June 9, 2025 • 30 mins
"Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art celebrates the legacy of remarkable local artist with annual festival." nedsmithcenter.org
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia, where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. He was
a photographer, a writer, a naturalist, a musician, and a
self taught artist who is celebrated as one of the
premier nature artists of the whole twentieth century. He's also
(00:23):
the person who inspired a seven year old boy's life passion.
The man I'm speaking about is Ned Smith, through which
the Nedsmith Center for Nature and Art right outside of
excuse me, Millersburg is name, and the little boy who
spent so much time with Smith, well, he grew up
to be the founding board member who played a major
part in helping to build the center that became Smith's legacy.
(00:46):
John Leskowski, who's also known as Mothman, continues his life
passion with a mission to educate and excite the public
about the Nedsmith Center as well as both nature and
the arts. And he's gonna share his passion with us today,
also going to invite you to an amazing event that
your whole family's gonna love. So, mister John, where's this
mister Mothman coming from?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well, good morning, so good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It is a great pleasure to be back in the
WHP studio. And my adventure with Ned Smith started at
a very young age until he was passing in nineteen
eighty five, and then uh, well.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
But tell us how that happened, Like, did you meet
him at a store? Did you meet No?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Actually, Jack Miller was a good friend of Ned, and
they were photographers together, okay, And Jack Miller's father owned
a hunting camp that was just off the edge of
our farm, and I met Ned with Jack there one
time when it was very young, and then we struck
(01:51):
up a conversations and a friendship that lasted all those years.
And Ned would come over to our farm. We have
a Carsonville Tree Farms, just a little bit south of
the village of Carsonville, right near the Karsonova Hotel, and
he would come over if I call him, if I
found something interesting, like a nest of great horned owls.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
And he was never like, get away, kid, you bother me.
He was always open to that. That's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
This man was a godsend to Pennsylvania and New World. Really,
such a laid back person, self taught artist, never went
to art school.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
But if you ever get a chance to come up
to the Netsmith Center for Nature and Art, it's a
mile and a quarter east of Millersburg Square on Route
two nine. We have five hundred and thirty five acres,
nine miles of hiking trails, a ten million dollar building
with three art galleries.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
We're going to talk all about that. That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
In house honey Beehive and education, we have two full
time educators that contact about five thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
People a year. Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
They are very, very busy, very dedicated people.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
We'll tell us more about you and nied Smith and
what you learn from them, and what it was like
being with them, and how it continued well.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
As a youngster, I would go out with Ned and Jack.
They'd usually come together a number of times. And one
of the things that I vividly remember was usually about
the twentieth to twenty third of March, the woodcock would
return from their migration from Louisiana and they would come
back and land on our farm. And we had five
(03:33):
acres of cultivated high bush blueberries, and we walked down
the road and everything was predetermined the instant I would
see the woodcock fly up, they have a nuptial flight.
I would point to the spot where that bird took off.
Ned and Jack would run in with their tripods set
them up.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
This was all.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
SLR cameras, and there was a long tube about thirty
foot long with a about a six inch air bulb,
and this bird would fly up and they're called timbaldooters
and they would fall down and there's an aspect to
their wings that would whistle, and that was according ritual
(04:14):
for the woodcock to attract its female and they would
land in the exact same spot and Ned and Jack
would put that bub and get one picture. Wow, and
maybe it was in focus, maybe it was not. And
we did that a few times. But I hunted with
the Ned a number of times and over the years.
(04:37):
Then through the influences of Ned and my scout master
John Travids, I decided to go to Millersville University as
a biology major, and I got my undergrad degree eventually,
and then my masters. I taught high school biology at pen.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Man and his influence. How about it?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Because of net Smith?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
No kidd, did he have children?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No, they never did.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And that's a god send them away too, because probably
the couple million dollar collection of his original art would
have been lost for prosperity in that sense, and when
Ned passed away in April nineteenth of nineteen eighty five,
(05:24):
Marie was encumbered with this massive collection of art which
would have been taxed. So she and others who advised
her made the decision to set up the nonprofit Netsmith's
Center for Nature and Art. So that happened in nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That was the heck of a project.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
John, the festival we're going to talk about this is
our thirty first year of having these festivals for the community.
It's our way to pay them back for all the supports.
They were actually twenty seven community members and some people
from out of the area that knew Ned very well
that came together to set the center up.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
You can still get his artwork, Yeah, we sell.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
His artwork in the gift shop and it's a very
reliable resource for the community in that sense. He did
thousands of pieces.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Of art well.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
He also wrote, didn't.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
In nineteen fifty he had the first game news cover.
In his career, he did about two hundred and thirteen
game news covers over a period of time, and that
number is not correct, but in that course of time.
(06:48):
He also wrote three article series in the Game News
and the last one was called Going for the Day,
and it's a bathroom book. There's no page numbers on it,
but it's all sequential.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Through the year. Yeah, and it's a wonderful read.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
So if you ever get to the gift shop at
the center, go online to our website, you can get
that particular item. Then one of our premier trustees was
a gentleman named Scott Widensaw, and Scott wrote a book
called The Wildlife Art of Ned Smith. He edited that book,
(07:25):
I should say, and then a follow up book on
the one D and twenty seven Game News covers that
Ned did for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. But these magazines
were lavishly illustrated by Ned over many, many years, and
some of those pieces are really great art pieces.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know what I was wondering about. He spent a
lot of time doing this stuff. What was his wife like?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Marie was just a beautiful woman.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Just was she into nature and art? Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Yeah, yes, they traveled together. His travel time was limited though,
because of the situation that he had a lot of
deadlines for artwork and so forth. But they did make
some rather extensive trips and you'll see some of that
art from that. One of the last pieces. There were
(08:20):
two pieces on his easels when he passed away in
nineteen eighty five. They were both commissioned pieces. One of
them was a western scene of elk in the Western mountains,
and that one we had a contest to name it
and it was named Unfinished Business was the person that
(08:42):
won the naming of that, And it was a scene
where he did all the background was pretty well done,
a lot of the frontel trees had to be finished
and so forth, but the animals, their bull and the
cows and calves that were in a painting, they were
(09:02):
quote unfinished because he was still working. I was with
him about two weeks before he passed away, and that
was on his easel. And then there was another one
with western rams in the mountains that were there.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
What did he find funny?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Funny. He had a great sense of humor. I never
ever heard that man swear I swear word. Judas Priest
was the worst he ever say. But no, he had
a very very wry sense of humor and very laid back,
easy to talk to man. And I just loved him
(09:40):
and Ray both.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
It's funny how some people are just born to do
these creative things, isn't it. I Mean I've always thought that, Yeah,
college is great and everything, but mostly really intelligent people
that I know never went to school. I mean they
just you know, and it's a lot of hard work.
But I don't think this was hard work for him,
was it.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
This was just.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
The deadlines what made it. One of the things he
did later laugh about, but at the time he did not.
He did a series. It was a re painting of
a series of posters that there was an artist named
Abbott that did the series first and then written Ned
redid it and he had a deadline on the last one.
(10:26):
It was called Birds of the Forest, and in his
absent mindedness of trying to meet this deadline, he forgot
to paint the feet on the scarlet tanager.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
My gosh, and.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Somebody discovered this some years later. I mean, I had
it in my classroom and I never noticed it. And
he was livid for a while because that was just
fractured him, the fact that he didn't put Oh. Absolutely,
And the great thing about Ned Smith, and he was
quote imitated by a lot of artists, was the composition
(11:04):
of his pieces was such that everything was tied into nature.
So if you saw the last rake, it was a
brook trout painting of the trout coming out of the water.
The mountain lore, which is in its peak bloom right now,
was perfectly set in that scene to coincide with fishing
(11:26):
season and so forth for trout fishing. And this was
Ned's high point. When you saw his pieces, everything was
exacting in that composition.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, you know you mentioned fishing. Let's talk about the
center and what goes on up there. You have over
five hundred acres of land, right Can you fish up there?
What can you do up there?
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
The Wakenisco Creek goes right through our property. Okay, just
a number of yards from our amphitheater. We have a
three hundred set out or amphitheater and concerts go on
the Nedsmith Center dot org website. All that information about
the center.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
But let's talk about the outside. Like we talked about fishing.
You can go hunting up there. Can you tell us
doing the outdoors?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
All right?
Speaker 3 (12:09):
The hunt or the fishing is in a regulated section
there and it's catch and release only, okay, all right?
Then when you get above the rail, trail, which is
the Lichens Valley Railroad line goes right through our property.
All the land south on the Berrys Mountain south of
(12:29):
that rail trail is open to honey and.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Which though, what do you see there? The bear up there?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Oh bear, turkey, deer, Wow, wildlife. It's a very very
nice area. We have two managed forested areas there where
we did timber operations before, and part of that was
in conjunctions developing an early stage forest regrows so that
it helps to attract wildlife and so forth. So everything
(12:57):
that we do there is very managed so well.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You can do hiking, you can ride horses, I.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Mean hiking trail. In September we have a rugged five
k sponsored by Trogues and that goes up the mountain,
across the mountain and down the mountain five k. We
have to limit that to three hundred runners because of
facility aspects, but it's very popular and you have to
(13:26):
register for that earlier it fills up.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Wow, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Tell me, somebody tell me that every place you look
up there you have bird feeders.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And we not only have bird feeders, but we have
a bird feeding station with an observation building. One of
our benefactors are retired to Gain Commission biologists Jerry Hassinger
and my nephew John b Leskowski. I'm John d. John
(13:58):
helped Jerry build that and a kiosk there, and that's
a great attraction for birders. They go out and sit
in this blind. It's a wooden building, but it's just
really great. And it's intersection where there's a lot of American.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Oh boy, let me ask you. Do you ever see
an eagle up there?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Any what?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
An eagle? An American?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yes? Yes, Oh, I'd love to see that.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
The bald eagles are very plentiful in Dauphin County and
it's not uncommon, especially if you're at the festival, which
I'll talk to in a few minutes. On the ferryboat
rides that we have in the morning.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Wow, well, let me mention the festival. I know you're
anxious get through it. But let's talk a little bit
about you have galleries up there. Do you have a
couple of galleries and you also have a gift shop?
Tell us about that?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Is that all nets works in the galleries?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
No, we have three galleries. Now. The old Wine Gallery
is our large public gallery that we have rotating art
exhibits in Okay, and I was very fortunate this year
to get three of my friends who are artists, two
of them from Baltimore and one of them from now
from Lancaster, who actually was born and raised in Columbia,
(15:14):
South America, and she moved right to near Columbia, Leancaster County.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
And she walked into our Butterfly Club meeting. So she
had an exhibit earlier this summer. The current exhibit is
Caitlin Gill from Baltimore, and her art is just amazing.
