Don’t Miss the “Best Weekend of the Year”

by Nancy Bishop

 

“The Best Weekend of the Year” – That’s what fans call the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, an annual celebration of the Blues music tradition that’s been going on every year since 1998.

Whether you’re in the mood for Mississippi-style Blues, Contemporary Blues or Gospel Blues, you’ll find it at the 22nd Briggs Farm Blues Festival July 11-14.

The Festival got its start as a one-day event in 1998 when Richard Briggs, then a production manager at public radio station WVIA, decided his family’s 250-year-old farm was the perfect place to have some Blues musicians come and play.

Cedric Burnside will perform at this year’s Briggs Festival

“Blues was close to the music I listened to as a teen,” Richard says. “What you listened to at that age stays with you and I wanted to bring Blues music to our area. I felt it was true music.”

From that small one-day event, the Festival has grown to a nationally recognized four-day Blues festival that attracts some 7,000 people, including 2,000 who set-up tents and RVs and camp at the farm, located at the intersection of Routes 93 and 239 near the town of Nescopeck.

“After that first year, we decided it would be safer to have a two-day festival in case there was bad weather one of the days,” Richard says. “And then people started asking to camp.”

In 2017 the Festival received the “Keeping Blues Alive Award” from the Blues Foundation. And three of the musicians performing at this year’s Festival are also Blues Foundation award winners: Annika Chambers, who performs Friday at 4:15 p.m. on the Main Stage; Cedric Burnside, performing Saturday at 4 p.m. on the Main Stage; and Vanessa Collier.

Sunday will be devoted to Gospel Blues with Slam Allen at 11 a.m. and Alexis P. Suter Ministers of Sound.

The award-winning Festival includes both local and nationally known musicians with acts on two stages and 50 vendors offering unique handmade arts and crafts like jewelry made from old silverware and paintings of Blues musicians.

Vanessa Collier on Saxophone; photo by Otto Kurecian

A highlight of this year’s festival will be the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Philadelphia Blues Society to Vanessa Collier, who will be performing on Saturday night.

And if the music — particularly the Mississippi Delta music of Saturday night’s headliner Christone “Kingfish” Ingram— makes you hungry for Southern cooking, the Briggs family has that covered, too. They’re cooking up fried catfish, collard greens, mac and cheese, sweet corn, stewed tomatoes and pulled pork for you to buy.

You’re welcome to BYOB your favorite beverage to the Festival as long as it’s not in a glass container. No glass containers and no pets are allowed on the grounds.

This year’s festival kicks off Friday night at 7 p.m. with a nostalgic musical nod to the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. “Briggstock” will feature Bret Alexander & Friends who will take you back in time to that “Summer of ‘69” that saw America’s space program put men on the moon as well as the iconic music festival that drew thousands to a farm field in Woodstock, NY.

If camping isn’t your thing, but you’d like to stay nearby for the Festival, shuttle bus service will be available from the Super 8 Motel in Mifflinville, Motel 6 in Bloomsburg and Relax Inn in Bloomsburg. For more information about the shuttle bus schedule and staying overnight, visit the “Lodging” page.

Before you head to the Festival, be sure to view a complete list of this year’s Festival performers. Tickets also may be ordered on the website.

See you at the Festival!

2019 Area Fireworks Schedule!

Below is a list of June & July fireworks displays in Columbia & Montour Counties and the region beyond.

 

June 29th:
Lewisburg, Wolfe Field, 9:30 pm, Rain Date June 30.

Mifflinburg, Hidden Valley Camping Resort, dusk, No Rain Date

Nanticoke, LCCC, Dusk, Rain Date  June 30 at Dusk


July 3rd:
Hazleton, City View Park, 9:45 pm

Montgomery, Montgomery Park, Dusk, Rain Date July 5 at Dusk

Mountain Top, Wright Township Park, Dusk

Frackville, Little League/Softball Complex (West High Street), Dusk


July 4th:
Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg Town Park, Dusk, No Rain Date

