6th Annual Winter Blues Guitarmageddon Postponed

Due to weather disruptions and travel restrictions, the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple’s 6th Annual Winter Blues Guitarmageddon featuring Joe Louis Walker with King Solomon Hicks, Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen and the Deb Callahan Duo scheduled for tonight at 7:00 PM has been postponed and will be rescheduled for Sunday, March 27 at 6:00 PM.

All tickets for tonight’s performance will be honored at the rescheduled date. Patrons can contact their original point of purchase or the SCC’s Fidelity Bank Box Office at (570) 344-1111 with any questions.

Railfest to Return to Steamtown National Historic Site

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is pleased to announce the return of Railfest on Saturday-Sunday, June 11-12, 2022.  This year’s celebration will be offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum’s Arts on Fire event at the Scranton Iron Furnaces. Both sites are excited to be collaborating to provide an interactive and immersive experience showcasing our community’s history. New for 2022: there will be no cost of admission for the event!  

Details are still being ironed out for the weekend-long event which is expected to include activities such as an iron pour, live music, arts programming, and more! Updates will be forthcoming. Stay informed by visiting www.nps.gov/stea or @SteamtownNHS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Learn about the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum by visiting www.anthracitemuseum.org or @AnthraciteHeritageMuseum on Facebook and @AnthraciteMuse on Twitter.

Waverly Community House Upcoming Events

National Women’s History Month Luncheon

Our annual luncheon honoring the accomplishments of great women in our past and present, and inspiring great women in our future. Open to the public. Keynote speaker Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti. Thursday, March 10th, 12:00 pm, Glen Oak Country Club. Tickets on sale HERE or through The Comm office and website.
Laurie Tuchel – ” A Sense of Place”

Art opening in our Waverly Small Works Gallery, Friday, March 18th. Live music and refreshments. Free event. Open to the public.

Visit “The Upstairs Thrift”!

Our upscale thrift shop featuring women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing and housewares.

Stop by The Comm Library

We have an updated assortment of adult and children’s books

Beautiful Blocks Program Open for Applications

Applications are now being accepted for the second year of Beautiful
Blocks in the City of Carbondale.
Beautiful Blocks is a home improvement program which provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. After a successful inaugural cycle in Carbondale, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is pleased to once again partner with the City of Carbondale to offer Beautiful Blocks to residents of the Pioneer City.

The Beautiful Blocks program seeks to make neighborhoods throughout Carbondale more attractive places to live. Eligible exterior improvements include everything from painting and mailboxes to larger projects like sidewalks and lamp posts. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process. Applications will be judged on project impact, coordination, and the likelihood of neighbors continuing to work together in the future.

Pre-applications are being accepted until March 21. Awards will be announced in May, with work taking place throughout the summer. Residents must match their grant awards dollar-for-dollar, unless they meet certain income guidelines. Residents whose household income is less than 80% of the area median income are only required to provide a 20% match. For example, if a resident meets these income guidelines and receive the maximum $1,000 grant award, they must personally contribute at least $200 towards their project. Otherwise, participants must match the $1,000 grant with $1,000 of their own funds.

According to NeighborWorks President & CEO Jesse Ergott, “After a successful first year in Carbondale, we look forward to building on the positive impact of Beautiful Blocks to the City of Carbondale. We appreciate the support of our community partners in supporting this program, and encourage Carbondale residents to join with their neighbors in improving their neighborhood through Beautiful Blocks.”

“Mayor Justin Taylor is very excited about getting into our neighborhoods with Beautiful Blocks to create meaningful relationships with our residents, the City of Carbondale, and NeighborWorks NEPA,” Michele Bannon, Carbondale City Clerk and member of the NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Board of Directors, said of the program’s expansion into Carbondale. “We see that building strong relationships between neighbors allows for a thriving, unified, and safe community dedicated to making Carbondale a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

In the first year of the Beautiful Blocks program operating in Carbondale, three groups of neighbors participated, with more than $15,000 in grant funding awarded. This grant funding helped to leverage more than $30,000 in funds invested from participating homeowners.Carbondale residents interested in participating in the Beautiful Blocks program can download pre-application instructions and access the pre-application document by visiting the program homepage at https://www.nwnepa.org/programs/beautiful-blocks.html.

More information about NeighborWorks can be found at www.nwnepa.org.

NEPA Film Festival

Opening night festivities at the Northeast Pennsylvania Film Festival to feature Tony award winning playwright, screenwriter, author, filmmaker and Scranton native Stephen Karam, and screening of his first feature film, an adaptation of “The Humans” for A24 films. This inspiring conversation will be moderated by our CEO and Chief Creative Strategist Helen Lavelle! 
 

6:00PM Cocktail Reception
 

7:00PM “A Conversation with Stephen Karam: Evolution of “The Humans” from Stage to Screen” Moderated by Helen Lavelle
 

8:00PM   Screening of “The Humans.”

Helen Lavelle is a nationally-recognized leader in the advertising industry and the owner of Lavelle Strategy Group in Scranton. Ms. Lavelle is also an artist and an advocate for the arts in all genres. Her figurative, landscape and abstract work is held in corporate and private collections worldwide.

Stephen Karam is the Tony Award-winning author of The HumansSons of the Prophet and Speech & Debate. For his work he’s received two Drama Critics Circle Awards, an OBIE Award and is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.  

Follow March Madness and Win with the RailRiders

It’s nearly tournament time and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are marching on towards their 2022 season with the return of a fan-fav ticket promotion. The RailRiders are giving fans the opportunity to pair ticket packages purchased with teams from the NCAA men’s college tournament field for a chance to win.

