Heritage Corridor - PA Route 6 Alliance

PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor

About PA Route 6 Alliance

Managing, Promoting, & Supporting the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor

The PA Route 6 Alliance, a 501(c3) corporation, was established in 2003 to manage the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor and to implement the Management Action Plan, branding and marketing plans, community development programs, and other planning efforts along the corridor. The Alliance includes representatives from all 11 counties, 9 convention and visitor bureaus, 4 heritage areas, local development districts, local business owners, Chambers of Commerce, and other interested parties along the corridor.

Through the leadership of the PA Route 6 Alliance, citizens from 11 counties are joining together to preserve, enhance and promote the treasured resources that contribute to their shared sense of place. Using the corridor’s strategic Management Action Plan as their guide, they are initiating heritage tourism development strategies that will build more sustainable local economies and enhance the quality of life in every community along Pennsylvania Route 6.

WHAT WE DO – SERVICES

The PA Route 6 Alliance has 6 areas of concentration. All intended to help make the Route 6 Corridor a memorable experience, a great place to visit, and an even better place to live.

Tourism Promotion
Cultural Conservation
Education and Interpretation
Open Space and Recreation
Economic Development
Partnerships

WHAT WE DO – PROGRAMS

PA Route 6 Alliance is involved in many great projects across the Route 6 corridor.

The Artisan Trail – Northern Pennsylvania’s rich history, diverse regions, and friendly people come together to produce a vibrant culture of craftsmanship and creativity. On the PA Route 6 Artisan Trail, you’ll find inspiration, entertainment, education, and great shopping, too.

Bike Friendly Business Program – As more visitors explore PA Route 6 by bicycle, businesses throughout the region stand to benefit from increased customers and spending at shops, restaurants, and overnight accommodations. The FREE PA Route 6 Bike Friendly Business Program has been developed to help businesses and the entire region become more bike-friendly and attract more bicycling visitors.

Facade Program – Thanks to a Keystone Communities grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), PA Route 6 Alliance has provided local business owners with matching funds to improve storefronts and other projects. So far, the Facade Program has helped businesses in the PA Wilds (2020), Endless Mountains (2021), and Great Lakes Region (2022).

(Before and After Photos of Woody’s Ale House and Grille in the Endless Mountains)

Community Heart & Soul® Program – The PA Route 6 Alliance announced the 2020 partnership with the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) and Erie Arts & Culture, with additional support from the DCED and DCNR. This has resulted in the award of a combined $600,000 in funding, training, and support for the Northern Pennsylvania communities of Carbondale, Youngsville, Tidioute and Wyoming County. Selected through a competitive grant application process, each community will be guided through the Community Heart & Soul® program, a two-year community and economic development process proven to engage, strengthen, and reinvigorate communities.

OUR MISSION

US Route 6 in Pennsylvania, through the eleven counties of Crawford, Erie, Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Wyoming, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Pike, is the focus of an effort to preserve, enhance and promote the transportation heritage of one of the nation’s first transcontinental highways; to sustain and enhance the small rural communities linked by the highway; and to preserve and enhance the natural, scenic beauty of one of America’s favorite “road trips”.

The Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage Corridor offers a broad range of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities and exceptional experiences. Public and private infrastructure make the corridor accessible and provide economic opportunities for strengthening communities while enhancing natural, cultural, scenic, recreational, and historical resources. A strategic, unified partnership guides the management of these resources, preserving and enhancing the Pennsylvania Route 6 heritage and quality of life throughout the corridor.

PA ROUTE 6 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT: Dan Glotz
Warren County Commissioner

VICE PRESIDENT: Christine Tocki-Mulvey

SECRETARY: Jason Krise
First Energy

TREASURER: Randy Heller
Wayne County Recycling Center

BOARD MEMBERS:
Colleen Hanson, Visit Potter-Tioga
Robyn Cummings, Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency
Casey Ferry, Warren County Visitors Bureau
Linda Devlin, Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau
Christine Temple, VisitErie
Jean Ruhf, Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau
John R. Phillips, Oil Region Alliance
Melinda Meyer, Preservation Erie
Will Hunt, Potter County Planning Commission
Connor Vecellio, North Central PA Regional Planning Office

PA ROUTE 6 STAFF

Candace Hillyard
Executive Director
candace@paroute6.com
Office: 814-435-7706

Rachel Courtney
Program Manager
rcourtney@paroute6.com

Abbie Pritchard
Bookkeeper & Facade Program Coordinator
apritchard@paroute6.com

Vanessa Billings-Seiler
Facade Program Coordinator
vbseiler@paroute6.com