by Terry Diener
The 2025 Danville Heritage Festival again takes center stage September 5th through September 7th. This year, the Festival joins forces with the 47th Fall Arts and Crafts Festival which will be held Saturday September 6th from 9 AM until 4 PM.
Montour County celebrates its 175th Anniversary with an event at Canal Park, 473 Mill St., Danville, at 5 PM on Friday evening, September 5th.
A preview of the Historical Cemetery Tours follows at Canal Park at 6:30 PM. Get a sneak peak of the tours scheduled on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Reenactors will share the stories of some of Danville’s residents over the past 250 years.
One of the popular events in years past has been the speaker’s series at the Thomas Beaver Free Library at 317 Ferry Street, Danville. Between 10 AM and 4 PM.
Over the years, Danville native and 1979 graduate John Mazich has gathered hundreds of historic photos of Danville and the Montour County area. People who have attended his presentations in previous years have enjoyed the look into the past.
John will share photos from 10 to 11 AM, and even ore historic photos from 11 AM until 12 Noon.
At 12 Noon, Mark Shifflet, a history teacher in the Danville School District will share “Holiday Traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch” All cultures celebrate the yearly cycle of seasons and mark the passing of time with different traditions and holidays. The Pennsylvania Dutch are no exception. The presentation will explore unique PA Dutch takes on the traditional Church Calendar and the different stages of the yearly farming rhythm of planting and harvesting. Well-known celebrations like Christmas and Groundhog Day will be explored as well as more obscure, but once popular celebrations like Whitmonday or Harvest Home.”
At 1 PM Montour County historian and author Terry Diener will return for another year. He has written several books on Montour County’s past. At 1 PM, he will present a power point presentation based on his latest book entitled More to Tell of a Storied Past: The Everyday Lives of Ordinary People in Montour County. Stories and photos will be shared.
At 2 PM, David Fowler will discuss the mining tools and techniques used by workers in the mines during the heyday of the iron industry in Montour County.
At 3 PM, Singer, songwriter, historian, teacher, and arborist Van Wagner will cap off the speaker series. Van will be sharing songs and stories about the Danville area, Montour Ridge, and the Susquehanna River. other key local aspects of our region will be celebrated using guitar and possibly other instruments.
The speaker series at the Thomas Beaver Free Library offers a variety of topics for those familiar with our local history, as well as those who want to learn more about the past, and Montour County’s impact not only in Pennsylvania, but extending throughout the United States.
For a full list of events and activities surrounding the 2025 Danville Heritage Festival, please visit the Danville Business Alliance’s website.