America250 PA Armstrong County

10/23/2026

Cecilia Baltusavich has enjoyed traveling across our beautiful Commonwealth exploring our Bells Across PA installations. 🔔✨🎨

Hear from her as she shares her experience and hopes to inspire others to do the same! ⬇️

“Born and raised in NEPA in the town of Plains (aka the Keystone of the Wyoming Valley) in Luzerne County. Having always loved history, especially local/PA history, I was excited to learn about the bell project this past May. Although a little late to get started, I, along with family, friends, and boyfriend's kids Kallen and Lana who are 6th and 4th grade students at Fairview Elementary school in Mt. Top thoroughly enjoyed seeing the different bells across the Commonwealth.

My current bell count rests at 23 and Kallen and Lana have joined me in seeing 3. Finding the different bells sometimes feels like a fun scavenger hunt in a way in that it's like a competition to see who's going to spot it first. There was even one where a kind local Scranton policeman helped us in locating the bell!

Searching for the bells have led us to many locations we would not otherwise see. For example, on our way home from VA this past summer, we had the opportunity to tour the battlefields of Gettysburg after stopping to see the bell in Adams County. Being able to get kids excited about the bells and PA history has brought me a lot of joy and I am so happy to be able to pass down my love of PA history to our younger generation.

Most of the bells we have seen are in the northern and eastern part of the state. Some of our favorites include the bells in Wilkes-Barre, Hersheypark, and Pike County. Even though our bell count may not be that high compared to others, we are looking forward to seeing more before the year is over!”

🛣️ If you have also traveled to visit our Bells Across PA installations, send us a message for a chance to be featured!

10/22/2026

Join us as we celebrate Pennsylvania’s leading role in the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States in 2026.

10/16/2026

🇺🇸 Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday with a Special Ladies Tea! 🫖

The Ford City Public Library invites you to step back in time and celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary with a special evening hosted by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)!

Enjoy tea, light refreshments, and an opportunity to learn more about the DAR’s important work preserving American history, exploring family genealogy, and honoring our Revolutionary War heritage.

The evening will also feature a presentation about the historic Massy Harbison Log Cabin, a remarkable piece of our region’s history!

📅 Friday, November 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM

📍 Ford City Public Library

Mothers, daughters, grandmothers, granddaughters, sisters, aunts, nieces, and friends ages 8 and older are welcome!

Pre-registration is required: www.armstronglibraries.org/fcplprograms

As Armstrong County joins communities across Pennsylvania in commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, events like this offer a wonderful opportunity to connect generations, discover our local history, and celebrate the stories that shaped our nation.

Please see the flyer below for additional details!

10/14/2026

Sue Magill has traveled across our beautiful Commonwealth to visit our Bells Across PA installations! 🔔✨🎨

Hear from her as she shares her experience and hopes to inspire others to do the same! ⬇️

My friend Rita Eaves and myself were both excited to read about the America250PA Bells. We decided that we would try to travel to all 67 counties to see their bells. We began our journey on October 27th with Dauphin County at Hershey's Chocolate World. (I am from Dauphin County, Rita is from Cumberland County). We didn't know what to expect but when we saw the beautiful display and the wonderful artwork of that Bell, we knew we were hooked. We couldn't wait to see the next County Bell. We knew we had until 12/31/2026 to do this. We have traveled to 43 Counties and have seen 57 bells. We stayed a couple of days in Philadelphia because we wanted to add the original Liberty Bell to our quest. We were able to see six bells while we were staying there. Traveling in cities and towns all over Pennsylvania and learning so much about their local history and seeing their beautiful bells has been a blessing. The "keepers" of the Bells in each County have been so friendly and so helpful to Rita and myself. We even had a Security Officer at a Court House allow us to park illegally while we went inside to view their bell. The Court House was closing in 12 minutes so we were so grateful when he said "I'll give you 10 minutes!" We have 24 Counties left to visit and we can't wait to see what we will find. We have our trips scheduled and we hope to have completed all 67 Counties by the end of the year.

✨If you have also traveled to visit our Bells Across PA installations, send us a message for a chance to be featured!

09/30/2026

Angela Homan and Kathy Shope have enjoyed exploring our beautiful Commonwealth by visiting America250PA’s Bells Across PA installations!🔔✨🎨

Hear from Angela as she shares their experience and hopes to inspire others to do the same! ⬇️

Our PA bell journey started when a teacher told Kathy about the bells around the state. Kathy's first bell was Blair County. She took me to see the bell at Talleyrand Park in Bellefonte, and I was hooked. Each of us went to see some bells on our own. We took family members with us.

