December 2013

E E R F he wind

as t

The Miracle on

CANDY CANE LANE

There really is a Santa, and he’s inhabited a little street in Duboistown for over fifty years

By George Jansson

A Baroque Holiday Spectacular with the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes & the Corning East High School Madrigal Singers Sunday, December 15, 2013 4:00 pm

The Clemens Center, Elmira Bach Corelli

Selections from Magnificat “Christmas Concerto” in G Minor

Vivaldi

Selections from Gloria

Albinoni

Oboe Concerto in D Minor – Susan Laib, Soloist

Handel

Hallelujah from Messiah

Cowdery

Magnificat from Magnificat

Alcadelt

Ave Maria

Vivaldi

Concerto for Two Mandolins in G Major Max Buckholz & Dara Anissi, Soloists

Mozart

Ave verum corpus

Allentoff

Chanukah Romance for Violin and Chamber Orchestra

Anderson

Sleigh Ride- Andy Beck , Soloist

Holiday Favorites Sing Along

52 West Market Street Corning NY 14830 607.936.2873 607.936.3007 f For chamber series and other events please visit www.OSFL.org

Of The Southern Finger Lakes

Volume 8 Issue 12

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The Miracle on Candy Cane Lane

All I Want for Christmas

By Roger Kingsley

By George Jansson There really is a Santa, and he’s inhabited a little street in Duboistown for over fifty years.

Big-game hunters on your list? Here’s how to make their day.

25

Mother Earth

By Gayle Morrow

Here Comes the Sun: It’s always darkest before the dawn, and so it is with the winter solstice.

8 Finger Lakes Wine Review: Any Port in a (Winter )Storm

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A Day at Dickens...

A Night at Sparkle

The complete festival schedule guides.

By Holly Howell

40

My Nose Knows

By Cornelius O’Donnell

Of trains and waffles and Christmases past.

34

Shop Around the Corner

50

By Roger Neumann All In: Deb Twigg and the Crooked River Artisan Co-Op Recreate Waverly.

Back of the Mountain

By Joel Styer

The Light of the Season.

Cover by Tucker Worthington; Cover photo by Terry Wild; Photos this page (from top) by Wendy Potope, Mia Lisa Anderson, and Roger Neumann.

From the Finger Lakes come tasty reasons to welcome the cold.

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w w w. m o u n ta i n h o m e m ag . co m Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Publishers George Bochetto, Esq. Dawn Bilder D e s i g n & P h o t o g r ap h y Elizabeth Young, Editor Cover Artist Tucker Worthington Contributing Writers Angela Cannon-Crothers, Patricia Brown Davis, Jen Reed-Evans, Alison Fromme, Holly Howell, George Jansson, Roger Kingsley, Adam Mahonske, Cindy Davis Meixel, Fred Metarko, Dave Milano, Gayle Morrow, Tom Murphy, Cornelius O’Donnell, Roger Neumann, Gregg Rinkus, Linda Roller, Kathleen Thompson, Joyce M. Tice, Brad Wilson C o n t r i b u t i n g P h o t o g r ap h e r s Mia Lisa Anderson, Bill Crowell, Bruce Dart, Ann Kamzelski, Ken Meyer, Tina Tolins, Sarah Wagaman, Curt Weinhold, Terry Wild S e n i o r S a l e s R ep r e s e n t a t i v e Brian Earle S a l e s R ep r e s e n t a t i v e Linda Roller B ea g l e Cosmo Assistant

to the

Yogi

B ea g l e

Mountain Home is published monthly by Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, 16901.

Copyright Š 2010 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

To advertise or subscribe e-mail info@mountainhomemag.com.

E-mail story ideas to editorial@mountainhomemag.com. Call us at (570) 724-3838.

Each month copies of Mountain Home are available for free at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in Pennsylvania; Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in New York. Visit us at www.mountainhomemag.com. Or get Mountain Home at home.

For a one-year subscription to Mountain Home (12 issues), send $24.95, payable to Beagle Media LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901.

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DOINGS ‘ROUND THE MOUNTAIN

1

D OINGS ’R OUND

THE

M OUN TAIN

December 2 013

SUNDAY Director’s Choice West End Gallery through January 18 Corning, NY www.westendgallery.net

MONDAY

TUESDAY

2

3

9

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Time to Rejoice Williamsport Symphony Orchestra Community Arts Center Williamsport, PA www.caclive.com

The Art & Illustrations of Zelda Fitzgerald Gallery at Penn College through Dec. 15, Williamsport, PA www.pct.edu/gallery

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A Christmas Carol Deane Center for the Performing Arts Wellsboro, PA www.hamiltongibson.org

Repasz Band Winter Holiday Concert Community Arts Center Williamsport, PA www.caclive.com

Holiday Music from Around the World Steadman Theatre Mansfield University www.mansfield.edu The Art & Illustrations of Zelda Fitzgerald, 12/1-12/15

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29

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A Baroque Holiday Spectacular Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes The Clemens Center Elmira, NY www.OSFL.com

A Christmas Carol Community Arts Center Williamsport, PA www.caclive.com

Messiah: A Community Sing St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Wellsboro, PA www.hamiltongibson.org

Christmas Wonderland on Ice Nasser Civic Center Ice Rink Corning, NY (607) 962-0340, ext. 7

Wellsboro Holiday House Tour, 12/6

New Year’s Eve Party Hornell VFW Hornell, NY (607) 324-3830

DOINGS ‘ROUND THE MOUNTAIN

WEDNESDAY

4

11

THURSDAY

5

Branson on the Road Christmas Style Community Arts Center Williamsport,PA www.caclive.com

12

Christmas with John Berry Wellsboro High School Auditorium Wellsboro, PA www.johnberry.com Mansfield Chamber Singers Wren’s Nest Mansfield, PA

Director’s Choice at West End Gallery, 12/1-1/18

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National Theatre Live: The Habit of Art Keystone Theatre Bradford, PA www.bcrac.org

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

6

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Wellsboro Holiday House Tour Downtown Wellsboro, PA (570) 724-4060

