SONGWRITING: Two former Bradford residents are being honored for a ditty they wrote lauding the Allegheny National Forest.

Erie husband-and-wife-duo Destiny and Tom DeCasper, who perform as “Maybelle and the Band,” took third place in the 2018 PA Heritage Songwriting Contest.

The contest, which asks amateur songwriters to celebrate Pennsylvania through music, was a good match for the couple.

“When writing our own music, we tend toward songs about growing up in Pennsylvania, words of hope and encouragement for others, and narratives of personal growth and development, both individually and as a couple,” they write.

“We would love for our music to give people a different perspective on and greater appreciation for the simple, priceless things in life.”

The DeCaspers find inspiration in the Pennsylvania Wilds — and they want others to see the natural beauty of our area, too.

“We are really hoping that ‘Allegheny’ will generate interest and tourism in the Allegheny National Forest area and inspire people to step back and take a second look.”

You can listen to the song on the couple’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MaybelleandtheBand/

The songwriting contest is a feature of the Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival, which is set for June 14-16 at the Quiet Oaks Campground in Cross Fork.

DINOSAURS: Twenty-five years ago, director Steven Spielberg captured the imaginations of movie fans around the world when his film Jurassic Park premiered.

The film, based on a novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, imagined a world in which long-extinct dinosaurs are brought back to life.

On June 9, 1993, “The science-fiction film ‘Jurassic Park,’ directed by Steven Spielberg, had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.,” the Associated Press reported.

A new installment in the film series, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” directed by J.A. Bayona, is set to hit theaters June 22.