Welcome to our second thematic edition of The Bridge! This might be our longest edition yet — so be sure to hit "view entire message'" or "view in browser" once you've scrolled as far as your email will let you (there's plenty more to see 😊).
As we enter into the fall season, this edition of The Bridge is intended to reflect upon and showcase the hope and creativity that's very much alive in Beaver County.
While it's meant to be an expansive representation of many of the fun, thoughtful, and educational summer happenings in the county, there's much we couldn't fit into one edition.
SO LET US KNOW!
What did we miss? What does "a Beaver County summer" mean to you? Send us an email or tag us on social media (@thebridge.news).
The San Rocco Festa turned 100 this summer. Watch the video to learn more about one of Beaver County's most famous events.
By Dani Brown
"Every kid in my town has a bike" has been Communicycle's slogan for many years. The nonprofit uses bikes to meet an immediate need, with the hope of building lasting relationships with community members along the way.
Thanks to Communicycle, it certainly feels like every kid in Beaver County has a bike. And for the past several months, Communicycle has added a new element to its mission: giving every kid a helmet, too.
Rosanne Robinson started with Communicycle in October 2024 after several years of donating bikes.
"I always wanted to go down and help," she said.
She visited Communicycle with her grandkids and together they learned how to dismantle a bike. Now, she and her husband Steve are regular volunteers.
When Rosanne joined Communicycle last fall, someone had donated helmets to Communicycle's Monaca location. The Communicycle team brought the helmets to their distribution location in the Beaver Valley Mall and the helmets were a hit.
"The kids are excited to get the helmets. Many have helmets that they say don't fit or are lost," Rosanne said. "Giving a bike to a child is great, but to have them ride that bike with some extra protection for their head is also important. Every year so many bike riders, not just children, are in emergency rooms due to head injuries from falls on bicycles."
Communicycle has helmets — and bikes! — for adults, too.
"Some of the funding from sponsors is making it possible to purchase helmets," Rosanne said, "along with the generous donations of helmets we've received from CYS, UPMC, and other organizations."
Learn more about Communicycle!
Uncommon Concerts returned for another reason this summer, with Friday evening music taking place not only in Aliquippa, but in Ambridge, too.
"We really enjoyed our fourth season of Uncommon Concerts," said Pamela Rossi-Keen, executive director of The Genesis Collective. "We had some fan favorite performers, expanded one of our concerts into a full family event, and introduced a greater part of the public to the Trophimus Center in Ambridge. Overall, it was a success. I would love to see more community members take advantage of this really fun, easy, and totally free series next year!"
Watch the video above to hear Kenny Sharp, who will make a reappearance in Beaver County this fall.
"If you were at the Kenny Sharp concert, mark your calendars for November 7. He'll be back with us at our annual gala!" Rossi-Keen said.
Photos by Erin Ninehouser
Learn more about The Genesis Collective.
Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC) had a busy summer, hosting Frackland tours across the region, getting episodic air sampling, setting up a mobile air monitor, and much more.
Looking for free coloring pages that educate your little ones about the environment? Check out BCMAC's free downloadable coloring pages by clicking here.
Watch a recap of the 2025 Summer Sustainability Institute!
Reforest Our Future had countless summer events, including Tree ID hikes, native plant landscaping events, wellness walks, forest explorers, movie nights, volunteer days, and more! Check out some of their photos from Facebook below.
From ROF's Facebook: "We’ve been having so much fun this summer! ☀️🌲 Thank you to everyone who has come out to events, volunteered with us, and shown ROF support. It’s been a great first summer and we look forward to many, many more."
Follow Reforest Our Future on Facebook!
Below is an excerpt from Daniel Rossi-Keen's recent Community Matters piece, now published on RiverWise's website and here in each edition of The Bridge. Click here to read the full article.
In this moment, when the future appears fraught with insurmountable challenges, we need to lean into those things which remain firmly in our control.
Perhaps more than ever, we must grasp afresh the opportunities in front of us, lock arms with those around us, and push our communities forward with every bit of strength we can muster. We must, together, snatch order and purpose out of the jaws of division and chaos. We must discipline ourselves and encourage others to practice service, honor, civil discourse, and honest reflection about what we want for ourselves, our children, and the future of our communities.
We must — both despite and precisely because of what is happening at a national level — become hyperfocused on what we still can control, and then work tirelessly alongside our neighbors to create beauty, order, and genuine community right here in the places each of us calls home.
It is sadly true that none of these things will, on their own, restore what has been lost. But it is all the more true that such seemingly simple acts of local defiance remain a powerful and constructive form of resistance against further division and destruction of our shared social fabric.
Read the full Community Matters piece on RiverWise's website
Opportunities: Book sales, fall festivals, and more!
September 5–15
Book Sale: New Brighton Public Library, 1021 Third Ave., New Brighton.
Saturday, September 13
Community Day and First Responder Fall Fest: 12 PM to night (fireworks). Green Valley Park, 184 Snyder Drive, Rochester.
Saturday, September 20
Precision Power and Military Might Exposition: 10 AM to 3 PM, Beaver County Airport.
Fort McIntosh Day 2025: 10 AM to 4 PM, River Road, Beaver.
37th Annual Homewood Heritage Festival: 10 AM to 5 PM, 104 Third Avenue, Homewood Junction, Beaver Falls.
Sunday, September 21
Tails on the Trails Pet Walk: 11 AM to 3 PM, Bradys Run Park, Shelter 7 and the Lodge.
Saturday, September 27
Worldwide Day of Play at Neighborhood North Museum of Play: 10 AM to 2 PM, 716 14th St., Beaver Falls.
New Horizon School Craft Show: 9 AM to 3 PM, the Dome at CCBC, Campus Drive, Monaca.
Monaca Fall Fest: 2 PM to 6 PM, John Antoline Memorial Park, 2500 Marshall Road, Monaca.
Resources: Job listings
Job Listings
A variety of jobs are available with Head Start/Early Head Start of Beaver County (Child Care Partnership Coordinator, Building Maintenance, 10-Month Instructor, Family Service Worker, Instructor Aide, Pre-K Support-Sub, and more). Apply: https://privateindustrycouncil.com/pic-employment-application
A variety of jobs are available with Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, 350 Third Street, Beaver. (Medical Assistant, Medical Receptionist, and Front Desk). Apply here. Be sure to type "Beaver" in the location section.
A Childcare Worker position is currently being advertised with Bullfrogs and Butterflies Childcare Center. Those interested in applying can contact the childcare center: 216-647-8751 or email [email protected].
From a 2018 article by Dani (Fitzgerald) Brown in the Beaver County Times:
Summertime schedules looked almost identical for most kids in the '60s and '70s who grew up in the DiMattia Plan beside the Daniel DiMattia Memorial Recreation Center Pool.
You'd wake up, throw on a swim suit and head down to the pool. If you didn't grab lunch at the pool's snack bar, you'd walk home for lunch only to run straight back to the diving board afterwards.
The DiMattia Pool was, quite literally, a community pool.
Consider it a watering hole, where community members, especially those in the neighboring streets of 21st Street and Daniel, Christine and Angela drives would meet everyday over the summer to swim, socialize and swim some more.
Read the full article in The Ellwood Ledger
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The Bridge is a prototype for what RiverWise envisions as a growing center for relevant community news + resources for Beaver County residents.
Owen Rossi-Keen
Owen Rossi-Keen is the Founder and Principal Software Engineer at Iliad.dev, LLC, a web development agency focused on delivering enterprise-grade customization without the enterprise price-tag.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania