December 15

MEETING: Practices of Faith, Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. at UCC of Harford. For info call 434-2260.

PIZZA NIGHT, Thurs., December 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m. & Music by Sizzle, 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Kirkwood Elks Lodge.

December 18

GOSPEL MUSIC & HYMN SING with Charlie & Carol Reed, Sun., December 18, 3:00 p.m. at Susky UM Church.

December 19

MOBILE VETERANS CENTER, Mon., December 19, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Rep. Boback’s office, Tunkhannock. For info visit RepMajor.com or RepBoback.com.

December 20

PRAY GROUP, Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. at UCC of Harford. For info call 434-2260.

CHOIR PRACTICE, Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at UCC of Harford. New members welcome, call 434-2260.

WING NIGHT, Tues., December 20, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Elks Lodge.

December 22

PIZZA DAY FOR LITERACY, December 22. Buy a pizza at participating restaurant and $1 will be donated to Susq. Co. Literacy and its programs. For info call 465-2660.

December 24

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE, December 24, 7:30 p.m. at South Gibson UM Church.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE, Sat., December 24, 7:00 p.m. at Thompson UM Church.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE, December 24, 6:30 p.m. at Montrose Evangelical Free Church. For info call 278-4500.

December 25

CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE, December 25, 9:00 a.m. at Gibson UM Church.

FREE CHRISTMAS DINNER, December 25, 12:00-2:00 p.m. at Main St. Café, Susquehanna. Transportation, delivery available. All welcome, for info call Kevin at 570-396-6331.

Monday, December 19: chicken w/peppers & onions, black bean soup, Spanish rice, ww tortilla, tropical fruit w/toasted coconut.

Tuesday, December 20: stuffed cabbage rolls, mixed vegetables, buttered noodles, ww dinner roll, ice cream w/fruit topping.

Wednesday, December 21: crispy baked fish, peas & pearl onions, brown rice pilaf, ww bread, grapes and apricots.

Thursday, December 22: baked turkey, steamed carrots, mashed potatoes, crackers, grain bread, mixed berry crisp.

Friday, December 23: Centers are closed for Christmas holiday.

The annual Christmas bird count for the Thompson circle will occur on December 18. The Christmas Bird Count is an annual event occurring all across North America. The local count, sponsored by the Florence Shelly Preserve, is centered at Thompson, PA. The area canvassed includes all land and water lying within a 7.5 mile radius of Thompson. While the count is conducted from dusk to dawn on the 18th, any bird not recorded on that day, but observed 3 days prior or past then can also be noted.

There are two components to this count. A walk to observe and record birds will be held at the Florence Shelly Preserve beginning at 2 p.m., Sunday, December 18. The group will meet at the Stack Rd. parking lot. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.

Those wishing to count the birds at their backyard feeder may also record them and report those numbers directly to the compiler. The number reported is based on the most individuals of each species observed at the same time. Anyone desiring more information or wishing to report their bird count should contact the Count Compiler, Stuart W. Slocum at 1371 Slocum Rd, Thompson, PA 18465, by email at slocumsw95@yahoo.com or telephone at 756-2497. For additional details visit http://birds.audubon.org/.

The Susquehanna County Commissioners announce the Courthouse will be closed on Monday, December 26 in observance of Christmas. All court related offices will be available.

TOWANDA - Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) reminded area senior citizens that the deadline to apply for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is Dec. 31. She also emphasized to area residents that there is no charge to apply and assistance in completing the application is available at no charge at any of her district offices.

“Numerous local senior citizens have visited my district offices in Towanda and Sayre with solicitations charging a fee to complete the Property Tax/Rent Rebate forms,” Pickett said. “Although this is a legitimate service, I would like all of our seniors to be aware that the Commonwealth does not charge a fee for either completing the application or obtaining a form. My staff has assisted hundreds of applicants over the years, but we do ask that residents bring all of the required documentation with them when visiting our offices.”

The fees are being charged by private companies offering the service.

