BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Plays and literature about Faustian bargains of selling one’s soul are as old as time, but in Jen Silverman’s ‘Witch’ the script is turned on its head by the clever Elizabeth, the village outcast who many already believe is a witch. The forces of power, gender, succession, and more drive the play that StageScene LA called “devilishly clever, deliciously laugh-packed, decidedly dark.”

BTE’s ‘Witch’ is helmed by director and resident acting company member Amy Rene Byrne in her mainstage directing debut. The resident acting company members Elizabeth Dowd, Eric Wunsch, and Andrew Hubatsek are joined by guest artists Kimie Muroya and Dre’Land Goar, as well as membership candidate Aaron White.

The performances begin March 31st and run through April 16th at 7:30pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Season tickets and subscription packages can be purchased by calling the BTE Box Office at 570-784-8181. Single tickets are on sale now at the Box Office and online at www.bte.org. Some COVID protocols are in place at the theatre, please see our website for details.

Special ‘Pay What You Decide’ performances will be held on Thursday, March 31st, Friday, April 1st, and Saturday, April 2nd. Reserve your seat for free and choose your own price after the show. All single ticket income from the April 8th 7:30pm show will benefit relief efforts in Ukraine.

School matinees are available for high school students on April 5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th. Matinees begin at 10:00 am and ticket prices are $9.50 per individual. For booking information, contact BTE’s School Programs Director, Paula Henry at 570-458-4075 or email phenry@bte.org.

Founded in 1978 as an artist-driven, community-based resident ensemble, BTE creates innovative work with local and national impact. Today, BTE produces a lively mix of classic and contemporary plays as well as original theatre education programs for all ages. For more information about upcoming shows and programs, please visit bte.org.

Popular photo contest opens for submissions on April 1st, 2022.

Each year, the Visitors Bureau holds a photo contest to produce a 550-piece puzzle featuring one of the area covered bridges. Limited-edition puzzles have been produced the past eleven years and have featured the East & West Paden bridges (multiple times), the Knoebels Bridge, Keefer Mills Bridge, Esther Furnace Bridge, Stillwater Bridge, Josiah Hess Bridge, Rupert Bridge, Kramer Bridge, a special Twin Bridges 10th Anniversary Puzzle, and most recently, the Wanich Bridge.  The 2022 edition of the puzzle will be released this fall, and will be based on the winner of this year’s photo contest.

– 2022 PHOTO CONTEST – 

The Visitors Bureau’s 2022 Covered Bridge Photo Contest runs from April 1st – May 31st!

How to Enter:

1. Email your photos to skiefer@cmvb.com within the dates above. MUST INCLUDE photographer’s name & name of bridge in the photo’s title (Example: RupertBridge_Joe Smith_2022.jpg)
2. OR post your photo on Instagram using #CMVBPuzzle2022. MUST INCLUDE: Photographer’s name & Bridge featured. If selected as a finalist, you will be contacted for a high quality version of your Instagram submission.

Rules and Regulations:

1. Entry to the contest is FREE.
2. All photos must be of bridges located within Columbia or Montour County. For a map/list of the bridges, please click here.
3. 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 2022 puzzle and in future marketing efforts for the contest and for the counties.
4. All photos must be high-resolution (at least 1500 pixels on shortest side).
5. A max of four photos per person will be accepted.
6. Photos may be from any season and do NOT necessarily have to have been taken in 2022.

The top overall photo will be selected by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau to be featured as the 2022 Covered Bridge Puzzle. The winning photographer will have their name and a short bio published on the puzzle box. The winner will also receive a free puzzle and will be announced to local press outlets.

– 2021 Covered Bridge Contest Winner –

Mexican-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Sonia De Los Santos will perform on Saturday, April 2 at 1 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. The performance is suggested for ages 4+.

There will be free all-ages kids’ activities sponsored by the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum from 12-1 p.m. in the Atrium.

The performance is sponsored, in part, by the Press Enterprise, Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau, and the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum.

This engagement of Sonia De Los Santos is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sonia De Los Santos was born with a smile on her face (that’s what her mom says) in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2007 she started touring the world, singing in English and Spanish, playing guitar and jarana, and lighting up the stage with the Grammy Award-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. 

