The Lehigh Valley Foundry Association was welcomed at Benton Foundry on April 4th for a tour. At least thirty-five guests representing Eastern Pennsylvania foundries, as well as, foundry suppliers attended. Following the tour, a question & answer session was held. Dinner was at the Turkey Hill Brewery, where positive comments and kudos for a great tour were received.

Pennsylvania has had 28 tornadoes so far this year according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thirteen of those tornadoes occurred in May and fourteen of those occurred in April. According to the National Weather Service, the 28 tornadoes so far in 2019, makes it the sixth-highest number on record. 1998 saw the most with 61. Tornadoes occur most frequently in April, May and June in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania typically averages 16 tornadoes for an entire year, according to research from NOAA. “Of course, mid-Spring into mid-summer is our ‘severe weather season,’ so some T-storm threats are normal, but it’s been unusually active for sure this year,” said Millersville meteorologist Eric Horst. “The jet stream of the Pacific has been unusually strong the last few months due to the enhancement by the El Nino ongoing in the Pacific, so this is a factor.” said Horst.

How are tornadoes measured?

1. Keep a well stocked first-aid kit. Bandages, pain relievers, antiseptic, tweezers and scissors.
2. Clean your gutters.
3. Prepare for power outages. Along with owning a backup generator, flashlights and a battery or solar powered cell phone charger, you should also keep a battery-operated radio handy. In addition, you should make sure that you keep a list of emergency contacts somewhere accessible.
4. Create an evacuation plan.
5. Fill your bathtubs with water.
6. Reinforce your windows.
7. Inspect your trees and shrubbery.
8. Store water and non-perishable foods. Store bottled water and non-perishable food items, such as canned goods, energy bars and peanut butter in a safe and dry place.
9. Secure outdoor furniture.
10. Stock-up on fun activities.
Rob Minnick
www.minnicks.com

Go for a picnic

It seems a little old-fashioned, but a picnic can still be a lot of fun. Put some food in a basket or a cooler, go find a good spot and have a meal. Take your friends or your family along and make an experience that you’ll remember.

Unplug and go connect with your real life friends

Everyone is on their devices these days. Some people will keep their face pointed directly at their phones even when they’re outside. Sometime this summer, make sure you set the phone down, step away form the computer and experience life without the Internet. Make sure you stop by and see your friends. Catch up; do things that you used to do before the Internet became a dominant force in our lives. Your brain will thank you because sometimes, you just have to get away from the web.

Go find your nearest body of water

Water is an amazing thing and you can do a lot with it. Go visit a body of water this summer, be it a lake, an ocean, a river or something else. Go fishing and swimming. Lie on the beach or go for a boat ride. There are a hundred things you can do once you hit water. Visit
one and enjoy yourself!

Walk somewhere

We have legs that we are using less and less these days. Do your body, your cardiovascular system and your health a favor and pound some pavement this summer. Find a park or a trail and walk around. If you live close enough, hoof it to your local shopping center. Whatever it is, just get off your behind and walk around outside for a while. Did we mention that the sun gives away free vitamin D?

Try something you’ve never tried before

When we were kids, summer was the time of exploration. We took the time off of school to compile the experiences that would eventually become treasured memories. Why does it have to stop now that we’re grown up? There are a lot of things left to experience and you have three whole months to do them! Go skydiving or water skiing. Take a road trip to a place you’ve never been before. The possibilities are endless and they’ll be your treasured memories years from now.

Start a garden

There is almost a primal satisfaction in making things grow out of the ground. A lot of people plant gardens and you should too. You can grow flowers, vegetables, fruits, or even herbs and spices. Finding what to grow can be fun and weeding your garden can be oddly calming and therapeutic. Plus at the end of the season, you can pick what you grow and use it for indoor decoration, as food or to spice food. That’s a win-win!

Plank yourself three times a day

Summertime is the best time to get yourself into shape. It’s nice outside which makes outdoor activities more fun. People generally lose weight over the summer because there is so much more to do. When we say plank, we don’t mean the silly thing that people do where they lie down on random things. We’re talking about the ab exercise that can help you firm up that tummy. If you start doing it now and keep going until fall, you’ll definitely see results!

Go on vacation

This one is self explanatory but nevertheless it’s important. The routine of day-to-day life can be stressful. Going on vacation allows you to get
away from all the stress of your everyday life. You can decompress, recharge, and give yourself a mental and emotional makeover. It also doesn’t hurt that vacations are fun.

Have a BBQ

Fire up the grill and the smoker because it’s summer! There is no better time to have a BBQ and invite your friends, neighbors and family over. It’s a fun time and it’s a great way to bond with the people you care about. BBQ is also delicious and with all of the other activities you’ll be doing, it’ll be easy to keep the weight off too.

Do some house work

There is no more snow on the ground which means it’s a lot safer to get up on your roof and finally cleanout those gutters and re-shingle the roof. Your yard could probably use some TLC too and the siding on your house is probably in need of a good power wash. We’ve no doubt you have a to do list and there is no better time to get it done than summer.

Offer your employees the help they need

Mental health conditions cost the United States over $200 billion a year, greater than the cost of heart disease, stroke, cancer and obesity. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are also indirect costs to consider:

• Absenteeism
• Hiring costs due to recruitment and retention
• Increased short-term disability rates
• Overtime and overstaffing to cover absences
• Safety incidents
• Underperformance

That’s a long list that can affect the bottom line. Fortunately, you can help.

Tell your employees about Virtual Care. They can access therapists, counselors and psychiatrists from the comfort and privacy of home, anywhere in the United States. Once they download the app and register, they can search for the service they need and schedule an appointment.
The app is free and the services are covered by their health plan. Just like an in-person appointment, they pay a copay through the app.
Behavioral health services offer help in a number of areas:

• Anorexia and bulimia
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief counseling
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) And more!

Mission: Keystone Iron Works engages at-risk youth in the activity of Iron Casting. Keystone Iron Works connects students to faculty and their community through mentorship, stewardship, respect for pro-
cess and teamwork. KIW’s high school students, college mentors and professional artists showcase their skills at the annual Fire at the Furnace and Arts on Fire Festival casting their own sculptures, as well as, over 200 cast iron tiles made by the community members. KIW students give back to the community by donating collaborative sculptural works to Confluence Sculpture Park. These sculptures become a permanent part of the areas cultural landscape.