Livestock and live music
For more than a century, the moos of cows and baas of sheep have rung out at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville, Pennsylvania, but for the last two years, the notes of clarinets and violins have also echoed across the fairgrounds. The Williamsport Symphony Orchestra has begun traveling about 20 miles from downtown Williamsport to put on a free annual concert at the venue, which typically hosts livestock shows and tractor pulls. Hughesville’s blend of rural characteristics and collaborative spirit are distinct, says resident and Hughesville Area Public Library Director Penny Johnson. For example, bringing the symphony to Hughesville, a borough of about 2,500 people, was a collaboration between the library and Hughesville Rotary. Agriculture is still a foundational part of Hughesville’s identity, but residents don’t need to go more than 20 miles to access museums, big-box stores and experiences such as the symphony that are sprinkled across the Williamsport area. “We have a strong rural area here that also offers close proximity to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra and cultural events,” Johnson says.
Trout in Hughesville’s waterways and library
Trout Pond Park lives up to its name, with a pond stocked with five kinds of trout. Anglers pay a small fee for each trout they catch, taking them home to eat. Peacocks and geese roam the park’s wooded grounds, which also has a miniature golf course and an indoor skating rink. To the north, disc golfers can play an 18-hole course at Lime Bluff Park, while little ones can use the playground. Children can also interact with the outdoors through the Hughesville Area Public Library. As part of one of the library’s many educational programs, the library hatched trout eggs, raising 140 fish before releasing them in Little Muncy Creek. “The eggs arrive from UPS, and then we watch them grow in the library, and the kids get to feed them,” Johnson says. It’s one example of the offerings the library has added in recent years as its purpose in Hughesville has evolved, she adds. “We’ve changed so that we’re more like a community center where people come not just to check out books, but we have preschool classes and adult classes that range from protecting yourself on cyber issues to knitting clubs.”
A trip down Main Street
Businesses line a five-block stretch of Main Street, where people can walk between more than 10 stores and restaurants. Mark’s Outfitters sells boots and farmwear, while customers have piled into booths and chowed down on breakfast at Kathy’s Café across the street since the ‘70s. A couple blocks off Main Street is family-owned grocery store TJ’s Market. Big-box stores such as Target and Sam’s Club are clustered together in Muncy Township, about 6 miles from Hughesville. The handful of churches dotting the borough provide services for the community. For example, Hughesville Baptist Church stocks a baby pantry to give away diapers, wipes and other necessities to parents, while Friends Church hosts a free Thanksgiving dinner for those with nowhere to eat.
A 150-year-old tradition
In 1870, a group of locals organized an exhibition of their livestock and crops, creating the Lycoming County Fair. One hundred and fifty years later, the event takes over the fairgrounds on the edge of Hughesville for more than a week every July. Farmers and 4-H club members still enter horses and cattle in livestock shows, but the fair has added carnival rides, tractor pulls and wrestling. The fair often draws over 100,000 attendees. In December, the fairgrounds are covered with Christmas decorations, creating a free drive-through light show. About 20 miles from the borough, the Little League World Series Complex welcomes youth baseball players, and hundreds of thousands of fans, from around the world every August. Teams compete for 10 days, and spectators can watch the games for free.
Victorian homes still stand
Similar to other North Central Pennsylvania communities, mills and distilleries helped Hughesville grow in the 19th century. Many of the homes built in that era display Victorian features, including wide porches, bay windows and fanciful wood ornamentation. On the edges of the borough, Cape Cods and ranch homes are more common. It’s surrounded by farmland, but Hughesville itself is full of small homes bunched together on modest lots, typically around a third of an acre. Prices typically range from $175,000 to $275,000.
Taking tractors to school on May Day
Students don’t need to leave the borough to attend public schools. East Lycoming School District operates two campuses in Hughesville: Joseph C. Ashkar Elementary School, graded a B by Niche, and Hughesville Jr./Sr. High School, which gets a B-minus. The campus serving seventh through 12th graders celebrates May Day every spring. That morning, many high schoolers rumble into the parking lot on their tractors, showing them off to their classmates. Students spend the day playing games and voting for the seniors they want to hold the titles of Mr. Spartan and queen of the May Day Court.
Getting to Williamsport
The borough is laid out on a grid of streets, with sidewalks lining most roads. That makes it possible for most residents to walk to the shops and eateries near Main Street. There aren’t bike lanes, but Hughesville’s roadways are usually light on traffic. To leave Hughesville for shopping in Muncy or work in Williamsport, drivers can take U.S. Route 220 or South Main Street to Interstate 180. The interstate routes to other communities in the Williamsport area, and it connects to Interstate 80, a highway stretching across Pennsylvania. River Valley Transit Authority’s Tri-Town Connector bus route runs from Hughesville to downtown Williamsport, a trip that takes about half an hour.
Written By
Alex Soderstrom
Photography Contributed By
Vincent Mauriello
Video By
Everett Hall-McNeill