Then, Kathy started mapping out day trips for us to take together. We classify our trips by how many bells we can see in one day. Is it a four-bell day? Is it a five-bell day? To keep track of how many bells we have seen and where, we printed a map of the PA counties and colored them in as we see the bells in each county. My bell total is 28, and Kathy has seen 32.

My current favorite bells are Armstrong and Jefferson County. Kathy's favorites are Cameron and Armstrong County.

On one outing, we went to see the bell at Punxsutawney together. We enjoyed finding all the groundhogs hidden on the bell. Kathy and I explored the town and also went to Gobbler's K**b. We enjoyed finding a candy shop after seeing the bell in Indiana County.

We prefer bells that are outside because they are easier to access on weekends and later in the day.

We have met wonderful people. We have learned about the counties. We have made plans for future travel.

🛣️ If you have also traveled to visit our Bells Across PA installations, send us a message for a chance to be featured!

09/26/2026

Gary and Donna Laudenslager have traveled to all 67 counties to visit America250PA’s Bells Across PA installations! 🔔✨🎨

Hear from them as they share their experience and hope to inspire others to do the same! ⬇️

Our journey to visit the America250PA Bells Across PA installations began in Montgomery County at Valley Forge Chapel on July 27, 2025. We completed our journey in Philadelphia County at Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation on September 3, 2026, having visited all 67 counties.

Two bells that particularly stood out to us were the mosaic bell in Westmoreland County and the bell featuring flowers placed on Presidential china and fireworks in Lawrence County. We especially liked the bells with wooden hanging mounts and those with a heavy, clear coating. We appreciate all the hard work that went into this project. It was clear that, for many artists, creating their bell was a true labor of love.

We expected Bells Across PA to take us to destinations throughout Pennsylvania, and it certainly did. Because we live in the Lehigh Valley, we planned several short trips, visiting the counties in geographic sections. Along the way, we met many wonderful people and even had the opportunity to meet the artist who created one of the bells.

We are grateful to have had this opportunity and to have experienced such a memorable journey across Pennsylvania. Why travel to other states when there is so much to see and do right here in Pennsylvania?

🛣️ If you have also traveled to visit our Bells Across PA installations, send us a message for a chance to be featured!

09/23/2026

Natalie Caruso has traveled across our Commonwealth with a goal to see every Bells Across PA installation. She has seen 109 so far! 🔔✨🎨

Hear from her as she shares her experience and hopes to inspire others to do the same! ⬇️

In August 2025, I was on an audio tour of Valley Forge Park with a friend. Along the way, we saw the bell at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge with information about Bells Across PA. Always up for an adventure, I decided to investigate.

I started locally, visiting the bell in my home county, Chester County, and the two bells in neighboring Delaware County. But my bell chasing soon brought me to all 67 counties, and I have been able to see so much of Pennsylvania thanks to my bell quest. Along the way, I’ve visited the Flight 93 National Memorial, Horseshoe Curve, the Little League Museum, Kinzua State Park and the Zippo Museum. I’ve found the groundhogs in Punxsutawney, the World’s Largest Coffee Pot in Bradford and the highest point in Pennsylvania at Mount Davis. I’ve also discovered new restaurants and more than a few ice cream shops along the way.

I struggle to pick a “favorite” bell, since they are all so beautiful and unique. The bell at Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia is absolutely stunning, with an applique of the church itself. One of the Westmoreland bells is mosaic tile, which made it stand out to me. The bell in Juniata County features the covered bridge where it is located and has a book for visitors to sign. Each bell highlights features of its county or location, and I am amazed at the artistic talent and creativity of each one.

The people have become part of the adventure, too. A family walking their dog helped me find the bell in Snyder County. When I showed them a picture from the America250PA website, they realized they knew the artist, so they walked over to see it, too. I also met a woman from Clearfield County who is on the bell quest, and we started sharing information about the bells.

My coworkers know about my quest, and those who live in Pennsylvania have begun visiting bells near them. I even saw the bell at Citizens Bank Park with my son, his fiancée, and my five-month-old granddaughter at her first Phillies game.

I hope to finish my quest by the end of the year with a few more trips around the state. I am truly thankful to everyone involved.

✨If you have also traveled to visit our Bells Across PA installations, send us a message for a chance to be featured!

09/09/2026

🇺🇸The newest Story Walk is up in Ford Memorial Park!

In honor of America 250, we are highlighting stories from Ford City’s local history, stretching back to the earliest settlers!

The Story Walk starts at the corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street near Miller’s Hoagies and ends at 3rd Avenue and 8th Street. We hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane through our area’s history!

09/03/2026