Sayre's Fourth Grade Field Trip to SRAC

(WAVERLY, NY) Many people would say that they have forgotten most of what occurred during their elementary school days. But add a woolly mammoth, a birch bark canoe, touching artifacts from a thousand years ago, and a contest where you can win tickets to a live bear show, and you’ve got a school field trip that would be hard for anyone to ever forget.

That is what Sayre’s H. Austin Snyder Elementary 4^th grade experienced during their field trip to the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) in Waverly, NY recently. The field trip broke the class into four teams that rotated through several stations such as the one hosted by SRAC’s Ted Keir who presented “Hunting the Woolly Mammoth” with actual mammoth and mastodon remains, an atlatl and many other ancient artifacts that were found locally. At another station, SRAC’s Dick Cowles presented “Early European Contact” where the children saw actual trade beads and trade pipes and an authentic birch bark canoe while being allowed to identify many actual furs including one from a huge buffalo. SRAC’s Jack Andrus wore Native American clothing and told authentic Native American children’s stories that always are a huge hit with the students.

But the excitement didn’t stop there. The field trip finale was a contest where each of four teams tried to stump the other teams with questions about things they had learned with the winning team being awarded free tickets to the upcoming “Bears on Broad Street” to be held August 13^th and 14^th.

SRAC’s cofounder and executive director Deb Twigg noted, “This is the 6^th year that SRAC has hosted the fourth grade field trip for Snyder’s 4^th grade, and I have to say that I think this year was absolutely the best to date. You don’t get any better than having Ted, Dick and Jack doing these stations, and the contest at the end was a really well thought out effort by all of the kids. We were all really impressed with the things they learned and used to try to stump the other teams. They all did a great job. We want to thank Robin Munn and the rest of the teachers who helped make this a special memory for their students with us.”

"Hiawatha Island" by Emma Sedore

Hiawatha Island, By Tioga County Historian, Emma Sedore
TUESDAY, June 7th, from 6:30 - 7:30pm
at SRAC, 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY

At first, Hiawatha Island appears to be what it is, an island of 112 acres located on the Susquehanna River between Owego and Apalachin with soft, wooded paths, ancient trees with song birds and the scent of pine. But, it's more than that, and Tioga County Historian, Emma Sedore will happily share its wonderful history, from farming to its flamboyant years, including a slide presentation of photos that will make you wish you could go back in time.

Emma Sedore's brief bio includes:
2001 to Present, Tioga County Historian
1987 to 2010, Town of Owego Historian
1994 Authored Hiawatha Island, Jewel of the Susquehanna
1995 Awarded DAR History Medal for research & writing
1999 Awarded Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International
2009 Authored Town of Owego (Arcadia Press)

Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members and Students. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in the admission price.

Bears on Broad Street Tickets NOW on Sale!

The long awaited return of "Bears on Broad Street" is just a couple of months away and we are working hard to get the event bigger and better than it was in 2009. Anyone who attended the previous event will tell you that from the time the show begins and when it ends, you will be amazed at these beautiful animals and the unique bond that exists between them and their owners. This heartwarming and entertaining program will be sure to be a special memory for all ages and it is one of those things that will become a special memory for many in years to come.

We are going to give all of SRAC's friends and members a special offer to get one dollar off the price of their tickets (before they are available to anyone else) by responding to this posting by Friday, May 27th. After that this offer will go in the newspapers and elsewhere and will be open to the public. Seating is first come first serve and there are only so many tickets per show available.

A new ticket variable is front area (reserved seating) tickets. Obviously, there is a limited amount of these per show - so if this is of interest - act fast.

Showtimes are August 13 and 14th and both days have two showings at 1pm and 5pm. (Rain delays may occur but I am assured that the shows will occur rain or shine.) As a result there will be no refunds.

Pre-Sale ticket pricing is students (under 18) and seniors (over 60) $7, general admission $9, and reserved (front section seating) $10. To get these tickets, you can either stop in SRAC, mail a check with your date and time choices and types of tickets you want to SRAC, PO Box 12, Sayre, PA by Friday, May 27th. (Sorry - we will not be able to take reservations without payment.) PLEASE INCLUDE PHONE # IN CASE WE HAVE QUESTIONS!

You can also use the form below to order your tickets online: (choose the type(s) and dates and then you will go to the checkout to choose number of tickets)

Choose Type of Presale Tickets

Students and Seniors $7.00 General Admission $9.00 Reserved Seating $11.00 CURRENT SRAC MEMBER $7.00

Choose which Bear Show (Date and Time)

Saturday August 13th at 1pm Saturday August 13th at 5pm Sunday August 14th at 1pm Sunday August 14th at 5pm

Custom Beaded Jewelry Class at SRAC - June 4th

Have you ever wished that you could find that one necklace or bracelet that would go with that special sweater or outfit that you like to wear? Have you ever wanted a special necklace that could show off a family heirloom or pendant? Have you ever just wanted to find a necklace made of that special gemstone or color scheme that you like so much? Many jewelers are adding custom jewelry making to their services to fill this need, but The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center at 345 Broad Street in Waverly, NY is offering the opportunity for people to create their own beaded jewelry at a fraction of the cost and with high quality materials.

