Laurels & lances: Furries and Philly

Laurel: To furry friends. You might want to dismiss Anthrocon as a bit silly. When you have thousands of people dressed like stuffed animals, the jokes do tend to write themselves.

But the convention is serious business, too. VisitPittsburgh’s senior director of communications and public affairs Emily Hatfield said this year’s event, which ended Sunday, was expected to pump more than $17 million into the local economy.

A smaller amount, however, might show the biggest impact.

The event, held in Pittsburgh for 18 years, has a tradition of collecting donations for a local charity. More than $547,000 has been raised over the convention’s life.

This year it shattered records with a $100,000 donation to Gray Paws Sanctuary, a nonprofit in White Oak dedicated to saving senior dogs. Co-founder Darla Poole-Brescia said the donation doubles the annual operating budget and will allow Gray Paws to rescue or support medical care for more elderly canines.

Anthrocon might be hard for some people to understand. But the heartfelt generosity to support real-life animals in need? That’s something much more universal.

Lance: To unnecessary division. Pennsylvania is a state rife with divisions. It’s not just the political rivalries of Democrat versus Republican. There’s Sheetz versus Wawa, Steelers versus Eagles, Penguins versus Flyers. And a lot of that comes down to East versus West, or more specifically, Pittsburgh versus Philadelphia.

Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a new license plate and state welcome sign designs Tuesday. The new plans are meant to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s birth as an independent nation. As such, perhaps it is fitting that it skews toward the city where the nation was born — Philadelphia.

The new designs feature the Liberty Bell. The color scheme is, as an X social media user noted, “Phillies day game cream jersey coded.”

One can criticize the state for choosing a design representative of Pennsylvania that represents just one city and not the state. This isn’t “You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania.” It’s “You’ve got a friend in a corner that might as well be New Jersey.”

But given the historical context and the upcoming anniversary, maybe this is an opportunity for the rest of us to swallow our divisions and join hands — even if it is with the City of Brotherly Love.