Artist Carol Cecere shows longtime friend Kerry Rager around her interpretation of Cambria’s America250 bell, featuring county landmarks such as the Inclined Plane and Sargent’s Stadium at the point. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

EBENSBURG — Steel took center stage on Cambria County’s America250PA bell, incorporating iconic landmarks, such as the Johnstown Inclined Plane and the Staple Bend Tunnel, while capturing more familiar, rural scenes among the Allegheny Mountains.

During the county’s America250 kickoff event at the courthouse, community members and lawmakers got a closer look Friday afternoon at the fiberglass bell created by Forest Hills High School art teacher Carol Cecere while commemorating the start of a monthslong, patriotic celebration.

“This artwork reflects not only the history of our country and our county, but the pride, creativity and the spirit of our community,” said president of the Cambria County Commissioners Scott Hunt.

Highlighting local

Over the span of two months, Cecere highlighted Cambria County’s personality with help from 10 high school students.

Some students helped paint the steel belt around the bell when it lived in the high school art room for a period of time, she said, while others contributed to key aspects such as the cow and the train wheel.

She also mentioned bouncing ideas off family members or staff who viewed her original design and suggested adding community favorite spots.

The custodian who cleans Cecere’s art room popped in and asked about the Johns­town Steel Mill, to which Cecere replied, “That’s a perfect idea to put there.”

Describing herself as a “realistic” painter, she wanted to include cultural landmarks that “we in Cambria County think about,” referencing the Path of the Flood trail and Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.

Behind iconic spots on the bell stand elements of Cambria’s agriculture atmosphere, where Cecere incorporated an image of her friend’s red barn to showcase local farming culture.

The bottom half of the bell shows a father pulling a sled while holding hands with their child, which are moments “you see everyday, but maybe we don’t appreciate,” she said.

Pennsylvanian pride

At the kickoff, Hunt said Cambria County’s own “liberty bell” was designed by “one of our own,” as Cecere brought her “vision, talent and heart to assemble such national importance.”

When the Liberty Bell first rang in 1776, marking the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, it became “a symbol of something revolutionary,” he said.

The promise of freedom and self-determination still matters in Cambria County, “where generations of hard-working men and women have lived out those ideals through service, sacrifice, innovation and community.”

State Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, added that Cambria has “long been a part” of the enduring story of the American experiment. “This is a place built by hard work, strengthened by faith and family and sustained by a deep sense of pride in community,” he said.

Upcoming events

The Cambria County bell unveiling was only the beginning of the patriotic celebration, as Community Development Director Danea Koss listed upcoming events commemorating the semiquincentennial.

On Feb. 1, three episodes of the Cambria Quiz history game show will be taped in the Resinski Black Box Theatre at Saint Francis University’s Conners Family Art Center at 1:45 p.m.

The recorded episodes will air on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day on ABC23, she said.

A torch created by Northern Cambria artist J. Andrew Jacobs will also be passed around area school districts starting in February and ending in May, encouraging staff and students to create programming surrounding the torch to “highlight the history of our country.”

Koss said a community Fourth of July parade will close out festivities, featuring local law enforcement and first responders.

“I’m really excited to see those (unique projects) come to fruition and see our community gather for this milestone anniversary,” she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.