Don Jacobs of GO WILD with DiscoverNEPA – Why NEPA?

For 43 years, West Pittston native, Don (Jake) Jacobs had visited NEPA living rooms with tales of enticing finicky trout, collaring sleepy black bear and cooking a classic rabbit stew to name a few. As the host of Pennsylvania Outdoor Life, the longest-running nature show in the state, Don happily covered it all. From fishing and hunting to foraging and cooking, he delivered every story with a smile, a quiet assurance and a wisdom borne of honest, lived experience.

Growing up, Don and his blue-collar family often made due with what was available. This inspired a lifelong relationship with hunting, fishing, foraging and cooking. Admittedly, it was a “make it last” kind of upbringing. He’d sit for hours watching his mother turn a small harvest of potatoes and cabbage into a month of meals. He was barely counter-high when he learned to clean and cook his own trout, set a reliable trap or build a sturdy campfire.

Before long, Don graduated from Wyoming Area High School and ventured off to East Stroudsburg University. He thought Environmental Studies would be a natural fit, or at least help him become the next Ranger Rick. The chemistry courses, however, thought otherwise (as they often do). He did find his niche, though, in, of all places, a speech class. This led to a degree in Speech Communications and Theater and a foot in the door of the competitive local news media arena.

Two days after graduation, Don accepted a job offer as Assignment Manager at WNEP TV. And within a few years, he was tasked with resuscitating a fledgling little outdoors/nature program. The rest is the stuff of local TV legend – over four decades worth. Today, Don is simply Papa to a small cadre of precocious grandchildren. He’s a self-ascribed foodie and local live music aficionado. He still spends most of his time outdoors teaching his grandkids how to fish and forage and catch bugs.

He’s also taken on a new role right here at DiscoverNEPA, where you can catch his many outdoor adventures in our new series GO WILD with DiscoverNEPA. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to catch the latest episodes.

We caught up with Don at DiscoverNEPA HQ in Wilkes-Barre. And of the thousand questions to ask this local broadcasting legend, we settled on just a few, including the always-intriguing Why NEPA?

How long have you lived in NEPA?

My whole life. I’m going to be 65 in September, and I wouldn’t have changed anything about it. I went to school locally. I went to college locally. I brought my kids back and raised them in the same school district. I am in love with the community and this area.

What do you love about your town?

When I grew up, everybody knew everybody. And it wasn’t like you were just in their business, you actually cared about each other. When you were outside, the neighbors would hang out at the fence and talk. We’d sit on the front porch and watch the cars go by. We got up in the morning as kids and rode our bicycles. I think you could still do that today. And all that made me who I am – the friendships I made, the neighbors we had, the different cultures that we lived with. That’s what I think is the unique thing about Northeastern Pennsylvania. I see it in Honesdale. I see it in Bloomsburg. I see it in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. And I think that’s the key.

What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?

Wait, I have to give you just one? Ok, so here’s the thing. I grew up in the Wyoming Valley, so I love all the family-run restaurants – Marianacci’s, Valenti’s. I love Sabatini’s Pizza. You know – all of those kinds of places. And I used the word, love. I moved to Old Forge twelve years ago, and now I have fallen in love with Anthony’s, Arcaro & Genell and Revello’s, but my favorite of all time, because of the setting and because of the friendships I’ve made, is Cusumano. I sit in the cellar dining room. I could walk in there in shorts or jeans. I get the same menu as upstairs. The bartenders are exceptional. My friendships that I made down there are great. It’s basically like my living room. Not only is the food outstanding, I also love the atmosphere.

What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?

Well, now that I have grandkids, when they come up, they want to go to the community parks. They want to go to Knoebels. They love going to all the state parks and going fishing or swimming in a stream. My favorite thing to do has always been the outdoors, but now I get to re-do all of it with my grandkids. My fiancée loves doing this stuff, too, so when the kids come up, we pack up a picnic lunch and go. They just had their first hot dog on a stick with papa. So, yeah, it’s definitely all the outdoors stuff.

Outside of that, one of my other favorite things to do is to go out and have a great dinner and listen to live music. And I have to say, over the last few years, the Old Forge music scene, and live music all over NEPA for that matter, has just exploded. Every restaurant has live music. Go to Revello’s on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They have live music under their tent. Of course, my fiancée sings in a band. I always say that she brought music back into my life. It’s the whole package, I guess. I’ll go and get dirty in the woods. I’ll go out and have a fine meal. And I love live music.

What’s next for you?

I just want to continue to spread the good word of enjoying Northeastern Pennsylvania. I want to continue to live with the same standards that I have, the same ethics, same morals. And I hope that I can instill that on generally anyone, but most especially, on my grandkids and my family. I have a mission now, going into my retirement, of getting other people to see things the way I do – that the world is beautiful, the outdoors are beautiful. You can hunt and fish and eat what you catch and harvest. I think that my future is about sharing all of that. And that, maybe when I finally go, you can do things because Don Jacobs taught you how to mushroom pick, or how to catch a trout with a worm and a hook. That’s my future. Call it a mission. Call it passion. I just want to continue doing what I’m doing.

Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?

I have a lot of hope. Our young kids have to realize that their parents stayed here for a reason. And if they embrace that idea, I see a good future. Jobs are coming here like crazy. Education and colleges are booming. The workforce is here. I see Northeastern Pennsylvania blossoming and changing with the times, embracing technology – all of the above. I see them doing that, and that is what’s going to make NEPA a great place to live forever.

Why NEPA?

You know… Nolan Johannes was one of the first people I worked with. He was a former news anchor, a legend and a great man. And I once asked that same question of him, “Nolan, you’re so good. Why did you land at WNEP? Why the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton news market?” And he said, “Quite frankly, I’d rather be a big fish in a small pond. I’m respected. People listen to what I say, and I’m not struggling day-to-day to try and prove myself.” And I guess that’s me as well. I actually turned down a big job. I was in the newsroom and the Lebanon crisis was going on. I got a call from ABC News. They wanted me to be the field producer. They wanted me to go to Lebanon. I was about to get married. And though I was really into news and the money was outrageous at the time, I said, “Nah. I like it right here where I am.” That would have changed my life – a whole different life. But I chose this place because I believed in it. Because I loved it. I love the people that I grew up with, the people I bump into at the grocery store. That’s pretty much what’s kept me here. I love it here.