Founders’ Day pays tribute to past

Tunkhannock Times // News

June 26

By Mike McGinley mmcginley@timesleader.com
Features Writer

Tunkhannock residents — and thousands of others — will line the streets of their small town tomorrow to pay tribute to their past.

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Tunkhannock’s annual Founders’ Day is a time when locals gather to celebrate the history of the borough. Besides Tunkhannock residents, thousands of others visit for the day.

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Katie Jacoby, in 2000, dressed the part for a performance at the annual Founders’ Day celebration.

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Thanks to a host of educational demonstrations, they may come away with a new skill — say wood carving, rug hooking, quilting or crocheting — or at least a new goodie, likely homemade.

The downtown will be chock full of demonstrations, crafts, music and more as part of Founders’ Day, a six-hour-long event that’s all about roots.

“We’re tying together the idea that in these economic times, our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents learned these skills for survival,” said organizer Richard Santee of Tunkhannock, a member of the Tunkhannock Business and Professional Association. The day is sponsored by the People’s National Bank.

“This year, we’re paying tribute to our agricultural heritage,” he said.

Santee said more people have been planting gardens, and Tunkhannock folks know a thing or two about canning, freezing and preserving, so they’ll have plenty of homemade sauces, jams and jellies there.

People travel from Williamsport, the Poconos and parts of New York to spend the day.

“About 30 percent, based on our surveys we do every year, are local folks. The rest of them drive quite a distance because they like the small-town kind of scenery and old-fashioned values,” Santee said.

Visitors can admire displays of everything from tractors, both real and toy, to old household tools such as butter churns.

“By closing the streets and putting vendors in the middle, it really makes for quite an exciting day,” Santee said. “The real purpose of the event is to introduce people to our beautiful town of Tunkhannock.”

What began 28 years ago, when the owner of Gay’s True Value Hardware decided to reduce prices for a day to what they were when he first opened his shop, has grown into an event 6,000 people are expected to attend this year.

Local bands — ranging from country and bluegrass to light and classic-rock groups — will play all day, and a high-school band will arrive in the morning to kick things off as vendors set up shop.

As for the food, Santee said, “You name it, we’ve got it.”

“It’s what we like to call local food specialties,” he said, listing barbecue chicken, homemade pretzels, strawberry shortcake, potato pancakes and homemade bread among the favorites.

Also part of the day is Stevi T., a nationally acclaimed needle felter from New Milford, who sells soft-sculpture dolls and has been showcased on “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee” and in magazines such as Dolls Magazine, Contemporary Doll and the Teddy Bear Review.

Santee said visitors can stop at the Welcome Center to obtain a map and find out what time special events take place. For instance, the duck derby starts at 3 p.m., and proceeds benefit the United Way.

Other events, such as mansion tours and the community canvas at Lizza Studios, go on all day or several times per day.

There’s quite a variety “to do, to see, to watch and to buy,” Santee said.