PARADE: It’s time to get into the holiday spirit.
Here’s a reminder that the eighth annual “Cruisin into Christmas” parade will be held today in downtown Bradford.
The event, which kicks off at 6 p.m., will proceed down Main Street, turn right onto Mechanic Street and then conclude at the intersection of Mechanic and Barbour streets, a reversal of the route in years past, according to Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kara Kennedy.
However, lineup for the parade will start at 5 p.m. on Davis Street between Main and Elm streets near Tops, all of which will be closed for the parade’s duration, Kennedy noted.
“We’ll also be placing ‘No Parking’ bags on the meters this afternoon, as well as encouraging those who do need to park along the street to try and move before lineup begins to avoid any traffic conflicts,” Kennedy said.
As always, the streets will reopen after the parade’s conclusion.
BOOK: It took 32 years to build the Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as the Washington Monument. And it took 32 years for Penn State Distinguished Professor of Ichthyology, Jay Stauffer, to publish his landmark book, “The Fishes of Pennsylvania.”
Coincidence? We’re not sure.
Published by Cichlid Press, the book was released in August. The large (8 inches by 11 inches), illustrated, 556-page hardcover likely will serve as the definitive reference on Pennsylvania fishes for much longer than it took Stauffer to create it. Featuring 575 color fish photos taken by talented nature photographer Rob Criswell and 196 detailed maps showing the ranges of fish species — all printed on heavy, glossy stock — the volume has the look, heft and feel of a coffee table book.
But due to its comprehensive and historic nature, it undoubtedly will serve as a textbook, too, according to Stauffer, who has written a dozen other books in his academic career.
“The documentation and history of fishes is crucial, as exotic fishes are invading and causing problems throughout our waterways,” Stauffer said. “I think you need a record of what’s out there, and I’m hoping that we’ll get high school students interested, and maybe they’ll go into wildlife and fisheries science. Once children understand the uniqueness and diversity of fishes, they are more likely to study and conserve them.”
From Stauffer’s perspective, getting young people interested in fish and conserving them is where it’s at — and, non-coincidentally, what drove him to finally finish the book.
We think that’s pretty neat.
