had longedfor since the last of the leaves had been raked intoa huge pile behind the garage, thoroughly jumpedin, scattered about, and re-raked. Daddy would waituntil my brother and I got bored playing in theleaves, then he would let us help burn them in thelate autumn dusk. I would watch the final thin wispof smoke curl toward the purple evening sky, it’scolor broken by the dot of a tiny star. With my eyesclosed and my fingers crossed I would make a wishupon that star for winter’s first snowfall to blanketWest Derry.

Those early-winter wet snows made the best

Vintage Holidays, 1952

“A Very ‘Hoppy’ Christmas”Ruthie and her brother, Keith.

snowmen. Our yard became a series of green stripeswhere we had rolled the snow away. And that firstsnowman always seemed to look a little tatteredsince we had managed to roll all the remaining un-raked leaves into his body.

The week after Thanksgiving, after the turkey hadbeen made into every conceivable leftover dish mymom could think of, was when we started to planfor Christmas. I can still see Daddy climbing the

stepladder in the garage and pulling the big boxesdown - the boxes that would transform our littlehouse on West Fourth Avenue into a Christmaswonderland. Every year when we took the lids offthe boxes of tree ornaments and unpacked thestrings of multi-colored lights, I felt like I was see-ing old friends. I recall the smell, a musty mixtureof damp cardboard and year old pine, and I wouldsmile that the faint aroma could invoke such vividrecollections - memories of other Christmases, offamily, and gifts, and ribbon candy at my Grandma’shouse. I still treasure the memories of singingChristmas Carols in church and the Sunday SchoolChristmas pageant where we each would learn alittle speech and recite it in front of everyone whilewearing our brand new Christmas finest. I remem-ber exchanging names at school, and the day thebig battered cardboard box would arrive from ourrelatives in Florida, covered with tape and stampsand filled with Christmas presents.

My brother and I would agonize at the kitchen tableover our letters to Santa, and Daddy would duti-fully take them to work with him and promise todrop them in the mail. The Saturday before Christ-mas was the day we went for treats. My Grandfa-ther, Casey Stewart, belonged to all the clubs inDerry and they each gave out wonderful treat bagsevery Christmas. We would start at the AmericanLegion and make our way around town. Next wewere off to the Vets, the Eagles and the Ukes. Thetreat bags were filled with popcorn balls, fruit, candyand little toys. I remember sometimes the ItalianClub would have chairs and a projector set up andwe would watch a Christmas movie. The KingstonClub was usually our last stop, and by that time,we had quite a haul of goodies. Santa was also atevery club. Luckily Mom had told us that none ofthem was the ‘real’ Santa Clause, they were justhis helpers. That little tidbit of information was veryimportant to me since most of these Santas had apitcher of beer under their chairs, with it’s linger-ing odor very apparent under their obviously fakebeards.

One Christmas morning Santa had brought mybrother the entire Hopalong Cassidy outfit. It wasthe only time I can ever remember having a tearfulfit of jealousy. Why would Santa give that outfit toKeith when he knew I was the bigger fan of Hoppy.My Grandpap Stewart felt so bad, he went to Reed’sDepartment store in Latrobe the day after Christ-mas and got me the girls’ version of Hoppy’s getup.It was my favorite outfit for the entire next year.

Every day of the Christmas holiday season wasbooked for our family. We participated in an alien(by today’s standards) custom - we went VISITING.Not only did we visit our relatives, but our parent’sfriends and their kids would come to our houseand we would go to theirs. No one I knew ever hada baby-sitter. If our parents went out, we went along.Sometimes we would have afternoon company thatstayed for supper, always served promptly at 5:00.The rest of the year, supper was on the table at4:00, right after Daddy came home from work atWestinghouse. None of us had other plans - ever.We all ate together, every night, no excuses.

During the holidays, we would all bundle up andgo visiting. No one made appointments, we justdropped in. If nobody was home at the first house,we would go to another. There were lots of timeswhen we would visit several different families thesame day. It was wonderful seeing other kid’s Christ-mas loot and playing with their new toys. I wouldoccasionally fall asleep on a friend’s couch if our

Page 7: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

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Owned and Operated byWILLIAM H. FOWLER, JR.

(724) 539-1861 (724) 539-7520

Happy Holidays from. . . .

visits lasted past my bedtime. I can rememberwaking up in my Daddy’s arms as he carried methrough the snow and into our house late at night.In all of my life, I can’t ever remember feeling anysafer. We also loved having friends come over tovisit and play at our house. When we were home,the doorbell could ring at any time and we wouldsuddenly have a house full of company. Our par-ents would sit at the kitchen table sharing freshbaked cookies or a glass of home made wine.Sometimes they would play cards. We were al-lowed to offer our friends a bottle of Keck’s popfrom the case of mixed flavors Daddy had broughthome for the holiday. It was the only time of yearthere was soda in the house.

It was a wonderful time, and I miss it.

Today, it seems like we are obsessed with our‘schedules’. Why does the house have to be“Martha Stewart” perfection, complete with gour-met hors-d’oeuvres before we invite friends over?I don’t think my friends are concerned with mydusting skills, so why do I obsess about it? Whydo we feel we have to have an appointment to visiteven those closest to us? This year, I have a mes-sage for my friends, Stop over! I promise to sharea cookie, a glass of wine, and a holiday hug. I can

also promise a rather messy but happy house withnot much perfection to be found. However, youare not allowed to come empty handed. You mustbring me your favorite memories of Christmas. Wecan travel back in time together and share a giggle,or maybe even a tear or two for those we loved sodearly and miss so much.

The one thing I have learned from my friends sinceI started writing these stories, is that we all sharesome of the same sweet and familiar experiencesand I love not only telling mine, but hearing yoursas well. Let’s promise to take a page from the ‘Won-derful Story Book’ that was our childhood, andcherish the little things in life. Let’s celebrate ourfamilies and friends, and the love they share withus. Let’s remember that this is what the spirit ofChristmas really represents. Each year, as theseasons seem to rush by faster and faster, I real-ize that those little things really are the most im-portant ones of all.

Ruth (Parrish) Richardson has been a Derry resident herentire life and is a graduate of Derry Area High School.

Passionate about maintaining the values and traditions ofsmall town America, she has been an active voice in Derry,

including Derry Board of Recreation (DAPP), and the PALprogram within Derry school system.Write to Ruth at

[email protected].

A Long Winter’s Nap . . .Publication of the Laurel Mountain Post will resume in March 2006. We are switch-ing to a bi-monthly format, and will be taking the winter off while we move intoour new office located in the historic Mozart Hall building on Main Street on down-town Latrobe. The deadline for the spring March/April issue will be February 15.

Our best wishes to you for a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Page 8: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

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TAKE IT ON FAITHPastor Ron Durika

What feelings do you experience during the holi-day season? For many it is a special time of ex-citement and anticipation. The weather turnscrisp, snowflakes fill the air, children dream ofspecial gifts, and decorations are to be foundeverywhere. Special plans are made for familiesand friends to meet. Schools havepageants, retailers have sales, andbusinesses throw parties. Vaca-tions are scheduled, presents arepurchased, and it seems that thereis a special feeling in the air.

All of these are part of the tradi-tion in our country that cel-ebrates the birth of our Lord andSavior, or does it? PresidentGrant declared Christmas a fed-eral holiday in 1870. However, inrecent times, we as a nation haveturned the celebration of God’sgift of love that brings life into acelebration of material fulfill-ment. We have allowed the world to dictate thereason for our joy and have moved away fromwhat is really important. With the retailers try-ing to ensure a good return on their invest-ments, they are not about to let up on theirpush to make a profit.

Giving and sharing are the marks of a Chris-tian, but they are to be done out of love and notcompulsion. We all need to step back, take adeep breath, and remember that a holiday is morethan a day off work or school. A holiday is morethan parties and escape from our daily routine.Holidays are a time to remember and to honorcertain people or events. Christmas is a specialholiday at which time we are to take time to cel-ebrate the greatest event in history.

I wanted to tell you the history of Christmas andafter much research I found the most accurateand reliable source possible. It was written by adoctor named Luke and it is said that there wasalso a “ghost ‘ writer that helped him. His storyabout Christmas is recorded in his book calledsimply “Luke” and is in a collection of other bookscalled the “Bible.”

His account of that first Christmas is recordedthis way:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decreethat a census should be taken of the entire Ro-man world. (This was the first census that tookplace while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) Andeveryone went to his own town to register.

I Bring You News of Great JoySo Joseph also went up from the town ofNazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem thetown of David, because he belonged to the houseand line of David. He went there to register withMary, who was pledged to be married to himand was expecting a child. While they were

there, the time came for the babyto be born, and she gave birth toher firstborn, a son. Shewrapped him in cloths andplaced him in a manger, becausethere was no room for them atthe inn.

And there were shepherds livingout in the fields nearby, keepingwatch over their flocks at night. Anangel of the Lord appeared tothem, and the glory of the Lordshone around them, and they wereterrified. But the angel said to them,“Do not be afraid. I bring you goodnews of great joy that will be for all

the people. Today in the town of David a Savior hasbeen born to you: he is Christ the Lord. This willbe a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped incloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly hostappeared with the angel, praising God and say-ing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earthpeace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angel had left them and gone to heaven,the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go toBethlehem and see the thing that has happened,which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph,and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Whenthey had seen him, they spread the word concern-ing what had been told them about this child, andall who heard it were amazed at what the shep-herds said to them. But Mary treasured up allthese things and pondered them in her heart. Theshepherds returned, glorifying and praising Godfor all the things they had heard and seen, whichwere just as they had been told.”

I wish you all a merry Christmas and the joy ofknowing the blessing that comes from our God.This to me is the true meaning of Christmas.

Ron Durika is the pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church inNew Florence (corner of Fifth & Chestnut Streets, 724-235-2940). Join them for worship every Sunday at 10:30am andSunday School at 9:15am. Bible Study meets on the first andthird Monday of each month at 7pm.

The Flower ofthe Holy Night

The poinsettia, or Flame Leaf, was brought to theUnited States over 100 years ago by Dr. Joel Poinsett,the first ambassador to Mexico. The legend of the planttells of a poor Mexican girl who picked weeds alongthe side of the road because she had no gift to offerMary. Upon placing the weeds at the foot of theVirgin Mary’s statue, the plants turned into bril-liant poinsettia blossoms. Other stories continuethe idea by saying that on the night Jesus wasborn, trees suddenly bore fruit and flowers blos-somed out of season.

POINSETTIA TRIVIA

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. TheUnited States has observed this official day sincethe mid-1800s to honor the man and the plant heintroduced. Dr. Poinsett died Dec.12, 1851.

In the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, the Az-tecs used the poinsettia leaves to dye fabric forclothing and the sap for medicinal purposes, in-cluding to help control fevers. They also consideredthe red color a symbol of purity, and so poinsettiaswere traditionally part of religious ceremonies.

The people in Mexico called it the “flower ofthe blessed night” because it resembled the Starof Bethlehem.

Mary’s Laurel Mountain PostOnline Trivia Contest

log on to play:www.LaurelMountainPost.com

Congratulations to our previous winner,Bernadette Bates of Latrobe,

who received a $10 gift certificate from Celtic Culture of Ligonier!

Page 9: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 9

FOCUS ON CHILDREN

Make Treasured MemoriesNicole Vitale Smith, M.S.W.

Joyful, all ye nations rise; Join the triumph of the skies;With angelic host proclaim “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”Hark the herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn king!”

