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November 25, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving- Along with Eight Random Related Facts

The Ellwoodcity.org staff wishes all our readers and the community a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope everyone enjoys the one day a year us Americans can eat large amounts of food. According to the Weather Channel, it should be a bid warm and possibly sunny, so winter isn’t here quite yet! I will be on vacation for rest of the week, so I’ll leave you with random Thanksgiving trivia. Turkeys, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans and squash are all native to North America so a classic Thanksgiving dinner is an inherently New World feast (source “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared…

November 24, 2015

How the Tree Came to Be

by Caroline Golmic, Aflac When Scott and I first started planning “Let There Be Lights” weekend on behalf of the Ellwood City Area Chamber of Commerce, we were trying to think of what could help make the evening epic. When we walked past the Community Plaza, Scott immediately started dreaming of having a huge tree lit in the circle amphitheater. We looked at some artificial trees online that were 17 to 20 feet and quickly realized they were far out of the Chamber’s budget. The next day, we started calling around to all of the local Christmas tree farms to…

November 24, 2015

Peggy’s Floral in Wampum Meets Every Floral Request with Beauty

Peggy’s Floral has been a staple in Wampum since 1960, when it was opened by Peggy Rychlicki as the perfect place to pick up a bouquet on the way home or order just the right flowers for a prom corsage. Over the years the store evolved and became not just a florist’s shop, but an eclectic gift shop as well. In April of 2014, Valerie Hemphill purchased Peggy’s Floral from the original owner and recently moved it to its current location at 324 Main St. in Wampum. Valerie’s decision to move to the beloved shop from its original location to…

November 24, 2015

Super Soren needs a Wheelchair Van

This adorable 3-year old is Soren Flook. He had a drowning accident on July 1, 2014, was without oxygen and heartbeat for an extended period, then, miraculously revived. He does, however, have resulting brain damage, leaving him unable to walk, talk or eat, and he has numerous health struggles. The family is in dire need of a wheelchair van to get him to his appointments. As he is growing, it is getting more and more difficult to get him into a car seat in an SUV, since he cannot help and he sometimes postures (a severe stiffening of the whole…

November 23, 2015

Class of 1954 November Meeting

Pudue LaCava hosted the 1954 Lincoln Class, “Life is a Beach” committee at her Mt Vernon Drive home at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11. The session began with observance of a moment of silence in honor of Veteran’s Day. Lunch provided by committee members, Arelene “Pinky” Maielli, Ilene Gardner, Clemmy Sirimarco, James Gillespie and LaCava was served by Gardner and LaCava. Maielli provided a pumpkin dessert in advance of Thanksgiving. Gillespie led the business session with the fund raising report. He distributed tickets for November and they are available by contacting LaCava or Gardner. Sirimarco provided the financial report….

November 23, 2015

Annual Municipal Woman’s Club Christmas House Tour

The Ellwood City Municipal Woman’s Club 29th annual Christmas House Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Five houses in Ellwood and the surrounding area are featured. The tour, a holiday tradition, gives the community the opportunity to see different styles of homes and decorations. In addition, several local businesses will offer discounts for the tour. This year, the tour is in conjunction with several other fabulous community Christmas events, including the parade, “Light Up Night” and the opening of Christmas in the Park. Homes 2015 House Tour Ryan and Amanda Venezie- 651 Crabapple Lane Bob…

November 23, 2015

Corona D’Italia November Meeting

Corona D’Italia Lodge #807 held their monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. at Pizza Joe’s Restaurant. The session began with an invocation by Trustee Patty Regna recognizing Veteran’s Day and honoring all living and deceased military personnel and all families. A pizza luncheon was served by Trustee Pudue LaCava and members Jackie Perno and Mary Jane Folino. President Clemmy Sirimarco conducted the business session that followed. Treasuer Louise Vitullo presented the financial reports. She noted that a donation was made to the Holiday Parade committee continuing the lodge’s intent to support local endeavors. Orator Valerie Valentino presented…

November 20, 2015

Christmas Tree Erected in Community Plaza

This colossal tree is the newest addition to the Ellwood City Community Plaza on Lawrence Avenue. It stands 29 feet tall and weights over 800 pounds. The tree was erected this morning as the start to a series of Christmas and holiday-themed events taking place in the coming weeks. Once decorated, the tree will have over 7500 lights. There is more to come next week regarding the tree, Light Up Night, the parade and more. Correction: Three tree will have over 7500 lights, which is a tad more exciting than 750.  

November 20, 2015

Local Author’s Major Publishing Debut Now in Print

Local Author Nancy Wallace has reached a frequently-aspired but seldom obtained pinnacle of achievement: publication of a novel by a major publishing house. Yesterday, her fantasy novel “Among Wolves” was released in print in the U.K. by HarperVoyager, the fantasy branch of Harper Collins. The book is available for purchase in the U.S. online. The e-book has been available since early summer. Wallace, the children’s director at the Ellwood City Area Public Library, has possibly been this area’s most prolific author, with over a dozen published children’s books. So why did someone who mostly works with children end up writing…

November 20, 2015

Rotary Club October Meeting

The Rotary Club of Ellwood City holds their weekly meetings on Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the Connequenessing Country Club. In Late October the guest speaker was Lenore Bazzichi who is one of the founding members of the Ellwood City Revitalization Effort. She stated that Stage One of the project is now completed. The Green space in the center of town has been host to numerous concerts and enjoyed by many. Stage Two is underway which includes more infrastructure and improvements. It needs much community support and funding. Government grants will help. In November the club hosted four members of…