Inside Pennsylvania Magazine - September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

FROM DOLPHINS TO

DINOSAURS Danville native makes a career out of creativity Murals making big statements Siam celebrates 10 years of cuisine Halloween festivities return

SEPTEMBER 2021

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK There are a lot of stories to be told in the Valley.

It’s actually one of my favorite things about people: every person has his or her own story. They aren’t always happy and they aren’t always finished, but the story is there, waiting to be shared.

Baker Christina Oberheim will contribute — behind-the-scenes — to many future stories through White Springs Homemade, a charity she started this year. The purpose of her organization is to assist families by donating money to help them “grow” through adoption.

There are also success stories, like that of Siam Restaurant & Bar in Lewisburg. What started with owner Poy Pinter making Thai food for Bucknell professors in her home has grown into a 10-yearold business that’s a staple in the Valley restaurant scene.

Then there’s the small events — like the Halloween festivities returning this year — that probably won’t be part of the larger story, but contribute to many fond memories. Stories of children scrambling to gather candy before some one else or sitting on the curb as costumed people paraded by.

Years later, many will watch the traditions continue.

For some people, like MacKenzie Wertman, her story is based on fiction. Wertman’s children’s book, “There’s a Dolphin in My Swimming Pool,” was recently published and at the age of 24, she is poised to release several more projects, including the publication of a comic book and the release of an animated film for which she wrote the screenplay. With an imagination that won’t quit, Wertman creates new stories to tell — all while traveling with a herd of dinosaurs that were spawned as a result of her creativity.

Even Valley buildings have stories to tell. The murals that decorate their walls illustrate history.

One in Shamokin depicts a coal miner, a train, and a waffle iron. Colorful murals are something we pass on the streets, but don’t ignore their stories.

There are a lot of stories in the Valley and so many are left to tell. With the help of new Inside Pennsylvania editor, Jean Knouse, I can’t wait to read them.

Kyra Smith-Cullen, Editor

We’d love your feedback on the magazine! Send your comments, story suggestions and favorite local photos to editor@insidepamagazine.com

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CONTENTS 6 THE CREATIVE MIND OF MACKENZIE WERTMAN CREATIVITY, HARD WORK, SUPPORTIVE PARENTS AND ORANGE DINOSAURS HELPED THIS DANVILLE WOMAN CHART HER ONE-OF-A-KIND CAREER.

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OFF THE WALL:

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BAKED GOODS FOR A GOOD CAUSE:

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BRINGING THAI TO THE VALLEY:

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HALLOWEEN SPIRITS:

Local buildings are decorated with art depicting the area’s history and more.

Siam Restaurant & Bar owners Poy and Adrian Pinter have been offering Thai cuisine in Lewisburg for 10 years.

A Valley woman turned her business into a nonprofit so she could contribute to a cause close to her heart.

Ghouls and ghosts return to the Valley at local Halloween parades and festivities

Editor

Dennis M. Lyons

Publisher

Fred Scheller

Magazine editors

Kyra Smith-Cullen/Jean Knouse Magazine advertising manager A publication of The Daily Item

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Lori Seebold Design editor

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Robert Inglis Writers/Contributors

Alexis Barrick Tabitha Goodling Cindy O. Herman Tricia Kline Anna Piecuch

INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA:

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Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner, without permission, is prohibited. Copyright 2017 by Community News Group LLC. All rights reserved. Single issue: $3.95. Subscription: $10 annually (U.S. only). POSTMASTER: Send address change to Inside Pennsylvania magazine, 200 Market St., Sunbury, PA 17801. Advertising rates and specifications available online at InsidePaMagazine.com. Inside Pennsylvania was founded March 2007. A publication of The Daily Item, a member of Community News Group LLC.

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AUTHOR AND DANVILLE NATIVE MACKENZIE K. WERTMAN HAS PUBLUSHED MULTIPLE SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS AND CHILDREN’S BOOKS.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

The creative mind of

Mackenzie

Wertman Danville native dips pen in books, comics, screenwriting Story by Tricia Kline | Photos by Robert Inglis

M

any children grow up with fantastical dreams and imaginary friends.

Few, however, remember much about them as they move into adulthood. Danville author, screenwriter and entrepreneur Mackenzie K. Wertman, 24, is an exception. She vividly remembers her dreams and friends, so Wertman brings them to life, so to speak, on the pages of her new children’s book.

“There’s a Dolphin in My Swimming Pool,” was published in July, and is based on Wertman’s childhood friend, Sandy, an inflatable dolphin she played with in her family’s swimming pool.

The adventures of a little girl and her dolphin friend are the subject of her book which encourages kids to be creative and have fun. “I feel like so many kids get that knocked out of them,” she said. “I don’t want kids to lose that.” Wertman’s upcoming

“I have loved animals since I was crawling.

If I could have a zoo here, I would. An imaginary zoo in children’s books is the best I can do.”

— MACKENZIE K. WERTMAN

children’s book, “The Zebra of Many Colors,” was a way for Wertman to live out a childhood dream. “I always wanted a rainbow zebra,” she said with a laugh.

Also an animal lover — she has nine cats and a dog — Wertman said 99 percent of her children’s writing projects are centered on animals.

“I have loved animals since I was crawling,” she said. “If I could have a zoo here, I would. An imaginary zoo in children’s books is the best I can

do,” she laughed.

Growing up, she always wanted to be a veterinarian, but, while participating in a co-op vet clinic during high school, she realized the career wasn’t a fit for her. In fact, when she thought of doing anything other than writing, she could only think about how much she would miss it. Then she realized, “I have this imagination that hasn’t left me,” she said. “If I go somewhere else, I will lose it.”

A timely summer trip to visit her cousins in Los Angeles, where she saw lots of movie props and actors, fueled her desire to write even more.

Late in her senior year of high school, Wertman decided to officially pursue writing and screenwriting. Following graduation in 2015, she attended Bloomsburg University for creative writing. Then she took a year off for an internship in Los Angeles where CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

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AUTHOR AND DANVILLE NATIVE MACKENZIE K. WERTMAN ALSO DESIGNED THESE LIFE-SIZED DINOSAURS WITH WHICH SHE TRAVELS UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST FOR VARIOUS PARTIES AND PERFORMANCES AT AMUSEMENT PARKS, BASEBALL GAMES, MUSEUMS AND RED CARPETS. 8

SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

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Dinosaurs dominated Wertman’s imagination from a young age As a child, dinosaurs dominated the pages of Mackenzie Wertman’s story writing and doodling.

“I cannot remember not liking dinosaurs,” she said and then added. “I don’t even know what made me love them so much.”

For a time, she did grow out of her intense fascination, but a specific imaginary creature seemed to keep calling her back, even as a young adult.

“I always had this image of an orange dinosaur with black stripes,” she said. His name was Jasper and he became the very first life-like animatronic dinosaur costume which she designed based on a drawing from second grade.

