Every year since the Moving Wall visited Smethport in 2006, there has been a “Ride of Pride” early in June. The Ride traces the route taken by the giant motorcycle cavalcade that accompanied the truck transporting the Moving Wall into McKean County.

The yearly ride will be on June 2 and begins at the Smethport Legion with the staging area starting at 10:00 a.m. The actual Ride will leave Smethport at 11:30 a.m. and will follow a route to Warren, then to Pigeon north of Marienville where the first ride originated. The Honor Ride, a tribute to Vietnam Veteran’s, then proceeds to Smethport and a ceremony on Hamlin Lake Island where the Moving Wall was located in 2006.

After the Ride and ceremony, there will be food available for free to participants of the Ride at the Smethport American Legion on Main Street, compliments of the Sons of the American Legion, who are sponsors of the event.

The annual Ride of Pride has become very popular.

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One of the characters in the series is office manager Dwight, who is seen behind his desk playing with a toy, which turns out to be the Wooly Willy magnetic toy invented in Smethport by Jim Herzog decades ago and still produced here by Patch Products of Beloit, Wisconsin.

Lisa Wuennemann, Director of Marketing at Patch Products, arranged the product placement. “The writers from The Office came up with the idea and asked us for permission to use it and, of course, we said yes.”

The show finale can be viewed on the NBC website. You can fast forward to about the 17:35 mark to view the scene with Wooly Willy!

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In response to the windstorm of July 2012, the Smethport Borough Shade Tree Commission is planning a reforestation program.

Borough residents interested in obtaining a tree on the lawn in front of their homes may apply by downloading a form and submitting it to the Borough office. Forms may also be obtained at the Borough office.

Of note is that the requested trees will only be planted in the Borough right-of-way, not on individuals’ private property.

Residents may request a particular type of tree or leave it to the discretion of the Shade Tree Committee.

All requests will be considered; however, final planting decisions will be based on such issues as underground and above ground utilities, size of the tree lawn space, and distance from a driveway or intersections, to mention a few.

Requests will be collected through the end of July. You can download a form here.

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The Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce held its 12th Annual Business Dinner last week at the Court of Angels restaurant. Chamber president Jovanna Porter greeted guest of honor Coach Daniel Zeigler and the Smethport Hubbers Basketball team. Accoustic guitarist Ade Adu provided the evening’s music.

During her remarks, Jovanna Porter spoke about community cooperation; specifically, about building an environment of cooperation where multiple groups and organizations can network successfully to leverage the greatest benefits.

“Smethport has a long history of community groups working in tandem with each other,” she said. “We have a strong culture of volunteerism, starting with our local public officials.”

She cited the Borough Council and Mayor who serve without pay for their services, as well as members of the Smethport Fire Department. “The community team, not unlike the basketball team, only works because the individuals understand the importance of teamwork and cooperation,” she said.

“It is my goal for the Chamber is to facilitate cooperation, and to encourage participation between civic groups and local businesses to co-plan complimentary events.”

Porter said simple steps can show big gains: “Ideas as simple as arranging a sidewalk sale, or a special drink or desert option on bike race day have the potential to increase visitor traffic to local businesses. Civic groups might plan a craft or skill demonstration or sale as a fund raising opportunity. Leveraging the events that are already in place would improve the economic impact for all concerned and make for a vastly more interesting day for everyone.”

Smethport already demonstrates cooperation within various groups, she said. “Everyone gains from this networking. Greatness can be achieved when divergent people come together to work cooperatively.”

Coach Daniel Zeigler introduced the members of the Hubbers basketball team and cited the unique contributions each player made toward achieving a record-setting season that will serve as the yardstick for future teams.

The coach shared one of the takeaways from the season that could just as easily apply to community affairs as to team sports: “Average effort produces average results. Exceptional effort produces exceptional results.”

The evening included presentations of awards by Jovanna Porter to the following recipients:

C.L. McKeirnan, Inc. – Business of the Year

Anne Potter – Volunteer of the Year

Smethport Historical Society – Community Service Organization of the Year

In addition a commemorative plaque was presented to Hamlin Bank in recognition of its 150th anniversary. The wood carved plaque was created by Thomas Weiser of Total Engraving in Smethport.

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For more than four decades Donald “Corky” Hull has advocated for trails in McKean and surrounding counties, fostering a positive attitude among a wide variety of partners and successfully forging bonds with private landowners, forestry companies and oil and gas companies to help make various trail projects – motorized and non-motorized – a reality.

Since founding Seneca Highlands Snowmobile Association in 1972, Corky has helped chart and develop well over a hundred miles of winter trails, negotiated trail agreements, and taken the lead in building and maintaining bridges and passages over a vast network of trails.

He has participated in regional greenways planning and helped guide the work of the Potato Creek Trail Association. Corky’s interpersonal skills, vision and unsinkable determination, coupled with his “old-school” approach to problem-solving, are a source of inspiration to others.

