On Saturday, August 8, 2015, 288 women gathered at Mt. Pisgah State Park for the 16th annual Women in the Wilds event, sponsored by the Friends of Mt. Pisgah. From pulling back the bowstrings of a compound bow, to discovering plants used to brew wild teas, to creating a grapevine ball or surviving in the wild, these ladies took advantage of the different hands-on opportunities offered, enjoying their time spent in the outdoors, at Mt. Pisgah State Park. Women practiced their marksmanship on the rifle range, paddled through Stephen Foster Lake, imitated predator and prey animal calls, and found geocaches with the use of a GPS.
The women that participated were able to choose between four of the following classes taught by expert instructors: Animal Calling – Blake Barth & Eric Kelly; Archery/Crossbow – Rodney Hubbard, Up in Arms Shooting Supplies; Barn Quilts – Ralph Wilston & Barb Eiffert; Camp Cooking – Garry Calkins & Michelle Woolf; Canning & Freezing – Greg & Danette Bixler-George; Canoeing, Kayaking & Paddleboarding – Tina Champluvier & Cindy Jones; Essential Oils – Tiffany Repsher; Flyfishing – Pete Lawrence; Gem Trees – Inga Wells; GMO’s & Glyphosate – Dr. Susan Beal, DVM; GPS – George Rogers & Roy Boyd; Grapevine Balls – Beverly Hunter; Lyme Disease – Linda Wales; Self Defense – Rob Smith, Contact Club Sports; Shotgunning – Charlie Fox & Jared Wilcox; Black Powder – Gerald & Connie Chandler, Roger Kingsley, Marilyn Jones & Patricia Butts; .22 Shoot – Jerry Frantz & Dave Levan; Handguns – Frank Monroe & Jon Unruh; Sustainable Farming – Cliff & Margarita Bruszewski, Running Bear Farms; Wild About Tea – Denise Delosa, Dirt Road Herbals; Wine & Design – Cecilia Danza & Jodi Rakoski; Wisdom of the Wilds – Suzann Schiemer; Yoga – Katie Seeley. Most women had trouble deciding what class to take!
The special demonstration tents had different interests for the outdoor enthusiast. The Subaru Leave No Trace traveling trainers had a tent on minimizing your impact on the outdoors. The Bradford/Wyoming Literacy Program encouraged women to get involved with literacy in our area. Marjorie Sampson demonstrated the Raindrop technique using essential oils. Guthrie Hospital had information and some free goodies. Sara Hamburger, of the Animal Care Sanctuary brought a dog along to demonstrate animal handling and training. Carl Young & Lorraine Parks, Bob & Byron Ferguson sold raffle tickets to benefit the Friends of Mt. Pisgah, while Darla Monroe sold Women in the Wilds merchandise. During the lunch hour, Scott & Marla Oldroyd brought their photo booth for ladies to take candid souvenir shots.
As always, the women enjoyed a fantastic breakfast and lunch featuring local foods with Chuck, Bob & Bonnie Bastion preparing the food, while Jean Roan & Amanda Covert ‘woman’ned the buffet lines. Judy Moore and Sandy Kingsley lent their kitchen talents as well! Emilie Cole, a Bradford County Dairy Maid, dipped ice cream to the ladies at lunch. This year, the women were given fuchsia Women in the Wilds t-shirts and goody bags, courtesy of the Friends of Mt. Pisgah. At the end of the day, some women got to choose a door prize ranging from art donated by local artists to gift certificates from local vendors.