She has a brain that just functions different a lot
of other artists and a lover work. And then her
(15:40):
friend Melissa Penley Cormier, they had major exhibits in Baltimore
and New York City and our staff saw their work
and said, oh, it's too voluminous. You have to each
have your own exhibit.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
So they'll be there through a good bit of this summer.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Okay, talk to me. I always thought this was really cool.
The Amphithey, the sort of amphitheater you have, I mean,
the ballet was there. You've had talk more about that.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
I think that's okay, I need to comment though.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
We do have a permanent ned Smith Originals gallery, okay,
and then we have a hallway gallery for smaller exhibits.
But the Amphitheater we built in two thousand and six,
and that is a three hundred seat outdoor amphitheater with
a big bandshell. And yes, we had the Shakespeare programs there,
(16:32):
but throughout the summer there was one Saturday Night was
their tribute bands of all the major rock groups. Oh
that is they are very very well attended. So take
a look at those on the website and for some
of them or are your tickets early because they fill up.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
I can imagine.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
You also offer classes throughout the year, which I think
is cool, and workshops for people to do, even for
school kids. They can comfort tours right.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yes, we have two full time educators. Emily Rossmus is
the director of education there and we hired a new fellow,
Reg Pizzano out of Shaver's Creek and State College area,
and those two educators, and we've changed our educator staff
(17:20):
over the years. They contact about five thousand people a year.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
They are very, very busy. We used to have our
festival last Saturday of July, but their course load and
workload in the summer, it gets to the point but
by the time of the last Saturday in July they're
about worn out. So we decided this year to move
the festival up to the third weekend in June.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Okay, so that is June twenty.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
First, the festival is a it's what time from ten
to ten four four okay?
Speaker 4 (17:53):
Tell us.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
First of all, most important thing to me and everybody knows,
is what do you got going on for kids?
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Great, well, Sylvia. We have a variety of activities there
that are all family, but we have two pavilions. There
are two major pavilions, and Pavilion one is primarily the
kids' activities, and with that we have tiede T shirts.
Now there is a five dollar donation there because of
(18:19):
the costs of the shirts and then face painting. We
have an inflatable Ninja obstacle course, and then we have
a dinosaur fun with the Lichens Valley Children's Museum. That's
a really neat place as well. And then we have
Smoky Bear with DC and R personnel come there, Sam Beringer.
(18:44):
Then that's pretty much the major kids activities, but one
of our special activities this year is I've got bugs
with Ryan the Bugman?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Is that like the moths Man?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Well? Yeah, Ryan and I used to have boot side
by side at the farm show. I was there for
about twenty years and Ryan was a well acknowledged he's
an amateur entomologist, but he ran the four H Entomology
group for many, many years of great acclaim. This guy
(19:19):
is amazing. So the kids will love that live and
mounted specimens there that Ryan will have in Pavilion one.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Is it true He's got like one or one hundred
and fifty thousand different types of bugs with them.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
I don't know if it's that many, but it's a
very large collection. Yeah, it is really neat. So that's
a good item for kids. And then the Animal Odyssey
is really super and that's Ray Owen, and Ray is
really neat. I met him many years ago down at
(20:00):
a music event down in New Jersey, the Delaware Valley
Bluegrass Festival, Woodstown, New Jersey, and he came up and
did programs for us, and at one of those programs
he wrote a Ned Smith song which we will perform there.
And then other kids' activities we have some walks and
(20:22):
so forth. That would be appropriate for kids as well.
But the one kids item that I'd like to highlight
at the bottom of our information sheet on the website,
you will see the Appellation Music with Randy Heisey Cato
who plays a banjo. And if you go online and
(20:44):
research Limber Jack and Limber Jill, their Appellation toys and
he gets kids playing with these toys along when he
plays a banjo. It is a hoot. So all those
performances on the Millersburg Ferry, two bird talks in the morning,
two music events in the afternoon. You have to get
(21:07):
the tickets at the information booth, and you ought to
get them as soon as you get there.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
So you don't have to get tickets online.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
You have to know you get the tickets there. But
there's only fifty tickets. They're free.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Oh this is for this particular event on the Millersburg Ferry.
On the ferry, Oh, okay, one.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
The first one in the afternoon at about one thirty
is uh this kids program. So I'm highlighting the kids
program there.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Well, one thing and when I want to talk about
stuff for adults, but one thing that people always look
for is food.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Food. Food.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You've got all kinds of craft vendors up there. You've
got all kinds of food up there.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Fo vendors, crafts, vendors.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Plenty of places to pee in park.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Oh yes, yes, okay, now the parking. There is a
note there. When you go to the website, you will
see a map. When you come up one forty seven,
you'll see a lot of signage for this event for
the public parking. You go over the bridge of the
Wickedness to Creek and you turn left right at the
welcome to Millersburg billboard on the Keystone Street. You go
(22:13):
down and there's three major parking lots down there, and
we'll have some attendees to But there's a little building
there if you're a history buff, especially the Hinds from
Hershey have an exhibit of Ned Smith memorabilia. And that's
(22:33):
well we're seeing. Then you cross the walking bridge across
there to get to the other side where all the
events are.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Okay, now what about us, big kids? What do you
got planned for us?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Okay, that's big kids. Well, let me add to that.
