(Edited from Submitted Materials)
The Dietrich Theater will be presenting the 18th Annual River Day in Tunkhannock. Held in Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park, on Saturday, July 22 from 1 pm to 7 pm, this is a free, rain-or-shine event sponsored by the Overlook Estate Foundation.
The beautiful Susquehanna waterfront will be the setting for arriving kayaks, nature presentations, organization displays, activities, food and natural product vendors, and live musical performances.
To jumpstart the day there will be a free session of yoga in the park. Instructor Barbara Tierney will teach a Kundalini Yoga class from 10 am to 11 am. Bring a blanket or yoga mat and water, and experience what yoga can do for your mind and body, while being outdoors under the trees at the river’s edge. All are welcome.
Kayak enthusiasts may want to join river floats organized by Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals (www.kayaktheriver.com). Rent a kayak and float down the river 14 miles from Meshoppen to Riverside Park where participants will be able to enjoy music and other River Day activities. For more information or to register call Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals at 570-388-6107.
River Day offers continuous music at the pavilion from 1 to 7 pm. From 1 to 2 pm, Doug Smith’s Dixieland All-Stars will kickoff the afternoon with modern and traditional Dixieland music. Then the J.P. Williams Twilight Revue will bring a mix of Americana, folk, electric and acoustic influences to create original music that will touch your soul from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Then at 3:45 pm, students from the Dietrich’s Jam Along Band Camp will perform a song or two they learned in camp. Endless Mountains Heritage Region executive director Cain Chamberlin will follow them up with a presentation about the 2023 PA River of the Year – the Susquehanna River – North Branch Water Trail. Then, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. brings Bret Alexander of “Badlees” fame and singer-songwriter Tom Flannery to the pavilion stage, featuring a mix of rock, folk and acoustic original music. To end the day from 6 to 7 pm, Dave Brown & the Dishonest Fiddlers, “a good-timin’, Americana folk roots, country-pickin’, front porch band,” will perform. Rick Hiduk will serve as the emcee at the pavilion throughout the afternoon.
Adding to the festivities, nature presentations will be held under a small tent by the playground in the park. From 1 to 2 pm, Terra McAlliffe will share how all ages can start nature journaling. All participants will receive their own nature journal and will have the opportunity to begin the rewarding exploration, play and creativity of nature journaling. Then, from 2 to 3 pm, Dr. Gere Reisinger will give a presentation on the indigenous people of the area called “Forgotten Founders.” Following Dr. Reisinger, from 3 to 4 pm, environmental educator Rebecca Lesko will tell Native American animal stories and will have a few live reptiles for you to meet. From 4 to 5 pm, the Master Gardeners will present a program on how to incorporate native plants into home landscapes. From 5 to 6 pm, naturalist and Pennsylvania Outdoor Life personality Rick Koval will take participants on a nature walk of Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park.
There will be many activities at Riverside Park planned especially for children. Right at the river from 1 to 6 pm, young artists will be able to add their designs to a painted mural inspired by the natural surroundings, guided by Amy and Steve Colley, Dietrich Theater art teachers. Also from 1 to 6 pm, there will be free rock painting with the Dietrich Theater’s Fundraising Committee. There will also be free face painting from 1 to 6 pm. Throughout the day, the Frances Dorrance Chapter of the PA Archaeological Society will have a demo where all ages can learn how to dig and screen for artifacts.
River Day is all about appreciating our beautiful NEPA surroundings and how we can be good stewards of them. Environmental organizations and their displays will help us understand what they are doing and what we can do. Organizations with displays include the Frances Dorrance Chapter of the PA Archaeological Society, the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, Susquehanna Kayak & Canoe Rental, the Dietrich Theater, the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Wyoming County, Wildlife in Need, the Endless Mountains Master Watershed Stewards, PA Department of Heal, PA Bureau of Forestry and Wyoming County Heart & Soul. In addition to displays, Gingher Apiary will be there with local honey, beeswax candles, beeswax skin cream and beeswax lip balm for sale. The Bread Boutique will also be there with an assortment of breads, pastries and sour dough.
While watching kayaks, listening to music, visiting displays and attending presentations, take a break and enjoy some delicious treats. Don’t miss Manning’s Ice Cream, and fresh squeezed lemonade, jerk chicken, and vegetarian empanadas and jambalaya by Sammy’s Caribbean Grill, hot food, ice cream and coffee by Giddy UP & Go Snack Shack, or an assortment of fair favorites from Maddy’s Doghouse.
River Day is planned by the Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater and is made possible by the Overlook Estate Foundation, the Wyoming County Commissioners and the Riverside Park Commission. For information about River Day call the Dietrich Theater at 570-836-1022, ext. 3.