by Nancy Bishop

Even the Jolly Old Elf himself sometimes needs a helping hand to fill that sleigh!

And since 1985, people have been doing just that through the Brighter Christmas Fund started by the Press Enterprise that year. In an article in the paper Nov. 27,1985, then Executive Editor Carl E. Beck Jr. said, “Especially at this time of year we believe our readers would like to help someone less fortunate.”

To kick off the Fund, the Press Enterprise donated $1,000. The money was to be used to buy groceries, clothes, and toys for needy people whose stories would be printed without giving away their identity in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A committee was formed to make decisions about the donations. Then, as it still is, the committee is made up of community volunteers and social service agency representatives. And the newspaper still runs the stories of recipients in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Says current Press Enterprise Editor Pete Kendron, “To me, these folks from the region’s schools and social services who donate their time form the heart of the Brighter Christmas Fund.

“They reach out to all the people who apply and gather information on their income and expenses. During board meetings they scrutinize each application to make sure the applicants are being honest. We as a Board want to make sure that we honor the donors by ensuring their money goes to people truly in need.”

Recipients must live within the Press Enterprise coverage area. That’s all of Columbia and Montour counties, along with the areas of Luzerne County in Berwick Area and Northwest Area school districts and the areas of Northumberland County in the Danville Area and Southern Area school districts as well as Unityville in Lycoming County.

More than $2 million has been donated and given out since the fund started. This year alone, donations are near the $50,000 mark.

But Santa still needs more help!

How can you turn away from Jane and Sam, who opened their home this year to Sam’s sister’s children to give the three, who are ages 6, 4 and 2, a stable home after their mother, who struggles with drug and mental health issues, couldn’t take care of them. They ended up adopting the children, although the legal fees for that were more than $2,000. Then Sam ended up having health issues that required surgery and weeks off from his job. While he recovered, the bills piled up, leaving nothing for presents from Santa. Thanks to the Brighter Christmas Fund, Santa will visit the kids, who are thriving in their new home. (Like all Brighter Christmas Fund stories, the names and some details of this situation have been changed to protect the family’s identity.)

“It’s stories like these that really touch my heart,” says Kendron. “So many brothers, sisters and grandparents step in to raise their nieces, nephews or grandkids, even when they aren’t in the best financial situation themselves. We know the problems addictions have created in our communities, but it’s rarer that we hear about the people trying to solve those problems even at a financial cost to themselves.”

In 2019, the Brighter Christmas Fund became part of the Community Giving Foundation, rather than continuing as its own separate charity. The purpose of the charity remains the same, but everyone felt the professionals at the foundation could better handle the administrative side of things, Kendron says.

Donations are accepted year-round at csgiving.org/donate (Pick “Brighter Christmas Fund” from the list of charities.) Any money not given out this year will carry over to future years. It assists the Brighter Christmas Fund Board in handling the earliest requests, which often start just after Halloween. However, the goal is to give out as much as possible each year.

For 2023, the Brighter Christmas Fund Board officers are: President, Nancy Irons, Columbia-Montour Aging Office Inc., Bloomsburg; Vice President, April Miller, Columbia County Children and Youth Services, Bloomsburg; and Secretary, Lisa Brelsford, CCDP Head Start, Bloomsburg.

Board members are: Danielle Spaid, Danville Child Development Center, Danville; Pete Kendron, Press Enterprise, Bloomsburg; Betsy Hack, The Good Samaritan mission, Danville; Ashley Hackenberg, Danville Head Start, Danville; Jennifer Campbell and Gail Titus, Beyond Violence, Berwick; Tammy Feudale, Tacy Bigger and Lindsey Fish, Columbia County Assistance Office, Bloomsburg; April Thomas, CMSU Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Danville; Joan Mosier, Bloomsburg; Michelle Welsh Pace, Columbia County Family Centers, Bloomsburg; Faith Rierson, CCDP Head Start, Bloomsburg; Julie Sees (Middle School), Berwick Area School District, Berwick; Karen Heaps, AGAPE, Bloomsburg; Jennifer Flick, Central Columbia School District, Bloomsburg; Alicia Lindenmuth, Bloomsburg Salvation Army, Bloomsburg; Alyssa Scott and Autumn Hart, The Women’s Center Inc., Bloomsburg; Deidra Unger, Salvation Army – Berwick, Berwick; Karri Harter, Community Giving Foundation, Berwick; and Tammy Mrozek, Bloomsburg High School, Bloomsburg.

