When the Historic Tunkhannock Walking Tour was introduced in 2016, it was welcomed by the community and visitors to Wyoming County alike for its cataloging of 39 iconic structures and a cemetery in the county seat.
Initially, the information was available only in a pocket-sized brochure designed for self-guided tours or by arranging a guided tour through the Wyoming County Cultural Center. But project coordinators were already working on plans to enhance the tour in the years that followed.
In 2017, the Cultural Center successfully applied for a second set of grants to convert the tour into a mobile phone app. The Dietrich Theater’s webmaster, Mike Biro and his sons, Evan and Adam, transferred the thumbnail photos and the brief descriptions and tested the app together before introducing it to the Wyoming County Commissioners that July.
At the Tuesday, July 9 commissioners meeting Culture Center executive director Erica Rogler will visit the courthouse again to debut the latest technical advancement in the Walking Tour – audio segments of all 40 sites recorded by many of the original tour guides. The recordings were arranged and conducted by Ester Harmatz.
“We are grateful to all the tour guides who lent their voices and knowledge about historic Tunkhannock for the audio component of the Historic Walking Tour,” Rogler stated. “This enhancement to the app gives all who use it the opportunity to experience and explore the rich history of downtown Tunkhannock at their own convenience.”
Funding for the voice app was provided by the Endless Mountains Heritage Region via the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau via the Wyoming County Commissioners and the Wyoming County Room Tax Fund.
Much like a guided tour, the recorded segments offer additional insight for which space was not available in the printed brochure. The app can be accessed at http://www.dietrichtheater.com/tour/ .
To schedule a guided tour for a group of four or more people, interested readers may cal the Dietrich Theater at 570-996-1509.
The July 9 commissioners meeting will be held at 9 am at the Wyoming County Courthouse in Tunkhannock.