Music in the air

By TOM KANE

BUSHKILL, PA — Soon, strains of music, sometimes jazzy, sometimes symphonic, will be wafting over southern Pike County.

Beginning June 14, the Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts will hold its Grand Opening Week at the Boathouse on the 687-acre site off Route 209 in Bushkill, PA.

The opening act on June 10 will be Lakeside Jazz with Cy Coleman, a Broadway luminary, and The Mountain Laurel Trio with special guest singer Lillias White.

The centerpiece of the Boathouse Grand Opening Week is the Boathouse Bash on Saturday, June 14, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The show is at 8:00 p.m.

The Boathouse, a 400-seat cabaret-style theatre located on an 85-acre lake, is an historical building dating back to the Unity House Resort that preceded the Mountain Laurel Center at the site.

Stars of stage and screen will celebrate during the week including Linda Lavin, Matt Ashford, Dick Hyman, Cy Coleman, Lillias White, David Garrison, The Tehilla Choir, Chiara Navarra, A Parade of 30 Stars, The Mountain Laurel Trio and The Mountain Laurel Players.

Construction continues on the Tom Ridge Pavilion, a 10,000-seat entertainment venue with 2,500 seats under cover and the remainder on the lawn.

The pavilion is expected to be completed by August 7 for the appearance of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Pennsylvania Ballet is scheduled for a performance on October 14 and 15.

“There is an excellent chance that the Pittsburgh will make us its summer home,” said President and CEO Christopher Dunworth.

The center is also in conversation with the New York Metropolitan Opera over the appearance of its traveling programs.

“We’re aiming our programs to all audiences,” he said, “something jazzy for the young and something classical for the rest,” he added.

“As you will see, the Mountain Laurel Center is committed to bringing the best in arts and entertainment to the Pocono Mountains Region,” Dunworth said at an April 16 press conference .

The biggest problem facing the center is traffic, he said.

“We’re working closely with PENNDOT and the Lehman Township  to help solve the problem,” he said.

Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster 570/693-4100 or by calling the center at 570/588-5955.