Upcoming Event Release – Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Image provided.
WELLSBORO, PA – The Deane Center’s Free Outdoor Concert Series continues at 6:00 PM next Friday, July 3 with a performance by Van Wagner on the outdoor stage, which faces Central Avenue on the side of the Deane Center building at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.
This free concert is being held in conjunction with Wellsboro’s First Friday, a community street festival on Main Street that will be open from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on July 3 with local vendors, live music, food, artisan goods and special activities for kids.
Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and sit in the grassy area in front of the outdoor stage or on Central Avenue, which will be closed to motor vehicle traffic between the side of the Warehouse Theatre building and Main Street. In the event of inclement weather, this concert will be moved indoors to the Coolidge Theatre.
Wagner is an educator, forester and musical artist. In the classroom, he teaches Agriculture Science at Danville Area High School.
Outside the classroom he educates audiences with his music and programs on Pennsylvania history. He received an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2018 from the Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriting Contest.
At Wellsboro, Wagner will play acoustic folk, bluegrass, and blues tunes he has written about the state’s natural, cultural, and industrial heritage. Through his original music, he explores the rich traditions of the Susquehanna Valley and the Anthracite Coal Region, telling stories about everyday laborers and the working-class people who built the region through coal mining, logging, iron and steel milling, and textile processing. Wagner also features local historic icons and writes about the history of Penn’s Woods, environmental stewardship, and forest conservation.
He worked as a logger and a coal miner, so he knows from first-hand experience what he is writing about. And his writing is prolific. Between 1997 and 2026, he wrote hundreds of songs and released 37 original albums and, in 2009, published a book entitled “Coal Dust Rust and Sawdust.” His music and programs not only entertain but inspire audiences to become involved in learning more. In 2024 he was awarded “best male solo artist” of the year from the Central PA music awards.
His music has been featured on the History Channel, WVIA TV, Country Music Television (CMT), and in several film productions.
Wagner is the 2025 recipient of the Penn State University School of Forest Resources alumni of the year award. In 2025 he completed his goal of climbing the tallest tree on the tallest mountain in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in an effort to raise awareness about forestry in the state.
The public is invited to attend any or all of the free concerts in the series made possible by sponsor UPMC Health Plan.
The three remaining free concerts are at 6 p.m. on Fridays. They are: the Infared Radiation Orchestra singing and playing 1960s and 1970s psychedelic rock on Aug. 7; the Cadillac Cats performing funkin’ blues on Sept. 4; and Hot Rod Mule singing and playing hard-driving bluegrass and country music on Oct. 2.
For more information about the free concert series, call the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 570-724-6220, email office@deanecenter.com or visit deanecenter.com.
