Explore Wellsboro, Fall/Winter 2016

Wellsboro

e r o l p Ex

TIM MCBRIDE

Official Visitors Guide of Our Town, Home of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon

Fall/Winter 2016

r ea Y en und! p O Ro

Maple Syrup • Cream Candy • Sugar Maple Coffee Gift Baskets & More!

1145 Parker Hill Road Sabinsville, PA 16943

814-628-2230

Owned and operated by Brian and Wanda Warwick

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for

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www.stickybucketmaple.com

Open All Four Seasons!

Each of our unique and beautiful lodges offers the privacy and serenity you need for a relaxing stay.

131 MAIN STREET LODGE offers the convenience of Wellsboro’s downtown shops and restaurants as well as the charm that only a circa 1860 home can offer.

BEAR MOUNTAIN LODGE casual elegance and romantic rooms offer the perfect getaway while still being convenient to downtown Wellsboro.

BEAR MEADOWS LODGE provides elegant comfort after a long day of adventure. Guests may hike, raft, bird or cross country ski the forests near Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.

www.wellsboropa.com 3

Vacation Home Rentals Nightly, Weekend, and Weekly Rentals

570-787-3030

Explore

Wellsboro Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Publishers George Bochetto Maggie Barnes Operations Director Gwen Plank-Button

On 40 Acres | 5 Minutes from Mansfield 15 Minutes from Historic Wellsboro www.mulberryhillestate.com

Advertising Director Ryan Oswald Advertising Assistant Amy Packard Contributing Writer Linda Stager

Country House Newly Renovated Five Bedrooms

Carriage House

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Four Bedrooms

Walnut Street

12 Walnut Street in Downtown Wellsboro

Two Blocks from Main Street Shopping and Dining Ten Minutes from PA Grand Canyon

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www.12walnutstreet.com

Contributing Photographers Robert J. Blair, Tim McBride, Heather Mee, Linda Stager, Bernadette Chiaramonte-Brown Tracey Timmons Sales Representatives Alicia Blunk, Maia Stam, Joe Route, Richard Trotta Explore Wellsboro is published by Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901, in partnership with the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Copyright Š 2016 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved. E-mail info@mountainhomemag.com, or call (570) 724-3838. Explore Wellsboro is distributed at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in PA and Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in NY. 20,000 copies are delivered to PA On Display to be distributed to welcome centers across the state.

FALL/WINTEr 2016

W

elcome to Wellsboro, the home of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon. Rich with beauty, history, and arts, Wellsboro offers year-round activities and entertainment for everyone.

Wellsboro and its environs provide a full schedule of art fairs, music festivals, concerts, plays, parades, and sport events. Whether you’re looking for an action-packed adventure, a romantic getaway, or a fun-filled family vacation, Wellsboro will exceed your expectations.

The charm of our gaslights welcomes you with a variety of lodging options, restaurants, and family-owned shops and boutiques.

Explore Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon with hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails for beginners and experts alike. Take in the canyon’s majestic beauty from one of the many easy access lookouts. Join us downtown for First Fridays, and don’t miss our 33rd annual Dickens of a Christmas.

Contact us at the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce, and we’ll be happy to help get your stay with us started.

We welcome you to explore Wellsboro.

Julie VanNess Executive Director Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce (570) 724-1926 info@wellsboropa.com www.wellsboropa.com

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Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

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Hot Picks for Where to Stay and Be Pampered!

Bear Mountain Lodge................. 3 Canyon Motel............................. 29 Colton Point Motel.................... 31 Emerge Healing Arts & Spa..... 35 Great Valley Cabin Rentals...... 31 Hotel Manor............................... 31 Mulberry Hill Estate.................... 4 Penn Wells Hotel & Lodge....... 29 River of Pines Cottage............... 31

Hot Picks for Dining!

Crossroads Tavern....................... 43 Lambs Creek Food & Spirits...... 45 The Steak House.......................... 43 Wellsboro Diner.......................... 45 Wellsboro House......................... 47

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Tioga County, Pennsylvania

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Hot Picks to Visit!

Canyon Aero LLC........................ 21 Elmira-Corning Airport............. 15 Locey Creek Alpacas................... 33 Mansfield University................... 27 Mountain Home.......................... 41 Wellsboro Corning Railroad...... 17 Williamsport Rec. Dept.............. 21

Hot Picks for Shopping!

Cottage Glassworks.................... 35 Draper’s Super Bee..................... 33 Dunham’s Dept. Store................ 39 Enchanted Hollow...................... 39 European Imports...................... 33 Linda’s Country Treasures......... 33 Peggy’s Candies and Gifts.......... 35 Pop’s Culture Shoppe.................. 39 Pure Hart Soap............................ 35 Senior’s Creations....................... 37 Sticky Bucket Maple..................... 2 The Farmer’s Daughters............. 39 The Fifth Season......................... 37 The Painted Cupboard............... 39 Treasure Agents.......................... 37 Woolrich...................................... 33

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Pine Creek Rail Trail

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Hot Picks for Entertainment!

Arcadia Theatre �������������������������� 37 Deane Center ������������������������������ 25 Hamilton-Gibson Productions. 25

Hot Picks for Becoming a Local!

All Wheels Driven.......................49 Citizens & Northern Bank.........49 First Citizens Bank......................49 Howard Hanna Realty ...............49 Mountain Valley Realty..............52 Susquhanna Health.....................51

Hot Picks for Outdoors!

Canyon Motorsports...................23 Ski Sawmill...................................23 Sweet Briar Quail.........................23 Wild Asaph Outfitters.................23 Ziggy’s Gun Shop.........................23

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FESTIVALS & EVENTS Sept. 16-18 TBA

Sept. 17 TBA

Sept. 17 5:30 a.m.

Sept. 23-24 TBA

Sept. 23-25

QUILTERS (Musical), Hamilton-Gibson, (570) 7242079 Wine & Design benefit for SSMH Auxiliary, Deane Center, Main Street, Wellsboro

Oct. 8 7:15 a.m.

Austin Cox a.m.erica Legion Post 478: Freedoms Foundation and Valley Forge Trip, Benedict’s Bus Service, (570) 662-3919

Oct. 9 TBA

QUILTERS (Musical), Hamilton-Gibson, (570) 7242079 Goodies For Our Troops Packaging Event, Goodies For Our Troops (below Stained Glass Reflections, Wellsboro), (570) 662-5601

Sept. 24 12:00-6:00 p.m. ACS 2nd Annual Woofstock, Animal Care Sanctuary, 353 Sanctuary Lane, E. Smithfield, PA, (570) 596-2200 Sept. 29-30 TBA

Sept. 30 TBA

Oct. 1-2 TBA

Oct. 1 7:30 p.m.

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Oct. 7 7:30 p.m.

