Ice cream social marks landmark's anniversary

MILFORD — A re-creation of Gov. Gifford Pinchot’s community ice cream socials at his Milford home, Grey Towers, is one of several events planned to mark the 45-year anniversary of public ownership of the National Historic Site on Saturday, Sept. 27. A free open house atf the 19 century French chateauesque mansion also is planned to commemorate National Public Lands Day. And a special video presentation of President John F. Kennedy’s Sept. 24, 1963, dedication of Grey Towers will be shown throughout the day. The Ice Cream Social, sponsored by the Grey Towers Heritage Association, will be held from 2-4 p.m. and is free and open to the public. “The Ice Cream Social is just one of the many ways we are trying to recreate how the Pinchots welcomed the community to their private home at Grey Towers,” said Barbara Buchanan, president of the Grey Towers Heritage Association. “Strengthening the community connection is key to our mission at Grey Towers, and it’s so appropriate to offer this on National Public Lands Day.” The US Forest Service will open all three floors of the mansion to visitors from 10 am to 4 p.m. at no charge. “In the Shadow of a Man,” the video that documents President Kennedy’s 1963 dedication of Grey Towers as a conservation center to carry forward Gifford Pinchot’s legacy, will be shown throughout the day. In addition to his two terms as a popular Pennsylvania governor, Pinchot was an eminent conservationist, founding and serving as first chief of the US Forest Service. For more information, contact Grey Towers at 570-296-9630 or on the Web at www.greytowers.org or www.fs.fed.us/gt.