Out of Disaster Comes New Life

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Filed Under: McCloskey, Seven Springs, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Arts and Cultural, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Wild Flowers, 7 SPRINGS

End of Year Market Review

January 12, 2021 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

The numbers continued to climb in 2020. This will end being a year like no other. Check these out NOW as the year end numbers! The SELLERS MARKET continues at MOST price points at both resorts. With the population wanting some escape from dense urban living and record low interest rates we are seeing an unbelievable amount of transfers and VERY LIMITED listing inventory.

If you have a property you have been thinking of selling now is the time to MAXIMIZE YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Catch Up with Abe 412-897-8535! The end of 2020 market review will be like no other year we have seen in our lifetime.

Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

Respect Doing the Right Thing

January 12, 2021 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Webmaster’s Comments:

I had made a personal comment to Pat a few weeks ago as to how although I was enjoying the milder weather of Texas how I missed being first up on #1 (Avalanche Chair) in the morning as Patrol to open the resort. He was commenting as to how he was coaching kids basic mountain courtesy, to give space in the lift lines, not ski over the tails of those new Christmas skis, and give the right of way to the lower skier and show respect on the slopes.

I always felt that getting up and driving in whatever weather there was at 6:30 AM , gearing up and being out on some frosty mornings was a honor and a privilege which I took with great responsibility and pride, even though few people knew it. After all, myself and those other patrollers and especially at the time Dick Barron where there before the chairs were moving or the lines formed to make sure our little speed bump on the way to the Rockies was safe for our passholders and guests.

If we could prevent one skier to avoid missed grooming, thin snow, or unseen hazards then that start in the dark and time in the cold was well worth it. Any way, I always said it wasn’t too cold, you just didn’t have the right equipment.

Many a night was spent at the top of North Face as a picket to prevent skiers going over the headwall with stiff winds to your back. I would stand there as they made the final sweep of the slopes like a visitor to a foreign environment in a suit suitable to protect me from the elements, at least until I made it to the Goggle. (Kidding)

Credit and thanks to Pat and the many other experienced snow riders who continue to teach the next generation of snow sports enthusiasts that you have to take care of your playground, no one else will. That starts with respect for each other and the environment you choose to play in.

doing good work

Things are changing rapidly in this world. Some for the good and some no so good. One of them is respect. Respect for people, respect for property and respect for the environment in which we live and play. Take our local ski area for instance. Most of us love to be in the mountains and love it when the slopes are blanketed in snow and the sun is shining brightly. We understand what it takes to maintain that opportunity both with the management of the ski area and what they do for us, and also with all of us who ski there. We all have a responsibility to respect the area and keep it clean so that we all can enjoy the pristine, cold crisp winter days of skiing.

That is why when I boarded the chair lift this weekend, I was disheartened and downright infuriated to see beer cans and beverage cans carelessly strewn below the lift and lying on the ground. I thought to myself, ” What kind of person drinks a beer in the chair lift and then just carelessly, and with no respect, tosses it to the ground?” People with no respect who are ignorant of all that we love about the outdoors. Enter Rocco Lorence, Ali Bruno, Elise Wadas, Juliana and Mariella Contini to the rescue- pictured in the photo above. These kids were raised right and appreciate the opportunities given to them every weekend at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.

It touched a nerve with Juliana, Mariella and Ali when they saw the garbage lying under the North Face lift and they decided to do something about it. Along with the other kids in their WPRC posse, they got garbage bags from the Contini household and began to ski down under the lift and pick up all the eyesore beer cans and eventually place them in the resort garbage collection bins. Not only were they an example to all the other kids in the local ski programs, but people in the lifts saw them and marveled at the consideration of these young kids who no doubt were taught to respect all that has been given to them. The conversation spurred comments on social media and also started a movement among the ski school. Lou Marshall and Eric Tolbert and their ski instructor groups picked other lifts and began the same process of cleanup. The kids started a movement and the resort also noticed with a nice reward for the kids and the ski school members who participated.

I don’t know about you, but I thought it was pretty cool that these good kids started to make people think about litter. About how it scars the places that we love. Sure, the area will no doubt put up receptacles and maybe signs to try to encourage people to discard their garbage in the proper container. But the tougher job is to change the mindset of people who just don’t give a damn. Maybe if we see that behavior taking place, we all can join together to make a comment to that person or persons and ask why they don’t use the proper disposal containers? Trying to change behavior doesn’t need to be confrontational but maybe positioned as a question to make the person think about what they are doing. It might change the behavior- one person at a time. There will be some people who just don’t care, but like the movement that we saw this weekend, maybe some kids and their respect for the mountain will change behavior- one violator at a time.

If nothing else, I tip my helmet to Lou and Eric and their teams. And I also tip my helmet to Rocco, Ali, Elise, Juliana and Mariella and their parents who raised them right and gave us all something to think about. Thanks for reading and thank the kids if you see them.

Scenic photos courtesy of Rhonda West.

Filed Under: McCloskey, Ski Report, Seven Springs, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, ski conditions, Ski Report, snow report, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

November Market Update

December 21, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the most recent real estate market report. This includes resort sales for last month. Just look at the numbers, you will not believe them. We checked everything twice so this is the actual sales recorded at the courthouse.

The SELLERS MARKET continues at certain price points at both resorts. With the population wanting some escape from dense urban living and record low interest rates we are seeing this sellers market continue. If you have a property you have been thinking of selling now is the time, I probably have a buyer for it. Contact me at 412-897-8535.

Agents within BHHS The Preferred Realty are still permitted to list and sell properties within the current guidelines for COVID-19! Sellers can still sell and buyers can still buy and YES we can get to a closing. Now there are even more factors added into the process, social distancing and using all safety protocols! These are some really good reasons WHY selling or buying with a REALTOR will help to make the transaction much more predictable. Catch up to find out more on how you can buy or sell property and meet all the COVID-19 protocols.

These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more detailed information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Opening Day

December 14, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Opening Day!

Signs of the Times.

We didn’t quite know what to expect. The forecast called for rain and highs in the upper 50s for opening day of the local ski season. But the folks who showed up were the regular enthusiasts who don’t allow weather to spoil their fun especially on the opening day here in the Mid-Atlantic. All of us were clad in Gore Tex in anticipation of the foul weather but to our surprise, the sun came out and the atmosphere in the parking lot was electric. I looked at the lady next to me and asked, ” Excited?” She smiled and said,” look at all these grins in this parking lot.”

Melissa Thompson had her mask- don’t worry. Margaret and Barry Boucher- opening day stalwarts.

Most people were masked and compliant with the social distancing rules in the chairlift lines. Everyone was respectful but anxious to make those first turns including me. I was shortchanged my last trip out west in March when everything shut down. It was a little disappointing for me to end the ski season that way. But understood seeing the circumstances of Covid.

The Pandemic has added an additional bit of uncertainty to the opening of the new season, but outdoor exercise along with restrictions in food service and time in the lodges allow for safe skiing for all of us. Our local area- Seven Springs Mountain Resort, was well prepared with signs, restricted lodge time, take out food options, and other anomalies that were accepted by the skiers. Heck, we all wanted to ski so if we had to wear a mask, try to social distance, and eat and boot up outside, no big deal. This is the way it is all over the country this year and I am prepared when I try to ski west this year. For the moment, my Jeep is my lodge.

But back to our opening day. One of the things I try to do when I first start is to concentrate on making nice rounded turns with both feet spread out a little bit and on the ground throughout the turn. No lifting the inside ski as per my old school technique. I watched a lot of video this fall in anticipation of my first turns and noticed the World Cup racers stance and several You Tube videos on carving that gave me a mental image of where I wanted to be. The good thing is that the snow was good and our local area made a good effort to make snow, groom, and open what they could, despite the fickle weather conditions. Things are starting to look up this coming week with a snow storm that might be significant.

My friend Scott Dismukes- a true hard core My Jeep- My ski lodge

It is always good go make those first turns of the season. You build the confidence with each run and the effort to get to the parking lot early and on to the lifts, is well worth it. My smile was wider with each run and the excited conversations in the chairlift lines, although muffled by masks, made me thankful that the opportunity to ski had once again returned. This is my 59th season and I was as excited on opening day this year as I was as a kid all those many years ago. I couldn’t sleep well the night before thinking about it.

Yes – the terrain was limited but the conditions were great. I always say that you can’t be out west or in New England every week if you live here. So why not ski locally and then you are prepared when you do go. I have to tell you that if you like to ski like I do,, you will take every opportunity. The seasons are getting shorter so make the best of it. The folks at Seven Springs made it happen as they do every year for us. I am appreciative. Thanks for reading and think snow.

Filed Under: McCloskey, Ski Report, Seven Springs, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, ski conditions, Ski Report, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Night Sking

December 1, 2020 by Adrienne Abe 1 Comment

Keystone, Colorado

This time of year when I was a kid, I used to sit by our phone and wait for Bob Rose , our wonderful friend and neighbor, to call and tell me when he was picking us up for the weekly trip to the mountains. My mother would make an early dinner for my sister and me and we would pile into the Rose’s station wagon for the weekly ski season trip to the Rich’s house on County Line Road near Seven Springs The first outing of the weekend was night skiing and oftentimes it was brutally cold weather at night.

Dixon Rich and I still skiing together 59 years later Seven Springs Mountain Resort at Night

In the early days, there was no snowmaking and the grooming was slim to none. We had to negotiate frozen slopes and trails with wooden skis, cable bindings, and leather boots. But all of us kids didn’t care because we were skiing and that is all that mattered. Seemed like more trips to the fireplace in the ski lodge than during the day, but as long as we could get a hot chocolate and thaw out in front of the roaring fireplace, we were fine and back out we went.

As we became teenagers with better equipment, the benefit of snowmaking and grooming became appreciated. But usually on Friday nights, the groomers were not out yet and night skiers had to deal with frozen moguls and deteriorating conditions until the groomers did their magic overnight for us to have perfect conditions the next morning. Didn’t think much about visibility in those days, just where we were going to build a jump so we could hit it all weekend long.

Fast forward and night skiing took on a new meaning as we included it in the itinerary for trips to Holiday Valley in Western New York with wicked snowstorms blowing in off Lake Erie. Night skiing there was at a whole different level. It was at that time that visibility became a little more important to me as we charged down the slopes making sure to stay near the edge to have the best lighting. Skiing at night is fun but you have to be able to see fairly well because the lights are limited in their range and you can ski in and out of dark spots. And again, it is really cold at night in a ski area. One of the more interesting signs that I have seen was on a chair lift stanchion at Killington and also at Whiteface that said” These slopes are as cold and lonely at night as they were during the 1700s. Don’t ski alone” Wise advice especially if you night ski.

Now in my 59th year of skiing and having skied in 111 different ski areas, night skiing is not a priority with me. Now don’t get me wrong. I still will include a night skiing session when my buddies and I venture northward to Western New York in the early season. We will take anything early on and if it includes a session at night, we do it. I have also night skied in Keystone, Colorado with my friend Norm which was an adventure. Keystone makes it their business to light some black diamond slopes which can be a challenge if the visibility at night it compromised by weather. But the same rules apply to when I was younger. Stay near the edge and take advantage of the best light coming off the stanchions. Norm and I got some extra skiing by venturing out at night. We loved to pack it in and that extra cold session in Colorado always will be remembered.

The bottom line to all of this is that at 66 years old, I still get as excited for skiing as I did as a kid. My first outings are local and then on to the scheduled trips out west and to the Adirondacks. But if someone said to me, ” Pat- lets go night skiing” – I would not hesitate, if it meant more time on the hill. I love to ski and will kick, claw, drive through brutal conditions, ski in the rain, sleet, blinding snow, and work real hard to get my time in. How about you? I close my eyes and think back to this time of the year when after all day Saturday and Saturday night skiing, Bob Rose would find me passed out in front of the fireplace in the ski lodge. ” Get up dummy. Time to go.” I laughed and poured myself into the station wagon. What I would give to do it all over again. You don’t quit skiing because you get old. You get old, because you quit skiing. Thanks for reading and enjoy the winter. It is upon us.

Editors Note, Having been on Ski Patrol at 7 Springs for 15 years and closed the back side at 10:00 I can attest that mountain is just as cold tonight as it was in 1700.

patmccloskey | November 30, 2020 at 6:47 pm | Tags: Holiday Valley Ski Area, Keystone Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort | Categories: Aging, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, Skiing, Uncategorized, Winter, winter sports | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-1ev

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, ski conditions, 7 SPRINGS

That Great Smell by Pat McClosky

November 3, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

The Mountain TV

You know, my mother started me on my love for fires. We had a huge fireplace in our house growing up and at the first sign of cold weather, my mom would ask my dad to build a fire as she decorated the house for fall. My mom was the ultimate entertainer and to her, the house was a stage. My dad used to get firewood cut to 36″ to match the large fireplace and grate. He had some real blazes in that house.

Going forward, I had that appreciation for fires as I made my way through ski lodges, and anytime I had a moment to stand by a fire, I would do it, and take in the warmth and the great smell of wood smoke. In Colonial Williamsburg, one of my favorite destinations, they build fires on the street corners in the winter and the period actors discuss the merits of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness warming themselves in front of those ” army stacked” blazes.

I took matters into my own hands when we built our last house and had Teddy Hall come down from the mountains and build a 30’retainer wall, fireplace and bench all out of stone from the mountains. I learned what a shiner was. It is the flat facing stone that is strategically placed amid the dry stack of the stones that give some texture to the stacked stone. Teddy deposited 18 ton of stone in our yard and began his magic culminating in what I always thought was a spectacular fireplace.

