April 2

MEDITATION:  Wed., April 2, First Presbyterian Church Montrose, Noon, Lenten Meditation with Richard VanAuken Organist and Evelyn Van Auken, Pianist. Homemade soup luncheon follow in Westminister Hall.

SERVICE: Wed., April 2, “Jesus, Barabbas and Pilate” service, Thompson UMC, 7:00 pm, Soup and Sandwhiches at 6:00 pm.

April 5

MEETING: Sat., April 5, Susquehanna County Pomona Grange #7 will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Lawsville Grange Hall. Dinner will be served.

April 6

BREAKFAST: Sun., April 6, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m., American Legion Auxillary Breakfast, Main St., Susquehanna, Eat in or take out, For more info call 570-853-3542.

April 9

GARDEN CLUB: Wed., April 9, Garden Club of Montrose will meet at 4:00 p.m., 273 Maple Street, Montrose. All are Welcome! For more info call Mary Lee at 570-278-3452 or Ann at 570-278-3184.

MEDITATION: Wed., April 9, Noon, First Presbyerian Church, Montrose, Lenten Meditation with Sarah Bertsch, Organist and Julie Caterson, Pianist. Homemade soup luncheon follow in Westminister Hall.

April 10

BLOOD DRIVE: Thur., April 10, Community Blood Drive, 1:30 – 6:30 p.m., St. Marks Church, New Milford. For appointments call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Mon., March 30: herb roasted pork, sauerkraut, roasted red potatoes, ww roll, orange, gravy.

Tues., April 1: stuffed pepper, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, ww roll, chocolate mousse.

Wed., April 2: thyme baked chicken, peas & pearl onions, creamy potatoes, ww roll, mixed berry crisp.

Thur., April 3: roast beef w/gravy, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, ww roll, spiced pears.

Fri., April 4: tuna salad sandwich, vegetable barley soup, beet salad, ww bread, chocolate chip cookie, sliced apples.

In 1905, ladies who lived in Philadelphia in the winter and summered in Montrose decided they needed a garden club here. These were ladies who believed in wearing hats and gloves to meetings and acting in a genteel manner as well as working in their own gardens.

Well, times have changed and so has our garden club. The Garden Club of Montrose is now composed of people who never wear hats and gloves, sometimes behave in a rowdy manner, and who are willing and able to get their hands dirty.

We even have a male member who is very active in club activities and enjoys meeting with us. (He needs some company, though, guys.) Plus we have fun.

Being a Montrose resident is not a requirement for joining our club. We currently have members from New Milford, Hallstead, Brackney and Dimock as well as Montrose. If you want to learn new things about gardening, share your expertise, and be a part of a congenial group that participates in beautifying our local area, please consider being a guest at one of our meetings and see what we have to offer.

Our first 2014 meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 9, at 4:00 p.m. at 273 Maple Street, Montrose, the home of one of our members.

For a personal contact, please call Mary Lee Fitzgerald, Membership Chair, at 278-3452 or Ann Vitale, President, at 278-3184.

We hope you’ll consider checking us out. We promise to be on our best behavior for you.

The Lathrop Township Genealogy and Historal Society is very active in preserving the history of the township.

The next project is listing all of the burials in the Deckertown Cemetery. The cemetery is listed on Find a Grave but the society feels there are many buried there without markers and they would  like to make the listing as complete as possible.

If you feel you can be of any help contact treasurer Ruth Williams at pine27@frontier.net.

The theme of an open house at the township building this fall will be the “Civil War”. If you have items or photos of interest please contact Mrs. Williams.

The heritage and the history in this area is vast and old and deserves saving. It cannot be accomplished alone, but with each person adding their knowledge it can be preserved.

The Society is also in the process of preparing a book with many photos and items. It will be a treasure in anyone’s library.

The general conference is a semiannual, worldwide gathering of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in which the Church members and others meet in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from church leaders. 

This year’s general conference will be held on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, at noon and 2 p.m. (both days) at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church building on Route 706 East, Montrose, PA., between Montrose and New Milford.

For this special event, broadcasting will take place to our church building in Montrose (Route 706E).  Between the different sessions of instruction, we will have refreshments, tours of the building, and there will be a pot luck.