Scrubs & More Uniform Sale, Soldiers & Sailors Mt. Laurel Board Room Hamilton-Gibson Women’s Project memoir presentation, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079

Hamilton-Gibson Women’s Project memoir presentation, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079 Tommy Cash, $20 at the door, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220

Oct. 14-16 TBA

Oct. 21-23

Oct. 27-30 TBA

Oct. 28 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 29 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 5 7:00 a.m.

Gallery Music Series Sadie Green Sales, Humor in Music, Warehouse Theatre, Wellsboro, PA, $12 BYOB, (570) 724-6220 WWII Museum Bus Trip, Benedict’s Bus Service Terminal, (570) 724-5867 Autumn Chorale, St. Paul’s Episcopal, (570) 724-2079 The Stratford Festival Stratford, Ontario, St. Paul’s Episcopal, (570) 724-4586 Goodies For Our Troops Packaging Event, Goodies For Our Troops (below Stained Glass Reflections, Wellsboro), (570) 662-5601 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079 Toby Walker, $20, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220 Halloween Parade & Trick-orTreat, Packer Park, Wellsboro Gallery Music Series: Nick Kody & the Creek Road Band, $12 BYOB, Warehouse Theatre, Wellsboro, PA, (570) 724-6220 Animal Care Sanctuary Paws for Poconos Winery Bus Trip, Benedict’s Bus Terminal, (570) 724-3687

Nov. 5 6:30-9:30 p.m. SSMH 12th Annual Holiday Shopping Soiree, Dunham’s Dept. Store, Main Street, Wellsboro

Nov. 10-11 7:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.Autumn Harvest Basket Raffle, SSMH Mt. Laurel Board Room

Dec. 3 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Dickens of a Christmas Celebration, Downtown Wellsboro, (570) 724-1926

Nov. 11 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 3-4 TBA

Nov. 11-12 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 2:30 p.m.

History Comes Alive! George Washington, $15, $12 senior, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center (570) 724-6220 Hamilton-Gibson Miracle on 34th Street, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079 Hamilton-Gibson Miracle on 34th Street, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079

Nov. 17 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Mindy’s Handcrafted Jewelry SSMH Auxiliary Fundraiser, SSMH Cedar Conference Room Nov. 18 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 18-19 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 18-20

Nov. 25 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 2 TBA

RPR (formerly Tanglefoot) $20, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220 Hamilton-Gibson Miracle on 34th Street, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-2079 Goodies For Our Troops Packaging Event, Goodies For Our Troops (below Stained Glass Reflections, Wellsboro), (570) 662-5601 Gallery Music Series: Drowsy Maggie, $12 BYOB, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220

Dec. 10 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11 TBA

Dec. 16 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 16-18

Jan. 13 TBA

A Christmas Carol, Warehouse & Coolidge Theatres, Wellsboro, (570) 724-2079 Robert Durso Trio $20, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220 Messiah Community Sing, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, (570) 724-2079 Gallery Music Series: Milkweed, $12 BYOB, Warehouse Theatre, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220 Goodies For Our Troops Packaging Event, Goodies For Our Troops (below Stained Glass Reflections, Wellsboro), (570) 662-5601

Black Mountain Symphony, $15 BYOB, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220

Jan. 20 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 17-19 All Day

Loren and Mark, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220

Hillbenders $20, Coolidge Theater, Deane Center, (570) 724-6220 Wellsboro Winter Celebration, Downtown Wellsboro, (570) 7241926

Dickens of a Concert, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Wellsboro, PA, (570) 724-2079

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FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Dickens of a Christmas

We all know that one person who seems to possess the Christmas spirit 365 days a year. They are charitable and kind and treat all as friends.

When Charles Dickens put quill to paper to write his masterpiece, A Christmas Carol, that ever-present yuletide spirit became the person of Mr. Fezziwig, whose employees enjoyed a raucous celebration every Christmas Eve. Dancing, singing, food, and merriment were abundant.

It is that sense of fellowship and simple joy in the season that Dickens of a Christmas celebration captures each year in Wellsboro. This year on Saturday, December 3, the main streets of the town will turn into a Victorian marketplace, where costumed characters interact with visitors. Last year there were more than 175 vendors offering delightful gifts and treats every few feet, giving shoppers the ability to find something as one-of-a-kind as the people for whom they buy gifts.

For this year’s thirty-third such celebration, Hamilton-Gibson Productions Artistic Director Thomas Putnam has set the bar high. “I want to recreate the feeling of Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig’s Christmas party, that jovial, spontaneous gathering of festive souls. Being at Dickens Christmas should feel like you’ve been invited to that party.”

So, among the street vendors and their incredible crafts and gifts and sweet and savory foods, there will also be the guests of the Fezziwigs, walking and talking in moments of improvisational theater and some skits. “We are going for a very high level of interaction this year,” says Thomas.

While you are enjoying the vendors, the food, and the nearly constant music as you stroll among the gaslights and the decorations, be prepared to become part of the story. Be sure to thank the Fezziwigs for their kind invitation. Share a song with a Fezziwig daughter.

You may encounter Ebenezer Scrooge himself. Be sure to wish him a joyous holiday as he rewards you with a scowl.

Many of the churches in town will be hosting special services, concerts, and luncheons, so there is ample opportunity to get off your feet and warm up. Choir concerts will become sing-a-longs in both the indoor and outdoor venues, and special art exhibitions and sales will grace local galleries. As darkness falls at 5 p.m., the crowd will gather in Packer Park for a candlelit walk to the Green and the lighting of the Christmas tree at 5:30.

An event like Dickens of a Christmas only lasts for more than thirty years if it strikes the right chords in the human heart. Family, faith, and fellowship are the foundation of an entire community’s spirit when it joins together in song and laughter.

For all the details, call the Wellsboro Chamber at (570) 724-1926 or visit www.wellsboropa.com/index.php/dickens-of-a-christmas-celebration.

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Detroit

ELM Philadelphia

Atlanta St. Petersburg/ Clearwater

Orlando/ Sanford

Your connection to the world.

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FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Winter Celebration Winter in our mountains is a magical season. Nowhere is that in more sparkling evidence than during the Wellsboro Winter Celebration. It is the time for young and old, visitor and resident alike to rejoice in the bright, cold days and clear, starry nights.

The Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce will again host the Winter Celebration over the weekend of February 18-20.

A full schedule of happenings for all ages is already in play. Since children especially need to find ways to burn off energy during the shorter days, Julie VanNess, executive director of the Chamber, says they will be providing great activities for them.

“The children’s activities on the Green vary depending on the weather. We are hoping to offer a cross-country ski clinic, tube races, and snow coloring with colored water.”

Ice carving was one of the crowd favorites last year. Large blocks of ice were delivered to various spots on Main Street, and, during the course of the day, artists turned them into works of crystalline art, which slowly melted during the week, serving as sparkling reminders of the Winter Celebration. It was such a hit that the Chamber has expanded this season’s plan to include six ice carvings by two carvers from Elegant Ice Creations of Broadview Heights, Ohio.