It’s not too late to give Santa a helping hand this year. Won’t you join me in helping?

Sales begin December 1st

Now in its tenth year, the annual “Cash & Carry” show at Bloomsburg’s Exchange Gallery opened on Monday, November 20th. This year, The Exchange gave away 500 panels for artists to make work on – 333 eight-inch squares, more than 130 seven-by-nine-inch rectangles, and more than 130 nine-inch triangles. After we gave them all away, artists could make their own panels out of any durable material (no bread or cheese, please), and the show opened with more than 500 pieces; by the third day, the total came to 530 – the largest “Cash & Carry” ever. (Work will continue to come in throughout the show: Why set a hard deadline when we don’t have to?)

Artists could work in any medium and could alter the panels too if they wish. The show includes acrylic, oil, and watercolor paintings; pastel and pencil drawings; collages; photographs; sculptures; fiber art; and various mixed media including pheasant feathers, LED lights, and cast iron, among many more materials. Most panels hang on the wall; some sit or stand.

One traditionally marks a tenth wedding anniversary with gifts made of tin and aluminum; in honor of the tenth year of “Cash & Carry”, we also encouraged artists to make ornaments out of recycled food and beverage cans, and we have more than two dozen of them hanging on a tree here for customers to choose among.

Most pieces sells for $30, with the artist receiving $24; many, including the ornaments, sell for $10, with the artist receiving $8. “These pieces make wonderful holiday gifts,” says Exchange executive director Oren B. Helbok, “and the very reasonable prices makes them accessible to everyone.”

As with all of the Gallery’s open-call shows, “Cash & Carry” welcomes participation by ALL artists, and this year’s show again has work by artists with decades of experience and by preschool children, and by everyone in between. More than 250 artists contributed work. They come from eight counties in central Pennsylvania, range in age from 3 to 70something, and include students at Bloomsburg High School, Central Columbia Middle School, St. Columba Catholic School, Liberty Valley Elementary School, Hazleton’s Valley Middle School, and Fern Hill School in Milton.

A group of people including volunteers hung the show, and “Cash & Carry X” FILLS the Gallery with beautiful, interesting, and joyful artwork. “It feels like Christmas in the Gallery every day this time of year,” Helbok says, “as more and more pieces arrive. Unless you have seen a ‘Cash & Carry’ show before, you have never seen anything like it.”

“Every year, more and more new artists get involved,” Helbok continues. “More than 800 artists have exhibited work in more than 80 Gallery shows since we opened here in 2014, but we plainly have come nowhere close to exhausting this region’s talent – and we plainly fill a real need for people who have never shown work publicly but very much want an opportunity to. Every year, I write checks to many first-time exhibitors, including school kids. Telling them ‘Your work has sold in a gallery’ has a very positive effect on the way that they think about their art. You really cannot measure the value of art by money, of course – but selling some doesn’t hurt.”

“Cash & Carry X” sales start at the show’s reception, which takes place on Friday, December 1st, and coincides with the “Coming Home For Christmas” event on the Square in downtown Bloomsburg. Beginning at 10 o’clock that morning, Gallery visitors may take numbers, and at 6 p.m. the person with number 1 may choose ONE piece to buy; if that person wants another piece, s/he must take another number and go to the back of the line. Then the person with number 2 gets to choose a piece, etc. “This process makes it fair,” says Helbok. “No one person gets to take ‘all of the good stuff’ – and it also makes for a lot of fun as buyers talk to each other about which pieces they want most and which they will aim for if their first choices sell.” After the first hour or so, buyers do not need to take numbers, and the Gallery will stay open that evening as long as it has interested customers. Sales will then continue throughout the run of the show, ending on December 29th.

