< PreviousHit the slopes WISP Resort A two-hour drive south of Pittsburgh, WISP is part of the Deep Creek Lake all seasons playground in the mountains of western Maryland. The ski resort has expanded from its modest slope opening in 1955 to 33 slopes and 11 miles of trails on 137 acres. While avid skiers and boarders can experience the 700-foot vertical drop, other guests can try snowtubing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. For the 2020-2021 season, WISP is offering a “Mission: Affordable XTRA season pass” which will allow a one-time deferral of usage for a year if a passholder becomes concerned about the impacts of COVID on this ski season. WISP is located at 296 Marsh Hill Road, McHenry, Maryland, 21541. For more information, call (301) 859-3159 or visit wispresort.com. Holiday Valley Holiday Valley is located in Ellicottville, New York, which is just a tad bit farther away than the other resorts on this list. It takes about three hours to drive there on I-79 and I-86. Ellicottville gets blanketed in about 180 inches of powder each winter and the resort’s great mix of trails and slopes provide lots of variety. Ellicottville, too, makes this resort a nice place to visit, with lots of charming bed and breakfasts, a brewery, winery and more. It’s likely, though, that many will be operating under restricted capacity due to COVID-19. There are a number of outdoorsy happenings in town, including lots of Christmas decorations and even a living nativity. Check www.holidayvalley.com for more. Holiday Valley is located at 6557 Holiday Valley Road, Ellicottville, NY 14731. Area ski resorts will be open this winter, just with some new protocols put in place to keep guests and staff safe. For the most up-to-date details on any particular resort’s protocols, visit the website listed. Some resorts are mandating face coverings both indoors and outdoors while others are implementing 50 percent capacity at indoor eating spaces. There are also some “arrive together-ride together” policies for ski lifts and lines. At least one resort is suggesting purchasing lift tickets ahead of time as limits may be placed on the number of tickets sold during busy holiday weekends. If traveling out of state, be sure to check if any restrictions have been placed on visitors. Many resorts are also implementing new cleaning and employee screening procedures to keep guests safe. With all those measures in place, resorts are hoping for a fun season and even planning on hosting some of their annual traditions. Seven Springs Mountain Resort Boasting 33 slopes and trails, seven terrain parks, and 10 lifts, Seven Springs also lays claim to the only 22-foot superpipe in the eastern U.S. for freestyle winter sports. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, guests can participate in snowmobile and snowshoe tours and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Seven Springs will again offer its Twelve Days of Christmas package from Dec. 11 to Dec. 23. Starting at $120.50 per adult, the package includes one night of lodging, unlimited skiing and snowboarding during the stay, breakfast, and access to the lodge’s pool and fitness center. Seven Springs is located less than two hours east of Pittsburgh, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Pick up an E-ZPass and you’ll not only be able to pass through the tolls a lot quicker but you’ll also save money. See right for more. Seven Springs is located at 777 Waterwheel Drive, Champion, PA 15622. For more information, call (814) 352-7777 or visit www.7springs.com. 40 • Allegheny West Magazine • December 2020/January 2021Cozy up with this performance of “The Nutcracker” After a cold day out on the slopes, you can enjoy this performance of “The Nutcracker” online. The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall is going virtual with this annual performance, though it will still be performed at the historic Carnegie Performing Arts Center in downtown Carnegie. The show will be both streamed online and available in pre-recorded form. As in years past, the show will feature local talent, with the lead roles filled by area high school students. Dancers from many community dance schools ranging from age 5 to adult round out the cast of swirling snowflakes and candy flowers. Monica Ryan, choreographer and director of the Carnegie Performing Arts Center, will be celebrating her 45th year of producing the performance. Streaming is $30 and will be released after Dec. 15. For a streaming code and raffle tickets for the annual Chance Auction, call (412) 279- 8887 or visit www.carnegieperformingartscenter.com. A full stream of the performance and DVD will be available for $60. Sydney Avant from Washington plays Clara in this year’s production of “The Nutcracker” by the Carnegie Performing Arts Center. Hidden Valley Resort Located on the neighboring mountain and owned by the same group as Seven Springs, Hidden Valley bills itself as a comfortable environment to learn to ski or snowboard. Known for its calmer, more family-friendly environment than its sister resort, Hidden Valley has 26 slopes and trails and two terrain parks. It, too, is located less than two hours east of Pittsburgh, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The resort is located at 1 Craighead Road, Somerset, PA 15501. For more information, call (814) 443-8000 or visit www.hiddenvalleyresort.com. Peek n’ Peak Resort Two hours to the north of Pittsburgh and just over the New York state line is Peek n’ Peak Ski Resort, a winter playground that boasts an average of 180 inches of snowfall each year. The resort offers 27 lighted slopes and trails, seven snowtubing lanes, and five separate terrain parks. The 108-room “Inn at the Peak” is designed in an old English Tudor style and offers luxurious accommodations. Peek n’ Peak is located at 1405 Olde Road, Clymer, NY 14724. For more information, call (716) 355-4141 or visit www.pknpk.com. The Inn at Peek n’ Peak offers some luxurious accommodations. PHOTO SUBMITTED. December 2020/January 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 41 Our holidays are going to look a lot different this year. We won’t have the same large gatherings that we have in the past or all the social activities that we typically enjoy. No doubt we’ll get past this but, for now, we all have to do our part. Since we’ll all be staying in more, here’s one activity to consider doing with the kids: have them make Rice Krispies treat sculptures. This is a great activity that is appropriate for a range of ages. Plus, it allows kids the creativity to sculpt their own delicious sugary treats. While cutting out and assembling the treats is more appropriate for the teenagers and pre- teens, the decorating part is better for the younger kids. I’m not going to list the recipe here for Rice Krispies treats since it is readily available in several places, including online. You can also skip this step altogether and avoid the mess of making the mix by picking up a huge premade Rice Krispies treat for under $11 at Gordon Food Service or for under $10 on Amazon.com. In my experience, though, the premade mix was more compact, thicker and harder to use with cookie cutters. When I used my homemade template I made for a tree (see next section) on my homemade mix, it was much easier and came out great. For when you're staying in: make Rice Krispies sculptures with the kids Another advantage to making your own treats is that coloring the treats is easier. To do this, add your food coloring while melting your marshmallows and butter. I like to do this step in a microwavable bowl. Then, stir smooth, add Rice Krispies and stir to coat all of the cereal. You’ll want to take into consideration that the cereal is yellow, so if you want to tweak the colors go to twosisterscrafting.com to find the right amounts of food coloring that will offset the yellow color. If making your own mixture, place it on a buttered cookie sheet and flatten. Once hardened, the kids can cut out shapes with cookie cutters or cut them freehand. Then, get them a tub of premade white icing, some food coloring, sprinkles and assorted cookie toppings. Let them go to town on a special holiday-themed edible creation. This can keep them busy for at least a day - maybe. They can even make a winter scene or a flower arrangement out of the shapes for a table centerpiece. To make a tree template, I used a piece of cardboard and made one-half of a tree freehand. Why half of a tree? Flip it over and you have a perfectly symmetrical tree! There are lots of additional tree shapes online that you can either use as they are or fold in half and trace onto cardboard. To use this template, lay it flat on the treats and line it up on a straight edge. Use a paring knife to cut around the branch edges. Make four to five halves and glue them together with icing for a three-dimensional tree. Hold the tree together with toothpicks while it dries. If you make your own, color the treats green. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for snow. A star cutout makes a great tree topper. Now, what to do with all the scraps? Take a mason jar and stuff it with leftover BY BARB KLEYMAN Making your own Rice Krispies treats is best, as the mixture will be softer and easier to cut. You can also dye it easier. Buying pre-made means less work and cleanup, however, and you’ll only be spending about $3 extra. 42 • Allegheny West Magazine • December 2020/January 2021Barb Kleyman is a certified chef. Check out her website: barbsbars.com pieces of treats. Get some lollipop sticks - six- inch ones work well - and skewer the treats. Stick the end in the jar with the leftover treats like a bouquet of flowers. Or, you can line a cake pan or dish with the left-over pieces and make a landscape. Sculpt mountains and rivers, then top them with dyed icing that is green, white and blue. Use toothpicks to place trees, stars, snow people, Santa, or whatever you like. You can also use Rice Krispies treats to mold things. If you’ve ever watched the Food Network cake challenges, they use Rice Krispies treats to make some incredible things. You can do this, too. This is such a fun project for your kids and the adults will have a great time, too. I know I did! There is nothing quite like fingers sticky with Rice Krispies treats, icing, crushed candy canes, sprinkles and sugar - and then licking it all off. I hope you have as much fun as I did! Have a happy and safe holiday season. Enjoy! Holiday Canvas Painting, Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Looking for some great gifts for the holidays that are hand crafted? Findlay has just the perfect gift idea. And it’s fun for the whole family. This family-friendly painting project will be done on 8” x 10” canvases. Holiday pictures will be pre-drawn on the canvas and there are 14 different ones to choose from! Extra canvases will be for sale for $5 the day of the event. Registration preferred. Limited walk-ins welcome. Take-home kits available for $15. Pick up at the township office anytime during regular business hours. Have canvas picked out when registering. See choices on Findlay Township’s Facebook page. Kids Holiday Cooking and Craft Time, Dec. 9, 6-8 p.m. Bring the kids and make some special holiday crafts, then decorate cookies that you can leave for Santa. Be sure to call the township office to make your reservation. Limited seating. For grades K-8 with caregiver. Cost is $5 per child. Yoga for Beginners and Beyond, Fridays, 6:30-7:30 p.m., $5/class. Senior Yoga and Qi Gong, Mondays, 2 p.m., Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. Crochet for a Cause, Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 25, April 15, 29, 6-8 p.m. Friday Morning Bingo, Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 26, April 30, doors open 9 a.m., begins 10 a.m. Findlay Kids Crafts! Both kids’ and adult activities take place at the Findlay Township Activity Center in Imperial. Due to state and county restrictions regarding COVID-19, programs/events are subject to change, cancellation and/or postponement. Call 724-695-0500 to register. Adult Findlay Programs See page 23 for more. December 2020/January 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 43STORIES BY ERMA DODD PHOTO SUBMITTED Denise Wilsher Ford went from being a college wild child to becoming a successful trial lawyer and then a mother of three. After 13 years of practicing law, she chose to become a stay-at- home mom and a volunteer. Then she and her husband, Barry, were blessed with their fourth child and were very busy. Soon, without any plan, her heart would be led to serve orphans in Haiti. Denise’s seeds of faith were planted almost 50 years ago at Montours Presbyterian Church through the Christian Critters youth group and Sunday School. Denise remembers her faith feelings at age 13 and her teacher, “Aunt” Erma. The mission to serve in Haiti began 10 years ago after the earthquake hit the country. Many Haitians lost everything. A group of friends at Denise’s church met a sweet Haitian man, Chedlin Justinvil, when he came to speak at their church. He humbly asked the men to come to Haiti to help him with his small orphanage of 14 children. Well, off they went. A few years later, Denise felt drawn to work with these men who had become her friends. Taking them up on an invitation, Denise and Barry dove in to help and then Denise joined the men’s small local Christian board, Yahve Jire Children’s Foundation, with the sole mission of serving Chedlin, the orphanage and a school (Yahve Jire translates to “God provides”). They were able to enlist a friend who was an oral surgeon, along with three of his students and three nurses. The team grew to 25 volunteers on their first mission to the island in 2014. Each year in March, a mission team comprised of oral surgeons, nurses, Denise and friends serve at the orphanage and community, which is located in the small town of Croix des Bouquets. Then, each year in June, Barry and a team of men go to Haiti to complete construction projects at the orphanage and school. The missionaries found that while doctors who came could diagnose conditions, Haitians wouldn’t be able to get the treatment they needed to address those conditions. So, dental surgeons who go with Denise fix many problems, right at the school on classroom tables. Dentists fix or remove teeth, which can be lifesaving. On the last day, they remove cysts. One lady had a huge cyst on her neck. The team brought the cyst home in a vodka bottle to test it. They were determined that if she had cancer, they were going bring her to the U.S. for treatment. It was not cancer. Haitians flock to the orphanage to receive treatment when they hold the clinics. The faith and the hearts of Denise and her husband, Barry, along with their four children, have taken each one of them to Haiti, to loving Haitian orphans and school kids, and fulfill the mission’s mission. All the Haitian kids love Barry and he is sweetly called “Ford.” They have all been going to serve the last seven years, but not all at the same time. The native languages in Haiti are French and Creole. Denise does not need to speak their language in words - she speaks in smiles and love. They seem to understand. Kids love her and laugh with and at her. One day she was wearing her baseball hat with her hair up in a hat because it was so hot and she was sweating. A little boy asked her in French, “Do you have hair?” Denise’s daughter, Hilary, is fluent in both French and Creole. She spends much of her time teaching at the school. Denise’s younger daughter, Erika, loves to sing, dance and play soccer with the kids. To hear familiar hymns sung in another language “is so very joyful and inspiring” she says. “Cheldin is the coolest, most Godly man ever,” Denise says. “Hilary and I had the chance to stay at his house with his wife and son.” They wondered, though, why the kitchen floor was always wet in the morning. Then they realized: electricity is only available three to four hours a day. The small fridge defrosts every night. When dark came at 7 p.m., Denise and Hilary were in their beds in Cheldin’s house. There were window openings, but no windows. They were on their cell phones. When they awoke the next day, their faces were covered with mosquito bites. They realized mosquitoes had been drawn to the phones’ light. Each summer, Barry takes his sons, Alex and Mitch, along with 15 to 20 men ranging in age 16 to 76, to Haiti to serve for a week. They have taken part in building cement dorms, a kitchen, protective walls and the school shelters. In addition, with generous donations from the U.S., solar panels have been installed at the orphanage home to provide electricity. Water is only available when electricity allows for pumping from the ground. The men helped build a ground-level cistern. A cement wall with wire was built around the orphanage and the school for protection. The orphanage now has 32 to 33 kids. They range in age from 4 to 22. They all live at the orphanage family home. They are required to help with cooking, cleaning and caring for the younger “First Christmas gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” Beans and Rice Members of the Ford family are pictured with children they are working to help in Haiti. At top are Denise and Hillary, at center is Barry and at bottom is Erika. 44 • Allegheny West Magazine • December 2020/January 2021Our Advertisers Your community businesses are the reason for the publication of Allegheny West Magazine. Please support these businesses. Their support allows us to mail this magazine, free, into the households of Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, and portions of McDonald as a community service. Advanced Dentistry, p. 47, 412.788.6300, advanceddentistry412.com Allegheny County, p. 35, www.alleghenycounty.us American Renal Associates, p. 47, 412.331.2423, www.americanrenal.com Archangel Gabriel Catholic School, p. 21, archangelgabrielpgh.org Bill Few Associates, p. 19, 412.630.6041 Black Dog Wine Company, p. 39, 724.485.WINE, blackdogwinecompany.com Business Legal, p. 9, 724.693.0588, www.businesslegal.net Clearview FCU, p. 3, 800.926.0003, clearviewfcu.org Conti Law, p. 18, 724.784.0239, contilawpgh.com Csonka Heating and Cooling, p. 3, 724.926.3125 Davey Tree, p. 47, 724.746.8852, www.davey.com DDS Web Design, p. 21, 412.965.0688, www.ddswebdesign.com DiSanti, Dr. Judy, DMD., p. 26, 412.264.6229, www.coraopolisdentist.com Express Employment Professionals, p. 11, 412.494.2000, expresspros.com EyeGotcha, p. 9, 412.331.9696, eyegotcha.net First Steps Pediatrics, p. 43, 412.788.1999, www.fspkids.com Findlay Township Parks and Rec., p. 23, 724.695.0500, www.findlaytwp.org. Genesis Church, p. 37, 724.512.5562, www.genesischurchlife.com Heritage Valley Medical Group, p. 6-7, bk. cover, 412.749.6934, www.heritagevalley.org Herrick Compassionate Funeral Service, p. 19, 724.695.7332 Historic Ft. Steuben, p. 39, 866.301.1787, www.SteubenvilleNutcrackerVillage.com Imperial Tax, p. 28, 724.695.7354, www.imperialtaxandaccounting.com Janoski’s, p. 38, www.janoskis.com Jim Meyers and Son Plumbing, p. 10 412.787.7805, MeyersPlumbingPittsburgh.com. Ed Kandrack – Berkshire Hathaway, p. 45, 833.PGH.SOLD Fred E. Liechti, Attorney, p. 45, 412.787.5280 McCracken Driving School p. 40, mccrackendrivingschool.com Tom Meyers Plumbing, p. 9, 724.693.2880, www.tommeyersplumbing.com Montour School District, p. 15, www.montourschools.com Moody Funeral Home, p. 21, 724.695.0411 My Laundromat, p. 11, 724.227.0513 Oakdale Foot and Ankle, p. 26, 412.787.8380, www.oakdalepodiatrist.com Oakdale Youth League, p. 15, www.OakdaleYouthLeague.com Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, p. 41, see ad for details. Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, p. 46, 412.264.6270, www.paacc.com Pack N Ship, p. 37, 724.695.7101. Play Academy, p. 28, 412.299.0616, www.play-academy.org Pustover Financial Services, p. 28, 724.695.8885, www.pustoverfinancial.com Robinson’s Run Cemetery, p. 13, 724.926.8511, www.RobinsonsRunCemetery.org John G. Rohm, DMD, p. 40, 724.695.2100 SNPJ Lodge 106 Club, p. 12, 724.695.1411, www.snpjimperialpa.com Self Storage North Fayette, p. 12, 724.695.8875, SelfStorageNF.com St. Clair Hospital, p. Inside Front Cover, 412.942.4000, stclair.org Thomas-Little Funeral Svc., p. 28, 724.926.2800, www.thomas-littlefuneralservice.com Today’s Hair, p. 9, 724.695.0478 Tonidale Yarn & Needlecraft, p. 26, 412.788.1210 West Allegheny School District, p. 29-32, 724.695.3422, www.westasd.org West Allegheny Youth Soccer, p. 25, www.westasoccer.com Marketplace Ads children. They also all take part in weekly Bible study and church. The orphans and over 150 other kids attend the school. Several of the community kids come at ages 10 or 11 but must start in kindergarten as they only speak Creole and need to learn French. They so want to learn. They are fed beans and rice. It may be their only meal each day. The children have a desire to stay in Haiti and help the people of their country. There is a lot of extreme poverty, homelessness and unemployment in Haiti. It is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. “You don’t know poor ‘till you see it,” Denise says. There is also violence and civil unrest. The team had to cancel its mission trips these past two years; but in September of 2019, Denise returned for her 10th trip with Barry and a board member. Cheldin got them safely into the country and they had an armed guard as they traveled and visited the orphanage. Every volunteer on the mission trip arrives in Croix des Bouquets with two 50-pound bags filled with medical equipment, school supplies, snacks and clothing. Over the past seven years, Denise and the team have taken hundreds of pairs of reading glasses, sunglasses and lots of soccer shoes. In addition, she searches all year to find books that the kids will like and be able to read. “Try to find ‘Huckleberry Finn’ books in French,” she says. Denise, along with a few board members, devote 15 to 20 hours a week to working on Haiti, which she loves. “It is such an honor and blessing, what I get to do,” she says. “That’s my job.” She knows two little boys, each of whom lost a leg in Hurricane Matthew. Now, thanks to a company in Pittsburgh, and a few of the team members who went to Haiti, each has a prosthetic leg. Christmas in Haiti is about the birth of Christ. It’s a celebration with rejoicing. There’s no Santa, but there is beautiful Christmas music and songs in Creole. There’s worship in church for hours giving thanks and then beans and rice for dinner. Merry Christmas from Chedlin and family, and the Ford family. For more about the YJCF-US, Yahve Jire Children’s Foundation, visit yjcf-us.org. Ford brothers Alex (top) and Mitch (bottom) are pictured in Haiti. December 2020/January 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 45 Families are preparing for a new way of celebrating the holidays this year. For the most part, these observances will be smaller and shorter, but also more intimate, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These smaller family gatherings, which are recommended, may just be the ingredient for a recipe that brings us closer as we close out 2020. While the holidays bring some degree of stress and anxiety, hopefully this holiday season will bring us something different. We need that, after enduring a pandemic and contentious presidential election. Each of us can contribute as we plan our holiday shopping and recognize that the small business owners in our community are an extension of our families. I, for one, will make sure that our shopping will be done in a manner favoring the small businesses here in the Airport Area. Small Business Saturday is a true American shopping holiday held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. American Express launched the campaign in 2010 to help small businesses gain exposure and inspire customers to shop within their own communities during the holiday season. In very large part, our Chamber members are small businesses and many small business owners are teetering on a very fine line due to the pandemic. Support them. Show our extended family that we care and that we will help them get through 2020 so that all of us can have a prosperous 2021. There are many small businesses advertising in this edition of Allegheny West Magazine. A number of these businesses have special holiday offerings. Please support them and you will have done your part to help during this holiday season. Be safe and may you and your families have a wonderful holiday season. What matters most this holiday season Chris Heck President/CEO, PAACC 46 • Allegheny West Magazine • December 2020/January 2021December 2020/January 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 47PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID PITTSBURGH PA PERMIT NO. 5605 Hughey Publications, LLC P.O. Box 220 McDonald, PA 15057 Now in Our 22 nd Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area Allegheny West MagazineNext >