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1. Wellsboro Growers Market is Extended to Thursday, October 29; This Thursday, Sept. 17 Features Growin’ Native Plants and Keeney Farm Pumpkins
2. Free Friday Night Concert Series to End This Friday, Sept. 18; New Free Saturday Afternoon Series to Begin on Saturday, Oct. 3
3. Last Three Performances of Hamilton-Gibson Comedy “The View from Here” are This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18, 19 & 20
4. Step Outdoors TRYathlon and 5K are Underway; To End this Sunday, Sept. 20
5. Authors, Illustrator of “A Dog’s Quarantine Story” to be at Galeton Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26

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

WELLSBORO GROWERS MARKET IS EXTENDED TO THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29; THIS THURSDAY, SEPT. 17 FEATURES GROWIN’ NATIVE PLANTS AND KEENEY FARM PUMPKINS

Thomas Putnam, organizer, has announced that the Wellsboro Growers Market will be open from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 29 rather than ending on Oct. 8 as originally planned.

“We opened later than normal this year due to the coronavirus,” he said. “So, we made the decision to keep it going through the end of October on the front lawn of the First Presbyterian Church at 130 Main Street in Wellsboro, weather permitting.”

Keeney Farm is bringing traditional, porcelain doll and blue doll pumpkins to the market for the first time this Thursday, Sept. 17.

Ann Vayansky of Growin’ Native is returning on Sept. 17 for the second Thursday in a row. She was at the Sept. 10 market for the first time since the end of June and plans to be back again on Oct. 1. She is bringing at least 11 different shrubs, small trees and perennial flowers, all native to North Central Pennsylvania and all hosts for insects, such as the butterfly caterpillar and/or pollinators that attract bees. “Fall is the perfect time to plant them to have blooms and berries next year. If you want to attract butterflies and birds, these will help,” she said.

Vayansky described those she was sure she would have with her. “Sneezeweed is in the sunflower family, is a perennial with yellow or orange daisy-like petals but doesn’t make you sneeze,” she laughed. “At one time its leaves were dried and used to make snuff. That’s how it got its name. Swamp milkweed, a perennial with pink flowers, attracts monarch butterflies and grows to about three feet tall.” Anise Hyssop is a perennial with blue flowers and fragrant foliage that self-seeds and is easy-to-grow.

The black-eyed Susan, also in the sunflower family, has daisy-like blooms, is hearty, drought-tolerant and responds well to an occasional watering. Purple Coneflowers are in the daisy family, colorful, adaptable and grow best in poor soil.

“The obedient plant got its name because gardeners can bend its individual pink flowers in any direction. It is also a pollinator and a great plant to use to fill in bare spots because it spreads easily,” said Vayansky. “Ninebark is named because of its bark, which adds interest to winter gardens. Its colorful dark green or reddish leaves emerge in mid-spring and last well into fall. Winterberry produces lots of bright red berries that really show up in fall and winter landscapes.”

Indian Currant, also known as Coralberry, has coral-colored berries and is a shrub used to naturalize areas or as an informal shrub border. “Redbud is a shrub or small tree that has pink flowers and is the first to bloom in spring. It prefers sun. The Serviceberry is a shrub or small tree that blooms in spring with white flowers and leaves that turn red in the fall,” Vayansky said.

Also at this Thursdays market will be fresh vegetables, such as lettuce, red and green tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, potatoes, broccoli florets, cauliflower, kohlrabi, okra, summer and winter squash and for the first time this year, pumpkins; homemade baked goods, such as pecan sandies, cinnamon buns, breads, bagels, pound cakes in different flavors, carrot and zucchini chocolate cakes and cookies along with jams and jellies, tomato relish and jalapeno pepper spread, wine tastings and Staggering Unicorn wines sold by the bottle, candles, soaps and other products.

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

Customers are asked to wear face coverings and maintain six feet of distance from others.

Vendors interested in participating are asked to call Thomas Putnam at (570) 439-2000 or email wellsborogrowersmarket@gmail.com.

Photo by John Eaton
Ann Vayansky prepares some of the shrubs, small trees and perennial flowers she will be bringing to the Wellsboro Growers Market this Thursday, Sept. 17 and on Oct. 1. All are native to this area and ready for planting this fall.

Photo by John Eaton
Cheryl and Gary Keeney are shown with some of the traditional, porcelain doll and blue doll pumpkins and vegetables they will be bringing to this Thursday’s Wellsboro Growers Market on Sept. 17.

FREE FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT SERIES TO END THIS FRIDAY, SEPT. 18; NEW FREE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SERIES TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY, OCT. 3

Due to the enthusiastic response it has received for its free Friday summer night concert series, the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro has announced a new free series on Saturday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in October featuring live entertainment on its outdoor stage on the Central Avenue side of the building.

This Friday, Sept. 18 at 5:45 p.m. is the last free Friday night outdoor concert. Featured are Quentin Fisher on mandolin and Michael Johnson on acoustic guitar performing their favorite bluegrass, old-time, and folk classics, as well as original compositions. Donations are appreciated.

