laurelFestival

Let the fun begin! The Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival is a great way to kick off summer, beginning on June 10 and continuing through June 18. Look for a mix of activities and events ranging from pets on parade to runners running to tubas oompah-pahing. Really! This year the Wellsboro community celebrates the 81st Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival, blooming stronger than ever. For more information about any of the listed events, contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at 114 Main Street, call (570) 724-1926, or visit wellsboropa.com.

FAMILY DAY AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH FAIR

This popular family day is Saturday, June 10, on the Green, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community businesses and organizations collaborate to provide fun-filled family-focused information. Kids will have opportunities to create interesting take-home projects and learn how to safely enjoy warm weather activities like bike riding and water sports. Look for an inflatable slide, games, chances to interact with animal friends, and more.

Pet Parade

Do you have a pet who loves to show off how special they are with a little human help? If you’re the human companion for a pet who’s a natural performer—or you simply enjoy watching really sweet pet animals (often accompanied by the cutest kids) take a stroll down Main Street, then plan to be downtown June 11 for this annual event. Judging starts at 12:30 p.m. The parade starts at Packer Park on Queen Street at 1:30 p.m., then travels up Main Street to the Green, where all participants get a ribbon. Special prizes will also be awarded to the animals. Want to participate without your best furry friend? Decorate your bike and join the fun.

Laurel Festival Concert Series

Music lovers, here’s your chance. There is live music every evening at various locations through the borough, Monday through Thursday, June 12 through June 15. The week of Laurel Festival is a chance for a host of impressive local talent to shine as they entertain you with their best oldies, country & western, blues, and rock-n-roll. Plans for this year’s concert series are still in the works with locations, times, and schedules to be announced.

Laurel Festival 10k Foot Race

If you’ve been thinking about trying your skills and stamina in a race, this is a great time to see if your sneakers have wings. The course is a mix of terrains and surfaces, with great views as another benefit. What better time than now to start training? For the not-sure-I’m-quite-readyfor-that crowd, there is a two-mile fun run, with all participants guaranteed a commemorative ribbon. The 10K is on Saturday, June 17, with runners leaving from Packer Park at 9 a.m. Course maps and registration information are available from the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce.

Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival Parade

Everyone loves a parade and what would a festival be without one? Save the date of June 17 for a welcome sight—high school marching bands, bagpipers, Mummers, fire trucks, and floats overflowing with fun, creativity, and Laurel Queen candidates. The parade starts at 2 p.m. at the high school, meanders down Queen Street to Main Street, then travels west to the judges’ stand in front of the Tioga County Courthouse. It is the best of America, Pennsylvania, Tioga County, and Wellsboro, all rolled into one.

The Vendors

A crowd pleasing favorite, the Arts & Crafts Fair on the Green will bring your favorite vendors from past festivals and new vendors alike. The juried event showcases award-winning artists and artisans. Stroll the Green and look for an outstanding and eclectic mix of old and new handcrafted favorites including art, jewelry, home décor, furniture, accessories, caricatures, and locally-designed, unique-each-year Laurel Festival apparel. Indulge your other senses at the International Street of Foods where food vendors will tantalize you with the fragrances of fresh strawberry shortcake, fresh-squeezed lemonade, gyros, hot sausage sandwiches, French fries, and kettle corn. Hungry yet? Find the vendors on the Green Friday, June 16, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, June 17, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Laurel Health offers award-winning care for the whole family close to home with convenient locations throughout Tioga and Bradford Counties, including:

• Family Medicine | Primary Care | Internal Medicine

• Dental Services (Cleanings, Imaging, Dental Work)

• Chiropractic Care and Sports Medicine

• Pediatrics (Newborn - Age 21)

• Managing Chronic Conditions

• Mental and Behavioral Health

• Dedic Dedicated Walk-in Care

• COVID-19 Testing & Vaccines

Melodrama at the Festival

Those who can’t get enough of scheming villains with black mustaches and hysterical heroines (often tied to railroad tracks)—and who can?—will be thrilled to know that Melodrama at the Festival is back.

