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1. Dog Treats to be Available at Wellsboro Growers Market This Thursday, Oct. 8 and Every Thursday Thru Thursday, Oct. 29
2. HG Production of “Stray Cats” Opens This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9, 10 & 11
3. Deane Center to Host Two Free Outdoor Events This Saturday, Oct. 10
4. Well Armed Woman Shooting Chapter to Meet Saturday Afternoon, October 17
5. Last Free Saturday Afternoon Concert to Feature Doug McMinn Blues Band on Oct. 17
6. Nessmuk Rod and Gun Club Running Deer Shoots are on Sundays, Oct. 18, Nov. 8 & 22

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

DOG TREATS TO BE AVAILABLE AT WELLSBORO GROWERS MARKET THIS THURSDAY, OCT. 8 AND EVERY THURSDAY THRU THURSDAY, OCT. 29

Jean LaCroce of Middlebury Center plans to be at the Wellsboro Growers Market this Thursday, Oct. 8 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the front lawn at the First Presbyterian Church at 130 Main Street in Wellsboro and every Thursday until the market ends on Oct. 29, weather permitting. If it rains steadily and heavily, the market will be cancelled.

“This will be my fourth time at the market. I began bringing my homemade Heart Dog Delectables in September on the 10th, 17h and 24th, wasn’t there on Oct. 1st but will be this Thursday,” said LaCroce.

“I have had three heart dogs in my life, all Golden Retrievers. My first was Dakota, Then Cheyenne and now Hawken. For the past four years, since I first brought Hawken home, I have been making dog treats for him. I had made some for Cheyenne but nothing like I am doing now,” she said.

“I was thinking about opening an ice cream for dogs business but things didn’t work out. That’s when I began considering making dog treats and selling them at the Wellsboro Growers Market. I found out that in order to do that I had to be licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. To meet the state’s licensing requirements, all of my dog treat recipes were sent to a lab, tested and approved.”

LaCroce only uses natural ingredients. Among them are: honey, oats, peanut butter, powdered milk, powdered eggs and rice. She makes a special icing to decorate and create designs on her dog treats. “I also make some treats with no icing,” she said.

At this Thursday’s market she will be offering cat and dog faces, along with hearts, bones and dog paw prints and stick dog and cat figures. “They’re really cute,” said LaCroce. “My basic recipe is honey and oats.”

She also plans to offer special dog treat shapes for Halloween and other holidays. One of my recipes includes carob powder. It’s dog-friendly chocolate without caffeine. Hawken loves them. He’s my taste tester,” she laughed.

“People who stop at my booth can special order dog treats in different shapes and flavors,” said LaCroce. “I just made a special order of 30 unicorn-shaped dog treats for a restaurant in Kutztown. That restaurant’s logo is a unicorn.

On Sundays, LaCroce bakes her dog treats. On Mondays and Tuesdays, she decorates them and after the icing has dried packages them for market on Wednesdays and Thursday mornings. “It takes quite a while do the decorating because I do it by hand,” she said.

“I just bought a dehydrator and will be dehydrating my zucchini and pumpkin dog treats and other flavors so they will have a longer shelf life. Without dehydrating, my dog treats last for more than a month in a container even without putting them in the refrigerator.”

Other vendors at the market are New View Farm, Aunt Lulu’s Embroidery, Yorkshire Meadows, Udder Merry Mac Farm, Keeney Farm, Bakery 303, Shortsville Green Growers, Growin’ Native, Between Two Rivers Maple Products, Scentillating Creations, Staggering Unicorn Winery, Hillstone Farms and Pinafore Run Farm.

Customers are asked to wear face masks and maintain six feet of distance between themselves and others.

Vendors who want to participate are asked to call Thomas Putnam at (570) 439-2000 or email him at wellsborogrowersmarket@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
Jean LaCroce is shown at her Heart Dog Delectables booth at the Wellsboro Growers Market. Her logo features Cheyenne, one of her three heart dogs.

Photo provided
Cat and dog faces, including Golden Retrievers along with hearts, bones and paw prints are among the dog treats made by Jean LaCroce.

HG PRODUCTION OF “STRAY CATS” OPENS THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, OCT. 0, 10 & 11

At 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 9 is the opening performance of Hamilton-Gibson’s production of “Stray Cats” in the Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro. Other shows will be at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2:30 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 11 and at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18.

The play blends humor, sadness, monologues and music in a unique way as each man tells his story.

The cast includes Thomas Putnam, Ryan Dalton, Rob Kathcart along with Dave Driskell performing on his saxophone. The three actors each play roles about men called “cats” who present their life stories as monologues during the play. Driskell weaves their stories together with his improvisational jazz music between each one. He then joins the others in the final scene about a street saxophone player.

The first monologue is “Alone, But Not Lonely.” “I play a fellow at a 12-step meeting who is seeking affirmation and acceptance from others since he can’t seem to find it anywhere else,” said Putnam. “He is reeling from a failed relationship – most likely unrequited – though he still is desperately trying to connect with his ex,” he noted.

