Alliance goes wild

Altoona Alliance Church is game for another wild night.

The adventurous will tantalize their taste buds by sampling entrees featuring deer, elk, bison and moose or smaller creatures such as rabbit, pheasant and turkey.

The not-so-adventurous can stick with the predictable by choosing farm-raised turkey over an animal bagged by a hunter.

The opportunity to try something out of the ordinary is being offered by Altoona Alliance Church when it hosts its eighth Wild Game Feast at 6 p.m. March 16 at the church.

While the crowd is digesting its meal, former Pittsburgh Steeler Craig Wolfley will talk about his football days and the ups and downs of life.

"It will be fun, enjoyable evening" Wolfley predicted.

And while no fish will be on the menu, the bass that swim in Pennsylvania's fresh water lakes will be a topic of discussion when Jason Porter, director of the Central Pennsylvania Division of Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail, takes the stage. He will share how bass fisherman can join the group.

Wolfley, an offensive guard and tackle during the 10 years he played for the Steelers, was selected online by fans in 2000 as a member of the Steelers All-Century Team, a "team" of the best players to ever wear a Steelers uniform.

Wolfley never got a Super Bowl ring. He signed up to play for Pittsburgh just after the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl Championship in 1980. It would be another 26 years before they were champs again

"My timing was never good," Wolfley joked during a telephone interview.

Today, he is back with the Steelers as a member of the radio broadcasting team and co-hosts a radio talk show on 970 AM ESPN Pittsburgh with former teammate Tunch Ilkin.

Wolfley related that he and Ilkin were roommates when they played for the Steelers.

"The night before the games we were so tense; we felt so much pressure," Wolfley said.

He and Ilkin would comment that it would be great to travel to the games and not sense that pressure, he said.

As part of the broadcast team, that desire came true.

"God intervenes in life," Wolfley said. "You never know what is going to happen."

In addition to being a lineman, Wolfley has boxed professionally and holds a black belt in jujitsu.

He and his wife owned the Wolfpack Boxing Club in Bridgeville, which Wolfley said they sold about a year ago.

"Forrest Gump got tired of running, and I got tired of being punched," he said.

The Wolfleys have six children and two grandchildren.

Wolfley said he is looking forward to hanging out with the outdoors crowd and sharing his faith in Jesus.

Porter also will be sharing about his faith when he talks about Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail. The 15-year-old group has 44 tournament divisions and 34 legacy divisions (one partner must be younger than 19) in 27 states.

Porter said he learned about the tournaments while attending a Bass University event in Harrisburg. After a break, he found a pamphlet about Fishers of Men on his chair.

"I had just come to know the Lord the month before," he said. "This is just what I needed, [I thought]. I wanted to be surrounded by other believers."

Porter fished in other divisions before establishing one six years ago.

The division holds competitions from April to August at Lake Raystown, the Kinzua Dam, Shenango Lake and Mosquito Lake in Ohio.

Each tournament begins with a Friday night dinner that includes door prizes and an inspirational message.

"It's the meat and potatoes of what we do," Porter said.

Pastor Tim McGarvey of Altoona Alliance said the church held six wild game feasts at various venues before the church on 17th Street burned. Each one featured a speaker who shared about the sports and their faith.

McGarvey said the church decided to re-establish the wild game dinners at its new location last year.

Coordinating the event is Jamie Glunt, who works with other volunteers to make sure a variety of choices are served.

"We will have multiple preparation of the wild game including stews, roasts, barbecued [cuts], bologna, sloppy joes and soup," Glunt said. We also will be having a mystery meat for all the guests to sample. The individual who guesses the mystery meat will win a prize."

Door prizes are part of the event with a Remington 870 Express 12-gauge shotgun and a .22 rifle with scope to be given away among other prizes.

She said the wildlife is bagged by local hunters.

"The amount they donate depends on what God has blessed them with this past hunting season," she said.

A hunter herself, Glunt mainly targets turkey and deer now that she is married.

Growing up in Bedford County, she would go hunting from the first day of rabbit to the last day of deer.

"I loved being outdoors, spending time with my dad and brothers," she said.