BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – BTE is pleased to announce an audition date for this summer’s ‘Dragons Love Tacos.’ Auditions for children and teens ages 8 to 18 will be held on April 15th at the Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center Street, Bloomsburg. The doors will open at 9:30 am, and auditions begin at 10:00 am. ‘Dragons Love Tacos’ is a playful and funny family show. BTE is looking for two casts of community kids for a variety of roles. Everyone auditioning must prepare a 30-second funny pantomime of any activity of their choosing. Make the actions and choices very clear—the bigger,…

The Weis Center for the Performing Arts will present two Family Discovery performances in March: The Griegol by Trick of the Light Theatre on Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. which is ideal for ages 10+ and Divi Roxx Kids on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. which is ideal for all ages. Both performances will take place in the Concert Hall. ABOUT THE GRIEGOLTuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. The Griegol performance is sponsored, in part, by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and Adriana Rojas and family in memory of Andrew. The Exchange’s Art Cart will offer free all-ages activities…

On Wednesday, February 22nd, The Exchange in Bloomsburg will feature Four Great Guitarists at their monthly Listening Room, beginning at 7:00 pm. Inspired by the Chester & Lester (Chet Atkins and Les Paul) jam session from 1976, which won a Grammy award, Four Great Guitarists will bring together four musicians from a variety of genres who have never played together for an evening of picking and strumming. Spanning several generations, the musicians include Jesse Loewy from Havertown, Pennsylvania; Gabe Stillman from Williamsport; Stew Cutler from Woodstock, New York; and Don Waller from Long Island, N.Y. There is a suggested donation…

Press Release from PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Harrisburg, PA — The North Branch of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania has been selected by a public vote as the state’s 2023 River of the Year, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn and Janet Sweeney of the Pennsylvania Organization for Waterways and Rivers (POWR) announced today. “Through planned River of the Year celebrations, public awareness of the value of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River will be increased and major initiatives along this section of the river will be underscored,” Dunn said. “Economic…

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿! Enjoy a sweet journey through the wineries of Columbia & Montour Counties this Valentine’s season with that special someone, or with your go-to group of friends! From February 10-19, visit seven participating area wineries and enjoy special wine & chocolate features for a chance to win wine-themed prize baskets. From Friday, February 10th through Sunday, February 19th, trail-goers can travel from winery to winery, tasting delicious seasonal wine features. Along the way, participants will be able to get their tickets stamped at each location. Trail-goers who visit every participating winery will be entered to win…

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Generally in professional theatre, actors, directors, and production staff spend more than six weeks preparing for a show. BTE’s next show throws all that out the window with White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. Each night will feature a different professional actor being handed a sealed envelope containing the unseen script. From there, anything can happen! The show teeters between comedy and drama, and is not particularly political. Bravely taking the stage will be BTE’s Education Director Abigail Leffler and Resident Acting Company member Elizabeth Dowd, last seen as the narrators in this season’s…

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER NORTH BRANCH! Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the public is invited to again vote online for the 2023 Pennsylvania River of the Year, choosing from among four waterways nominated throughout the state. The Conestoga River, Perkiomen Creek, Schuylkill River, and Susquehanna River—North Branch are the nominations for the 2023 River of the Year. Nominations were based on each waterway’s conservation needs and successes, as well as celebration plans if the nominee is voted 2023 River of the Year. Dating back well over 300 million years,…

by Nancy Bishop Like most people just graduating from college, Jordan Franklin needed to find a job in 2013 to pay the bills. So, he went to work remodeling stores for a large national chain. It was good work. He got to travel, and he made money. But his first passion was art. After all, his bachelor’s degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh was in Video Game Art and Design. As a kid, he loved art and gaming. And he was a big fan of the late Frank Frazetta, often called the “Godfather of fantasy art,” who lived for…

