They came from as far away as Nanticoke and Pittston. Classical guitar and Jay Steveskey fans brightened a gloomy overcast Sunday by attending Classical Guitar Plays Broadway and More at the Dietrich Theater. So many expressed gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy this concert, free due to the sponsorship by John Keker in memory of Jessie Reppy Keker. Broadway tunes were interspersed with classical favorites, a beautiful melding. Fans will be happy to know that Jay Steveskey will return in the fall to take us on another musical journey.
In just 24 hours, a new exhibit was installed in the Earnshaw Gallery at the Dietrich. Pop Art went on to a new venue, and Everyday Life in Wyoming County in 1900 was installed. But the exhibit was a year in the planning. Dick Daniels, volunteer at the Wyoming County Historical Society, alerted me a year ago he was scanning glass plates in possession of the WCHS, photos that 13-year-old photographer Ralph Monsey recorded around Tunkhannock and other locations in Wyoming County in the early 1900s. They are charming shots of every day life at that time – hence the name of the exhibit.
That was a year ago. It took many hands to make the exhibit a reality. This spring, Diane Turell of DDH Design, a friend of the Dietrich, helped us identify which prints we would like to enlarge for the exhibit and sent them to Graphic Details to be printed. When they arrived, Jessica Shaffer, cultural assistant, with the help of Ronnie Harvey and me, stapled the photos to the back of the six display cases.
Now we were ready for the display case designers, Mark Mitchell and Kent Ward. Both collectors and historians of the 1900s, it took them only a couple of hours to bring in memorabilia to supplement the photos and aesthetically place them in the cases, ready for all to take a visual journey into another, much simpler time. The exhibit can be viewed through August any time movies are shown or by appointment.
Coming up at the Dietrich are so many events, but I will only tell you about three of them. The first is on Saturday, June 16 at PNC Field in Moosic. A special opportunity to register for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community/Walk for the Dietrich. Highmark has invited us to participate in this first Highmark Walk in NEPA. All proceeds we earn benefit the Dietrich. What can be better than that? All you need to do is register online. Go to www.dietrichtheater.com, pull down Events at the top of the homepage, click on Walk for the Dietrich and follow the directions. The 5K Walk is free or you can sponsor yourself, form a team or join a team. Let’s all Walk for the Dietrich!
Open Mic at the Dietrich at 7 p.m. Friday, June 22 features local singer/songwriter Lorne Clarke. Come hear performers honing their craft, then sit back and enjoy a true master musician play the guitar and sing his original songs, some in celebration of the area in which we live and the true joys and sorrows of life, others stories of injustice and hope for a better life for some of us. Open Mic is free and all are welcome.
JP Williams Blues Band comes to the Dietrich Stage at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 24. Sponsored by Tunkhannock Rotary Club, the concert is free with donations suggested. The special guest vocalist is Ekat Pereyra. Featured songs will be from JP Williams new CD Stolen Cadillac. The CD will be for sale at the concert. Included will be original songs and those of the great Chicago and Delta Blues artists. Tickets will be available at the door or may be reserved by calling 570-996-1500.
History and music are alive at the Dietrich Theater. Won’t you come enjoy Historic Downtown Tunkhannock and take in one of these events? We would love to see you soon. And often!