My son Jack and I would scour for deadfall with my chainsaw and load up my Jeep with free firewood. He was a bit concerned as a young kid about my sources but I explained that we were doing a favor to the environment. At least that is what I told him. LOL!! Anytime I saw wood that was available, I grabbed it and did whatever I needed to do to get it cut and split. All part of the process of building a great fire in a great fireplace. We had fires all year long as it is a great bug zapper in the summer and a warm place in the winter. Many nights I spent in front of that fireplace contemplating what was next in our lives. When my folks passed, I used to sit out back and look up at the stars wondering where exactly they had gone. I saw heaven in those stars and planets and thought about what my folks saw now? Did they see me looking for them? I drifted off to sleep many nights in front of that fireplace. My brother in law, Duke, called it the Mountain TV as it provided entertainment for many guests to our house for many years.

The suspect Christmas wreath.

Duke would build fires so large in our fireplace that he would catch the Christmas wreath on fire many a night. The remnants of that wreath were a reminder of Christmas and a tradition that lasted many years. If the wreath didn’t catch fire, Duke didn’t build it big enough and Christmas was not complete. We had some other funny times in front of that fireplace. Like when my friend Dean melted the soles of his shoes onto the hearth. I peeled them off the next day and mailed them back to him. I have seen some other amazing things at other fireplaces. Like ski boot shells melting or gloves smoking as they hung to dry with the owners frantically trying to salvage the boots and gloves. People don’t realize how hot a fireplace can get.

The other day, I was riding my mountain bike and I smelled wood smoke coming from the house in the valley below. I can pick up that smell from far away and it always brings a smile to my face and a reminder that my favorite time of the year approaches- the fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter. Probably one of the things I miss the most in moving from my former house to our current one is the fact that I had to leave my fireplace. No more wood smoke, no more sitting out back, but my neighbor Tim has a nice fireplace and when I smell the wood smoke drifting my way, I am thankful that he invites us to come up and enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I like where we live but it was tough to leave the Teddy Hall masterpiece.

Laurel Mountain Outdoor Fireplace

If you have a nice fireplace- use it. And if you visit ski areas, lodges, or other places where fireplaces are lit during the season, take the time to sit and take in the smell, the warmth, and the quiet time reflecting in front of a roaring fire. Thanks for reading and RIP Teddy Hall. You made our life rich indeed. Thanks for reading.

patmccloskey | November 2, 2020 at 6:25 pm | Categories: Christmas, fall, outdoor activities, Outdoors, Seasons, Thanksgiving, Winter | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-1dr

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Filed Under: McCloskey, Dining, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

October 2020 Real Estate Market Report

October 28, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the most recent real estate market report. This includes resort sales for September 2020 AND the third quarter of the year. Just look at the numbers, you will not believe them. We checked everything twice so this is the actual sales recorded at the courthouse.

Agents within BHHS The Preferred Realty are still permitted to list and sell properties within the current guidelines for COVID-19! Sellers can still sell and buyers can still buy and YES we can get to a closing. Now there are even more factors added into the process, social distancing and using all safety procedurals! These are some really good reasons WHY selling or buying with a REALTOR will help to make the transaction much more predictable. Catch up to find out more on how you can buy or sell property and meet all the COVID-19 protocols.

These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Anticipation Winter will be here soon by Pat McCloskey

October 28, 2020 by Adrienne Abe 1 Comment

Anticipation!

#head-skis, #stockli-skis

I have posted on it before, but it takes a real enthusiasm to be a skier in the mid- Atlantic region of the country. We have to fight the continuing cycle of snow, ice, and rain events along with increasingly milder temperatures. If it were not for snowmaking, and good grooming, we would be in a world of hurt around these parts. We do our best to get our ski days in locally and then plan trips for the west and New England. Covid will offer some challenges but I am undaunted in my quest for the target 30 days which is fairly decent for a guy who is still employed, lives in Pennsylvania, and yearns for the first turns of the season. Nothing does my heart more good than a new pair of boards.

My local ski buddy and my western ski pal also got new boards this season and we are all excited to try them in hopefully a short month or two.

New Lake Tahoe Stocklis New Heads for my local pal

To me, a new pair of skis is like a jump start to the season. I get a little bummed at the end of the season when the last turns are made and I have to wait another 8 months to ski again. With a new pair of boards, the anticipation is increased among the changing leaves and the falling temperatures . It makes the 8 months seem to race quickly as I anticipate the first turns of the season, especially excited to try a new pair of skis. November comes quickly with You Tube Ski TV and vicariously I begin the season in advance of the first tracks around here.

Wooden skis, cable bindings, leather tie boots. Back in the day

My passion for this sport began when my folks first took me skiing. ( They didn’t ski but wanted my sister and I to get started). I will never forget my first pair of wooden skis , and my excitement then is no different than it is today embarking on my 59th season. Anyone who skis remembers his or her first pair and can probably name most of the skis that they have used since then. I remember my dad subsequently buying me my first season pass and also a pair of Head 360s for Christmas. My job was to earn the money for my first pair of buckle boots and boy was I excited when I first tried on my Koflachs. No more bloody knuckles tying ski boots. But the important thing was that my dad was teaching me to earn money so that I could buy what I wanted. It meant more to me and is a lesson that I carry with me today. Any trips, equipment, and lift tickets were my responsibility from that point on and I mowed a lot of lawns, shoveled a lot of driveways, hauled a lot of steamer trunks caddying at my dad’s club. Working in the box factory in college helped pay for a lot of things and the lesson was being ingrained with every pay check. It still is today when I budget for trips, ski equipment, and ski passes.

I think a lot about my dad when ski season starts. Especially when I tune my skis on the bench that he built for me some 40+ years ago. Every time I add to my quiver of skis and get a new pair, I think of him and the message that he taught me to earn the skis that will earn my turns. So many memories of ski seasons past, but the anticipation of what is to come is only accentuated by the vision of a new pair of skis, waiting to be mounted. Think snow and think safety in the coming ski season. Wear your mask, wash your hands and make sure that skiing is there for all of us this season. Thanks for reading

patmccloskey | October 26, 2020 at 6:18 pm | Tags: Head Skis, Stockli Skis | Categories: Exercise, Fatherhood, Inspiration, Motivation, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, recreation, Skiing, Uncategorized, Winter, winter sports | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-1db

Filed Under: McCloskey, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Wild Flowers, 7 SPRINGS

A Walk in the Woods Pat McCloskey

October 5, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

I have to say that this time of year is my favorite among the seasons. The temps are changing and the leaves are turning colors- somewhat blazing this year. I love to hike at this time and my interest in that pursuit all started when I was a kid. I loved being in the woods. The first five human beings I knew outside my parents, were my five backyard neighbors- Richard, John, Ron, Glen and Cliffy. We lived in the woods – playing Army, catching crawfish and salamanders, and basically being there until my dad rang the dinner bell from our back patio. My parents didn’t worry about us much in those days. We were gone all day and would come running in for lunch, dinner and stay out as long as possible. We even drank from garden hoses and nothing ever happened to us. Imagine that? Slept out under the stars. We loved the woods and I still do today. This is a picture of Richard, John and me at Arapahoe Basin a couple of years ago. They both live in Colorado now. Even with the fact that we had not seen each other in a while, it seemed as if we left off right where we were the last time we were together. Isn’t that the way it usually is with good friends?

Fast forward from childhood, I hiked and back packed a lot in the fall right after college. The woods in the mountains seemed like a good place to reflect and try to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my life at the time.

I would either set up my tent or make arrangements to sleep in a ” lean to” shelter provided by the state. I would look up at the stars in the middle of the night while stoking the fire and try to figure out a path forward – like many of us at the time. Hiking was a relaxing way to reflect, take in the change of seasons, and breathe in fresh air. A walk in the woods was always therapeutic and still is today.

Moving on, to today’s world, hiking is a great activity for my wife and me to enjoy. As empty nesters, we love to get our gear together, strap on our boots and packs, and take that proverbial walk in the woods.
We either go to the Laurel Mountains east of here, or locally to one of our favorite routes in Sewickley. We often remark in our local hike that we could easily be anywhere with the scenic forest and well built trails .

It looks a lot like Vermont or New Hampshire with the rocky trails and hardwood forest, but it is only a 15 minute drive from our house. We don’t have the dramatic backdrops of the Green Mountains or the Whites of New Hampshire, but for a local hike, the scenery is pretty good here in Pa. A nice way for my wife and I to connect without any pressure of keeping up with anyone or keeping some sort of time schedule. Time moves slowly when you take a walk in the woods.

My folks never understood my need to be out in the wilderness, either locally or when I traveled near and far to basically camp, hike, climb, ski, and otherwise enjoy what is out there. Their idea of camping was sleeping at a Holiday Inn with the windows open. Me? I like that tent where I can see and smell the night. The stars, the planets, and the general feeling that the woods are embracing me. I feel like I belong there. That is why it irks me to no end when I see people deface rocks and overlooks with graffiti. All of us who love the outdoors need to protect what we all enjoy. Public lands, trails, National Parks, are all part of our heritage and if we want to leave ” a walk in the woods” for our kids and grandchildren, we always must pay attention to protecting our outdoor places of recreation.

A final suggestion, if you are looking for an activity this fall, maybe try hiking? There are so many places to go and aside from a rucksack filled with water and snacks, and some good sturdy hiking shoes or boots, the investment is minimal and the rewards are great. My love for the woods and the outdoors stems all the way back 55 years with my old buddies playing Army in the woods behind the Zankey’s house. For all we knew, we were in the Rocky Mountains or as far as our imagination led us at the time. Take that walk in the woods. It will restore you and give you needed perspective in our world today. Thanks for reading.

Filed Under: McCloskey Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, McCloskey, 7 SPRINGS

June 2020 Real Estate Market Report

July 19, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Agents within BHHS The Preferred Realty are still permitted to list and sell properties within the current guidelines for COVID-19! Sellers can still sell and buyers can still buy and YES we can get to a closing. Now there are even more factors added into the process, social distancing and using all safety procedurals! These are some really good reasons WHY selling or buying with a REALTOR will help to make the transaction much more predictable. Catch up to find out more on how you can buy or sell property and meet all the COVID-19 protocols.

This is the most recent real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Bring your “A” game if you wanna play!!

June 23, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Thanks Pat, been following those legs and lungs all my life!!

New post on chroniclesofmccloskey

The “B” Team Bringing Their “A” Game
by patmccloskey

A little while back, I was on a rather spirited mountain bike ride up at Laurel Mountain with some pretty strong riders. Among them was my friend Steve Gurtner, who is a strong rider in his own right. But that day, he looked at me and said, ” Pat- we are the ” B” team bringing our “A” game. I laughed out loud and will always remember that line because it fits my persona to a “T.” In all honesty in all of my cycling over the years, I have always ridden with stronger, more talented riders and always felt like I was that “B” team constantly having to bring my “A” game in order to keep up. Take my early days in road cycling with the ACA.( Allegheny Cycling Association). I had the good fortune of riding on the road with some pretty talented guys who took the time to bring us “B” team guys into the fold. People like Mac Martin- a national class rider who took us out of our comfort zone and gave us the finer points of road racing on training rides. I can remember being in our local criteriums when they would put the “B” group in with the “A” group and we had people like Mac, and Matt Eaton, and the Chew brothers who would lap us but help us in the group with tips and suggestions not only to help us, but to improve their place in the group. Things like ” bridge that gap, Pat, so I can get up there.” I definitely had to bring my A game in those races in order not to jeopardize my participation. These guys were national champions who were kind enough to give us tips and help us in a race situation. But we had to dig deep and bring that “A” game. They would roar by us but help us along the way.

Moving ahead to mountain biking. I rode with the Greenlee’s Mountain Bike team back in the day and was coached by Chuck Greenlee, the owner of the shop, and head honcho of the group. I would go on their training rides with the expert riders who were nice enough to wait for me at the corners. But I had to step it up again in order to participate. I was no expert rider like those guys, but if I wanted to improve, I had to dig deep and remember being totally exhausted after all those rides on week nights. It all helped at race time but still, I was bringing the” A” game because I had to.

My Tuesday night rides, which were famous for bringing riders of all abilities to ride our local park, were eventually taken over by the expert riders who used my ride as a training ride. Eventually, the only way I could keep up was to take short cuts. Not quite bringing the” A” game but a tactic that I still use today. I still often ride with riders who are younger, stronger, more talented than me and I need to bring that” A” game week in and week out in order to participate. I remember riding with Scot Nicol, the founder of Ibis Bicycles, who is my age. I asked him, ” How long do you think we can ride like this Scot – at our age?” His response which I have recounted many times was,” Don’t even think about it, Pat.” ” Just keep riding.” I suppose he is right. I want to do this cycling thing as long as I can and if I have to be pushed by a talented group, so be it. I will be back out in Bend, Oregon in a few weeks visiting Jeff and Julie Chetlin, Tim and Barb Girone, and their posse of younger, talented riders. So hopefully, again, I won’t think about it and hope to hang on.

