NEXT MEETING: The Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30 PM in the Duncannon Christ Lutheran Church located at 115 Church Street. RSVP is not required but it’s greatly appreciated. Our agenda will focus on next year’s 2014 Duncannon A.T. Community Festival and we’ll discuss the popular Duncannon Map Brochure project, fundraising, festival sponsorship, the progress we’ve made in the past month and further increasing meeting attendance.
OUR PREVIOUS MEETING: The October 22nd DATC meeting was a great success with 17 people arriving to show their support. Dennis Hurley and a friend have offered to look into applying for a 501(c)(3) rating as a nonprofit organization. Pastor Beth Martini brought up some great suggestions to help the community and the Doyle Hotel. Trisha Sanders (SATC President) announced that the local 4H will be helping out at our 2014 festival and that the $1,500 donation from the Jeffrey P. McKee Foundation for the defunct Appletree Alley project would be transferred to the DATC. A proof of the DATC Map Brochure was displayed which Joe Ether can use to help acquire more donations from businesses. Charlie Johnson of the Susquehanna Rovers Volksmarch Club is looking into organizing another big hike during the 2014 festival. Many different attendees provided good suggestions on locating food vendors and wildlife exhibitors for our 2014 festival. We also discussed the possibility of obtaining larger sponsors for the next festival and what those sponsors might donate and receive.
FREE PIZZA: The last few meetings have offered free pizza to all DATC meeting attendees. In the past, the pizza was paid for by Trisha Sanders, Dennis Hurley and the DATC. Please let me know if you would be willing to donate pizzas or contribute to the pizza fund or else this popular feature of DATC meetings will fall to the wayside.
NEXT YEAR’S FESTIVAL: The third Saturday of June (June 21, 2014) is the date of next year’s Duncannon Appalachian Trail Festival (a.k.a. The Duncannon Blast). 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 get that prime space you always wanted.
RAISING DATC AWARENESS: The DATC attended the Little Buffalo Festival on Saturday, October 5th. We sold nine T-shirts, handed out a bunch of pamphlets, sold some raffle tickets for the Appalacian Primitives table, talked to quite a few people and made some good contacts for our 2014 festival. We were quite successful especially when you consider our rather odd location behind the food vendors.
PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Duncannon Outdoor Club hike leader Deb Takach has officially completed hiking all 229 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.
HALDEMAN WATERFOWL HIKE: We proudly partnered with the PA Game Commission for another informative Haldeman Island Hike on Sunday, October 13th. We had 25 attendees and heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone. We probably saw about 16 different immature bald eagles throughout the morning and once spotted 6 eagles within the view of a single spotting scope. We got a rare glimpse of a Peregrine Falcon chasing a small flock of Green Wing Teal ducks about 20 feet overhead. There were also Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Kestrels, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Mallards, Green Wing Teals and Wood Ducks. Once again Scott Bills of the PA Game Commission served as an excellent hike leader with a seemingly boundless knowledge of Pennsylvania wildlife.
DUNCANNON OUTDOOR CLUB HIKES: Join the Duncannon Outdoor Club for an average paced 5 mile hike over rough terrain on Nov. 16th at Colonel Denning State Park, Hike up a steep climb to Flat Rock Lookout and back down. We will be looking for Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures and discuss the differences between them. This is a strenuous hike! Meet at the Duncannon Family Health Center at 9:00 am. to carpool. Alternately meet at the Colonel Denning parking lot across from the trail head to Flat Rock Trail at 9:45 am. Call 834-9216 or email dtakach@duncannonatc.org to register. Hope to see you there!
On December 21st The DOC will be hosting an Animal Tracking hike on the Darlington Trail. It will be a gradual average paced 4 mile hike up the Darlington Trail from Tower Road. We’ll search for and identify animal signs. Be sure to bring water and a snack. Meet at 9AM at the Duncannon Family Health Center to carpool. Call 834-9216 or e-mail dtakach@duncannonatc.org to register.
LEND A HAND: We’re still looking for a volunteer Vendor Coordinator for the 2014 festival. This position is perfect for the detail oriented, people-person with exceptional organizational skills. You’ll gain valuable experience and enjoy a sense of accomplishment playing a huge part in the festival that promotes the Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community. Duties include collecting/organizing vendor registrations; helping DATC with vendor placement to avoid potential conflicts that might arise; calling vendors as needed; being at the event one hour prior to help with the set up; and checking on vendors during the event. Contact Sean at datc@duncannonatc.org
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.