Mifflinburg, Mifflinburg Community Park, 9:45 pm

Millville, Millville Community Park, 10 pm

Watsontown, Watsontown Memorial Park, 9:15 pm

Weatherly, Lehigh & Lausanne Rural Vol. Fire Co., Dusk

Williamsport, Downtown, 9:45 pm


July 5th:
Berwick, Crispin Field, Dusk


July 6th:
Jim Thorpe, Sam Miller Field, 10 pm, Rain Date July 7 at 10 pm

Millville Carnival Fireworks, 11:59 pm

Shamokin, Glen Burn Bank, 9:40 pm, Rain Date  July 7 at 9:40 pm


July 13th:
Sunbury, David l. Persing Recreation Area, Dusk


July 20th:
Danville Heritage Festival, fireworks over the Susquehanna River, begins at dark

Picture Perfect Locations!

by Nancy Bishop

 

It’s June – the month for weddings, proms and graduations. And what do those three have in common? That’s right: Photos. Lots of photos. And now you’re looking for the perfect spot to stage your photos. Look no farther than Columbia and Montour counties where there’s an abundance of scenic backdrops for your lifetime memories.

Perhaps the most iconic spot is the David Stroup Fountain, sometimes called “Memorial Fountain” or “Town Fountain,” in downtown Bloomsburg’s Market Square.

Erected in the autumn of 1892, the fountain was manufactured by the J.L. Mott Ironworks in the Bronx section of New York City. The Bloomsburg Water Company told Town Council it would supply free water for a fountain, and the Town Council used money that David Stroup, the owner of a local candy shop, had left to the town in his estate to purchase the fountain.

The original fountain was dismantled in 1966 because it had deteriorated, but it was put back together in 1982 by Daniel and Michael McCloskey. The sculpture of a crane that had topped the original fountain was lost in storage until 2005, when it was cleaned, repaired and placed back on the fountain. To learn more about this special area landmark, visit the Town of Bloomsburg’s website.

And what is this area also known for that are also popular spots for event photos?

That’s right: Covered Bridges.

Photo by Jennifer Baarck Snyder

Best for a photo background are these covered bridges that are closed to traffic:

Stillwater Bridge, located off Paperdale Road east of Route 487 in Stillwater, was built in 1849. It crosses Fishing Creek.

Parr’s Mill Bridge, which crosses the North Branch of Roaring Creek, is on Parr’s Mill Road off Route 487, south of Catawissa. It was built in 1866.

Shoemaker Bridge, located on West Branch Run, is on Shoemaker Bridge Road near Pennsylvania Route 442, northwest of Iola. It was built in 1881.

Josiah Hess Bridge on Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township is between Forks and Jonestown off Winding Road. It was built in 1875.

East Paden Bridge and West Paden Bridge, known as the Twin Bridges, are located on Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township, east of Forks, off Winding Road, east of Pennsylvania Route 487. They were built in 1884.

If you love flowers, another very scenic spot for photos is the Field of Flowers at the Barn at Greenwood, located along Route 42 in Millville. And, if you’re looking for a place to have that wedding, the barn is a popular venue as well.  Just be sure to contact the Barn at Greenwood in advance if you would like to take photos in their field!

Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park

Continuing the water theme that seems to prevail in this blog (fountain, bridges…), another popular backdrop is Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park near Benton. It’s close to the Ricketts Glen parking area on Route 118 that’s near the intersection of Route 487 and 118.

And now that you’ve taken those photos…

Share Your Photos! We’d love to showcase your photos on our website for other residents and travelers alike to enjoy! To share your photos with us, simply tag them with #itourcolumbiamontour on Instagram or on Facebook.

Cool off this Summer at Crystal Pool

by Nancy Bishop

It’s a hot summer day, but you’re cool and very happy – you’re floating in fresh mountain stream water in Crystal Pool at Knoebels.

And you’re floating in a piece of history! Long before Knoebels was the amazing amusement park it is today, where you’re floating was the local swimming hole on Roaring Creek. In 1828, the Rev. Henry Hartman Knoebel bought the land known as “Peggy’s Farm” that included the swimming hole. The land was farmed and also had several sawmills.

In the early 1900s, the swimming hole was a popular picnic spot, and Henry’s son, also named Henry Knoebel, earned some money by charging people a quarter to  feed, brush and water their horses. Later he began selling soft drinks, ice cream and snacks to the visitors, who liked to sit along the creek bank, roam the countryside or jump off the covered bridge into the waterhole below.

