With Valentine’s Day upon us, many local couples will likely be enjoying romantic dinners and exchanging gifts with their significant others. For those who are unattached, the holiday can make them feel more lonely than usual. Tonight, they will have an opportunity to enjoy an evening of dancing and meeting others who are in a similar situation, possibly setting the groundwork for a new social organization.
The Singles Sweetheart Dance will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. at State College Legion Post 245, 1950 Pine Hall Road, State College. The dance, which is open to singles 21 and older, is the kickoff event for www.SinglesMakingConnections.com.
Founder Jeffrey Goss has been organizing monthly dances for Single Adult Ministry at Mount Nittany United Methodist Church for the past three years. However, Singles Making Connections has no relation to the church. Goss said his vision for the new group includes reaching “out in the community and even beyond” and organizing social events such as game nights, dinners, sporting events and bus trips.
“We really have a deep inner passion to help others,” Goss said.
A State College single mother wishing to remain anonymous, and co-organizer of Singles Making Connections, said the group is not intended to be a dating service, but rather a social outlet and support network. Single people often don’t know who to turn to for camaraderie, she said, and many individuals, after getting divorced, are forced to restructure their social lives completely.
“As a peer group, we could help fill some of those needs,” she said.
The Singles Sweetheart Dance, she said, will basically serve as a meet-and-greet for potential new group members.
Admission to the dance is $8, and dress is casual. For more information, send an email to singlesmakingconnections@yahoo.com or call Goss at 867-7771.
History lessons
Since 2011 and continuing through 2015, organizations across the U.S. are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. As part of the sesquicentennial celebration, the Centre County Historical Society will host a Civil War history lecture, “For the Union: Centre County Goes to War, 1861-62,” presented by Jeffry Wert, at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Centre Furnace Mansion, 1001 E. College Ave., State College.
Wert, a former history teacher at Penns Valley Area High School who lives in Centre Hall, is the author of several books on Civil War topics published by Simon & Schuster, including “A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee’s Triumph, 1862-1863,” published in 2011. He has been writing about the Civil War for more than 40 years, and his articles and essays have appeared in many publications, including Civil War Times Illustrated, American History Illustrated and Blue and Gray.
“The focus of my talk will be on the men who served (in the Civil War) from Centre County, why they enlisted and their records of service,” Wert wrote in an email.
One of the most misunderstood or unknown facts about Centre County’s role in the war, he added, is the number of men who served from a population of 27,000 in 1860.
“The county gave much more than Andrew Gregg Curtin, an excellent war governor, and James A. Beaver,” Wert wrote.
For more information, visit www.centrecountyhistory.org, email info@centrecountyhistory.org or call 234-4779.
Stephanie Koons writes this weekly column featuring news from the Centre Region. Contact her at 235-3927 or skoons@centredaily.com.
