By Daniel Leopold
Staff Writer
This past weekend, parents and families flooded St. Bonaventure to visit their children and experience a bit of what life as a Bonnie is like. To help keep them busy, activities were planned to help keep these families occupied until they drove off Sunday, waving goodbye to their sons and daughters like they had done more than a month prior.
However, my family and I chose to put a unique spin on the weekend by traveling throughout the area and seeing what it had to offer.
As my mom, grandma and brother pulled into the parking lot Friday afternoon, I ran up to the car to greet them with tons of hugs and “I love you’s.” After the exchange, we quickly headed to Sprague’s Maple Farms. For the followers of my weekly adventures, I previously reviewed this cozy breakfast hotspot. When it comes to this local gem, a visit is worth way more than any words I can describe it with. For a 20-minute drive, the remarkable food and excellent atmosphere is always worth it.
After taking the night off on Friday to catch up, our weekend itinerary took us to Bonagany on Saturday. The thoroughfare of Allegany was lined with Bonaventure clubs, food vendors and shop tents, all diverse in their purposes. Mixed into the temporary tables, tents and trucks were a few shops and restaurants that offered a unique assortment of trinkets and food. The event was a great place for all sorts of different activities, and the length of Main Street was perfect for my grandmother to walk without overexerting herself.
Once we were all done perusing Bonagany, my mom decided to explore the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. After entering the building, we were guided by a helpful employee to the featured exhibit called “Pearls, Tears of the Sea” by artist Barbara Luisi. The collection featured photographs of underwater life, some altered with tints and shading in post-production. These pictures portrayed the serenity of the sea while pictographically describing the formation of a pearl. This exhibit, along with the permanent collection at the Quick Center, are always worth a visit.
On Sunday, my family and I decided to leave campus for a day trip to the Kinzua Bridge, outside of Bradford, Pa. Although the ride was nearly an hour long, the remarkable beauty of the view and the sheer scale of the bridge were more than enough recompense. The bridge had been hit by a tornado in 2003, and the remaining half was re-braced to become a tourist attraction. The amount of destruction at the base of the mountains where half of the bridge once stood veneered the magnificent landscape of multi-colored trees. It was a spectacular sight.
Heading down the Allegheny River about an hour, we ended up at the Kinzua Dam. Alongside the reservoir behind the dam were rock drifts that turned into the mountainside. From the viewing platform, a marvelous view of the river twisting through the valleys of the mountains juxtaposed the man-made dam in an awesome concert of natural splendor and synthetic construction. The site also offered a place to picnic while enjoying the sights.
To find out more about Sprague’s Maple Farms, visit spraguesmaplefarms.com. To learn about upcoming events in the Quick Center, go to sbu.edu and search for the Quick Center for the Arts. And to plan a trip to the Kinzua Bridge, visit dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/kinzuabridge for directions.
