The second annual Lackawanna College Pinkies Up, Take Two! Dinner will be held October 7, 2022, at 409 Adams Ave, Scranton, PA. Last year, our dinner raised over $25,000, and we look forward to raising even more money for local families this fall.

For more information contact Stephanie McDaniels at 570.704.7977 or Daniel Allan at 570.862.5104

Lackawanna College Pinky Swear Foundation Pack is a non-profit organization. Pinky Swear Foundation’s mission is to provide financial and emotional support to children with cancer and to their families. In 2021, our inaugural year, our local pack raised over $40,000 for the Pinky Swear Foundation. We were able to help local families because of the generous support of local businesses.

We are THRILLED to begin announcing some of the amazing shows that you will be able to catch at the 2022 Scranton Fringe Festival! We cannot wait to bring a bit of extra light to the Electric City this fall (September 29th – October 8th) for this Festival of culture, creativity, and community!

Please note these are NOT all the productions and special events in store for the 2022 #ScrantonFringe Festival! We will be announcing more performances and special programming in the weeks to come including an incredible all ages concert, events at the Lackawanna County Children’s Library, late-night gatherings, and much more!

The following productions ticket sales will launch next week — stay tuned and spread the word!

*** Romeo + Juliet by William Shakespeare ***
With each reimagined production, history’s most famous tale of star-crossed lovers hits differently. Yet, it always hits. How are we to believe families could feud so blindly, Romeo and Juliet love so deeply, or things derail so quickly? And yet, we do. Because we always need to believe in passion and remember that responsibility for the future lives first in ourselves and then in hope for those who follow. Gaslight Theatre Company’s Romeo + Juliet presents vibrant young love and intense rivalry in a timeless production that respects and makes accessible Shakespeare’s tragedy for new and returning audiences alike.

*** Ladies of the 80s ***
Take a trip down memory lane with the girl next door, the sex kitten, and the hard rock chick as they celebrate the instant stars of the 80s. This totally tubular event of the year is coming to Scranton Fringe as LIC Productions presents Ladies of the 80s! If you’re looking to get radical and express yourself, motor on over to this most excellent show. Go head over heels for our gnarly tribute to 80s mega icons like Madonna, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, and more. With all of these legit jams, it is the perfect show for girls (and guys) who just wanna have fun!

*** Taking Up Space Film Festival ***
This special venture is presented by Park Multimedia, Black Scranton Project, and Scranton Fringe. Taking Up Space Film Festival is seeking stories that are created and told by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color) filmmakers. The purpose of the film festival is to lift the voices of historically excluded racial and ethnic narratives

*** Young Goodman Brown, A mini-Opera ***
The Perspective Collective invites you on a journey into some dark places through a new Mini-Opera. Join us for an immersive, walking adventure through Stephanie Leotsakos’s Mini-Opera adaptation of Young Goodman Brown. Based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, it is the tale of a pious villager in puritan New England who ventures deep into the woods one night, and discovers a sinister secret that will call into question everything he believes in. Bring your walking shoes as we will venture through different locations within downtown Scranton along the way. Join us – if you dare!

*** In Search of Marjee ***
“In Search of Marjee” is an all-original musical that will be performed by PATAsphere, the same company that brought “Just A Penny” and “North Star Alley” to the Scranton Fringe Festival in 2018 and 2019. Through a compelling combination of storytelling, songwriting, and dance, “In Search of Marjee” addresses the social pressures faced by teenagers and parents in a community upended by the recent disappearance of a local high school student. “In Search of Marjee” explores issues facing teenagers today such as acceptance, belonging, non-conformity, peer pressure, bullying, and more.

*** Then She Ran: A Modern Folktale Musical In Concert ***
Then She Ran is a modern folktale musical that follows three women from different generations, each at a crossroads moment in their lives, who run away and land in a dark, swampy, other world. There they meet a group of vagabond artists called the Bone Crew who use music, in exchange for secrets, to guide lost people toward their truth. Set to an Indie-American-Gothic score, Then She Ran disrupts the notion of the classic hero’s journey, it’s about letting the subconscious guide us through fear, trauma, and change where music unlocks magic, and all are responsible for each other’s empowerment.

*** Bird Thief ***
What earnestly began as a collegiate capstone project, Angela Klawiter’s debut work has grown some wings in its public premiere. Bird Thief, an original one-woman play, explores crises of faith in the face of deep wounds- both what it means to forgive and to be forgiven. Intertwined with bites of humor, Bird Thief seeks to ask big questions and implore the world to do better by the wounded. Please note, that due to the difficult and potentially triggering nature of topics contained in the play, audience discretion is advised.