This is a dog friendly event. If you can bring
your dog with your pooper Scooper. We actually have two
dog programs one is a dry land one with retriever
dogs and the other is a wet one Mike and
(23:06):
Corey Seltzer. Mike was Marie's nephew and he has water
dogs there and these programs are scheduled at certain times there,
so don't miss those.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
We have a number of other walks.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
We have a tree identification walk with Andy broad Or
DC and our Forester Wickanisco Creek Walk with Kristen sees
Ware Old Sneakers, and the plan Identification Walk with Debbie
Naha Keretzky. Debbie wrote a book called The Wild Edibles
and she's called The Wild Edibles Late Lady. She's a
naturalist and nutritionist and she's doing actually two programs, one
(23:44):
in the morning and then a walk in the afternoon.
So those are more geared for the adults, but they're
well worth your time.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Hey, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
You also have As far as music, You've got a
lot of music wandering true doors.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
I think you had that. Who are these people?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (24:02):
I'm a member of the Suskranta Folk Music Society and
we meet the second Sunday of the month from October
to May, and some of our members who come to
jam at one o'clock on those dates have volunteered to
come up and be troubadours. They'll be wandering troubadors, and
(24:24):
another two gentlemen will have a setting place where they'll
be playing because they both play guitars and it's pretty
difficult to walk around with two guitars and play in Unison.
But then there's other music events scheduled on this There
is a pavilion where we have ongoing music. That's where
(24:45):
Ray Owen will be and then out from the pavilion
two Pat Pusic Cusic will be playing in the morning
and Mike Saltz in the afternoon. So they're scheduled times
for those particular music events.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
You know, John, there's so much more than Eve. When
we can talk about today, I would recommend it.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
What is your website again? Tell us what it is.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
It is the ned Smith Center for Nature and Art,
so it's Nedsmithcenter dot org.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
And another thing I can recommend. Everything is on your
site and you can even print out a program of
the festival tells you what's going on different parts of.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
The with the map.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
It's awesome and I know you wouldn't want to close
without saying thank you to your to your sponsors especially,
I mean there's too many to.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Mention, but who's your present presenting sponsor.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Well, there's a number on this this item, but Tropman's
GMC have been a major sponsor for years. We have
a number of local other concerns in the area, Lake
Tobias and a number of other concerns too lengthy to
(25:59):
all of them, but we've had great support from the
community over many, many years. These were our stakeholders to
help set the center up back in nineteen ninety three,
and people like Tropman's. Our vehicles are from Tropman's GMC
and Mirisburg. They are great supporters of ours.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
A place doesn't function. I don't care who you are
without its volunteers. Do you need volunteers your round.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
In anybody can volunteer that day? Call the center.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
What's the number jab the number in front of you.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Seven one seven six nine two three six nine nine okay?
And what email the information email on the website?
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And what type of opportunities you're talking about for? What
are they going to do?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Uh, Well, we just could use some extra hands if
something comes up that we need you know, if they
we know they're available and so forth, and we have
their cell phone number we can give them a quick call.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
We have a large staff. We all of our staff
will be there that day, and then other volunteers and
some of these events that are there. Another one I
want to mention Howard Osterling help fund the design and
making of a flintlock rifle that we had for a
(27:21):
major fundraiser years ago, and he will have that and
other flintlocks. He's a flintlocker himself. And they'll be there
in the demonstration Pavilion two Lichtenberg Etching where they run
fifteen thousand volts of electricity through wood watch that Susquehanna
wood turners will be there with a hand carved canes
(27:44):
and so forth. I'll have some of my collection of
that there and bowls. But David Kaffis, he is exceptional
Indian artifact collector and he has an extensive display there
for all ages. Plus have about the area that can
hold about fifty arts and craft vendors.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Oh wow, awesome.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Oh yeah. We have about three or four on site
artists in the artists area right on the river bank
that will be doing art that day. And they are
really worth visiting.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
How many people you get there every year?
Speaker 3 (28:22):
There were two thousand people last year. Of course that's
all weather dependent, but part of the fact that we're
moving to June now we won't hopefully have all that
excessive heat. Yeah, and if it's a good day, we
have a good rotating crowd. You know, someone coming in
the morning, stayed till noon or so, and then other
people come later. But now next year, same weekend, but
(28:45):
next year the events on Saturday, but Father Days on
Father's Days on Sunday, so we hope that will draw
extra people.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Oh yeah, that sounds real quick. Let me ask you this,
what's your favorite part of this event? Do you look forward?
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (29:00):
I can't name one favorite. I love it all.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
I've helped run this thing now for thirty one years,
so wow, that's integral part. And I love it because
I love Netta Marie and I love the center.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Well, let me tell you something, John, John Mofflin Leskowski,
the NID Smith Center for Nature and Arts remarkable, you
know what, So I'll tell you what. I'd be remiss
if I didn't mention the fact that you are a
Navy veteran. So thank you so much for your service,
and you're constantly out there doing things for Ndsmith and
other organizations on what I also wanted to mention you
(29:31):
are and you belong to the Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Roundtable
that helps veterans, and I think that's fantastic. And you
know what our mutual buddy R. J. Harris would say, you're.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
A fine American.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
John. Oh, thank you, thank you for your service, and
for one more time that the date of the big
festival is.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
What John, June twenty first, ten to four myo Park
in downtown Millersburg, right on the river bank though Sandfeeda.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
For my listeners, check it out.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
It's the Netsmith Center for Nature and Art Festival Saturday,
June twenty first, from ten to four.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Don't forget.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
If you're not able to catch Insight on one of
our ten iineheart stations every Sunday morning, always catch it
on your favorite podcast app. I'm Sylvia Moss. This has
been Insight, Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia, where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. He was
a photographer, a writer, a naturalist, a musician, and a
self taught artist who is celebrated as one of the
premier nature artists of the whole twentieth century. He's also
(00:23):
the person who inspired a seven year old boy's life passion.
