The Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association enjoyed another successful year of its Summer Reading program. The program officially started on June 11th. The main theme was “Dream Big, Read!” and featured outdoor and night-time activities. During the first week of Summer Reading, campfire kickoff programs were held at the library locations and Salt Springs State Park. MaryBeth Manns and Donna Horn led the kickoff campfires and the attendees enjoyed camp stories, sing-a-longs and s’mores!

Fun events for all ages were held throughout the ten-week program. Young readers attended weekly story time and made fun crafts, the teen participants enjoyed a movie night and weekly crafting lessons. Adults enjoyed a lesson in crocheting and a spa night at the Fairdale Grange, organized by Children’s Librarian, Karen Braker-Reed. Story times and events were held at each library location and were organized through the dedicated efforts of Amelia Paterno, Pam Bagnall, Deb Cavanaugh, and Lizzy Hanrahan at the Susquehanna location. At the Hallstead-Great Bend location, Angie Houghton, Val Burdick and Heather Neary organized the events, and at Forest City, Diana Junior, Mary McElhinney, Joan Skarbez led the program. The Outreach Department took the program on the road to preschools, day-care centers, and several other schools as well.

The Summer Reading program concluded on Friday, August 10th at Kopernik Observatory & Science Center in Vestal, New York. Participants learned about spectrum refraction, used computers to track activity in space, talked about meteors, used telescopes and much more!

Valerie Capotosto, winner of the Nook!

Altogether, around 400 people registered for Summer Reading Participants were encouraged to log their minutes and number of books read online. Around 190,000 reading minutes and over 510 books were logged online. Adult readers who logged their hours were entered into a drawing for a Nook! Congratulations to Valerie Capotosto for winning the Nook and thanks to all who participated in the 2012 Summer Reading program. The Susquehanna County Library Summer Reading program is supported by funds from the United Way of Susquehanna County.

Four Susquehanna County 4-H Horse members competed with their production animals at the Regional 4-H Production show held in Williamsport, Pa. Three of these members, Meghan Polcha, Brandon Bergman and Austin Graham qualified for the 4-H State Horseshow with their animals. The 4-H State Horseshow will be held October 26-28, 2012 in Harrisburg, Pa. Production horses range in ages from foals of the current year up to five-years-old. Horses are shown at halter according to breed and age and animals 2-5 years old are also eligible to show in Futurity classes, which are walk-trot-canter riding class.

Production Results: Jessica Sudhop and Parton Alydars Flashy Zipper placed 2nd in the Yearling Paint Division; Meghan Polcha and Coromirro placed 1st in the Three year old geldings Warmblood Division; Brandon Bergman and Bayo placed 1st in the Three year old fillies Draft Type Horse Division. They also placed 2nd in the Western Pleasure Three year old Futurity class.

Austin Graham and Obviously Kidding placed 1st in the Two year old geldings Stock Horse Type Division. They also placed 2nd in the Western Pleasure Two year old Futurity class. Austin also placed 1st in the Stock Type Pony Yearling Fillies with her other animal Hot Scotch Hottie.

Austin Graham showing with Hot Scotch Hottie and Obviously Kidding

Congratulations to these 4-H members. In addition to their production animals, these members also show their other project performance horses at the 4-H Horse and Pony Roundup, where they got the chance to qualify for the District and State levels.

The American Legion Riders Chapter 86 held their 7th Annual “fallen heroes” ride on Saturday, Aug 11, 2012. We had a beautiful ride, good food, and great comradery. Approximately 80 riders participated. The winner of the 50/50 received $730. A special thank you goes out to: Wademan Auto, Fred’s Market, PP & G, Colors, Rob’s Market, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jenn Kelly & WAAL(great advertising), PJ O’Hare, Brianna Whitehead, Melodie Fabrizi (delicious cake), Carol Trevarthan and Debbie Holveck(great job with the Poker Run), MEMBERS (who donated items), Lindsey Way (shirt artwork),Terry Rockwell (pa system and music), Boy Scout Troop 81(provided coffee and donuts),Aaron Rockwell and Aaron Benson(planning the ride), and all those who helped in anyway , including those businesses that sponsored our tee shirts.

We are so fortunate to have our military fighting for our freedom. We truly appreciate their commitment. Some of our projects include sending packages to our troops over seas, giving Christmas presents to our hometown veterans in nursing homes, $500 scholarship to the student who wins the artwork competition for our tee shirt, and many other local donations. We try to help our own in our community who are in need; sometimes it includes just fixing a railing, or cleaning up after a storm, or spending quality time with an elderly veteran.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE:COG) was named Business of the Year at the Susquehanna County Annual Economic Development Breakfast Meeting held on Thursday, August 23rd in New Milford, PA. The distinction was presented by the Susquehanna Economic Development Board and The Progress Authority at an event that featured updates on the economic impacts of the natural gas industry on the Northern Tier. Cabot was saluted for its significant business investment in the region as well as its leadership and generosity in the community.

