Armstrong "In The Loop Podcast"

We have a special treat for all of you this week as Tricia Pritchard, Host of the Butler Buzz, joins us to talk about her new role on the Armstrong Neighborhood Channel! 

Tricia is a very welcoming and open person. We spend the first part of the show learning who she is and what led her to the path of teaching. She currently teaches multiple courses at Grove City College and Butler County Community College. Her story of being on stage in high school will put a smile on your face!

We talk about public speaking and how it is the most practical & useful piece of communication we use in various areas of life. We get into how many people are scared of picking up the phone to make a call let alone getting up in front of people to give a presentation.

We spend the last third of the show talking about the Butler Buzz. Tricia recently became the new host of the great Armstrong Neighborhood Channel show and she shares how the experience has been so far. She talks about some of the guests they've had on and some that are going to be on in the near future. Tricia has brought her personality to the show and it really comes across when watching on TV, YouTube or Facebook. We hope our listeners will visit the links below to catch Tricia on the Butler Buzz!

To watch Butler Buzz on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ArmstrongNeighborhoodChannel
*Click on Butler County under "Our Neighborhoods" to find current and past episodes of Butler Buzz*

To watch or follow on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ArmstrongButlerBuzz

To watch on the Armstrong Neighborhood Channel: Tune in to Channels 10 & 100  or check out Armstrong Neighborhood Channel's website for a full schedule: https://armstrongonewire.com/Television/LocalProgramming

All episodes are available on the Butler Buzz Podcast: 
https://butlerbuzz.buzzsprout.com/

Special thanks to Tricia Pritchard for joining us and her Producer Matt Lutz for creating the Butler Buzz! 

Here is our 2nd part of this great 2 part 100th episode celebration with Stefanie and Nick! 

We are celebrating our 100th episode with a 2 part episode! We needed to go big to celebrate the achievement and had to bring in someone who impacted most households in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Our guest for episode 100 is Stefanie Clark Eskander, toy designer who worked for Mattel, Hasbro and Tonka. She has been illustrating and designing in the toy business for over 40 years with the last few years freelancing for multiple companies. Stefanie is well known for her work designing girl's toys but she's responsible for designing the late 80's/early 90's WWF Wrestling Buddies.

Nick Bartley, host of Hunting Nostalgia, joins us as a co-host for this episode as he's been friends with Stefanie. Nick's knowledge of the toy industry and passion for what Stefanie has created shines thru during the discussion. 

Stefanie shares many great stories in both episodes that you won't want to miss! We're very thankful that Stefanie gave us two hours to have a wonderful conversation and the impact she has made on hundreds of thousands if not more with the toys she designed!

For more information on Stefanie Clark Eskander or to purchase her book "Toy Stories: The Secret Life of a Toy Designer":  https://stefanieeskanderdesign.com/

Follow Stefanie on Instagram to see all original designs, concepts and more of her work: https://www.instagram.com/stefdesignstoys/


Catch Nick Bartley  & Hunting Nostalgia on Armstrong Neighborhood Channel and his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagTHb3bQ_m4ZdskRmS_AfA

Follow Nick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntingnostalgia

Special Thanks to Stefanie and Nick for making our 100th episode a possibility! 

We are celebrating our 100th episode with a 2 part episode! We needed to go big to celebrate the achievement and had to bring in someone who impacted most households in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Our guest for episode 100 is Stefanie Clark Eskander, toy designer who worked for Mattel, Hasbro and Tonka. She has been illustrating and designing in the toy business for over 40 years with the last few years freelancing for multiple companies. Stefanie is well known for her work designing girl's toys but she's responsible for designing the late 80's/early 90's WWF Wrestling Buddies.

Nick Bartley, host of Hunting Nostalgia, joins us as a co-host for this episode as he's been friends with Stefanie. Nick's knowledge of the toy industry and passion for what Stefanie has created shines thru during the discussion. 