“We all need more comedy in our lives,” says Titus Himmelberger, who directs the melodrama for the second year. After a long day walking from booth to booth, folks can relax in the Warehouse Theatre, kitty-corner from the Green, for the hour-long show. Your feet will get a rest, but your funny bone will get a workout.

“A melodrama is an over-the-top comedy,” says Titus. Exaggerated conflicts with stereotypical characters, melodramas were especially popular in Victorian times and became a big part of the silent film era. Melodrama comedies, like the ones Charlie Chaplin made famous, marry slapstick and sentiment, and the audience laughs at the plight of the heroine and hero, even as they root against the villain.

This year’s show, The Old Cookie Shop or Nellie was a Baker ’Cause She Kneaded the Dough is written by Joe M. Charles and tells the story of Nellie, whose bakery business is in trouble. Be ready—the cast members are likely to ask the audience for assistance with sounds or dramatic effects to enhance the story. Live piano music will accompany the highs and lows of the story like in the days of old when the ominous da-dum warned us that the plot had turned.

You will find familiar characters like the damsel in distress, Nellie. Of course, there is a dastardly villain who does not want Nellie to be able to raise the dough needed to keep the bank from foreclosing on her business. (Audience: “Booooo…”) Who will be her hero? She is assisted by characters as assorted and nutty as the cookies she bakes.

Having a melodrama for families to enjoy during the Laurel Festival weekend was Thomas Putnam’s idea. Thomas is the artistic director of Hamilton-Gibson Productions, the local community theater whose mission is “to provide opportunities for people of all ages to enrich and empower their lives through community performing arts.”

Performances are Thursday through Saturday, June 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday June 18 at 2:30 p.m. Find more information at hamiltongibson.org. Tickets can be purchased at hgp.booktix.com or by calling the office at (570) 724-2079.

~Nancy Laudermilch

Dave Wert Returns to Beat EMMF’s Drum

Take it from Dave Wert, a musician with roots in the Endless Mountain Music Festival.

“You feel the enthusiasm of the audiences at EMMF. The summer is special here. Add to it the exceptional talent of the musicians and the amazing music.”

And Dave knows. As a music student at Mansfield University, he was offered an internship in the orchestra’s percussion section. Admittedly “green behind the ears,” Dave rose to the occasion and had such a fulfilling experience that he signed on a second time.

Dave’s talents as a percussionist took him away to the Parris Island Marine Band, but he’s returned as band director and director of theater at Cowanesque Valley High School and Westfield Area Elementary School in Tioga County.

Dave will also return to EMMF this summer for two Wellsboro-area concerts. He’ll play in the EMMF Orchestra for a free July 23 Pops Concert at Wellsboro Area High School, laying down an Argentine rhythm track in selections from Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and in arrangements of Astor Piazzola, father of the modern tango.

Dave is sharing center stage in the free August 2 Percussion Recital in the Knoxville Yoked Church. He will join Jason Mathena, jazz ensemble director at Millsaps College, for a night of mallets and sticks. “Usually in the background on stage, Jason and I will be up front,” says Dave. You will hear melodic percussion on the vibraphone and marimba, and of course plenty of toe-tapping beats from a variety of percussion instruments.

“What kid hasn’t made music with pots and pans?” Dave asks. “You can’t beat the enthusiasm of children dancing to music,” he adds, “especially when it comes live from a stage.” And exposing young people to live music may make them take up music themselves. It happened to Dave, it’s happened to his students, and it’s happened to all of us who treasure performers and their music. Capping the Wellsboro-based concerts on August 3 is the Little Big Band at the Deane Center, highlighting “Big Bands in Hollywood.” Maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser, EMMF music director, promises, “The new season will blow your socks off.”

For the free concerts, Cynthia Long, EMMF executive director, says, “Just show up.” Tickets for the August 3 concert are available online at endlessmountain.net or by calling (570) 787-7800.

