At 84, 84 founder's building a new union

PITTSBURGH - Joe Hardy, the gregarious founder of 84 Lumber and a local politician, will be getting married this weekend in Las Vegas, a spokesman confirmed yesterday.

Spokesman Jeff Nobers wouldn't disclose details about the wedding of Hardy, 84, a Fayette County commissioner, or about his fiancee. Local news organizations have reported that his bride-to-be is a woman in her 20s who works at the Hardy family's Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Farmington.

Hardy was married for more than 50 years to his first wife, Dorothy, his high school sweetheart, and the couple had five children before divorcing in 1997. Soon after, he married his second wife, Debra, with whom he had two daughters before that marriage also ended in divorce.

In January, Hardy celebrated his 84th birthday with a bash that included performances by Christina Aguilera, Bette Midler and Robin Williams. *