Stefanie shares many great stories in both episodes that you won't want to miss! We're very thankful that Stefanie gave us two hours to have a wonderful conversation and the impact she has made on hundreds of thousands if not more with the toys she designed!

For more information on Stefanie Clark Eskander or to purchase her book "Toy Stories: The Secret Life of a Toy Designer":  https://stefanieeskanderdesign.com/

Follow Stefanie on Instagram to see all original designs, concepts and more of her work: https://www.instagram.com/stefdesignstoys/


Catch Nick Bartley  & Hunting Nostalgia on Armstrong Neighborhood Channel and his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagTHb3bQ_m4ZdskRmS_AfA

Follow Nick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntingnostalgia

Special Thanks to Stefanie and Nick for making our 100th episode a possibility! 

This week we're honored to be joined by the 2021-2022 Rich-Mar Rotary Club President, Dan Goss.

Dan shares with us his story of how he got involved with Rotary and how it started with his father becoming a Rotarian. We also learn about the rich history of the Rich-Mar Club and how the club was chartered. 

Dan talks about what it means to be a President of a Rotary Club. There are a few goals that Dan has challenged the club with and so far they're well on their way to accomplishing them. Community Service Projects are a key part of Rotary and Dan shares the current projects as well as what is to come this year.

Membership is always a talking point when it comes to service organizations. If people are interested in attending a meeting or becoming a Rich-Mar Rotarian, please visit the Rich-Mar Rotary Club website www.rich-mar.org

To find a Rotary Club near you: My.Rotary.Org

Follow and like Rich-Mar Rotary's Facebook Page: facebook.com/rich-mar-rotary

The 36th Annual Mars Applefest returns to downtown Mars, PA on October 2nd. Brian Fleeson, Chair of the Mars Applefest Committee, joined us to talk about this wonderful event. The Rich-Mar Rotary Satellite Club has been working diligently to make this the best Applefest yet!

Brian starts off the show talking about the Rich-Mar Rotary Satellite Club and providing information if people would like to join. He talks about some of the projects they've worked on and what they would like to do to help those in need.

Brian gives all the details about Mars Applefest including 150+ vendors, food, entertainment and they're collecting Warm Socks for Mission for Mars at the Rotary tent. 


For more information about Mars Applefest: https://marsapplefest.com/
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/227459576101430/

Please email Cindy Fleeson, [email protected], or Brian Fleeson, [email protected] if interested in joining!

For more information about Rich-Mar Rotary: http://rich-mar.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rich-Mar-Rotary

September is Hunger Action Month and we thought it would be a great opportunity to speak with one of the Western PA county food banks. Jennifer Miller, CEO of Westmoreland County Food Bank, joins us this week to talk about WCFB, Hunger Action Month and all the critical information that the public might not be aware of with their local food banks. 

Jennifer shares her experience of how quickly she and her team had to pivot during the start of the pandemic to ensure people had resources. We talk about where things currently stand for local food banks and what resources are vital to those in need. Jennifer also talks about the need for volunteers as almost every food bank has a large number of senior citizen volunteers. Many might not be able to help right now because of the pandemic and you'll hear why volunteers are so critical to the success of any food bank.

We also talk about why Hunger Action Month falls in the month of September. The holidays are approaching and this is when people experience higher bills, utilities, etc.  Fall and winter months are hard on people and Hunger Action Month helps to provide awareness, raise money, and food collections for our area food banks.

For more information on Westmoreland County Food Bank:
https://westmorelandfoodbank.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westmorelandfoodbank

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westmorelandfoodbank/

For more information on Hunger Action Month or to find a local food bank in your community: https://www.feedingamerica.org/take-action/hunger-action-month

This week's episode features Armstrong Breaking Bread's 4th Annual A Walk For Hunger. The walk wouldn't be this successful without the help of each of the SVHS Seniors who have made the event a part of their senior class project. Our last 3 seniors: Julie Kopp, Taylor Kopp, Reaghan Wilkerson combined to raise $14,000 for our local food banks. Our guest this week, Ashley Felitsky, is our 2021 Walk For Hunger Senior and has a goal of raising $6,000. This is significant because we can surpass the $20,000 milestone in only 4 years. Huge accomplishment from these 4 young women!

