Registration now open for July 30 Dinner & Awards to be held at DuBois Country Club

The PA Wilds Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Champions of the PA Wilds Awards. The 2026 Champions are –

• Artisan of the Year: Marie Lewis of Pine Springs Pottery, Clarion County
• Best Brand Ambassador: Pine Creek Seed Farm Corn Maze, Clinton County
• Business of the Year: Kane Manor Inn, McKean County
• Conservation Stewardship: Claire and Rusty Orner of Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living, Jefferson County
• Event of the Year: Forest County Bigfoot Festival, Forest County
• Great Design: Floating Feathers Brewing Company, Clinton County
• Great Places: Historic Armstrong Brick Block, Elk County
• Inspiring Youth: Jack Maxwell, Clarion County
• Outstanding Leader: Richard Wykoff, Clinton County
• PA Wilds Planning Team Member of the Year: Candace Hillyard, Potter County

The winners will be honored at the 2026 PA Wilds Dinner & Awards, to be held on Thursday, July 30 in Clearfield County. The theme for this year’s event is “The Power of Partnerships.”

The Champion of the PA Wilds Awards celebrate individuals, organizations, communities and businesses that are making significant contributions to grow and sustainably develop the outdoor recreation economy and nature tourism in the Pennsylvania Wilds. There are nine award categories open for public nominations. Nominations for 2026 awards were due by April 6.

“These people, places and organizations contribute to the PA Wilds in a positive way, making our communities more vibrant, sustainable and enjoyable,” said Ta Enos, PA Wilds Center Founder & CEO. “We had a record-breaking number of nominations this year, making decisions extremely difficult! Please join us in celebrating the achievements of the winners of the 2026 PA Wilds Champion Awards this July.”

Registration is now open for the 2026 PA Wilds Dinner & Awards, which will be held at the DuBois Country Club in DuBois, Clearfield County, on July 30. The social hour and exhibitor displays begin at 3 p.m., followed by dinner and award presentations between 5 and 8 p.m.

Pre-registration is required by July 23 at PAWildsCenter.org/program. An early bird rate is available until June 15. Regular registration cost is $50 per ticket.

2026 CHAMPION AWARDS WINNERS

Artisan of the Year Award: Marie Lewis / Pine Springs Pottery – New Bethlehem, Clarion County

Marie Lewis of Pine Springs Pottery was selected as the recipient of the 2026 PA Wilds Artisan of the Year Champion Award, which honors a PA Wilds Juried Artisan who has gone above and beyond to use their medium and creativity to promote the region or help advance the PA Wilds Cooperative. Lewis joined the PA Wilds Cooperative in 2016 and is a professional level Juried Artisan specializing in stoneware pottery. Marie forms each piece completely by hand using traditional methods with hand painted designs inspired by the history and natural beauty of the PA Wilds region. She participated in the inaugural PA Wilds PACE Program during 2020 and created PACE logo mugs as gifts for the 2022 cohort. She has participated in the virtual PA Wilds Makers Market and a number of PA Wilds Cooperative events. In addition, Marie is highly involved with her Clarion County community, where she is a strong advocate for arts initiatives, the PA Wilds region and the PA Wilds Cooperative, always encouraging others to join the network.

Best Brand Ambassador: Pine Creek Seed Farm Corn Maze – Jersey Shore, Clinton County

Pine Creek Seed Farm Corn Maze has won the 2026 PA Wilds Best Brand Ambassador Champion Award, which recognizes an organization or individual who has made significant contributions to promoting and developing the Pennsylvania Wilds brand. In fall 2025, Pine Creek Seed Farm took a homegrown approach to sharing their love for the Pennsylvania Wilds region during the Pine Creek Corn Maze. An annual event, the corn maze takes place each autumn and features different icons every year, with 2025 imagery representing outdoor activities common throughout the PA Wilds region, in addition to highlighting a different landscape each weekend. Participants were able to walk through PA Wilds-themed shapes, such as the iconic elk logo, a hiker, a fish, a tent, and Kinzua Bridge. The festival offered trolley rides to and from the maze, food and beverages, live music and other entertainment, contests, a pumpkin patch, and live animals. The wholesome outdoor adventure attracted 10,000 visitors over five weekends. Proceeds from the Maze are donated to community groups who volunteer at the event each weekend, with more than $20,000 donated in 2025 alone.

