Officials at Go Laurel Highlands recognized some of the region’s leaders in creating memorable tourism experiences at their annual dinner Sept. 28.

The group named Nina and Bob Basile their Trailblazers of the Year. The husband and wife team designed and built the Luxury Treehouse in 2021, and this year opened the Ohiopyle Hobbit House, a three-bedroom homage to the fictional hobbits’ home of The Shire in J.R.R. Tolkien’ “Lord of the Rings” book trilogy.

“Nina and Bob recognized an opportunity to elevate the region’s vacation rentals to an entirely new level,” said Go Laurel Highlands Executive Director Ann Nemanic. “These two vacation homes offer visitors unique and memorable overnight accommodations that truly represent lodging at its finest.”

Father-son duo Mark Brown and Shawn Hresko, owners of Hemlock Lane Designs in Donegal Township, were named the organization’s Pathfinders of the Year. Hemlock creates handmade furniture and specializes in custom woodworking and repurposed items.

Brown is a sixth-generation resident of Westmoreland County, and can trace his roots back to his great-great-great-grandfather, who lived in what is now Historic Hanna’s Town in the early 1800.

Go’s Employee of the Year Award went to Violet Costello, a gallery host at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

The museum’s chief curator, Jeremiah McCarthy, said interacting with Costello and watching her engage other museum guests was a big part of the reason he applied for his current position.

Nemanic said this year’s honorees are a big part of what makes the region unique.

“Millions of visitors travel to our region annually, and they depart with lasting memories due to the hospitality and remarkable experiences they find within our 3,000-square-mile footprint,” she said.

Scholarships

Go Laurel Highlands also awarded three $2,500 scholarships, to Westmoreland County Community College culinary arts major Elizabeth Caglia, Seton Hill University senior and marketing major Bailey Valentine, and Penn State-Fayette business major Hannah Wiltrout.

“As somebody who comes from the Laurel Highlands, I’ve spent 20 years growing up there,” Valentine said. “It’s a major thing to receive a scholarship like this. It’s helping me pursue my dreams and hopefully helping others do the same.”

Wiltrout is interning at a Mt. Pleasant salon.

“It really means a lot to me,” Wiltrout said of the scholarship. “College is expensive (and) everything else is expensive. Any money that I can save I can put toward my dream of hopefully owning a salon.”

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