The show’s name comes from its informal nature: Buyers take their pieces home with them as soon as they have paid for them. (In most Gallery exhibitions, work stays on the wall until the end of the show.) Contrary to the name, the Gallery accepts checks and charge cards too; we just like the way “Cash & Carry” sounds.

The Exchange Gallery, at 24 East Main Street in Bloomsburg, has regular hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays; hours vary slightly on Tuesdays through Thursdays. For more information about The Exchange, and its weekly hours, visit ExchangeArts.org or Facebook.com/ExchangeArtsDotOrg or call 570-317-2596.

BLOOMSBURG, PA – The 41^st annual Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, a popular area event organized each year by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, returns to the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds this week. The event kicks off this Thursday, October 5 and runs through Sunday, October 8.  With over 300 arts, crafts, and food vendors, it is one of the largest fall craft shows on the East Coast and has been regularly recognized by Sunshine Artist Magazine as one of the 200 Best Shows in the country.

This year, the festival will have a slight change in hours, with the event shifting ahead one hour each day as compared to prior years. This year’s hours are: Thursday thru Saturday from 9 AM – 5 PM; Sunday from 9 AM – 4 PM. The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival remains FREE parking and FREE admission each day.

Arts & crafts vendors will be set up inside in the Educational, Industrial, Arts & Crafts, and Agriculture buildings as well as the Quonset hut and outside between 3^rd and 11^th Streets and as far down as C Avenue. Food vendors will be set up throughout the outdoor portion of the event, along with several distilleries, a brewery, and wineries (wineries will be located in the Agriculture building). There will also be a weekend petting zoo and live fine arts demonstrations. The live fine arts demonstrations will take place throughout the four days in front of the historic barn. Artists will take shifts throughout each day to show attendees how they create their crafts. Examples include basket weaving, spinning yarn, broom-making, spurtle-making, functional pottery, wood-turning, illustrations, gourd art, and Lithuanian egg art.

Another new feature this year will be the return of live music to the festival, with three musical acts performing on Saturday, October 7 at the Fairgrounds bandshell. From 10:30 – 11:30 AM, the Dishonest Fiddlers, an emerging folk/bluegrass band from Pennsylvania’s coal region, will perform.  From Noon – 1 PM, the Hot Club of Scranton takes the stage. Hot Club of Scranton celebrates the swing music and hot jazz of the 1920’s through the 1940’s. They play the style of music made popular by Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman and other musicians of the swing era. And from 1:30 – 3:00 PM, Mike Mizwinski, better known simply as Mike Miz, will close out the day of performances. Mike Miz has had the privilege to open for acts like Jason Isbell, Jakob Dylan, Lukas Nelson, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks, America, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and more. He currently resides in Nashville, TN and is well-known for his soulful and energetic live performances.

All visitors to the festival will enter the Fairgrounds through the main gate (Gate 3) of the Fairgrounds off Route 11, or from the 5th Street side (Gate 6). Both will allow access into the main parking lot. Attendees will then enter the festival through Gate 3, which will be the only gate providing access to the event this year. A shuttle tram will provide service in the main parking lot to the entrance gate each day. Directly inside the main gate, there will also be wheelchair and scooter rentals available to those who wish to utilize the service.

The festival is critically important to the Visitors Bureau’s mission – to promote tourism in Columbia & Montour Counties. It is also vital for the continued prosperity of the region. In the most recent return-on-investment study that was done for the festival, it was determined that Direct Spending (what visitors buy/spend during the length of their stay) equaled more than $8.6 million. Overall Spending (including indirect and induced spending) totaled more than $14.2 million.

To learn more about this year’s Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, please click here.

Cozy up in Columbia & Montour Counties this fall with an especially sweet Wine & Spirits Trail, happening November 4th through 12th!

