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1. NEW – Tiadaghton Audubon Society Teaches Youngsters about Birds
2. NEW – Bird Walk is This Saturday, April 27; 41 Birds Sighted on Saturday, April 20 Walk at Hills Creek State Park
3. NEW – Northern Tier Trap Shoot League Starts This Sunday, April 28; Nessmuk Rod and Gun Club Trap Shoot Practices are on Tuesdays, April 30, May 7, 14, 21, and 28
4. NEW – Hamilton-Gibson Children and Youth Choirs Performance Tour to Toronto, Canada is May 2-5; Spring Concert is May 12
5. Wednesday Morning Musicales to Sing with Wellsboro Women’s Chorus on Saturday, May 4
6. Rave On Concert is Saturday, May 4 photo and caption
7. NEW – “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” Auditions are Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7 & 8
8. NEW – History Comes Alive on Wednesday, May 8 with Fred “Powerhouse” Powers
9. NEW – Laurel Festival Community Float Deadline is Friday, May 31
10. NEW – Register by Friday, May 31 for Laurel Festival 10K for Free Event T-shirt, drawing for Chamber Dollars

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

TIADAGHTON AUDUBON SOCIETY TEACHES YOUNGSTERS ABOUT BIRDS

On Monday, April 15, members of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society took students in the Rock L. Butler Middle School Nature Club and club advisor Jennifer Outman on a short bird walk at the Wellsboro Cemetery. The 20 fifth through sixth graders saw merlins (small falcons), fish crows, blue jays, American robins and house sparrows. Looking for birds through a Celestron scope is sixth grader Colegan Stiner. Shown with him are Tiadaghton Audubon Society members (from left) Sean Minnick, Robin Minnick and Rich Hanlon.

Photo provided

BIRD WALK IS THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 27; 41 BIRDS SIGHTED ON SATURDAY, APRIL 20 WALK AT HILLS CREEK STATE PARK

Coming up this Saturday, April 27 is the fourth bird walk at Hills Creek State Park at 111 Spillway Road, Wellsboro. It is free and provides an opportunity for the public to see the water and woodland birds that live in or migrate through the park.

The Saturday, April 20 bird walk started out cool and windy with the threat of rain. Tiadaghton Audubon Society members Gary Tyson and Rich Faber joined by three other TAS members reported seeing 41 bird species, seven for the first time this year, including the chipping sparrow, eastern towee, field sparrow, hermit thrush, horned grebe, pileated woodpecker and white-throated sparrow.

Of the 41 bird species identified on April 20, 34 were also seen on either this year’s April 6 or 13 walks or both. All 41 species were reported during last year’s walks.

Those on the April 20 walk saw four migratory bird species that had stopped in the park on their way to their summer locations. They included the bufflehead, ring-necked duck and ruby-crowned kinglet, and, for the first time this year, the horned grebe.

Walkers also saw 24 bird species that live at Hills Creek year-round. Seen for the first time on April 20 were the field sparrow, pileated woodpecker. and white-throated sparrow. The 21 other year-round park residents identified on April 20 as well as on the April 6 and/or 13 walks, included: the American crow, American robin, bald eagle, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, brown creeper, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, dark-eyed junco, downy woodpecker, eastern bluebird, hairy woodpecker, mallard, mourning dove, northern cardinal, northern flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch and wood duck.

Of the 13 bird species that are spring, summer and/or fall residents at Hills Creek, three – the chipping sparrow, eastern towee and hermit thrush – were seen for the first time on April 20. Also seen on April 20 were 10 other bird species reported on previous walks this year including the broad-winged hawk, eastern phoebe, northern rough-winged swallow, osprey, pine warbler, red-winged blackbird, song sparrow, tree swallow, yellow-bellied sapsucker and yellow-rumped warbler.

For the Saturday, April 27 bird walk meet at the park office in Charleston Township, about seven miles northeast of Wellsboro. The walk will begin promptly at 8 a.m. Registration is not required. Everyone is invited to participate, including first timers to experienced birders. Bring binoculars and cameras and wear weather-appropriate, subdued clothing and sturdy walking shoes. For those who do not own binoculars, the Tiadaghton Audubon Society has 20 pairs available for adults and children, ages 7 and up.

The walks are slow-paced and cover a limited distance. Upcoming walks will be on Saturdays, May 4, 11, 18 and 25.

For updates and local birding information, visit tiadaghtonaudubon.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/TiadaghtonAudubon/ or email tasmember@yahoo.com. For information about Hills Creek State Park, call the park office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays at (570) 724-4246.