"Cabot is clearly committed to our business community and to being a strong corporate citizen in our region." said John Kameen, Chairman, Susquehanna Economic Development Board, "We have greatly benefitted from their investment here and are happy they will be our neighbors for many, many years to come."

George Stark, External Affairs Director at Cabot accepting the Business of the Year award from the Susquehanna Economic Development Board and The Progress Authority at their recent annual breakfast in New Milford

"Our company is very gratified to be recognized by the regional business community." stated George Stark, External Affairs Director, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation. "We are very proud to be an active member of this community and we share this recognition with the our hard working neighbors and partners in the natural gas industry, our friends in the business and philanthropic community and all those dedicated to improving the quality of life in our region."

"Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation continues to have an immense impact on our region with their investment in both the natural gas industry and their substantial community support, "said Anthony J. Ventello, Executive Director of the Progress Authority, "because of sustained investment from excellent industry partners like Cabot, we see positive trends in investment and tax base growth for a great economic foundation going forward."

Since commencing operations in the region in 2006, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation has invested over $2 billion, has helped create well over 400 jobs, paid millions in royalties to landowners and has invested over $18 million on improving and maintaining roads. Cabot recently took a leadership role in the highly successful Cabot / EMHS Community Match Fund which successfully spearheaded the campaign to fully fund the $5.6 million Physician's Clinic at the new Endless Mountains Health Systems hospital in Montrose.

The Progress Authority is an economic development organization serving Bradford and Susquehanna Counties, Pennsylvania. It focuses on direct projects involving Industrial Development, Small Business Development, Business Financing, Public Infrastructure Development, Site Preparation, Marketing, and Workforce Development for the benefit of the community. The Progress Authority has worked to address business needs and expansion opportunities through advocacy, funding assistance, and project facilitation since 1993. The Progress Authority is located at One Progress Plaza in downtown Towanda, PA.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas is a leading independent natural gas producer with its entire resource base located in the continental United States. For additional information, visit the Company's Internet homepage at www.cabotog.com. For information specific to the Susquehanna region, visit www.cabotog.com/comm_susquehanna.html

Back-to-school season is the ideal time for families to reestablish routines and get organized -- both at home and on the go. But before hitting the stores for supplies, take time to plan ahead with shopping lists that meet both your children’s and your family’s needs.

There are many great tips to help get a fresh start on the academic year ahead:

Save: If you have more than one child, or want to stock up for the year, save on items like glue sticks, notebooks and writing utensils by taking advantage of sales and purchasing value packs, which are easy to find at back-to-school time. For better deals on items like tissues and sanitizing wipes, hold off until you are also buying these products for the home at a warehouse club or with coupons.

Teach Organization: Teach kids the importance of starting the day organized. One way to simplify the morning shuffle is by assigning a color to each child for easy identification of binders, backpacks and pencil pouches. Assign colors before shopping to prepare for easier in-aisle decisions. Five Star products (www.meadfivestar.com), for example, are available in a variety of on-trend patterns and basic solid color options to complement and contrast styles. Or use color-coded stickers and labels to maintain consistency.

Synchronize Schedules: The school year often brings additional commitments for families. Creating a mission control‚ in a central location in the home will improve communication and ease the stress of time management.

Look for calendars with high functionality like meal planners, look-ahead features, magnetic backings and repositionable peel-and-stick adhesives. Don’t forget to include a white board or cork board where notes can be left for one another.

Student planners are crucial to help your children stay on top of due dates, keep their own commitments and operate on the same schedule as the rest of the family.

Vow to spend time on a weekly basis reviewing and synching calendars and discussing the week ahead.

Manage Papers: With each new school year comes an overwhelming amount of handouts, reminders, permission slips and medical forms. Parents and children all benefit from a paper management system. Use bins, expanding files and binder dividers with reminder flags to keep track of priorities. Flag items needing immediate attention -- whether it‚ homework or paperwork.

If your children have busy schedules, make it easier for them to work on the go. Opt for binders with writing surfaces, internal storage pockets for loose paper and places to stash pens and pencils. And you can do the same. Consider using binders and expanding files in the car to create a place for last-minute notes, papers and storage.

With a little planning and creativity, the whole family can prepare to stay organized throughout the school year.