Corky is among a small group of business owners, citizens and organizations from across the Pennsylvania Wilds region who have earned awards for their contributions in sustainable tourism development. They were honored at an awards dinner and regional tourism briefing on May 2.

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The Smethport Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its 12th Annual Business Dinner at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 25th.

This is a community event. Everyone is invited… You do not have to be a member of the Chamber to attend.

We will have a special presentation by Smethport Basketball Coach Daniel Zeigler, who led the Hubbers Basketball Team through an amazing season. For his efforts, Dan was selected as BIG 30 Coach of the year.

As guests of the Chamber, the entire Hubbers Basketball Team will attend the dinner with Coach Zeigler, including Zach Smith, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

The Chamber will present several awards:

  C.L. McKeirnan, Inc. – Business of the Year

  Anne Potter – Volunteer of the Year

  Smethport Historical Society –
  Community Service Organization of the Year

Please take a few moments to contact your family and friends… Encourage them to come out and support the Coach and the Team.

Click here for the dinner announcement and RSVP. You are encouraged to forward copies to those on your personal email lists to help ensure we give the Coach and Team the recognition they deserve.

Please make sure we have your reservation, so we can plan the dinner to accommodate everyone.

The dinner will be held at the Court of Angels Restaurant. There will be a variety of buffet selections, which will include beef, chicken and fish - plus potatoes, rice, vegetables and salad.

This is a great opportunity to reconnect with friends, neighbors and business colleagues who make Smethport the special community we all enjoy.

More information: Nathan Muller at 814-887-4134 or njmuller@comcast.net

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​The “Greatest Show On Dirt” will be at the Bradford Speedway again in 2013!

In preparation for the season opening, the track’s natural clay surface was recently re-graded. As any dirt track fan can attest, track preparation is an art form that requires the use of specialized heavy earth-moving equipment.​

Season Schedule for 2013

During the Bradford Speedway’s heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, racers were able to run two-deep and even three-deep through the turns. But, over time, some of the clay was pushed to the outside walls. Additionally, some of the clay from the corners ended up pushed into the infield of the track. This created a flat “apron” at the bottom of the corners and then very steep banking to the outside wall. The result was “single-lane” racing; in other words, only one car at a time could go through the corners.

So last fall, Steve Andrulonis, owner of S Andrulonis Trucking and Excavating of Troy, Pennsylvania, and his crew spent several days re-grading the track back to its original contours as they existed during the 1980s and 1990s. The clay against the outside walls and on the infield was brought to the apron and then the corners were re-graded. This re-grading will allow two-wide and even three-wide racing this season on the natural clay surface of the Bradford Speedway.

​Thanks to the re-grading, the corners at the Bradford Speedway are not only wide, they’re also now at a very-favorable banking of 16 degrees. This banking compares to the following banking at some well-known NASCAR tracks:

• Atlanta Motor Speedway - 24 degrees
• BRADFORD SPEEDWAY - 16 degrees
• Darlington Raceway - 25 degrees
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 12 degrees
• Martinsville Speedway - 12 degrees
• Pocono International Raceway - 14 degrees

​​​​Drivers and fans alike recognize that the Bradford Speedway’s natural clay surface is what leads to exciting racing action every Saturday night; but only a few know that the natural clay at the Bradford Speedway runs as much as eighteen feet deep! And below that natural clay is some of the highest-grade oil deposits on the face of the earth. It’s called “Penn Grade” oil and its superior lubricating qualities made the Bradford Oil Fields the richest in the country back in the 1870s and 1880s.

At the Bradford Speedway, the clay is there because of the track’s elevation. At 2,160 feet above sea level, it is the highest-elevation track east of the Rocky Mountains. And while most tracks around the country have to truck in clay from other areas, the Bradford Speedway is setting on top of eighteen feet of natural clay. The Bradford Speedway will NEVER run out of that God-given gift of natural clay that makes it the Untamed Action Track every Saturday night!

The Bradford Speedway traces its history back to 1954 and hosted a 1958 NASCAR Grand National Series event which was won by current NASCAR Team Owner Junior Johnson. The Bradford Speedway is located at 330 Summit Road, just north of Rew, Pennsylvania and near Bradford, PA, and Olean, NY.

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The final basketball notebook of the 2012-13 season was going to start by acknowledging the teams that made lengthy runs into the postseason.

But something happened at Clarion University’s Tippin Gymnasium on Friday night that deserves top billing.

As noted in the story following Smethport’s season-ending 54-43 loss to Johnsonburg in a PIAA Class A quarterfinal game, Hubber senior Zach Smith tossed in 15 points and became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

The record-breaking points came on a three-point basket with about 5:20 to play in the third quarter.

Three minutes later, the game officials called for a media timeout.

During the break, Chris Rossetti, Clarion University’s sports information director, grabbed the microphone and announced Smith’s accomplishment.

