The Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the happenings for the upcoming Fourth Friday in Columbia, Marietta, & Wrightsville on Friday, April 26. Fourth Friday receptions, exhibits, and activities run between the hours of 5:00 and 9:00pm. Some of the highlights for this month are listed below.

“A Celebration of the Art of Gardiner C. Criswell” will be the April Highlight Event for Fourth Friday.

This exhibit of rarely seen art by former Columbian Gardiner C. Criswell will be displayed in the Caretakers Cottage at Mt. Bethel Cemetery (700 Locust Street, Columbia).  This special exhibit, sponsored by the Board of Directors at Mount Bethel Cemetery and the Columbia Public Library, debuts on April’s Fourth Friday and then will repeat on Sunday, April 28 (2:00 to 4:00 PM).  Refreshments will be available. Donations benefit Mt. Bethel Cemetery.

A prolific artist, Criswell was a former teacher at McCaskey High School and Millersville State College.  He was last employed as the elementary art supervisor at the Eastern Joint Schools, York County.  Mr. Criswell attended Columbia public schools and was a graduate of Edinboro State Teachers College.  His studies took him to the College of Industrial Art (Philadelphia), New York University, and the Sorbonne (Paris).

Kozee Kandles Boutique will celebrate their grand opening on Fourth Friday.  Located at 436 Locust Street, Columbia, they will feature handmade soy candles and accessories.  Their location also features additional vendors including A Grateful Massage who will be offering discounted chair massages and Two Pups Pastries which features gourmet dog treats.  While there, enjoy a discount on the antiques and primitives displayed by Olde Crow Hollow Primitives.

Be sure to visit Weavings, Ink. (208 Hellam Street, Wrightsville) to view their new exhibit entitled “Fathers and Sons”.  The exhibit features work from W. Taylor Oughton, a renowned Bucks County artist, and his son, Robert Oughton of Hellam, as well as, Rob Evans, a well known York County painter, and his son, Lucas, who is about to enter college. Come back on Sunday, April 28, from 1:00 to 3:00pm for the Opening Reception.

Once in Wrightsville, you’ll want to visit lowercase gallery (211 N. Front Street, Wrightsville) to enjoy the mid-show event honoring the exhibit entitled “four.”  This showing is an exhibition of the work created by the four lowercase partners.Becky’s drawings develop through a process of layering, inventing, repurposing and duplicating drawn and traced imagery to create new architectural forms. These structures consider formal, conceptual, or metaphorical relationships, and they acknowledge the possibility and impossibility of things. Becky’s most recent drawings focus on constructed forms, land masses, and their coexistence.

Andrea’s current drawings explore parallels between organic and manufactured patterns: those found in natural structures, such as feathers and ice crystals and those that are constructed, such as lace and crochet diagrams.

Harriet’s current works investigate the healing power of drawing through the expression of ritual and intention. An additional, larger piece will be worked on throughout the duration of the exhibit. Visitors will have the chance to win this completed drawing via raffle at the Closing Night in May.

In addition to their own work, Andrea & Harriet will be exhibiting a collaborative piece.

Heather is an assemblage sculptor working with objects discovered within the dust and rust of our surroundings. Steadfast to a mission of reuse, she creates work with an intention of reinvented symbolism, often speaking to issues of environment, the human condition and personal evolution.

Visit the Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts (452 Locust Street, Columbia) to enjoy “Show Clay” curated by Kathryn Narrow. A reception running throughout the evening will be enhanced by a curator’s talk slated to begin at 6:30pm.

We invite you to visit our other galleries and shops including Jonal Gallery/Alverta Arts Shop, Garth Gallery & Café Garth, Thundermug Antiques, Geltz Gotz Goodeze, and the Columbia Market House. For more information on events and activities, visit  and click on the “Fourth Friday in Columbia, Marietta & Wrightsville” tab or call 717.684.5249.

SOURCE: Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce information release