McMurray Teen Among Nation’s Best Skiers
While many high school students spent spring break climbing into bed, Brian Kish instead was climbing to the top of the podium.
For the Okemo Mountain School Male Freeride Skier of the Year, winning the first-ever Seven Springs Mashed Potatoes Rail Jam was a piece of cake.
Topping about 30 other freeride skiers was just another day on the mountain for Brian, 16, of McMurray, who spent the past year at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vt. “It’s a lot smaller than Peters Township,” Kish says of the academy, which he likened to a small college campus. His sophomore class only has about 200 students, he acknowledges.
This year was also his first at Okemo, in nearby Ludlow.
On earning the school’s skier of the year title, he says, “It felt pretty good, being the new kid up there.”
Chris Marks, Okemo head coach, says there is no official point list or rank for freeride athletes in the United States, but Brian “definitely ranks among the very best” amid his peers.
“All of us at Okemo Mountain School are very excited about the future prospects for Brian, especially given his progress in his first year here with us, and we see no reason why he cannot be one of the best freeride athletes in the United States,” Marks says.
Along with winning the Seven Springs Mashed Potatoes Rail Jam, Brian competed in the national Freeskiing Open at Copper Mountain, Colorado and the Aspen Freeskiing Open in February. On Copper Mountain, Brian qualified for the semi finals in superpipe, one of his first competitions out west against other professional skiers.
“It was very nerve-wracking,” he says. “My nervousness got to me a little. I would have liked to do better.”
The opportunity is not far away if the amount of competition Brian has faced this year alone is any indication. Following his success in Colorado, Brian went on to place second in the rail competition and third in superpipe at Mount Snow’s Antigravity Games. He also earned third place at the Salomon Jib Academy Competition at Waterville Valley, N.H. “From a coaching standpoint, I have seen a lot of talented freeride skiers try and make it to the professional level,” Marks says.
“The characteristics that separate Brian from the other high-level competitors in this sport are his overall athleticism as well as his extreme desire to succeed. He is not afraid to try new difficult tricks, knowing there is a likely chance of many crashes before he masters the trick.”
In the next two years, Brian hopes to earn an invitation to the winter X Games, held annually in Aspen. “It’s a pretty far goal, but it would be nice to make it there.” – Kathryn Sheranko
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The new maternity center at Ohio Valley General Hospital
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Recent Births Make History
Ohio Valley General Hospital recently celebrated the births of the first babies born in the Hospital’s recently-dedicated Surgery and Maternity Center, a 50,000 square-foot, $30 million contemporary glass four-story wing.
The new maternity floor has 10 private in-patient rooms, four labor-delivery-recovery rooms, a specially-equipped room for C-sections, nursery and state-of-the-art security system. The surgical floor has six operating rooms, with two that accommodate orthopedic procedures, and a seventh room dedicated to urological procedures.
Happiness is a Good Polka
Craig DiBiase might be the only graduate from Peters’ class of 1999 who readily admits he has more friends age 75 and older than of his own age. He and three other New York City-based filmmakers spent six months traveling the country from Pittsburgh to Cleveland to Wisconsin and lots of places in-between to make the documentary film “It’s Happiness,” which examines the American polka culture and the people who love it.
“Everyone in the polka world has a story to tell, and some days I felt like I had 100 grandparents,” DiBiase says.
The 80-minute film had its Pittsburgh debut in mid-March, and is available on DVD online at www.polkamovie.com. It’s also showing at film (and polka) festivals around the country, including the Wisconsin State Film Festival. “I never thought I would enjoy spending my weekends at polka festivals, but when each Sunday came, I couldn’t wait for the next one,” DiBiase says.
The idea for the film was born after the Milwaukee Polka Club appeared in a commercial for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in 2004. The president of the club thought polka would be a good subject for a full-length film, and approached DiBiase and fellow producer Timm Gable with the idea. They were intrigued, and soon after found themselves immersed in the “om-pa-pa” culture. One of the first things they learned was that, in many towns, polka isn’t just for the old folks.
“One festival we filmed at was in a small town north of Green Bay called Pulaski Polka Days. The crowd consisted of kids 25 and under there for the polka. Polka music is such a tradition in some towns that the kids feel a sense of pride in carrying on this tradition.”
Many of the older folks were initially skeptical of four 25-year-olds making a film about polka, for fear that they were out to ridicule the culture. But DiBiase and company won them over with a genuine appreciation for the music and people. They even landed an interview with country music legend Willie Nelson, a great polka fan who actually began his musical career in his uncle’s polka band.