The October concerts will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 with Drowsy Maggie and special guest Ethan Hawkins who is a multi-instrumentalist and the lead singer and guitarist for The Mudskippers.

Giving their first performance at the Deane Center on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. will be the Mama Corn bluegrass band known for their vocal harmonies, fiery picking and lively stage show. On Saturday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. will be the Doug McMinn Blues Band from Williamsport playing Chicago and Texas blues and New Orleans rhythm and blues covers along with their own originals.

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.

As a special treat for children will be a free Deane Little Beans one-hour performance by Jonathan Kruk, a master storyteller who will be telling tales about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman at noon on Saturday, Oct. 10 on the Deane Center’s outdoor stage thanks to Xtreme Internet and Indigo Wireless.

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

LAST THREE PERFORMANCES OF HAMILTON-GIBSON COMEDY “THE VIEW FROM HERE” ARE THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, SEPT. 18, 19 & 20

The last three performances of Hamilton-Gibson’s production of “The View from Here” will be in the Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and this Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for this weekend’s shows.

This comedy is about a woman trapped in her own home by anxiety who takes care of babies for a living. Playwright Margaret Delaney’s treatment of the ways that fears limit people and their search for hope is sensitive, respectful, never mean, clever and hilariously funny with an uplifting message about the way people care for each other.

Set in the 1980s in Kentucky, the story takes place in Fern’s house, which is frequented by her sister, Maple whose husband left her after 12 years of marriage; Fern’s crazy neighbor, Carla whose view of life is grounded in tabloids; and another neighbor nicknamed “Arnold Palmer” because of his love for golf whose wife has just moved out taking everything except their baby and crib.

“Performing for an audience right now is a gift and lots of fun,” said Johna Neal who plays Fern. “The audiences on Sept. 11, 12 and 13 were warm and supportive. It is always a pleasure to perform a comedy for people who are willing to laugh, even sometimes at the uncomfortable parts. It energizes us.”

“Audience members who made their thoughts known were incredibly generous in their praise of ‘The View from Here’,” said Director Thomas Putnam. “Many thanked us for providing live theater and following COVID-19 safety protocols.

“One of the great joys of live theater is the experience of performing a show repeatedly in the same room with a completely new group of people each time,” said Putnam. “The combination of people also changes an audience’s chemistry. For example, if you switched out a few members of our audiences this weekend, it would have been a whole new ballgame for each one as well as the cast. For this reason, each performance is organic, alive and vibrant,” he said.

“This cast – three women and a man – is amazing,” said Putnam. “The challenges of bringing this play to fruition have been unbelievable and, I think, have deepened our respect for each other, broadened our appreciation for each other’s talents; and nourished our sense of humor. All four of them are fun to be around.”

“We really enjoyed our ‘full’ houses this past weekend,” said Karin Knaus who is cast as Maple, Fern’s sister. “It’s been so much fun to perform for live audiences, especially when they are very responsive to both the jokes and the emotional moments.”

“It was so wonderful to finally perform for an audience,” said Sarah Vickery cast as Carla. “To be able to have their feedback through laughter and expression felt great. Prior to this show, I didn’t know Nick Duffy who plays Arnold and Johna Neal who plays Fern. Being able to meet them and make new friendships during this time of social distancing has been a true gift. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s performances,” Vickery said.

“I like Carla’s big personality and love all the stories she tells. She is comfortable with her friends; they’re like her family,” said Vickery who was cast for her first HG role as Shelby in the 2015 production of “Steel Magnolias” and also appeared in the HG Women’s Project 2017 “What She Wrote” production.

Tickets are $14 for adults and $6 for youth, 18 and under. Also available are FlexPasses for $60. No tickets are sold at the door. They 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.

Seating is limited. Reserved seats allow HG to meet pandemic social distancing protocols. All audience members are asked to wear masks and have their temperatures taken upon entering the building.

Photo by John Eaton
Sarah Vickery (left) of Wellsboro plays Carla, a snack-eating, tabloid-reading, horoscope-following neighbor who keeps Fern, played by Johna Neal of Wellsboro (right), apprised of the outside world. Fern cares for infants in her home.

STEP OUTDOORS TRYATHLON AND 5K ARE UNDERWAY; TO END THIS SUNDAY, SEPT. 20

As of Wednesday morning, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m., four registrants who soloed the COVID 19 Special Edition Step Outdoors TRYathlon and seven others who ran the 5K Trail Run/Walk only, had picked up their event T-shirts and medallions at the park office at Hills Creek State Park at 111 Spillway Road in Charleston Township, seven miles northeast of Wellsboro.

By this Sunday, Sept. 20, all of the 42 people who registered must select a date and time and finish the TRYathlon or 5K.

Due to the coronavirus, there is no in-person registration, no check-in time, no electronic timing and no aid or water stations. Course maps and other information are available online anytime and in the park office lobby from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays through this Friday, Sept. 18 but not this weekend.

