Keystone Edge is taking a little break to eat some turkey and cook up some corn pudding (it's an ideal Thanksgiving side; check out the recipe). But don't worry, we've got a couple great things to tide you over — here are some of our favorite stories from this fall in case you missed them.
We'll be back in December with more hot takes and cool news from the Commonwealth.
First off, check out this rundown of the 12 development projects that will transform the state.
Pennsylvania is always changing, and this list of upcoming projects will accelerate that process. Whether they're signaling changes in downtown cores, increased economic vitality or an investment in Commonwealth resources, these developments should help move local communities forward.
Next up is a remarkable tale of community cooperation in West Philadelphia's Mantua neighborhood. Thanks to concerted effort, residents and stakeholders have been able to shape development and policy.
“We Are Mantua” has become the rallying cry of a neighborhood taking control of its own destiny. Since Mount Vernon Manor, a Mantua-based development organization focused on providing affordable housing, received a Choice Neighborhood Grant, Mantua residents and a small group of local organizations have banded together to rebuild their community…
What started as informal meetings between various community organizations has grown into the Mantua Collaborative, or simply the Collaborative. For more than two years the conglomerate of stakeholders has been meeting on a monthly basis to coordinate development efforts, take stock of the changing neighborhood, and identify new areas of need.
Another great feature detailed how Pittsburgh bakeries are rethinking the wedding cake for a less-traditional era.
Ever since Eliza’s Oven opened in the Public Market in the Strip District last year, owner Eliza Bowman has been whipping up handmade pastries with a twist. The bakery’s catchphrase, “Have your cake and drink it too,” stems from the boozy kick added to intensify flavor in Bowman’s cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies and more. All of the liquids Bowman uses to bake are locally sourced, including milk from local dairies, and alcohol from Wigle Whiskey and East End Brewing Co.
When it comes to weddings, Bowman's “Create your own Cake Cocktail” wedding package is a hit — it includes individual mason jars of alcohol-enhanced cakes in an array of flavors.
Lastly, on a more “out there” note, we ran a story on Kecksburg, Pa., the state's unofficial UFO capital.
Still, something mysterious crashed in the woods there on December 9, 1965, turning the sleepy Western Pennsylvania town into the state's unlikely alien capitol overnight and forever altering its Wikipedia destiny.
Witnesses say that on that December evening, a fireball burst through the sky and reversed course, before crashing in a field next to the current location of the bucolic town's volunteer fire department.
“You can see where the thing crashed right there,” says a local woman, pointing me towards the woods.
See you in December!
LEE STABERT is managing editor of Flying Kite Media and Keystone Edge.