Here’s where it gets good.

The entire crowd, estimated at over 4,000 — representing both Smethport and Johnsonburg, stood and gave Smith an ovation that lasted the entire timeout.

It’s nice to see fans appreciate such a milestone, certainly one that Smith will cherish as he heads off to compete at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford next year. Read more »

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No one gave Smethport much of a chance facing the exceptionally talented and athletic Clairton Bears in the PIAA Class A second round Tuesday. They didn’t care.

Bryon Clifford’s potential game-winning three as time expired clanged off the front of the rim and the Hubbers escaped with the biggest win in the program’s history, 37-35, striking a big blow for District 9 in the process.

“We love to be the underdogs, that’s what gets us fired up “said Smethport senior Zach Smith. “That shot looked good and when it fell off, I was the happiest I’ve been since we won districts last season.

Clairton, which features three Division I football recruits (Tyler Boyd, Terish Webb, Titus Howard) , who are all going to Pitt, were bested by Smith, Clay Schuler and company, proving that District 9 can play with the best.

“Like I was just telling the guys, nobody thought we could make it this far, plain and simple,” said coach Dan Zeigler. “Nobody except the 15 guys in the locker room and the fans of Smethport.” Read more »

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The bigger the game, the bigger the situation, the more likely of something spectacular happening — after all, this is Clairton we are talking about.

It would be hard to come across a bigger situation than what the Bears were up against with seven seconds left against Smethport with a trip to the Class A Western Region semifinals on the line.

Surely, Bryon Clifford’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was going lift Clairton to another improbable victory, after all, this was Clairton, and this group of Bears just doesn’t lose games like this.

But how the previous 31:59 of the game played out, Clifford really had no chance.

Clifford’s 3-point attempt as time expired caromed off the rim that cemented one of the most frustrating losses this decorated senior class has endured as Smethport stunned Clairton, 37-35, at Tippin Gymnasium.

“We make shots like that,” Clifford said. “I felt like it was going in, but it popped right out.”

It was only Smethport’s second-ever state playoff win and advanced the Hubbers (24-3) to Friday’s rematch against District 9 foe Johnsonburg, a 54-49 winner over Shade.

“Nobody ever thought we could make it this far,” Smethport coach Dan Ziegler said, “nobody but the 15 guys in the locker room and the fans of Smethport.”

Clairton got 13 points from Terrish Webb and Aaron Matthews added nine rebounds. Clifford, who had been averaging 18 points per game, was held to four points on 2-of-14 shooting. Clairton shot 1-of-9 from the foul line.

Smethport was led by Zach Smith’s 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Clary Schuler added 12. The two combined for 28 of Smethport’s 35 field goal attempts.

“They are an average team, at best,” Clairton coach Matt Geletko said. “There was nothing they did that caused us to lose. Now the refs …”

Clairton surely never thought they could lose, and actually, didn’t feel like they wouldn’t have lost if it wasn’t for the help of the District 9 referees.

“That was probably the worst officiated game that I have ever been a part of,” Geletko said. “Anybody who was here at saw this game would agree. We kind of knew coming in here that these guys never saw a team like us before.”

Even though fouls (15-13 in favor of Clairton) and foul shots (13-9 in favor of Smethport) were nearly even, Geletko was furious with the lack of calls for his team. Geletko had to be restrained a couple of times before eventually picking up a technical foul in the third quarter.

“My biggest problem was that they let them get away with so much,” Geletko said. “I am dumbfounded at what I witnessed. They set moving screens every time, they shuffled their feet every time they drove to the hoop, and nobody ever saw it. I figured they were kind of blind, but every time I asked a question, they never saw it.”

Geletko may have a point. It was Clairton’s lowest offensive output of the season, their worst shooting performance of the year, Tyler Boyd fouled out in the fourth, and Clifford had one of his worst games as the Bears managed only 15 points by the half.

“It felt like it was five versus eight out there,” Clifford said. “We weren’t doing anything wrong out there, and they were calling fouls.”

Smethport did have something to do with the Bears struggling offensively. The Hubbers played a deliberate half-court game to be able to neutralize Clairton’s quick-scoring offense.

“They like to get up and down, and we thought we could take them out of the game,” Ziegler said. “We thought that we could impose our will on them and play our game. We tried to run a lot of sets and be patient.”

With the score 25-24 heading into the fourth quarter, the teams traded a couple baskets before Smethport put together four straight points to take a 36-31 lead with two minutes left.

Two consecutive Smethport turnovers allowed Clairton to get the deficit to 36-35 before they imploded. A missed layup by Clifford followed by three straight misses on the front end of one-and-ones prevented Clairton from going ahead.

After Smith hit one of two foul shots to make it 37-35 with 11 seconds left, Clifford had a chance to win it.

“It wasn’t what the play that was called, but I ended up with the ball in my hands,” Clifford said. “It just didn’t go in.”

Watch the exciting finish…

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