The strange looking basement starter homes some where finished but many never where

Back in the 50's and 60's many people set out to build their dream homes but economics dictated how long it would take to live the dream this resulted in many basement homes where the basement of the home was installed and  roof put over it often flat some times with a peak as in picture below At time it was kind of cool as they looked like mini bomb shelters .

 Then a weird looking door installed on top which lead into the basement . Ideally once the home owners had enough funds they would then Finnish the home up top in some cases it took 20 +years and in others it was never completed.
Such building codes today would never allow such homes but at one time they could be found all over rural Western Pa  ,Ohio and West Virginia.
But as you travel the back roads you can still find one on occasion. Like the one below in Westmoreland County near Latrobe

The fun tradition of bringing your Tractor to School on the last day of School

at least 2 of the more out in the country  school districts in our area have a neat tradition of allowing students to bring there tractors to school either on last day of school 
one of the first in the area to do it was the Freedom Area School District  and the Yough High School
 its a fun tradition of course liberal ass holes worried about safety stopped Freedom High School from doing it

https://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/local_news/the-end-of-a-tractor-tradition/article_73a1671c-f7c5-511a-98e9-925a7728aa83.htm    

A fun tradition no more because a couple pansies see it as an insult that tractors show up in a highbrow school district now that city folk have moved to the country and ruined things. You know what country folks where there first not you so they make the rules not you. 

However the tradition was continued by the Yough High school this year .

 and fun as ever. 

http://www.wtae.com/article/tractor-day-students-drive-tractors-to-yough-high-school/9938965

Of course it goes with out saying this practice goes on in other states and is even encouraged in farm country but like anything once the liberal ass pansies have their ways it will be no more hopefully it will be revived next year in Freedom 

Fairview Park a park built out of necessity due to Pittsburgh regions shameful past

As you ride down the old section of US-22 William Penn Highway  near Salem Twp Pa you come across a beautiful meadow and pleasant little park known as Fairview Park a neat little country park  out in the country but one built not out of enjoying the country side but of necessity you see this park was built by African Americans  after it was  clear to them they where not welcome in the many amusement type parks of the time period Like Kennywood,due to Jim Crow era rules .

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/east/2011/02/24/Fairview-Park-in-Delmont-gains-national-historic-status/stories/201102240256

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairview_Park_(Westmoreland_County,_Pennsylvania)

In fact for years there has been rumors unsubstantiated  and denied by Kennywood that they deliberately closed and filled in there pool after African Americans where allowed to swim in it. 

the truth many pools like Blue Dell and Glen Burke where getting old and leaking and cost to keep them maintained was more than income coming in so they closed as land became more valuable . 

But the fact such a park would even need to be built is a sad chapter in  our areas history,

 

2 Supper Clubs named Beverly Hills both had fires in 70's One in Pa one in KY One accidental the other most likely Arson and 169 lives lost but people often get there locations and facts mixed up.

Yes 40 years ago a horrifying fire destroyed the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Kentucky at first thought an accident but now many believe it was arson which killed a 169 people

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/05/24/what-remains-fire-and-40-years/329254001/

But this happened in Kentucky not Pennsylvania

So why does everyone get confused about this fire it is because  a fire  happen overnight at The Beverly Hills Hotel along Evergreen Road  in Ross twp  in 1975 and no one was hurt or died. 

Yes it was a big fire and made the news but it has nothing to do with the Kentucky fire but people get confused about it all the time. 

http://old.post-gazette.com/neigh_north/20020102ncover0102p2.asp

 In fact the hotel stayed in operation until early 80s when it was abandoned  and sat empty and derelict till Allegheny city electric bought it and fixed it up.  

Perhaps the old derelict Beverly hills hotel sign which sat on babacock Blvd. helped cause the confusion along with part of the burned out building .