87th St. Rita's Festival scheduled in Connellsville
The 87th St. Rita's Festival is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Anyone of any age can enjoy themselves playing games including bingo; eating delicious Italian food, baked goods and ice cream; and just running into everyone else who is having a nice evening enjoying the crowd and the live music. The raffle baskets are always outstanding and there are plenty of them to take a chance on and there are grand prize drawings. The festival is 5:30-10 p.m. each night with fireworks Saturday at 10 p.m. Don't miss this annual summer event.
• Friday night is the Connellsville Recreation Board free movie night at East Park, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” will be shown. July 17 is “Frozen.” Concessions will be sold.
• The Connellsville Farmers Market opens Saturday morning. Can't wait for all that fresh, locally grown produce.
• On Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Bullskin Volunteer Firemen Ladies Auxiliary will be serving a dinner of boneless pork chops, potatoes, vegetable, salad, dessert and drink. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4-12. The address is Keefer Road, off Route 982. Everyone is welcome.
• Lions Square Summer Concerts continue each Sunday night, 7-9 p.m. This week will feature “Travelin' Road Show.” The concerts are free and so is parking. You can buy refreshments and brooms from the Lions. Bring your chair.
• Sadly, my Uncle Jim (R.J.) Cavanaugh recently passed away. He was a World War II veteran and had many health challenges throughout his life as a result of illness contracted in the service. He was a gentleman and a gentle man, wise, kind and soft- spoken. He was a successful businessman, admired by many, including his family. He was married to Aunt June for 69 years. He always enjoyed telling stories about the fun and antics he and his three brothers, Ralph, Homer and Gene and his little sister, Audrey had growing up in the countryside of the Johnson Lane area, where he still lived. We will all miss him.
• Savor the Avenue will be held Aug. 8. Reserve your seat at Fayette County's longest dining table, where some of the area's finest restaurants will be serving a specialty that night. Stop by the Greater Connellsville Area Chamber of Commerce office to reserve your seat today, Cost is $60 per person.
• Congratulations to Mario Ruggieri for becoming an Eagle Scout, Chris Mickey acknowledged the achievement this way: “Mario is a great kid. He is dedicated, hard-working and conscientious. When he says he's going to do something, he does it. He has gone above and beyond the established Eagle Scout requirements in completing his cemetery project. I'm proud to see him become an Eagle Scout, he deserves it.”
• Singer, songstress and entertainer Rachel B will be on stage at the Connellsville Canteen, 6-9 p.m. Aug. 29. Make your reservations now by calling 724-603-2093. The show includes dinner, tickets are $25 per person. Rachel B is a dynamic performer and is being sponsored by Fayette County Cultural Trust. For more information visit www.connellsvillecanteen.org.
• The Connellsville Area High School Marching Band will once again be playing at a Pirates game on Aug. 30 at 1:35 p.m. They will be playing the national anthem. Tickets are on sale now and you can include the bus ride too. All-you-can-eat seats are $55, Lower outfield box seats are $40, Outfield box seats are $34 and grandstand seats $24. Bus tickets are $10 per seat. For more information contact Nancy Culver at 724-455-2857 or nbcrrc@lhtot.com
• Conn-Area Catholic School is selling a calendar ticket for August 2015. Each ticket has 31 chances to win in August with a total of $2,500 in cash prizes awarded. Each ticket has two, three-digit numbers and is drawn on the 7 p.m. Pennsylvania Daily Lottery. Tickets are $10 each. To purchase a calendar ticket, please call the school office at 724-628-5090.
• This is from Roy Hess: “The Tri-Town Area Historical Society would like to thank sincerely all those folks who made this year's Homecoming celebration one of our most successful. That includes those who chaired events, the vendors, parade participants, Dawson Fire Company, Keystone Fireworks, volunteers who just pitched in and helped with anything, those who donated food or prizes, our regular race sponsors, antique car owners, but most of all, the hundreds of guests that came to the auction, the Saturday events, the Sunday brunch and car show. Thank you, Thank you. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the Homecoming event. See you then.”
• The First Baptist Church of Connellsville, 301 S. Pittsburgh St., is having its Vacation Bible school 6-8 p.m. July 13-16. The theme is “Camp Discovery.” Everyone is invited.
• The Porter Theater will host the musical “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” July 31-Aug. 2. The large cast includes many familiar names and the show is a popular one. Contact the Porter Theater Association for more information.
• You can save money by buying advance tickets to the Fayette County Fair that are on sale now at Armstrong, Davies Ford, the fairgrounds office and other locations. The fair is July 30-Aug. 8 and will have something for everyone. The racing pigs will be back along with Buffo the world's strongest clown, A Grizzly Experience and the petting zoo, just to name a few. Entertainment will include The Clarks, The Fabulous Hubcaps and Chris Higbee along with demo derbies and all kinds of action nightly in the outdoor arena. For more information go to fayettefair.com
• A Sight and Sound trip to Lancaster is scheduled for Nov. 7. Everyone is invited to join the youth group of Connellsville Presbyterian Church to see “Miracles of Christmas.” Call Nancy Luckey at the church for details, 724-628-4401.
• The Fayette County Cultural Trust, through a partnership and funding with the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Community Foundation of Fayette County and the Chevron Foundation, formed a Rural Arts Initiative, through WashArts in Washington County. This initiative will be putting rural teaching artists in school classrooms in Greene and Washington counties. In Fayette County theatrical classes for middle school-aged students will be offered. One of the classes that FCCT is very proud and fortunate to offer is an Acrobatic Stilts Workshop for young adults. This week-long workshop will be held the week of Aug. 10-14 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Connellsville Carnegie Free Library. The Carpetbag Brigade is providing this workshop for young adults that wish to develop a new skill, build strength and balance in their body and explore the expressive arts. The Carpetbag Brigade performs all over the world and will be coming to Fayette County. “These classes usually cost $225, but through the Trust and our generous sponsors we are able to provide scholarships that will bring the cost down to just $95,” said Dan Cocks.
Mark your calendars: July 9-11, St. Rita's Festival: July 10, East Park movie: July 11, Farmers Market: July 12, Bullskin Firemen Ladies Auxiliary dinner; July 12, Travelin' Road Show at Lions Square: July 19, Nashville Past at Lions Square; July 23, Animal SnipPets Paint and Sip; July 30-Aug. 8, Fayette County Fair; Aug. 8, Savor the Avenue: Aug. 15, Bike with Buds: Aug. 29, Rachel B dinner and show at the Canteen.
If you have a local upcoming event that you would like mentioned in this column, email it well in advance so I can include it, crisliphenry@gmail.com
Nancy Henry is a Connellsville area resident.