Celebrate the harvest season by visiting seven Central PA wineries and one distillery and enjoying wine/spirits tastings with special sweet treat pairings. Along the way, you’ll get your wine trail ticket authorized. Once you’ve visited each location, you’ll be eligible to win great prizes from the participating wineries.

Locations participating in this year’s Sweets & Spirits Trail:
𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀
 4378 Red Rock Road, Benton, PA 17814
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆
 130 Twin Church Road, Berwick, PA 18603
𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆
 204 Montour Boulevard, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
𝗞𝘂𝗹𝗽𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗹’ 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗻
 9 S Comstock Road, Benton, PA 17814
𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗼
 214 Tabernacle Road, New Columbia, PA 17856
𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆
 281 Welliversville Rd, Bloomsburg PA 17815
𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘆 – 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘁
 1 D & H Avenue, Danville, PA 17821
𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗼
 129 Hidlay Church Road, Bloomsburg, PA 17815

**NOTE** Hours will vary for each winery. The trail can be completed at any point from November 4-12 during each winery’s normal business hours. Please plan to call ahead or visit individual wineries’ websites for individual hours of operation as locations’ hours may change on short notice. No purchase necessary to win prizes; wine trail tickets are free. However, please note that wine tastings at each stop may have fees if you choose to indulge!

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔:
1. If you are interested in participating in the Sweets & Spirits Trail, simply proceed to one of the wineries of your choosing during the posted event dates (you may start at whichever one you’d like).
2. Pick up a free 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 wine pairing and have your ticket authorized in the assigned space for that particular winery.
5. Proceed to the rest of the wineries during their normal business hours and enjoy delectable wines and sweet treat 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 prizes. All participants who complete every stop on the trail will have a chance to win any of the prizes. Prizes will include a variety of winery gift baskets and gift cards as well as a grand prize basket that will feature bottles of wine from the participating locations.

Wine Trail Map/Brochure can be downloaded here  https://catalog.cmvb.com/view/227991608/

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
– Shade Mountain Winery: Mint Wine with Double Chocolate Chunk Mint Cookies
– Neighbor Lady Vino: Taste Like Fall Apple Spice Wine with Snickerdoodle Cookies
– Cardinal Hollow Winery at Winding Creek Shops: Apple fermented wine with Salted Carmel brownies.
– Purple Cow Winery: Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Crazy Heifer wine.
– Three Dogs Vino: Choice of white chocolate raspberry dip or caramel dip with crackers and wine pairings.
– Dead Man Walking Distillery: Peaches and Scream cocktail with Mozzarella/prosciutto peaches.
MORE PAIRINGS TBA

The Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau is excited to announce the arrival of its thirteenth annual Covered Bridge puzzle. The newest limited-edition puzzle showcases the Jud Christian Bridge in Columbia County. They are 550 pieces and were manufactured by Heritage Puzzle out of North Carolina. Limited quantities are currently available for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. Puzzles are sold for $18, tax included. A $2 donation from every puzzle sold will be made by the Bureau to the Columbia County Covered Bridge Association. They make a fantastic Christmas present idea for family or friends!

Puzzles may be purchased in person at the Visitors Bureau Welcome Center, located at 121 Papermill Road in Bloomsburg during normal business hours (Monday – Friday; 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM). Puzzles are also available to be shipped anywhere in the continental United States for an additional shipping charge. Mail orders may be placed by calling the Welcome Center at 570-784-8279.

This year’s puzzle photo was taken by Mark Koskulitz, who was honored earlier this year as the 2023 Covered Bridge photo contest winner. The Jud Christian Covered Bridge was built in 1876 by William L. Manning at a cost of $239. It is located five miles northeast of Millville and Iola on Ardens Hill Road, off Sereno Hollow Road. It spans Little Fishing Creek between Jackson and Pine Townships, in Columbia County. This Queen Post truss bridge is 53 feet long and in near-perfect condition. The bridge is still open to vehicular thru-traffic. It was named after a farmer and lumberman, Jud Christian, who lived nearby. The farm’s old mill still stands a short distance from the bridge on private property.

