Dawn broke across the sky as Local Government Academy staff and volunteers arrived at the sprawling green of the Cranberry Highlands Golf Course. In the days leading up to our Annual Promoting Excellence Golf Outing, we had been biting our nails: Tropical Storm Fred was due to arrive right around the same time.

After a downpour of several inches the day before, the certainty of thunderstorms in its wake had ebbed enough to be promising. Golfers arrived to check in and make their way toward hot coffee and a breakfast buffet. A tremendous thanks to our volunteers, Mark Mansfield, John Barrett, Ruthann L. Omer, Steve Solman, Kyle Thauvette, Tammy Cappo, Kristen Chekan, and Barbara Parees for a smooth morning registration.

The sun peeked through the clouds as our 140 golfers finished up breakfast and greeting old friends, and we gathered for the shotgun start. This year, we had a special speaker. The Outing was established almost three decades ago to benefit the Michael Lynch Scholarship Fund, which ensures that Local Government Academy can provide non-partisan education to public officials and staff, regardless of their ability to pay, and we were honored to have Mr. Lynch’s son, Michael, speak to our golfers. Michael’s words about his father’s legacy and vision for vibrant communities were inspiring, and we are especially humbled by his mention of the importance of Local Government Academy and its mission to Promote Excellence in Local Government.

Our golfers then set off to their assignments. Both longtime and new supporters took to the green, which was still soaked from Tropical Storm Fred’s deluge. Luckily for us, the storms held out through the day – mostly. A quick drenching rain challenged our golfers, who remained undeterred, and then the sun broke through the clouds again.

At the conclusion of the day, our golfers joined us for our awards ceremony. We handed out prizes for skill competitions and raffled off other gift baskets and prize bags for participants of the Putting Contest. Congratulations, Findlay Township, for winning First Place Team again this year! And congratulations to everyone for another great year on the green.

This annual tradition wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors:

And a special thanks to our prize donors: