The Blair County Family Fun Card is here!  You can get it at the Altoona Area Public Library or purchase it online at ILoveAltoona.com.  Family Fun Cards purchased at the Library or at ILoveAltoona.com go to support both organizations.

Check out these outstanding deals (listed on the back of each card):

Auntie Anne’s (944-6809) Buy a combo meal, get a free pretzel

Best Way (all locations) Buy 8 cuts get 2 free

Burger King (Altoona & Duncansville locations) small Kids Meal only $1.99

Chuck E Cheese (942-2412) Buy 40 tokens get 40 free

CiCi’s (942-9422) Free drink w/ buffet purch.

Discovery Toys (684-0038) 10% off

Dunham’s 10% off non-sale purchases, exclusions apply, valid all locations GR# 2012008

Family Video (both Altoona locations) 1 free $1 movie w/ rental of new release

Fort Roberdeau (946-0048) Buy an adult admission get a kid admission free

Friendly’s 10% off (excl. retail cakes, ice cream)

Galactic Ice (942-7500) Free skate rental w/ purchase of public skate (void Fri/Sat eve.)

Holiday Bowl (944-1677) Buy 1 get 1 free

Lakemont Park Buy 1 round of Traintown mini-golf (until 9/9/11) get 1 free

McDonald’s (Walmart, Wehnwood, Plank Road, Hburg, Roaring Sprng) Free cone w/ kids meal

McIntyre’s Candies 15% off chocolate (1 lb. min. or equivalent) (Downtwn Alt. & Mansion Park)

Meadows (Duncansville) $1 off mini golf

Meadows (Greenwood) 10% off all purchases

Ponderosa Get free kids buffet w/ adult buffet

Pizza Hut (Wehnwood, Pleasant Vly, Dncnsvl) Buy an adult buffet, get a free kids buffet

Pleasant Valley Bowl (944-6070) Buy 1 get 1 free (limit 1/person/day; void Sat. eve)

Quaint Corner Children’s Museum (944-6830) Buy 1 admission get 1 at 50% off!

Railroader’s Museum (946-0834) 10% off gift shop purchases

Slinky Act. Zone 1/2 off laser tag or bumpr cars (Valid weekdays — excludes Fri, Sat & Sun)

Subway (Kettle) Buy valu meal get free Kids Pak

Super Shoes 10% off reg price merchandise

Tumblebus (696-4496) 10% off b-day party Card exp. 4/30/2012  Do not combine w/ othr offers.

Tonight I took my wife and our four children out for some Friday night pizza.  We first stopped by 29th Street Corner Store but we were a bit late (they close at 7).  I was in the mood for an independent pizzeria but also interested in something new.  While driving down Sixth Avenue we came to Alpho’s Pizza.  We decided to check it out.

The atmosphere was welcoming.  The main dining area, though not large, had character.  Steph, who waited on us, was kind, hospitable, and on top of taking care of us.  Crayons for the kids, little cups for the boys (ages two and three) and handed us the remote for both TVs so we could watch what we wanted.  When our two year old spilled his drink I detected no impatience as she cleaned it up.  She frequently interacted with the kids too.

How was the food?  Christina and I had differing opinions on the pizza… so you’ll have to check it out for yourself!

Let’s turn out to welcome them home.  Meet by the old armory on Frankstown Rd at 7:50pm and bring your friends and flags!

During the entire month of January, Blair Senior Services, Inc.’s volunteers are working to gather winter items such as hats, scarves and gloves for local families through the “Hats Off to Harold” campaign.

The “Hats Off to Harold” program is dedicated to Harold Williams who volunteered for Blair Senior Services’ Foster Grandparent program for over 20 years until his passing in 2005. The “Hats Off to Harold” program was started the following year to recognize his shining example of volunteerism and caring for the community.

Winter item drop-off points are available throughout Blair County. Your new or gently worn hats, scarves or gloves can be donated at any time at Blair Senior Services’ Senior Centers or any of the community involvement locations. If your business, group, or organization would like to be a donation point, please contact Nelda Sharbaugh at Blair Senior Services, Inc. by calling (814) 946-1235.

If you would like to partner with Blair Senior Services for a project like this one, please contact Blair Senior Services, Inc. at (814) 946-1235.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

~ Abraham Lincoln

In my work, I interact with a few individuals from other parts of the globe.  For them, today is another workday.  But for we Americans, today is Thanksgiving.  It’s one of my favorite holidays.

Holidays are great for days off work or good food — but there’s a reason for each of them.  Thanksgiving is an amazing example.  Take two or three minutes to read these short statements — by everyone from William Bradford to Charlie Brown.  You might even read a couple of them over Thanksgiving dinner!  (Both Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan are included so neither Democrats nor Republicans feel left out ).  Read on…

• Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
  • William Bradford, the first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation [1] (1623)

• WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
  • George Washington, The First Presidential Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (October 3, 1789)

• Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
  • Abraham Lincoln, Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (October 3, 1863)

• Lord, for the erring thought
  Not into evil wrought:
  Lord, for the wicked will
  Betrayed and baffled still:
  For the heart from itself kept,
  Our thanksgiving accept.
  • William Dean Howells, A Thanksgiving

• Marcie: Don’t feel bad, Chuck. Peppermint Patty didn’t mean all those things she said. Actually, she really likes you.
  Charlie Brown: I don’t feel bad for myself, I just feel bad because I’ve ruined everyone’s Thanksgiving.
  Marcie: But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown.
  • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, originally aired in 1973