Since Winter Celebration goers will be spending so much time outdoors, it only seems proper to have warming food available, and the Chili Cook-Off will invite local food enthusiasts to take their best shot at impressing the crowd. Several of the Main Street businesses will serve chili samples, so buying a ticket means you get to taste your way down the street and render your opinion.

One of the most unique events of the weekend is the Waste Management Winter RallySprint on Saturday, February 18. The rally is a type of motorsport using modified road-legal cars. Registration takes place at RallySprint headquarters at the Tioga County Fairgrounds on Charleston Road. Spectators can enter the gate, located at 782 Antrim Road outside Wellsboro, at 10 a.m. the day of the event. Details are available at www. wmwr.info. For more information about the entire Winter Celebration, visit www.visitpa. com/pa-events/wellsboro-winter-celebration or call the Wellsboro Chamber at (570) 7241926.

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FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Winterfest Pennsylvania’s state parks are gems year-round, and, in winter, offer wonderful recreation areas that provide a front row seat to the area’s sparkling winter scenery.

This winter on January 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Winterfest is Hills Creek State Park’s celebration of the best of cold-weather fun, with a full menu of free activities. With hopes for thick ice and deep snow banks, Tim Morey, park natural resource specialist, has lined up programs on ice fishing and ice harvesting. “No matter what the weather turns out to be,” Tim says, “we will find ways to have fun.”

If Beach Front Hill is white enough, there will be tubing, tobogganing, and sledding. Snowshoe and cross-country ski trails will be open and the maps are free. If learning such winter sports has been your New Year’s resolution forever, this is your opportunity to take the plunge, as state park personnel will be on hand to offer mini-clinics on technique. Just as importantly, they will offer guidance on shopping to choose the right equipment.

If you haven’t purchased yet, free equipment will be on hand for your day in the snow. Ice skates, snowshoes, and cross-country skis will be available for use in a variety of adult and children’s sizes. There will even be a few sleds and tubes on hand for sledding fun. Park trails include one- and two-mile guided hikes.

If you have your own equipment or the kids are still pulling their cherished Flexible Flyer sled from Christmas, feel free to bring them along. Tim reports that there will also be a children’s craft station so the little ones can sit for a bit and create something using natural materials. And if you have ever been stumped by the question, “What do the birds do in the winter, Dad?” attend one of the programs on how animals and birds survive the winter for the answers.

No matter the weather on Saturday, January 21, Winterfest will go on. Snow and ice conditions will be posted on Facebook at Step Outdoors Tioga County PA and at www. winterintioga.com. The park is seven miles northeast of Wellsboro at 111 Spill Way Road in Charleston Township. For information on cabin rentals at the park, or for more information on Winterfest, call the Hills Creek State Park office at (570) 724-4246.

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First Citizens Community Bank is proud to be a major sponsor of the Winter Celebration!

firstcitizensbank.com | (570) 724-2600

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The Great Outdoors

The Pine Creek Rail Trail Winter provides a different perspective of the popular Pine Creek Rail Trail. Although the other three seasons show its visitors spectacular scenery on a well-groomed multi-purpose trail, winter provides its own special delights. After a snowfall, the trail is even more magical than ever.

As always, the trail brings visitors to remote scenery, only accessed by way of its carefully groomed paths. All sixty-two miles of the trail (see the map on pages 10-11) from the northern terminus outside Wellsboro to the southern terminus in Jersey Shore await hikers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers. For fifty-five of those miles, the trail hugs Pine Creek, well known for its mountain runs and waterfalls.

Enter the trail at the northern terminus and glide along the Marsh Creek wetlands. The trail’s east-west orientation makes for gorgeous sunrises and sunsets along the open valley.

A trip along this 8.9-mile section to Darling Run is easy work along the level pathway.

The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and Pine Creek Gorge runs from Darling Run to Blackwell, a sixteen-mile distance, and is the longest remote stretch of trail. There is no cell phone signal along the way here, so extra caution is necessary. But visitors are rewarded by steep canyon walls and quiet solitude. A shorter trip to the Turkey Path area is an easy and popular four-mile one-way destination. Look up to view Barbour Rocks and the Colton Point Lookout.

From Blackwell/Rattlesnake Rock it is a five-mile trip to Cedar Run, a quaint little village buttoned up for the winter. Along the way, visitors cross the Cedar Run truss bridge. The Slate Run Area is another popular destination. Ski or hike south from Slate Run to the campgrounds on Pine Creek and the primitive frontier family cemetery, another five-mile one-way trip. Return for sandwiches or a meal at the local eateries in Slate Run. Further south, along Rt. 414, is the town of Waterville, another popular place to dine. The parking area there provides easy on and off. Head south to cross the Waterville steel truss bridge, another of the four magnificent bridges along the trail.

And lastly, on the southern end of the trail, come north before or after lunch to visit the wide valleys of the lower Pine Creek area. A five-mile trip north brings visitors to the Torbert steel truss bridge.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail is one of the best trails in the country and was chosen one of the top three trails in Pennsylvania by popular vote in a Rails to Trails Conservancy poll.

Whether you visit in the summer, or enjoy the special magic of the trail in the winter, an easy, level, well-groomed scenic path awaits.

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Wellsboro Johnston Airport & Canyon Aero LLC

AE CANYON RO LLC

Fly-in Breakfast: September 4th from 8am-Noon • Extended Tours over the Finger Lakes • Air Tours • Flight Instruction • Aircraft Rental and Maintenance 24-hour self-service fueling • AWOS 3 • 3600ft runway @ 1890ft Courtesy car, rent-a-car, and taxi services available!

Overnight hanger space available!

112 Runway Road, Wellsboro, PA 16901 | 570-724-3746

Upcoming Events

in Williamsport

Billtown Christmas Parade

December 4th 3:30 p.m.

Downtown Williamsport

25 Days of Christmas

St. Patrick’s Parade

25 Days of

& Pub and Restaurant Tour March 11, 2017 2:00 p.m.

Downtown Williamsport

Williamsport

Events for

the whole family!

December 1st-25th

For more information visit www.cityofwilliamsport.org

Like us on Facebook at Williamsport Recreation Department

www.wellsboropa.com 21

The Great Outdoors

Dinner on the Tioga Central Railroad The giant Genesee & Wyoming railroad owns 112 short line freight railroads in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium, as well as the small, charming Tioga Central Railroad (TCR) at the Wellsboro Junction outside Wellsboro. The route takes passengers on a scenic ride to Tioga and back.

Spending a fall afternoon riding the rails in the style of days gone by is enough of a treat for the senses. To add in a gourmet meal to be enjoyed while the hills of northeast Pennsylvania roll by is to reclaim a more elegant chapter of the history of travel in America. The two-hour, sunset dinner rides on Fridays and Saturdays through October give present day travelers a chance to experience the heyday of train travel.

The Wellsboro House and Brewery provides the meal, the autumn version of which includes choice of smoked pork tenderloin on a bed of sauerkraut with stout mustard sauce, served with bratwurst; or apple butter glazed chicken served with bratwurst and potato hash. All dinners come with a fall salad and a local vegetable of the day. Dessert is a classic Philly style cheesecake, complete with graham cracker crust and berry topping. Vegetarian options are available with prior notice.

