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Ardmore kicked off its first-ever holiday market Saturday, hosting more than 20 vendors.

Despite the winter chill, holiday shoppers wandered through Schauffele Plaza, perusing everything from candles and pottery to clothing and glassware.

“As an artist, if we didn’t have markets, we wouldn’t be able to actually sell our work,” said Marcia Reiver, a Bryan Mawr-based ceramicist who was selling her pottery, jewelry and other wares at the market Saturday.

“When you buy something from an artist, you’re actually making a big deal,” she said.

In addition to showcasing local artists, the market is designed to boost foot traffic to local businesses, said Alec Hersh, executive director of Ardmore Initiative, the town’s business improvement district.

“There are holiday events elsewhere in the Main Line,” Hersh said. “I wanted to make something happen here in downtown Ardmore that would make it really serve as … that magnetic force for people all across, from West Philly all the way up to Malvern, to come here.”

Grace O’Shea was carrying her toddler while browsing the different stalls. She said she and her family were able to walk just blocks from their home to check out the event.

“It’s great to have proximity to a market like this,” she said. “We are always looking for fun things to do on the weekend, right? And this is something super easy for us.”

Visitors can pick up a passport for the month of December at the market, said Rebecca D’Ostilio, marketing and events manager for Ardmore Initiative.

Once someone gets three stickers from participating businesses with any purchase, they can enter a giveaway for three $100 gift cards.

“That brings the community together, too,” she said. “You feel like you’re participating in shopping small. Which is the point of this, even with the vendors, right, you’re supporting a small business, and I think that’s super important.”

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. (KDKA) — A Pennsylvania hunter bagged the largest black bear in the state so far this year by killing a 717-pounder in Butler County’s Moraine State Park.

Nate Miller bagged the massive bear while hunting in Moraine State Park on Nov. 22, according to a post on Facebook from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northwest Region. Nov. 22 was the opening day of black bear firearms season in Pennsylvania.

Miller, according to the post, got to the state park just before daylight and was guided by a friend to a spot. After a “quiet morning watching squirrels,” Miller walked to a bowl in the terrain and began scanning the area for bears, the Game Commission said.

“Within seconds, he spotted a massive black shape 60 to 80 yards away,” the post said.

Miller fatally shot the bear with his Remington 721, and “what followed was a true team effort,” the Facebook post said. Friends and family of Miller brought a sled to the scene, and after hours of dragging and recovery, plus a little help from rangers with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the black bear was brought to a check station in Venango County.

The bear weighed in at 717 pounds and was 7 feet, 5 inches long from nose to tail. It had a dressed weight of 608 pounds. The post said Miller bagged a “bear of a LIFETIME!”

“The bear will be full-mounted, with the skull to be scored once dry,” the Game Commission’s post added. “An unforgettable day, an incredible harvest, and a memory that will last a lifetime. Well done, Nate!”

For comparison, the heaviest bear harvested in the state in 2024 was 774 pounds. The second heaviest was 714 pounds.

Bear hunting in Pennsylvania

The chances of getting a bear are somewhat slim, as fewer than 2% of bear hunters harvest a bear in any given year. But the Game Commission says that’s what makes it exciting.

The average bear harvested in Pennsylvania, according to the Game Commission, is about 3 years old. Males of that age typically weigh about 200 pounds, while females of that age generally weigh 160 pounds.

“You could travel to any place in North America that has black bears and it would be hard to find bears that top those like we have here in Pennsylvania,” Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith said in an October news release.

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (WHTM) — President Donald Trump will return to Pennsylvania next week for an event open to the public.

The president is set to speak Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Mount Airy Casino Resort, according to the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

His address will focus on inflation and the economy, the party said.

Those interested in attending must fill out a registration form. It will ask for a first name, last name, email address and phone number.

Click here to access the form.

It advertises itself as “a premier adult resort” requiring guests to be at least 21 years old. It’s not clear if that restriction applies for this event.

He last visited the state in July, when he attended an energy and tech investments summit in Pittsburgh.

The president announced more than $90 billion in private-sector investments across Pennsylvania at the summit.