In 2015 she released her first solo family-music album, Mi Viaje: De Nuevo León to the New York Island (Parents’ Choice Foundation Gold Award Winner), a collection of songs that reflect her experiences growing up in Mexico, moving to another country, learning about other cultures and, in the process, feeling closer to her own heritage. 

De Los Santos was nominated for a 2019 Latin Grammy with her second family-music album, ¡Alegría!, and has been hailed by Billboard as “one of the Latin children’s music artists you should know” and Best Latin Children’s Music. She has performed with her band in renowned venues and festivals such as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Getty Museum, Smithsonian Folklife Festival and many more.

In 2020, De Los Santos launched En Casa con Sonia, an online musical series recorded from her home, and in 2021, she debuted ¿Qué Pasa, Sonia?, a new radio segment featuring some of her favorite songs at Sirius XM’s Kids Place Live.

De Los Santos is getting ready to release her third album, Esperanza, a bilingual collection of songs that explore hope; looking back at individuals’ journeys, cherishing their cities and homes, being grateful for one another, dreaming of a better future, marveling at nature and finding the light within each person.

Tickets

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and under. Bucknell students are free. No discounts may be applied. 

Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.

Seating for the spring 2022 season is socially distanced and general admission; specific seats cannot be reserved. Masks are required.

Tickets are also 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.).

While on campus, patrons must abide by all Bucknell University health and safety guidelines, including maintaining social distancing and wearing appropriate face coverings, if still being implemented.

These protocols may be subject to change at any time. Please continue to visit our website for the most up-to-date information at Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter.

For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at lisa.leighton@bucknell.edu.

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.

BLOOMSBURG — Feb. 3^rd, 2022 — The Renaissance Jamboree festival returns Saturday, April 30^th with a new name, Renaissance Jamboree: Detoured to the River, in honor of its 2022 location in Bloomsburg adjacent to the Susquehanna River on Fort McClure Boulevard.

For over 40 years, residents from all over Northeast PA have gathered and celebrated Spring’s return at the annual Renaissance Jamboree in Bloomsburg. The festival, previously held along Main Street, is moving for this year after the East Street paving project made its usual location unavailable.  “After cancelling the festival in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, the committee felt it was important to engineer its return in 2022.  With Main Street out of the picture due to the East Street paving project, we began looking at alternative locations.  This stretch of Fort McClure Boulevard met our criteria and more – plenty of room for vendor booths, scenic location next to the Susquehanna River and nearby parking.  When John Berger of the Farm in Bloom generously offered his event barn and fields to the festival, we knew we could host a successful event on Fort McClure,” said Cindy Schultz, Renaissance Jamboree committee co-chair.

The Farm in Bloom opened up new opportunities such as having a central location for all children’s activities and a bigger footprint for the music stage.  Highlights include pony rides, inflatable slides, a magician, and some of the area’s favorite local bands.

Festival goers can still expect for the Festival to boast more than 100 arts/crafts vendors and regional non-profit organization booths alongside live music, dance, and special performances. Additionally, food trucks will donate a portion of their sales to local non-profit partners.

Parking will be at the Streater Field parking lot or the west end Bloomsburg Fairgrounds parking lots with a shuttle bus to Fort McClure Boulevard. Visit www.downtownbloomsburg.org for more information on the new location and a complete schedule of entertainment and vendors.

The annual Renaissance Jamboree is the largest event co-sponsored by Downtown Bloomsburg Inc., the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Bloomsburg University, Program Board of Bloomsburg University, the Town of Bloomsburg, and the Renaissance Jamboree Committee.

2022 Renaissance Jamboree Details:
April 30^th, 2022   
10 am – 5 pm
Fort McClure Blvd., adjacent to Susquehanna River and down from Bloomsburg Park
Bloomsburg, PA 17815

Have you always wanted to learn to play an instrument but thought you were too unmusical to learn?
Join Mary Knysh in this innovative approach to learning to play ukulele that is designed to teach you in the
way that brain researchers say we learn best: through rhythm, movement, and creative play.

