Venango Heart & Soul

08/04/2026

We did it, and it feels pretty incredible to be recognized at the state level with PA Humanities and DCED and the national level with Community Heart & Soul! 💙 Love the feeling of helping spotlight Venango County on the map! 🥰

We are so grateful for the opportunity through Venango Heart & Soul to hear and connect more with people in our county about what needs preserved, improved, and created! The future is bright! ❤

🎉 A big congratulations to project coordinator Ashley Zaccari and the entire Venango Area Heart & Soul team!

They have completed and released an action plan shaped by ideas from residents of Oil City, Franklin, and Cranberry, all centered on their shared Venango Values. With its release, Venango Area is now officially a PA Heart & Soul community!

The achievement was celebrated at Saturday’s Oil Heritage Festival. Pictured from left are PA Humanities storyteller, program manager, and Heart & Soul coach Karen Price Litzinger; Zaccari; and Community Heart & Soul Senior Associate of Programs Leanne Tingay.

PA Heart & Soul helps small towns turn community stories into action using the tools of the humanities.

Learn more: https://pahumanities.org/initiative/pa-heart-and-soul/

07/28/2026

This year's Oil Heritage Festival parade was SO much fun! 🎉

I wanted to do something a little different this year for my Be Here Venango and Venango Heart & Soul float to create a memory for kids and families. Renting a foam party truck from Funtastic Foam Parties was the perfect choice! They were absolutely incredible to work with and made everything so easy!

At first, the kids were a little unsure about running into the street, but since we were the very last float, they could safely jump in and play. Before long, every time I looked back there was a sea of kids laughing, dancing, and covered in foam! It was one of those moments that reminded me how special being involved in our community can be.

If you have any photos or videos from the foam party, I'd love to see them! Share them in the comments or send them my way.

I had an absolute blast, and if everyone else loved it as much as I did... we might just have to make it an annual tradition! ☁️💙

07/16/2026

We are so excited to celebrate with the community during Oil Heritage Festival on Saturday, July 25th between the opener and main stage performances in Justus Park!

Come down to the park by 7:30p to hear a short presentation on the main stage and visit our table in the park!

04/29/2026

✨ SEE YOU TONIGHT IN FRANKLIN! ✨

Tonight’s the night we turn all those “what ifs…” into “let’s do this.” 💡➡️🚀

We’ve spent the past year listening to what people love about Venango County… Now we’re rolling up our sleeves and building what comes next, together.

👉 Join us for the Venango Heart & Soul Action Idea Summit
📍 TrAils To Ales II Event Venue
🕕 6–8 PM
🍴 Free food + great conversation

Expect good energy, real ideas, and a room full of people who care about this place just like you do.

🌿 Outdoors & Nature
🤝 Community & Connection
🎨 Arts, Events & Culture
🏪 Local Business & Opportunity
🏛️ Heritage & Community Spirit

💬 What should the community protect?
🔧 What should the community improve?
✨ What should the community create?
🚀 And most importantly… how do we actually make it happen?

Come as you are. Bring your ideas. Bring a friend.
Let’s build something that feels like home, together. 💛

04/23/2026

04/20/2026

✨ SEE YOU TONIGHT IN OIL CITY! ✨

Tonight’s the night we turn all those “what ifs…” into “let’s do this.” 💡➡️🚀

We’ve spent the past year listening to what people love about Venango County…
Now we’re rolling up our sleeves and building what comes next, together.

👉 Join us for the Venango Heart & Soul Action Idea Summit

📍 Christ Episcopal Church (Oil City)
🕕 6–8 PM
🍴 Free food + great conversation

Expect good energy, real ideas, and a room full of people who care about this place just like you do.

🌿 Outdoors & Nature
🤝 Community & Connection
🎨 Arts, Events & Culture
🏪 Local Business & Opportunity
🏛️ Heritage & Community Spirit

💬 What should we protect?
🔧 What should we improve?
✨ What should we create?
🚀 And most importantly… how do we actually make it happen?

Come as you are. Bring your ideas. Bring a friend.
Let’s build something that feels like home, together. 💛

🌟 APRIL IS FOR ACTION IDEAS 🌟
Help shape what comes next in Venango County! 💡

Over the past year, we’ve been listening, collecting stories about what people love most about living here. From that, we created our Venango Values… and now it’s time for the next step:
👉 Turning those values into real action.

We’re inviting YOU to be part of our Venango Heart & Soul Action Idea Summits: interactive, positive-energy sessions where your ideas help shape the future of our community.

📍 JOIN US:
April 14 – The Log Cabin Family Restaurant (Cranberry)
April 20 – Christ Episcopal Church (Oil City)
April 29 – TrAils To Ales Brewery II (Franklin)
🕕 6–8 PM | 🍴 Food provided

Focus Areas (Venango Values):
🌿 Outdoors & Nature
🤝 Community & Connection
🎨 Arts, Events & Culture
🏪 Local Business & Opportunity
🏛️ Heritage & Community Spirit

This is your chance to speak up, share ideas, and be part of building something meaningful right here in Venango County 💛

Join us! Let’s turn ideas into action together. ✨

04/16/2026

Huge thank you to Tom Myers of Eight One Four Photography for capturing the Cranberry Action Idea Summit at The Log Cabin Family Restaurant! 📸

It was an incredible night full of energy, ideas, and community, and we’re just getting started!

We can’t wait to keep the momentum going as we gather even more ideas from across Venango County. 💡

➡️ Next stops:
Oil City | April 20 - Christ Episcopal Church
Franklin | April 29 - TrAils To Ales Brewery II Event Venue

See you there!

04/16/2026

Monday night. Big ideas. Real voices. 💡

Join us Monday, April 20 | 6–8 PM at Christ Episcopal Church (16 Central Ave, Oil City) for an April is for Action Ideas Venango Heart & Soul conversation.

Come share:
✨ What you’d love to see happen in Venango County
🔧 How we can actually make it happen
🤝 And connect with others who care about our community

No pressure. Just real ideas from real people.

Show up, speak up, and help build what’s next.

04/16/2026

We had a wonderful event in Cranberry this week and will be coming to Oil City's Christ Episcopal Church next week on Monday 4/20 and Franklin's TrAils To Ales 2 (Event Venue) on Tuesday, 4/28 from 6-8pm! FREE food! Come and bring your ideas!

04/13/2026

Tomorrow’s the night, Venango County! 🎉

We’re kicking off the first Venango Heart & Soul Action Idea Summit at The Log Cabin Family Restaurant in Seneca and anyone from Venango County is welcome to join us!

📍 106 E State Rd, Seneca
🕕 6–8 PM
🌮 FREE nacho bar!

Over the past year, we’ve been listening and collecting stories from people across Venango County about what they love and what matters most about living here. From that, we’ve identified 5 Venango Values that truly reflect our community.

✨ Now comes the exciting part…
It’s time to turn those values into real ideas AND real action.

We want to hear from YOU:
👉 What should we protect, improve, or create?
👉 AND how can we actually make it happen as a community?

This isn’t a long meeting or a lecture. It’s a relaxed, interactive night where you can share ideas, connect with neighbors, and help shape the future of Venango County.

Whether you’ve been involved from the start or are just hearing about this now, your voice matters.

Come for the nachos… stay to help build what’s next 🌟