- Charles Wesley

December 25….do we remember the reason we arecelebrating? Do we recall the story of the first Christ-mas at a stable in Bethlehem? Are we thankful forthe most precious gift, Jesus’ birth?......Or, are weinvolved in a frenzied state, spending too muchmoney on too much stuff that we don’t need? Yes,it is wonderful to see a child full of wonder andexcitement as he looks at the decorated tree andopens the presents un-derneath. However, I amencouraging you to re-evaluate your gift givingto your immediate andextended family. Whynot have a holiday thisyear that is less stressfuland excessive. Withyoung children, it is agreat time to start newtraditions with your fam-ily and make memoriesthat you will treasure formany years.

I suppose that not manyof us remember whatpresent we received whenwe were 5 years old, butwe do remember thesights, sounds, smells ofthe season. I vividly re-member when I wasyoung, the large Christ-mas Eve festivities at myBaba’s house and in lateryears, helping my Mombake cookies and decorate our artificial tree andwatching my father cooking the 7 Italian fishes forChristmas Eve. Now, I cherish the annual outingto cut down our tree, see the winter flower and traindisplay at Phipps, driving through the stunning lightdisplay at Hartwood Acres, going to mass on Christ-mas day with my husband and our sons. My sonAustin looks forward to buying gifts for childrenwho are less-fortunate from our giving tree at churchand we participate in a beautiful neighborhood lu-minary display on Christmas Eve. I hope you havespecial memories and customs. If not or if you’dlike to expand on your current activities, considertrying the following ideas. Skip shopping to bakecookies and visit friends or relatives. Donate yourtime or money to a local charity. Create homemadedecorations or cards. Visit the Overly light displayor the train exhibit at the art museum inGreensburg. Read Christmas stories and sing car-ols together. Instead of exchanging names with allyour siblings or cousins, choose one name and all

Prepare for a cold winter atKnit Wits Yarn Boutique!

• Holiday Gift Ideas• Distinctive Yarns• Knitting instruction for all levels

Located on Old. Rt. 30 near the Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg, PAMon 10-6 Tues 10-8 Wed 10-8 Thurs 10-6

Fri 10-6 Sat 10-4 Sun Closed 724-836-6922

*Visit www.knitwitsinc.com for our class schedule

of you see a holiday show together. Have fun!! Childpsychiatrist, Alvin Rosenfeld recommends spend-ing time with your children with no goal in mindother than spending time together. What a greatidea for the Christmas season!! Another promi-nent pediatric psychiatrist, Stanley Greenspannotes, “Children of all ages want to spend more timewith their parents.” What a perfect gift- the gift oftime. After my Dad died this summer, I was talk-ing to Austin and he said that he loved Pappy be-cause “he played the best with me.” How poignantfor a 5 year old. If you would like to read about

family, time, and the holi-days, try the followingbooks: “Redeeming theSeason: Simple Ideas fora memorable and mean-ingful Christmas” by KimWeir and Pam McCuneand “Putting FamilyFirst” by William J.Doherty and BarbaraCarlson.

Cheers to a Christmasthat is less expensive!!May you replace hecticdays with joy, be chari-table instead of material-istic. Be grateful for yourfamily and the time youshare. May you rejoicein the birth ofJesus….Merry Christ-mas to you and yours,and may we all have apeaceful, healthy andhappy 2006.

To end, a few quotes foryou to ponder: “When

you give of yourself, you receive more than yougive.”- Antoine de Saint-Exupery; “The only gift isa portion of thyself.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson; “It ismore blessed to give than receive.”- Acts 20:35;“Today in the city of David a savior has been bornfor you.”- Luke 2:11; “A man is rich according towhat he is, not according to what he has.”- HenryWard Beecher

Nicole is a 1988 Derry Area High Schoolgraduate. She attended the University ofPittsburgh and graduated in 1992 with

a BA in Social Work. She received herMS degree in 1997 from Temple

University. She has worked in thefollowing areas: Early Intervention

(developmental disabilities), AdolescentMental Health, Hospice, and Youth Work

(England). Currently, Nicole is taking abreak from her career as a Licensed

Social Worker to be a full-time mom toher two boys, ages 5 and 2 years old.

Eastern Alliance Taekwon-Do,teaching martial arts and character

development to the Latrobe area since 2003,has recently completed the move to its new

location, the Historic Mozart Hall338 Main Street, Latrobe.

In celebration of this move, Eastern Alliancehas rolled back tuition to the rates when it

launched in Latrobe:$50 per month.

It’s a great time to stop in and try our classes.Find out what we mean by . . .

“Live. Train. Become Yourself.In the World!”

Page 10: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

• Sift your flour if you’re not using a Cuisinart• Shape & chill the dough for at least 30 min

before rolling• Don’t roll it out too thick or unevenly• Bake pies on a pizza stone to make sure the

bottom is cooked… this will also decrease theamount of cooking time

• Take the pumpkin pie out as soon as it setsin the oven (no liquid jiggle in the center), thereis always carry over cooking that will finish itas it cools and guarantees you won’t have ahuge crevice through the center of your pie.

Yes, I did say Cuisinart (there truly is a performancedifference between brands) but you can use anyfood processor to make pie dough if you don’t likegetting your hands dirty. In fact the blade cuttingthrough the gluten in the flour will produce a bet-

ter result than overworking the pastry by hand. Themost important thing to remember when using amachine is to process the salt, flour & butter first,just until it’s combined, and stop the machine afteradding the water as soon as a ball forms.If you’ve tried everything and still seem to alwayswind up with a tough pastry crust, try using theunbleached stone ground flour from St. VincentGristmill for your pastry. Because of its short glu-ten nature from the process of stone grinding and

THE LIGONIER CHEFScott Sinemus

Pie With Panache

10 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

I don’t think there are too many things that make ahome smell better than baking bread or pies. Es-pecially when it’s during the first snowfall of theseason… and boy did it come early this year! Thankheaven I always have some of the Saint VincentGristmill flour on hand so I didn’t have to dodgethe broken limbs (which seemed to be everywhere)and slippery patches while it was snowing to goand get it.

I decided to make Pennsylvania Dutch Ham Pot pieto have with the bread since I had some lovely spe-cially smoked ham hocks to make the broth with.There are very few “one pot” meals that make moreof a mess of your kitchen than potpie; but none areas nice a reward when you’re finished than that one.

After I finished the mis en place for the potpie andhad the last batch of bread in the oven, I began towonder what else I could bake since I opted for thepotpie instead of making the roast beef initially re-quested for dinner. So I took Chukker out for awalk in what seemed to be the never-ending snowto think about what would make a good dessert.Trying to be clever I thought a pie should followpotpie, but what kind? As luck would have it, Ifound a can of pumpkin in the pantry, pumpkinpie it shall be. Anyone who’s ever baked a pie us-ing Libby’s canned pumpkin knows the best partis…you get two pies! My friends can’t believe I’madvocating the use of a canned product; but Libby’sis absolutely consistent with its pumpkin, so thereis never a watery surprise or pie that hasn’t set toend an otherwise stellar holiday meal.

And to prove this fact, the recipe for this issue canbe found on the back of the label wrapped aroundyour can of Libby’s. I can’t think of anyone that’smanaged to ever mess it up. Even the overcookingthat almost everyone gives his or her pumpkin piedoesn’t seem to affect it too much. Instead thismonth I’m including some tips & hints that aren’ton the inside of the label that should make your piestand out as one of your best.

Virtually every time I make a pie for dessert, some-one at the table makes the comment, “your pie crustis just the best.” I swear I don’t do anything specialreally; I merely follow a specific method. The mostimportant step in the method being: Don’t over-work your pastry! Here are a few tips that shouldhelp you the next time you try it:

• Have the butter as cold as possible and cutinto ¼ to ½ inch pieces

• Be sure to use ice water• Use a hand held ‘pastry blender’ (the bakers

version of brass knuckles)

wheat used, it will be tougher (pun intended) tooverwork, it’s also the reason you need to add breadflour with the stone ground to make a loaf that ac-tually gets some leavening when making bread.

When my grandmothers made pies there was onespecial treat we looked forward to almost more thanthe pie: the pinwheel cookies made with the trimmedoff pieces. I’ve even made piecrust pastry with thesole intention of making those cookies. For a holi-day or special occasion pie consider using the trim-mings to cut out embellishments for the top of thepie. By simply re-rolling and cutting with any as-pic or cookie cutters in your collection then bakingseparately on parchment paper, all of your guestswill be astonished at your attention to detail; not tomention, “eye appeal is half your meal”.

If however you’re just way too inundated with thingsto do, you could always just have a piece of piewhile you’re out doing your Christmas shoppingand call it a day. There still seems to be a largecontingent of people that go to Ruthie’s Diner justfor the pie… after as many years as I can rememberfolks doing that, there’s got to be something to it. Ialso had an amazing piece of Pecan Pie from Ivy’scafé last week that was superlative.

Since there aren’t any roses to stop & smell thistime of year, the wafting aroma of pies & comfortfood seem to be a rather lovely substitution to holdus all over until old man winter is through visitingand the roses are blooming again.

Scott Sinemus is a Chef with a degree in Culinary Arts from thePennsylvania Institute for Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh. He’s

continued his education with classes from the Culinary Institute ofAmerica at Greystone and The Greenbrier; and has travelled

internationally in search of authentic cuisine. To schedule a privatecooking class, visit www.The LigonierChef.com.

The Ligonier Chef’sBest Winter Comfort Zones

St. Vincent GristmillGeneral Store & CoffeehouseGristmill General Store,300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650724.537.0304Store hours are:9:00am – 4:00pm Monday through Saturday12:30pm – 4:00pm SundaysThe coffee shop hours are:Everyday 8:00am – 10:00pmhttp://benedictine.stvincent.edu/gristmill

If you haven’t been by, or you have been by buthaven’t stopped in the Gristmill since it’s facelift,you should make the time to do so. The coffee shop

Page 11: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

Built Too Last was founded in 1995 by LeighKavinsky and David Burger. It started outwith the idea that selling macrame hemp jew-elry at rock concerts could actually get usfrom show to show and pay the bills! Notlong after that, we realized that there werepeople out there creating beautiful glass pen-dants that would make our necklaces standout. In the beginning, the glass was verysimple, but customers loved it. As time wenton and we traveled more extensively, we meta lot more people who were designing evennicer, more beautiful and intricate designsin glass. Our business was also expanding,and we began to sell at large music and artsfestivals, as well as online. In 2000 we be-gan to take glass lamp working classes (theprocess by which our beads are made- glassrods and tubes are melted using a torch toform the beads which are then annealed ina kiln) and were soon making beads andpendants of our own.

As our own work has evolved, so has that ofthe other wonderful artists whose designs

we continue to carry. Our line consists ofsome of the most unique and beautiful glassjewelry available, all made in the USA.

All of the jewelry designs in which we featureour glass beads and pendants are also handmade in our studio- these still include hempmacrame but we also incorporate sterling sil-ver wrappings and glass/gemstone beadworkdesigns. While most people have never seenjewelry quite like ours, the response is alwayspositive. Many are surprised that somethingso beautiful could be created entirely frommelted glass.

Please browse our entire collection in ouronline store www.builttoolast.com.

BUILT TOO LASTDavid P. Burger and Leigh Kavinsky

PO BOX 601Hollidaysburg, PA 16648

(814)693-0363Website: www.builttoolast.comemail: [email protected]

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 11

Fabric Art

MelanieKimmel

www.melaniesfabricart.com

Email: [email protected]

724-532-3542

downstairs is a welcome addition with some really greatbeans for making all the café standard coffee drinks. Thestaff is comprised of students with Garrett Derhofer as themanager. There’s a very comfy seating area with books toread, a few gift items and of course the very attractivelybagged flour and free wireless internet! Sadly there isn’t asandwich menu or soups, but there are a few biscotti’s,muffins & assorted nibblies. The space is also availablefor smaller gatherings and they’re working on getting the‘open mike night’ back as soon as possible. The gift shopupstairs has a wider variety of gifts including pottery madeby the monks and already baked bread from the Friend-ship Farms bakery. There is usually artwork by local art-ists on display in the gallery as well as a quick viewingDVD about the gristmill and how it operated since the 1854.On most Friday afternoons the mill is briefly in operation.The volunteer ladies said it’s always best to call and makesure. Even though it’s not the same rustic experience itonce was, it’s wonderful to see life & activity surroundingsuch an important landmark; perhaps even better know-ing that the flour is still the same very delicious, authenticstone-ground wheat.