Finally- when I thought about this post, and the meaning of that great quote by Steve Gurtner, I also thought about it in general terms. Don’t we all have to bring our “A” game to the game of life? Sometimes we have to dig deep to be kind, considerate, generous, courteous, in these times of uncertainty? Don’t we have to bring that “A” game even when we are tired and don’t think we can keep up? If we do dig deep, it not only benefits us, but also those around us to whom we show mercy and kindness even in the midst of fatigue or despondency. Yes, most of us are the “B ” team, but if we can bring that “A” game as often as we can, life will improve in just a small way. We might not be national class and can’t change the world, but we can certainly “bring it” and help out one individual, one life, one neighborhood at a time. Thanks for reading.
ACA photo courtesy of Eric Durfee. Another “A” guy in many ways.

patmccloskey | June 22, 2020 at 4:33 pm | Categories: Aging, Bicycling, Cycling, Exercise, Health, Inspiration, Mountain Biking, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, recreation, trails | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-180
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The “B” Team Bringing Their “A” Game

Filed Under: Biking and Hiking Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

Harder Than It Looks

June 13, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Harder Than it Looks.
by patmccloskey

Janet and I had a nice bicycle ride this weekend up at Lake Arthur. As we sat on a bench and looked at the nice scene you see above, we admired the skill of the sailors who were piloting their sailboats, catamarans, and wind surfers. We observed some folks attempting to wind surf who had elementary skills and after a while, we realized that wind surfing is harder than it looks. Probably not unlike a lot of things with a steep learning curve until you get the hang of it. As my mind drifted in the hot sun and pleasant scenery, I went back to my earlier adventures in life, trying to pilot water craft. Not too successful.

Take whitewater rafting. Now I had always gone on whitewater rafting trips on the Yough and Gauley Rivers around here, but always had been a passenger and did what the guide told us to do. Kind of fun but basically along for the ride. One day, my father in law thought it would be a good idea to do the Youghiogheny River with my mother in law and my wife. He ended up in a raft with some other guys and I had my own raft with my mother in law and Janet. They looked at me skeptically when I said I knew what I was doing and we pushed off and paddled downstream with a look of excitement and wonder as the whitecaps began to lap up against the raft. We were doing fine until we came to the famous Dimple Rock which has been the demise of many canoes and water craft with a tough eddy current up against the rock and a designated route around it outlined by the outfitters at the beginning of the trip. I saw a bent canoe hanging from the rocks on the left bank and knew that we were approaching the challenge. I told my mother in law and my wife to keep paddling and I would try to steer us in the recommended direction of the current. Unfortunately, we zigged where we should have zagged and somehow I managed to get the raft out of the current and basically in the direction we wanted to go. And then the unthinkable for my MIL and my wife. I flipped out of the back of the raft and was on my back floating down “Swimmers Rapids” trying to hail them down. My wife apparently kept paddling with my MIL and then after a while of no response to questions like ” where do we go now?”, they realized that I was not in the raft. Janet screamed at her mom and said, ” He’s not here.” To which the MIL responded” Oh get out, you don’t know what you are talking about.” She then looked back and the two ladies were on their own. After a little while, I managed to float alongside the raft and after a barrage of questions, I said, ” I will see you in a mile at the end of these rapids.” I have no problem swimming but piloting a craft is not my strong suit. We all had a laugh about that one for years.

Another foray in into the world of water craft was when I decided one year that I would like to take up kayaking on the Yough. I took a continuing education class at Pitt with outings in a swimming pool trying to roll the kayak without getting out. A necessary skill when actually kayaking on a river or stream. I never was good at that and on the field trip to the Yough as our final outing, I put on a rain suit to try to keep myself dry. Little did I know that was a worthless endeavor seeing that I was out of the kayak more than I was in it and to make matters worse, the outing was in October and it was snowing on the river. Cold is not the word for it. Something much worse, and I was never so glad to rid myself of that kayak and tell myself that the idea of being a river rat or a granola crunching paddler hanging out in Ohiopyle, Pa was not my fate. My old ski buddy, Mark Singleton, who is now the Executive Director of American Whitewater, would not be proud of me and maybe welcome me back on the river for some lessons and maybe some redemption. But any trip to North Carolina to visit him would be on two knobby tires on trails and not on the river rapids of the south.

I had a few close calls on the water that were not my fault. One was on a boat offshore at Martha’s Vineyard where a friend of my in-laws, piloting the boat, went down into the hold to get some nautical maps I believe, and we were drifting precariously close to a large buoy. I was just about to grab the wheel when the guy came up, screamed, ” Holy S@#$”, and then just avoided what would have been a bad collision seeing that the base of the buoy was made of concrete. I can just see it now, all of us hanging on the buoy waiting for the Coast Guard as the boat would have surely sunk. The second was on the river here on a party boat with a bunch of ex football players. The weight in that boat had us very close to the water surface and I looked at my one friend and said, ” make sure you have your wallet and car keys within reach because when this thing sinks, we need to be ready to swim to shore and have our belongings” Fortunately, we were able to get off the boat before a collision with another boat and a close call with the walls of a lock on the river.

My mind drifted back as Janet said, ” time to go.” As we mounted our bikes, I took a final look at the sailboats, wind surfers, and other pilots of the water and said to myself, ” that is not for me, but it is nice to watch.” I will be a spectator for sure. Thanks for reading but don’t let me dismay you. If you want to try something new, go for it. It would be cool to know how to do it.
patmccloskey | June 8, 2020 at 5:30 pm | Tags: American Whitewater, Youghiogheny River | Categories: Exercise, Humor, kayaking, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, recreation, Uncategorized, White water rafting | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-17D
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Thank you Pat for sharing your water memories. Wags

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Fishing, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, state parks, Water Sports, 7 SPRINGS

Ride To Ride Another Day

May 27, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

By Pat McClosky

You know, as the 65 year old kid ages, I think about a lot of variables that come into play while pursuing the activities we like. When you think about it, staying in shape, exercising, and getting fresh air and sunshine, especially in these days of quarantine and gradual social interaction, is key to your sanity and well being. One of the things we don’t want is to get hurt in the process.

Part of the thrill of mountain biking and skiing, for instance, is the ability to ride over obstacles and pick lines that are challenging but all within reason. Thus my saying of “ride to ride another day.” Mountain biking is a sport where you do have to keep your wits about you to successfully navigate the obstacles on the trail and concentration is key, looking ahead and not at your front wheel. Kind of like skiing in a way where you are looking down the hill and not at your tips. Looking ahead gives you better reaction time and that is compromised when you narrow the visual field. For me though, concentrating and knowing when to “send it” or not, is really important as an older rider. I don’t want to get hurt. I want to ride for exercise and not anything else. I also don’t feel a need anymore to stress myself all the time. Once in a while to test your fitness and see if you can still hang is fine. But for the most part, I want to enjoy my ride and not turn it into a death march.

One of the things that has been happening lately in my group or groups has been injuries. My one friend says he gets injured when he is tired from consecutive days of hard riding and his skills are compromised because of the fatigue. Another friend gets hurt because he is thinking about other things and not concentrating on the task at hand. Both of these guys are really good riders but are willing to take chances that I am not willing to take. Again, I ride to ride another day. I don’t want to spend my time recovering from injury. I would rather ride or ski. I tend to ski faster and better than I ride and I always make it a habit to concentrate on every turn so that I don’t catch an edge. I try to make each run a series of good turns instead of a series of high speed linked recoveries. Again, ski to ski another day. Which brings me to the point. None of us are competing in the World Cup so why not enjoy the ride instead of putting yourself in a position of potential carnage? Especially as you age. Recovery is not that easy for warriors in their 50s and 60s like my groups. I always say mountain biking is an accident waiting to happen unless you approach it conservatively. Now, there are always the cases where things happen, but you can be in some semblance of control if “you know your limitations.”

I guess I think about these things and feel a need to write down my thoughts, especially now with the need for all of us to get out and get some sunshine while we wait for things to open up safely. We all are going to have to assume some level of risk in this post Covid world if we want to live our lives to the fullest. Can’t live in a bubble forever. Be smart but live fully. But when you do, remember to “ride to ride another day.” That goes for a lot of things, not just mountain biking or skiing. Then you can drink your post ride/apres ski beer in one piece and say, ” the older I get the better I was.” Thanks for reading. Be a follower. Enter you email to the left and get a once a week post from the 65 year old kid.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Biking and Hiking Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

April 2020 Real Estate Market Report

April 17, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Agents within BHHS The Preferred Realty are still permitted to list and sell properties within the current guidelines for COVID-19! Sellers can still sell and buyers can still buy and YES we can get to a closing. It may take longer depending upon whom else in the transaction is working! Now there are even more factors added into the process, social distancing and using all safety procedurals! These are some really good reasons WHY selling or buying with a REALTOR will help to make the transaction much more predictable. Catch up to find out more on how you can buy or sell property and meet all the COVID-19 protocols.

This is the April 2020 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

March 2020 Real Estate Market Report

March 26, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Agents within BHHS The Preferred Realty are still permitted to list and sell properties! Sellers can still sell and buyers can still buy and YES we can get to a closing. Although it may take longer depending upon whom else in the transaction is working! And now there are even more factors added into the process, social distancing and using all safety procedurals! These are some really good reasons WHY selling or buying with a REALTOR (like me) will help to make the transaction much more predictable. Catch up to find out more!

This is the March 2020 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

February 2020 Real Estate Market Report

March 1, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the February 2020 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Warm thoughts about climate change.

February 29, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Webmasters Note: Over 20 years ago I sold my Pittsburgh home and rental properties and moved to the foothills of a speedbump to the Rockies, 7 Springs. In the following years I gained a life partner “Abe” and a ski partner Jim “Kapper” Kapp both who lived the winter life with me in the Laurel Highlands and mountains through the world. How many MLK and Presidents weekends Kapper and I danced down the edge of corkscrew and Avalanche or bombed the Gunar chair line in fresh POW? Night excursions along the LH Trail in snowshoes or just post holing in our yard or faceplanting off the deck into feet of snow satisfied my appetite for winter. As I look out of my office window today at the brown field and blooming Roaring Run forest across from the house those snowy days are just memories from a guy that has been looking out that window nearly every day for over 20 years. The “LET IT SNOW” sign came down this year, although it was greatly needed. I concur with Pats observations. R. Wagner

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New post on chroniclesofmccloskey

The Global Warming/Climate Change Disappointment.
by patmccloskey

So far this winter season, I have had to chase the snow. From skiing and hiking in the rain, to heading west earlier this month, and later next month, to actually ski in some honest to goodness snow. But like I always say, I can’t be out west all of the time so I need to maximize my winters right here at home. Recent meteorological history suggests that climate change is a reality around these parts. Here in Southwest Pa, we are right on the borderline of the snow/rain events. So you really need to head north of Interstate 80 to get to snow country that so far has eluded the climate change issue. At least for now. We had that opportunity this past weekend when Janet and I ventured north to Bradford, Pa. The Icebox of Pennsylvania. I love winter and have posted about that love many times. But when you are standing on a pair of snowshoes and stopping to view and hear the gurgling of a winter mountain stream, it takes your breath away. There is complete silence in the wilds of Pennsylvania save the running water under the ice laden streams. One of the cool things about snowshoeing is that you can easily manage the trails by staying on top of the snow instead of post holing with your hiking boots. We use ski poles as well to aid in our balance and the movement among the snow covered pines and over the bridges of the streams. And if you want to go off trail and bushwhack to get to another stream or point of interest, the drifts are no match for snowshoes. I love bounding over drifts and off trail to enjoy all that the woods have to offer this time of year.

I always struggle to get the most ski days, schlepp equipment to the airport and to the ski areas, get some snowshoe days, look for snow, and in general get what I once had as a regular thing. I never had to search for winter. I grew up with it. Sled riding in the neighborhood with snow all winter. My dad built a skating rink for us in the backyard. We never had issues with weather. Winter was winter. Now we fight the weather, the rain, the sleet, and try to make the most of it outdoors. Sometimes we just have to go on the search for winter because this issue of climate change is affecting our weather down here in the banana belt and it is frankly discouraging to a winter guy like me. At the end of the season, I almost breathe a sigh of relief that the tension I put on myself is over for another year. I get mad at the forecasts, I constantly look at ski reports, I DVR ski races to ease my pain. I can vicariously root for Mikaela Shiffrin or Tommy Ford on the TV after a rain soaked ski day here in the changing weather scene. I will do whatever to enjoy the winter and that includes making things as easy as possible for my wife whose passion for the winter is not as keen as mine.

Please note that my wife calls me the Sherpa. Ang McCloskey Sherpa. Two pair of skis, two pair of boots in the pack, two helmets and goggles. She handles the poles. Full disclosure, not that she won’t carry her own stuff, she is perfectly willing. I just do it to make life easy for her and encourage her to chase the snow like me. So bottom line, I am discouraged at the local winters anymore and kind of bummed at climate change and global warming. I do what I can to help the environment in my own small way. I am a contributing member of POW ( Protect our Winters), the Jeremy Jones endeavor to lobby Washington to heed the call on climate change. I know that weather and climate have cycles over the centuries but there is something to be said about what we do to our atmosphere by way of CO2 emissions . I get it. Other countries better get it too!! Otherwise, our winter scenes, mountain streams, ski slopes, and snow clad peaks will be a distant memory for many folks. Support POW. http://www.protectourwinters.org Thanks for reading folks.

patmccloskey | February 24, 2020 at 4:34 pm | Tags: Protect our Winters.org | Categories: Exercise, Hiking, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, Skiing, Snowshoeing, Weather, Winter, winter sports | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-12P
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The Global Warming/Climate Change Disappointment.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Ski Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, ski conditions, Ski Report, 7 SPRINGS

Robert “Wags” Wagner Retiring

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

After a long military career, requested piano tuner and technician, and licensed real estate agent since 2002, Robert “Wags” Wagner has decided to retire! He will still be helping Abe on the marketing and social media programs that they have built over the past 17 years. Look for the new solo; Adrienne “Abe” Wagner platform to be rolling out this month!

