May 1

MEDIATION: Tues., May 1, 6:30 p.m., at Self Discovery Wellness Center, Montrose.

May 3

PRAYER SERVICE: Thurs., May 3, Noon, at Drinker Creek Park, Main & Exchange Streets, Susquehanna.

May 4

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION: Fri., May 4, after 12:10 p.m. service, Holy Name of Mary Church, Montrose.

May 5

BREAKFAST: Sat., May 5, 7-11 a.m., Pancake & Sausage Breakfast at the East Ararat UM Church.

CHICKEN BBQ: Sat., May 5, 11:00 a.m. til sold out, at Hop Bottom Methodist Church.

BOOK SALE: Sat., May 5, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., PA Soldier’s Orphan School, Harford PA.

May 7

MEETING: Mon., May 7, Annual Meeting of The Thompson Cemetary Association, 7:00 p.m. at home of Jeanette Saulo, Thompson, PA.

May 12

MEETING: Sat., May 12, Gelatt Cemetary Association Meeting, at 1:00 p.m. at home of William & Elaine Wooden, Route 92.

GARDENING: Sat., May 12, Weeds to Seeds Gardening Series, at 1:00 p.m. at Salt Springs Park.

BBQ: Sat., May 12, Chicken BBQ, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at East Ararat UM Church.

May 13

MEADIATION: Sun., May 13, Five Session Mediation Series by Anna Dandrea, 1:00 p.m. at Salt Springs Park.

May 16

DINNER: Wed., May 16, Chicken & Biscuit or Ham Dinner, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Clifford UM Church.

May 17

HOLY DAY: Thurs., May 17, 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Holy Day of “The Ascension of the Lord”, at Holy Name of Mary Church, Montrose.

May 18

SALE: Fri., May 18, Rummage & Bake Sale, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., at Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church.

May 19

SALE: Sat., May 19, Rummage & Bake Sale, 9:00 a.m. - Noon, at Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church.

MEETING: Sat., May 19, Quaker Lake Cemetary Association Meeting, 10:00 a.m. at Silver Lake Presbyterian Church Hall.

MUSIC: Sat., May 19, The Stantons, 7:00 p.m. at Susq. UM Church.

May 20

OPEN HOUSE: Sun., May 20, Wyoming County Historical Society

21st Annual Open House from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Monday, May 7: breaded fish patty, tomato soup, green beans, ww sandwich roll, crackers, fruit and yogurt parfait.

Tuesday, May 8: salisbury steak, scalloped potatoes, succotash, grain roll, fruited bread pudding.

Wednesday, May 9: rosemary roast turkey, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, biscuit, carrot cake bar.

Thursday, May 10: crabcake, steamed broccoli, cream of potato soup, rice pilaf, crackers, fruit cocktail.

Friday, May 11: chicken almondine, strawberry spinach salad, boiled new potatoes, ww dinner roll, raspberry sherbet.

We're proud to announce that the guest at the fourth annual Author's Luncheon will be Tawni O'Dell, best-selling Pennsylvania author and Oprah pick.

The luncheon, sponsored by the Library Friends to benefit the Susquehanna County Library, will be held on Wednesday, May 16th, at the Summit Tea Room in New Milford (hospitality 11:30 a.m., sit-down luncheon 12:30 p.m., speaker 1:30 p.m.), with a choice of pasta primavera Alfredo with or without chicken. The cost is $25 and all proceeds benefit the Association. It's bound to sell out, so stop by your local library to reserve your spot!

Tawni O’Dell’s debut novel was Back Roads, which was an Oprah pick and an Oprah "Book of the Month" book. She has published three novels since then. Back Roads is in the works to be made into a movie by Michael Ohoven, who produced the Academy-Award-winning film, "Capote." O' Dell has also written for anthologies. She grew up in western Pennsylvania, graduated from Northwestern University and has a degree in journalism. She now lives in Pennsylvania.