Sparkle (full schedule p. 30) Downtown Corning, NY www.gafferdistrict.com

13

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Dickens of a Christmas (full schedule pp. 28-29) Downtown Wellsboro, PA www.wellsboropa.com

Home for Christmas Concert: Ty Herndon & Anita Cochran Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium, Corning, NY www.gafferdistrict.com Trout Fishing in America Wellsboro Community Concert Association Wellsboro High School Auditorium www.wellsborocca.org

Dickens of a Christmas (full schedule pp. 28-29) Downtown Wellsboro, PA www.wellsboropa.com

Christmas in the Park Hammondsport, NY www.hammondsport.org The X-Ray Big Band Deane Center for the Performing Arts Wellsboro, PA www.deanecenter.com

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Dickens of a Christmas, 12/6-12/8

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Sarah Wagaman

2300°: Holiday Groove Corning Museum of Glass Corning, NY www.cmog.org/event /2300-holiday-groove

Terry Wild

The Miracle on Candy Cane Lane

8

Wendy Potope

(Left to right) Craig Kropp, Martha Kropp, Shirley Fullmer, and Don Fullmer.

There really is a Santa, and he’s inhabited a little street in Duboistown for over fifty years

By George Jansson

F

rom late November to the Epiphany in early January, the evening traffic on Euclid Avenue in Duboistown, Pennsylvania, can slow to a crawl. Drivers traveling east or west on the avenue can get caught in bumper-to-bumper lines of vehicles which stretch for blocks, though no one inching along seems to mind at all.

You see, moving at a snail’s pace for a while can be a very small price to pay

for the opportunity to cruise up Candy Cane Lane, where visitors young and old can immerse themselves in the spirit of Christmas to their heart’s content.

There are no toy stores or department stores there, no mountains of commercial goodies for sale. What the lane does offer is an unlimited supply of awe and wonder, food for the heart and soul, and it’s free for the taking.

See Candy Cane Lane on page 10

9

Candy Cane Lane continued from page 9

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Toy soldiers stand guard on both sides of the street. The five houses on the west side and eight on the east side are decorated heavily with lights and connected to each other by long strands of colored bulbs strung across and over the lane. Special displays, including Santa’s workshop and a Nativity scene, can be seen. Frosty the Snowman and an assortment of elves can be spotted. Even Santa and Mrs. Claus make a number of surprise personal appearances during the season to hand out candy canes and to greet people who come by. Loudspeakers stationed throughout the block add to the magic by filling the air with holiday music.

And while there’s magic to be found there, the magic just doesn’t happen by, well, magic. It’s the end product of years of hard work and dedication by people living in the 200 block of Summer Street, and, as joint ventures go, this one deserves a place in the Neighbor Hall of Fame.

While most neighborhood projects come and go as quickly as dashes to drivethru windows at fast-food restaurants, the people on Summer Street have managed to sustain their annual project for fifty-six consecutive years. Three of the four living residents instrumental in the creation of the very first Candy Cane Lane still reside on the block—and still decorate.

A Hollywood script might have a Summer Street dweller developing a master plan for the lane and pitching his vision to his humbug neighbors, but that plot line would stray far from the truth. Actually, the birth of what has become Candy Cane Lane occurred at a neighborhood picnic during the summer of 1957.

“Someone said we should get together and do something for Christmas,” said Shirley Fullmer, who attended the gathering. “So, we did. I don’t even remember who made the suggestion.

Nobody does.”

Over the years, the lane grew in magnificence and became a must-see

place for people who live in Lycoming County. It’s not unusual for area families to make more than one trip to the lane each holiday season just to experience the splendor of it all.

Candy Cane Lane also has its share of admirers who live in far-off parts of the Commonwealth or in other states.

For many of them, miles don’t matter because their holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the lane.

Travelers on Route 220, intrigued by the long band of bright lights stretching up the face of Bald Eagle Mountain, often choose to make impromptu treks to Duboistown to get an up-close look and end up leaving the borough with a new Christmas tradition on their list.

For others, a trip to Candy Cane Lane offers an opportunity to celebrate milestones in their lives. In December 2004, Old Lycoming Township residents Chris and Andrea McElroy got engaged there.

“My wife loves candy canes, and she loves Christmas, so I thought it’d be a good place to pop the question,” explained Chris. “It happened to be the coldest day that December, but that didn’t matter.”

“Every December 19, we go back and remember that day,” Andrea added, “only now we take our son with us.”

The work of transforming Summer Street into Candy Cane Lane usually begins in earnest the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when the neighborhood comes together to arrange some of the major displays.

It’s not unusual for people who love the lane but don’t reside on the block to stop by and lend a helping hand.

Everyone’s goal is to finish decorating before Thanksgiving Day, or as close to the day as possible.

Not surprisingly, in terms of scale, early renditions of the lane didn’t look at all like it does now. Huge Santa boots once stood in front of each house, but they were eventually replaced by toy See Candy Cane Lane on page 12

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Candy Cane Lane continued from page 11

soldiers. Homeowners who decorated worked with strings of lights, which featured much bigger bulbs, known to the longtime residents as C-9s, because the bigger bulbs were the only ones available at the time. For the most part, the lights adorning the houses these days are smaller and don’t require as much energy to burn, and, per strand, there are more of them.

Current visitors who traverse the lane might not realize it, but some of the items on display were crafted in the ’50s.

Though made with paper-mache, the elves’ heads and the snowman have survived the test of time, as have the strings of streetlights fashioned by Don Fullmer, Shirley’s husband, who worked for local cable companies over the years.

Mercifully, the method once used to string the overhead lights from house to house did not survive. Four men would support a ladder stationed in the middle of Summer Street, and a fifth person would be sent to the top of the ladder to do the stringing. Area companies now send “cherry pickers” to assist with the over-the-street work, a practice that has eliminated much of the improvisation—and the danger— that marked the project’s earlier days.

“Getting those cherry pickers was a big help,” Don admitted. “What we used to do worked okay, but it wasn’t very safe.”

