Rising Nation River Journey lands here

UPPER DELAWARE, NY and PA — Members of the Lenape nation will journey down the Delaware on their Rising Nation River Journey.
Paddlers from the tribe and its partners will arrive at Farm Arts Collective and Willow Wisp Farm at about 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.
A community potluck will be held. Bring a dish to share. The meal will take place at the Farm Arts Collective greenhouse, 38 Hickory Ln., Damascus, PA.
This year’s trip begins in Hancock, NY, on Saturday, July 30 and ends on Saturday, August 20 at Cape May, NJ. There are currently 13 public treaty-signing events scheduled. In our region, they will be held as follows:
Saturday, July 30—Equinunk Historical Society, Equinunk, PA
Sunday, July 31—Willow Wisp Organic Farm
Tuesday, August 2—Zane Grey Museum, Lackawaxen, PA
Friday, August 5—Phoenix Gift Shop, Dingmans Ferry, PA
For more information about the river journey and the Lenape, visit riverreporter.com/stories/a-pure-good.

Heavy mental music and brain commentary

ROCK VALLEY, NY — So We Are—aka the Acoustic Amygdaloids—will perform at the Rock Valley Schoolhouse on Sunday, July 31 at 4 p.m.
The band members are Joe LeDoux and Colin Dempsey, and they’ll play tunes from their Heavy MeNtal catalog.
LeDoux, a neuroscientist, will also provide interspersed commentary about the brain and mind, and could add a few words about his new work.
The schoolhouse is located at 9598 County Hwy. 28.
There is no charge to attend, but donations are requested to maintain the building and support the artists.
For more information, call 845/887-6569.

Wendy Stuart Kaplan to read from new memoir

MILFORD, PA — Model, producer and gay activist Wendy Stuart Kaplan is now an author too, and she’ll read from her new book and sign copies at the Sparkomatic Cafe at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 30.
The book, titled “Last Model Standing,” is described as a “memoir of climbing a rocky ladder of success, of a girl from the Bronx with big dreams, who makes her way from a village in Nigeria… to Studio 54” and beyond.
Kaplan has been a model, actress, comedian, documentary filmmaker, podcast host and more.
She is also involved with Triversity, the Milford-based LGBTQ+A organization.
Learn more about Kaplan at wendystuarttv.com.

Doo-wop with Joey and the Paradons

ELDRED, NY — The Eldred Preserve’s Bradstan Coming Home cabaret series continues at 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 7 with a doo-wop show by Joey and the Paradons.
The performance features songs from the ‘50s and ‘60’s, Motown and more.
Joey and the Paradons have been singing and performing for over 60 years. “Their unique sound and harmony, reminiscent of times past, transports listeners to simpler days, free of the troubles of today’s digitally-driven society,” a spokesperson said.
“The doo-wop show allows us to supply our guests with a night of nostalgia,” said Scott Samuelson, the chief operating officer at the Eldred Preserve. “What better way to escape than with the sounds of this beloved musical era?”
The Bradstan Coming Home cabaret series is a revival of the original Bradstan Country Hotel’s series, which closed in 2008.
Tickets are on sale now at theeldredpreserve.com/2022cabaret.

Dance benefits Special Olympics

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY –– The Liberty Rotary Club will hold a dance to benefit the Special Olympics on Friday, July 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Loch Sheldrake Firemen’s Park on State Route 52.
Tickets cost $20 and include a choice of hamburger, hot dog or vegetarian option, as well as a soft drink. $100 sponsorships are also available.
To reserve your ticket or for additional sponsorship information, email event chairperson Joseph Abraham at josephabraham2011@gmail.com.
Stray Cat art gallery relocated
HORTONVILLE, NY — The Stray Cat art gallery has moved to the Gardner & Company General Store in Hortonville.
The gallery—and the store—are open Monday, Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
The store is described as a “cozy, historic, eclectic shop, created and operated by Cindy Herbert,” and the gallery hosts Stray Cat art and antiques.
You can see some of the works at straycatgallery.com.
Visit the store online at gardnerandcogeneralstore.com/ or on Facebook at GardnerCoGeneralStore.

The nature of Ten Mile River

NARROWSBURG, NY — Bio-blitzes have recorded every living thing around Rock Lake during a 24-hour period in 2014 and 2016.
Learn more about the natural world at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2 at the next Tuesday Evening History talk, “The Nature of Ten Mile River.”
The discussion will be held at the open-air Cayuga/Kotohke cabin at 1481 Crystal Lake Rd.
For information, call 845/252-2063 or email info@tmrmuseum.org.

Bus trip to NYC

MONTICELLO, NY — Take a motorcoach round-trip on a visit to New York City.
The bus leaves at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 17 from the Temple Sholom parking lot at 5 E. Dillon Rd.
It should arrive in the city in time to buy matinee theater tickets, a temple press release said.
Passengers can enjoy a day in the city for shopping, sightseeing or visiting friends.
The bus will return by 6 p.m.
The cost is $40 for temple members, $45 for nonmembers.
Call Paula for reservations at 845/794-2314.

