Needless to say, the eclipse was - in the truest sense of the word - awesome! I was lying on a chaise lounge cushion on a dirt road in the middle of an anthill in the broiling sun for four hours solid and could not take my eyes off it. Absolutely cannot wait for 2024 - and Pymatuning and Presque Isle state parks will provide lovely viewing opportunities. Do not miss it!

Pam Metzger
Membership Coordinator

PPFF helped dedicate the latest ADA kayak launch in the state park system at Beltzville State Park last week. Based on the number of empty wheelchairs left on the dock by members of the Lehigh Valley Team River Runners' group (whom we thank for the masthead photo and enthusiastic support of the launch), this will be a popular spot for paddlers. Check out TRR's Facebook page for more photos of people having fun. 

News of note

The Friends of Pymatuning officially joined the PPFF family on Wednesday night. We welcome this Behemoth of the North to the fold and look forward to doing all kinds of wonderful things to promote the Pennsylvania side of the lake! Ohio, we love you too - partnership opportunities and some friendly competition among volunteers seem ripe for the exploring.

The deadline for the photo contest is just about here. Get your entries in before noon on Thursday so we can assemble the photos and launch the voting window. The rules are here. And by the way, we had some questions at our gallery opening in Johnstown about the "Bit of Whimsy" category. "What do you mean?," people asked. Well, the idea came to us when we saw these two photographs in last year's contest. They made us laugh out loud - and we decided we need more of that. A little taste of the offbeat (since all of us at PPFF are just a few degrees off plumb ourselves).

Marci and Amanda had a great time last week up at Beltzville State Park for the dedication of the new ADA kayak launch there. Check out this cool video of the event from the Lehighton Times-News. We are so proud of the proliferation of these docks across the state. Everyone loves them!

Fall fundraising time is upon us and your employer will undoubtedly be launching their annual workplace giving campaigns. As a member of EarthShare (and as a 501(c)(3) generally), PPFF is eligible to participate in many of these campaigns including this year for the first time, SECA (the State Employees Combined Appeal). If you are an employee of the Commonwealth, please consider making PPFF the recipient of your charitable giving. You can designate us as your SECA charity using #9200-0046. (And if you are interested in finding out more about workplace giving in general, please get in touch with Marci.)

Technically, August is over and so should our membership campaign be. However, since I missed a week YOU have an extension! Join PPFF before next Friday at midnight and we'll honor the August offer of 15 months for the price of 12.

At work and play in the parks and forests

So. It's Labor Day weekend. Can barely bear to think of it - but that means it will be busy and fun out there. At least here in southern Somerset County, the temperatures this week have been distinctly autumnal. Get out and enjoy!

Festivals in the Spotlight

No question, the place to be this weekend is Ohiopyle State Park for Music in the Mountains. You won't want to miss it!

North

Head a little north to Parker Dam for the 34th annual Woodhick Games. Just how long do you think you can stand on a rolling log? Yeah, me neither.

South

Labor Day weekend is about families so a Family Forest Hike at Gifford Pinchot State Park tomorrow afternoon fills the bill nicely. 

East

The perfect program to fit into our summer-long Back to Basics program on Facebook - Compasses, Maps and You at Ricketts Glen. Valuable skills for everyone.

West

Head for McConnells Mill tomorrow for an open house on Bees and Beekeeping. This increasingly popular pursuit makes a valuable contribution to the natural world.

No matter what region of the commonwealth you want to visit, our website Events and the DCNR Calendar of Events are great sources for things to see and do. Bookmark them!

Picture of the week

Congratulations to the Friends of White Clay Creek who have, thanks to donations and the fine work of stonemason John Stoltzfus, completed Phase 1 of the restoration of the historic stone wall that surrounds the park's Quaker Meeting House. Check out this before and after. Wow!

Take five for trivia

Glad everyone was reading along with the solar eclipse news coverage. Indeed, the last time the continental US was blessed with a total solar was in 1979 (one in 1991 clipped Hawaii) and the next will be in 2024. The last time a path of totality traversed the entire continent was 1918.

Congratulations to our August winner, Harrisburg Frank. A bandana will wing its way across the Susquehanna to him.

Get your entries in for September, beginning with: "What does 'Sinnemahoning' mean?"

Send in your answer and we'll enter your correct response into our monthly prize drawing. All correct answers each week will go into the hat and at the end of the month we'll draw one lucky winner. The more correct answers you submit in a month (up to four or the occasional five depending on the month), the more chances you'll have to win.

Marci's visit last weekend to Sinnemahoning State Park and environs netted us a few lovely photos, including this one.

Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization - contributions to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. The official registration and financial information of PPFF may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling, toll-free within Pennsylvania, to 800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation is a proud member of EarthShare and is a Gold GuideStar Participant.