Ivy’s Café201 East Main StreetLigonier, PA 15658724.995.1050 Hours:Lunch: Monday - Saturday 11:30am – 3:00pmDinner: Monday - Saturday 5:00pm – 8:30pm Sunday: Lunch 11:30am – 3:00pm Dinner 4:00pm – 7:00pmwww.ivyscafe.net

Located in a historic landmark, Ivy’s is a great place tohave lunch when visiting Ligonier. Aside from having in-novative and delicious food, it’s just a really cool experi-ence from start to finish. For instance, the menu is nestled

in the center of a vintage book, lots of things around youare actually for sale from the artwork right down to thesalt & pepper shakers… be sure to check out their newtee shirts! Doug & ReNae Morse are the owners. Doug isalso the Executive Chef, but Brian Rusch is the guy thatmakes the pie. The service is also one of the things thatmake Ivy’s stand out among the rest. The innovationdoesn’t stop in the kitchen either: visit the website andjoin the newsletter; there are dining clubs, coupons, spe-cial events and even a store!

Ruthie’s DinerRoute 30 East, Ligonier, PA724.238.6030

Hours: seven days a week, 6 AM – 10 PM

Ruthie’s is a classic hometown diner. You can’t seem toever go without seeing someone you know. The wait-resses have steel traps for remembering what the regu-lars like and are always cordial even when it’s busy ashell, which is nearly all the time. There’s always a dailyspecial for lunch and dinner, and homemade bread isavailable by request and 25 cents for any of the sand-wiches offered… which is absolutely essential to remem-ber when ordering any of the hot gravy-laden sandwiches.The country-fried steak is made from scratch and one ofthe only versions I’ll order out. Terry makes all of thepies very early in the morning every day. The apple piefilling is made from scratch; the other fruit fillings arecommercial. After the soup & dinner we’re usually toostuffed to have dessert, but always notice a quiet coupleor not so quiet impromptu gathering of friends, sittingnear us that just stopped in for dessert & coffee. Shirleyis also notorious for reminding you that, “all of the des-serts are available to go” and more often than not, we dowind up bringing home an apple dumpling or two, whichare just like Grandma’s.

This Jewelry Is Built Too Last

Page 12: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

THE REC ROOMJim Kasperik

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Jim Kasperik was born in Derry and haslived in the Laurel Highlands most of hislife. He received his Engineering degreefrom Carnegie Mellon University and hisMBA from The Pennsylvania StateUniversity. He has worked at Latrobe-basedKennametal, Inc. for over ten years. Duringhis school years Jim played football,baseball, volleyball and basketball, and stillenjoys playing hoops whenever he can. Hislove for the competition that sports provideshas kept him continually interested in sportsyear round.

As the holidays approach, seemingly faster everyyear, there are many things to look forward to.The family time shared, the good food, seeing oldfriends and simply enjoying all this time of theyear has to offer. But so many holiday memoriesof mine, and I am sure others, also involve sports– not only watching, but playing sports as well.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

All right, I know the above title means a great dealto people in regards to the beautiful and thoroughlyenjoyable holiday season. But to me and othersport fanatics, it means even more! As the holi-day season arrives every year, so does the besttime to be a sports fan. Why you ask? Well theanswer is simple – all sports, all the time. AsThanksgiving gives way to Christmas and then NewYears, sports of all kinds are in full swing. TheNFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA Football and NCAA Bas-ketball are all in season. For a sports fan, this isas good as it gets! There does not seem to be aday that goes by that does not have a “must see”sporting event that needs to be viewed.

How many of us have a family get together onThanksgiving Day where the traditional NFL gamesare not involved? Not many – even if all the gamesare used for is background noise as the large tur-key dinner helps us take that much deserved nap!Throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, traditionalrival games are played in NCAA football and NCAAhoops has preseason tournaments playing. Manysports fanatics go “shopping” on the Friday afterThanksgiving. But in many cases they end up inthe nearest electronics department of a store to“shop” for TVs (I will not admit to doing this!).

As Thanksgiving gives way to Christmas, NCAAfootball bowl season begins. Every night a newgame (or games) is played and a nation of sportsaddicts try to convince others that the game be-tween two unranked opponents is really worthwatching for four hours. To the sports fan, it cer-tainly is, because after all, it is sports! At the sametime, the NFL regular season is winding down withteams vying for playoff spots and positioning. Alsothe NCAA hoops season is well underway with manyprograms already looking towards March Madness.

So as the holidays approach and start, rememberthe sports fanatic in your life. While gifts like

clothes and shoes are nice sometimes, just in-dulging that fanatic in sports watching may be agift enough and it is in many cases a far cheaper gift!

Not Just Spectators … but Athletes?

Often times, sports fanatics come from a back-ground of sports participation. Whether it meansa person was a varsity athlete or playedintramurals, playing competitive sports was partof our daily lives. For people who did this or thepeople that are now close to these people, it iswell understood that the competitive nature ofsports sticks with a person. So what better wayto quench that competitive fire than with a holi-day “two-hand touch” football game?

How many times has sports nut left the housearound the holidays for a nice “non-contact, we’rejust playing for fun” football game with old friends?And, how many times has that same person re-turned home limping, bleeding and generally hurtfrom the non-contact game? Well speaking fromexperience – many! The sports fanatic will ex-plain this off as just part of the “fun” around theholidays. It is simply a holiday tradition – and“you certainly cannot break tradition!”

Traditions

Speaking of traditions, the holiday season andsports go together like America and apple pie. Thatis just the way it is and that is the way it will stay.The traditions of falling asleep on Turkey day tothe sounds of NFL football games have been passedon for generations and will continue to be done inthe future. So as I turn to my wife and onceagain repeat the obvious that “this is the mostwonderful time of the year,” she understandsthat I am a sports fanatic and she certainly un-derstands what I mean!

12 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

The Linen StudioCustom Embroidered Linens and Gifts

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2162 Wood Street . Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650 724.539.1402

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Ligonier Pa 15658

724.238.6655

Drive thru ATM

Full Service Bank

Open Saturdays

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GIVE THE GIFT THAT NO ONE WANTS TO RETURN!Peace and Relaxation

Can Be Yours This Holiday Season!

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KEFFER MASSAGE THERAPIES3576 RT. 30 W, SUITE 6, LATROBE, PA 15650

Let Liberty Electric Light the WayFor A Free Estimate Call

William J. WilsonSpecialized Electrical Consultant

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Looking for a place to cut your ownChristmas Tree this year? Visit this website:

http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/PAxmaswest.php

Page 13: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 13

As an avid jogger, I have enjoyed my new routethrough town during these past few weeks of fall.However, when I recently laced up my Nikes, I no-ticed that the wind had picked up, the temperaturehad dropped, and the sky had grown more omi-nous with numerous dark clouds, heavy with snow.The icy chill had begun to creep into my blood.Winter had definitely arrived in the Valley.

Thank goodness the winter also brings the holidayseason! As I imagined its bright lights, its sweetsmells of baking cookies, and its festive holidaycheer, my entire body began to warm up.

There is so much to do; invitations to be sent, menusto create, and endless hours of shopping to makeeveryone’s wish come true. It was time for the GiftGuru to sprint into action. I charted a new courseand dashed into my first destination, Second Chap-ter Books.

Once again our local writers have been busy creat-ing unique gifts that demonstrate the giver’s goodtaste. Speaking of good taste, the Ligonier Valley Li-brary has put together a collection of appetizer recipesentitled First Editions. This spiral bound volume in-cludes regional favorites including bruschettas, dips,fondues, and kabobs. First Editions is a great gift foranyone who enjoys delicious morsels.

Now let’s talk about my favorite, Dessert! A greatgift for anyone who loves ice cream is Ice CreamJoe, The Valley Dairy Story. This lovely hardbackbegins with the history of America’s love affair withice cream and traces the fascinating story of Jo-seph F. Greubel’s (Ice Cream Joe) contribution tothe American Ice Cream industry. Filled with his-torical facts and interesting photos, Ice Cream Joeis truly an entertaining look at one family’s Ameri-can dream come true.

A must for the world travelers and the bicycle en-thusiasts on your list, the Gift Guru recommendsMustang, Sally’s Guide to World Bicycle Touring.This is Sally Martin’s memoirs as she bicycledaround the world at age 65! Martin, a local fromJones Mills, relates her adventures beginning in thesouthern tier of USA, then continuing through Eu-rope, Asia, New Zealand, and finally to the WestCoast and Alaska. A fascinating read! Perhaps Ishould think about turning in my cross-trainersfor a Schwinn!

Any aviators on your list? A Place in the Sky isthe history of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airportfrom 1919-2001. Filled with personal narratives,news accounts, and rare photographs, this bookcelebrates the aviation pioneers who “flew by theseat of their pants” and made Westmoreland Countyaviation the success it is today. Coupled with a giftcertificate for flying lessons or a helicopter ride, APlace in the Sky is an excellent choice for anyoneinterested in flying!

For those who are more grounded, the Gift Guruhas two suggestions. The first is a collection ofmemoirs of World War II from all local men. They

Say There was a War captures the drama, trag-edy, brutality and macabre humor of warfare astold through personal excerpts.

Depression Kids by Wade Hampton Kinsey, Jr.is his personal recollection of growing up in thisarea before, during, and after the Great Depres-sion. Depression Kids is a very touching ac-count of one family’s season of life.

Kids? Let’s not forget the kids! The Gift Gururecommends Lynn Ferraro’s series of books about

a young protagonist named Joey. Joey Discov-ers Astronomy and Joey’s Day of Discoveryare two titles which tell about Joey’s adventuresonce he is convinced to turn off his computervideo games and wanders out into the real world.Each book comes with free CD with the authorreading the book. Do you know anyone who isconstantly attached to the computer?

Young ones will treasure Lavi The Lion FindsHis Pride by Linda Dickerson. This picture bookis about a lion who travels the world in search ofa new home and finally finds his “pride” in Pitts-burgh. This delightful story with great illustra-tions is sure to be a read over and over.

All these titles plus many more are currentlyavailable at Second Chapter Books, 209 EastMain Street, Ligonier.

Next, I took a short jog down to Amica, a de-lightful home accent and gift shop located at 203East Main Street in Ligonier. Amica is featuringanother local artisan, Jody Zimovan, who cre-ates beautiful hand-painted decoupage furniturerestorations. On display are several of her uniquepieces such as a lovely end table and a fabulousfloor lamp shade. Her fascinating art is charm-ing to behold.

For that person on your list with exquisite tastes,Amica carries a full line of handmade Mokshasilk coats. These versatile woven jackets can bedressed up or worn with jeans. Combined with acarpet bag designed Isabella’s Journey, this gift issure to please even the most fastidious individuals.

With so many people into nature, Amica’s new per-fume line called Zents would be perfect. Zents fea-tures all natural fragrances, cologne, body washes,and lotions. In scents of sun, water, fresh, and ore,all of Zents products can be mixed together and arenever overpowering.

With my mind fixed on finishing my three mile run, Igeared up and headed out. I was making significantprogress when suddenly everything came to a com-plete stop. I was transfixed by a sparkling glow com-ing from the window of Jennifer’s Jewelers and Dia-mond Shoppe at 113 West Main Street. The scintil-lating shimmer lured me into the shop where I spentthe next few hours gazing at its treasures.

