FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 3, 2020

1. NRA Foundation Awards $3,416.75 to Mill Cove, Inc.
2. Christmas On Main Street is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11, 12 & 13 in Wellsboro; Historical Ornaments are on Display This Thursday, Dec. 3 through Sunday Dec. 13
3. Acclaimed New York City Milliner to Show Winter Collection This Saturday, Dec. 5 and Holiday Collection Next Saturday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13 in Wellsboro
4. Live Reindeer to be at Christmas On Main Street in Wellsboro on Saturday, Dec. 12
5. Hamilton-Gibson Plans to Stream Two Audio Only Performances of “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 26 & 27

Diane Eaton
dianetn@ptd.net
(570) 724-3800

NRA FOUNDATION AWARDS $3,416.75 TO MILL COVE, INC.

Mansfield, Pennsylvania — The NRA Foundation has awarded Mill Cove, Inc. a grant totaling $3,416.75 to fund the purchase of ammunition.

The ammunition will be used by National Rifle Association course instructors and by Mansfield University instructors with MU’s Public Safety Training Institute and Police Academy to assist in the training and education of the general public and MU students. These instructors use the Mill Cove shooting range to train their students in the proper and safe use of firearms.

“We are very excited that Mill Cove, Inc. received this grant and pleased that the NRA is making an investment in our community,” said Marilyn Jones, corporate secretary for Mill Cove, Inc.

Founded in 1999, Mill Cove, Inc. became a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization in 2002. Its board of directors operate and maintain the Mill Cove Environmental Area for recreation and environmental research purposes. The organization hosts Earth Day at Mill Cove each year with the exception of this year due to COVID-19 and also offers opportunities to picnic, hike, fish and shoot.

Annually, with the exception of 2020 because of the coronavirus, the Friends of the NRA has held a banquet at Whitneyville with a portion of the funds raised through the live and silent auctions donated to the NRA Foundation’s statewide grant program. “This was the fourth time Mill Cove applied for a foundation grant. We submitted the application between November and December of 2019. Due to COVID, the grants were awarded later than normal,” she said.

“Typically an instructor would have between 10 and 15 people in a class. Each participant usually shoots 100 to 150 rounds. Based on that and the average number of classes held in prior years, the ammunition should last about one year,” said Ms. Jones.

This year and in years past, the Game Commission has released pheasants in the Mill Cove Environmental Area because it offers good habitat for them. The Fish and Boat Commission stocks Mill Creek with trout annually. “Outdoor enthusiasts are provided with many opportunities between the shooting range, the pheasants and trout,” she said.

For information about how to join Mill Cove, Inc. in its efforts to improve recreational and environmental opportunities, contact Marilyn Jones at (570) 549-2794.

CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET IS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DEC. 11, 12 & 13 IN WELLSBORO; HISTORICAL ORNAMENTS ARE ON DISPLAY THIS THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, DEC. 13

Beginning this Thursday, Dec. 3 and continuing through Christmas On Main Street weekend, Dec. 11-13, historic Christmas ornaments made at the Corning Glass Works Wellsboro plant, ribbon machine molds and other equipment used in the manufacturing process will be on display in 26 Wellsboro businesses. “To promote social distancing, we are extending the time the displays can be seen from three days to at least 11 days and maybe longer,” said Ellen Bryant, a member of the organizing committee.

“Christmas On Main Street has been modified to include only those events that are outside or low risk to meet COVID-19 guidelines,” she said. “We realize this is not the event that we had hoped for this year, but this is also not the year that we had hoped for. Masks are required and will be available to those who need them. Our goal is to provide a fun, safe shopping experience for everyone who participates.”

“The Town that Saved Christmas: Manufacturing Miracles” is the title of this year’s historical guidebook. Its focus is on how the Wellsboro plant became involved in the ornament making business and the development of the ribbon machine by Billy Woods, which revolutionized the manufacturing of Christmas ornaments. The guide also includes information about each of the 26 displays.

The guidebook with a passport to the 26 Wellsboro display locations can be purchased for $5 anytime between this Thursday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 12 at four different businesses. They are: Pop’s Culture Shoppe at 25 Main Street, the Penn Wells Hotel at 62 Main Street, Wild Asaph Outfitters at 71 Main Street and The Farmer’s Daughters at 11719 Route 6, all in Wellsboro.

The names of visitors who get their passports stamped at 10 or more display locations and turn them in no later than 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13 will be entered in a drawing being held at 7 p.m. that night. The three winners will be contacted and each will receive a basket of gift cards and merchandise valued at $100 or more. Those who enter the drawing need not be present to win.

Among the Dec. 11-13 activities will be a visit with live reindeer; the opportunity to cast votes for a nonprofit to receive five percent of that day’s proceeds at Wild Asaph Outfitters; $1 candy cane sundaes at The Creamery; and free spirit tastings including sampling cocktails made using Nomad Distilling Company (formerly Mountain Top Distillery) handcrafted spirits, free recipes to take home and bottle sales.