In a long-ago time, when getting there was truly part of the journey, ladies and gentlemen would wear fine clothes to sit at the linen-draped tables in the burgundy dining car of the Tioga Central Railroad. Train travel was considered a necessity, but also a formal experience to be treated properly.

One of the people in Wellsboro who hope to see a part of that elegant travel return is Chris Kozuhowski, who owns the Wellsboro House and Brewery. A one-man force of restoration, Chris has returned the Wellsboro House to its former glory as a place of good food and drink for weary travelers. When Chris bought the empty train station, across the street from his restaurant, and converted it into a brewery it was not widely known that he had another plan hatching. “We wanted to bring the Tioga Central Railroad back to where it belongs.

At the real train station.”

A special dinner ride did take place earlier this year that rolled the TCR back into the original station. Chris says now that it’s been done, there is great excitement surrounding the idea that the train would regularly roll into Wellsboro proper again. “The plan is, starting in the spring of 2017, to have the train routinely go from the original station for the first time in nearly 100 years,” Chris says.

Seating is assigned, so reservations are a must. For information and reservations visit www. tiogacentral.com or call (570) 724-0990.

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Ski Sawmill

Fa mily Resort

Ziggy’s Gun Shop We Sell Buy and Trade Guns FFL Transfers Female Friendly Shop Ammo, Reloading & Shooting Accessories

We Have All Your Hunting Needs!

Come as a customer stay as a Friend www.ziggysgunshop.com 27 Watrous St. Gaines, PA 16921 814-435-6590 Group Lodging • Skiing • Snowboarding Terrain Park • Rentals • Lessons Motel w/Jacuzzi Suites & So Much More

www.skisawmill.com

Hours: T-F 10-6 S&S 9-1

(570) 353-7521

www.wellsboropa.com 23

ARTS & MUSIC

EMMF Jazz Fest The winter season in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania is glorious with glistening snow, brisk air, and starry nights. But

by February even the most devoted lover of life indoors is ready to stick an icicle in their eye if they don’t get out and do something fun.

Enter the EMMF Jazz Fest, a bastion of hot jazz and cool cats that is the ultimate cure for cabin fever. The little brother of the summertime Endless Mountain Music Festival, the jazz gathering draws together an impressive collection of nationally known artists to perform in venues throughout Wellsboro.

Often called the “most American form of music,” jazz’s stylings range from spare riffs to hip trios doing Dixieland to large stage bands repurposing big band standards. Kansas City pianist Bram Wijnands helps herd his fellow lovers of swing to spend some of the bleak midwinter in the warm embrace of festivalgoers, who cherish the chance to see top shelf music live.

Bram represents the finest by-product of the EMMF musical experience, a deep and reciprocated love between artists and residents. Having the “Ambassador of Swing” from Kansas hold spontaneous concerts on the streets of Wellsboro has endeared the musical genius to the locals. In return, Bram loves the Wellsboro region so much he married a fellow musician there at the conclusion of the summer concert run in 2015.

That kind of connection to the larger world has resulted in many memorable performances from people who probably would not have found themselves wintering in Pennsylvania.

Past concerts have included the Cory Band from the United Kingdom, considered the best brass band in the world, Mansfield University groups and, of course, Bram and friends.

To take the worry out of winter travel, the festival teamed with the Penn Wells Hotel and Lodge for packages that include a room and tickets to the shows. Often the venues are within walking distance. Nothing takes the chill out of the night air like swaying to the melody still in your head as you stroll back after the concert.

Combine the EMMF Jazz Fest with the Wellsboro Winter Festival and experience the best of cold weather happenings. Ice carvings, a chili cook-off, ski clinics, and kids’ activities will clear your head to better hear the tunes at night.

The Jazz Fest is set for Presidents’ Day weekend, February 18-20, 2017. For a complete schedule of events and information on hotel packages, visit www.endlessmountain.net or call (570) 787-7800. Call the Penn Wells, (570) 724-2111, for lodging or dinner reservations.

Beat Old Man Winter at his own game with warm hearts and hot jazz!

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THE BEST WRITING, PERIOD.

1 Year Subscription • $24.95 Name: _________________________________________ Date: __________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________ _______________________________________________ Email: _________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________ Send Payment Payable to: Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901.

Call 570-724-3838 or online at subscriptions@mountainhomemag.com

Community Performing Arts

Showing Oct 27, 28, 29, 30

Showing Nov 11, 12, 13, 18, 19

And throughout December see

Dickens of a Concert (Dec 2) A Christmas Carol (Dec 3-4) Messiah: A Community Sing (Dec 11)

www.hamiltongibson.org Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-2079 www.wellsboropa.com 25

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ARTS & MUSIC

The Wellsboro Men’s Chorus

The lounge at the Penn Wells Hotel is normally a quiet enough place, its high, dark-wood-coffered ceilings and crackling fire offering a classic respite for a drink and a meal. But all of that changes on the first Thursday of every month from September to June, at around ten o’clock, when the Wellsboro Men’s Chorus finishes its weekly rehearsal. Twenty to twenty-five men of the group’s forty-odd members—all ages and all walks of life—file in and fill up the tables, order a beer—and start to sing.

The Wellsboro Men’s Chorus began in 1947, and they are now approaching their seventieth anniversary with plans to revive the tradition of entering an international Big Sing, which will take them to Canada this season. No matter what their particular musical abilities, they are, as a group, devoted to music. They give scholarships to local students who plan to study it. They give outstanding awards to senior males for their vocal abilities.

Directed by Sharon Humbert, who has recently relocated to Wellsboro from Seattle, they play the nursing homes at Valentine’s Day and Christmas season, and work all year toward their annual spring concert. But over the winter months you can hear them perform for the Oktoberfest at the Lutheran Church (they routinely sing for local churches when asked) and at Dickens of a Christmas (pictured above).

But for a rare slice of musical entertainment, you want to dawdle over cocktails on some winter First Thursday. Depending on their individual schedules, a few dozen singers meander in to the Penn Wells after rehearsal, accompanied by local musician Pat Davis, who has been the group’s accompanist since 1970. When everyone is settled in, Pat sets up behind the piano to tickle the ivories, and the singing commences.

The title range is broad, and they sing from memory Broadway tunes and patriotic standards, with twentieth century pop, country, and barbershop thrown in for good measure.

You are as likely to hear “God Bless America,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Silhouettes on the Shade,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “After Dark,” and “Coney Island Baby” as you are “God Bless the USA.” And, if you feel in voice, you are invited to sing along.

“Our strong artistic heritage in this town can be in part attributed to the strength of the Men’s Chorus,” says Pat, and she credits their longevity and that of their sister organization, the Wellsboro Women’s Chorus, to the fact that “everyone involved loves what they do; they have long-committed directors and accompanists; and they have a wonderful and receptive community to support them.”

