Heritage signs unveiled at FC gateway

The first Susquehanna County Heritage Attractions sign was unveiled in Forest City. More signs are planned to be erected in the county. PHOTO COURTESY EMHR

Forest City, considered a gateway to Susquehanna County from neighboring Lackawanna and Wayne counties, was selected as the site for the first Susquehanna County Heritage Attractions sign.
The sign is the third produced by the Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR), which serves a four county area: Susquehanna, Wyoming, Bradford and Sullivan.
In keeping with its mission to protect, improve and promote the region’s heritage assets, EMHR plans to erect similar signs in other historic downtowns. Similar signs have been erected in Bradford and Wyoming counties in Towanda and Tunkhannock, respectively, and plans are underway to add heritage attraction signage in Sullivan County as well.
In addition to being a “gateway” town, Forest City is also the location of a primary trailhead for the D&H Rail Trail, a 38-mile hiking and biking trail that stretches from Simpson in Lackawanna County to the New York border above Lanesboro.
Trail users are encouraged to access Forest City’s downtown and retail businesses, said Annette Schultz, Executive Director of the EMHR.
“At the same time, they can learn about Susquehanna County’s many heritage and outdoor recreation venues,” she said. “One of our main goals is the economic development of the region.”
There are actually two signs in place: the one facing Main Street highlights historical and recreational destinations throughout Susquehanna County; and the one on the reverse depicts a map and directory of businesses in the borough. The project is the result of planning by several entities with related missions, and was coordinated by EMHR board member, Rick Hiduk, who brought everyone together for the sign creation process.
Forest City Mayor Pauline Wilcox said, “We want people to see our shops and walk our beautiful trail.”
Susquehanna County Commissioner Elizabeth Arnold said, “We live in a very beautiful region. As I drove here on the back roads from Montrose, at the height of the fall foliage, I was amazed at our county’s beauty.” She noted that the EMHR had gifted her with a very small replica of the sign for her desk.
Lynn Conrad of the D&H Rail-Trail Council congratulated those responsible for getting the sign manufactured, and in such a short time. “We met here on July 20. Getting a project like this completed in such a short time could only be done with brainstorming, coordination, and great planning.”
Jean Ruhf of the Endless Mountains Vacation Bureau said, “What a great sign! Not only to showcase Forest City, but to show what to do all over Susquehanna County.”
“People got together and saw the value of preserving heritage assets. These are places people want to see. There’s a long tradition here of living with the land and working with others. We’d like this sign to be on every historic Main Street in Susquehanna County” Shultz said in her closing remarks. “We are looking back, but doing it to look forward.”