This autumn, come to Columbia & Montour counties to enjoy a festive trip through the heart of the Central PA countryside. Along the way, stop at seven fantastic local wineries and participate in this year’s autumn winery event. The “Wine & Whoopie Pie” Trail will kick off on Friday, October 5th and run through Sunday, October 14th. Each winery will offer a special wine pairing with a tasty whoopie pie treat. Visit every winery for a chance to win a wine-themed prize basket! Each winery will provide an individual prize basket and one large Grand Prize basket will be compiled with bottles of wine from every winery.

Participating wineries will be: Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider Winery, Elk Mountain Winery Outlet at Winding Creek, Freas Farm Winery, Purple Cow Winery, Red Shale Ridge Vineyards – (Danville location), Shade Mountain Winery & Vineyard – (Danville location), and Three Dogs Vino.

**PLEASE NOTE** All wineries will be open for this event during their normal posted business hours as well as both Saturdays and Sundays. Please visit each winery’s website or call individually for hours. Normal tasting fees will apply – some wineries will have tasting fees, others will not. Again, please see each winery’s website for more information on individual tasting fees.

For our brochure listing all area wineries, please click here.

This event is in connection with Pennsylvania Wines & PA Wine Month promotions. More information is available at PAWineMonth.com.

How it Works

1. If you are interested in participating in this year’s Wine & Whoopie Pie Trail event, simply proceed to one of the wineries of your choosing during October 5th-14th (you may start at whichever one you’d like).
2. Pick up an event ticket at the first winery you visit – all will have tickets available.
3. Fill out 1/2 of the ticket and turn it in at the first winery.  Keep the other half to record stamps/signatures.
4. Enjoy your first seasonal wine pairing and have your ticket authorized in the assigned space for that particular winery.
5. Proceed to the rest of the wineries and enjoy fall pairings + get more stamps/autographs!
6. At your final winery stop, turn in your completed second half of the ticket to be entered to win any of the prize baskets. All participants who complete each stop on the trail will have a chance to win any of the individual baskets and the Grand Prize basket regardless of where they turn in their ticket.

Additional Info

• Each winery is not going to be open every single day during the event dates.  Please plan your route stops accordingly based on winery hours.
• Winners for prize baskets will be drawn by October 29th and notified by email.
• Winners will be expected to pick up their prize basket from the winery providing the basket; the Grand Prize basket will be located at the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau Welcome Center (121 Papermill Road, Bloomsburg).
• Participants do NOT have to complete the trail over the course of one day or one weekend. Please complete the trail your convenience. As long as you have visited all wineries during the window of October 5th-14th, you will be eligible for the prize drawing.

Benton Business Updates:

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General Updates: The bridge on the south end of town on Route 487 IS OPEN.

A local family provides meals outside the fire hall

There are cleaning supplies and bottled water at the local fire hall. Another truckload is soon due with more supplies. A local family is providing free meals outside the fire hall.

Vine Pharmacy: The pharmacy was not flooded and they are operational.  If people are unable to get through to Benton to pick up medications, PLEASE contact the Pharmacy by phone.  They are arranging for deliveries to be made.   They are delivering to the North Mountain Fire Dept. so they can transport the medications to still stranded patients. They are also postponing their Lyme Support group until the next scheduled date, which will be September 20th.

Ricketts Glen State Park: As of 8/14, the FALLS TRAIL IS OPEN. The trail is wet and muddy in places and may be slippery. Some parts of the trail are covered in water as well. Use extreme caution if you plan to use the trail in the next week or two.

Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider: Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider will be open normal business hours the rest of this week and weekend. Thurs- 3-6, Fri- 12-6, Sat- 11-5, Sun- 12-4

Benton Rodeo Grounds: The rodeo grounds will need some cleaning, but nothing was damaged.  However, the events for this weekend have been CANCELLED.

Crafty Creations – They are open.

Black Bear Pottery – As of 8/17, they are hopeful to open next week.  No major damage was sustained, just plenty of mud removal needed.

487 Rustics – They are open.

Northern Columbia County Community Center: The N4C’s is open as of today, 8/16. Their thrift store is opening its doors for anyone in need post-flooding. Everything is free. Clothing has been taken to Stillwater Christian Church. The Thrift Shop is located next to Kozy Korners on Main Street.

Winding Creek Shops – The shops are back open for business as of 8/15 at 1 PM.

Join Wild For Salmon on Saturday, August 25th for a grand celebration of salmon – it’s Fishtival time!  This annual event is eagerly anticipated for the opportunities to taste various salmon dishes prepared by several area chefs. Other food vendors, local breweries, and wineries will also be present for this family and kid-friendly event.  The fishermen are back with their catch for the season and are excited to spread the news.

The Bloomsburg Nationals takes center stage each summer during the second weekend of August at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Classic and vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles of varying eras, make, model and style are all part of the weekend extravaganza.

The fun kicks off tomorrow (Thursday, August 9th) at 6 PM on Main Street in Bloomsburg with the annual Nationals Gridlock.  Check out hundreds of classic and vintage automobiles as they line Main Street until 8 PM. Then, follow them to Quaker Steak and Lube for a kickoff party featuring live music, drink specials, food discounts, and more.

The Bloomsburg Fairgrounds will be the event location for the remainder of the weekend.  Gates will open daily Friday-Sunday at 8 AM. Attendees will find competitions, displays, live music, crafters, a wing eating contest, a chinese auction, and much more throughout the three days. Prices are $8.00 a day or $12.00 for a weekend pass (Friday and Saturday). Sunday admission is by donation at the gate.  Children 12 and under are free all weekend.

Find more 2018 show information at the Bloomsburg Nationals website.

The Children’s Museum, located at 2 West Seventh Street in Bloomsburg, will host its popular annual “Touch a Truck” event on Saturday, August 4 from 10 AM – 12 PM.

Come out to the museum for a fun-filled day with trucks of all kinds. Get an up-close, hands-on look at loaders, go-karts, tractors, fire engines and police, state park ranger and military vehicles. Meet the community helpers who operate these vehicles and collect passport stamps for prizes and giveaways.

Touch a Truck is designed to educate students about different careers and the big equipment that goes along with them.

Reduced admission is only $6.

The Children’s Museum is a non-profit organization with a mission to enrich the lives of people in the 10-county region by fostering a lifelong love of learning through interactive programs and exhibits that bring out the imagination in every child and the child in every visitor. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.the-childrens-museum.org or call 570-389-9206 for more information.

The 2018-19 season at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell University will include nearly 40 professional performances – including world music from Egypt, Spain, Africa, China, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, Denmark and Sweden, plus classical music, modern dance from two acclaimed companies, world dance from India and Spain, Americana and folk, jazz, and family-friendly performances. Ten performances are free.

Performances begin in late August 2018 and continue through May 2019; all performances are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

The season will kick-off with a free outdoor concert on the Weis Center Plaza by Banda Magda on Thursday, August 23 at 6 p.m. The ensemble seamlessly moves from South American rhythms with jazz improvisation, to mid-century classics and even tunes sung in six languages.

Highlights of the season include:

• For the first time, the Weis Center will offer a series of two National Geographic Live multimedia experiences: Egyptologist Kara Cooney on August 30 and ocean photographer Brian Skerry on February 19.
• Expanding on the Egypt theme, the Weis Center will offer two artists who are on tour through Center Stage, a State Department initiative. First, an oud master from Egypt, Mohamed Abozekry with his ensemble Karkade on September 14 and then Egyptian vocalist Dina Elwedidi on September 27.
• David Power and Willie Kelly’s Irish music comes to the Weis Center Atrium in a free performance on September 6 followed up by Galician bagpiper Cristina Pato and her quartet on October 11, then Nordic folk ensemble Dreamers’ Circus will round out the season on April 13.
• Other offerings from around the world: Sounds of China will blend the ancient with the modern by combining time-honored Chinese music with modern arrangements on February 7 and Anda Union will bring Mongolian throat singing to the stage on April 5. Koto visionary Yumi Kurosawa teams up with world-renowned tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee on February 10 at 2 p.m.
• World dance from India takes the stage when Nrityagram Dance Ensemble visits Central PA with their new performance Samhara on October 18.
• On February 28, world dance from Spain takes the stage. Farruquito, heir to the most renowned Gypsy flamenco dynasty, is the greatest flamenco dancer of this new century, according to The New York Times.
• Jazz lovers will enjoy stunning vocalists Charenee Wade on January 23 and Rene Marie on February 21, who borrows various elements of folk, R&B and even classical and country to create a captivating hybrid style. Finally, audiences will move along to the infectious grooves of Michael Mwenso and the Shakes on April 9 in a free performance in the Atrium.
• Theatre Re will present a poignant and moving performance called “The Nature of Forgetting” on October 25 about Tom, a middle-aged father struggling in the early stages of dementia. The Weis Center will offer community resources about Alzheimer’s and dementia in the days leading up to this performance.
• Americana offerings will include Red Molly on September 19, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlativeson November 1 and Kaia Kater on November 14.
• Family discovery offerings include the return of Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia as they present TheRainbow Fish on November 3 at 11 a.m., plus Imago Theatre’s production of Frogz on February 5 at 7 p.m. with a schools matinee the following day at 10 a.m., Mexican folk music by Sonia De Los Santos on President’s Day/February 18 at 2 p.m., Underneath a Magical Moon on April 13 with performances at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and finally a series of interactive performances called Panda’s Home will end the season on May 11 with performances at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. For the first time ever, the Weis Center will offer a sensory-friendly performance of Panda’s Home on May 10 at 6 p.m.
• Classical aficionados will enjoy Jasper String Quartet on March 3, St. Olaf Orchestra with violinist Sarah Chang on January 31, Les Violons du Roy featuring acclaimed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo on October 14 at 2 p.m., Orpheus Chamber Orchestra featuring a mandolin and accordion duo on November 3, Aizuri Quartet with a new project called “Intricate Machines” on March 31 at 2 p.m. and Lorelei Ensemble returns on April 11 to join forces with members of the Bucknell University Choirs to present James Kallembach’s new oratorio about Antigone.
• The spectacular and colorful two-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir returns to North America with Songs of the Free on November 30, a very special program celebrating Nelson Mandela.
• The Weis Center will also present four performances downtown at the Campus Theatre, including East African retro pop artists Alsarah and the Nubatones on November 7 and a multimedia performance with folk musician Jenny Scheinman called “Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait” on March 6.
• Two cutting-edge modern dance ensembles will also be featured Parsons Dance on January 18 and Ririe-Woodbury Dance on March 23.

Brochure Available

The Weis Center’s 32-page season brochure and ticket order form can be downloaded from the Weis Center’s website, Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter.

Hardcopies are also available at the Weis Center and throughout the Susquehanna River Valley region, including Visitors Bureaus and public libraries.

To request a hardcopy brochure, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or e-mail Lisa.Leighton@bucknell.edu and one will be mailed at no cost.

Sponsors

The Weis Center’s 2018-19 season is supported by the following season-level sponsors:Bucknell Sports Properties, The Daily Item, Press Enterprise, Seven Mountains Media, Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation, Standard Journal, Susquehanna Life, ViaMedia and Service Electric, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, WITF, WNEP-TV, WPSU, and WVIA. Geisinger and the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau are the lead sponsors of the Weis Center’s five family discovery performances.

Event sponsors include Backyard Broadcasting, Centre Daily Times, Children’s Museum of Bloomsburg, Coldwell Banker Penn One Real Estate, Doug and Mary Candland, Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, Julianna and John Cooper, Nancy and Sam Craig, Evangelical Community Hospital, the Exchange/Art Cart, Geisinger/SPARK, Bob and Dede Gronlund, iHeartRadio Williamsport, Lewisburg Children’s Museum, Clayton and David Lightman, National Geographic Live, News Item, PPL, Public Library for Union County, Priestley-Forsyth Memorial Library, Riverwoods, Gary and Sandy Sojka, Susquehanna Life, Karl Voss and Chanin Wendling family, and the Family of Janet Weis.