Business of the Year: Kane Manor Inn – Kane, McKean County

Kane Manor Inn has been named the recipient of the 2026 PA Wilds Business of the Year Champion Award, which honors a new or existing business that has taken bold steps to grow their business in a way that embodies what it means to marry conservation and economic development and to offer an authentic experience or product to visitors and residents. Combining historic charm with modern amenities, Kane Manor Inn offers travelers a friendly place to relax while visiting the northwestern section of the PA Wilds. The inn owners, Debra and Ben Miller, give advice for nearby trails and experiences, while also offering services to bicyclists. Kane Manor Inn was also recognized as one of the top historic bed and breakfast in the United States according to Newsweek in 2024. The Kane Manor Inn has seen a significant uptick in occupancy with guestroom revenue increasing 400% since 2019. With the Millers recognizing the local historical significance of the Kane Manor Inn, they introduced a weekly Friday event beginning in the summer of 2021, “Drinks on the Veranda,” offering a cocktail bar, charcuterie and live music most Fridays in the summer.

Conservation Stewardship: Claire and Rusty Orner / Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living – Brookville, Jefferson County

Claire and Rusty Orner of Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living have been selected as the recipients of the 2026 PA Wilds Conservation Stewardship Champion Award which honors the best practices and achievements of an individual, business or organization that demonstrates a commitment to conservation and outstanding resource stewardship of the natural and cultural assets in the PA Wilds. Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living has educated thousands of visitors, students, and apprentices for 30 years.   With a non-profit mission, Quiet Creek is dedicated to increasing public awareness of conservation, ecological thinking and healthful sustainable living.  This mission is fulfilled by hands-on learning and taste buds engaged activities through regenerative farming workshops that encourage students (Pre-K to Grey) via locally-grown, harvested, preserved and ingested medicinal foods.  Educational opportunities happen through 30-acres of lush gardens of organic vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, meadows, and wooded nature trails. The farm also features a traditional medicine wheel, worm composting infrastructure, wind/solar/geothermal/biomass energy systems, yurt, earthen oven, straw bale house and benches, and a shop offering students grown and made herbal teas, soaps, salves and mushrooms.   Claire and Rusty’s passion for educating on the merits of traditional, regenerative farming will continue in New England and the South Pacific through 2028.  As they move toward their next opportunity to make a difference, they are being celebrated for their many years of effort in the field of conservation stewardship, plus they are pleased to pass Quiet Creek’s mission on to Sylvia and Alex DeLong who will steward Quiet Creek in Clearfield County. 

Event of the Year: Forest County Bigfoot Festival – Marienville, Forest County

The Forest County Bigfoot Festival earned the 2026 PA Wilds Event of the Year Champion Award, which recognizes a festival, race, art show or other local or regional event in the PA Wilds which through its quality and authenticity and use of the PA Wilds brand has become a regional attraction that is having a positive economic and social impact on the area. Now in its 6th year, the annual free family-friendly festival held in June in Marienville offers a weekend filled with craft vendors, delicious food, engaging key speakers and experts who share their insights on this legendary creature. Bigfoot enthusiasts can enjoy contests, run in a 5K, and embark on the famous Bigfoot “hunt” through the Allegheny National Forest. The festival draws in thousands of attendees and nationally recognized speakers, completely revitalizing the dynamic of the sleepy town of Marienville and boosting its local economy during June.

Great Design: Floating Feathers Brewing Company – Mill Hall, Clinton County

Floating Feathers Brewing Company of Mill Hall has won the 2026 PA Wilds Great Design Champion Award, which honors an individual, business or organization that has done outstanding work to preserve, protect or enhance an area’s rural community character and to promote the use and understanding of the PA Wilds Design Guide. Richard “Lee” Powers and family took what was once a blighted property in Mill Hall and renovated it into a thriving business, while also celebrating and utilizing its unique location next to the waterway of Fishing Creek. The business opened in late 2021 after Lee and his family purchased and completely renovated the dilapidating building, bringing it back to life. Instead of completely razing the structure, they kept its frame and the local and historic character intact. The building now includes metal siding, a reclaimed wood interior, a live edge bar, and massive reused electrical wire spools for tables. Initially built with an outdoor patio, the Powers family recently enclosed the patio to provide more customer seating inside. Floating Feathers received a grant from the PA Fish and Boat Commission to install a riparian buffer along the bank of Fishing Creek at the brewery to improve the native brook trout habitat as well as the brown and rainbow populations. They offer access to fishing for customers, including a handicap-accessible area and a youth area for trout fishing. The company is continuing to grow and complete community stewardship projects in the process.

Great Places: Historic Armstrong Brick Block – Johnsonburg, Elk County

The Historic Armstrong Brick Block in Johnsonburg earned the 2026 PA Wilds Great Places Champion Award, which honors innovative asset development and promotion that have worked together to create an excellent new or revamped sustainable tourism destination within the PA Wilds. The historic Armstrong Brick Block stands as a model of rural revitalization and place-based innovation. Originally established in 1890, the 45,000-square-foot, 12-building, 26-unit Italianate commercial landmark is being thoughtfully transformed into a dynamic destination that blends heritage preservation, unique shopping experiences, small business incubation, artisan retail, outdoor recreation partnerships, short-term second floor lodging and community programming under one roof. Through the leadership of the Johnsonburg Community Trust, the Brick Block is activating Market Street as a hub for locally owned enterprises, PA Wilds artisans, creative makers, and outdoor outfitters. The project demonstrates how historic preservation can serve as infrastructure for entrepreneurship.

