It's Christmas Eve and for the final episode of our first season we'll have,  not an interview, but Laurie McCants reading Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. 

Locals will be taking a few week break for the Holkdays. We'll be back in January with a new seasons of conversations with people who are... well... local.

Enjoy this wonderful story and enjoy your holidays.

I'll be talking this week to Justin Naylor of Old Tioga Farm. Justin is a Latin reading, garden loving chef who teaches locally as well as in Italy. Think of him as Conan the Agrarian, wielding organic gardening and knowledge of the culinary arts in his battle against the dark forces of your grocery store's produce department.Buon appitito.

When Bette Grey was twelve, she asked PennDot and the Berwick Council for a traffic light to make an intersection safer. Thirty years later, as a member of that Council, she voted to install the light.  In this episode, we'll talk about Bette's lifetime of advocacy. "If I see a problem, I want to be part of the solution." 

Marty Coyne's wife began to show signs of forgetfulness and confusion in her early 50's. Their journey since her later diagnosis of Alzheimer's has been one of love, support and the long goodbye. This interview speaks of a beautiful marriage,  the journey of a couple through dementia and the support of a local community. 

Sorry, no Locals episode this week. Instead we're talking turkey. Next week:Marty Coyne, retired tennis coach and caregiver for his wife who has dementia. It's a good one.

Lisa Herrald-Doerschler's Ideas Studio for Children teaches math, language, physics and emotional self-regulation using blocks, paints, books and a hill. Her students are 3-5 year olds, growing every day in every way. Lisa will talk about why she chose her career, what you are seeing when you visit an Early Learning classroom and the advice she gives to parents. Enjoy.

In this episode, we'll talk to Josie Weibel, Benton native and definitely a local. Josie has been racing since she was 7. She and her parents/pit crew/supporters, Ginny and Eli will talk about the racing world of weedwhacker motors, roll cages and the sport in which, when you are sitting still... you are not just sitting still. Enjoy.

Emaley Rose knew that she wanted to be a professional actor from a young age. And she did it. Hear her story, her advice and why she chose her path.

AND... sorry for the weird, ghostly echoes in the first part of Emaley's interview, That happened in the editing program and I could not get rid of it. 

In this episode, I talk to Justin Hummel, Mayor of Bloomsburg. Justin is from a family (both sides) that have been an important part of our town for over a hundred years. He talks about what it is like to be the Mayor of a small town, its changes and successes.

Local Evelyn Moore walks toward what others tend to run from. She is a ghost hunter or investigator, choose your term. In this episode, Evelyn talks about when her interest in the paranormal began, what building in our community are haunted and what her plans are after she passes.