Ashley Hartzell French and her husband Doug are expecting their second daughter, Lila French. They have recently discovered that their unborn child has a Right Sided Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, which means that there is a rather large hole on the right side of her diaphragm which is allowing her internal organs to move up into the chest cavity. This is preventing her heart and lungs from developing properly. The Frenchs need to relocate in order to receive the best medical care possible to insure their daughter’s chance of survival. The family is holding a benefit at the Knox Fire hall to help defray some of the costs.

The benefit will be held on June 9, 2012.  Children’s activities will be from 1:00pm-4:00pm with an admission fee of $5.00 per child. There will also be a bake sale and concession stand during these hours. You will not be charged an admission fee if you only wish to purchase items from these stands.

            They will open back up at 6:00 pm with adult activities beginning at 7:00. There will be a live band, door prizes and snacks. This is BYOB. If you do not wish to pay the admission fee to attend either event, there are still chances to win. During both sessions numerous raffles and a Chinese auction will be available in a centralized location at the fire hall for you to purchase chances. The winners of the Chinese auction will be drawn and announced during the evening entertainment. All other raffles will be drawn at a later date. You need not be present in order to win. Please come out, help this family in need and have a great time doing it!!

Are you ready for summer? Looking for things to do in the Foxburg Area this summer? We have a full schedule of summer events and happenings for you, so to be ready Save the Dates. Allegheny Riverstone Center for the Arts will be holding their first Wulitzer Organ Concert of the 2012 season at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, May 19, featuring Ken Double and honoring a special member of the theatre organ community Paul Mckissick, whose tireless efforts saved and restored the Lincoln Hall Wulitzer. The concert starts at 7:00pm and price is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for members and $5.00 for students. For ticket information, call 412-867-1816.

 Would you enjoy a night full of laughs and good food? The Allegheny Grille is hosting its second Comedy Night of the year on Saturday, May 26, 2012. Starting at 6:30pm this includes a buffet dinner, salad, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. The comedy show starts at 7:30pm and features three performers, Trina Hess, Bill Boronkay and Doc Dixon. Price for this show is $30.00 per person in advance and $35.00 per person at the door. Call 724-659-5701 today to make your reservations.

Also don’t forget that the Foxburg Wine Cellars has live entertainment every Saturday and Sunday from 2pm-5pm throughout the summer. Enjoy free wine tasting and local talent.

Love to hear music from local entertainers? The Allegheny Grille will be featuring music from The River Nymphs on Tuesday May 22 from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. They will also have music from The Two of us on Tuesday May 15, Friday May 18(and open mic) and Tuesday May 29 6:00pm-9:00pm.

Want to enjoy all of this fun, a few drinks and not have to drive home? Call the Foxburg Inn Hotel 724-659-3116 to reserve your room. With beautiful views and a peaceful ambience, the Foxburg Inn Hotel is where charm and chance meet.

Foxburg Wine Cellars is hosting live entertainment every Saturday and Sunday in May. The entertainment is from 2:00-5:00 pm. Come on out and enjoy Free wine tasting and local musical talents. Now operating under summer hours the Foxburg Wine Cellars is open from 12noon-8:00pm daily.

Saturday, May 5- Max Schang & Rae Hanna

Sunday, May 6- Richard Eustice

Saturday, May 12-Tyler Jenkins Band

Sunday, May 13-Don Schiebel

Saturday, May 19-Tim Lionelli

Sunday, May 20-Angel Blue Band

Saturday, May26-Mandolin Whiskey

Sunday, May 27-Gashouse Annie

It was also great to see the local talent our region has to offer. We were blessed with performances of all kinds, from a12 &14 year old Inspirational music duo to a female chainsaw carver and everything in between. The food was hot, fresh and delicious, the maple was sweet and plentiful and the atmosphere was festive!! Our valued guest, Lindsey Baird stayed with us over the weekend. Read her thoughts on the weekend and her experience in Foxburg on her blog.  Thanks again to all of you and hope to see you next year!!

Summer is almost here!! There are many exciting things to do here in Foxburg this summer, starting off with a Cinco de Mayo Celebration under the tent at The Allegheny Grille. Enjoy live music from The River Nymphs and The Two of Us

Saturday, May 5

12noon to 4:00 pm

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday that celebrates the battle of Puebla in 1862. A small army of Mexicans, about 4500 men were able to stop the French invasion. This boosted morale for the Mexicans and created a feeling of national unity.

Come join in the fun, there will be beer vendors, live music and authentic Mexican Cuisine.

Jerome Wincek, Folk music performer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter will be entertaining festival goers at the Foxburg Wine Cellars from 2:30 to 3:00 on Saturday April 28, 2012. Located in Oil City, Pennsylvania, Jerome performs music in the genres of Folk/Electro acoustic/ Country Rock. Some of his songs include; When the mornin breaks, From the eyes of a star, Party in the back, She thought to run and When the lights go out.