Known as Knoebels Grove, its popularity continued to grow and Henry began leasing plots of land along the creek for use as summer cottage sites. Some of these privately owned cottages, as well as other cottages Henry built and rented, still exist in today’s Knoebels Amusement Resort.

Knoebels Amusement Resort, Crystal Pool.

But how did the local swimming pool become Crystal Pool? Well in 1926 when Henry decided to add a restaurant, a steam-powered Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel and a few simple games to his grove, he also built a large concrete swimming pool on the site of the old swimming hole with a filtration system so his guests could swim in clean water instead of muddy creek water. Thus the name “Crystal Pool,” a tribute to the now crystal-clear stream water that feeds the pool even today.

My own memories of Crystal Pool begin back in the mid-‘70s when my kids were small. Every summer we took our trailer to Knoebels Campground for several days. Hanging out in the pool was part of every day we were there. And even today my son, who now lives in another state, comes back every August for a week at Knoebels Campground. His two teenage sons schedule their other summer activities around the now-traditional visit to Knoebels. They’re not going to miss a Knoebels trip! And, yes, the tradition includes getting Grandma (me) into the pool, preferably all at once, with alot of splashing her involved on their part.

At the center of the amusement park that grew up around it, Crystal Pool is filled with 900,000 gallons of clear, filtered mountain stream water. Today the pool area has four water slides, a children’s splash area, a food stand and a picnic area. Kids love running under the fountains and waterfalls, playing with the water guns, going on the kiddie slides or the seesaw, and splashing around in the shallow water. And adults and bigger kids will get a thrill from the Two Slide Winders — tunnel tube slides that offer exciting twists, turns and drops before you land in the splash pool, and the Twin Twister Slides that will have you flying down a nearly vertical drop at lightning-fast speeds.

Since its beginnings as a picnic grove, the park has developed around the pool. Today it has 64 rides as well as 28 games, 24 Gift Shops, 14 Attractions, two Arcades and 34 food locations including two full-service restaurants. Besides the 45-acre park, the Resort also includes Knoebels Campground, Lake Glory Campground and Three Ponds Golf Course. The park remains under the Knoebel family’s control to this day with Henry’s grandson, Dick, the current president.

The pool opened for the 2019 summer season on Memorial Day Weekend.

Popular 2019 summer events at the pool include:

Learn to Swim Program (5 and older)
July 1 – 5; 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Take your child’s swimming skills to the next level! Red Cross Certified Lifeguards are on duty at Knoebels Crystal Pool, and ready to lead the next generation of swimmers. This event is open to children 5 and over, and of all swimming abilities.

Cost: $5.00 donation

Tiny Tots Swim School (Under 5)

July 29 – August 2; 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Knoebels Tiny Tots Swim School is designed to help your child feel comfortable in the water at an early age. This is a great way to get your child to understand the different sights and sounds of the pool and introduce kicking, blowing bubbles, floating and general water movement. The parent is the teacher, partnering with our Red Cross Certified lifeguards who will guide you and your child through a positive experience. Children should wear swim diapers under their suit and must be accompanied in the water by a parent or another trusted adult.

Cost: $5.00

Knoebels Doggie Dive

September 8; 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Bring your furry family members to enjoy a day of fun for a good cause at Crystal Pool! There will be swimming, raffle baskets, a bake sale, food, vendors and a visit from Kozmo! 100% of the proceeds are donated to local animal shelters and rescues. Rabies tag and licenses are required; dogs must have a collar on; and leashes must be on hand by owner. Limit one dog per handler; aggressive dogs not permitted.  Admission, parking and entertainment are free! Cash, check or money order accepted. Pre-register online at www.knoebels.com. Checks and money orders can be mailed to the park with ATTN: Doggie Dive.

Cost: Pre-registration is $8 per dog. Registration at gate is $10 per dog (human attendees are FREE)

See you at the pool!

Knoebels Featured in USA Today’s “10 Best” Voting

Knoebels is back in the spotlight for USA Today’s 2019 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards.  The popular local attraction has garnered national recognition with several nominations in this year’s Theme Parks/Waterparks voting categories. Knoebels is a top 20 nominee for “Best Roller Coaster” in the country, “Best Amusement Park Restaurant” in the country, and “Best Amusement Park” in the country. After voting concludes on Monday, June 17th, the top 10 list will be announced and the overall winner will be crowned in each category.

