John Kowalewski, a resident at Forest City Nursing and Rehab Center, was recently commended by Wayne A. Madden, President of Lions Club International for 45 years of service. John has been a local business man for many years in the Forest City area and is a member of the Forest City Chapter of the Lions Club.

Presenting the award on behalf of the organization was Ms. Suzanne Brainard, Magistrate for Susquehanna County and Secretary for the Forest City Lions Club.

John Kowalewski and Suzanne Brainard

The residents and staff of the Forest City Nursing and Rehab Center wish to congratulate John on his accomplishments.

Enthusiastic supporters of the Clifford Township Historical Society (CTHS) greeted board members of Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) recently and proudly exhibited the fruits of their labors. The preservation and reconstruction of two historic properties in the township were funded in large part through grants facilitated by EMHR.

EMHR held its regular board meeting at the Clifford Township Community Building, touring the Historical Society's growing museum within and the recreational grounds surrounding the former school building prior to enjoying a lunch of local foods served by Linda Parlanti, Ruth Knighton, and Shirley Granger.

After lunch, CTHS President Sandra Wilmot led a tour of the former Yarns Cider Mill and a nearby one-room schoolhouse to show the progress of each. The schoolhouse project was much closer to completion, being the first recipient of three grants totaling $29,000.

In the course of two additional rounds of grant applications, CTHS also secured $19,000 for the construction of a trailhead area to an old cider mill and the restoration of the contents and of the building itself. Relying almost entirely on volunteers, CTHS is bringing back to life two buildings that seemed to most to be beyond rescue.

Pictured Clifford Township Historical Society associates welcomed board members from Endless Mountain Heritage Region to Susquehanna County on June 18. Among those acknowledging the successful partnership between the two agencies were (from left) CTHS members Linda Parlanti, Shirley Granger, and Ruth Knighton; Debra Velunas (representing Rep. Sandra Major); Tom Yoniski (representing Sen. Lisa Baker); CTHS President Sandra Wilmot; EMHR President Frank Oliver; EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank; and EMHR board members Jack Davis, Mike Lovegreen, and Silas Chamberlin.

The memories of people involved in the project, like Sandra's husband, Mark Wilmot, and other township residents are vital to the historical accuracy and integrity of such restoration efforts. Wilmot worked in the mill as a child some 60 years ago, and John Knighton, who participated in the tour, recalled bringing apples to the mill by horse and wagon with his family each fall.

The cider mill was a a thriving business in the community, operating for approximately 70 years, they noted, into the early 1950s. Cider was more commonly consumed than water in the early days of its operation, and the facility became especially popular during the prohibition era of the 1930s as cider would eventually “harden” and become a popular alcoholic beverage.

The field stone basement walls of the mill had collapsed, and many of the timbers supporting the structure had rotted and given way over the years of the property's dormancy. “The press was holding this place up,” Mark Wilmot related. The building was jacked up, and workers poured a concrete wall and replaced key wooden beams and wall boards to secure the structure.

The largely cast iron press had to be moved out of the way on rollers across an uneven floor that will soon be repoured. Two heavy engines also remain from the original mill. Project volunteers were perplexed at first that such large machinery seemed to have no radiators. As it turned out, pumps brought water directly from the nearby creek to keep the engines cool.

Previous to the use of the engines, cider presses at the mill were powered by water wheels moved by channeled streams and a system of stone-walled aqueducts from the surrounding hillls, the remains of which can still be seen outside the building.

The progress of the cider mill project is ongoing, and Sandra Wilmot, who jokes that she channels her own ambitions through her husband's capable hands, hopes to have an entryway to the mill reconstructed and a viewing platform ready for visitors to Clifford Township for the community's Everything Apple Day in the fall. A foot bridge from the parking area to the mill is also in the works.

EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank credits preservation-minded people like CTHS directors Patricia Peltz, Fred Lyon, Michelle Jaconia Mclain, and Sandra Wilmot for being able to build such strong support among less than 2,500 residents for projects that might seem beyond the scope of a relatively small community. EMHR board members in general were greatly impressed with both the dedication of CTHS members and their ability to get things done.

For more information about heritage projects underway in Clifford Township, readers can log on to www.cliffordpa.com. To learn more about the mission of Endless Mountain Heritage Region and its mission of partnering with communities to support heritage preservation, log on to www.endlessmountainsheritage.org

The Endless Mountains Medical Care Foundation recently held a fund-raising event in celebration of the life of Marjorie E. Kaufman, a long-time and devoted member of the Board of Directors for Endless Mountain Health Systems. The event included a wine tasting, fine wine auction, music by members of the Binghamton Philharmonic and a silent art auction. All funds raised during the event were donated to Endless Mountain Health Systems to equip the hospital with the latest medical technology.

The highlight of the evening was a wine tasting hosted by sommelier Alain Blanchon. Mr. Blanchon has over 30 years of experience in the business of fine wine, with a strong accent on the world famous vineyards of Bordeaux. Mr. Blanchon presented wines from around the world for attendees to taste and compare. Afterwards, attendees had the opportunity to bid on bottles of their favorite selections from the tasting, all proceeds benefitting Endless Mountain Health Systems.