*** Watch Your Step!: A Show of Improv, Storytelling, and Unheeded Warnings ***
“Watch Your Step” is a show of improvised storytelling and comedy. Come and experience stories about true-to-life cautionary tales and (un)heeded advice, as improvisers turn the words of local storytellers into inspired, unscripted scenes. Each show features a new storyteller with a different bit of advice or wisdom guiding our daily lives. “Watch Your Step” hopes to explore these stories with humor, respect, and a shared commitment to spreading joy and awareness through an interactive show.

*** Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life ***
Fresh off a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. One of 18 worldwide ‘Best of’ shows selected to participate in the Fringe Encore series, Off-Broadway. Sell-out run.

*****Global TV Edmonton. *****
Winnipeg Free Press. An inspirational true story about overcoming obstacles, pursuing passions, and the healing power of music. A heartfelt passion project that began as an idea after a devastating life event caused Keith Alessi to think differently about his future. “I’ve seen many, many one-person autobiographical shows over 20 years of Rogues (Fresno Fringe), and this is one of the best” -Monro Review

*** The Vole Sisters Invite you to A Peculiar and Intimate Evening of Mystic Spiritualism ***
In 1848, Margaretta and Katherine Fox became the founders of the great American Spiritualism Movement. World famous for their mystical seances and communion with the dead, their abilities were later revealed to be a total hoax. Elsbeth and Fatima Vole would like to affirm that they are NOTHING like those scuzzy, scammy con artists, the Fox Sisters. Their numinous talents are 100%, completely, and utterly AUTHENTIC. Join Double D (Graceann Dorse and Nannette Deasy) as the legendary Vole Sisters in this mostly improvised/partly scripted/completely hilarious paranormal comedy.

*** The Eight Offices of Transformation ***
Enter the Eight Spaces of Transformation. Meet your guides,The Foolbright Scholars, two bewildered and confident, disgruntled and delighted pathfinders of stumbling revelation. As the Foolbrights map wisdumb in this confusing and celebratory world filled with feelings and sensation, you’ll explore playful movement, linguistic gymnastics, satire, absurdist surveys, and transcendent ridiculousness. In an eyelash flutter it’s a full tilt emergence as you exit the tour, having unlearned everything and somehow knowing more.

*** On The Spectrum ***
“On the Spectrum” written and performed by Blaize Berry and Marybeth Berry, explores the real and sometimes raw emotions of the effects of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Varying from the perspectives between both a son and his mother, this play will take the audience on a deeply personal journey of discovery. The result is a dynamic dialogue with blended gestures and movement pieces between mother and son that examines the innermost fears and triumphs that forge the path between the peaks and valleys of the society they face whether together or apart. This show is Directed by Tyrie K. Rowell with Music & Lyrics by Alex Lefevre

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that the application period for the grants under the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP) is now open.

“Pennsylvania’s rail freight network is critical – it keeps goods moving and supports the economy,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “We’re proud of our commitment to supporting the business community and keeping rail lines safe.”

Pennsylvania ranks first in the country in the number of operating railroads, with 65, and ranks near the top in total track mileage, with more than 5,600 miles. 

In the 2021 grant period, PennDOT awarded $33 million for 25 rail freight projects. PennDOT manages two grant programs: RTAP, a capital budget grant program funded with bonds; and RFAP, which is underwritten through the Multimodal Fund, created by Act 89. 

For eligible organizations wishing to apply for funding through either program, applications will be available on the application website  beginning 8:00 AM on Monday, August 8, 2022 and ending at 4:00 PM on Friday, September 2, 2022.

Program information can be found on the PennDOT website and application questions should be directed to Steve Panko at stepanko@pa.gov or 717-787-1202. 

Scranton Comedy Club’s Monthly Show on Aug 13th will be a fundraising event for Animal Care Associates Scranton, PA & also the Taylor Police Department’s K9 Unit Fund! A portion of the proceeds from tickets sold by each organization will benefit them.

Located in the Holiday Inn Scranton East – Dunmore at 200 Tigue St, Dunmore, PA 18512.

Tickets $20 in advance or $25 at the door. VIP Tickets closest to the stage are available for $35. For Tickets visit https://sccaug13.eventbrite.com or call or text: 570-357-2693

Show starts at 8pm and Doors open at 7pm.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement is bringing “The Good of the Hive,” a global mural project by artist Matt Willey that raises awareness about the importance of pollinators, to downtown Scranton as part of Scranton Tomorrow’s Mural Arts Program. The month-long project is scheduled to begin the week of Sunday, Aug. 14.

Academic sponsor, Lackawanna College, will host a lecture by the artist on Friday, October 14 at 6 p.m. at the institution’s theater, 501 Vine St., Scranton. Seating for the free event is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The mural, on the side of the Civic Theater Building, 234 Mifflin Ave., will bring the artist closer to his personal commitment of hand-painting 50,000 honeybees — the number of bees in a healthy, thriving hive — in murals around the world.