As a Master Jeweler, Jennifer Plummer has access tothe exclusive Designer’s Collection. From stunningprincess cut blue diamonds to the elusive canary andblack, the Designer’s Collection showcases the fin-est in unique pieces. Two of my favorites included therainbow ring and the Black diamond/Tsavorite archring. With its multi-colored sapphires and diamonds,all invisibly set, the rainbow ring is a masterpiece inbeauty. The arch ring, created by Damini, an Italiandesigner, showcases a row of black diamonds and arow of green tsavorites separated by a row of perfectwhite diamonds.

Another stunning Damini design which caught myeye was the 18 karat white gold, three dimensionalChocolate diamond neckpiece, which was recentlymodeled by Gwenth Paltrow in Town and Countrymagazine.

Plummer also carries a full line of Hot Diamonds.No, not stolen estate pieces, but a collection of pen-dants, rings, and earrings fashioned with small full-cut diamonds in unique contemporary designs. HotDiamonds was recently awarded the Jeweler of theYear in the United Kingdom and has been featured insuch fashion magazines as Vogue, Elle, and Cosmo-politan. Each Hot Diamonds piece is crafted of ster-ling silver coated with Rhodium to prevent tarnishing.Hot Diamonds is the affordable choice for teens andyoung adults who enjoy the glitz.

With my heart throbbing and my palms sweaty fromjust looking at the stunning gemstones, I had gottenthe same aerobic workout as I would have runningthe three miles. I’m going to explain to my husbandexactly how giving me exquisite diamond jewelry willkeep me happy and healthy!

The Gift Guru hopes that these few suggestions havehelped to reduce the stress of that long shopping list.With the shopping done, it’s time to take the Nikes offand enjoy family and friends. Remember, the holidaysare really about spending time with those who aremost dear. May God bless each and everyone withhealth and happiness! Happy holidays to all!

J.B. Rossi wishes to thank all the family and friends who havegenerously supported all of her recent endeavors. Special thanks go

out to her loving husband who has the wisdom of a sage and thepatience of a saint! You are my everything!

The Return of the Gift Guru!by JB Rossi

Page 14: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

HOLIDAY 2005 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Through 10th Anniversary Southwesten Pennsylvania Regional ArtFeb 19 Exhibit

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Ligonier, PA;724-238-6018 www.spcarts.org

Through Compass Inn Candlelight ToursDecember 11 Compass Inn Museum, Laughlintown, PA; 724-238-4983(weekends) www.compassinn.com

Through Parade of TreesJanuary 3 Four Points by Sheraton, Greensburg, PA; 724-836-6060

www.greensburgpa4points.com

Through Overly’s Country ChristmasJanuary 1 Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, Unity Twp., PA;

800-9OVERLY, www.overlys.com

Through Holiday Toy and Train ExhibitionJanuary 29 Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, PA;

724-837-1500 www.wmuseumaa.org

Nov. 25-26 Vintage Film in the Valley showing of The Wizard of Oz730PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

November 25 Light Up Night/Santa’s ArrivalLigonier Valley Chamber of Commerce 724-238-4200www.ligonier.com

November 25 The Famous Moscow Circus presentsRussian American Kids Circus8PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

November 25 Light Up NightNemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA; 724-329-8555www.nemacolin.com

November 25 Rock on the Mountain Concert Series presentsPoco, Pure Prairie League, and FirefallGrey Rocks Amphitheatre, Seven Springs Mountain Resort,Champion; 800-452-2223 x7057www.7springs.com

November 26 Westmoreland Cultural Trustpresents Bill Cosby4PM and 8PM Palace Theatre,Greensburg; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

November 26 The Best of Broadway Christmas Show:Rejoice!Arcadia Theater, Windber, PA;814-467-9070www.arcadiatheater.net

November 26 Thanksgiving Break Invitational Martial Arts TournamentEastern Alliance Tae-Kwon Do, Main Street, Latrobe, PA;724-532-2358www.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe

Nov 26-27 Breakfast with Santa9AM, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA;800-422-2736www.nemacolin.com

November 27 Vintage Film in the Valley showing of The Wizard of Oz230PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

November 27 Live Onstage! with Neon Swing X-Perience7PM-9PM, Ligonier Theater, Ligonier, PA;724-238-6514, ext.2 www.ligoniertheater.com

14 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

November 30 Latshaw Productions presents Patti Page Christmas2PM, 8PM; Palace Theatre, Greensburg; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

Dec 1- 30 Christmas at Mountain View InnMountain View Inn, Greensburg, PA; 724-834-5300www.mountainviewinn.com

December 2 River City Brass Bands Coronets for ChristmasPalace Theatre, Greensburg ; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

December 3 Christmas TeaTime at the Bed & Breakfast of Greensburg11AM-7PM, Greensburg, PA; 724-309-1726www.bbgreensburg.com

Dec 2-11 Gingerbread House Contest and Silent AuctionLigonier Valley Chamber of Commerce 724-238-4200

Dec 2-4 Christmas in the MountainsThe Old General Store, Rte. 31 East, Donegal; 1-877-593-7112www.oldgeneralsore.com

December 3 Olson’s Mozart Hall presents Latrobe Lineup (Bands TBA)Mozart Hall, Latrobe, PA; 724-532-2358, $5 adv, $7 door www.geocities.com/mozarthalllatrobe

December 3 Latshaw Productions presents Poverty Neck HillbilliesChristmas ShowPalace Theatre, Greensburg ; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

Dec 3-11 Festival of LightsLigonier Valley Chamber of Commerce 724-238-4200

December 3 Latrobe Lineup - Olson’s Mozart Hall$5 advance, $7 at the door; Latrobe, PA; 724-532-2358

December 3 Ligonier Theatre presents A Ligonier Christmas8PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

Dec 3-4 Decked out December-Model Trains and ToysWest Overton Museums, Scottdale, PA; 724-887-7910www.westovertonmuseum.com

December 4 Ligonier Theatre presents A Ligonier Christmas2PM and 4PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

December 6 Derry Area Middle School Choral Concert7PM, Middle School Auditorium

December 6 Ligonier Valley Middle School Holiday Concert7PM, Ligonier Valley Middle School

December 7 Ligonier Valley High School Senior Citizen Luncheon12PM, Ligonier Valley High School

December 8 Ligonier Valley Jr/Sr High School Choral Concert7PM, Ligonier Valley High School

December 10 Wolfgang Amadeus Productions presentsCabaret with DinnerOlson’s Mozart Hall, Latrobe, PA; 724-532-2358,$20 adv, $25 door

December 10 Derry Area High School Band Concert7PM, Middle School Auditorium

Dec 10-11 The NutcrackerPalace Theatre, Greensburg; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

Dec 10-11 Decked Out December-Model Trains and ToysWest Overton Museums, Scottdale, PA; 724-887-7910www.westovertonmuseum.com

Page 15: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

To add your community event to this calendar, please call 724-331-3936or visit our website www.LaurelMountainPost.com

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 15

December 13 Derry Area Middle School Band Concert7PM, Middle School Auditorium

December 14 Latshaw Productions presentsBig Band Christmas Spectacular2PM, 8PM Palace Theatre, Greensburg ; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

December 14 Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra presentsHome for the HolidaysPalace Theatre, Greensburg ; 724-836-8000www.thepalacetheatre.com

December 15 Derry Area 5th Grade Choral Concert7PM, Grandview Cafeteria

December 17 Ligonier Theatre presents The Gift of the Magi230PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

December 17 Decked Out December-Model Trains and ToysWest Overton Museums, Scottdale, PA; 724-887-7910www.westovertonmuseum.com

December 17 Seven Springs Mountain Resort presentsHolidays with The VoguesExhibit Hall, Seven Springs Mountain Resort,Champion; 800-452-2223 x7057www.7springs.com

December 17 A Christmas CarolArcadia Theater, Windber, PA; 814-467-9070www.arcadiatheater.net

December 18 Derry Area High School Choral Concert3PM, Middle School Auditorium

December 19 Ligonier Valley High School Winter Choraland Band Concert7PM, Ligonier Valley High School

December 19 Ligonier Valley High School Band Concert7PM, Ligonier Valley High School

December 20 Derry Area 7th and 8th Grade and Marvels Choral Concert3PM, Middle School Auditorium

December 20 Derry Area Kindergarten and 1st GradeChristmas Program9AM, Grandview School

December 21 New Derry School Christmas Program930AM, 2PM, New Derry Sczhool

December 22 Loyalhanna School Christmas Program930AM, 2PM, Loyalhanna Sczhool

January 28 Gentlemen Prefer BlondesState Theatre Center for the Arts, Uniontown, PA;724-439-1360www.statethetre.info

January 28 Arts ONSTAGE Entertainment presentsThe Golden Dragon AcrobatsIndiana University of Pennsylvania, Fisher Auditorium,Indiana, PA; 724-357-7553 www.onstageatiup.com

February 2 Arts ONSTAGE Entertainment presents Oklahoma!Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Fisher Auditorium,Indiana, PA; 724-357-7553 www.onstageatiup.com

Feb 3-4 Ligonier Theatre presents Perfect Wedding8PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

Feb10-11 Ligonier Theatre presents Perfect Wedding8PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

February 12 Ligonier Theatre presents Perfect Wedding230PM, Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA; 724-238-6514,www.ligoniertheater.com

Feb 24-26 Seton Hill University Theatre presentsAntony and CleopatraFri. 1030AM and 8PM, Sat. 8PM, Sun. 2PM; 724-838-4241www.setonhill.edu

February 26 MameState Theatre Center for the Arts, Uniontown, PA;724-439-1360; www.statethetre.info

Page 16: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

2810 Washington RoadRt. 19 South

McMurray, PA 15317Phone - 724.960.1600

w w w.colonialgal ler yfurniture.com

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PENNSYLVANIA HOMES.Call for your Professional Design Consultation

with reknowned Interior Designer, Wayne Patterson.

Open 7 Days a Week

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201 East Main StreetLigonier, PA 15658

We have seen many types of restaurant promotions to grab our attention.However, Doug and ReNae Morse owners of Ivy’s Café in Ligonier, Pa, simplytake the cake. Doug and ReNae’s latest promotion is targeting all residents inLigonier, Latrobe, Greensburg, North Huntingdon, Johnstown and surround-ing areas. Their goal is to give every household in these towns One FreeMeal. What’s even more amazing is that they haven’t put any restrictions onwho can get one, only that you must live in one of these areas. They havelimited it to one free meal per household. Groups of course are excluded.

According to the Morse’s, “If our local area, family owned businesses aregoing to compete against the deep pockets of the chain restaurants, we can’tpull any punches. We believe the little guy will always have an advan-tage when it comes to quality and service”. Ivy’s Cafe restaurant is andelegant, upscale, casual dining experience, with antiques, local artwork and2 fireplaces on two levels of dining, which give the restaurant a romantic andhomey feeling. Ivy’s Café is a wonderful lunch and dinner restaurant greatfor celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and any type of get together forfamily and friends. The menu features deliciously prepared items such aschicken cranberry crepes, grilled delmonico steaks with pineapple caramel-ized onions and roasted red peppers, jumbo lump crab cakes, won ton chickenand coastal catch seafood features. And the ½ Roasted Duck with dark cherrypeppercorn sauce is the best. All entrees are served with a house salad, freshbaked rolls and seasoned butters. Sorbet is also served as an intermezzo. Allappetizers and desserts are prepared fresh daily and everything is made fromscratch. Ivy’s greatly looks forward to showing EVERYONE in the area whyDoug and ReNae and their wonderful staff are so proud of Ivy’s and whatthey offer. If you live in one of these towns and would like to receive a freeentrée coupon to Ivy’s Café simply call their 24 hour recorded message centerat 724-238-4682 and leave your name, address and phone number. (Phonenumber is a must in case they can’t understand your address on the ma-chine.) Also, if you leave your email address they will include you in theirmany in-house offers. Such as free birthday entrees and the VIP treatmenton your anniversary. No strings attached. Simply free up to an $18.00 value!And along with your free entrée if you bring 3 or more friends to enjoy dinnerwith you Ivy’s will give everyone at your table a free crème’ brulee dessert.Ivy’s is located at 201 East Main Street in Ligonier one block from the dia-mond. You may find directions and much more information on their websiteat www.ivyscafe.net Free entrée coupons are only available through the 24hr.message center at 724-238-4682. Call now before this special offers ends!This offer is only valid for new customers.