Knoebels faces tough competition from the various Disney parks, Dollywood, Busch Gardens, and Six Flags, among others in each category.

Latest leaderboard standings have shown Knoebels Amusement Resort to be ranking #3 in Best Amusement Park, #14 in Best Roller Coaster, and #4 in Best Amusement Park Restaurant. Individuals interested in voting for Knoebels may do so by visiting the links for each category above.  One vote per person daily in each category will be accepted. Category winners will be announced on June 28th.

 

Don’t Miss Covered Bridge Tour & Photo Contest!

by Nancy Bishop

 

If you love covered bridges – or haven’t seen the ones in Columbia & Montour counties – you need to sign up now for the upcoming Covered Bridge Tour on Saturday, May 18. But hurry and sign up – there are only a few seats left on the bus. To reserve seats for the bus tour, call the Columbia-Montour Welcome Center at 570-784-8279 or 800-847-4810 during business hours (Monday – Friday; 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM).

And be sure to bring along your camera! You have until June 1 to submit a photo to the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau’s annual Covered Bridge Photo Contest. The contest gives you the chance to have your photo the subject of the 2019 covered bridge puzzle, a collectible 500-piece puzzle featuring one of the area’s covered bridges. The 2018 edition of the puzzle featured the Rupert Bridge.

Pennsylvania is the state with the most covered bridges remaining in the country, with approximately 200 bridges, and 25 of them are in Columbia and Montour Counties. Until I moved to Pennsylvania when I was in my late 20s, I had only seen the covered bridge in Forest Park in Springfield, MA – a state that only has seven covered bridges. I remember visiting that park as a child with my family. A sudden thunderstorm sent us running to the covered bridge for shelter along with a few dozen other people.

The bridges here are truly a not-to-be-missed historical treasure. Most were built in the 1800s.

Why cover a bridge? Most historians seem to agree that the primary reason was to protect the wood decking of the bridges from the weather, since wood exposed to the elements tends to rot. But some other reasons might be:

  • Covered bridges resembled barns so animals would be calm when passing through them.
  • Having covers kept snow off the bridges and made for less maintenance in the winter months after the invention of automobiles.
  • The bridge trusses were unsightly to many travelers, so adding sides and roofs created a much more aesthetically pleasing structure.
  • To provide a place of shelter for travelers during storms.

On the May 18 guided tour, you’ll get to see 13 of the area’s bridges. Get on the bus at the Visitors Bureau office at 121 Papermill Road in Bloomsburg and sit back as you travel through the picturesque Central Pennsylvania countryside. At each stop, there will be opportunities to explore the bridges and take photos.

At the stop at the East and West Paden Bridges – the “Twin Bridges” as they’re known – a picnic lunch will be provided by the Visitors Bureau. The tour will begin at 9 a.m. and end around 3:30 p.m. back at the Visitors Bureau. Cost of the tour, including lunch, is just $25 per person.

Enter Your Photo in 2019 Covered Bridge Photo Contest

If your photo wins, it will be featured as the Visitors Bureau limited-edition puzzle. The puzzles have been produced the past eight years and have featured the East & West Paden bridges (2 times), the Knoebels Bridge, Keefer Mills Bridge, Esther Furnace Bridge, Stillwater Bridge, the Josiah Hess Bridge, and most recently, the Rupert Bridge.  All photos must be of bridges located within Columbia or Montour County. To learn which bridges qualify and where each is located, you can download a driving tour map and brochure with information about the bridges.

The Covered Bridge Puzzle is released in September and sold at the Bloomsburg Fair, the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival and at the Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau Welcome Center while supplies last. The winning photographer’s name and a short bio will be printed on the puzzle box. The winner will receive a free puzzle. $2 from each puzzle sold is donated to the Columbia County Covered Bridge Association. For more information about the bus tour, photo contest, and the covered bridges in Columbia & Montour Counties, you can click here.

How to enter:

Email your photos to skiefer@cmvb.com by June 1, 2019. Or, you can post your photo on Instagram using #CMVBPuzzle2019. Either way, you must include the photographer’s name and the name of the covered bridge. If you are selected as a finalist and you submitted on Instagram, you will be contacted for a high quality version of your submission.