On the first Saturday of each month, Ellen Sisco holds classes at SRAC in basic and intermediate beading. Supplies include beads and all accessories to complete a necklace. Hundreds of precious stones, clips, glass beads and polished glass chips are among the variety of items that the attendees will be able to choose from. You can also call SRAC and request specific colors and/or gemstones that you want to make your jewelry with! Ellen will facilitate your needs and help you make the perfect piece of jewelry for yourself or for a gift for someone else. Fees for this two hour beading class is $25.

The next class is scheduled for Saturday, June 4th from 11:30am - 1:30pm. RSVP's are greatly appreciated by calling the Center at (607)565-7960 or by emailing info@SRAcenter.org.

SRAC Teams Up For "Valley Kids Day"

Earlier this year, I asked to meet with the Valley Libraries to brainstorm and team up to create a summer program for our local children. The idea was that we would each sponsor a free program that would enhance the lives of our youth by bringing them cultural and arts programs right here in our Valley.

Sayre Library's Sue Robinson and Waverly Library's Melanie Moss took me up on the idea and we have been working on it ever since. The result is anew and very exciting series of events that our children can look forward to this summer! We are calling it "Valley Kids Day" and we want to thank Sue Robinson for asking the kids at Sayre's library for designing this year's logo! (shown above)

Recently we also contacted Sayre High School's Recreation Director, Dana Twigg who has agreed to integrate these programs into his summer programming which included over Valley 600 children from many school districts last year. The Waverly Recreation program will also take part in the Waverly library programs this summer as well.

The first of these events will be hosted by Sayre Library and will be centered around the national Summer Reading Program, themed "One World; Many Stories" and will be held on June 24th. The second event will be hosted by SRAC on July 2nd and will be the famous musician and puppeteer, Tom Knight. The third will be held on August 15th with Art Miller, "Professor Clutzo's Comedy from Around the World" by the Waverly Library.

As for SRAC's event, Dana Twigg says he will plan that the Sayre Recreation programming for the week prior to the Tom Knight puppeteer event will be dedicated to teaching the kids about creating puppets and the art of puppeteering and will end at the SRAC event with Tom Knight.

I want to thank EVERYONE who has been working to bring all of this together and look forward to our first year of our "Valley Kids Day" summer programming. I also hope that efforts such as this can bring more Valley organizations together as a team to work towards the betterment of our community all year round.

We are our children's examples - let's teach them every day what "COMMUNITY" means.

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward with this in the weeks to come!

Hiawatha Island by Emma Sedore

Hiawatha Island, By Tioga County Historian, Emma Sedore
TUESDAY, June 7th, from 6:30 - 7:30pm
at SRAC, 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY

At first, Hiawatha Island appears to be what it is, an island of 112 acres located on the Susquehanna River between Owego and Apalachin with soft, wooded paths, ancient trees with song birds and the scent of pine. But, it's more than that, and Tioga County Historian, Emma Sedore will happily share its wonderful history, from farming to its flamboyant years, including a slide presentation of photos that will make you wish you could go back in time.

Emma Sedore's brief bio includes:
2001 to Present, Tioga County Historian
1987 to 2010, Town of Owego Historian
1994 Authored Hiawatha Island, Jewel of the Susquehanna
1995 Awarded DAR History Medal for research & writing
1999 Awarded Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International
2009 Authored Town of Owego (Arcadia Press)

Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members and Students. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in the admission price.

AMERICAN INDIAN ROCK ART ON THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER DVD!

Recently, nationally renowned author, archaeologist and rock art specialist, Ed Lenik presented"American Indian Rock Art on the Susquehanna River" and he gave SRAC the OK to go ahead and tape it. We have made copies of this presentation and they will be available in the SRAC Gift Shop soon!

In the last half of the nineteenth century, petroglyphs were discovered on several small islands within the lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Three petroglyph sites occur near Safe Harbor in Lancaster County: one on Walnut Island upriver from the Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Dam, a second group on Cresswell Rock a mile and one-half up river from Walnut Island, and a third group on Big and Little Indian Rocks and other smaller rocks below the dam. In Maryland about three miles below the Pennsylvania state line, the Bald Friar petroglyphs were located on several small islands in the river. Three distinct styles of images occur within these sites. In this 58-minute presentation filled with rare photos of the rockart, the author offers his interpretations and insights about these mysterious works of ancient art.

Sayre, Athens and Waverly Posters and Post Cards at SRAC!

We now have Sayre, Athens and Waverly posters at SRAC! These place-mat-sized posters were each created on high quality paper from lithographs made 1881 and give us a nice way to see what our Valley communities looked like about 130 years ago! Priced at just $4.50 a poster they will go fast! (limited supplies!)


We also have 25-cent postcards of the Sayre and Waverly posters made up along with some others as you can see here:

Stop in SRAC's gift shop 1-5pm on Tuesdays - Fridays or 10-5pm on Saturdays to pick up your copies today!

SRAC Journal: Volume 7, Issue 1

The SRAC Journal is going to the printer today and will be mailed out to members soon. The lead article is a really interesting one this issue - that being by Dr. Marshall Becker relative to the 1608 Captain John Smith map of the Susquehanna River and giant Susquehannock - and some of the actual artifacts shown in that image that were discovered in a Medieval castle where they resided ever since probably being sent from a Swedish Colony that was formed in 1643. This along with FIFTEEN other great articles makes this Journal something that we are very proud to produce and get out to our membership!

Need to renew your membership or join? Just use the link below!

http://www.sracenter.org/join/

To view our past Journals, use the following link:

http://www.sracenter.org/Newsletters/