Local briefs
Tourism Week set The state Department of Transportation’s welcome centers will be celebrating National Tourism Week from May 12-20.
A variety of events are planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Keystone Welcome Center of Laurel Highlands on Interstate 79 northbound in Mt. Morris, Greene County.
Activities include:
? Saturday, May 12 – Jeannie Patton, representing Greene County Tourism, will be handing out cake.
? Sunday, May 13 – Patton will be handing out cake. Also participating will Carol Randolph and representatives of Warrior Trial and Mason Dixon Park
? Monday, May 14 – Participating will be Patton; state Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Waynesburg; Mark Ickes representing the Laurel Highlands Tourist Promotion Agency; and representatives of Ryerson Station State Park.
? Tuesday, May 15 – Participating will be Patton and representatives of Ryerson Station State Park. Southwest Regional Medical Center will be doing blood pressure checks.
? Wednesday, May 16 – Participating will be Patton and representatives of Ryerson Station State Park and Terry Hopkins with the Pennsylvania Lottery.
? Thursday, May 17 – Participating will be the Washington County Tourist Promotion Agency and Greene County representatives.
? Friday, May 18 – Participating will be Slovak Folk Crafts, Jeanine Rainone with Force Inc., Families for PA Coal, Greene County representatives, Kayleen Ward with Westmoreland Community College, Alicia Ryder with Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. Bill Caraway with the Hampton Inns in the Pittsburgh region will pass out cookies from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
? Sunday, May 20 – Brice and Linda Rush will set up their coal mining display. Linda Rush also will be representing the Greene County Museum.
PennDOT urges motorists to drive carefully, and to stop frequently to give themselves a break from driving.
Road work planned
Chris Sleighter, Fayette County maintenance manager with the state Department of Transportation, has announced the following tentative work plan for the week beginning Monday.
??Repairs will be performed to the bridges on state Route 3009, Outcrop Road.
??Signs will be updated, downed signs will be replaced and work orders will be addressed on various state routes throughout the county.
?Patching is scheduled for state Route 3008, Jacob’s Creek Road; state Route 51 in the Cloverleaf area and state Route 3004, Wymp’s Gap Road.
? Ditch-cleaning operations are scheduled for state Route 3013, Palmer Road.
? Mechanized-patching operations will occur on state Route 4030, Smock Reservoir Road.
? Seal-coating procedures will take place on state Route 3001, Stewartstown Road, and on state Route 3003, Tom Cat Hollow Road.
All maintenance activities are conducted as the weather permits. PennDOT reminds motorists to drive with caution throughout all work areas and to be alert for signed work zones requiring the use of headlights.
PENNDOT has a 24-hour toll-free number for residents to call to report any road maintenance concern. The number also can be used to report the locations of dead deer on state highways. The number is 1-800-FIX ROAD (1-800-349-7623). More information is available online at www.penndot21.com.
Screening set
Perryopolis Ambulance will hold its annual health awareness screening from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the ambulance service. The Perryopolis Township Volunteer Fire Department will hold a blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, at the fire hall on South Liberty Street.
Renaming scheduled
Bishop William G. Connare was shepherd of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg for nearly three decades, and May 4 was always a special day for him.
He was ordained and installed as the diocese’s second bishop May 4, 1960.
Exactly four years later, he presided at the dedication of St. Joseph Hall, now St. Joseph Center, which was one of the many projects he oversaw in his 27 years as bishop.
May 4 again will be the date of a special Mass when the center will be renamed the Bishop William G. Connare Center in honor of his service, accomplishments and kind spirit.
Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt will be the principal celebrant at the Mass in St. Joseph Chapel, which will include priests of the diocese, diocesan employees and special guests.
When he announced the renaming of the center, Brandt said, “The center is a vibrant part of the faith life of Catholics in the Diocese of Greensburg and is a center of service to all people in the diocese and the wider region.”
Brandt added that he was honored to recognize one of his predecessors “whose life was completely focused on the people of the diocese and on service to them.”
The facility, which started as a minor seminary for high school students, was built on 180 acres on the former Roy McKenna estate on Route 30 east of Greensburg.
Connare chose the name St. Joseph in recognition of the saint’s vocation as a foster father of Jesus and because he was the patron saint of the Second Vatican Council, which Bishop Connare attended.
Then-Archbishop John J. Krol of Philadelphia, in his first visit to the Diocese of Greensburg, blessed the center May 4, 1964. Connare was the celebrant of the Mass, which included 15 bishops from surrounding dioceses and archdioceses as concelebrants, including Archbishop John F. Dearden of Detroit, Mich., and Bishop John J. Wright of Pittsburgh. The seminary closed in 1970, and the facility became a conference and retreat center the following year.
Neumann House, the diocesan residence for retired priests and Connare’s residence until his death in June 1995, was dedicated in 1984. The facility’s name was changed to St. Joseph Center in 1992. It includes St. Joseph Chapel, meeting rooms, banquet facilities and lodging, and hosts a wide variety of events and programs.
Fund-raiser planned
The Central Fellowship Church, corner of Arch and Peach streets, will host a bargain and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.
According to organizers, there will something for everyone. Organizers said the proceeds will benefit the Wesley Circle for Missions.
The public is invited to attend.
Lunch program set
The Fayette County Area Vocational-Technical School will participate in the Summer Food Service Program providing free lunches to children in organized programs from June 19 to July 31.
The program will be conducted at various locations in the area.
Children under the age of 18 participating in the programs will receive breakfast and/or lunch Monday through Friday. All children are served the same meal at no charge and there is no discrimination in the course of the food service. Children may range in age from infant though 18 years. Meals will be served daily from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The vo-tech school policy is that all eligible children have equal access to the benefits of the Summer Food Service Program, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disablility. Organizers said any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA-related activity should contact the secretary of agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Additional organized programs may be added to the list of operated sites. For further information about the Summer Food Service Program, call Lynn Huggins at 724-437-2721, extension 110.