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1. Register This Friday, Aug. 2 for the Refuse To Be A Victim® Seminar – REMINDER & CORRECTION
2. Kevin Coolidge Book Release Party is This Friday, Aug. 2 – REMINDER WITH NEW INFORMATION
3. Mobsters and Music Concert is This Saturday, Aug. 3 – REMINDER
4. NEW – EMMF Season to End with Free Orchestra Pops Concert on Sunday, Aug. 4
5. NEW – Tune In To Radio HG Festival to Open on Thursday, Aug. 8
6. NEW – Tyoga Running Club to Hold Thursday Night Runs on Aug. 8, 15, 22 & 29
7. NEW – Hills Creek and Cherry Springs State Park Programs for August 9, 10 & 11
8. NEW – Sugar Mountain Tribute to Neil Young is Saturday, Aug. 10

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

REGISTER BY THIS FRIDAY, AUG. 2 FOR THE REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM® SEMINAR

Men, women, parents and their children can register between now and this Friday, Aug. 2 for Refuse To Be A Victim®.

This crime prevention and personal safety seminar will be from 8 a.m. to noon this Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Lambs Creek Sportsman’s Club at 339 Sportsman’s Club Road, Mansfield, Pa. Marilyn Jones is the certified course instructor.

The course covers personal safety while at home, driving or traveling. “This is not a course on shooting a gun,” Jones said. Those attending will learn common sense techniques on how to minimize the risk of becoming a victim at home, in the workplace and in other situations, such as while shopping. Also taught will be an array of personal safety strategies and tips on how to create a personalized safety plan before it is needed.

“Discussed during the seminar will be the three levels of awareness needed for the various settings we may find ourselves in along with tips and techniques to help each individual be prepared for whatever happens,” said Jones.

The fee is $10 per person. To register or for more information, contact Marilyn Jones at jones_mk@yahoo.com or (570) 549-2794.

KEVIN COOLIDGE BOOK RELEASE PARTY IS THIS FRIDAY, AUG. 2

For the past 13 years, Joe Hannon (shown), a UPS driver out of the Williamsport hub, has been delivering boxes to From My Shelf Books & Gifts at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro. Huck, one of the bookstore’s two cats adopted as kittens in 2014, loves Joe and boxes. When Joe finishes stacking them up, Huck sits or lays on top. As they are unpacked, he jumps in. When Kevin Coolidge, bookstore owner and author, decided to write “Huck & Finn, The Bookstore Cats,” he included a scene with Joe and Huck. Stop in at the release party this Friday, Aug. 2 between 5 and 7 p.m. to meet Huck and Finn and, if you know Joe, sign a copy of the book that Coolidge and his wife, Kasey plan to give him when Joe makes his next delivery to From My Shelf Books.

Photo by John Eaton

MOBSTERS AND MUSIC IS THIS SATURDAY, AUG. 3

“Mobsters and Music,” a mix of the spoken word and jazz, explores the intersection of music and the mafia. The show is at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 3 in the Deane Center’s Coolidge Theatre at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.

”Our show is a chronological overview of the mob in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas and Havana, Cuba,” said George Anastasia who wrote about organized crime as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1974 to 2012 and is the author of six books about the mob, from “Blood and Honor” in 1991 to “Gotti’s Rules” in 2015.

“We look at the cultural connections between organized crime and the music of the day. Our show is somewhat historical but we keep it fun and light,” said Anastasia. “Afterward, we will answer questions from the audience.”

Anastasia will recount tales of organized crime and the mob during different time periods in the 20th century, from the rise of speakeasies to casino gambling, from Al Capone to Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano.

After each tale, Denis DiBlasio, renowned jazz baritone saxophonist/flautist, and over-the-top guitarist Brian Betz will perform musical interludes of tunes popular at those times, such as Benny Goodman’s “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train” and Frank Sinatra’s version of “Fly Me to the Moon.”

“Mobsters and Music” came about because of the professional and personal relationships between these three men. DiBlasio and Anastasia are cousins. Betz was a student of DiBlasio’s. Today, the three teach at the same university in Glassboro, New Jersey. Betz and DiBlasio perform and record together. Anastasia attends their concerts and they attend his talks on organized crime. The three are close friends.

