The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association in cooperation with its Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership is hosting a special "Pack the Preserve" event on Oct. 4 (weather permitting) with numerous events happening across the 640-acre Montour Preserve, located at 374 Preserve Road, Danville, PA.
This will include an annual Wildlife Art show in the Education Center auditorium that brings in numerous artists every fall, a new car and boat show experience that will be in parking areas around the preserve (more details on which parking lots will be announced closer to the event) and some hands-on education opportunities with some partnering groups in the Goose Cove picnic area leading up to a 10-year anniversary celebration for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association that will include live music, presenters, video, prizes and more.
The Vernal School is wrapping up its second year of serving the Montour Preserve with an expanded amount of programming offered with more than two dozen partnering associations, agencies, businesses, nonprofits, universities, individuals and other groups that have led to new resources that help the Montour Area Recreation Commission in its management of the preserve.
The Montour Preserve is home to a 165-acre manmade Lake Chillisquaque, picnic pavilions, 10 miles of nature trails, a unique fossil pit experience, adaptive kayak and boat launch, nature center with walk-through educational displays and an education center with auditorium, library, working kitchen and other amenities.
This will include an annual Wildlife Art show in the Education Center auditorium that brings in numerous artists every fall, a new car and boat show experience that will be in parking areas around the preserve (more details on which parking lots will be announced closer to the event) and some hands-on education opportunities with some partnering groups in the Goose Cove picnic area leading up to a 10-year anniversary celebration for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association that will include live music, presenters, video, prizes and more.
The Vernal School is wrapping up its second year of serving the Montour Preserve with an expanded amount of programming offered with more than two dozen partnering associations, agencies, businesses, nonprofits, universities, individuals and other groups that have led to new resources that help the Montour Area Recreation Commission in its management of the preserve.
The Montour Preserve is home to a 165-acre manmade Lake Chillisquaque, picnic pavilions, 10 miles of nature trails, a unique fossil pit experience, adaptive kayak and boat launch, nature center with walk-through educational displays and an education center with auditorium, library, working kitchen and other amenities.
Food options
Jo Jo's Scoops and Sprinkles
- Ice cream: Hand-dipped Hershey's cones, sundaes, milkshakes, root beer floats, deep-fried ice cream, funnel cake fries
- Hot options: Hot dogs, French fries, nachos (with cheese and loaded)
La Rosita
Honduran food
Honduran food
- Pollo con tajadas de guineo
- Pollo con tajadas de platano
- Baleadas sencilla
- Baleada con aguacate y huevo
- Baleada con aquacate y huevo, carne
- Pupusa frijol y queso
- Tacos
- Tacos (Asada – steak, Al pastor – marinated pork, Campechanos – steak and chorizo, Chorizo – Mexican sausage, Quesabirria)
- Tortas (Asada, Pastor, Campechana, Chorizo)
- Burritos (Asada, Al pastor, Chorizo)
- Quesadilla (Asada, Al pastor, Chorizo, Campechana)
- Jamaica
- Horchata
- Tamarindo
- Pina
Car and Boat show on Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The car and boat show will be Saturday, Oct. 4, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Montour Preserve, located at 374 Preserve Road, Danville, PA.
We are looking for people to register vehicles and boats for prizes in various categories. Please use the following form to register a vehicle and/or boat or to let us know if you'd like to help sponsor this new event, one of the prizes or be involved in another way. Please note that entries are $15 per vehicle/boat by Oct. 3 or $20 the day of the event.
Please note: Registration the day of the event will close at noon to be eligible for judging and prizes.
We anticipate entries that represent antiques, classics, muscle, modern and more!
Prizes will be awarded specifically in the following categories for vehicles:
Please note that Lake Chillisquaque at the Montour Preserve is reserved only for paddling or electric (trolling) motors. There are no dogs allowed outside of service animals that are on duty. Alcohol and drugs use is prohibited. Check out additional rules and regulations of the Montour Preserve here.
We are looking for people to register vehicles and boats for prizes in various categories. Please use the following form to register a vehicle and/or boat or to let us know if you'd like to help sponsor this new event, one of the prizes or be involved in another way. Please note that entries are $15 per vehicle/boat by Oct. 3 or $20 the day of the event.
Please note: Registration the day of the event will close at noon to be eligible for judging and prizes.
We anticipate entries that represent antiques, classics, muscle, modern and more!
Prizes will be awarded specifically in the following categories for vehicles:
- Modern Cars (2000-Present Day)
- Modern Classic Cars (1980-1999)
- Classic Cars (1950-1979)
- Vintage Cars (Pre 1950)
- Street Rod
- Custom Build
- People’s Choice
Please note that Lake Chillisquaque at the Montour Preserve is reserved only for paddling or electric (trolling) motors. There are no dogs allowed outside of service animals that are on duty. Alcohol and drugs use is prohibited. Check out additional rules and regulations of the Montour Preserve here.
