Biomass Projects Absolutely Must be to Local “Community-Scale”
December 21, 2009
Smethport Web — by Ross Porter
The kinds of projects examined in the Associated Press Bio-fuel growth raises concerns about forests article are the very antithesis of the Smethport, Pennsylvania biomass project and our leadership team’s philosophy of “scaled, community-based projects”.
Large, non-scaled projects examined in the Associated Press artice do, in fact, threaten our nations forests, habitats and should be opposed by both state and federal legislation. Giant, unsustainable fuel production such as converting wood as diesel fuel or bio-fuel for automobiles (such as butanol) will not solve our national energy appetite and attempts to refuel the nation using wood based fuels will in fact plunder the forests. Read more
Reinventing Smethport
October 10, 2009
Penn State Agriculture — by Steve Williams
Arriving in Smethport from any direction, you can’t help but be awareof the trees. You wind along a narrow, two-lane highway where the mountains creep right up to the road. The pavement runs miles through tunnels of trees until finally opening onto a small valley.
You’re in McKean County, the state’s most heavily forested county, where the Borough of Smethport, population 1,684, lies within 5.2 million acres of federal, state, and privately owned forest. It’s a small town with a history of creativity—a toy industry developed more than 100 years ago is still going strong with toys like Wooly Willy. But that’s not all that’s unique about Smethport. Read more »
Ideal Conditions Made for Speedy Cycling
September 22, 2009
During the final lap of this year’s Wheel Around the Hub race through Smethport, Ross Porter was interviewed by Jeff Andrulonis, whose radio station — The Mountain on WXMT (FM) 106.3 — provided periodic updates on the race to the listening audience.
Smethport Receives $75,000 Biomass Grant from Forest Service
August 4, 2009
Smethport Web - by Nathan Muller
The USDA Forest Service has committed $75,000 in grant money to help fund the feasibility study and business plan for the woody biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility in Smethport. The Forest Service and two previous grants bring the total preliminary funding for the project to $150,000.
The grant is provided through the U.S. Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center located in Princeton, WV, and is administered by the agency’s Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry organization. Read more
Reinventing Smethport’s Forest Legacy
July 1, 2009
Biomass Magazine — by Susanne Retka Schill
Smethport, Pa., is a little town with a history of biomass use, and abuse. The forest around the small town in the Alleghany Mountains of northcentral Pennsylvania was first logged to supply tall, white pine poles for the masts of sailing ships when they were the primary mode of world commerce. Hemlock bark was harvested to supply tannic acid to the hide tanning industry. In the next industrial development, a dam was built in 1825 to power the sawmills that turned the hardwood forest into lumber for furniture and construction. In the mid-1800s, the chemical wood industry moved in to clear-cut the remaining forests to manufacture chemicals such as acetate, acetone and wood alcohol, and by the 1930s, the hills were bare.
“That will never happen again,” says Tim Pierson, forestry specialist for the Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension Service in McKean County, who works in Smethport. Read more
Wooly Willy Wonderdaze is Finally Here!
June 18, 2009
Smethport Web — by Linda Muller
This Thursday through Sunday we are going to have a jam-packed four days filled with fun and entertainment right in our own home town - Our NATIONAL WOOLY WILLY WONDERDAZE is about to begin!
The festival is sponsored by the Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce, with active involvement from many Smethport organizations and citizen volunteers. It will highlight the popular magnetic game developed in Smethport by entrepreneur, James Herzog in 1955.
See below our updated schedule. We’ve included additional information about each exciting event and hope that all of you will bring your family and friends to join us for this wonderful celebration of Smethport and our very own Wooly Willy!
Update: There are some items not mentioned in the schedule below. Here are a few that are noteworthy:
– The first 500 children will receive a free Wooly Willy toy!
Signs Placed on Wolfinger Trail System
June 14, 2009
Smethport Web — By Les Jordan, Jr.
Members of the Potato Creek Trail Association placed trail markers on the Wolfinger Trail System on “town hill” north of Smethport on Saturday, June 13.
Material for the signs was purchased by individual members of the association and local businesses in the Smethport area. Special thanks go to the Dart family who donated most of the sign posts and the family’s tractor complete with post-hole digger along with much needed abor from family members. Read more
German Transcontinental Bicyclist Experiences Smethport Hospitality
June 1, 2009
When Stephan Gerth peddled down Main Street Saturday evening, he was probably thinking about the best place to set up his tent for a night’s rest before pushing on to his destination — San Francisco. What he encountered next in the twilight hours of the Pennsylvania Wilds was so unexpected that thoughts of finding a suitable tent site quickly evaporated. He was about to experience Smethport hospitality… Read more
Memorial Day Activities in Smethport
May 15, 2009
The Smethport American Legion Bucktail Post No. 138 will combine with the McKean County Post No. 2497 Veterans of Foreign Wars to sponsor Smethport’s annual Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 25th.
A parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. from Willow and Center Streets, travel east to Mechanic Street, turn north to Main Street, and end at the McKean County Courthouse.
You can download and print the Memorial Day program of events.
Pennsylvania town to become energy self-sufficient
March 6, 2009
BIOMASS Magazine - By Erin Voegele
The borough of Smethport, Pa., plans to implement a community-wide woody-biomass powered combined heat and power (CHP) system. On March 5 the Smethport Board of Trade announced that the Pittsburgh-based Richard King Mellon Foundation had awarded the community a $50,000 planning and engineering grant to support the Smethport Woody Biomass Demonstration Project.
In addition, the borough is in the process of hiring a project engineer consultant to oversee the planning phase of the project. To fill this position the community is seeking Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) from engineering consultants and other professional organizations with experience in the design of district heating distribution and wood-fired combined heat and power systems. The deadline for submitting SOQs is March 25. Read more »
DON'T MISS SMETHPORT'S PREMIER EVENT!
The 23rd Annual Hamlin Library Dinner/Auction will be held on March 20th at the Smethport Fire Hall.
The Social Hour and Silent Auction will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner. The cost is $45 per couple. You can pay at the door or buy your ticket online:
The event helps to pay for library operating expenses, ensuring continued services that are vital to our community.
A variety of noteworthy items will be put up for auction, including a large antique mirror, an antique clock, two handmade quilts and, as always, something fabulous from the woodshop of Karl Fitzsimmons.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.
Book size: 8-1/2” x 11”
Soft Cover $20.00
Shipping and Handling: $5.00 per order.
Beginner Fly Tying Class
February 22 through March 29 - 7 to 9 p.m.
The cost of the class is $25 and includes materials and use of tools.
Hamlin Memorial Library, S. Mechanic Street, Smethport
Call today to register: 814-887-9262
Spread the word !
Let your friends and family know about this website, so they can stay informed about news and events around the Borough.
Send an email now ...Christian J. Howard, OD
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