For years, they would go out for dinner two or three times a month, joke about organized crime having an impact on American music and discuss the possibility of putting a show together. Mobsters and Music became a reality in 2018.

Admission is $15. This is a BYOB event so bring snacks and beverages and reserve a table free of charge. For tickets and a table, call (570) 724-6220 or visit www.deanecenter.com or purchase tickets at the door, if available.

Photo provided
Denis DiBlasio (left) and Brian Betz will perform during “Mobsters and Music” this Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Deane Center’s Coolidge Theatre at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Author George Anastasia will recount tales of the mob during the 20th century with DiBlasio and Betz playing interludes of music popular at those times to show the intersection of music and the mafia.

EMMF SEASON TO END WITH FREE ORCHESTRA POPS CONCERT ON SUNDAY, AUG. 4

The Endless Mountain Music Festival is concluding its 14th season with six more concerts to be presented between tonight, Tuesday, July 30 and this Sunday, Aug. 4.

New this year is the addition of the free Sunday afternoon, Aug. 4 “Pops” concert featuring the 62-member Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Gunzenhauser, festival founder. It is being held at the Wellsboro Johnston Airport at 112 Runway Road, near Wellsboro. Everyone is welcome to attend. The concert will open at 2 p.m. with the orchestra playing John Philip Sousa’s “Semper Fidelis” followed by Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park,” a medley from “Les Misérables,” music from films “Somewhere in Time” and “Rocky,” a medley from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” Marvin Hamlisch’s “A Chorus Line,” George M. Cohan’s “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and end with Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The concert will be in the airport’s corporate hangar and be held rain or shine. Bring chairs.

The festival’s last three chamber concerts are tonight, Tuesday, July 30; Wednesday, July 31; and this Thursday, Aug. 1.

At 7:30 p.m. tonight Tuesday, July 30, at the Penn Wells Hotel, 62 Main Street, Wellsboro, visit Kansas City cabaret-style with Bram Wijnands, jazz, swing and stride pianist. For reservations for dinner at the Penn Wells from 5 to 7:15 p.m., call 570-724-2111. Doors for the concert only will open at 7:15 p.m. For concert tickets, visit www.endlessmountain.net or call (570) 787-7800.

This Wednesday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Powers Theater at the Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway, Elmira, NY, Yaniv Cohen on violin and Yevgeny Yontov at the piano will perform Vitali’s “Ciaccona in G Minor”; Strauss’ “Sonata in E-flat Major”; Debussy’s “Etudes,” Book II; and Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Melodies), Opus 20. Yontov was born in Israel and began playing piano when he was six years old. He has established himself as one of the most promising Israeli pianists of his generation and is pursuing his doctorate at the Yale School of Music in the United States. Cohen was 13 when he started performing with the University of Central Florida Symphony Orchestra and continued with the ensemble until he graduated from college in 2013. He earned a Master’s of Music in Viola Performance. He has performed with Johnny Mathis, Sting, Adam Levine, Josh Groban and many others.

The festival’s last chamber concert will be at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 1 in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Featured in Brahms’ “Quintet in B Minor for Clarinet and Strings, Op. 115″ will be 2019 Grammy Award-winner Doris Hall-Gulati on clarinet. Ken Bell on French horn will perform Mozart’s “Quintet in E-flat Major for Horn and Strings, K.407.” Members of the string quintet include: Hua Jin and Karen Banos on violin, Jennifer Alger and Yaniv Cohen on viola and Zinya Zhou on cello.

This Friday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m. the Festival Symphony Orchestra will present Russian composer Ippolitov-Ivanov’s “Procession of the Sardar” from the “Caucasian Sketches Suite No. 1, Op. 10,” at Mansfield University’s Steadman Theatre. The march-like music has been included in films. The orchestra will also play Borodin’s “Symphony No. 2 in B Minor” and Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77” with Siwoo Kim on violin.

