Lacawac announces honorees for farm-to-plate awards dinner

Every year Lacawac Sanctuary Field Station and Environmental Education Center honor community members and those that have helped shaped Lacawac’s future.
Honorees will be feted at the fourth annual farm-to-plate fundraising gala at Lacawac's Historic Watres Lodge on Saturday, Aug. 10.
This year's event is presented by Rustic Charm Vintage Rentals.
Lacawac’s dinner committee and board of trustees have chosen to honor the following:
Lifetime Achievement Award in Research — The Academy of Natural Sciences
Lifetime Achievement Award in Education — Wayne Bank
Lifetime Achievement Award in Preservation — Attorney John F. Spall
The Arthur Watres Community Service Award — The Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WECCO)
For more information about the dinner, contact Craig Lukatch, Lacawac's president, at 570-689-9494 or craig.lukatch@lacawac.org.
Located on Lake Wallenpaupack, Lacawac Sanctuary is a nonprofit association founded in 1966 to protect a gift of the original Connell Park lands by Arthur and Isabel Watres and to facilitate environmental education and research. Its foundation plays an important role in preserving Lake Lacawac, one of the southernmost glacial lakes in the hemisphere, in pristine condition, free from development and encroachment.
Here's more about the honorees:
The Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences is the oldest natural science institution in the Americas. It was founded in 1812 by many of the leading naturalists of the young American republic with an expressed mission of "the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences." Throughout its existence the Academy has sponsored expeditions, conducted original environmental and systematics research, and amassed remarkable collections containing more than 18 million specimens, an extensive library and archive, and arguably the finest rare natural history book collection in the world. The Academy’s academic enterprise was strengthened considerably in 2011 when it merged with nearby Drexel University — a leading private non-profit research institution that focusses on innovation and entrepreneurship and provides a unique cooperative education program for its students. Two centuries after the Academy’s founding it remains one of the most important natural science institutions in the world.
Wayne Bank
Founded in 1871, Wayne Bank celebrates 148 years of community banking this year. The bank has 26 community offices serving Wayne, Pike, Monroe, Lackawanna, and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania, along with Delaware and Sullivan Counties in New York State.
Employing more than 200 local people, Wayne Bank offers a full line of products and services to meet the financial needs of consumers and businesses. The bank offers customers the convenience of banking from anywhere, combined with the comfort of personalized service from their local bank.
Each year, the community bank contributes to hundreds of organizations throughout Pennsylvania and New York. Bank employees help their communities through event participation and service to local charities. By supporting residents, businesses, schools, and charitable organizations, Wayne Bank is dedicated to reinvesting in the community and encouraging economic growth.
John F. Spall Esq.
Attorney John F. Spall is a graduate of Wallenpaupack Area High School, class of 1964; The University of Scranton, class of 1968; and Villanova University School of Law, class of 1971.
Spall is the firm’s senior partner and an experienced real estate attorney with more than 45 years of experience. He has served as the Pike Wayne Board of Realtors legal counsel since 1974. He also has served Wayne County as a first assistant district attorney and county solicitor.
Heis a member of the Wayne and Pike County Bar Associations, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
He is currently president of the Wallenpaupack School District and a director and secretary of the Dime Bank. He is a trustee of the Lacawac Sanctuary.
He was a past-chair of the board of the Pike Wayne Board of the American Red Cross and a past-director of the Greentown Historical Society. He was a past-solicitor for the Wayne County Housing Authority and Redevelopment Authority. He was also a director for the Hawley Bank, and a director and regional chairman of First Eastern Bank, and has served numerous other community organizations.
Wayne Economic Development Corporation
The Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) incorporated nearly 65 years ago as a private, non-profit organization dedicated to creating jobs and improving the prosperity of Wayne County residents. It integrates the county’s natural landscape and quality of life with forward-thinking technology, infrastructure, and business support. Initiatives include The Stourbridge Project, a new technology/media business incubator with free co-working space that was named the 2018 Project of the Year by the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association. WEDCO also expanded broadband, a first-class business park, model workforce delivery system, agricultural planning, local financing and resource development. In 2018, WEDCO brought nearly $1.8 million in grant funds to Wayne County for development and planning projects.
WEDCO is a certified provider for the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority. It is a non-profit corporation comprised of businesses in partnership with state, county, and municipal government that realizes a bright economic future depends on investing and planning today.


Rustic Charm Vintage Rentals is located in historic Honesdale and is a specialty rental business catering to weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and private parties. They have carefully curated a unique collection of antique, shabby chic, Victorian and modern furniture, china, farmhouse tables, bars, chairs and all the decor. For more information on Rustic Charm Vintage Rentals visit rusticcharmvintagerentals.com

Rustic Charm Photo 2019 jpg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Craig Lukatch
tel: 570-689-9494 |cell: 570-956-2998 | craig.lukatch@lacawac.org
Lacawac Announces Honorees for 4 Annual Farm to Plate Dinner
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