Filed Under: TEAM Info, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Out of Disaster Comes New Life

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

January 27, 2020

Out of Disaster Comes New Life

I finished a book recently which told the story of the Big Burn forest fire that occurred in 1910. Three million acres were burned in Northern Idaho, W. Montana, Eastern Washington, and parts of Southeast British Columbia. Aside from the devastation to forest land, Timothy Egan tells the story of the origins of the US Forest Service. I am always interested in seeing the backstory on things and this book tells it. The interesting tale related was how much the sitting President, Teddy Roosevelt, had valued conservation along with his associate Gifford Pinchot. Mr. Pinchot spent his whole life dedicated to the establishment and preservation of the National Parks and National Forests under the Roosevelt and Taft administrations. Timothy Egan spins an interesting side tale on the personality of Pinchot that is worth reading.

Egan goes on to point out that the large forest fire and the resulting inquiries into the efforts of the rangers under the US Forest Service, were combative. Similar to today’s politics, there was national interest in conservation and the support of the USFS. The opposition saw the USFS as a waste of time and government money. In the opposition camp, were congressmen and senators who supported large scale logging and pillaging of the American West. Roosevelt fought hard against these lobbies and along with Pinchot, who later became Governor of Pennsylvania, kept the fight for conservation alive. In the end, the Forest Service was funded handsomely by congress and the lumber lobby eventually gave its support if only to keep the potential harvest in tact.

The compelling result of the fire, establishment of the US Forest Service and final support, let to the continued development of the National Parks Service and the continued development of the National Forests and Monuments. The difference between a National Forest and a National Park is that the National Forests encourage use by the public to include skiing, mountain biking, fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. The National Parks are somewhat limited to public use other than observation with strict regulation of activities within the Parks. A little more stringent but a different ethos in preserving the pristine environment. However, with the foresight of people like Teddy Roosevelt, and Gifford Pinchot, we have these national treasures which are available to all of us.

I have had the good fortune of visiting Yosemite National Park with my wife and son a number of years ago and along with yearly trips to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area within the Inyo National Forest and visits to the Tahoe ski areas within the Tahoe National Forest,I am always impressed with the beauty and immense wilderness that is preserved. Janet and I also make use of the Allegheny National Forest near our home here in Pennsylvania along with use of many State parks along the way.

Recently I had the great experience of riding mountain bikes in the Deschutes National Forest in Bend, Oregon and was amazed at the quality of the trails and the maintenance of miles and miles of trail systems through this national forest. A lot of this maintenance in the national forests could not happen without the efforts of volunteers who preserve and develop trail systems for multi- use.

It all came together for me when I read this book ” The Big Burn” and realized that there was a lot of time, effort and anguish, in the establishment of national land and the need for preservation and conservation facilitated by the USFS. Not every available piece of land should be deemed for development. There has to be recreational opportunities for our children and grandchildren and I am grateful that men like Pinchot and Roosevelt, back at the turn of the century, had that same vision. If you get the chance to ever visit a State Park, a National Park, or National Forest, do it. You will see how a disastrous fire back in 1910 led to the conservation efforts which have served all Americans for well over a century. Hooray for Teddy Roosevelt- Bully!!!!!

If you like my weekly musings, please enter your email to the left here and be a follower. Or scroll down all the way on your smart phone and enter there. I appreciate it.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

January 2020 Real Estate Market Report

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the January 2020 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Creative Genius

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

December 30, 2019

Creative Genius

You don’t have to be a Picasso, or Brahms or Mozart, or even Martin Scorsese to be a creative genius in my book. Lots of my friends are really creative and can look at an opportunity, or a problem, or a riddle and figure out how to best create a solution. Perhaps the best creative genius that I knew, who was able to solve most problems and riddles, was my father. A Carnegie Tech mechanical engineering graduate, Dick McCloskey saw most things as a fun challenge. His engineering mind was always at work and he relished the opportunities to create solutions that would last. He could plumb, do electrical work, solder, and artistically create things like the treasure chest that he made me as a kid. I still have it some 55 years later and store my mountain bike maps there. My dad made us an ice skating rink in the backyard by using 2X4s as rink perimeters and a large roll of Visqueen plastic as the liner to the rink. He would fill it with water every winter and we were not allowed on it until it was completely frozen for fear the skates would cut the plastic. Many nights were spent on that rink on the back patio and it was the centerpiece for the neighborhood kids for winter entertainment.

When I first started to go to Tuckerman Ravine in the spring for the ritual of spring skiing, I needed a way to lash my skis to the external pack that I owned. My dad rigged up some aluminum tubing with some hasps and wing nuts and presto, I had a frame that allowed me to attach my skis with the boots in the bindings to the outside of the pack. Skis pointed to the sky on either side of the pack.

Interestingly, my friend Eric who lived in Vermont at the time, was faced with the same challenge and he made his supports from wood. We have laughed about that in later years as the boy from Steeltown had metal supports and the boy from Vermont had supports made exactly the same from wood. Creative genius from two different perspectives.

But the masterpiece which was created around the same time by my dad, was the ski bench that he made me and I still use some 42 years later and is featured in my blog photo here. I remember going to my dad and saying to him that I needed to have a bench now that I knew how to tune my own skis. Thanks again to my creative genius friend Eric Durfee ,who taught me everything I needed to know about tuning skis. He was also perhaps the best ski instructor I ever had but that is another story. I told my dad that I needed to have a bench using the vices that Eric had given to me and he looked those over with great thought. What popped up in his creative mind was something I would never have imagined. A door from the hardware store complete with hinges. He knew that I needed to have a place for my bindings to fit and he cut the door to the specifications of my skis allowing the bindings to rest in a cut out hole in the door between the two vice pieces. He then mounted the door on the wall of my townhouse in the garage with supports underneath either side of the horizontal door. When I was finished tuning my skis. I flipped the door up to be secured by a hasp on the wall and pushed the supports up against the wall and the whole bench was out of the way until the next time I needed to use it.

The interesting thing is I still use the bench today and as an aside, it also serves as a refrigerator in our garage for items that my wife wants to keep cold. My dad never saw that coming, but the creative genius of my wife allowed her to think about a place to keep things cold in the winter and as long as I did not get metal filings or wax in the food, she was open to storing things on my ski bench when it was not in use for it’s original intent.

I could go on and on about my dad’s creative genius. There were so many things that he made for me that we enjoyed together when I was a kid. Today people just buy things. My dad made them, and his love for creating solutions is something I will never forget. Perhaps the biggest benefit about my dad’s creativity was the chance for me to spend time with him. I cherished those moments and I think about him every time I open up that bench, heat up the iron to wax the boards, and get the file ready for the side edge tunes. My dad never skied, but he and my mother made sure my sister and I did and I am in their debt so many years later. Creative genius is more than just the solution. It is the catalyst to education and a chance for guys like me to appreciate and look back so many years later with thankfulness and love for my dad and mom. Although my creativity is on the other side of the brain, I still look back with respect and love for those who educated me with their ability to see the solution. Thanks for reading.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized, Ski Report, Seven Springs, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

December 2019 Real Estate Market Report

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the December 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Happiness is the first downhill run.

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

November 25, 2019

Breaking the Seal

So finally after waiting 8 months to ski again,( mild depression sets in on the last day of skiing no matter how much I like mountain biking), we rode up the chairlift and effectively broke the seal on the new 2019-2020 ski season. I said to the group it is like breaking a seal on a bottle of Gatorade. You take that first thirst quenching taste and then replace the cap. You feel so much better and you have done what needed to be done and experienced opening day even though the terrain was limited. Seven Springs Mountain Resort( our home area here in Western Pa) did a great job of snow making and grooming to open some nice skiing for the crowd that had been waiting patiently amid all the postings from the Ski the East group on Facebook. We were finally in the mix and proudly posted that the Springs was open for business and all is well.

Now you might ask, ” Why go up for one slope and two trails?” But my avid skiing friends all remarked in unison, ” Why not?” After a nice breakfast hosted by Seven Springs for all the season pass holders, ( which was excellent by the way), the enthusiastic crowd converged on the two chair lifts and the lines were long. But the best part was that nobody seemed to care and everyone figured that they would eventually get on the chair to take their first run of the season. Waiting in line was fine with all the “hellos” and ” how was your summer” conversations and not one person had a frown on their face or a negative word to say. We are all skiers and we are breaking the seal on the new season.

My friends Jaime and Melissa Thompson had been texting and giving me email updates all week on the gigantic snow whales that were forming because of the round the clock snow making . Armed with an arsenal of new HKD snow making nozzles and towers and a new 20″ main water line, Seven Springs was locked and loaded. The groomers eventually flattened the whales and the smooth groomed surface was ready for the taking. For the uninitiated, whales are huge snow piles that form in strategic areas from extended snow making. The water drains through the pile and when it is “seasoned” the pile become rubble for the groomers who smooth it over a larger area.

No matter what, your first run of the season is always exciting. From day one for me, back in 1961, to the present day, I always cherish that first chair lift ride and that first turn down the mountain. I will always remember those first of the season outings with Bob Rose picking us up in the station wagon for the weekends in the mountains. I couldn’t wait for the phone call. My mom had dinner waiting for me when I got that call to be ready in a half hour on a Friday night. What a great way to grow up as a kid. That excitement still is with me all these 58 years later. And although that first turn is always a little ragged. I thought to myself, “is the tuning ok or is something amiss?” But then I realize that I am in the back seat and need to get forward. Once that comfort sets in, the turns became more smooth and I realize that once again, ” I have this” and a new season begins.

Bill Boucher said it best when he stated in the lift line that it is hard to explain this enthusiasm to most people especially folks who don’t ski. But he went on to say that,” Pat, this has been such a huge part of our life and it still is.” Skiing is a lifestyle. We are not people who ski once in a while, we are skiers! It defines us, as Bill so eloquently explained. I agreed wholeheartedly as we lapped runs on the famous Wagner Bowl and Cortina Trail. Obviously we are anxious for more and as we eagerly watch the Weather Channel for upcoming favorable temperatures and snowfall, we know that to ski in Western Pa, on November the 23rd before Thanksgiving is indeed a true bonus. Yes, Utah, Tahoe and Mammoth await me and I am anxious as anyone to get this party started.

But like I always say with my pals Jaime and Melissa, ” you can’t be out west every weekend so why not enjoy what we have locally at Seven Springs and soon Laurel Mountain.

Our Laurel Highlands are most enjoyable and no matter what, as everyone said this weekend,” Why not!!” Thanks for reading.

Enter your email on the left of the page and be a follower or scroll down to the bottom of your handheld device and enter there. I like to share my viewpoints and scratch my writing itch. Hope that you all enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, ski conditions, Tele mark skiing, 7 SPRINGS

November 2019 Real Estate Market Report

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the November 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

The Yinzers Invade Bend

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Yinzers invade Bend!!

There has been a lot written, posted, and videos made about Bend, Oregon and I won’t bore you with repetitive stories and accounts. However, suffice to say, when 19 people from Pittsburgh go to Bend and take in the gracious hospitality of native Pittsburgh people Julie and Jeff Chetlin and Barb and Tim Girone, things happen that affect one of the top 5 places to live in the country.

No visit would begin without the obligatory trek to one of Bend’s many brew pubs where the beer is fresh and cold and the food excellent. After pahnnding dahn an Elk Burger at Immersion Brewery http://www.imbrewing.com and drinking their most excellent IPAs, I began our adventure with our merry band of riders who sat around the tables and relaxed after a long day of travel to the West Coast. We were so happy to unite with Jeff and Julie who are our official tour leaders on the rides and the Girones who execute the lead with professionalism and the daily on-line “Trail Report” from Tim. Rising the next day we begin our climb up to the snow line surrounded by the most beautiful waterfalls you will ever see in one place.

Slogging through 6-8 inches of wet snow to get to the top around 6,000 feet, we began our descent down perhaps the longest trail I have ever descended. 13 miles to be exact. The gang was ripping down Mrazek Trail as the Chetlin video was rolling. However at the end of the trail, our fearless leader had a horrific high speed crash and broke 6 ribs in the process.

After the EMTs and the Bend Fire Department hauled Jeff out of there, we continued on and finished what was to be a 6 hour experience for the band from the burg. Settling in that night with a local IPA and tacos from the local food truck, we were treated to music in downtown Bend where the locals hang out and just chill around the tables and chairs set in the courtyard for the event. As you have heard, very laid back indeed. Puffys and trucker hats everywhere with dogs running amuck. As we all lamented the crash, and the loss of our riding leader, we made our way to the St. Charles Hospital to pay Jeff a visit. He has amazing resiliance and despite severe pain, he orchestrated our rides from the hospital bed. The next morning was another climb led by local hero, Matt,a schoolteacher who teaches culinary arts to middle school kids, who punished us with a rock strewn start on COD Trail up to the snow line again. The treat began as we descended the iconic Tiddly Winks Trail with major league features that were flawlessly crafted by the local trail crew. But perhaps the best day was the last when after an amazing breakfast at “Chow” http://www.bendinspoon.com we all took the COG Wild Shuttle http://www.cogwild.com to the top of Swampy and began a snow and ice lined trail system that led to a fast rip down a finish at the classic Bend trail- Phil’s. Another amazing downhill experience with the course profile on STRAVA all pointing negative ascent. We then began the inspection tour of Bend with a visit to what was described to us as the best brewpub in Bend. The Crux Fermentation Project as it is called is another outdoor respite that is relaxing along with some amazing food. http://www.cruxfermentation.com With a visit also to the Good Life Brewery, http://www.goodlifebrewing.com we were set to make our way to the hospital again to visit the fearless one, followed by the new Warren Miller movie “Timeless” at the Tower Theater in downtown Bend. Hoots and hollers from the Pittsburgh crew for sure as we are all skiers and boarders as well.

