Ligonier

Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association and Idlewild Park have come to an agreement that will lead to restoration and reopening of the historic Darlington Station as a museum.

The station, which was built about 1900, had served as employees quarters after Idlewild acquired it in the 1950s. Now Idlewild Park and Soak Zone and Kennywood Entertainment have agreed to subdivide the property to grant the station to the railroad association.

Grants from the Richard King Mellon and Allegheny foundations will cover costs of the restoration.

Youngwood

The Westmoreland/Fayette Career Prep Consortium's fourth annual Career Fair for eighth-graders is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 26 in Science Hall on the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood Campus.

More than 600 pupils from Aquinas Academy and the Burrell, Derry, Latrobe, Monessen and Yough schools districts will participate. Pupils will receive information about occupations they are considering.

Area employers will serve as presenters and provide pupils with an overview of their occupation, required education and training, including courses students should be taking at the secondary level, skills employers want and job opportunities in the area.

The event is funded by a Tech Prep Grant through the state Department of Agriculture.

The Westmoreland County Community College Business and Industry Center will conduct a series of one-day training programs starting tomorrow at the Youngwood campus.

The training programs are designed to improve the soft skills and computer skills that are so valuable in the workplace. Each seminar will be offered twice and conducted from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

The seminar lineup includes Teambuilding, tomorrow and Nov. 17; Customer Service, Oct. 20 and Nov. 10; Supervisory Skills, Oct. 27 and Dec. 1; TLC: Teambuilding, Leadership and Communications, Nov. 3 and Dec. 3; and Working Smarter with Outlook, Dec. 1.

Tuition for each class is $75 for Westmoreland County residents. To register, call the college at 1-800-262-2103, ext. 4204.

Westmoreland County Community College will hold a series of career preparation programs and an open house at the Youngwood campus for those considering college.

Three information sessions are scheduled in the health care field: Information on nursing programs will be presented from 5:30 to 7 p.m. next Tuesday and Nov. 15 in Founders Hall. A session on the Dental Assisting and Medical Assisting diploma programs is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in Science Hall.

The programs for preparation in small business management, entrepreneurship and real estate will be outlined in a session set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday in Founders Hall. The classes for these programs are available in a classroom format or entirely online.

For those with an interest in the hospitality industry, an information session will be held from noon to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., Nov. 20 in Commissioners Hall. Programs covered include baking and pastry, culinary arts, hotel/motel management and others.

A general WCCC information session is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 11. College representatives will provide information on the college curricula, including transfer programs, financial aid, career counseling, career placement services and other support services, including counseling, tutoring and child care.

The college will waive the application fee for anyone who completes an application for admission during any of the sessions.

The sessions are free and open to all interested people. For more information or to register, call WCCC at 1-800-262-2103.

Hempfield

The Westmoreland County Historical Society has received a $15,000 state grant to support the education center project at Historic Hanna's Town.

The grant, presented last week by state Sen. Bob Regola, R-Hempfield, will be used to fund preliminary design work and planning for an education center at the site of the former town.

Founded in 1773, Hanna's Town was the first county seat of Westmoreland. It was attacked and burned by the British on July 13, 1782, one of the final battles of the Revolutionary War. The town never recovered and the county seat was moved to Greensburg in 1786.