Laurels & lances: Flight, fire, art and weather

Laurel: To a high-flying success. The Memorial Day weekend Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow drew thousands of visitors to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.

The annual undertaking is a big one for a small staff, assisted by contracted performers, hired hands and hundreds of volunteers. For two days, the airport is transformed into a festival, with static displays and vendors filling the tarmac.

Aircraft and their accompanying roars and demonstrations draw eyes skyward. Even a Sunday afternoon drencher failed to dampen spirits.

From the historical Pearl Harbor reenactment of “Tora! Tora ! Tora!” to the crisscrossing, high-climbing Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority put on an awe-inspiring show.

Lance: To not supporting the people who support you. You can’t run a fire department without trucks and gas and protective equipment.

Take away $10,000 in operating capital by removing the fee that supports the emergency service and you get what is happening in North Apollo. The fire fighters are going to have to up their fundraising make up the difference between the $15,000 the borough will supply them and the $20,000 to $30,000 per year that had been on the books.

Aside from the fact that a bake sale is no way to run a fire department, there is an absolute injustice to it.

This is a volunteer fire company. They have already offered to put their lives and livelihoods on the line to save property and protect people. Do they really need to beg for money to continue doing a dangerous job for free?

Laurel: To art that tells our stories. Nine stories, to be precise. That’s the height of the Stanwix Street building that has become a massive public art project designed to speak to local heritage on a grand scale.

“We Are Pittsburgh” features 20 banners covering the building with famous figures including Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, Andrew Carnegie, Gertrude Stein and Queen Aliquippa.

The project was designed not just for locals to appreciate. Its position across the river from PNC Park will allow it to tell the city’s stories silently when seen on television during baseball games or other coverage.

Lance: To Mother Nature. Enough already! Take your tornadoes and flash floods and go play somewhere else.