Culture

October 17, 2024

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: The Glade Township Ghost near the ANF

The news broke in the Warren Ledger on Friday, August 5, 1881. In Glade Township, Warren County, in what would later become the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, there was a ghost. It had been sighted for the past month on a local farm.

October 16, 2024

Susquehanna adventures, then and now

At approximately 340 million years old, the Susquehanna River is older than the Nile, the Thames, and the Amazon rivers, spanning 672 miles across three states. It’s no wonder that over time, people in central Pennsylvania and beyond have returned to the river to celebrate its history and seek out adventures of their own. Whether rafting, rock-climbing, or even flying, there’s an adventure waiting for everyone on the Susquehanna Greenway. Let’s take a look at these adventures, then and now.  

October 10, 2024

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: A Haunted House in Elk Country

The Pennsylvania Wilds is covered with ghost towns. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean a haunted place. “Ghost town” is the term for an abandoned place with ruins to explore. We have plenty of those here. But, up in Elk Country landscape of the PA Wilds, there’s a ghost town that may have an actual ghost.

October 7, 2024

New sculpture made of recycled bicycles makes a splash along rail trail in Kane

A new sculpture made out of recycled bicycles is making quiet a splash after its installation along the rail trail in Kane! The large, eye-catching metal sculpture was installed in mid-September along the trailhead of the Knox and Kane Rail Trail near where Route 6 intersects with Route 321. Jody Aiello of Aiello Metal Works, a local artisan known for his intricate metal fish sculptures, said it took around 300 hours to complete the piece. It’s made from 15 different bicycles, parts of which you can clearly identify within the sculpture.

October 3, 2024

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: The Headless Trackwalker of the I-80 Frontier

When it comes to interesting ghost stories, the I-80 Frontier lands of the Pennsylvania Wilds has one advantage that the other PA Wilds landscapes don’t have: Henry Wharton Shoemaker lived there. Shoemaker was a folklorist and writer who lived in Clinton County. He gathered local legends and wrote them down, preserving them for future generations. A lot of his stories involved local ghosts and hauntings, some of them pretty close to home. And some of them were definitely very creepy. One of his most popular stories is the Headless Trackwalker.

October 1, 2024

Bellefonte Under the Lights returns in a new location for unique culinary experience

Downtown Bellefonte Inc. (DBI) is thrilled to announce the return of its largest annual fundraiser, Bellefonte Under the Lights, on Friday, October 11, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with a VIP hour beginning at 4 p.m. This year, the award-winning event will take place in a brand-new location: the scenic Talleyrand Park. Bellefonte Under the Lights is a night of communal outdoor dining that showcases the best of Bellefonte’s vibrant local businesses, picturesque waterfront, and welcoming neighborhood communities. Attendees will embark on a progressive-style dinner, choosing their own culinary adventure from a variety of local food and beverage providers.

September 30, 2024

Emporium Crosswalk Mural Project: A celebration of community and art

The Emporium Crosswalk Mural Project is a vibrant community art initiative that is set to transform the heart of downtown Emporium. This project is a collaborative effort between the Elk County Council on the Arts (ECCOTA), The Emporium Borough, artist Mickayla Poland from PA Made, and various local organizations, all united by the common goal of celebrating Emporium’s rich community through art.

September 26, 2024

Coming Soon: 2024 Ghosts of the PA Wilds

“Ghosts of the PA Wilds” describes a series of ghost stories from the region written by historian Lou Bernard, who also revels in folklore and the paranormal. Each Thursday of October 2024, and leading right to Halloween, the PA Wilds Are Calling blog will feature a new ghost story to celebrate the spooktacular season upon us.

September 23, 2024

Silver in the Pennsylvania Wilds

Fifteen years ago, I was asked to do a research job that involved lost deposits of silver in Clinton County. I looked into it and discovered that it was plausible, though I didn’t personally find any silver (you’ll notice I still have to work for a living). Recent discoveries have reopened that research job for me, and I’ve spent part of the summer again looking into the possibility of undiscovered silver within the Pennsylvania Wilds.

September 3, 2024

A Watershed Moment: Among the Flowers

Among the flowers and weeds, somewhere in between, is where I sit; hidden under their leaves and holding onto their stems. With whom do I belong? For which one am I? Read this poem about being among the flowers in nature, written by Laurie Barrett for The Watershed Journal.