“We are both excited and honored to be the premier sponsor of this unique mural project in Scranton,” said Kara Seitzinger, director of public affairs and advisor liaison to the president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “We hope it will inspire the community to think collectively, in the same way honeybees do. The health of the honeybees is predicated on the health of the hive, not an individual bee.

“It’s the perfect metaphor for the COVID-19 pandemic: The health of the community is based on the behaviors and health of us all, not just one individual,” she added.

Willey’s mission is to ignite curiosity and active engagement around planetary health issues through art, bees and storytelling. His vision is a world filled with people that see and experience the beauty and connectedness of all things. “The hive I’m creating is a metaphor for us all: No matter your color, nationality, religion, gender, age or economic status. This piece of art is an idealized picture of health to focus on as we work toward solutions,” he said.

The worldwide mural project demonstrates perseverance in the face of adversity. Six years into an estimated 20-year project, Willey has created 35 murals and installations with more than 8,600 hand-painted bees. He has reached hundreds of thousands of people and created large-scale works at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C., Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in New York City and Burt’s Bees Global Headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.

The artist has collaborated with the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN) and New York City’s Art in the Parks Public Art Program. He has painted his murals at schools across the country and in the United Kingdom. In October of 2021, his art was displayed at the American Embassy in Beijing, China.

Willey has shared the stories of “The Good of the Hive” through speaking engagements at the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the German and French Embassies in Washington D.C., Smithsonian’s National Zoo, Duke University, Georgetown University, the Planetary Health Alliance 2018 annual meeting in Scotland, many podcasts, including the National Education Association, and educational institutions throughout the United States.

His work has been featured in The New York Times, Reuters London, The Today Show, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and countless other publications and media channels.

The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement’s mission is to improve the health and welfare of the community through education, advocacy and patient-centered services and efforts directed toward the social and economic determinants of health. Its 18-member board, comprised of Wright Center for Community Health patients and area professionals, helps the region’s less fortunate, including those experiencing homelessness, poverty, food insecurity, social isolation and other hardships.

For more information about The Wright Centers for Patient & Community Engagement, go to TheWrightCenter.org. 

Johnson College received a $10,000 contribution from Gibbons Ford in support of the College’s comprehensive, five-year capital campaign, Innovation at Work.

Gibbons Ford is a long-standing industry partner with Johnson College. They support the College and its students by making monetary and in-kind contributions, participating in the Automotive Technology program advisory committee, hosting student interns, and inviting students to participate in live program labs inside their dealership in Dickson City, PA.

“The best thing we can invest in is our future and the students at Johnson College are that future,” said Darryl Jayne, General Manager, Gibbons Ford.

“Generous contributions to our capital campaign from industry partners like Gibbons Ford, help the College continue to deliver to students the real-world, hands-on experience for which we are known,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO, Johnson College. “Working with industry gives our students a competitive edge in the workplace as they are exposed daily to new technologies, emerging fields of study and the most sophisticated equipment.”

The Innovation at Work campaign consists of four components that will create an environment for continued growth and success: the construction of Ideal Saldi Hall, a new gateway building that will become the official entrance to the campus and include new lab and classroom spaces; the expansion of Woolworth Hall, which houses on-campus lab space for programs including Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning and Electrical Construction Technology; the creation of a Transportation Education Center; and support of the College’s Annual Fund and student scholarships. For more details about the “Innovation at Work” campaign, visit johnson.edu/innovationatwork.

Johnson College provides real-world, hands-on learning in a caring environment and prepares graduates to enter into or advance their careers. Johnson College degrees become essential careers. Johnson College was founded in 1912 and is the region’s premier technical college, offering 17 associate degrees and 4 academic certificate programs. A low student-to-teacher ratio supports an emphasis on hands-on instruction. Located in Scranton on a 44-acre campus, the College is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional businesses and industries to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.

Lackawanna College is still enrolling students and providing student services even though Angeli Hall in Scranton is temporarily closed.

Admissions, Financial Aid and all student services remain operational and ready to serve the student community at their temporary location at 409 on Adams, the student-run restaurant at 409 Adams Street in Scranton.

Angeli Hall, at 501 Vine Street, temporarily closed Monday after an unforeseen water issue. College officials are working quickly to reopen the building.

“Lackawanna College is still open for business and enrolling students despite the situation at Angeli Hall,” said Lackawanna College President Dr. Jill Murray. “This was an unforeseen situation but we were able to meet this challenge and continue to offer our student services with no interruptions. We want students and prospective students to know we are here, open and ready to serve their needs.”

Murray thanked the following people and companies for the work on Angeli Hall. They are: Tom Bohns, Mechanical Systems; John Ondich, Advanced Electrical; Serv-Pro; Scranton Fire Department; UGI; PPL; Pennsylvania American Water; Lackawanna College facilities staff; and P&J Mechanical Contractors.

For questions or assistance, people can email scrantonadvisors@lackawanna.edu or call (570) 955-3327.