In addition to “It’s Happiness,” DiBiase has done work for VH1, The Late Show with David Letterman, and “Winter Passing,” an independent movie starring Will Ferrell and Ed Harris slated for release next year. For more information, or to see a trailer, visit www.polkamovie.com. –Tim McNellie
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An artist’s drawing of the new Meadowcroft rockshelter structure
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Approaching World Status
Meadowcroft Rockshelter, the oldest site of human habitation in North America, has taken an important step to gaining status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2005, Meadowcroft was named a National Historic Landmark, and this designation helped to position the site among the 36 natural and cultural landmarks that hope to be accepted on the U.S.’s new tentative list of World Heritage nominations.
Currently, only 20 of the world’s designated World Heritage sites are located in the U.S. Meanwhile, with recent construction at the site, Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life, located in Avella, Pa., Washington County, has announced an abbreviated schedule for the 2007 season. The new structure is scheduled to be completed this fall, so Meadowcroft will be closed throughout the summer. However, Meadowcroft is still accepting school and group reservations for its 19th century rural village.
Library Expansion Nets $600-Plus
The carefree attitude of the Polynesian Islands put township residents in a giving mood at the third annual Bower Hill Beestro Family Dinner Event, held last month.
The fundraiser netted $617 for the Peters Township Library expansion fund. “It was very, very successful,” says Melanie Bleiweis, Beestro chairwoman. “It’s rewarding that people have a good time and it gives people an opportunity to get together.”
More than 400 people attended the dinner and Chinese auction, sponsored by the Bower Hill Elementary PTA, held in the school cafeteria and multipurpose room.
Benichopsticks, located in the Waterdam Plaza in McMurray, catered the event. The menu included egg rolls, cold noodles, salad with ginger dressing, beef teriyaki, pineapple chicken, vegetable fried rice, General Tso shrimp, chicken lo mein, fortune cookies and green tea.
Participants also received a coupon for 15 percent off the next visit to the restaurant. Beestro members Mark and Karen Allison took leftover food to the Washington City Mission, notes Bleiweis.
Pacific Island-themed activities for children included face painting, tattoos, bucket decorating, crafts and coloring pages provided by Oogles n Googles, of McMurray. Adults and children alike enjoyed a juggling performance by Mike Spisak and Ken Wills. “It’s a family fun event,” Bleiweis says. “It’s a way to get people together and it’s my contribution to the school.”
Bower Hill Elementary will benefit from the library expansion, which will include a 700-square-foot Young Adult Room and a 210-square-foot Seminar Room dedicated to educational program, according to the Web site, www.ptlibrary.org.
Plans for the new, two-story, 4,840-square-foot expansion also include much-needed space for 50,000 additional items and a 210-square-foot Local History Room to house the library’s growing local and oral history collections.
“I think it’s wonderful that people love the library and want to help us expand our services and facility,” says Pier Lee, library director. “It’s wonderful for them to have fun and also help us.”
Through the state Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the library received a $500,000 matching grant for the expansion, which could cost a total of $1.035 million. About $250,000 of the matching portion has been raised. Construction is slated to begin in June. “This is a community library, intended for everyone,” Lee says. “I’m very grateful for everyone’s help and also very appreciative that they trust us and believe in us, that’s important.”
Bleiweis is already busy planning next year’s event, a beach party scheduled for Friday, April 7.
Though she admits planning the event is a challenge every year, she relishes the role. So does her daughter, Alexa, a second-grader at Bower Hill. Lee is simply grateful the library will be available to them next year, as it has for the past half century.
“We hope for many years more we can serve them better.” - Kathryn Sheranko
Center Stage, Please
On July 13th and 14th, Washington and Jefferson College’s Center Stage Players Theatre for Children will present “The Three Musketeers,” an original adaptation of the classic tale, retold for children. Show times are; July 13th at 7:00 p.m., and July 14th, at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $4
In addition to the performance, a FREE Children’s Festival is offered, on Saturday July 14th from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m.(in between the show times). The festival includes workshops in the arts, shows, playthings, and activities for children. This is the Festival’s 11th year. Its mission is to provide professional quality theatre to the area’s children. The children’s theatre show grew out of the summer stock theater that used to be offered by W&J College, but is now the only remnant left. Arlene Shaw, at 724-503-1001 ext. 6541 or email me at ashaw@washjeff.edu. You can get in touch with our founder and director, Dan Shaw at 724-223-6085 or dshaw@washjeff.edu
By Shelly Belcher
