As Butler County Community College celebrates its 60th anniversary, we're looking at the people, purpose and vision shaping its future.

In this episode, BC3 President Megan Coval and Executive Director of the BC3 Education Foundation and External Relations Mikayla Moretti join us to discuss leadership, community impact and the evolving role of women in higher education. From expanding opportunities for students to addressing food insecurity, supporting workforce development and strengthening community partnerships, their work reflects a shared commitment to helping BC3 and the region thrive.

We'll talk about what it takes to lead with purpose, the importance of teamwork, the challenges and opportunities facing women in leadership today, and what the next 60 years could hold for one of Pennsylvania's leading community colleges.

https://bc3.edu/

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

How do you turn a passion for hairstyling into a business of your own? In this episode, I sit down with Donald Bullman at Reflections Studio to talk about how he got his start in the beauty industry, what inspired him to open his own salon, and the story behind the Gaiser Center's annual Fashion Show Fundraiser. We look back on his career, the inspiration behind the event, and the connections between creativity, entrepreneurship, and community.

https://reflectionshairstudio.netlify.app/

https://www.gaisercenter.com/

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

Sometimes you meet someone and immediately realize there's a much bigger conversation waiting to happen. Laura met Heather Helsel in the lobby at a Butler County Symphony Orchestra concert, and what started as a casual conversation quickly turned into a connection over music, motherhood, fitness, faith, getting older, and the sometimes hilarious reality of perimenopause.

Heather is a wife, mom, music educator, choir director, singer, fitness instructor, and one of the people helping build the new EchoPoint Chorale through the Butler County Symphony Orchestra. Heather Helsel earned her Master of Arts in Teaching and Bachelor of Music (Choral Music Education/Vocal Performance) degrees from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. She has taught elementary choir, general music, and high school choir in Virginia and is currently the choir director at Marshall Middle School in the North Allegheny School District in Wexford, Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Helsel has been a guest director for Middle School Honors Choirs in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. She is a member of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and the American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania (ACDAPA).

Heather is passionate about her family, faith, fitness, and the power of music to inspire the best in humanity. She enjoys singing, taking bike rides, teaching group fitness, and ice cream. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband, Bryan; son, Colin; and daughter, Elyse.

Heather can be reached at hnhelsel@gmail.com.

Heather and Laura talk about what it means to be a strong woman, finding your voice, balancing the many identities we carry, what motherhood and teaching can teach us, how our relationship with our bodies changes as we age, and what it means to keep becoming the person you're meant to be. It's thoughtful, honest, funny and a reminder that sometimes the best conversations begin with simply saying hello.

For More:

https://www.helselmusic.com/

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

Sometimes the most powerful stories aren't just about what happened. They're about the people beside us while we're going through it. I sat down with Brett in his daughter Rowan's hospital room to talk about her resiliency, their connection, and the quiet strength that comes from simply being there for someone you love. But this story is also about community, the people who show up, rally around a family, and remind us that no one has to go through a difficult time alone.

That spirit of community will continue on October 3 at the American Legion on South Main Street in Butler, where friends, family and community members will come together from noon to 7 p.m. to support Rowan and her family.

Link To Fundraiser:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ao5X9Zqnt/

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

What does it take to create a sketch comedy show from the ground up? In this episode, Liz from Hobnob sits down with Laura Crago to talk about the inspiration behind Anything Goes Sketch Comedy Show, the creative process, the people who bring it to life, and the fun, unexpected moments that happen along the way. It's a behind-the-scenes conversation about comedy, collaboration and building community through laughter.

Tickets:

www.hobnobtheatre.com

Venue:

https://northcountrybrewing.com/

North Country Brewing Cannery

111 Arrowhead Dr.

Unit B

Slippery Rock,

PA 16057

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

What happens when an idea that once seemed impossible becomes a reality?

In the final episode of our Boots & Grace Music Festival series, we sit down with the people behind the vision: Scott Dougherty, Mark Gordon and Mark Byrd. They talk about the collaboration, the work and the journey that brought this festival to life.

Five years ago, they may not have imagined they'd be sitting on the eve of a two-day music festival in Saxonburg. Now, Boots & Grace is here.

The festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 12th and 13th, at First Responders Park in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Saturday night features Nashville headliner Karen Waldrup, with special guests Cecilia Tomko and Gary Burke III, and more. Sunday features an evening of faith, patriotism and gospel music, again headlined by Karen Waldrup and joined by special guests.

Both events are rain or shine and will feature food, beverages and a variety of vendors.

The festival is tomorrow. The story of how it all came together ends here.

Tickets to The Boots & Grace Music Festival:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DHHWkurRr/

www.ExperienceButler.com

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, we remember the heroes who ran toward the danger and the lives forever changed by their loss.

In this special bonus episode of Alter Eagle, we step inside Butler Little Theater's 85th season opener, The Guys, a powerful play by Anne Nelson based on the true stories of New York City firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.

The Guys follows Joan, a journalist, and Nick, a New York City fire captain who has lost eight of his men. Together, they work through grief, memory, and the difficult task of putting words to the lives of the men they loved and lost. Originally produced just months after the attacks, The Guys is rooted in simplicity: the story of two people struggling to express grief and compassion in the midst of catastrophe.

In this episode, we hear from the people bringing this story to life at Butler Little Theater and explore why, 25 years later, these stories still matter.

Tickets:

www.butlerlittletheatre.com

The Guys

By Anne Nelson

Presented by Butler Little Theater

Opening the theater's 85th season

Produced & Edited by: Laura Crago

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

In this special episode, we're shining a spotlight on the upcoming Boots & Grace Music Festival in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Laura sits down with two standout artists, Cecilia Tomko and Gary Burke III, who will be setting the stage for headliner Karen Waldrup this September 12th and 13th.

Cecilia shares her journey from childhood songwriter to worship leader and local music fixture in Butler County, while Gary reflects on going viral, sharing the stage with country legends, and returning home for this unique event. But Boots & Grace is about more than the music; it's a celebration of community, benefiting the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company, First Responders Park, and the future of local events.

Listen in as Cecilia and Gary discuss the power of music to bring people together, and what it means when that music supports something bigger than the stage.

Tickets to The Boots & Grace Music Festival

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DHHWkurRr/

www.alter-eagle.com

www.butlereagle.com

Producer & Host: Laura Crago