Contest Rules:

  • All photos must be of bridges located within Columbia or Montour County.
  • All photos must be owned by the person submitting them. By submitting, you are giving the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau permission to use your photo as their 2019 puzzle and in future marketing efforts.
  • All photos must be high-resolution (at least 1000 pixels on either side).
  • A max of five photos per person will be accepted.

Farmers Markets, A Sure Sign of Spring!

By Nancy Bishop

Everywhere you look these days, there’s another article telling you that a diet high in veggies and fruit is good for your health, confirming that your mother was right when she said “Eat your veggies.”

And, it’s also the era of the farm-to-table movement. At its most basic, farm-to-table means that the food on the table came directly from a specific farm, without going through a store or other distributor along the way. Years before it became a popular movement, though, my family’s version of “farm-to-table” was when I would call the farmer who lived down the road, tell him how many ears of corn I wanted, put the pot of water on the stove to boil and then head over to his farm, where he would hand me the corn he’d just picked. Elapsed time between the corn being on the stalk at the farm and on our dinner table was about 30 minutes. To this day, my now-adult kids remember that as the best corn ever.

Fortunately in this area, there are many farmers markets, making it easy to get delicious fresh vegetables and fruits as well as baked goods, locally produced meat and a variety of other foods. Although a few markets are open year-round, many of them open at the end of April. Also, many of the towns in the area sponsor weekly farmers markets during the growing season.

The guidebook “Homegrown in the Valley” provides information about what’s available from farm stands and farmers markets to wineries, craft breweries and pick-your-own farms. The guide also has a grower’s schedule, where you can find information about in-season growing periods for various regional fruits and vegetables.

Can’t wait to get started visiting farmers markets? Here are a few to try.

Rohrbach’s Farm Market in Catawissa opens Friday, April 26 offering fresh farm goods, homemade treats, gourmet items and specialty gifts. Through May 25th they are open Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In Danville, you’ll find a bounty of freshly harvested fruit, heirloom vegetables, all-natural soaps, cut flowers, potted plants and starts; grass-fed and free-range meats; mushrooms, cheese, baked goods, eggs, herbs, jams, jellies, and pickles at the Ferry Street Growers’ Market. The market is open from 8 AM until noon every Saturday starting the last week in May until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It is located downtown on Ferry Street between Cole’s Hardware and Voelcker’s Beverage, and is dog friendly. There is ample free parking and regular market entertainment.

Forks Farm Market in Orangeville will be open Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. celebrating Earth Day. In addition to their own pasture-raised chickens, turkey, grass-fed beef and lamb, woodlot pork and pastured free-range eggs, they have products from other local vendors.

Open year-round, Ponduce Farms in Numidia, features their own produce in season as well as fresh baked goods daily with pies available Friday-Sunday. Call ahead and order your favorites! Both the farm market and their restaurant are open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Briar Creek Farms, at 1017 E. 7th St., Bloomsburg, also is open year-round. They offer locally grown fruit and vegetables in season as well as Amish baked goods on Wednesdays and local raw milk and cheeses. Hours are Monday – Wednesday, 6 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Thursday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.; and Saturday, 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mainville Farm Market, 797 Mainville Dr., Bloomsburg, is a family-owned and operated farm market and sandwich shop that also sells baked goods, homemade soups, smoked meat and cheeses, produce and meat pies. It’s open Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Crest Haven Farm Market in Danville specializes in fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, deli meats and cheeses, fresh meat, baked goods, dairy products and bulk foods.

Earth Day is Monday, April 22

Earth Day began in 1970 as a national day to focus on the environment. This year the Earth Day Network is asking people to join its “Protect Our Species” campaign to:

  • Educate and raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.
  • Achieve major policy victories that protect broad groups of species as well as individual species and their habitats.
  • Build and activate a global movement that embraces nature and its values.
  • Encourage individual actions such as adopting plant based diet and stopping pesticide and herbicide use.

Among Earth Day activities scheduled in the region, the Roaring Creek Valley Conservation Association will hold a highway cleanup April 28 from 9 a.m. to noon on Route 42 through Weiser State Forest’s Roaring Creek Tract near Aristes in Columbia County. Rain date is May 5.

