Category: News

“Health Hike” Fundraiser A Huge Success

Joe DeMuzio and Dennis Garret.

(Darlington, PA) When you can combine a perfect, beautiful Sunday morning, exploring a national park that spans 14 states, celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of a local Beaver County natural treasure and raise money for two important charities all at the same time, you can’t lose.  That’s exactly what happened on Sunday Morning out at The historic Watts Mills Grist Mill site along little Beaver Creek in Darlington as dozens of people signed up to hike the North Country Trail as a fund raiser for McGuire Memorial and The St. Anthony  School programs.   The event marked the completion of a 200 yard section of the trail that was recently developed  and renovated to accommodate  handicapped wheelchair access to the trail.  Joe DeMuzio, owner of DeMuzio Developers in Beaver Falls donated the excavation work to make the passage possible for wheelchair bound people and he was on hand for Sunday Morning’s festivities as several people aboard wheel chairs from McGuire Memorial tried out the new hard surface “spur” that runs along side the actual north Country trail. He had this to say:

Tim Ishman, Director of Beaver County Recreation and Tourism, attended the fundraiser as a volunteer for the Knights Of Columbus Council 604, that organized the event.  He  offered a little background, and the  significance of the North Country Trail:

Along with participants from McGuire Memorial, left to right: Dennis Garret, Cathy Garret, Dave Wright, Joe DeMuzio, Tracy Hager and Tina Harkins pose near the entrance of the newly completed handicapped accessible North Country Trail spur.

The event offered the opportunity for participants to get pledges and hike various lengths of the trail to raise money for two charities, and to raise exposure and promote the North Country Trail.  The occasion  was yet another successful venture organized by Dennis Garret , who has been a part of many fundraisers through the years for McGuire Memorial.  Dennis and his wife, Cathy, own the land that the Watts Mill operated on over 150 years ago, and where the ribbon cutting took place.

Father Benjamin Barr blessing the North Country Trail.

Father Benjamin Barr, a Chippewa native and current Priest at St. Bernard’s Parish in Mount Lebanon presided over a blessing of the trail  shortly after Joe DeMuzio did the ribbon cutting with, appropriately enough, a set of pruning shears.

For more information about the North Country Trail, contact Dennis Garret at 724-827-2350.

Here are some pictures from Sunday’s gathering at North Country Trail:

 

Photography by Mark Peterson.

 

An Evening Competing For A Little Brown Jug.

(Beaver Falls, PA)  As legend has it, Years ago, the losing team of  the annual Beaver falls -New Brighton football game would go down to the Beaver River and fill up a jug (we can only assume that it turned brown after being filled with the river water) with water and bring it back up to the field for the winning team to take a drink.

Well, we now have running water, but that little brown jug is still just as important, but now as a trophy that get is kept by the wining team after each year’s game.  Friday Night, New Brighton held off a Beaver Falls comeback at the end to win this year’s edition of the “battle for the little brown jug”, 27-20, at Reeves Field on the campus of Geneva College.

Here are some pictures of a very festive and fun evening on College Hill last night:

New Brighton 27 vs Beaver Falls 20

Logo  

 

 

In the battle of the little brown jug…it was new Brighton Defeating Beaver Falls 27-20 at Reeves Field on the hill at Geneva College. The night started with rain, which lead to the Tigers dropping the ball in the first half. After Beaver Falls avenged a comeback, however New Brighton will keep the little brown jug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Central Valley 22 Beaver 24

  Logo  

Central Valley Played against Beaver tonight in what was a very close game. For most of the game it was pretty much even, but late in the fourth Beaver kicked a field goal bringing them from 21 to 24 and giving them the win.

 

   

1 HOSPITALIZED AFTER TWO-VEHICLE CRASH ON ROUTE 19 IN CRANBERRY

One person was hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash overnight on Route 19 in Cranberry Township. The accident was reported at around 11:30 near North Park Lounge. A car and a pickup truck were involved in the collision. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and were towed from the scene. One person was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.  No word on the victim’s name or condition.

Beaver Falls Municipal Authority Shows Off Progress of Dam Repair

Project engineer Rob Horvat, County Commission Chairwoman Sandie Egley and Beaver Falls Municipal Authority General Manger Jim Riggio.

(Beaver Falls, PA)  On a beautiful Thursday evening , The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority hosted a special dinner and tour of it’s Eastvale water treatment facility, including a look at the ongoing progress being made on a repair to the Authority owned and operated Eastvale Dam.    Jim Riggio, General manger of the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, hosted the event and conducted the tour. One could tell by the excitement in his voice and his beaming smile, that he was proud of the efforts being made to the 180 plus year old dam that straddles the Beaver River just south of the Eastvale bridge.  Riggio has good reason to want to show off the work that his men have been doing since leak underneath the dam was discovered back in April.

Over the course of time,  underlying material had been washed away from a 130 foot section on the eastern side of the structure and eventually became problematic when water began running freely under the crest of the dam and out the underside.  The reason why was because it was happening at a rate that could have been problematic for the municipal authority’s water supply, a pool of water eighteen feet deep that gathers upstream from the barrier.

The damaged section under repair at the Eastvale Dam

Within two days of discovering the breach, The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority had a temporary dam constructed of gravel and concrete blocks along the compromised section in place to secure the situation and allow the repairs to commence.  While Riggio and his team acquired massive water pumped to have on hand in case they needed to start pumping water back up the river to the intake plant in case the water levels above the dam dropped too low, they were never needed.

Given the magnitude of the project, and the magnitude of impact had it not been handled effectively when the problem occurred, it was easy to see why Riggio, along with the other representatives from the Beaver falls Municipal Authority, were eager to show off their progress.  Currently they are preparing to drill holes and drain water from a pool that has formed on the downstream side of the dam.  Once that is done, permanent repairs will begin.