E-mail your "Community Events" to us: susqtran@epix.net; no phone-ins, please. We will publish events in the two issues prior to the event, free of charge for nonprofit or community events.

We regret that we cannot be responsible for keeping track of regular monthly events. Each must be submitted separately and are listed as space permits.

SEPTEMBER 7

CHICKEN N BISCUIT: The VFW Auxiliary, located at 386 Main St. Great Bend, PA, will be having a Chicken n Biscuit dinner on Thursday, September 7th. The dinner will begin at 5PM until it’s gone. Take-out will also be available.

SEPTEMBER 8

OLD TIME FIDDLERS: The Thompson United Methodist Church, located at 586 Main Street, Thompson PA, will be hosting the Old Time Fiddlers on Friday, September 8, 2017 at 8:00PM. Light refreshments will be available. Please join us for an evening of music.

SEPTEMBER 9

ROAST BEEF/TURKEY DINNER: The South Creek Lions Club will be holding a Roast Beef and Turkey dinner on Saturday, September 9th, 4:30PM at the Lions Hall on Route 14 in Gillett. The meal includes real mashed potatoes, vegetables, baked beans, homemade bread and home baked pies for dessert. Beverages include Coffee, Tea, and Lemonade. Take-Out is available.

SPAGHETTI DINNER: The Knights of Columbus, Council 356-Great Bend, will be having a spaghetti and homemade meatball dinner from 4PM to 7PM, Saturday, September 9th. The dinner will be at the K.O.C. Hall, located at 65 Kilrow St., Great Bend PA. Dinner will include salad, bread, homemade dessert and beverage. Take-out will be available.

SEPTEMBER 10

NICHOLSON BRIDGE DAY: The Nicholson Bridge 102nd Anniversary Celebration will be held on Sunday, September 10th from 9AM to 4PM. Located on Main St, Nicholson, RT 11 and RT 92. There will be many vendors, food and live entertainment. For more info call 570-942-4191.

SEPTEMBER 14, 15

MUM SALE: The SCDA Fall Mum Sale will be held at Schneiders Market, Susquehanna PA, on Thursday, September 14 from 9AM to 4PM and Friday, September 15 from 9AM until old out.

SEPTEMBER 20

CHICKEN/BISCUIT OR HAM DINNER: The Clifford United Methodist Church, located on Main Street, Clifford is having a Chicken-n-Biscuit or Ham Dinner. Take out or dine in on Wednesday, September 20, from 4PM to 6PM. Will include dinner, drink and dessert.

SEPTEMBER 22, 23

RUMMAGE/BAKE SALE: The Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church will be holding a Rummage and Bake Sale on Friday Sept. 22nd from 9AM to 2PM and Saturday, Sept. 23rd from 9AM to 1PM. Homemade soups and sandwiches will be served on both days. The Church is lcoated half way on Franklin Hill Road, between Lawsville Center on Rt. 29 and Summerville on Rt. 11.

Monday: Pork with Pineapple Sauce, Asian Veggie Medley, Honey Ginger Carrots, Brown Rice and Peach Crisp.

Tuesday: Turkey Hot Brown Sandwich, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Balsamic Cucumber and Tomato Salad and Strawberries with Whipped Cream.

Wednesday: Cheeseburger, Potato Salad, Confetti Coleslaw and Fresh Apple Slices.

Thursday: Roast Turkey, Brussel Sprouts, Buttered Carrots, Bread Stuffing and Pumpkin Mousse.

Friday: BBQ Pork Loin, Mashed Potatoes, Green and Wax Beans, Whole Wheat Roll and Sugar Cookie.

On September 23rd the Susquehanna County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (SCFSC) will hold its annual YFD. This field day introduces participants to outdoor sports such as shotgun handling and shooting, proper pistol handling and shooting, 22 rifle handling and shooting, canoeing and kayaking, wildlife habitat management (deer and turkey), compass use, tree stand safety and proper ways to put up a tree stand and hunting safety through closely supervised hands-on activities. An adult must accompany all youth participants under age 16, and can accompany more than one youth. The YFD is open to all youth between 8 and 16 years of age. The event will run from 8 am to 2:30 pm with lunch and drinks provided by the SCFSC. Registration is from 8 am to 8:30 am.

Aaron Treadwell instructs youth about the proper way to get into a tree stand. Seated youth is Eva Cordner.

The signup process is easier than ever, especially if you have a computer or an electronic messaging device. The field day registration website, set up by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), is: http://www.pgc.state.pa.us.

At the top of the PGC homepage click on EDUCATION, go down to YOUTH PROGRAMS, click on Youth programs, then click on field day registrations. Find Sept. 23 Youth Field Day Canawacta Rod and Gun click on view event, next screen will have a green registration box in the upper right hand corner, click on that and register for the Youth Field day. Directions to the YFD are also on this site. (Do not try to locate the field day by the red dot on the registration site, it is not in the correct location!)

Pennsylvania Game Commission Conservation Officer Mike Webb instructs youth on how to effectively use a compass at the Compass Station

This year’s event will be held at the Canawacta Rod and Gun Clubhouse,(3349 Oak Hill Rd)  up on Oak Hill, north of the town of Oakland.