Craig Kropp, whose mother, Martha, also attended that historic neighborhood picnic, has lived on Summer Street much of his life, and he remembers many occasions when he was called upon to be that fifth person. It should come to no one’s surprise that Craig now makes his living as a firefighter. When he’s off-duty, he writes and circulates a newsletter which includes a list of scheduled appearances by “special visitors” to the lane and a timetable of important decorating dates, particularly the times set aside to unpack the “neighborhood property” and move it into place, items which include the toy soldiers made from plywood, the Nativity scene, and the mechanized figures which occupy Santa’s workshop.

“The moving figures in Santa’s workshop are powered by twelve-volt windshield wiper motors,” Kropp noted. “Despite how it may appear, we’re not exceptionally high-tech.”

Nor are they a high-pressure bunch. How the homes are decorated, if they’re decorated at all, depends on the wishes of the homeowners living on the block. Contrary to the belief of many area residents familiar with Candy Cane Lane, people who relocate to Summer Street are not required to sign contracts which require them to decorate, nor do they receive a special rate from companies that supply power to their homes. When people leave the block, they often leave behind a lot of their decorations, but no one is required to use them.

See Candy Cane Lane on page 14

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Graig Kropp Fifty years and counting: the pioneers of Candy Cane Lane were recognized by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Candy Cane Lane continued from page 12

Several years ago, a family was getting ready to move from Summer Street just when the decorating was getting started. Too busy packing their own things to take the time to put up lights, the movers’ contribution to the neighborhood effort was a “Scrooge’s House” sign which they posted above their front door.

“Everyone understood why they didn’t decorate,” Shirley Fullmer said. “We really liked their sign. We thought it was cute.”

What Summer Streeters don’t find nearly as cute are the times when vandals mess with their decorations. Though their displays have rarely been disturbed over the years, there was a season when the toy soldiers were uprooted from their places and replanted along Route 654 near Nesbitt.

Fortunately, all were retrieved and returned to their duty stations.

Weather can also play havoc with the lane. More than one driver has burned out a clutch trying to get up the hill when it’s snow-covered, but, for the Summer Street decorators, strong winds strike the most fear in their hearts.

“About a day or two after we start decorating, we’ll get a windy day,” Martha Kropp laughed. “We can count on it.”

This year, the block includes two new families who See Candy Cane Lane on page 16

14

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Page 1

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15

Mark Nance Mark Nance

Mark Nance

The spirit of Christmas: through the years on Candy Cane Lane.

16

Candy Cane Lane continued from page 14

weren’t around for last year’s version of Candy Cane Lane.

With people coming and going all the time, one might wonder what the future holds for the lane, but Craig Kropp believes the tradition will live on.

“I’ve never known a Christmas without lights, and I’m optimistic that what was started here over fifty years ago will continue,” Kropp said. “The planning we do throughout the year isn’t quite as intense as it once was, but we have some younger folks who have moved into the neighborhood, and I think they’ll keep things going.”

What keeps the founding members going after more than five decades of elaborate decorating for the Christmas holiday is the goodwill Candy Cane Lane creates, and the common bond they share with their neighbors gives them a feeling that, by working together, they have created and maintained something unique. For them, the positive comments they receive from people who walk up and down their street make all their hard work and dedication worthwhile.

Though there is a box for donations, Summer Street residents don’t want visitors to feel obligated to pay for their experience. What funds they do collect are used primarily to replace bulbs and to repair displays. “We want Candy Cane Lane to be a community thing, not a commercial thing,” Kropp noted.

See Candy Cane Lane on page 18

From our family to yours, we wish you a magical holiday season.

Toll-free: 1-877-838-2517 ~ www.cnbankpa.com Member FDIC

17

Mark Nance

Sentry of Summer Street: a toy soldier on guard on Candy Cane Lane.

Candy Cane Lane continued from page 16

In December, 2007, Duboistown commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of their “community thing” with a parade and celebration. On that day, then-mayor Lou Plankenhorn declared December “Candy Cane Lane Month forever more” in the borough and presented proclamations to six residents of Summer Street who had lived on the block for all five decades of the lane’s existence. The honored group included Don and Shirley Fullmer; Martha Kropp, Don’s sister; and the late Paul and Miriam Fullmer, Don’s brother and sisterin-law. Also recognized was Shirley Seese, who now resides in Lewisburg.

That same year, the pioneers of Candy Cane Lane were also recognized for their achievement by the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives.

All of us should recognize the people who reside on the 200 block of Summer Street in Duboistown, even those of us who may never have an opportunity to wait in a line on Euclid Avenue before reaching their Candy Cane Lane. We should recognize them not just for perpetuating a project which has brought joy and a true spirit of Christmas to thousands of visitors for over half a century, but also for being the neighbors anyone in America would be proud to have.

Mountain Home contributor George Jansson, a retired teacher, lives in Williamsport with his wife. He is also the coordinator at Messiah Lutheran Preschool in South Williamsport.

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O U T D O OR S All I Want For Christmas

Big-game hunters on your list? Here’s how to make their day

By Roger Kingsley

W

hen I first started deer hunting over forty years ago, I’d head to the woodlots on our farm with four major items: rifle, cartridges, knife, and rope—nothing else. I really didn’t need anything else, and besides—anything else wasn’t even invented yet. But, much like a buck that’s spooked from his bed, the big game hunting accessories that have made tracks since the 1970s have been nothing short of leaps and bounds.

Like most hunters, I enjoy kicking back in the evening recliner and browsing through the catalogs to see what I’d like to add to my wish list. And since Christmas is just around the corner, dropping a few hints to my family is a sure way to find presents and stockings stuffed to Boone & Crockett proportions.

Of all the hunting gear purchases I’ve made, or gifts I’ve received over the years, very few have been disappointments when put to the test.

Keep in mind though that what works for one person doesn’t guarantee the same results for another. My brother is married to the hunting boots that I’ve grown to despise, but he wouldn’t be caught dead in the blaze-camo vest that I think is the cat’s meow! Having said that, the following products are at the top of my cool stuff, must have, best buys, hot picks list of hunting gear that I can’t live without.