“Ukulele Alive!” is a three-session, whole-brain-learning course designed to make learning to play the ukulele
fun, accessible and easy for ALL AGES. You will learn ukulele basics, strumming techniques, rhythmic skills,
easy chords, and accessible songs.

“Ukulele Alive!” is being offered Virtual via ZOOM on Tuesdays, beginning February 15th, and in-person at
The Exchange at 24 East Main Street in Bloomsburg on Thursdays, beginning February 17th. All sessions
begin at 6:30 and run until 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Each course includes three one-hour sessions, a lesson booklet, and play-along practice tracks.

The fee for the virtual class is $40 with the Early-Bird Discount, valid thru February 10th; for the in-person
class, $45. After February 10th, add $5 to each.

If you don’t already have an ukulele, they can be purchased for under $100.00.

For more information about the course, buying an ukulele, and registering, please visit Mary’s website at Music4Wellness.com/ukulele-alive

For more information about The Exchange, visit ExchangeArts.org or Facebook.com/ExchangeArtsDotOrg or call 570-317-2596.

The Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) is pleased to announce the release of a new map and web page dedicated to the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed, available on MARC’s website (also embedded at the end of this article).

Blessed with abundant natural resources and more than 300 years of recorded settlement history, the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed is rich in history and resources alike.  Encompassing an area of approximately 112 square miles in Montour, Northumberland, Columbia, and Lycoming Counties, the watershed includes more than 200 miles of waterways, including approximately 17.5 miles of the Chillisquaque Creek, from Washingtonville Borough to the creek’s confluence with the West Branch Susquehanna River, navigable by small watercraft during much of the year.

Numerous organizations – including the Montour County Conservation District, Chillisquaque-Limestone Watershed Association, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucknell University, Washingtonville Revitalization Committee, and MARC – have been working to rehabilitate, protect, and promote the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed.

MARC recognizes the tremendous potential of the Chillisquaque Creek and the roadways, landscapes, and rural communities within the watershed and is working to promote the cultural and recreational opportunities available in the area.  With funding support by the Community Giving Foundation’s 2021 Danville Youth in Philanthropy program and the Montour County Commissioners’ Tourism Fund, administered by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, MARC has been working to identify, map, and promote the many resources within the watershed. 

MARC is pleased to release the new Chillisquaque Creek Watershed map and web page, intended to familiarize residents and visitors alike with the many natural and cultural points of interest throughout the watershed and to better allow all to understand the interrelatedness of the watershed’s many features.  MARC thanks the following contributors for their significant support of this project: Tyler Dombroski – Mayor, Washingtonville Borough; Kit Kelley – Washingtonville Revitalization Committee; and Van Wagner – local environmental educator.

In the coming weeks and months, MARC will be releasing new brochures and mapping of bicycling routes in and around the Chillisquaque Creek watershed and a new paddlers’ map and brochure for the Chillisquaque Creek.  In partnership with the Washingtonville Revitalization Committee and other partners, MARC plans to host a stream cleanup event and a paddling event on the Chillisquaque Creek in 2022 and is working to develop new public access locations along the stream.

MARC thanks the many individuals and organizations working toward a bright future for the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed and the Montour County region.  The combined efforts make Montour County an increasingly great place to live, work, learn, and play.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn recently announced the public voting for Pennsylvania River of the Year, with four waterways nominated throughout the state.

“The value of our waterways has shined brighter than ever during this pandemic as people have visited Pennsylvania’s river and streams in unprecedented numbers seeking the natural refuge they supply,” Dunn said. “This annual competition is so much more than a popularity contest. All of our rivers and streams have truly unique attributes, offer incredible recreational opportunities, and offer significant boosts to local economies. This competition shares those wonderful attributes and helps build community support around our rivers and streams, showing just how much they have to offer to the public.”

One of the nominees is the Catawissa Creek, part of which flows through Columbia County. The Catawissa Creek, Connoquenessing Creek, French Creek, and the Monongahela River are the four nominees for the 2022 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 2022 River of the Year.

In cooperation with DCNR, selection of public voting choices is overseen by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR). Dunn noted that the online public selection process continues to be increasingly popular as it enters its twelfth year.

The public can vote for a favorite state waterway now through 5:00 PM Friday, January 14, 2022. The POWR website enables voting and offers details on nominated waterways and the River of the Year program.

