Mansfield University is the only university in the state of Pennsylvania that is recognized as a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC). COPLAC is a distinct and diverse consortium of public colleges and universities from across the United States and Canada. COPLAC limits its membership to one institution per state. At Mansfield our students have the opportunity to collaborate with students from 28 other COPLAC schools on undergraduate research and projects, as well as participate in student exchanges and shared study-abroad programs. As a student member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (The State System), students also have the opportunity to engage with the other 13 state universities in joint educational, social and athletic events. Mansfield University offers the best the state has to provide, while also offering unmatched opportunities through our COPLAC affiliation.
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Explore
Wellsboro Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Publishers George Bochetto Dawn Bilder Managing Editor Rebecca Hazen Design Tucker Worthington Elizabeth Young Advertising Director Ryan Oswald Administrative Assistant Amy Packard Contributing Writers Patricia Brown Davis, Teresa Banik Capuzzo, Diane Eaton, Rebecca Hazen, the Mountain Home Staff Contributing Photographers Mark Bixby, Robert J. Blair, Pat Davis, John Eaton, Ann Kamzelski, Jan Keck, Roger Kingsley, Rebecca Hazen, Tim McBride, Suzan Richar, SarahWagaman, Curt Weinhold Sales Representatives Michael Banik, Kevin Busch Explore Wellsboro is published by Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901, in partnership with the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Copyright Š 2015 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved. E-mail info@ mountainhomemag.com, or call (570) 724-3838. Explore Wellsboro is distributed at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in PA and Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in NY.
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Fall/Winter 2015/2016
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elcome to Wellsboro, the home of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. Rich with beauty, history, and arts, Wellsboro offers year-round activities and entertainment for everyone.
Wellsboro and its environs provide a full schedule of art fairs, music festivals, concerts, plays, parades, and sport events. Whether you’re looking for an action-packed adventure, a romantic getaway, or a fun-filled family vacation, Wellsboro will exceed your expectations. The charm of our gaslights welcomes you with a variety of lodging options, restaurants, and family-owned shops and boutiques. Explore Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon with hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails for beginners and experts alike. Take in the canyon’s majestic beauty from one of the many easy access lookouts. When winter weather sets in, grab your skis. We’ll meet you on our downhill slopes and cross country trails. Contact us at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, and we’ll be happy to help get your stay with us started. We welcome you to explore Wellsboro. Julie VanNess Executive Director Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce (570) 724-1926 info@wellsboropa.com www.wellsboropa.com
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Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
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Hot Picks for Where to Stay and Be Pampered! Bear Lodges ����������������������������������� 3 Canyon Motel ����������������������������� 36 Cedar Run Inn ���������������������������� 38 Colton Point Motel ��������������������� 38 Emerge Healing Arts & Spa ������ 41 Penn Wells Hotel & Lodge �������� 37 River of Pines Cottage ���������������� 37 Rough Cut Lodge ����������������������� 38 Sherwood Motel ������������������������� 38
Hot Picks for Dining! Eddie’s Restaurant ����������������������� 43 Lambs Creek................................44 Pag-Omar Farms Market...........43 The Steak House..........................43 Wellsboro Diner...........................45 Wellsboro House Restaurant and Brewery �������������������������������� 43
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Tioga County, Pennsylvania
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Hot Picks to Visit! Corning’s Gaffer District ������������� 4 The History Center On Main.....29 Tioga County Visitors Bureau �� 27 Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce ..............29 Wellsboro Johnston Airport.......19
Hot Picks for Shopping! Armenia Mountain Footwear ��� 23 Black Forest Trading Post ���������� 23 Country Ski and Sports ������������� 21 Dunham’s Department Store ����� 39 Enchanted Hollow ���������������������� 39 Grubby’s Games �������������������������� 41 Highland Chocolates ������������������ 41 In My Shoes..................................27 Mountain Home..........................29 Pop’s Culture Shoppe ������������������ 41 The Farmer’s Daughter �������������� 40 The Painted Cupboard ��������������� 40 Shabby Rue ���������������������������������� 40 Stained Glass Reflections ����������� 40 Sticky Bucket Maple ������������������� 40 Wild Asaph Outfitters ���������������� 25 Ziggy’s Gun Shop ������������������������ 27
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Pine Creek Rail Trail
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Hot Picks for Entertainment! Arcadia Theatre �������������������������� 35 The Deane Center ����������������������� 33 Hamilton-Gibson........................35
Hot Picks for Becoming a Local! Advanced Air ������������������������������ 49 Citizens and Northern Bank ����� 25 First Citizens Community Bank ����������������������� 49 Howard Hanna Realty Pioneers ��������������������������������������� 49 Laurel Health Systems...........50-51 Mansfield University �������������������� 2 Mountain Valley Realty ������������� 52 Penn Oak Realty ������������������������� 49 Ward Manufacturing. ����������������� 49
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS Sept. 17 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150
Oct. 8 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150
Sept. 18, 19, 20 The Arcadia Theatre Presents: Into The Woods at The Arcadia Theatre. 7:30 p.m. (570) 724-4957
Oct. 9, 10, & 11 Tioga County Early Days at Tioga County Fairgrounds, Whitneyville, PA. (570) 439-7558
Sept. 18 & 19 Hamilton-Gibson’s Steel Magnolias at Warehouse Theatre. (570) 724-2079
Oct. 10 Ives Run Trail Challenge at Ives Run, Stephenhouse Pavilion. www. stepoutdoors.org
Sept. 19 Step Outdoors TRYathlon & 5K at Hills Creek State Park. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. www.stepoutdoors.org
Oct. 10 WCCA Concert - Dali String Quartet at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www.wellsborocca.org
Sept. 19 The Canyon Blues Breakdown: A Rhythm & Blues Revue at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7 p.m. (570) 724-6220
Oct. 11 Green Monster Trail Challenge at 176 Straight Run Rd, Wellsboro. 7:30 a.m. www.tyogarunningclub. com
Sept. 24 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150
Oct. 11 Hamilton-Gibson’s Autumn Chorale at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. (570) 724-2079
Sept. 25 Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing at Tyoga Golf Course. 9 a.m. (570) 724-1926
Oct. 15 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150
Sept. 25-26 Fabulous 1890s Weekend in Mansfield, PA. www.1890sweekend. com
Oct. 16 & 17 Community-Wide Yard Sale in Wellsboro Borough. All day. (570) 724-1926
Oct. 1 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150
Oct. 17 7th Annual Bookfest at the Deane Center. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (570) 7245793
Oct. 2 Wellsboro First Friday in Downtown Wellsboro. 5 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 724-1082 Oct. 3 Country Jamboree at the Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. (570) 724-6220 Oct. 3 & 4 PA Apple & Cheese Festival in Canton, PA. www.paapplecheese.com