This is a family-friendly event that will be great to learn exactly what we believe.

Come one, Come all.

For questions on the broadcast, please contact the Sister Missionaries at 570-787-1730. 

The Thompson United Methodist Church will hold a model Passover seder conducted by Kathie Shelly on Thursday, April 3 starting at 7:00 pm in the social hall. Everyone is invited.

Traditionally the occasion of the Last Supper, the Passover meal is a pivotal link between Judaism and Christianity.

To Jews, it is a retelling of history centered on God bringing us out of bondage in Egypt with a strong arm and a mighty hand, into the promised land of Canaan, where the Israelites built the Temple in Jerusalem and worshipped through daily prayer and sacrifice--lambs, bulls and pigeons, meal, wine, spices and first fruits.

To Christians the season centers on Jesus' "full and complete sacrifice, taking away the sins of the world", and events begin with His entrance into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) preceded by six weeks of Lent. Both religions have replayed these pivotal scenes for millenia.

Join us in exploring this connection and its meaning at a Passover meal. There is no charge, but donations are welcome to help defray costs. RSVP Pastor Phyllis 570-727-2341 or Kathie Shelly 570-756-2429 by March 30 so we know how much to buy and prepare.

The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 27th at the Rail-Trail office in Union Dale.

Cables Deli will prepare a lasagna buffet dinner (both meat and spinach) at 6 PM with the meeting following at 7 PM. All are welcome. Please call the office to RSVP for the dinner buffet.

Discussed will be trail and bridge improvement plans and potential grant applications. The list of trail programs and activities for the spring and summer are being finalized. Call the office for details or questions 679-9300.

The Susquehanna County Forest Land Owners Association (SCFLOA) and The Shelly Tree Farm will host a 2014 Spring Woods Walk. The woods walk will be held on April 5, 2014 on an actively managed 50 year old tree farm in Ararat Twp. Susquehanna County.

SCFLOA President Jim James asks you to “...Join us in marking the end to a long, cold, and snowy winter with a visit to a forest lover’s treasure. This land has been in the family for generations and has met the qualifications to be certified as a tree farm for 50 continuous years. The Shelly's have carefully nurtured their land and used the products. They built a sawmill and used the wood to build their outbuildings; collected maple syrup to sweeten their pancakes; and collected other products for their table. Come with us to learn what the distinguishing features of a tree farm are and which ones you might wish for your woodlot.”

The event will begin with introductory, short presentations from: Landowners Kathy Shelly and Ed Cameron on their woodland management work and their lifelong experiences on the property; Professional Forester Bob Hobbes on his involvement and what forest types are we looking at; Ryan Brown PA Bureau of Forestry Service Forester updates on tree pests – wooly adelgid, emerald ash borer and more.

This event will start to gather at 9am at the Shelley Tree Farm just off of Ridge Road (Ararat township road 740). Coordinates (41 degrees, 48 minutes, 13.34 seconds North and 75 degrees, 32 minutes, 36.52 seconds West) Woods walk signs will indicate the road turnoff area. Members of the SCFLOA Board of Directors will be guiding cars to the parking and meeting area and then offering up coffee, hot chocolate and donuts.

At 9:30 am A SCFLOA director will welcome the group, followed by an introductory farm history from owner/operators Kathie Shelley and Ed Cameron, along with Professional Forester Bob Hobbes. The group will proceed on our walking tour of an actively managed forest with diverse forest types. This forest is up on the Ararat Highlands at an elevation of 1900 feet to slightly over 2000’. "The degree of walking difficulty is easy to moderate so please plan accordingly. Waterproof footwear is advised."

10am – 11:30am The walk progresses to and through the actively managed forest area of 140+ acres. There will be several stops as the walk progresses through different stages and types of forest cover. (Evergreen plantings, Second growth hardwoods, old fields reverting to younger growth northern hardwoods.)

11:30 am to Noon – Sawmill tour and possibly a maple syrup making demo.

12am Depart for Lunch – 12:15 arrive for lunch. Lunch is being served by the volunteer firemen at the nearby Thompson Hose Company Firehall located on Water Street in Thompson. While not mandatory, prior lunch reservations made by April 3 would be appreciated.