I rank staying warm and dry as the number one factor for an enjoyable 20

hunt. Once your extremities start feeling the elements, your ability to concentrate on sitting still and scanning the terrain could cost you the shot of a lifetime. So my accessory pack always contains a good supply of disposable hand and foot warmers. Once the warmer is exposed to air, the ingredients begin to build heat, which can last longer than a day’s worth of sitting. And if you’re only planning on hunting for a few hours at either end of the day, the warmer can be snuffed out in a Ziploc bag and reused again once it becomes exposed to air.

Disposable hand warmers can be tucked inside a glove or mitten, or gripped by your bare hand and kept inside the hand warmer pocket of your hunting coat to keep your trigger finger nimble for a surprise encounter with a deer or bear. Heatmax (www.heatmax. com) of Dalton, Georgia, is the only manufacturer of air-activated heat packs in the U.S. Their ToastiToes brand of foot warmers come in ultra-thin pairs as complete insoles or toe-width warmers that work in areas where oxygen is somewhat restricted. I’ve found these foot warmers so effective that I can use them in ordinary lighterweight insulated boots in cold weather and stay warmer than the felt-packed clodhoppers that seemingly weigh in at thirty-two ounces to the pound.

Sitting comfortably in a tree stand or

on the ground requires a soft waterproof cushion, and my buttocks always rest on one when I know I’m in for a lengthy sit.

Northeast Products (www.thermaseat. com) manufactures the Therm-A-Seat, a lightweight waterproof cushion that can keep you dry and warm on any surface. I’ve found the Therm-A-Seat especially handy when I’m crossing a barbed wire fence. I simply lay the cushion over the top strand, fold the edges down, then swing my legs over it as if it were a saddle. The barbs don’t snag the cushion material like they do clothing, and many a ripped-out crotch has been saved by that trick.

One of the finest, warmest undergarments that I’ve ever stuffed my legs and torso into in preparation for a hunt is the Minus33 brand of merino wool. Founded by the wellestablished woolen mills of L.W. Packard in Ashland, New Hampshire, Minus33 (www.minus33.com) is a fabric that’s soft as cashmere, 100 percent non-itchy, plus washable and dryable. Because of its porous fibers, merino wool can absorb vapor before it condenses, and then transfer that moisture away from the skin 30 percent faster and more efficiently than any synthetic. I’ve worked up a pretty good sweat at times while dragging a deer or bear, or participating in a drive while wearing these garments as a base layer, and in no time at all after the exertion came

OUTDOORS

to a halt, I was dry and comfortable.

Merino wool is elastic, long-wearing, and naturally odor resistant because it contains amino acids which actually break down odor-causing bacteria.

Minus33 products come in long sleeve, short sleeve, turtlenecks, full-zip tops and hoods, plus my favorite garment for cold weather sits, the balaclava, which covers my head, neck, and tops of the shoulders. If your long johns wardrobe needs some upgrade attention, start off with some Minus33 garments and I’m certain you’ll add them to your hot picks for cold weather gear.

One of the newest additions to my hunting gear, and certainly the most valuable in regards to sophistication and safety, is a Garmin eTrex GPS unit.

GPS units are invaluable for hunting in unfamiliar territory, and anybody who carries one can vouch for their usefulness. On a recent deer hunt to the big woods of Maine near the Canadian border, I became so involved with tracking a deer on the second day of the week-long hunt that I suddenly became disoriented and ended up spending two hours finding my way out of the dense firs and hardwoods just because I didn’t have my GPS. The realization of being suddenly lost is a powerful feeling with potential catastrophic effects on one’s frame of mind, and such situations can be a thing of the past with GPS. While bear hunting with my brother and friends in a section of the sprawling 261,000acre Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County one November, you can bet that my Garmin eTrex was strapped to my waist for quick, precise navigational information. In the event that a smoking hot bear track lured me to parts unknown, I could have done so without any regard to my direction or lay of the land. All I had to do was record a waypoint on my original route, and whenever I felt the need to return to it or any other waypoint that I’d previously recorded, the eTrex would tell me the straight line compass

bearing distance to that destination.

Now that’s peace of mind! My brother Ronnie killed a 409-pound black bear on that hunt, and not only was he able to lead us to the kill site by recording a GPS location, but we were also able to determine the shortest route to drag the bear to the nearest road.

The Garmin eTrex (www.garmin. com) features a high-sensitivity WAAS (Wide Angle Augmentation System) receiver that quickly locks on to a network of both solar powered orbiting satellites and ground stations. The signals picked up by these receivers can now steer you within three meters of your destination, compared to the 100 meters of traditional GPS tracking.

Even inside my home, my eTrex can display full navigational capabilities from satellites 12,000 miles above the earth—in less than one minute. That simple test assures me that the unit will provide equal results in heavy tree cover and canyons.

Crooked Horn Outfitters (www. crookedhorn.com) of Tehachapi, California, designed a nifty strap called the Bino-System that uses your shoulders instead of your neck to support the weight of binoculars. Ever try running with binoculars hanging from your neck? If you don’t hold on to them, the optics will bounce, twist, and sway with such fury that the strap suddenly resembles a noose. The BinoSystem keeps binoculars, cameras, rangefinders, etc. securely against your chest by utilizing elastic straps that prevent whatever they’re strapped to from bouncing out and around when you’re walking or bending over.

The straps are fully adjustable to fit over your inside garments or outside of your heavy parka. Quick-release hooks allow the optics to slide up and flex out on the straps for easy retrieval.

My wife picked up the Bino-System as a gift for me when she visited the Crooked Horn Outfitters booth at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg several years ago. The See All I Want on page 22 21

OUTDOORS All I Want continued from page 21

product demonstration had her instantly hooked, and now I’m forever hooked to it during all seasons of hunting.

