HEADLINES:
Calling All Barns!
EMBA Preserving History
Endless Mountains Heritage Region Celebrates 10th Year
It’s A Girl!

Calling All Barns!
Submitted By Jennifer L. Swain

Have you heard about the "2008: The Year of the Barn" survey and celebration? Do you have an historic, unique or beloved barn? We are celebrating barns and looking for barns to include in a survey and other projects.

The Northern Tier Cultural Alliance (NTCA) has several projects in progress in our region for "2008: The Year of the Barn." The first is an ongoing inventory of regional barns. We have developed a comprehensive survey form and are seeking public participation. Many wonderful responses have been submitted, but there are still barns that are not yet documented in our files. If you have a barn and would be willing to complete a form and send us some photos, please download a form from our website: www.ntculturalalliance.org or contact us at info@ntculturalalliance.org . You can also call Ruth Tonachel, Program Specialist (570) 268-4093, or Kathy Joyce at (570) 268-5055 to obtain a copy.

If you are interested in volunteering to conduct surveys, please call or email Ruth at info@ntculturalalliance.org. While we don't expect to document every single barn in the Northern Tier, we would like to include as many as possible, particularly the most historic and/or unique ones.

Information collected will be archived with NTCA in Bradford County and also added to other statewide inventories of historic barns if not already included. A variety of types of barns are being selected for inclusion in a self-guided driving tour brochure and a DVD. Participation in the survey does not commit one to being on the tour or DVD – no one will be included without their permission – but it does insure that documentation of your barn will be preserved for future scholars.

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EMBA Preserving History
Submitted

The Endless Mountains Business Association (EMBA) held its luncheon meeting at the Green Gables restaurant on March 24. The organization is made up of a united group of individuals, with the objective of enhancing and strengthening the economic quality of business within the Blue Ridge School District.

Pictured (l-r) during presentation of $500.00 check from EMBA to Old Mill Village are Dixie Russell, Old Mill Village and Eleanor Lempke, President of the EMBA.

In action taken by the membership, $500 was donated by EMBA to kick-off the fund-raising for the exterior painting of the historic church being restored by Old Mill Village, in the New Milford Park.

The Presbyterian Church was built in 1850, and has been a prominent part of the village for many years. Rev. Robert Yetter was the last pastor to serve the church until it closed in 1961 and remained closed until 1982. On September 29, 1982 the deed to the church was presented by the presbytery to the associates of the Old Mill Village.

President of the EMBA, Eleanor Lempke stated, “We are pleased to make a contribution to preserve the unique beauty of this building. We challenge other organizations and individuals in preserving and restoring this wonderful piece of our history.”

For more information: Endless Mountains Business Association, cp97@nep.net, www.endlessmountainsba.com; Old Mill Village, www.oldmillvillage.org.

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Endless Mountains Heritage Region Celebrates 10th Year

The Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Hard work by many dedicated individuals wishing to honor the agricultural history and rich natural resources of the region resulted in forming Endless Mountains as a Pennsylvania Heritage Area. EMHR was established in 1998 through efforts of regional leaders working closely with Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to developing a Management Action Plan that still focuses and guides the organization.

Initially, the Endless Mountains Heritage Region functioned under direction and sponsorship of Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission (NTRPDC). Eventually EMHR outgrew space available at NTRPDC's facility and moved out on its own. EMHR operated from various locations in Towanda before partnering with Bradford County Regional Arts Council as a tenant in the recently renovated Washington Street Station. The historic former railroad freight depot overlooks the Susquehanna River on Merrill Parkway just off PA Rte. 6. in Towanda.

"EMHR continues to proudly serve the same four counties as when originally established in 1998; Wyoming, Susquehanna, Sullivan and Bradford," said EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank. "While we've inevitably grown and evolved, we remain true to our core mission, 'To maintain and enhance the unique rural character and culture of our Endless Mountains.' Our core values of supporting organizations and communities and telling the unique stories that make up this wonderful region of Northeastern Pennsylvania haven't changed, either."

Most of those stories started out simply as an idea, sometimes carried forward by a small group of local people. They wanted to preserve a historic building, research and interpret little known history of a particular area or group of people, improve a museum, create a history center, improve a recreation area, or conserve and steward natural resources.

"Some groups are already organized and ready to tackle multi-faceted projects when they come to EMHR for guidance," said Swank. "Other groups are rallied around a desire to accomplish a very specific goal. They may choose to partner with another agency to get the job done. EMHR invests the time to help organizations build capacity to achieve their goals, by developing successful project strategies. We guide project partners from planning through implementation. EMHR offers workshops on grants and project development issues on a regular basis."

Many EMHR project partners have achieved stellar results through building capacity and developing complex, multi-phased, long-term projects. Some of these include the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies in Susquehanna County, Eagles Mere Museum in Sullivan County, Dietrich Theater in Wyoming County, and Eastern Delaware Nations in Bradford County. Each of these organizations undertook large projects to forge new ways of preserving, understanding and sharing the region's resources, history and culture. Many other EMHR sponsored projects, large and small, planned, completed and still underway, are having a combined, cumulative positive impact on the region. Swank credits memberships as a key factor to EMHR's ability to remain flexible in serving varied organizational and community needs.

"It is our hope that membership grows during this anniversary year to an unprecedented level. Being a membership organization brings unique opportunities and challenges. EMHR recognizes and accepts the responsibilities of ‘keeper of the flame,’ being the focal point for information exchange, expanding habits of regional thinking, raising public awareness, building capacity locally and regionally, and accounting for the progress of heritage in the region. But, we can't effectively serve this role without membership of individuals, organizations, businesses supporting EMHR efforts to preserve our legacy," said Swank.

Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Inc. is a non-profit, 501c3 organization. EMHR members receive a quarterly newsletter centered on regional activities and projects, invitations to special workshops, seminars and events. Members elect nominated executive officers at an annual meeting each October. Membership forms can be downloaded online at: www.endlessmountainsheritage.org/membership.html, or can be requested from EMHR by calling (570) 265-1528 or emailing emhr@epix.net.

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It’s A Girl!

Patsy and Donnie Haynes of Oxnard, CA, are the proud new parents of a daughter, Raegan Maureen Haynes, born on January 29, 2008. Raegan weighed seven pounds, three ounces at birth.

Maternal grandparents are William and Mary Henry, Oxnard, CA.

Paternal grandparents are Donald and Mildred Haynes, Jr., Starrucca, PA.

Paternal great-grandmother is Helen Haynes, Starrucca, PA.

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