“Tioga’s beautiful mountains are the perfect concert hall for beautiful music,” says Dave.

~Phil Hesser

Providing a venue for programs and classes and offering exceptional arts and entertainment that nurture the diverse interests of Tioga County and the surrounding region. First-class concerts, plays, and arts events in the Tioga County region. Buy tickets online, rent our venues, and more!

Comic Con

When Julian and Anja Stam, owners and operators of Pop’s Culture Shoppe on Main Street, decided last summer to host Wellsboro’s inaugural Comic Con, they weren’t sure what to expect. Originally planned as a ten-year anniversary celebration for the store, the event morphed into a gigantic “thank-you” to the community for a decade of support, particularly during the tough months of covid. With stars of the comic universe like Roy Thomas, Khoi Pham, Chris Ring, and R.A. Conroy in attendance—along with vendors, demonstrations, workshops, and cosplay—the two-day venture turned out to be as much of a winner as, oh, Superman besting Lex Luthor. “We are extremely pleased with how it went and the response to it,” says Julian. So, are they gonna do it again? You bet!

The second annual Wellsboro Comic Con swoops in August 12 and 13. The schedule is a work in progress, but attendees can count on lots of opportunities to interact with the creative forces behind today’s comic universe—everything from watching the artists at work to learning from them at workshops.

“A lot of our artists and vendors have already reached out about coming back,” says Julian. Highlights will include chances to meet the artists, writers, and costumers—those people who are involved with “modern mythmaking.”

Cosplay, or costume play, was a popular ingredient in last year’s Comic Con mix, with superheroes and the fantasy-famous wandering about on the Green and in the restaurants. As Julian notes, “the fact that we do that throughout the downtown” brings make-believe to life.

“It’s different when Mary Poppins is walking down Main Street,” he says. What’s new for this second weekend of see-Batman-have-coffee-at-the-Diner is “we’re bringing in some people who do this regularly to handle the cosplay—there will be some nice professionalism there.” Comic Con will take place all around Wellsboro’s downtown, including on the Green, at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts, the Warehouse Theatre lobby, the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center, and the Green Free Library. “We’re very excited to see how it evolves and grows,” says Julian. And because the creators of this Wellsboro Comic Con universe want to, again, give the event a Wellsboro flavor, the event tagline remains: “Classic comic creativity wrapped in retro rural charm.” To find out more and to stay up to date on who will be headlining Comic Con 2023, visit wellsborocomiccon.com, call Pop’s Culture Shoppe at (570) 723-4263, or contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at (570) 724-1926.

~Gayle Morrow

FixIt Stations Help Pine Creek Cyclists

Oh no, not now! Cycling on the rail trail offers plentiful opportunities for something to go wrong with your bike. Will you be canceling your outing, walking ten miles back to the car, or trying to repair your upside-down bicycle in the mud? Do you even have the needed tools and tire pump to make the repairs? What’s a cyclist to do?

The Rotary Club of Wellsboro, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, has completed the installation of three bicycle repair stations on the Pine Creek Rail Trail. FixIt Stations have been placed trailside at the Darling Run access point, Tiadaghton parking area, and Blackwell access point.

The FixIt Stations offer padded arms upon which to rest your bike while doing repairs. Depending on the problem, you can hang your bike from its seat or its top tube. The cyclist will find a universal air pump, suitable for all valves. In addition, there is a variety of tools, each tethered to the stand. These include tire levers, brake wrenches, straight and Phillips screwdrivers, a full set of Allen wrenches, cone wrenches, and a bottom-bracket wrench. In short, there are sufficient tools to complete almost all trailside repairs.

The stations were the idea of Rick Doganiero, a member of the Rotary Club. He and his wife had seen stations on a rail trail system near Cincinnati, Ohio, and Rick felt such stations would be an appropriate way to improve the Pine Creek Trail. Despite limited riding weather since installation late last summer, Rick has already noted cyclists using the stations. In addition to making life easier for trail users, the FixIt Stations have presented an opportunity to remind people of what the trail offers. Rick noted, “I don’t think people realize what a gem it is. A lot of local people either take it for granted or ignore it.” The Pine Creek Rail Trail was listed as a top-ten destination for bicycle tourism by USA-Today.