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Officer Sargent Bryan Bendock helps to safely launch a youth in a kayak at the canoeing and kayak station

In the event that you do not have access to a computer please contact SCFSC Vice President Dave Fox at 570-727-3237 or 570-396-3984 for an application, directions or more information. Additional contact person would be John Ord, Past President of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (PFSC) who could also help you with the application or directions. Call 570-396-8798 or email scfederation@gmail.com

The SCFSC member clubs and organizations are: Canawacta Rod and Gun, Silver Lake Rod and Gun, New Milford Rifle and Pistol, Hallstead/Great Bend Rod and Gun, Pa. Trappers Association – District 9, Rush/Middletown Sportsmen’s Association, Susquehanna County Snowmobilers Association, Susquehanna Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association, the Wilson F. Moore Memorial chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Blue Ridge Sportsmen’s Club.

An additional note is that both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission send their Conservation Officers and their Waterways Conservation Officers to monthly meetings and man educational stations at the Youth Field Day.

Penn State Extension in Susquehanna County will be offering the Penn State Master Gardener Training this fall in Montrose at their 88 Chenango Street office. The training will be held each Thursday evening, from 6:00-8:45 pm beginning October 5 and continuing through February 22.

To become a Master Gardener, you need a keen interest in gardening, a willingness to learn more, and a strong desire to share your knowledge with others. To become certified as a Penn State Master Gardener, you must complete a minimum of 40 hours of training, score at least 80 percent on the final exam, and fulfill 50 hours of volunteer service in your first year of service.

Last year's Master Gardener Trainees: Joe Matis, Beth Tingley, Ben Robinson

A few of the topics you will learn are: Botany, Plant Propagation and Pathology, Soils, Entomology, Native Plants, IPM, Turfgrass, Vegetables, Plant ID and Diagnostics, Small Fruits, Herbaceous & Woody Plants, Pruning, Vegetable Gardening, Weeds, and Indoor Plants. The training will be held via Zoom with educators across the state. You will have access to these sessions and at each training at the Extension office there will be hands on activities for learning.

The cost of the training is $200. Low income scholarships are available.

Currently, there are 42 Master Gardeners in Susquehanna County delivering educational programs to the community through gardening classes, a helpline service and several demonstration gardens. So, come and take part in the training and join this fun, educational group of gardeners!

The Penn State Master Gardener program is a statewide program that is administered at the county level. Recruitment, training, and volunteer service occur at the county level of Penn State Extension. If you are interested, applications are available by contacting the Penn State Extension office by emailing klg11@psu.edu or lkw17@psu.edu or calling the office at 570-278-1158. We are compiling a list of interested candidates, as we have a capacity of 10 trainees for our location. We will send applications, review them and set up interviews in mid-September.

The new Susquehanna County Library will host an Open House Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will feature activities for the whole family, including story time, all-ages crafts, face painting, Susquehanna Rocks, building block challenges and e-book training sessions.

There will also be live entertainment by Mountain Aire Brass. Lunch will also be served beginning at 11 a.m.

The new Susquehanna County Library, located at 458 High School Road in Bridgewater Township, opened its doors July 17 this year. The 21,000-square-foot facility provides the community with expanded space for books, meetings and study space, the needs for which had long since outgrown the original 1907 building. The Susquehanna County Historical Society, once occupying the top floor of the 18 Monument Street location, will expand to the entire building.

Trees have been called the “lungs of the planet.” They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, keeping the air clean. They provide habitat for birds, insects and small animals. They prevent soil erosion and flooding, and they have been inspiring poets and painters for millennia. Many diverse types of trees can be found in Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve, a 400-acre nature preserve in eastern Susquehanna County. On Sunday, September 10, at 2 PM retired forester Hank Hartman will lead a walk to identify some of these trees and discuss their special qualities.

Mr. Hartman will identify the dominant trees in the preserve, including maple, ash, a few species of oak, shadbush (named because they flower around the time the shad are running in the rivers), black cherry and many others. There is even a rare American elm. Trees planted by humans in the past are also in evidence. For example, a neat, straight line of sugar maples along the main trail was maintained by farmers almost a hundred years ago alongside a dirt road, so as to be convenient for sugar tapping. Dense, dark areas of scotch pine and Austrian, or red pine remain from plantations started by the Conservation Corps during the Depression and never thinned. Mr. Hartman will also discuss current ecological threats to trees, such as the viburnum leaf beetle, which has damaged nearly all the viburnum bushes in the preserve, as you will see from the gray, brittle skeletons lining the trail, and the emerald ash borer.

Hank Hartman, the walk leader, is retired from the U.S. Forestry Department and is an active member of the Pennsylvania State Tree Farm Committee and the Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve Stewardship Committee, where he also serves as treasurer.

Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve is located one mile north of Thompson, PA on Route 171. Parking is available in the lot just opposite Stack Road. The walk will last about two hours and is free to the public. Although the trails are clearly marked, they are very uneven because of rocks and tree roots, so steady footing is essential. This is a wetlands area, it is a good idea to wear waterproof shoes, especially if we’ve had recent rains.