P.S.- As a special BONUS the first 20 callers will be entered into ourdrawing to win an additional $50.00 in gift certificates.

Westmoreland CountyRestaurant InfuriatesChain Restaurants byGiving Away Hundreds

of Free Meals!

Doug & RDoug & RDoug & RDoug & RDoug & ReNeNeNeNeNaE MoraE MoraE MoraE MoraE Morse, Ownerse, Ownerse, Ownerse, Ownerse, Ownersssss

www.ivyscafe.net [email protected]

16 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

FFFFFine Dining in a Rine Dining in a Rine Dining in a Rine Dining in a Rine Dining in a Romantic Aomantic Aomantic Aomantic Aomantic Atmosphertmosphertmosphertmosphertmosphereeeee

Page 17: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 17

Celebrate the Holidays!

Entertaining?Let us do the cooking for you!!We can prepare your holiday ham, tur-key, or entree and have it ready for youto pick up and serve. We also have a va-riety of fresh baked holiday pies, cakesand cookies, cheese logs, vegetable trays,fresh fruit platters and more!

33 East 1st Avenue • 724-694-2788

HOW TO EATJim Brewer, RD, LDN, CNSD, CNIS

How Can I Prevent Weight GainOver the Holidays?

I’ve heard over the years that the average persongains 5 – 7 pounds over the holiday season. I’mtalking about that six-week period dreaded by alldieters that lies between Thanksgiving and NewYears. To be truthful, the research shows that thisis probably an overestimate and actually we onlygain about a pound. Which may make you think“only a pound, I can handle that”, but be warned,that pound is the most difficult pound of weight tolose. So don’t think binging zealously this seasonwill go without consequences. Remember you prob-ably overdid it last year and the year before and allthose individual pounds are just adding up yearafter year after year.

Don’t panic yet, there are some things you can doto make this holiday season a pleasant one withoutthat dreaded “pound”. First, keep doing those goodthings you were doing before thanksgiving. I knowyou have parties to attend, and people to see, but ifyou were exercising before don’t give up. And if youweren’t, start. Plan a 30-minute period each day todo your brisk walk and avoid doing all you’re shop-ping online. Get out and move. Enjoy the wintertime, get out and enjoy some winter sport, if youknow how, go skiing, or sled riding, or just walk-ing in the brisk winter air etc. etc. By far, thebest winter exercise is the one you like to do. Theimportant this is that you do something. And of

course, check with your doctor to ensure youcan exercise safely.

One way to ensure that you are not overeatingthis season is to keep a log. Keep track of whatyou eat so you won’t go over your goals. Self-monitoring has been shown to be an excellentmotivator and help keep the weight off. Whenyou attend the approximately 5 holiday partieswe all attend each year, browse more heavilyaround the fruit and vegetable trays. Save thebest (high calorie favorites) for last. Also, drinkplenty of water; it’s a good way to stay full with-out adding lots of unnecessary calories. And whenthat time comes to enjoy those foods you knoware probably not the best for you, but you abso-lutely must have, or it wouldn’t be a holiday, itwill be much easier to carefully control the por-tions on your plate and not go overboard.

With just a little moderation and a little plan-ning you can prevent the holiday season frombeing detrimental to your weight and your health.Happy Holidays!

Jim is a1983 graduate of Derry Area High School with 10years experience in nutrition. He has a BS in Clinical

Dietetics and Nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh andcurrently practices as a clinical nutritionist. His specialties

include physical nutrition assessment, nutrition support andrenal nutrition.

Hanna Insurance Agency

John Hanna, OwnerPHONE: (724) 537-5140

FAX: (724) 537-0687www.hannainsuranceagency.info

208 Weldon Street, PO Box 306Latrobe, PA 15650

Providing All Of YourInsurance Needs Since 1959

Then, heigh ho, the holly!This life is most jolly!

“Then, heigh ho, the holly!This life is most jolly!”

From a poem in the play As You Like It (Act II,Scene VII) by William Shakespeare

Holly is one of the trees said to be the tree ofChrist’s cross. Legend tells us that the trees ofthe forests refused the defilement of the cross,splintering into tiny fragments at the touch ofthe ax. Only the holly behaved like an ordinarytree, allowing itself to be cut and formed into across. It is as a Passion symbol that holly is foundin pictures of various saints. It’s presence indi-cates that the saint is either reflecting uponChrist’s Passion or foretelling it.

In the Middle Ages, the Christian church forbadethe hanging of mistletoe because of its paganorigins, and suggested holly as a substitute. Thesharp leaves symbolize Christ’s crown of thorns,and the red berries signify drops of his blood.Since the 19th century, wreaths of evergreens,

holly, or pinecones and nuts have been tradi-tional decorations in Northern Europe, the UnitedStates, and Canada.

Holly comes in two formats – one prickly andone smooth. European tradition states that ahousehold with prickly holly at Christmas wouldbe ruled by the husband in the coming year; onewith smooth holly by the wife.

The plant has come to stand for peace and joy,people often settle arguments under a holly tree.Other beliefs included putting a sprig of holly onthe bedpost to bring sweet dreams and makinga tonic from holly to cure a cough. All of thesereferences give light to “decking the halls withboughs of holly.”

Page 18: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

18 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

LIVE ONSTLIVE ONSTLIVE ONSTLIVE ONSTLIVE ONSTAAAAAGE!GE!GE!GE!GE!

NEON SWING XNEON SWING XNEON SWING XNEON SWING XNEON SWING X-PERIENCE!-PERIENCE!-PERIENCE!-PERIENCE!-PERIENCE!November 27 at 7: 00 PM

All Tickets $5.00Reservations are not necessary.

VINTVINTVINTVINTVINTAAAAAGE FILMGE FILMGE FILMGE FILMGE FILMIN THE VIN THE VIN THE VIN THE VIN THE VALLEYALLEYALLEYALLEYALLEYTHE WIZARD OF OZTHE WIZARD OF OZTHE WIZARD OF OZTHE WIZARD OF OZTHE WIZARD OF OZ

November 25 and 26 at 7:00 PMNovember 27 at 2:30 PM

All Tickets $6.00

SPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALHOLIDHOLIDHOLIDHOLIDHOLIDAAAAAY EVENTSY EVENTSY EVENTSY EVENTSY EVENTS

A LIGONIER CHRISTMASA LIGONIER CHRISTMASA LIGONIER CHRISTMASA LIGONIER CHRISTMASA LIGONIER CHRISTMASDecember 3 at 8:00 PM

December 3 and 4 at 2:30 PM$10.00 adults, $5.00 children 6-12

All children under 6 are free

THE GIFT OF THE MATHE GIFT OF THE MATHE GIFT OF THE MATHE GIFT OF THE MATHE GIFT OF THE MAGIGIGIGIGIDecember 17 at 2:30 PM

$5.00 Adults, $3.00 children 6-12All children under 6 are free

Ligonier Theater208 West Main Street724-238-6514, ext. [email protected]

www.valleyplayers.orgwww.ligoniertheater.com

The Auxiliary of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley ispleased to announce the Museum’s inaugural Holiday Home Tour. The tourfeatures a self-driving tour of six of the area’s most beautiful and unique homes,all festively decorated for the holiday season. The Holiday Home Tour will beheld on Saturday, December 10.

The tour begins at the Museum with check-in between 9:30 and 10 a.m. At theMuseum, guests will be given information brochures and maps to the variousstops on the tour. Holiday cookies, pastries and beverages will be provided at theMuseum, where a wonderful collection of handmade Creches from around theworld also will be on display. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance or $25 theday of the event. Sales are limited to 500, so be sure to reserve your tickets early.For reservations or more information, call the Museum at (724) 238-6015.

Upon leaving the Museum, it’s off to tour the Ligonier area homes in whateverorder you decide. At Polly and Joe Artuso’s Ligonier home, you will find a per-fectly maintained, charming Dutch colonial, featuring an extensive collection ofSt. Nicholas figurines and hand-crafted Nativity scenes. Marge and PeterHermann’s majestic estate offers spectacular mountain views and spacious, airyrooms skillfully arranged to showcase their art, furniture and collectibles in adazzling setting. A two-story holiday tree, ablaze with light and overflowing withornaments, adds a festive touch to this treat for the eye.

At Phyllis and Richard Knupp’s home, you will marvel at the couple’s creativeflair and fine eye for detail. The Knupps’ exquisitely decorated Cape Cod is filledwith memorable holiday splendor. Marie and Arthur Miltenberger’s home ex-udes old world charm, as their lovingly restored formal estate boasts originalwoodwork, hardwood floors, fine fabrics, rare antiques and signature fireplaces.Professionally decorated for the holidays, this home also features a giant holidaytree covered with heirloom ornaments.

Guests will enjoy the harmony, beauty and simple elegance of Dr. Joseph andEve Novak’s Japanese-style home featuring one of the largest collections ofGeorge Nakashima’s custom-designed furniture in the country. Cross thethreshold and be transported half a world away as you enjoy priceless orientalart and collectibles and a holiday tree resplendent with origami ornaments.

Cookie and Ed Soisson’s warm and inviting home in the heart of Ligonierfeatures Victorian architectural details, beautiful antiques and vintage décor.Experience gracious living and travel back to Victorian times for the holidays.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley is located at OneBoucher Lane and Route 711 South in Ligonier. Hours of operation are 10a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Mu-seum is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call theMuseum or visit www.sama-art.org.

SAMA Auxiliaryto Sponsor

Holiday Home Tour

Giddy Up, Let’s Go!Let’s look at the snow . . . from the back of a horse or bundled in a blanket onthe seat of a sleigh. Winter is the perfect time to take in the sights and soundsof the Highland hills.

Double K Stables in Somerset offers both Trail Rides and Sleigh & CartRides. Bundle up and head over to the bonfire for a cup of hot chocolate andsome seasonal snacks! Call 814-443-1510 for complete details and pricinginformation.

Take a winter wonderland ride you’ll never forget at Hidden Valley or SevenSprings Mountain Resort. Located in the North Lot, call 814-352-7777 ext.7285 for more information.

Page 19: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 19

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WalMart Plaza724-459-5610

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Voted #1 Salon in Westmoreland County!

Unique One-StopShopping Since 1932

The dream that Rose Runbinoff had seventy-three years ago has continued to be afamily tradition . . . The Rose Style Shoppe, a treasure of a shop now owned byBette Buchman and managed by her daughter Ronda Goetz.

This third generation boutique is well known for stylish fashions and accessories.You’ll find great-fitting jeans, cozy cotton sweaters, easy care separates . . . suitablefor career and travel, embellished tees, and whimsical jewelry.

Ronda’s passion for making gift-giving a creative and special experience will amazeyour clients, family and friends. She has selected a unique collection of decorativehome accessories, candles, cookbooks, gourmet foods, baby essentials, girlfriendcards, and more.

She offers suggestions and helps you choose your perfect gift for everyone on yourlist. You can relax, she even wraps your purchases for you. Ronda will personallycreate a beautiful gift basket or choose one of her gifts ready to go.