The man I'm speaking about is Ned Smith, through which
the Nedsmith Center for Nature and Art right outside of
excuse me, Millersburg is name, and the little boy who
spent so much time with Smith, well, he grew up
to be the founding board member who played a major
part in helping to build the center that became Smith's legacy.
(00:46):
John Leskowski, who's also known as Mothman, continues his life
passion with a mission to educate and excite the public
about the Nedsmith Center as well as both nature and
the arts. And he's gonna share his passion with us today,
also going to invite you to an amazing event that
your whole family's gonna love. So, mister John, where's this
mister Mothman coming from?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well, good morning, so good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It is a great pleasure to be back in the
WHP studio. And my adventure with Ned Smith started at
a very young age until he was passing in nineteen
eighty five, and then uh, well.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
But tell us how that happened, Like, did you meet
him at a store? Did you meet No?
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Actually, Jack Miller was a good friend of Ned, and
they were photographers together, okay, And Jack Miller's father owned
a hunting camp that was just off the edge of
our farm, and I met Ned with Jack there one
time when it was very young, and then we struck
(01:51):
up a conversations and a friendship that lasted all those years.
And Ned would come over to our farm. We have
a Carsonville Tree Farms, just a little bit south of
the village of Carsonville, right near the Karsonova Hotel, and
he would come over if I call him, if I
found something interesting, like a nest of great horned owls.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
And he was never like, get away, kid, you bother me.
He was always open to that. That's wonderful.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
This man was a godsend to Pennsylvania and New World. Really,
such a laid back person, self taught artist, never went
to art school.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
But if you ever get a chance to come up
to the Netsmith Center for Nature and Art, it's a
mile and a quarter east of Millersburg Square on Route
two nine. We have five hundred and thirty five acres,
nine miles of hiking trails, a ten million dollar building
with three art galleries.
Speaker 4 (02:47):
We're going to talk all about that. That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
In house honey Beehive and education, we have two full
time educators that contact about five thousand.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
People a year. Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
They are very, very busy, very dedicated people.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
We'll tell us more about you and nied Smith and
what you learn from them, and what it was like
being with them, and how it continued well.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
As a youngster, I would go out with Ned and Jack.
They'd usually come together a number of times. And one
of the things that I vividly remember was usually about
the twentieth to twenty third of March, the woodcock would
return from their migration from Louisiana and they would come
back and land on our farm. And we had five
(03:33):
acres of cultivated high bush blueberries, and we walked down
the road and everything was predetermined the instant I would
see the woodcock fly up, they have a nuptial flight.
I would point to the spot where that bird took off.
Ned and Jack would run in with their tripods set
them up.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
This was all.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
SLR cameras, and there was a long tube about thirty
foot long with a about a six inch air bulb,
and this bird would fly up and they're called timbaldooters
and they would fall down and there's an aspect to
their wings that would whistle, and that was according ritual
(04:14):
for the woodcock to attract its female and they would
land in the exact same spot and Ned and Jack
would put that bub and get one picture. Wow, and
maybe it was in focus, maybe it was not. And
we did that a few times. But I hunted with
the Ned a number of times and over the years.
(04:37):
Then through the influences of Ned and my scout master
John Travids, I decided to go to Millersville University as
a biology major, and I got my undergrad degree eventually,
and then my masters. I taught high school biology at pen.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Man and his influence. How about it?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Because of net Smith?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
No kidd, did he have children?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
No, they never did.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
And that's a god send them away too, because probably
the couple million dollar collection of his original art would
have been lost for prosperity in that sense, and when
Ned passed away in April nineteenth of nineteen eighty five,
(05:24):
Marie was encumbered with this massive collection of art which
would have been taxed. So she and others who advised
her made the decision to set up the nonprofit Netsmith's
Center for Nature and Art. So that happened in nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
That was the heck of a project.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
John, the festival we're going to talk about this is
our thirty first year of having these festivals for the community.
It's our way to pay them back for all the supports.
They were actually twenty seven community members and some people
from out of the area that knew Ned very well
that came together to set the center up.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
You can still get his artwork, Yeah, we sell.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
His artwork in the gift shop and it's a very
reliable resource for the community in that sense. He did
thousands of pieces.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Of art well.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
He also wrote, didn't.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
In nineteen fifty he had the first game news cover.
In his career, he did about two hundred and thirteen
game news covers over a period of time, and that
number is not correct, but in that course of time.
(06:48):
He also wrote three article series in the Game News
and the last one was called Going for the Day,
and it's a bathroom book. There's no page numbers on it,
but it's all sequential.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Through the year. Yeah, and it's a wonderful read.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
So if you ever get to the gift shop at
the center, go online to our website, you can get
that particular item. Then one of our premier trustees was
a gentleman named Scott Widensaw, and Scott wrote a book
called The Wildlife Art of Ned Smith. He edited that book,
(07:25):
I should say, and then a follow up book on
the one D and twenty seven Game News covers that
Ned did for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. But these magazines
were lavishly illustrated by Ned over many, many years, and
some of those pieces are really great art pieces.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know what I was wondering about. He spent a
lot of time doing this stuff. What was his wife like?
