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of

Luzerne County

Back from the flu!

 
In This Issue
From the Executive Director
ARTS FUNDING FOR YOUR PROJECT
Roberson Museum bus trip - reserve NOW
Brass Ring Fund hopes to Save the Carousel!...
Be a part of our RenaisanceJoin Our Mailing List
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Greetings! ,
From the Executive Director

Having been laid low for the last two weeks in the vice-like grip of a flu-like thing (It can't be the flu - I got a shot.), I am sufficiently recovered today to get out the news on some important items.  Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on the accumulating backlog of upcoming events of note in a few days, but these just can't wait.

If you are a local artist or performer, you cannot afford to miss the event detailed in the next article.  This workshop, hosted by the Cultural Council, will give you all the information you need to get the funding you need to get your project off the ground.  It's free, it's easy - just come and talk about your ideas, or just listen. 
 
If you KNOW someone who might benefit from this workshop, please forward this newsletter to them.  I hear SO MANY people say, "If I could only get a couple of thousand dollars, I could make this happen..."  Here's a way - don't miss the opportunity.
 
I'll be back soon with the events - I hope!
 
Mike Burnside
ARTS FUNDING FOR LACKAWANNA AND LUZERNE COUNTIES

 

Scranton Area Foundation & Pennsylvania Council on the Arts provides up to $3,000 for projects by area artists & perfomers

 

The Scranton Area Foundation is one of 15 regional organizations that have been selected by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) to facilitate the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) Program.  This process will increase awareness of and support for the arts in currently underserved areas of Pennsylvania.  The Scranton Area Foundation is honored to work in partnership with the state to expand access to the arts in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties and to encourage and support local decision-making and regranting of state dollars.  2008 marks the eighth year of the project, which is funded in part by a grant from the Scranton Area Foundation.

 

Facilitated by the Scranton Area Foundation, the goals of the PPA are:

 

·Expanding constituent access to the arts by (a) making arts programs available to communities that may have been underserved in the past by state arts funding, and (b) supporting a wide variety of arts activities in the community, developed in a variety of local settings.

 

·Encouraging and supporting local decision-making in re-granting of state art dollars.

 

·Increasing awareness of and advocacy for government support and funding of the arts at the local and state levels.

 

·Enabling the PCA to provide increased assistance to its broad constituency throughout the state.

 

Through this collaborative effort organizations or individual artists within Lackawanna and Luzerne County were eligible to apply for grants up to $3,000.

Grants are available for programs occurring from September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009.

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2008.

The e-grant application is located on the PCA website (www.pacouncilonthearts.org) and can be downloaded as a hard copy from the Scranton Area Foundation website (www.safdn.org) or by contacting Cathy Fitzpatrick, PPA program coordinator at the Scranton Area Foundation office (347-6203).

 

A total of $514,402 has been distributed through Lackawanna and Luzerne counties since the partnership began in 2001

 

 DON'T MISS OUT!  ATTEND THE WORKSHOP ON APRIL 29TH, 6pm - Miller Conference Room, 2nd Floor of the Henry Student Center, Wilkes University.

The time is NOW to reserve your spot for our bus trip to the Roberson Museum in Binghamton for "Visions of the Susquehanna"

DON'T WAIT!!!  Reservations are coming in for our bus trip to the Roberson Museum in Binghamton for Visions of the Susquehanna - 250 Years of Paintings by American Masters. 

Here's what you need to know:

  • Friday, May 30, 2008 Depart at 10:00am from the Sears parking lot at the Wyoming Valley Mall.
  • Talk en route by Jan Lokuta, expert in art on the Susquehanna.
  • Leisurely dine at J. Michaels Restaurant in the heart of Binghamton
  • Docent tour of the Roberson Museum
  • Free time to draw, paint or take photographs
  • Depart Binghamton at 6:30pm
  • ALL THIS for only $50, and if you are (or become) one of the artists on our web site's Directory of Artists, it's only $25!!!
  • Call 408-3399 for reservations.  Please leave your full name, address, phone number, credit card information (including 3 digest on back of card and expiration date) and email address.
  • Click here for the flyer

Hanson's Carousel Horse 

"Brass Ring Fund" hopes to "Save the Carousel"!

 

Sweet Valley, PA.  April 5, 2008 - Through the auspices of the Luzerne Foundation and Director Charles Barber, a non-profit entity has been formed with a sole purpose in mind--to raise enough money to bring a priceless heirloom back to Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

 

The "Brass Ring Fund" is much more than just a fundraising committee, however.  The group is passionate about the Hanson's Amusement Park carousel.  This treasured piece of regional history dates back to 1909.  It was purchased by one-time park owner Alfred Wintersteen in 1914, and brought to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Picnic Grounds, where it remained in operation until the park closed (as Hanson's) in 1984.  Afterward, the Wintersteen family, who has notably retained ownership for 93 years, leased the carousel to Old Town, in Kissimmee, Florida, in 1987.  In 1996, present owners Mary Ann (widow of Robert D. Wintersteen) and son, Rob Wintersteen, Jr. leased the machine to International Market World, in Auburndale, Florida, where it remains today.  Due to the inability to continue as 'absentee landlords', and unaware of mounting local interest in the carousel, the Wintersteens signed a contract with Norton Auctioneering agreeing to an on-site auction, in Florida, on April 23.

 

Meanwhile, Sweet Valley resident Duane Updyke, who is an amusement park ride enthusiast, read about the impending auction and took immediate action.  Ironically, as publisher of the Suburban News, he immediately commissioned a series of stories to be written about the carousel and its significance to the history of Harveys Lake and the countless memories of those who were touched by its magic.  Hence, the formation of the Brass Ring Fund.

 

Joining Updyke and his wife, Annette, in the crusade to 'win back' the carousel are free-lance writer Elizabeth Martin, of Dallas; and Reverend Roger E. Griffith, of Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Dallas.  Coincidentally, Griffiths is also a member of 'Eddie Day and the Original Starfires', a local band that drew large crowds to Hanson's Park dances in the 1960's and 1970's.

 

At this juncture through grants, and corporate and private donations, it is critical that the Brass Ring Fund raise approximately $1.4 million.  If the group is successful in winning the carousel at auction, additional monies will be necessary to provide shelter and security, in addition to finding a suitable location that will provide public access and enjoyment of the carousel.  Should the group be unsuccessful, donors will have the option of having their money returned, or applied to The Lands at Hillside Farms, or the historical restoration project of their choice.

 

Questions may be directed to a dedicated line at the Suburban News, at 570-477-5196. Donations should be made payable to:  The Brass Ring Fund, c/o The Luzerne Foundation, 140 Main Street (2nd floor), Luzerne, PA  18709.

 
Here's a link to the Save the Carousel website and all the great articles Liz has written about this effort

 

Contact for stories/features, or more information: 

Elizabeth Martin, 570-362-2890.