Ok enough, so what was the most impressive? Personally, what struck me were the neat things that you don’t see in many places like the fireplace and the bar setup in Sagebrush Cycles http://www.sagebrushcycles.com where you can try on ski boots while you drink a fresh IPA and ogle the eye candy mtb frames and clothing. Pine Mountain Sports also set us up with most excellent rental rides of Santa Cruz Hightowers and Tallboys. http://www.pinemountainsports.com They were most accomodating in their set ups with us, taking their time to set the sag based on our weight and riding ability and just in general wanted to make sure that we had the best ride for 3 days in their hometown. Did you know that they don’t have downspouts in Bend? They use a chain and the water runs down the chain into cisterns to be captured. Only in Bend. I digress. Oh one more, I was in the men’s room at one of the breweries and saw this amazing sink with no bowl. Just a flat slightly inclined sink deck where all the water ran away from you into the drain somewhere else? Only in Bend. Little things like that that you don’t see. I digress. Little things amuse little minds.

All in all, the band of ‘burgers thoroughly enjoyed the “vibe” of Bend as it is described. But the most impressive thing to me was the friendliness of the people of Bend. They are all smiling and asking you about YOUR day, where YOU are going and offering tips along the way. The relaxed mood of the restaurants, brew pubs, and shops all make you feel somehow that you are in a homey atmosphere with no plastic or snooty residents. Flannel abounds and along with kids riding, hiking, climbing and skiing, it would seem to me to be a great place to raise kids. The one comment from the Oregonians that joined us on the rides, was that they were amazed that we all were such a tight knit group and that we rode so well. The operative word was fast. As the geezer of the group, I smiled at that one and once more, it is apparent that even though we were in the most friendly, laid back, wonderful town in America, the Pittsburghers have something special too by way of camaraderie and friendliness especially in the mountain bike community where we reside. So, Jim, Simon, Josh, Dave, Sandy, Pete, Syed, John, Haley, Steve, Julie and Jeff, Barb and Tim, and Todd the resident fun times commuter to Bend via Seattle, and Stacey- the new immigrant to Bend via Pittsburgh, I salute you and cherish you as friends. We can go anywhere and make new friends all along the way. Thanks Julie and Jeff and Tim and Barb. We will see you soon along the trail.

Statistics per John Cassucio for the 3 day riding adventure:

70 miles
5560 elevation gain
8316 elevation loss
Average Speed 8.33 MPH

John, Haley and Simon- the family that rides together stays together.

Thanks for reading and if you would like to be a follower of the blog, simply enter your email address into the box at the left on the page or on the bottom of your smart phone posting.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

October 2019 Real Estate Market Report

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the October 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

You see that Trail? Don’t take it.

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

September 30, 2019

” You see that trail? Don’t take it”

Please observe this picture of so called ” experts” trying to all repair a chain at a recent MTB event in West Virginia. Take a moment to take it in. Then PLEASE,PLEASE, take a moment to review this link. https://youtu.be/L6YrqZ7HZ-0 This is the opening scene from my favorite movie ” The Quiet Man” with John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Ward Bond, Barry Fitzgerald and the affable Victor McLaglan. Stop, take a moment and watch this hilarious scene where everybody’s an expert as in typical Irish fashion. Finished? Ok? Don’t skip it. You won’t get the rest of this drivel.

Now, fast forward from this iconic film from 1952 to the present day characters hovering over the good doctor’s chain down in West Virginia. Everybody involved is an expert. Initially, the issue is the Doc. His bike is used and abused as he makes a practice of riding over every log and rock pile he can and trashing his bike in the effort. He abuses himself too. How many guys fall and break their nose on the rocks only to put it back in place and keep riding? Dirty Harry’s Bike Shop always tells us that they could fix the Doc if only he would leave his bike long enough for them to do a thorough and well needed repair. Nonetheless, issues ensue and the repair is like a magnet to the confident crew of “experts”. First comes the ” Shark” who muscles his way in and takes hold of the chain and mumbles what is needed by way of a quick link which ultimately is the wrong one. Minutes, which seem like hours, roll by with the crew getting impatient to ride only to be stalled by the first attempt to quickly repair the chain.

The others, like the author here, making a funny face at the behest of our rider/photographer who laughs at the scene and makes detrimental and funny remarks about the Doc and his assistant trying to muscle the repair. The photographer’s wife here is disinterested as she longs to begin the ride so as not to put the afternoon’s activities any further behind. We are there to see the Mountain Bike World Cup Finals and the quick link issue is anything but quick.

Finally John, similar to the Barry Fitzgerald character who comes in to rescue John Wayne from the pile of Irish “experts”, brings the right link to the repair and silently and swiftly repairs the chain and the Doc is saved from further ridicule. Then the real fun begins. What trail to take? ” You see that trail over there? Don’t take it, it will do you no good.” In typical Irish fashion, the crew discusses where to go and the maps come out, the memories of the trails, and the GPS indicators which do absolutely no good in remote West Virginia. Finally the quick witted photographer and unofficial leader of the pack takes over and takes us on a repetitive route of rocks, roots, steep climbs and missed opportunities. Once again the maps come out and everybody’s an expert on where to go, and if we can ride to a place where we can take a chairlift out. The Doc takes the main group on a detour as he says he knows that the fractal group has gone ahead there. He turns left with no idea about where the “left” will take them.

Mountain bikers are funny people. Passionate in their pursuit of fitness, fun, great gear, and finally knowing how to survive and where to go on the wilderness trails which we all love. But everybody is an expert. We all think we know all the trails and don’t need maps or GPS. When we get lost, it is someone else’s fault and the resultant conversation of what trail we should have taken, fruitlessly leads us to conclusions of no consequence. The beers come out afterwards and the abuse continues with laughs, recommendations on what are better trails, and what we all will do the next time we ride together.

Newcomers are always pleasantly surprised at the variety of personalities and abilities on the rides and if nothing else, they will know that if they take the trail that they think is right, it will do them no good at all. Thanks for reading.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

September 2019 Real Estate Market Report

February 8, 2020 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the September 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

August 2019 Real Estate Market Report

October 9, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the August 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Uncategorized, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

April 2019 Real Estate Market Report

May 12, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the April 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

COUNTY LINE BRIDGE WORK BEGINS MAY 6th!

April 26, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Jeff Himlar of the Trib Live posted that on MAY 6 the County Line Bridge by Somerset Trust will be undergoing renovations. If you’ve traveled to 7Springs you had to have noticed that one lane of the second Rapid Bridge Replacement was higher than the other. Read his story here

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

March 2019 Real Estate Market Report

April 17, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the March 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

January 2019 Laurel Highlands Market Update

February 18, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the January 2019 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

New Deck Ideas

February 6, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Evaluate Your House For Deck Construction

Here’s how to plan a new deck that suits your property, meets your budget, and offers the best return on your investment. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Filed Under: Construction, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Climate Change in Pennsylvania

January 11, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Cindy Adams Dunn is PAs sixth secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Here’s an excerpt from her Jan newsletter “This past year brought historic flooding and rainfall to our state — a trend that’s predicted to continue as our climate warms. As part of our continuing efforts to address this and other impacts of climate change, DCNR published and is moving on a climate change adaptation and mitigation plan.”

One month last year I dumped our rain gauge out twice to record an unbelievable 15 inches of precipitation. No wonder our area broke past rain fall records in 2018! We love our mountains but need to remember that the water flows downhill and flooding in the Laurel Highlands was extensive.

Check with your municipalities to see what their plans are to help your property stay dry. We’ve seen some areas begin to raise taxes to make repairs and corrections due to flooding. Be informed and attend a monthly municipal meeting!

Filed Under: Flood Insuance, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Consumer Info, Flood Insurance, 7 SPRINGS

CYBER SECURITY

January 9, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Everyone is concerned with home security, but few realize the importance of their cyber security. Without precautions your credit and bank accounts could be severely impacted and possibly wiped out. For my real estate license renewal, I took a class in December with Robert Siciliano a sought-after expert on cyber security. I am only sharing information from a class, I am not representing myself as a financial consultant, tax advisor, or attorney. Please feel free to consult with yours before taking action.

For three hours we heard stories of how our identities could be stolen, our good credit reduced to nothing and our banks accounts emptied. The biggest recommendation was to enact a credit freeze at all four credit scoring companies (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian, and Innovis).

We have been able to do this since 2008, but no one seems to be taking advantage of this free procedure. It stops you or the bad guys from opening up any new credit lines in your name. Do not worry you can unfreeze it at any time. So, when you want to buy something (like a car or house) you ask which of the four credit companies they will be pulling your credit history from and you unfreeze those accounts for a few days and then refreeze them.

Here is the shocker, you should do this for all of your children, yes, even the baby. Mr. Siciliano shared stories of kids who were making applications for financial aid for college and their credit history was already compromised making them ineligible and setting up a huge mess to try and straighten it out. Look for his book, “Identity Theft Privacy” on Amazon (Best Selling Author recognition). To learn more here is his website for you to research, https://safre.me/.

Here are more helpful tips.

If you would like to see if your e-mail has been hacked go to https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Never pick up a thumb drive off the street and use it
Do not use the same password
Use a 2-factor authentication for all log ins; and
Get instant text notification of credit card purchases

Stay safe out there!

Filed Under: Cyber Security, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Consumer Info, Cyber Security, 7 SPRINGS

Government Shutdown and Flood Insurance 2019

January 9, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Once again Realtors are successful in standing up for home ownership rights! This from our National Realtor Association (NAR).

“Congress on Dec. 21 passed legislation that extends the National Flood Insurance Program until May 31, 2019. In an unexpected policy decision, though, FEMA on Dec. 26 said it couldn’t allow insurers to issue and renew federal policies while the partial government shutdown was ongoing. That ruling was unexpected because in past government shutdowns, FEMA continued to operate the program as authorized. NAR, along with other organizations, including the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, urged policy makers to reevaluate the decision. Congress expressed concern as well.

After discussions with NAR and other concerned entities FEMA reversed their unexpected and controversial ruling the agency released earlier this week.

FEMA and the Administration deserve credit for hearing our concerns and acting swiftly to address them,” says NAR President John Smaby. “This new decision means thousands of home sale transactions in communities across the country can go forward without interruption, as Congress intended when it renewed the flood insurance program earlier this week. Our research has shown that 40,000 home sales are lost every month that flood insurance is not available.

In a critical win for home sales while the partial shutdown of the federal government is ongoing, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will issue and renew flood insurance policies.”

Filed Under: Flood Insuance, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Consumer Info, Flood Insurance, Government Shutdown, 7 SPRINGS

December 2018 Laurel Highlands Market Update

January 6, 2019 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the December and end of year 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month. Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

November 2018 Laurel Highlands Market Update.

December 12, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the November 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

Keep in mind this is just a small window of information we share with the public. If you want the UNBIASED facts of what is happening in your community and property contact us. We tell you what factual research indicates and not what a marketing department wants you to believe.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Choose an experienced TEAM with the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Laurel Highlands. We help our clients successfully buy or sell at both resorts. Contact us today at 412-897-8535. Open the links below for the reports.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

October 2018 Laurel Highlands Market Update

November 12, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the October 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

September 2018 Laurel Highlands Market Update

October 8, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the September 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

August 2018 Laurel Highlands Market Update

September 13, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the August 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

July 2018 Laurel Highlands Real Estate Market Update

August 15, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the July 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

June 2018 Laurel Highlands Real Estate Report

July 10, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the June 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

May 2018 Laurel Highlands real estate report

June 23, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the May 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

March and 1st Quarter Market Report

April 11, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the March 2018 and 1st Quarter real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

What it takes to be a skier in PA.

March 3, 2018 by Adrienne Abe 1 Comment

You Have To Be a Grinder

You know folks, you have to be a real grinder to be a skier in the mid-Atlantic region of our country. We had it rolling this winter with the cold that froze one of my pipes, and created great snow making weather. This coupled with the fronts steamrolling over the Great Lakes provided wonderful lake effect snow and then…………the bottom fell out. 78 degrees last Tuesday with torrential rains coming from, what the weather service calls, a once in a 100 year event. So we go into grind mode and ski in the rain, sleet and other borderline weather that results from low pressure coming up from the Gulf and a shift in the jet stream. But again, we are resilient here in the mid Atlantic/Ohio Valley/Laurel Highlands, and our enthusiasm never wanes.

Take Robert “Wags” Wagner for instance. He is shown above with his affable smile no matter what the weather is. A successful real estate broker, Wags has a real history of enthusiasm for the Laurel Highlands. http://www.laurelhighlandsliving.com wags@abeandwags.com A veteran Green Beret, a PSIA certified alpine and telemark instructor and ski patroller, Wags always looks at the bright side no matter what. He never says “die” and to his credit, he lit his sign again to hopefully bring more snow to the region. There is a lot of history to this sign which used to reside on the balcony of his girlfriend’s condo. Adrienne lived on the third floor and it was quite a task getting the sign up there. She is now Mrs. Wags. But in later years, it was reconstructed and it sits waiting to be lit every fall outside their home off of County Line Road. Now it is lit again hoping that we salvage some snow and ski weather in Western Pa. We need some help from above for some more winter weather which may return this weekend although now it is 66 degrees.

But again, you have to be a grinder here and be willing to ski in the rain, sleet and snow and faithfully get days in locally. I spend many a day driving to Laurel Mountain no matter what the weather. I even went to a snowmakers website http://www.chssnowmakers.com – Jason Sawin at jsawin@chssnowmakers.com , and purchased a pair of water proof snowmaking gloves to go with my Patagonia Pro Gore Tex bibs and parka. I am totally dry now that I have solved the issue of wet gloves. Like my friends, I will ski to the last flake especially here in Western Pa. Even if it is a soggy flake.