“As with all of the fellows in this play, what is not said reveals much about each character,” Putnam said. “Tom is an endearing character and unbeknownst to him is very funny as he tries to justify his attempts at re-gaining favor with his girl.”

The other monologue that features Putnam is titled “The Poem Writer.” “I play an insufferable poet who had one ‘hit’ poem that made him famous. but that was 20 years ago. He is speaking at a luncheon for poets and giving advice on how to become a writer of poems. The humor is revealed through his desperate attempts to portray himself as relevant as he clings to the acclaim of the one poem that brought him any recognition,” said Putnam.

Warren Leight who authored “Stray Cats” is not only an American playwright but also a screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Lights Out” and as the showrunner for “In Treatment” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” In the 1950s, his father, a jazz trumpeter, performed with jazz musicians, such as Woody Herman and Buddy Rich.

“Stray Cats” was first presented by All Season Theatre Group in New York City on May 14 1998. In the summer of 2001, Hamilton-Gibson performed the play at the Don Gill Elementary School in Wellsboro. Original cast members included Putnam, Dalton and Driskell along with Bill Kovalcik who was unable to participate in this production.

Seating is limited. Tickets are $14 for adults and $6 for youth, 18 and under. Also available are FlexPasses for $60. Tickets and FlexPasses have to be ordered in advance and prepaid online at hgp.booktix.com or by calling the HG office at 570-724-2079 with credit card information.

No tickets will be sold at the door due to the COVID 19 pandemic. A rigorous cleaning regimen and state safety protocols such as wearing masks and social distancing are being followed.

Photo by John Eaton
Thomas Putnam plays a participant in a 12-step program meeting wherein he shares his challenges in facing life after being dumped by his girlfriend.

DEANE CENTER TO HOST TWO FREE OUTDOOR EVENTS THIS SATURDAY, OCT. 10

This Saturday, Oct. 10, two free entertainment events are being offered on the outdoor stage on the Central Avenue side of the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Donations are appreciated.

Starting at noon, Master Storyteller Jonathan Kruk, dressed in 1790s period clothing, will give a live, one-hour theatrical performance with a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the ghostly tales in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” He brings these ghostly characters to life using varied voices, accents, gestures and audience participation.

Kruk’s show, “The Legends of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ — The Haunted History of the Headless Horseman and Sleepy Hollow’s Ghosts'” is recommended for children, ages 8 and older and adults, including ghost and history buffs. This program is family friendly with tales that are spooky but not scary or gory. Thanks to sponsors Xtreme Internet and Indigo Wireless it is free and open to the public.

At 3 p.m. will be a two-hour concert by Mama Corn, a four-member band of multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters known for their quirky, onstage antics, and fun-loving attitude. Their infectious fun will soon have the audience joining in. Members include co-founders Jeremy Nelson of Hollidaysburg on banjo and mandolin, Bruce Forr of Duncansville on guitar, John Stevens of Bellwood on dobro and harmonica, and Bryan Homan of Bellefonte on upright bass.

Based in Altoona, Pa. and a mainstay on the mid-Atlantic bluegrass festival circuit, this band plays everything from Bill Monroe, Pink Floyd and the Bee Gees to Flatt and Scruggs and Crosby Stills and Nash. Their bread and butter is their original music featured on three studio CDs. Among the recognizable tunes the audience will hear are “Fox on the Run”; “Driving My Life Away”; “Helplessly Hoping”, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”, “Fearless” and “End of the Line” along with the band’s original fan favorites, such as “About a Minute Ago”, “Shenandoah Mountain Tops”, “Someday Knock on Wood” and “The Hanging of Alfred Andrews.”

Bring lawn chairs and/or blankets and sit on the lawn in front of the outdoor stage or on Central Avenue, which will be closed to traffic to provide space to allow people room for dancing and social distancing.

Both events are weather dependent and may start a little earlier. Visit deanecenter.com, email office@deanecenter.com, or call (570) 724-6220 for more information.

Photo provided
Jonathan Kruk

Photo provided
Mama Corn includes (from left) Bryan Homan, John Stevens, Bruce Forr, and Jeremy Nelson.

WELL ARMED WOMAN SHOOTING CHAPTER TO MEET SATURDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 17

The Well Armed Woman Shooting Chapter, Tioga County, Pa. is meeting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17 outdoors at the Mill Cove Shooting Range in the Mill Cove Environmental Area at 3036 Mill Creek Road, Mansfield, Pa. The group is following Pennsylvania COVID-19 protocols.

The meeting will open with a review of gun safety protocols followed by shooting practice. “We feel that holding our meeting on Saturday afternoon rather than Thursday night, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m., might be better for women who work and give the entire group an opportunity to shoot during daylight hours,” said Marilyn Jones. She and Pat Butts are chapter co-leaders.

New member applications will be available. Women who don’t own a firearm and want more information before making a purchase or want to find out about joining the chapter are invited to contact Jones at (570) 549-2794 or jones_mk@yahoo.com.

LAST FREE SATURDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT TO FEATURE DOUG MCMINN BLUES BAND ON OCT. 17

The third and last concert in the free Saturday afternoon outdoor series will feature the five-member Doug McMinn Blues Band on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.

