SACF Women in Philanthropy Civic Engagement Summit Rescheduled The Civic Engagement Summit hosted by Women in Philanthropy that was previously scheduled for September 16, 2022, has been rescheduled to take place on Thursday, October 6, at the Century Club of Scranton. This new date allows Women in Philanthropy the opportunity to include additional national and regional partners in the conversation who are prepared to lend their voices in these discussions and support the local work on civic engagement and advocacy. Last week, Women in Philanthropy announced a partnership with the National Constitution Center, a private nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that will provide Women in Philanthropy with a thorough understanding of government and the importance of civic engagement. Together with experts in the field, Women in Philanthropy will host this Civic Engagement Summit to engage in valuable discussion and explore topics including how to encourage voter participation, promote the development of leadership and advocacy skills across the region, and engage youth in civic education. Participation in this event will help in creating action plans to further engage individuals and communities in civic life in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Women in Philanthropy, the initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation comprised of over 100 regional supporters, announced earlier this month that it would be hosting a Civic Engagement Summit to explore the topic of civic engagement and advocacy as it relates to women, girls, and their families in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After much research and many organized panel discussions with regional, state, and national experts over the past two years, Women in Philanthropy learned that the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges causing people to feel disengaged from civic life and from advocating for important causes. Women in Philanthropy also learned that there are a variety of ways to make a difference in the area of Civic Engagement and Advocacy that focus on breaking many of the barriers women, girls, and their families are facing. Civic engagement can look like activism, voting, volunteering, environmentalism, community and national service, running for office, service-learning, and many other activities. Civic engagement is an important part of the democratic process. It affects not just individuals but also improves entire neighborhoods and impacts societies. “What we’ve identified is that there is a tremendous opportunity to help make civic engagement and advocacy more inclusive, and to further support women and youth in the civic space,” stated Laura Ducceschi. “Women in Philanthropy hopes to advance this important topic and work to eliminate the barriers to civic engagement that exist across the region.” The Civic Engagement Summit will take place on Thursday, October 6, at the Century Club of Scranton (612 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton from 11:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Registration is $30 for the general public, $10 for students, and complimentary for Women in Philanthropy supporters. The cost includes lunch, refreshments, and an evening networking reception from 4 to 5 p.m. To become a Women in Philanthropy supporter, please visit supportnepawomen.org or call the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.
Steam Excursion to Carbondale on September 24th Join Steamtown NHS on Saturday, September 24, 2022 for a steam-powered excursion to Carbondale for the city’s Autumn Market. The Baldwin Locomotive Works No. 26 will depart Steamtown NHS at 9:30 a.m., arriving to Carbondale around 11:15 a.m. Passengers will then have a two-hour layover in Carbondale to enjoy events being offered. The returning train ride will depart Carbondale at 1:30 p.m., arriving to Steamtown around 3:30 p.m. NOTICE: Travel times may change due to slow orders or other delays along the route.While steam is planned, Steamtown NHS may be required to change out locomotives due to unforeseen mechanical issues.Masking requirements on passenger coaches are based on local conditions. Updates are posted weekly, on Fridays, to www.nps.gov/stea. In addition to Carbondale’s Autumn Market, S. Robert Powell, President of the Carbondale Historical Society and Museum, will be at the Carbondale Station to welcome passengers aboard Steamtown’s excursion, and to direct them to the center of town. Powell will lead a walk from the Carbondale Station to Main Street and the center of town, with a stop at Delaware & Hudson Caboose No. 35964, Carbondale City Hall, and Memorial Park. The Carbondale Historical Society (3rd floor of Carbondale City Hall) will be open to visitors from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; guided tours of the museum will be available. Ticket prices for Carbondale Excursion: Adult (ages 12-61) $25.00; Senior (ages 62+) $23.00; Youth (ages 3-11) $18.00; Child (ages 2 and under) $1.00. Visitors can purchase advance tickets for this excursion online through recreation.gov or on-site at our Information Kiosk, credit card only, during regular business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily.