        Jerome has performed in various locations in Venango County and the surrounding areas, including The Shamrock Bar, the Impromptu Room, and the Oil Country Blue Grass Festival all in Oil City, PA. He is also scheduled to play at the Oil Region Indie Music Festival June 15 on Seneca Street in Oil City, but don’t wait until then to enjoy the sounds of Jerome’s unique style. Join Jerome at the Foxburg Wine Cellars during the Maple Syrup Festival and sample some of Foxburg’s original wine while you are there. With over 30 wines to choose from you will be sure to find something you like.  

To learn more about Jerome or to listen to some of his music go to his website http://Jeromewincek.com.

 Many  thanks to J&J Feeds of Shippenville, PA for their generous donation to Foxburg’s upcoming Birdfest, May 5 and 6, 2012. Located on Paint Blvd in Shippenville, PA this is your one stop shop for all of your feed needs. Find feed for all of the animals on your farm, including nutrient enriched cattle feed, show feeds for sheep or pigs, and specialty feeds for horses in all stages of life and activity levels. Not only do they offer feed, but you can find a wide selection of horse equipment and supplies at affordable prices. Consider J&J feeds your local pet supply store.

J&J Feeds has everything you need for your spring and fall food plot or agricultural plantings. They are now offering day and weekend rental of food plot preparation implements for those who would like to plant a food plot but do not have the equipment to get the job done. They are also offering on site consultations to be sure that your food plot is done right.

J&J also carries a variety of wildlife mineral supplement and supplement feed products including the Wildlife Game Masters’ MVP Mineral Supplement and is an authorized dealer of Wildlife Perfect Seed Blends. Thank you again, J&J Feeds for your kindness and generosity in sponsoring this Foxburg event.

You can contact J&J Feeds by calling 814-226-6066

J&J Feeds

19821 Paint Blvd

Shippenville, PA 16254

Garrett Heath, singer and song writer will be performing at The Foxburg Pizza Shop and country store on April 28 from 3:30-4:00pm as part of the Maple Syrup Festival. Garrett and his wife, Autumn are currently partnering with Orphan Network on behalf of orphanages in Nicaragua. The Alabaster Jar is a project that uses music and art to raise awareness and support for orphans in Nicaragua. All profits from their music and art goes to this very important cause. Garrett is a folk/indie /Christian Rock artist. Some of his songs include: How to die; Marching on; Rise up from your sleep; Sing your song and Isaiah 58.

Head on over to the Pizza Shop to listen to Garrett’s music and while you are there, grab some delicious food. When asked what I recommend over there, it is really difficult to answer because everything is so good. They have Pizza, (of course) subs, salads, breadsticks and more. In the name of everything maple, they will offer special maple flavored menu items also.

As a part of the local talent that will be performing for the Maple Syrup Festival, Isaac Cole, 12 and Mikayla Lynn McNany, 16 will be performing Country Gospel at 4:30-5:30 at The Foxburg Inn Hotel. Isaac has been performing for 8 years and Mikayla has been singing for 2 years. Last year Isaac finished recording his debut album in Nashville, Tennessee. Inspired and produced by four time Inspirational Country Music Male Vocalist of the Year, Tommy Brandt, Isaac has competed at The Inspirational Country Music talent contest. After the contest, Isaac’s family was contacted by many talent agents and promoters to pursue Isaac’s musical gift. Also you can see Isaac on Youtube. Join the McNany children at The Foxburg Maple Syrup Festival and witness firsthand the many local talents our area has to offer.

Do not hesitate  to register for Foxburg’s Bird Watching Weekend. If you love birds, you do not want to miss this. Enjoy a bird walk and lunch at the Riverstone Estate, on Saturday May 5, 2012 starting at 8am. Cost for this is $20.00. Following this, you are invited to a dinner at the Allegheny Grille at 5:00pm, with presentations by Michael Leahy, Seneca Rocks Audubon Society, Grassland Bird Calls and Keynote Speaker Jason Hill B.S., M.S., PhD candidate. Jason will discuss his findings with respect to several seasons of research into the population dynamics of grassland breeding sparrows and their relationship to the grassland habitat created by reclaimed surface mines in PA. Of particular interest will be his research at Mount Zion/Piney Tract in Clarion County. Price for this is $26.40.  At 8:00pm, Saturday May 5, there will be an Owl Prowl at Riverstone. Cost for this is $5.00.  Avoid traveling, stay with us at The Foxburg Inn Hotel and ask about our special birdfest rate.

Sunday May 6, 2012 8:00am

Visit Mount Zion/Piney Tract, Important Bird Area. This is a former strip mine. K&C Coal Company mined this area in the 1970’s , saved the original top soil and used locust and pine trees to revegetate the mined area. In the 1980’s it was discovered that this area was becoming a habitat for rare species of birds. Some of these species include: Henslow’s sparrows, Grasshopper sparrows, Upland Sandpipers and Short-eared owls. This event is free. Call now to reserve your room and/or tickets. Choose the events you want and leave the rest, or you may buy tickets to all of the events. Contact The Foxburg Inn for tickets and information 724-659-3116.