He would soon become a business called Jasper the Raptor. Later, the business was renamed Pennsylvania Dinosaurs. Today, Wertman has 10 dinosaurs with which she travels up and down the East coast for various parties and performances at amusement parks, baseball games, museums and red carpets.

Originally, Wertman had hoped to turn Jasper into a film project, but as that dream got delayed, she soon discovered a different demand for the creature. Jasper was wanted to appear at birthday parties, and as a college student in need of cash, she decided to meet that demand by subcontracting with a dinosaur company on

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

the West coast. Her business took off like a rocket, so she designed and purchased three more dinosaurs: Romeo, Luci and Piper. Later, she added Tank — a dinosaur costume from an owner in Los Angeles.

Soon after, Dexter and Vader joined the group.

With the shutdowns in 2020, her company took a hit, but Wertman continued to get creative by offering Zoom parties. As Wertman’s mom, Charlotte, said, “She’s always thinking. She doesn’t let anything stop her.”

For Wertman, it’s all about attitude.

“It’s not failure that makes you fail,” she said. “it’s just you quitting.”

Now, things with Pennsylvania Dinosaurs are starting to pick up again.

“We’re bouncing back tenfold, Wertman said. “I’m practically booked out for the rest of the year, and double booked.”

At the beginning of August this year, she was eagerly awaiting the arrival of three more dinosaurs which she created. “I’m very blessed to be able to do this, especially after 2020,” she said. Many of the dinosaur companies she works with to do these events never reopened.

She loves that the business allows her to do two of the things she really enjoys — travel and create.

“I’m really just having fun with it,” she said.

— TRICIA KLINE

she worked in an entertainment office reading scripts, meeting with actors and actresses, and even working on movie sets.

She then attended Full Sail University in Orlando and completed a highly accelerated program in “Creative Writing for Entertainment,” graduating in 2019.

SUCCESS Since then, there has been no stopping her. In addition to her children’s books, she recently contracted with Silverline Comics, in Orlando, for her new fantasy adventure comic book series, “Knight Rise.” Four issues will officially hit the shelves in 2022. Her characters will be introduced in a special Christmas publication later this year.

“I’m really excited about it,” she said.

“It’s really going to be something special. Our hopes are that the four issues are taken well, so we can continue with the storyline and characters.”

Wertman has also completed a number of screenplays that she said were being considered by producers in Los Angeles and West Hollywood when COVID hit. “It’s tough when you are in the room, sitting down with agents, producers, studios, and are told people are interested in these works,” she said. “Then the industry shut down.”

Her hope is that things will open up soon and there will be a studio to commit to her scripts.

Wertman’s screenplays are very diverse and include animation, horror, romance, drama and comedy. The wide variety is much like the books she has written, from children’s books to a young adult novels to adult romance.

She also recently worked on a short animation film titled “Co-kee!” that was released this past summer.

Not only has the variety of her work met her need to be creative, she said she has tried her hand at a lot of things “to see what sticks.”

To her amazement, she said, “I’m expecting something not to stick, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

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everything I’m throwing right now is sticking.”

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UNIQUE Wertman writes her children’s books leaving lots of room for reader response, and she also likes to put a personal message in the storyline. For example, “The Zebra of Many Colors” encourages kids to be true to themselves and embrace their differences. “Uniqueness is what makes people great,” she said. In fact, her personal messages to young readers are things “I wish somebody would have told me.”

Wertman’s mom, Charlotte, said her daughter had an “over the top” imagination as a child.

She jokes that, sometimes, she and her husband wondered if she was okay. “We knew kids had imaginary friends, but when we had to set a place setting for her friend ... ” she laughed.

Wertman’s parents also had to learn how to live with her “organized chaos,” as Wertman calls it. Her mother laughed and added that she sees Wertman’s projects long before they go to print as “papers laying all over the house.”

Many times, Wertman will look at something that causes inspiration to strike, and then, suddenly, disappears to go write down what came to mind. “I don’t

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think her mind ever rests,” her mother said.

Wertman said she wishes she could be more disciplined in her writing. “I am the typical creative person, where I set a goal and get completely distracted,” she laughed. Sometimes she seeks out inspiration through traveling or visiting a local antique shop. When she does find that inspiration, the pages flow right out of her.

One of the things that has helped as of late is knowing there are people who are interested and will read what she writes. “It’s starting to get to the point where I am building up a good name for myself,” she said.

It took some time for her parents to understand the way her mind worked.

Today, they couldn’t be prouder of the unique gift she has. “The stuff she thinks of, we’re just amazed,” Charlotte said. “Whatever she puts her mind to, it comes out successfully.”

What Charlotte especially loves about Wertman’s children’s books is that “it takes kids out of today’s world and into a world where they can just imagine.”

INSPIRING OTHERS This year, Wertman served as a commencement speaker for the Danville High School graduating class. Not much older than the students, she wanted to encourage them to follow their dreams, and to not let the fact that they come from a small town keep them from dreaming big. “If you want to do something, do it,” she said. “Don’t just look at money. You have to be happy with your life.” She added, “Don’t let the world, society, family or friends knock that out of you. You just have to have the passion and drive and, really, the courage to do it.”

Wertman has also been able to find a positive through the COVID pandemic — people realizing “you can do anything, anywhere.” In love with her rural Danville home, Wertman said she loves that concept.

“I’m very blessed to have a life where I get to be in my space that I love, my hometown,” she said. “I love

this area.” Wertman enjoys working outside, sitting by the pool, and being inspired regularly by the amazing view of the Susquehanna River and the surrounding mountains from her house.

At the same time, she also loves to travel. So, on the weekend, she said, “I get to get in my truck with my dinosaurs” (see sidebar on page 10) and go to cities like New York, Boston, Cleveland, and her favorite — Orlando.

But with all her traveling, she said, “I do tend to always come back home. I miss the woods, the trees, the animals, and the sense of community my town has.”

No matter what her future brings, Wertman said she knows her hometown will always be special to her.

“The roads leading out of Danville, they take you to anywhere,” she said.

“Get on it and go. The same roads lead you back. I hope this is always where my roots are, and my branches can go to other places, and I can always come back.”

GROWTH BRINGS CHANGE

Until recently, Wertman was signed with Arbuckle Publishing House (New York/Houston). Her first children’s book sold 500 copies before it was even released. Now she is working with a new company, Lazy Lion Publishing, that is willing to continue publishing her current books and to work with her on future projects. It’s the perfect place, Wertman said, for her to continue to grow.

Lauren West, former owner of Arbuckle Publishing House, can’t say

enough good things about Wertman.

“I have had the privilege to meet so many talented people from different walks of life, but of all the individuals that I have come into contact with, Mackenzie Wertman truly stands out above the rest. From the moment I met Mackenzie, I was blown away by her extraordinary confidence and talent.”

West said Wertman brought business sense and writing skills to the table, encompassed by a “positive outlook on life.”

But don’t just take her word for it.

West said Wertman’s work speaks for itself.

“I am confident that Mackenzie is destined to do great things, and I have nothing but faith that her writing will flourish as time goes by,” she said. “As a new writer, she has defied the odds of the struggling author and has risen above them, promising more great things to come. Her future is hers for the taking, and I couldn’t be happier for her.”