The Rotary Club sees only good things for Wellsboro from the growing use of the Pine Creek Trail. The completion of the trail into Wellsboro will be a “huge boon” for the community, according to Rick, by serving locals, boosting the local economy through tourism, and attracting new residents who appreciate the outdoor opportunities here in the Pennsylvania Wilds. Find more information about the Pine Creek Rail Trail at visitpottertioga.com or grab a map from the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce at 114 Main Street.

~Chris Espenshade

Wild Asaph Outfitters

What’SUP? Stand Up Paddleboarding!

Maybe you’ve seen the long boards tied on vehicles and wondered what the heck they were doing in Tioga County so far from the ocean. Though stand up paddleboards began in Hawaii as an offshoot of surfing, the activity has morphed to include paddling on flatwater, in river rapids, fishing, and SUP yoga. Around Wellsboro, they’ve started showing up on the local lakes and even on Pine Creek.

Chad Zengerle, who co-owns Crooked Roots Adventures in Gaines with his wife, Jess, says this activity appeals to folks who don’t necessarily identify as adventurous. “Families come to rent SUP or take lessons, and mom and dad really get into it. At the end of the day, they’re like different people,” he says. Chad’s an American Canoe Association certified Level II SUP instructor, giving individual or group lessons usually on Nessmuk Lake in Wellsboro. After two lessons, he’ll guide you down the Upper Pine if you want to try moving water, putting in near Galeton and paddling to Crooked Creek Campground in Gaines, which they own, too. He says, “People want to come camp, but they also want adventure—and they want you to plan it for them.” Jess is certified in SUP yoga, so you can do some adventurous relaxing, too. Their boards are two inches wider than the most common, more stable for beginners of all ages. A first lesson starts on land, covering equipment, how to enter and exit the water, and how to go from kneeling to standing. Then you practice on the water, learning the basic strokes, as well as how to get back on the board if you fall in. “If you can go from kneeling to standing on the land, you can paddleboard,” Chad says.

In addition to Nessmuk Lake, Hills Creek State Park’s 137-acre lake is a great place to paddleboard. Tim Morey, natural resource specialist for DCNR, says, “We’re seeing them more and more. People seem to really like them once they try them.” A perfect time to try one is at the Hills Creek Springfest on Sunday, May 21, 2023. In addition to fishing, improving backyard habitat, and other outdoor fun, SUPs will be available to try for free from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about SUP rentals, yoga, and lessons, go to crookedrootsadventures. com, find them on Facebook, or call (570) 439-7202. For more information on the Springfest, go to stepoutdoors.org or call the park office at (570) 724-4246.

~Lilace Mellin Guignard

Gump’s Guided Adventures

Sixteen-year-old Colegan Stiner of Wellsboro is one of the most knowledgeable anglers in the area, notwithstanding his young age. As Colegan says, “When I strap those waders on, something happens.”

Now, folks can find out exactly what happens when they spend a day or more with Colegan and his dad, Jan Stiner, who offer a new service in town: Gump’s Guided Adventures. Colegan, whose nickname is Gump, and his dad will be offering fishing-related adventure packages for individuals and families. The packages run from two to four hours, and they include a variety of quests. You can bring the kids, stay overnight in the family’s rental houses, and enjoy outdoor time in Tioga County. Want some one-on-one instruction in the finer techniques of angling? Want a leisurely day angling for trout on Pine Creek, catching bluegills with the kids from the boat, or even float fishing for steelheads in western PA? The Stiners have you covered. They provide some equipment, including their twenty-one-foot 250 hp fishing boat with full fish-finding electronics. Just bring your fishing license/permits.