At 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 3, the orchestra will perform Franz Liszt’s “Festklänge, Symphonic Poem No. 7” and Frédéric Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op 21” featuring Yevgeny Yontov at the piano at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium. The concert will end with Borodin’s “Symphony No. 2 in B Minor.”

To purchase tickets for the concerts on Aug. 1, 2 and 3 or for more information, call the Endless Mountain Music Festival at (570) 787-7800 or visit www.endlessmountain.net. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

Photo by John Eaton
On July 20, Maestro Stephen Gunzenhauser conducts the 62-member Endless Mountain Music Festival Symphony Orchestra for the first of three Saturday performances at the Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium. The last concert at Corning is being presented this Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. This Sunday, Aug. 4 at 2 p.m. the orchestra will end the season with a free concert at the Wellsboro Johnston Airport.

TUNE IN TO RADIO HG RADIO PLAY FESTIVAL TO OPEN THURSDAY, AUG. 8

Hamilton-Gibson’s Tune In To Radio HG Radio Play Festival will open at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8 in the Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro. Performances will also be given at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 9 and 10 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11.

The Warehouse Theatre will be transformed into the WBFR (Wellsboro’s Broadcast Free Radio) studios. Actors of all ages will stand at microphones with scripts in hand and perform, accompanied by music and live sound effects.

Each of the four performances will run an hour and a half with an intermission and offer a different selection of classic, contemporary and/or new radio plays.

On Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. will be “Flash Gordon: Kingdom of the Caves”; “Sam Spade: The Hot One Hundred Grand Caper Part 1”; “Duffy’s Tavern: 10 Percent Off”; and “Easy Aces: Jane Finds A Mate for Mother.” On Friday, Aug. 9, at 7:30 p.m. will be “Flash Gordon: Zarkoff to the Rescue”; “Sam Spade: The Hot One Hundred Grand Caper Part 2”; “Vex Marks the Spot”; “Does This Look Infected” and “Gunsmoke: Cheap Labor.” On Saturday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 p.m. will be “Flash Gordon: Commander in Chief”; ” “Easy Aces: Jane goes to a Psychiatrist”; “Comparing Notes at the End of the World”; and “The Hunch Bunch.” On Sunday afternoon, Aug. 11, at 2:30 p.m. will be “Little Orphan Annie Part 1;” “Flash Gordon: The Battle Begins”; “The Bickersons: The Honeymoon Is Over”; “Little Orphan Annie Part 2”; “Popeye The Sailor Man”; and “Little Orphan Annie Part 3.”

Among the radio plays are two new radio plays by local authors. “The Hunch Bunch,” by Sarah Knight, is a loving send-up of the classic Saturday morning cartoon featuring a band of teenagers and a big, brown dog who solve mysteries. “Vex Marks The Spot,” by Mitch Kreisler, is a modern spoof of the classic film noir detective story.

There are also two contemporary radio play thrillers “Does This Look Infected” and “Comparing Notes At The End Of The World,” both written by professional playwright Christopher Walsh.

From the classic age of radio are episodes from Flash Gordon, Gunsmoke, Sam Spade, The Bickersons, Duffy’s Tavern, Easy Aces, Little Orphan Annie and Popeye.

Also to be performed are commercials written for Gehman Iron, which is sponsoring the four-day festival, and Pop’s Culture Shoppe, sponsor of “Little Orphan Annie.”

Families with younger children are encouraged to attend the Sunday program, which offers “Little Orphan Annie” and “Popeye The Sailor Man.”

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children under 18. A festival pass for all four performances is $20.

For reservations, contact Hamilton-Gibson at (570) 724-2079 or email hamgib@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
Actors in “Sam Spade: The Hot One Hundred Grand Caper Part 1,” to be performed Thursday, Aug. 8, are (from left) Sean Bartlett as Leonard Kilcourse, Evelyn Lippincott as Effie Perine, and Katie Bartlett as Lorraine Kilcourse. Lorraine, a rich woman who thinks her husband, Leonard is being blackmailed, hires Sam Spade, a detective, to investigate.

