NEXT MEETING: The Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting Wednesday, January 8th at 6:30 PM in the Duncannon Christ Lutheran Church located at 115 Church Street.  An RSVP is not required but it’s greatly appreciated.  Our agenda will focus on next year’s 2014 Duncannon A.T. Community Festival, we’ll discuss the progress we’ve made in the past month and further increasing meeting attendance.

OUR PREVIOUS MEETING: The December 17th DATC meeting was a great success with a dozen people arriving to show their support.  Here is a list of some of the topics that we covered:

• Decided to have both a Shaver’s Creek raptor presentation with live birds and an Audubon presentation with the very knowledgeable Paul Zeph.
• Consensus to pursue auto dealers as vendors and sponsors.
• Consensus to pursue the Sportsman’s Club as vendors and potential outdoor safety presenter.
• Accepted Michael Dunmire as our primary Photography contact and organizer.
• Fleshed out sponsorship roles by offering website promotion, stage banner, presentation area banner and brochures.
• Discussed closing of the bridge over the Little Juniata Creek.  Rejected shuttle bus idea, offered potential parking areas across the bridge where attendees could easily walk to the festival area.
• Anyone who has made new contacts while working on their tasks please send the contact information to DATC@DuncannonATC.org.
• Discussed setting up a Presentation Area for presenters and exhibitors.  Audio tech is pretty much taken care of but we still need to work out seating for viewers and tents or canopies for presenters.
• Offer to accept vendor donations worth more than $50 which, as an added benefit, we would display somewhere prominently prior to the festival.
• Add a map with points of interest to the DuncannonATC.org website.
• Moved our meeting date from the 3rd Tuesday of the month to 2nd Wednesday of the month so we don’t overlap the Duncannon Borough Council meetings.  Let us know if this does or doesn’t work for you.
• Volunteers mentioned the success they have had while working to accomplish their assigned tasks.
• About $50 was donated to the pizza fund by various contributors so there will be free pizza at the next meeting.
• The meeting concluded in a rather timely fashion around 8PM.

NEXT YEAR’S FESTIVAL: The third Saturday of June (June 21, 2014) is the date of next year’s Duncannon Appalachian Trail Festival.  We need to get the word out to as many residents, volunteers and vendors as possible so be sure to tell all your friends and associates!  We have a printable PDF document that you can use to help recruit potential volunteers and vendors and we also have a Vendor Registration page where vendors interested in attending our Duncannon A.T. Festival can sign up and choose the location of their vendor spaces.  If you’re a vendor or if you know a vendor, now is the time to register so you can pick your favorite location.  If you’d like to volunteer to help with the 2014 festival you can sign up online or attend a meeting for more information.

DUNCANNON OUTDOOR CLUB HIKE:  Join the DOC on Saturday, January 18th to learn about Great Horned Owls.  Bushwhack the Takach property for signs of the great bird.  Afterwards, try your hand at dissecting sterilized owl pellets at the  Cornerstone Christian Church.  Cost is $6 to cover the cost of the pellets.  Meet at the Duncannon Family Health Center (51 Business Campus Way, Duncannon, PA 17020) at 9AM to carpool.  Bring water, a snack and binoculars.  Call 834-9216 or e-mail dtakach@duncannonatc.org to register.  Be sure to wear orange.

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION: Duncannon Borough will ring in the New Year on the town square from 10PM to midnight.  Mingle with friends while enjoying free hot beverages, free hot dogs, a free commemorative wooden nickel and a free raffle ticket for prizes donated by local businesses.  Live music will be provided by the Perry County All Stars beginning at 10PM, a 10 foot wooden Lightning Guider sled (manufactured in Duncannon from 1904 until 1990) will drop from the Duncannon Fire Company’s four story ladder truck at the stroke of midnight and then everyone is invited to sing Auld Lang Syne.  This annual event is sponsored by the Duncannon Fire Company, local merchants, the Duncannon Lions Club and the Borough of Duncannon.

JOIN US OR HELP LEND A HAND: Anyone who would like to be involved with the DATC, offer guidance or influence its policies is welcome to attend our meetings. You might find a volunteer opportunity that suits you in any number of fields such as: planning our next 2014 DATC Festival, fundraising, supporting the Duncannon Outdoors Club, learning about Appalachian Trail maintenance and inspiring people to enjoy outdoor activities in the Duncannon area.