Barbara Ferrante at the Ferrante Community Center in Vandergrift

Each year the Victorian Vandergrift Museum & Historical Society has a fundraiser. This is usually done be having a Victorian Home tour through the town of Vandergrift that includes about five homes. Due to scheduling conflicts this traditional event was put off until next year and a different fund raiser was done this year.

Anthony and Barbara Ferrante of Vandergrift and Anthony’s sister Bernice Ferrante Lewis and her husband of Richmond, Virginia purchased the former Trinity Presbyterian Church on Franklin Avenue in Vandergrift. Together they have formed the Ferrante Community Center on the lower level.

This year they opened up their facility to the Victorian Vandergrift Museum & Historical Society for a fundraiser that included a train display by the Allegheny Northern Model Railroad Club. Each member of the club brought their own trains. Bob Bednarik showed us the train cam and explained to us that it had been in operation for about a year in their displays. It was a neat thing to see the wireless camera attached to the train. The camera was hooked up to a TV on site. It was the perfect trains-eye view of the track.

There was also a Christmas tree display that is usually held in the Victorian Vandergrift Museum & Historical Society’s building on Sherman Avenue in Vandergrift. It was brought to the Community Center for display. There were trees decorated by the Vandergrift Garden Club, a local Girl Scout troop, St. Gertrude’s, Jean & Ken Blose, and Vandergrift Elementary School. Votes were cast for your favorite tree.

Barbara Ferrante said, they are looking to make the former church into a fine arts school where lessons for piano, dance, singing and possibly down the road after school tutoring. She said she is also planning to rent out the down stairs which would be great for graduation parties, showers, and other parties and events. Barbara says she is going to have the kitchen remodeled to accommodate the events.

Donations were accepted at the door for the train display each weekend for three weekends (Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon). Today wrapped up the final days for this event at the Ferrante Community Center.