ZUMBA TIME: Zumba is the hottest fitness craze, and Bradford
city fathers hope to put it to good use to fill the gaping
financial holes in the 2011 budget.

“Zumba for Riel” is a dual initiative to address not only budgetary
issues but physical fitness, too. The event will be a six-hour
dance marathon hosted by the city’s police and fire crews.

The second event will be Proper’s Pothole Plunge. Councilman Fred
Proper and the city’s public works crew will lead a “polar bear”
plunge into the city’s deepest potholes. Next will be Benton’s
Buggy Bonanza, led by Councilman Rick Benton. Participants will
push city-collected shopping carts through a maze constructed in
Callahan Park.

Councilman Ross Neidich will lead a different kind of roller derby
to benefit the city, where the challenge will be to paint as many
blighted houses as possible in a three-hour period. All paint
colors must be approved by the city’s Historic Architectural Review
Board, of course.

Councilman Jim Evans will provide accompaniment to the events on
the new pipe organ at the Wick Chapel at the University of
Pittsburgh at Bradford, which will be airlifted from the chapel
into the city’s Veterans Square. He’ll be playing the greatest hits
of the Bay City Rollers.

BEEFCAKE: Not to be outdone, Foster Township’s supervisors will be
hosting a budget fundraiser as well. The three supervisors, Jim
Connolly, B.J. Campbell and Dale Phillips, will be featured in a
“beefcake” calendar.

They will be joined by McKean County Commissioners Joe DeMott and
Al Pingie, Sheriff Brad Mason, President Judge John Pavlock, State
Rep. Marty Causer, State Sen. Joe Scarnati, U.S. Rep. Glenn
Thompson, and Bradford Township supervisors Steve Mascho and Jim
Erwin.

The calendar is simply titled “No Secrets Here.”

COLD TOWN: We’ve been told that all the publicity Bradford’s been
receiving as the “toughest weather city” in the country has drawn
the attention of one of the biggest producers of reality shows on
the Discovery channel.

The idea would be to follow around ordinary citizens as they slog
through snow on Halloween and Easter, plant a garden in July (with
harvest in August, of course), and go boating in boots, jackets,
hats and mittens.

OH, NO!: Did we get you? It’s April Fool’s Day and, of course, none
of the above is true (except maybe the snow on Easter!)