Gazette The Centre County
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
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2015 Histo
Let’s cruise again!
H.B.I.
The 27th annual Historic Bellefonte Cruise takes place in downtown Bellefonte next weekend. Look for our annual guide to the cruise — complete with a map, schedule of events and feature stories, inside.
-21, 2015
al ~ June 19 NTE, INC.
HISTORIC BELLEFO
27th Annu
June 11-17, 2015
ation of
A special public
THE CENTRE COUNTY
Volume 7,G Issue 23 AZETTE
FREE COPY
Area again welcomes state’s Special Olympics Summer Games
Front and Centre MUSIC MAN: Aaronsburg native Jay Vonada recently released his fifth jazz trombone CD. To celebrate, Vonada had a CD release party at the Green Drake Gallery in Millheim. Page 13
By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
UNIVERSITY PARK — The 46th annual Special Olympics Summer Games, held at Penn State June 4, 5 and 6, were a big hit, with approximately 2,500 athletes representing 52 Pennsylvania counties converging on University Park for the event. The Summer Games put the wraps on several weeks of training and competitions. And, while the athletes garner most of the attention, the event couldn’t take place without the many volunteers who spend the weekend at Penn State to make sure the games go off without a hitch. And while the majority of the volunteers are local, some are not. Rose Belante drove in from Mifflin County to help at the games. “I think it’s just a wonderful, wonderful event,” Belante said. “To see these athletes do what they do, it brings a smile to my face. I can’t think of any other place I’d rather be this weekend.” Belante said that she’s been volunteering at the Summer Games for several years. During that time, she’s become friends with some of the athletes and their families. “You see a lot of the same people year after year. They know you. Sure, it’s a big event — a huge event — but there’s always time to stop and talk with the athletes. It’s not just about the competition, which is nice,” Belante said.
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: The Original Italian Pizza in Millheim will celebrate 20 years in business. The restaurant is owned by Vinnie Castiglia and his wife, Nadia. Page 14 SUMMER FUN: With the kids out of school, it’s time to plan your summer schedule. The Gazette’s guide to summer fun will tell you where to go and what to do in Centre County. Pages 16-18 SEASONS IN REVIEW: With the postseason over for high school baseball and softball teams in Centre County, sports writer Pat Rothdeutsch takes a look back at the season that was. Page 22
Special Olympics, Page 5
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
GOLD MEDAL GIRL: Lena Purdum of Centre County took home a gold in the shotput during the Special Olympics Summer Games, which were held at Penn State over the weekend. Rachel Wolf of Centre County earned the silver.
New county project to benefit area firefighters
TURNING THE PAGE
By MICHAEL MARTIN GARRETT StateCollege.com
BELLEFONTE — Pretty soon, life is going to get quite a bit easier for Centre County’s dedicated firefighters. At their June 9 meeting, the Centre County commissioners took a major step forward on a long-awaited project, giving area fire companies a new resource to test
their equipment and train their staffs. The commissioners accepted a bid to build something called a drafting pit at the Centre County Emergency Services Training Facility. Essentially, the drafting pit will be a massive underground water reservoir with 30,000 gallons of storage capacity. Firefighters, Page 6
TRAINING DAY: During their weekly meeting, Centre County commissioners voted to approve a new facility where firefighters can test their equipment and train staff. TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
SENIORS AT Bellefonte Area High School moved the tassels on their mortar boards during the June 8 graduation ceremony at the BAHS gymnasium. For more on area graduates, see pages 4 and 11. Opinion ............................. 7 Health & Wellness ............. 8
Education .......................... 9 Community ................ 10-14
Summer Fun .............. 16-18 Family Matters ................ 19
PATRICK MANSELL/Penn State University
Sports .......................... 21-24 Arts & Entertainment .25, 26
What’s Happening ..... 26, 27 Puzzles ............................. 28
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