I had no opinion on the Fox News claim of being fair and balanced. After seeing the way they twisted the story of the City of Bradford citing Mike Smith for flying flags in front of his business, I realize they have no problem making up the headline and story they want. Notice their spin on this story, “Veteran Facing Possible 90 Days In Jail For Flying Flag“. Also, why would you interview anyone else? After all, “Fair and Balanced” sounds good, but it really makes for a boring story, doesn’t it?
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Inch by inch and row by row, making your garden grow takes patience and dedication. The garden is a great metaphor for many of the projects being carried out by Bradford’s Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD). Ambitious works like the Elm Street Project (Map) take years of planning and effort to show results.

Part of the Elm Street project’s rejuvenation of neighborhoods is the Bank Street Community Garden. Take one dilapidated property that isn’t on the tax roles anyhow, add volunteers, creativity, and dedication, and what can be accomplished?

Thanks to Elm Street Project Manager Lisa Campogiani, Interns Kara & Rachel, and the volunteers who are donating labor and materials, the gardening project is coming together in one neighborhood. Hopefully it is just the first.

Rachel attends Penn State, and Kara attends Cornell. The are both Landscape Architecture majors contributing their skills (and labor) to the garden. Both chose to come to Bradford because of our location in the Allegany National Forest. They have created the Bank Street Community Garden Blog.

Bradford residents were treated to a spectacular fireworks display Friday night as part of W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery’s “Case Collector Appreciation Weekend“.

Read the Bradford Era article about Case Collector Appreciation Weekend here.

The fireworks were staged from Mt. Raub and were visible all over Bradford, including the downtown. Case knife collectors from all over the world are attending this weekend’s festivities. With over 850 pre-registrations, collectors and their families flooding into Bradford were treated to near perfect weather.

If you missed the fireworks, or just want to see them again, the Bradford-Online.com Action Team captured them on video for you. Who are we kidding? From our back porch we didn’t even have to get out of the chair. The display lasted about 12 minutes, this has been shortened to fit YouTube.com’s guidelines.

For other area events check Bradford-Online.com’s Community Calendar.

Here at Bradford-Online.com we hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July holiday. This seemed appropriate for the occasion. The voice should need no introduction, but for the younger crowd, it’s the voice of movie actor john Wayne. The fireworks were from the public display the Seneca Allegany Hotel & Casino in Salamanca, NY put on.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Baptist minister, a Christian Socialist, and the cousin of Socialist Utopian novelist Edward Bellamy (1850-1898). [Wikipedia]
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Bradford City Council met Tuesday, 6/24/08. As expected, the City’s dog ordinance was amended to require a person walking their dog to have some means of cleaning up after their pet.

Council also approved a $200,000 loan to Zito Media for their on-going fiber optic project. This phase will continue work to include Bradford in the “fiber ring”. Jim Rigas and Steve Zwerin of Zito Media explained what the project involves.

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There has been a lot of concern over the decline of honey bees. That’s why I was so glad yesterday, when I looked at our honeysuckle bush, to see it buzzing with hundreds of honey bees.

Bradford, PA - April 12, 2008

Protesters demonstrated Saturday at the retirement dinner held for Representative John E. Peterson at the Penn Hills Club here in Bradford, PA.

The group of about a dozen identified themselves as members of the Fifth District Peace Project. The group targets the Fifth Congressional District of Pennsylvania, and Representative Peterson’s voting record, particularly regarding the war. Peterson will be retiring at the end of his term. A number of candidates will compete for his seat in the election this fall.

The Fifth District Peace Project is co-sponsoring an event on Sunday, April 20, 2008 at Bradford’s Veteran’s Square from 10am - 4pm. The event is known as “Eyes Wide Open - An Exhibition On The Human Cost Of The War”. Co-sponsored by the American Friends Committee, more information is available here.

The Bradford Regional Planning, or Master Plannning process held a public forum Wednesday night at Fretz Middle School.

Commissioned by Bradford’s Office Of Economic And Community Development (OECD), the consulting team shared some of the information and impressions they have gathered so far.

Read about the Strategic Plan here. You can also learn more and give your opinion:

• Bradford Regional Strategy
• TalkAboutBradford.com Discussion

Put your creativity to the test! Pennsylvania middle and high school students are invited to participate in the “Operation Safe Surf” Video Contest. With the growth in popularity of social networking sites, instant messaging and blogs, teens are getting messages from everywhere and everyone about being safe online. Here is your chance to talk about the issue from your own perspective. What does online safety really mean to kids? Why should they care about it? How can kids best protect themselves while surfing the net?