A Walk For Hunger 2021 will be held on Sunday, September 12th at North Boundary Park in Cranberry Township. Registration will be at 9am and the walk will start at 10am. There will be raffle baskets, YETI Cooler drawing, and a check presentation after the walk is over. 

Cost is $20.00 and includes a t-shirt

This is a hybrid event and can be done on your own time. We will have shirts at the Zelienople Armstrong Office for pick up starting on September 13th.

For more information, to register or to donate to A Walk For Hunger:
https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/CranberryTownship/AWalkForHunger

Every cent collected is given directly to our Food Banks:
The Lighthouse Foundation
South West Butler Food Cupboard
Gleaner's Food Bank of Cranberry
Holy Redeemer Social Services in Ellwood City

We're honored to be joined again by Shanea Clancy, Suicide Prevention Coordinator of the Butler VA Healthcare System. Shanea wanted us to highlight the month of September being the National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

We deep dive into heavy topics including the "Golden Hour", Risk and Protective Factors, Myths and Realities, and the most important question you can ask someone who might be considering suicide.

For More Information:
Butler VA Website- https://www.va.gov/butler-health-care/

Suicide Prevention Hotline:1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 for Veterans

Contact Shanea Clancy
878-271-6552   
[email protected] 

Mars Exploration Celebration for 2021 is finally here. Join us as we speak with Missy Gralish, Mars New Year Board of Director, and hear all about the exciting two-day event that they have planned in Mars, PA!

 
This will be the fourth Mars Exploration Celebration that the committee has organized and it will be the largest event yet! They are practicing all guidelines to keep everyone safe and are using a hybrid model if you'd like to stream from their YouTube or Facebook page. (Links below)

NASA will be partnering with Mars New Year but in a  virtual capacity due to the rise in COVID cases. They have not pulled out! They have a full list of speakers and presentations that will be happening on Friday and Saturday.

There is something for everyone during the two days. There will be STEM/STEAM education areas, Kidzone, live music, food, beverages and much more! We hope you come out on August 27th from 5pm-10pm and Saturday August 28th from 12pm-10pm. Each night will end with a wonderful Firefly Drone Show that you won't want to miss!




For more information on Mars New Year:

-Mars New Year Website: http://marsnewyear.com/

-Mars New Year Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarsNewYear

-Mars Robotics Association YouTube Channel for Live Stream:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDn1_v68AiSnUHGN5Ce7jTg/featured

-Mars Robotics Association Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarsRoboticsAssociation

Siggy Pehel, President of the Glade Run Lake Conservancy, and Karlee Holmes, GRLC Board Member and Event Coordinator of the 10th Anniversary join the show to talk about the 10th Anniversary of Glade Run Lake Conservancy.

We last spoke with Siggy in 2020 to learn about GLRC, their first ever Food Truck Event and how people can get involved. Siggy expands and talks about the first 10 years & where the next 10 years of GLRC are heading. Learn about the projects that the group are working on next and how you can play a part in making these projects a possibility!

Karlee talks to us about their 10th Anniversary Event on Sunday, August 29th. 

For more information: https://www.gladerunlakeconservancy.org/events

Karlee and Siggy talk about their amazing website for a large part of the remainder of the show: https://www.gladerunlakeconservancy.org/ 
Everything you need to know is on their website including how to become a member (FREE), how to volunteer, how to donate or read their incredible blog posts. Two, in particular, we spend time talking about: Bread is Bad for Wildlife and Conservation. Please take time to read these blog posts.

We hope to see all of you at the 10th Anniversary Celebration on August 29th!