Two PA Wilds Residents Earn 2018 ‘Do 6’ Awards from PA Route 6 Alliance
- by LaKeshia Knarr
- May 21, 2018
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WARREN – On May 17, 2018, a handful of individuals, organizations and businesses from across the U.S. Route 6 corridor in Pennsylvania were recognized for their efforts to protect, preserve and enhance the scenic, cultural, historical and recreational resources of the region.
The annual “Do 6” Awards Ceremony is held in a different location each year, showcasing all the PA Route 6 corridor has to offer. This year, the event was held in Warren, PA, which was special for a couple reasons.
While taking place in the Allegheny National Forest and the Surrounds Landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, two of the region’s own residents were honored: Warren County Planner Dan Glotz and photographer Curt Weinhold. Both individuals have been immersed in the regional effort to grow nature and heritage tourism for several years.
Glotz received the Heritage Leadership Award, which is given to a person or group for meaningful contributions and partnerships, and for enriching local communities through landscape initiatives or historic preservation.
In his role as Warren County planner, Glotz has been instrumental in helping many initiatives get off the ground. He has a clear understanding of the impact of heritage tourism and outdoor recreation on the local economy and quality of life. Glotz has served on the Board of not only the PA Route 6 Alliance, where he is now Vice-President, but also as past President of the PA Wilds Planning Team and a member of the Lumber Heritage Region. Glotz led the PA Route 6 Tourism Infrastructure Committee through revisions to the Management Action Plan and continues to guide the committee on issues that improve the overall quality of the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor. He has been actively involved in developing sustainable, healthy projects within Warren County, including “Walkable Warren.”
Weinhold, based out of Coudersport, PA – In the heart of the Dark Skies Landscape – was honored with the Artisan of the Year Award, which is presented to an artist or artisan group that exemplifies the goals of the PA Route 6 Artisan Trail program showing regional thinking and cooperation while promoting the arts along the corridor
Weinhold is a well-known photographer from Potter County who has decades of experience in his craft, focusing primarily on nature and the outdoors. Weinhold is a juried Professional Artisan in the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania who has captured spectacular scenes of the region’s most popular attractions, including: Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, Pine Creek Rail-Trail and the Austin Dam. Weinhold is a consummate promoter of the arts and supports several regional tourism efforts, area chambers, and non-profits. He has provided many images to help in the promotion of the Pennsylvania Wilds region and the Route 6 Corridor, including helping to arrange a photo shoot for the first edition of the PA Route 6 Motorcycle Loop Map.
In support of tourism efforts in the region, Weinhold now offers night-time photography classes at Cherry Springs State Park, so students can learn to capture the brilliant night scenes. It is not uncommon to hear that he is getting up before dawn or staying up long into the night to capture the night sky at its best. Recently, Weinhold has undertaken an effort to designate Route 44 in Potter County as a Scenic Byway – “Highway to the Stars.”
Other 2018 “Do 6” Awards given out by PA Route 6 Alliance include:
- Heritage Partnership Award – Bradford County Veterans Memorial Park Association, Towanda,
- Pa Heritage Tourism Award – Venango General Store, Venango, PA
- Heritage Community Of The Year – White Mills, PA, Wayne County
US Route 6 crosses through 11 Pennsylvania counties, including Crawford, Erie, Bradford, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike, as well as four located in the Pennsylvania Wilds: Warren, McKean, Potter and Tioga. The PA Route 6 Alliance, a 501(c3) corporation, was established in 2003 to manage the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor and focuses on preserving, enhancing and promoting the transportation heritage of one of the nation’s first transcontinental highways; sustaining and enhancing the small rural communities linked by the highway; and preserving and enhancing the natural, scenic beauty of one of America’s favorite “road trips”. Learn more about the PA Route 6 Alliance, and things to do along Scenic Route 6, here.
