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Celebrate the heritage

Kelly Leighton Abington Journal Correspondent

Downtown Tunkhannock will be hosting Tunkhannock Founders’ Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 on Tioga Street.

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The event will feature about 150 crafters, vendors and artisans. Included in this year’s celebration will be area bands performing a variety of music. There will also be a food court with different types of local food specialties. Also, the Wyoming County Historical Society and Daughters of American Revolution will be open for visitors.

Richard Santee, an organizer of the event, said the committees chose this year’s theme of “Celebrating Our Agricultural Heritage in the Street” because “agriculture has always played a major role in our area and this year, we are paying tribute to those skills and talents that were a part of everyday farm life for more than 200 years.”

“Tunkhannock has always been proud of our heritage,” added Santee. “From its earliest settlement days in 1775, Tunkhannock has depended heavily on those survival skills taught to us by earlier generations.”

According to Santee, Tunkhannock Founders’ Day was started 28 years ago by Gays True Value Hardware. “The owner, the late George Gay, reduced the prices of his inventory to what it was when the store was first founded in 1913. The event grew to include the entire community,” said Santee.

“Founders’ Day reminds all of us, whether a community resident or a visitor, about the importance of our heritage and how many things we know and do that are a direct result of learning from the generations that preceded us,” Santee added.

Rebecca McClain, treasurer of the Tunkhannock Business and Professional Association, said: “My favorite part of the event is watching everything come together. I love the whole thing, from the atmosphere of the town, the smiles on children’s faces as they get their faces painted, all the food and the stories that the vendors have at the end of the day. But most of all, I love hearing about Founders’ Day after the dust has settled. To hear people mention how good their sales were that day, the special gift someone found and the memories that were made in Tunkhannock.”

“This is such a great day for the community. It kind of boosts the esteem of the business owners and hopefully brings in new consumers that return throughout the year,” added McClain.

Santee said that the planning of the annual event is year-long. “It begins the day after the event is over. Identifying potential artists and artisans, selecting vendors to participate and bringing together the entire community, merchants, nonprofits, community groups and individuals, is a goal of the Founders’ Day Committee,” he said.

To become a vendor, one must submit an application to the Founders’ Day Committee. Santee said the committee looks for vendors who have “unique skills, merchandise or art to share with others”. He added that the majority of vendors come from northeastern Pennsylvania, with some from central Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

Santee said that Founders’ Day is produced by the local business association. He added that most of the major displays are ideas that come from the members.

Santee added: “Tunkhannock Founders’ Day is definitely family-friendly and offers a variety of interests for those who attend. Whether visitors want to listen to music, everything from country to rock to blue grass; watch talent from the stage area, everything from a barbershop chorus to high school musicals to breakdancing; sample local food specialties, everything from jams and jellies to potato pancakes to strawberry shortcakes or enjoy watching artisans demonstrate their skills, everything from quilting to spinning to chair caning, Founders’ Day brings people together in an historic district that pays homage to the generations that came before us.”