Culture

March 22, 2023

Cameron County: Cultivating connection and culture

There is greatness generated within the county lines of Cameron County. From being the birthplace of TV star Tom Mix and federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, Rick Peltz, to contributing to sourcing flagstone for the Tomb of Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. There has been a long history of talent, natural resources, perseverance, and innovation in Cameron County, and the area continues to be a wealth of natural beauty and culture.

March 2, 2023

Take a trip to Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery

Between the rolling hills of Curwensville, along the I-80 Frontier Landscape of the PA Wilds, sits Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery. This business's traditions and entrepreneurial spirit have created over 30 unique wines and one very wild one.

February 28, 2023

The Allegheny National Forest celebrates 100 years

With the simple stroke of a pen 100 years ago, President Calvin Coolidge signed a proclamation establishing the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). Thanks to President Coolidge and several other U.S. Presidents, you, me and many others get to enjoy the wonder of it all. The journey that moment in 1923 to now has been long and difficult, with hard work throughout the ANF's history.

February 21, 2023

Graham Acres

While it's not exactly a tourist attraction, the Lock Haven Hospital does have an interesting history behind it, a history that even connects with Hollywood movies. The Lock Haven Hospital sits at the top of a hill in the western portion of Lock Haven. Once upon a time, that hill was a horse farm. It was known as Graham Acres, and the land was donated to be used for a hospital.

February 16, 2023

Down Life’s Crazy Road: An Early Spring?

Does it really matter what Punxsutawney Phil predicts? Writer John Pozza thinks it's a fun tradition that's not based in how the seasons work! The vast majority of times, Phil has seen his shadow, so we have NOT had an early spring. In reality, we have not only NOT had an early spring, but we had a longer winter than Phil forecasted. That’s because the beginning of spring (the equinox) is actually six and a half weeks after Groundhog Day.

February 2, 2023

How often does Punxsutawney Phil predict an early spring? Not often!

When Punxsutawney Phil was woken from his burrow this morning on Groundhog Day 2023, his scroll said, "No matter how you measure, it’s six more weeks of winter weather." That means, once again, our Seer of Seers has predicted a long winter. It's not unusual, and this long winter is what the groundhog typically predicts!

January 30, 2023

Mark these 2023 PA Great Outdoors photo contests on your calendar!

Do you have an eye for catching the perfect shot while making memories in the PA Wilds? If you've snapped a photo of a good meal, your pet, an outdoor adventure with the family, fall leaves or history in Pennsylvania’s Great Outdoors region (part of the Pennsylvania Wilds that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest and Jefferson), that photo could win you some cash in 2023!

January 25, 2023

Flavors of the PA Wilds

Our PA Wilds region is home to so many unique foods... maple syrup, birch beer, popcorn, red pickled eggs, mushrooms, hoagies and more. Whether you’re a resident of the Pennsylvania Wilds or traveling through the area, don’t miss out on these distinctive flavors that can be found here!

December 7, 2022

A Dark Skies Christmas

As a history writer, Lou Bernard has a Christmas tradition: digging into old archives and writing about the holidays of the past. In Dark Skies Country, a hundred and forty-three years ago, there was an interesting one. Christmas in Potter County had some wild stuff happening back in 1879, and the Potter Enterprise reported on it all.

November 8, 2022

The Legend of the Gnats

In Clearfield County, in the I-80 Frontier, there’s an interesting legend that explains how the gnats came to exist. Lou Bernard shares the folklore story of how a young Native American warrior defeated a sorcerer and turned him into ash, which then became the gnats that we know (and despise) today.