FULL SPEED AHEAD Not even a bout with COVID could stop Wertman’s success, although she admits it was a struggle and it did slow things down. She is still on medication for her heart, but says, “Thankfully I’m way better.”

She is grateful that she has been able to weather the storm and continue to have the freedom to be creative and pursue so many different avenues.

“I’m starting to get back to my normal self, and I can start enjoying this,” she said, adding that nothing is ever wasted in a writer’s life, especially struggles. “I have something to put into a character now,” she said. “I hope it will spur on something great.”

As West stated, “The world should get prepared because there’s no stopping her now. It’s going to be exciting to see where the road leads her next, and I’ll definitely be buying a ticket for that ride.”

For more and updated information

INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

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A MURAL PAINTED ON THE WALL OF THE COUP AGENCY REPRESENTING THE FORMER CAPITOL THEATER, ON BROADWAY STREET, IN MILTON.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

OFF THE WALL

“DEDICATED TO YOUTH SPORTS” HONORS DICK KASHNER, WHO WAS A LEADER IN YOUTH SPORTS FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS. IT’S ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING AT 35 N. MARKET ST., IN SHAMOKIN.

Valley murals making statements, memorializing history

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Photos and story by Cindy O. Herman

alls on the sides of buildings can remain blank, blending in with the structures around them.

Alternatively, they can become soaring canvases for paintings that reach to the roof and add color, culture and quirkiness to a town.

Over the years, murals have been spotted in places throughout the Susquehanna Valley.

Here are the stories behind some of them.

SELINSGROVE COMMUNITY SWIMMING POOL, 30 LINDA LANE, SELINSGROVE

The beauty of a mural on the front of the bathhouse prompted pool leaders to cover the side and back of the building with a colorful array of sea animals.

“We showcased the seven different seas and the aquatic life within them,” said Rick Mease, chairman of Selinsgrove Area Recreation, Inc. “There is a mural on the front and inside of the office area, (that is) probably 30 or 40 years

A RINGED SEAL IS AN APPROPRIATE ANIMAL TO HIGHLIGHT AT THE SELINSGROVE COMMUNITY POOL, HOME OF THE SELINSGROVE SEALS.

old. They’re beautiful, but they’re fading. We wanted to do something just for the kids, to have something educational to do, and fun.”

Sea animals from the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Arctic, Indian and Southern oceans now swim and cavort along the length of the bathhouse. A whale glides through a cloud of plankton. An CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

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SELINA HEDDINGS, CO-OWNER OF BUFFALO VALLEY TRADING POST AND BOUTIQUE, AND KURT ILGEN STAND IN FRONT OF THEIR MURAL ON THE SIDE OF HEDDINGS’ BUSINESS, IN MIFFLINBURG.

Arctic polar bear gazes from the top of the concession stand. Creatures like the ringed seal and Arctic salmon are named, prompting curious kids to learn more about them.

A result of true community collaboration, the murals began with SARI contacting Cristi Beeler Nobre da Veiga, who is an art teacher in the Selinsgrove Area School District. She connected them with Debrah Baxter, chair of the board of directors for START (Student/Teen Artist Resource Team). From there, Selinsgrove Area High School artist Isabel Proger led a group of students in painting the first mural, while Baxter approached Selinsgrove alum Mike Bennett, a Portland, Oregon, artist who allowed the group to use designs from his “A to Zoo” characters in the first mural.

“We are completely blessed that Mike Bennett is on the START board,” Baxter said, “and for someone with an international presence, he is about the nicest, most down-to-earth guy you could meet.”

Due to pandemic restrictions, Bennett was unable to return to Selinsgrove, but allowed the painters to use three of his characters in the first mural.

“That mural is on the southern wall of the bathhouse and faces the elementary school, so the 16

SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

students can look at it when they play outside, which is really fun,” Baxter said.

She and Beeler Nobre da Veiga gathered a group of high school Art Honor Society members, college students and other local residents who donated their time to brighten the bathhouse wall facing the swimming pool.

“I think it’ll benefit the kids more than anything,” Mease said of the mural. “We wanted it to be educational for the kids, but really bright, something that stuck out and that everyone would notice. They (the volunteer painters) just took the ball and ran with it.”

“I have stopped by the pool several times in the past few weeks to take care of a few minor details, and I have had random people come up to me to express how much they love it,” Baxter said. “What could be better than that?”

For more information, visit www. selinsgrovestart.weebly.com.

BUFFALO VALLEY TRADING POST AND BOUTIQUE, 407 CHESTNUT STREET, MIFFLINBURG

The mother-daughter team that turned an empty space into a shop that repurposes old furniture and screen-

prints shirts and dish towels saw an empty brick wall as a photo op.

“It was my daughter’s idea,” said Selina Heddings, co-owner with her daughter, Miranda Dellinger, of Buffalo Valley Trading Post and Boutique.

The women recently commissioned a painting of angel wings on the side of their building. One set of wings is big enough for adults to stand in front of and a second is sized for children.

Dellinger saw a similar painting in Tennessee. “It’s a photo op for people,” Heddings said. “We thought it was a really cool idea.”

She asked fellow Mifflinburg Area High School alum Kurt Ilgen, recently retired from the United States Penitentiary Lewisburg’s arts and crafts program, to create the mural. “I went to school with Kurt,” Heddings said. “I knew he was into art. It’s nice to see his work where people can appreciate it.”

Ilgen enjoyed working on the wings, even though the bumpy, brick wall created a challenge. He said he got a kick out of the reaction from passersby. “It’s crazy, all the people, the honks and horns,” he said, waving as a car drove by and people shouted his name. “It’s neat to see people excited about something.”

Heddings saw a car with New Jersey

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KURT ILGEN, OF MIFFLINBURG, PAINTED THIS MURAL WHEN THE OWNER OF A LOCAL BUSINESS ASKED HIM TO CREATE A STAR WARS-THEMED WARNING TO PEOPLE WHO WERE USING THE DUMPSTER THERE.

license plates stop, and a mother, grandmother and two small girls got out to take their picture against the angel wings. “I just think people are interested in it,” she said. “It sparks an interest, and it just draws more people in.”

Down the block and around the corner from Buffalo Valley Trading Post and Boutique is another Ilgen mural. On the wall of a building on the corner of Fourth Street and Cherry Alley, the owner of a local business asked him to paint a Star Wars-themed warning to people who were using the dumpster: “…this is not the dumpster you are looking for!”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

VALLEY POST OFFICES PART OF NEW DEAL PROJECT

n Selinsgrove, a man has been plowing the same field since 1937, guiding the plowshare pulled by his trusty gray and brown horses. Stop in at the Selinsgrove Post Office on Market Street at any time, and you’ll see him, shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows as he leans in to his work.

“One of the Selinsgrove High School history teachers brings her class here every year to see it,” said Peggy Doak, postal clerk. “I think it’s kind of nice. They come in and have to have a paper postmarked.”

