Cheers & Jeers
Mike Jones
Cheer: A new tourism report issued last week revealed a few things we already knew: Southwestern Pennsylvania offers plenty of things for visitors to see and do. The 2024 Pennsylvania Tourism Office report showed the overall economic impact for Fayette, Greene and Washington counties has increased. Visitors had a total economic impact of $83.9 billion across the state, taking into account factors such as employment, state and federal taxes, and business sales. That was up nearly $7 billion from 2023. Washington posted the highest total in business sales among the three counties – $1.24 billion, a 5.4% increase – though Fayette and Greene also saw jumps. Visitors spent more, too. At $776.2 million, Fayette County’s total was up 13.5% from 2023, more than three times the percentage increase seen by the state overall. Muriel Johnson-Nuttall, executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, attributed the increase to the Laurel Highlands area, specifically Fayette County, for multi-day stays, citing local gem Ohiopyle State Park, which draws more than 1 million visitors a year.
Cheer: A familiar part of the Fayette County landscape was celebrated last Saturday for its 75 years of symbolizing faith and hope to those who visit it. The Great Cross of Christ in Jumonville is showing signs of aging, with its blistering paint and damaged floodlights. The Jumonville Camp & Retreat Center used the milestone event to kick off a fundraising campaign to restore the 60-foot cross, setting a goal of $150,000 – $75,000 for the restoration and $75,000 for ongoing maintenance. Laurie Yonika of Eighty Four attended the celebration, sharing that she’s visited the camp and its centerpiece attraction a dozen times. “It’s so peaceful,” she said. “I feel closer to God up here. It’s hard to explain the feeling.” It became even more special when her boyfriend, Jimmy Taylor of Washington, proposed to her in the shadow of the cross Saturday afternoon. “This is such a special spot for her,” Taylor said. “I knew it would be meaningful.” For more information on the fundraising campaign for the restoration work, go online to www.jumonville.org.
Cheer: State Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was in Washington County last week to commemorate the county’s 50th farm being included in the state’s farmland preservation program. The program gives farmers a one-time payment in exchange for a promise that the property will never be commercially developed. Bill and Judy Iams hosted the event at The Barn at Ike’s Place, the event venue on their Amwell Township farm. The couple agreed to have their property preserved in 2015, making it the 30th in the county to do so. Over the past few decades, many farmers have sold their properties, leading to the development of strip malls, housing plans and other uses. “We’ve seen a lot of change in our time,” Iams said. “Once a farm is lost, it’s lost forever.” Now, 52 farms covering nearly 8,000 acres in the county have been preserved and will remain agricultural. Redding said the state has spent $1.76 billion on the program over the last 40 years, keeping 650,000 acres statewide free of development. “It’s about the long-term vision of our community,” Redding said. “Thanks for being persistent.”