November 24, 2022 – December 4, 2022 The Holiday Season Kicks off! The holidays are a great time of year to spend time with friends and family. If your Thanksgiving travels bring you into Columbia & Montour Counties in the next few weeks, there are plenty of great events and area activities planned that will provide fun for the whole family, beginning Thanksgiving morning with this year’s Run for the Diamonds marathon. After Thanksgiving, the Christmas festivities begin in earnest, including the renowned 76th annual Berwick Christmas Boulevard. Thursday, November 24th – Thanksgiving Day Berwick’s 113th Annual “Run for the…

November, 2022 BLOOMSBURG, PA – Beginning November 25th, more than eighty Christmas trees decorated by community groups, families, and local businesses will be displayed during the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble’s annual TreeFest! Visitors can enjoy the dazzling trees and festive activities in the beautiful Caldwell Consistory at 150 Market Street. During this annual holiday event, locally grown trees, many of which are donated, are sponsored by businesses and patrons and decorated by community groups. Gift cards, toys, food, and clothing are also often gifted. At the end of the event, local families in need will take home a tree with lights…

Revised for October, 2022 There’s a cold wind blowing in from the west, the leaves are changing, jack-o-lanterns are being carved, and ghouls are lurking around every corner…Halloween is coming. To help you carry out your spooky plans, we’re sharing a list of upcoming eerie events, ghostly gatherings, and haunted happenings in Columbia & Montour counties. Plus, you’ll find trick-or-treat times for various local towns, boroughs, and communities. Happy haunting! Thanks to the Press Enterprise for the compiled Trick-or-Treat & Trunk-or-Treat times. October 21 ELYSBURG: Knoebels Hallo-Fun Weekends at the Park, 6-10 PM.CATAWISSA: Flashlight Nights in the Corn Maze at…

Article by Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Staff As the dog days of summer fade and the season shifts to crisper cooler weather, the verdant greens of the Susquehanna Greenway also transform to the colorful spectrum of fall. This phenomenon makes it a wonderful time of year to explore the outdoors of our region, but why do leaves changes color in autumn anyway? Why do some keep their foliage while others shed their leaves? What makes them red, orange, or yellow? How do we know if it’s going to be a colorful year? While you’ve been unpacking those sweaters and scarves, we’ve…

by Nancy Bishop Yes! These certainly aren’t the gumballs of my childhood where a nickel or dime would get you a prize if you were lucky or gum, which was even ok, at Gourlie’s, the corner store not far from my elementary school. These gumballs each hold a piece of art from one of more than 35 artists who submitted their work to The Exchange in Bloomsburg – 49 different pieces in all. From now until mid-November, you can buy a gumball for 50 cents from 26 vending machines located throughout four counties. Called SITEexchange, artwork in the project captures…

October, 2022 It’s the spookiest time of year but a visit to the wineries of Columbia & Montour Counties will be so sweet! This Halloween season, visit area wineries and enjoy wine tastings with special Halloween candy pairings. From October 22-30, visit a total of eight participating wineries on a special Wine & Witches Halloween Trail and get your wine trail ticket authorized. Once you’ve visited each location, you’ll be eligible to win one of eight $25 gift cards (one from each participating winery) as well as a Grand Prize bundle of gift cards. This year’s grand prize will feature:…

Original article by Nancy Bishop; revised by CMVB Staff for publication in September, 2022 If you love country fairs, you don’t want to miss the Bloomsburg Fair, which opens with Preview Day Friday, Sept. 23rd, and runs through Saturday, October 1st. Since the first Fair in 1855, devoted fair-goers have flocked to the Fairgrounds on Rt. 11 in Bloomsburg the third Saturday after Labor Day — always the official beginning of Fair Week. Walk into the Fair, which is the largest fair in Pennsylvania with more than 1,000 vendors in addition to all kinds of exhibits, and it’s hard to…

September, 2022 BLOOMSBURG –The Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau is excited to announce the arrival of its twelfth annual Covered Bridge puzzle. The newest limited-edition puzzle depicts a fall scene at the Parr’s Mill Bridge in Columbia County. Limited quantities remain available for the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. Puzzles are sold for $15, tax included.  A $2 donation from every puzzle sold will be made by the Bureau to the Columbia County Covered Bridge Association. Puzzles may be purchased at the Visitors Bureau Welcome Center, located at 121 Papermill Road in Bloomsburg during normal business hours (Monday – Friday;…