Murals like this brighten the walls of post offices, thanks to a New Deal program instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt that created murals and sculptures across the country between 1934 and 1943.

Creating these works of art provided jobs for artists during the Great Depression, and they were placed in areas where everyday people could see them, helping to lift the spirits of Americans struggling to survive the brutal economic times.

In the Mifflinburg Post Office, artist Marguerite Bennett Kassler named her murals after local citizens, according to “Trail of History, Murals Beautify Mifflinburg Post Office,” by Charles M. Snyder.

THIS PANEL AT THE MIFFLINBURG POST OFFICE DEPICTS WOMEN CARDING WOOL, SPINNING, QUILTING AND WORKING AT A STOCKING MACHINE. THE FIGURES WERE ALL NAMED FOR WOMEN LIVING IN THE TOWN AT THE TIME.

Among them are Elias P. Youngman, grandson of the founder of the town, and Martin Reed, a local businessman and veteran of the Civil War, hunting with their dogs.

Stephen Mensch, “a member of the progressive and highly successful family of farmers in Limestone and Lewis Townships,” is shown plowing a field, while Mrs. Lydia (Crotzer) Gutelius, “wife of Frederick Gutelius and mother of three early buggy builders,” is shown spinning wool.

“A lot of people stop in just to see them,” said Mike Kreisher, sales and service associate at the Mifflinburg Post Office.

— CINDY O. HERMAN

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STEAM INNOVATION LAB, 363 MARKET STREET, SUNBURY

Right across Fourth Street from the Hotel Edison, city businesswoman Meghan Beck is working on creating STEAM Innovation Lab, a “maker” space where artists, scientists and tech experts can gather to work on projects. The building has a long wall just perfect for a mural with a theme that ties together the concepts of her new business.

“Think a little bit of history, plus education, plus innovation,” she said of the mural’s depictions of the hotel, bridges over the Susquehanna River, gears, clocks, and images of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

“Plus, it’s right across from the Hotel Edison, and of course, he was a great innovator.”

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the mural is that it looks like a library with shelves of books. Shelves and

shelves of books, which people can “buy” and inscribe with their name and the title of their choice, are available.

Beck chose local artist Pedro Reyes to paint the mural after he helped on marketing concepts for the city of Sunbury. “It’s become sort of a labor of love for Pedro,” she said. “We agreed on an amount I would pay him. He’s gone far above and beyond CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

MEGHAN BECK AND PEDRO REYES STAND IN FRONT OF THE MURAL REYES IS CREATING ON THE FOURTH STREET SIDE AT BECK’S BUSINESS, STEAM INNOVATION LAB, AT 363 MARKET STREET, IN SUNBURY.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

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that amount.”

“Every day is like a different adventure. You never know who’s going to stop and speak to you,” Reyes said, adding that people sometimes tell him the mural inspired them to work on their own projects.

“We wanted to bring something vibrant to the downtown,” Beck said.

With the mural, Pedro is bringing her ideas to life. “He has the biggest heart,” she said. Noting that he often listens to podcasts while working, she added, “He tries to be the best human he can be.”

“I feel blessed,” Reyes said. “It’ kind of a ritual. I can’t retire at the end of the day without trying to be out at the wall.”

CHERRY ALLEY, LEWISBURG

Where others might see a boring wall, Lewisburg business owner Bob Albin saw an opportunity for color and whimsy.

“I tore down a building on my property that exposed the nondescript cinder block wall of a neighboring building,” Albin said. “To improve the look for all, I suggested a mural to the neighboring owner, and they approved.”

The result was the first of, so far, two murals on the 300 block of Cherry Alley, half a block north of Market Street.

Artist Jim Reid, who was born in Philadelphia and splits his time between Lewisburg and Barcelona, was chosen to paint the first mural after submitting sketches for Albin’s consideration last summer. Reid spent six weeks on that one, based on modern artists Alexander Calder and Joan Miro. Then, hoping to beautify Cherry Alley with more murals, Albin started a GoFundMe account while Reid went to work on the second mural, right across the alley from Gram’s Eatery.

Della Hutchison, vice president of the Lewisburg Arts Council, has seen the blank walls transformed into playful splashes of color. “One of my favorite elements is the little bird emerging from the green rectangle,” 20

SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

THIS BIRD STEPPING FREE OF THE GREEN RECTANGLE IS A NOD TO THE PARROTS OF BARCELONA, SPAIN. IT IS LOCATED ON CHERRY ALLEY, IN LEWISBURG.

“One of my favorite elements is the little bird emerging from the green rectangle. That wasn’t part of Jim’s original design, but I love it! And Jim tells such a cute story about the bird.”

— DELLA HUTCHISON

she said. “That wasn’t part of Jim’s original design, but I love it! And Jim tells such a cute story about the bird.”

Reid calls a region in Spain named Catalunya one of his “favorite places on Earth.” The story has it that Monk Parrots from South America were sold there along with flowers, jewelry and other trinkets. Somehow, dozens of the parrots escaped or were set free, and today they fly about the skies and trees of Barcelona, the capital of Catalunya. “I paid tribute to this story in my mural by showing a Monk Parrot wandering out of Parc de la Ciutadella,” Reid said.

Reid’s color and subject choices are deliberate, from the salmon pink, Caribbean/Mediterranean feel of the second mural’s background to images of coral reefs, pyramids, a ladder, a bull and other objects. He also included what looks like eyes and lips, the “signature image” of Miles Foreman, a Lewisburg artist who was killed in a car accident at the age of 17.

Along with Albin, Reid named

Joanna Wiley and Samantha Wyvill as partners who “have given much of their time and energy in bringing these murals to fruition.”

Before-and-after photos of the mural sites can be found on Facebook at “Modern Art Alley” and at the GoFundMe page under the same name. Much of the cost for the current murals has been underwritten

by The Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts.

“It’s really quite astounding how sprucing up a few buildings can make a huge difference,” Hutchison said.

“Besides Bob Albin, other business owners — Andre Garrote, at AllStar Bagels, and Sarajane Snyder, at Mondragon Books — have contributed financially to the murals. I would love to see more property and business owners follow suit.”

Walking through Cherry Alley recently, Hutchison thought the 300 block looked cleaner and more vibrant. “It just has a really awesome feel,” she said. “And since the murals

are on display 24/7, folks can enjoy them at their leisure ... early morning dog walks, sunset strolls, whenever.

Judging from the number of people I passed, others clearly agree.”

“The feedback has been positive,” Reid agreed. “I enjoy hearing that people go out of their way just to walk by the murals. The comment that always makes me smile is when someone simply and sincerely says, ‘Thank You.’” QR codes near each mural give information about the artist whose work inspired it. What Reid hopes for most is that people take the time to research and learn about the artists he is honoring.

“They have dedicated their lives to art and have fascinating stories,” he said. “They must be remembered.”