Colegan knows Pine Creek and other local waterways intimately, and consistently catches a lot of fish. His Wellsboro Area High School Bassmaster team is this year’s Pennsylvania high school champion. He says, “I’ve grown up around the best fishermen, and I’ve learned from each of them. I’ve tried to master what they taught me. I like meeting new people and learning new things from each person I meet. I read articles, watch YouTube videos, and then I go to the ponds, lakes, and rivers to practice when I’ve learned. I make it work for me.”

He brought the technique of center-pinning from New York State after it had been brought there from out West. “I was able to adapt the equipment for our local area and now folks want to learn what I know. I’m happy to share.” A center-pinning rod looks like a longer fly-fishing rod and uses a special large-diameter reel that has no drag. That allows the angler to create a natural presentation of the lure in moving water. Colegan uses a modified center-pin reel and rod and his own custom-created marabou jig as one of his lures.

He jokes, “I loved it when I started having such good days that even my dad could catch fish.”

Gump’s Guided Adventures will be open year-round, with advance scheduling. Call the Stiners at (570) 404-4941 or connect via Instagram at @colegan_on_the_pin.

~Linda Stager

Detox Package at Emerge Healing Arts & Spa

Do you know how good salt is for you? No, no, not just for your French fries (although there is no disputing that), but as the main ingredient in halotherapy—that is, dry salt therapy. Halotherapy, delivered in the salt cave via a piece of equipment known as a halogenerator, is the newest offering at Emerge Healing Arts & Spa, 129 Main Street. Combined with the ionic footbath and the far infrared sauna, it completes what Laura Lee Robinson, who, with her husband, Jesse, own and operate Emerge, calls the ninety-minute Detox Package.

And the-almost-best-thing—after how amazingly peaceful you feel after experiencing this trio of services—is that it’s almost always available when you need it.

“The beautiful part of our detox services is we can do day-of booking,” says Laura Lee. So what can you expect if you decide (and you certainly should!) to indulge in some pampering?

You’ll start with the warm ionic footbath—water, salt, electronic coils (no worries about mixing electricity and water, honest)—and, seriously, what’s not to love about giving your hard-working tootsies an opportunity to wiggle about in their own little ocean? The science behind it all is that the salt reacts with the coils and draws toxins out of your body as the water is split into negative and positive ions. It is non-invasive and completely pleasant.

Your next stop is the salt cave, a cozy little room with comfortable seating, salt on the floor and on the walls, a warm yellow glow throughout, and where the halogenerator disperses microscopic particles of pure salt into the air. You breathe it in—you may feel relaxed enough to doze off. The sodium chloride acts as an anti-bacterial agent and as a “toothbrush” for your respiratory tract.

Finally, it’s sauna time. Unlike a steam sauna, the far infrared sauna is dry, using light to heat your body rather than the air around it. The term refers to the wavelength of the light. There are numerous potential health benefits associated with “taking a sauna,” including just plain sweating.

Whether you’re a hard-working resident or enjoying a vacation in Tioga County, you’ll feel something soothing right away when you step through the doorway into Emerge. It’s as though the house, one of the borough’s gracious Victorians, is suggesting that you take a deep breath and relax. Schedule your Detox Package session at emergehealingarts.com or call (570) 360-8180. And while you’re there, check into all of the many other massage and facial services.

~Gayle Morrow

MVR—Vacation Rentals

Remember the surge of excitement you felt as a child at that certain point—as you made that turn in the road, crossed that bridge, crested that hill—when you knew that you were almost there? There, at the mountain hideaway, the lakeshore bungalow, the cabin in the woods. School’s out, there’s a spark in the air, and you’re free!

Such are the memories that inspired local entrepreneurs Christina VanDergrift and Wendy Wetzel to launch MVR Vacation Rentals in 2020. Serving as a gateway to the wonders of Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier, the company offers a variety of rental properties suggesting limitless possibilities for those memorable vacations. If you want to get away from it all but can’t let go of your Wi-Fi, there’s a “connected” cottage waiting for you. There are also cozy cabins for romantic getaways and spacious lodges for extended family get-togethers. You might even opt for an apartment overlooking the Green in downtown Wellsboro as a base for your explorations.

