Thanks to Google technology you can now drive through Smethport without ever leaving your home. Just aim your browser to “Google Maps” and do a search for “Smethport Pa”.

When the street map of Smethport shows up, drag the orange “Pegman” from the top left to the location in Smethport where you would like to start your drive. Pegman acts as your guide through Google’s Street View.  

Street View provides 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic street level views of Smethport within Google Maps. Google collects these images using special vehicle-mounted cameras and equipment that capture and match images to a specific location using GPS devices.

Once the images are captured, they are “sewn” together to create a 360° panorama. Faces and license plates are blurred before the panorama images are served and become viewable in Google Maps.

Once in Street View you can change directions, zoom in or out on any feature, and move your view up or down. Using these features, you will discover that the Google vehicle captured Smethport when the temperature was 69°, according to the digital sign on Hamlin Bank. You can also get a full panoramic view of any location by clicking your mouse and moving it left or right.

You can begin your drive through Smethport by starting here. Just enter “smethport pa” into the search field. Then look for Pegman and drag it to the desired location on the map.

The screening will include over 30 commonly requested blood tests including CBC, comprehensive, coronary risk, and liver function profiles. The cost for the screening is $45. Optional tests include prostate specific antigen (PSA) for $25 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) for $15. A 12-hour fast is recommended prior to testing.

Appointments are required and can be made at www.charlescolehospital.com or by calling CCMH’s centralized scheduling at 260-5474 or toll free at 877-364-7905 from 2-5 pm, Monday through Thursday.

Julie Mader sat in a folding lawn chair and picked up a wooden board in the grass of her campsite at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.

She tucked her legs under her and rested the board in her lap looking over a 9-inch-by-7-inch pen and ink stippling of a banjo player’s hands, his fingers picking over the strings of the banjo.

A stippling is a labor of love — an artist creates a series of tiny dots with a pen and it turns into a soft and dusty image with enough time.  Read more »

Miss Smethport, Kayla Woods, has been crowned McKean County Fair Queen for 2010-2011. As the new queen, Woods will represent the McKean County Fair in the January state fair queen contest in Hershey, PA.

In addition to the talent and speaking categories of the contest, the five queen candidates, who represented the county’s high schools, were scored on interviews with the judges and the number of scheduled events they attended since mid-June. Wooly Willy Wonderdaze was one of the events Kayla and other candidates chose to attend.

For the talent portion of the contest, Kayla sang “Keep Holding On” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” Kayla is the daughter of Dan and Kim Woods of Smethport.

Kayla’s new duties include reigning over the Fair and representing McKean County during the State Fair Convention in January.

Smethport student Leah Caminite, the 13-year-old daughter of Claudia and Mark Caminite, recently reviewed “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner. The maze surrounds a completely enclosed environment, called “the Glade”, where a group of teenage boys subsist by their own efforts. The only way to escape is through a maze that surrounds their living space.

Listen to Leah’s review of the book on WPSU.

If you’re looking for a little suspense, try this new book. It’s a perfect read for ages 11 to 15.

Tom Corbett visited Smethport on Saturday. The Republican Gubernatorial candidate stopped at two of the Borough’s landmark businesses as he stressed the importance of creating and keeping good, well-paying jobs in Pennsylvania.

To learn firsthand the concerns of business owners in the Smethport area, Corbett chatted with Connie Ronan at her Route 6 Diner, as well as Jamie and Jack Pierotti’s The Backus Company, including its subsidiary, Chef Specialties Inc.

Corbett then addressed a crowd gathered at the McKean County Courthouse where he was introduced by State Representative Marty Causer (R-67). Corbett related his philosophy to encourage job growth. He said, as Governor, his administration will be guided by three principles: fiscal discipline, limited government and free enterprise. Listen to Tom Corbett’s full speech.

In the July-August 2010 issue of Rural Telecom magazine, former Smethport Chamber president Wayne Pearson shares his insights on the question of, “Can Broadband Save Rural America?”

According to the magazine’s cover story, written by NTCA economist Rick Schadelbauer, proponents of rural America have long cited the numerous advantages to living in less populous areas: lower housing costs, lower crime rates, less traffic, better air quality and an overall lower cost of living.

