Danville Business Alliance Coordinating Numerous Holiday Activities and Events in Danville

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The holiday season will feature several unique and traditional activities in downtown Danville, as well as a series of individual events meant to encourage patronage of small businesses based in Danville. The Danville Business Alliance is coordinating these activities, and it all gets started just prior to Thanksgiving on Saturday, Nov. 17.

That date will feature DBA’s Holiday Open House (not to be confused with the Chamber’s Holiday Open House, which is on Dec. 13). From 5-9 p.m. Saturday and again from 12-5 p.m. on Sunday, the shops in downtown Danville, as well as the bars and restaurants, will roll out the welcome mat and help shoppers find early Christmas gifts or just what is needed for a Thanksgiving centerpiece. There will be special offers and refreshments from participating shops and restaurants. Nov. 17 will also be the first of four days that will features free horse drawn carriage rides. The other dates of the carriage rides will be Dec. 14, Dec. 22 and Dec. 23. Saturday, Nov. 24 is Small Business Saturday throughout the country, and Danville will be taking part in that as well. 

Of course, no series of holiday events would be complete without a visit from the man from the North Pole himself, and Santa will be featured a couple of times in Danville. First, on Friday, Nov. 30, there will be a parade down Mill St. from 6-8 p.m. to welcome Santa, sponsored by First Columbia Bank & Trust. Santa’s Cottage will again be open at Canal Park on Mill St. for seven dates through December, beginning with Saturday, Dec. 1 from 12-3 p.m. Other dates the cottage will be open include Dec. 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22. Santa’s Cottage is sponsored by Service 1st Federal Credit Union. 

Finally, the Danville Hometown Holiday Celebration will be the weekend of Dec. 14-16, and will feature a full slate activities throughout the downtown. These include a late shopper’s night, a Geisinger free flu clinic, free carriage rides and sidewalk cocoa stations and wine tastings on Friday; a children’s parade, art cart sponsored by The Exchange, balloons, gift wrapping, fire pit and music in the park on Saturday; and more shopping and gift wrapping on Sunday. 

Holiday Season Kicks Off With Full Weekend of Events in Bloomsburg

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The holiday season is quickly approaching and will get started with a full weekend of events in Bloomsburg. Activities will be held downtown and at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds. The schedule of the holiday traditions as well as two new events is available at Downtown Bloomsburg Inc.’s website.

On the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23, the first “Coming Home for Christmas” is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on North Market Street between Main and First streets. The event will feature crafters, food, and other vendors. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Columbia County Veterans Memorial and Eos Therapeutic Riding Center.

TreeFest at the Caldwell Consistory.

Another new event this year will be Winterfest at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to food, the event will include wineries, hand-made furniture and crafts, ice sculpting, train displays, and horse and wagon rides.

The holiday tradition of TreeFest also gets underway Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Caldwell Consistory. Hundreds of trees will be decorated by area businesses and community groups, which will then be donated to area families following the two-weekend event. TreeFest benefits Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble.

The WHLM Parade of Lights returns on Friday evening at 6 p.m. Cash prizes will again be awarded for the top three floats. The parade will form at the Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital parking lot and travel down Lightstreet Road to Main Street, then onto Market Street to 5th Street, and will end at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds at the 5th Street entrance.

On Saturday and Sunday, the North Pole Express Train rides will be held. Sponsored by Service 1st Federal Credit Union, these one-hour rides depart from the Sherwin Williams parking lot along Market Street and travel west towards Catawissa and feature holiday stories, carols, and a visit by Santa and his helpers. Tickets are now available through DBI’s website.

Member News – October 31, 2018

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Member News

  • Ken Pollock Ford Lincoln, along with all of the other Ken Pollock dealerships throughout northeast Pennsylvania, is hosting its fifth annual Trunk or Treat from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. on today, Oct. 31. All Ken Pollock dealerships will be loaded with treats and good eats. Wear your best costume and stop in for some fun.

 

  • Bloomsburg University will hold its fall 2018 Health & Human Career Connections Expo this Friday, Nov. 2, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Kehr Union multipurpose rooms A & B. This event brings employers seeking to recruit students interested in careers in health, allied health and human services for opportunities such as job shadowing, internships and full-time employment. This event is open to all BU students and alumni in these career fields. If you are an employer interested in attending, or have questions, contact Michael Babb via email. There will also be a networking reception with faculty, staff and students.