Tours of Goodhart’s Inn at 49 Central Avenue for $5 to see its Victorian charm, period décor and six live evergreen trees decorated for the holidays as well as to enjoy refreshments and take home a keepsake ornament are being held this weekend and next weekend. The tour hours are: this Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and this Sunday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and next Friday, Dec. 11 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be a trunk show and sample sale featuring hats by Christine A. Moore at Dunham’s Department Store this Saturday, Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and next Saturday, Dec 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

For a detailed schedule for Dec. 11, 12 and 13, visit wellsborochristmasonmainstreet.com or call (570) 724-1926.

ATTACHED IS Christmas On Main Street 2020 Schedule of Events. This is a detailed schedule for Dec. 11, 12 and 13.

Photo by John Eaton
Rick Beckwith of Senior’s Creations in Wellsboro places the 2020 Christmas On Main Street collectible ornament he designed and handcrafted on a Christmas tree at his store. Proceeds from the sale of the ornament will benefit next year’s event.

Photo by John Eaton
Shown is the 2020 Christmas On Main Street collectible ornament designed and handcrafted by Rick Beckwith of Senior’s Creations.

Photo by John Eaton
“Shiny Brites” were made at the Corning Glass Works Plant in Wellsboro. Pictured are ornaments from the Dunham collection.

ACCLAIMED NEW YORK CITY MILLINER TO SHOW WINTER COLLECTION THIS SATURDAY, DEC. 5 AND HOLIDAY COLLECTION NEXT SATURDAY, DEC. 12 AND SUNDAY, DEC. 13

This Saturday, Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., acclaimed New York City-based milliner, Christine A. Moore, known for her explosive Kentucky Derby hats and intricately crafted themed headwear, will show her Winter Collection as well as some of her favorite pieces from her Holiday Collection during a trunk show at Dunham’s Department Store at 45 Main Street in Wellsboro.

For Christmas On Main Street, Moore will be back at Dunham’s next Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for a Holiday Trunk Show with all new holiday pieces as well as a few surprises.

Shoppers who spend $100 or more will automatically be entered to win a hat by Moore and a two-day stay at the Penn Wells Hotel at 62 Main Street.

All of Moore’s hats are handmade. Known for her attention to detail, she is focused on creating wearable hat styles that push the quality of design and craftsmanship to new levels.

Among those for whom Moore has designed hats are Mary J. Blige, Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, Kate Upton and Jewel.

Her hats have been showcased in many fashion magazines including on the cover of InStyle with Katy Perry and Vanity Fair with Jennifer Lopez, as well as Sun Magazine, Garden & Gun, Sophisticated Living, Derby Magazine, etc. In addition, Moore’s hats have been seen on episodes of Gossip Girl, Nashville, Horseplayers and The Carrie Diaries.

Moore has been on the Today Show six times live from Churchill Downs where NBC calls her the ‘Milliner to the Triple Crown’. She was named “Featured Milliner of the 144th™ Kentucky Derby” in May 2018 for the first time in the history of Churchill Downs and of the 145th in May 2019, which led to her becoming the subject of a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Moore partnered with Churchill Downs and Mattel to design the Official Kentucky Derby Barbie hat in 2009.

She is also the ‘Official Milliner’ of the Breeders’ Cup Race of Champions, America’s Best Racing, the Iroquois Steeplechase, the Jim McKay Maryland Million, and a featured designer at the Florida Derby, the Keeneland Race Course and the Preakness Stakes.

Photo provided
This 100 percent wool felt cut and sew hat features an oval brim, scrunch crown and hand cut and sewn wool felt flowers.

LIVE REINDEER TO BE AT CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET IN WELLSBORO SATURDAY, DEC. 12

From noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 during Christmas On Main Street in Wellsboro, youngsters and adults are invited to visit with two live reindeer, Comet and her six-month old son Curly Star.

“He was born with lots of kinky curls, which is not a dominate trait for reindeer so that makes him unique,” said Cassandra Hoover. “That’s why we named him Curly Star.” She and her husband David own Spruce Run Farm in Bloomsburg where the reindeer live.

The two reindeer will be in the parking lot on Main Street between the United Methodist Church and Sherwin-Williams Paint Store. There, people can visit with them and from outside their enclosure take pictures of the reindeer or of themselves with the reindeer in the background.

This year, visitors can also opt for a $10 session to sit or stand with a reindeer up close and personal and receive an InstaPhoto as a memento. One of the reindeer handlers will take the photo. Those who choose this magical experience are welcome to ask a friend to use a cell phone or a regular camera to take a photo of that special moment, too. Or, upon request a handler will do it.

“Reindeer are amazing animals that add magic to the holiday season,” Cassandra said. Both male and female reindeer have antlers. “They are majestic, beautiful animals that are by nature, calm and soothing. They don’t get excited or upset when they are around people,” she said.