Learn to watch for fraud at 8th annual Elder Justice day

MILFORD, PA ― Pike County’s eighth annual Elder Justice day will take place on Wednesday, August 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at American Legion Post 139, 104 Rte. 2001. The event focuses on fraud prevention.
Registration is requested by Monday, August 1.
There is no charge to attend.
Fraud bingo will be held.
Many local vendors will attend, sharing the services they offer and providing resources and educational materials.
The event is held to educate seniors about “pressing issues they face, either now or in the future,” said Tracy Simon, protective services care manager of the Pike County Area Agency on Aging. The agency hopes that “by attending this event, seniors will gain valuable knowledge to better prepare themselves should these situations arise.”
Attendees are not required to be Pike County residents.
If you know or suspect that an elderly person is being harmed, call the Pike County Elder Abuse Task Force at 800/233-8911. Reports are taken 24 hours a day.
To register for Elder Justice Day or to learn more, call 570/775-5550 exts. 1318 or 1312. If you require transportation, call 570/296-3408.

The music doesn’t stop for the River Ramblers

REGION — Local band the River Ramblers are performing in various venues in the Sullivan County Catskills.
The schedule is as follows:
Sunday, July 31: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. outside at the Western in Callicoon
Friday, August 5: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cochecton Pump House
Saturday, August 6: 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sand Beach in Highland Lake
Learn more at RiverRamblers on Facebook, where all events are posted.

Diverse music at Harmony in the Woods

HAWLEY, PA — The lineup at Harmony in the Woods continues with Broadway, opera, Afro-Caribbean funk and American folk and roots music.
All concerts take place at 6 p.m.
The artists who will perform over the next nine days are returning to Harmony after appearances last year or this past spring.
Friday, July 29—Blake Friedman performs cabaret, opera and Broadway hits. Tickets cost $40 plus a processing fee.
Saturday, July 30—Latin Grammy-nominated El Caribefunk performs Caribbean funk and dance. Tickets cost $25 plus a processing fee.
Friday, August 5—Heather Maloney performs folk and Americana music. The cost is $25 plus a processing fee.
Saturday, August 6—Jay Ungar and the Molly Mason Family Band perform American Roots music. Tickets cost $35 plus a processing fee.
All shows take place at Harmony in the Woods, located at 19 Imagination Way. All events are
BYOB, and golf carts can assist patrons with disabilities to get from the parking lot to the seating area. All tickets include a lawn chair with side table preset on site.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.harmonyinthewoods.org/. You can also call 570/588-8077.

17th annual Scranton Jazz Festival returns

SCRANTON, PA — Downtown Scranton will serve as center stage for an award-winning music festival as its 17th annual jazz festival returns.
The dates are Friday, August 5 through Sunday, August 7.
This year’s event continues the 2021 format, reminiscent of a New Orleans-style festival, according to a press release. Instead of utilizing one large main stage, performances will be held in multiple venues.
Featuring national, regional and local musicians, the Scranton Jazz Festival (SJF) will provide an economic boost for musicians and support local businesses. Visitors to downtown Scranton are encouraged to explore the restaurants, pubs and cafés in the business district. So many establishments have struggled financially, a spokesperson said, and these small businesses will benefit from the extra foot-traffic generated by the festival.
Admission is free on Friday. There will be two ticketed events at the Ritz Theater. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Steely Dan tribute band the Royal Scam will perform; and at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the Four Freshmen will perform at the SJF Big Band.
Other musicians performing range from Steve Rudolph, Nate Birkey and Bill Goodwin to the Merchants of Groove, Young Lion, the Jazz Assassins and the Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet.
Many more bands and individuals will perform. For more information, tickets and a schedule of performances and artist information, visit www.scrantonjazzfestival.org, or find Scranton Jazz Festival on social media.

A taste of honey

NARROWSBURG, NY — Catskills Curated invites all to attend a guided honey-tasting with Riverbend Honey.
The event will be held at the Catskills Curated store, 7 Erie Ave.
Experts Bill Boyle, a master beekeeper, and Donna Defalco Boyle, a certified honey sommelier, will lead the tasting.
The Boyles are the co-owners of Riverbend Honey.
This event is free and all are welcome to attend but pre-registration is requested. Register at https://bit.ly/3B8lmo9. A registration confirmation mail will be sent.

Dinner and a ‘creature feature’

MILFORD, PA — The Virginia Kidd Agency and Arrowhead SF Foundation will launch the Dinner and a Movie series of 1950s-era monster movies, or “creature features.”
The series begins at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 24 at the Columns Museum.
The film that evening will be “The Thing From Another World.”
Funds raised will be used for a science fiction panel at the Milford Readers & Writers Festival.
The movie was made in 1951, and features scientists at an Arctic research station who discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon further investigation, they also find the frozen pilot… should they thaw him out?
The cost to attend is $35 per person, and includes a complimentary beverage for cocktail hour, a dinner of smoked barbecue by Will Reeve and a dessert by Lillian Longendorfer, with coffee or tea.
Reservations are required. Call Christine Cohen at 570/296-6205 or the Columns Museum at 570/296-8126 for information or to reserve your place.

Funding available for entrepreneurship training for vets

REGION — The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering funding to nonprofits and local governments—among other groups—to provide entrepreneurship training to service-disabled and other vets.
Applications are due Thursday, August 18.
The grants can be used to market, deliver and scale up existing service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs’ training programs.
The programs should support service-disabled veterans who intend to start new businesses or expand existing small businesses.
The Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program award is for a base project-period of 12 months, with three 12-month non-compete continuation-year periods. A total of $300,000 in funding is available for this program in FY 2022. The SBA anticipates making up to six awards of $50,000 to $150,000 each.
To learn more and apply, visit www.grants.gov and search for SB-OVSD-22-001.
Proposals not submitted on grants.gov will be rejected.