DRUMBEATS THROUGH TIME - October 15th

(WAVERLY, NY) The national award winning Seneca "Buffalo Creek Dancers" are scheduled to return to the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) for their annual membership and free public event, "DrumBeats Through Time" on Saturday, October 15th 2011.

The authentic Iroquois dance troupe began in 1988 and are well known for being very proficient in their traditional Iroquois Social Dances. Many of the dancers in this group have won dance competitions for their particular categories at Pow-Wow's across the country. Respected by Natives and non-Natives alike, the Buffalo Creek Dancers perform at many schools, colleges, festivals, and Pow-Wows throughout the United States and Canada.

SRAC’s co-founder and executive director Deb Twigg stated, “We like to close the DrumBeats Through Time event each year with Native American dancers, and we are lucky to have gotten the very best group, the Buffalo Creek Dancers from the Seneca Nation, because their schedules are filled for most of the year as a result of their popularity. I’m proud to announce that this will be the third time that they will have been a part of our annual celebration of our region’s Native American past. SRAC is committed to bringing the highest quality of performances to our community and having the Buffalo Creek Dancers at our annual free event is a great example of this effort.”

The guest speaker for this year’s DrumBeats event will be Alvin Parker, (known in his native tongue as “Hoyendahonh,”) who is a descendant of Red Jacket and from the Seneca – Heron Clan. Parker is on the Board of Directors for the Old Fort Niagara Association, a published author, active re-enactor, and has been the key note speaker and master of ceremonies at many major Native American historical events around the country. He will present the history of the Seneca Nation as it relates to our region and share insights from the Native American perspective. "Parker is an active historian and scholar, and his level of authority on the Seneca people's history is unmatched in our region," Twigg added.

SRAC is located at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY and will also be hosting “Bears on Broad Street” August 13th and 14th. To learn more about SRAC and their event schedule, visit www.SRACenter.org or email info@SRAcenter.org.

Jewelry & Beading Class Saturday, September 10th

Jewelry & Beading Class

Saturday, September 10th 11:30am - 1:30pm SRAC: 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY

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. The next scheduled class is Saturday, September 10th from 11:30 am to 1:30pm. Supplies include beads and all accessories to complete a necklace or bracelet. 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.

RSVP's are greatly appreciated by calling the Center at (607)565-7960 or by emailing info@SRAcenter.org.

Bears on Broad Street 2011 - a Recap

For those of you that could not attend this year's Bears on Broad Street event - you missed something very special - - here are photos of the event!

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make it a huge success!














Hope to see you at next year's event!

Ice Age Returns to Waverly September 6th

Robert M. Ross, Associate Director for Outreach, Paleontological Research Institution at the Museum of the Earth will present “Bones in the Backyard: Excavation of the Renowned Hyde Park Mastodon” at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY on Tuesday, September 6^th from 6:30 – 7:30pm.

The Museum of the Earth will also be displaying sediments from the excavation as well as many actual life size specimens of ice age vertebrates that lived in our region 12 – 15 thousand years ago. Visitors of all ages are sure to learn new things and be amazed as they experience what life was like during the ice age in our region.

In summer 2000 one of the best preserved mastodons ever found was discovered and excavated from a suburban backyard pond, outside Poughkeepsie, NY. Staff of the Paleontological Research Institution, partnering with scientific colleagues from around the Northeast U.S., spent a decade researching the mastodon and geological history of the site. The skeleton of this mastodon is on display at PRI's Museum of the Earth (Ithaca, NY.) Ross will tell the story of the excavation and the science and outreach that has occurred since.

Robert Ross has run the outreach program at the Paleontological Research Institution at the Museum of the Earth since 1997. He received a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University, focusing on paleontology, and held academic positions in Germany and Japan before moving to Ithaca to work at PRI. Ross participated in the Hyde Park excavation and in educational programming and citizen science associated with sediment from the site.

Download a flier to share here!

A donation of $6 for general admission and $4 for SRAC members is requested. Students are invited to attend this event for free. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in your admission donation. For more information, call the Center at (607)565-7960 or email info@SRAcenter.org.

SRAC is Selling Their Vintage Saarinen Tulip Chairs

SRAC received these vintage chairs in 2007 after the Guthrie Clinic had already sold as many as they could on ebay. Now it is our turn to give it a try!

We have sold a handful already and expect that they will go relatively fast through ebay (Here was our first buyer- http://www.pelicanhotel.com/ -and we arranged shipping at their cost after their purchase) - But you can really just stop in and get your chairs if you are local! If freight shipping is of interest, call or email me to discuss. dtwigg@sracenter.org or 607-727-3111.

Right now, we have only 70 of these chairs left so if you want to furnish an area with them don;t wait too long... They are manufactured by the Kreuger company and are vintage white tulip chairs with beautiful blue upholstered seats. They swivel nicely and we have them cleaned and ready to use. They are in good shape and can be ordered in whatever multiples you would like.

