Press Releases
An Evening of Jazz on the River Common – September 15th
Posted on September 2016 by VinnieJoin the Riverfront Parks Committee for the 65th Anniversary of the Cavalcade of Jazz at the River Common on September 15th at 6pm. Don’t miss this FREE concert at this beautiful outdoor venue as we kickoff Restaurant Week in Downtown Wilkes-Barre (grab a bite to eat after the concert)!
Making a Splash
Posted on October 2011 by karlOctober 9, 2011 | Times Leader | Geri Gibbons The River Common Chalk Festival gave attendees the opportunity to once again enjoy the Susquehanna on Saturday, despite recent flooding. Millennium Circle was filled with local residents, many of them children, enjoying both the weather, various environmentally based displays, and the opportunity to utilize the chalk provided free of charge to craft little bits of artwork on the massive...
Placards Way to Help New Park
Posted on August 2011 by karlAugust 18, 2011 Times Leader Matt Hughes The River Common is offering area residents, businesses and organizations the chance to make their mark on Luzerne County’s newest park. The River Common is launching a new naming opportunities program by selling permanent name placards to be placed on benches along the common and the Susquehanna River levee trail system. The placards may be purchased in perpetuity for...
Sculpture Highlights River Common
Posted on August 2011 by karlAugust 1, 2011 Times-Leader Sara Porkony Come mid-September, a ribbon will serve as the centerpiece at the River Common’s Millennium Circle. But this will not be a piece of material that flutters in the wind, with the potential to be blown away. “The Ribbon” is a sculpture, presented by the Millennium Circle Fund of the Luzerne Foundation, that will serve as a lasting sign of solidarity...
Leroy Justice: Southern Sound and Local Heart
Posted on July 2011 by karlJuly 23, 2011 Times-Leader Mary-Therese Biebel Critics compare Leroy Justice’s music to “workingman’s grub that feeds heart and soul” and predict the group is “destined to become an eminent blues-rooted, tobacco-chewing, spit-on-the-floor rock band.” The musicians’ “Southern-fried boogie is so faithful,” one writer added, “it’s hard to believe these guys are from the big city and not from some Mountain Dew and Southern Comfort `hollar’.” While...
Teamwork is What Tames the Dragon
Posted on June 2011 by karlJune 19, 2011 Times-Leader Matt Hughes “Dragon boating is about teamwork,” Naomi Kaphan tells the team of novice rowers lined up at Nesbitt Park Saturday afternoon. “Winning the race is teamwork; don’t do your own thing.” Kaphan, a coach from New York City-based Women in Canoe, matches rowers in order of relative size, with the smallest team members at the ends of the boat and larger...
Getting in the Flow
Posted on June 2011 by karlJune 19, 2011 Times-Leader Matt Hughes Eighteen years ago, John Maday and a few friends sat down at some card tables in Nesbitt Park. They had an idea: a festival with no other aim than to bring people closer to the Susquehanna River, to experience its beauty and appreciate its role in their lives. They sat down at their card tables, and a few people showed...
Setting a Course for Fun!
Posted on June 2011 by karlJune 18, 2011 Times-Leader Matt Hughes RiverFest is back, bigger than ever, and this year it’s being held at one of top 10 waterfront parks in the world. The River Common was recently awarded a Project Honor Award from The Waterfront Center, beating out waterfront projects in major cities such as Chicago and San Francisco and in nations as far flung as the United Kingdom and...
Preparations for River Fest Flow Smoothly
Posted on June 2011 by karlJune 17, 2011 Times-Leader Bill O’Boyle The floating docks are in place for the dragon boat teams, the sediment has been removed from the boat launch and the river level is expected to be at an optimum depth. And as long as the weather cooperates, RiverFest 2011 will be off and running today, continuing through Sunday. “We’re in good shape,” said Vince Cotrone, RiverFest coordinator. “The...
Head to the River
Posted on June 2011 by karlJune 17, 2011 Times-Leader Bill O’Boyle PERHAPS IT’S primordial, this sensation that spurs people like us to gather by the river. Our early ancestors hugged the Euphrates’ edges, and as civilizations spread, cities popped up predictably in those places where the water freely flows (London, Pittsburgh and, yes, Wilkes-Barre). The 12th annual Wyoming Valley RiverFest – a family-oriented festival taking place tonight through Sunday – seeks...
Recent News
New Date for Riverfest 2023 Announced
Riverfest 2023 is now August 12th and 13th! Join us for a day of food, entertainment, and activities in Nesbitt Park at Riverfest! Live Music, Children’s Scavenger Hunt,...
July 2023 »Volunteers Needed for Riverfest 2023 – August 12 and 13!
Volunteers Needed! Volunteer with us on August 12th and/or 13th at Riverfest! Help is needed with set up, parking, and more. All volunteers will receive a free T-shirt....
July 2023 »RIVERFEST POSTPONED!
Due to forecasted storms this weekend (all three days), including lightning, heavy rain, and wind, in the interest of public safety, the Riverfront Parks Committee is cancelling RiverFest....
June 2023 »