Someone defined photography as, “An art form which isolates single moments for all time.” Photo albums preserve these moments and actually serve as a diary of our lives to remind us of what we looked like or did on a particular day in our lives. As hunters, we experience many happy moments, not only in the harvest of game, but in the companionship of others, the beauty of the seasons, and the endless miles of breathtaking landscapes we roam. Recording these moments has never been easier, thanks to digital photography. Today’s cameras are extremely compact and capable of storing way more images than their counterparts. There used to be plenty of excuses for not carrying one with you—mainly size—but today’s digitals are so convenient they can practically get lost in a pocket or pack. While unloading our gear at a friend’s house one evening after returning from a hunting trip, my digital camera—unbeknownst to me—fell out of my truck.

The good news was...the camera was discovered the next morning. The bad news was...the case had a Goodyear tire track across it. Needless to say, the camera was rendered useless, but I was still able to retrieve the tiny, wafer-thin picture card that totally saved my images. If that had been a film camera, the film cartridge would have been crushed.

My final hot pick for must-have great gear should really be listed as: must carry. That’s a headlamp! I’ve had one for years, but found it hard to break myself of the habit of carrying my Mini Maglite LED flashlight. It wasn’t until my brother Ronnie harvested that large Potter County black bear that the advantages of a headlamp really sunk in. Four of us worked diligently for two hours after nightfall, inching the bruin up a steep ravine. Fortunately, two of the hunters had headlamps enabling us to use all of our hands for pulling. Our efforts would have been futile in an attempt to get the bear close to a road if we were toting handheld flashlights. Most headlamps are equipped with ultra bright, compact LED lamps with brightness modes and adjustments to direct light where it’s needed. For the hunter who carries an armload of gear and likes to be in the woods early, using your head to help light your path might be a very bright idea!

I’m sure my picks for great gear differ somewhat from yours. But, who knows, maybe you learned about something that you will add to your must-have list. If something caught your eye, be sure to check with your local merchants before picking up the phone and purchasing elsewhere. If they don’t stock it they might start, and if they do, you’ll have a chance to look it over before you make the deal. Happy gear hunting!

A hunter, photographer, and writer, Roger Kingsley’s articles and photos have appeared in Deer & Deer Hunting, and Pennsylvania Game News, among others.

22

OUTDOORS

Morris Chair Shop Chairs Tables Chinas Rockers Bedroom furniture Home Office furniture

ď ” 54 Windsor Lane, Morris, PA 16938 morrischairshop.com

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23

d . . r . a o b A l l A T r y a d a i t i o n d i l o H A THE SANTA EXPRESS JOURNEY TO “SANTA’S VILLAGE”

TIOGA CENTRAL

R A I L R OA D Phone: (570)724-0990 Web: TiogaCentral.com 24

Mother Earth

Here Comes the Sun

B

Located on the DownTown Historic Square Just minutes from the scenic Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and the beautiful Pine Creek Rails to Trails hike & bike riverside trail!

By Gayle Morrow

y the calendar, winter is just getting started. By another way of reckoning, it is already on its way out. The increase in light immediately after the winter solstice— it will take place at 12:11 p.m. EST December 21—is imperceptible to the eye but knowable to the psyche.

The solstice is, according to Wikipedia and geography. about.com factoids, an astronomical event that takes place when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees from the sun.

It is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, the day when the lunchtime sun is at its lowest altitude above the horizon. The time of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is almost always December 21st or 22nd.

The dates actually range from the 20th to the 23rd; those variations are due to variations in the calendars cited. The word comes from the Latin sol, meaning sun, and sistere, meaning to stand still.

The sun, of course, isn’t doing anything any different than it ever does; it’s the Earth, its axis, and the tilt of that axis that create the illusion of the sun moving about.

Regardless, when what passes for sunshine is a pallid, lusterless orb low in the southern sky, when it seems a lifetime ago that the high-noon sun was white-hot, you begin to believe in the whole standing-still concept. And imagine—if you were north of the Arctic Circle at the time of the winter solstice you wouldn’t see any sun at all.

Go sixty-six and a half degrees south of the equator, though, and the lights would be on a marathon. The ancient peoples may not have known the science behind the solstice, but, without artificial light and artificial time, and with their very existence bound to their ability to know the natural world in ways we cannot fathom, they were likely hyper-aware of the seasons, the corresponding location of the sun, and what they needed at those particular points in time to stay alive.

Seasonal ceremonies—for celebration or placation— evolved and were co-opted and evolved again. The time of the winter solstice celebration, whether by chance or design, seems to be one that is conducive to reflection. It seems apropos during these dark and cold weeks to hunker down, to recharge and regroup, to ponder on good and evil, birth and death, cold and hot, dark and light.

The light! Because after six months of days getting shorter, the light has returned.

Hallelujah!

Three Charles Street Wellsboro, Pennsylvania 16901

1-800-661-3581 or 607-426-5898

info@wellsboroinnonthegreen.com

Keystone State Press Award-winning columnist Gayle Morrow, former editor of The Wellsboro Gazette, cooks locally—and organically—at the West End Market Café.

25

LIFE

WELCOME TO

WELLSBORO

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ARTS & TRAVEL

27

December 6-8, 2013 Wellsboro, PA Friday, December 6 Saturday, December 7 All Day All Day

Merchant Sales & Discounts

Merchants Sales & Discounts 9:00 am - 7:00 pm 8:00 am - 10:00 am

Professional Dickens Portraitures

Breakfast with Father Christmas

Deane Center for Performing Arts

Trinity Lutheran Church 10:00 am - 5:00 pm 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Indoor Book Sale

Indoor Craft Show

Green Free Library

Wellsboro Senior Center 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm 9:00 am

Indoor Craft Show

Wellsboro High School Dickens Choir

United Methodist Church

Arcadia Theater 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Holiday House Tour

Model Train Show

Meet at the Deane Center for Performing Arts

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Dickens of a Dinner

Street Vendors open, Street Musicians,

Trinity Lutheran Church

Dickens Players 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Live Music & Indoor Craft Show

Wellsboro Junction

United Methodist Church 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

VESTA Craft Show & Sale

Indoor Craft Show

Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center

Fireman’s Annex 7:30 pm 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Dickens of a Concert

