At The Dietrich

By
Hildy Morgan

Well, my oh my! The first snowstorm of the season is headed right at us. Is this cool, or what? As those of you who read this column regularly know, I LOVE snow. To me, heavy snow is just one of those times we get to settle back, guilt-free, and let life come to a grinding halt. Okay, I know that there are folks who have to get to work and then it surely isn’t fun. My husband was a corrections officer at Dallas for many years, and weather was not an excuse for not being at work. So, storms like this one were no fun for him or his fellow officers. But for those of us blessed with lives that can be properly mindful of mother nature, snow is one of God’s most wondrous displays of raw power and breathtaking beauty.

We always knew, my sister and I, when it was going to be a big storm, because Poppa would get up from the dinner table, go to the cellar, and sharpen the runners of the old Flexible Flyer. And how lucky was this? Right next to our house was a perfect sledding hill. Not too long, not too short – just right. We could belly-whop down it or, we could sit up behind Pop and we’d go so, so fast that we couldn’t catch our breath.

Probably those memories are some of the reasons I so love the snow. As with everything else in my life, it’s all tied up with growing up in such a happy family. And that sweetness drifts, like the snow, into everything those memories touch. How blessed those of us are who had families that loved and nurtured us. Bless them. Bless them.

And now, on to the movies at hand. Once again the distributors have made a liar of me. We had booked – yes, booked! – Notes On A Scandal. And then Monday morning we were told there weren’t enough prints to go around and we’re, once again, too small. Sigh.

So, instead we have a kids movie for you – not really young kiddies – more like ten and up. Bridge to Tarabithia is part fantasy, part reality. It’s the story of a special friendship between a lonely boy and girl who create a world of fantasy across the bridge to Tarabithia. I don’t know if the movie includes the death of one of the children – because the book is really about death and our eventual acceptance of it - - or if it is just about the fantasy world the children create. The reviews on it have been very good and it’s a sweet and haunting story.

One final week of Because I Said So. Great fun. Women just love it – so many have told me how funny the conversations in the movie are. I had hoped to see it this week, but now with the snow, I don’t know if I’ll get to it.

Finally, splitting the screen with Because I Said So is Children of Men. Set in a grim time in the future when women can no longer conceive and all hope is lost, a young woman becomes pregnant. She must be protected at all costs, because she is literally the hope of the world. Top-notch sci-fi, so for those of you who love a good tale spun in the future, this is the one for you. It’s heavy, and thought-provoking. One of the best of the year. Do give it a try.

So, that’s all I have to say. Stay warm. Curl up with a good book. Watch a DVD. Cuddle with the cat or dog (or both, in my house) and enjoy mother nature at her wildest. After all, you might as well enjoy it, because there’s not a darn thing we can do to stop it.

You take care, now.

See you at the Dietrich.

Live at The Dietrich

By
Erica Rogler

As I walked into the Dietrich’s Peg Fassett Performance Studio last Tuesday it made me smile to see a group of children happily hopping about like bunnies. Little ones and their parents and caregivers learned about rabbits in our first class of Little People and Nature with Rebecca Lesko of the Endless Mountains Nature Center. Children, 2 ½ to 4 years old learned about what wild bunnies eat, where they live and how they hide through games, stories, art projects and more. They also were able to meet a rescued rabbit.

This week students explored what happens “When Winter Comes”. You and your little ones are invited to join us for the final two sessions on Tuesdays from 10-11 am. Next week we will be “Going Batty” as we learn about the only flying mammal and the following week will be a “Feeder Flutter” as we meet a live bird and make a bird feeder to take home. Admission is $9 per class.

Now let me tell you what the quilting classes are up to. In Quilting for Kids, students are working on snowball quilts. In about a month’s time, each child has made about nine snowball blocks that are made in a crazy quilt style out of fabrics that suggest winter. These industrious quilters between the ages of five and thirteen are currently sewing their blocks together and will finish their quilts by embellishing them with pearl beads for a snowy effect.

Intergenerational Quilting has seventeen students including two teenagers who are making a quilt together. In this class students are making variations of the log cabin quilt. The fun part of this project is color choice. Students are mixing Asian fabrics with dark fabrics. Some students have already made 36 blocks. Last week students chose the arrangement for their blocks. They will finish the quilts by hand quilting.

