By JOHN RISHEL

jrishel@lockhaven.com

LOCK HAVEN — The Covenant Cafe at Covenant United Methodish Church, 44 W. Main St., Lock Haven, will be hosting an open house on the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday, June 18.

The Covenant Cafe is an activity group for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s or other memory loss diseases, which works to improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers.

“If you know of someone with memory loss or are just curious about our program, please join us to learn more. You can just observe or join in on the fun,” said Mary Jo Langston Monday morning, as she gave a presentation on ‘The Longest Day’, a hope for Alzheimer’s event by the Alzheimer’s Association, at the Clinton County commissioners’ work session.

“There will be many activities from June 16 to the 21. We need sponsors to support national research and local efforts,” she said. “I moved to Lock Haven three and a half years ago, and I just love it. I have worked in a nursing home, dementia ward, and have worked with people in early stages of Alzheimer’s to shed light on the darkness of the issue. We chose to do something this year.”

Langston explained that the funds raised would go to the Greater Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Association, along with caregiver support groups.

“There is a display at the Ross Library right now of an adult coloring group,” she said. “June 21 there will be a local artist Make and Take at Avenue 209, and we would love to have restaurants call with a date and time we could collect a percentage to give a donation.

“We do arts and crafts, physical exercise, games, have entertainment, speakers, food and fun. It’s a great way to keep active while meeting new people and learning new things,” she said.

Jann Meyers, county chief clerk, said that she would ask the county employees to donate $5 for a “dress down day” on June 21.

County planning director Katherine de Silva was also in attendance at the commissioner’s work session to provide a reminder that the Bald Eagle Valley Trail was re-opened on Friday.

De Silva explained that there was emergency work to repair and get the trail open, but they may have to close down again for more work to be done later.

Commissioner Pete Smeltz explained that the emergency repair was to “open a ditch.”

“Backed up water could overflow and create another wash out and create another shutdown,” Smeltz said. “We would like to put out bid specs to find a company to do repairs on the trail, and we may have to pull from the contingency fund.”

“The quicker we address this, the better off we will be,” said commissioner Jeff Snyder. “Someone needs to go up and down the trail, be proactive identifying those streams and repair those sites trenching down for a few hundred dollars instead of waiting until it is a few thousand.”

With so much rain over the past two years, Snyder said there are “some stream areas that weren’t there before.”

“The Friends of the Trail citizens group may be able to help us with that, and in other areas that may need upgraded,” Smeltz added.