MVR-VR has hosted over 2,000 guests in the past three years and continues to expand. To understand its success, you have only to look to its founders’ commitment to customized service. “We envision each vacation as a unique experience,” Christina explains—an approach that guides the selection and care of each property in MVR-VR’s portfolio. “We take it personally,” she assures us. “We have properties to meet all budgets,” Wendy adds.

Online arrangements and keyless access to your rental make for convenient vacation planning from anywhere in the country. While in town, stop by MVR-VR’s new Main Street location in the historic brick building fondly remembered here as Bower’s Pharmacy, its soda fountain once the happening hangout for Wellsboro’s kids (a memorial bench outside commemorates the three generations of Bower pharmacists who practiced there). Visitors to this lovingly refurbished facility can expect a warm reception and expert vacation planning guidance from the MVR-VR team, which is (l to r above) Megan Mickey, Wendy Wetzel, Cassie Blasz and Christina VanDergrift. This year promises exciting opportunities for both regional and local tourism. MVR-VR’s rental reach is extending throughout the Twin Tiers, including New York’s popular Finger Lakes area. Closer to home, the team plans to expand their operations by developing comprehensive vacation packages including events, services, and experiences available from local providers. As new ventures launch new adventures, every vacation can be a unique, magical experience.

Drop in at 64 Main Street, visit mvr-vr.com, or call 570-948-1293.

~Nancy Hesser

StacyKay’s Café

Tucked back away from the road at 17 Charleston Street is a little building cranking out a big list of deliciousness every day. You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but StacyKay’s Café is home to the area’s only exclusively gluten-free menu, including sandwiches, muffins, and donuts. Customers are greeted by a bakery case laden with colorful baked goods and good coffee—as warm as StacyKay’s winning smile. If she isn’t buzzing around behind the counters to fill an order or a donut pan, she may be cheerily chatting with one of her regulars, who have become a loyal circle of supporters. Her reputation for great gluten-free fare is far-reaching, with out-of-towners allotting time in their return plans to “get to Stacy’s donuts.”

Savory garlic-herb waffles are the stars of her line of sandwiches, as well as paninis made fresh to order. The clever observer may notice that item titles are inspired after literary works and the menu includes soup specials and fresh-baked donuts daily. Stacy is a self-described “foodie,” creating her culinary specialties through her own innate creativity and by listening to customer feedback. All items are made from scratch and contain local ingredients whenever possible. Her beef comes from a PA Century Farm. Her generous, picture-perfect salads are made with local hydroponic greens, and her fresh-ground coffee comes from a family-owned roaster the next county over. She supplements her summer menu with herbs and vegetables grown in beds behind the café.

In the warm months, guests are invited to enjoy their meals at a table in her large, grassy, fencedin backyard. Giant maples provide shade, and wildflowers dot the periphery. Those are the days that her “lavender fields” tea is most popular. There are even a few books for loan for those looking to unwind and escape on a lunch break.

Stacy’s philosophy is to heal through food—mind, body, and soul. She wants everybody to be able to eat the usual comfort foods without feeling ill afterward, an arduous task for those with food allergies. She takes great pride in being able to accommodate special diets without the food tasting gritty or bland, so no one feels like they’re missing out on “the good stuff.”

Stacy makes specialty gluten-free pies and cakes to order, as well as offering gluten-free catering to events. Find her on Facebook or call her at (570) 404-5031.

~Anne Alexander

Timeless Destination

Timeless Destination has been a restaurant since 2000, but current owners Jerry and Roberta Curreri bought it from Jay Hixon in 2014. The building at 77 Main Street was a Ben Franklin Store, constructed in the 1880s when all the buildings were built pretty much the same. Jerry points to the steel posts (that marked the width of the original store) to show how the restaurant is actually three “buildings” wide in back. He took advantage of Jay’s success, adding better lighting but leaving the layout much the same.

