For immediate release
March 28, 2023
Contact: Jackie Herbstritt
Email: jackie@communityedcenter.com
Phone: 814-781-3437
The Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk & Cameron program (LEC) recently conducted a session on local history and preservation. The morning began at the historic Johnsonburg Community Center which has been restored and updated by volunteers in the last several years. Ray Beimel provided a presentation on local history in Elk and Cameron Counties. Stephanie Distler, president of the Johnsonburg Trust, provided a tour and overview of the Brick Block. Lunch was held at the Ridgway Elks and was sponsored by Elk County Real Estate. Each participant gave a presentation on a local historical landmark. The Lumber Heritage Region presented on the history of Penn’s Woods. The participants finished the day with a walking tour of several historic homes, churches and other locations throughout Ridgway. One participant commented that the session got them interested in “joining a historical society and to become involved with the people who are reshaping, rebuilding, and restoring the buildings in our area.”
The goals of Leadership Elk & Cameron are to increase community awareness and understanding, provide opportunities for collaborative leadership and relationship building, and to foster and promote civic readiness. Applications for the 2023-2024 program year are now available. More information on the Leadership program can be found at http://www.communityedcenter.com, or by contacting the CEC at (814) 781-3437.
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Photo attached: LEC participant, Rachel Barrett presents information on the historic Elk County Bank in Ridgway (now the Brew Bank).