So if you’re out and about late on a First Thursday in fall or winter, the lounge at the Penn Wells Hotel is located at 62 Main Street. You can call ahead to (570) 724-2111 to make sure the boys are in the house.

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A Goodnight’s Rest

www.wellsboropa.com 29

ARTS & MUSIC

Mansfield University’s PRISM Our hills are always alive with the sound of music, and nowhere more so than the hills of Mansfield University (MU), where the school calendar ushers in a season of nonstop performance. For a current list of events, especially student recitals, which can be fluid in their scheduling, go to www.music.mansfield.edu/music-event-calendar.cfm. But in the meantime, there is one in particular that you will want to put on your calendar right now.

When Dr. Adam Brennan (who, in addition to being MU’s director of bands, conducting, and percussion, directs The Spirit and The Pride of Pennsylvania—The Mansfield University Marching Band) came to MU in the mid-90s, part of his hire was to organize, coordinate, and provide leadership for a PRISM event, as a scholarship fundraiser. True to his mission, twenty years ago, in the fall of 1996, the first PRISM concert flooded Steadman Theatre with glorious sound. Imagine going to a concert and, instead of sitting in the audience and watching a performance on the stage in front of you, musical groups of all varieties, both large and small, appear one by one, spot-lit, all around you, from every aisle and angle of the auditorium. That is the sensory power of PRISM. The concert program always states: “an hour of music from all corners of the hall…music to be enjoyed by one and all…our time is uninterrupted by pause or applause…a symphony of colors is our cause. This evening we present the gift of music, as though experienced through a Prism.”

The entire music faculty brings off this musical extravaganza every year, including the large ensemble directors. It’s a pretty illustrious group: Dr. Brennan has produced twelve Grammy-eligible recordings; Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Peggy Dettwiler (pictured above), who conducts the MU Concert Choir, Festival Chorus, and Chamber Singers, has lead her groups to nine international gold medals, and will appear at Carnegie Hall for the second time in January 2017; Music Department Chair Dr. Nathan Rinnert, who conducts the MU Brass Band, took second place in the 2015 North American Brass Band Association Championship (missing the gold by three tenths of a point!); Dr. Jeffrey Jacobsen, MU Symphony Orchestra director, is a quarter-finalist for the 2016 Grammy Educator of the Year Award.

Usually about eighteen groups participate in that hour of wall-to-wall sound, which will be held this year at Steadman on September 23 and 24 and October 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door ($10 for Adults, $8 for Seniors/Students, $5 for Children 12 and under) or call (570) 662-4710 for reservations. There is music to meet every taste, from steel pans, guitars, woodwinds, and vocal jazz to excerpts of the fall opera production of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus directed by MU voice instructors Dr. Todd Ranney and Dr. Youngsuk Kim. “The idea of PRISM speaks to the fact that a Prism spreads colors of light in all directions,” says Dr. Dettwiler, “and we are depicting that with sound.” It is a musical experience you don’t want to miss.

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A Goodnight’s Rest

Great Valley Cabins Your Host: tHe Kauffman familY Enjoy the views from our deck overlooking Pine Creek and relax with a drink in our bar.

392 Slate Run Road Slate Run, PA 17769 570-753-8414 www.hotel-manor.com

1 or 2 bedroom cabins or private houses with 3-4 bedrooms that can accommodate 2-13 guests!

Properties include all linens, full bathrooms and kitchens, cable/satellite, and some even have wifi! Accommodations range from 2-13 guests.

Surrounded by the PA Wilds! Minutes to the PA Grand Canyon, Pine Creek Rails to Trails, Rafting, Hunting, Fishing & More!

607-382-8530

www.greatvalleycabins.com

www.wellsboropa.com 31

Our neighbors

Elk Country The high-tech world can be tough to compete with.

Especially if you are seeking a truly unique experience that offers something a gadget cannot.

Well, tech has met its match.

The Elk Country Visitor’s Center in Benezette, Pennsylvania is guaranteed to render slack the jaw of the most fanatic Pokemon player. Home to the premier location in the Northeast to view elk in their natural setting, the Elk Country Visitor’s Center (www. elkcountryvisitorcenter.com, [814] 787-5167), could be said to be the crown jewel in the Pennsylvania Wilds region. The center offers four-season viewing of the majestic animals, education about the natural world, and even the opportunity to stay overnight on the grounds.

Operations Manager Carla Wehler explains the history of elk in the area. “Elk were indigenous to the region, until they were hunted to the point of extinction. In an effort to reintroduce them, elk were brought here by rail from Yellowstone.”

Through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Elk Country Visitor’s Center, and the surrounding two million acres of wild lands, provides unmatched camping, fishing, and hiking. But, if your goal is to see elk, Carla offers advice to improve your chances.

“Elk will bed down in the heat of the day and be very hard to see. So, the best times for viewing them are early in the morning and in the last hour before sunset. While we are open year-round, except for holidays, peak season for elk movement is mid-September through October during their mating season. That’s when you can have the full experience of seeing them, hearing the males fighting for dominance, and the females vocalizing.”

Winter also offers excellent viewing with woods quieted by snowfall that improves sound and visibility.

The center has viewing platforms in four locations, but there are trails and pull-offs throughout the 245 acres where a sighting could happen at any time. The best plan is to begin at the Visitor’s Center, where you can get the most recent reports on elk movements.

You can do your research via a webcam, a great option for those with mobility issues.

There is also a 4-D theater experience and a myriad of interactive exhibits.

“This is a ‘high-touch’ facility,” Carla says. “Have you ever lifted an elk antler? Heavy!”

Some things to keep in mind, though. These are wild animals in their natural setting.

There is no such thing as a schedule for viewing. The staff will help you improve your chances of seeing elk, but nothing is guaranteed. Pets of any kind are not allowed.

Come see these majestic creatures in their natural world. And Pokemon can just stay lost.

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Linda’s Country Treasures Doll Store & Christian Book Store

18” & 15” clothes to fit American Girl dolls JESUS A V E S

1133 Dotterers Road, Mill Hall

Hours: Mon., Tues. Wed. &

& Fri. 9-7; 570-726-4012 Sat. 9-5;Sun.Thurs.

Closed

Alpaca items for sale: Hats, Gloves, Fingerless Gloves, Lined Mittens, Boot Inserts, Blankets, Scarves, Bears, Bird Nesting Balls, Yarn, Roving and Raw Fleece.

Penny and Steve Cruttenden 12 Smith Road Middlebury Center, PA 16935 570-376-2066 Cell: 570-439-2639 www.LoceyCreekAlpacas.com

Draper’s

Super Bee Apiaries, Inc. Honey...How sweet it is!

We produce and sell high quality, natural honey products and much more.

Come take a tour of our facility!

Reservations are recommended for large groups.

Call for details.

Monday-Friday 32 Avonlea Lane 8a.m. - 5p.m.