SHAMOKIN, VARIOUS LOCATIONS

The waffle in the mural seems a little out of place among the train, coal miner and 1920s’ factory

clock, until you learn that the portable waffle iron was invented in 1891 by John Kleimbach, a German immigrant in Shamokin.

“His waffles became immensely popular at the Chicago World’s Fair and sold for a penny a piece or 10 cents a dozen,” according to the Susquehanna River Valley website.

And so, yes … Trains. Coal miners.

Factory workers. And waffles. That’s what built Shamokin and what is depicted, along with the F&S Brewery and Coney Island Lunch, in the 2012 mural created by Claude Harrington, Matt Leavens and Jeff Tweed.

Jeanne Shaffer, director of the Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities, said the murals around town that were sponsored by the Council were created in an effort to showcase the heritage of the town founded in 1835.

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Festival,” she said. “I felt our heritage was being lost, and I wanted to revive it.”

Working together or separately, Harrington, Leavens and Tweed created at least nine murals in Shamokin. They tell different stories of the town, including that factory clock that in the 1920s sat on top of the Eagle Silk Mill. A piece of the clock is now used as a hostess stand at Heritage Restaurant on Market Street.

A mural at 209 E. Independence St. depicts Edgewood Park, which, back in the day, according to Shaffer, was almost as big an attraction as nearby Knoebels Amusement Resort.

Another fun piece of Shamokin heritage? Ice cream. A mural at 531 North Market Street sponsored by the Council and Sam and Kathy Vetovich depicts Reed’s, Maurer’s and Martz Dairies, as well as Tharp’s Ice Cream delivery service.

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21

parlors, and we wanted to make sure people remembered that,” Shaffer said.

Today, Maurer’s Dairy & Ice Cream Shoppe, at 34 S. Market St., serves breakfast, sandwiches and their famous bittersweet ice cream.

Along with the Council, Joe and Candy Gallina honored their family and Anthracite Italian businesses in a mural at 150 E. Independence St., site of the current Original Italian Pizza.

“Joe Gallina’s grandparents are in the picture,” Shaffer said. “His grandfather was a shoemaker. His grandmother is seen wearing a shawl.”

The painting includes a list of Italian family businesses.

Shamokin’s industries contributed to an appreciation for art, evidenced by the seven movie theaters that once gave residents a break from the reality of mines and factories. Murals on the corner of 8th and Independence streets (across from the waffle mural) show three of the theaters that lasted past the 1950s: the Majestic, the Capitol and the Victoria (also fondly remembered as the Vickie).

Also on that street is a mural of the Central Drug store showing the curbside produce markets that were active on Saturday mornings, Shaffer said.

The Vetoviches joined with the Council to create a mural on the side of Heritage Restaurant, their 52 N.

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IT’S TOUGH TO MISS THIS DUDE WITH THE ELECTRIC GUITAR ON THE BRICK WALL OF K&S MUSIC, AT THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 61 AND 1247, IN PAXINOS.

Market St. business, to pay tribute to their grandfathers in a painting called “When Coal Was King” and featuring a trio of breaker boys.

A more lighthearted mural adorns the wall of the Kallaway Center for the Arts, on 144 East Lincoln Street. With bright colors, the mural welcomes children to the art center.

The Vetoviches joined again with the Council to create a mural at 35 N. Market St. celebrating C. Richard ‘Dick’ Kashner, who was involved in youth sports for more than 50 years.

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This one was painted by Emma Dailey, a 2019 Shamokin Area High School graduate.

The murals are a reminder of who the residents of Shamokin are and where they come from, Shaffer said. She referred to a quote by Albert Pike: “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

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It’s tough to miss the dude with the electric guitar on the brick wall of K&S Music, at the intersection of Routes 61 and 1247. Reaching to the second floor, he seems to be jumping off the ground, arm extended and chin raised as he gazes at the K&S sign.

Patrons frequently comment on it.

“They’ll say, oh, that’s a cool painting,” said Jason Kriner, manager of the store. “It’s definitely something that catches the eye when people are driving by.”

MILTON Milton could be called a mural town, with paintings adorning walls on several streets. The first, in 2008 was a huge depiction of Milton’s transportation history on the wall of the Milton Moose — easily seen when entering town from the

Milton–West Milton bridge.

That mural was painted by Altoona-based artist, Pam SnyderEtters. In the following summers, she painted a mural representing the Capitol Theater, on the wall of the Coup Agency on Broadway Street, and another on the Stetler Hotel, on the corner of Broadway and Arch.

Careful observers will find a consistent trademark in SnyderEtters’ murals: her dogs. Kensi, a black Labrador retriever, is on the packet boat with three little boys in the Moose mural and they wait in line at the Capitol Theatre mural. SnyderEtter’s then 2-year-old Great Dane, Hounslow, made his first appearance as Kensi’s shadow in the Capitol mural. He made his first actual appearance in the Stetler Hotel mural.

Brice Brown, founder of the Milton Art Bank, housed in a former bank at 23 South Front Street, initiated the addition of more recent murals.

Having moved from New York to

Milton, Brown contacted artists he knew in New York to paint the murals for free. He also spoke with Anna Kell and Jon Frey, of Lewisburg, who painted “Milton Mail Pouch” on the side of the former Sherwood Florist shop, now the site of The Orange Chicken.

Other murals include John Breiner’s vibrantly colored painting on the back of the YMCA, Chuck Webster’s sea-like images of croquet mallets, and an enticing painting

by JMikal Davis (aka Hellbent) that looks like ripped fabric over halfrevealed words that might say, “It’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re going.”

Reactions to the murals are varied. “Virtually no middle ground. Some welcome the addition to the town and find it refreshing. Some are entirely indifferent,” said Sabrina Wilson, director of the Milton Art Bank.

“But I think that’s what any good art will do, start a conversation.”

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SIAM RESTAURANT & BAR IN LEWISBURG

WHY SIAM? My husband and I thought about a lot of names for the restaurant.

Then we both agreed on the name, Siam, because it was the original name for Thailand and we want customers to know and feel that we try to make good food with original taste like the food they eat in Thailand. Also, Siam is easy to remember.

— POY PINTER

POY PINTER, WITH HER HUSBAND ADRIAN, OWNS SIAM RESTAURANT & BAR IN LEWISBURG.

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

BRINGING

THAI TO THE VALLEY

Siam Restaurant & Bar celebrates 10 years of rich cuisine Story by Tabitha Goodling | Photos by Robert Inglis

T

he Thai cuisine at Siam Restaurant & Bar in downtown Lewisburg has kept customers coming through the doors for the last decade.

Lewisburg is a small town and had not had anything like Thai food as an eatery option until the Pinters, Poy and Adrian, changed that on Aug. 9, 2011. That was the day they opened the doors of their restaurant.

Adrian Pinter met his wife in Thailand, where the couple wed before moving to Boston. Life in that city seemed to have too much hustle and bustle, so, in 2009, the Pinters relocated to Adrian’s hometown of Lewisburg. When Poy met her future husband, she was a teacher, but she was always cooking with her mother and grandmothers and she also worked for her aunt’s restaurant in Northern Thailand.

