Archives for the Benton New
for June 2011
June 29 & 30, 2011.
June 29, the birthday of Dean Newhart, Judy Yaple and Richard Kriebel and the wedding anniversary of Marjorie and Dick Shoemaker, Larry and Judy Paul and Robert and Gloria Milnarik.June 30, the birthday of Corey McHenry, Ainsley Grigas, Diane Janney-Crist, Carey Stoneham Stewart, Susan Dzoch, Shirley Hittle and Tanner Lenhart and the wedding anniversary of Jerry and Donna McMichael and Frank and Rebecca Beishline.
My forgetter's getting better,
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke
For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering
If I really should be 'there'
And, when I try to think it through,
I haven't got a prayer!
At times I put something away
Where it is safe, but, Gee!
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!
When shopping I may see someone,
Say 'Hi' and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, 'who the heck was that?
Yes, my forgetter's getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it's driving me plumb crazy
And that isn't any joke.
--Author unknown
you won't have a leg to stand on?
The Benton Area Lions Club and the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center are proud to announce the formation of a community-based "Leo Club" in the greater Benton area. A Leo Club is a youth-volunteer organization sponsored by a Lions Club and chartered by Lions International.
The club will include both male and female members ages 12-18. The meetings will be held at The Center and the club will elect its own officers. You can get more information from Lions Club International or from the local Lions Club President Dave Riley, 925-2563 or djdrileATepix.net , Lisa Campbell, the First Vice President of the Benton Lions at 864-3638 or by email at lisacaATepix.net . Rob Hutchinson, Center Director, can provide information. Rob is at 925-0163.
The target date to get the club formed is August 1. The Lions Club is looking for teens who want to be part of this new club and a part of history in our area. Consider signing up now.
Didja ever think that you should drive more carefully?
It isn't just cars that can be recalled by their maker.
Didja know that a typical Marcellus gas well uses approximately 5 million pounds of sand (about 25 railcars) during the fracking process? For more information on what goes "between the rocks" during the fracking process, go here.
Richard Benefield, the former manager of the Hotel Magee who was famous for his "Groaning Board" smorgasbord, would turn over in his grave with the news published Tuesday in the Press Enterprise that Harry's Grille will close in July and be replaced in September by "The Hardware Bar," a nightclub where people dance on the bar and get entertained by midget wrestlers. A companion "Hardware Bar" on South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, has "half-naked girls dancing on the bars, a stage for live bands, three bars and barber chair shots" where you get your butt belted. If you really need to know more, Google "The Hardware Bar."
Didja ever hear about the local doctor who made a house call to a farmer years ago? Before going into the house to see the farmer, the doctor stopped at a well for a glass of cold water to get some of the dust out of his throat. The crank handle backfired on him and pulled him down 20 feet into the well. The farmer's son eventually saved him, but the lesson to be learned is that the doctor should have tended to the sick and left the well alone.
One of our favorite stopping place is Mount Morris, New York, in the middle of the Genesee River valley of New York state at the gateway to the beautiful Letchworth State Park. It is where the author of the Pledge of Allegiance was born and lived for the first four years of his life. Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Baptist minister with socialistic leanings, the son of a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. The Pledge was published in the September 8 issue of The Youth's Companion.
In its original form, it read:
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The words "the Flag of the United States of America" were added in 1923 and President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add "under God" in 1954 despite Bellamy's daughter's objections. Today, the Pledge reads,"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
William Arthur Avery, Jr. (December 23, 1936-June 26, 2011), Savage Hill Road, Orangeville, died Sunday at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. He had been in failing health for the past six months. He was 74.
Bill was born in Millville. He was a son of William Avery, Sr. and Irma Musselman Avery. He graduated from Millville High School in 1955. Bill was first employed by William F. Sutter Construction. In 1961, he went to work for S.H. Evert and later Bloom Penn as a construction superintendent. He was a farmer for more than twenty years. He attended the Jonestown Methodist Church.
Bill was preceded in death by a brother, Ray L. Avery, and by a stepbrother, Clyde Watts. He is survived by his wife, the former Shirley M. Rhinard, with whom he celebrated their fifty-third wedding anniversary on June 21. He is also survived by children William Avery IV (Melissa), Scranton; Kathy Bowman (Donald), Bloomsburg; Gerald Avery (Jill), Fairmount Springs; and Arnold Avery (Karen), Orangeville; thirteen grandchildren; three great grandchildren; brother, Robert Avery, Salisbury, NC; sisters, Darlene "Dolly" Sellers, Marie "Peachy" Reynolds, both of Millville and Shirley Farlow (Harry), Bloomsburg; stepsister, Doris Poole, South Williamsport; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends will be received Wednesday, June 29 from 10 to 11 AM at the McMichael Funeral Home. His funeral service will begin at 11 AM following the visitation hour. Interment will be in the St. James Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Jonestown United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, c/o Shirley Good, 214 Winding Road, Orangeville, PA 17859. For online condolences, please visit: www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
June 27 & 28, 2011
This week he registered to vote in Chicago.