However, truth be told, you do have to subsidize your local days with out of town ski days, out west, or in New England. In the last two years, with the weather and all, I must confess that I have more ski days out of town than locally. My wife and I take trips with our friends and in a few weeks, I will finish off the season with the annual guys trip which this year is slated for Colorado. But like I tell people, you can’t always be out west unless you live there and we live in the mid-Atlantic so we make the best with trips and skiing the local scene no matter what.

But what is up with this weather, man? I have been hiking in this biblical rain., skiing, taking spin classes and trying to stay positive- like Wags. But it is tough when the meat of the winter is taken away by some gulf, moisture laden,sopping wet, low pressure system that seems to linger on and on. Good thing is the west is getting snow seeing that they had it a little thin early in the season. But hey, it could be worse. Just like I always say, ” Things always look darkest before they turn black.”……….. Just kidding!! Truly grateful for many things. Thanks for reading.

Go to Pats Blog for more stores about skiing, biking, and hiking in SW PA.

Filed Under: Ski Report, Seven Springs, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, ski conditions, Ski Report, snow report, 7 SPRINGS

January 2018 Real Estate Market Report

February 14, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the January 2018 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

Tough teaching an old dog new tricks Pat McClosky

February 10, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

It is Tough to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Go to Pats Blog for all the photos.

So,I am up here in the Adirondacks visiting my old friend Mike Smith who I have skied with for 45 years. I have posted about Mike before. Acrobatic pilot, skydiver, marina owner, and general gas pedal to the floor guy. That is him on the left in the picture above. The other guy is Mark Hutchinson, my friend from Vermont. Ex ski race coach at Stowe and PSIA Level III 40 year ski instructor. Hutch coached Eric Schlopy and Chip Knight who were US Ski Team members, World Cup racers, and Olympians. Hutch knows skiing and makes great turns.

Now going back to Mike on the left, he has been hampered as of late with some knee issues because of past sins on a motorcycle. So, I have been hammering him on the use of the new ski equipment which allows for easier turns and shorter lengths. Despite the knee issues, he refuses to ski on the modern skis and insists on skiing with a 20 year old pair of Heads. He ridicules us for using the new skis and vows that he never will even try them and hurls a bunch of expletives which I cannot recount here. Hutch on the other hand, is a proponent of modern ski equipment and will never even think about skiing on anything that is not state of the art. He has had two hip replacements and is skiing like he did 30 years ago. He is in good shape, skis really well, all day long.

Now Smith, because of his knee issue, will only ski half a day any more and if it is not perfectly groomed, he will not ski. He is trying to preserve his knee. So when a foot of new snow fell on Sunday night and we went to Gore, I pulled out the fat boards( 107 under foot) and enjoyed the windblown powder and the skis performed flawlessly in the cut up snow as well. Smith said no way with his old skis and went to the lodge. I told him how easy the new fat boards are but he had no interest. His curmudgeon attitude was coming out strong and he missed a perfectly good ski day

The Summit Chair at Whiteface was beckoning the next day, and as Hutch and I got ready to board, Mike said he would just ski the lower groomed trails and missed all the new fluff at the top of the mountain. Again, his old skis were limiting his fun but he refused to try the new skis that I sent up to him. He has a nice pair of Stockli GS skis in a 183 length sitting in his rack at his marina and refuses to try them. When Hutch and I rode him hard at The Cottage after skiing, over a nice Switchback Ale, he once again rattled off a bunch of lines about how he will never use skis like we use. Hutch and I had a great day at Whiteface, Mike once again packed it in at noon.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to paint a bad picture of my old friend, but he refuses to listen to advice about new equipment that would make his skiing so much more enjoyable and also easier on his knee. Mike has always been a good skier but if you don’t keep up with the times, you are limiting yourself and it only accelerates with age. Granted, Mike is a few years older that Hutch and me and has had a plethora of injuries due to his high risk hobbies. He says, ” McCloskey, I have 100,000 miles on my body and it is starting to show.” And I keep telling him that if he would only try the new skis that I sent to him, he would be so much happier. He said, ” when the Heads break, maybe I will try them.” That is the closest thing I have gotten up here to a capitulation. For a guy who has a successful business, survived 3 plane crashes, and has jumped close to 2500 times out of an airplane, he has lived all of his dreams for sure. We love the guy.

The tough part is that Hutch and I ski all day. We can do that because we take care of ourselves and we use equipment that helps our skiing. Mike admitted that he was sorry that he could not ski all day with us, but it is not for lack of skill, or even the knee, it is his refusal to come into the 21st century and it is costing him time on the hill with his buddies. He is an excellent skier. He could be so much better. He also needs to take care of that knee somehow with some surgery that would render it new again. But that is another discussion that did not go well.

Again, I was a smiling dog on top of Whiteface, and so was Hutch. But I missed my old friend when he threw in the towel and went in at lunchtime. So, what lies ahead? I think I have finally admitted to myself that I will not change Mike’s mind and it will only be him that makes any change. That seems to be a recurring theme with me anyhow and I need to let things go and let people make their own decisions. I can’t force my opinions and beliefs on anyone. I need to let people decide for themselves and if I have presented my case and they don’t follow the advice or the suggestion, I need to let it go. I am hoping that my buddy will get competitive again and get on the new boards and ski with his pals who so desperately want to ski with him. He is a crusty old tough guy, but I know he wants to be able to ski like he has always done in the past. So, if you see him up at the Pilot Knob Marina on Lake George, tell him to hang those old Heads up over his fireplace and get with the times. But don’t tell him I said so, because he will throw you in the lake. Thanks for reading and stay current in all that you do.

patmccloskey | February 8, 2018 at 11:47 am | Tags: Gore Mountain Ski Area, The Cottage- Lake Placid, Whiteface Ski Area | Categories: Aging, Friendship, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, Skiing, Uncategorized, Winter, winter sports | URL: https://wp.me/p31Q99-TP

Filed Under: Ski Report Tagged With: ski conditions, 7 SPRINGS

December and 2017 Real Estate Market Report

January 8, 2018 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the December and all of 2017 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

November 2017 Real Estate Market Report

December 18, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the November 2017 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are going this month.

October 2017 Real Estate Market Report

November 16, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the October 2017 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are starting this year.

Filed Under: Real Estate Report, Real Estate Report, Seven Springs, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, market report, Market Update, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

TAX REFORM, HOME OWNERSHIP MATTERS!

November 7, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Tax Reform, specifically HOW the mortgage interest deduction will be changed, is something EVERY Home Owner needs to understand! According to a study done by Price Waterhouse IF the mortgage interest deduction is passed as presented, of the 80% of home owners who take the deduction ONLY 5% would still qualify! For properties in PA you would no longer be able to deduct property taxes! Click this link and Let Your Elected Rep Know Where You Stand!

Filed Under: Taxes, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, Consumer Info, Tax Reform, 7 SPRINGS

Fast Freddie by Pat McCloskey

October 20, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Fast Freddie

The first time I skied with Fred Siget was in Snowshoe, West Virginia with Larry Walsh of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I had some limited training but had experience as a ski instructor. So, as my maiden voyage with a visually impaired skier, I had the original blind skier in our area in front of me headed down Cupp Run. Right turn, left turn, right turn, stay, stay………..all of a sudden the only tree in play was before me as I yelled “crash” and Fred sat down on his way to running into the only tree within hundreds of yards. I felt so bad, but Fred dusted himself off with a smile and said, ” Pat- don’t worry about it at all. This will be one of many.” And we continued down the slope. This began a 40 year friendship with the one and only Fast Freddie Siget.

Fred lost his vision as a result of an accident with a high pressure hose when he was a volunteer fireman. As devastating as this injury was, he was undaunted. He became the first computer programmer for Koppers Corporation that was visually impaired. He continued dancing, and he learned to ski with guys like Larry Walsh, Jim Conley, Lynne(Kravetz) Hartnett, Shorty Leco and Micky Hutchko. People who took the time to work with Fred and make him into a pretty good skier by the time I came along. Fred always had ideas on how to make things easier for blind skiers and how to improve guiding techniques. He was the first guy I knew that purchased a transmitter where the guide had a microphone and he had an ear piece which made calling out commands easier and understandable with snowmaking machines roaring in the background. I used it one time standing on top of a slope and calling commands to Fred as he skied by himself down to the chairlift. With his” Blind Skier” jacket on, people were shocked viewing his run. In the bar afterwards, we had some fun with Herman Dupre the owner of Seven Springs Mountain Resort. I put the microphone on and guided Fred over in front of Herman and told him to tell Herman how much he admired his red flannel shirt. Herman was stunned and later remarked to me laughing that he was starting to “get hot thinking about all the free passes I gave to Fred and now he is telling me how much he likes my shirt!” Hilarious.

Fred was a bus driver in the old days and always missed driving. One night after skiing, I asked Fred if he wanted to drive again. He was puzzled. I took him to the upper parking lot at Seven Springs and guided him into the drivers seat of my Blazer and let him have the wheel. I gave him commands like skiing. Right turn, left turn, stay straight, …the smile on his face was priceless. Then we did some donuts and the laughter was infectious. Fred never forgot that night.

Fred was always anxious to help new guides. He put himself at risk during the training but always felt that it was worth it not only to train guides that could assist him, but to help the other visually impaired skiers who were beginning to show up at the BOLD( Blind Outdoor Leisure Development) outings at Seven Springs.

Fred was a local legend due to his skiing. People knew him and admired him as they skied past him or saw him making turns from the chairlift. They knew him in Vail, Colorado where he skied regularly with the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh Ski Clubs. But perhaps the most compelling thing about Fred was his kindness and appreciation for his fellow skiers and guides. He always remembered your birthday and when he called me, he sang, ” Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, get plastered, you bastard, Happy Birthday to you.” That made me laugh out loud every year. He would always ask about my wife Janet, and my son Jack. Jack would ski with us when he was a young guy and Fred always was interested in how he was doing in school and in his sports. Fred always thought about other people. He was popular for his skiing for sure, but as a person, you could not get a better guy who was always interested in others and never talked much about himself.

We lost Fred this fall at 94 years of age. Although he had an amazing life, we will miss him. I always think of him when I see people who have heartache in their lives or something that has tragically shaped their future. Fred never let his accident slow him down. He always said that he did more as a visually impaired individual than he ever did before losing his sight. He took a perceived bad thing and turned it into opportunity. Shouldn’t we all learn from that lesson? R.I.P Fred, I will miss you for sure. Thanks for reading folks.

patmccloskey | October 19, 2017 at 11:31 am | Tags: Blind Outdoor Leisure Development, Seven Springs Mountain Resort | Categories: Aging, Blind Skiing, Inspiration, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, recreation, Skiing, Volunteering, Winter, winter sports | URL: http://wp.me/p31Q99-Ri

Filed Under: Seven Springs, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, Ski Report, 7 SPRINGS

September 2017 Real Estate Market Report

October 18, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the September 2017 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are starting this year.

TAX REFORM

October 17, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Our National Association of REALTORS has been actively engaged in the tax reform debate. The plan is expected to double the standard deduction and eliminate all personal deductions except the Mortgage Interest Deduction and the deduction for Charitable Contributions. The plan eliminates the deduction for State and Local Taxes. This will be devastating to middle class homeowners by removing economic incentives for homeownership and raising taxes by an average of $851. By doubling the standard deduction, the Mortgage Interest Deduction would only be available to the top 5 percent of taxpayers.

PLEASE LET YOUR REPRESENTATIVES KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!!

Filed Under: Ligonier, Taxes, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Tax Reform, 7 SPRINGS

The Oldest Guy by Pat McCloskey

October 7, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

The Oldest Guy

” Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming,” Wow! WHAT A RIDE!”

-Hunter S. Thompson

I have also heard this with the ending, ” missing parts, leaking oil and screaming “Geronimo.” I always subscribe to this way of living because I like adventure, travel and experiences in my own way. However, due to a series of events recently, I have had some thoughts that question my verve. Some of this began a couple of weeks ago when I was discovering that I was the oldest guy on the mountain bike rides. I really should not let that bother me but with the death of my brother in law at 61, and some other news of contemporaries who have had their troubles, I began to question my lifestyle as I march quickly towards 63. Sometimes, I feel like I am in an out of control vehicle and can’t stand on the brakes hard enough. Life is screaming by.

Then God plops me down right in the middle of Somerset county in an old barn for Biff Swager’s 65th birthday party( Is that the greatest name in the world?……Biff Swager!!!). Biff’s wonderful wife Annie organized the surprise party and all the old ski crowd came out in force. The food was wonderful, the band was GREAT, and the group danced their asses off( no other good way to put it), yes they danced their asses off and the joy of life was in full swing. Sue Baum Treacy summed it up best when she marveled at the group and vowed that we all have to get together this winter and ski because that is what brought us all together as kids in the first place. She and her husband John walk the walk by recently retiring and hopping on the back of their motorcycle, touring the west.

So, that was a real shot in the arm and dispelled any thoughts about age when I saw my group of contemporaries really enjoying each other’s company and killing it on the dance floor- of an old barn. Even Herman Dupre who is in his 80s, said he has so much work to do, he wants to live until he is 124. His wife Sis said “I will give him 100 from me and that is it.” We all laughed and as I drove off into the night, I thought what a great group and a great reason to keep living life as large as possible. You don’t have to climb Everest or do something outrageous to be adventurous. For me, taking that first ski turn down a chute out West, or rolling over a giant boulder field in West Virginia on the MTB is adventurous. Just have a positive attitude and engage in new ventures. The joy of a bike ride in cool fall weather can garner the same feeling of adventure that Jimmy Chin feels on a mountain peak. Not as dramatic, not as bold, but still relatively speaking, a personal adventure. Do what you can but like NIKE says…………just do it!!!