• Thanksgiving has become a day when Americans extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Long before there was a government welfare program, this spirit of voluntary giving was ingrained in the American character. Americans have always understand that, truly, one must give in order to receive. This should be a day of giving as well as a day of thanks…Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people.
  • Ronald Reagan, Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (November 12, 1981)

• We have come far on our American journey since that early Thanksgiving. In the intervening years, we have lived through times of war and peace, years of poverty and plenty, and seasons of social and political upheaval that have shaped and forever changed our national character and experience. As we gather around our Thanksgiving tables again this year, it is a fitting time to reflect on how the events of our rich history have affected those we care about and those who came before us. As we acknowledge the past, we do so knowing that the individual blessings for which we give thanks may have changed, but our gratitude to God and our commitment to our fellow Americans remain constant.
  • Bill Clinton, Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (November 25, 1999)

I sat at lunch with a friend this week, who informed me that he will be deployed to Afghanistan next year.  I believe this is the third time (not counting once in Iraq).  I wondered how he felt about it, considering his deployment wasn’t for many months, and he wouldn’t be settled back in the U.S. for possibly two years from now.

His attitude was positive.   Perhaps even enthusiastic.   He mentioned the benefits of traveling overseas and seeing other lands and other cultures.

True, and I love traveling overseas too — I’ve been to a few places outside of the U.S. — but as a civilian I was never putting my life on the line to engage a physical enemy in a battle zone.

The hard work, the long times away from family, the dangers, and the absence of daily comforts.  Our men and women in uniform do much to provide security for our nation and to maintain the amazing freedom we have here in the United States of America.

May God, the Creator and Sustainer of Mankind, bless and uphold our troops, be with them.  May He grant them success, courage, comfort and wisdom.

To those of you reading this who have served in our Armed Forces.  Thank you.

Facebook Page Honoring Veterans

Many of you know I served four years on City Council, getting elected 5 years ago when I was 26 years old.

One of the things that I wanted most to improve was the ease with which a new business could launch and operate in the City.  Some strides were made that direction over the past ten years, primarily via improved service from City Hall.  But in my opinion, we didn’t make enough progress.  I wish I had done more to push those issues to the surface.  We took some steps backward too, making some things more difficult.  These things I generally opposed.

Businesses are not perfect, and the City needs to treat all of the community’s participants fairly.  But the City of Altoona, Logan Township and all municipalities ought to consider the impact when too much red tape is added.  This article really drives the point home. Beware: If you’re a small business owner and feel like staying in a good mood, you might not want to read it.

One other thought regarding local government’s role.  Some in the City are satisfied as long as the process of starting a business is less burdensome than our neighboring municipalities like Logan Township.  But I don’t think what neighboring municipalities do should be the “gold standard”.  Some businesses (mainly chains and businesses with money but whose profits don’t end up in Blair County) will come whether or not there’s a lot of red tape.  But some potential business owners, given enough difficulty, will simply never open.

So yes, we have issues to consider in the City of encroachment on others’ properties and enjoyment.  But we also need jobs — and we want to encourage the people who are willing to take a risk and invest in our own community.

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In conjunction with Logan Elementary School, ILoveAltoona.com has just created a GREAT new Neighborhood Loyalty Card — this time from the East End / Greenwood area. Reusable discounts and offers from well over 20 Greenwood and East End area businesses are on the card. Proceeds from the sale of this card benefit Logan Elementary students and programs.

We’ve also created a new Citywide Loyalty Card for all of us to enjoy. Sales of the Citywide Card this weekend also go to benefit Logan Elementary.

If you’d like to purchase one or more of the cards, contact us and we’ll get one to you — free delivery!  They’re $10 each and make great stocking stuffers or gifts for friends at work — all while supporting a local cause.  If you buy 5 or more they’re significantly discounted.

By Chris Harpster, Lakemont Park

Lakemont Park opened in 1894 as a trolley park. In 1899 Lakemont became an amusement park. Lakemont has overcome many obstacles such as the St. Patrick’s Day flood in 1936 and the 1950 ice storm to become the 8th oldest amusement park in the USA and one of only twelve remaining trolley parks still in operation today.

Lakemont Park is home to over 30 rides and attractions including the world’s oldest roller coaster Leap The Dips build in 1902. Lakemont is also home to the Skyliner roller coaster which was originally constructed in Roseland Park in 1960 and then relocated to Lakemont Park, opening in 1987. The Skyliner is thought to be the only L-shaped roller coaster in America. Lakemont is also home to other unique and rare rides such as the Toboggan and the Twister to name a few. There are rides for everyone in the family. We have something to offer everyone. 

Lakemont also holds and arts and crafts festival started back in 1974 then known as The Keystone Country Festival and continues today under the new name Altoona First Festival. Lakemont Park tries to keep prices affordable to all with free admission most days and very affordable rates on ride and slide pass. Current ride and slide passes cost $9.95 which is cheaper than most parks charge for parking. Lakemont also holds many events throughout the summer such as All American All You Can Eat Memorial/Labor Days, Dollar Days, Wing Off’s, Father’s Day, All American Independence Days Celebration, Altoona Mirror Day, Annual Antique Track and Machinery Show, Annual Krusin’ Weekend, Back to School Special, Altoona First Festival, and Holiday Lights on the Lake.

Events are subject to change without notice!  Please visit http://www.LakemontParkFun.com, call (814) 949-7275 or 1-800-434-8006, or write Lakemont Park, 700 Park Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602, for more information on current events or to check for new events. Lakemont Park and the Island Waterpark: “Two Great Parks, Twice the Fun” Family Excitement Since 1894!