29 students to receive Burns awards

Sunday, August 20, 2006 The "good old guys" from the Mercer County Athletic Hall of Fame are continually adding to their efforts of giving back to the community. This year, the recipients of the Annual Tom Burns Memorial Awards will receive $200 each, for a total of $2,700. The awards are presented each year to the top male and female athletes in all 13 Mercer County schools. Twenty-nine students have been honored this year since there were some ties. Burns, a one-time president of the Mercer County Athletic Hall of Fame, was also an educator, basketball coach, radio announcer and one who truly believed in the young athletes of Mercer County. He was a firm believer, too, in not only the attributes of these young athletes on the athletic fields and courts of endeavor, but in the classroom as well. Thus the Tom Burns Memorial-Athletic Awards were created years ago, and they are continually one of the important functions of the Mercer County Hall of Fame and its current president, Jim Tamber. The scholar-athletes are chosen by a committee headed by Nick Marnejon. This year's winners are: Matthew Moinet and Cheraya Nagel of Commodore Perry; Christian Garner and Allyson Smoot of Farrell; Danny Pipes of George Jr. Republic; Alan Hogan and Hannah Jaussen of Greenville; Tim Gruber and Sonja Jones of Grove City; Paul Leicht and Nikki Sheppard of Hickory; Chad Houghton, Cody Patton and Shannon Richter of Jamestown; Keane George and Leanne Magestro of Kennedy Catholic; Erick Koontz and Jacqueline Armstrong of Lakeview; John Stranahan and Katherine Campbell of Mercer; Cory Shaffer, Charity McDonald and Casey Howsare of Reynolds; John B. Outrakis and Erica Wenger of Sharon; Doug Stevenson and Jessica Shulik of Sharpsville; and Ryan Ellison and Amanda Stefanak of West Middlesex. Early angling If you fish in one of 18 counties in southeastern or south-central Pennsylvania, get ready for an earlier than usual trout season. The early season was recently created and passed by the state Fish and Boat Commission. For as far back as I can remember, the state trout season opened around April 15. Now, in these newly appointed counties, the season will open the first Saturday following March 28 or March 31 next year. The remainder of the state will have its opening day on April 11 or April 14 next year. What's the reason for this early season? They say it's the climate. Warmer weather hits these areas earlier than the rest of the state, meaning ideal fishing conditions start and end earlier. Believe me, I've seen some mighty lousy opening days right here in Mercer County. This past season's opening day here in Mercer County was beautiful. However, in past years I've seen times when snow fell heavily in the area and other times where recent heavy rains sent creeks and streams to flood levels and the main stream was nowhere to be found. Counties that will have the early opening days in 2007 include Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuykill and York. The state reportedly will be stocking larger fish next season but will be stocking about 20 percent fewer fish. The average fish stocked next year will weigh about 10 ounces and be about 11 inches in length. Top story The sale of Sharon Country Club and its golf course was one of the biggest stories to hit area headlines in some time. The guy who is making this all happen, 1965 Hickory High graduate Ron Klingle, is the man behind the scenes. Sharon Country Club now becomes part of Klingle's domain as he also owns the Avalon group that includes Avalon Lakes and Squaw Creek Country Club. Klingle's plans for Sharon Country Club are many, but most of them will take place on the inside with the outside maintaining its present beauty and structure. Some of Klingle's plans include a new and larger banquet room, new entrances with some that are wheelchair-accessible, an outdoor patio for dining and renovation of the present clubhouse.