PA Wilds Center celebrates Community Appreciation Day in Marienville, holds ribbon cutting for PA Wilds Conservation Shop

Ceremony recognizes partnership and volunteers

MARIENVILLE – On August 30, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship team and representatives from the town of Marienville spent some time recognizing the many volunteers who helped renovate and restore the former train depot in Jenks Township, Forest County.

The train depot building is now occupied by one of three PA Wilds Conservation Shops. Operated by the nonprofit PA Wilds Center, these mission-driven gift shops help improve market access for rural entrepreneurs by sourcing 90 percent of their inventory from rural makers and businesses in the 13-county PA Wilds region, while also accomplishing other mission points.

Jenks Township, which owns the train depot that the PA Wilds Center leases for the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, has led a years-long effort to rehab the building as part of a local revitalization effort. The township began talking to the Center in 2020 about potentially operating a Conservation Shop at the location, given how the nonprofit stores are positioned to help advance local tourism development and revitalization efforts.

To recognize the partnership and volunteer commitment that made the shop possible, the PA Wilds Center helped organize the community appreciation day and official ribbon cutting celebration.

During the community appreciation event, the Jenks Township Supervisors, local officials, and community members were recognized for their efforts, and the official ribbon cutting was held for the building. A catered lunch of burgers, chips, popcorn, cotton candy and drinks was offered for guests, prepared by youth at the Abraxas Treatment Center in Marienville.

Libby Bloomquist, Sustainable Commerce Director at PA Wilds Center, gave her sincere thanks to the community members. “It was because of these dedicated volunteers that this train depot did not fall into disrepair. They spent countless hours doing structural work, painting, laying bricks, and even washing the windows until they were spotless,” she said. “We’re honored to be able to lease this building for the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, and we aim to continue helping to take care of this special place and connect visitors with the incredible history of the area.”

After the ribbon cutting and community appreciation ceremony portion of the event, guests were invited to network and explore the space. The PA Wilds Conservation Shop remained open for tours and shopping. Guests were also encouraged to bring a bicycle to ride on the Knox and Kane Rail Trail, which runs directly past the shop building. A representative from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) provided a short educational workshop about beavers during the afternoon.

The PA Wilds Conservation Shop in Marienville is currently open Wednesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information can be found at ShopThePAwilds.com/PA-Wilds-Conservation-Shops.

Each new PA Wilds Conservation Shop has created a full-time store manager and a store keyholder position, as well as part-time jobs.

Jocelyn Sekera, the store manager at the PA Wilds Conservation Shop in Marienville, was born and raised in Forest County. “It’s great to see an important historic building being preserved here. I’m proud to know that the Marienville community worked so hard to renovate the train station. Being able to work in this building is an honor, and I’m happy to show visitors what makes Forest County such a wonderful place.”

The PA Wilds Center invests thousands of dollars a year buying inventory and value-added products directly from local businesses for its gift shops. Not only are most products sourced and designed inside the rural PA Wilds region, but each shop’s product selection is carefully curated to reflect the unique experience in the town. For example, the PA Wilds Conservation Shop in Marienville sells a variety of train-related items, as well as fun Bigfoot products. The shops also intentionally pass foot traffic to other area businesses, visitor bureaus, and attractions.

There are currently more than 40 vendors supplying products for the Conservation Shops, a vast majority of whom are located in the PA Wilds and participate in the free Wilds Cooperative of PA network. The Wilds Cooperative seeks to connect and promote local businesses and is the entry point for those looking to tap into and leverage PA Wilds branding, marketing and commerce opportunities. Rural artisans interested in learning more about how to get their products into the shops are encouraged to visit WildsCoPA.org/join and apply.

The PA Wilds Conservation Shop at Leonard Harrison State Park also is a newly opened shop, which had its soft opening on June 20. A grand opening celebration will be held for the shop at Leonard Harrison on October 10. More information will be released closer to the event.

The flagship PA Wilds Conservation Shop, which opened in 2016, will continue to operate at Kinzua Bridge State Park, even as the Skywalk there undergoes maintenance off and on for the next three years starting later this year. 

The funding to stand up the two new PA Wilds Conservation Shops came from a three-year Area Development grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to support the next phase of expansion for the work being done to help rural small businesses leverage the region’s growing outdoor recreation economy. The ARC funding will also help the Center create new licensing and professional development opportunities for rural entrepreneurs, support outreach efforts, and help underwrite key regional marketing projects to continue positioning the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination and create new economic opportunities. 

 

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The PA Wilds Center promotes the region and its 2+ million acres of public lands as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment, retain population and improve quality of life. The PA Wilds Center’s core programs seek to help businesses leverage the PA Wilds brand and connect with new market opportunities, including: the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of more than 575 place-based businesses and organizations, and the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a retail outlet primarily featuring products sourced from the WCO. For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find regionally made products at www.ShopThePAWilds.com. 

 

Media Contact

Britt Madera | Communications Manager

PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc.

[email protected] | 570-948-1051