Delicious gourmet treats are always a welcome gift. Here, you will satisfy cravingsfor traditional favorites to hard to find items. This delightful shoppe carries anassortment of fine chocolates, truffles, coffee, tea, cocoa, holiday jam, lemon curd,pepper jelly, Celebration breads and more.

Make Rose Style Shoppe your first stop this holiday season and be treated to warmpersonalized service, share a laugh, and experience the knowledge that three gen-erations of women have brought to Latrobe. Shoppe hours are Monday to Friday10AM-5PM and Saturday from 10AM-3PM.

FRIENDS & HEROESHonoring Our Neighbors Serving in the United States Military

We would like to keep in touch with our friends, family andneighbors proudly serving our country in the United States militaryacross the nation and around the world. In each issue of the LaurelMountain Post, we will feature some Westmoreland County areasoldiers. To be included in future issues, simply fill out our onlineform and email us a current picture (or send the information to us atLaurel Mountain Post; P.O. Box 227; Latrobe, PA 15650-0227).We can’t wait to hear from you!

Chad E. FenellUSMC - July 7, 2004

(pictured at right)HOMETOWN: Latrobe, PACURRENT LOCATION: 1st Battalion 6thMarine Regiment Charlie CompanyJOB: mortarman in an infantry linecompanyMISS MOST ABOUT HOME: friends & familyFAVORITE PLACE ON THE JOB:CaliforniaPROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT: I had theprivilege to fight in the global war onterrorismFUTURE GOALS: attend some collegecourses, get promotoed, try out for recon

Todd SmallLCPL, US MARINES

(pictured at left)HOMETOWN: Ligonier/Rector, PACURRENT LOCATION: Camp Pendleton, CAJOB: Diesel Mechanic on Heavy EquipmentMISS MOST ABOUT HOME: high school friendFAVORITE PLACE ON THE JOB: Hollywood, CAPROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT: Becoming one ofthe few, the proud, a United States Marine.FUTURE GOALS:to become a drill instructor

Holiday Open HouseHollidaysburg YMCA

Saturday, December 3 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM

Embrace the warmth of friendship in a gracious home environmentthis holiday season. Visit consultant Briana Tomack at the show!

Page 20: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

THE CORNER STORYDrew Williams

“Copilots”

20 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

The day before Thanksgiving, my Uncle David paidus a surprise visit. David was my father’s oldestbrother, a forty-year-old pilot who delivered airmailfor the postal service. The job was fairly routine —boring, to hear my father describe it — but UncleDavid was a born storyteller and he could make atwo-hour flight over the great lakes to deliver fruitcakes and book of the month club selections soundlike an adventure worthy of the Flying Tigers. Of allmy uncles and aunts, David was, by far, the mostunique, and definitely my favorite.

On this night, my father and I were just finish-ing another supper of mac-n-cheese and cold cutsandwiches. Right after my mother’s funeral, myfather and I ate quite well from the scores of casse-roles and fried chicken dinners that we receivedfrom our neighbors. But within a month, thosemeals had been eaten and the Pyrex andTupperware containers they came in were dutifullywashed and returned, each with a personalizedthank you card from my father. Since then we fellinto a culinary routine that didn’t require any elabo-rate effort such as turning on the oven. My motherhad never been what anyone would call a great chef,but she did know how to make a pot roast andstuffed cabbage. She also knew which side the forkwent in a place settingand what a rolling boilwas. As for my father, hiscommand of the kitchenended with the masteryof the can opener. In away we were equallyhelpless, so we did whatany two guys would dowho were suddenly forcedto fend for themselves. Weate a lot of meals out ofpaper bags, or whosepreparations were nomore complex than mea-suring cups of milk.

We were just about todo the dishes when weheard a car horn honking in our driveway. “Are youexpecting someone?” I asked my father who shookhis head in response. The horn blared a secondtime and we both rose from the table and headedfor the front door.

I saw the brown and grey conversion van first.“It’s Uncle David,” I said, turning to face my father.“I didn’t know he was coming for a visit.”

My father peered over my shoulder and chuck-led lightly. “Neither did I.”

We walked onto the porch in time to see myuncle climbing out of the van. As usual, he waswearing his trademark faded jeans and brown,

bomber jacket. He waved to us, and I started towave back when I saw the little black blur jumpfrom the van and run a darting circle in our frontyard.

“Winger,” I yelled.When the beagle heard his name, he scampered

toward the porch and then to my waiting arms.“That’s Winger the 5th,” my uncle called when

the dog reached me. “He’s only five months old.”“Heya,” I said, scratching the pup behind his

ears. “Ya like that?” In response the dog buried hisface deep into my palm and started wagging his tail.

One of my uncle’s many eccentricities involvedhis pets. He would have only one; black and whitebeagles that he always named Winger. When onedied he would go to the pound and adopt another,nearly identical dog. Back when he had Winger the3rd, I asked him why he gave the dogs the samename.

“It’s short for Wingman,” he had told me. “Youknow, a copilot. Someone who’s going to be by yourside no matter what. Everyone needs a copilot.”

That made sense. “But why Beagles?” I asked.He thought about that for a few seconds before

answering. “They don’t eat much.”I didn’t know if that was true, but as I petted

my uncle’s newest copi-lot, I could tell that doghadn’t gone without toomany meals. He had asolid puppy gut which Idiscovered had an espe-cially ticklish spot nearthe right front leg.

“Bring him inside,”my uncle said as hereached the porch. “Imean,” he said, turning tomy father. “If that’s okaywith you.”

My father shook hishead and laughed for thefirst time in weeks. “Do Ihave a choice?”

Uncle David draped his right arm over myfather’s shoulder and gave him a hug. “Not really.”

The rest of the evening my uncle related hismost recent adventures delivering the mail in thetristate region. To hear him talk, you would thinkhe was one of those guys who flew planes into themiddle of hurricanes, or that the Nazis had somehidden antiaircraft guns on the Pennsylvania/Ohioborder and were waging war against the U.S. PostalService. I once asked my mother why Uncle Davidalways told such tall-tales, and she told me that hedid that because the small ones weren’t worth tell-ing. I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but

as I sat on the couch with Winger snoring on mylap, I think I finally understood. My uncle’s storieswere outrageous, and that’s what made them sowonderful; a lot more wonderful, I imagined, thanthe unpainted truth.

Around ten o’clock, in the middle of my uncle’sthird story about nearly “flaming out” at high alti-tude, I got up and told my father I was heading upto bed. “Already?” my uncle said, looking slightlydisappointed that he was losing half his audience.“Oh well, good night.”

My father told me ‘good night’ and I turned andheaded up the stairs when I heard the shuffling ofpaws on the living room carpet. I turned and Wingerwas hopping up the stairs after me. “Come on, boy,”I said, leading him to my bedroom. “I’ll bet you’veheard those stories a hundred times.” In response,the dog sneezed.

* * * * *

The next morning Uncle David was mad. “I can-not believe this,” he said, his head bobbing up anddown as he scanned the contents of our refrigera-tor. “It’s Thanksgiving Day and you have no tur-key. No stuffing. No cranberry sauce. Nothing!”

From the kitchen table, my father glanced upfrom the sports page. “We really weren’t planningon a big dinner,” he said. “After all, we didn’t knowwe were going to have company.” He reached downand patted Winger who was happily lapping up abowl of soggy Honeycomb.

“Doesn’t matter,” Uncle David replied, his facestill buried in the refrigerator. “The two of you canstill have a decent dinner.” He stepped back andclosed the door. “No turkey,” he muttered. “Howcan you have Thanksgiving without turkey?”

“We have canned ravioli,” I offered.Uncle David just glared at me. “Not good enough.

I am not going to stand by and watch my familyspend Thanksgiving Day dining on something thatcame from the kitchen of Chef Boyardee!” As if toshow his agreement, Winger sneezed out a spray ofmilk onto the floor. “See,” Uncle David said quickly.“The dog is on my side.”

My father got up from the table and headed tothe kitchen counter to pour himself another cup ofcoffee. “Sorry to disappoint you, David. But we’rereally not in the holiday mood.”

There was certainly no reason to ask why weweren’t much interested in Thanksgiving, and justabout every relative we had would have let the mat-ter drop right there. But not my Uncle David. “Toughcookies,” he said, reaching into his pants pocket.He pulled out a twenty dollar bill and tossed it tome. “Here,” he said. “Take your father to the mov-ies. Take him to see that one with the space ships

Page 21: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

NORTHWOODREALTY SERVICES

Teresa Whitacre

the air. We both walked to the dining room butdidn’t see any sign of my uncle. “David,” my fa-ther called out. “Where are you?”

Getting no answer he walked into the kitchenand found a note taped to the refrigerator. “Whatdoes it say?” I asked him as he read it.

My father frowned slightly. “David had to leave.His supervisor called and told him he was neededat work immediately. He says that two of the pi-lots have come down sick.” My father shook hishead and stuck the note back on the fridge. “Hesays he’s sorry, and to enjoy the meatloaf.”

It wasn’t fair that my uncle had to leave, andI was about to tell my father that when I heard awet sneeze coming from behind me. “Dad,” Ishouted as a I turned around. “Uncle David for-got to take Winger!”

“No,” my father said. “He left him here on pur-pose.” When he saw the puzzled look on my face,he explained. “David was going to give him to you;we talked about it last night. He said you neededa copilot.”

I was too surprised to speak, so I bent downand scooped up the pup in my arms. “I told him Ithought it was a good idea.” My father smiled andreached out and gave Winger a rub on his ticklishspot. “What do you say we eat?” He gave the dog’sbelly another rub and turned to get the meatloafout of the oven.

I nodded, squeezing my dog even tighter. Ididn’t want to let him go, afraid that if I did he’dgo running off looking for my uncle. I shouldn’thave worried; it was pretty obvious that Wingerwas quite content where he was.

“Will you look at that,” my father said, pullingthe pan out of the oven. “He shaped the meatloaflike drumsticks.”

* * * * *

I didn’t see my Uncle David until spring, andwhen he showed up on our driveway unan-nounced wearing his bomber jacket, a black andwhite beagle named Winger the 6th followed himinto our house. He got along well with his prede-cessor, the two of them spending most of theirtime together napping or eating Winger the 5th’sfavorite dinner, ravioli. Since it was the first I hadseen Uncle David since Thanksgiving, I finally gota chance to thank him face to face for my pet.“But what about this new Winger,” I said to him.“Are you going to leave him to be my father’s copi-lot?”

Uncle David put his large hand on my shoul-der. “No need,” he said, giving it a squeeze. “Healready has one.”

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 21

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and the weird aliens.”Looking at the twenty, I had to admit that it

didn’t sound like a bad idea, but from the look onmy father’s face I could tell he was of a differentopinion. “I don’t think so, David.”

“Why not?” he shot back. “It’s not like you haveanything better to do. You certainly aren’t going tobe spending the day cooking a turkey. And whenwas the last time you two got out of the house? SoI say, get your coat, get in the car and go see amovie. Have fun. And while you’re gone, Wingerand I will whip together a Thanksgiving feast you’llnever forget.”

My father was about to protest more, but thenhe looked at me and I guess he noticed form myexpression that I thought Uncle David was mak-ing some sense. “Do you want to go to the mov-ies?” he asked me.

“Sure,” I said. “If you want to go.”“And you want to see the alien movie?”Well, the new Friday the 13th movie is out,

and...”My father held up his hand to stop me. “The

alien movie,” he said.Uncle David laughed and Winger sneezed.

* * * * *

For the first time since my mother died, myfather and I actually spent an afternoon together.Sure, just about every afternoon we were together,but since the funeral, being together didn’t meanthat we did anything. For the most part we sataround not talking to each or watching TV. Butthis afternoon we laughed at Uncle David and hiseccentricities, watched a fairly bad movie about atime traveling space pirate, and drank too manyfree refills of pop from the concession stand. Evenmy father had to admit as we were leaving thetheater that this was one of his brother’s rare goodideas. I agreed. It was a day, for the lack of betterwords, felt normal. And that felt good.

