Culture

August 28, 2024

A haunted tour of Lock Haven in the I-80 Frontier

I’ve been working with my current PA Wilds editor, Britt Madera, for a few years now. She’s been a great editor and I enjoy working with her, so when she asked for a haunted tour of Lock Haven, I immediately agreed. She didn’t just ask me randomly - I give tours of Lock Haven all the time. It’s one of the things I’m good at.

August 12, 2024

Creators in the Wilds

Driving through the scenic Pennsylvania Wilds is an incredible experience all on its own, but once you pick up a camera, you begin to notice all of the small breathtaking details all around you. We’ve come to learn that we should always have a camera in hand and ready, because you never know when you’ll come across a moment you want to document.

August 9, 2024

How Cora Brooks saved lives at Austin Dam

A new interpretive panel near Austin Dam tells the story of how one incredible woman, Cora Brooks, spread the word of the breaking of the Bayless Paper Mill Dam - saving lives of many of those in the path of destruction. The Austin Dam Memorial Association worked with the Lumber Heritage Region and their local Scout Club to install and unveil the Cora Brooks / Bayless Paper Mill sign at the Austin Dam Memorial Park.

August 6, 2024

A Watershed Moment: Dedicated Rocks

There once was a man made of water. Like rivers and streams he was swept to the tide. He flowed to the sea, he flowed to the sea, to forces and figures much greater than he. Read this poem about Scripture Rocks in Brookville, written by Jessica Cichocki Weible for The Watershed Journal.

July 31, 2024

“Where are the Totally Ninja Raccoons?”: Bookstore offers community-wide hunt in Wellsboro

For the fifth year in a row, From My Shelf Books & Gifts at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro, the local bookstore owned by author Kevin Coolidge, is hosting the “Where Are the Totally Ninja Raccoons?” hunt throughout the community. The raccoons will be hiding in 25 area businesses during the month of August.

July 17, 2024

Get the picture? Outdoor photo advice from the PA Wilds’ photo pros

You gotta love Facebook and Instagram for the endless supply of picture-perfect photos of the vast Pennsylvania Wilds. Opening my phone or laptop every morning provides a daily diet of beautiful pictures from all over the Wilds. Some images come from the pros, while most others come from amateur photographers like you and me. 

July 2, 2024

A Watershed Moment: How The Watershed Journal uplifts and empowers local literary arts

The Watershed Journal Literary Group is an autonomous, grassroots, charitable nonprofit literary organization located in the I-80 Frontier Landscape of the PA Wilds serving storytellers in western Pennsylvania. On the first Tuesday of each month, the Wilds Are Calling blog on PAWilds.com will feature one story and its related image from an edition of The Watershed Journal. This once-a-month feature is called A Watershed Moment, highlighting the talented writers and artisans in our rural PA Wilds region.

June 19, 2024

More than a market – An inside look at buying local food at farmers markets

With the idea of summertime fresh on our minds, many of us find ourselves daydreaming of the glorious days ahead. For some this might mean trips to greenhouses, maybe planting a garden or getting some of those renovations knocked off of that to-do list. For many, this is market season. Weekly farmers markets have forever served as the direct connection between producer and consumer.

May 17, 2024

Fire tower preserved for visitors in McKean County, thanks to Lumber Heritage Region

After serving for 49 years in fire detection and forest preservation efforts, a portion of the iconic Prospect Hill Fire Tower is now on display at the McKean County Historical Society, welcoming visitors to experience its rich history. The McKean County Historical Society and the Prospect Hill Fire Tower are in Smethport, at the edge of the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape and the Dark Skies landscape of the PA Wilds region, as well as along the Scenic Route 6 journey.

May 16, 2024

A win as rare as Bigfoot: Cafe offers food challenge

I personally love the idea of Bigfoot. Is he real? I don’t care about the science. I love the stories. The rumors are that you can challenge the legendary cryptid, Bigfoot. Was I up for the challenge? For my birthday, my wife took me out to breakfast at Conspiracy Coffee Co. in Mansfield where I could partake in "The Bigfoot Challenge."