While they’ve made the menu their own, some of the classics remain, well, timeless. The lasagna is crafted exactly the same way Jay did, and the pizza dough recipe hasn’t been changed, with the long-time favorites—white shrimp asparagus and old fashion with plum tomatoes— remaining. Jerry says the secret is the temperature and the quality of mozzarella they use. They have expanded the bar offerings, which now has eighteen beers on tap and over thirty more. “But we aren’t a bar,” Jerry emphasizes. “We are a restaurant where you can also get a great beer, a great drink, and a great glass of wine.”

Whether sitting in the bar area or dining room, you’re likely to be visited by Terrance Tatum (above center, with regulars), the general manager and smiling face of the establishment. He might seat you, take your order, cook your food, or just stop by to see how everything is. If you were in last year, chances are he remembers you. He’s been there since 2014, when he says Jerry told him, “I’m buying a restaurant and I’m taking you with me.” Terrance, who has a culinary degree, was working in Mansfield. He’d moved his family from New York City to Tioga County after a friend told him about this place. “I love the peace and quiet,” he says.

Their takeout and delivery service increased from 5 percent of their business to practically all of it during covid, when the community support kept them from closing. Jerry remembers how hard it was not seeing the regulars, especially an elderly couple that used to come in weekly. “I got nervous,” he says, “but they were fine. One day they walked in, saying Timeless was the first place they went to eat after getting vaccinated.”

Timeless is open every day but Tuesday. They switch to summer hours on May 1, so check their Facebook page, go to timelessdestination.com, or call (570) 724-8499 for current information.

~Lilace Mellin Guignard

We

We

Wellsboro Social Club

If you’ve got the Wellsboro habit, you need to join the Wellsboro Social Club. Drive down West Avenue, turn left at Kelsey Street, and look for the sign on the right. Turn in and wind uphill to the large parking lot in front of what was a labor of love by the members who did the construction.

The inside door, with its buzzer and membership card reader, looks “kind of like a speakeasy,” says a regular there for Thursday Eucre. The buzzer will bring a member who’ll welcome you in so you can complete a membership application and pay your $25 dues ($15 for veterans).

After that’s taken care of, join folks at the bar or tables. Even if you come solo, you’ll never be alone here. No cookie-cutter bistro or gloomy dive—there is light and space to move around or shout jokes at friends across the room. It’s like the rumpus room of your dreams. Wednesday night will get you an invitation from several trivia teams that face off good-naturedly each week (choose Dazed and Confused!). This Trivia Night won’t make it impossible to hear yourselves talk at the bar or while playing pool or darts. MC Shelley Lyn of Dirt Road Entertainment keeps things friendly. Several rounds test you on all sorts of knowledge, so you’ll alternately feel like a genius and an airhead. The game is split into rounds, with breaks to help players relax, refresh, and prepare for the next category.

Shelley Lyn has been quizmaster at WSC for many years. “We’re like family here,” she says, echoing what you hear from nearly every WSC member. “I’m welcome here,” they say. “The people are nice and accepting.” Seriously, if you come to Wellsboro for the friendly people, this is the place to go to know the locals. Many nights feature live music or theme events like the Ugly Christmas Sweater or Flannel Parties. No matter the event, WSC is family friendly. And you will also be building community beyond the club. Treasurer Carrie Wolferman explains that they offer games of chance with 40 percent of the take covering overhead and 60 percent going to local charities. She describes WSC as “inviting,” “comfortable,” and “safe.” Wellsboro Social Club is at 127 Kelsey Street, and you can find them on Facebook or call (570) 724-1977. Once you become a member, you can indulge your Wellsboro habit any time!