For the ninth consecutive year Pennstar Bank has made a generous contribution to the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program administered by The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains. For the 2012-2013 academic year the bank has contributed $12,000 which will help provide tuition assistance to approximately 250 students from low and moderate income families who attend Pre-School and tuition based K-12 schools and programs in northeastern Pennsylvania as well as funding special programs in the public schools. Last March Pennstar Bank provided $8,500 to support the engineering program Project Lead the Way in the Susquehanna Community High School. The Community Foundation has administered the Education Improvement Program since 2003 and in that time has raised more than $1,700,000 for education assistance for 2,000 students attending 37 schools in four counties, as well as funding projects in two public school districts. Since 2004 Pennstar Bank has contributed more than $72,000 for education assistance in northeastern Pennsylvania. Community Foundation President, Peter Quigg, states that “Pennstar Bank has been a consistent supporter of education in our region and their generosity over the years has been a great help to local families and schools.”

Pictured (l-r): Robert Welch, Senior Vice President Regional Manager Pennstar Bank and Peter Quigg, President Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains.

Pennstar Bank provides personal banking, asset management, and business services. The independent community bank, headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has 35 offices in six northeastern Pennsylvania counties. Pennstar Bank is a division of NBT Bank, which is based in Norwich, N.Y., and has 93 offices in upstate New York, northwestern Vermont, and western Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire. For more information about the bank please visit www.pennstarbank.com. For more information about the work of The Community Foundation please visit www.community-foundation.org.

Most parents are familiar with traditional bullying that takes place at school and on the playground, but as life has gone digital, so has bullying.

Cyberbullying, bullying that occurs through technology like computers and mobile devices, is often harder to detect than traditional bullying. The bully isn’t immediately visible and may not even be known to the victim, says pediatrician Dr. Gwenn Schurgin O`Keeffe of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and author of "CyberSafe: Protecting and Empowering in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming, and Social Media."

Because of this, cyberbullying is often more upsetting to victims, with even more profound and long-lasting effects, Dr. O’Keeffe said.

While the anonymous nature of the digital world does pose a challenge to identifying cyberbullies, O’Keeffe notes, parents can take an active role toward combating this 21st century problem.

Here are tips for parents to get a handle on cyberbullying, whether your child is a victim, a bystander or even participating in the bullying:

Monitor your child‚ digital technology use. Be on the lookout for behaviors like quickly switching screens and having multiple passwords and accounts.

Teach your child to come forward if he or she knows a friend is bullying others or being bullied. Being a bystander helps perpetuate the cycle and continue someone else’s pain.

You may think your child is safely using a digital device in the next room, but any child online is at risk for being bullied. Not all children are going to let you know if there is a problem, including teenagers. If your child is acting withdrawn, evasive or unusually sad -- especially after using a digital device such as a computer, video game or mobile phone -- ask if everything is okay. Regularly converse to open the line of communication.

Cyberbullies may think they are acting anonymously, but they can be tracked by authorities. If your child is a victim, save the offending emails, IMs, and texts, and get the school involved if possible.

If you worry your child is in serious danger, or the other parents refuse to help end bullying, call the police.

Find out what your childs school policies are on bullying, cyberbullying and digital devices. If the rules are insufficient, talk to the teachers and principal about establishing sensible regulations.

Don’t raise a bully! Foster empathy by talking regularly about how actions and words affect others. Set a good example by always treating others with respect yourself, both online and offline.

Help children develop constructive strategies for getting what they want that don’t include teasing, threatening or hurting others.

Don’t assume that a normally well-behaved child is guilt-free. The faceless digital world makes it easy for even good kids to sometimes be mean.

More information about cyberbullying can be found on the AAP parenting website, www.healthychildren.org.

With a new school year come new challenges. Learn about the realities of cyberbullying and what you can do to protect your children.

Each month The Forest City Nursing & Rehab Center recognizes the remarkable lives of its residents by honoring one of them each month. The Resident of the Month for the month of August is Ms. Sophie Baron.

Sophie Baron, August Resident of the Month

Born on April 1, 1918, to Mary Bavitz Baron and Andrew Baron, Sophie was one of eight children. She attended school at Pleasant Mount. She then remained home to care for her mother. In the years that followed, Sophie worked at Westinghouse. An active woman, Sophie enjoyed golf and bowling, and was a member of leagues in both sports.

Sophie loves to travel, and has visited Spain and Poland. She also enjoyed shopping trips to New York City.

Of the many activities Sophie enjoys at the Nursing Center, the Bingo games are her favorite. She has many loving friends, nieces and nephews, and is a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Congratulations to Sophie Baron on being Resident of the Month!