Indraloka Animal Sanctuary to Host Sanctuary Spirits & Brew Please join us at Indraloka Animal Sanctuary for our Sanctuary Spirits & Brew event on Monday, July 18th from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet our rescued animals and mingle with other local business professionals. You’ll have the chance to take a guided tour of the sanctuary, followed by an hour of networking. Free cheese, wine, and coffee will be provided. If you’re looking for a chance to network and hear about opportunities for your business to contribute to the community through our programs, we’d love to see you on July 18th! Register here.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA to Host Rhythm and Wine Festival Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Pennsylvania is excited to announce its 2nd Annual Rhythm & Wine Festival on Saturday, August 27 from 12-4pm. The event will be held again this year at the Moonlite Drive-In, 1190 Shoemaker Ave., West Wyoming. This year’s presenting sponsor is M&T Bank. Come join us for a fun-filled afternoon with your friends, family, or business partners to enjoy a variety of wineries, cideries, breweries, food vendors and live music. Back by popular demand is the contemporary rock band, “Down by Five.” Festival chair Dave Kuharchik says “We’re excited to have this fun event returning for 2022 after a successful first year. All proceeds benefit critical one on one mentoring relationships through Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA. Please consider supporting this great cause.” Our alcohol distributing vendors include Deep Roots Hard Cider, Staggering Unicorn, Stone Lake Winery, Lucchi Family Cellars, Susquehanna Brewing Company, Nomad Distilling Company, Case Quattro Winery, and Bartolai Winery. Food vendors include, Keystone Farms and Cheese, Fondippity, Sugar Plum Chocolates, Pittston Popcorn, Yogi’s Potato Pancakes, Marianacci’s Restaurant, and Fiamma Rosa. General Admission Price is $40 (includes drink samples, & tasting glass). Designated driver tickets are just $10. General parking is $10. VIP Parking is $20 (limited to 100 spots – includes a tailgate spot & closest spots to the music stage.) Tickets can be purchased online at: www.bbbsnepa.org. Tickets go on sale Monday, June 6th. If you are interested being a sponsor for Rhythm & Wine, please contact Camille Sicolo at csicolo@bbbsnepa.org or visit www.bbbsnepa.org.
Railfest Returns to Steamtown Steamtown National Historic Site’s 2022 Railfest weekend is being offered in partnership with the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum’s Arts on Fire event held at the Scranton Iron Furnaces. Both sites are excited to be collaborating to provide an interactive and immersive experience showcasing our community’s history. In addition to free admission, there will be no cost for Steamtown’s short train rides, the Scranton Limited and the Caboose Experience. Free transportation between Steamtown and the Iron Furnaces will also be available. Steamtown will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11th to celebrate the restoration of the Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4012. Shortly after the ceremony, scheduled tours of the cab of the “Big Boy” will be provided by NPS staff and volunteers. Special programming will be offered throughout the weekend, including tours of Mattes St. Tower, demonstrations of Maintenance of Way equipment provided by the New Jersey Trackcar Excursions group, hand car demonstrations, tours and demonstrations within the locomotive shop including updates on the Boston & Maine No. 3713, special Railfest-exclusive Junior Ranger activities, scheduled Ranger Programs, and of course, our short train rides, the Scranton Limited and the Caboose Experience. Several community partners will be in attendance with site information and exhibits. For those interested in genealogy, our Historian will be on-site with the Lackawanna Historical Society to assist those digging into their family history. Arts on Fire at the Scranton Iron Furnaces will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11th, kicking off at 11 a.m. with a ceremonial lighting of the furnace. Arts on Fire will feature Lackawanna Markets arts vendors, arts demonstrations, food trucks, music by Bryan Banks, Steamtown’s “Ring of Fire” demonstrations, and the return of Hot Metal to the furnaces. The Lackawanna Historical Society will feature a community participation mural project, and artist and sculpture professor Brian Glaze will fire up his cupola furnace and melt iron. Scratch blocks will be available for your artistic expressions in cast iron. Steamtown’s Railfest weekend continues into Sunday, June 12th with an excursion to Gouldsboro, departing from Steamtown at 11 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m. Tickets for this excursion may be purchased in advance online through recreation.gov by searching “Steamtown National Historic Site”, or on-site at the Information Kiosk during regular business hours. Please note: due to limited crew availability, there will be no Yard Shuttle available on excursion day, only the Caboose Experience. 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.