Professional Dickens Portraitures

St. Peter’s Catholic Church

Deane Center for Performing Arts Event sponsored by: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce

Live Music & Indoor Craft Show 114 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901 (570) 724-1926 www.wellsboropa.com

Unites Methodist Church

28

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Pony Rides

Wellsboro Riding Club 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Alternative Christmas Fair

First Presbyterian Church 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Open House

Tioga County Historical Society 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Live Music & Refreshments

United Methodist Church 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

VESTA Art Show & Sale

Gmeiner Art Center 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Indoor Book Sale

Green Free Library 10:30 am

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Black Box, Deane Center 11:00 am

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Warehouse Theatre 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Open House (w/ refreshments)

Green Free Library 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Open House (w/ refreshments)

Tussey-Mosher Funeral Home 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Victorian Tea

The Laurels 1:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 1:00 pm

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Warehouse Theatre 1:30 pm

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Black Box, Deane Center

3:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 3:00 pm

Wellsboro Men’s Chorus

Arcadia Theater 3:20 pm

Wellsboro Women’s Chorus

Arcadia Theater 3:30 pm

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Black Box, Deane Center 3:40 pm

Combined Chorus Sing-a-Long

Arcadia Theater 4:00 pm

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Warehouse Theatre 4:00 pm

Choral Evensong Service

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 5:00 pm

Candlelight Walk for Peace

Packer Park to the Green 5:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 5:30 pm

Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Green 7:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction

Sunday, December 8 3:00, 5:00, & 7:00 pm

Santa Express Train Excursion

Wellsboro Junction 2:30 pm

HG Productions, “A Christmas Carol”

Warehouse Theatre And much, much more! Impromptu performances, concerts, poetry, and skits will take place as the Christmas spirit moves throughout the community.

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29

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SPECIAL HOLIDAY ADVERTISING SECTION

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For her, for him—for everyone on your shopping list 40

Custom Jewelry and Artwork by David Ackerman; Gustin’s Gallery; 71 East Market Street, Corning, NY

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A variety of gifts for the cigar aficionado; Browns Cigar Store, Corning, NY; 607-962-2612 Pandora Unforgettable Moments, Connors Mercantile; 16 East Market Street, Corning, NY 33

L A K E S

Mia Lisa Anderson

F I N G E R

Any Port in a (Winter) Storm

From the Finger Lakes come tasty reasons to welcome the cold

By Holly Howell

T

here are some wines that are definitely made for certain occasions. Port is one of them.

And the occasion is called “winter.”

When the weather gets cold, these rich and luscious wines can warm you right down to your soul.

Port is a fortified wine. This means that is has been fortified with extra alcohol. As the grape juice is fermenting, a neutral grape brandy is added halfway through fermenting so that the yeasts are stopped, leaving quite 34

a bit of sweetness still in the wine. The added spirits will also lift the alcohol level beyond that of regular table wine.

Whereas table wines fall somewhere between 8 percent and 14 percent, you will find port wines weighing in at anywhere between 18 percent and 22 percent.

Sweet and high in alcohol. Some might call that a total win-win!

The original and true port wines were developed in Portugal, where they are called Porto (note the obligatory

“o” on the end). By law, Porto can only be made in Portugal from the indigenous grapes. These are touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinto roriz, tinta cão, and tinta barroca. Not your everyday conversational grapes, but they are responsible for some of the most worshipped dessert wines in the world.

Names like Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca, Sandeman, Croft, and Dow may ring a bell.

You can find port wines elsewhere See Any Port on page 36

Seriously good wine!

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35

WELCOME TO

CORNING’S

Any Port continued from page 34

(note the spelling must drop the “o” if not made in Portugal). And elsewhere includes that wonderful cool climate region of the Finger Lakes of New York State.

Granted, we cannot grow the traditional Portuguese grapes in our climate, but we can make port-style wines in the exact same method, using our own local grapes to make fortified wines that carry the flavor of the New World.

Since the port process is a unique one, you won’t find every winery taking the time or energy to produce these wines. And they are not produced in every year. Because a little port goes a long way, you’ll find they are often sold in half-bottles, similar to ice wine. There are a few Finger Lakes vineyards that have become passionate about this style of wine, and they are well worth trying.

Lakewood Vineyards Port ($14.99 for 750ml).

A stunning value from the western coast of Seneca Lake.

Made from baco noir grapes (a French-American hybrid variety), this wine can easily pass for its cousin across the pond. Lots of dried fruit flavors, ripe berries, and a flash of spice make it a perfect choice to accompany your favorite dark chocolate desserts.

Red Newt Cellars Hellbender ($20 for 750ml). The name alone warms me up! Another treat from Seneca Lake, this is a port-style blend of cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir. One sip of this, and I actually crave a cigar. Who knew?

Hunt Country Vineyards Ruby Port ($16 for 500ml). This Keuka Lake winery produces a winner made from a blend of three French-American grapes: dechaunac, corot noir, and chambourcin. With a nose of dried cherry and plum, this wine pairs beautifully with fruit baked desserts like pear clafouti, raspberry crumbles, and apple cakes drizzled with warm caramel sauce.

Fox Run Vineyards Port ($19.99 for 375ml). This ruby port from Seneca Lake is a beauty, with classic aromas of dark berries, toffee, and spice. Made from a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and lemberger, it is a shoe-in next to a plate of artisanal cheeses, including aged cheddars and creamy blues. Fox Run also produces a Fine Old Tawny Port ($39.99 for 375ml), and Hedonia ($9.99 for 375ml). A light and aromatic twist on the standard port, Hedonia is made from the American hybrid Traminette, and is usually served as an aperitif: in a host of cocktails, on the rocks with a twist of orange, or mixed with your favorite sparkling wine.

Happy sipping, and stay warm!

Holly is a Certified Specialist of Wine (by the Society of Wine Educators) and a Certified Sommelier (by the Master Court of Sommeliers in England).