Photo by Sean Minnick
The chipping sparrow (shown) was seen for the first time last year on the April 28 bird walk at Hills Creek State Park and for the first time this year on the April 20 bird walk.

NORTHERN TIER TRAP SHOOT LEAGUE COMPETITIONS START THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 28; NESSMUK ROD AND GUN CLUB TRAP SHOOT PRACTICES ARE TUESDAYS, APRIL 30, MAY 7, 14, 21 & 28

The Nessmuk Rod and Gun Club is hosting trap shoot practices for beginners and experienced shooters from 3 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday through October, weather permitting. The April 30, May 7, 14, 21 and 28 shoots will be at the club’s outdoor range at 4646 Route 287 in Delmar Township, 6.5 miles south of Wellsboro.

“The Tuesday trap shoot practices are open to members and the public,” said Rick Niles, Nessmuk’s trap shoot organizer. The fee is $5 per adult per round of 25 clays and $2 for those under 18. Eye and ear protection must be worn. Shooters are asked to provide their own shotguns and ammunition.

The club will have a limited supply of 12-gauge shotgun shells in boxes of 25 available for purchase.

Teams from five area gun clubs, including Nessmuk, Canton, Hillside, South Creek and Troy, compete in the Northern Tier Trap League. Competitions begin this Sunday, April 28 at South Creek and end in September. Each club hosts two Sunday shoots during the season and one club hosts the final Shoot Out.

For more information about Nessmuk’s trap team and Tuesday trap shoot practices, call Niles at (570) 439-0187.

HAMILTON-GIBSON CHILDREN AND YOUTH CHOIRS PERFORMANCE TOUR TO TORONTO, CANADA IS MAY 2-5; SPRING CONCERT IS MAY 12

Three Hamilton-Gibson children and youth choirs will board a Benedict’s bus at Whitneyville at 7 a.m. on Thursday, May 2 and leave on a four-day performance tour. Going on the trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada will be 50 fifth through twelfth grade choir members and 10 adults, including seven parents.

The first two performances will be in New York State with the HG choristers singing in the morning at an elementary school in Mt. Morris and in the afternoon at a high school in LeRoy. They will also stop at the Genesee Country Village and Museum, a 19th-century living history museum in Wheatland, near Rochester, New York.

At 6 p.m., the group will arrive on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls where they will see the falls and sing informally outdoors. They will then head to their hotel in Toronto.

Friday, May 3 will be spent performing and sightseeing in Toronto. In the morning, the HG choristers will give concerts at the Jackman Avenue Jr. Public School and the Jesse Ketchum School. In the afternoon, they will sing and tour Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts, commonly known as Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. It is a top performance venue and community hub in downtown Toronto. They will then sing at the Davenhill Senior Living facility followed by a tour of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a traditional Hindu place of worship. Before returning to their hotel, they will sing and eat at a mall.

Saturday morning, May 4, the HG group will visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), which features art, world culture and natural history. There, the HG choristers will spend time with the Hamilton Children’s Choir of Ontario, which will be touring Toronto at the same time. Each choir is singing at the ROM that day. “We coordinated our trips,” said Thomas Putnam of Wellsboro, HG choir director. “We sang with this group when we toured Toronto years ago and the following year they came to Wellsboro for a joint concert,” he added.

Saturday afternoon, the HG choristers will tour Casa Loma, an historic mansion, and the CN Tower, a 1,815.4-foot tall concrete communications and observation tower, both in Toronto.

On Sunday, May 5, the choirs will arrive at Niagara-on-the-Lake to see the Shaw Festival’s live theater production of “Brigadoon” at the Festival Theatre. The HG group will then head for home.

For the school, church, museum and retirement community performances, the choirs will sing selections ranging from a rollicking Canadian folk song, “I’se The B’y” to the haunting “In Flanders Fields.” “Our choirs will also sing songs that explore our need to help our friends and peers, and those who are far different from ourselves,” Putnam said.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12 at 2:30 p.m. in Mansfield University’s Steadman Theater, all four Hamilton-Gibson choirs will present their Spring Concert. Singing will be the Young Women’s Choir, directed by Julie Schlosser, Choir, Too, directed by Cheryl Hein Walters, and the Children’s Concert Choir and the Young Men’s Choir, both directed by Putnam. Accompanist is Derek Young. Each mother attending will receive a small gift.

Sponsoring the tour and spring concert are: Eugene Seelye, Kathleen Phillips, Blaise Alexander, Craig and April Devenport, Tom and Brenda Walrath, Bill and Peggi Yacovissi, Julie Schlosser, Larry and Marian Miller, Peggy Detweiler and Jurgen Thym.