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has teamed with Microsoft and Comcast to sponsor this unique video contest for all Pennsylvania middle and high school students. You can help spread the word about online safety by producing a 30-second public service announcement (PSA). Six regional semi-finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges - three from western Pennsylvania and three from eastern Pennsylvania. The six semi-finalists will travel to Harrisburg to put the finishing touches on their videos in a state-of-the-art production facility. The top six finished videos will be posted online and on Comcast’s On Demand for final voting. Two state winners will be chosen - one from eastern Pennsylvania and one from western Pennsylvania. The winners will be announced during special ceremonies at their respective schools in May 2008. Each semi-finalist will receive educational software from Microsoft. The two winners will receive xBox 360’s from Microsoft, and Comcast will air the two winning videos throughout Pennsylvania.

If you don’t live in the norther part of the U.S. you might not know the pleasures of winter driving. In the hills around Bradford, PA it’s all just part of life at this time of year. Winter driving can be slippery, tricky, and dangerous, but at least we don’t have traffic jams around here.

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.

First Night Bradford 2008 was really a lot of fun. Venues all over Bradford featured live acts from local bands to professional entertainers. Here is some footage from a few of them. Local Fretzican Idol Emily Marshall, Juggler Jeff Bach, and The Amazing Amos, The Amish Magician.

For Christmas Eve the Open Arms Church held a Christmas Eve’s Eve Service, available on-line here at OpenArms.tv:

The foliage has peeked, even though some nice pockets of color are hanging on. I couldn’t resist posting this video by gazaniac:

From TalkAbout Bradford.com, sidney73 created this moving video of Oak Hill Cemetery.

There was a lot of fun, and a lot of good deals, at the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2007 Auction, held at the Masonic Hall on South Avenue. According to Diane Sheely, the Chamber’s Executive Director, about 140 people attended the Tuesday evening event.

In addition to the traditional auction, there were silent auctions, and a balloon raffle. Auction items and prizes were donated by local businesses, giving bidders a chance to get some very unique items. A unique knife from W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, and a unique lighter from Zippo that included the manufacturing die, so another one can never be made, were included.

The Chamber’s annual auction is not just a sale, but rather, an event. The buffet was stocked with dishes from several local caterers, and refreshments included a cash bar. While it was too early to provide an exact total of the proceeds, Sheely did say this year’s auction was the best in recent years.

Does anyone remember Slick, ”the oil drop that won’t stop until Bradford’s on top.”?

Nic posted on TalkAboutBradford.com

Someone awhile ago was looking for this video. Well The Daily Show has posted the last 8 years of content and the slick video was one of them!

We received a message from Angela with a link to a video she took Monday morning - “Oh, the joys of nature”!

If you have any videos or photos you’d like to share send us a link!

Things have been a little slow for the last week. I guess that’s one of the virtues of being in a small town. It’s not that there aren’t things going on, the McKean County Fair is still in full-swing for a few more days. It’s just that everyone is doing summer things. The usual things, cook-outs, swimming, boating, and hoping summer will last. I think, with the relatively cool weather we’ve been having, it’s just dawning on some folks that spring is over, and yes, summer’s really here.

Congratulations to Miss Smethport High, Megan Woods, who was crowned 2007 McKean County Fair Queen

Artist Heather Levy will be exhibiting works from her series “RocketScience” at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in October. Check the Events Calendar for details.

Speaking of art, The Deviant Art site has
some :thumb26304844: interesting :thumb26305036: pictures.

Since we’ve posted a video of the Zippo Car, it’s only fair to post one of the Case Chopper:

This is a chopper built in 2005 by Orange County Choppers for W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, a subsidiary of Zippo Manufacturing Company. This vid shows the bike being started by Case President and CEO, Tom Arrowsmith, when the bike was unveiled at the Zippo/Case Visitors Center in Bradford, PA.

From all reports, the Light Up The Night Parade was a big success. The parade was held as part of Bradford, PA’s 2007 Summerfest and Zippo’s 75th anniversary celebration. The weather was beautiful and attendance was high. I videotaped most of it and planned to have it posted sooner but am having technical difficulties. Hopefully I’ll have it here on a later date. In the meantime, here is a clip that was posted on PhotoBucket.com.

I had to post this too. I still have to stop and stare anytime I see the Zippo Car driving around town.