All in Good Taste: The Cottage House Boasts a World Class Chef

November 25, 2008

Smethport Web – by Nathan Muller

Chef Ronald Gigliotti Smethport residents who appreciate fine dining or a change of pace on special occasions have been accustomed to traveling far to sate their appetites: The Bistro in Olean, New York and The Westline Inn in Northwestern Pennsylvania, as well as The PennHills Club and The Glendorn in Bradford.

Add to that impressive list – The Cottage House in Smethport. Read more

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Library Extension Progresses Through the Seasons

November 23, 2008

The new wings being adding to the Hamlin Memorial Library are taking shape. With winter weather upon us, roofing, siding and windows are up. Most of the work has now shifted indoors. Library staff are planning the new space to take into account easy access to book shelves and reading areas, while allowing as much natural light as possible from windows. The library’s checkout desk will be reoriented to face the book stacks, providing easier access to patrons and better visibility for staff. In October, the Smethport Rotary Club gave a $10,000 donation to the library. View the construction highlights, starting with the most recent work.

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McART Nite Draws Crowd in Smethport

November 17, 2008

McART Nite - November 15, 2008 McART Nite drew over 100 attendees to the Courthouse on Saturday night.

The event, sponsored by the McKean County Historical Society, featured an exhibit by Holgate Toys based in Bradford, the maker of wooden toys since 1789. In the 1920s and ‘30s, Jarvis Rockwell – the brother of illustrator Norman Rockwell – was Holgate’s chief toy designer.

As attendees strolled through three floors of framed artwork, handmade quilts, jewelry and other items from 41 local artisans, dulcimer music could be heard wafting through the corridors. Wine and cheese whetted the appetite for an auction that included paintings, prints, decorations and gift baskets, among other items donated by local companies, artists and craftspeople. Read more

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Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Meets with Potato Creek Trail Association

November 10, 2008

Smethport Heritage Council

Members of the Potato Creek Trail Association met with Spring Reilly of the Pennsylvania Fish at Boat Commission on Friday. Reilly serves the commission as the Central Regional Outreach & Educational Coordinator within the commission’s Bureau of Policy Planning & Communications.

The Potato Creek Trail Association was represented by President Sally Newton, Water Trail Committee chairman Kurt Weaver, and Board Director Corky Hull. The meeting began at the Crosby baseball park and toured several sections of Potato Creek. Read more

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Korean War veterans honored during Veterans Day Dinner in Smethport

November 10, 2008

The Bradford Era – by Fran De Lancey

Korean War veterans were recognized Saturday during the annual Veterans Day Dinner at the Smethport American Legion, Bucktail Post #138.

Six local veterans of the war, which ranged from 1950-53, were among the approximately 80 veterans and guests who attended the dinner. They were George and Deborah Tufts, Don Ross, Ralph Mayer, Bob Cradduck and Russ Johnson.

The evening’s program included a showing of the DVD, Korea: The Forgotten War, which showed actual scenes of the war and interviews of the soldiers and Marines who fought in the coldest weather in a century in that part of the world. Temperatures often ranged to 30 to 40 degrees below zero. Read more >>

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Smethport Looks at Using Woody Biomass Technology - Part II

November 4, 2008

The Bradford Era - by Fran De Lancey

Smethport Mayor Ross Porter believes the use of wood resources from the area is natural as the town looks to become a leader in biomass technology.

“There is nothing new about using wood resources in this region,” Porter said. “It’s our roots. It’s our heritage. The wood industry is what made Smethport grow and propser.”

In the 19th Century, a huge industry in McKean County was built around lumbering, from the traditional to wood chemical, but those activities were environmentally devastating. Photographs from that era show entire hillsides that were stripped of trees.

“Smethport is in a unique position to take advantage of renewable energy, which has the potential to be bigger than the communications revolution of the 1990s,” according to Porter. Read more >>

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Smethport Could Be Leader in Biomass Technology - Part I

November 3, 2008

The Bradford Era - by Fran De Lancey

Tim Pierson and Ross Porter Not only can alternative energy in the form of woody biomass lead to lower electric and heating bills for Smethport, but it could make the town a national leader in this technology.

The use of fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas are not part of this technology.

To generate energy, woody biomass technology burns chips from low value trees, logging residue, urban and agricultural waste, some of which would otherwise be deposited at landfills. In one of the technologies, these materials, called “feedstock,” are burned in boilers, creating steam to be sent into a turbine. Read more >>

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You'll Like Our Back Yard ...

Smethport is adjacent to 2 million acres of public land that is home to the largest elk herd in the eastern U.S., pockets of white-tailed deer, 15,000 black bear, as well as an abundance of turkeys, pheasants, grouse, waterfowl and other small game. Come and enjoy hiking, biking, canoeing and kayaking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ATVing, horseback riding, hunting, fishing and more.

What's in your back yard?

Timeless Home - Buy it Online!

This book is an historical record of Smethport’s growth from its birth as a tiny hamlet to a modern borough.

Containing a wealth of historical photos, this is the most comprehensive record of Smethport ever published. It was funded by the Smethport Sesquicentennial Committee through the Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce.