LOOK UP: Our first flock of northbound geese has been seen
flying over Port Allegany on Tuesday. Woo Hoo! Kathy and Jim
Gotshall of Port saw not just the geese but a red-winged blackbird,
reportedly the true harbinger of spring, amid the other visitors to
their yard.

Ben VanSickles of Roulette saw two flocks of white swans winging
northward, too, on Tuesday afternoon. 

Meanwhile on Monday, “Hawk” phoned from the high school to tell
us he had just seen a kingfisher flying downstream behind the
Willard Avenue parking  lot. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?”

E-EDITION: If you’re one of our online readers, you might want
to check the Era website for our annual business and industry
edition. It’s called, “In Business,” and can be found if you scroll
down on the front page of our website.

You’ll learn the latest about the oil and gas industry,
particularly the Marcellus shale venture; see how the manufacturing
sector is holding up under the current recession; and find out
about the efforts under way on the Allegheny National Forest, at
Pitt-Bradford and at Bradford Regional Medical Center.

This special section will be posted on our website for only a
few weeks so don’t wait too long to check it out.

EASY SLEDDING: Barry Zuckerman writes: “I remember spending a
great amount of time at the Zippo Ski Slope. It was near my
grandmother’s house, and my brother and I spent every weekend and
many evenings skiing there. It is my fondest childhood memory.”

Bill Higie Jr. writes, “We ice skated at the current location of
Tops Market for a season or two. There was always a good crowd of
people and it seemed to draw a crowd from the Main Street
passersby. Second, Zippo ski slope was a great place to toboggan or
ride sleds. We also would start at the top of North Bennett Street
Extension at the top of Orchard Place and sled down onto the
sidewalk at Calvin Court. The bank turn was always a blast!”

Kathy Burgeson Gates writes, “I remember the Fuller’s (top of
2nd Street in Foster Brook) creating an ice rink in their backyard.
We would go and skate whenever we wanted. There was a shovel there
to clear snow. On cold nights there was a barrel fire, too. This
was back in the late ’50s.”