When we got back home we were both eager tosee what kind of Thanksgiving dinner Uncle Davidwas able to whip together in three hours. “I don’tthink you can cook a turkey in that short of time,”my father said as we pulled into the driveway. Itold him that his brother may have decided to getsome frozen turkey dinners from the Spee-D martdown the street. “I wouldn’t put it past him,” myfather said.

When we got into the house it wasn’t the smellof turkey that greeted us. It was . . .

“Meatloaf?” My father glanced down at me. “Doyou smell meatloaf?”

I nodded. The smell of meatloaf definitely filled

A native of McKeesport, PA, Drew Williams received his PhD from Indiana University ofPennsylvania and teaches creatve writing at North Carolina Central University. His firstnovel, Night Terrors, was named Sime-Gen’s novel of the year for 2001. He lives in Fuquay-Varina, NC with his wife, two kids and a finicky cat. Keep up with Drew at his website:www.drewilliams.com or send an email to [email protected].

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Page 22: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

22 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

READER RECIPESChristmas Cookie Edition

SandtartsSubmitted by Briana Tomack, Derry

My Grandmother Barclay’s sandtart recipe-madeevery Christmas since I can remember!

3 cups Brown Sugar1 1/2 cup margerine3 eggs4 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs. Mixuntil smooth. Add flour 1 cup at a time. Roll verythin. Cut out with seasonal cookie cutter shapes.Brush cookies with a mixture of 1 beaten egg, 2Tsugar, and 1/2t cinnamon. You may decorate witha whole walnut or pecan (my favorite), or coloredsanding sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheetat 350* F for about 10 min. Cookies will get brownand crisp. Enjoy! These are great with a cup ofcoffee or tea!

Cherry BarsSubmitted by Linda Brewer, Latrobe

1 cup flour3 T. powdered sugar½ cup oleo

Mix and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.Next mix:

2 beaten eggs1 cup sugar¼ cup flour¼ t. salt½ t.. almond extract1 t. vanilla½ t. baking powder½ cup flaked coconut½ c chopped walnuts½ cup chopped drained maraschino cherries

Mix this good and pour on crust as soon as it comesfrom the oven. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.Cool and cut into bars. Makes a 9 “ square pan orslightly larger one.

Date Marshmallow BallsSubmitted by Linda Brewer, Latrobe

This is very sticky but worth the trouble.

Mix together:1 # chopped dates1 # flaked coconut1 # minature marshmallows2 ½ c crushed graham crackers2 cans Eagle Brand milk

Make into small balls and roll in ground walnuts, about1 #. Makes 80 – 100 cookies depending on size.

Karen’s BrickleSubmitted by Linda Brewer, Latrobe

Preheat oven to 350Spray with Pam, a cookie sheet 11x17 with sidesPlace foil on sheet and spray againLine pan with saltine crackers, set asideBring to a full boil 1 cup sugar, and 1cup butter (must be butter)

Pour over the crackers Spread evenly over crack-ers. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven andsprinkle a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips. The heatwill melt the chocolate, then spread evenly likeicing Refrigerate for 2 hours, then break apartand enjoy.

Dutch JinglesSubmitted by Evelyn Williams, McKeesport

1 cup soft butter (or butter flavor Crisco)1 cup sugar1 egg, separated2 cups sifted flour1/2 tsp. cinnamon1 TBL water1 cup finely ground nuts

Heat oven to 350o. Grease 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 pan.Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk. Blend flour, cinna-mon; stir into creamed mixture. Pat into pan. Beatwater and egg white until frothy; brush over dough.Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 20-25 minutes or untilvery lightly browned. Cut immediately into finger-like strips. Makes 50 3 x 1-inch strips.

Chocolate Bourbon BallsSubmitted by Dorothy Ament, Ligonier

1 chocolate wafer cookie crumbs2 cups chopped pecans1 cup powdered sugar1 1/2 TBL light corn syrup1/4 cup bourbon

Coarsely grind cookie crumbs and 1 cup pecans infood processor. Add to large mixing bowl with sugar,corn syrup and bourbon. Mix thoroughly. Shapeinto 1-inch balls then roll in pecans.

Page 23: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

DecorateYour Home

For TheHolidays!

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 23

Cherry WinksSubmitted by Linda Brewer, Latrobe

2 ½ cups flour1 cup granulated sugar2 t. baking powder¾ c shortening1 t. baking soda2 eggs1 t. salt2 T milk1 t. vanilla1 c chopped nuts1 c. chopped dates2/3 c chopped drained maraschinocherries2 ½ cups crushed corn flakes

Mix shortening and sugar untilcreamy. Add eggs and mix thru. Addrest of dry ingredients, then fold indates, nuts and cherries. Drop byteas and roll in crushed cornflakes.Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Eliza Kate’sHighland DandiesSubmitted by Elizabeth Srsic, Derry

1 cup butter1/2 cup powdered sugar1 tsp. vanilla2 1/4 cups flour1/4 tsp salt1 cup coconut

Mix thoroughly butter, sugar and va-nilla. Work in flour, salt and coconutuntil dough holds together. Shape into1-inch balls and place on ungreasedcookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at400o until set but not brown. Whilewarm, roll in powdered sugar; cool;roll again.

They should look like tiny balls ofHighland snow. This recipe has manynames and can be personalized bychanging the shape and adding ingre-dients such as nuts and orange peel

Drop Sugar CookiesSubmitted by Carol Gerhard, Derry

1 cup Crisco2 cups sugar2 eggs1 cup sour milk (1 TBL brown vinegar in milk)4-5 cups flour1 tsp baking soda2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt2 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Droprounded teaspoonfuls on greasedcookie sheet. Bake at 375o for 12-15 minutes. Frost with PowderedSugar Icing.

Powdered Sugar IcingSubmitted by Carol Gerhard, Derry

1 TBL melted butter1/8 tsp saltAdd powdered sugar to thicken1/2 tsp vanilla1 1/2 TBL milkFood coloring

Mix with electric beater and add morepowdered sugar a bit at a time untilyou reach the desired consistency.

Several legends state that a kiss un-der the Mistletoe, exchanged by acouple in love, is a promise to marry.In some countries, it is a prediction ofhappiness and longevity. In oldendays, twigs of Mistletoe with berrieswere hung to indicate that all pastgrievances and hatreds were forgiven.European farmers claimed milk didn’tsour as quickly around Mistletoe andthat butter churned more easily. Thus,every farm had sprigs of mistletoehanging in their cattle sheds.

The origin of mistletoe legend comesfrom a Norse myth, Mistletoe was saidto be the sacred plant of Frigga, thegoddess of love. When her son, Balder,dreamed of his death, Frigga rushedabout seeking promises that her sonwould not die. Unfortunately, Balder’senemy, Loki, tipped an arrow withMistletoe and gave it to Hoder, the blindgod of winter who killed Balder with it.He was brought back to life by hismother when she shed tears thatturned into Mistletoe berries, so Friggakissed everyone who passed under the

TheWallpaper

& DecoratingShoppe

Apricot KiffelSubmitted by Ann Marko, Aldan

Apricot Kiffel12 oz Cream cheese1 lb Butter4 egg yolks5 cups flour

Mix cream cheese, and butter, addeggs. Slowly add flour. Roll in small(I use a melon ball) size, and roll inpowdered sugar. Place in ziploc bagor covered container and refrigerateovernight. Roll balls out, place a dol-lop of apricot filling in the center.Roll up and place seam side downon baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 20-25 min. They will be a light goldenbrown when done.

tree on which it grew. From that timeon, anyone who stood under themistletoe would receive only a kiss; noharm could come to him.

In the scientific world, Mistletoe isactuually a parasite that survives byfinding a host to live on. Oak is themost frequent host for Mistletoe, butMistletoe has been found in more thana hundred other species of trees. Whenit attaches itself to the host tree, theroots of the Mistletoe penetrate thebark to enter the tissue of the treewhere the water and nutrients arefound. Although Mistletoe gets all ofits water and minerals from the hosttree, it contains chlorophyll which al-lows it to manufacture some nutri-ents needed for its growth. A Mistle-toe plant usually lives for eight to tenyears, although some have been re-ported to have survived for more thanone hundred years. The longer theMistletoe is attached, the more thehost tree weakens and declines inhealth. Mistletoe berries are very poi-sonous – so be careful!

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Page 24: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHTUnique Education Programs & Events Across Westmoreland County

Pennsylvania Virtual Charter SchoolOn September 4, 2001, the Pennsylvania VirtualCharter School was successfully launched, andPAVCS began providing a personalized educationfor students all across the Keystone State. This isan exciting time to join the journey in educationalexcellence. The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter Schoolgives dedicated parents the opportunity to becomeactive participants in their children’s education,tuition free.

Currently serving children in grades kindergar-ten through ninth grade, PAVCS is committed toputting a top-quality education within reach of thou-sands of students in Pennsylvania. This is an ex-citing, innovative adventure in learning.

It is the goal of PAVCS to provide students withan excellent education, grounded in high academicstandards that will help them achieve their full aca-demic and social potential. The school is an ex-ample of how parents, students, and teachers canwork together in a partnership that is focused onhigh standards and achievement.

PAVCS is not only about lessons. School out-ings to museums, roller-and ice-skating parks, lo-cal zoos, and other interesting and enjoyable sitesbring families together and create real connectionswith the PAVCS community. Partners In Educa-tion (PIE) is a parent-teacher organization who worktogether to maximize the PAVCS experience andhelps to fulfill thePAVCS mission.The PennsylvaniaVirtual CharterSchool is one schoolcomprised of manysmall learning com-munities across thestate.

Currently, inmore than 460towns across thestate, families can befound experiencingthe wonders of web-based education. A partnership is developed be-tween a student, an academic coach and an expe-rienced teacher who teaches, guides, and supportsthe family in this educational journey. PAVCS servesall children, even those with special needs and chal-lenges.

A student in PAVCS not only has all the ben-efits of an experienced teacher, but will also receivea computer, printer, materials, and curriculumneeded for a positive learning experience. PAVCSuses the K12 learning program which is rich andrigorous. The program has more than 700 lessonsper grade level and is delivered through a remark-ably easy-to-use Online School (OLS) with match-ing texts and supplemental materials. Using thisinnovative learning program, PAVCS provides aneducation that meets or exceeds state standards,and students demonstrate their knowledge andskills through state standardized tests. So chil-dren are getting an education of the highest caliberin a safe, comfortable learning environment.

In this our local area, there are teachers andstudents who are experiencing this innovative edu-cational experience. One of these teachers is me,Diana Perney. I have been a teacher with PAVCSfor three years and since then I have watched char-ter schools and public cyber schools become one ofthe most important educational alternatives avail-able. Previously, I was employed in a “brick andmortar” school as a teacher and administrator. ButI was looking to challenge myself as an educator,so I chose to join the virtual school.

The most common question I hear from par-ents who are thinking about enrolling their chil-dren in PAVCS is: “What’s it like?” and “How do thestudents learn?” Most of the educational work takesplace at home under the supervision of an academiccoach who is usually a parent. Every student isassigned a highly qualified, state-certified teacher,who works in partnership with the parent to en-

sure children are achieving academic success byproviding individualized instruction. This instruc-tion is provided through the use of the K12 cur-riculum and interactive technology that enables thestudents to actively participate in classroom ses-sions with each other and the teacher.

Since PAVCS is a public school, all the materi-als and supplies are provided to our students. Each

year they receive a90 pound box oftextbooks, chemis-try sets, art projectkits and other tradi-tional materials theywill use throughoutthe academic year.