The Out Among The Stars Bluegrass Festival known as O.A.T.S. begins Thursday in Benton. The shade tent was up as of Sunday afternoon, the two stages were being prepared for the shows and final mowing of grass was underway. The festival is great fun for the entire family! Activities include 12 hours of music each day on the main stage, two days of workshops taught by festival performers, two days of Americana music on the new-this-year "Roots and Branches" stage, Danny Stewart’s Slow-Jam Tent, arts and crafts at The Kidz Corner and for young budding musicians the Bluegrass Academy for Kids.
The lineup on both stages includes...
Gibson Brothers (Sat.), The Boxcars (Sat.), Hillbilly Gypsies (Fri. Sat.),
Dan Paisley and Southern Grass (Fri.), Blue Moon Rising (Fri.), Lost and Found (Sat.)
Travers Chandler and Avery County (Thursday), The Doerfels (Friday), Cabinet (Sat.)
Mason Porter (Sat.), Stained Grass Window (Thursday, Fri., Sat., Sun.), Lykens Valley Bluegrass Band (Sat., Sun.), Louie Setzer & Appalachian Mountain Boys (Sat.), Coal County Express (Fri.), The Forgotten Mountain Boys (Sun.), Folk Spirit – (Thursday, Fri.), Manatawny Creek Ramblers (Thursday), Keystone Mountain Boys (Sun.), Wissahickon Chicken Shack (Fri.)
Greenwood Valley Boys (Thursday, Fri.), Hogmaw (Fri.), Summer Reign (Thursday, Fri.)
The String Band (Sat.), Rev. Al Lumpkin and Friends (Sun.).
The 2011 O.A.T.S. bluegrass vendors are
B&C Food Services, LLC, Hot and Cold Sandwiches, Bloom Chicken and SandwichesBenton Area Rodeo, Pizza and SodaEarly Bird Concessions, Burgers, Cheese Steak, Grilled Chicken, Italian Sausage, Chicken Fingers, French fries, Funnel Cakes and Deep Fried OreosHorr's Hot Dog, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Cheese Steaks, Nachos and Soft PretzelsAsbury's Music, CDs, DVDs, Music BooksEarthwares, Scroll-Saw Work. Pictures, boxes, bookmarks, earrings, military insignias, cigar box instrumentsFerdstrings. Hand-crafted instruments. See and play the handmade guitar to be raffled off in December. All proceeds to go to the OATS Festival, Inc.G&H Sales. Glass and Gemstone Jewelry, Charm Earrings, Rock and mineral Specimens and Related ProductsGreen and Serene Textiles. Handmade Hemp Bags, Brackets, Hats, Slippers, hand-made "Nana's Remedy Bag" and PillowsHarry's Homeblown Glass. Hand blown glass art, marbles, beads, pendants, sculptures etc. Watch the free demonstrations.Sugar Mag's Rags. 60s style stuff including silver and beaded shell jewelry, incense and burner boxes, bandanas, hats and lots more.Uniquely Nepal. Handmade jewelers, purses, and homemade paper products from Kathmandu, Nepal.Kay Betts von Sneidern. Ukuleles and Autoharps, instruction books and standsAl Dedicke. Licensed Massage Therapist. Have a massage while listening to great music
June 25 & 26, 2011. Are your kids ready for vacation Bible school? It begins Monday. There could be an afternoon thundershower Saturday, but Sunday and Monday will be keepers.
An acting workshop begins Wednesday at 7 PM at The Center, but you must sign up by June 27. This is open to anyone ages 14 to 100! The children's workshop has been canceled.
About five miles of Route 487 in Sullivan County will be resurfaced during the coming months for approximately $1.3 million. Work will take place from Pigeon Creek Road at Lopez to Connells Dam Road in Cherry Township. Traffic will be via a single lane through the work zone during daylight hours with traffic flow directed by flag persons. The project includes roadway base repairs and resurfacing, drainage improvements and guiderail upgrades. Completion is scheduled by early September. Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc. is the prime contractor for this project.
The first iPad arrived in the hands of users about 15 months ago and now it seems that every company that makes phones or computers is racing to get into the market that Apple created. Alternatives to the iPad include Motorola's Xoom, RIM's PlayBook, and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1. So what is the future of the personal computer as we seem to be moving away from the standard keyboard and mouse computer into the world of touch screens? Will tablets stick around and replace the computer? Is this the beginning of an era?
By the end of 2011, the industry expects 55-58 million units to be in the hands of consumers. Users love the iPad since it is such a natural way to interact with electronics. Future generations will probably head more into speech recognition since that is also an natural way to interact. There is almost a zero learning curve for the iPad. Grandma can be up and running in minutes. Kids interact as if they were using a cell phone. For those who have had zero experience with a computer, this is a breeze! Touch computing has not reached its full potential, but next-generation software promise great strides. I recently saw Steve Martin perform live and he used an iPad to read jokes to the audience. Think of the computing strides made during your lifetime. Consider what will be in the same period in the future.