Millerton, PA 16936 Saturday 800-233-4273 8a.m. - 1p.m. www.draperbee.com or 570-537-2381

www.wellsboropa.com 33

Simple Indulgences

Bear Lodges The term “non-traditional bed and breakfast” takes on a glorious meaning at the Bear Mountain Lodge, Bear Meadows Lodge, and 131 Main B&B in Wellsboro.

Unlike many innkeepers, owner Jim Mead supplies the second “B” by offering brunch baskets filled with baked goods, yogurt, fruit, and trail bars. If guests “really want a fried egg,” says Jim, they also get “Wellsboro Dollars” to spend at a downtown diner. No mandating a sit-down meal with the other guests at any of Jim’s places. His rooms are ideal for romantic stays and, when it’s not time for events like leaf peeping or Dickens of a Christmas, a good portion of his guests stay close to their charming rooms. Fireplaces, four-poster beds, and hot tubs on covered decks make a compelling argument for a little anti-social behavior.

Romance packages are available to amp up the cardiac action with chocolate-covered strawberries and red roses. If heart pumping of another kind is desired, biking and hiking trails abound, and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is a short drive away.

Bears are everywhere in these lodges. Their cheerful wood-carved faces greet you at the door, gaze up from lamp bases, balance on ceiling beams and, in the Bear Mountain Lodge, one curious fellow hangs off the roof line, peering into the great room as if hoping to join the fun. But the real appeal of the spaces is the attention to detail Jim and his staff provide. A welcome letter and a chalkboard greeting are just some of the special touches that have helped grow a family of repeat guests.

“They come enough to become friends,” Jim says with a smile. Handmade soaps, bathrobes, and coffee makers with a variety of K-Cups quickly turn the experience into something personal.

There is an accommodation for every agenda. The Mountain Lodge is just outside of Wellsboro, but a world away in privacy. Jim designed it as his dream home before it transformed into his retirement career. The Meadows Lodge provides quiet and stunning valley views. To be involved in local happenings, 131 Main is right on the central thoroughfare of Wellsboro, walking distance to art and music, dining and shopping, and community events. For rates and reservations, visit www.bearmountainbb.com or call (570) 724-2428.

Jim, a former fish biologist, admits he is an accidental innkeeper, and many guests go their entire visit without ever setting eyes on him. He hires good people, “and I get out of their way,” he says. The result is hospitality that is easy to “bear.”

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Kathleen Schnell— Artist/Owner Custom Work & Classes Available 13 Dantz Run Road Ext., Wellsboro, PA 16901 570-948-9007

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www.wellsboropa.com 35

Boutiques & Specialty shops

Dunham’s Half of Half Sale You are strolling the lovely Main Street of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania on a bright winter morning. You notice all the cars parked on the street, occupants sitting perfectly still, blasting their heaters. A glance at your watch shows 7:15 a.m. What is going on? It’s the Half of Half sale at Dunham’s Department Store.

“It’s a happening,” Ann Dunham says happily. The merchandising manager explains that, during two special days in the year, prices dip lower than the thermometer in February.

Take a $100 shirt. For the Half of Half event, you start with a 50 percent discount. The shirt is now $50. Then you halve it again, to $25. (Yes, you could probably call it a 75 percent off sale, but what fun would that be?)

People from Wellsboro and the surrounding communities plan for this sale. Doors open at 8:30, but the line starts at 7 a.m., despite the usually chilly weather. The store will get calls in January, confirming the date in order to make hotel reservations. Seriously.

“It’s not a normal day at Dunham’s,” Ann laughs. At the change of seasons, stores need to move merchandise to make room for the new things coming in. Twenty years ago, Dunham’s held a Leap Day sale with a similar concept. It went over so well, says Ann, that having a “crazy, wild one-day event” became a permanent part of the Dunham’s calendar.

They do it twice a year, at the switch of seasons in summer and winter. This winter, the date is Saturday, February 18.

For that one day, gone is the small-town, laid-back atmosphere of a casual wander through the venerable store. Once the doors open, the steady stream of people coming in persists for a solid three minutes.

“This is not the day for people who don’t like crowds. Or who want to chat with the sales staff about outfits. This is strictly for people looking for bargains,” cautions Ann. “There are people everywhere.”

Ann remembers a smiling woman last year who exclaimed, “I’m on my fourth trip. My daughter had to sit on the trunk of the car to close it!”

Remember, this is a change of season event, so you could be looking at winter coats when it’s seventy degrees outside and bathing suits when the frost is abundant. Some rules apply for this sale (restricted traffic flow and all sales final).

So, make your plans for uber-discount shopping at Dunham’s. Visit www.dunhamswellsboro.com or call (570) 724-1905 for more information.

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Boutiques & Specialty shops

The Fifth Season’s Hat Luncheon Something happens to you when you put on a hat. Wearing a chapeau brings about a sense of confidence that going empty-headed, so to speak, just does not. Ask Rachel Tews (above in red, designer Christine Moore pictured to her left), owner of The Fifth Season. “There was a royal wedding and that always reignites interest in hats. Derby parties, garden parties, holidays like Easter, weddings. There are many occasions when a hat would be appropriate.”

A celebration of hat wearing happens each year at The Fifth Season at 100 Main Street in Wellsboro. This year, on September 24 from noon to 2 p.m., ladies can lunch and admire a wide selection of headpieces, from simple to elaborate, by Christine A. Moore Millinery.

Dubbed the “Milliner to the Triple Crown” by NBC’s Today show, Christine has created the hats that are considered the must-have accessory on the horse racing circuit. Christine, who works her magic in New York City and has a second home in Wellsboro, is the official milliner for the Breeders’ Cup and the Florida Derby and the featured designer at Keeneland and the Preakness Stakes. When the royalty of horse racing strides to the rail, you can’t help but admire the elegance and charm of their hats.

During a catered lunch by The Red Skillet, complete with champagne, Christine will display some of her creations, discuss her inspirations, and, just maybe, tell some stories from the fashionable racing world. Some lucky ladies will get to model her hats, something they will share with Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, and other celebrities. You have probably seen a Christine A. Moore hat; you just didn’t know it at the time. Christine will be showcasing her Fall 2016 collection, and a trunk show will follow the luncheon.

Christine’s husband and business partner, Blake Seidel, says our casual society brings few reasons to dress up. So, when a happening occurs, folks like to go all out.

“A good hat makes you feel different. More confident. And you carry yourself with more style,” Blake says. “It is a way of standing out.”

The Annual Hat Show & Luncheon sells out quickly. Tickets are $25 per person and are available at The Fifth Season at (570) 724-6910 or www.thefifthseason.biz (or go to Christine’s calendar: www.camhats.com/events).

Grandmothers and granddaughters giggle together at the hat show. Perhaps one of them remembers a lovely hat that caught the eye of a young man many years ago? If Christine Moore has her way, that granddaughter may have a garden party moment of her own… wearing a hat, of course.