Car & Boat Show entry
$15.00
Entry into our Oct. 4, 2025, Car & Boat Show at the Montour Preserve at 374 Preserve Road, Danville, PA. Each vehicle or boat entry is $20 the day of the event, but a discounted $15 if done online up to and including Oct. 3, 2025. Once you purchase an online entry, we will email you details about the event day and confirmation of your ticket purchase. Thanks! More details on prize categories and other aspects can be found at this link. Questions can be sent directly to the show organizer via email.
Wildlife of the Watershed: Student Art Exhibit
As part of the annual Wildlife Art Show at the Montour Preserve, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, along with the Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership, will be hosting a special Student Art Exhibit titled "Wildlife of the Watershed" for students in grades K through 12.
"We wanted to give students of all ages an opportunity to showcase their artistic ability and love of local wildlife in a fun, non-competitive atmosphere during the popular Wildlife Art Show," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We will take art in several different formats, put them on display and give students opportunity for positive feedback and encouragement during the show not only from the numerous professional artists who will be on hand, but also the general public that will be coming through the visitor center."
Students are encouraged to submit one piece in one of six categories, including photography, sketch (includes pencil or chalk), painting, sculpture, music and poetry. Each entry will be displayed by grade with opportunity for people to provide feedback about what they love about that piece the most as a way to encourage each individual young artist.
In addition, there will be a special contest category where students who want to be judged by using repurposed litter they've personally collected anywhere within the watershed to create some sort of unique artwork. This will be the only contest portion of the Student Art Exhibit with prizes to be given out based on creativity, originality and meaning. Each piece should include a note of where the litter was collected.
All pieces need to be submitted no later than Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, to the Montour Preserve Nature Center classroom. You can make arrangements by sending us an email.
"We wanted to give students of all ages an opportunity to showcase their artistic ability and love of local wildlife in a fun, non-competitive atmosphere during the popular Wildlife Art Show," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We will take art in several different formats, put them on display and give students opportunity for positive feedback and encouragement during the show not only from the numerous professional artists who will be on hand, but also the general public that will be coming through the visitor center."
Students are encouraged to submit one piece in one of six categories, including photography, sketch (includes pencil or chalk), painting, sculpture, music and poetry. Each entry will be displayed by grade with opportunity for people to provide feedback about what they love about that piece the most as a way to encourage each individual young artist.
In addition, there will be a special contest category where students who want to be judged by using repurposed litter they've personally collected anywhere within the watershed to create some sort of unique artwork. This will be the only contest portion of the Student Art Exhibit with prizes to be given out based on creativity, originality and meaning. Each piece should include a note of where the litter was collected.
All pieces need to be submitted no later than Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, to the Montour Preserve Nature Center classroom. You can make arrangements by sending us an email.
Artists
Some of the artists scheduled for the weekend art show include:
- Bob Crain - Wildlife artist
- Steve Shaner - Antler and wood carvings, acrylic painting
- James Stegart - Wood burning
- Christie Rhoades - photography
- Theron Jordan - Mixed media
- Bill Fidler - Graphite and charcoal
- Morgan Thomas - Acrylic, watercolor, handmade jewelry
- Michael Kinney - Waterway photography
- Debra Moffitt/Bald Eagle Art League - PleinAir outdoor painting
10th anniversary celebration: Oct. 4 from 3-5 p.m.
The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025 with a special program from 3-5 p.m. at the Goose Cove Overlook Pavilion at the Montour Preserve on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.
This program will include comments from the association's founding riverkeeper, Carol Parenzan, as well as some of the earlier board members, as well as current individuals involved with the association about some of the next steps, programs, etc., to come. The event will include some video and photo presentation as well as live music.
It will also include some door prizes and other giveaways.
If you plan on attending, please fill out the following short form to help us prepare properly for numbers.
This program will include comments from the association's founding riverkeeper, Carol Parenzan, as well as some of the earlier board members, as well as current individuals involved with the association about some of the next steps, programs, etc., to come. The event will include some video and photo presentation as well as live music.
It will also include some door prizes and other giveaways.
If you plan on attending, please fill out the following short form to help us prepare properly for numbers.
Kids/family hands-on activities
Located in the Goose Cove Pavilion 2 from noon to 3 p.m., there will be a variety of hands-on environmental education and nature learning STEM activities for kids and families to explore at their own pace, overseen by Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership supervisor Marissa Crames. They will include:
- Make-and-take-home seed bombs
- Junior nature journaling (each participant will get his/her own nature journal)
- Digital microscope exploration
- Fish casting game with ID matching component
- Macroinvertebrate exploration
- And more!
Fishing opportunity
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., fishing poles and other gear will be available on the Goose Cove side of the lake to go fishing under the supervision of HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) instructor Walt Bingaman. Gear will be rotated to people who need it as needed based on availability and attendance. Fishing home base will be the Goose Cove Overlook Pavilion.
Door prizes
Throughout the day, various door prizes will be given out separately among those involved in the car & boat show as well as those who come to the overall Pack the Preserve event. A wide variety of items will be given out randomly from those who register.
