Ann Silverthorn

As an ordinary citizen observing Millcreek’s J.O.Y. senior center, the conflict between the township supervisors and the seniors looks muddy and messy. I say that because the situation is as clear as mud, and it will be quite a mess to clean up. Currently, the township says that items are missing from the senior center inventory. The…

Millcreek’s JOY senior-citizen center closed on August 27, 2014 in spite of repeated pleas and protests by the users of the center and their supporters, Meca, Inc., a local non-profit that had been running the center, and CCom (Concerned Citizens of Millcreek). Efforts are currently underway to reorganize the center, independent from government control, and…

What’s this happiness thing all about? Well, one recent, late-summer evening, I was searching for positive or useful content to Tweet (@annsilverthorn), and as you know, finding positive news can be quite a challenge. So, I Googled the word, “happy,” and found numerous results related to Pharrell’s catchy tune, which I love, but found on page…

Hopes were high at the J.O.Y. Center meeting on August 19, 2014. The seniors, and their supporters, were confident Millcreek’s supervisors would grant a three-month extension to Meca’s contract. This would allow the non-profit to continue running the center, and there would be time to find a solution to the senior-center issue. Unfortunately, at the August 26 supervisors’ meeting,…

A century ago, William E. Dimorier, an Erie educator and Colgate University alumnus, wrote a letter about Erie, PA, to the editors of Colgate’s school newspaper, the Madisonensis. Dimorier was a transplant from Afton, NY, to Erie, and this letter shows how great his love for Erie had grown in just a decade’s time. Dimorier would reside in Erie for nearly…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Millcreek supervisors’ decision to close the J.O.Y. senior center, which has been open for less than a year. Since then, I have sincerely appreciated Supervisor John Groh’s response and willingness to dialogue with me about the matter. What I’ve learned from this is that the senior-center situation is…

Almost two decades ago, my mother told me she was helping her friend raise money for a senior center in Millcreek Township. After many stops and starts over the years, the project finally came to fruition as the J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) Center in September 2013. My mother and her friend are no longer with us, but they…

Every August, the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church holds its three-day Italian festival celebrating the Feast of the Assumption. St. Paul’s is located in Erie’s historic Little Italy and is the parish my in-laws grew up and were married in. We’ve gone to the festival in the past but have never attended the Mass and procession through the…

Here are days 1-25 from my 100 Happy Days project! Days 26-50 Days 51-75 Days 76-100 Comments on “100 Happy Days (1-25)”

Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement for Cozi. I have not received any incentive from Cozi to write this guide. I simply wish to share this info with you, because I wish Cozi had existed 20 years ago, when my kids were small and our house was crazy. For a few years now, we’ve…