WYALUSING SWING CHOIR TO PERFORM AT BCHS ANNUAL MEETING - OCTOBER 30

The Annual Meeting of the Bradford County Historical Society will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday October 30, 2016 at the museum located in the Historic old Bradford County Jail, 109 Pine Street in Towanda. The Historical Society, one of the oldest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was founded in 1870. The Annual meeting is an opportunity for the membership and guests of the society to hear the progress of the society over the past year.

The Clement F. Heverly award for Outstanding Service and the Leo E. Wilt Historian of the Year award will be presented. These awards were established by the society in 1992. The Clement F. Heverly Outstanding Service Award was named for a man who did much to record the past history of the County. It is to be for organizations excelling in the preservation of the history of Bradford County. The Leo E. Wilt Historian of the Year award is to be given to an individual who has shown diligence and leadership in recording, preserving or disseminating of County History. Leo E. Wilt was a pillar in the Bradford County Historical Society. He and his wife Mary kept the society going for many years when it was located in the old fire proof behind the Bradford County Courthouse.

The program for this year’s meeting will be musical and will be presented by the Wyalusing Swing Choir. When planning the annual meeting the 50th anniversary of the Camptown Races was occurring and the thought was that the society should recognize Bradford County Composers. The Wyalusing Swing Choir was contacted and agreed to perform. Some of the composers whose music will be presented are: P.P. Bliss, the Towners, Stephen Foster and Pat Ballard.

The Wyalusing Swing Choir is currently comprised of nine members: Carol Madill, alto and Wyalusing Valley High School music teacher and choral director; Tonya Boatman, alto and Elk Lake School District music teacher and choral director; Wendy Farley, soprano of Herrickville; Pam Obert soprano from Monroeton; Marnie Wilson of Wyalusing; Wes Skillings, tenor, recently semi-retired editor of the Wyalusing Rocket-Courier newspaper; Jason Boatman, bass, and he is married to Tonya; Scott Snyder, tenor and new member Joe Martin, bass of Wyalusing. Sound personnel for the group is Mary Skillings, a retired teacher at the Wyalusing Elementary School.

The group performs a wide variety of music that includes swing, Christian, blues, country, classic rock ‘n roll, and contemporary 4-5 arrangements.

This is an opportunity for Bradford County residents to spend a relaxing afternoon listening to the program put together by the Wyalusing Swing Choir. It is also an opportunity to learn more about your County Historical Society.

Please call the museum at (570) 265-2240 to reserve a seat for this historic presentation. Light refreshments will follow the program.

Friday Night at the Museum to host Carrie Hooper and Elmira Keyboard Ensemble in Sousa program

Elmira Keyboard Ensemble

The Bradford County Historical Society will host a musical program titled, A Glimpse from the Past: John Philip Sousa and Towanda, scheduled for Friday, October 21, 2016 at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There is no admission charge for this event but donations are appreciated. To reserve a seat, participants are asked to register by calling 570-265-2240 or by email at info@bradfordhistory.com. Seats are expected to fill up fast so please call early.

Enjoy a concert highlighting John Philip Sousa’s visit to Towanda. Carrie Hooper will present a short history about John Philip Sousa and what it was like to attend a Sousa concert. The program will include: soprano solos that were sung at various Sousa concerts; 1917 recording of John Philip Sousa conducting the Sousa Band in a march that the Sousa Band later performed at the Keystone Theater; and selections by Elmira Keyboard Ensemble including Stars and Stripes Forever played by four pianists using two pianos.

This program is part of the 2016 Friday Night at the Museum programming series that is held the third Friday of each month from May through October. Each event is held in the Great Room at the Bradford County Historical Society, located at 109 Pine Street, Towanda, PA. Refreshments are provided at each program and the museum is open a half-hour prior to the event.

This is the final program for the 2016 season. Don’t miss out on a great evening.

The Bradford County Historical Society is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information about the society and its programming schedule, museum or research center, visit www.bradfordhistory.com or check out the society Facebook page at facebook.com/BradfordCountyHistoricalSociety.