From left are Samuel Scranta, and Hannah Scranta and Marissa Ivey mural painting at River Day.
Submitted photo
How sad I was to miss most of River Day this year. But the heat did not deter between 650 to 700 River Day fans and kayak and canoe paddlers from coming out and enjoying the beautiful Susquehanna River front, the spirit lifting music, the environmental displays and activities, and wonderful concoctions from the food trucks. Next year I hope the heat will not be so intense, because this is the only River Day I have missed. Thank you to the Overlook Estate Foundation for their sponsorship of a very special day at the river.
Erica Rogler, Dietrich Theater Executive Director, filled me in about some of the highlights of the day. “The kids had so much fun at the archeological dig, and shared the songs they learned at Jam Along Band Camp. The music at the pavilion was rousing and foot stomping. The food was the best ever. A perfect day all around.”
We have one more big free event at the Dietrich Theater coming up on Wednesday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m. Gathering of Singer/Songwriters is back at the Dietrich after a two year absence due to Covid. And the best news of all is that Lorne Clarke will be back on stage. Yes, he will be back with his good friends Tom Flannery, Brett Alexander, and Josh Pratt. All four will take their places on the Dietrich Theater stage.
It was the spring of 2002 when Hildy Morgan, Founding Mother of the Dietrich, asked me if I would be the Program Director of the Wyoming County Cultural Center. I was on the Board of Directors of the Dietrich for three years before we reopened, all of us confident that we could be movie theater that supported cultural programming. We all believed we could do it, a true feeling that a cultural center with events and classes was needed and desired in our underserved community.
So how should we begin? I remembered that years ago the Rain Forest Café (now Twigs Restaurant and Café) brought in folk singers to perform in the café. Why not bring some of them to the Dietrich stage? I called George Graham of WVIA and asked if he could recommend singers and songwriters that I could contact. “Lorne Clarke is your best contact. He knows all the performers.”
About the same time Lorne Clarke was the creator of the Old Lynn Concert Series, free folk music concerts, nine miles up the road. Lorne was the perfect person to help us create our own Gathering of Singer/Songwriters event. Over the last 20 years the Dietrich Theater has hosted this event in the summer. This year all are invited to experience the joy of the Gathering of Singer/Songwriters return to the Dietrich Theater. Let’s fill the theater for this glorious return! Free tickets are available at the ticket booth or online at www.dietrichtheater.com. Tickets available at the door as long as they last.
I almost forgot to tell you that you can go online and check out the documentary that has been filmed of the Old Lynn Concert Series called the Sacred Place: The Story of Old Lynn Concerts.
Summer Fest has been such a wonderful diversion during the heat of the summer. To Olivia is the last movie I have seen, a depiction of the poignant and complicated life of Roald Dahl, one of the most beloved children’s authors. James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are two of his books. This movie tells us how he dealt with the death of his young daughter, Olivia, and how he and his wife Patricia Neal navigated two amazing careers in spite of their deep grief.
So – make sure August 17 at 7:30 p.m. is on your calendar. Gathering of Singer/Songwriters is always a thought provoking but ultimately positive and joyous event. It is free! Lorne, Tom, Brett and Josh! Let’s honor all of them.