~Phil Hesser

Vineyard Church of Wellsboro

Drive past the old Wellsboro Building Supply (formerly Patterson’s Lumber) on a Sunday morning and you’ll notice a lot of cars in the parking lot. Step inside and instead of tools and other home improvement items, there’s a welcome area with complimentary coffee, and, beyond that, the sanctuary. Welcome to Vineyard Church of Wellsboro, a community-focused church with a come-as-you-are style of worship. “We’re pretty laid back. I wear jeans when I preach,” says pastor Brett Kennedy. “We want to be a place where people feel comfortable coming here.” The church started in 2001 with services at Bob and Deb Morris’s home before moving to the First Presbyterian Church. “We met on Sunday evenings while there. And when we outgrew that, we moved to the Deane Center, where we could expand our children’s program,” Brett says. “But we knew we needed our own space. There just wasn’t anything around Wellsboro that fit what we were looking for.”

A chance meeting with Russ Gile, owner of Wellsboro Building Supply, led to the purchase of the property in June 2021. Renovating an industrial building into a church was no small task. But churches are in the business of transformation, right? “There was a great team of people from Vineyard who helped renovate the approximately 12,000 square foot building into a warm atmosphere worthy of worship,” Brett said. “It’s got a contemporary industrial feel to it yet is comfortable and relaxing.” The Vineyard band provides live music, and there’s a lounge for mothers with babies from which the service can be observed. Vineyard utilizes a secure children’s check-in system, to ensure no one can pick up your child without your consent.

Vineyard Church aims to be more than just a Sunday gathering. They offer movie night in the summer, with popcorn and glo-sticks, a kids’ carnival, and other community events throughout the year. “And now that we have our own building, there are a few non-profits that meet here, free of charge,” explains Brett. When asked if anyone has confused the name of the church with an actual grape vineyard, he laughs and says, “Only once did someone remark that they didn’t know Wellsboro had a vineyard. We prefer to grow souls instead of grapes.”

For more information visit wellsborovineyard.org, call (570) 723-8463, or find them on Facebook at Vineyard Church of Wellsboro. Or visit them in person at 45 Charleston Street for a 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. Sunday service.

~Carolyn Straniere

Ithaca Shakespeare Festival

The Ithaca Shakespeare Company traces its roots to a Cornell troupe, the Red Bull Players, a student theater organization whose members were mostly drawn from the university’s English department. If you’re wondering, as did Juliet, “what’s in a name,” Red Bull refers to a London theater popular in Shakespeare’s time. It was known to be wild and boisterous, which perhaps explains why it was chosen as the name for the modern-day, uber-caffeinated drink in a can.

Stephen Ponton got involved with the players soon after he arrived in Ithaca to do a PhD program in Cornell’s Performing and Media Arts Department. In 2001, he assumed leadership of the Red Bull Players; in 2002 he expanded the group’s membership by recruiting community actors. The Tempest, staged at an indoor location that same year, was the first play performed by the blended troupe. The production was a hit. But it was the 2003 season that marked the start of an intentional agenda to develop an actual festival. Before the season got underway that year, Melanie Uhlir, also a founding member of the expanded town/gown company, suggested moving to an open-air setting—Guy Nearing Summerhouse on Comstock Knoll in the renowned Cornell Plantations. It was a brilliant idea.

By 2010, members of the expanded but loose-knit Red Bull Players decided to form a new, nonprofit organization—the Ithaca Shakespeare Company. Stephen took on the role of artistic director, and, thanks to a dedicated board, staff, and volunteers, the company has established the Ithaca Shakespeare Festival as a must-see summer destination for anyone of any age interested in live stage. Today the ensemble casts are a combination of professional equity actors, local community members, and students from Ithaca College and Cornell.

When the summer festival grew beyond the capacity of Cornell’s Botanical Gardens, ISC partnered with New York’s Parks Department to hold the festival each July at Robert H. Treman State Park near the Upper Park Entrance.

For the last two decades, the Ithaca Shakespeare Festival has given thousands of individuals the opportunity to “see” what Shakespeare saw and understood about the human condition. For Stephen, the audience takeaway he hopes for is that “each person sees something in a character or the dynamics of a relationship that they can identify with.” He says, “That was Shakespeare’s genius. He was masterful when it came to writing about human behavior.”

To learn what and when in July the 2023 shows are, check out ithacashakespeare.org or visit the group’s Facebook page.

~Jan Bridgeford-Smith