I remember asking Scot Nicol, the founder of IBIS Bicycles, one time on a ride,” how long do you think we can keep riding mountain bikes like this Scot?” He looked at me and said, ” Pat- don’t even think about it. Just keep riding.” This is sage advice from a Californian who really enjoys what he does. But what else dispels those internal thoughts that say, ” you are 63- who are you kidding?” Besides the joy of a ski turn and the beauty of the mountains, and the fitness created by riding a mountain bike, there are things that define self worth. The love of a spouse, the caring for friends, volunteering, being there for a cause, and spreading the good word of the Kingdom. True self worth is nothing more that knowing you are loved by the Good Lord. We are so blessed. It is incumbent upon all of us to care for each other, one person at a time, one neighborhood at a time. Make the effort folks, because as I have recently seen, life is fragile and we need to make the most of every moment. The time that is spent with your family and friends is so valuable. Sometimes you don’t realize it until someone is gone.

I know where I am going someday. But in the mean time, I will definitely leak oil, skid broadside in a cloud of smoke, and live life with that promise ahead of me. Who cares if I am the oldest guy? Thanks for reading.

patmccloskey

Filed Under: Biking and Hiking Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

August 2017 Laurel Highlands Real Estate Market Report

September 27, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is the August 2017 real estate market report. These reports give you the inside information based on courthouse records as to what has sold at Hidden Valley and 7 Springs Resorts. If you are thinking of selling or buying you need to review these reports and contact us for more information to determine the highest price that will be successful in the market place. Open the links below for a quick look at how sales are starting this year.

A Natural Cause by Pat McCloskey

July 28, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Go to Pat’s blog for the story with photos
A Natural Cause
by patmccloskey

A number of years ago, my wife Janet and I were strolling through Sausalito, California when we came upon a gallery featuring the art works of Grace Slick. Now, I was a huge fan of the Jefferson Airplane when I was younger and Grace fronted the band with her sultry yet powerful voice. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was also a very talented painter held in great esteem in the Bay Area. People surprise you. Not that you think they are not capable, but it is a pleasant surprise to see folks from one genre of accomplishment, move into another with relative ease. Case in point- my friend Angelo Ross.
I first met Angelo while we both were ski instructors and he was making his way up the PSIA ladder to his current position as a Development Team member of the Educational Staff. Angelo always took ski instruction seriously along with his main line of work as an Environmental Science teacher at Greensburg Salem High School here in Western Pa. I also ride mountain bikes with Angelo and on a recent trip to West Virginia, he told me about yet another passion that has turned into a very interesting business.
You see, Angelo is a talented artist whose work has developed over the years and now is featured on athletic and casual wear.
The story goes that Angelo became acquainted with the equally talented folks at Commonwealth Press in Pittsburgh who saw the value of his work and mentioned to him that they should begin the process of marketing Angelo’s art work on casual and athletic wear. Thus was the birth of http://www.naturalcause.org One of the interesting things about this is that Angelo is marketing his art work through the medium of clothing, but he has another cause in mind besides pure mercantilism. You see, he lives Environmental Science – his passion, and therefore is dedicated to furthering the goals of local environmental causes like the Youghiogheny Defense Fund. This is part of the Mountain Watershed Project http://www.mtwatershed.com which preserves the environmental integrity of the Youghiogheny River among other waterways in our region. Whitewater rafting and fishing are prominent in these waterways and Angelo is dedicated to preserving these for generations to come. A portion of all proceeds that he generates through Natural Cause goes to organizations like these. Another cause for his generosity and passion is the Mt. Davis Challenge bicycle race, run in conjunction with the Confluence Tourism Association which promotes recreational activity in the Laurel Highlands. Jim Sota runs the event and it has been a successful race for many years. Angelo supports the cause. The man walks the walk and does not just talk the talk.
I am continually amazed by people. You know them through one area of your life and then you realize that there is much more to this person than you thought. People have abilities that cross over in their lives and it is refreshing to see that a young guy who you know from skiing and mountain biking has such a passion and such a talent and that he is creative enough to market it and donate to causes that reflect his passion.
I love hearing the stories like Natural Cause. I like to hear how they were created and how the business is doing. There is a lot of negativity swirling around these days and I make it my business to always be positive and encouraging. It is great when I see positive attitude and generosity come from others like Angelo. Natural Cause is a breath of fresh air to our local environmental causes and I hope that you all will go to his website http://www.naturalcause.org, view Angelo’s art work, and order some product. You can wear it with pride knowing that your money has been well spent and that the beneficiary of your generosity are the watersheds, trails, and events that make our region so special. Well done Angelo Ross!!! Thanks for reading.
patmccloskey | July 27, 2017 at 11:59 am | Tags: Mt. Davis Challenge, www.mtwatershed.com, www.naturalcause.org, Youghiogheny River | Categories: American Culture, Art, Bicycling, Culture, Cycling, Education, Environment, Friendship, Hobbies, Inspiration, Mountain Biking, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, Pittsburgh, recreation, trails | URL: http://wp.me/p31Q99-Po

Filed Under: TEAM Info, Biking and Hiking Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

Hidden Valley Mountain Metric

July 7, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is a mountain bike “ride” through the Laurel Highlands on July 15! Options include a metric century (100 km/63 miles), a half metric century (50 km/32 miles), and a free shorter option for casual riders and families. Ride is fully supported and includes 6 categorized climbs! Get your climb on, get out of the oppressive heat of the city and come enjoy the Laurel Highlands with your friends and family! Here’s the link for registration and more details!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

Laurel Hill State Park Summer Fun!

July 7, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

We LOVE Laurel Hill State Park! Here are a few of their offerings for this month! Easy to get to from either resort! Call if you have questions, 814-352-8649

July 8 Hemlock Hike 4 to 5pm
July 8 Moonlight Paddle 9 to 11pm
July 12 & 26 Wednesday on the Water 6 to 7:30pm
July 15 Bat Facts 8to 9pm
July 22 Learn to Kayak 10am to noon & 1 to 3pm
July 22 Wild Teas 7 to 8pm
July 29 Beginner Bowmanship 9am to 11
July 29 Wildflower Walk 7 to 8pm

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, Seven Springs, state parks, Consumer Info, Laurel Hill State Park, 7 SPRINGS

Route 31 Road Construction

June 10, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

It began May 8 and has a very long way to go!! When you exit the PA Turnpike at Donegal be prepared to experience delays! The project begins just above the turnpike exit and continues down to the turn to Route 711 at Sarnelli’s. In a months time much has been done with much more to come! Please pack your patience and watch out for the workers!

Filed Under: Ligonier, Turnpike, Construction, Nemacolin, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Nemacolin, Ohiopyle, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, New Construction, Road Maintenance, 7 SPRINGS

National Flood Insurance EXPIRES Sept 30!

June 10, 2017 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

The last time the National Flood Insurance was allowed to expire approximately 40,000 transactions, a MONTH didn’t happen!! WHY? Because if your property is in a flood zone area AND you don’t have flood insurance, NO bank will finance it! Being active in our local, state, and national Realtor Associations has allowed Abe to meet face to face with elected representatives in DC and Harrisburg to explain WHY it is critical to ensure it doesn’t expire again! Check out the information slides!

Filed Under: Construction, Nemacolin, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Donegal, Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Consumer Info, National Flood Insuance Program, 7 SPRINGS

Transfers Through Aug 31

September 13, 2016 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Through Aug 31 there were 36 transfers recorded at Hidden Valley and 24 at Seven Springs. We offer monthly real estate updates for both resorts so make sure you sign up to receive our e-mail! Or you can stop back and visit to see what else is happening in and around!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

PENN SCENIC VIEW SOLD!

September 13, 2016 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This incredible 183 acre parcel of breathtaking views, trails and a lake recently transferred. Court house records show the transfer for $999,000. For years it has been a favorite wedding destination with picturesque settings and background vistas. It has a multitude of trails, some rentals, and the main building for entertaining. Records show that the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy was the purchaser.

Filed Under: Consumer Info, Real Estate, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Bridge Replacement on County Line Road

January 17, 2016 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Heads up!! Bids just went out for BOTH bridges on County Line Road through the PA Rapid Bridge Replacement site! Here’s a link to the site that talks about how the RBR was created. These are the two bridges you cross if you are going to 7 Springs from Champion. They are in the first 100 yards of County Line Road after east of Route 711.

The first bridge on the schedule is the second bridge before the big curve. This project is referred to as Bridge 498. The calendar shows a start time of May 2016 through April 2017

The second bridge to be replaced is the one right after you make the turn on to County Line Road to head to Seven Springs. It crosses over Indian Creek right by the ICV Trail. This project is referred to as Bridge 497. Start date on this one, Aug 2016 to May 2017.

From my conversations with the project manager there will be temporary lights installed to handle the traffic flow. Stay tuned as we’ll be updating the process. You may want to become familiar with some of our back roads!

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info Tagged With: Donegal, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Updates to 7 Springs ski slopes

November 28, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

This is excerpts of a November 15 PG article by Larry Fine. 7 Springs purchased 4 Pisten Bully ParkPro snow groomers and 5 HKD SV 10 Impulse snowmaking tower at the top of North Face. Snow Boarding magazine rated the Spot as the 2 best boarding area on the East Coast. They have created an Uphill Ski Access program from 7 to 9AM for skiers who want to skin up the slopes. They are also opening the Highlands Market on County Line Road just outside of the main entrance. It will have seating for 30, offer house made food, a large craft beer selection, and grocery. Foggy Brews on the second floor of the base lodge will be open every day during ski season.

Filed Under: Ski Report, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Ski Report, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

7 Springs Wine Festival this Weekend

August 25, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

The Seven Springs Wine Festival, August 28 through 30, 2015, showcases wineries from all over Pennsylvania offering a tantalizing experience for anyone who loves wine. The festival features complimentary wine sampling from 31 wineries, daily seminars, live entertainment, a variety of crafts, and musical entertainment. Go to their website for more information.

7 Springs Resort

Filed Under: Seven Springs, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Dining, Restaurant, Seven Springs, 7 SPRINGS

7 Springs Rib and Wing Festival July 24-26

July 12, 2015 by Adrienne Abe 1 Comment

Join us at the annual Rib and Wing festival with plenty of vendors and entertainers at 7 Springs Resort July 24-26. Here is a list and description of the food providers and entertainers.

Armadillo’s BBQ and Rib Company

Over 160 culinary awards, including Best Ribs & Sauce in America, reaffirm Armadillo’s BBQ and Rib Company’s dedication to bring you the very best. Our mobile equipment is state of the art yielding perfect barbecue every time. Weather it is a Big Texas style barbecue, a quaint little steak dinner, or everything in between; “It’s Available.”

Armadillo’s BBQ and Rib Company is the 2006/2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame Grand Champion for the Most Outstanding Ribs and BBQ Sauce. Along with our 160 Awards we were crowned Grand Champion of the Columbus Ribs and Jazz Festival 2006 and Grand Champion BBQ Sauce in the Great West Virginia Rib Cook Off “Huntington 2004, 2005 & 2006″ “Best Ribs 2004 and 2005″ plus many more!

Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ

Basting mop clenched in one fist, steering wheel in the other, rolling cooking pit rattling behind, Butch Lupinetti is back on the road. His destination could be Chicago, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids or anyplace in between. But the outcome will never change. Butch will pour sweat for 20 hours a day, standing in a cloud of wood smoke, exquisitely charring tons of pork ribs, beef briskets and chickens. When it’s over he’ll be loaded and rolling again; very likely with a huge trophy and a check.

Nationally Butch has been repeatedly recognized as one of America’s great barbecue chefs. Butch has been actively competing in competitions since 1992. He has won over 400 awards, including a Grand Champion win for the State of New Jersey – a Kansas City BBQ Society sanctioned event, the Jack Daniels Invitational BBQ and The Best In The West Cook-Off in Sparks, Nevada, the super bowl of barbecue competition events, just to name a few. During those events, his sauce has won 1st place in contests such as the Great America Rib Cook-Off contest held in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2014, Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ won Best Ribs, Best Sauce and People’s Choice awards at the Seven Springs Rib & Wing Festival.

Pigfoot BBQ

Pigfoot BBQ Co. is owned by Jerry and Debbie Gibson. They started competing in Rib Cook-Offs in 1982 in Cleveland, Ohio at the National Rib Cook-Off, which was the first Rib Cook-Off as we know them now. Jerry and Debbie began competing professionally in 1989 and have traveled the country from Florida to Toronto, as far west as St. Louis and as far east as Boston.

Along the way they have won over 250 Awards for Best Ribs and Sauce. Including seven time winner of the People’s Choice Award in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Best Ribs and Sauce National Ribfest, Naperville, Illinois; Peoples Choice Greatest Ribs in America, Cleveland, Ohio; Best Sauce and Ribs Twin Cities Ribfest; Best Ribs in Ohio six years straight and many more awards.

Smokin Joe’s Hog Wild Barbecue

Joe is a “barbequer” by choice. He loves the art of barbeque.

Joe retired from the State of Ohio in April 2003 with 30 years of service in the Food Service Department at the Richland Correctional Institution and started his business in June of the same year. Operating a barbeque business has always been what Joe wanted to do in retirement, and now he is “Living the Dream!” Smokin Joe’s Hog Wild Barbecue has participated in rib cook-offs in seven states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and West Virginia. Our proudest award was Best Sauce in 2008 at the Naperville, IL Ribfest, notably the largest cook-off in the Midwest. We have won over 100 awards during the past eight years including: Best Ribs, Best Sauce, Best Brisket, and Best Beans in the Midwest.