NOTICE: MONTOUR PRESERVE TRAIL AND PAVILION CLOSURES TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 The Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) on Wednesday, August 17, will post temporary closures of portions of several trails and one pavilion at the Montour Preserve. These temporary closures are being made to protect visitor safety while Talen Energy and its subsidiaries continue the construction of a new natural gas pipeline to supply the Montour Steam Electric Station.  Closures are expected to last several weeks and will be lifted when conditions are safe to again allow use. These closures will affect the following locations: Goose Woods Trail (partial)Wildlife…

The Weis Center’s 35th Anniversary season will kick-off on Friday, August 26 at 6 p.m. with a free concert by global fusion/brass band Red Baraat on the Weis Center Plaza. The rain location is the Weis Center Concert Hall. Tickets are not required. Patrons are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets. The Exchange’s Art Cart will be on site from 5:30-7 p.m. with special all-ages activities. National Public Radio (NPR) called them “The best party band in years.” Red Baraat is a pioneering band from Brooklyn, N.Y. Conceived by dhol player Sunny Jain, the group has drawn worldwide praise…

Community Bulletin, by Alex Dubil Be a part of a community attempt to revitalize this forgotten piece of history where the people that built Bloomsburg rest. I ask the residents of Bloomsburg, descendants of those buried in Old Rosemont and those beyond Bloomsburg, if so inclined to join me to revitalize this asset.  Yes that is right, asset.  Not only do cemeteries serve as a link to our past, but they can be genealogical wonders even in the digital age.  They can be settings for town events, Halloween events.  Some tourists seek them out.  Our ancestors deserve better than the…

August, 2022 Dedicated to bringing the arts to all communities throughout our region, The Exchange again presents Columbia County’s biggest one-day outdoor art-and-music event of the year.The 14th annual ArtFest will take place on Saturday, August 20th from 10 AM to 5 PM, in its convenient and attractive location on the Square in downtown Bloomsburg, surrounding the fountain and up Market Street. ArtFest showcases more than 40 artists’ original work, accompanied by seven hours of live music, local and regional food vendors, and fun and educational activities for people of all ages. A summertime art party, ArtFest draws attendees from…

Grab your phone or your camera and submit your best shot in the 11th Annual Susquehanna Greenway Photo Contest: Treasured Towns and Landscapes of the Susquehanna. This free-to-enter photo contest offers individuals of all ages and ability levels the opportunity to go outside, explore, and capture—via photography—the many landscapes, resources, and towns along the Susquehanna Greenway.  Cash Prizes will be awarded to the first through third place winners within each category: River Towns, Landscapes, Susquehanna Adventures, and Wildlife. Winning images will also be printed, framed, and added to a traveling gallery to be exhibited throughout the Susquehanna region within Pennsylvania, including the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg.  “SGP seeks…

Contact: Oren B. Helbok, 570-317-2596, Exchange@ExchangeArts.org What place in our region means the most to you?  One of our state parks?  Your special place along the Susquehanna River or deep in the woods?  A public historic site?  Where you had your first kiss? We want YOU to participate in SITEexchange, a public art project conceived by artist Cindi Hron and produced by The Exchange to engage artists in the Central Pennsylvania region.  We want you to observe and record, through artistic means, a site within the region – a particular place, of each artist’s choosing, that exists in relationship to…

by Nancy Bishop Finally, after what seemed like an endless winter, it looked like Spring. Since my friends were anxious for an outdoor adventure, off we headed to Barakah Heritage Farm near Benton. Although the farm offers a variety of great tours and educational experiences, as soon as Joanne from our little group heard that you could get up close and personal with goats, she made it very clear that was the farm experience that we were choosing! In Arabic, “barakah” means blessing. And Barakah Heritage Farm certainly is a blessing. As Carrie Eastman (who owns the business with husband…