JOHNSTOWN, Pa. \u2013 For decades, a Stonycreek Township playground carried Oakland schoolteacher Verna Blough\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
But rather than reflect the late educator\u2019s passion for neighborhood youth, the lot sat as a tragic, dilapidated reminder of a 1973 fire that ended Oakland\u2019s school, Marlene Singer said.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, a bright Verna K. Blough Playground sign welcomed youth into a brand new park \u2013 a well- deserved tribute that will benefit township youth for years to come, Singer and fellow Stonycreek Township Playground committee members said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
By David Hurst<\/p>\n
Project partners gathered with local leaders and Oakland-area residents Saturday to cut and rededicate the all-new Penrod Street park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.<\/p>\n
The $102,000 community effort added two colorful, age-appropriate play sets with slides, swings and climbing areas. A larger basketball court and a pickleball court are also featured.<\/p>\n
Fencing and site work were also completed, with committee member Lisa Rager saying a pavilion is also in the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing this playground the way it looks now,\u201d said Singer, \u201cbrings back so many wonderful memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Project partners celebrate after re-dedicating the Verna K. Blough Playground on Penrod Street in Stonycreek Township on Saturday, October 11, 2025<\/p>\n
By David Hurst<\/p>\n
Blough worked 40 years as an elementary school teacher, her nieces said.<\/p>\n
Most of that time was spent at Oakland school, with Rager among the one-time students who remembered Blough as a compassionate, beloved educator.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe touched so many students in so many ways,\u201d Rager said.<\/p>\n
Blough died at the age of 104 in November 2022.<\/p>\n
But through the newly revived Penrod Street playground, her memory will live on for generations, said Dede Kazmaier, of Hollidaysburg, Verna\u2019s niece.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer life … was devoted to education and children,\u201d Kazmaier said. \u201cShe would have been thrilled with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
By David Hurst<\/p>\n
Funding toward the improvements included the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Local Share Grant, American Rescue Plan, The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, 1889 Foundation and Peoples Natural Gas Co. \u2013 but state Rep. Jim Rigby, R-Ferndale, credited Stonycreek Township and its playground committee for their grassroots efforts to make the playground\u2019s revival a reality.<\/p>\n
Donations from businesses and individuals played a key role in the effort, Rigby said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
By David Hurst<\/p>\n
Vibrant outdoor recreation assets are part of what draws people to neighborhoods and helps them \u201cthrive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love what the community is doing here. This is our future. This is our kids,\u201d said Rigby, who worked alongside state Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr. to lend state support.<\/p>\n
Rager said the Verna K. Blough Playground is just one in a series of Stonycreek Township parks getting a facelift through their ongoing effort.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Project partners celebrate after re-dedicating the Verna K Blough Playground on Penrod Street in Stonycreek Township on Saturday October 11, 2025<\/p>\n
By David Hurst<\/p>\n
The Local Share Grant, which totaled $220,000, also covered the cost for new play equipment at The Knipple Family Playground on Frieda Avenue, and other playgrounds on Coldren Street in Belmont, and in Riverside along Michigan Avenue.<\/p>\n
The Michigan Avenue Playground, which is located along the Jim Mayer Riverswalk Trail, is part of the September 11 National Trail corridor and will be developed in 2026, Rager said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOHNSTOWN, Pa. \u2013 For decades, a Stonycreek Township playground carried Oakland schoolteacher Verna Blough\u2019s name. But rather than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4246,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1729,1730,143,145,144,1728,1727,1725,1724,1726],"class_list":{"0":"post-4245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-childhood","9":"tag-human-life-stages","10":"tag-oakland","11":"tag-oakland-headlines","12":"tag-oakland-news","13":"tag-outdoor-recreation","14":"tag-outdoors","15":"tag-parks","16":"tag-playground","17":"tag-recreation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}