Bonus Photos and Video: Loretta Claiborne at Milton

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear an amazing woman speak. It was Loretta Claiborne, a woman who overcame incredible odds to become one of the most famous and decorated Special Olympians and an advocate for others facing challenges.

If you haven’t heard about her story of growing up in the projects of York before being introduced to competitive athletics through the Special Olympics, you’re missing out. She’s a great example of a Pennsylvanian doing good.

Here’s a little bit of her story, put together for the 1996 Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs:

She spoke yesterday to elementary students in Milton, and she was incredibly positive. For someone who overcame such incredible odds, she was neither downtrodden nor haughty about her life.

I was truly impressed with her. And now I’m looking for the movie – Netflix here I come!

She also brought a great message about not bullying to the students, which is an important message to tell, especially today in schools.

Here’s some bonus photos from her talk:

Riding the StratosFear at Knoebels

Sunday, as part of my family’s Mother’s Day festivities at Knoebels in Elysburg, my younger sister, brother-in-law and I took our first ride on the new StratosFear drop tower.

Wow.

I was surprised at how fast we went and how high it was. I literally thought as we were falling – “OMG I HOPE THEY STOP THIS THING!!!”

And they did. But it didn’t feel like they could, which, after all, is the point of the thrill ride.

Here’s my journey through the StratosFear. I secured my phone inside my jacket for the ride up and stowed it for the crash downward – see the note below.

[Disclaimer: Please don't be reckless with your smartphone or electronics while on the ride. Please secure your belongings. Seriously, it's really fast and you will lose things]

OK, so here’s the ascent. And from your vantage point, you have no idea when you reach the top. It’s like a fun, yet terrifying mystery:

Tina Fey and Williamsport

The latest book to flash across my Kindle screen is “Bossypants” by Tina Fey.

Not only is she hilarious, but the book was 99¢ last week – SCORE!

So imagine my surprise when reading about her and her husband’s annual holiday trip from NYC to Ohio, when she mentioned spending one Christmas in Williamsport – Check it out!:

You can tell she really, truly visited because she references specifics, like the Golden Strip Red Lobster and the mall carousel.

So here’s my question: Why am I just hearing about this now?! We’re there no Tina Fey sightings?

I guess it’s cool. It was a nice surprise to read, and celebrities deserve quiet time.

But I’ll definitely be keeping a sharp eye out from now on.

I guess you really never know who you’ll run into.

Have you ever met a celebrity?

Bonus Photos: History Day

Fort Augusta in Sunbury hosted a really cool event Saturday.

History Day included a WWII camp, some cool Lincoln memorabilia, and colonial people.

Most of it was hands on, too.

The event was revived after several years of lapsing. I was there for work, but would definitely go back for fun. Anyone interested in history should check it out in coming years.

Here’s some extra photos from the WWII camp:

Some artsy feelings…

 

 

 

 

I know that I’m no good at art – I took Photography I in college and that was enough to teach me that I didn’t have an artistic bone in my body.

But this week I found myself taking several scenic photos just for fun. They’re from a bunch of places around the Valley – and I wanted to share them with someone.

Feel free to share some critiques with me – but try not to be too harsh.

This was the sunset near my home in Danville yesterday. I wish the power lines weren’t there – but hey, I also like my electricity.

Bonus Photos: Yaw Press Conference

Yesterday, Senator Gene Yaw held a press conference to talk about his new goal to bring more natural gas access to Pennsylvanians.

He introduced two new bills with the Senate majority leader.

Here’s some extra photos from that event:

Military Spouse vote

Kathy and Jason Kling

Yesterday I spoke with a Watsontown woman whose husband is on his fifth overseas deployment.

She was recently named PA’s National Guard military spouse of the year, and she’s up for the national title.

Voting for the national title is Feb. 5 – and here’s a link to her profile.

Kathy said there will be link to the voting system on Feb. 5 on that profile page.

If Kathy makes it to the title of National Guard spouse of the year, she will compete for the overall title in March.

Let’s give her the recognition she deserves.

Kerry’s inspiring story

Yesterday, I got to talk to a fabulous woman who was very inspiring.

Her name is Kerry Chomas, and she’s a native of Watsontown who now lives in Conneticut. She decided she didn’t want to be out of shape anymore, so she made that first step and joined a gym.

Now she’s dropped numerous pants sizes and is running in a half-marathon in March.

She has a blog which chronicles her fitness journey – click here to see it!

Below is a stunning before-and-after photo:

Here’s her at a recent strongman competition completing an Atlas lift:

Make sure to check out her blog and get more updates and see more cool media – including a video of her completing a dead lift at the strongman competition!

Sheep to Shawl domination

Yesterday, I talked with Libby Beiler of the Time Warp team from Montour County, which won their second consecutive Sheep to Shawl competition.

The team works pretty much year-round to design and perfect their technique for the Farm Show, she said.

There’s selecting the sheep, selecting the theme, practicing new techniques, making sure everything’s lined up and sketched out.

Apparently, the Valley rocks at this competition, taking home 4 of the top 6 places.

Read more at dailyitem.com.

Here’s what all that hard work looks like when it comes down to it, courtesy of tweets from the scene:

Farm Show Youth Sheep-to-Shawl competition underway. The grownups compete live on PCN at 3. @pcntv #pafarmshow twitter.com/BrianLockman/s…

 

— Brian Lockman (@BrianLockman) January 9, 2013

Blog showcases local history

Helena Muffly (the diary’s author) in a photo from her granddaughter’s blog, A Hundred Years Ago

I got an interesting email Tuesday from a local blogger – Sheryl Lazarus – whose blog isn’t your typical look at local history:

You might find my blog interesting. It’s called A Hundred Years Ago. I’ve been posting my grandmother’s diary entries on it exactly 100 years to the day after she wrote them. She grew up on a farm in the McEwensville-Watsontown area, and kept the diary during her teen years from 1911 to 1914. I also include background information, old-time recipes, photos from hundred-year-old magazines, and other interesting things. I’m now just past the half-way point in the diary, and have posted a diary entry for each day for the past two years.

The blog is indeed really fascinating.

Sheryl posts diary entries and then adds her own context and commentary. For example in an entry describing Helena (the diary’s author) copying a dialogue for her school’s literary society, Sheryl wonders what she was reading and posts the text of a poem that might have been on the society’s radar.

It’s a fascinating look into the history of the region.

Make sure to visit A Hundred Years Ago!

And definitely send me any links to local sites you think are worth a mention!