April 2025

The Farmers Market will be the first Saturday of each month until May, held in the Riley Gallery, next to the Crittenden, on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm (NEW HOURS). The next market will be this Saturday, April 5th. Here is a list of who plans to be there and what they plan on bringing to the Market:

 *  Beginning in January the winter Farmers Market will be the first Saturday of each month until May. The Saturday dates are January 4, February 1, March 1, and April 5.  In May, the market will again be on the square

*  Market times have been established after many trial times over the years.  If you are not able to visit us and would like something particular from one of the vendors, please contact them directly.  They are willing to try to accommodate your request.

 *  If you are interested in joining the market this year or have any questions please contact …. Netra Baker, 814-598-0649 netrabaker2@gmail.com]

CARING CRAFTS will be attending this week’s Market!  We will be bringing a variety of Homemade Travel Pillows! Along with our Plastic Canvas Magnets/Ornaments! Our selection of both is very wide and unique! We have something for everyone! Don’t forget to like us Facebook! If your not able to stop by or would like to place an order please contact Jess at 814 203 2482! Caring Crafts excepts Cash Payments! Hope to see everyone there! 

WOOLEYLOT FARMS will be at the market with French fingerlings potatoes, white potatoes, and garlic. Cash is preferred but checks are acceptable.

THORNY BUSH FARM will be at this weeks Farmers Market with yummy goat milk fudge and terrific herbal honey plus some lovely craft items. Cash accepted.

MILL CREEK MARKET will be attending this week with a variety of sustainably grown mushrooms and hydroponic greens. Accepting cash, check, and Venmo for in-person sales. Our farm is registered with the Department of Agriculture and our facility is inspected by the Bureau of Food Safety. For more information find us online at: https://wildscopa.org/members/mill-creek-market  Mill Creek Market PA LLC Coudersport, Pennsylvania ~nurturing people and the planet~

JULIE BENNETT is planning to attend this week’s market. We are bringing crochet stuffies. There will be a variety for your Easter baskets. We will also have other crochet items. Also some handmade earrings. And a variety of other items. We accept cash payments. Thank you!

CARD CREEK BAKERY will be at the last winter market this Saturday 11 am to 2 pm at the Riley Gallery next to the Crittenden Hotel, Main Street, Coudersport. This is the last Saturday indoor market this season. The market will be outside Friday 12:30 to 4:30. This week I have had requests for artisan breads, english muffins, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, plus. Stop by this Saturday for your special bakery favorites. Please send me your requests each week to enhance your table and satisfy your taste buds. Special requests for market day or during the week are part of what I enjoy doing. netrabaker2@gmail.comCell 814-598-0649

Seasonal shop at PA Grand Canyon sells locally made artisan products

WELLSBORO, PA – At the edge of the PA Grand Canyon at Leonard Harrison State Park, the PA Wilds Conservation Shop has reopened for the 2025 season. The shop offers locally made products for travelers who come to the park to admire the breathtaking view.

Operated by the nonprofit PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship (PA Wilds Center), the PA Wilds Conservation Shops are mission-driven gift shops that help improve market access for rural entrepreneurs by sourcing 90 percent of their inventory from rural makers and businesses in the 13-county Pennsylvania Wilds region. 

The PA Wilds Conservation Shop at Leonard Harrison State Park is one of three shop locations operated by the PA Wilds Center. The flagship store at Kinzua Bridge State Park (McKean County) opened in 2016, and it continues to operate during the three-year Skywalk renovations. There is also a shop located in the historic former train depot building along the Knox and Kane Rail Trail in Marienville (Forest County), which opened in 2024.

The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources completed renovations at Leonard Harrison State Park’s visitor center in 2024. The PA Wilds Conservation Shop, which began as a seasonal mobile unit at the park, relocated inside the new building in June 2024.

Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and Olean General Hospital (OGH), Kaleida Health facilities, are proud to announce the winners of the April Star Awards. This month’s BRMC and OGH recipients were Carissa Stewart and Christopher John, respectively.

Carissa Stewart, a patient access rep at BRMC, has been with BRMC since 2009 and was honored as the BRMC 2025 April Star Award recipient. 

“Carissa is an invaluable member of the team, bringing over a decade of experience to the department. She is known for her compassion and willingness to assist anyone in need, whether it’s a patient, family member or colleague. Her flexibility with hours and shifts helps ensure a smooth and efficient registration process, contributing to a positive experience for both patients and staff,” read her nomination. “Carissa consistently goes the extra mile to provide comfort and reassurance, whether by sharing a kind word, offering a warm blanket, or simply brightening someone’s day with her smile. Her dedication and genuine care make a meaningful impact on the department and the patients BRMC serves.”

Christopher John, a nurse assistant at OGH, was awarded the OGH 2025 April Star Award. John has been valued member of the OGH team since 2023.

Ferguson defeated all competitors in his high school section except for his final round when he faced a competitor he had always won against in the past. Unfortunately, Aiden was tired and lost his game to Preston Taylor, who finished as the state scholastic champion in the 7-12 section.

Ferguson finished fourth overall. The Bradford Club sent a total of eight participants from the Bradford Knight Owls Chess program to the 2025 Pennsylvania State Chess Championships. The event was held at the Red Lion Inn Harrisburg-Hershey at 4751 Lindle Road in Harrisburg, PA from Friday-Sunday, March 28-30, 2025. Last year, Bradford won by only ½ point; however, this year Bradford dominated from the very beginning.