Tickets at the door for the May 12 concert will be $8 for adults and $4 for children and students. For more information, call (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

WEDNESDAY MORNING MUSICALES TO SING WITH WELLSBORO WOMEN’S CHORUS ON SATURDAY, MAY 4

At 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, the members of the Wellsboro Women’s Chorus will celebrate their 40th anniversary during “Then Sings My Soul,” their annual spring concert at the United Methodist Church at 36 Main Street in Wellsboro. Special guests will be the members of the Wednesday Morning Musicales Chorus (shown). As part of the celebration, former Wellsboro Women’s Chorus members are invited to the May 4 concert to join in singing “What Would I Do Without My Music.” For more information, contact Diana Frazier at 570-439-0923 or Suzanne Niles at 570-439-0186. A good will offering will be taken at the door.

Photo by John Eaton

RAVE ON CONCERT IS SATURDAY, MAY 4

On Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., Rave On, a three-member New Jersey-based band known for performing the music of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and other legends of early rock and roll, will take the stage in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Among the songs on their set list by Holly are “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be The Day,” and “It’s So Easy To Fall In Love” and by Orbison, “Pretty Woman,” “Only The Lonely” and “Crying.” Rave On includes (from left) backing vocalists Don Guinta on drums and Pete Farley on bass guitar and lead vocalist Chris Roselle on guitar. Because this is a BYOB event, concertgoers are encouraged to bring their own favorite beverages and snacks. Tickets are $20 and free for children 12 and under accompanied by an adult. To reserve a table and for tickets, call (570) 724-6220 or visit www.deanecenter.com.

“THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME” AUDITIONS ARE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, MAY 7 & 8

Auditions for Christopher, the main character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, May 7 and 8 in the Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro.

“I am looking for an actor who can play a 15-year-old,” said Director Thomaa Putnam. “The character is on the autistic spectrum, is a math genius and on stage for almost the entire play. I am casting the role now, to give the actor more time to learn his lines.”

The character is described as follows: “15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of the road; he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now, it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.”

Any actor interested in auditioning for the role of Christopher who cannot attend on May 7 or 8 is asked to contact Putnam by calling (570) 724-2079 or emailing hamgib@gmail.com.

Auditions for other characters in the play will be held at a later date. They include: Siobahan, Ed, Judy, Voice One (Mrs. Shears and Others), Voice Two (Roger Shears and others); Voice Three (policeman and others); Voice Four (Rev. Peters and others); Voice Five (No, 40 and others); and Voice Six (Mrs. Alexander and others).

Co-sponsoring this production are Dr. Richard and Kate Black and Partners In Progress.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 1 and 2 and Nov. 7 and 8 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3 in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.

For more information about this play call (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

HISTORY COMES ALIVE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 WITH FRED “POWERHOUSE” POWERS

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, the 2019 History Comes Alive series will continue with Fred Powers of Bluefield, West Virginia sharing his stories of the dangers that face underground coal miners.

Coal mining is done in the same way in the eight states in the Appalachian coal region, including West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Dressed as a miner with his face blackened with coal dust against a theatrical backdrop of the interior of a mine, Powers will speak in the first person recalling his own experiences in dangerous and sometimes humorous circumstances as a coal miner. Following his presentation, he will encourage the audience to ask questions and will bring an assortment of mining artifacts that show the evolution of mining technology from candles to modern day equipment.

Powers is the third generation on his father’s side to have worked at the Keystone #1 Mine in McDowell County, West Virginia. “My earliest memories are of living in a coal camp of 100 families just above that mine,” said Powers. “When I was in elementary school, the mine owners decided to strip-mine the area underneath our community and everyone was forced to move. My family ended up nearby in the community of Keystone,” he said.

“I worked underground at the Keystone #1 Mine full-time for 10½ years from 1973 to 1983. When I first began working there, I was 20 with a semester of college under my belt. I was told by several older miners that in 10 years the mine would be worked out and close,” said Powers.

“I was married with a child and decided to attend a local college full-time, mostly on the hoot owl shift, to become a teacher. I was the first in my family to go beyond the eighth grade in school. I did my student teaching while working underground on the evening shift.”

In April 1983, Powers was laid off from the mine. For the next 1½ years he worked full-time for a small mining business, helping to retrieve large, continuous mining machines from underneath massive roof falls. He and his wife both began teaching in August 1984. During summers and long weekends for the next eight years, from 1984 to 1992, Powers worked part-time for that same company doing the same dangerous work until tragedy struck and one of his coworkers, a good friend, lost his life.

