When you put on 25 years’ worth of stage shows like the Panther Valley Harmony Scholars, you accumulate quite a lot of costumes and sets.

The Harmony Scholars, who have been putting on variety shows since the early ’90s, are a Panther Valley High School tradition.Each year, dozens of students participate in the program. As they go into their 25th year, they are coming off the largest show ever, with 47 students.But with space at a premium at the high school, they were forced to vacate the storage area where they kept 25 years’ worth of handmade sets, props and costumes to be recycled for future shows.Now the group is asking for the public’s help to outfit their new space — a storage trailer in the school’s parking lot.“We’re going to turn this dumpster into a closet,” co-director Patty Vito said.The group lost its space after the recent reconfiguration that brought two additional grades to the high school. Just before the 2014-15 school year began, the group’s storage space in the school was emptied into an old tractor-trailer.Co-director Kathy Crampsie said when she saw the items stacked in the trailer, she got emotional.“When I saw it all, I cried,” she said. “I was afraid it was over.”More popular than ever in its 25th year, the group isn’t going away any time soon. But they are still afraid that their costumes might.With winter approaching, there are concerns about mice making a home in the trailer, and damaging the hand-painted sets and hand-sewn costumes.They constantly re-use the supplies, combining old costumes into new ones, and re-using sets.“You never know what you’re going to need out of there,” Crampsie said.In order to secure the trailer, the group plans on removing all the items, sealing the holes in the floor, lighting the trailer and building shelving to store the various pieces.They are looking for volunteers and donations to make it happen. A community member has already offered up her house to store the props. But they still need to transport them there.Once the items are removed, they plan to outfit the trailer. They’re hoping to solicit donations for flooring, lumber, and the electric supplies needed to make the project happen.The Harmony Scholars do not get any money from the school. They give out scholarships each year, and donate to the American Cancer Society.Last year they gave out four scholarships to students. This year, they’re hoping to outdo that, and ensure that future classes will have a quality place to store their supplies.“It’s our 25th year. We’re bound and determined to make it the best of the best,” Vito said.The Harmony Scholars will begin moving items out of their trailer next Tuesday at 5 p.m. It is located in the parking lot of the Panther Valley High School, off Route 209 near Lansford.For more information, contact Kathy Crampsie at 570-645-7621 or

ckmm@ptd.net.