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Oct. 18 WCCA Concert - North Sea Gas Concert at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www.wellsborocca.org Oct. 20 Animal Therapy with Animal Care Sanctuary at the Deane Center. 1 p.m. (570) 724-6220 Oct. 20 Book Club at Green Free Library. 6:30 p.m. (570) 724-4876
Oct. 22 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150 Oct. 24 Deane Little Beans: Pumpkin Carving at Deane Center. 570-724-6220 Oct. 29-31 Hamilton-Gibson’s Dracula at Warehouse Theatre. (570) 724-2079 Oct. 29 Tyoga County Motor Club Cruise-In at First Citizens Community Bank, Mansfield, PA. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 376-4150 Oct. 31 Halloween Parade in Wellsboro. 5:30 p.m. (570) 724-1926 Oct. 31 Trick-or-Treating in Wellsboro Borough. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. (570) 724-3186 Nov. 1 Hamilton-Gibson’s Dracula at Warehouse Theatre. (570) 724-2079 Nov. 6 WCCA Concert - Guthrie Brothers - Scarborough Fair, A Simon & Garfunkle Experience at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www. wellsborocca.org Nov. 11 Living History Series-Robert E. Lee at Deane Center. (570) 7246220. Nov. 17 Book Club at Green Free Library, Wellsboro, PA. 6:30 p.m. (570) 724-4876 Dec. 2 WCCA Storyteller - Donald Davis at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www.wellsborocca.org Dec. 4 Hamilton-Gibson’s Dickens of a Concert at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. (570) 724-2079 Dec. 5 Dickens of a Christmas in Wellsboro. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (570) 724-1926
www.wellsboropa.com Dec. 5 & 6 Hamilton-Gibson’s A Christmas Carol Reservations suggested at Warehouse/Coolidge Theatres, Wellsboro. Various times. (570) 724-2079 Dec. 11 Deane Little Beans: Pictures with Santa at Deane Center Lobby. 4 p.m. (570) 724-6220 Dec. 12 Home for the Holidays in Mansfield, PA. (570) 662-3442 Dec. 13 Hamilton-Gibson’s Messiah: A Community Sing at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. (570) 724-2079 Dec. 15 Book Club at Green Free Library, Wellsboro, PA. 6:30 p.m. (570) 724-4876 Dec. 19 Deane Little Beans: Gingerbread House Making at Deane Center Lobby. 10 a.m. (570) 724-6220 Jan. 1 First Day Hike & 5k Fun Run at Hills Creek State Park. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. www.stepoutdoors.org Jan. 16 Winterfest at Hills Creek State Park. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (570) 724-4246 Feb. 19-21 Wellsboro Winter Celebration at Downtown Wellsboro. (570) 724-1926 Feb. 21 Mt. Tom Challenge at Darling Run Rail Trail Parking. 9 a.m. www. tyogarunningclub.com Feb. 26 WCCA Concert - Lonesome River Band at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www.wellsborocca.org Feb. 26 WCCA Concert - The Kevin McKrell Band at Coolidge Theatre, Deane Center. 7:30 p.m. www.wellsborocca.org
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Dickens of a Christmas Step back in time with us to celebrate Wellsboro’s 32nd annual “Dickens of a Christmas.” Downtown will become an early Victorian marketplace featuring all manner of delectable fare for eating and drinking, as well as delightful wares for every item on your personal and holiday shopping lists. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., food and craft vendors, strolling musicians and singers, dancers, and street-corner thespians will spread up and down the central shopping streets of downtown. Performers and vendors in costume and holiday-bedecked stores will create a Victorian atmosphere crowned by our historic gaslights, festooned in their Christmas finery. With the central streets closed to traffic, holiday revelers and shoppers can stroll the avenues and enjoy the festivities.
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Old Scrooge himself will doubtless be afoot, as well as the talented Dickens Players, who will entertain with Christmas readings and Christmas carols, moving their theatrics inside the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center at 12:30 (where the VESTA art show and sale will be going on Friday evening and much of Saturday). Our local churches will host breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, tours, concerts, evensong, and special services. The United Methodist Church, the Wellsboro Senior Center, and the Firemen’s Annex will host indoor craft shows. Hamilton-Gibson Productions will stage A Christmas Carol at the Warehouse and Coolidge Theaters, and the Hamilton-Gibson Choirs will sing on Friday evening, a Dickens of a Concert. Local musical groups will stroll and sing throughout the day, and the Wellsboro Men’s and Women’s Choruses will perform in front of the Arcadia Theater, which will screen It’s a Wonderful Life and host live performances of both dance and song. Professional period portraits will be shot at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts, and ponies will be ready for rides through the whole merry throng. Last year, over 175 craft and food vendors lined the streets dressed in Victorian garb with hundreds of unique gift-giving choices, including hand-crafted Christmas ornaments, wooden toys, jewelry, quilted items, furniture, wrought iron, homemade cheeses and meats, pet treats, heirloom Santas, and stuffed animals and dolls. Restaurants and food vendors will tickle your tastebuds with hot chocolate, chili, hot dogs, homemade soups and chowders, bread pudding, homemade cookies, pies and candies, hot beef sandwiches, crab cakes, fresh roasted peanuts, hot cider and coffee, cheddar wursts, kettle corn, baked macaroni and cheese, and apple dumplings...just to name a few. A Victorian tea is on the menu, and our chocolate factory is but a trolley ride away. Bring a candle and join the Peace Walk from Packer Park up Main Street to the Green at 5:00 p.m., culminating in the annual Christmas tree-lighting and carol sing at 5:30. The reigning PA State Laurel Queen will likely be on hand to light the giant tree, and Santa always visits with special treats for the youngsters. It’s a wonderful way to start the holiday season! Parking will be available at several lots in town, along with a shuttle from the parking lots at Wellsboro High School and the Wellsboro Plaza on Route 6. For a detailed schedule of events stop by a local business that day or contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901, (570) 724-1926.
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The Great Outdoors Winterfest
Snow or no snow, ice or no ice, Winterfest is always a go! Free, fun family events are on the slate for Winterfest 2016 at Hills Creek State Park, seven miles northeast of Wellsboro on Hills Creek Lake Road in Charleston Township. This year’s event takes place Saturday, January 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Everything is free, including hot dogs and hot chocolate (beginning at 11 a.m.), and hot fire rings and burn barrels to warm frosty fingertips. Seven inches of ice on Hills Creek Lake guarantees there will be ice fishing, an area cleared for ice-skating, and programs on ice fishing and ice harvesting. With the right snow conditions, there will be tubing, tobogganing, and sledding on Beach Front Hill, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on park trails, all Winterfest traditions. The trails are open all day, with free maps available. If there is enough snow, additional track will be set in the parking lot area and campground for cross-country skiing. You can learn how to snowshoe and cross-country ski (and how to choose the right equipment) in the programs and mini-clinics offered, then take the opportunity to practice your newfound skills using free gear: ice skates, snowshoes, and cross-country skis will be available in all sizes for children and adults free of charge all day long. A few sleds and four tubes will also be available. Each forty-eight-inch tube is large enough to hold at least two people. But if you have your own tubes, sleds, toboggans, snowboards, ice skates, snowshoes, and cross-country skis, feel free to bring them along. There will be one-mile and two-mile guided hikes, a special children’s craft station, and programs about animals and birds found in the park and how they survive winter. Winterfest snow and ice condition updates will be posted on Facebook at Step Outdoors Tioga County PA and at www.winterintioga.com. For information about cabin rentals at the park or Winterfest call the Hills Creek State Park office at (570) 724-4246.
