the almanac A U G U S T 18, 2024
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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GOING THE DISTANCE
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PHOTOS: JILL THURSTON/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Zoe Ruzicka, 4, of Peters Township, stands among the sunflowers at Trax Farms Market. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Steve Bedilion swims Lake Erie while escorted by Nick Wolk in a kayak.
McMurray man attempts to swim Lake Erie By Eleanor Bailey
The Almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.net
Steve Bedilion admits to doing “crazy” things. He races bikes. He runs marathons. He competes in triathlons. Most recently, the McMurray resident attempted to swim across Lake Erie. As of April 2024, 18 people have accomplished the feat. Technically, Bedilion covered the 24-mile distance. However, failure to correctly calculate wind and current kept him from reaching the shore. “It was a good day. At no point did I not think I wasn’t going to make it,” he said. After nearly 15 hours in the water, Bedilion was approaching 40,000 yards. According
Sunny Saturday
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verything was coming up golden Saturday at Trax Farms Market in Finleyville, where the annual Sunflower Festival was held. Sunflower lovers could ride a tractor to and from the field above the market and walk among the rows of flowers to choose their favorite blooms. The event also featured food trucks, live entertainment and games.
Dan Shannon helps daughter Maggie, 4, pick a sunflower at Trax Farms Market’s Sunflower Festival in Finleyville. “She’s very particular,” he said.
LEFT: Steve Bedilion after he returned to shore from swimming 24 miles in an attempt to cross Lake Erie; ABOVE: Steve Bedilion by the numbers as he attempted to swim across Lake Erie.
to his calculations, he estimated 2,000 yards remained. “I knew I was getting close because I saw the lights on the shore, but I made a mistake,” he said. “The wind was a factor and I was not swimming a perfect line because I was
fighting the current. I was consistently pushed off course and re-correcting so that added three extra miles to the distance.” Bedilion felt obligated to discontinue his quest. Had he persisted he would have
reached the shores of Canada well after midnight. There were family and friends to consider as well as the support team that kayaked alongside him. SEE SWIM PAGE A2
BP resident shows Grace in gardening Food grown at Carlow University donated to campus food bank By Paul Paterra Staff writer
ppaterra@observer-reporter.com
KAREN MANSFIELD/OBSERVER-REPORTER
Justin Lint is shown with a prize-winning cabbage that weighs in at more than 25 pounds.
These veggies crush competition at the fair By Karen Mansfield
Fair and was fascinated by the sight of an enormous onion kmansfield@observer-reporter.com that captured first place in the fair’s “largest vegetable” About seven years ago, category. Justin Lint visited the WashSEE VEGGIES PAGE A2 ington County Agricultural Staff writer
UPPER ST. CLAIR Longtime auto shop owner retires PAGE A4 What’s happening, B3
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Isabelle Finnegan has always had a giving spirit along with a green thumb. The Bethel Park resident is combining the two qualities for a good cause – Grace’s Garden at Carlow University in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The garden’s bounty is donated to a food pantry on campus. Finnegan, 20, said the garden is named in honor of her late grandmother, Jacqueline Fettis-Waldo, who was known as “Grandma Grace.” “She raised my mother and her siblings in an impoverished area,” Finnegan said. “She was a single mother coming out of an abusive relationship, taking care of four children of her own,
COURTESY OF ALLISON DABERKO
Isabelle Finnegan stands at Grace’s Garden, named in honor of her grandSEE GRACE PAGE A2 mother, on the campus of Carlow University.
SPORTS Rivals USC, Mt. Lebanon meet in season opener PAGE B1
SIGHTS & SOUNDS Food tour promotes small business PAGE B3
Real estate transactions, A6
Classifieds, B4
CO M M UN ITY DAY Free Admission
Sat. August 24 * Fairview Park * 1 1 AM - 5 PM Music - Vendors - Food - Entertainment - Activities