The Hartleb Beat

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The end of the Winter Olympics always leaves a five-ringed hole in my heart. I have never been particularly invested in any of the sports, but there is something captivating about watching countries from the southern hemisphere compete in snow-related sports I've never heard of. Now that the medal count has been finalized, the athletes have been returned to their home countries, and, according to Twitter, the Today show "team" has been safely brought back to New York City, I am reminded that unfortunately, I do not live in a beach resort like Sochi that seems to only snow for the Olympics.

Here, I will take a moment to introduce myself – I am a high school senior, a non-athlete, a lover of words and writing, a landscaper, an Apple enthusiast, an experience seeker, and perhaps most importantly, an Erie Reader intern. I live in Erie where winter seems to be here to stay for a while. But fear not, Erie Reader readers. This time of year is actually quite a lovely time to crawl out of winter hibernation to see a show, watch a play, listen to a cool new band, take an art class, or do anything else that goes to show why Erie is actually a pretty neat place in these seemingly dismal months.

So far, my intern duties have included upkeep of the Erie Reader calendar, and a few Q&A's with strategists, business owners, and leaders in the Erie community. Now, I am on a mission to explore the events I read about in press releases and share my experience here, in a way that hopefully makes us both learn something new. I'll do my best to cover everything from music to movies to Presque Isle to things that one would only find in Erie.

Admittedly, I am somewhat of a newcomer to Erie's cultural scene. Nevertheless, I know Erie has more to offer than most people give it credit for, so starting now, the journey of seeking out the most interesting people, places, and events in Erie and the process of writing about them from the perspective of a cultural rookie begins.

Have a suggestion for something I should check out? Want to share your experience with The Erie Reader? Email me at ehartleb@eriereader and follow me on Twitter @elliehartleb.