Wellsville’s Diamond Dawgs 16U claims national championship
Back in February, the Dawgs 16U travel softball team earned a bid to the 2025 USSSA Eastern Nationals in Ocean City, Maryland, by winning a USSSA National Qualifier. Fast forward to the final week of July, and the Dawgs seized that opportunity—going undefeated across ten games to claim the USSSA 16U National Championship.
The double-elimination tournament featured 46 teams from across the East Coast, including representatives from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Dawgs finished pool play with
a 2-0-2 record, then rolled through bracket play with six consecutive wins to post a 8-0-2 tournament record and capture the title.
Tournament action kicked off Monday afternoon and culminated in the National Championship game on Saturday morning. In addition to facing elite competition, the Dawgs battled sweltering conditions, with on-field temperatures reaching a real-feel of 112 degrees.
The team was led by dominant pitching from Brynn Hallock (30 strikeouts) and Kylee Whiting (34 strikeouts), who combined for five consecutive shutouts in
bracket play. Both were named Co-Outstanding Pitchers of the Tournament.
Offensively, Teagan Burke and Morgyhn Ross powered the Dawgs’ attack. Burke hit .500 (10-for-20) with four doubles, nine RBIs, six walks, and nine runs scored. Ross also hit .500 (10-for-20) with five doubles, eight RBIs, six runs scored, and a three-run home run. Both were honored as Co-Most Valuable Players of the Nationals Tournament.
Jayna Thomas contributed with a .409 average (9-for-22), scoring
Co. Office of Aging picnic
BY KATHRYN ROSS
ANGELICA — Near-
ly 500 senior citizens attended the annual Office For the Aging Senior Picnic on Tuesday on the Allegany County Fairgrounds. This annual event gets bigger and bigger each year, Anita Mattison, director of the county Office For the Aging, said.
The highlight of the event might be being served chicken dinners by members of the county legislature and other officials — but the most fun seniors had was visiting with old friends and acquaintances and dancing
to the music of Jack Ellis and his Keeping It Country band. Attendees noted the band livened up the event and kept people dancing before and after the dinner.
The event included a brief session with guest speakers, Legislature Chairman Brooke Harris; John Cochran, deputy director of the New York State Office For the Aging; Julie Schmidt, representing state Sen. George Borrello of the 57th District; Sarah Lattin, representing the 58th District’s Sen. Tom O’Mara; Assemblyman Joe Semplinski
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Photo provided
Pictured are the Wellsville Diamond Dawgs, winners of the USSSA 16U National Championship. Front row (from left): Kylee Whiting, Ande Northrup, Rylee Whiting, Brynn Hallock, Lillian Holevinski, and Adrian Whiting. Back row (from left): Matt Burke, Teagan Burke, Jayna Thomas,
Morghyn Ross, Kyla Ziegler, Carilene Sliwa, and Jason Holevinski.
Diamond Dawgs continued on PAGE 2
Photos by Steve Pettenati
Max and Gloria Shay, both 93, of Wellsville, were recognized as the longest-married couple at the Allegany County Office for the Aging annual picnic. The Shays have been married for 73 years.
Ruth Rossman, 102, of Wellsville, was the oldest person at the picnic.
Scio celebrates harvest, crowns Royal Court
BY KATHRYN ROSS
SCIO — It was a royal night in Scio as the first annual Harvest Festival got underway Aug. 8 with the coronation of the Royal Court.
The Coronation Ball took place in the school’s old gym decked out for the celebration with flowers on the tables, colored lights decorating the walls and with music provided by DJ Mumo.
Scio Town Board members Cathy Farwell and Mike Coats did the honors, but first Coats thanked Bev Kruger for her help in organizing the festival, saying, “Without Bev, I think the town of Scio would fall apart.”
Kruger is the bookkeeper for the town of Scio.
Four- and 3-year-old Micah and Adelyn Fuller were crowned junior prince and princess. The little royals are the son and daughter of Casey and Kassandra Fuller.