Thank you to the following local businesses and individuals for contributing to door prizes, equipment, Silent & Chinese Auctions and food donations for Women in the Wilds: Agway-Athens, Angie Sechrist, Anthony’s Pub, Armenia Mountain Footwear, Armenia Mountain Spurs NWTF, Arnot Health, Barnstead Pantry, Bass Pro, Beeman’s Family Restaurant, Ben Franklin, Beverly & Bob Hunter, Bradco Printers, Bradford County Dairy Promotion, Bradford County Historical Society, Bradford County Trophy Deer & Bear Club, Braund Valley Farms, C&N Bank, Canton Antiques, Chief Oil & Gas, Cooke’s Pharmacy, Coppertree, D&H Keystone Market, Danette Bixler-George, Dawn Cokely-Kern, DCNR Bureau of Forestry, DCNR Bureau of State Parks Environmental Education Fund, Denise Delosa – Dirt Road Herbals, Donna Erickson-Pink Zebra, Dr. Alice Moyer, Dr. Duane & Diane Danko, Dr. Lopatofsky & Bense Dental, Dreamweavers, Dunkin Donuts – Troy, Elaine Moyer-Davis, Elite Therapy, Ellen Lane, Endless Mountains Outfitters, Flying Cow, Gander Mountain, Germaine Ledoux, Green Free Library, Guthrie, Inc., Hidden Artist, Highland Chocolates, Hoover Hardware, Inga Wells, Iron Skillet, Jack Walters, Jeanette Smith, Jill Fluck, Jim’s Sporting Goods, Karen Wolford, Kate & Rachel Walters, Kathy Stanfield, Katie Seeley, Kennedy’s Country Heating Store, Laurel Hill Vet Clinic, Lodge Manufacturing, Lonn Merrell, Magic Touch Hair Salon - Chris Frank, Main Street Yoga, Maren Callahan, Marjorie Sampson, Mary Campbell, Milky Way Farms, Mimi Eaton, Monika Slater, Moose’s Munchies, Nancy Hetrick, Night & Day Coffee, PA Fish & Boat Commission, PA Game Commission, Pamela Wirth, Pat Case, Pipersville Garden Center, ProCare Physical Therapy & Fitness, Ralph & Priscilla Knapp, Representative Matt Baker, Representative Tina Pickett, Rockwell’s Feed, Ruger, The Sables of Safari Club International Lehigh Valley Chapter, Sam’s Club, Sherry Vargson, Smith’s Fine Wood Products, Steve & Nicole Harris, Stull’s Flowers, Sturm Ruger & Co., Sue Jarrell, Sylvania Lions Club, The Daily Review, TOPS Market, Tractor Supply-Sayre, Troy Vets Club, Up In Arms Shooting Supplies, Vinnie’s Pizza, WalMart – Mansfield, Wegman’s – Elmira,
& Yogamama Studios.
Please remember to support your local businesses as they support worthwhile programs like Women in the Wilds! A special thank you to the Jackson Family Farm, for the use of their field as our shooting range. Women in the Wilds event photography was provided by Bill Bower—you can check those pictures out on our Facebook page!
Nicole Harris, Women in the Wilds Coordinator, would like to thank the following members of her committee, that spent many hours organizing this event, collecting donations and door prizes: Marti Abell, Lynette Ambruch, Bonnie Austin, Bonnie Bastion, Peggy Crawley, Mimi Eaton, Deborah Elchak, Jill Fluck, Alice Frantz, Sandi Gamber, Sally Good, Lynne Hatch, Beverly Hunter, Yvonne Killian, Anita Kingsbauer, Paula Phy, LuAnn Sakers, Kathy Scheithauer, Beverly Smith, Laura Smith, Lynse Stafford, Laura Taylor, Erin Unruh, Sherry Vargson, Inga Wells, Lisa Wilcox, Jean Young, Kathy Yoachim and Shelley Young. The success of this event is largely due to the Women in the Wilds committee members and the Friends of Mt. Pisgah volunteers who provide countless hours making this event such a success! We would also like to thank the Mt. Pisgah State Park maintenance crew for all of the “grunt” work involved. Women in the Wilds would not be possible without their help!
Plans are already underway for the 17th annual Women in the Wilds event, scheduled for August 6, 2016. For more information, please contact Nicole Harris at mtpisgahee@pa.gov or call Mt. Pisgah State Park at 570/297-2734.