Participants should arrive at the Route 42 parking area of the Weiser State Forest’s Roaring Creek Tract by 9 a.m. to receive instructions and trash collection bags. Wear high visibility vests and/or clothing.

Also, Bloomsburg Children’s Museum’s iMAKE-Science program will focus on Earth Day on Thursday, April 25 at 4:30 p.m. Kids ages 6 – 12 will learn about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle as they make earth-friendly crafts and activities.

Knoebels Opening Weekend 2019

Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA will be opening for the season on Saturday, April 27th.  The park will be open from 12 PM to 6 PM, and will feature a “BOGO” Buy one, get one special on handstamps.  Buy one Ride All Day Pass, Get one FREE (of equal or less value).

Pricing for the “Ride All Day” pass is as follows: Basic Ride pass for General Admission is $35, Under 48 inches is $23.50.  The pass including Wooden Coasters for General Admission is $43, Under 48 inches is $28.50. Purchase BOGO Passes right here.

There is no better way to enjoy your first trip of the season!  The free pass must be used on the same day as the purchased pass, and the special is valid on Opening Weekend only.  Passes will be delivered via email upon purchase. Opening Day entertainment will be Silhouette Song at 2 PM and 6 PM at the bandshell, and on Sunday, April 30th, the Bloomsburg University Band will perform at 2 PM and 5 PM. The following weekend is “Scout Day” at Knoebels.

Knoebels offers FREE parking, FREE admission, and FREE entertainment, and has long been ranked nationally as one of the best amusement parks in the country. For general information about visiting the park or to see what rides are there, visit www.knoebels.com.

Storm Road Closures

Motorists are advised to use caution on the roads in our area and the surrounding region today, and in the coming days due to storm damage. Below is a list of current road closures.
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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th), please be advised of the following road closures in Columbia County:

  • Route 42 from Route 254 in Millville Borough to Boyer Bottom Road in Greenwood Township
  • Route 1012 (Knob Mountain Road) from Eagle Farm Road to Yost Hollow Road in Briar Creek Township
  • Route 2005 (Slabtown Road) from Ideal Park Road to Route 42 in Locust Township
  • Route 2014 (Creek Road) from Mill Road in Locust Township to Old Reading Road/Mensch Road in Roaring Creek Township
  • Route 3016 (Hollow Road) b\from Route 487 to Hollow Road in Catawissa Borough
  • Route 4027 (Legion Road) from Ridge Road/Maple Ridge Road in Pine Township to Spruce Run Road in Madison Township
  • Route 4029 (Austin Trail Road) from Milroy Road to Laubach Hill Road in Greenwood Township
  • Route 4045 (Green Creek Road) from Laubach Road to Campbell Road in Greenwood Township
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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th), please be advised of the following road closures in Montour County:

  • [OPEN] Route 2005 (Kaseville Road) from Welsh Road to Red Lane in Mahoning Township
  • Route 2014 (Century Road) from Cameltown Road to Blee Hill Road in Derry Township
  • Route 2119 (Little Roaring Creek Road/Roaring Creek Road) from Mayberry Road to Susquehanna Road
  • Route 4003 (Strick Road) from Route 254 to California Road in Limestone Township
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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th), please be advised of the following road closures in Northumberland County:

  • Route 1020 (Mexico Road) from Route 642 to Creek Road at the Montour County line in East Chillisquaque Township

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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th), please be advised of the following road closures in Snyder County:

  • NONE

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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th), please be advised of the following road closures in Sullivan County:

  • Route 1017 (Railroad Street/Marsh Road) from Route 87 in Dushore Borough to Marsh Road in Cherry Township
  • Route 4021 (Churchill Street) from Route 220 in Cherry Township to Main Street/Dushore Overton Road in Dushore Borough;

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As of 3:00 PM (Tuesday, April 16th),  please be advised of the following road closures in Union County:

  • NONE
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Music and Art Await You at The Exchange

by Nancy Bishop

 

Enjoy an intimate setting with the Exchange’s monthly Listening Room.

One of the hidden gems in the area if you love Blues and Folk music like I do is The Listening Room that happens every month at The Exchange in Bloomsburg.