Teens Noah Roberts and Rose Coats were crowned prince and princess.
The king and queen were Rob Allison and Ashley Hoffman.
The senior crowns were placed on the heads and sashes draped over the shoulders of Irving and Kathy Newton.
Prior to the ceremony, Coats said, “There was the most interest in the senior categories,” as nominations for the royal
honors came into the office over the past few months.
Farwell said the nominations for the first event were weighted on both ends with the senior king and queen and the junior prince and princess receiving the most nominations.
The Royal Court also rode in the parade the next day. Both Farwell and Coats intimated that if called on members of the court may have other duties throughout the upcoming months.
“This is our first time doing anything like this, so we’re taking notes and making plans for next year’s event,” Farwell said.
The festival was an event for the residents of Scio and organized by and supported by the town board.
“We just wanted to do something fun for the people of Scio, so we organized this event,” Farwell said. “We hope we will be able to expand on it for next year.”
Farwell also explained that they hope to form a committee to obtain sponsors and raise funds and support for next year’s event, which will be taking place during the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Along with the parade Aug. 9, there were vendors and craftsmen in the park adjacent to the community center where a street dance took place later that night.
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seven runs and going 3-for-3 at the plate in the championship game.
Rylee Whiting went .333 (8-for-24) with nine RBIs and nine runs scored. Defensively, infielders Ande Northrup, Teagan Burke, Addy Mulone, and Rylee Whiting were stellar throughout the week. Outfielders
(8-for-21) shared catching duties and chipped in four RBIs, including a clutch two-run hit in the championship game.
En route to the title, the Dawgs defeated Complete Game Academy, New Jersey Outlaws, St. Mary’s Pounders, Beacon Extreme, Lower Bucks Bombers, and New Jersey Storm. ➡Diamond Dawgs continued from PAGE 1
Carilene Sliwa, Jayna Thomas, Kyla Ziegler, and Brynn Hallock provided flawless defense in the field. Hallock also made an impact at the plate, delivering a key threerun homer in bracket play and finishing the tournament with eight RBIs. Lillian Holevinski
The Dawgs advanced to the title game when Carilene Sliwa singled with two outs in the final inning, stole second, advanced to third, and scored the walk-off run
on a head-first slide— sending Wellsville to the finals.
Photos by Kathryn Ross
The first senior king and queen for the Scio Harvest Festival are Irving and Kathy Newton.
Ashley Hoffman and Rob Ellison were crowned king and queen.
Noah Roberts and Rose Coats were crowned prince and princess.
Noah Roberts and Rose Coats were crowned prince and princess.
➡Office of Aging Picnic
of the 148th Assembly District; and Lee James, representing U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy.
Harris thanked Mattison for attending while noting it was a beautiful day for the picnic.
The Wellsville Country Club was thanked for providing golf carts, which enabled seniors to get from the parking lot to the massive tent in the center of the fairgrounds. The sheriff’s office provided the cookies for the event, which had 41 sponsors.
Cochran reported that a survey completed by 500 people over the age of 60 found that 70% enjoy the quality of life in Allegany County, 79% plan on staying in their home communities and 78% enjoy the safety and comfort of their local communities.
“It shows me that the county government is responsive and connects to the people in the county,” he said.
Those members of the county legislature who attended the event were Phil Stockin, Kevin Demick, Steve Harvey, Gretchen Hanchett and Gary Barnes. They helped to serve the 465 to the attendees. Members of the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office also helped serve the meals.
Those attending the picnic also learned that in 2024, the county Office For the Aging provided 114,669 meals, provided 222 clients with in-home services, provided insurance counseling for 1,399 people and provided 1,834 rides, 113 hours of legal services and filed 552 tax returns for senior citizens.
For more information concerning the Office For the Aging, call (585) 268-9390 and/ or sign up for the quarterly newsletter Silver Linings.
The event recognizes the oldest woman at the event, which this year was Ruth Rossman of Wellsville at age 102. The oldest man at the event was Cyrus Denmark, 99, of Port Allegany, Pa., who also was recognized as the oldest veteran in attendance. The award for the longest-married couple went to 93-yearolds Max and Gloria Shay of Wellsville, who have been married for 73 years.
One of the most popular events at the annual picnic is the annual t-shirt contest. This year, Jan Leatherstich of Almond won the prettiest category for her t-shirt featuring a lace vest. The funniest t-shirt award went to John Babbitt of Canisteo, whose shirt was reminiscent of the “Hogan’s Heroes” television show, while the most creative award went to Robin Putnam of Bolivar whose shirt featured photos from television shows of yesteryear and asked seniors what they watched on TV.
Along with the food provided by Stearns, the massive circus tent provided by The Dwyer Program was ringed by tables representing various businesses, service organizations and programs available in the county. It took close to 45 minutes to get around the outskirts of the tent as seniors registered for prizes at nearly every table and collected literature and useful items from each table.
Photo by Steve Pettenati
The oldest man — and veteran — at the picnic was Cyrus Denmark, 99, of Port Allegany, Pa.
home improvement
What to know about garage conversions
A need for more space compels many a homeowner to consider home renovations each year. While some homeowners decide to pull up stakes and move after realizing they need more room to maneuver at home, a real estate market marked by low inventory and high prices has made it more affordable for many property owners to stay put and convert
existing spaces. A garage conversion project is one way for homeowners to create more space in their current properties. Homeowners considering such renovations can benefit from a rundown of what a garage conversion entails and what to expect when the project is completed.
• A new floor will likely be part of the
project. Whether you’re converting the garage into a living space or simply hoping to make it look nicer as a workshop or artist’s studio, the existing floor will likely need to be replaced. Many garages feature concrete flooring, which cracks easily (homeowners considering a garage renovation may already see
cracks in an existing floor). When converting a garage, renovation experts will undoubtedly advise replacing the existing floor, and some will recommend polyaspartic floor installation. Various garage conversion experts note that polyaspartic flooring is ideal
for garage spaces because it’s durable, resistant to damage that can be caused by chemicals and offers much more aesthetic appeal than a concrete floor.
• The room will need ventilation and heating and cooling. A garage used for traditional purposes (i.e., parking cars, storing lawn and garden tools,
etc.) likely will not be connected to a home’s existing HVAC system and may not feature a window that can be opened or closed to allow for fresh air to enter the space. The space will need ventilation and heating and cooling capabilities if it’s being converted.
• Location and climate bear consideration. Before going forward with a garage conversion, homeowners should consider where they live and the local climate. Homeowners living in urban areas where parking is at a premium may be doing themselves (and future owners) a disservice by converting a space where they can presently park a vehicle into something else. In addition, people living in locales where outdoor activities
contractors to ensure the room accommodates their hobbies after the conversion is complete.
• Zoning laws may or may not affect the project. Laws vary depending on where homeowners live, so it’s impossible to say with certainty if homeowners will or won’t run into zoning issues during a project. However, the design of the finished product may offer hints as to any permit-related hurdles homeowners may need to clear. For example, if the garage doors are staying and the space behind those doors is merely be-
like surfing, kayaking and cycling are popular will have to determine where items necessary for such activities will be stored if they decide to convert their garages into living spaces. Of course, garage renovation teams can incorporate storage into a design, so homeowners should not hesitate to discuss their lifestyle with
ing converted with a new floor and other amenities that won’t change the look or function of the space, then homeowners may not encounter any permit issues. A need for permits and some restrictions may emerge if garage doors are being replaced by a new wall so the exterior space seamlessly blends in with the rest of the home. Investigate any potential restrictions prior to going forward.
Garage conversions can be a great way to add functional space to a property without building on to an existing home.