If not already sold out, the 2023 Jud Christian puzzle can also be purchased at this year’s 41st Annual Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, held this coming October 5-8 at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.

by Nancy Bishop

Grab your Passport and hit the trail…the River Rat Brew Trail that is. You still have until Oct. 31 to visit the excellent craft breweries in this area and earn rewards!

It’s been a busy summer for me, with my U.S. passport getting stamped in Italy and Ireland, so by the time things slowed down, it definitely was time to hit the River Rat Brew Trail to get that passport stamped. And believe me, it’s worth visiting the RRBT brewers – their beers outshine anything my family and I had during our overseas trip. Even my beer trail friend who has visited Dublin and been to the Guinness Factory enjoyed the Lightstreet Porter at Turkey Hill Brewing, saying “I love it!”

First up on my passport run this time was Marzoni’s in Selinsgrove. On that late August day, my beer trail companion Roger followed the recommendations of Kaile, the bartender, for the four beers in his beer flight. She suggested their Locke Mountain Lager, Patchway Pale Ale, Avalanche IPA and Stone Mason Stout. His favorite seemed to be the Avalanche IPA, which Kaile told us was one of their most popular IPAs. It was lunchtime, so we also had to sample their delicious food. A pizza lover, Roger – of course – chose their “Butcher” pizza, described on the menu as a meatlover’s dream.

When my usual RRBT traveling companions Sally, Joanne and Maryann heard I had taken Roger to visit Marzoni’s, they wanted to know when we were going to go back on the Trail. So we headed out. First up was Old Forge Brewing Company on Mill Street in Danville. Wanting to pace themselves since we planned to make other stops after Old Forge, they decided to share the beer flight: 5-ounce glasses of eight different Old Forge brews that were on tap that day.

Their choices were Rauchbier, Hopstash IPA, Endless Sun Ale, Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, T-Rail Pale Ale, Overbite IPA, Blood Orange Gose, Eternal Hoppiness. After tasting them all, Sally and Joanne liked the T-Rail Pale best while Maryann, who likes darker more full-bodied beer, said her favorite was the Rauchbier, which is described on the menu as “a traditional German smoked Lager with assertive smoke aroma.”

Living up to its name, they all found the Endless Sun Ale to be light and refreshing. “This would be nice sitting around the pool in the summer,” was their verdict.

For a snack to soak up the beer, they chose the soft pretzel from the appetizer list and loved the beer cheese to dip it in. With a nod to healthy, we also had the hummus platter from the appetizer menu. The house-made hummus was delicious!

Next stop, located nearby on Rooney Avenue, the next street over from Mill Street in Danville, was Rock God Brewing Company. From their beer list, my companions chose Horse with No Name Horseradish Ale, Stonehenge Festbier Oktoberfest, Superbeeroes Hazy IPA, Bohemian Rhapsody, Everlong IPA and Foxy Lady American Porter.

All three of them were intrigued by Horse with No Name, saying “You can taste the horseradish, but it’s light – not too heavy a horseradish taste. “ But their favorite was the Foxy Lady American Porter, described on the beer list as “dark and roasty with just enough bitterness to balance out the sweetness.” Coming in as a close second on their favorites list was Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a golden Belgian strong ale that’s aged in a rye whiskey barrel, giving it a mild whiskey flavor.

From there we headed over to Bloomsburg to Turkey Hill Brewing Company. There Maryann chose the Lightstreet Porter that she loved. She liked that you could taste the chocolate in it. It’s described on the menu as “an English-style porter with chocolate malt and a smooth creamy body.” The others switched to the Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay that was on Turkey Hill’s wine list since it was now dinnertime and they were having the Wild for Salmon Wrap while Maryann chose the Ham & Cheese Quesadilla – Ham, Swiss, diced pickle and spicy house mustard in a crispy flour tortilla.

Hungry and thirsty now? Then it’s time to order your River Rat Brew Trail Passport and get out there to enjoy. We certainly had a great time!