Coming up in March the Dietrich will host two decorative painting classes with our own Sarah Sidorek. On, Monday, March 5th at 7 pm, adults and students ages 16 and up will learn decorative painting techniques as they paint a glass picture frame. I have taken decorative painting at the Dietrich before and am amazed at what I was able to create by just learning a few brush strokes and techniques. Admission is $12 and materials are provided. The second class is Decorative Painting for Kids on Tuesday, March 20 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. In this workshop, children age eight and up will decoratively paint their own birdhouse. Admission is also $12 and materials are provided. To sign up for either of these classes, call the Dietrich at 996-1500.

And tonight at 7:00 pm at the Tunkhannock Public Library, join us for another Gone with the Wind book discussion with Dr. Philip Mosley, Professor of English, Communications and Comparative Literature at Penn State Worthington. The discussion will focus on the “The Heroine’s Journey in Literature and Movies” and is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Back in 2002, Dr. Mosley was the discussion leader for our first foreign and independent film series which was also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Since then, he has facilitated several of our movie discussions during film festivals and is simply a delight. All are welcome to attend and refreshments will be provided.

More than the Movies at the Dietrich Theater

After School Players, for Middle & High School Students - Filled

Calling all actors, actresses, dancers and musicians, the Dietrich After School Players is now casting for its upcoming spring show, "Yee Haw! A Tribute to Hee Haw". Student will learn the theater arts and perform for friends and family at the Dietrich. Call 996-1500 to register.

Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5:30 pm through March 24.

Cost: Free.

Carl Canedy and Patti Dunning of First Act Children's Theater

All About Drawing & Painting, ages 9-12

Students will learn the basics of perspective, line, form, color, and value as students draw an paint from life. All levels of experience welcome.

Thursdays, Makeup date -Tues., Feb 20, 22, March 1 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Cost: $35, all materials provided.

Instructor: Steve Colley

All About Pottery & Sculpture, ages 9-12

Students will learn hand building techniques (Coil slab construction), glazing techniques and experience using potter's wheel.

Thursdays, March 8, 15, 22, 29 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Cost: $35, all materials provided.

Instructor: Steve Colley

Beginning Conversational Spanish - Filled

Learn a second language as a family! This class will introduce you to everyday Spanish conversational phrases and vocabulary. We will be using games, role plays and fun exercises to practice speaking Spanish. This is a great class to get you started on learning a second language. For ages 7 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Tuesdays, March 6 - 27 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm.

Cost: $30 for adults, children 16 and under, free.

Instructor: Victoria Romero

Decorative Painting for Adults, ages 16 and up

Learn decorative painting techniques whicle creating decorative pieces for your home or to give as gifts.

Wednesdays from noon - 3 pm through March 28.

Cost: $15 per class plus the cost of the painting surface.

Instructor: Eileen Balboa

Decorative Painting for Kids

Children ages 8 and up will learn decorative painting techniques as they paint a bird house.

Tuesday, March 20 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm.

Cost:$12, materials provided.

Instructor: Sarah Sidorek

Easy Beading - Three Basic Beading Techniques

Have fun learning three beading styles! Basic loom beading, peyote, and beads on fabric will be demonstrated. All materials and equipments will be supplied.

Monday, February 26 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

Cost: $25, all materials provided.

Instructor: Esther Harmatz

First Steps in Stained Glass

Learn the first steps of working with glass to create stained glass pieces. Students will learn to work with a design, cut glass, polish, foil wrap, and solder. Each student will leave with a finished item. All glass, supplies and equipment will be supplied.

Monday, March 12 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Cost: $45, all materials provided.

Instructor: Esther Harmatz

Intergenerational Quilting, for all ages

"Sara's Squares" - Learn the art of quilting while making an uncommon variation of the classic log cabin quilt. Students will learn quilting techniques and study vintage quilts.

Wednesdays through March 28 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

Cost: $6 per lesson, all materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler, Terry Keller and Peggy Lane

Jewelry for Kids, ages 8 and up

Make It/Bake It - Create your own beads, bake and string them into a necklace that is uniquely yours.

Tuesday, March 13 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm.

Cost: $7

Instructor: Sarah Sidorek

Little Artists, ages 2-1/2 to 4

Young artists and their moms, dads or grandparents will create works of art using an assortment of materials, including clay, tempera, watercolor and collage.

