Watershed festival returns

After a three-year hiatus, the Buffalo Creek Watershed Festival will make a comeback from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Sunset Beach, along Route 40 in Buffalo.

As in past years, the theme of the festival will be the restoration of Dutch Fork Lake, which was drained in 2004 after damage from Hurricane Ivan.

Admission is free, but the organization will accept donations and sell raffle tickets for a pair of kayaks to raise money for a restoration fund.

This year's festival will feature kayaking demonstrations in the Sunset Beach pool by Gander Mountain. Participants will be able to try out the kayaks, but not swim in the pool, which doesn't open until May 24.

The festival also will focus on environmental information and education, including bird walks, bird house construction, stream studies, water cycle activities and a bookmark contest. Demonstrations will include bow-making and chair-caning. Hundreds of tree seedlings will be distributed by the state Game Commission.

The concession stand at the beach will be open and parking is free.

McDonald flea market

The sixth annual flea market sponsored by the McDonald Trail Station will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 161 South McDonald St. in McDonald.

Twenty-four vendors will have table displays. Food will include pierogies, barbecued ribs, hot dogs, nachos and drinks.

Helping Cal U veterans

A class project coupled with an individual's concern for students with military experience has resulted in additional services for veterans at the California University of Pennsylvania.

Peg Beall, a graduate student, was working on a project focused on issues confronting students who are veterans or members of the National Guard or Ready Reserve when she met with several people from the veterans center.

Ms. Bealle, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, said she learned that the veterans center does outreach work and sends counselors to different places. She knew that the California University campus has more than 300 people who are veterans or reservists as well as an ROTC program.

She was concerned with the challenges facing men and women who are discharged and reserves trying to manage going back to school.

She met with Robert Prah, the university's director of veterans affairs, and they invited representatives from the veterans center to the campus.

Since February, Jason Brosk, readjustment counseling specialist who had served in Iraq, has been offering weekly readjustment counseling services.

Mr. Prah said he hoped additional financing could widen the military counseling program.

"Being one myself, I know that veterans feel more comfortable talking to another veteran," Mr. Prah said. "Our civilian counselors do an excellent job, and Mr. Brosk does basically everything they do but in a military sense."