JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – For decades, a Stonycreek Township playground carried Oakland schoolteacher Verna Blough’s name.
But rather than reflect the late educator’s passion for neighborhood youth, the lot sat as a tragic, dilapidated reminder of a 1973 fire that ended Oakland’s school, Marlene Singer said.
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New, colorful playground equipment sits alongside Penrod Street on Saturday, October 11, 2025. The Verna K. Blough Park was rededicated with a new courts for pickleball and basketball.
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Project partners celebrate after re-dedicating the Verna K. Blough Playground on Penrod Street in Stonycreek Township on Saturday, October 11, 2025
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Jody Beegle, of Pittsburgh, and Dede Kazmaier (left) of Hollidaysburg stand alongside a sign dedicating a Penrod Street playground in Stonycreek Township after their aunt Verna K Blough.
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Dede Kazmaier of Hollidaysburg, reads a tribute to her aunt, Verna K. Blough, during the rededication of a Penrod Street playground in Stonycreek Township, Saturday, October 11, 2025.
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Project partners celebrate after re-dedicating the Verna K Blough Playground on Penrod Street in Stonycreek Township on Saturday October 11, 2025
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David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TDDavidHurst and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.