 

  • Service 1st Federal Credit Union has announced plans to expand into Elysburg.

    The future Service 1st location in Elysburg

    The credit union recently purchased the former Santander Bank building located at 196 West Valley Avenue (Rt. 487) and is looking forward to opening in Spring 2019. “The Elysburg office will mark our twelfth location,” said Bill Lavage, president/CEO, Service 1st. “We’re delighted to become part of the Elysburg community and look forward to providing affordable, quality financial services to residents in the Elysburg area.” Service 1st has offices in Bloomsburg, Danville, Lewisburg, Loyalsock, Mifflinburg, Montandon, Shamokin Dam, Sunbury and Wilkes-Barre. 

 

  • Commonwealth Health – Berwick Hospital Center will hold an open house and community hernia screening from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. The open house will include tours of the hospital and blood pressure checks, informational stations on Berwick Retirement Village and the hospital services, and a meet-and-greet with the primary care physicians affiliated with Berwick Medical Professionals. An educational session and hernia screenings – both free to the public – will be offered at this time by general surgeons who are on staff at Berwick Hospital. Light refreshments will be served. Anyone interested in scheduling a hernia screening is asked to call 570-354-6515 or visit MyBerwickHerniaSeminar.com. Berwick Hospital Center is located at 701 East 16th St., Berwick. 

 

  • Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital will once again offer a complimentary meal for veterans on Thursday, Nov. 8 in the GBH dining room. There will be four separate seatings – at 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m., and the meal is complimentary for all U.S. veterans and one guest. Join GBH as they celebrate the service of our veterans to the U.S. Because seating is limited each hour, reservations are required by Friday, Nov. 2. Call 570-387-2145 today to reserve your seat(s). The buffet dinner includes carved roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, green beans, beverages and cake and ice cream. 

 

  • The Penn State World Campus has a few upcoming information webinars during the month of November for those interested in learning more about classes and degrees from Penn State’s online classes. On Thursday, Nov. 8, from 9-10:30 p.m., there will be a virtual open house for military in which participants can meet staff and learn about the process for applying for and earning an undergraduate degree through the PSU World Campus. On Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 8-9 p.m., there will be an undergraduate admissions and career services webinar for perspective PSU World Campus undergraduate students interested in learning about the World Campus experience and career services offered to students. On Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 12-1 p.m., there will be a webinar to learn more about the Master’s in Professional Studies, applied demography degree. It will focus on how the program is designed for working professionals, and how it focuses on concepts, measures, data, software and analytical skills used in the public and private sectors. Finally, on Thursday, Nov. 15, from 12-1 p.m., there will be a Master of Science in Nusing (MSN) informational webinar for those interested in the nurse administrator or nurse educator options of Penn State’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. As a reminder, employees of all Columbia Montour Chamber members, their spouses and dependents are eligible for a 5% discount on tuition through the PSU World Campus. 

 

  • The Berwick Elks Lodge 1138 will host a ceremony and dinner for Veterans Day on Sunday, Nov. 11 beginning at 4 p.m. at its location at 117 West 2nd St., Berwick. All veterans and the public are welcome to attend. The ceremony will be performed by the Elks Lodge beginning at 4 p.m., with a presentation of colors by the Berwick VFW. Guest speakers include state senator John Gordner and veteran Timothy Hutton. RSVPs are appreciated but not required at 570-759-8131, and please leave a message. 

 

  • LIFE Geisinger will host its annual Open House on Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 3-6 p.m. at its location at 1100 Spruce St., Kulpmont. There will be light refreshments, door prizes, tours of the facility, and an opportunity to learn about this innovative alternative care program for older adults intended to keep them living in their own homes. Please RSVP to Wendy Rishel by email or call 570-373-2100. 

