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Wellsboro Chamber

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Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce Mixer

Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce Mixer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 20, 2023

Photo provided
Ben Stone, Hills Creek State Park Complex park operations manager, will talk about changes at Leonard Harrison and Cherry Springs state parks at the mixer.

The 13th Annual Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce Member Mixer is Thursday, March 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the lobby at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. The event is free and open to all chamber members and the public.

“The mixer gives local business people and the public an opportunity to participate in the live and silent auctions, enjoy refreshments, pick up brochures and learn more about what’s coming up in and around Wellsboro,” said Charlie Messina, Chamber Tourism Committee chairman.

“The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has a lot of exciting development on the horizon,” said Ben Stone. At the mixer, he will talk about plans for Leonard Harrison State Park in Tioga County and provide an update on Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County.

In April of 2017, Stone was named park operations manager at the Hills Creek State Park Complex, which includes eight state parks in Potter and Tioga counties.

He has worked for 17 years with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of State Parks.

A Lock Haven University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management, Stone began his career in 2006 as park manager at Sizerville State Park in Cameron and Potter counties. In 2007 he was transferred to the assistant manager position at the Hills Creek State Park Complex. In 2012, he was appointed manager at the Caledonia State Park Complex in Adams and Franklin counties and in 2013 as manager at Ricketts Glen State Park in Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties.

The master planning process for Leonard Harrison State Park was completed in March of 2019. “Since then, the new design to showcase this park, which attracts thousands of visitors each year to see the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, has been completed,” Stone said.

Work at Leonard Harrison will begin during the 2023 construction season. Stone is bringing the design plans and the Leonard Harrison work schedule with him to the mixer to show where and what changes will be made and when.

The park entrance will be reconfigured into a roundabout with improved signage and wayfinding features. Existing parking will be reconditioned and expanded to include one-way travel with a lower level parking lot and loop. Pedestrian walkways will be improved to access the newly renovated and expanded Park Visitor Center. New roadways will be constructed to the existing picnic area pavilion, park office and campground and electric car charging stations will be installed.

“Our primary project goals are to elevate each visitor’s experience upon arrival at Leonard Harrison by revamping vehicular circulation, expanding parking capacity, improving pedestrian safety and updating the interior and exterior exhibits at the overlook and visitor center,” said Stone.

“At Cherry Springs, we are working on a plan to reorganize visitor flow and to enhance each visitor’s experience when viewing the night skies,” he said.

DCNR’s Hills Creek State Park Complex will also have a display including brochures, maps and information about spring and summer events at area state parks. Staff will be on hand to answer questions.

Other local businesses and nonprofit organizations will also have displays. Those attending are encouraged to bring 100 copies of their brochures to hand out.

Among the silent auction items and those being auctioned off “live” at various times during the event are: a private international whisky tasting experience; a used four-man canoe in good condition; a framed photograph of Lambs Creek taken by Bruce Dart; a 2020 collectible White House Christmas ornament; a gift certificate for a foursome to play 18 holes of golf using a golf cart at the Tyoga Golf Club; an “Open” for business flag imprinted with a gaslight and the word “Wellsboro”; and a $25 gift card to be used at the Penn Wells Hotel, Cafe 1905 and/or the Arcadia Theater.

Proceeds from the auctions will benefit the chamber-sponsored Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival Family Day and Children’s Health Fair. The Saturday, June 10 event is free and will provide healthy activities and information for children and their parents.

For information about the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce or the Chamber Mixer, call (570) 724-1926 or visit www.wellsboropa.com.

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

Credits:

Writing: Diane Eaton

 
 
 
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