More than 900 players participated in the combined State Chess Championships on Friday through Sunday.

The 2025 Championship was sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Chess Federation and organized by Tom Martinak. Coach Bob Ferguson said, “I’m very proud of all our students! They have worked hard.” The students’ next competition is at Friendship Central School on April 26.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced it will close Interstate 80 eastbound near exit 97/DuBois-Brockway in Clearfield County at 10:00 PM on Sunday, April 6, and reopen it on Monday, April 7 at 1:00 AM.

This portion of I-80 is within the limits of an ongoing Interstate preservation project between mile markers 97 and 120. PennDOT closed the right (travel) lane on March 28 and shifted traffic onto the left (passing) lane and shoulder. The increased traffic along the shoulder has caused settlement damage that PennDOT must repair to ensure public safety.

While the bridge is closed, PennDOT will direct traffic off the interstate at exit 97. Drivers will follow Route 219 southbound for approximately 250 feet before turning left onto a crossover lane to merge back onto I-80. Flaggers in the roadway will provide traffic control at the ramp and the crossover lane.

Seneca Highlands CTC is proud to announce Brayden Cosper as the student of the week for the week of March 31, 2025.  Brayden, a senior from Smethport, is in the engineering technology program. He has consistently displayed leadership during his three years in the areas of safety, quality of work, and attendance. Having extensive CAD (computer aided drafting) experience, Brayden easily scored advanced on the practical portion of the NOCTI exam. He scored advanced on the written portion of the NOCTI as well. He is a member of the NTHS at Seneca Highlands. At Smethport, he is a member of the Trap team and NHS. Brayden plans to attend Penn College in the fall, majoring in Manufacturing Engineering.

April 5, 2pm–Birch Still Hike: From muscle rubs to soda, birch oil was vital to historic Potter County. Join volunteers from the PA Lumber Museum at Lyman Run State Park as they hike to the foundation of a birch still and learn about its history along the way. The hike will be about 0.75 miles off-trail, over muddy, slightly hilly ground. Please wear appropriate footwear. All ages welcome, meet at the Schott Pavilion in the Daggett Day Use Area at Lyman Run State Park. Questions? Call Susan at Lyman Run State Park at 814-435-5010 ext. 2 or email lymanrunsp@pa.gov

Throughout the month of April, Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and Olean General Hospital (OGH), Kaleida Health facilities, are offering a variety of classes and support groups designed to provide health education, encouragement and community connection.

Whether you are managing a health condition, navigating a loss or caring for a loved one, programs offer valuable guidance and are open to the public.

If you are scheduled for total joint replacement surgery, join our Total Joint Care Class. This class provides an overview of your procedure, the recovery process, and the rehabilitation you will need. It is led by an experienced member of our outpatient rehabilitation team. This month, the class will be held on Wednesday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the OGH Education Center on the first floor. To register, please call (716) 375-7481.

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has launched a contest to name its costumed mascot, a 6-foot-plus plush black panther that usually appears Winnie-the-Pooh style (no bottoms).

The university is accepting nominations for names through May 4. A committee will select and announce six finalists on National Mascot Day, June 17. Then a public vote will decide the big cat’s cognomen, which will be announced as part of Alumni and Family Weekend festivities in September.

The contest came about after a mascot gathering for all five Pitt campuses in support of Pitt Day of Giving. Every other campus’s athletic ambassador had a name, except for Pitt-Bradford’s panther, which was just The Panther. That felt a bit like telling the vet your cat’s name is “Kitty.”

If you’ve got a name in mind, submit it at upb.pitt.edu/name-the-panther. While it’s never had a name, Pitt-Bradford’s mascot has always been a panther.

In an unprecedented show of unity and shared mission, two Bradford churches are swapping buildings this spring — not out of necessity, but out of calling.

Open Arms Community Church and First Baptist Church of Bradford will exchange church buildings in a move that both congregations believe is divinely inspired and strategically aligned with their respective visions for ministry. The change, first announced in May of 2024, becomes official on Palm Sunday, April 13, when both churches will hold their first services in their new locations.

Open Arms will begin worshiping at 71 Congress Street, the historic downtown church that has been home to First Baptist for generations. First Baptist will relocate to 1289 East Main Street, where Open Arms has held services since its early years of rapid growth.

“This isn’t just about buildings,” said Pastor Zoe Hatcher of Open Arms. “Being among the people in the downtown area of Bradford is the most exciting part of this move. We love our city and believe that God has a plan for it. As a ministry, we want to place ourselves in the middle of God’s will, which for us is to reach those to whom He has sent us.”

A senior at Port Allegany High School, Raelin Meacham, earned first chair 1^st Clarinet and highest clarinet score overall at the PMEA Region II Band Festival to win a spot in the PMEA All-State Concert Band.  Raelin will travel to the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA April 9-12, 2025.  The ensemble will be under the direction of Jason Noble, conductor of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble.  A public concert will take place at the convention center on Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 PM.  Tickets can be purchased through pmea.org.  Raelin was also selected to attend the PMEA All-State Concert Band in 2024.  

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers that the statewide Opening Day of Trout Season is this Saturday, April 5!  Anglers may begin fishing at 8 a.m.

Throughout the 2025 season, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 691 streams and 130 lakes open to public angling.  These figures, which are consistent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.4 million Rainbow Trout; 693,000 Brown Trout; and 125,000 Brook Trout.  As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.