Twenty people registered to do the TRYathlon solo and nine others are on three-member TRYathlon teams. Another thirteen are running the 5K course only. The TRYathlon includes the 5K, 1.75-mile kayak and canoe course and 8-mile bike course.

Those who entered are from Centre, Dauphin, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and York counties in Pennsylvania and Steuben County, New York.

After completing the course, registrants who self-time are welcome to submit their time at the park office between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays through this Friday, Sept. 18. The office is not open this Saturday or Sunday, Sept. 19 or 20.

Those who complete their events this Saturday or Sunday, are encouraged to make arrangements in advance to pick up their T-shirts and medallions and submit their times by contacting Tim Morey.

Canoes and kayaks can be rented to use for the TRYathlon at the park’s concession stand, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. now through this Sunday, Sept. 20. The boat rental rate is $15 per hour for the first two hours and $10 for each additional hour. Payment must be made in cash or by credit card. To reserve a canoe or kayak and pay, call 570-724-4515.

For more information about the TRYathlon or 5K, or about renting bikes, kayaks or canoes, or to download course maps, visit www.stepoutdoors.org or use this link: https://www.stepoutdoors.org/index.php/annual-events/tryathlon-5k. Questions? Call Tim Morey at (570) 724-8561 or email tmorey@pa.gov.

Photo by John Eaton
Organizer Tim Morey displays this year’s event T-shirt and medallion for the COVID 19 Special Edition Step Outdoors TRYathlon & 5K Trail Run/Walk. Shown on the right is the timing board kept in the park office where registrants can record their own times.

AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATOR OF “A DOG’S QUARANTINE STORY” TO BE AT GALETON FALL FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

Among the booths at the Galeton Area Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26 will be one with co-authors Logan Gorg of Galeton and Katherine “Katie” Peachey of Bloomsburg and illustrator Suzan Richar of Wellsboro.

They will be outdoors at the John J. Collins Memorial Park in Galeton signing copies of their book “When My Family Stayed Home: A Dog’s Quarantine Story” released on Aug. 23 of this year. Copies will be available for purchase.

Their 28-page picture book featuring 27 illustrations and several photographs is about a dog that is experiencing the joy of having his family at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival will be the first time the two authors will be together in-person since celebrating Gorg’s birthday in July.

The two became friends while students at Bloomsburg University. Gorg graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and has been working as a paralegal at Ross Law in Coudersport ever since.

Peachey graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Education and English and went on to earn a master’s degree in Literacy in 2020 at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre. She teaches high school and middle school English for the Southern Columbia Area School District in Catawissa.

“I went to work on a Thursday in March but wasn’t allowed to return on Friday, because of Governor Wolf’s statewide shutdown of all nonessential businesses to contain the spread of COVID-19,” said Gorg.

“Katie and I were both home due to the quarantine. Within about a week, we had decided to write a book together that would give comfort during an uncomfortable time. That organically led to dogs and what they always do – provide comfort – something we felt everyone needed, especially in the face of the pandemic.”

Their main character, a dog they named Toby, tells the story. “He is loosely based on Ginger, a friend’s Llewellin Setter. The two of us used a photo of Ginger for inspiration,” Gorg said.

On the back cover are these words: “This story is an uplifting perspective of isolation offered through the lens of a family’s dog who is thrilled, confused, and filled with love when he realizes his family is staying home with him. It explores the new normal that so many families have experienced during the global pandemic. It offers humor, human connection, and hope for readers, young and old. This piece captures a time that is unique in circumstances but universal in nature. From making dance videos to building toilet paper forts, our dog’s family is experiencing something that we all have, binding us with this shared — and somehow positive, if you ask the dog — moment in history.

Under the photo of Ginger on the first page the authors wrote: “This book is dedicated to all the pets in our lives, who daily make our lives fuller, muddier and more joyful. This book is also for the families out there who have found beauty in the chaos and grown stronger together. This book is for you.”

“Google Docs allowed Katie and I to write on the same page at the same time so we would go back and forth,” said Gorg. She had released her first self-published book in 2018 through Amazon’s publishing platform and was familiar with the process.

“I was delighted when Logan, my great niece, asked me in April to illustrate their book,” said Richar. “They told me they wanted a Llewellin Setter so I googled it, found a photo and went from there.” Richar’s illustrations are done in watercolor with some outlining in ink. “I have been involved in art my entire life and normally do watercolor landscapes,” said Richar, a retired insurance professional who had worked and lived in Galeton.

“Until Sept. 26 when we are in Galeton, the only place people can buy our book is on Amazon,” said Gorg.

Photo provided
Logan Gorg (left) and Katie Peachey are shown with Ginger, the inspiration for Toby the dog, the main character in their recently self-published book.

Photo by John Eaton
Suzan Richar holds a copy of “When My Family Stayed Home: A Dog’s Quarantine Story,” co-authored by Logan Gorg and Katie Peachey. On the cover is one of the 27 illustrations Richar did for the book.