(LeRoy, PA) – LeRoy Heritage Museum will host its annual Barclay Mountain Heritage Day on Saturday, August 13 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm. The event will be held at the community grounds on Mill Street. Note: the event will be held rain or shine.
Barclay Mountain Heritage Day will highlight the mountain and educate visitors about its history, which is part of the mission of LeRoy Heritage Museum. At the same time, proceeds raised from the event will benefit the work of local history preservation and education in which the museum is very active.
Barclay Mountain Heritage Day will feature free programs and entertainment beginning at 10:00 am with exhibitors, who will be sharing and demonstrating from their own tents or tables throughout the grounds, both in and outside the community building. Some of these include the Endless Mountains Primitive Outdoorsmen; Pennsylvania Game Commission; Che-Hanna Rock & Mineral Club; Susquehanna Valley Audubon Society; Pennsylvania Lumber Museum; Bradford County Historical Society; Abandoned Pennsylvania Coal Mines Facebook page administrator, Kyle Fowler (coal mining tools and equipment); Chief Oil & Gas; and more.
“Noggin Hill,” Philadelphia’s popular band specializing in old-time, bluegrass, and Americana will perform from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the field.
At 1:00 pm, Kyle Fowler will present a program under the tent about coal mining history. Fowler’s displays and demonstrations are always very popular and anyone who attends the program will come away learning much about coal mining in the late 19th and early 20th century.
At 2:15 pm, LeRoy Heritage Museum President, Matt Carl, will present a program about the community of Laquin and what it was like to live there. In the past he has presented a program about the mills and lumbering history at Laquin. This year he will focus more on the town itself.
All those interested in these programs are welcome to bring their own camping chair for sitting as seating is limited.
In addition to exhibitors, various vendors will be onsite selling their work.
The Flying Cow food truck will be on hand to take care of your lunch needs. LeRoy Heritage Museum will also be selling ice cream sundaes and cones, along with cold drinks, inside the community building. An outdoor dining tent and an indoor dining area will be furnished for those wishing to relax and enjoy lunch.
While the former museum building on Mill Street will not be open, visitors are encouraged to visit the new museum a short walk from the event grounds. As part of its collection, the museum houses the largest number of Laquin artifacts available for public display anywhere. Additional pieces from Barclay Mountain are now in the exhibits that were not included in the original museum. The museum and its gift shop, where local history books and souvenirs can be found, such as t-shirts, postcards, Bradford County History Playing Cards, and more, will be open during the event.
There is a suggested admission donation for the museum of $5 per person. Age 18 and under and current members are admitted free. The museum accepts credit card payments in the gift shop. A donation box will also be available at the program tent to support the work of the museum. The first 50 visitors to the gift shop who are descendants of Barclay Mountain families who once lived, worked or had a cabin on the mountain will receive a free special edition 2022 BMHD commemorative button identifying them as a “Descendant”.
Parking for the event will be available on the lower field on the community grounds and the adjoining Whitehead field at the rear of the grounds. There is also limited parking available on Mill Street, but the museum requests that visitors please respect the neighbors and not park block driveways or mailboxes. Handicapped parking will be available at the event entrance.
The event offers free admission and free parking. This is made possible by 15 sponsors including Maple Sponsors: Chesapeake Energy, Daryl Eldrett Watkins, and the Bradford County Room Tax Fund (Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency); Walnut Sponsor, Hamilton Liberty Power Plant; Hemlock Sponsors: Schoonover Plumbing & Heating, Kellogg Mountain Rod & Gun Club, Welch Insurance, Chemung Canal Trust Company , Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. Unclaimed Patronage Capital (does not affect member electric rates), William & Beverly Smith in Memory of Charles Batterson, Ray & Jeannine Kozen in Memory of Watson L. Barclay, Mary Idona Beers in Memory of James Beers, and Vernon Perry Jr.; and three Pine Sponsors that will be acknowledged on the banners on the day of the event.
Anyone wishing to display their collection of Barclay Mountain related history or wildlife mounts at this event should contact the museum.
More information about Barclay Mountain Heritage Day may be found online at www.leroyheritage.org and clicking Visit Us and then on Barclay Mountain Heritage Day, or by calling 570-364-5003