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Wellsboro Winter Celebration
The best answer to deep midwinter blues is: go out and play! Wellsboro offers a one-size-fits-all solution from February 19 through 21. Treat yourself to a weekend of February fun to explore every facet of the home of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. Tube races, snow golf, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice sculptures, a chili taste-off, music, a car rally, and a running challenge will all be part of the fun at this year’s Wellsboro Winter Celebration. Free indoor and outdoor opportunities are offered for children and adults. On Saturday, learn how to cross-country ski or snowshoe on The Green, a park in the heart of Wellsboro. Skis and snowshoes in all sizes for all ages will be provided free to use during the mini-clinic. Those who have their own are encouraged to bring them. Families and individuals can play snow golf and other games and compete in snow tube races on The Green. Or, they can watch ice sculptures being created right before their eyes on Main Street. A free craft event and sing-along for kids ten and under will be held inside at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts. For five dollars per person, sample chili to choose the top three taste-off winners. Love to shop? Saturday and Sunday, downtown merchants will be holding special sales and activities. Sunday morning is the Mt. Tom Challenge. It will cost you nothing but sweat to get yourself in the race on the mountain ten minutes from downtown Wellsboro. No matter what the weather, the challenge is to run the 1,100 vertical feet of trail to reach Mt. Tom’s summit and run back down on forestry roads, with a goal of doing as many laps as possible in two hours. The Endless Mountain Music Festival Jazz Fest is also part of this big weekend. There will be concerts February 18 and 19, dinner followed by a concert and dancing February 20, and brunch with music by a jazz artist February 21. (Read more about that on page 28.) See real cars going real fast on real roads during the Waste Management, Inc. Winter Rally Saturday, February 20. This is a spectator-friendly event. To find out more about this year’s Winter Celebration, the Mt. Tom Challenge, the fourday jazz festival, or the winter car rally, contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at (570) 724-1926, email info@wellsboropa.com, or visit www.wellsboropa.com.
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The Great Outdoors The Rail Trail & Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon The Pine Creek Rail Trail offers four seasons of outdoor activities for individuals, families, and groups of all sorts. Voted by USA Today one of the “10 great places to take a bike tour,” the trail averages ten to twelve feet wide and is 62.2 miles long, linking Wellsboro Junction and Jersey Shore. For fifty-five of those miles, the trail hugs Pine Creek, a waterway with more tributary streams than any other in the United States. Eagles, deer, and black bear are common sights for visitor. Its two percent grade and crushed limestone surface support bike and foot traffic alike, as well as strollers and wheelchairs. Walking, jogging, running, biking, hiking, backpacking, camping, bird- and wildlife-watching, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing are among the regular activities along its span (no motorized vehicles allowed, though). An equestrian trail path alongside the main path accommodates horseback riders and horse-drawn wagon rides. You can enter the trail at Wellsboro Junction, nine minutes from Wellsboro, at the Darling Run access point, fifteen minutes from Wellsboro, or at other access points along the way. The most natural section of the trail is the sixteen miles between Darling Run and Blackwell. Called Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon, the Pine Creek Gorge, as it is officially known, is considered the state’s “crown jewel” and “paradise” by photographers. Pine Creek is part of the Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers System. With its dramatic rock outcroppings and tumbling waterfalls, it is designated a National Natural Landmark and a Pennsylvania Natural Area. For hikers and backpackers, the Rail Trail provides access to the Turkey Path, a steep climb up either side of the canyon to reach lookouts for breathtaking all-season views at Leonard Harrison and Colton Point state parks (whose lookouts are also available by auto). Primitive camping is offered at several locations along the trail with a free permit from the Bureau of Forestry. Bordering the trail are the villages of Blackwell, Cedar Run, Slate Run, Cammal, and Waterville. Each offers something unique—restaurants, hotels, a private campground, a bed and breakfast, a sporting goods store, and a general store are all wayside stops.
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For information on renting equipment from bicycles to cross-country skis, on arranging special adventures from horseback riding to biking or rafting to fishing, on competitive running and bicycling events and camping, lodging, and restaurants, call the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at (570) 724-1926, email info@wellsboropa.com, or visit www.wellsboropa.com.
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The Great Outdoors Leaf Peeping Fall breaks out in Technicolor all over Grand Canyon Country as the oaks and elms and maples give up their green leaves for red, yellow, and orange—the planet’s reminder of the hidden brilliance behind things, the magnificence within. When the leaves change the hills and mountains come alive.
Seeing Trees by Train. Excursion trains are a great family-friendly way to see the color in the mountains and valleys. In Wellsboro, The Tioga Central Railroad, an excursion train that travels from Wellsboro Junction to Hammond Lake and back, provides great vistas as well as possible bald eagle sightings. Fall foliage season trains begin on September 25. Adults— $28; juniors 4-12—$18; children under 3—free. Dinner trains are offered on Friday and Saturday evenings, and lunch on Sunday. For more information call (570) 724-0990, or visit www.tiogacentral.com. Scenic Drives & Vistas in Northern Pennsylvania. According to the Penn-
sylvania Visitors Network, one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the state begins in Jersey Shore following Route 44 north along the Lycoming/Clinton County line into Potter County where it intersects with Route 6. Take 6 east to Wellsboro then turn south on 287 to Morris where you hook up with 414 south through Cedar Run and Slate Run (the most scenic part of the trip, even though the road sometimes turns to single lane), then back to 44 and Jersey Shore. The colorful Pennsylvania Grand Canyon can be seen from either Colton Point State Park (West Rim) or Leonard Harrison State Park (East Rim). In Clinton County you can’t beat Hyner View State Park, near Renovo, which has one of the most impressive overlooks in the entire state park system, and is very
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The The Great Great Outdoors Outdoors popular with hang gliders. For a stunning ninety-six mile loop in the Allegheny National Forest, go to www.visitanf. com for a map. With Wellsboro as the starting point, you can drive out toward any point of the compass for some of the most dramatic and sweeping panoramas in all of Pennsylvania. The drive from Wellsboro along Route 6 is particularly majestic in the fall, our local chunk of the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor, deemed “One of America’s Most Scenic Drives” by National Geographic Traveler and one of the country’s best touring routes by Harley-Davidson.
Did you Know? Leaves turn colors based upon the species of tree as follows: Red—red maple, red oak, black cherry, sumac, sassafras; Yellow/Orange: sugar maple, hickory, sycamore, basswood, aspen, tulip poplar, birches, chestnut oak, black walnut; Brown: white oak, black oak, beech; Green: evergreen, of course!
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The Great Outdoors Laurel Classic Mountain Bike Challenge What makes for a unique mountain bike race? A great mix of terrain, for starters: single track, double track, creek crossings, log crossings, and steep technical descents. If you add to those details twenty-two miles of continuous course without any repeat laps, you have just summed up the Laurel Classic Mountain Bike Challenge. And on Saturday, September 12, this year’s 21st annual race rolls off the starting line. Up to 120 riders compete each year, and the race is designed to accommodate beginners and experts alike, with an eleven-mile course for the novice rider and a twenty-two-mile course to challenge the sport or expert class. The race is run on the trails of the Asaph section of the Tioga State Forest, which is about seven miles west of Wellsboro off of Route 6. Both courses start and finish at the Northern Appalachian Research in Asaph, with beginners leaving their marks at ten a.m. and the sport and expert classes following at eleven o’clock. The courses are both on hiking trails, so spectators can walk along any part of the course to watch. If the tension of waiting for a wipe-out is in your blood, the best place to spectate is the steep downhill section at Deer Trail, located 9.1 miles into the long course. Spectators can also watch the first creek crossing on Left Strait Run at mile 10.4 for the long course and about mile 2 of the short course and the final descent on Darling Run, which is at mile 9 for the short course and mile 18.3 for the long course. The traditional race amenities—a water station seven miles from races’ ends and emergency crews stationed throughout—will be set up for a ride that will take up to two hours for the short course and three for the long. First, second, and third place racers will get prizes in each class, which is sport, single speed, and beginner, and also gender and age group, too. Age groups are: junior —12-18 years old, senior—19-34 years old, vet—34-44 years old, masters—45-57 years old and super senior—58 plus years. Winners will receive a pint glass and get to choose from a prize table filled with bike gear from Country Ski & Sports and Oswald Cycle Works. Expert winners also receive cash that is divided up from the registration money collected. Challengers can register online at www.bikereg.com. Registration deadline—September 9; advance registration fee—$25; race-day registration fee—$30. Register by August 30 and get a free t-shirt.
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Let It Snow: Cross-Country Skiing One of the better-known winter sports, cross-country skiing, is also one of the easiest and most rewarding. Beginners may feel slightly unstable, but you’ll find it easy to set your own pace on flat fields and trails. If you’re comfortable on skis, head to old, hilly roads or wooded trails for a more exciting experience. There should be about three or four inches of snow to ski and packed conditions can be as good as deep powder. Where: The Pine Creek Rail Trail is one of the best places for cross-country skiing in Tioga County. This trail is groomed regularly by the state, and due to the steep sides of the canyon the snow stays longer and may offer skiing days after other snow cover has melted. Other local spots are Sand Run Falls outside of Arnot and most old roads and trails in the Asaph area. Both the Susquehannock Forest of Potter County and the Tiadaghton forests of Lycoming County offer over thirty miles of trail for skiing. The Black Forest has quite a selection of skiing trails. If you’re looking for fantastic views and flat terrain, try the Ruth Will Trail off of Route 44. Should you forget your map, just stop at the general store in Slate Run for a trail map of the area.
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The Great Outdoors Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Freeze! For Snowmobilers: Tioga County offers 158 miles of roads and trails throughout the Tioga State Forest. The season opens the day after deer season (providing there is snow...) and you must have your vehicle licensed and insured, and wear a helmet while riding. License and registration are provided by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and can be purchased at their office in Wellsboro or from a local sled dealer. The local snowmobile club is located on Route 6 just west of Ansonia. For more info on the club and their events check out their Web Site at www.pagrandcanyonsnowmobileclub.com. Equipment: There are quite a few local places to buy sleds or equipment and clothing to go with them. Call the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce for a list of stores to buy everything you need for snowmobiling.
Where: When it snows, the road to Colton Point State Park is closed to traffic and open to snowmobilers. This area includes parking with plenty of space for trailers. From the parking area riders can access miles of trail throughout the state forest as well as back roads with little or no vehicular traffic.
For Snowshoers: The old travel tradition of snowshoeing has become mainstream for winter walking and hiking. If you can walk you can snowshoe. Today’s models are light and narrow, making them much easier to walk in than the old bear claw styles everyone sees on the cover of their L.L. Bean catalog. Most styles allow you to wear any kind of shoe, including hiking boots and waterproof trail runners. You’ll need about five to seven inches of snow to make this winter hobby worthwhile. Poles are often used by snowshoers to help with balance, but they are not necessary. Clinics and demos are offered yearly by DCNR at Winter Fest in Hills Creek. The local Asaph Trail Club offers snowshoe hikes and can be reached at wildasasphoutfitters@gmail.com. Where: Most places you would go for a hike are suitable for snowshoeing. Local recommendations are the Pine Creek Rail Trail. This trail is groomed by the state and offers easy walking on flat, even ground. Goodall and Sand Roads in the Asaph area are also nice and offer more ups and downs with side trails if you really want to get into the woods.
For Ice Fishermen: Ice fishing is a great winter activity for those of you who like
being outside when it’s cold but don’t care to move around as much. The recommended thickness for solid ice is at least four inches for a single angler (group activities require
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seven inches for safety). Ice is often thinner and weaker around the edges of the water or logs and weeds. Use an auger to drill into the ice and check its thickness. A license is required. You can check with the DCNR office in Wellsboro for rules and regulations. Any sport that relies on frozen ice can be dangerous so please take a fellow fisherman along and wear a PFD (personal floatation device) in case the ice should crack.
Equipment: This winter pastime requires
patience and clothing for cold temperatures. It’s hard for your body to keep warm while sitting still, so make sure to bring plenty of hot chocolate and hand warmers.
Where: Check DCNR’s Web site to find out which state parks offer ice fishing.
For Ice Skaters: With the large number of lakes and ponds in the area you can easily find a spot close to home for this winter sport. Dress warmly with wool sweaters and long underwear to keep you padded for the falls as well as cozy on the ice. Ice needs to be at least seven inches thick for safety, following the guidelines for group activities, and if it is snowy you’ll need to bring a couple of shovels and hard workers to clear the ice off first. Equipment: You’ll need skates that fit well,
meaning they should be very snug and stiff in the ankle, so you may need to buy a size lower than your regular shoe size. Hockey and figure skates are common styles, but hockey skates are often easier for beginners because the ankle is stiff with plastic, thus offering more support. Check out your local sporting goods shops for info on where to buy skates.
Where: If you want to skate on state park
lakes/ponds, check with the park to see if they allow skating and to find out if the ice is thick enough to skate on safely. There are many beaver ponds on state land that work well for ice skating.
Visit Wellsboro’s hometown bank 90-92 Main Street 24-hour ATM
Serving our community since 1864 www.cnbankpa.com
Member FDIC
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The Great Outdoors The Hunt is On
If you’re a hunter visiting Wellsboro, you’ve come to the right place, as there are 26,000 acres to choose from, with a wide range of game throughout the season. In a nutshell: there are 13,000 acres around the Tioga-Hammond Lakes (game land number 37), about 10,000 around Gaines (game land number 208), and 3,000 near Stony Fork (game land number 268). (The game lands are named by numbers in the order that they were purchased.) Our hills and fields are most famous for our fall and winter hunting. For schedules, check out the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site at www.pgc.state.pa.us or visit our local sporting goods stores to keep tabs on specifics. September brings us migratory waterfowl and dove season. In the beginning of October archery season for deer begins. Towards the end of October small game season—rabbit, pheasant, and grouse—begins. Late October is in-line muzzle loader season for deer. Turkey comes in early November and in late November get ready for bear season. Right after Thanksgiving it’s deer season, a holiday of its own in our area. The hunting areas in and around Tioga County have been listed among the top ten hunting destinations in the world. Be sure to check out the Game Commission Web site for game land maps and information on the different seasons and licenses. Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Web site, www.dcnr.state. pa.us, is also a great resource for hunters to ask where to go for certain species, because DCNR manages the forests for wildlife. Game populations are managed by restricting the number of licenses or the length of the season. But before you set foot in the woods, make sure to get a hunting license. If you’re getting your license for the first time, you’ll need to take a hunter education course, which is about ten to twelve hours, and can be taken at various places around the state or online. If you already have a hunting license in another state or country, then you can buy a non-residential one to hunt as a tourist. There is also a mentor program for those under the age of twelve. A child can hunt with an adult that has a hunting license, and a young hunter has to be accompanied until they turn sixteen. Always make sure to ask permission before hunting on someone’s property. Getting to know your terrain is the best way to keep safe. Also remember to always keep firearms unloaded when getting in and out of a vehicle. Happy hunting!
