the almanac F E B R U A RY 15, 2026
SOUTH HILLS COMMUNITY NEWS
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Sheep farm fire impacts region
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Bethel Park kicks off celebration
By Eleanor Bailey and Mike Jones
ebailey@thealmanac.net mjones@observer-reporter.com
A somberness surrounds the St. Andrew Society as the organization prepares for its annual Tartan Days celebration to be held April 11 at Bethel Presbyterian Church, located at 2999 Bethel Church Road. After suffering the loss of three members over the holidays, the group suffered a gut punch on Feb. 2 when the “old barn” built on the historic Ross Farm property was destroyed by fire, killing 138 heritage and rare breed sheep and two goats inside. “I was so devastated when I heard about the news,” said Pam Maniet. The North Strabane resident, who grew up in Bethel Park, is the vice president of the St. Andrew’s Society. A member of Bethel Presbyterian Church, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, she was instrumental in bringing Tartans Days to Bethel Park. “When I saw it on the news, I said, ‘Oh, no! That’s Drew’s family farm.’” said Maniet of Drew Ross Manko, who sold skeins of dyed yarn from the sheep at Tartan Days. Maniet noted she immediately reached out to Kathy Wells when she
ELEANOR BAILEY
The Patriotic Schoolhouse is unveiled by Allegheny County executive Sara Innamorato and artist Johno Prascak during a ceremony to kick off Bethel Park’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Art unveiled to celebrate America’s 250th birthday By Eleanor Bailey ebailey@thealmanac.net
COURTESY OF COKEBURG VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Firefighters battle the blaze that destroyed the “old barn” at Ross Farm in North Bethlehem Township late Monday.
heard of the farm fire. Wells is one of the exhibitors at Tartan Days and created the St. Andrew Society of Pittsburgh tartan. “I even have a pair of wool socks made from those sheep,” added Maniet. According to Amy Ross Manko, who owns the farm on Route 519 near Route 40 in North Bethlehem, the sheep were the family’s history and future. “So many people in the community
have an attachment with our barn, our farm, even the individual sheep,” she said. The barn and farm also are an integral part of a family tradition with her son, Drew, becoming the sixth generation to run the farm and raise sheep. The devastating fire comes less than five months after Drew Ross Manko died Sept. 17 at age 30 following a brief illness. “Drew passing away suddenly after an unexplained illness was so shocking,” Maniet said. “Now, the terrible tragedy with the fire and all the sheep passing away from it, it seems like a bad dream.” The barn had housed sheep ever since it was built on the 178-acre property in 1910, and the farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, among several other historic designations. However, Ross Manko’s ancestors have been farming in the area since before Pennsylvania was a state. Ross Manko talked about how her son mentored many young people who were interested in agriculture, including some first generation sheep breeders who were looking for help getting a start. Some of the animals for those young farmers were lost in the fire. “We’re still reeling from that and trying to move forward with the knowlELEANOR BAILEY edge he had,” Ross Manko said. “All of In this file photo, Drew Manko from Ross Family Farms arranges skeins of our pets were in that barn.” In addition to serving as a vendor at yarn sheared from the sheep he raised on the Washington County farm. During Pittsburgh Tartan Days, Manko said he was able to celebrate Scottish SEE IMPACT PAGE A4 heritage as well as share the tradition of sheep farming.
TARTAN DAYS REMEMBERED
Pittsburgh Tartan Day will be celebrated April 11 at the Bethel Presbyterian Church, located at 2999 Bethel Church Road. Admission and parking are free. Vendors, Scottish food, entertainment and raffles will be featured along with workshops and clans performing traditional dances, songs and crafts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to the event’s organizer Pam Maniet, this year not only marks the 250th anniversary of the
country’s founding, it’s also the 250th Anniversary of Bethel Presbyterian Church. Both anniversaries will be celebrated at Tartan Day. “The church was founded by a Scottish minister, and it is very cool that we celebrate all things Scottish at the church,” she said. Maniet noted the annual gathering will honor Drew Ross Manko as well as three other members of the St. Andrew Society who passed away in 2025. Remembered will be Larry Kasi-
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orek, 73, Sarah Jean Thompson, 79, and Don Campbell, 82. All played “significant” roles in the group. Thompson was a Highland dance instructor and a judge at national competitions. Campbell organized the group’s annual picnic and collected donations for Tartan Day raffle baskets. Kasiorek and his wife, Kathy, served as the group’s treasurer. “All of them were wonderful people and their loss creates a big hole,” Maniet said. “We miss them dearly.”
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The Bethel Park Schoolhouse Arts & History Center proved the perfect setting for the municipality to kick off America’s celebration of 250 years of freedom. Built in 1905 as Bethel Township High School, the restored historic building was abuzz on Feb. 7 as the community unveiled four commissioned paintings to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial on July 4. Prints and ornaments of the pieces are being sold and proceeds will benefit Bethel Park’s Fantastic Four Charities – the public library, historical society, community and education foundations. “History does not only live in textbooks or museums; it lives in our public spaces, in our art. It lives in the stories we tell about ourselves to each other, and really what we value,” said Sara Innamorato. The Allegheny County Executive was one of many special guests and dignitaries invited to the celebration. Among the other politicians to attend included county council member Dan Grzybek from Bethel Park and Pennsylvania state Sen. Devlin Robinson. “As we look toward America’s 250th anniversary, I hope people across Allegheny County use this moment to learn about our shared history and really what unites us in this moment as we work each and every day to build that more perfect union.” SEE 250th PAGE A2
THE DATA CENTER BOOM
What to expect from facilities By Jon Andreassi
jandreassi@observer-reporter.com
In the past several months, residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania have have heard a lot about the potential development of data centers in the region. If these projects were to come to fruition, what exactly does that mean for the communities where they are proposed? Data centers, from the outside, are essentially large warehouses. Inside are servers and other computer equipment that run constantly to operate just about everything that happens on the internet. Dr. Lisa Kovalchick, a professor and the chair of Pennsylvania Western University’s Department of Computing and Engineering Technology, said the rush to build the centers is primarily fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency. “(AI) is constantly storing data and learning from the data,” she said. “All that leads to the need for more and more servers to store data, and more computers to be able to do the computations and things like that.” Sarah Martik is the executive director of the Center for Coalfield Justice, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental issues. In recent months the group has held community forums to raise awareness on data center proposals in the region. “Data centers are not a new concept,” Martik said. “What is new is the (multi-building) data centers focus. Those are fueled by the development of AI.” A potential site for that type of center is in South Strabane SEE BOOM PAGE A2
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