Harrisburg – The site of the nation’s first volunteer fire
company and the man known as the father of modern bee-keeping are among the 11 people…

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Let this friendly clown entertain at your next birthday party! He’d also make the perfect "greeter" at the door for Halloween guests.

While we were running errands the other, day we came upon this display in one of our local businesses.

Do you know what Bradford, PA business stocks life-sized clowns, chainsaws, and chainsaw accessories?

DownTown Dave is the winner for submitting the first correct answer! The other correct answers are posted in the comments..

The following is reprinted with the permission of Bradford Texas Hots. The research was done by Sally Costik of the Bradford Landmark Society.

Bradford Texas Hots
Dine In or Take Out
1020 East Main Street
814-362-0393

Bradford Landmark Society
Books by Sally Costik

Nick’s Red Hots

Prokopis Pete Semoudarias, also known as “Nick” was well known for over 40 years for his famous Nick’s Red Hots. Born in Greece, he came to Bradford in the 1950′s and ran his hot dog shop at various locations, including South Avenue, MainStreet, the corner of St. James and Mechanic Streets, and finally on Veterans Square. In addition to his business in Bradford, Nick also ran a second hot dog shop in Clean, NY in the 1970′s. Nick passed away at the age of 73 in May of 1999.

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Sale! Sale! Sale!
Stacked and crammed with thousands of hard-cover and paperback books, Cindy’s Book Haven has long been a resource for reading material at very cheap prices. It isn’t well organized, it isn’t even easy to walk around inside, but if you enjoy digging in the stacks for that hard to find treasure, Cindy’s is the place to do it.

Cindy has announced her retirement and will be selling off her stock at deeply discounted prices, as well as great “bag of books” deals. You can’t blame this closing on the chain stores because they simply can’t provide the treasure hunt experience that characterized a visit to the Book Haven. It is the last true book store in the area.

Originally slated for February 25 – 27, Cindy has decided to extend the sale a day, so it’s going to be Monday 25th to Thursday 28th.

All hardcover fiction are $1.00 each.
All newer / thick paperback fiction are .50 cents each.
Older pb fiction .25 cents each.
Some older / thin pb fiction .10 each.
Some great bag-sale deals on older pbs.
All other books are more than 75% OFF! :good:

You can read more on TalkAboutBradford.com.

Cindy’s Book Haven is located on Congress Street, just around the corner from the former Archer’s.

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It’s also worth mentioning the Bradford Area Public Library. Along with their huge collection of free books, they offer a great atmosphere, public access computers, even paintings that can be checked out. They also offer great deals on used books, and of course, some very knowledgeable librarians.

When it was built, the Kinzua Viaduct was the tallest railroad bridge in the world. It was destroyed July 21, 2003 by an F1 tornado. This video, posted on Youtube.com is a great tribute to this engineering marvel.

To learn more about it, and join the discussion, visit TalkAboutBradford.com.

You can also find more information at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/kinzuabridge.aspx

Kinzua Viaduct

When the Kinzua Viaduct was built in 1882, it was the highest railroad bridge in the world. Built of iron, the original viaduct was 301 feet high, 2,053 feet long, and weighed 3,105,000 pounds. An engineering marvel, the viaduct is now a registered National Civil Engineering Landmark and a National Historic Site.

In May of 1900 it was necessary to rebuild the entire structure to accommodate heavier trains. The job was completed in 105 days by about 100 to 150 men working ten hours a day. The new steel viaduct has the same measurements, but now weighs 6,715,000 pounds.

Tornado Hits Viaduct

On July 21, 2003 a F1 tornado ripped thru the Kinzua Gorge partially destroying support towers from the viaduct.

Nine towers remain standing as a testament to the strength of this amazing structure

“Eighth Wonder of the World”

The Kinzua Viaduct was originally advertised as the `Eighth Wonder of the World.” People from all over the civilized world came to see this engineering marvel of it’s time. Excursions came from as far away as Buffalo and Pittsburgh for a around a dollar per person.

On a typical summer Sunday of the time it was not rare to see six to eight excursion trains of ten to fourteen cars to cross the viaduct. To cross the viaduct was considered a great thrill at the time. Drinking, gambling, and parties were a common occurrence on these early excursions to the viaduct.