POWR, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, administers the River of the Year program with funding from DCNR. Presented annually since 1983, this year’s 2021 designation was awarded to the Shenango River.

After a waterway is chosen for the annual honor, local groups implement a year-round slate of activities and events to celebrate the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn. The organization nominating the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership grant from DCNR to help fund River of the Year activities.

POWR and DCNR also work with local organizations to create a free, commemorative poster celebrating the River of the Year.

The River of the Year sojourn is among many paddling trips supported each year by DCNR and POWR. An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the state’s rivers. The water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers. For more information about the sojourns, visit www.pawatersheds.org.

More About Catawissa Creek

Catawissa Creek is an incredibly beautiful, 41-mile tributary of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River that flows through three counties: Luzerne, Schuylkill and Columbia. Unfortunately, the creek’s aquatic ecosystem has been seriously damaged by a history of abandoned mine drainage issues connected to five mine tunnel discharges. This creates an environmental hurdle for the Catawissa to reach its full potential as a world-class cold-water fishery.

The creek’s potential is enhanced by a network of natural riparian buffers and ideal stream bed structure that is ready to support a wide diversity of aquatic organisms. River the Year designation would help raise the awareness (both public and political) needed to accomplish the final leg of treatment the creek needs to complete its success story. The example would provide a valuable blueprint about how persistence along with inter-agency/association collaboration can spark realistic and lasting change in waterways impacted by abandoned mine drainage. River the Year designation would also benefit the emerging coalition between the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA), Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR), Catawissa Creek Restoration Association (CCRA), conservation districts in Columbia and Schuylkill counties, and other groups as they work to engage and empower nearby communities in working together to improve stream quality and recreational opportunities. Additionally, it would help to recharge the local creek restoration association with a new generation of local volunteers ready to correct and protect Catawissa Creek moving forward.

Vote HERE for the Catawissa Creek as the 2022 River of the Year!

by Nancy Bishop

The year was 1946. World War II was over, the Allies helped to victory by the Stuart tanks manufactured in Berwick at American Car & Foundry. The men and women who had served in the Armed Forces had come home. There was much to celebrate.

That year Maynard Johnson, publisher of the Berwick Enterprise newspaper and a founder of the Junior Chamber of Commerce – the Jaycees — was approached by Arthur Wark, a sportswriter, who proposed a larger display than the traditional plots Berwick had always decorated in front of the First Presbyterian Church and the YMCA. And so the first Avenue of Light display happened with trees set up along old railroad tracks in nearby Nescopeck to celebrate the holidays and honor the returning soldiers and those who had served at home, working at AC&F and other area businesses to support the war effort.

But bigger things were to come. On December 5, 1947, what is known today as “Christmas Boulevard” along Market Street in Berwick was lit up for the first time. Plots of grass in the middle of 16 blocks of Market Street were assigned to veterans’ groups, churches, clubs and local industries to decorate in a “religious or fairy tale theme.”

Johnson would sketch out most of the plots himself on graph paper. Basic ideas came from Christmas cards, or photos in magazines. Measurements and material lists and colors were then given to the various groups assigned to each of the plots. The displays were built with wood, heavy sheets of plastic, wire netting and fabric.

Initially the displays were built in borrowed garages or other buildings. But in 1955, the Jaycees constructed their own building to use as Boulevard Headquarters with space to construct the displays.

Over the years, moving figures were added, including many from renowned New York City animation artist David Hamberger. Dozens of Hamberger’s vintage mechanical figurines dating back to the 1940s have been acquired over the years. Community members constructed tiny houses and buildings to display the Hamberger figurines.

Each year, there’s a theme for the displays. For example, the 2010 theme was “The Classics of Christmas.” For the 75th anniversary this year, the displays will honor veterans.

Driving down the mile-long boulevard is free, and Santa and his helpers give each car a bag of potato chips donated by Berwick’s Wise Foods. In 1947 Gene Harvey was Santa to help open the Christmas Boulevard.  He continued to play Santa at the Boulevard for its first 36 years. The 1984 Boulevard was dedicated to him, and a permanent memorial was placed in his honor.