Housed in a small storefront on Main Street in Bloomsburg, The Exchange is dedicated to bringing the arts to all people in communities throughout the region. The Listening Room – part of its Destination Blues program – happens on the last Wednesday of every month, from 7 to 9 p.m.

In a small room with great acoustics, you not only can hear outstanding performances by a variety of artists, but there’s an interaction between performer and listeners that just doesn’t happen when you’re in a larger concert venue or at a bar or restaurant. The performers know you’re there for the music, not just background entertainment, and their performances reflect that.

And, you can hear the great music for only a $5 donation at the door. It’s a BYOB place, too, that features a range of acts – solo artists and small bands, acoustic and electric from throughout the region. In February, award-winning saxaphonist, singer and songwriter Vanessa Collier, a rising star in the blues world, who you may have heard at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, performed at The Listening Room. Then in March it was singer, songwriter and guitar player Tom Graham from Scranton.

This month’s performance on April 24 at 7 p.m. will be BC Combo from the Lehigh Valley, with lead singer Bev Conklin – BC, Wayne Smith on guitar and vocals, Pozz on vocals, keys or bass, Kevin Groller on drums and Joe Mac on guitar.  Performing for 25 years, their motto is: “It’s all about having fun!” So, come out and join the fun!

But The Exchange is more than just The Listening Room. Started in 2010 in the old Moose building in Bloomsburg, The Exchange provided space for a dozen artists and small businesses to lease as well as a concert venue and even a bowling alley. But a fire that gutted the building in mid-January 2014 ended that. Later that year, The Exchange moved to its current location at 24 East Main Street, and began its new life as an art gallery and music venue.

Rising Blues Star Vanessa Collier

Since then, more than 500 artists not only from the local region but from as far away as Vienna, Austria, have exhibited at the gallery. The youngest artist was a 2-year-old, says Exchange Director Oren Helbok. Currently, the gallery show is “Art on the Spectrum,” featuring work by regional artists on the Autism spectrum. The show, which runs through April 19, is being presented in conjunction with Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” which highlights a brilliant and unique 15-year-old as he investigates the death of a neighbor’s dog. That production runs through April 14. The Gallery will open for an hour and a half before every BTE performance during the run of “Curious Incident.”

Be sure to visit and check out one of my favorite pieces in the “Art on the Spectrum” gallery show — a small black and white drawing of a panda. So simple, but so compelling!

Next up in the gallery will be “Wearable Art II” featuring art made with anything from earrings to ballgowns. That show runs from April 22 to May 31 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 (same day as Renaissance Jamboree).

​After that on the gallery calendar is “Mistakes” June 1 through July 5 with a reception from 6-8 p.m., Saturday, June 1. In that show you will see that mistakes open new doors.

The Art Cart

The Art Cart brings joy across the region.

As if the gallery and the music events weren’t enough, The Exchange also reaches out into the community with its Art Cart. The Art Cart, which reaches about 8,000 people in the area each year, visits up to 12 venues a week, including day care centers, senior centers, camps and libraries. Two facilitators bring projects for participants to make in many media, including painting and drawing, cut-out paper, and sculpture.  They tailor the projects to any age group and any size group.

“The Art Cart reaches the most people of anything we do,” says Helbok. “We believe the arts are for everybody.”

You may have seen the Art Cart if you’ve visited ArtFest in downtown Bloomsburg. The annual event takes place in August. In 2019 it will be the 12th year for ArtFest, which will be happening August 24.

Provided free of charge, the Art Cart is funded by a variety of community groups, including the Berwick Health and Wellness Fund of the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, the Danville Area Community Foundation,  the Charles B. Degenstein Foundation,  the United Way of Columbia and Montour County, PPL Foundation, the Bemis Foundation, the Bloomsburg Area Community Foundation and many local donors.

If you would like the Art Cart to visit your group, call The Exchange at 570-317-2596.

Art of PA

Another project of The Exchange is the Art of PA website, an arts and culture resource serving the communities of Bloomsburg, Berwick and Danville. It provides one place where you can find information about everything in Columbia and Montour counties from theater shows to music events to art shows to restaurants to visit when you’re done with whatever event you’re at.

See you at The Exchange!