It was Adrian who suggested Poy introduce Thai food to Lewisburg. “I did catering from my home at first,” she said because she wanted to get a feel for the kind of patronage that might be available in this part of rural Pennsylvania. Since Adrian’s father was a Bucknell

SIGNATURE DISH The signature dish of Thai cuisine is Pad Thai. It consists of thin rice noodles sautéed with sweet pickled radish, beansprouts, egg, fresh tamarind sauce garnished with spring onions and ground peanuts.

— SIAM RESTAURANT & BAR

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

25

professor, “I knew a lot of Bucknell professors who would come to my home,” she said. Needless to say, the word about delicious Thai food being available locally quickly spread to the students.

The first location for the Siam Café was at 512 Market St. in Lewisburg. Before the doors opened, people were stopping and asking how soon they could come to dine.

“Everyone was so nice,” she added. Pinter said a friend helped promote their opening day in 2011, and, to this day, she is amazed by the crowd that appeared. “People were waiting for new cuisine,” she said.

In those early days, the menu consisted of a few selections and two appetizers. “I kept adding dishes to the menu. Every year I go back home and get more ideas. It inspires me,” she shared. When folks initially visited the restaurant, the go-to item was the Thai dish, Pad Thai. Other popular dishes include chicken cashew and items made with curry. “We don’t make anything extra spicy,” said Pinter, “only if they ask for it. We can put (the spice) on the side. People like that.”

Initially, two people were on the staff at Siam Restaurant, but with “luck,” as Pinter called it, she found a Thai chef in Danville. He had been at the same establishment for 15 years and was ready to make a transition. “I got him, and all of the sudden we were more and more busy.”

Two years after that initial start, at 512 Market St., the need for a larger facility became apparent. Poy and Adrian made the decision to purchase the building two doors down from the cafe at 518 Market St. At that time, they also decided to add a bar to the restaurant and the name became Siam Restaurant & Bar. With that move, the seating increased from 15 to 60 and was then nearly doubled when the Pinters added outdoor dining. “We can feed more than 100,” she said. Also, there are plans for a permanent pavilion soon, Poy added.

Clearly, it is the food that has folks pouring into the Market Street venue. New items on the menu include CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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THE OUTDOOR PATIO AT SIAM RESTAURANT & BAR IN LEWISBURG.

weekly specials, which are very popular, according to Pinter. She has added new dishes which are also doing really well — especially the seafood options. One of the favorites is a pineapple boat filled with seafood. The restaurant also offers gluten free and vegan options. A popular vegan salad is the Buddha Bowl which features black beans, chickpeas and rice.

The business is working on expanding to a full bar with cocktails. Current crowd favorites include the Thai basil mojitos and Thai tea with rum.

The restaurant offers take-out and the community was appreciative of that option during the pandemic.

Having that opportunity meant the reastaurant closed for only two weeks last year. The take-out option was a hit, and in addition to feeding folks in Lewisburg, Poy delivered takeout on one night a week to Danville and on another night to Selinsgrove. She said the business faired well and she is extremely appreciative of the support of the neighboring communities.

Like business owners in many small towns, Pinter shared her concerns with neighbors as they 28

SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

“We wanted to do what we could to bring the people back into town and now the people are coming back in to eat and they are so nice and supportive.”

— POY PINTER

worked to keep their businesses viable during the pandemic.

“We wanted to do what we could to bring the people back into town,” she continued. “And now the people are coming back in to eat and they are so nice and supportive.”

Poy shared that a visit to Siam Restaurant & Bar showcases the ambience of a Thai Street setting.

On the back patio, the fresh aroma of herbs, peppers and a growing garden add to the enjoyment of a visit. Hungry patrons continue to find their way to Market Street where they pour over the menu and ask “if it’s spicy.”

This summer, the restaurant commemorated its 10-year anniversary with a celebration that included live music and free samples. “We’re thinking about

offering live music every week,” she said and the Pinters have started to rent out the back room of their facility for parties and meetings.

Since that first 15-seat café opened 10 years ago, so many things have happened, but when Pinter thinks back to the initial plans, she said she is amazed at the progress. “I don’t ever have a specific plan. I just went with my gut,” she said.

Lewisburg is more than just home to her business and, although it is her husband’s hometown, it has become hers as well. “I feel safe here. I know more people here than my husband! I guess I’m stuck here,” she said with a laugh.

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“ CHRISTINA OBERHEIM, LEFT, OWNER POSES WITH COOKIE BAKER, DESIGNER AND DECORATOR POSES WITH AMY WENRICH, CHIEF COOKIE-MAKING ASSISTANT.

BAKED GOODS for a

GOOD CAUSE

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SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

“

I messed up a lot, but I learned a lot ... It’s the thing I always loved, but I never knew I loved it.

S

E

“

Valley baker gives back

C

Story by Alexis Barrick | Photos provided hristina Oberheim’s parents were good bakers, so it isn’t surprising that they introduced her to

their hobby.

When she first began, she used a Hershey cookbook as she had always been a big chocolate lover.

Later, as someone who loved baking and art, she realized she

had never experimented with decorative cookies. That changed when she took a class with her sister-in-law.

“I messed up a lot, but I learned a lot,” said Oberheim.

The following Christmas, she knew exactly what she hoped to receive in her stocking — cookie sheets, piping bags and tips, and

all of the necessary tools and ingredients to make decorative cookies at home.

“It’s the thing I always loved, but I never knew I loved it,” said Oberheim about creating these little “works of art.”

When Oberheim, of White Springs near Mifflinburg, realized CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA | SEPTEMBER 2021

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WHY DRIVE FOR US? 32

SEPTEMBER 2021 | INSIDE PENNSYLVANIA

spare is a good idea as Oberheim can only make so many cookies at one time.

In early 2021, Oberhelm turned her for-profit business into a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. All of the proceeds from the sale of the cookies are donated, via the non-profit, to adoption agencies or, occasionally, to families who are preparing to adopt. While the fees to become a non-profit were expensive, Oberheim says it is worth it.

To maximize the amount of the donations she is able to give to adoption agencies and families, Oberheim pays for the supplies and the ingredients for the company because it is a cause that is “near and dear to her heart.”

Oberheim, who is the mother of four children, learned after the birth of her third child that she would not be able to give birth to a fourth. Anna, her fourth child and her youngest, was adopted

when the child was three years-old and the family’s love for adoption began with the joy she brought to their family.

Many of Oberheim’s donations go to the Christian Adoption Agency.

She said she is willing to donate to a family in need who is seeking to adopt, but prefers to donate to agencies. Her love for her own adopted child, the pain she feels for families who want to adopt, but cannot afford it, and the chiidren who are affected by that financial hardship were her inspiration for creating the charity and choosing to benefit adoption.

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FRIENDS Oberheim treasures Wenrich’s friendship of 20 years. It began when Wenrich started working as an assistant at Oberheim’s late husband’s orthodontic practice.