“Female reindeer are half the size of males,” she noted. “The girls weigh an average of 200 pounds while the boys weigh 400 to 500 pounds. Reindeer can live to be 16 to 20 years old.”

In 2012, the couple began looking into what it would take to care for reindeer, from what they ate to how to protect them from disease. Native to the Arctic, reindeer do not have built-in immunity to Pennsylvania parasites and illnesses. Unlike the state’s white-tailed deer, which are wild, reindeer are domestic animals.

In 2015, the first two reindeer arrived at Spruce Run Farm from Indianapolis, Indiana. “Currently we have nine reindeer,” said Cassandra. “Our five females are eight-year-old Clarice, four-year-old Comet and 32-month old Kneezie. Recently, we added Vixen, a six-month-old, and Cupid, a three-year-old to our herd. They had been on a Santa’s team in Minnesota.

“Our two bull reindeer are five-year-old Prancer who weighs 425 pounds and four-year-old Dancer who is almost 500 pounds and much too large to travel.”

Comet’s two sons, Murry Christmas born on May 12, 2019, 18 months ago, and Curley Star born this past May bring the number of males to four. “Murry was the first reindeer born on our farm. Curley Star is the second,” she said.

“We were concerned for our reindeer after finding out in April that tigers had gotten COVID-19. Since then we’ve learned that reindeer do not have the receptors that would allow them to get the coronavirus, for which we are very grateful,” said Cassandra.

“This season we are only taking the reindeer to community events within Pennsylvania like Wellsboro’s Christmas On Main Street. This offers people the opportunity to social distance while experiencing the reindeer and helps protect those who visit and work with them,” she said.

Photo by John Eaton
A young girl meets a reindeer at last year’s Christmas On Main Street.

HAMILTON-GIBSON PLANS TO STREAM TWO AUDIO ONLY PERFORMANCES OF “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ON DEC. 26 & 27

Hamilton-Gibson Productions and sponsor C&N Bank are offering two audio performances of “A Christmas Carol” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27. Originally, four in-person performances were planned for Thursday-Sunday, Dec. 3-6.

Following the decision made by the Hamlton-Gibson Board of Directors on Oct. 27 to not do in-person shows for the rest of 2020, Director Gabe Hakvaag proposed creating an audio play version of “A Christmas Carol” to his cast. The actors would record their lines well distanced from each other and music and sound effects would be edited in. “This would ensure the cast’s safety while still being able to bring this holiday tradition to HG audiences.” he said. With the cast’s enthusiastic agreement, Hakvaag went about the process of getting audio streaming rights for “A Christmas Carol” adapted by Christopher Schario from the book of the same name written 177 years ago by Charles Dickens.

One of the world’s most enduring holiday stories, “A Christmas Carol” is the tale of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, a coldhearted man who learns the value of love thanks to the intervention of three ghosts who come to haunt him on Christmas Eve. Holiday cheer, whimsical humor and a good dose of scary thrills combine with the timeless truths and themes in this story of a man’s redemption.

The cast includes six actors, one who plays Scrooge with the rest each portraying a number of different characters. Using just their voices, they will help the audience imagine what their characters look like.

Just as in the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s and 1940s, everything will be left to the individual listener’s imagination. The actors not only play characters, but also serve as narrators using the original Dickens’ language. “The stage production also relies on the audience’s imagination, as a mostly bare stage and set represent all of London and the surrounding counties over the decades of Scrooge’s life,” said Hakvaag.

Performing for the first time as Actor One and playing the roles of Tiny Tim, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and Dick Wilkins, and serving as narrator for this production are Oliver and Sylvia Duterte, the children of Sarah and Ramon Duterte of Wellsboro. “Even with double casting, both Oliver and Sylvia will each get their own chance to play the role,” said Hakvaag. “That’s why we are streaming ‘A Christmas Carol’ twice – once starring Oliver and once starring Sylvia. Those who listen to both shows will get a wonderful treat in hearing how each actor changes the role and the performance of the other actors.”

Tom Walrath has played Ebenezer Scrooge for more than two decades. Most of the other cast members have been in this production for many years, too. They include Sarah Knight as Mrs. Cratchit and The Ghost of Christmas Past, Kristine Worthington as Belle and Mrs. Fezziwig, Brian Kennedy as Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchit and Mr. Fezziwig, and Mitch Kreisler as Fred Scrooge and The Ghost of Christmas Present. Music Director is Cherilyn Ayres.

Tickets are $10 per person and $20 for a family and will go on sale through hgp.booktix.com beginning Monday, Dec. 21.

For more information, call the HG office at (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
Getting into character is Tom Walrath (center) who plays Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.” He is holding Sylvia Duterte (left) and Oliver Duterte (right). The brother and sister each play Actor One who has three roles and serves as narrator.