2023 PA Wilds dinner and awards to be held at Gobbler’s Knob
PUNXSUTAWNEY — The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. announced that Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney will be the location for the 2023 PA Wilds dinner a awards.
Planned for Thursday, July 27, this event is the premier networking opportunity in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Groundhog Day was one of the winners of the 2022 PA Wilds Champion Awards, being named as the Event of the Year.
“Gobbler’s Knob holds a special place in the hearts of many of our residents, as the Groundhog Day celebrations typically bring thousands of visitors and a boost in tourism revenue to the region. It’s a perfect location to celebrate creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, history and hard work,” said Britt Madera, communications manager for the PA Wilds Center.
The Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce applied to host the 2023 dinner in Phil’s hometown, and Gobbler’s Knob was selected as a fitting location for the dinner and ceremony to be held this year.
“We’re honored to host the 2023 PA Wilds Champion Awards and Dinner,” said Katie Laska, Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce president. “Punxsutawney embodies the spirit of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The people, businesses and organizations in our community are proud to live and work here, and we’re blessed with some of the best natural assets and landscapes in the country. We’re thrilled to help celebrate these kinds of achievements and determination.”
More than 250 businesses and community leaders from across the Pennsylvania Wilds, along with state partners and officials from Harrisburg, will gather for the dinner to recognize award winner Champions of the PA Wilds and get an update on the effort to grow the region’s outdoor recreation economy.
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 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. PAWilds 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.