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she truly loved the hobby, she founded White Springs Homemade in February 2019. While the company began as a bonding activity for her family, their family goal was to assist other families to grow through adoption.

The at-home bakery is regulated by the state, which means inspections are conducted at her home as they would be at any other food service.

Oberheim’s friend, Amy Wenrich, assists with the cookie-making process by making the dough and icing, but all of the cookies are baked and decorated exclusively by Oberheim.

As of now, specialty decorative cookies are Oberheim’s only product. In the past, she sold her cookies at the farmers’ market, but now the cookies must be ordered.

There is a minimum order of two dozen cookies because the baking process takes a minimum of two to three days. Ordering with time-to-

fulfillment. Wenrich also serves in another charity that supplies meals for those in need.

EXPANSION Oberheim said there are possibilities for an expansion of products in the business in the future. To date, she has not done allergy-friendly cookies or addressed any other dietary restrictions. She could make cookies for gluten sensitivities, but there is still a problem of cross contamination. Her friend Wenrich is gluten sensitive, so it is under consideration to create fully gluten-free cookies.

This is something Wenrich said she would like to see happen, but since she has a daughter with Celiac disease, she knows and understands the difficulties that would come with making cookies that do not include a single trace of gluten.

It took Oberheim about three years to perfect her cookie recipe.

Although she wants her cookies

to look good, her priority is taste.

After years of making these cookies, the biggest struggle she faces is keeping her children from eating them. Surely, that is a testament to how truly delicious the cookies are.

MORE THAN COOKIES Leaving the word bakery out of the name — White Springs Homemade — permits Oberheim to sell other merchandise in addition to cookies or other baked goods. As for non-food goods, Oberheim has considered selling other artistic products — since knitting and crocheting are two of her hobbies and she spins her own yarn.

Artistic friends, including Wenrich, have hobbies that could generate other products to sell. Wenrich makes and sells decorative gourds that she handpaints to create ornaments and other decorations.

But, for the time being, Oberheim will stick to baking.

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at the Oberheims’ farm. When Oberheim was expecting her third child, Wenrich was there to take care of her and the pair went from being friends to being best friends.

Although Wenrich assists Oberheim, they are not in business together. Wenrich volunteers her time and does not receive any compensation for her work.

She wants to be able to serve in any capacity and volunteering allows her to do that. Supporting Oberheim is very important to her and, although Wenrich herself does not have an adopted child, the issue is close to her heart.

“Anna has been a huge blessing to not only their family, but to my family as well,” said Wenrich. “My husband would take her to the church father-daughter dances.”

Wenrich said she could not imagine the pain of being a child living in foster care or in a third world country. As a woman of faith, being able to serve in any capacity brings her a sense of

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RAISING

HALLOWEEN

SPIRITS

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ABOVE: PROPS ARE DISPLAYED AT THE ELYSBURG HAUNTED HOUSE. RIGHT: HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS IN THE FRONT YARD OF BOB AND KATHY MCWILLIAMS HOME IN RIVERSIDE.

Halloween happenings return to the Valley Story by Anna Piecuch and Jean Knouse I Photos by Daily Item Staff

fter a year when most were canceled due to the pandemic, Halloween celebrations in the Susquehanna Valley are planned to be back in 2021.

Halloween parades and events are a

A

special occasion for many Valley residents because each is a great chance for families to reconvene, for friends to catch up, and for children to have a great time and collect lots of candy — and coupons for their parents.

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SELINSGROVE HALLOWEEN PARADE: TUESDAY, OCT. 19 FROM 7 TO 9 P.M.

The Selinsgrove Halloween Parade is a great night of fun for children and adults. The event is led by Selinsgrove Projects, Inc., but Chris Kenawell is the guy in charge, with some help from his friends at the Selinsgrove State Farm agency.

Kenawell has been one of the lead planners for the Selinsgrove Halloween Parade for about 18 years, according to Carol Handlan, vice president of SPI. She said Chris does everything from collecting registrations and raising money for the parade to organizing the judging for floats. He always has the help of

several volunteers who work to get everyone moving on parade night.

Beginning at Graci’s Flowers & Gifts, next to CVS, the parade will proceed south on Market Street to the Sunoco station.

The annual Halloween Parade helps to acquaint residents and newcomers CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

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MEMBERS OF THE SHIKELLAMY MARCHING BAND WEAR COSTUMES WHILE WALKING IN THE NORTHUMBERLAND HALLOWEEN PARADE.

with the local shops of Selinsgrove, according to Kenawell.

The Selinsgrove Area Intermediate and High School bands are always involved in the celebration and have dressed in clever costumes year after year. Everyone is wondering what costumes they will choose this year.

When it comes to float judging, there are two categories: non-profit groups and business-related companies. If a non-profit wins “Best Float of the Bunch,” their prize is $100. The first place winner in the business category receives a $50 prize.

Kenawell said his team of assistants at his State Farm Agency are familiar with what to do to make the parade happen, and they cover most of the work. Most importantly, they enjoy it.

According to Kenawell, the State Farm organization has donated a grant of $500 to Selinsgrove Projects Inc. for at least 15 years to recognize the work of the Kenawell State Farm Agency and its employees.

NORTHUMBERLAND HALLOWEEN PARADE: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 27 AT 7 P.M.

Northumberland is excited about the return of its annual Halloween Parade, which will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The parade will form at King Street Park at 6 p.m. and will step off at 7 p.m. Leaving the park, it will travel up 2nd Street, turn left onto Orange Street, left again onto 6th Street, make another left onto Queen Street, and make one final turn onto Front Street — ending at the park.

“In general, (the parade) brings the community together and I think we haven’t had a lot of that, especially recently,” said Noelle Long, who is part of 17857.org, a local revitalization group that handles programs and events throughout the year. “It’s something that people really look forward to,” she added. The group took over the Northumberland Parade planning a few years ago.

Long finds that the Halloween Parade in Northumberland not only unites the community, but also is a great opportunity for businesses and local legislators CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

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ZAYDON SMITH, 3, RIVERSIDE, THROWS CANDY FROM THE LITTLE IMAGINATION DAYCARE FLOAT AS RAIN POURS DOWN DURING A RECENT DANVILLE HALLOWEEN PARADE.

to self-promote and for groups to “show off their creativity.”

In past years, parade floats were judged in a variety of categories. Long said that the parade does not follow a traditional first, second and third place awards. Instead, judges on other new, more creative categories such as “Cutest,” or “Most Original.” In 2019, according to Long, a float won in the category of “Most Likely to Scare Kids Out of Candy.”

Long said that the parade committee will continue to adhere to any COVID mitigation regulations when organizing the parade. “If anything, I think COVID has taught us that we have to be flexible and we need to think outside the box to ensure that everyone is safe,” she added. “We can still do events — they just may have to be done differently.”

People can register for the parade at the borough office at 175 Orange St., at the gazebo the evening of the parade, or online (link will be available closer to the date on Facebook at www.facebook. com/Norry17857).

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DANVILLE HALLOWEEN PARADE: THURSDAY, OCT. 28 AT 7 P.M.

