2nd Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser Oct. 11

The Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are hosting an autumn afternoon of wine and cheese tasting Sunday, Oct. 11, at Westfall Winery, Montague, NJ, to benefit historic site restoration in the park and public programs sponsored by Friends.

Tickets are available for donations of $30 per person or two tickets for $50 by September 30, by calling the Friends at 570-426-2435, ext 2510; or email Friendsofdewa@aol.com. Reservations are a must.

The autumn afternoon in the New Jersey hills at the winery will feature Bobolink Farm Artisanal Breads & Cheeses, wines from the Westfall Winery and the lilting music of the Irish Bedlam Boys. The winery is located at 141 Clove Road (County Road 653) in Montague. The event will be held from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. under tenting, rain or shine.

Organizers of the event are all directors of the Friends: Anita Ray, Milford, PA, and Gene Crawford, Montague, NJ, co-chairs with Phil Karcher of Dingmans Ferry, PA and Jackie Garges. Bushkill, PA. Contact them for further information.

The Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a 501(c)3 charitable organization registered in NJ and PA.

All proceeds benefit continued restoration at historic buildings occupied by two New Jersey-based park partners, M.A.R.C.H. -- the Foster-Armstrong House and the Nelden-Roberts Stonehouse -- the Montague Grange No. 140; and the ongoing programs of the Friends of DWGNRA. The Friends sponsored a Children’s Photo Contest in the park this year, drawing entrants from NJ and PA. The group is also sponsoring the dinner portion of the park’s annual Volunteer Appreciation ceremony later this month. Each year, the Friends also fund the park’s free public lecture series and Family Fun Days. Further information about the organization is on the web at www.friendsofdewa.org. Park information can be had at www.nps.gov/dewa.

And the Winners are...

Seven children took home honors in the 2009 photo contest for kids sponsored this summer by The Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Their assignment: take their best photo shot somewhere in the 70,000-acre recreation area using a disposable camera and submit an 8 x 10 print as their entry. All entries gave area professionals a run for their money.

Children ages 7 through 12 took the Friends' offer of a free camera and turned their lenses on the park in Pennsylvania and New Jersey between May 23 and July 18. “All 24 entries were spectacular. It was very difficult to select the winners, “said Anita Ray of Milford, a professional photographer and a board member of the Friends.

First prize, a ribbon and a digital camera, went to Elizabeth Deczynski, age 10, for her spontaneous photo of her younger brother standing in front of Dingmans Falls, totally absorbed in the flow of the falls. Second place went to Mike Teixeira, age 11, for his abstract shot of rock stairs at Childs Park. Georgie Delgado, age 7, took 3rd place with his panoramic view of the Milford Bridge and beach.

A scenic view of the river from the top of the Raymondskill Falls trail won honorable mention for Garrett Hartmann, age 11. Runners up were Catalina Arrabito, age 7, with her view of her brother kayaking on the Delaware River; Danielle Johnson, age 10, with a close-up of Dingmans Falls; and Ayla Larick, age 12, with a photo of Childs Park.

Gene Crawford, Montague, NJ, event chairman and a director for the Friends and Phil Karcher of Dingmans Ferry, also a director coordinated the opportunity for fledgling photographers. Crawford noted that a number of parents were pleased to have the “level playing field of the disposable cameras for all entrants.”

One parent commented that the contest brought the family back into the recreation area to places they had not visited in a long time. Others said they enjoyed the family fun they had visiting sites and selecting the vistas to photograph. “These were precisely our goals,” said Ray.

The photos will be on display at the Bushkill Visitor Center, Route 209, Bushkill, weekends until mid-October.

Memberships and donations to the Friends of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area supported this activity. Souvenir bandanas for all entrants were donated by Dingmans Campground, a park concessionaire in Dingmans Ferry, and cookies were provided by George’s of Branchville for the award ceremony.

The mission of the Friends, an independent, non-profit volunteer organization, is to support the cultural, historical, natural, and recreational resources of this national park which surrounds the Delaware River from the Delaware Water Gap to the New York State border.

The ten-year-old non-profit park conservancy with more than 100 members also supports the funding of a series of five lectures and two Family Fun Days in the park each season from May to November. The free programs are arranged by the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area interpretive staff.

Information about the park and all of its programs can be found at www.nps.gov/dewa. The Friends’ website is www.friendsofdewa.org.