THE BRIDGE IS A SPACE FOR PEOPLE IN BEAVER COUNTY TO FEEL HOPEFUL AND SEEN AND NOT ALONE; WHERE WE BECOME ACTIVE TOGETHER AND WORK TO DISMANTLE THE HARMFUL THINGS WE’VE HISTORICALLY SAID ABOUT OURSELVES.

Still Here: Caught in a Riptide

Rob Two Hawks, a life-long East Palestine resident, sat down with RiverWise late last year and shared his story. Years before a Norfolk Southern train derailed near his home back in 2023, Rob was caught in a riptide.

Christopher Padgett, owner of Human City Creative and RiverWise's Director of Storytelling and lead cinematographer, created an animated film depicting Rob's experience in the riptide.

Click the image above to watch the full video.

To learn more about stories from residents impacted by the East Palestine train derailment, click here.

Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services News Scan

Live Music and Other Fun!

May 20 at 5 p.m.: Music Mondays at Laughlin Memorial Library in Ambridge.

May 21 from 7-10 p.m.: Open mic hosted by The Project Band at Zooky's Sports Tavern in Fallston.

May 22 from 4-8 p.m.: Comfort & Spice pop-up food vendor at Fermata Brewing in Ambridge.

May 23 at 7 p.m.: Trivia Night at Big Sewickley Creek Brewing in Economy.

May 24 at 1 p.m.: Big Knob BBQ & Brew Fest at Big Knob Grange Fair in New Sewickley Township.

Also on May 24: "From a Distance" at BlackBox Theater at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland; Jarrod and Jess from The J. Craiger Band at Wunder Bar & Restaurant in Midland; Soulful Femme blues at 7 p.m. at Big Sewickley Creek Brewing in Economy; and Friday Night Flea Market from 4-8 p.m. at Bradys Run Ice Arena in Brighton Township.

May 29 from 6-8 p.m.: Sound Bath Journey at Pappy's Handcrafted Candles in New Brighton.

May 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Silent Book Club at the New Brighton Public Library.

May 31: The start of the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh.

Memorial Day events

Memorial Day Parade at 10 a.m. on Third Avenue in New Brighton.

Memorial Day Parade at 10:30 a.m. on Third Street in Beaver

Ellwood City Area Civic Chorale Memorial Day Service performances at 9 a.m. at Koppel Park and 11 a.m. at Christ Presbyterian Church in Ellwood.

Beaver County Rehabilitation Center: BCRC offers mental health services for all Beaver County residents. The program, called Aurora, is a resource for anyone with a mental health diagnosis who needs additional assistance in developing hope. Watch the Facebook Reel here. More info about Aurora available here.

Beaver County Crisis Help-Line: 1-800-400-6180 and 724-371-8060, or text 988.

Soup Kitchens: For a list of free meals available to the community, view the link here.

What other resources should we include? Send recommendations here.

Connect to local community development leaders

We intend for The Bridge to be a robust resource for residents of Beaver County. To make that a reality, we’d like to include a community development contact section so residents know who to reach out to for volunteer and partnership opportunities, questions, and more.

If you’d like to be included in this section of the publication, please fill out the Google Form here.

Feedback about this idea (and other components of The Bridge) can also be included in the form!

'The Showplace of Rochester'

This hotel in Rochester was once known as the “Showplace of Rochester," according to the Little Beaver Historical Society on Facebook. The Lincoln Hotel was a massive building that sat at the intersection of lower Brighton and New York avenues. Built in 1882, the hotel was the location of several iconic businesses and was the go-to place for the Rochester social scene during the early decades of the 20th century.

On Jan. 9, 1961, a mysterious fire broke out in an upper-level room of the hotel. Within minutes, flames were shooting up nearly 100 feet into the early-morning air. The building was totally destroyed and torn down a few weeks later.

The Bridge is a project of

The Bridge is a prototype for what RiverWise envisions as a growing center for relevant community news + resources for Beaver County residents.