Grant funding for the season includes Arts Midwest, Center Stage a State Department initiative, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Tickets

The majority of Weis Center tickets range in price from $20 to $35 for adults, with discounts available for subscribers (5 or more events), senior citizens, college students, groups and youth.

Subscribers have priority seating until Monday, August 13 at noon.

Beginning on Friday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m., non-subscribers may order single tickets for any Weis Center season performance at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice or by calling 570-577-1000.

Tickets will also be available in-person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

The Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau’s Summer Heritage Passport continues this summer with thirteen area historical assets and heritage organizations participating. A new announcement came today that ALL trail-goers who complete the Summer Heritage Passport this year will receive a special commemorative patch, in addition to being entered to win one of the top 5 prize baskets. The round patches will be 3.75″ x 3.75″ and will feature a covered bridge along with the words “Heritage Passport 2018”.

The first ever Summer Heritage Passport takes participants on a journey through the history, culture, and stories of Columbia & Montour Counties and beyond. The program continues through Sunday, October 7th.  At each of the thirteen stops, passport holders will receive a sticker to place in their passport indicating their attendance at that location. Once 10 of the 13 locations have been visited, and stickers received, individuals may mail their completed passport to the CMVB Welcome Center to be entered in a prize drawing. The Grand Prize will feature $400 in gift cards to area restaurants. Four additional runner-up prizes will also be awarded, and will include more area gift cards, historical regional book collections, and items from several of the passport stops. The total value of all prizes is estimated at $1,000.

Each of the thirteen participating locations holds a unique experience for visitors, from Bill’s Old Bike Barn to the Knoebels Carousel Museum. The majority of the stops on the summer passport can be found in either Columbia or Montour Counties, but Ashland’s Pioneer Tunnel in Schuylkill County and the three Eagles Mere museums in Sullivan County are also included.  Other participants include the Boyd House, Catawissa Quaker Meeting House, Columbia County Historical & Genealogical Society, the International Harvester Collectors Museum, the Montgomery House, and the Mooresburg School.

There is no cost to participate in the event, but admission fees may apply at several of the locations.  To get started, travelers may pick up a free passport from any of the participating locations or at the Columbia Montour Welcome Center (121 Papermill Road, Bloomsburg).  All locations will be open during their normal posted hours. Please call or visit individual websites for complete hours of operation. For more information about the Summer Heritage Passport trail, please call 800-847-4810. The passport is the perfect educational summer event for groups, parents and their children, scouts, or just local history lovers.

DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE TODAY AND GET STARTED!

The 2018 Benton Frontier Days Celebration will kick off tomorrow, July 17th and run through the weekend (Sunday, July 22nd). The highlight of the week is the Benton Championship Rodeo, presented by the Benton Area Rodeo Association. The Benton Area Rodeo Association is a non-profit organization whose goal is to stimulate tourism to the Benton area to provide fundraising opportunities to local charities, service groups, fire companies, ambulance associations, scouts, and churches.

The Benton Rodeo is considered to be one of the best of the 65 rodeos east of the Mississippi River, as voted by the American Professional Rodeo Association. It draws cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country as well as Canada. Riders and performers come to the rodeo to show what they’ve got and to compete with the best of the best. Admission to the Rodeo grounds is FREE, parking is $2.00.  Primitive campsites are available for $5.00 per night. General Admission tickets to see the Championship Rodeo and events are $15.00 for adults, $12.00 for children age 4 to 12 and seniors over 65, $10.00 for active duty military, and FREE for children 3 and under. All shows will be presented rain or shine.

