Front door of Tarbell House. Photo by Marilyn Black.

 OPEN HOUSE

this Saturday

at the Tarbell House

The public is invited to a free Open House at the Tarbell House this Saturday, August 10, from 1 to 4 p.m.  The house is located at 324 East Main Street in Titusville, PA.

as Victorian era re-enactors.

WANTED: Vendors & Artisans at "The Gusher" 

The Oil Region Alliance and Racer Productions invite you to be a vendor at "The Gusher." "The Gusher" will be held Friday, September 20 through Sunday, September 22.  

The Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series is the nation's largest premier off-road race of all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles.  Formerly located at the famous Loretta Lynn Estate, round 11 of the GNCC Series will now be held on the grounds of one of  the largest privately-owned mansions in Pennsylvania.  "The Gusher" will take place on property overlooking the Allegheny River, at the 1,200 acre RiverStone Estate in Foxburg, PA. 

Artisans and vendors are welcome.  All food vendors, profit or non-profit, may conduct business during this outdoor event.   Local artisans can set up for FREE!

The deadline for returning an application has been extended to September 10, 2013.  Interested persons are reminded to carefully review the vendor guidelines and prices before completing and returning the application.

For more information, please call Mary Cochran, Project Manager, at the Oil Region Alliance at 814.677.3152.

Registration Now Open for PA Greenways & Trails Summit in Franklin

By Marilyn Black, VP of Heritage Development 

Registrations are now being processed for the September 15 - 17, 2013 PA Greenways & Trails Summit which is centered in Franklin at the Quality Inn and Conference Center.   Administered by the PA Recreation & Park Society (PRPS), this summit is sponsored by PA DCNR and PRPS, with local hosts being the Oil Region Alliance and the Council on Greenways and Trails.   Additional sponsorships have been provided by the Allegheny Valley Trails Association, City of Franklin, Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Delaware & Lehigh Trail Alliance.

Electronic registrations are handled via www.prps.org; Upcoming Events; 2013 GWT Summit.  The full summit rate package costs just $175, with a discounted rate of $140 for members of PRPS.  Or, a person electing to attend simply one day's activities pays a flat fee of $70 including the group meals on that schedule.         

Businesses desiring to set up exhibits may contact Emily Gates at egates@prps.org for details.  Non-profits may also by advance arrangement set up free educational displays at the summit location.

Sunday, September 15 includes afternoon mobile workshops, afternoon breakout sessions, a public input session by the PA Trails Advisory Council regarding updates to the PA State Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), followed by a welcome reception at DeBence Antique Music World. 

Monday, September 16 starts early with remarks by PennDOT's Bill Petit, Secretaries of Commonwealth agencies, and a keynote address by Robert Searns from The Greenway Team, Inc.  Mr. Searns is the National Chair of the Board of Trustees for American Trails, Inc.  Breakout sessions, more mobile workshops, and outdoor demonstrations at Franklin's Riverfront Park occur in the afternoon, and following dinner in Franklin there will be remarks by Tom Sexton from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and live music by the Max Schang Band.

More breakouts and a mobile workshop on Tuesday morning are followed by lunch-time keynote speaker John Crompton, from Texas A&M University, regarding the economic impact of trail systems across the country.

Oil Region Participation in PA Statewide Conference on Heritage

By Marilyn Black, VP of Heritage Development 

The Oil Region participated in several ways during the July "Statewide Conference on Heritage" held in downtown Pittsburgh.  This was the 35th Heritage Partnership Conference, running

Dennis Farms display. Photo by Marilyn Black .

concurrently with the 14th Byways to the Past Conference. 

Debra Frawley, Greenways Coordinator, served as a panelist regarding "Trails & Tourism," alongside Will Prince from The Progress Fund and Brad Clemenson on behalf of the PA Environmental Council.  This session explored tourism opportunities that exist in trailside communities and showcased tools that a community can use to maximize the benefits of an existing or proposed trail.

Attendees Marilyn Black from the Oil Region Alliance and multiple PennDOT District 1-0 engineering staff from Oil City sat in on "Historic Bridge Basics" learning the fundamentals of bridge types, designs, components and characteristics as well as engineering bridge terminology.  Mrs. Black also attended sessions about Metal Truss Bridges in particular, as well as a session on preserving PA's Tourist Rail Lines.

During the plenary session on July 18, the snack break featured distinctive foods from each of the dozen Heritage Areas across the Commonwealth.  Maple-coated nuts produced by Dennis Farms in Cooperstown, PA were quite a hit with conference goers.

Blooms & Banners Brighten Up Downtown Oil City

Volunteers from Oil City Main Street's Safe, Clean & Green Committee  

perked up the intersections of Seneca, Center, Sycamore & Elm Streets in July by installing hanging flower baskets from the City's decorative light poles.  The project was partially funded by Take Pride in Oil City and the Oil City Business Association, and the baskets are watered daily by members of the UCIP (United Community Independence Program) Spring Board.   

Oil City Main Street also applauds and thanks Venango College of Clarion University for the new Oil City banners waving on downtown streets... it all makes for a great look!