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ARTS & MUSIC Endless Mountain Music Festival Jazz Fest The Endless Mountain Music Festival and Mansfield University are bringing the “No. 1 Brass Band in the World” to perform during the 5th Annual EMMF Jazz Fest, February 18 through 21. The thirty members of the Cory Band of South Wales, U.K., will open the 2016 EMMF Jazz Fest at 8 p.m. Thursday, February 18, at Mansfield University. The Cory Band, on tour from February 12 through 21, will give six concerts in ten days in five states, with the one in Mansfield their only Pennsylvania performance. A traditional British brass band, the group will play a jazz tune or two as well as classical selections, marches, overtures, pop tunes by the likes of the Beatles, and movie themes such as James Bond and Superman. The Cory Band’s February 18 performance will mark two firsts: the first four-day EMMF Jazz Fest, this year starting on Thursday instead of Friday; and the first Jazz Fest concert in Mansfield. The Mansfield University Jazz Ensemble, sixteen to eighteen students directed by Dr. Jeff Jacobsen, and the X-Ray Big Band, sixteen musicians directed by Enrico Doganiero, will present Big Band Sounds on Friday, February 19, performing classic and contemporary big band tunes in the Deane Center’s Coolidge Theatre in Wellsboro. Seating will be at tables, so ticket holders will be invited to bring their own beverages and snacks. Saturday night, February 20 at 7:30 p.m., the Bram Wijnands Trio will give a concert in the Penn Wells Hotel dining room in Wellsboro. Festival favorite Wijnands, master of jazz, swing, and stride piano, is an entertainment phenomenon. Performing with him will be Jeff Jacobsen on bass and Joe Turner on percussion. Dinner will be served from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., followed by the performance and dancing. A featured jazz artist will perform Sunday, February 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Penn Wells Hotel brunch. For concert tickets, call the Endless Mountain Music Festival at (570) 787-7800 or visit www.endlessmountain.net. For dinner, brunch, and/or lodging reservations, call the Penn Wells Hotel at (570) 724-2111. Tickets for the Cory Band concert are $10; for the Friday night Big Band Sounds concert, $25; and for the Bram Wijnands Trio concert, $25.
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ARTS & MUSIC Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center Since its orange doors first opened Oct. 1, 1969, the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro has invited the public to experience all forms of art, from drawing to mixed media, painting, printmaking, photography, and quilting, from decorative arts to experimental works. The legacy of benefactor Arthur J. Gmeiner continues through the center’s support of local, county, and regional artists, both emerging and established. Now in its 46th year, the Gmeiner showcases the artists and their different styles at monthly art exhibits and receptions. Admission is free. Upcoming exhibits include: September 6 through 27—Modern Quilts: Expect the Unexpected is a juried exhibit with thirty-three quilts and wall hangings made exclusively by quilters who live within a 150-mile radius of Wellsboro. The show will be open from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. daily, including Labor Day. The closing reception will be from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. September 27. October 4 through 25—During the Art In Motion exhibit, twenty-five Wellsboro Art Club members will display and sell their original art and handmade crafts, with new pieces brought in throughout the month. The opening reception will be from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, October 4. The exhibit and sale will be from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. daily October 5 through 25. November 1 through 29—Down Winding Roads is an exhibit of sixty color photographs by Wellsboro residents Mia Lisa Anderson and Nancy and Sam McCaughey. From 20122015, the trio took more than 25,000 photographs of their favorite places across Tioga County. The exhibit reveals the unique and beautiful area where we live. The opening reception will be from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, November 1, with the exhibit open from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. daily November 2 through 29 except November 26 and 27, when the Gmeiner will be closed for Thanksgiving. December 4 through 27—The VESTA Fine Art & Craft Sale opening reception will be Friday, December 4 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. The sale will continue Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. during Dickens of a Christmas and December 6 through 27 from 2 p.m.-5 p.m., except December 24 through 26, when the Gmeiner will be closed for Christmas. The center also welcomes organizations to meet at the facility to further the arts and support community projects. For more information or to submit exhibit proposals for the Atrium and Main galleries, call (570) 724-1917 or visit www.gmeinerartscenter.com.
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Arcadia Theatre Whatever the weather, summer wilt or winter whiteout, its always the right season for a night at the movies. Over ninety years ago, Wellsboro’s first theater, the Arcadia Theatre, opened its doors on Hollywood. Now with four silver screens, it still brings first-run films to town. Owners Irvin Focht and Leon Klock opened Arcadia Theatre on December 12, 1921. It had only one screen, but could seat 900 people! In 1926, W. H. Seigel and Towanda theatre-owner William Woodin purchased the Arcadia. Woodin named his son Larry the new manager, and, in 1929, the Arcadia Theatre became one of the first theaters north of the Mason-Dixon line to show “talkies,” or pictures with sound. Woodin also built the Y Drive-In, on Route 6 between Wellsboro and Mansfield, in 1952. In 1958, Larry Woodin sold the theatre and the Drive-In to local businessman Frank Dunham. In 1987, the Wellsboro Hotel Company, which owns the Penn Wells Hotel and Lodge, purchased the theatre. (The Y Drive-In closed in 1986.) Renovated in the mid-’90s in celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary, the Arcadia reopened on March 21, 1997, featuring four state-of-the-art screens, yet still retaining its old-time charm. Peter Davis is the current manager of the Arcadia Theatre, and has held that title since the reopening in 1997. The Arcadia Theatre regularly hosts theatre productions and is available for weddings. Movie buffs will have something extra to look forward to in the dead of winter as the Arcadia hosts its second annual film festival, scheduled for the last weekend in February, beginning on Friday, February 26, 2016. During the week-long festival, a $30 pass will give moviegoers the opportunity to see six different films nominated for a best picture Oscar for the Academy Awards. Tickets can be purchased at the theatre, or by calling the Penn Wells Hotel at (570) 7242111. Arcadia Theatre is located at 50 Main Street, Wellsboro. For show times call (570) 7244957.
