April 2

SERVICE: Thurs., April 2, Maundy Service, 6:00 PM, St. Marks, New Milford.

April 3

SERVICE: Fri., April 3, Good Friday Service, 10:00 AM, St. Marks, New Milford.

April 4

SERVICE: Sat., April 4, Easter Vigil Service, 7:00 PM, St. Marks, New Milford.

April 5

SERVICE: Sun., April 5, Easter Sunday Service, 11:00 AM, St. Marks, New Milford.

April 11

DINNER: Sat., April 11, Knights of Columbus Council Spaghetti & Meatball Dinner, 4:00 – 7:00 PM, KOC Hall 65 Kilrow Street, Great Bend, take outs available.

April 12

HIKE: Sun., April 12, Take A Break Hike, 1:00 PM, Salt Springs Park.

Mon., April 6: Turkey Salad Sandwich, Asparagus Soup, Beet Salad, Grapes & Apricots.

Tues., April 7: Roast Beef w/ Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, WW Bread, Berry Cup.

Wed., April 8: Baked Ham, Cabbage & Noodles, Broccoli Au Gratin, Fresh Fruit Salad.

Thurs., April 9: Chicken Verona, Herbed Potatoes, Italian Vegetable Medley, WW Roll, Chocolate Coconut Pudding.

Fri., April 10: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Steamed Garlic Spinach, Garden Salad, Breadstick, Fruit Sorbet.

Once again Susquehanna County is seeking candidates to serve as Dairy Princess. Single young ladies between the ages of 16-24 with interest in the dairy industry may want to consider devoting time to promote the industry. A County Princess serves for one year.

Not old enough to be a Princess? The Dairy Maid and Dairy Ambassador program functions within the County to assist the Dairy Princess in carrying out her duties and at times do dairy promoting on her own as well.

Pictured (l-r) are: front row - Megan Johns, Kaelynn Brant, Kendra Brant, Olivia Hughes; back row - Emory Bewley, Rachel Johnson, Samantha Warner, Rachael Grosvenor, Katrina Vidota.

Qualifications for Dairy Princess include at least one of the following. A daughter, granddaughter, niece or sister of a dairy farmer, an employee of a dairy farm or dairy related business, or be a 4-H member and own or lease one or more dairy animals as a 4-H project or have served at least one year as a Dairy Maid or Dairy Ambassador. A Princess candidate must be 16 years old by July 1st of the current year and not reach her 24th birthday by December 31st.

A Princess candidate, Dairy Maid and Dairy Ambassador must have a sincere desire to promote dairy products, be a milk drinker and include other dairy products in their personal diet.

Members of the dairy court work hard getting the message to as many people as possible about the importance of having “three every day” of dairy as part of one’s diet. The current Susquehanna County Dairy Princess/Pennsylvania State Alternate Rachael Grosvenor and her team of Alternate Princess, Dairy Ambassadors and Dairy Maids have been spreading the message, “Dairy products aren’t only delicious and nutritious; they are an absolute necessity in developing strong bones, muscle mass and healthy teeth. All dairy products contain 9 essential nutrients.”

Some of the skills used and/or  improved by young ladies include public speaking, leadership, journalism and marketing through their promotion responsibilities. These girls make public appearances promoting the dairy industry at schools, festivals, parades, churches, restaurants, sports events, club and association meetings to name a few.

Dairy Princess Rachael Grosvenor will be handing her reign to a new Susquehanna County Princess at the 2015 Dairy Princess Pageant being held on Friday, May 22nd, 7:30 at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Parish Hall on Church Street in Montrose. The public is invited to attend.

Girls interest in being a Dairy Princess candidate or taking part in the program as a Dairy Ambassador or Dairy Maid must contact Evie Goff (570-278-1212) by the April 15th deadline. Other committee members that may be contacted include Mary Puzo, Peggy Empet, Cathy Bewley, Michelle Kowalewski, Dana Empet, Callie Curley, Abbey Puzo, Daisy Matulevich, Mercedes Spickerman or Cindy Tompkins. Any of these committee members will be happy to answer questions about the Dairy Promotion Program in Susquehanna County.  An orientation meeting will take place before the May 22nd Dairy Princess Pageant for all Princess Candidates, new and current Dairy Ambassadors and Dairy Maids and our current Alternate Princess. If interested please call Evie Goff or one of the other committee members named above by the April 15th deadline.

The next monthly meeting of the Harford Agricultural Society is scheduled for Monday, April 6, at 7:30 PM at the Lecture Hall in the Harford Church.  There are many items to discuss and the association is always eager to have input from the community. 

The Harford Agricultural Society has been pleased to welcome new members at recent meetings.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the fair association, you just need to have a member sponsor you for membership.  Planning, preparation, and decisions are well underway for the 158th fair which will be held August 17-22, 2015.  

Plan to attend the meeting if you have any interest in the Harford Fair and bring your suggestions for the fair, which is the largest community event in the area and involvement by the community is critical to its success.

The Endless Mountains Chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of Retired State Employees will meet  April 14, 2015 at  12:00 PM at the Elks Lodge on South Main Street, Towanda.  The Elks Lodge is located about one half block south of the American Legion Post on the left side of the street.

The speaker for the meeting will be Lynn Herman from Harrisburg.

Please call Bill Hector (570-289-4755), John Benio (570-278-2380) or Bernice Landmesser (570-265-8812) for more information and reservations. Please note change in meeting place.

Join the Susquehanna County Master Gardeners on Saturday, April 11th, at the First Presbyterian Church in Montrose for a fun day of learning at their Spring Into Gardening Day. The program will begin at 9:00 am and conclude around 3:30 pm.

This year the Master Gardeners from Susquehanna and Bradford counties will have presentations on daylilies, invasive perennials and shrubs, fruit trees and a special talk on honeybees with the Susquehanna County Beekeepers Association. Additionally, we will have displays on wool in the garden, vertical potato growing season extenders, making beeswax candles and more. Door prizes and a silent auction complete the fun filled day. Morning refreshments and a light lunch are included. The event is being held in the lower level of the church (enter door by back parking lot).

Topics for the Day include Fruit Trees for the home gardener (apples, peaches, plums): A resource for people who wish to produce fruit on a small scale. Planting site and preparation, pollination requirements, plant quality, spring planting tips, insects and diseases, root stocks, tree sources and suggested varieties will be discussed.

Daylilies are more than just a pretty face. They have a fascinating history, some unique characteristics, and lend themselves to a variety of growing conditions and design styles. This presentation will provide an overview of their history, highlight some useful daylily lingo, discuss their requirements for best performance, and introduce a sampling of the many cultivars available.

The Bad Guys are Northeast PA Invasive Plants and Noxious Weeds. Early identification of noxious and invasive plants on your property and landscape is the key toward preventing the spread of these aggressive plants, which can expand to occupy large areas of land. Learn who these plants are, why you do not want them, and ways to control them.

Why Did God Created Honey Bees? Try as they will, floods, earthquakes, fires, pesticides, mites, viruses, bacteria, bulldozers, long cold winters and people have failed in attempts to eradicate honey bees. Why, and to what purpose have they survived? We will look inside the beehive, see what goes on there, and why they are so important and critical to our own survival.

We will give a brief overview of the history of the orchid, growing orchids, propagation and we will be highlighting a favorite orchid, the “Phalaenopsis”. You’ll learn what you need to know for caring for orchids in your home.

Gardening for pollinators while being part of the solution will be discussed. A pollinator garden can be developed anywhere. Plant it with a diversity of flowers plants, and trees that, together provide bloom from early spring to late summer, and create a valuable resource for pollinators.

Reuse for the Garden – Employs using everything “and” the kitchen sink. The gardener will understand the importance of reuse and its benefits to our community and environment. Practical and creative ideas of reuse will be discussed for application in the garden for seed starting, plant protection, watering ideas, container considerations and more.

Adding the colors set the mood of a flower garden; from the serenity of a white and silver moon garden to the cheerfulness of daylilies and daisies. Some tips and plans on how to make your flower garden work…using colors.

Door prizes and a silent auction complete the day. We hope you join us.

You can register by going to the Montrose Adult School’s website at: www.montroseadultschool.org and printing out a form and mailing it to the Montrose Adult School. For more information call 570-278-3452.

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Penn State Extension in Susquehanna County at 570-278-1158 in advance of your participation or visit.

The Penn State Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County in partnership with the Montrose Adult School are offering a Tree and Shrub Pruning Basics class on Saturday, April 4th, 10:00 am at the home of fellow Master Gardener Gayle O’Brien in Brooklyn, Pa. Susquehanna County Master Gardener Jim Kessler will be teaching this fun and educational hands-on class.

When should I prune? How should I prune? Where should I prune? Why and why not prune? These and other pruning questions will be demonstrated on common trees and shrubs. After you understand the basics of pruning you will be able to apply your knowledge to most trees and shrubs for better growth, durability and health

There is a fee. Directions will be sent upon registration. You can register by going to the Montrose Adult School’s website at: www.montroseadultschool.org and printing out a form and mailing it to the Montrose Adult School. For more information call 570-278-3452.