Fridays, March 2, 9, 16, 23 from 10:30 - 11:15 am

Cost: $30

Instructor: Amy Colley

Little People & Nature, ages 2 1/2 to 4

Join us as we learn about animals and nature in this four class series. Learn about: When Winter Comes - Where do some of the animals go in the winter? What animal can we still see? Children will learn the answers to these questions through songs, stories, puppets and crafts. Bunny Hop - What do wild bunnies eat? Where do they live? How do they hide? Learn why domestic rabbits don't make good pets for children and meet a rescued rabbit.Going Batty - What makes a bat a bat? Can you see bats in the winter? Dress like a bat, make a puppet, listen to a story, sing a song, and pretend to be a bat. Learn about the only flying mammal. Feeder Flutter - We've gone to the birds! Meet a live bird. Make a bird feeder to take home. Exploring the discovery stations, feathers, puppets, and stories.

Tuesdays, February 6, 13, 20, 27 from 10 -11 am.

Cost: $35, students to be accompanied by an adult.

Instructor: Rebecca Lesko, Endless Mountains Nature Center

Mixed Media, ages 5- 8

A new artist will be introduced each week as students learn about famous artists and create their own works using materials including clay, tempera, charcoal, pastels, etc.

Fridays, 4:00 - 5:30 pm, Session 2 - Makeup date -Monday Feb. 19, 23, March 2. Session 3 - March 9, 16, 23, 30.

Cost: $35 for each series of four classes.

Instructor: Amy Colley

Open Studio for Painting, Drawing and Pottery

Students of all ages and levels of experience will have the opportunity to work at their own paceand with the medium of their choice.

Tuesdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Session 2 - February 6, 13, 20, 27. Session 3 - March 6, 13, 20, 27.

Cost: $15 per class or $50 for four classes.

Instructor: Steve Colley

Painting on Glass, age 16 to adult

Learn decorative painting techniques as you paint a glass picture frame.

Monday, March 5 at 7 pm.

Cost: $12, materials are provided.

Instructor: Sarah Sidorek

Pottery & Sculpture, ages 13 to adult

This class is designed for students of all levels of experience. Students will work on pottery wheels, learn hand-building and sculpture techniques as well as making molds and casting.

Mondays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Session 2 - February 5, 12, 19, 26. Session 3 - March 5, 12, 19, 26.

Cost: $50 for all four classes

Instructor: Steve Colley

Preschool Art, ages 4 and 5

Preschool students will explore the arts each week as they use a variety of materials such as clay, tempera, watercolors, collage, etc.

Thursdays, February 1, 8, 15, 22 from noon -12:45 pm

Cost: $30

Instructor: Amy Colley, M.F.A.

Quilting for Kids, ages 6 and up

"Snowballs" - Snips of cloth with a winter theme make up our one-of-a-kind snowball quilt. Learn quilting and design techniques - it's easy and cool!

Wednesday through March 28 from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Cost: $6 per lesson, all materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler, Terry Keller & Peggy Lane

Watercolor for Beginners - Color and Composition

Learn the basics of color and composition in watercolor painting.

Friday, March 30 from 7-9 pm and Saturday, March 31 from 10 am - 4 pm.

Admission is $60. Call 570-996-1500 for a materials list.

Instructor: Jan Henning

Writers' Group

Come and read your work or listen and be inspired. Learn the craft of writing as you write. All genres and levels of writing are welcome.

Thursdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Meeting are ongoing.

Admission is free.

group format - no instructor

Yoga for You

Accomodations will be made for beginners, experienced practitioners, and those with special needs. Call 570-996-1500 to confirm dates. Please bring yoga mat or beach towel.

Wednesdays & Saturdays, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Call 570-996-1500 for class dates.

Cost: $10 per lesson. Children are free.

Instructors: Melissa Russo & Mary Frances Giordano: Certified Hatha Yoga Instructors

Young Writers' Group, ages 11-16

Come and learn about all forms of writing. Participants will share their own writings and learn to critique each other. Topics for discussion will depend on the interests of the group, but will include vocabulary of the writing professional and opportunities for publication.

Thursdays through March 1 from 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm.

Admission is free.

Group Leader: Ann Vitale