Daniel Lewis and Jenna Kyger, both of State College, PA wish to announce their engagement. Mr. Lewis is the son of Brian and Becky Lewis and the late Rebecca Lewis, all of Susquehanna, PA. Ms. Kyger is the daughter of Franklin and Diane Kyger of Holliston, Mass.

Daniel Lewis and Jenna Kyger

Mr. Lewis is a 2007 graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. He is currently employed as a police officer by the Ferguson Township Police Department of State College, PA.

Ms. Kyger is a 2011 graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism. She is currently employed as an event planner for Penn State University. The couple resides in Lemont, Pa.

A July 2013 wedding is planned in State College.

Gina Aliano and Joshua Dibble both of Chenango Bridge, NY wish to announce their engagement. Gina is the daughter of Becky and Brian Lewis and the late Tony Aliano of Susquehanna, Pa. Josh is the son of Tracey and David Dibble Sr. also of Susquehanna.

Gina Aliano and Joshua Dibble

Gina graduated from SUNY Delhi with an associates degree in Culinary and is employed in the Prepared Foods Department at Wegmans in Johnson City, NY.

Josh graduated from East Stroudsburg with a bachelors degree in Sociology with concentration in Criminal Justice and is currently employed with Dave Dibble Construction in Susquehanna, Pa.

A September 2013 wedding is planned.

Jim Bralla, a member of Hill Country Artists, visited the Susquehanna Branch Library on Friday, September 14th and presented his technique of using the "Grid Method" to make his paintings realistic.

One of Jim Bralla’s paintings, A Street in San Miguel

Bralla is a retired manufacturing engineer and executive and has painted for over 40 years, but since retirement in 1990 he has pursued his art more fully. He is a self-trained artist who has worked in watercolor and oil. Bralla paints with a group of local artists in the summer and with the Estero Art League in Florida in the winter.

He paints both landscapes and portraits and finds that the grid method helps to achieve a true likeness in his realistic works.

Those in attendance were treated to an informative presentation that truly shed new light on how to see through the artist's eye.

As part of the celebration of Assisted Living Week, Forest City Personal Care conducted a Classic Car Show for its residents. Several exhibitors agreed to display their classic cars on September 12th for the residents to enjoy. Among the vehicles exhibited were an El Camino, a Camaro Z28 and a 1933 Ford truck.

Pictured Enjoying the Classic Car Show are: (front, kneeling) Joe Dovin, exhibitor; standing (l – r) Russell Beardsley, John Zgavec, Doreen McCaffrey, Sharon Daniels, Marie Derkasch, Rose Corrigan, Ann Senica, Sophie Urbus, and Marie Britton, Activities Director; back row Stephen Pasterchik.

National Assisted Living Week was observed from September 9th through the 15th. This year’s theme was Art for the Ages. The Classic Car Show was one of several special events hosted at Forest City Personal Care.

Each month The Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center recognizes the remarkable lives of its residents by honoring one of them each month. The Resident of the Month for the month of September is Mr. John Kowalewski.

John Kowalewski and his granddaughter Amanda Zembrzycki

Born on July 7, 1927, to Monica and Walter Kowalewski, John was one of eleven children. He graduated from Forest City High School whereupon he joined the Marine Corps. He loved the Friday night dances in those days. That’s where he met Florence Walsh, who would become his wife.

The couple settled in Forest City and raised a family of seven children: John, Dave, Carol, Linda, Lisa, Nancy and Michael. John then started his own business, K W Oil, which is still going strong today, under the management of his sons.

An active member of the community all his life, John is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion, and Clifford Volunteer Fire Department. He enjoys polkas, Penn State Football and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most of all, John is a proud father and grandfather. Congratulations to John Kowalewski on being Resident of the Month!

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- This summer was notable because of drought conditions in June and July, and searing heat in July, but that won't limit the beauty of Pennsylvania's fall foliage.

Instead, it's the next few weeks' weather that will be determinant, according to a forest expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. And long-term weather forecasts point to mild weather -- 60- to 70-degree days and nights in the mid-40s -- through the end of October, with no frosts.

For fall foliage lovers, that's not good, warned Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology.

Although many wish for extended summer this time of year -- with warm autumn days and mild nights -- if you want to see really brilliant foliage in October, you should hope for cooler weather, Abrams explained.

"Fall weather is very important," he said. "We need to have cool temperatures falling into the 30s or low 40s at night, as well as bright sunny days with little rain."

If temperatures cool in coming weeks with little rain falling, fall foliage watchers in Pennsylvania should be treated to a superior display of color this year, Abrams predicted.

"If we cross our fingers and Mother Nature cooperates, we should have great color by the middle of October," he said. "Despite the weather extremes, most trees held up well and benefitted from abundant rainfall later in the summer."

Persistent drought in other regions of the country will affect fall foliage, of course, but in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region, forests are in pretty good shape. Only the far western counties of the state remain dry, but probably not enough to affect the fall foliage display.

"It seems the cooler weather that came into Pennsylvania in the last week or so might be an aberration," Abrams said. "From past experience, most trees will keep their green leaf color as long as temperatures stay relatively high. We really need nighttime temps to start getting into the low 40s and 30s to bring out peak colors."

Still, whether it cools down sufficiently or not, Pennsylvania's forests are amazingly resilient and dependable, so there will be colorful foliage in mid-October, he pointed out. It just remains to be seen whether this will be one of our better foliage years.

For more than two decades, Abrams has studied how seasonal precipitation and temperature influence timing and intensity of fall colors in central Pennsylvania. "We believe that clear, bright days, low but not freezing temperatures, and dry but not drought conditions promote the best fall colors," he said.

Cooler temperatures signal deciduous trees to stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment responsible for photosynthesis, he explained. The chlorophyll breaks down and disappears, unmasking other leaf pigments. It's these other pigments -- called xanthophylls and carotenes -- that create the yellows and oranges seen in the leaves of yellow poplar, hickory, sycamore, honey locust, birch, beech and certain maples.

After chlorophyll production stops, trees also produce another pigment in their leaves called anthocyanin, according to Abrams. The anthocyanins create the brilliant reds and purples seen in maple, sassafras, sumac, black gum and purple oak.

The amount of anthocyanin produced each year is related to starch levels in the tree. Trees often produce less starch during droughts.

"One thing that I have been impressed with in my 20 years of gauging foliage is the resiliency of the display," Abrams said. "Year after year, despite the conditions, there are places where the trees show good color, but perhaps not great color.

"People should go out and search for those pockets of bright color, because they will be there."