Make a Splash at Arts on the Island

Bradford Era – by Savannah Barr Arts on the Island returns to Hamlin Lake Park for its eighth year on Sept. 6 to 7. Hosted by the McKean County Historical Society, the event is two days of art, live music, food and family fun. This year, organizers hope to make a splash with the newly added cardboard boat race. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each…

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Mara Ours Named McKean County Fair Queen

Bradford Era – by Savannah Barr The new McKean County Fair queen was chosen Friday night at the fairgrounds. She is Mara Ours, who hails from Smethport and is the daughter of Marty and Laura Ours. She participates in many activities, including DECA, mock trial, National Honor Society, Envirothon and show choir. She is the current student council co-president and a member of the basketball, track and field, and…

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Hubbers Graduate 57 with Class of ’25

Bradford Era – Smethport Area High School graduated 57 students Friday evening with the Hubbers’ Class of 2025. Superintendent Brice Benson offered his congratulations to the class before class secretary Emily Snyder introduced salutatorian Emma Thomas. Valedictorian Haydn Riekofsky addresses the Smethport Area High School Class of 2025. “We’ve learned the value of sticking it out, the importance of caring for others and the strength of community,” Thomas said….

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Smethport Elementary Exceeds Read-A-Thon Goal, Raises More Than $10,000

by Smethport Area Elementary PTO Students at Smethport Elementary School proved this week that the power of reading knows no bounds. This year’s annual Read-A-Thon, sponsored by Smethport Area Elementary PTO, was a resounding success, with students, teachers and families coming together to surpass the school’s ambitious goal of raising $10,000. A total of $10,427 was raised with a whopping 40,648 minutes read by these motivated students. The Read-A-Thon,…

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SMETHPORT: Taste of Triumph

Bradford Era – by Savannah Barr Mara Ours, a junior at Smethport High School, is a proud member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Recently, Ours went above and beyond at the State Career Development Conference, taking home two medals in the Restaurant and Food Service Management event. She has qualified for the International Career Development Conference, to be held in Orlando, Fla., this April. “This was…

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Smethport Students Shape Cutting-Edge Game in Beta Test

Bradford Era – by Seneca Highlands CTC A group of enterprising students from the Networking and Engineering programs at the Seneca Highlands CTC beta tested an in-development game from Gwoop. The experience kicked off with excitement and anticipation as students logged in to explore the game’s early version, collecting data and feedback crucial to its future success. Victor Earle, a junior at Smethport, pauses during his beta test of…

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Two Smethport Artists in on PA Wilds Collaborations

Bradford Era – by PA Wilds Center Four regional artists have been selected to develop new PA Wilds product lines with local manufacturers as part of inaugural PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative initiative. Ellen Paquette, Julie Mader and Rhianna Speck at Maitri Design Co. and Kelsey Kleiner at OneTen The Studio were chosen through a competitive application process to help kick off the pilot project. They each have been paired…

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118th McKean County Fair Ready to Entertain

Bradford Era – by Marcie Schellhammer The 118th McKean County Fair is gearing up to entertain folks in Smethport from Aug. 11 to 17. General admission is $10; advance gate is $8. Admission includes carnival rides, parking in fair lots, grandstand shows, daily shows and mini-stage performances. A walk-around pass is available for $25 for the week, good for gate admission but not carnival rides. An exhibitor pass is…

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Hubbers Recognize 49 Graduates

Bradford Era – by Molly Anderson Valedictorian Carson Dunn and salutatorian Emily Higley (pictured) addressed the Smethport Area High School Class of 2024 during commencement exercises held Friday evening. Graduating with the 49-member Smethport Area High School Class of 2024 are: Rylan Arnold, Robert Beane, Kylee Bickford, Brooklyn Burt, Alexander Cole, Julianna Cole, Tylar Colley, Rylie Collins, Blair Dickinson, Brianna Digel, Janell Dinch, Brennan Donovan, Patience Dunkle, Carson Dunn,…

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Smethport’s Mara Ours Attends National 4-H Conference

Bradford Era – by Penn State Extension – Smethport High School sophomore Mara Ours attended the National 4-H Conference held in April at Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Washington, D.C. Ours (front left) was one of 10 Pennsylvania 4-H members to participate in the effort to bring youth voice to high-level government discussions. “My experience at National 4-H Conference truly changed my life,” Ours declared. “I enjoyed collaborating with…

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