Pennsylvania Turnpike motorists visiting the Zelienople Service Plaza, located (eastbound) 9.5 miles east of the Beaver Valley Interchange (Exit #3), and the North Neshaminy Service Plaza, located (westbound) 5.8 miles west of the Delaware Valley Interchange (Exit #29) now have the wonderful world of Pennsylvania-Made Crafts at their fingertips.
         William J. Capone, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Deputy Executive Director of Marketing, remarked: "In order to bring travelers the state's highest quality handmade crafts the Turnpike worked closely with Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc., the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania."
         "The Turnpike rennovated two service plazas to will accommodate the new craft centers," Capone continued. "Turnpike motorists will have the opportunity and convenience of shopping for original Pennsylvania products as they travel the 'Pike."
         Premier Builders in Yardley, Pennsylvania renovated the 54- year old North Neshaminy Service Plaza and Welcome Center. A total of 524 square feet within the plaza has been fitted with new counters, cases and shelves to house the artists' creations.
         DiCicco Contracting Corporation in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania reconstructed 560 square feet of space within the Zelienople Service Plaza which was originally built in 1946. In addition to the craft center, the Turnpike's third and newest Welcome Center will also be included in Zelienople's newly designed area.
         The craft centers showcase the work of over 100 of Pennsylvania's top craft and folk artists, all of whom were carefully selected by a jury process. Featured is everything from original hand-blown and stain glass pieces to handmade gold, silver and costume jewelry. Organizers are busy stocking the centers with a wide variety of exceptional, original items that include something for every taste.
         Alice L. Eakin, president of Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc. commented, "To have the opportunity to display and offer for sale the work of Pennsylvania's highly creative crafts people is a win/win situation. Turnpike motorists will have ready access to unusual pieces they may not ordinarily see, and artists will have space to present their work to the public."
         Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was recently established to boost the State's growing craft industry. "Some of the most creative artisans in the country live in Pennsylvania. Their work deserves to be seen and appreciated," Eakin said.
         As Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc. grows, Eakin plans to contact more and more talented artists. "We hope to eventually feature the best artists from every community in the state, including minorities and economically disadvantaged crafts people who may not have yet heard of Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc.," Eakin concluded.
         The new craft centers are open to Turnpike motorists Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during peak travel seasons and most holidays. To aid shoppers, knowledgeable Pennsylvania-Made Crafts, Inc. managers and volunteer crafts people will staff the shops.
         "Our farmers' markets and new craft centers are welcome additions to the many products and services already offered to Turnpike motorists," remarked John T. Durbin, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. "We are always looking for new and innovative ways to make traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike a safe, enjoyable and memorable experience."

Creating Magical Images from the Earth
Behereh Khodadoost Heath

         Iranian native, Behereh (pronounced Ba-ha-rae) Khodadoost Heath, arrived in America in 1979 with a Bachelor's degree in Literature and an abundance of artistic vision.
         "I feel I have been an artist my entire life," said Behereh, whose mystical name means a shining friend of God. The painter, writer, instructor and clay artist believes that all of her life experiences and her young daughter's art work have inspired her clay masks, available in the Turnpike's craft centers. She remarked, "Working with clay is much like a love relationship. You have to be sensitive to it -- listen to it and not push it too far."
         Behereh's unique clay masks are timeless pieces that she hopes will not only be hung on a wall, but touched and enjoyed by people. "I love to paint, but when I work with clay, I feel spiritually connected with the earth," she continued. "I feel something inside -- a quietness. I love to create pieces that bring beauty and harmony into the world."
         Her love of clay sculpture was born on the same day she met her husband in Athens, Georgia. Behereh commented, "My husband was an art teacher at the University of Georgia and I took his class." She said the rest is history. The creative couple reside in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, a small town near the Pocono mountains, approximately 45-miles from Allentown.
         "When I work with school children, I teach them to imagine. I tell them that their hands and their minds are the most valuable tools they will ever possess," she concluded.

Striking Ancient Chords
Steve Catinia

         While building his first guitar in 1975, Steve Catinia developed a passion for handcrafted musical instruments, a flame that has continued to burn brightly for over two decades.
         The 42-year old artist is a native of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a section of Philadelphia's famous Main Line. Steve's unusual musical instruments are crafted from Pennsylvania Appalachian hardwoods, gourds, beads, bamboo and leather. "Some of the instruments I recreate were originally built thousands of years ago," the artisan commented. Dulcimers, drums, thumb pianos, guitars and cat-paws, his own original adaptation of musical spoons, are part of Steve's intriguing line.
         Steve receives orders from professional musicians all over the world. He remarked, "In order to pique the interest of musicians in American and 11 foreign countries, I create a new instrument every year."
         Steve's studio, Catinia Folk Instruments, is located near Pennsylvania's State Capitol. Once an architectural woodworker, Steve now devotes all of his energy to crafting fine instruments. "Some pieces take up to 30 hours to complete which means I spend a great deal of time in my work shop," he said.

Sculpture on display in Moscow Museum
Roland Paronish

         Popular metal artist, Roland Paronish, spends hours in his work shop creating a whimsical look at real life when forging railroad spikes into little people.
         The former western Pennsylvania steel worker depicts every profession imaginable when planning the designs that are in such demand, he quit his job to become a full-time artist. Roland's excitement about his work was evident as he said, "I create miniature working-class people in metal, from farmers sitting atop a John Deere tractor to doctors and nurses in uniform. As the sculptures take form, the people become real to me."
         Using welders, torches and anvils, Roland attempts to breathe life into his tiny friends. "My current line includes 207 different sculptures but I receive request for new pieces everyday." The 39-year old's work is so appreciated world-wide, his sculpture of a coal miner stands in Moscow's Museum. He commented, "The statue is a salute to Russia's hard-working laborers."
         Roland lives with his wife and four children in Carrolltown, Pennsylvania (between Pittsburgh and Bedford), a rural community surrounded by majestic mountains. "I wish everyone could see where I live," he reflected. "I look out at the beautiful countryside and ideas for new pieces just come to me."

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