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36

GAFFER DISTRICT

FINGER LAKES

STAY

IN THE SPIRIT

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WELCOME TO FINGER LAKES

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39

&

DRINK

Geoffrey Fairchild

FOOD

My Nose Knows Of trains and waffles and Christmases past

By Cornelius O'Donnell

P

erhaps you’ve never thought of this, but during World War II model trains were not available, and my dad desperately wanted one for his then two boys. I was the eldest by two years and don’t remember asking for a petite choo-choo. I have a feeling the compulsion to own a train set was Cornelius Senior’s.

Charging ahead to 1946 when the war was over: metal toys reappeared along with—another son. Three sons!

That put the proud papa’s yearning for a Lionel or American Flyer rig (“every boy should have one”) front and center.

His request was added to a waiting list.

But at last the set arrived.

For many years the intricate tracks (a figure-eight shape, I recall) encircled the Christmas Fir, and we opened gifts surrounded by the lights and sounds of the mini-train. I remember the creak of the tiny crossing gates opening and closing and other bits like a whistle and perhaps a mail bag loading.

One year, brother number three, the inheritor of the rail empire, was rooting around in his attic and discovered the train set, carefully boxed in original cartons. I was enlisted to help resurrect the set to surprise his two little ones.

In one of the boxes I came across a cache of those capsules that were inserted into the little engine and puffed smoke quite realistically. I remembered the pleasing smell. After twenty years of abandonment in a hot/cold attic, surely they wouldn’t work. Surprise!

And I, lying prone next to the tracks and gazing up into the tree, was transported back to my eleventh Christmas by the combination of the smoke and fresh-cut tree aromas. Those memories got me thinking about the effect certain smells can have—on me and maybe on you.

From the Kitchen I looked up the word “olfaction” or the sense of smell. And I found a quote that neatly summed up my

feelings: “Our sense of smell is closely associated with emotions and memories.

Although people may have a difficult time naming an odor, we tend to have strong memories for smell.”

I’ll bet that your olfaction really goes into overdrive when you enter a kitchen in which a multi-course holiday meal is being wrested from raw ingredients. In my case, lying under the Christmas tree like a big and bulky bathrobe-packaged present, I recall that other aromas found their way into my nostrils. It was the aroma of waffles and bacon wafting from the kitchen and then through the dining room and on into the living room. They’re mighty powerful smells.

Waffle Whiffs With the exertion of straightening up and stuffing the crumpled wrapping paper into bags (“save the bows” came a voice from the kitchen) and making lists of who got what and from whom, a person could develop a real appetite.

See My Nose Knows on page 42

40

FOOD & DRINK

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41

My Nose Knows continued from page 40

Restaurants For listing information please email Dawn Bilder at dawnb@ mountainhomemag.com or call (570) 724-3838. Bon appetit!

I’d call it a “present tense” if I had the nerve. But the coffee also smelled great and drew us on to the kitchen and the source of the intoxicating possibilities.

My mom probably was presented with a waffle iron one Christmas—such a romantic gift—and thus our family began the habit of devouring these delectable carriers of the even more delectable butter and real maple syrup on subsequent Christmas mornings.

Mom’s waffles were probably made from one of her “bibles:” an early edition of Fanny Farmer (one from the ’20s I inherited). I wondered how to update the recipe—“gild the waffle” so to speak—and make them even better.

So I went to a cookbook from my old friend, the late Marion Cunningham, who became the “new” Fannie with the publication of the greatly revised book in 1983. I remember having these waffles at the Bridge Creek restaurant in Berkeley, a memorable place which only served breakfast. Marion was the restaurant’s consultant.

Sure enough, I found the recipe in The Breakfast Book published by Knopf in 1987. If you love breakfasts the way I do, I hope you’ll search out this gem.

Raised Waffles Marion prefaces her recipe by explaining that it came from an early edition of Farmer’s cookbook, and, “is still the best waffle I know.”

I quote: “The mixing is done the night before and all you have to do in the morning is add a couple of eggs and some baking soda. These waffles are very crisp on the outside and delicate on the inside.” That makes the cooking of a Christmas breakfast a snap and, since both my parents cooked, dad was in charge of the oven-baked bacon and mom handled “her” waffle iron.

This makes about eight waffles, so you’ll want to adjust the ingredients if you need more for your gang.

1 tsp. sugar 2 c. all-purpose flour 2 eggs ¼ tsp. baking soda Real maple syrup and room temperature butter for topping

Use a rather large mixing bowl, as the batter will rise to double its original volume. Put the water in the mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar, and flour to the yeast mixture and beat until smooth and blended. (Marion notes that she often uses a hand-rotary beater to get rid of the lumps, but a quick stir with a wire whisk is fine.)

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature. (Now you’re free to hang the mistletoe!)

Just before cooking the waffles, beat in the eggs, add the baking soda, and stir until well mixed. The batter will be very thin. Pour about ½ to ¾ cup into a very hot waffle iron. Bake the waffles until they are golden and crisp.

Practice I’d suggest giving the recipe a dry run and note the timing. Christmas is hectic enough. Warm the syrup, uncapped but still in its container, in a large bowl of very hot water until serving. Then pour it into a jug that’s been rinsed out with very hot water.

Cooked waffles may be kept warm, loosely covered with foil, in a very low oven until all are made.

The batter will keep well (covered) for several days in the refrigerator—or, as my mom and the original Fannie would say, “ice box.”

Calling All Chilly Cooks No, that isn’t a typo, I just wanted to alert you that the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society is again assembling a hearth cooking group at the Patterson Inn in Corning Friday evenings in January, February, and March. You’ll learn how to cook on the hearth and prepare heritage recipes. Call (607) 937-5281 for more information.

½ c. warm water 1 package dry yeast 2 c. milk, warmed (I use the microwave) ½ c. (1 stick) butter, melted (again, nuke it) Chef, teacher, and author Cornelius 1 tsp. salt O'Donnell lives in Elmira, New York.

42

FOOD & DRINK

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REAL ESTATE

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MARKETPLACE Garden MoMorials by Kathy Higgins.

