WPIAL Executive Director Amy Scheueneman joins Matt Drzik following the 7:30 news on Tuesday to discuss the recent success for District 7 in Hershey, including two Beaver County teams in Central Valley and Aliquippa.

Also on Tuesday, Marie Timpano, the Executive Director of The Cornerstone of Beaver County, joins Matt Drzik following the 8:30 news to talk about the Winter Gear Drive taking place on December 16.

Plus, Alison Beam is OUT of Harrisburg, the Canadiens are IN Pittsburgh, and the last week to be a winner in the Holiday Helper contest!

6:30 to 9:00 AM; it’s A.M. Beaver County with Matt Drzik and Frank Sparks.

 

“It’s that warm and fuzzy feeling that you only get when you’re at home decorating the tree with your family and listening to that music…and I’m really happy to be a part of that for a lot of different people.”

Those were the words of Vanessa Campagna, the singer-songwriter from Beaver County who is returning home for a nine-show stint with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall. The first show will be on December 10 at 7:00 PM, and she spoke to A.M. Beaver County’s Matt Drzik about the upcoming series of shows, which will be conducted by world-renowned trumpeter/singer Byron Stripling.

Campagna’s resume has grown over her lifelong career in music, having won multiple Grammy Awards and even an Academy Award in 2013. She’s had success in multiple musical arenas, including Contemporary Christian, Dance Pop, and Country just to name a few. Vanessa attributes that diversity to her love for the different music that she was raised on combined with the sounds that she’s discovered from places ranging from Nashville to Norway.

“Really big melodies have always been my thing,” Campagna said during the interview. “I hear them in my head all the time. So when I started writing, it seemed that my songs ended up just getting placed over there in Europe…and those were the people who kind of gravitated towards it.”

It’s no surprise then, that the upcoming shows for Vanessa with the PSO–featuring one “really big” Christmas melody after another–provides a welcoming backdrop for her performances. “There really is something special about coming home and doing shows. The energy is so much fun, and I just feel comfortable. I just feel at ease. I love these shows.”

Not only is Vanessa singing the classics with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for the holiday season, but she has a new single, “Diamond For Christmas”, which premiered on Beaver County Radio on December 10 in prelude to the PSO shows. You can listen to a preview of “Diamond For Christmas” by clicking here.

To hear the full interview with Vanessa, click on the player below!

Vanessa Campagna previews her upcoming Christmas shows with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on A.M. Beaver County on Friday morning at 8:35 AM.

Also: Last chance for the week to get registered for the Holiday Helper contest, and the Friday Funny contest will be open for good, funny (and clean) jokes. It all begins tomorrow at 6:30 with Matt Drzik and Frank Sparks on Beaver County Radio.

Bob Barrickman joins Matt Drzik Thursday morning at 7:35 to preview the PIAA Class 4A Championship game between Aliquippa and Bishop McDevitt at Hersheypark Stadium, which he’ll be on the call for starting at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio on Thursday night.

Also: the Commissioners hear about reassessment, and another chance to register for the Holiday Helper contest. It all begins at 6:30 with Frank Sparks and Matt Drzik on Beaver County Radio.

Whether or not the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers will be freezing on the morning of January 8 is up to Mother Nature. The amount of good fun and good charity, however–that’s in the hands of Beaver County.

Andrew Fee, the Regional Executive Director for Special Olympics PA, joined Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to talk about the 2022 Polar Plunge taking place at the Bridgewater Landings Marina on January 8 at 9 AM. Participants will have the chance to plunge into the cold morning waters of the Beaver River, join in the fun with food and music, and donate to the many competitive and social events put on every year by Special Olympics organizations.

It was also brought up by Andrew that similar to 2021–when the in-person Plunge was not held–the option is available once again for the “Polar Pop”, a virtual participation from the confines of home. Participants are allowed and encouraged to send in a video of themselves engaging with cold water, with all proceeds going to the same goal of helping out Special Olympics PA.

To watch the full interview with Andrew and Matt, check out the Facebook feed below!

After months of research, development, and focus…a new land for learning has taken up residence on 8th Avenue in Beaver Falls.

Neighborhood North: Museum Of Play opened last week, and executive director Christine Kroger joined Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to talk about the new learning center for children and their families. The museum is located in the old SkyBank/Huntington Bank building at 716 14th Street in Beaver Falls, located just a few block from the Big Beaver Falls Area School District. The facility is open three days a week–Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday–and admission is free through the end of January 2022.

Kroger spoke about the importance of bringing Neighborhood North to the community not just in Beaver County, but throughout all of Beaver County as well. She highlighted the communication with the Beaver Falls community and its leaders as a key contributor to the development of the museum, and a key component to its future, too–Kroger hopes to see Neighborhood North take up permanent residence at the old News-Tribune building located across from the Carnegie Free Library.

To hear the full interview with Matt and Christine, click on the Facebook feed below!

“They were the top two trout fishing lakes in all of Pennsylvania.”

The lakes, as described by PA State Representative Aaron Bernstine (District 10), are the Hereford Manor lakes in the Zelienople/Harmony area right outside Beaver County. Bernstine spoke with Matt Drzik on the December 2 edition of A.M. Beaver County to provide an update on the restoration process of Hereford Manor; a project that Bernstine has made a focal point since his election to Harrisburg in 2016.

“I think our best shot at this,” Bernstine spoke, “is to work with our federal partners and to funnel the finances.” During the interview, Bernstine made no secret that the road to restore Hereford Manor would be difficult if it had to detour through Harrisburg, where getting the approval votes seems a difficult task.

It was also reiterated by Bernstine that the restoration of the lakes would also be a restoration of the surrounding area. “That’s the thing that excites me about this whole thing,” he stated, “[is that] people have gotten closer to the outdoors…a lot of those different opportunities [will be] here, should we be able to get this project to move forward eventually.”

To hear the full interview with Matt and Aaron, click on the player below.

 

For the second year in a row, the parade for Christmas On Merchant will be one for the citizens AND by the citizens.

Bill Roehm, the Director for the Ambridge Chamber of Commerce, joined Matt Drzik to talk about the Christmas On Merchant parade and festivities taking place on December 3 beginning at 6:00pm. Beaver County Radio will be there for the event from 6:00pm until 8:00pm.

The format this year will once again be a “reverse parade”, in which the parade attendees will be driving down Merchant Street in Ambridge themselves while singers, instrumentalists, and local businesses shower the drivers and passengers with Christmas cheer. Those looking to participate in the drive are asked to report to Ambridge High School at 5:30pm.

Roehm hopes that those who do stop by and participate in the “reverse parade” will also participate in taking in not just the merchants on Merchant Street, but all throughout the city of Ambridge. “If you haven’t been to Ambridge in even just a few months, you’re going to see changes in downtown Ambridge and all around,” Roehm said.

To hear the full preview with Bill and Matt, click on the player below.