“From the beginning of my storytelling journey, I wanted to pay respect to our nation’s coal miners. My dad suffered from third-stage black lung respiratory disease after a career of supporting his family in the mining industry. I experienced that dangerous world myself while trying to support my young family. I felt someone should tell coal miners’ stories to the general public and school children. I never thought I would be the one doing it.”

In the summer of 2004, Powers attended a four-week American history class offered at nearby Concord University and saw a storyteller portray Mother Jones, an outspoken 20th century union organizer in the West Virginia mine wars. “That gave me an idea,” Powers said.

“The following summer (2005), I attended another four-week summer class at Concord.” For his project, he dressed as a miner, wore a headlamp and carried a dinner bucket and kept the 80 people in his class spellbound telling stories about his time underground in the mines. That summer, Powers began reenacting and telling his coal miner stories at different venues. His presentation at Wellsboro will be the first one he has ever given in Pennsylvania. “After my trip to Wellsboro on May 8, I will have traveled to nine states and told my coal mining stories at numerous festivals, churches, school-related events and on 10 college campuses since 2005,” Powers said.

For 26 years, from 1984 until 2010, Powers taught middle school special education classes in all subjects. Since retiring from teaching, he has co-founded two heritage festivals in his local area with education days for students and has self-published two books, “Powerhouse: A Coal Miner’s Story” and “Powerhouse Meets the Tommy Knockers.”

Tickets are $15 and free for children 12 and under when accompanied by a paying adult.

For information or tickets, call (570) 724-6220 or visit www.deanecenter.com.

LAUREL FESTIVAL COMMUNITY FLOAT DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 31

The Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce invites local non-profit groups to participate in the 78th Annual Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival by entering a community float in the Saturday, June 15 Laurel Parade.

The Laurel Festival celebrates the blooming of Mountain Laurel – the state flower. Float designs should incorporate the use of Mountain Laurel, which is made available through the chamber office a few days prior to the parade. The theme for this year’s parade is “Find Your Adventure.”

To be eligible for awards, the float design must represent the theme. All floats should be non-political, non-commercial and non-sectarian. Non-profit organizations, such as church groups, youth groups, scout troops, etc., may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $100 for the actual cost of materials in construction of the float.

Floats must be pre-registered by Friday, May 31 to participate in the parade. For float entry forms and safety guidelines, contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901, by calling (570) 724-1926 or emailing info@wellsboropa.com.

REGISTER BY FRIDAY, MAY 31 FOR LAUREL FESTIVAL 10K FOR FREE EVENT T-SHIRT, DRAWING FOR CHAMBER DOLLARS

The Laurel Festival 10K (6.21 miles) will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 15 at Packer Park on Queen Street in Wellsboro. The two-mile Fun Run/Walk will start at 9:05 a.m.



Those who pre-register for the 10K on or before Friday, May 31 and pay the $25 entry fee will receive a free event T-shirt, courtesy of First Citizens Community Bank. They will also be entered in the early bird drawing for a chance to win $25 in Wellsboro Chamber Dollars to spend in more than 60 area businesses. Those who do not pre-register will have the option to purchase a race T-shirt the day of the event.

Age categories in the 10K for males and females are: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60 and over. The course is challenging with both paved and dirt surfaces and rolling hills that provide views of Pennsylvania Grand Canyon country scenery.

Susquehanna Health’s Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital is sponsoring the 10K and Fun Run/Walk awards. For the 10K race, large, medium and small medals with ribbons imprinted with “2019 Laurel Festival 10K Footrace” will be awarded. Large medals will be presented to the first place overall male and female finishers; medium medals to the second and third place overall male and female finishers; and small medals to the oldest and to the youngest to cross the finish line first. The first, second and third place finishers in each 10K age category will also receive medals.

Each Fun Run participant will receive a commemorative ribbon; the first, second and third place runners and overall youngest runner to cross the finish line in the Fun Run will each receive a small medal with a ribbon imprinted with “2019 Laurel Festival Fun Run.”

The entry fee for the 10K is $25 and for the two-mile Fun Run/Walk is $5. Packet pick-up and registration for both the 10K and Fun Run will be from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. on race day in Packer Park. Those who register that day must pay the entry fee in cash or by check. Prior to race day, registrants can pay the entry fee with Visa or MasterCard.

Insta-Results will provide timing for the race and the Tioga County Amateur Radio Club will handle communications.



Pepsi and Weis Markets are providing free post-race refreshments to all runners.

For course maps and registration forms for the 10K and Fun Run, contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce office by calling (570) 724-1926; emailing info@wellsboropa.com or stopping in at 114 Main Street, Wellsboro.