Cook Forest State Park features 47 miles of hiking trails that explore many habitats including old growth forest. The 8,500-acre State Park and 3,136 acre Clarion River Lands are popular for hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. Famous for its stands of old growth forest known as the “The Ancients,” Cook Forest State Park’s Forest Cathedral of towering white pines and hemlocks is a National Natural Landmark. The towering canopy is between 350-450 years old!
Now let's meet the PA Wilds Marketplace makers who are creating fabulous works of art in this part of the PA Wilds!
PJ Piccirillo - Books by PJ Piccirillo
PJ Piccirillo is a two-time winner of the Appalachian Writers Association Award for Short Fiction. He is the author of The Indigo Scarf (Sunbury Press), Heartwood (Middleton Books), and the forthcoming Nunc Stans—A Ferry Tale. PJ’s fiction and articles have appeared in journals, magazines, newspapers, and syndicates.
He is a literary artist-in-residence for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. An advocate of the region’s under-recognized writing, he has worked to build a name for its writers and a brand for its books by founding the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia (WCoNA)™ and the Northern Appalachia Review, for which he is the current editor-in-chief. An instructor of English and Humanities at Butler County Community College, PJ holds an M.F.A. from the University of Southern Maine and a B.A. in English from Saint Francis University.
PJ’s greatest distinction is that he is descended from woodhicks and tannery workers in the PA Wilds. He is a third-generation community firefighter, an EMT, a professional firefighter for NASCAR, and Cubmaster for scout pack 39. He otherwise can be found with his wife and three sons pursuing all things outdoors on the creek-fissured plateau of his native northcentral Pennsylvania.
Stephanie Distler - Stephanie Distler Studios
Stephanie is an autodidact or self taught. She describes herself as an artisan coming from PA Wilds Roots with Rural Organic style. The working studio is housed in her home and focuses on ‘made by these hands’ designs, inspired by nature. These pieces carry with them a sense of place, digging in the garden, hiking in the PA Wilds, shopping for fresh produce at the local farmers’ market, enjoying an IPA at a craft brewery or antiquing on Main Street. These designs are reminders of our downtime.
Coming from a family of ‘makers’ including woodworkers, fiber artisans, cooks, and gardeners, she has chosen precious metals over wood shavings. The working studio allows for metalwork, mixed media, fiber art, displays, workshops, PA Wilds events, and other artistic endeavors.
"Over the years my jewelry and mixed media techniques have continually drawn inspiration from those rural traditions that were once everyday life for our ancestors. A more tactile life or being a part of the process of just living, has become a need in this age of technology for me and so many others. The act of making with our hands utilitarian wares or more refined artistic works, from beginning to end, has become a way of living."
Dalong McMillen - McDalong Presents
Dalong has always loved stuffed animals growing up. When she first came across crocheted dolls known as "amigurumi" in college, she had to learn! Soon she was giving away little stuffies to anyone and everyone she knew and looking for excuses to make more. She hasn’t stopped crocheting since and now it's been well over a decade. She hopes seeing her handmade plushies will bring joy to you and your loved ones.
