Peoples Security Bank & Trust recently provided a $9,500 grant to Blue Ridge School District in support of the Science and Engineering program Project Lead The Way. This grant is provided by the bank’s donation to the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program administered by The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains. Project Lead the Way is a national curriculum that provides a comprehensive approach to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses; all of which are vital to today’s workforce. Project Lead the Way trains teachers to empower their students to learn this important STEM material in a collaborative setting where teamwork and problem solving are valuable components of the classroom.
Pictured (l-r) are: Peter Quigg, Community Foundation President; Matthew Nebzydoski, Blue Ridge Principal of Curriculum; Debra Dissinger, Peoples Security Bank & Trust Executive Vice President; Matthew Button, Blue Ridge Superintendent.
Blue Ridge Superintendent, Matthew Button, stated “this assistance is invaluable to us in helping to teach our students today’s advanced technology.” Debra Dissinger, Executive Vice President of Peoples Security Bank and Trust added that “any advantage we can offer our region’s students is worth the effort and the bank is pleased to provide this assistance.” For its part The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains has also provided funding for Project Lead the Way in the Susquehanna Community, Mountain View, Abington Heights, and Valley View School Districts.
If anyone asked Jolie Winemiller what her lucky number was as she checked into the Hershey Convention Center for the Pennsylvania State Fair Convention, her answer would have been “25.” She was the 25th Anniversary Harford Fair Queen, her room number at the Hershey Lodge was 2500, and she was number 25 out of the sixty fair queens from across the state in the competition. As it turned out, number 21 was also lucky for her because on January 21st after three days of interviews with judges, speech presentations to eager listeners, leadership seminars and workshops for the queens, and introductions to so many new fair people, Jolie was named the PA State Miss Congeniality. This was the first time any of the Harford Fair Queens had received this recognition in Hershey. After receiving her award with thunderous applause from not only the crowd but also all of the other 59 queens on stage, Jolie was also named as one of the top five queens. Along with Jolie were the queens from the Elizabethtown Fair, the Big Butler Fair, the Clearfield Fair and the Centre County Grange and Encampment Fair named as the top five contestants. Rarely is Miss Congeniality one of the five finalists, but Jolie had made her mark.
The top 5, from left to right: Madison Rivera, Elizabethtown Fair Queen; Emma Spackman, Centre County Fair Queen; Madeline McEachin, representing the Big Butler Fair, was crowned the 2017 Pennsylvania Fair Queen; Rachel Duke from the Clearfield County Fair, Alternate State Fair Queen; Jolie Winemiller, Harford Fair Queen and Miss Congeniality
The next step in the competition was the spontaneous answering of the question, “What qualities are needed to make a successful fair?” by each of the top five queens selected. The girls were taken to a sound proof area and brought out one at a time to hear and respond to the question on stage. Jolie’s response focused on communication to make a successful fair. After hearing each of the five responses, the judges left the banquet room to deliberate and eventually select the queen and alternate.
As everyone nervously awaited the announcement and crowning, Darby Kasper, the 2016 Pennsylvania State Fair Queen from the Tioga County Fair gave her emotional farewell address reviewing her wonderful year traveling over 7,000 miles to visit fairs across the state. After receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Darby took her seat in the queen’s chair for the last time. Because the focus for the banquet was on youth, a very talented vocalist and song writer who was only 14 years old took the stage with her keyboard to entertain. From the first note she sang, she wowed the audience as well as the sixty queens who were seated on stage with both original songs and songs by other well-known artists. As the judges continued to deliberate, jars of bubbles were distributed to each of the queens for a stress breaker, accompanied by the song, “Under the Sea.”
The envelope was then finally passed to the Master of Ceremonies, Kevin Beiber, who announced the Alternate PA Queen, Rachel Duke from the Clearfield County Fair. She was crowned by outgoing fair queen Darby. Then what everyone was waiting for, Madeline McEachin, representing the Big Butler Fair, was crowned the 2017 Pennsylvania Fair Queen. She will represent the 109 fairs across the state of Pennsylvania for the next year by visiting fairs and schools, giving speeches, and awarding ribbons during competitions.
The Harford Agricultural Society’s board of directors is so proud of Jolie and how she represented the Harford Fair. She is the nineteen year old daughter of Jan and Jeff Winemiller. She is a sophomore at Lebanon Valley College majoring in history and communications. As a graduate of the Mountain View High School, she received several scholarship awards which included the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Humanitarian Award. She is a member of several groups and keeps busy with their activities. Volunteering and community service are her primary hobbies. She firmly believes in “giving back” and as a result, Jolie volunteers at her college, in her community and in a variety of areas at the Harford Fair where she is a member of the Harford Fair Youth Board. As she returns to college life, serving her sorority, working at the Hershey Hotel shops, and enjoying family and friends, Jolie will exhibit her friendliness, helpfulness and remain forever, Miss Congeniality.