 

  • The Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) is creating a new development advisory committee to advise and assist MARC with fundraising for MARC’s long-term general operations and site specific needs at the Montour Preserve, Hess Recreation Area, North Branch Canal Trail, Hopewell Park/Danville Borough Farm Trail System and other sites. The committee will begin to meet in January 2019 on a schedule to be determined by committee members. Committee members will serve on an unpaid volunteer basis. Letters of interest are now being accepted from community members with a background in fundraising and a demonstrated commitment to supporting outdoor recreation in and around Montour County. Interested individuals are asked to provide a brief one to two-paragraph statement of their background, skill set and willingness to serve. Information should be emailed to Bob Stoudt, MARC director, by email no later than Friday, Nov. 16. Candidates will be considered by MARC’s board on Monday, Nov. 19, during MARC’s regularly scheduled meeting. MARC anticipates appointing up to eight community members to this committee.

 

 

  • NEPIRC will conduct a free leadership training seminar titled “Leadership Development Essentials” on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, located at 725 West Front St. (Rt. 11) in Berwick. This program is intended to help individuals become stronger, more impactful leaders. While joining other managers and supervisors to discuss workplace challenges, attendees will explore topics that include self-awareness, power & authority, risk & failure and leadership style. Using self-assessment tools and experiential learning, attendees will examine their strengths and weaknesses while exploring best practices of exceptional leaders. Register via the NEPIRC event website. 

 

  • Wild For Salmon will host a holiday tasting event at its retail store on 521 Montour Blvd. (Rt. 11) in Bloomsburg on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. There is no cost to attend. Much like its other public tasting events throughout the year, this event will feature some dishes specially prepared by Wild For Salmon’s in-house chef featuring salmon and other seafood for attendees to taste, only this time, there will be a winter and holiday theme to the menu selections. 

 

  • MePush will be hosting a series of study sessions throughout the fall at its conference room at 130 Buffalo Rd., Lewisburg, for information technology professionals that are taking and interested in getting together to study for the Cisco CCNA exam. This major certification in the IT industry is a big undertaking for some, so MePush would like to offer a forum to help other IT pros in the area improve their skills and certifications. If interested, please email Art so MePush can have a headcount. 

What HR Services Does Your Business Need?

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Members often call the Chamber with human resource questions related to policies, compliance with state and federal regulations, employee management issues, etc. Recognizing that many small and medium-sized organizations do not have dedicated HR staff, the Chamber is exploring a program that would offer expanded resources. While members can currently contact ChamberChoice for some issues, this potential bundled program could provide access to forms, on-call access for quick questions, or representation in more in-depth issues.
 
The Chamber is working with local human resource consultants to determine interest in a group program. Members are asked to provide their input on their HR needs by completing a brief multiple-choice, 12-question survey by Wednesday, Nov. 14 (we estimate it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to complete it). Based on the level of interest, we will move forward in developing a program. As a thank you for your time, all members that click on the link above and complete the survey by Nov. 14 will be entered into a drawing to win a free month of ads for their business or organization in E-Biz. The winner will be notified after the deadline to complete the survey. 

Thank you for your time.

Workers’ Comp Fix Signed Into Law

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From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

In welcome news for the state’s business community, one of the PA Chamber’s top priorities this session – legislation that will save employers hundreds of millions of dollars a year – was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf last week.

Act 111 of 2018 (formerly H.B. 1840) addresses last year’s financially detrimental state Supreme Court decision in the Protz v. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board case.  In Protz, the PA Supreme Court removed Impairment Rating Evaluations from the law, which for more than 20 years has provided a structured process for state-designated physicians to determine a patient’s level of impairment and how long wage-loss benefits should be paid. As a result of the ruling, the Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau took the unprecedented action of filing for a mid-year loss cost increase, which industry experts are conservatively estimating is costing employers upwards of $300 million each year.

At the time of the Protz decision, the PA Chamber warned its members that the cost increase would be coming while also advocating for legislation to address the Court’s concerns.  Act 111 updates IRE-related language in the law to address the issues raised by the Supreme Court and requires the PCRB to file a loss cost decrease, which will spare employers from being forced into paying significantly higher insurance costs.

After the governor signed the bill, PA Chamber President Gene Barr issued a statement applauding his action. “This measure will go a long way to reining in future excessive workers’ comp costs related to the Supreme Court’s decision last year,” Barr said.  “We also commend the General Assembly – particularly House Labor and Industry Committee Chair Rob Kauffman and Senate Labor and Industry Committee Chair Kim Ward – for working in quick order to find a legislative solution to address the Court’s concerns.”