– Enjoy the Variety of Food –

Find hot dogs and hamburgers, soups and drinks, hot sausage sandwiches, halushki, and more at the main food stand. Pizza – plain or pepperoni at the pizza stand. Fresh cut french fries at the Benton Fire Company stand. Funnel cakes and corn dogs from the Benton Rodeo Association. There will be ice cream and roasted peanuts from the Benton Lions Club. Find thick milk shakes from the Benton Christian Church. Try the nachos at the Boy Scout Troop #51 stand or snow cones from the Benton FFA.

– 2018 Schedule of Events –

Tuesday, July 17
Fun Horse Show – 7:30 PM presented by Benton Rodeo Fun Show Group.
Entertainment: TBA

Wednesday, July 18
3D Barrel Racing – 7:30 PM Presented by Benton Rodeo Fun Show Group.
Entertainment: TBA

Thursday, July 19
APRA and IPRA Sanctioned Championship Rodeo – 7:30 PM
Entertainment: TBA

Friday, July 20
APRA and IPRA Sanctioned Championship Rodeo – 7:30 PM
Entertainment: TBA

Saturday, July 21
Leukemia/Lymphoma Cure walk/run- 8:00 AM
Special Kids Roundup – 10:00 AM A special event for Special Kids
APRA Sanctioned Championship Rodeo- 7:30 PM
Entertainment: TBA
Breakfast available 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Prepared by Zion United Church of Christ

Sunday, July 22
Cowboy Church – 10 AM – Non-Denominational Church Service – Everyone is welcome – featuring Rev. Jim & Jeremiah with special music by the Raven Creek Band and Kaili Hannon.
BULL-A-RAMA – 7:30 PM
Breakfast available 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Prepared by Zion United Church of Christ

– Directions and More Info –

To get to the Benton Rodeo, take State Route 487 into Benton. The Rodeo grounds are located by turning onto Mendenhall Lane on the northern end of town. The Rodeo grounds are at the end of the road on the left. Each year, the event continues to grow, so come be a part of this time-honored Benton tradition.  We look forward to seeing you at the festivities this year! For further details, please visit the Benton Rodeo’s website.

Next weekend, the Danville Heritage Festival will again take place throughout the town.  From Friday, July 20th until Sunday, July 22nd, enjoy a unique celebration of our region’s heritage.  The festival is centered around Hess Field and features living history demonstrations on Saturday, July 21st. There is also a 5K run, tennis tournament, historic bike tour (including a segment on the nation’s oldest rail trail surrounding Hess Field, circa 1890s), food vendors, live music, a parade (Friday evening), a classic car cruise in, a quoits tournament, and fireworks over the Susquehanna on Saturday evening.

Fireworks over the Susquehanna

Historical speakers hosted by Thomas Beaver Library include: George Geisinger; Dale Reiner on the islands of the Susquehanna; and Gene Shipe on the Franklin Iron Furnace. Musical performers include Pennsylvania State fiddle champion Megan McGarry, Danville Community Band, Zing Productions and Van Wagner. The weekend concludes July 22 at 6:30 p.m. with a traditional hymn sing in Montgomery Park.  For full details about the weekend events, and for specific times and further info, please visit the Danville Heritage Festival website.

FREE MODEL TRAIN DISPLAYS OPEN SATURDAY

The free Saturday Trains program, in its thirteenth year at Christ Memorial Episcopal Church at the corner of Pine and East Market streets in Danville has a very realistic sound and light show of fiber optic fireworks over its 22-foot-long model railroad display. The display will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon with dozens of trains, a model merry-go-round that children and adults can play with, a historic American Flyer ​layout, a working model sawmill, and 30 pushbuttons that activate the exhibit’s operating attractions. More than 1,000 icicle lights decorate the display.

Saturday, June 30th:

Lewisburg, Wolfe Field, Dusk, No Rain Date
Mifflinburg, Hidden Valley Camping Resort, 9:30 p.m., No Rain Date

Tuesday, July 3rd:

Hazleton, City View Park, Dusk, No Rain Date
Mountain Top, Wright Township Municipal Park, 9:30 p.m., Rain Date July 5th
Montgomery, Montgomery Park, Dusk, No Rain Date