The concert will be on the outdoor stage on the Central Avenue side of the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. It is free and open to the public.

With an eclectic repertoire that McMinn describes as “Big Tent Blues,” the band will play the gamut from Chicago to Texas blues to New Orleans rhythm and blues, mixing their original songs with modern and classic covers by famous artists, such as T-Bone Walker, Professor Longhair and Howlin’ Wolf.

This is the band’s first performance at the Deane Center and their fifth in 2020. Members are: Doug McMinn who plays guitar, saxophone and clarinet; John “JT” Thompson on keyboards; Sean Farley on guitar; Bill Stetz on electric bass guitar; and Joel B. Vincent on drums. McMinn, Thompson and Farley are lead singers and write tunes for the band.

The band has played at numerous top-drawer venues throughout North Central Pennsylvania, including the Elk Creek Cafe, the Bullfrog Brewery, the Berwick Brewing Co. and in Selinsgrove for the Rudy Gelnett Summer Music Series.

The Doug McMinn Blues Band was founded in 2011, when Bonnie Tallman invited McMinn to select an all-star group of regional musicians to close the show that year at the Billtown Blues Festival in Williamsport. Tallman, a Tioga County native who now lives in Muncy, is one of six people who founded the blues festival in 1990.

McMinn, widely known as one of the most flexible players in the West Branch area, plays and sings in popular groups like Lumpy Gravy, Black ‘n’ Blues, The AAA Blues Band, The Sirens and as a duo with Hannah Bingman. Before COVID-19, he led his jazz band in monthly gigs at the Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, and played solo guitar-vocal gigs in towns from Coudersport to Millheim and Berwick. He lives seven miles outside of Williamsport in Balls Mills, Pa.

For the other front line spots, McMinn chose Farley of Williamport and Thompson of Bellefonte.

Farley is one of the busiest musicians in the area, both as a solo performer and as co-leader of the Lynn and Farley 5. He made his name with Black-n-Blues, a Williamsport-based band, and The EG Kight Band based in Georgia. Farley also has a thriving, custom guitar and repair shop in Williamsport.

Thompson, a standout keyboard player and singer in the State College area, performs solo and with a number of bands including his group The Denicats, Natascha and The Spyboys, The Gill Street Band and The AAA Blues Band.

For the rhythm section, McMinn selected Stetz of Sunbury, one of the region’s top guitar bassists who has played with Queen Bee and the Blue Hornets, Garcia Grass and The Earthtones, and Joel B. Vincent of Williamsport, a top drummer who performs with the Gabe Stillman Band based in Williamsport and The Ann Kerstetter Band based in Northumberland.

Every member of the group has been a semifinalist in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, and has decades of blues experience.

For their performance at the 2011 Billtown Blues Festival, the band was called “Doug McMinn’s 30th Anniversary Blues Band” and played music to honor McMinn’s three decades in the bar band business. The rapturous response from the festival audience inspired the band to book other shows and record a well-received live CD.

Since then, the group has entertained crowds throughout the North Central Pennsylvania Region. McMinn began playing in the summer of 1980 and is now celebrating his 40th anniversary as a musician.

Bring lawn chairs and sit on the lawn in front of the outdoor stage or on Central Avenue, which will be closed to traffic to provide space to allow people room for dancing and social distancing.

This show is weather dependent and may start a little earlier. Visit deanecenter.com, email office@deanecenter.com, or call (570) 724-6220 for more information.

Photo provided
Members of the Doug McMinn Blues Band include: (standing, from left) Sean Farley, John “JT” Thompson, Bill Stetz and Joel B. Vincent, and band founder Doug McMinn (sitting, front).

NESSMUK ROD AND GUN CLUB RUNNING DEER SHOOTS ARE ON SUNDAYS, OCT, 18, NOV. 8 & 22

The Nessmuk Rod and Gun Club is hosting three running deer shoots outdoors from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays, Oct. 18, Nov. 8 and Nov. 22, rain or shine. The shoots will be at the club’s outdoor range at 4646 Route 287, 6.5 miles south of Wellsboro in Delmar Township. Club members and the public are invited to participate.

The shooter with the highest score in the last round of the day at each of the three running deer shoots will win a frozen turkey. “I thought that might add a little interest to this year’s running deer shoots,” said Ray Rowland, organizer.

A special round for youth, 17 and under, will also be held during each of the three Sunday running deer shoots. “The youth with the highest score will win a gift certificate from Cooper’s Sporting Goods in Mansfield or from Barbers Sporting Goods Store in Sabinsville,” Rowland said.

The running deer paper target is fixed to a four-foot by three-foot wooden frame that is mounted on wheels on a cable. The target is pulled along the cable from left to right at 100 yards from the shooting area. Only one shooter is allowed to be on the range per pass. Safety gear and eye and ear protection are required to participate. 



A sign-up will be held before each round of shooters.

The fee for youth 17 and under, and for adults, 18 and older, is $2 per pass with a limit of two shots per pass. The fee will be split with 50 percent going to the shooter with the highest score per round and the other 50 percent to the club.

For more information, call Ray Rowland at (607) 857-4631.