Each new Full Season Ticket Membership purchased through March 16 will be paired with FOUR NCAA men’s tournament participants. Each Half Season Ticket Membership purchased will be paired with three teams. A Partial Plan purchase will net two teams in the tournament and any Mini-Plan will be assigned one corresponding team in the big dance. The team assignments will be done on Monday, March 14, after Selection Sunday via a random lottery pick system. Teams will be assigned on a per-seat basis rather than being limited to one per account.

If your designated team advances, you will be given the following prizes based on performance: Advance to the round of 32 to receive the FULL Legends Race Bobblehead Series (Both the Mantle & Munson Bobblehead AND the DiMaggio & Martin Bobblehead); advance to the Sweet 16 to receive a team hat with the classic SWB logo; advance to the Elite 8 to receive four tickets to Yankee Stadium (2 vouchers) and four Standing Room Only tickets to the Geisinger Champions Club level for a RailRiders game of their choice this season; advance to the Final 4 to receive a Roger Clemens autographed baseball, $25 gift certificate to theSWB Station Team Store and a game-worn RailRiders jersey.

One person will ride their team’s success all the way to the title. If your randomly-assigned team wins the NCAA Championship, you will take home an autographed Legend’s Series bat, a personalized RailRiders jersey, 50% off RailRiders suite May through September and a $100 gift card to the SWB Station Team Store.

The 2022 season opens on April 5 in Syracuse with the home opener on April 12 against the Norfolk Tides at PNC Field. Season ticket memberships and mini-plans are available now on www.swbrailriders.com and single-game tickets will be available beginning at 10 A.M. on March 8.

HNB Promotes New Commercial Loan Portfolio Manager

Ryan Ehrhardt

Thomas E. Sheridan Jr., President and CEO of The Honesdale National Bank, has announced Ryan Ehrhardt has been promoted to Commercial Loan Portfolio Manager.

In making the announcement, Sheridan stated, “We are pleased to have Ryan grow his career here at HNB.” He continued, “He has done an excellent job in support of our commercial lending team. His local knowledge and background in credit will be very valuable in his new position.”

As Commercial Loan Portfolio Manager, Ehrhardt will be responsible for supporting commercial loan officers through developing and managing commercial loan relationships, which includes providing a high level of service and analysis of commercial credit opportunities.

Ehrhardt began his career in the financial industry in 2019 with a Commercial Lending Internship at HNB. After graduating college, he managed Client Services at Vanguard before returning to HNB as Credit Analyst in 2021.

In commenting on his new role at HNB, Ehrhardt noted, “I consider myself very fortunate to work and start my career in banking at HNB.” He noted, “In the short time I’ve been here, I can confidently say this is a bank that genuinely cares about the people, businesses, and communities they serve, which is why I’m excited about my new role further positioning me to support our areas local business people.”

Ehrhardt is from Paupack, Pa. and graduated from Wallenpaupack Area High School. He is a graduate of Bloomsburg University, 2020 (Magna Cum Laude) and has obtained a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration (BSBA) in Marketing and Finance.

Outside of the bank, he enjoys spending time with his dog Levi, skiing, boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking.

The Honesdale National Bank, established in 1836, holds the distinction of being the area’s oldest independent community bank headquartered in Northeastern PA, with offices in Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. The Honesdale National Bank offers personal banking, business banking and wealth solutions. For more information on HNB’s products and services, visit www.hnbbank.bank.

Improv at the Scranton Cultural Center

WHO: Martin Media

WHAT: Whose Live Anyway?

WHEN: Friday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple – Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Theatre 420 North Washington Avenue Scranton, PA 18503

TICKET PRICE: $46.00-56.00 (plus fees)

The current cast members of the Emmy-nominated TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” are proud to present their new improv tour: “WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY?,” appearing live in concert at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple on April 29 at 8:00 PM.

“WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY?” is 90 minutes of hilarious improvised comedy and song all based on audience suggestions. Cast members Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, Ryan Stiles, and Joel Murray will leave you gasping with the very witty scenes they invent before your eyes. Audience participation is key to the show, so bring your suggestions and you might be asked to join the cast onstage!

This particular style of improvisational comedy is rife with countless gags, one-liners, hilarious games and even songs so good you will hardly believe they were made up on the spot. The teamwork and trust that it takes to perform a show with no script is apparent, but when the best of the best do it, they do it effortlessly. Watch them build entire scenes, characters, and storylines right before your eyes as they take you on a white-knuckle ride through endless chuckles.

Ryan Stiles’ television credits include roles on “The Drew Carey Show” and “Two and a Half Men,” while Greg Proops has lent his vocal talents to animated characters in Star Wars: Episode 1, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Brother Bear. However, both got their start as comedians and are excited to return to their funny-bone-tickling roots.

Jeff B. Davis is also a highly experienced improv comedian and starred in the cult classic cartoon series, “Harmonquest.” He has also starred in “Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show” and “Improv-a-Ganza,” while gaining fame for his spot-on impressions of Christoper Walken, Keanu Reeves, and Jeff Goldblum.

Joel Murray is the youngest of the nine Murray brothers, including Bill Murray, but has become a star in his own right. Though he has over 250 sitcom appearances, he is best known for his recurring roles like Freddy Rumsen on “Mad Men” and Eddie Jackson on “Shameless.” He has also appeared in One Crazy Summer, The Artist, Scrooged, and Bobcat Goldthwait’s God Bless America..

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? showcases some of the improv games made famous on the long-running TV show as well as some exciting new ones, featuring musical direction by Bob Derkach. All ages welcome.

Tickets for “WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY?” will be on sale on February 24 at 10:00 AM. Tickets range from $46-56 (plus fees) and are available for purchase at the Fidelity Bank Box Office at the SCC in person or by calling (570) 344-1111, or via Ticketmaster. For more information or to view a full schedule of events, visit SCCMT.org.