These chairs are so unique and popular right now that there is an online discussion going on right now about these chairs at: http://retrorenovation.com/2011/08/03/75-vintage-krueger-tulip-chairs-and-i-archive-all-my-saarinen-and-tulip-chair-stories/

Other light blue seated chairs are available as well- We also have some other tulip chairs. we are offering the price of $125 a piece for the light blue seated ones with the alternate bases (some of these have not been cleaned so get the best ones before everybody else does of these)....they are still in boxes of two from when we got them!

Multiple chair prices: All of the dark blue seated ones are nice and clean and ready to go...if you want more than one we will give you a special rate for 2-10 - at $210 each, and over ten at $200 each. Thank for your interest and supporting our small nonprofit!

So get some cool chairs and support SRAC! It's a great thing to do for yourself and your community!

Click here to go to ebay now.

Live Bear Show and Festival Coming to Waverly This Coming Weekend!

(WAVERLY, NY) Waverly’s Bears on Broad Street Festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 13th and Sunday, August 14th. To facilitate the festival, Broad Street in downtown Waverly will be blocked off from Pennsylvania Ave to Waverly Street with many fun things to do both days to include self defense and karate exhibitions, great food, clowns, jugglers, dance performances, a pet parade, hayrides, a dunking booth, and live bears. The event this year even extends beyond Broad Street as Don and Carol Merrill, Zehr Estates and the Palmer House will also be giving tours, a pet friendly event is being held in Muldoon Park, and music and great food will be provided at the Waverly Methodist Church.

The live bear shows by “Rosaire’s Bears” from Sarasota Florida will occur twice each day at 1 and 5 pm. Discounted presale and reserved tickets can be purchased at SRAC during their normal business hours or online at http://www.sracenter.org/Events/bears2011.asp. Currently, front row reserved seats cost $11, general admission seats are $9, seniors, students and SRAC members are $7 and children under 5 get in for free. (All prices except for SRAC members will go up one dollar the day of the event.) Kids are also invited to enter the “Color a Bear” contest at SRAC for a chance to win a free ticket for themselves and one adult to a live bear show as well.

SRAC’s cofounder Deb Twigg stated, “Bears on Broad Street has grown from its first run in 2009 into a mix of great food, great fun, and of course, live bears. This year it will be two days of entertainment that you can share with your family and friends. Best of all - it is a local event, and I think that it is important for the people of the Valley to be able to have these bigger events like this in their own back yard. So come out and have some fun with us! The businesses in Waverly and the WBA have worked hard to make this a great event and our hope is that it will become a bigger and bigger annual event every year.”

SRAC is located at 345 Broad Street in downtown Waverly, for more information, call (607)565-7960 or visit www.SRACenter.org.

"History of Sayre" now on DVD at SRAC

(WAVERLY, NY) In July, Sayre historian Jim Nobles presented a PowerPoint presentation titled, “The History of Sayre” at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center in Waverly, NY. The bulk of the program was a visual presentation showing rare views of Sayre, following the route of the Waverly, Sayre and Athens Traction (Trolley) Company. Along the route there were photos showing sites one would have seen if riding the trolley, including churches, business section, Howard Elmer Park, hospitals, schools, and the railroad just to name a few with little known stories about many of them. Side trips from the trolley added views of those areas not adjacent to the trolley line as well. People such as Howard Elmer and Robert Sayre were also covered during the presentation. In the end, the SRAC lecture hall was filled and the presentation was a huge hit with those who attended.

But for those who could not attend the presentation, there is now a movie dvd with the presentation made by Nobles available in SRAC’s gift shop. The movie is a videotaped version of the presentation made at SRAC on the night it was presented. SRAC’s Deb Twigg explained, “The History of Sayre” joins the ranks of several presentations created by SRAC, such as “The JE Ranch” by Don Merrill, “The 1983 Woolly Mammoth Dig at Spring Lake”, and “Glimpses of Our Past” a movie created by SRAC in house that details the prehistory of our region. We really are building quite a collection for the history buffs of the area to enjoy and share.”

The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center is located at 345 Broad Street in Waverly, NY. To learn more, visit www.SRACenter.org or call the Center at (607)565-7960.

Learn the Art of Flintknapping w/Craig Ratzat

Class Dates: Monday, August 29th & Tuesday, August 30th
Where: Primitive Skills, Tracking, Nature Awareness School, in Owego, NY,
Cost: $150 (all materials and tools provided)
Call 607-972-6512 for directions and to register

(Seating Limited)

Wilderness Way – Primitive Skills, Tracking, Nature Awareness School, in Owego, NY, is excited to once again offer a two-day class with acknowledged lithic technology master, Craig Ratzat.

Flintknapping is the ancient skill of making stone tools, such as arrowheads, blades, and knives. Many of these tools have edges sharper than those made from the finest modern steels.

This is a two day hands-on introductory class where the student will learn the essentials of creating functional tools using the same methods employed by the ancient native people.