Here's a list of gifts with a Westmoreland County connection

Dec. 17—There are potential holiday presents in every spot you look around Westmoreland County.

That restaurant or coffee shop down the street probably stock gift cards that would be perfect for a friend or relative. The winery, distillery, meadery or craft brewery you've noticed in the neighborhood could provide a liquid present for someone who you know likes to imbibe.

There are local makers who are always hard at work creating something new to catch the eye of potential buyers, grocers, butchers, creameries and chocolatiers, plus gifts of an experience like an outdoor adventure or afternoon at a creative studio. And then there are the small businesses that line the streets of our communities, where you're sure to find something different.

While there are plenty of things made and sold in Westmoreland County that would make excellent presents, there are fewer that make that unique hometown connection. Here are a some options for gift recipients near or far — you don't need to know their clothing size or wonder if they already have it.

Ligonier Diamond gazebo bracelet

John M. Clark has been making dainty, bejeweled replicas of the Ligonier Diamond gazebo for about four decades.

Lately, he's been making silver bracelets with rose gold roofs.

"These are really popular," he said.

Clark, a goldsmith, makes the bracelets, and 30 other incarnations of the gazebo, in his Ligonier Township workshop alongside his brother George Clark. Their sister Linda Clark runs the shop on West Main Street in Ligonier Borough. All of the siblings are involved in jewelry design and creation.

There are pendants, charms, earrings and cuff links that John M. Clark has made with the gazebo design, and a three-dimensional version with a bride and groom inside of it. To make a batch of four of the gazebo bracelets takes a couple days. They cost $295 each.

Black River Arts

The criss-cross of streets in Westmoreland County communities, and sometimes blue snakes of waterways, can be permanently memorialized in map items from Black River Arts.

There are large wooden maps ranging in price from $55 to $120 which are created by Allison Mullen at her Derry Township workshop. She offers maps of towns such as Irwin and Latrobe as well as customization options for a place special to a gift recipient.

For gift givers interested a lower price point, Black River Arts has laser etched slate coasters with similar designs. There are also coasters featuring Latrobe legends Fred Rogers and Arnold Palmer, as well as simply a town name with an outline of Pennsylvania. They start at $5. Products are available at blackriverarts.com.

"My coasters are a No. 1 seller," Mullen said.

Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor

There are plenty of items to celebrate Route 30 at the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor. There are earrings made by Your Story Charmed with the familiar red, white and blue Lincoln Highway logo for someone with pierced ears. Earrings are $12.

And a traffic jam of a different sort — one you can spread on toast. Peach-flavored Route 30 Traffic Jam is $7.99.

Lincoln Highway was completed in 1925, opening up a new world for the motoring public. The heritage group has a museum at 3435 Route 30 East in Unity dedicated to sharing the highway's story and history. Anyone who brings in a copy of this article through December can get 25% off their purchase, according to site director Spencer Simpson. It is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. though hours might be limited during the holidays.

Images of America books

For the person who remembers what life used to be like, there's a book for that.

The Images of America series of books on local history are jam packed with old photographs of Westmoreland County towns. Local authors compile the information and use photos to tell the story of a town's history, the people who were important to it and how it has changed.

There are Images of America books about Jeannette, Greensburg, Murrysville and Export, Salem and Delmont, the Ligonier Valley, Norvelt, Idlewild and Mt. Pleasant Borough, among others. Many are available for loan through the Westmoreland Library Network. They can be purchased from local historical groups, arcadiapublishing.com or elsewhere online.

Fort Ligonier

History buffs may appreciate a print of a pivotal moment involving a young George Washington.

Fort Ligonier commissioned Ligonier native Chas Fagan to paint "Flash Point," which depicts Washington on horseback being caught up in a friendly fire incident Nov. 12, 1758 during the French and Indian War. The original painting is on display at Fort Ligonier.

In his own writings about the incident, Washington said his life was in peril.

There are a limited number of signed and numbered prints of the artwork for sale at the fort's museum store, 200 S. Market St. Each is 22-by-28 inches and $125 for the month of December. The museum's winter hours are Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. It will be closed Christmas Eve and Day and New Year's Eve and Day.

Acorn Metal Art

Show some hometown pride, or pride in a place close to a gift recipient's heart, with metal decor designed and created by a husband and wife in Ligonier Township. Signs designed and created by Acorn Metal Art's Nancy and Jim Valley can be customizable by town, one featuring Greensburg is in the shape of Pennsylvania with a heart cut out of the southwestern corner.

Another in the same state shape features Laurel Highlands with a mountain cut out. Nancy Valley said the signs can be customized to include any town, ZIP code or family name. Products are available at acornmetalart.com.

Saint Vincent flour

Flour has been ground for nearly 170 years at the Saint Vincent Gristmill in Unity. It's a gift that spans centuries of monks and farmers who have used the grindstones at the mill.

Bags of flour are placed in a wooden bin for sale at the mill's general store, open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., though hours may differ during the holidays. The bags range from 2 to 10 pounds and $2 to $11 depending on the type and size. The store sells whole wheat and unbleached white flour, as well as specialty items including bran, corn meal and rye.

The gristmill was built by Benedictine monks along what is now Beatty County Road. Shopping can be done in person or online at saintvincentgristmill.com/shop.

Ligonier Valley Rail Road caboose

Maybe a gift recipient has fond memories of riding on the Ligonier Valley Rail Road, or simply enjoys model trains. Whatever the reason, the Ligonier Valley Railroad Association has in its gift shop a detailed replica of 1950 Bobber caboose complete with authentic railroad markings.

The railroad mainline between Ligonier and Latrobe was 10 miles and had several spurs, including one that stopped at Idlewild. It transported passengers and freight from 1877 to 1952. The association's home is at the former Darlington station, 3032 Idlewild Hill Lane in Ligonier Township, and is open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays, though the hours may vary during the holidays.

The replica caboose is available for $10 plus shipping and handling at lvrra.org/giftshopdisplay.php.

Westmoreland County flag

As Westmoreland County celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, a gift of the county flag seems appropriate.

The bright red flag has a coiled rattlesnake ready to strike, a symbol of the American colonies, alongside a Union Jack — the national flag of Britain. In script are the letters J.P., standing for Col. John Proctor, the county's first sheriff. Then there are initials I.B.W.C.P. — the Independent Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, which was among the first troops west of the Alleghenies.

The original flag, made from pieces of silk sewn together, is on display part of the year at Fort Pitt Museum in Pittsburgh's Point State Park. Gift givers can find small, medium and large replicas at the Westmoreland County Historical Society's museum store at Hanna's Town, 809 Forbes Trail Road in Hempfield. Small, medium and large flags are $7.50, $15 and $75, respectively. The store is open Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. though hours may vary during the holidays.

Archaeological ornaments

Three ornaments for sale by the Westmoreland County Historical Society draw from underground inspiration. Executive director Lisa Hays said the ornaments are replicas of items that were found during archaeological digs at Hanna's Town, the first county seat of government and a home on the frontier in the late 1700s.

One of the designs is taken from late 18th century English creamware teacup painted with the Kings Rose pattern. The second has an image developed from a soapstone button mold. Such molds were typically used by craftsmen to cast their own buttons.

The third design is a Chinese export porcelain saucer that was hand painted in the Blue Willow style. Each of the ornaments has information about the piece's significance to the people of Hanna's Town. They are $20 each.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .