July 15

HOT DOG SALE: Thurs., July 15, Hot Dog Sale, 4:00 pm, Blue Ridge Senior Center, Great Bend.

July 17 & 18

BAKE SALE: Fri., July 17 – 9:00 – 5:00 pm & Sat., July 18 – 9:00 – 12:00 pm, South Gibson UM Church.

July 21

PICNIC/ROAD TRIP: Tues., July 21, Community Neighbors Connecting Picnic/Road Trip to Lambertson’s Daylilies in Thompson, Meet to carpool at 12:00 at St. Mark’s Community Center, New Milford. To help plan the carpool, you must RSVP by July 17, 570-465-3393.

July 25

REUNION: Sat., July 25, 11:00 a.m., 94th John Glover Family Reunion, Starrucca Baptist Church Social Room, There is a fee. For more info call 607-760-1186.

SUPPER: Sat., July 25, Roast Beef Supper, 5:00 PM, Thompson UM Church, All are welcome.

July 27 – 31

VBS: Mon., July 27 – Fri., July 31, Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church Hallstead, 96 Pine Street. Age 4 thru 6th grade are welcome.

Mon., July 20: savory pork roast, sweet potatoes, green & wax beans, ww roll, apricots & peaches.

Tues., July 21: baked fish w/parsley butter, stewed tomatoes, macaroni & cheese, berry crisp.

Wed., July 22: roast turkey, stuffing, roasted beets & carrots, pumpkin spice cake.

Thur., July 23: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cauliflower & peas, ww roll, cherry gelatin.

Fri., July 24: chicken salad sandwich on ww roll, beef barley soup, tomato cucumber salad, ambrosia.

If you were unable to attend “A Walk in the Past With Jon C. Burdick” last December, you have another chance.

On Sunday, July 19th, Mr. Burdick, local resident, gifted photographer and avid historian, will once again present a pictorial review of the Borough of Susquehanna Depot and surrounding areas.

Jon C. Burdick

The presentation, which is sponsored by the Susquehanna Community Awareness Committee, in coordination with the Susquehanna United Methodist Church, will take place in the Methodist Church Hall, Main Street, Susquehanna, starting at 6:00 P.M. (Please use the lower entrance by Dollar General.) There is no admission fee and light refreshments will be offered.

Mr. Burdick has an extensive collection of area photos from days gone by, including our local historical gem, the Starrucca Viaduct, as well as the Erie Shops and Main Street, Susquehanna, just to name a few. As with the previous program, locations will not be the only items recognized in the photographs as many have captured local individuals, which are bound to stir up accompanying stories and memories from members of the audience. Jon will have matted and framed photos available for purchase that evening as well.

Please plan to join us and you will have a chance to explore the past like never before.

The Forest City Area Historical Society will be holding its second summer Coffee House entertainment “open mic” event Sunday evening, July 19th at 7:00 PM at the Historical Society Concert Hall, corner of Main & Dundaff Streets in Forest City.

Some of the performers from the June 28th Coffee House

The event will feature some of our area's finest entertainment talent. Area musicians, singers, dancers, poets and comedians are welcome to perform at this "Open Mic" event.

Contact:  Mary or Paul Ferraro 570-679-2452 or Email: deer@nep.net. While at the Historical Society Museum and Concert Hall, view the many Historical displays.  The Museum will be open one hour before the Coffee House entertainment starts.

Leatherstocking Gas Company, LLC [LGC] will hold a community event welcoming neighbors to meet company officials, employees and various vendors on Saturday, July 18th, 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in Blue Ridge Park on Church Street, New Milford.

The Leatherstocking Gas Co. Vendor Exhibit event will feature a Chicken BBQ lunch and a series of interactive displays with various vendors who provide services to Leatherstocking and its customer base.

Leatherstocking Gas Company is a joint venture between Corning Natural Gas Corporation and Mirabito Energy Products; two well established energy providers located across the border in New York. Corning Natural Gas Corporation is one of country’s oldest natural gas utilities. Building on the combined experience of its founding companies, Leatherstocking Gas Company saw the prolific gas production from Marcellus Shale in Susquehanna County as an opportunity to sell this resource in traditional markets like New York City and Boston, but also as a service to the rural communities along the northern tier of Pennsylvania.

To some people, old farm equipment and machinery often become unusual lawn ornaments.  To others, these oddities of times past merely become pieces of unused and dying junk that is left to rust in the rain.  But to many of the folks in Clifford Township, old farm machinery has suddenly found a new home and a new use as these wonderful old treasures help recall bits and pieces of the township’s rich history.

With grateful thanks to George (Buster) Spedding of Clifford Township, countless items of antique farm equipment will soon have a permanent home in the township’s new Agricultural Museum.  Spedding is a fourth generation farmer in Clifford Township, and his old farm equipment has seen a great deal of use through the years.  But rather than just discard what he no longer uses, Spedding has offered to display some of this equipment to develop a local AG Museum to help teach others about this area’s wonderful farming heritage.  A number of other farmers throughout the region with old equipment stored in their barns have also offered their unused farm items for display.  Not surprisingly, pieces of machinery like this have some great stories to tell, as to how, and why and when each was used. 

Pictured (l-r) are Sandy Wilmot, 'Buster' Spedding, Jerry Lewandowski, and Mark Wilmot, displaying an antique dog tread mill.

To help share these stories and educate others about the lives of farmers throughout the area, the Clifford Township Historical Society (CTHS) has teamed up with the Clifford Township Volunteer Fire Company to develop a permanent display of some of the township’s farm machinery like Spedding’s and many of the other long-time farmers.  The firemen have given the CTHS the old dance hall building on their picnic grounds to house some of this equipment and develop an AG Museum that folks can visit. 

“The historical society has literally outgrown its museum space at the community center,” said Alan Fortuner, President of the Clifford Township Fire Company.  “Between our two groups, there’s a lot of deep-rooted history and pride in what we all do.  So helping the Historical Society by giving them some space for their new AG Museum is a win-win for us both.  It’s also a great way to help continue to maintain the township’s local history for future generations.”

“We’re thrilled to have the space at the picnic grounds,” said Sandy Wilmot, President of the CTHS.  “But without the support of Adams Cable Service who provided the financial backing to make this project possible, we wouldn’t be where are today with this new museum.  Additionally, local volunteers Robert Kilmer and Ray Swingle of Clifford Township provided the bulk of the building materials to move forward with this new project. 

“The old dance hall was originally built years ago with a spring floor,” Wilmot explained.  “The floor joists are likened to coiled car springs or an old spring mattress – the floor gives with the weight placed upon it, so some of the larger equipment we’ll move into the hall will be easily accommodated.  Jerry Lewandowski is one of our many workers, and he has generously agreed to help us with the major reconstruction work to turn the dance hall into our new AG Museum.  We’ve also salvaged old barn walls to rebuild the museum doors and make the hall’s interior look more realistic for the displays.”

Throughout the years, the life and labors of a farmer have gone from manual to horse-driven to motorized.  Generations ago, it might take an entire day to work a mere half-acre by hand or with a single horse.  Today, dozens of acres can be worked with the newer, mechanized equipment.  Back in the old days, many farmers worked their land until they died.  And with many large farming families, everyone had their own chores to do, each often requiring a particular piece of equipment.  Much of the equipment that will eventually find its way into the AG Museum will be from the ‘30s and ‘40s, with some items going back to the early 1900s. 

“We’ll have some larger items like a single-horse plow and cultivator,” continued Wilmot, “and we’ll have smaller tools like a dog-tread mill, a bone grinder, a fanning mill, and corn sheller.  Before the reapers and binders, farmers used a grain cradle to manually cut and gather their hay.  There will be a wide variety of items that were used by multi-generations.”  To help describe these interesting and unique pieces of antique machinery, the CTHS will prepare permanent storyboards to accommodate each item on display. 

“There’s not a lot of monetary value in most of this old equipment, and there’s minimal decorative value in most pieces too,” said Wilmot. “But from an educational standpoint, it’s irreplaceable and very valuable.  Together with the Clifford Township Fire Company, we’re working to continue to preserve our township’s rich history.”

On July 23-25, the Clifford Township Volunteer Fire company will host its 67th Annual Fireman’s Picnic, located on Rt. 106 in Clifford Township (evening events will begin at 5:00pm). The CTHS will open the doors to the new AG Museum at that time, displaying the first of its continually growing collection.

The CTHS invites anyone with items and information of local and/or regional area historical significance to contact them at 570-679-2723, or on their newly designed website, www:cliffordtownshiphistoricalsociety.org.   Known locally as “the little society that does big things,” the CTHS directors believe that their group’s supporters and volunteers are the backbone of its organization.  They are grateful to everyone for their time, talents, and donations.  Without each one, the CTHS would not be able to preserve this region’s history. 

Patrick McKnight, Historian at the Steamtown National Historic Site, will be the keynote speaker at the annual Brooklyn Historical Society meeting on July 25, 2015 at 12:00 noon at the home of Richard and Patty Zick. Please contact them at mraz@echoes.net or 570-289-4378 so that adequate food and seating can be planned. The event is free, but donations will be accepted to offset food costs.

Mr. McKnight will present and share images from the Steamtown National Historic Site Archives on the cut-off that created both historic concrete railroad viaducts in Northeastern Pennsylvania: the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, referred to as the Nicholson Bridge by locals, and the Martins Creek Viaduct, referred to as the Kingsley Bridge by locals. Nicholson and Kingsley are small, rural towns nestled in the Endless Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania; about 21 miles and 30 miles, respectively, north of Scranton on Route 11.