Many excursionists would even try to climb the iron work of the viaduct. However, many of them would only end up needing rescued from the high iron girders after they found they could not climb back down. These excursions to the Kinzua Viaduct were very popular and raised more than enough money to offset the $167,000 dollar cost to build the original structure.

History of the Viaduct

Brilliant Minds

Company president General Thomas Kane, of Civil War fame, and civil engineer Octave Chanute envisioned building a viaduct longer and higher than any ever built as an alternative to laying an additional eight miles of track over rough terrain along the railroad line leading to McKean County’s coal, timber and oil lands.

The New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad and Coal Company recognized the profits to be gained by transporting coal across the Kinzua Valley instead of taking the six mile route around the Kinzua Valley to waiting markets in Buffalo.

The massive sandstone blocks used to make the stone piers that support the extremely high iron columns were quarried from the nearby hills. There are 7,600 cubic yards of hard sandstone used in the stone work of the viaduct. The stone piers are embedded as far as thirty-five feet below the ground and as high as sixteen feet above the ground. On September 8, 1881, the cornerstone of the Kinzua Viaduct was placed on the south abutment, where it remains today.

Octave Chanute, Engineer

Mr. Chanute lived from 1831 until 1910 and was the inventor of call ties and date nails, which had the date engraved on them. He was also responsible for the preservation of timber by the creosote process.

Chanute awarded the bid for the Kinzua Viaduct to The Phoenix Bridge Works Company. General Kane met with Anthony Bonzano of the Clark Reeves Division of the Phoenixville Bridge Works Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, in early 1882.

Mr. Bonzano told General Kane, “We’ll build you a bridge a thousand feet high if you’ll provide the money.” Anthony Bonzano along with Oliver W. Barnes, who was the chief engineer for Kane’s railroad, joined up and planned the first Kinzua Viaduct.

On July 21, 2003 a tornado partially destroyed the viaduct that was in the process of undergoing restoration. In 2002, Pennsylvania at Risk had listed the Kinzua Viaduct as one of top ten Most Endangered Historic Properties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Today, the park is in the process of a master plan for the park that will include a new visitors center, stabilizing the existing towers to allow access on the bridge, and park improvements including overnight accommodations.

McKean County is part of the Allegheny GeoTrail.

What Is a Geocaching Trail?

A geocaching trail is simply a series of geocaches tied together by a common theme. There is not necessarily an itinerary, as we would think of a traditional trail, but rather a series of points of interest in a sort of self-guided goal-oriented plan. The Allegheny GeoTrail is perhaps the largest of its kind, encompassing ten counties throughout northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania. Within each county are between 10 and 20 designated geocaches which make up the “trail”. The quest to find these caches will take participants throughout the rugged and scenic land of the Allegheny National Forest and its surrounding gateway counties.

Visit the Allegheny GeoTrail site for more details.

The Marilla Reservoir Rehabilitation Project is 93 percent done but paperwork could see it extended until next summer

The Richard E. McDowell Trail is a great choice for a morning run or a leisurely stroll. Well maintained, level, and paved, it’s wheelchair accessible. It’s also great for small kids on bikes. The Tuna Valley Trails Association established and maintains this and other trails, with community volunteers supplying most of the labor.

The trail is currently a 1.5 mile section between the trailhead on Campus Drive, across from the softball fields, to Clark’s Lane. Future plans call for extending the trail from downtown Bradford to the Marilla Resevoir. Click here for a map.

There is also vehicle access via the parking lots behind Pitt-Bradford’s McDowell Sports Center or Blaisdell Performing Arts Center, and at Clark’s Lane.

The trail’s ponds and fields are teeming with a wide variety of wildlife and plant life. Running parallel to the West Branch of Tuna Creek, fishing is allowed but only with artificial lures.

This part of the creek has been cleaned up considerably and is now able to support a microcosm of organisms that will only live in the cleanest water, including trout.

The whole trail is picturesque, and it’s not uncommon to see sketch or watercolor artists in the sun by the big pond.

To see lots of photos and to get a good idea of what the trail is like you can visit Bradford-Online.com’s Photogallery.