Making the right choice for your most important possession can be a difficult and sometimes scary process. As we celebrate “National Week of the Young Child” April 22-28, it is time to share things to consider when choosing childcare. The early learning program you choose should provide a safe, nurturing environment for your child.

When deciding on childcare, ask yourself some of the following questions: Does the facility provide a safe and stimulating environment? Is there a written illness or emergency plan? Is the program registered or licensed through the Department of Public Welfare? Is it a Keystone STARS facility?

In Pennsylvania, there are four basic types of child care. Many children in Susquehanna County spend time with a relative or neighbor provider. This unregulated type of care is provided by a relative or a neighbor and involves fewer than four children who are not related to the care giver. Families choose this type of care because they feel more comfortable leaving their child with someone they know.

In Susquehanna County, most regulated facilities fall under the “Family Provider” category. Family providers care for up to 6 children who are not related to them. They are registered with the Department of Public Welfare and often offer flexible schedules in a home-like setting.

Another option for parents is a “Group Home Provider.” Group providers care for up to 12 children who are not related to them. They are certified and inspected by the Department of Public Welfare. Group care also offers a home-like setting.

“Center Based” facilities can provide care for 7 or more children from infancy through school age. Centers are certified by the Department of Public Welfare and inspected annually. Centers are usually open year round and offer planned activities.

Any Family, Group or Center may choose to participate in Pennsylvania’s quality early learning initiative Keystone STARS. The voluntary program gives ‘STAR’ ratings to those child care providers who go beyond the regulations set by the Department of Public Welfare, reaching additional standards in areas ranging from education of staff to the environment for children. The higher the STAR rating, the more performance standards the program has reached.

For more information on choosing the right care for your child, contact Susquehanna County CARES at (570) 465-5040 or stcares@epix.net.

Susquehanna County, PA (April 19, 2012) The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for the Counties of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Tioga would like the public to provide input on their next Four Year Plan, as well as on their Annual Plan for fiscal year 2012-13. The public is invited to attend a Public Hearing to discuss the Agency’s plans, May 1, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in the downstairs conference room of the County Office Building located at 31 Public Avenue, Montrose, PA 18801.

The major objective of the Four Year Plan is to help the Agency effectively plan to meet the goals set forth in the Older Americans Act. A key part of the plan looks at what the needs of older individuals are and how the AAA can plan to use resources available to help address their needs.

If you would like to attend the Public Hearing on May 1, 2012, please call the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-982-4346 to make a reservation.

If you are unable to attend but would like to share your input, please send your written comments to the B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging, Inc. at 220 Main St., Unit 2,Towanda, PA 18848.

For more information on Area Agency on Aging services please call 1-800-982-4346. The B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging, Inc. is funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging; the United Way of Susquehanna County; and the Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Tioga County Commissioners.

Families across Susquehanna County will receive a free copy of this year’s Pennsylvania One Book, “Stop Snoring, Bernard!” by Zachariah Ohora, thanks to a generous donation by the Kiwanis Club of Montrose Area. The group, dedicated to serving children of the world, provided funds to Susquehanna County CARES for the purchase of 200 paperback copies. CARES will distribute the books through child care providers, early learning teachers and others who care for young children. Every year, Pennsylvania One Book Every Young Child, selects a children’s book to encourage adults to read every day with youngsters.

During a special CARES Open House May 10, 2012, attendees will be given copies of the book to share with the families they serve. Anyone providing care for young children including child care providers, relatives or neighbors, or homeschoolers is urged to attend. Information will also be available for those interested in starting a childcare business. The event runs from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the CARES/Susquehanna County Literacy Offices on Route 11 in New Milford. The night will also feature additional resources for quality early learning, a free workshop on how to use “Stop Snoring, Bernard!” as a teaching tool, and information about CARES work.

CARES is very excited to partner with the Kiwanis Club of Montrose Area. “Our goals are so similar,” explains Stephnie Thornton, Program Manager. “CARES is dedicated to enhancing the quality of early education in our rural county to make sure kids succeed early on in school early on and later in life. Kiwanis is also about supporting children.”