Randita’s Food Truck

Randita’s is an all-vegan cafe serving organic, healthful, and delicious plant-based food. In addition to our restaurants in Aspinwall and Saxonburg, our mobile food trailer and catering services are available to provide your next special event with food that is good for you and good for the planet.

About The Rib & Wing Festival Entertainment

Martyr Kanin

Martyr Kanin fans run deep. They’ve compared Martyr Kanin to everything from an acoustic version of the Counting Crows to the mellow stylings of David Grey to Bob Segar to Jack Johnson. It’s tough to classify Martyr Kanin’s music as a specific genre: their plethora of originals can be anything from driving and daring to soulful and heartfelt. They also love to entertain crowds with their own versions of everything from Bon Jovi to Michael Jackson to John Denver.

NOMAD

North Of Mason Dixon, aka NOMaD, made a tremendous splash on the regional country scene in late 2004 after placing third in a highly publicized, country showdown competition; Since then, this steadily climbing, beyond high energy act has garnered a great deal of success and shows no signs of slowing down.

Opening for national acts like Brooks and Dunn, Toby Keith, and Rascal Flatts (to name a few), being solicited by several tourists destinations such as Ocean City, MD and the Poconos, having performed as a featured artist at some of the areas biggest events and venues (Dollar Bank Jamboree, Post Gazette Pavilion, and the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse), and performing for such organizations as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, this Pittsburgh based band delivers a refreshing and unique sound they call “Hard Rockin’ Modern Country” that defies any other description.

Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers

From the Iron City Houserockers of 1979 to the current incarnation of The Houserockers, this band has always been one of America’s hardest working rock and roll bands. A Rolling Stone review once echoed the words “they are up there with Springsteen, Petty and Seger”. Pretty good company, don’t you think?! From Love’s So Tough to A Good Life, the band has changed but the music remains true to their Pittsburgh, Steeltown roots! Hard edged, rock and roll with fine lyrics from the ringmaster, Mr. Joe Grushecky. More than just a “bar band”, a Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers show is one of the best shows you will see, hands down! And here are the guys that are currently making it happen.

Shot O’ Soul

Formed in Feb 2008, Shot O’ Soul has evolved into one of the top blues bands in the Pittsburgh area. Shot O’ Soul has headlined some of the best stages in the area including Moondogs, Cefalo’s, The Baltimore House, Baja Bar at Fox Chapel Yacht Club, Sharpsburg Guyasuta Days, Millvale Days, Etna Community Park, and various private clubs and charity events. Shot O’ Soul placed 3rd in the 2009 Pittsburgh City Paper Best of the Burgh readers poll in the category of Best Blues Band. A real achievement after so little time on the local scene and a testimony to the enjoyment that Shot O’ Soul brings to it’s audiences! Now featuring it’s most talented lineup since it’s formation, Shot O’ Soul are ready to make their mark on the local Pittsburgh live music scene. This band, fronted by it’s 2 outstanding male and female vocalists and an excellent song selection of original songs and classic favorites, is giving Pittsburgh music fans the best 1-2 vocal punch in the area! Come on out and see for yourself why “everything in life needs a Shot O’ Soul”.

Bo’Hog Brothers

Over its 20 year history, the band got their blues education playing in the Steel City’s smoky bars and still performs up to 100 shows a year. The most recent lineup of the band features the unpredictable Gregg Krupa on guitar, with his ever changing interpretations of the music, and the incredibly musical and creative play of Sudden Steve Binsberger on piano and organ. Hank Raffetto and Nick Crano complete the band with a rhythm section that has worked together for 10 years.

Junction PA

In the early 1970’s six young men came to a small western Pennsylvania town to attend Grove City College. They formed a musical group there that became the most sought after band on that campus.

The band members came from different geographical locations and diverse walks of life. By the time the members met, each had groomed different musical styles. Yet, during their first practices it became apparent that they were developing an unusual chemistry and a unique sound. As one record company exec later stated, “they don’t sound like anybody else!” As they continued working on their original material they sensed that something special was being created. The fusion of their different backgrounds and musical genres became in effect .. different roads leading to this one place. Thus, the band was appropriately named Junction Pa.

Over the years they remained close, occasionally getting together to play some of the songs they had recorded as well as trying out some new ones to see what their combined efforts might generate. In 2011 these “jam” sessions came to full fruition as four of the original members met together to record some of this new material. They also began touring again showcasing their signature vocals/harmony on these outstanding original songs.

The Brighton Boys

The Brighton Boys have been playing around the Beaver County and Pittsburgh area for three years. Since starting as a lounge band at restaurants, they have gone on the share the stage with big names like Donnie Iris and The Cruisers, and play venues such as Stage AE, Mr. Smalls, The Altar Bar and Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. They have built up their credibility as one of the top bands in the region. Their sound combines classic songs with a new fresh style that is popular today.

Walk of Shame

Walk of Shame, based out of Pittsburgh, PA, plays a great mix of “bar/party” rock and is committed to playing all of your favorite songs to sing, dance, and drink along to.

It’s not uncommon to hear “Timber” followed by “Sweet Child of Mine” at a WoS show! The guys try to give something to everyone, and always take requests. Venues like working with the band because of their willingness to play whatever the patrons want to hear. The commitment to forging long-term relationships with places is what has made WoS one of the most sought after bands across the country.

Sydney Hutchko

Sydney has given music a lifetime of dedication, from her classical music education that put her on stage with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Pittsburgh Opera to stints as a Music Row intern while attending Nashville’s Belmont University. While at Belmont, she put a band together, playing shows in Nashville and in the tri-state—Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia area. She threw herself into interning opportunities, including McGhee Entertainment, whose legendary management roster ranges from Darius Rucker to KISS.

In return, she’s already seen the kind of success few singers fresh out of college could even dream of. She has opened for Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line, Brett Eldredge, Charlie Daniels and the legendary George Jones; performed on the long-running Wheeling Jamboree; and spent 22 weeks on the MediaBase country chart with her single “Southern Curves.”

The hard work that ties it all together has her poised for a breakthrough. She continues to shine on stage, both as a headliner and in support of country’s biggest stars.

Chris Higbee

Chris Higbee has a passion for country music. He is a complete musical artist skilled in fiddle playing, singing, song writing, and playing various other instruments. Chris’ passion is deeply felt by anyone listening to his work or partaking in a live performance. Chris’ performance energy is so infectious it has been known to convert the most stubborn non-country music fan into HigBillies, the self-named fan base of Chris Higbee. His performances always draw a large and committed crowd.

Shake, Shake, Shake

A marquee value band who took time off this year to rebuild and reinvent themselves around founder/drummer extraordinaire, Justin Betz. With an extensive talent search, he found the incredibly talented frontman, fresh face, Tim Carty. He has all the moves of today’s pop stars and takes the lead on stage to pump up audiences with his star power and passionate vocals. Shake Shake Shake is back with their best lineup to date.

Scott Blasey

Scott started playing music in 1986 with three guys named Rob, Greg, and Dave. We formed the Clarks at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where we were honored as “Distinguished Alumni” in 2004, and spent the last twenty years traveling around the country preaching our brand of rock-n-roll salvation. We sold a bunch of records, toured with some big names, and played on Letterman. We’re hugely popular in our hometown of Pittsburgh and still play about 80 shows a year all over the U.S.A. – from DC to LA, and Appleton to Austin.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Dining, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Shaker Urgent Care Center Under Construction

April 30, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Right after you pass the Family Dollar store on Route 31 you may have noticed dirt being moved around. It’s the first new construction project we’ve had in the Donegal corridor for some time! We’re still working on getting more details for you but if you’re looking for rental space here’s their email, ShakerUrgentCare@gmail.com

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Donegal, Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Trillium Time!

April 30, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

For those of you who follow our BLOG you know how much we love the Indian Creek Valley (ICV) Bike and Hike Trail. Most of you will easily find it because it is located across from the Somerset Trust Bank on County Line Road (Please, only use their parking when they are closed). Although there are multiple sections with each one having its own unique characteristics, including FLOWERS! One of our personal favorites is the Trillium and this weekend they will be blooming for all to see! Check out the ICV website!

Filed Under: Nemacolin, Seven Springs, Biking and Hiking, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, Nemacolin, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Mountain Biking, 7 SPRINGS

Construction Ahead!

April 11, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Fall 2016 is to be the beginning of a very major and long road project for Donegal! Beginning at the Donegal turnpike exit and to Sarnelli’s Market at Route 711, Route 31 is going to get wider and have existing roads moved around. Let’s start with the turnpike exit. Below you can see how the new road will extend past the current one!

The next major change is the interchange of route 711 to Ligonier and the school. The old road to the school is to the right of the new highlighted road.

Then comes Schoolhouse Road which will cut across the farm and end up right outside of the BHHS office (bottom left building)!

And the last major fix is at the Route 31 and 711 intersection as shown below. Sarnelli’s Market is on the corner of the bottom right.

We think you should explore some other options to consider NOW before the construction gets underway. Try getting off at New Stanton to Route 66 and taking the Mount Pleasant exit. There are multiple ways to get to County Line road from there! Catch up with us and we can share some more back roads!

Filed Under: Ligonier, Turnpike, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS Tagged With: Gateway to the Laurel Highlands, HIDDEN VALLEY, LAUREL HIGHLANDS, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Initial Contribution Fees

April 11, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

We recently discovered that several of the home owners associations are now charging what is called an “initial contribution fee” to buyer’s when settlement occurs. In many market places this has been a common expense for years. So far the fees have been accessed for one full quarter of association dues. Those fees are dependent upon which association and or associations your property belongs too. Read your resale certificate closely as it will be noted there. These fees are required to be added to reserve funds. As financing rules have dramatically changed, higher reserves are greatly smiled upon by underwriters!

Filed Under: Seven Springs, Consumer Info, Real Estate, HIDDEN VALLEY Tagged With: HIDDEN VALLEY, real estate, Seven Springs, Consumer Info, 7 SPRINGS

Memories of Brad English by Pat McCloskey

March 13, 2015 by Adrienne Abe Leave a Comment

Follow Pats blog by opening this link patmccloskey

It was a bright, sunny day last Sunday in Somerset, Pa. when the clan started to arrive. Heidi and Melissa, Annie and Biff, the Bouchers, Lars and Inger, the Baum girls, Linda Belle, Dixon, Porter,Patty, and a host of others who call the English family their friend. You could feel the warmth of long lasting friendships in the building and in many ways, the group was holding each other tight as mountain life enthusiasts do. Mountain people are a tight knit group all held together through a love of sliding down a mountain on skis, riding knobby tires, hiking, fishing, and otherwise enjoying the mountains as a place of rest, fun, and safe haven with friends.

We lost one of our own last Thursday when Brad English was taken from us so unexpectedly. That is why the gathering at the funeral home was in many ways a meeting of the clans from up in the Laurel Highlands. You had the locals, the weekenders, the commuters, all the folks who forged friendships up at Seven Springs Mountain Resort here in Pennsylvania. The North Hills group, the Fox Chapel group, the Mt. Lebanon group, and of course the Seven Springs and Rockwood group. All close knit friends for many years. It was a homecoming of sorts seeing that some of the group had moved away, but as everyone paid their respects to Greg and Mary Ellen English and their family and Brad’s lovely daughter Jenny, you could feel the warmth in the room and the need to hold on to our life in the mountains. Bill Boucher put it best when he said, ” This one really hurts.” And it did. Brad English was one of the good guys. A friendly welcoming man who grew up in the mountains, built his own house, raised his daughter, and was a friend to everyone on the mountain. He was the first guy standing in line at the Gunnar Chairlift every Saturday when I made my way from the North Face lot to the base of the Gunnar chair. Both of us enjoyed the first chair up the hill, and the groomed perfection that lies ahead for the early birds on the ski slopes. Brad had a great sense of humor when he harassed the ski patrol and lift operators to open the lift up early. He wanted to ski and in his own funny, needling way, the lift guys and the patrol scrambled to make his wishes come true. Brad was a skier, a hunter, a fisherman, all things mountain. Interestingly, when I was a young guy skiing at Seven Springs, the English brothers were in my estimation, the best skiers on the hill. Natural talent. Even when Brad did a stint living in Vail, I remarked out there that Brad was still one of the best skiers in Vail. He was an enthusiast, skilled skier, and sportsman. But most importantly, he was a friend. He was welcoming into his home, and was one of us and now he is gone.

Tuesday there was an on slope service, which is what he would have wanted. Friends skiing, watching the celebration of life from the top of the chair, toasting with frosty beverages and literally and figuratively setting Brad’s spirit free to the Laurel Highlands which he loved so well. The Gunnar Chair and slope will always be home to Brad. I will always think of him while riding that chair on Saturday mornings.

Life is so fragile and the message that kept ringing in my head was what my mother always told me. ” To have a friend is to be a friend.” That is why she had so many friends and it holds true with Brad English. Lots of friends on that mountain. Life flies by so fast and it is easy to get caught up in the day to day. Easy to never make plans to get together with friends, easy to let convenience get in the way, easy to let work schedules dictate your life. But in the final analysis, your family and friends are everything. Cherish them. Cherish the old times and keep the friendships alive with a phone call, a lunch, a ski date, or whatever. I am guilty as much as the next guy. But like Bill said, this one hurt. It makes you think when you lose a friend. Embrace opportunity. RIP Brad. Thanks for reading.

Photos and title courtesy of Melissa Updegraff Thompson and Annie Rose Swager.

patmccloskey | March 12, 2015 at 12:06 pm | Tags: Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Skiing Western Pa | Categories: Friendship, outdoor activities, outdoor sports, Outdoors, Skiing, Winter, winter sports | URL: http://wp.me/p31Q99-EY