By KELLY URBAN
CRESSON — Not even dreary, wet conditions on Monday could stop area middle-school pupils from going to the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site to learn about the area’s rich history.
During the two day event, more than 1,000 Cambria County youngsters were guided to 12 outdoor and indoor stations to listen to volunteers talk on a variety of topics such as glassblowing, blacksmithing, musket shooting and Irish dancing.
At one of the stations the kids had the opportunity to learn about life in Ireland during the potato famine between 1845 and 1852 from “Nory Ryan’s Song,” a novel by Patricia Reilly Giff.
The event is hosted by Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
The book was chosen by the college’s One Book, One Community initiative. It has been part of the classroom curriculum for many of the children.
“We send copies of a book that has a theme that ties into our local history to each middle school in Cambria County,” said Barbara Zaborowski, associate dean of learning resources at Penn Highlands. “We have almost 100 percent of schools participating.”
Giff, a Connecticut resident who has published about 80 books, told the pupils she was inspired to write the novel because she had great-grandparents who lived in Ireland and experience firsthand the devastation of the famine.
“I just felt I needed to write about this time period and share the story,” she said.
Giff added that it’s wonderful to go to educational engagements and speak to children.
“I just love it,” she said. “I write a lot, and it gets lonely, so whenever I can meet people I enjoy it.”
It is the goal of the One Book, One Community initiative to encourage children to become lifelong readers.
“We want to promote literacy, and when kids read something that they can tie to the local area, they’ll want to continue reading,” Zaborowski said.