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Marie was just a beautiful woman.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Just was she into nature and art? Oh?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Yeah, yes, they traveled together. His travel time was limited though,
because of the situation that he had a lot of
deadlines for artwork and so forth. But they did make
some rather extensive trips and you'll see some of that
art from that. One of the last pieces. There were
(08:20):
two pieces on his easels when he passed away in
nineteen eighty five. They were both commissioned pieces. One of
them was a western scene of elk in the Western mountains,
and that one we had a contest to name it
and it was named Unfinished Business was the person that
(08:42):
won the naming of that, And it was a scene
where he did all the background was pretty well done,
a lot of the frontel trees had to be finished
and so forth, but the animals, their bull and the
cows and calves that were in a painting, they were
(09:02):
quote unfinished because he was still working. I was with
him about two weeks before he passed away, and that
was on his easel. And then there was another one
with western rams in the mountains that were there.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
What did he find funny?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Funny. He had a great sense of humor. I never
ever heard that man swear I swear word. Judas Priest
was the worst he ever say. But no, he had
a very very wry sense of humor and very laid back,
easy to talk to man. And I just loved him
(09:40):
and Ray both.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
It's funny how some people are just born to do
these creative things, isn't it. I Mean I've always thought that, Yeah,
college is great and everything, but mostly really intelligent people
that I know never went to school. I mean they
just you know, and it's a lot of hard work.
But I don't think this was hard work for him,
was it.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
This was just.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
The deadlines what made it. One of the things he
did later laugh about, but at the time he did not.
He did a series. It was a re painting of
a series of posters that there was an artist named
Abbott that did the series first and then written Ned
redid it and he had a deadline on the last one.
(10:26):
It was called Birds of the Forest, and in his
absent mindedness of trying to meet this deadline, he forgot
to paint the feet on the scarlet tanager.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
My gosh, and.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Somebody discovered this some years later. I mean, I had
it in my classroom and I never noticed it. And
he was livid for a while because that was just
fractured him, the fact that he didn't put Oh. Absolutely,
And the great thing about Ned Smith, and he was
quote imitated by a lot of artists, was the composition
(11:04):
of his pieces was such that everything was tied into nature.
So if you saw the last rake, it was a
brook trout painting of the trout coming out of the water.
The mountain lore, which is in its peak bloom right now,
was perfectly set in that scene to coincide with fishing
(11:26):
season and so forth for trout fishing. And this was
Ned's high point. When you saw his pieces, everything was
exacting in that composition.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Well, you know you mentioned fishing. Let's talk about the
center and what goes on up there. You have over
five hundred acres of land, right Can you fish up there?
What can you do up there?
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
The Wakenisco Creek goes right through our property. Okay, just
a number of yards from our amphitheater. We have a
three hundred set out or amphitheater and concerts go on
the Nedsmith Center dot org website. All that information about
the center.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
But let's talk about the outside. Like we talked about fishing.
You can go hunting up there. Can you tell us
doing the outdoors?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
All right?
Speaker 3 (12:09):
The hunt or the fishing is in a regulated section
there and it's catch and release only, okay, all right?
Then when you get above the rail, trail, which is
the Lichens Valley Railroad line goes right through our property.
All the land south on the Berrys Mountain south of
(12:29):
that rail trail is open to honey and.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Which though, what do you see there? The bear up there?
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Oh bear, turkey, deer, Wow, wildlife. It's a very very
nice area. We have two managed forested areas there where
we did timber operations before, and part of that was
in conjunctions developing an early stage forest regrows so that
it helps to attract wildlife and so forth. So everything
(12:57):
that we do there is very managed so well.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You can do hiking, you can ride horses, I.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Mean hiking trail. In September we have a rugged five
k sponsored by Trogues and that goes up the mountain,
across the mountain and down the mountain five k. We
have to limit that to three hundred runners because of
facility aspects, but it's very popular and you have to
(13:26):
register for that earlier it fills up.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Wow, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Tell me, somebody tell me that every place you look
up there you have bird feeders.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
And we not only have bird feeders, but we have
a bird feeding station with an observation building. One of
our benefactors are retired to Gain Commission biologists Jerry Hassinger
and my nephew John b Leskowski. I'm John d. John
(13:58):
helped Jerry build that and a kiosk there, and that's
a great attraction for birders. They go out and sit
in this blind. It's a wooden building, but it's just
really great. And it's intersection where there's a lot of American.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
Oh boy, let me ask you. Do you ever see
an eagle up there?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Any what?
Speaker 4 (14:21):
An eagle? An American?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yes? Yes, Oh, I'd love to see that.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
The bald eagles are very plentiful in Dauphin County and
it's not uncommon, especially if you're at the festival, which
I'll talk to in a few minutes. On the ferryboat
rides that we have in the morning.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Wow, well, let me mention the festival. I know you're
anxious get through it. But let's talk a little bit
about you have galleries up there. Do you have a
couple of galleries and you also have a gift shop?
Tell us about that?
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Is that all nets works in the galleries?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
No, we have three galleries. Now. The old Wine Gallery
is our large public gallery that we have rotating art
exhibits in Okay, and I was very fortunate this year
to get three of my friends who are artists, two
of them from Baltimore and one of them from now
from Lancaster, who actually was born and raised in Columbia,
(15:14):
South America, and she moved right to near Columbia, Leancaster County.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (15:19):
And she walked into our Butterfly Club meeting. So she
had an exhibit earlier this summer. The current exhibit is
Caitlin Gill from Baltimore, and her art is just amazing.