The Danville Halloween Parade will be held Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. rain or shine. It will begin to form at 5:30 p.m. at the soccer complex on East Market Street. Then, it will move down East Market to Mill Street where it will turn right and proceed down Mill to Lower Mulberry Street before disbanding, according to Deanna Force, cochair of the parade committee.

According to Force, who with co-chair Jason Bird is leading the parade planning, thousands of people typically line the streets of Danville for the Halloween Parade.

A parade committee meeting in July worked to address COVID-19 fears and keeping the community safe while continuing the tradition, after a canceled parade in 2020.

“We are moving to a bigger area to form and will do our best to continue to watch what is going on with COVID cases and counts

and proceed as safely as possible,” Force said. “As always if people feel safer, they can mask up.”

Force said she hopes the parade will highlight local restaurants and small businesses in Danville so they can gain some attention — and more customers — from the parade. She also believes it is a great opportunity for people who don’t always see each other to chat and catch up as they wait along the parade route.

To bring the parade back in 2021 is a big deal to Force and the Danville parade committee. She looks forward to finding out what themes people choose this year, with Heroes being a relevant and likely contender.

“To the committee, it’s an honor to be able to do this again, especially for the children. They need to be able to get back to some sense of normalcy,” Force added.

“For the community, it’s a way of showing and saying that the pandemic and COVID didn’t win,

and we are back stronger than before.”

REIGN OF TERROR ENTERTAINMENT’S HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE BALL AND CONCERT AT MILTON SHOE FACTORY: SATURDAY, OCT. 30 FROM 7 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT. DOORS OPEN AT 6 P.M.

This is an event any one who really loves the “darkish” side of Halloween will not want to miss. Tickets begin at $25 and are sold exclusively on Eventbrite. If you wait to purchase yours, that price will increase to $50 at the door. VIP tickets are also available for $75. Attendees must be wearing either a costume or all black to enter the masquerade ball and concert, and you must be at least 21 years old to attend.

The evening will feature bands such as Destruct Principle, Saving Vice, two female DJs whose stage names are Stygian and Circuit Witch, fire performers, and aerial performers on chains. The event will be held at 700 Hepburn St. in Milton at the building that was formerly the Milton Shoe

Factory. There is no definitive word on whether or not it is haunted.

This event had its beginning when Greg Carl’s business, Reign of Terror Entertainment, staged a gigantic yard display of characters and decorations on Carl’s front yard as a Halloween treat for kids.

It has morphed into a five-hour indoor event, “The Dead of Night” Masquerade Ball and Concert, which is for adults only. This is the fourth year for the Ball, but, of course, last year was canceled due to the pandemic, so it’s the third Ball and Concert.

The idea for “Dead of Night” began when Carl met the owner of the Milton Shoe Factory building. He asked the owner if it was possible to stage events in the building. When permission was granted, Carl went to work to create “Dead of Night.”

Carl describes the event’s music as industrial, electronic, EDM, and gothic-style — appropriate for the occasion. “Some of it is on the harder, darker side, but it’s

definitely meant to be dance type of music,” Carl said. “It’s a crazy good time ... If you remotely enjoy any of these things: DJs, bands, you know, theatrical stuff, this is the thing to go to.”

CATAWISSA HALLOWEEN PARADE: SATURDAY, OCT. 30 AT 7:30 P.M.

The Catawissa Halloween Parade has been an uninterrupted tradition since 1907, even throughout the years of war, according to the parade committee’s president, Janice Longenberger. The committee found a way to allow for a smaller parade to take place in 2020, but they are looking forward to a bigger and better year in 2021. The theme for this year’s parade is “Wild, Wild West” and registration can be accomplished by calling 570-7846378 or 570-274-3421.

“We’ve been going strong for 114 years,” Longenberger said. “Last year, we did the distancing. Our motto last year was, ‘It’s Halloween, CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

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wear a mask.’ We kind of made a little fun out of a bad situation.”

Longenberger, who deems herself a “Catawissa girl at heart,” calls the parade a homecoming for many people. She said former residents often come back to Catawissa to reunite with friends and family, sometimes hosting parties at their homes before and after the parade.

The parade is a tradition in her family as her father served as a member of the Catawissa Halloween Parade committee, too.

The group begins planning as early as March, said Longenberger, and there are many fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the event. This year’s fundraiser was the Catawissa Fire Company’s carnival in August: the sale of T-shirts also helped raise funds.

Although the pandemic limited fundraising for the parade, Longenberger said they are still doing well financially, thanks to the help of donations. Currently, the parade

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committee in Catawissa has only two full-time members, but they have many valuable volunteers.

“It’s a tradition that I just want to continue,” Longenberger said. “I used to go to the parade when I was a little kid and now I’m bringing my grandchildren.”

She believes vendors, nonprofit organizations and local shops benefit from the attention they receive in the Catawissa Parade. Longenberger can’t wait to close the parade circle that began with planning and will end when the parade steps off on Oct. 30.

“We are there to allow people to have a good time,” Longenberger added.

“And to bring some smiles and joy to people, just for a brief hour for part of their year. The atmosphere that night gets very electric.”

LEWISBURG CHILDREN’S MUSEUM’S MUNCHKINS AND PUMPKINS: SATURDAY, OCT. 30, BEGINNING AT 10 A.M.

The Munchkins and Pumpkins Program at the Lewisburg

Children’s Museum will be held Saturday, Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event is weatherpermitting since it will take place in the courtyard.

Children should dress in their favorite costume to enjoy spacethemed STEM stations. Munchkins and Pumpkins is included with membership or general admission.

Halloween 2020 required a different path for celebrating. The folks at the museum participated in the Downtown’s Market Street Mask-a-Raid and collaborated with Bucknell University’s Chemistry Department to co-host the virtual Chemistry Halloween Show. The museum also hosted a pumpkin decorating contest.

While some of the details of the museum’s event are still being planned, updates are available at lewisburgchildrensmuseum.org.

The museum continues to mask at both indoor and outdoor events in an effort to be as safe as possible.

SCARY SKELETONS LINE THE TRACKS OF THE PIONEER TRAIN AT HALLO-FUN AT KNOEBELS AMUSEMENT RESORT.

HALLO-FUN AT KNOEBELS AMUSEMENT RESORT IN ELYSBURG: BEGINNING OCT. 8, THE PARK WILL HOST VISITORS ON FRIDAYS 5 TO 9 P.M.; SATURDAYS 2 TO 9 P.M.; SUNDAYS FROM NOON TO 5 P.M. ENDS OCT. 31

Hallo-Fun features fall fun for

the whole family. Guests will find festive decorations, fall foods, special entertainment, a selection of rides — some of which take on a Halloween twist, and more.

Guests can purchase ride passes, and take part in a free scavenger hunt for children. Visitors looking to get a

jump start on the day can participate in morning activities beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m.

Sundays, including pumpkin painting, cookie decorating and more.

There is never an admission or parking fee at Knoebels Amusement Resort.

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