“Our community has great schools, an airport 10 minutes away, and low housing costs,” said Wayne Pearson, former president of the Smethport, Pa., Chamber of Commerce. “You can buy a four-bedroom house in Smethport for $70,000.”

“We’re promoting Smethport as a place to run an Internet business and, eventually, retire,” said Pearson. “Telecommuting is the future of the workplace. As the next generation of managers takes control, the concept of ‘face time’ will not be nearly as important as it has been in the past. If you can do your job from anywhere, why not choose small-town America?”   Read more »

Cyclists far and wide will once again gather in Smethport for the historic Wheel Around the Hub bicycle race to be held on Saturday, September 18. The 53-mile, seven-lap race starts at noon on Main Street in front of the McKean County Courthouse. Proceeds will benefit the Smethport Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Police.

The route takes cyclists through Smethport’s quaint business district, past the McKean County fairgrounds and scenic farmlands, over the Galico Bridge, through forests, past Hamlin Lake, and back onto Main Street past Victorian homes.

For the 53-mile race, male and female winners in various age categories will receive gold watches, cash and medallions. Lap premiums will also be paid.

The 15-mile, two-circuit Family Fun Race will start approximately ten minutes after the main race. Prizes will be non-monetary awards.

Participants for each race can register online at BikeReg.com. Online registration closes Thursday, September 16 at 5:00 pm ET. Teams are encouraged for both the 15-mile and 53-mile races.

To help pull in the best cyclists for the 53-mile race, the Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce has become the first organization to pledge $500, which is earmarked for prize money. “This is a great event for Smethport and so many people volunteer their time to making it a success,” said Chamber president Nathan Muller. “I’m happy the Chamber has decided to take an active role in this.”

Businesses, community organizations and individuals can sponsor the event at a given level or simply make a donation by printing and filling out this form and mailing it in with their check.

Sponsors and donors can also choose to pay by credit card. The Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce collects the online funds and forwards them to the Smethport Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Police.

Sponsorship Levels

Platinum Title Sponsor $2,500.00 Title Sponsor $1,000.00 Platinum Sponsor $500.00 Gold Sponsor $250.00 Silver Sponsor $100.00 Bronze Sponsor $50.00 Donor $25.00

All online donations directly benefit the Smethport Volunteer Fire Department Fire Police.

Scientists, farmers and beekeepers have been expressing alarm in recent years over the apparent disappearance of bee colonies across North America. The situation goes far beyond a few bees here and there and threatens the pollination of fruits, grains, and vegetables.

According to news reports, at issue is American agriculture itself. Most orchards, fields of grain, and vegetable crops are pollinated by honeybees. And both milk and meat come from cows that munch on grain. If honeybee populations continue to disappear in such large numbers, it could have a devastating effect on crop yields — ultimately leaving every dinner plate in America empty.  

Catastrophe abated

Honeybee hysteria may have been dealt a knock-out blow by a recent finding in Smethport, Pennsylvania that has the science community buzzing.

On the corner of Main and Marvin Streets there is — no fooling — a B&B where proprietors Ross and Jovanna Porter discovered an estimated 30,000 vacationing pollinators occupying a makeshift structure on their property.

Feeling a bit uneasy about the guest-to-proprietor ratio, Ross called in the experts for help: Ryan Yingling and his father Doug who is a master beekeeper.

Donning protective gear, the team went to work looking for the queen bee in the 4 pound mass of honeybees. With the queen and some bees gently coaxed into a cardboard box, the other bees eventually followed. When the transition from nest to box was completed, the bees were safely removed from the property for relocation elsewhere.

So the mystery of the missing bees is really no mystery at all — honeybees today simply prefer the better accommodations of an upscale B&B rather than the white box and drawers to which they have been traditionally consigned by their human masters.

A Chinese student, a talented English major from a university in Hunan, China, asked me to describe my hometown. This is what I wrote:

Smethport is very different from Chenzhou. It is like a dream that I’m afraid will seem unreal or too abstract for you to realize. Words alone are not enough to describe the beauty, wonder, and charm of my home town. But I will try.