Sommelier Alain Blanchon and event co-chair Ruth Wilmarth at the Endless Mountain Health Systems fund-raising event in celebration of the life of Marjorie E. Kaufman

The evening was enhanced with music by violist Uli Speth and pianist Tomoko Kanamaru playing selected pieces from French Composers. Ms. Kanamaru and Mr. Speth are with the Binghamton Philharmonic.

Local artists including Anita Ambrose, Rita Eddy, Nance J. Brown, Christine Lathrop, Maggie Miller, Maureen Van Nostrand, Richard Griffith, Diane Stizza, Ethel Hollister, and Jennie Bowen donated some of their work to be auctioned off during the event. Each of the winning bidders donated their art piece to Endless Mountains Health Systems to be displayed in the hospital.

Mr. Barry C. Berkowitz and Mrs. Ruth W. Wilmarth chaired the event. Honorary chairs were, Dr. Stuart Kaufman, Mr. & Mrs. Roger Doolittle, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Housel, and Mr. & Mrs. Adam Diaz.

Endless Mountains Medical Care Foundation was created to put in place a financial protection for Endless Mountain Health Systems. For the past seventeen years, the Foundation has grown and been available many times to assist financially. The foundation is currently engaged in fundraising efforts to equip the hospital with the latest medical technology.

True Friends Animal Welfare Center recently received $200,000 in bequests from two generous benefactors.  The funding has been placed in the care of The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains to establish the Sylvia Rivenberg Memorial Endowment and the Richard Davis Memorial Endowment, both of which will provide permanent annual funding to True Friends.  The annual grants will be used to support the valuable work of True Friends in caring for homeless pets from Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. 

In addition to True Friends’ current facility in Montrose the organization has a goal of opening a similar shelter in Wyoming County to better serve that region.  These two new endowments will help with this expansion project as well as with current daily operating expenses. Dory Browning, Executive Director of True Friends, said these two estate bequests were a very pleasant surprise and an appreciated gift to support the mission of the Animal Welfare Center as the current need continues to increase.  The funding will forever be helpful as annual budgets are developed each year.  Peter Quigg, President of The Community Foundation, is gratified at the foresight and generosity of Sylvia Rivenberg and Richard Davis as they made their respective estate plans in remembering True Friends.  He is also pleased that True Friends has the confidence in The Community Foundation to responsibly administer these two new endowments. 

The Community Foundation currently manages 160 charitable endowments worth a combined value of nearly $10 Million.  To help bolster the support provided by the Rivenberg and Davis Funds additional tax-deductible donations may be made to the funds online at www.community-foundation.org or at 270 Lake Avenue Montrose, PA 18801.  Both endowments will provide long-lasting benefit for our region’s homeless animals.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Susquehanna/Wyoming Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Richard Burnett reminds agricultural producers that July 15, 2014, is the deadline to file an acreage report for spring seeded crops. Planted acres must be reported to FSA by July 15, 2014.  The Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) requires producers on a farm to submit annual acreage reports on all cropland. 
“Although some federal farm program enrollments have not yet started, timely acreage reports for all crops and land uses, including prevented and failed acreage that producers submit to their local FSA office, are important to ensure program eligibility,” said Burnett.

Acreage reports to FSA are considered timely filed when completed by the applicable final crop reporting deadline, which may vary from state to state. Perennial forage crops intended for grazing or haying were required to be reported last fall, whereas perennial forage crops with an intended use of cover only, green manure, left standing, or seed, must be reported by July 15.

Although July 15 is the most common deadline to report acreage for spring seeded crops, this date may be different in locations with climates that are warmer or cooler than average.

Producers should contact their county FSA office if they are uncertain about acreage reporting deadlines. Burnett said that failed acreage must be reported before the disposition of the crop and that prevented acreage must be reported within 15 calendar days after the final planting date for the applicable crop.

For questions on this or any FSA program, including specific crop reporting deadlines and planting dates, producers should contact their county FSA office www.fsa.usda.gov.  

Today's announcement was made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

Brightly colored flowers in downtown Montrose are helping make the area a more appealing place this summer. Hard work and cooperation between local groups have made this possible.

The large concrete planters are a collaborative effort by the Montrose Restoration Committee, The Garden Club of Montrose, and local groups. MRC purchased the plants with donations from the Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, and Montrose Borough. Garden Club members planted and will maintain the flowers in many of the containers. The Butler’s Pantry, From the Heart, Interfaith, Lee’s Furniture, and Pennstar Bank have also joined in maintaining the planters near their businesses.

Barb Klim of the Montrose Restoration Committee joined the following garden club members in adopting planters to maintain throughout the season: Gladys Bennett, Ellen Bieleski,  Else Brunner, Barbara Clifford, Diane Docherty, Mary Lee Fitzgerald, Amanda Good, Cass Kwan, Cindy Lewis, Cindy Poet, Natalie Roffey, Sue Seamans, Kathy Taylor, Ann Vitale, and Bob Winterstein.

The beautifully planted and maintained area in the circle on The Green is a project of the Master Gardeners affiliated with the Penn State Extension Office.

The hanging baskets of blooms on the streetlamps are donated by The Garden Club of Montrose. Some secret angels have planted an array of colorful blooms in front of the County Office Building.

As you enjoy the bright colors of the flowers this summer, take pride in the work of those who participated in this community effort. Perhaps you’d like to join us next year. For information, contact Garden Club President Ann Vitale at 278-3184. And take time to smell the flowers.