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Beneath The Veil, The Realm of Faery Awaits

Our Mission: • Love • Light • Healing

Mind… Body… Spirit An Enchanting Gift Shoppe Est. 2000

Like us on Facebook 6 East Avenue Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-1155 www.enchanted-hollow.com

www.wellsboropa.com 39

Boutiques & Specialty Boutiques & Specialty Shops shops

Emerge Boutique & Gallery You know you are onto something special in retail when you sell your first item before you are even open.

Emerge Healing Arts and Spa specializes in relaxing and beautifying treatments. (If you get a chance to experience the hot/cold stone massage, say yes as quickly as humanly possible! You’re welcome!) A well-maintained house on Central Avenue in Wellsboro disguises a thriving business.

Earlier this year, owner Laura Lee Soderberg and her staff decided to branch into retail sales and opened the Emerge Boutique & Gallery. An all-natural line of beauty products is offered for sale, but there is an even larger artisan collection available.

The Boutique includes a richly varied collection, all produced by artisans who live in the region. Administrative Assistant Micki Jacobsen credits owner Laura Lee with the idea of supporting local artists by displaying their work for sale.

“We have paintings, jewelry, wicker, fiber, and pottery, among other things,” Micki says.

“As an artist herself, it was important for Laura Lee [who throws pottery], to provide a place where artists could have exposure to the public.” Which is how that first sale happened.

When they were still setting up the boutique and gallery, a spa client wandered through and spotted a painting. “She said it was the perfect gift for her husband,” says Micki.

“Open or not, we sold it to her and she left very happy.”

The reception for the new boutique has been “awesome,” says Micki, but she adds that since Emerge is a bit off the beaten path, some local residents who have come in express surprise at the gem of a business hidden in plain sight. “I wouldn’t say we get walk-by traffic. People do their research first and come specifically looking for us. They have seen the Web site, or been referred by someone who has been here.”

Once in the door, they convey their wonderment at what Micki calls “a lovely, little space,” and the variety and level of art talent present in Wellsboro and the surrounding communities. But the new shop still pays homage to the spa itself, with mineral make-up and facial products that could be considered beautifying art in themselves.

Located at 28 Central Avenue, a block from Wellsboro’s Green, the hours differ slightly between the spa and the retail outlet. The Emerge Boutique & Gallery is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Go to www.emergehealingarts.com/boutique or call (570) 360-8180 for more information.

And book one of those massages. Seriously.

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2016-2017

GALLERY MUSIC SERIES ENJOY LIVE MUSIC WITH FRIENDS IN A SMOKE FREE SETTING WITH YOUR FAVORITE SNACKS OR BEVERAGES

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th

7:00pm

Grass Is Dead with Billy Gilmore FRIDAY NOV. 4th

FRIDAY NOV. 25th

Nick Cody and the Creek Road Band

Drowsy Maggie

T.B.D.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8th

FRIDAY SEPT. 9th

7:30pm

7:30pm

Sadie Green Sales

A Band Tribute w/Joe Callahan

A Night of Humor in Song

Stage Fright

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16th 7:30pm

7:30pm

Milkweed

FRIDAY JAN. 13th

with Friends

Great Bluegrass from Binghamton

Black Mountain Symphony

7:30pm

Don’t Miss This Show!

Shows at the Deane Center Warehouse Gallery or Coolidge Theatre.

To reserve a table or for more information call (570) 724-6220. All shows BYOB.

www.deanecenter.com

Did You Know?

Mountain Home can manage your large volume PRINTING jobs!

We’re not just your favorite local magazine anymore....We can also design and print various projects for individuals or businesses.

Give Gwen a call and see what we can do for you!!

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www.wellsboropa.com 41

GREAT EATS

Tony’s Italian Cuisine Amid the classic Americana of Wellsboro’s Main Street, Tony’s Italian Cuisine at number 3 Main offers a slice of Italy as colorful and authentic as the Naples cuisine imported by its irrepressible Neapolitan owner, Antonio Esposito.

Tony’s cozy restaurant with booths (and tables outside) and the big glass storefront on Main Street is a community hangout, a go-to destination for pizza, generous and reasonably priced Italian specialties, and the owner’s famous baked-on-the-spot bread. It’s also a feast for the senses.

First come the aromas of the warming bread, a Stromboli cooking in the huge oven, pepperoni, sausage, roasted red peppers hitting the surface of a new pizza, the chef turning out shrimp and clam fra diavolo over linguini, or pollo alla Victoria cacciatore.

The scents are floating in the air from the open kitchen as you walk in, with the casual dining room on the right, a small TV quietly murmuring high above, waitresses moving between friendly looking folks sitting at the tables, and the smiles on the faces of the help, who really help, and quickly, too. And there’s Tony in the center of it all, usually near the oven, walking around like it’s a big family kitchen, always with a calm smile. If it occurs to you that tossing a pie requires quick reflexes, you know only the half of it.

The other half is Tony Esposito, race car driver, who gets good reviews for his cooking and his driving. A native of Naples, Italy, Tony Esposito comes by his love of slow, homecooked food and fast cars honestly. More than a decade ago, he came to Wellsboro and found the place he wanted to raise his children—and race cars.

Tony competes in June in one of the most challenging off-road rally races in the world. It starts at the town Green in Wellsboro, four blocks down Main from his restaurant, and covers about three hundred miles, traveling through two counties on Pennsylvania state forest roads, some along the edge of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. It’s called the Waste Management Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, otherwise known as STPR, and Tony is a local favorite, competing against the best rally teams from all over the United States and Canada.

Recent co-driver Phil Barnes, who stopped in one day to get pizza and saw Esposito’s rally racing photos on the wall. “You’re lucky if you don’t roll,” Tony says. “But, if your car does roll, you hope it rolls back over, and you keep going.” He smiles calmly, adding, “race cars are strongly built.”

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Morris, PA

Food • Legal Beverages • Take-Out Beer Credit Cards Accepted

www.facebook.com/www.crossroadstavern.net

(570) 353-6641

www.wellsboropa.com 43

GREAT EATS

The Native Bagel Every morning at five o’clock at 1 Central Avenue, the lights go on in The Native Bagel, and the baker starts making bagels. Plain, multi-grain, garlic, poppy seed, onion, sunflower, parmesan herb, sesame, honey wheat, lemon pepper, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, everything, and the bagel of the day are all mixed, kneaded, rolled, boiled, and baked here where Central Avenue begins. And every day from Monday to Friday, the doors open at 6 a.m. (7 a.m. on weekends) and the town starts eating breakfast. The Native Bagel opened its doors in spring of 1997, and, in November 2002, after five years as employee and then partner, Sue Cummings bought the business. It’s been a family affair ever since. Son Erik has been on staff, and daughter Kelly Rae (above with Sue) has worked with her mom for twenty years. And, in 2014, daughter Brandi and husband Lucas became Sue’s partners.

