SPEEDWAYS: Bob Kirchner of St. Marys found this article in the June 20 edition of Area Auto Racing News.

He passed it along after reading Tuesday’s column about the McKean County Fair, held annually in Smethport.

Kirchner said the article “credits McKean County Raceway with being the oldest active speedway in the country. It was ironic that I just read the article as the Era arrived!”

Of the local raceway, the article, “America’s Oldest Active Speedways,” states, “According to the latest edition of Allan Brown’s ‘The History of America’s Speedways, Past and Present,’ that honor goes to the McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pennsylvania which hosted its very first auto race in 1900.

“McKean County is a third-mile, high-banked dirt oval running a 10-event ‘specials only’ schedule in 2017, including the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Models on Tuesday of this week. Over the years the track’s configuration has changed from the original one-half-mile oval to a smaller quarter-mile bullring and then in 1983 to its current size.”

If you’re interested in racing, John Snyder’s article explores more about the history of speedways, and the history of racing in general.

SPOOKY: Wilma Fleming, a writer in the area, wrote to let us know she donated a book of hers earlier this month to the Bradford Area Public Library.

Here’s the book description she provided for “The Curse at Lilac Waters”: “Deep within the spooky Florida forest, the trolls, goats, alligators, and magic endure. Can a lost troll, her boyfriend, and one human boy foil the evils and break a curse?”

If that sounds fun to you, the book can be found on Amazon.com or at the Bradford Area Public Library.