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ARTS & MUSIC
The Deane Center for the Performing Arts
The Deane Center for the Performing Arts began with a dream and a $1 million bequest by its benefactors, the late Harold and Ivah Deane. Officially opened on March 10, 2012, at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, the Deane Center is home to performing arts organizations that serve Tioga County. They include Hamilton-Gibson Productions, the Wellsboro Community Concert Association, the Endless Mountain Music Festival, the Wellsboro Men’s and Women’s Choruses, and individuals that offer dance, voice, and instrumental lessons. Highlighting the Deane Center’s 2015-2016 fall and winter seasons are concerts, theatrical performances, programs by historical re-enactors, special events, and free programs for youth ten and younger and adults fifty-five and older. In addition, the Deane Center is bringing in two major concerts this season. The Country Jamboree will be staged Saturday, October 3, 2015, and the Corvettes Doo-Wop Revue Friday, January 29, 2016. Both concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Deane Center’s Coolidge Theatre at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for students with ID, and free for children twelve and under accompanied by their parents. The Country Jamboree will take listeners on a trip back in time to visit the glory days of country music. The eight-member Saddle Up All Star Band will deliver a magical concert featuring favorite Grand Ole Opry songs by well-known artists such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, and Merle Haggard. The band will sing and play poignant love songs to an all-out hoedown and everything in between. There will be costume changes, stage antics, and even dancing. The Corvettes Doo-Wop Revue is making a return visit to Wellsboro with a new show and songs. Crank up the tunes on the jukebox and enjoy the ride through the good old days of
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Arts & Music
rock and roll with 1950s and early 1960s songs by The Drifters, Danny and the Juniors, the Platters, the Marvelettes, the Shangri Las, the Shirelles, the Belmonts, the Del Vikings, the Teenagers, and many others. For more information about what's coming up at the Deane Center, visit www.deanecenter.com or call (570) 724-6220.
Community Performing Arts www.hamiltongibson.org Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-2079
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ARTS & MUSIC HamiltonGibson Productions Hamilton-Gibson Productions, Tioga County’s community performing arts organization, and the Hamilton-Gibson Children and Youth Choirs provide year-round opportunities for people of all ages to enrich their lives. With at least one theatrical production or choral performance a month, they serve as real-life demonstrations of our abundant local talent. HG is presenting the heartwarming comedy-drama Steel Magnolias, about a close-knit group of southern women, on September 11, 12, 13, 18, and 19. The four HG choirs, composed of Tioga County second- through twelfth-graders, will perform a selection of songs on October 11 at their annual fall concert, Autumn Chorale. Just in time for Halloween, Dracula: A Symphony of Terrors, an onstage radio show complete with sound effects and microphones, will be presented October 29, 30, 31, and November 1. Leading Ladies, with Pat Davis at the piano and songstress Penny Eckman in full voice, takes the stage Sunday, November 8. The Christmas season will start with the Honky Tonk Angels Christmas Spectacular on November 19, 20, 21, and 22. In this sequel to Honky Tonk Angels, the three gals in the original 2009 HG cast will continue their comedic escapades as they reunite for a Christmas show in Nashville. They will sing a Motown Christmas medley, country classics, and comedy hits. For Dickens of a Christmas weekend in Wellsboro, the four HG choirs will perform a Dickens of a Concert on Friday, December 5 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Also on Dickens weekend, HG actors will present A Christmas Carol six times on December 5 and once on Sunday, December 6 at Deane Center theaters. HG’s Messiah: A Community Sing will be held Sunday, December 13 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with student soloists from Mansfield University. The public will join in as the chorus in singing the powerful Christmas portion of Handel’s masterpiece. Winter Theater Arts Camps for youths in grades three through nine will be held at Mansfield University’s Steadman Theatre and at Elkland High School’s auditorium for two weeks each in January and February 2016. During the camps, the thespians-in-training will learn roles in specific plays, then perform them for the public. For information about events or ticket prices, or for reservations, call Hamilton-Gibson Productions at (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.
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Mansfield University Concert Choir The Mansfield University Concert Choir is a highly select ensemble of singers, representing some of the finest talent from the American Northeast. Membership is open to all students at the university through an audition process. The group has achieved an impressive reputation of excellence, having been chosen to perform at conventions and festivals around the world. On the international stage, the choir was a finalist in the Florilège Vocal de Tours International Choral Festival in Tours, France; a winner of a Gold Medal and a special prize for “Artistic Interpretation” at the Robert Schumann International Choir Competition in Zwickau, Germany; and a fourth place winner in the International Choir Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. In 2008, the Concert Choir won the Championship in the Gospel & Spiritual Category and placed second among thirty-six choirs in the Mixed Youth Choir Category at the World Choir Games in Graz, Austria. In 2011, the group won first place and two second place prizes at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and was awarded the 2011 American Prize in Choral Performance for the College & University Division. Most recently, the Concert Choir won three gold medals at the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio. The singers are frequently praised for the emotional spectrum in their performances, their diverse vocal color, and their varied repertoire. You can hear them, and the other university and community choruses under the direction of Dr. Peggy Dettwiler, in concert at Mansfield University’s Steadman Theatre. Go to http://music. mansfield.edu/music-event-calendar.cfm for more information.
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A Good Night’s Rest Overnight in Our Town Wellsboro, with its serene gaslight-lined boulevards and charming town Green, and nestled as it is in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon countryside, is one of Pennsylvania’s most unique tourist destinations. Beneath some of the East Coast’s darkest night skies, it has restful—and diverse—accommodations in abundance. If you’re looking for an executive suite, or a private retreat with a romantic fireplace or jacuzzi, we have just the place for you. Opulent B&Bs, both in and out of town, luxurious or luxuriously rustic, have cozy beds waiting. Thinking of bringing the whole family along for one of our festival weekends? Maybe a classic hotel or a modern motel, that place with a kitchenette or indoor pool, might better suit your needs. Want an escape in the great outdoors? You can find cabins and rental homes near the beautiful rail trail and Grand Canyon, in a full range of styles and tastes, as well as campgrounds where you can enjoy birding and hiking right from the tent flap. Contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901, (570) 724-1926, for lodging advice and a listing of accommodations. If you plan to visit during a festival weekend, we recommend advance reservations.
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Arts & Music
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A Good Night’s Rest
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Boutiques & Specialty shops Shop the Town Classic small-town Wellsboro boasts a big selection when it comes to shopping, not the least of which is one the country’s last surviving family-owned department stores (yes, and with a café, too, just like the old days). Whether you are on a quest for a custom-tailored suit, gear for canyon trails or local slopes, or a designer hat to crown your costume for Dickens of a Christmas, its all here in Wellsboro, except for the hassle of big-city congestion, which you will find blissfully absent. Games, home goods, and fashion, quilting supplies, heirlooms, and antiques—they’re all here. Stroll Wellsboro’s Main Street, browsing our unique variety of retail establishments. Roam the roads around town, where you’ll find family-owned shops selling homemade goods and country decor. You can find maple syrup from our own trees and honey from our own bees. Want to be pampered at a spa? We’re ready for you. Have a craving for chocolate? We make our own here, sold at its own store and all over town. Contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901, (570) 724-1926 to get a full listing of retail shops. Beneath The Veil, The Realm of Faery Awaits
Our Mission: • Love • Light • Healing
Mind… Body… Spirit An Enchanting Gift Shoppe Est. 2000 Our Hours July through December: Sun 11-3, Mon & Tues 11-5, Wed closed, Thur 11-5, Fri 11-7, Sat 11-5
6 East Avenue Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-1155 www.enchanted-hollow.com
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Boutiques & Specialty Boutiques & Specialty Shops shops
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Boutiques & Specialty Shops
Games • Imagination • Fun
Fun and Games for Kids of All Ages!