TYOGA RUNNING CLUB TO HOLD FREE THURSDAY NIGHT RUNS AT ASAPH ON AUG. 8, 15, 22 & 29

The Tyoga Running Club is hosting its free, traditional, one-hour Thursday Night Runs for members and the public on Aug. 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Runners meet in the parking lot at the USGS Northern Appalachian Research Laboratory at 176 Straight Run Road in Asaph, eight miles west of Wellsboro off Route 6.The runs begin promptly at 6 p.m. and are open to children and adults with pace groups for all ages and ability levels.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/tyogarunningclub or email run4trc@gmail.com.

HILLS CREEK AND CHERRY SPRINGS STATE PARK PROGRAMS FOR AUGUST 9, 10 & 11

Free programs and activities are being offered at Hills Creek and Cherry Springs State parks Aug. 9, 10 & 11.

At Hills Creek State Park
WELLSBORO—Hills Creek State Park at 111 Spillway Road, Wellsboro, Pa. 16901 is seven miles northeast of Wellsboro in Charleston Township via Charleston Street and Hills Creek Lake Road. Four, free one-hour programs are being presented. Three of them are being held in the Nature Center area located between B and C loops in the park’s campground. The fourth is on the Mid-State Trail.

Three Smart Dogs is Friday, Aug. 9
At 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9 in the Nature Center area, examine the world of three canines – the red fox, grey fox, and coyote. Learn about their unique features and survival strategies in the wild. Skins, mounts, photos and skulls will be used to demonstrate these features.

Bears of Pennsylvania is Saturday, Aug. 10
Bear encounters are more likely to occur now since the peak of bear breeding season is in June, July and August and the state’s bear population is estimated at more than 15,000. Find out what to do and how to peacefully coexist with bears on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 8:30 p.m. in the Nature Center area.

Beaver Hike is Sunday, Aug. 11
At 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11 go on a seven-tenths of a mile guided hike along the Mid-State Trail to see an active beaver lodge with a chance to see the beavers. Learn about this unique animal, its history, management and role in the park. A hide, skull and photographs will be used to illustrate their story. Drive to C Loop in the park’s campground, find the Mid-State Trail sign and park along Campsite Road.

Black Dogs and Rainbow Ducks is Sunday, Aug. 11
Learn the story of waterfowl conservation through the eyes of an old hunter, young boy, and a Labrador Retriever. This timeless Ducks Unlimited conservation classic will be shown at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11 in the Nature Center area. Also, meet Stormy, a Labrador Retriever puppy in training, see a wood duck nesting box and duck calls.

FMI:
Call the park office at (570) 724-4246 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for more information.

At Cherry Springs State Park
COUDERSPORT—Cherry Springs State Park at 4639 Cherry Springs Road, Coudersport, Pa. 16915 is 12 miles from Route 6 in Galeton via West Branch Road and 15 miles from Coudersport via Route 44. All stargazing and other programs will be cancelled if it rains or thunders.

Anyone may observe the night sky at Cherry Springs on his or her own without attending a stargazing program. All visitors should arrive before dark. Search for the Clear Sky Chart online for 48-hour forecasts about viewing conditions.

Picnic in the Park
Those who get to the park early are always welcome to bring a picnic supper and make use of the park’s picnic grove near the Night Sky Viewing Area. The grove has picnic tables and charcoal grills onsite. Preregistration is not required to picnic in the park.

Dark Sky Telescope Workshop is Friday and Saturday, Aug. 9 & 10
For the two-and-a-half-hour Dark Sky Telescope Workshop, dust off your telescope and bring it with you for a night under the stars to learn how to get the most out of it. Or, try out a park telescope and find out what to look for when purchasing a telescope or accessories. The workshop is being held from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9 and again on Saturday, Aug. 10. The main goal of this workshop is to provide each registrant with training on how to properly set up his or her telescope and how use it. During the workshop, participants will observe the moon and the planets Jupiter and Saturn. It is recommended that each registrant be at least 10 years of age up to adults. Preregistration is required and the $10 per person fee must be prepaid. Those who preregister will be contacted with details about the workshop and how to prepay and be asked to complete a short questionnaire about the type of telescope equipment he or she will be bringing and his/her experience in using it so the training can be tailored to meet each individual’s needs. To guarantee more personalized attention, each instructor will work with no more than two people.

