Often Butler Eagle readers express dismay at the conditions they encounter in Butler and the surrounding areas.

I am writing to commend Butler for the generous way it greeted our out-of-town guests. On Oct. 15 and 16, Butler County Community College helped host the statewide conference of the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts (PCTELA).

On Oct. 15, we had more than 160 participants involved in hearing our keynote speaker, Linda Rief, a middle school teacher in Oyster River, N.H., speak of student diversity and achievement. Participants ranged from college students to seasoned veteran educators coming together to learn.

Concurrent workshops dealt with raising student achievement, writing strategies, teaching Shakespeare, plagiarism and electronic media, poetry and grammar. Many local educators gave freely of their time and talents to develop and present these workshop sessions.

To a person, our attendees commented about the hospitality that was extended to them as they went out and about the greater Butler community. Many of our local businesses offered special discounts to our members, and this was met with surprise and appreciation.

Additionally, many businesses supplied door prizes to help us for this conference.

Those staying downtown at our bed-and-breakfasts loved the small-town atmosphere and commented how they loved walking our tree-lined streets and browsing the shops. Those who rested their weary heads in our local hotels commented about how comfortable and reasonable their accommodations had been.

Our student affiliates from four universities met for coffee and networking at Cummings Candy & Coffee Shop and enjoyed this step back in time.

All participants expressed that they would love returning to Butler again sometime soon.

Additionally, our conference events included an Author's Alley, where regional authors were available to talk about their books and sign autographs. Their presence was greatly appreciated because our colleagues had the opportunity to discuss their work and their processes.

These authors gave their time and expertise to help us extend our conference experience.

On the night of Oct. 15, BC3 hosted the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre in performance. Our attendees were awed by the Succop Theater and the stamina of Larry Stock, who had been assisting at the conference all day and then was there to man the sound and staging for this performance.

The featured speaker on Oct. 16, Lois Burdett, arrived from Stratford, Ontario, to help us understand how second-graders could be Shakespearean actors. The video clips of youngsters performing and then communicating the meaning behind the words was truly inspirational.

Following the last session on Oct. 16, weary attendees commented what an excellent conference it had been and what a great place Butler is.

Participants left expressing that they would love returning to Butler again sometime soon.