She has a brain that just functions different a lot
of other artists and a lover work. And then her
(15:40):
friend Melissa Penley Cormier, they had major exhibits in Baltimore
and New York City and our staff saw their work
and said, oh, it's too voluminous. You have to each
have your own exhibit.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
So they'll be there through a good bit of this summer.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Okay, talk to me. I always thought this was really cool.
The Amphithey, the sort of amphitheater you have, I mean,
the ballet was there. You've had talk more about that.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
I think that's okay, I need to comment though.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
We do have a permanent ned Smith Originals gallery, okay,
and then we have a hallway gallery for smaller exhibits.
But the Amphitheater we built in two thousand and six,
and that is a three hundred seat outdoor amphitheater with
a big bandshell. And yes, we had the Shakespeare programs there,
(16:32):
but throughout the summer there was one Saturday Night was
their tribute bands of all the major rock groups. Oh
that is they are very very well attended. So take
a look at those on the website and for some
of them or are your tickets early because they fill up.
Speaker 4 (16:51):
I can imagine.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
You also offer classes throughout the year, which I think
is cool, and workshops for people to do, even for
school kids. They can comfort tours right.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yes, we have two full time educators. Emily Rossmus is
the director of education there and we hired a new fellow,
Reg Pizzano out of Shaver's Creek and State College area,
and those two educators, and we've changed our educator staff
(17:20):
over the years. They contact about five thousand people a year.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
They are very, very busy. We used to have our
festival last Saturday of July, but their course load and
workload in the summer, it gets to the point but
by the time of the last Saturday in July they're
about worn out. So we decided this year to move
the festival up to the third weekend in June.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Okay, so that is June twenty.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
First, the festival is a it's what time from ten
to ten four four okay?
Speaker 4 (17:53):
Tell us.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
First of all, most important thing to me and everybody knows,
is what do you got going on for kids?
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Great, well, Sylvia. We have a variety of activities there
that are all family, but we have two pavilions. There
are two major pavilions, and Pavilion one is primarily the
kids' activities, and with that we have tiede T shirts.
Now there is a five dollar donation there because of
(18:19):
the costs of the shirts and then face painting. We
have an inflatable Ninja obstacle course, and then we have
a dinosaur fun with the Lichens Valley Children's Museum. That's
a really neat place as well. And then we have
Smoky Bear with DC and R personnel come there, Sam Beringer.
(18:44):
Then that's pretty much the major kids activities, but one
of our special activities this year is I've got bugs
with Ryan the Bugman?
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Is that like the moths Man?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Well? Yeah, Ryan and I used to have boot side
by side at the farm show. I was there for
about twenty years and Ryan was a well acknowledged he's
an amateur entomologist, but he ran the four H Entomology
group for many, many years of great acclaim. This guy
(19:19):
is amazing. So the kids will love that live and
mounted specimens there that Ryan will have in Pavilion one.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Is it true He's got like one or one hundred
and fifty thousand different types of bugs with them.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
I don't know if it's that many, but it's a
very large collection. Yeah, it is really neat. So that's
a good item for kids. And then the Animal Odyssey
is really super and that's Ray Owen, and Ray is
really neat. I met him many years ago down at
(20:00):
a music event down in New Jersey, the Delaware Valley
Bluegrass Festival, Woodstown, New Jersey, and he came up and
did programs for us, and at one of those programs
he wrote a Ned Smith song which we will perform there.
And then other kids' activities we have some walks and
(20:22):
so forth. That would be appropriate for kids as well.
But the one kids item that I'd like to highlight
at the bottom of our information sheet on the website,
you will see the Appellation Music with Randy Heisey Cato
who plays a banjo. And if you go online and
(20:44):
research Limber Jack and Limber Jill, their Appellation toys and
he gets kids playing with these toys along when he
plays a banjo. It is a hoot. So all those
performances on the Millersburg Ferry, two bird talks in the morning,
two music events in the afternoon. You have to get
(21:07):
the tickets at the information booth, and you ought to
get them as soon as you get there.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
So you don't have to get tickets online.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
You have to know you get the tickets there. But
there's only fifty tickets. They're free.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Oh this is for this particular event on the Millersburg Ferry.
On the ferry, Oh, okay, one.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
The first one in the afternoon at about one thirty
is uh this kids program. So I'm highlighting the kids
program there.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Well, one thing and when I want to talk about
stuff for adults, but one thing that people always look
for is food.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Food. Food.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You've got all kinds of craft vendors up there. You've
got all kinds of food up there.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Fo vendors, crafts, vendors.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Plenty of places to pee in park.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Oh yes, yes, okay, now the parking. There is a
note there. When you go to the website, you will
see a map. When you come up one forty seven,
you'll see a lot of signage for this event for
the public parking. You go over the bridge of the
Wickedness to Creek and you turn left right at the
welcome to Millersburg billboard on the Keystone Street. You go
(22:13):
down and there's three major parking lots down there, and
we'll have some attendees to But there's a little building
there if you're a history buff, especially the Hinds from
Hershey have an exhibit of Ned Smith memorabilia. And that's
(22:33):
well we're seeing. Then you cross the walking bridge across
there to get to the other side where all the
events are.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Okay, now what about us, big kids? What do you
got planned for us?
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Okay, that's big kids. Well, let me add to that.