The sandwiches, served on white, wheat, rye, or sunflower bread, are enormous, and have names like Court House, Woodland Park, Arcadia, Tyoga Country Club, W.N.B.T, and The Green, named after famous spots in and around town. Everyone has their favorite, of course, but ours might just be the Packer Park, thick-sliced homemade sunflower bread wrapped around a heaping pile of peppered turkey breast, bacon, coleslaw, and Russian dressing, with Swiss cheese melding it all together from a good grilling. Soup is on the menu every day. The Friday soup feature is always seafood, whether it be crab or clams or salmon. And one of the house favorites is the bread bowl (chicken and wild rice is always the cream soup option, and there is always a clear soup option as well), especially popular in the cooler months.

But even though Sue has made her reputation on her sandwiches (a cornerstone of the Wellsboro lunch hour), in the shiny glass case beside the register lie the jewels of the crown: cakes and cookies and pastries that can weaken the strongest will. A rare vision in that glittering box are Sue’s lemon bars, which most often make their appearance at the holidays (and which are on the most-wanted list of many of Native Bagel’s catering appearances, which feature menu items like deli sandwich trays and pasta, potato, chef, and garden salads). Takeout and free delivery are available. For more information go to www. nativebagel.com or call (570) 724-0900. But, whatever you do, don’t forget to leave room for dessert.

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www.wellsboropa.com 45

GREAT EATS

Highland Chocolates The holidays without chocolate is like…forget it, it’s too depressing to even consider.

As the seasons change and we move into autumn and winter, tradition comes to the fore, and having something sweet in the house, and to give as a gift, becomes all but mandatory. And when getting those treats also helps a segment of society realize their full potential, the simple act of buying chocolate becomes even more special.

Highland Chocolates is owned by Partners In Progress, Inc. (PIP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people with disabilities develop vocational skills. With twenty individuals making, molding, and packaging chocolates, Highland provides more than treats. They help build the skills of a successful life and, in doing so, make life sweeter for the rest of us.

It’s the lucky trick-or-treater who finds a ghost made of Highland candy in their bag.

Novelty shapes celebrate the spooky season with pumpkins, witches, and scarecrows—and even chocolate lollipops! Thanksgiving brings pilgrims and turkeys. Christmas is high season for Highland: Santa lollipops, nutcrackers, reindeer, wreaths, and more are all depicted in luscious light and dark chocolate. (You can make a real impression on someone with an edible version of the “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”)

Having a few boxes of Highland’s famous Pretzel Bark on hand for unexpected visitors is wisdom worthy of the Magi, not to mention the perfect hostess gift or the exact right present for a favorite teacher. Pretzel Bark is the marriage of salty and sweet and comes in light, dark, and white chocolate. If someone on your list has been extra good—and we’re talking gutter-cleaning, mouse-catching, computer-tech-support good—there are specialty Pretzel Bark flavors like Oreo Cookie, Dark Mint, and Cinna-Bark.

Everything is made fresh daily, and Highland is choosy about the ingredients they use in order to keep their quality high.

PIP Executive Director K. Irene Morgan says, “Our exceptional employees take great pride in their work and happily welcome visitors to our chocolate factory tours. Joy abounds throughout the year. As one of our favorite tour guides says, ‘Stop by and see for yourself where the magic begins.’”

Now that you have been formally invited to visit, you need to know that Highland Chocolates, at 11724 Route 6 in Wellsboro, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also find their products at retail locations throughout Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and Steuben County, New York. To view the entire gallery of products from Highland Chocolates, visit www.highlandchocolates. org or call (570) 724-9334.

46

Explore Wellsboro Hans’ Photography Š 2015 Kenting

makes our readers howl for joy!

25 Main Street, 2nd Floor Wellsboro, PA 16901 (570) 724-3838

Beagle Media, llc

www.wellsboropa.com 47

BECOMING A LOCAL

Tyoga Country Club Many sons follow in their father’s footsteps. But few have done so as literally as Dean Andrews. As the General Manager and Golf Course Superintendent of the Tyoga Country Club (TCC) in Wellsboro, Dean holds the same position, on the same course, as his dad, Gary, did. When Dean says that he grew up at TCC, he means exactly that. “We lived above the clubhouse. I remember being about seven years old, and the tennis courts had just been resurfaced. To my mind, it was the perfect place to try out my new skateboard. And I still remember one of our lady members yelling at me,” he says with a smile.

Built as a nine-hole course in 1932, TCC underwent a transformation to an eighteen-hole course by prominent golf course architect Edmund Ault in 1977.

Doubling the size of the course also brought the need for more players, leading club officials to open both the golfing and the restaurant to the public. At that time, in the early 1980s, the concept of “vacation packages” was just catching on in parts of the country.

Tyoga Country Club began partnerships with the Sherwood Motel and Penn Wells Hotel to bring golfers to the area. A couple nights stay, a couple rounds of golf, and a couple of meals make for easy planning for out-of-town duffers.

They may be returning for the feeling of intimacy and warmth that TCC offers. The 200-acre course lies in the embrace of verdant hills just outside the Borough of Wellsboro.

A large deck overlooks a graceful fountain near the first tee. The pro shop offers a wide selection of golf apparel, equipment, and shoes. Nearby is a swimming pool for use by members.

Tyoga Country Club has its share of hillsides and tight corners, but Golf Pro Matt Sternquist says the course is challenging without being intimidating, a balance that some tracks have difficulty striking. Ask him which is the toughest hole and he comes back faster than a hooked shot. “Number 10. It’s a par 3, 180 yards, but it goes straight up. You can’t see the green, only the top of the flag.”

Passion and dedication are constant themes at TCC; you can feel it in the warmth of every smile and greeting. Whether you are the next Tiger Woods, or just spend most of your golf day in the woods, the folks at Tyoga Country Club make it their mission to give you a pleasant day on the course.

But dropping that four-foot putt is still up to you.

48

C&N’s community commitment enriches the lives of the people in our region.�

- Cindy Long Executive Director, Endless Mountain Music Festival

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www.wellsboropa.com 49

Feel right at home at The Laurels.

“We thought we could handle mom on our own, but she was forgetting to take her pills and not eating. She wasn’t safe living alone.

We finally called The Laurels. They understood the challenges we were experiencing and offered expert help and care. Not only is she now safe, she is happy living at The Laurels.”

The Laurels believes that providing a premier personal care home experience begins with our people. That’s why our caregivers are not only highly trained professionals, but they are also a joy to be around.

The Laurels is conveniently located in downtown Wellsboro, directly across from Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital.

Learn more: SusquehannaHealth.org/TheLaurels | (570) 723-6860

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Internal Medicine at Wellsboro

Our promise is to provide you with the expert care you deserve.

Drs. Christopher Domarew, Jill Burns, Walter Laibinis and Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner Olivia Mays look forward to providing you with exceptional care.

When you need a healthcare provider, we don’t want you to wait!

Susquehanna Health Internal Medicine at Wellsboro offers same-day appointments for easy access to care, and is accepting new patients!

We look forward to caring for you!

Learn more: SusquehannaHealth.org | (570) 724-3744

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