performs Bringing back AND page 24 page 29 Athletes of Action luncheon draws sell-out crowd Father-son stained glass artists to hold art show Hollow Oak opens new footbridge from Montour Trail Pittsburgh Technical College helps local veteran jumpstart career Remembering the Summit House FREE Direct Mail Community Publication Allegheny West M agazine Montour School District News Page 27 Serving Ingram, Kennedy, Pennsbury, Robinson, Thornburg and Montour School District One of 4 Editions Serving 16 Airport Area Communities www.awmagazine.com May/June 2022 Montour Edition PLUS: 4 • Allegheny West Magazine • May/June 2022 ABOUT THE COVER P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and leftover products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine and the West Allegheny edition of Allegheny West Magazine. MEMBER Allegheny West Magazine - Montour, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the Montour School District communities of Robinson, Kennedy, Ingram, Pennsbury, and Thornburg to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine Doug Hughey Jill Bordo Pat Jennette Garret Roberts Sarah Kizina www.ddswebdesign.com Anita Kulik Joe Kulik Robinson Twp. Historical Soc. Pat Jennette Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our May Montour edition. As I’m sure you’re well aware, summer is just around the corner and that means it’s almost fair season. As such, I’m very happy to be bringing you our Summer Fun Guide this month. Starting on page 38, you’ll find our special section packed with local summer happenings, including fairs, festivals, car cruises and more. After many of these events were either canceled or postponed these past couple of years, it’s great to see so many of them returning. Check out our guide and keep this edition handy as a reference in the months to come. On page 24, read about how the owner of the old Western Area YMCA building has revitalized it and now wants to convert it back into a sports complex. He can’t do it alone, however, and is asking for public input. Then, on page 11, we take a look at a new footbridge that recently opened along the Montour Trail and will create some new possibilities for hikers and mountain bikers. Starting on page 27, get caught up on the latest news coming out of Montour School District, including the district’s recent musical, sports highlights and news about great students being recognized for doing great things in their school community. On page 37, the Robinson Township Historical Society takes a look back at the old Summit House. Be sure to also learn how Pittsburgh Technical College is helping a local military veteran adjust to civilian life and jumpstart his career on page 22. That’s just some of what you’ll find in this edition. Look for our next one in July. Until then, I hope you have a great start to the summer. From the Publisher Allegheny West Magazine-Montour Edition is published in January, March, May, July, September, and November, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in the Montour School District. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications LLC. Copyright 1999-2020 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor Montour Edition May/June 2022 { } Contents - Around Your Town - Firebeat - Robinson Township Library - Legislative Update - Your Schools - Robinson Township Hist. Soc. - Chamberlink - - - - - - - - Athletes of Action luncheon draws sell-out crowd Father-son stained glass artists to hold art show Hollow Oak opens new footbridge from Montour Trail Pittsburgh Technical College helps local veteran jumpstart career Bringing back “The Olde Y” Montour School District News Remembering the Summit House Summer Fun Guide 8 9 11 22 24 27 37 38 8 14 18 19 20 37 48 Hannah George, Sophia Trevenen and Chloe Domico perform in Montour’s production of “Mamma Mia!” For more, see page 29. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEYHeritage Valley Health System 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • May/June 2022 Park Manor Medical Associates Same Location . . . Same Great Physicians . . . New Name! Lauren Ayersman, DO Bradley Heiple, DO Kehkeshan Shah, MD Denise Wegrzynowicz, DO Tara Degnan, PA-C Collin Wurst, PA-C Family Practice Robinson & Primary Care West are joining to form Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group Park Manor Medical Associates. While the practice has a new name, its compassionate physicians remain the same. By merging the two practices, Heritage Valley Health System will be able to introduce some exciting changes, including the addition of two physician assistants to better serve patients. To schedule an appointment, call (412) 749-6920. Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group Park Manor Medical Associates 2201 Park Manor Blvd | Pittsburgh, PA 15205 | (412) 749-6920May/June 2022 • www.awmagazine.com • 7 Heritage Valley Health System Spring is a time of rebirth and new beginnings, and so it seems like the perfect time to introduce Heritage Valley Health System’s new website. While still located at www. heritagevalley.org, the website has been improved with a number of updates. At the new site, patients can take advantage of enhanced features such as finding a doctor, viewing the health system’s complete wide range of services and checking the Activity Monitor to see how busy a location is before seeking treatment. As well, users may log directly into their personal Health Link Patient Portal or create an account if they haven’t yet done so already. The website also has important information about visitation and the latest news regarding vaccines. While Chrome is the best browser to use when viewing the website, it will work with all modern browsers, including Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge. Please note that Internet Explorer is not fully compatible with the new site. Heritage Valley Health System has so much to offer. Visit www.heritagevalley.org to see for yourself! Heritage Valley Health System launches new websiteCAround Your Town Around Your Town 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • May/June 2022 After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Athletes of Action annual luncheon returned in April to a sell-out crowd. Started in 2016 as a way to honor the rich sports history of the Montour and Sto- Rox communities, the Athletes of Action luncheon had grown each year prior to COVID-19. Its last luncheon, which took place in 2019 and featured football legend Chuck Burkhart as its keynote speaker, attracted 300 people. This year, the event, which took place at the VFW Post 418 in McKees Rocks, attracted 252 people for a large gathering. Montour High School alumnus and former Olympic diver Cassidy Krug served as the event’s keynote speaker, while both Krug and longtime Beaver Area High School football coach Pat Tarquinio - a Stowe High School alumnus - were honored with lifetime achievement awards. Four student athletes chosen to receive $2,000 college scholarships apiece were also honored. They were Montour seniors Sophia Trevenen and Olivia Lyscik; and Sto-Rox seniors Trinity Griffin and Asia Harper. Trevenen, a member of this past fall season’s WPIAL- and PIAA-winning cross-country team, says she intends to study biology at Duquesne University. Lyscik, who scored her 1,000th point with the varsity basketball team this past season, has been accepted to Purdue University and intends to study chemical engineering. Griffin and Harper were both on this past season’s Sto-Rox varsity basketball team that reached the WPIAL playoffs. Griffin intends to study nursing while Harper has been accepted to several colleges and will to study criminal justice. Each of the student athletes said they were honored to receive the scholarship awards and to be recognized for their efforts. “I’m very thankful this is going to help me further my education and athletic career,” said Trevenen. “It shows that everything we’ve worked toward has really paid off.” Much as in years past, this year’s luncheon attracted a who’s who of area athletic talent and community members from longtime coaches and professional athletes to school administrators and local leaders. “If you grew up here and understand the demographics and how we all pull together for a great cause, you understand what this means for us each and every year,” Bob Zitelli, the event’s master of ceremonies and Athletes of Action founder, said in remarks. In her own remarks, Krug touched on how the shared experience of athletics unites. During her years at Montour High School, Krug was a standout diver who competed at the state level. She then went on to dive at Stanford University and compete in the 2012 Olympics, where she was named co-captain of her team and finished seventh in the three-meter springboard. In college, she was a seven-time NCAA All- American and two-time NCAA champion. In remarks, Krug recounted the tribulations she experienced on the way to the big stage, and discussed how those experiences have since translated into important life lessons. A brand strategist living in New York City, Krug said she is now writing a book about Olympic athletes. “Today I still go back to those lessons,” she said. “When life gets stressful, when I have an important meeting with a client…I still go back to the lessons I learned as a kid and an athlete. The experience of being an athlete shaped me as it did all of you.” Krug recounted how nerves and something as simple as getting cold on the swimming deck cost her in big moments - first during a state tournament in high school and then during an international competition in China. After crashing into the water during the latter and hearing laughs from the audience, Krug said she consulted sports psychologists and her fellow competitors to learn how to embrace her nerves. That ultimately culminated in her 2012 Olympic performance. “So, being a good athlete teaches you to be a good problem solver,” she said. Attendees also heard from Tarquinio, one of the winningest coaches in the WPIAL. During his tenure at Beaver Area, Tarquinio assembled three 20-plus win streaks and captured three WPIAL titles. He also recorded seven undefeated seasons. During his senior year at Stowe, Tarquinio was named the team’s MVP and, at Juniata College, he was named to All-State and All- American teams. Beaver Area’s stadium now bears his name. As in years past, proceeds from this most recent luncheon will help support future athletic scholarships for student athletes in the Montour and Sto-Rox communities. Athletes of Action is planning two fundraisers - a bocce tournament and a golf outing - this summer. For more, contact Bob Zitelli at (412) 337-7341 or zitellir@hotmail.com. Athletes of Action luncheon draws sell-out crowd STORY AND PHOTOS BY DOUG HUGHEY ABOVE: Former Olympic diver Cassidy Krug speaks at the Athletes of Action Luncheon on April 9. Both she and longtime Beaver Area football coach Pat Tarquinio (pictured below, second from right) were honored with lifetime achievement awards at the event. ABOVE: Athletes of Action founder Bob Zitelli served as master of ceremonies at the luncheon. BELOW: High school senior student athletes Sophia Trevenen, Olivia Lyscik, Trinity Griffin and Asia Harper were honored after being chosen to receive $2,000 scholarships apiece through the organization. CAround Your Town Around Your Town May/June 2022 • www.awmagazine.com • 9 Jim F. Lewellyn of Robinson Township has pursued a variety of different careers and hobbies over the years. From about 1964 to 1984, the 85-year-old operated two Exxon service stations on Route 50 in the Bridgeville area. He also earned a pilot’s license and, from the 1950s to about 1984, played guitar for the Fred Shafer Trio. His very first job was with Volkwein’s Music, selling organs. About 40 years ago, he took up yet another interest: making stained glass art. He started after he dropped out of his band to care for his wife, who was suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s at the time, and selling his two service stations. With time to work at it, he delved into the pursuit and hasn’t stopped since. “From the time I was a small child I’d be interested in stained glass,” he says. “My great grandmother in West View had an original Tiffany. I was just fascinated by that. I was so busy with everything else, I just didn’t start until later on in life.” Over the years, Lewellyn has created hundreds of pieces, from tiny ornaments to large, complex lamp shades made up of upwards of 3,000 individual pieces. He even makes recreations of original Tiffany lamps using patterns and fiberglass molds that he purchases. He’s given most of his pieces away to friends and relatives. Some others he’s sold. For the first time ever, Lewellyn will be showing his art to the general public this June. A selection of his stained-glass pieces will be on display at the Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie throughout the month. They can be viewed during the library’s regular operating hours. Among the pieces he’ll be showing are two Tiffany recreations, including a Tiffany Poinsettia and a Tiffany Wisteria. “These are exact copies of the Tiffany workshop ones made in the 1950s,” he says. To make the pieces, Lewellyn sticks the pieces of glass to a pattern on a fiberglass mold using beeswax and then solders the pieces together. It’s a time-consuming process, one that can take Lewellyn up to about three months or more. What makes this show even more special is that Lewellyn will be showing with his son, Jim M. Lewellyn, who lives in Kennedy. The younger Lewellyn says he got started in the hobby after his dad bought him a stained-glass kit. He now focuses largely on making lanterns, sun catchers and ornaments. He has a store on Etsy called CDL Glass Works and also sells locally. Jim M. Lewellyn says he particularly likes using $12 IKEABORRBY lanterns for his creations, as he can easily remove the glass and reuse the metal frame. Unlike his dad, he isn’t yet retired and so hasn’t delved into the large, Tiffany-style pieces his Local father-son stained glass artists to show at Carnegie Free Library STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY PHOTOS SUBMITTED FROM TOP: Jim F. Llewellyn of Robinson Township will be showing his stained glass artwork at the Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie throughout the month of June. Pictured are two of his Tiffany recreations. BELOW: Jim F. Lewellyn’s son, Jim M. Lewellyn of Kennedy Township, will also be showing his work. Among his pieces are this cross and a repurposed IKEA lantern. dad has. He says making some of those larger pieces would take him upwards of a year and points out that it’s not the most forgiving art form. “Glass is a weird thing to work with,” he says. “It has a mind of its own. Sometimes it breaks the way you want it. You need to coax it into what you want it to do.” He says that while he’s looking forward to showing his work, he’s much more excited for his dad. “I’m happy for him,” says Jim M. Lewellyn. “He’s given so many things away over the years and just to get some exposure…It’ll be nice for him.” Stained glass artwork by Jim F. Lewellyn and Jim M. Lewellyn will be on display at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library throughout the month of June. For more, including regular hours, visit carnegiecarnegie.org. Next >