(Right) Deb Twigg.

All In

Deb Twigg and the Crooked River Artisan Co-Op Recreate Waverly Story and Photos by Roger Neumann

W

hen Deb Twigg got involved in rebuilding Waverly’s downtown district, she went all in. Not content with being a co-founder and helping to run a museum, she bought the former town hall building with a partner, formed a development company and then a marketing business, and established a co-op where local artisans can display and sell their products.

Twigg can usually be found these days at the museum—the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center—or at the Crooked River Artisan Co-Op diagonally across Waverly’s Broad Street in southern New York. Or you might have to track her down at any one of the shops up and down the street, because she’s deeply committed to keeping her fellow entrepreneurs in business and in the know.

“I started the museum about eight years ago and I fell in love with this town,” Twigg said recently. “And what I found was that a museum itself can-

not survive in a town that’s imploding. And what needed to happen was this town—and it’s really a beautiful town—just needed to come back. So I worked to bring the museum up, and I watched all these businesses closing, not being able to make it. And I saw this village hall for sale and I realized that this could be an opportunity to invest in the community again.”

The village hall building, at 358 Broad Street, had sat empty for a couple of years. It definitely was showing its age, but Twigg saw in it the potential to further the development of downtown. So she and partner Susan Fogel, also of Waverly, formed Teaoga Development LLC and bought the building.

They also created Teaoga Marketing because, as Twigg explained, “part of economic development is marketing.”

As for what to do with the former village hall, Twigg said, “I was looking for something that was creative and fun and would help with the development of downtown, and [an artisan

co-op] just seemed like a really good fit. When I reached out to some of the artisans, I realized that this was something that we should give a try. And it’s just been a wonderful thing to be a part of.”

The first two floors of the building were refurbished, and three other small businesses also set up shop there.

Twigg now holds court above an antiques dealer in what once was the village courtroom.

The co-op was only six weeks old in mid-November, but Twigg seemed to have no doubt at that point that she had made the right move. Already twenty-one artisans of various creative skills were displaying and selling their works at the shop, along with some antiques dealers.

“I think it’s amazing what we’ve done in six weeks,” Twigg said. “Sales and traffic are above my expectations, and I’m a Type A, so you know I have high expectations.”

Anne Fell of Waverly, whose busiSee All In on page 48

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SPORTING GOODS

not just in pictures.”

Because Twigg considers marketing to be so important—she’s on the board of Tioga County [New York] Tourism—she gathers her members for a meeting every Wednesday. They discuss promotional ideas, upcoming events in the area, and any suggestions members might have for spreading the word about who they are and what they do. Crooked River (www. crookedrivercoop.com) is open Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

With Christmas and other giftgiving holidays just ahead, Twigg suggested that a handmade item from a local crafter would make “a unique gift experience.”

And, perhaps with the recent election day still on her mind, she added, “When you shop at a place like this, every purchase is a vote in support of your local artisans.”

Roger Neumann is a retired Elmira StarGazette editor and reporter.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Artisans at Crooked River Framed Photos by Sherry Dulaney; Crafty Cats Designs by Barbara Reeve; Walking Sticks by Randy Keene; Heartfelt Homesteading products and gift baskets by Rhonda Lant; Welcome Carol Lukovich of Pines and Pots (pine needle basketry); Handmade In The Hills by Deb Schildt; George Morris Wood Turnings; Children’s Books and Audio by Tina Field Howe; Garden MoMorials by Kathy Higgins; Bud Lohman Fine Art and Photography; Lily-Therese Custom Designs by Anne Marie Fontana; Designz by Kristina Palmer States; Jewelry by Karly Thornton; Beauty Made Simple Jewelry by Tracy Lewis; Down Home Crafts by Gina Thomas; Beverly Hill Afghans; Nature’s Breath Photography by Connie Miller; Anne Fell Walnut Lane Baskets; Wicked Women Candles by Tanya Smallwood; Janelle Mitros Yukaho River Farm Goat’s Milk Soap; Scentric Bath & Body by Suzanne Storelli

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All In continued from page 47

ness is Walnut Lane Baskets, is one of several members of the co-op who earn a higher commission on sales because they donate time helping to run the shop. Fell said she started making baskets as gifts for relatives and occasionally displayed them at crafts fairs, but she had never had a permanent home to showcase her work.

“Mostly I was just making them to give as gifts, but I found out people would actually buy these baskets,” she said. Now, she said, “I like having a permanent place to display my craft, and I like being a part of this.”

Twigg, who is not an artisan herself, said of her members, “We’ve become a family pretty quick. It’s a fun group.”

That family feeling may be especially significant for Kathy Higgins of Athens, another one of the co-op’s crafters. Higgins, whose daughter Maureen died of cancer in 2003 at the age of eighteen, displays what she calls “garden art created from vintage glass pieces,” all done in memory of Maureen, or Mo, through Higgins’ business Garden MoMorials.

She started that business last spring after first creating MoMorial Cards, a personalized memorial card company, in 2006 with daughter Kerry Banik of Barton, New York.

“People had been asking us for some kind of product that they could put either outside in a garden or at a cemetery plot that would be a carryover from the memorial card,” Higgins said. “We started doing memorial plates, and now we do flowers so people can use them to remember a loved one. People love having them in their garden.”

The beautiful and colorful flowers are among the co-op’s most popular items, Twigg said.

Of Crooked River, Higgins said, “This was a good way of having a place to display our wares without having to pay for a full storefront somewhere, and also to support the other artisans in the area. It just appealed to me, the idea of belonging to a co-op and being able to direct people to a place where they could see the items in person and

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B A C K O F T H E M O U N TA I N

The Light of the Season

By Joel Styer

“I had long heard that the gas streetlights in Wellsboro were beautiful at night and even more so when dressed up for Christmas,” says Reading photographer Joel Styer. “I decided to make the four-hour drive to see why people raved over this great little town and I was not disappointed. Arriving just before sunset, the transformation is dramatic as the night comes alive with a myriad of photogenic compositions within easy reach.”

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