This is a dog friendly event. If you can bring
your dog with your pooper Scooper. We actually have two
dog programs one is a dry land one with retriever
dogs and the other is a wet one Mike and
(23:06):
Corey Seltzer. Mike was Marie's nephew and he has water
dogs there and these programs are scheduled at certain times there,
so don't miss those.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
We have a number of other walks.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
We have a tree identification walk with Andy broad Or
DC and our Forester Wickanisco Creek Walk with Kristen sees
Ware Old Sneakers, and the plan Identification Walk with Debbie
Naha Keretzky. Debbie wrote a book called The Wild Edibles
and she's called The Wild Edibles Late Lady. She's a
naturalist and nutritionist and she's doing actually two programs, one
(23:44):
in the morning and then a walk in the afternoon.
So those are more geared for the adults, but they're
well worth your time.
Speaker 4 (23:53):
Hey, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
You also have As far as music, You've got a
lot of music wandering true doors.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
I think you had that. Who are these people?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (24:02):
I'm a member of the Suskranta Folk Music Society and
we meet the second Sunday of the month from October
to May, and some of our members who come to
jam at one o'clock on those dates have volunteered to
come up and be troubadours. They'll be wandering troubadors, and
(24:24):
another two gentlemen will have a setting place where they'll
be playing because they both play guitars and it's pretty
difficult to walk around with two guitars and play in Unison.
But then there's other music events scheduled on this There
is a pavilion where we have ongoing music. That's where
(24:45):
Ray Owen will be and then out from the pavilion
two Pat Pusic Cusic will be playing in the morning
and Mike Saltz in the afternoon. So they're scheduled times
for those particular music events.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
You know, John, there's so much more than Eve. When
we can talk about today, I would recommend it.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
What is your website again? Tell us what it is.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
It is the ned Smith Center for Nature and Art,
so it's Nedsmithcenter dot org.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
And another thing I can recommend. Everything is on your
site and you can even print out a program of
the festival tells you what's going on different parts of.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
The with the map.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
It's awesome and I know you wouldn't want to close
without saying thank you to your to your sponsors especially,
I mean there's too many to.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Mention, but who's your present presenting sponsor.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
Well, there's a number on this this item, but Tropman's
GMC have been a major sponsor for years. We have
a number of local other concerns in the area, Lake
Tobias and a number of other concerns too lengthy to
(25:59):
all of them, but we've had great support from the
community over many, many years. These were our stakeholders to
help set the center up back in nineteen ninety three,
and people like Tropman's. Our vehicles are from Tropman's GMC
and Mirisburg. They are great supporters of ours.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
A place doesn't function. I don't care who you are
without its volunteers. Do you need volunteers your round.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
In anybody can volunteer that day? Call the center.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
What's the number jab the number in front of you.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Seven one seven six nine two three six nine nine okay?
And what email the information email on the website?
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And what type of opportunities you're talking about for? What
are they going to do?
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Uh, Well, we just could use some extra hands if
something comes up that we need you know, if they
we know they're available and so forth, and we have
their cell phone number we can give them a quick call.
Speaker 4 (26:56):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
We have a large staff. We all of our staff
will be there that day, and then other volunteers and
some of these events that are there. Another one I
want to mention Howard Osterling help fund the design and
making of a flintlock rifle that we had for a
(27:21):
major fundraiser years ago, and he will have that and
other flintlocks. He's a flintlocker himself. And they'll be there
in the demonstration Pavilion two Lichtenberg Etching where they run
fifteen thousand volts of electricity through wood watch that Susquehanna
wood turners will be there with a hand carved canes
(27:44):
and so forth. I'll have some of my collection of
that there and bowls. But David Kaffis, he is exceptional
Indian artifact collector and he has an extensive display there
for all ages. Plus have about the area that can
hold about fifty arts and craft vendors.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Oh wow, awesome.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Oh yeah. We have about three or four on site
artists in the artists area right on the river bank
that will be doing art that day. And they are
really worth visiting.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
How many people you get there every year?
Speaker 3 (28:22):
There were two thousand people last year. Of course that's
all weather dependent, but part of the fact that we're
moving to June now we won't hopefully have all that
excessive heat. Yeah, and if it's a good day, we
have a good rotating crowd. You know, someone coming in
the morning, stayed till noon or so, and then other
people come later. But now next year, same weekend, but
(28:45):
next year the events on Saturday, but Father Days on
Father's Days on Sunday, so we hope that will draw
extra people.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Oh yeah, that sounds real quick. Let me ask you this,
what's your favorite part of this event? Do you look forward?
Speaker 4 (29:00):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (29:00):
I can't name one favorite. I love it all.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
I've helped run this thing now for thirty one years,
so wow, that's integral part. And I love it because
I love Netta Marie and I love the center.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Well, let me tell you something, John, John Mofflin Leskowski,
the NID Smith Center for Nature and Arts remarkable, you
know what, So I'll tell you what. I'd be remiss
if I didn't mention the fact that you are a
Navy veteran. So thank you so much for your service,
and you're constantly out there doing things for Ndsmith and
other organizations on what I also wanted to mention you
(29:31):
are and you belong to the Central Pennsylvania Vietnam Roundtable
that helps veterans, and I think that's fantastic. And you
know what our mutual buddy R. J. Harris would say, you're.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
A fine American.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
John. Oh, thank you, thank you for your service, and
for one more time that the date of the big
festival is.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
What John, June twenty first, ten to four myo Park
in downtown Millersburg, right on the river bank though Sandfeeda.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
For my listeners, check it out.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
It's the Netsmith Center for Nature and Art Festival Saturday,
June twenty first, from ten to four.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Don't forget.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
If you're not able to catch Insight on one of
our ten iineheart stations every Sunday morning, always catch it
on your favorite podcast app. I'm Sylvia Moss. This has
been Insight, Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.
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