Right now it is a very special time of the year in which we celebrate the birth of our country, the Declaration of Independence and like your country, a revolution against Imperial tyranny. Now the weather is much like Kunming in the autumn, winter or spring: everything is blue sky and very sunny. The people ride their bikes, fish, boat, swim, garden, walk their dogs, tend their lawns and the upkeep of their homes, or just go for a country drive to enjoy the scenery. Depending on the time of day you will smell fresh cut grass, sweet fresh air born upon a northerly breeze or the cooking smells of backyard barbecues that make your stomach growl.  

A few puffy clouds hang in the blue sky like strange dreamlike castles or otherworldly sky galleons made of pure cotton. These clouds look thick and solid enough to climb, walk or jump on, if only you can fly up to one. All around there are green forested hills where you can hike or ride your horse on trails, and depending on the time of day, see wildlife such as deer, coyotes, foxes, and black bears.

In the morning before sunrise all the birds of the region hold congress. Their commotion gently eases you out of sleep and negates any need for an alarm clock. The starry night fades away as a silvery, lacey mist saunters through the valley leaving much of Smethport’s allure to the imagination. Mourning doves croon to each other while brown cottontail rabbits with nervous ears nibble on blades of grass. And as the sun rises, the mist shimmers slightly with a pink blush.

By mid morning the heat of the sun has pulled the clinging wisps of mist away to reveal a clear blue sky, Victorian mansions festooned with the red, white and blue of American flags, and an authentic Main Street modestly bustling and catering to residents and travelers alike. Part of a great East-West road running from coast to coast, Main Street was once part of a major throughway for west bound migrants in quest of a better life. But now serves travelers of a different stripe, each hoping to catch a glimpse of an older, traditional America.

During the day you will hear happy children home for summer vacation playing ball games in a nearby park, swimming at the town pool, or riding bicycles. And in the late daytime hours before twilight, shadows grow long and stretch across golden fields and green lawns. A blue river and a lake in the middle of our town glitter like diamonds in westering sun. Older couples stroll around town for evening exercise while younger people walk briskly or go for an evening jog. Still others visit the porches of their neighbors for gossip, a friendly debate about current events, or just to unwind and reflect on their day with a glass of wine or a cold beer.

In the darkness beyond Main Street enigmatic points of light blink in random patterns creating an ever-changing constellation. After being away and living in a Chinese city for some time, it takes me a moment to realize that I am witnessing Smethport nightlife at its best: the miraculous bioluminescence of fireflies getting their groove on.

Except for the occasional bird singing to his lover, things quiet down at night – that is of course unless you live in my house. The kitchen especially is a loud and noisy place. Here our pet birds chirp and squawk incessantly like a discordant gallery of pipsqueaks as I chop vegetables fresh picked from the garden and prepare dinner for my family. If it is too cool to eat dinner outside on the deck, then we will eat at the kitchen table where I share stories with my parents about teaching and traveling in China.

After dinner we watch television in the living room with our three cats. There is Nikko, a small boisterous princess with glistening black fur, and lustrous green eyes who seems to have forgotten her humble origins in an Animal Shelter. There is Storm, an old gentlemen who, when he’s not sniffing Nikko’s tail, lounges indigently around the house in a black tuxedo with one forepaw out and the other tucked neatly under his shoulder, and if you stare at him he’ll stare right back, show some teeth, and bleat a note of indignation. And there is Smokey, a goofy heavy weight grey with white boxing gloves, and who is always following the others around the house.

While we watch television the trio takes turns purring and crawling into our laps or grooming each other. Then tiring of our attention, they chase each other around the house, up and down the steps, and room to room. And this is probably the only reason why we bother to watch television in the first place.

That is just a snapshot of my hometown during the summertime. It is very different in the autumn, winter and spring. Each season colors the town in a unique way and has a rhythm of life that changes accordingly. And our town – like many other towns scattered across America – is one of a kind. Every person, family, house, shop, and street has a rich story to tell and a different way to tell it. I hope my story helps you to see the town of Smethport through my eyes.