In a traditionalclassroom, my rela-tionship with stu-dents and theirfamilies was limited.Unfortunately, daily

time constraints and unexpected interruptions of-ten limited my ability to get to know each studentpersonally. I knew little about their families. Butin PAVCS, I am able to develop strong relationshipswith my families, which in turn helps me focus on mystudents so they receive the best education possible.

One of my students is 7th grader Jesse Hozempa.His favorite school subjects are music and historyand he particularly enjoys learning about wars andpresidents. PAVCS holds many school-sponsoredevents which have afforded him the opportunity tomake new friends. In fact, his mother told me thathe recently went on a big fishing trip with some ofclassmates. I enjoy developing strong relationshipswith my students and their parents. And they ben-efit from it too. Jesse recently commented to hismother that “Mrs. Perney is very interested in thingsI participated in, like church plays and basketball.Knowing she’s interested makes me feel very happy.”That sort of rapport builds academic confidence andtrust - two vital components to learning.

PAVCS, like other public charter schools, areimportant because they offer parents a viable op-tion for students whose academic needs are notbeing met in a traditional classroom. It’s been anoption that has benefited not only thousands of chil-dren in Pennsylvania, but many teachers, like myself.

Diana Perney is a resident of Ligonier, PA and hasserved for 2 years as a middle school teacher and is

currently the lead teacher and an English teacher for thePennsylvania Virtual School high school.

If you are looking for a school of choice and school reform at itsbest and want to be an active participant in your child’s educa-tion, go to http://www.pavcs.org for a closer look. It is not toolate to join PAVCS. Enrollments are accepted throughout theschool year. The education provided by PAVCS enables chil-dren to learn at their own pace, explore their passions, andachieve their academic potential.

Screen shots from a third grade math lesson and of a middle schoollife science lesson illustrating types of virus reproduction.

Page 25: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST - 25

©Laura Petrilla

DERRYA Touch of ClassAH CreationsAllison Chiropractic CenterAmeriserv FinancialBarkley’s Beer DistributorCaldwell Memorial LibraryCamman Industries, Inc.Creative DreamsCrispin State Farm InsuranceDablock’s Beauty ShopDerry Federal Credit UnionDerry Post OfficeFirst Commonwealth BankGeorge J Bush Kitchen CenterGlassmartHerron Hollow StoneryMastrorocco’s MarketDr. Morgan, DMDPalombo’s Bar & RestaurantPrakash K. Vin, M.D.P.CPit Stop Quik Shop, Inc.Red Apple Kwik FillRite AidS&T BankSunkissed Tanning

GREENSBURGAcademy of the Wagging TailAdvantage Resource GroupAmerican Indian JewelryArt Tech SuppliesBarnes & Noble BooksellersBill & Walt’s Hobby ShopCook’s MarketCrossroads (Route 66)Denny’s (Westmoreland Mall)Derby’s DelicatessenDescendents Children’sClothing BoutiqueThe Dinner PantryDr. Philip Dahar, OrthodontistdV8 Expresso BarFantastic Sam’s - E. Pittsburgh StFantastic Sam’s - WalMart PlazaGander MountainGianilli’s IIGlassmartGreensburg Care CenterGround Round - Westmoreland MallHampton InnHerbs to Your HealthHoliday Inn ExpressHyundai of GreensburgJust Miniature ScaleKatsur DentalKids Korner FurnitureKnit WitsMalloy’s CameracadeMemory Lane HallmarkMountain View InnMustard Seed Gallery, Inc.Northwood Realty - GreensburgNorthwood Realty - North HuntingdonPagnotta CafePaouncic Chiropractic Life CenterPenelope’sPepperwood Grille - Westmoreland

MallPhillip Pelusi - Westmoreland MallPizza HutPizza SienaReese TeleservicesSeton Hill UniversitySharp Image Hair Designs and Day SpaSheraton Four Points HotelShop ‘n Save- Westmoreland MallSun ParlorSuper 8 MotelTom Clark FordToyota of GreensburgUniversity of PittsburghWestmoreland Athletic ClubWestmoreland Chamber of CommerceWorldwide Travel

LATROBEAdam & Eve’s Pet & Hobby ShopAdelphoi VillageArnold Palmer Motors IncArnold Palmer Regional AirportAqua PetsBella PastaThe Corner StoreChiropractic Health CenterCommercial National Bank - Downtown and Lawson HeightsCosmetic & Family DentistryCreative ExpressionsDenny’sDino’s Sports LoungeDiNunzio’s Italian ChophouseDiSalvo’s Station RestaurantDr. Philip Dahar, OrthodontistDr. Scott Learn, DMDEastern Alliance Tae-Kwon DoFalbo’s Rainbow InnFirst Commonwealth BankFirst National Bank - Latrobe 30 PlazaFirst National Bank - DowntownFrank’s LoungeGino’s Pizza of LatrobeHanna Insurance AgencyHarvey’s Barber ShopHolzer’s StoreHostetter ClubIn-Sync Rehabilitation ServicesJocelyn’s Beauty SalonJoe’s Store – Lawson HeightsKaye’s TailoringKeffer Massage TherapyL & L Quik LubeLatrobe 30 BeverageLatrobe Animal ClinicLatrobe Art CenterLatrobe Center Distributing, Inc.Latrobe Chamber of CommerceLatrobe Glass & MirrorLatrobe Hair CompanyLatrobe Hospital Little ShopLatrobe News StandLatrobe Post OfficeLatrobe Senior CenterLatrobe’s Pet Stop, LLCLen’s JewelryLoyalhanna Care Center

Mosso’s Medical Supply Company IncMozart HouseNational City Bank - Latrobe 30 PlazaNorthwood RealtyOlson’s Mozart HallPennywise BooksPizza SienaRay Foot & Ankle CenterRose Style ShoppeScotty G’s PizzariaSharky’s CafeSherwin-Williams - Latrobe 30 PlazaShop-N-Save - Latrobe 30 PlazaSt. Vincent CollegeSt Vincent GristmillTuxedo RoomVan Dyke Styling CenterVickie’s Awesome BlossomsVita-ChargeWeiss FurnitureWingate InnYoungstown TireZappone Sausage Company and Retail Outlet

LIGONIERAbigail’s CoffeehouseAmerican Indian JewelryBeno’sBetsy’s of LigonierCarol & Dave’s RoadhouseCeltic CultureCompass InnComTechConnections StoreThe Country CupboardCrafts UnlimitedCurves for WomenDiamond CafeEndless PossibilitiesEquine ChicEssentialsThe Fairfield GrilleThe Frame PlaceThe GarretGetGoGiant EagleGino Gianelli’sHair ParadeHoliday Home StoreThe Hollow TavernIvy’s CafeJohn Clark JewelersLady Bug StyleLa Rosa’s Barber ShopLaughlintown Post OfficeLigonier Chamber of CommerceLigonier Country InnLigonier Outfitters & NewsstandLigonier Palms Tanning SalonLigonier Post OfficeLigonier TavernMain Street DeliPamela’s Golden Touch SalonThe Paper House & BaskitryPathfinder PhotoPersnickityThe Pie Shoppe

The Post and RailThe Road ToadRuthie’s DinerThe Treehouse in LigonierUnderneath

NEW ALEXANDRIACurves for WomenDi’s Pizzeria & RestaurantJohna’s Hair DesignOasis HotelQwik StopThe Roadhouse

NORTHBlairsville Pharmacy - BlairsvilleDean’s Diner - BlairsvilleFantastic Sam’s - BlairsvilleGuy’s Tavern - AvonmoreJerich Insurance - LeechburgLonestar - AvonmoreMelissa’s Cut ‘n Curl - BlairsvilleNorthwood Realty - BlairsvillePapa Sal’s Restaurant - BlairsvillePie Cucina - Blairsville

SOUTHComing Soon!

EASTBetsy’s Collections - DonegalCogo’s - BakersvilleCollections by Marty - DonegalThe Country Pie Shoppe - DonegalCourtyard by Marriott - AltoonaDarshana Yoga Center - ChampionHair Expressions - Seven SpringsFoggy Mountain - DonegalItalian Gourmet Deli - DonegalKreinbrooks Market - Jones MillsLiving Treasures Animal Park - DonegalLog Cabin Motel - DonegalLost Mountain Campground - RockwoodLoyalhanna Veterinary Clinic - StahlstownMountain Horse Saddlery - DonegalNorthwood Realty - DonegalOakhurst Tea Room - SomersetSarnelli’s Market - Jones MillsSeven Springs Mountain Resort -ChampionTall Cedars Restaurant - DonegalUniMart - New FlorenceWindy Lindy’s Mountaineer Crafts - Donegal

WESTCourtyard by Marriott -Penn Ave

(David L. Lawrence Conv. Ctr.)

Would you like the Laurel Mountain Postdelivered to your business?Give us a call at 724-331-3936.We’ll list your business namein the print and online editions!

Pick Up A Copy of the Laurel Mountain PostAcross the County & Neighboring Communities!

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26 - LAUREL MOUNTAIN POST

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HOLIDAY GIFT BASKETS AND GIFT BOXES!*Filled w/ myriad of specialty and Italian items

Full line of frozen vacuum packed, individual serving cut: steaks, pork filets, crab cakes, chicken filets

It’s a family affair for some local artists, brothers Bill& Wayne Fluke and sister Judy Forr. They startedout 15 years ago making scrimshaw powderhorns.Now all retired, they live and work together in theirBedford home researching, building, carving andpainting one-of-a-kind decorative boxes based onCeltic designs. Bill researches the designs – all straightfrom The Book of Kells, then carves and burns theminto the wood; Wayne is the carpenter who designsand builds each box; Judy adds the finishing toucheswith a brightly colored paint job. They started thisproject six months ago inspired by their grandmother’sScottish ancestry and influences by Celtic artistry.They also make some design from PA Dutch patternsin honor of their German roots. For more informationon their unique craft, send an email to:[email protected] or visit the shops listed below!

You’ll Love TheseElegant Handcarved Boxesfrom This Crafty Family

These handcarved boxes are available at Celtic Culture in Ligonier (218 West Main Street,724-238-2420) and Lord Nelson’s Gallery in Gettysburg (27 1/2 Chambersburg Street, 800-664-9797).

Put your couponin this space

for only$25 per issue!

Page 27: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

106 E. Main St. • Ligonier, Pennsylvaniawww.EquineChic.com • 724.238.7003

On the DiamondEquine ChicEquine Chic

Originalin Country and Urban Chicfor Horse, Home and You!

New Itemsfor AllAges!

Open 7Days ThruChristmas!

You don’thave to own ahorse to find a

great gift!

Happy Holidays from the

Elegant Essence PresentsPhotography by Pollock: Photographic Services and Fine Art

Gary Noffke: Classic ‘Gold and Silver’ Original PiecesRené Guerin: Original Oils on CanvasLeslie Sorg: Original Oils on Canvas

Foster B. Hartman: Aerial Photographic PrintsSteve Leonardi: Limited Edition Watercolor Prints on Canvas

Dan Sorg: Creative Iron Works

Experience the best of Irelandand the British Isles

without leaving Ligonier!

New Custom GlasswareAran Island Sweaters • Belleek ChinaBill Baber Knitwear • Burns CrystalFood • Jewelry • Custom Made Kilts

Possumdown • Nicholas Mosse Pottery

See our coupon offer for a FREE custom ornamentwith any $50 custom glassware purchase!

www.elegantessence.net (724) 377-1060

photo art conversion by Pollock

218 West Main St

Ligonier724-238-2420

CelticCultureGoods from

Ireland and theBritish Isles

Page 28: Laurel Mountain Post :: Holiday 2005

TomCLARKFORD

www.tomclarkford.com

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