Raystown Celebrates Return Of American Chestnut Trees To Central PA Sept. 25

The Raystown Restoration Branch of the American Chestnut Foundation will hold its second annual Chestnut Restoration Celebration at the C. Barton McCann School of Art on September 25 starting 3:00 p.m.

The festivities will begin with a social hour followed by a wine tasting, chestnut cooking sessions and a talk on chestnut restoration. There will also be auctions and door prizes.

The event celebrates the tremendous progress being made to restore the American chestnut in Pennsylvania. For over 35 years, The American Chestnut Foundation has been working tirelessly toward its ultimate goal of restoring the American chestnut to eastern forests.

"Central PA is the epicenter of chestnut restoration and research in PA." says Mark Banker, Director of Development for TACF. "We have large orchards at Penn State, Raystown Lake and Juniata College. No other state has more chestnut orchards managed by TACF volunteers."

One hundred years ago, the chestnut was the most abundant tree in eastern forests from Maine to Georgia until it was nearly wiped out by the chestnut blight. It was used by people as food, feed for livestock, building material, furniture, and fuel. The chestnut is also a very important to wildlife, providing a reliable source of highly nutritious food.

Thanks to the efforts of TACF members, volunteers and sponsors who have been working on developing blight resistant trees, the restoration of the chestnut tree back into the wild has begun.

"However," says Banker, "there is still a lot of work to be done, so we urge people to join the organization and get involved."

Ticket Price will include a one-year membership in The American Chestnut Foundation. Anyone wishing to sponsor the event ($350) will receive two potentially blight-resistant seeds for their own planting. There also are many other ways that interested people can get involved.

The Raystown event will feature a tasting of award-winning wines from Seven Mountains Wine Cellars, a cooking demonstration highlighting delicious chestnut-based recipes and both a silent and live auction. Auction items will include a football signed by Penn State legend Joe Paterno, as well as a handcrafted chestnut checkerboard table and many other chestnut related items.

The McCann School of Art is located at 4144 Miller Road, Petersburg, PA 16669. Take Rt. 26 north from Huntingdon or south from State College.

Tickets are $60 for an individual (Includes 1 TACF Membership, a $40 value!) and $80 for couples (Includes 1 TACF Membership). Contact Lori Krause at 814-643-2372 or send email to: tacfbranch2@comcast.net. Tickets can also be purchased online.

For more information, download a flyer on this special event or visit the Raystown Restoration Branch of the American Chestnut Foundation website.

For information on the restoration of the American chestnut, including photographs, contact Paul Franklin, Director of Communications, The American Chestnut Foundation by calling 828-281-0047 or send email to: pfranklin@acf.org.