25 Main Street Wellsboro, PA 16901 570-723-4263 www.popscultureshoppe.com
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GREAT EATS
Micro-Brew It has been over 100 years since a brewery existed in Wellsboro, but visitors and locals alike can once again raise a glass of locally brewed beer, thanks to the Wellsboro House Restaurant and Brewery. Once upon a time, the Wellsboro House was a hotel (of the same name) on Charleston Street across from the Wellsboro train station, and many a disembarking passenger would simply cross the street for a stay at the hotel. Decades of other uses, years of non-use, and then flash forward to a new century, and Chris Kozuhowski’s 2008 reopening of Wellsboro House as a family restaurant with a big sports presence. A few years ago he installed a few tanks and started experimenting with craft brews in the basement to serve upstairs. But the beautiful old train station still stood just across the street, a constant reminder of that not-so-distant past. So it was a natural progression to reunite the two buildings, and the old station is hopping once again (albeit this time with fermentation) as the brewery. All this work has not gone unnoticed, as owner Chris and the Wellsboro House were awarded a 2015 Governor’s ImPAct Award, bestowed upon Pennsylvania companies and entrepreneurs for making positive contributions in communities. Because they brew small batches and are constantly rotating their selection, a customer may not see the same varieties from one weekend to the next. A trial-and-error beginning led to mentoring from Lancaster Brewing Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. At the Wellsboro House Restaurant and Brewery, the one craft brew that is always on tap is the Wynken, Blynken and Nod Out IPA (a, umm, nod to the famous statue of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod on Wellsboro’s Green). Customers can even buy a t-shirt emblazoned with its design. As the fall season progresses, customers will enjoy sipping on pumpkin flavors. Come winter, the stouts will be out. Lemon grass arrives in the spring, and fruit flavors blossom in the summer. The Brewery always tries to have four of their own beers on tap at all times. When it comes to brewing their own beer, the Wellsboro House has a simple mission statement: limited quantity, high variety, and consistently awesome. We’ll drink to that!
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GREAT EATS
Our Diner
Sterling Diner Number 388 rolled off the production line in pre-World War II Merrimac, Massachusetts. And when it landed in Wellsboro on the corner of Main Street and East Avenue in 1939, it was the birth of an institution. Now named the Wellsboro Diner, it has chugged through the intervening decades with all its porcelain enamel charm intact. An addition into the building next door decades ago managed to preserve the original diner car intact while adding valuable additional dining space and handicapped access. Stained glass frames the window tops. A counter spans most of its length, where you can sit and watch some of the fastest short-order-cook action in town, seven days a week.
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“The Diner” continues to serve as a drawing card for aficionados of diner food and diner cars alike, and Huffington Post has listed it as one of “The 10 Best Classic Diners In America.” Current owner Nelle Rounsaville has been at the helm since 1998. Regulars come from every walk of life, from the “Round Tables” of local businessmen who gather to kick off the day for breakfast or divide it with lunch, to the visitors who stream through the car door for classic diner fare like the towering, gravy-drenched, open-faced hot roast beef sandwich. The prime rib on Saturday nights is still a favorite, as it has been for decades. And there is always that other joy of diner-goers everywhere: pie—sky-high and homemade. But if you are lucky enough to be in Wellsboro during the week, here’s a town secret. Sometime between 4 and 4:30 a.m. every Tuesday morning, the baker fires up the fryer and commences a ritual she has carried out for twenty-seven years at the Wellsboro Diner: she makes donuts. Not just any donuts, these, but big, cakey confections that are the reason we all fell in love with donuts in the first place. The holes go onto plates along the counter, for staff and patrons alike to munch on gratis, and the four-dozen-or-so donuts themselves—plain, sugar, and cinnamon—start selling like—well, like hotcakes. (Best advice for a Tuesday: don’t get there too late). But any day, really, is a great day for a slice of this Americana. Served warm, of course.
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BECOMING A LOCAL
The Town That Saved Christmas In 1939 Wellsboro’s Corning Glass Works (CGW), known as “The Home of the Ribbon Machine” and the first factory in the world with automated light bulb manufacturing, was handed an unprecedented challenge that would change the entire community for generations to come. It was 1939. The British blockade was working. Though the United States was not yet involved in World War II, there was an ominous feeling drifting across North America. Many imported goods from Europe were no longer available. Several American wholesale companies specializing in imported glass Christmas ornaments were feeling the pinch of restricted supplies. Lauscha, a small, rural mountain town like Wellsboro, located in the Thuringia region of central Germany, is generally given credit for the tradition of the Christmas tree as we know it, and had a huge relationship with the United States because of its production of hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments. Generally known as “The Glass Christmas Ornament Capital,” it was from Lauscha that many American stores such as F.W. Woolworth Company, Kresge, and S. H. Kress procured their ornaments. By 1935 the United States had imported over 250 million handmade ornaments from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, but still had no industry of its own. With the eruption of war in Europe and the resulting British blockade, imports of all goods from the Axis powers, including ornaments, came to a halt. Thuringian-born Max Eckhardt of New York City, an importer and wholesaler of German ornaments, saw that the war would soon end his business. Eckhardt, together with his largest customer, Bill Thompson of F. W. Woolworth, convinced CGW to consider mass producing machine-blown Christmas tree balls. Woolworth offered to place a large order for their chain of stores if Corning could successfully modify its ribbon machine—designed to make light bulbs—to produce Christmas ornaments. Eckhardt would buy the ornaments, decorate, and resell them. The Wellsboro plant, labeled in its early years as CGW’s “experimental” plant, was charged by Corning with designing a modification that would allow the machine to make clear glass round balls—“blanks”—that could be decorated. Corning requested designs from their Steuben division, the company’s fine art lead crystal department, and other designers, but many submissions were unusable because of the nature of the machine and the glass. It took Wellsboro employees who actually worked on the machines to interpret what length,
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density, and shapes were possible. CGW president Amory Houghton had words of praise for his talented and dedicated workers: “There never was a better town to manufacture in than Wellsboro. We have a high-class labor here. Wellsboro employees, some coming from local farms, are hard working, earnest citizens who have great pride and a philosophy that there isn’t anything that can’t be done.” By the end of 1939, the modified machine was up and humming. A million Christmas ornament blanks left the plant for Eckhardt and other wholesalers and were sold all over the United States. Glass ornaments appeared in the nick of time for Christmas. Not only were ornaments available for sale, they came at a fraction of the cost of hand-blown ornaments. Everyone could now afford to buy them. And buy them America did. The glass had even thickness and thicker necks, making for less breakage than their European hand-blown counterparts. The day those ornaments left the plant, Wellsboro was labeled “The Glass Christmas Ornament Capital of the World,” supplanting Lauscha. And early in December, Eckhardt shipped the first 235,000 CGW machine-blown ornaments to Woolworth’s five-and-tencent stores under the label Shiny Brites. Wellsboro’s plant, now owned by Osram Sylvania, still produces more glass ornaments than any other in the world, with Wellsboro retaining its claim as the World Glass Ornament Capital. And in darker times, it was the dedicated and skilled factory employees— Santa’s elves—who lit up the true spirit of Christmas in our town, the town that saved Christmas.
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BECOMING A LOCAL Boutiques & Specialty Shops
The Green Free Library The Green Free Library, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015, is housed in a nineteenth century mansion and worth a visit just to see the original woodwork, Tiffany glass window, the grandfather clock that belonged to Pennsylvania Governor William A. Stone of Wellsboro—and of course to access a lovely, full-service library with all the goodies online and on the shelves, from free Wifi to classic books. The mansion was built 160 years ago, in 1855, by lumber baron Chester Robinson, founder of the First National Bank, who bequeathed it to his daughter Mary B. Robinson—that’s “Miss Mazie,” whose portrait is in the children’s room—who left it to her childhood nanny and, upon the nanny’s death, to her nephew , who deeded the house to the library upon his death in 1916. Another lumber mogul, Charles S. Green of Roaring Branch, had given $50,000 in 1911—more than $1.2 million today!—to incorporate the Green Free Library. The library’s collection of over 54,000 items includes bestsellers and classics, trail guides for the weekend hiker, hunting books for all ages, pattern books for knitters or quilters, masonry projects for the homeowner, beautifully illustrated books for young children, the latest fantasy series for young adult readers, and an extensive collection of books on CD or MP3-CDs, as well as videotapes and DVDs of current and classic films. The library also offers free Internet access, using either in-house computers or your own devices with their WiFi network. A library card is necessary to check out materials, but visitors from out of state may obtain a temporary card for a fee of $25.00, refundable when the card is returned. The library also accepts cards from other Pennsylvania libraries that have attached Access PA stickers. Genealogical researchers can access the Newspaper Archives of local newspapers published from the early 1800s, available on their Web site, www.greenfreelibrary.org. The library also offers a number of programs for adults and children, including a Wednesday mornings story hour for children, a Summer Reading Program for preschoolers through sixth graders, and teen and adult programs. There is an in-house bookstore of gently used items which is open during normal operating hours, and the library holds book sales during Dickens of a Christmas in December and the Laurel Festival in June. Regular hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-8p.m. and Friday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Boutiques & Specialty Shops
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Healthcare for Life. Great care—for all ages and stages of life.
To find the center closest to you, visit laurelhc.org! Blossburg Elkland Mansfield Lawrenceville
(570) 638-2174 Wellsboro (570) 724-1010 (814) 258-5117 Westfield (814) 367-5911 (570) 662-2002 (570) 827-0125
Physician Opportunities 50
Growing up is a process, and the Laurel Health Centers are here every step of the way to keep you healthy and living life to the fullest. Our centers offer compassionate, comprehensive care for all ages, including family and wellness care, women’s health and specialty care.
Tioga County is known for its breathtaking vistas of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, thick state forests, serene lakes and babbling creeks. Come see the place you’ve always dreamed about—it’s right here!
Same day access available to patients. Keeping you Susquehanna Health Drs. Jill Burns, Christopher Domarew, Walter Laibinis, Anthony Nespola and Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners Olivia Mays and Amy Miller of Susquehanna Health Internal Medicine at Wellsboro provide our established patients with same day appointments for easy access to care. When you need a healthcare provider, we don’t want you to wait.
Same day access can be used for: • Sprains and minor fractures • Bladder infection • Cough, sore throat and fever
• • • •
Dehydration Earache Eye infection Flu symptoms
Now accepting new patients! We are located at 103 West Avenue, Wellsboro.
(570) 724-3744 | SusquehannaHealth.org CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES: • Emergency Medicine • Family Medicine • Urology • Podiatry
CONTACT:
Tracy Manning, Susquehanna Health/ Laurel Health Centers Medical Staff Recruiter, at tmanning@susquehannahealth.org or (570) 723-0509.
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Whether buying or selling weʻll work hard for YOU! We specialize in your needs from initial inquiry to the closing table. Whether buying or selling weʻll workwork hard forhard YOU! for YOU! Whether buying or selling weʻll We specialize in your needs from initial inquiry to the closing table. COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • RESIDENTIAL FARMS Whether buying or selling initial weʻll workinquiry hard•for YOU! pecialize in your needs from to the closing LUXURY • ACREAGE • inquiry BUILDING We specialize in yourHOMES needs from initial toLOTS closing table. COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • RESIDENTIAL •the FARMS CAMPS • CABINS • RENTAL PROPERTIES LUXURY HOMES • ACREAGE • BUILDING LOTS COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL • FARMS • FARMS GETAWAY• PROPERTIES COMMERCIALCAMPS •VACATION INDUSTRIAL •PROPERTIES RESIDENTIAL • CABINS • RENTAL LUXURY HOMES • ACREAGE • BUILDING LOTS Serving all of GETAWAY Potter, VACATION PROPERTIES LUXURY HOMES • Tioga, ACREAGE •inBradford, BUILDING CAMPSLycoming • CABINS • RENTAL PROPERTIES and Northern Counties Pennsylvania LOTS Serving all of GETAWAY Tioga, Potter, Bradford, VACATION PROPERTIES
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CAMPS • CABINS • Counties RENTAL VICTORIA MURPHY, BROkER/OWNER 570-439-0821 and Northern Lycoming in PROPERTIES Pennsylvania Serving all of Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Christina VanDergrift, Realtor 570-419-7185 • Michele Sargent, Realtor 570-662-5028 VICTORIA MURPHY, BROkER/OWNER 570-439-0821 VACATION GETAWAY PROPERTIES and Northern in Pennsylvania Kristy Hartman, RealtorLycoming 570-439-9186Counties • Liz Costanzo, Realtor 570-439-2718
Christina VanDergrift, Realtor 570-419-7185 • Michele Sargent, Realtor 570-662-5028 Dannell Field, Realtor 570-505-9534 VICTORIA MURPHY, BROkER/OWNER 570-439-0821 Kristy Hartman, Realtor 570-439-9186 • Liz Potter, Costanzo, Realtor 570-439-2718 Serving all of Tioga, Bradford, Christina VanDergrift, Realtor 570-419-7185 • Michele Sargent, Realtor 570-662-5028 Dannell Field, Realtor 570-505-9534 LOCATED IN BEAUTIFUL WELLSBORO ON ROUTE 6 WEST 1/2 MILE WEST Kristy Hartman, Realtor 570-439-9186 • Liz Costanzo, Realtor 570-439-2718 and Northern Lycoming Counties in Pennsylvania OF DOWNTOWN Dannell WELLSBORO 477 TIOGA ST., WELLSBORO, PA 16901 Field,•Realtor LOCATED IN BEAUTIFUL WELLSBORO ON570-505-9534 ROUTE 6 WEST 1/2 MILE WEST OF DOWNTOWN WELLSBORO • 477 TIOGA ST., WELLSBORO, PA 16901 VICTORIA BROkER/OWNER LOCATED INMURPHY, BEAUTIFUL WELLSBORO ON ROUTE 6 WEST570-439-0821 1/2 MILE WEST OF DOWNTOWN • 477 TIOGA ST., WELLSBORO, PA 16901Realtor 570-6 na VanDergrift, Realtor WELLSBORO 570-419-7185 • Michele Sargent,
risty Hartman, Realtor 570-439-9186 • Liz Costanzo, Realtor 570-439-2 Dannell Field, Realtor 570-505-9534
LOCATED52 IN BEAUTIFUL WELLSBORO ON ROUTE 6 WEST 1/2 MILE WES OF DOWNTOWN WELLSBORO • 477 TIOGA ST., WELLSBORO, PA 1690