But It’s a labor-intensive process to put on the Boulevard each year. Since the figurines are used year after year, they tend to get faded and worn, so among other tasks the Jaycees washed and painted them each year to make them look brand new. 

And putting on an event like the Boulevard isn’t cheap. The electric bill alone is in the thousands of dollars for the lights that adorn more than 300 trees and the spotlights for the displays. Since there’s no admission fee, all the money comes from donations, business sponsorships, and fundraising events. 

By 2014, after 68 years, the Jaycees membership and their loyal volunteers were dwindling and it looked like the Christmas Boulevard tradition would end. 

But the Berwick community wasn’t going to let that happen. That Fall the Berwick Boulevard Association formed, and in six weeks managed to get the 2014 display up and running.

Operating out of the aptly named “Jingle Hall” on 11th Street in Berwick, the Boulevard Association has been putting on the Christmas Boulevard ever since. Says Berwick Boulevard Association President Michael Monico Jr., “It’s a year-long process. Our volunteers take down the displays on New Year’s Day. They get about a month off and then it’s back to planning the next Boulevard and cleaning and refurbishing all the displays.”

It’s a talented group of volunteers that I had the opportunity to meet and talk with at Jingle Hall recently. It was a working night for the group. In the basement of Jingle Hall there’s a workshop that would make Santa proud. There’s a storage room for the mannequins and other figurines, a room dedicated to fixing the mechanical figurines and an art room where displays are repainted and new ones created.

This year’s military display will have a World War II theme in keeping with the 75th anniversary. There’s going to be a USO lady as well as figures dressed in World War II uniforms. Boulevard volunteer Stephanie Bodnar told me the military display is usually in the block near 13th Street, and they’re hoping the Stuart Tank will be near it.

Dave Talanca, one of the talented artists that works on the displays, gave me the basement tour, introducing me to the group that paints the figurines and other display pieces. The youngest volunteer, Marisa Canouse, a junior at Berwick High School first volunteered in 2020 because it was “something different to do.” This year her task is a plot depicting a winter wedding 75 years ago.

And there actually have been weddings at Jingle Hall. In 2017, volunteers Deb and Hank Henrickson, who have been involved in the group since it took over Christmas Boulevard in 2014, got married there.

More volunteers are needed for the Boulevard. From cutting the trees in mid-November and setting up the displays the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) to taking down the displays on New Year’s Day, there’s something for everyone to do. And if you have carpentry or art or electrical skills or you can fix a motor, there’s a special need for you. But there’s also a need for two or three people to be Santa’s helpers and pass out the Wise chips every night. Also, all those lights don’t turn on with the flip of a single switch – each of the display plots has its own switch that volunteers must go around and turn on at the beginning of the evening and turn off at the end.

If you can volunteer, call 570-520-4034 and leave a message with your name and phone number.

Although income from rentals of the Jingle Hall meeting room help to fund the Christmas Boulevard, Monico said, donations also are needed. There’s a donation box at the event, or you can send a check made out to Berwick Christmas Boulevard to Jingle Hall, 235 W. 11th Street, Berwick PA 18603.

Opening night for this year’s Christmas Boulevard is Saturday, December 4 at 6 PM. A free Christmas Concert will be given on the Jackson Mansion Lawn featuring The Kerry Kenny Band on December 4 at 6 PM in celebration of the Christmas Boulevard’s 75th anniversary.

The Christmas Boulevard will be available every night from December 4 to December 31 from 6 PM – 10 PM. Be sure to have the kids bring their letters to Santa to put in his red and white striped mailbox!

BLOOMSBURG, PA – Next year’s dates have been finalized for the Covered Bridge & Arts Festival, a popular area event organized each year by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau. The 2022 festival will take place Thursday, October 6^th through Sunday, October 9^th at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.

The Covered Bridge & Arts Festival will be celebrating its 40^th year in 2022. At this year’s 39^th annual event, more than 350 craft and food vendors welcomed an estimated 150,000 visitors to the festival’s new home at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds for four days of shopping, food, and fall fun.

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.

For more information about the Columbia-Montour region, and other things to see and do in the area, please contact the Bloomsburg Welcome Center at 570-784-8279.