The partnership also includes working with the Kiwanis Key Club at Elk Lake School District. Key Club students are joining CARES for its annual Young Children’s Fair at Elk Lake Elementary School on April 28. During this free event, families with young children can enjoy crafts, games, face painting and a magic show featuring Jeremy Biesecker. The Children’s Fair runs from 1 pm until 3 pm.

For more information about Susquehanna County CARES and its activities, call (570) 465-5040 or e-mail stcares@epix.net.

Penn State Extension and the Susquehanna County Conservation District are partnering to sponsor a Pond and Lake Management Workshop on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the County Office Building-downstairs conference room, Montrose.

Pre-registration is requested by calling the Penn State Extension Office at 278-1158. The cost of the workshop is $5.00 per person; each participant will receive several take home educational brochures related to management of aquatic plants and management of fish ponds in Pennsylvania. Key topics that will be highlighted during the workshop include: water quality of lakes and ponds, aquatic plants, control of unwanted plants, fish varieties, fish habitat, fish management, and wildlife issues.

Ponds and lakes are a common feature of the landscape of Susquehanna County and provide a source of enjoyment for many landowners. Although they occur naturally in this area, many have been constructed for a variety of purposes. Regardless of its intended use, the management of a pond or lake can be a complex and sometime difficult. This education program is intended to help landowners to proactively respond to issues relating to ponds or lakes on their properties.

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research and extension programs are funded in part by Pennsylvania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Visit Penn State Extension on the web: extension.psu.edu.

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) State Conservationist Denise Coleman, who has roots in Susquehanna and Wyoming counties, has proclaimed the week of April 29th through May 6th to be Soil and Water Stewardship Week. The proclamation stated that “fertile soil and clean water provide us with our daily sustenance and utilizing effective conservation practices have helped provide us a rich standard of living and our continued security depends upon having healthy soil and clean water. Stewardship calls for each person to help conserve these precious resources.”



For the past month many stewardship type activities have been taking place including “Earth Day” events, streamside cleanups, Envirothons, highway cleanups, Soil and Water Conservation District tree and plant sales, tree and shrub planting and the farmer and gardeners yearly spring planting efforts. Local Conservation Districts (Lackawanna, Pike, Wayne, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Sullivan and Bradford to name a few) are your local leaders when it comes to helping to protect and improve your streams and your farmland, woodland, wetlands and wildlife land. Many of these conservation districts have their formation going back to the 1940’s with their philosophical heritage going back to the early part of the 20th century. The 1930s brought an ecological disaster known as the Dust Bowl. Huge black dust storms blotted out the sun and swallowed the countryside. While testifying on Capitol Hill on April 2, 1935, Soil Scientist Hugh Bennett threw back the room's curtains to reveal a sky blackened by dust. Congress immediately declared soil and water conservation a national policy and priority. Since about three- fourths of the land in the U.S. is privately owned, Congress realized that only active support from landowners would guarantee the success of conservation on private land.

USDA NRCS Chief David White notes that. ‘In 1937, President Franklin D Roosevelt wrote a letter to state governors urging immediate action to conserve our Nation’s soils. He wrote, “The Nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.” Soil is one of the most important natural resources our Nation - and the world - has. Simply put, soil is the factory of our food.’ This letter and the efforts of Hugh Hammond Bennett, who would become the first Chief of the Soil Conservation Service helped spur states to create conservation districts. The idea for soil conservation districts was born. Jerry Stiles, District Manager of the Lackawanna Conservation District stated that, “Although Districts have evolved to handle all kinds of environmental issues, soil & erosion control remains at the heart and is a bulk of our work.”

Ain Welmon, District Conservationist for USDA NRCS’s Montrose field office stated that “…Whether it is called soil stewardship, soil and water conservation or soil health it is our, both citizens and governments, responsibility to effectively manage our local, state and national soil and water resources.”