Tunkhannock celebrates 19th River Day

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Looking for a free event for all ages in the great outdoors? The Dietrich Theater will present the 19th Annual River Day in Tunkhannock.

Held in Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park, from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 20, this is a free, rain or shine event sponsored by the Overlook Estate Foundation and the Wyoming County Commissioners.

The Susquehanna waterfront will be the setting for arriving kayaks, nature presentations, organization displays, activities, food, and live musical performances.

To jumpstart the day there will be a free session of yoga at the park. Instructor Barbara Tierney will teach a Kundalini Yoga class from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring a blanket or yoga mat and water, and experience what yoga can do for your mind and body, while being outdoors under the trees at the river’s edge. All are welcome.

Kayak enthusiasts may want to join river paddle organized by Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals (www.kayaktheriver.com). Rent a kayak and float down the river 11 miles from Mehoopany to Riverside Park where participants will be able to enjoy music and other River Day activities. For more information or to register call Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals at 570- 388-6107.

Always featured at River Day is continuous music at the pavilion from 1 to 7 p.m.

From 1 to 2 p.m. , Doug Smith’s Dixieland All-Stars will kickoff the afternoon with modern and traditional Dixieland music. Then the J.P. Williams Twilight Revue will bring a mix of blues, Americana, folk, electric and acoustic influences to create original music that will touch your soul from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

At 3:45 p.m., students from the Dietrich’s Jam Along Band Camp will perform a song or two they learned in camp. Then 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. brings Bret Alexander of “Badlees” fame to the pavilion stage, featuring a mix of rock, folk and acoustic original music.

To end the day from 6 to 7 p.m. Dave Brown & the Dishonest Fiddlers, “a good-timin’, Americana folk roots, country-pickin’, front porch band”, will perform.

Adding to the festivities, nature presentations for all ages will be held under a small tent by the playground in the park. At 2 p.m. the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and Master Watershed Stewards will share how to recognize and manage invasive plants and pests. Then at 3 p.m. Amanda MacTaraghan, Environmental Education Specialist of Vosburg Neck State Park will present What’s Growing On The Neck? She will share clippings and information on some of the species they have there.

At 4 p.m. Cain Chamberlin, Executive Director of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region, will talk about The North Branch Water Trail, the Susquehanna River Wayfinding Branding and the 444 Club. Then to round out the presentations at 5 p.m. Rick Koval, naturalist and WNEP Pennsylvania life personality, will take participants on a short Nature walk through Riverside Park.

There will be many free activities at Riverside Park planned especially for children. Right at the river from 1 to 6 p.m. young artists will be able to add their designs to a painted mural inspired by the natural surroundings, guided by Amy and Steve Colley, Dietrich Theater art teachers. Also, from 1 to 6 p.m., there will be rock painting with the Dietrich Theater’sFundraising Committee and there will be face painting with Silly Sally.

Throughout the day, the Frances Dorrance Chapter of the PA Archaeological Society will have a demo where all ages can learn how to dig and screen for artifacts.

River Day is all about appreciating our beautiful NEPA surroundings and how we can be good stewards of them. Environmental organizations and their displays will help us understand what they are doing and what we can do. Organizations with displays include Endless Mountains Master Watershed Stewards, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Wyoming County, Susquehanna Kayak & Canoe Rental, the Dietrich Theater, Vosburg Neck State Park, the Frances Dorrance Chapter of the PA Archaeological Society, the PA Game Commission, PA Bureau of Forestry, PA Department of Health, the Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR), and the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Don’t miss delicious treats from Mannings Ice Cream, and fresh squeezed lemonade, jerk chicken, and vegetarian empanadas and jambalaya by Sammy’s Caribbean Grill, or an assortment of fair favorites from Maddy’s Doghouse.

For information about River Day call the Dietrich Theater at 570-836-1022×3.