Dear “Group of Approximately 24 People” Who Took a Bus Trip to Connecticut to View Hartford’s Riverfront:

We can DO this!

I got excited when I read the article in Saturday’s Citizen’s Voice about Luzerne County officials who went on a bus trip to Connecticut to observe their riverfront operation. The article tells me that you are all meeting this week to discuss how to create a nonprofit entity for riverfront activities. I would very much like to offer some activity suggestions for this non-profit entity to consider:

Bring back the Folk Festival and celebrate the heritage of those living here: Irish, Italian, Polish, Latino, and include any other group that is interested in sharing. Consider asking the Lion Brewery if they’d be interested in hosting a Beer Festival. We could do something similar with our local wineries (http://www.nepawinecountry.com/NEPA-wineries-vineyards.html ). Have craft vendors or a craft fair and allow them to demonstrate their art, whether it be welding or wood carving. Add a Riverfront Market day on the weekend for those who can’t make the weekday Farmer’s Market on Public Square!

The river itself offers an abundance of potential activities to promote. Paddle boats, canoes, kayaking, and identify great fishing spots. Add a bait shop here and there! Consider a purchasing a replica of the steamboats of yesteryear and rent it out: Casino Night, private parties (birthday, graduations, showers), theater or musical performances. It’ll pay for itself in no time. Expand some of the Riverfest activities to continue throughout the summer to include the river/eco-friendly education seminars.

Enlist the coordination of the historical society to have monthly historical walks (like they have done with the Mansion Tours or Cemetery Tours). Coordinate music and art demonstrations with our local colleges and high schools. There are limitless opportunities to display artwork, photography, sculpture and expose the public to other forms of art to include theater festivals, jazz festivals, dance performances, poetry reading and talent contests. The Penn State Master Gardeners would probably love to host an event.

We can coordinate with civic and religious groups who may wish to have their meetings held in some of these beautiful public areas. The YMCA, JCC and CYC can sponsor events. A notification of tours and events should be encouraged with local elementary schools. Rather than going out of the area for field trips (and wasting gas), they can enjoy all that there is to offer right here in their own back yard! The point of this suggestion is that reaching out to the youth of our area is of paramount importance!

There are prime opportunities for health and physical fitness through the use of the trails. Bikers can enjoy the trails as well as dog-walkers (hey - how about a pet park like West Pittston?). The river is a perfect place for rowing and Wilkes University already has a crew team. Horseback riding is not exactly mainstream, but it’s a great idea. Maybe the folks at Mohegan Sun would help us coordinate something like this. The parks and sports complex can be promoted much more to encourage league sports, picnics and family reunions. Many people don’t even know about the Forty Fort Sports Complex! Until last year, I didn’t.

Finally, we don’t need to have the fun come to an end in the winter months. We can develop some fun events like a Polar Bear Plunge (winter swimming: a gimmick, but funny), ice fishing, cross-country ski trails, ice sculpture contests and displays, a winter light festival and maybe even sleigh rides.

We can try to develop all those activities/events that coordinate with Public Square to keep people coming into the city year round. Then, we stagger these events with those at the Luzerne County Courthouse, Kirby and Nesbitt Parks, Wyoming Valley Airport and the sports complex in Forty Fort.

Use innovative marketing techniques to reach the public where they work through the Chamber of Commerce, where they worship and through the local civic groups. Promote the events through the use of a public calendar posted on a website. Allow on-line requests for the reservation of the use of these spaces. All these venues combine the perfect blend of opportunities that allow flexibility all the while keeping the two critical variables in mind: weather and river level.

Of course, the riverfront areas would need to have good security and storage areas for tents, lights, chairs and other miscellany. We should develop areas for concessions and other outer buildings. A strict maintenance policy would have to be developed. Often, this is precisely where the city and county fall short.

The last word: The more we have to offer to the public, the more likely they are to come out and take part.

Sincerely,
Ellen Q. Public

(artist renderings are taken from the Luzerne County Website at http://www.luzernecounty.org/county/major_projects/riverfront-project)