The lunch meal will be an “all you can eat” breakfast buffet including pancakes, French toast, eggs, sausage, home fries, biscuits and gravy etc., including locally-made maple syrup. There is a cost.

Contact Stuart Slocum slocumsw95@yahoo.com or (570)-756-2497 to RSVP for lunch or for more specific driving directions.

National Ag Week, March 23 - 30, is a time to recognize and celebrate the importance of agriculture.  Agriculture provides most every thing we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. Susquehanna County Farm Bureau poses a question: Where would you be without agriculture? Naked and hungry!!!  

Each farmer and rancher produce enough food and fiber for 155 people.

After dairy products, potatoes are the second most consumed food in the U.S.

Hamburger meat from one steer will make about 720 quarters of pound hamburger patties.

Wheat is grown in 42 states in the U.S.  One bushel of wheat yields approximately 42lbs. of white flour or 60lbs. of whole wheat flour.  Per capita consumption of pasta is about 20lbs. In the U.S.,  honey bees must tap 2 million flowers to make 1lb. of honey.  Thirty different plants that humans consume rely on bee pollination.  Of the 100 crops that provide 90% of the world’s food, 70 crops are pollinated by bees and other insects.

An acre of trees can remove about 13 tons of dust and gases every year from the surrounding environment.  Agriculture land provides food and habitat for 75% of the nation’s wildlife.

One million U.S. jobs are supported by the nation’s agricultural exports.

4% of our nations farms are owned by women; 30% of our farms are operated by women.  

The average farmer gets 584 hours less sleep than the average American.

Susquehanna County Farm Bureau encourages you to “Thank” a farmer for their endeavors of agriculture’s vital role in our society.

Every American needs to appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant affordable products.

Understand how food and fiber products are produced. Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.

Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.

Where would you be without agriculture?

Susquehanna County Farm Bureau was again honored in 2013 by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, as the Top County Farm Bureau in Pennsylvania. We sincerely appreciate the support of our membership.  New memberships and participation are most welcome.

The Leadership Committee of the Women Helping Women (WHW) Fund at The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains is currently seeking recipients for the 2014 grant.  Last year the Fund was able to provide substantial grants to the following agencies:  Women’s Resource Center, Care Net, and Trehab.  These grants supported the great work the agencies were doing in our county to provide education on healthy dating relationships and also provided four women with the opportunity to obtain their GED.  Collectively, the Women Helping Women Leadership Committee has become a driving force in our community.  With their vision and diligence for getting the word out by mouth and hard work, they have raised over $40,000 this past year.  The granting ability this year for the WHW Fund will be approximately $4,000.  In the future, they aim to raise a one million dollar endowment, which will generate substantial annual grants to local organizations that target the obstacles that hinder many women from achieving security and financial independence. Their priorities focus on personal safety, economic self-sufficiency, education, leadership development, support healthy decision-making, and serve women and girls in crisis situations.

If you are a non-profit organization, church, school, or any other group that has specific programs/projects that benefit women and girls, and support any one of their priorities, you may be eligible to apply for their grant. They have the ability to fund programs that address sexual violence and domestic violence, character and leadership development, parenting skills, health issues, internet safety, financial planning and budgeting and so much more. Their grant could assist your organization to purchase educational materials or gas vouchers to help with transportation to classes, appointments, or court proceedings.   It could also pay for the opportunity for women and young girls to participate in trainings or for professionals to attend trainings that address women’s concerns.   Please contact Martha Cuomo, Executive Director of the Women Helping Women Fund managed by the Community Foundation, to discuss your program/project concept to ensure that you are eligible for consideration.   Once the concept is approved, she will send you an application.  Applications will be accepted after March 24, 2014 and will be open until May 5, 2014.

Each member of the leadership committee brings their own personal perspective, their own life experiences, and their own understanding and wisdom. When joined with others, they are stronger than the individual sum of our parts could ever be.  They are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of women and girls as they strive to empower them, and create positive change for them that lasts for generations to come. If you are interested in learning more about this leadership committee, the WHW Fund, making a donation, and/or would like to apply for the WHW 2014 grant, please contact Martha Cuomo at the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains (570-278-5448).