Steamtown National Historic Site Archives received thousands of photographic images in 2012 of Northeast Pennsylvania's railroading and mining past from a massive archival collection that was previously housed at Syracuse University. These images include black and white photos of construction of the Kingsley and Nicholson Bridges, as well as the cut-off itself.

The cut-off, called the Clarks Summit-Hallstead Cut-off, was constructed by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W) to shorten the DL&W main rail line from Scranton, PA to Binghamton, NY by 3.6 miles, lessen steep grades, and overall straighten the rail line. The entire cut-off, sometimes referred to as the Pennsylvania or Nicholson Cut-off, was built with two sets of tracks to allow for trains going north and south at the same time. This shortened route cost approximately $12 million, but saved considerable travel time.

On September 5, 2015, the Brooklyn and Harford Historical Societies will collaborate to host the celebration of the Kingsley Bridge in the village of Kingsley. Started in 1912, this bridge manifested the same concrete technology and monumental engineering effort being executed a world away with the construction of the Panama Canal. Finished a short two years later, research to date suggests this bridge alone cost approximately $1,000,000. Officially known as the Martins Creek Viaduct, it is 1,600 feet long and 150 feet above the bed of the creek. Though a bit smaller than the now more famous Nicholson Bridge, she was finished first and for a short time was the largest concrete viaduct in the world. Today, she is the second largest concrete railroad bridge in the world.

The Martins Creek Viaduct remains unique forever, as it celebrated its pending completion on its nearly complete rail bed with a dance called the “Cloud Dance.” The F.M. Talbot Company and the DL&W Engineers hosted the event as an “Aerial Dance” atop the viaduct on the evening of Thursday, September 3, 1914 at eight o’clock in the evening. The dance was conducted on the first pier of the giant bridge under electric lights. Approximately 200 people from throughout the entire system of the DL&W arrived at the Kingsley station to attend the dance. A carriage was used to raise and lower dancers via a huge construction derrick.

The Kingsley Bridge 100th Celebration will begin at 12:00 noon on September 5, 2015 in the village of Kingsley with a chicken barbecue hosted by the Kingsley United Methodist Church. The Kingsley Community Church will host a display of historic memorabilia provided by the Steamtown National Historic Site. Other planned activities include food vendors, a hay ride to the Kingsley Bridge, face painting, games, model railroad display, a concert by the Lenoxville Band and the grand finale being a re-enactment of the 1914 Cloud Dance at 5 p.m. Of course proper period clothing is appreciated of the dancers, but the public is invited to participate. And, remember to bring your own lawn chair. Contact mraz@echoes.net or djpalmer@epix.net for updates and additional information. Or, visit the Brooklyn Historical Society or Harford Historical Society on Facebook.

On September 11-12-13, 2015, the community of Nicholson will celebrate the centennial of the Nicholson Bridge. The DL&W started construction on this engineering marvel in 1912, with its completion, dedication, and ready for use taking place on November 6, 1915. Abraham Burton Cohen was project designer and George J. Ray was chief engineer. In 1975, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) designated the Nicholson Bridge as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark due to its significant contribution to the development of the United States and to the profession of civil engineering.

On April 11, 1977, this construction and engineering feat was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#77001203) due to its national architectural, engineering, and transportation significance. Additionally, the viaduct was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record, which was established in 1969 by an agreement by the National Park Service, the ASCE, and the Library of Congress to document historic sites and structures related to engineering and industry.

There will be plenty to do in Nicholson and the area, with events for the celebration currently being planned. Information is available at http://www.nicholsonbridge100th.com, including a Google map showing area accommodations. As a reminder, the schedule is subject to change, so check back for updates, which will include events and activities as confirmed. For starters, the Nicholson Bridge 100th celebration will begin Friday night, September 11, 2015. Then, on Saturday, September 12, 2015, the official program will take place in the morning, a parade in the afternoon, and Main Street will be closed all day for entertainment, food, and History on Main Street, where area historical groups have been invited to show off their items. Finally, on Sunday, September 13, 2015, the Nicholson Women’s Club will organize their annual Bridge Day, where crafts, vendors, and food will be available on Main Street.

Visitors could see other area attractions or even stay longer than the planned celebrations to see the Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway (which runs from Tunkhannock to Lanesboro through Nicholson); Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro; Steamtown National Historic Site, Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces, and Electric City Trolley Museum, all in Scranton; and numerous other historical sites and activities to do in Northeastern Pennsylvania, such as the Nine Partners Monument in Harford Township. See endless options at the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau website: http://www.endlessmountains.org/activities/5.