City Butterfly

SOCIAL NOTES & NEWS FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN THE 570

It’s all very peachy
Well, we hope you’re all well-rested after a smashing weekend in The 570. We fluttered through so many events in so many counties that we’re just about exhausted. It was amazing! From the streets of downtown Scranton filled with people of all ages venue hopping through First Friday, to the sophisticated (and fun) crowd that jammed to the funky sounds of Average White Band at the Scranton Jazz Festival, to the wild sights and sounds at the Mayhem Music Festival on Montage Mountain, to the lovely and elegant Wish in the City event at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and the sweet taste of blueberry buckle at the Montrose Blueberry Festival in Susquehanna County, we could not ask for more fun in one weekend.
Fortunately, the fun isn’t over. We have some real “peachy” plans for this weekend, too. (Pun intended). When we flutter up to Montage Mountain this weekend for the Allman Brothers’ Peach Music Festival, we’ll not only enjoy lots of great music, but we’ll also be sure to check out the work of five local artists, whose sculptures earned a place at the festival.
We’re anxious to see Christine Medley’s “Blossom Blocks;” John Meza’s “Green Sculptures;” Matthew Mroz’s untitled work; Kevin Palmer’s “Peach Lullaby;” and Tory Utt’s “She’s Got A Hot Temper.”
Live Nation, the Toyota Pavilion and the Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department served as judges of the sculptures, designed to help beautify the festival grounds for the event, create a festive atmosphere and align the festival with the local community. The prize for the best sculpture will be awarded on Friday.
Next week, another exciting competition will take us to the Electric City for the final round of Dancing With the NEPA stars on Aug. 16 at the Scranton Cultural Center. We’ve been doing a little reconnaissance on competitors Megan M. Alpert and Ashley Teatum as they practiced at Step By Step Dance Studio in Scranton. Let’s just say, both ladies are putting their best feet forward with this one. It’s anyone’s guess who will be crowned the ultimate dancing queen for a good cause. Be sure to vote online at www.scrantonculturalcenter.org and bust a move downtown on the 16th to cheer them on in person.
Speaking of winners, a shout out to Lori Nocito, who recently earned the 2012 Preceptor Award at the National Association of Leadership Programs’ annual conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Nocito is the executive director of Leadership Wilkes-Barre, and if you don’t know her from her work there, you must know her from the Pittston Tomato Festival – an event for which she has been a volunteer for many years. She is also a board member of the ALP, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, and Luzerne County Head Start, just to name a few.
Nocito earned this award for her outstanding creativity, communication skills, trusteeship, ethics, mentoring and dedication in strengthening and transforming the communities she serves. Lori’s involvement in the implementation of the Ethics Awareness Initiative as well as her participation in a panel discussion at the International Leadership Conference, held earlier this year in London, were praised along with her numerous affiliations on both the national and local levels.
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