Inspiring Youth: Jack Maxwell – Lucinda, Clarion County

Jack Maxwell has been named the recipient of the 2026 PA Wilds Inspiring Youth Champion Award. The Inspiring Youth Champion Award honors a person or organization that has made outstanding contributions to involve young people in the work to grow the region’s outdoor recreation economy and to conserve its unparalleled natural and cultural resource assets. A sophomore at Duquesne University, Jack Maxwell began his journey with the PA Wilds Center as a Community Connector at the PA Wilds Conservation Shop in Marienville, Forest County, PA, while in high school. Starting in June 2024, his efforts were instrumental in preparing the shop for its debut during the annual Marienville Bigfoot Festival. Since then, Maxwell has demonstrated a strong commitment to building meaningful relationships within the PA Wilds Center organization and throughout the community, including participating in the Woods and Waters Alliance and Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week, where he serves as a summer intern. Through Jack’s partnership with his art teacher and supervisor, in April 2025, the student art exhibition “Where the PA Wilds Things Are,” featuring North Clarion County High School students, was installed at the Marienville Four Seasons Trail Hub. Following the art show, Jack and his teacher collaborated with Cook Forest State Park to install the exhibit in the visitors’ center for a month. He later also collaborated with Meredith Hill to make the exhibit available digitally for those who were unable to attend in person.

Outstanding Leader: Richard Wykoff – Flemington, Clinton County

Richard Wykoff has been named the 2026 PA Wilds Outstanding Leader Champion Award recipient. Wykoff has consistently been key to the critical creation and expansion of many programs. Rich’s continued reach throughout the county and broader PA Wilds region has helped build new pathways to document  history, folklore and increase outdoor tourism opportunities. A Clinton County Arts Council board member, Wykoff was instrumental in creating the LH Jams festival that was awarded the PA Wilds Event of the Year in 2023. As a lifelong educator, he also leads the CCAC Summer Art Academy for youth. His work with the Greater Renovo Area Heritage Park includes research into a plan for Tipple Park and potential national historic landmark status. He also spearheaded the development of digital murals portraying Renovo’s involvement in the region’s historical eras. They include Renovo’s Railroad Heritage, Flyboys of WWII, and Lumber Heritage murals. A retired educator, Rich is passionate about developing programming to engage and inspire area youth through the arts, local history and technology.

PA Wilds Planning Team Member of the Year: Candace Hillyard – Galeton, Potter County

Candace Hillyard is the recipient of the 2026 PA Wilds Planning Team Member of the Year Champion Award. Candace has served on the PA Wilds Planning Team since becoming Executive Director of the PA Route 6 Alliance in 2019. She served as Vice-Chair for two consecutive years, completing her term in December 2025. As Executive Director of the PA Route 6 Alliance, Candace has led major initiatives throughout the region, including the launch of the Artisan Trail Program, expansion of Makers Markets, façade programs, and continued support for the Heart and Soul Communities in Port Allegany, Mansfield, Tidioute, and Youngsville. She played a central role in securing a Pennsylvania Byway designation for 211 miles of Route 6, a stretch that spans the PA Wilds region. Candace’s efforts have helped elevate PA Route 6’s national visibility—culminating in Route 6 being voted “America’s unofficial favorite byway” in Scenic America’s 2025 Byway Madness competition. Her leadership also supported Heritage Community Plan updates and tourism initiatives that included custom bike rack infrastructure across the four PA Wilds counties that feature PA Route 6, the creation of a Bicycle Friendly Business Program, and development of the six signature bike loops on 6 and the Trans PA Cycle Tour. She has also implemented a series of successful educational workshops and annual meetings. Candace’s enthusiasm, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to the region have greatly strengthened the work of the PA Wilds Planning Team. We are proud to honor her for her exceptional service and impact.

Learn more at PAWildsCenter.org/programs-and-services/awards-dinner.

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds is home to the greatest concentration of public lands in the Commonwealth. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. Based in the region, the Center is the lead nonprofit for the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape effort, a 15+year collaborative effort by local, state and federal partners to establish the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, attract investment, inspire stewardship, improve quality of life and attract and retain the region’s working-age population. PA Wilds Center works closely with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the region’s county governments, and other investors in the regional strategy.

For more information on the PA Wilds Center and the Wilds Cooperative, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. Explore the PA Wilds and find locally made products at www.PAWilds.com. To support the PA Wilds Center’s mission in the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape, please visit pawilds.com/give.