Launch Into Space is Friday Through Sunday, Aug. 9-11
From 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, Aug. 9, 10 or 11, join park staff at the Night Sky Viewing Area for astronomy-themed educational games that provide an introduction to astronomy and the Moon & Meteor Watch that follows. Preregistration is not required for this fun, family-friendly, free event.

Moon & Meteor Watch is Aug. 9, 10 & 11
The free Moon & Meteor Watch will be from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9, 10 and 11 in the park’s Night Sky Viewing Area. The Perseid Meteor Shower will be peaking. Viewing will be negatively impacted by the first quarter moon. The moon’s brightness will wash out many of the meteors and stars but the brightest meteors should be visible. During the laser guided tour, park staff will discuss the meteor shower, the moon and constellations. Telescopes will be available for a closer look. Preregistration is required.

Shamans & Saints Tour is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 & 11
The Shamans & Saints tour is being offered at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 11. This North Star Outdoor Guides’ Dark Sky Telescope Tour ensures maximum telescope time and a more individualized program for the first 16 people to preregister and prepay to attend on one of those dates. Fee: $20. For details, visit http://events.dcnr.pa.gov/cherry_springs_state_park.

To Preregister
To preregister online for the Shamans & Saints tour, Dark Sky Telescope Workshop or the free Moon & Meteor Watch, visit http://events.dcnr.pa.gov/cherry_springs_state_park. If there is a problem with registering online or for information about other programs offered at the park, call (814) 435-1037 or email cherryspringsee@pa.gov.

SUGAR MOUNTAIN TRIBUTE TO NEIL YOUNG IS SATURDAY, AUG. 10

At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, the five-member band Sugar Mountain will thrill Neil Young fans by faithfully replicating the songs this singer-songwriter made famous as a solo artist and with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Crazy Horse.

Sugar Mountain brings to life the Neil Young concert experience, covering all of Young’s best known songs, hits and deep cuts that are sure to excite the most ardent of fans and the casual listener.

The show, titled “Sugar Mountain – Celebrating The Genius Of Neil Young,” features the authentic “Neil” sound by bringing together an ensemble of veteran musicians from the New Jersey music scene who perform the songs “The way you heard them the first time.”

Lead vocalist is the singularly named Briz who plays acoustic and electric guitars and the harmonica. On stage, he dresses in a flannel shirt under a sports jacket and wears a black Stetson hat, casting the familiar silhouette of musician Neil Young. Other members of the group are vocalists Tom Delaney on pedal steel and acoustic and electric guitars; Luke Liddy on keyboards; and Walter Super on bass guitar. John Torhan plays drums and percussion.

“We replicate Neil’s sound so closely you can imagine you are at one of his concerts,” Briz said. “During the show, we do little bits and parodies where we share history or interesting facts about Neil’s songs while videos and slides of Young during different times of his life are projected behind us,” Briz said.

Young’s career spans 53 years from the seminal country rock sounds of Buffalo Springfield and super group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to garage band Crazy Horse and countless genre-bending solo releases, spanning everything from folk, country, electronic and hard rock to rockabilly.

Briz built his solo career on his remarkable vocal impersonations of Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and countless others but, by his own admission, his most convincing is his Neil Young impersonation. “My voice more closely resembles Neil’s compared to anybody else I do,” he said.

in 2016, Briz was performing in a club as Shakey, a character inspired by a book about Young. That’s when Tom Delaney and Luke Liddy, both musicians with a band, heard him. “Tom approached me about doing a tribute show. We spent at least a year practicing to get it right and in 2017 began touring,” said Briz.

“Neil is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of our time,” Briz said. “He is releasing more new material now than any other artist. He will be coming out with a new Crazy Horse album at the end of this year.”

Admission is $20. This is a BYOB event so bring beverages and snacks. For tickets and to reserve a table free of charge, call (570) 724-6220 or visit www.deanecenter.com.

Photo by Dawn Allegri Delaney
Sugar Mountain will be “Celebrating the Genius of Neil Young” on stage in Wellsboro on Saturday, Aug. 10.