Forms are also available from Pickett’s offices, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and the Area Agency on Aging for free.

The state attorney general’s office encourages consumers to avoid unsolicited offers that ask for payment in return for assistance obtaining government funds and urges all consumers to check directly with official agencies to determine if applications or other information can be obtained for free.

The Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with permanent disabilities age 18 and older who meet certain income requirements.

More information is available at her website at www.RepPickett.com.

A “Winter Dinner Dance” will be held on January 21, 2012 at the Summit Tea Room in New Milford from 4 to 8 p.m. This event is being held to benefit the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association.

Music will be provided by DJ John Adams for your entertainment beginning at 4 p.m. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. There will also be a silent auction and 50/50 raffle.

Dress is casual. You may come as an individual or a couple. There will be a cash bar. Tickets must be purchased by January 7 and may be acquired at any of the four library locations (Montrose, Hallstead/Great Bend, Susquehanna, and Forest City).

The Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association will be transitioning to a new computer catalog system in January. To ease this transition, and to also help less fortunate families, all four locations (Forest City, Hallstead-Great Bend, Montrose, and Susquehanna) will be accepting nonperishable food donations along with overdue items - so that no fines will be due on those items - as payment for fines from January 3-14.

You may not have any overdues yourself, but please spread the word to everyone you know! During "Food for Fines," any overdue library item, no matter how long ago it was due, can be returned with at least one item of non-perishable food and there will be no money owed. All food must be brought into the library during business hours - nothing in the book drop, please. This is the time for anyone who's been procrastinating or feeling guilty about late items to round them up and bring them in!

On Thursday, December 15, the Susquehanna County Emergency Management Agency will hold a meeting for all individuals and families whose primary residence was either destroyed or substantially damaged by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee and want to participate in FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), more commonly known as the “buy-out” program.

Qualified individuals or families should have recently been identified to the County by their local municipality for inclusion in the HMGP Letter of Intent (LOI) sent to PEMA last month. The County was notified by PEMA that its letter had been approved and that the County could submit a full HMGP application on behalf of its impacted residents. This will be the third HMGP application the County has submitted since June 2006; the two previous applications were successfully funded for nearly $1,000,000.00, acquiring and demolishing a total of 13 properties. “We hope to continue our successful run in having our grant applications fully funded and being able to provide critical resources for our residents at a time when they are truly hurting” said Charlene Moser, Susquehanna County Emergency Management Coordinator.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m., will last approximately 90 minutes, and it is mandatory that all interested participants attend. “At this meeting, we will work with each property owners to complete critical paperwork that must be included in the HMGP application being sent to PEMA and FEMA prior to the December 30, 2011 deadline,” explained Moser. If a resident’s paperwork is not part of the complete package prepared by the County, that particular property owner risks their participation in the grant program.

Only homes that served as the primary residence for an individual or family that were “substantially damaged” or destroyed by either Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee are eligible for funds. Again, a “substantially damaged” property has sustained damage equal to 50 percent or more of the pre-flood, fair market value of the property in a single flood event.

Any property acquired under the HMGP, by law, must be cleared of all structures, and a deed restriction requiring the lot be maintained as open space in perpetuity will be placed against the property. No new insurable structures may be built upon the land, and no disaster assistance can ever be sought for the property again. Additionally, the County’s Disaster Recovery Specialist, Donna Erat, stresses “contrary to any false rumors swirling around the County, land acquired through FEMA’s program may not, under any circumstances, be leased by or to any party for gas or mineral rights exploration.” Immediately following the acquisition of a property from a homeowner, FEMA turns the title for the land over to the local unit of government, which becomes responsible for maintaining the land, including enforcing the deed restrictions and open space requirements.

The meeting will be held in the County Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operations Center, in the basement of the County Office Building (rear of the building). The County Office Building is located at 81 Public Avenue, in Montrose.

For more information about the HMGP, or to add a property to the County’s grant application, please contact Charlene Moser, Susquehanna County Emergency Management Coordinator, at 278-4600, ext 257.