Locations, attractions, businesses draw people to region's county seats

Even on a Monday afternoon, the streets and sidewalks of downtown Bedford are busy.

Some are shopping for antiques and fall fashions; others are eating lunch. Some are just hanging out, enjoying the mild September temperatures, and some are exploring the town for the first time - a group of Dutch tourists on a cross-country bus tour snap photos and shoot video in the town square.

There are any number of reasons why someone might be in Bedford on any given day, said Juli Dull, manager of Downtown Bedford Inc., and some of them have nothing to do with the promotional events her group plans.

A lot of Bedford's draw, in fact, is by virtue of its location - the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 99 and Route 56 all run through the area. The Omni Bedford Springs Resort, which re-opened two years ago, brings people to the area as well, Dull said.

Like Bedford, other county seats in the region share advantages that make it easy to draw folks into town - lakes and rivers, tourist attractions and colleges.

By default, they also have the county courthouses, which bring in hundreds of employees plus those who visit for the services provided there.

"The courthouse does have an effect," said Christine Strugala, community development director for Ebensburg Borough. "It's the largest employer, with almost 400 people. But when you look at the whole, big picture, it's just a bonus."

Natural resources

In Ebensburg, there are playgrounds near the downtown area, and Lake Rowena draws fishing enthusiasts to the area. In Hollidaysburg, Canal Basin Park is just minutes from downtown and has an amphitheater for outdoor concerts.

Raystown Lake is a similar boon to Huntingdon.

"I'm a leftover flower child, treehugger, big time," said Leah Dell, proprietor of Vintage Art Glass in Huntingdon. "And with the natural resources here, you can do so much - the boating and fishing, the hiking trails. There's so much you can do here to get back to nature."

The West Branch of the Susquehanna River flows right through downtown Clearfield.

"On any given day, you'll find people standing along the river with a line on the water, see them fishing and canoeing," said Holly Komonczi, marketing director for the Clearfield County Recreation and Tourism Authority.

Although they're man-made, Bedford's town squares are a place where residents naturally congregate, Dull said, and Strugala pointed to the Ebensburg Tennis Center as another of the area's draws in Cambria County.

Huntingdon also counts a fifth-place finish in Budget Travel Magazine's America's Coolest Small Towns contest among its assets.

"I think it's huge," said Julie Price, membership director for the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce. "Huntingdon received a lot of recognition through Budget Travel. ... It's been helpful; we've gotten some phone calls [travel inquiries]."

While Penn State University is in close proximity to Bellefonte, it has "very little" to do with what attracts people to the area, said Gary V. Hoover, executive director of the Bellefonte Intervalley Area Chamber of Commerce.

Bellefonte was recently named the best fly fishing town in Pennsylvania by PaFlyFish.com, Hoover said, and world-class kayakers train along Spring Creek. The town's Victorian architecture is a big draw as well.

"We get visitors here from all over the world," Hoover said. "And not just from England or places that first come to mind, but from places like Israel and Turkey and Argentina and Japan and China. We have people come up from Philadelphia who read about the town. Not a day goes by that somebody doesn't say, 'You're really lucky to live in a place like this.' It's beautiful, and there's so much to see and do here, yet it's a friendly town."

Educational facilities

Some Huntingdon residents attribute the town's artsy, laid-back vibe to the fact that Juniata College, a small, private liberal arts school, is a few blocks from downtown.

"There's more of an emphasis on the arts here and more of a political exchange, because of the culture," said Lew Kissinger, 64, of Huntingdon, who works at the Huntingdon County Library. "The college is very strongly tied into the community, and it offers cultural events to the community, as well."

In Ebensburg, Strugala works with college students from the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, from nearby St. Francis University in Loretto, as well as from other schools within a short driving distance, such as the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Ebensburg Borough seeks interns from those schools, and some students do volunteer work and community service in town. For the annual PotatoFest, the borough runs a shuttle bus between the SFU campus and downtown Ebensburg.

"We really try to promote the borough to the younger generation here," Strugala said.

Businesses

The variety of shops, eateries and businesses in Bedford draws people in - and in some cases, keeps them there. Lori Bussard owns The Village News, a restaurant and bar on South Juliana Street. She lives above her business and finds that the area supplies her with most everything she needs.

Just along Pitt Street, there's an appliance store, clothing stores and an all-natural food store and cafe.

"I go to Altoona twice a year, if that," Bussard said. "There's not much you have to go out of town for."

Service businesses also draw people to the area, said Sarah Piper, Main Street manager for Hollidaysburg Community Partnership, noting there are insurance agencies, law firms and politicians' offices in the borough.

"You can't do anything without the support of service businesses," Piper said.

In Clearfield, three sporting goods shops draw in business from throughout the state, Komonczi said.

Grice Gun Shop is the largest gun store in the state, Komonczi said, and Bob's Army & Navy Store and Jim's Sports Center also sell hunting supplies.

"In March, Grice's, Bob's and Jim's all have an annual sale - they call it March Madness," Komonczi said. "Another plus for us is that same weekend, there's a canoe race at Red Moshannon. You'll see in town - there's a canoe strapped to every vehicle."

There's a camaraderie among the businesses in Hollidaysburg, said Tina Geesey, who co-owns the Black Dog Cafe on Allegheny Street with Jenny Doll. The cafe has been open just more than a year, but Geesey and Doll weren't at all bothered when the Allegheny Creamery and Crepes opened a few doors down this summer.

"It's been great to have the crepery," Geesey said. "I'd rather see more restaurants here. It brings other people in. I tell people to stop down and check them out, and I know people do the same for us. ... There's a community spirit among the business owners here. We'll be here for a long time. We love it."

Mirror Staff Writer Ashley Gurbal is at 946-7435.