(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“When you understand people and their wants and needs, and you can fulfill those wants and needs with a product or service, then I believe you will become successful.”

“Successful” is certainly a fitting word in the lexicon to describe Kim Villella, who joined Matt Drzik on the August 16 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about her four decades of success in Ambridge. Kim had recently announced her retirement after 40 years of running Una Bella Beauty & Wellness Studio on Merchant Street in Ambridge, and it led to several other businesses that came to the area over the next four decades.

Despite being a long-time member of the Ambridge community, Villella started her journey through the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy in Beaver Falls where she graduated in 1982 (after graduating from Ambridge High School in 1981. “I always had a love and passion for the industry, since I was a little girl,” she said, speaking of her beginnings of the salon in her home basement. “Everyone just asked me to cut their hair. I didn’t realize that I was creating a business at that point, or that I had a natural God-given talent in the industry.”

Una Bella moved from Kim’s house to Merchant Street in 1984, where it stands today. After that, her and her husband bought several other businesses in the Ambridge area: “We continued investing in the area. In 1999, we built a 50-bed assisted living facility on Merchant. Then eventually–in I think about 2000–we bought S&S Fasteners, which is a PennDOT manufacturing company that made big bolts for bridges and different projects.”

During her forty-year run, Villella also served as President of the Ambridge Chamber of Commerce; a post she held for six years from 2015 to 2021. She still plans to help out where needed in helping keep Ambridge’s ever-growing businesses and diversity trending upward: “They know that I’m here to consult and advise, and I pick up the phone when they call me every morning.” That said, Kim said that she does look forward to this next chapter of her life.

“When I retired, I cut my hair off, painted my nails red, and I’m going fishing.”

To watch the full interview with Kim Villella, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Photo by Beaver County Radio news correspondent Sandy Giordano)

Kim Vilella, who recently retired from Una Bella Beauty & Wellness and has been involved with the Ambridge community for four decades, will reflect on her career with Matt Drzik following the 8:30 news on A.M. Beaver County on Tuesday morning.

Curtis Walsh will start the day with local news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We want them to know Patriot is about family.”

Kelly Cope, executive director for Patriot Home Care in Beaver Falls, joined Matt Drzik on the August 15 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about how clients and caretakers at Patriot Home Care learn to engage in a matter that creates more connectivity and understanding towards one another, and how the team at Patriot learns to adapt to that way of communication even when there are struggles.

To learn more about Patriot Home Care, visit them online at their website and Facebook page, or call them at 724-506-8911.

To watch the full interview with Kelly Cope, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

A great event with a great cause returns once again to Beaver County.

Now in its 4th year, Bags & Blessings will be holding their annual 5K on September 10 headquartered at Thursdays in Bridgewater, with registration beginning at 8:00 AM. The event will preceded by a silent auction taking place from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM on September 9, with proceeds to help Bags & Blessings continue their bags for those who are or have undergone cancer treatments, as well as its continued progress in the Tree Memorial Program.

Bags & Blessings board members Brandee Cercone (Events Director) and Jennifer Temple (Marketing Director) joined Matt Drzik on the August 12 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview the 5K and Silent Auction. According to Cercone, “We had 402 people in the 5K last year, so our goal for this year is 403.” As of the interview, 350 had already registered for the race.

For more details on Bags & Blessings and the upcoming 5K, visit them online at To watch the full interview with Brandee and Jennifer, click on the YouTube feed below!

Brandee Cercone and Jennifer Temple will be talking with Matt Drzik tomorrow at 8:35 on A.M. Beaver County to discuss the upcoming Bags & Blessings 5K taking place in Bridgewater on September 10.

Frank Sparks kicks off the Friday show with local news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The 97th San Rocco Festa will be held on August 12 through August 14 at the Beaver Valley Auto Field in Monaca, hosted by the San Rocco Cultural Committee. The Festa will be open to the public from 5:30 until 11:00 PM each evening, with admission only $3.00 for adults and free for children under 13 along with free parking. The event is sponsored by the Beaver Valley Auto Mall.

Cultural Committee members Henry Bufalini and Natalee Bufalini joined Matt Drzik on the August 11 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview the Festa, which will feature live music, local food, kid’s activities, and the traditional Sunday service and procession–all of which stems from the traditions and bonds that have gone throughout Beaver County’s rich ties with Italy and Italian culture.

“In my years, we’ve always talked about passing this tradition down from generation to generation,” Henry said, “and that’s why it’s stayed together for 97 years.” One of those traditions is the San Rocco Festa Band–in which both Henry and Natalee play–who will be one of the many musical acts over the three-day weekend, including Fabulous Frankie Capri, Mojo Dia & The Usual Suspects, and Lights Out, just to name a few.

For a full schedule, visit sanrocco.org for more information. To watch the full on-air preview, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We just keep growing and keep expanding, and it’s turned into a really, really nice event to benefit our individuals.”

The McGuire Memorial Foundation will be holding their 7th Annual Car Cruise on Sunday, August 14 at Irvine Park in Beaver from Noon until 4 PM. Allison Dixon, who is the Director of Development & Operations for the McGuire Memorial Foundation, joined Matt Drzik on the August 11 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview all of the elements of this year’s Car Cruise.

Those elements include music from DJ Ryder, food trucks, a 50/50 drawing and a giant basket raffle–not to mention the hundreds of classic hot rods that will be in and surrounding Irvine Park. “I know we’ve had well over a thousand [cars] these last few years,” Dixon said. “It started as a small initiative up at our parking lot at the main site in New Brighton, and we quickly outgrew that location.” Proceeds from this event will benefit the residents at McGuire Memorial who suffer with severe disabilities and medical conditions.

For more details about the car cruise and other upcoming McGuire events, visit the Foundation’s website or Facebook Page. Click on the play button below to hear the full preview of the McGuire Memorial Car Cruise with Allison Dixon.

Two weekend events in Beaver County will be the focal point of the 8 o’clock hour on Thursday’s edition of A.M. Beaver County.

At 8:10, Matt Drzik will talk with Allison Dixon from the McGuire Memorial Foundation about their Car Cruise taking place on Sunday, August 14 at Irvine Park in Beaver.

Then at 8:35, Matt will speak with Henry Bufalini and Rachel Bufalini from the San Rocco Cultural Committee about this weekend’s San Rocco Festa starting on Friday, August 12 and running until the 14th.

Frank Sparks starts the morning with local news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Nearly 40 years of music history, wrapped up into one night…and those are just the performers.

The Big Beaver Falls Area School District will present the 2022 Musical Alumni Showcase on Friday, August 12th at the Beaver Falls High School. Performers from the Class of 1983 to the Class of 2022 will take the stage and perform a selected piece from their favorite Broadway (or off-Broadway) production, and proceeds from the evening will help support the musical program at Beaver Falls.

Melanie Flick, who is the Musical Theater Director at Beaver Falls, joined Matt Drzik on the August 9 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview the Friday night show. “We have 21 alumni performing…and of those 21 alumni, there were 17 Mancini nominations, nine Mancini awards, and three Jimmy Award nominees,” Flick stated. “It is quite the talent that we have, and five dollars will get you your money’s worth.”

Flick also gave credit to her team of staff that have helped put on the musicals every year for Beaver Falls, and also thanked the local businesses and communities for supporting the arts for the high school. “The support of our community has been amazing,” she added, “from selling ads to making donations to our sets…Beaver Falls has really supported our productions.” The next production for Spring 2023 will also be revealed at Friday night’s show.

For more information on the 2022 Beaver Falls Musical Alumni Showcase, check out their event page on Facebook. And speaking of Facebook, click on the Facebook Live feed below to watch the full interview with Melanie Flick:

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Showtunes, country classics, oldies, cruisin’ tunes, and many more classics…all within a few minutes’ drive of where you are.

The Beaver Valley Community Concert Association is once again presenting a series of five shows in their 2022-23 season, featuring a variety of styles and performers from several generations of popular music. BVCCA co-presidents Rhonda Ficca & Jean Macaluso joined Matt Drzik on the August 4 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview the shows, which will be held once again at the Beaver Falls Middle School Auditorium at 7:30 PM on show days.

The first three shows of the season will be in the first semester of 2022, and first up will be The Atlantic City Boys on Tuesday, September 20. The Atlantic City Boys will be showcasing their pipes on pop tunes of the 60s and 70s by acts such as The Bee Gees and The Four Seasons. The clock gets turned back on Saturday, October 8 as the BVCCA presents “Nic & Desi: Broadway Song, Dance & Romance” featuring timeless showtunes and world-class choreography. The first semester of shows rounds out with “Sail On!: The Beach Boys Tribute” on Thursday, November 17, with songs of surfing and cruising created by one of the greatest bands of the rock-and-roll era coming to life in the Beaver Valley.

The final two shows of the 2022-23 BVCCA season showcase a variety of genres. On Thursday, April 20, the R&B stylings of “Chester Gregory: Tribute To Jackie Wilson & Friends” will highlight soul classics from the early days of rock to the Motown era. Concluding the season will be “Through The Years” featuring the Kenny Rogers Band with local country music legend (and Blackhawk graduate) Don Gatlin on Wednesday, May 3.

For more information on the shows–including ticket and membership information–go to bvcommunityconcert.org for all the details.

To watch the full preview of the 2022-23 season with Rhonda and Jean, click on the Facebook feed below!