Drinking coffee is good for you. Coffee drinking is bad for you. Reading glasses should be horn-rimmed. Glasses should be rimless. Solve the energy crisis with nuclear energy. Put the brakes on nuclear energy. We can't make up our minds what we want. Remember the "baby-doll look" girls loved in 1955? What about the "trapese" skirt in the shape of a triangle which came along in the early 1960s? The "sack" dress with its straight waist came along in 1957 as Marcia Kay and I were graduating from high school. Some dresses were fitted sheath dress and some were loose straight short-shift dresses. By the time I started college, the sack dress was popular. The style hung around for awhile (no pun intended) and moved into the mini-shift dress during the 1960s. Many boys from that era will remember the mini dresses; girls may have shorter memories about how they liked the dresses.
There were those of us who felt when the sack and chemise and trapeze in women's dresses first came out that women would turn them down cold. To most of us Back Home in Benton, PA, they looked like something someone would throw on if a fire broke out at 3 AM. As you will see in a minute; that view was not universally held. The dresses reminded me of the feedsacks worn out of necessity during the Great Depression. How sexy would it be to see a woman walking down the street in a feed-sack dress with a round circle on her sitting end displaying the words "Iola Mills?"
Before we get to someone else's view of sack dresses, here is mine. If Marcia Kay got up in the morning and put on a dress cut like a sack, my day would not start on the right foot. If I were to take a walk and the women I saw were dressed as though they were bags of cement, it would be depressing. If I got to the office and my secretary resembled a South Sea island belle who looked like a missionary Mother Hubbard, it would be double disarming. Boys generally felt that sack dresses should be filled with grain. They generally felt that women should wear dresses that accented the woman's figure not hide it. Women at the time generally disagreed.
Father used to talk about "gunny sacks" made from burlap. I am not actually sure what their use was, but I think it was to take grain to the Benton Roller Mills for processing. As I remember them, they resembled the millions of sand bags in use along the Morganza spillway outside New Orleans. Yes, there were gunny-sack dresses!
In April 1954, Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower wore a trapeze-line sack dress that flared from shoulder to just below the knee. The popularity of the dress climbed.
Roy M. Davis an occasional visitor to Jamison City, writes a column in the Tri-City Record, Watervliet, MI, called the "Paw Paw River Journal." In this week's column, Roy recalls his "chief accountants" sack dress. Roy recalls that Marian "had a dress that I thought was gorgeous. Called a sack dress, it was like a colorful tube. A wide-brimmed hat completed the outfit.....High fashion, and I loved her in it. We were somewhat taken aback later in the summer when we vacationed out in our favorite Pennsylvania mountains. The natives, I suspect, referred to us as flatlanders, and were somewhat scornful of our styles and customs."
Roy was of course talking about Benton. The couple stayed with their Aunt Hope Merrill in Jamison City, and went to Benton for Sunday dinner at the Hotel Moses Van Campen on the site where the present Acorn Market is located. The hotel was noted for the "delicacy on the menu" of chicken and waffles! Roy remembers that "they served a whole dinner with homemade waffles on the side. I loved them with chicken gravy, and then would finish up with a couple more smothered in maple syrup. It was no place for a coward....or a dieter!"
Roy, via his column, describes the scene in the hotel when the sack dress made its grand entrance. "Everyone dressed up for church and Sunday dinner back then. We came into the hotel lobby for dinner. Dining-room tables were set with silverware and white linen-table cloths. Marion was wearing her drop-dead stylish sack dress and wide-brimmed hat."
The dining room was filled to capacity. Roy continued, "As our names were called, and we walked in, we passed a line of people also waiting. And we heard one older gentleman--probably hard of hearing--say in a loud voice, 'Look there! That beautiful young woman--why is she wearing that awful dress?' "
Roy concluded, "Poor old guy....just hadn’t caught up with the new styles! Oh, it did bother me a little, but I soon recovered when they served the food."
Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24, 2011. Expect the possibility of daily thundershowers through Friday.
June 23, the birthday of Samantha Marie Austin Andes, Kayla Savage, Sheri Romm Fowler and actress Frances McDormand. David and Angel McHenry celebrate their wedding anniversary, as do Mark and Peggy Seward and Matt and Kathy Seward. Mark and Matt are brothers and both married on June 23 but with five years between.
June 24, the birthday of Russ Castrogiovanni, Collin Machamer and Carol Parks. It was on this day in 1868 that the typewriter was patented by Christopher Sholes Mooresburg, Montour County, 32 miles from Back Home in Benton, PA. Today is what is known as Midsummer Day which seems a bit strange, since it happens near the beginning of summer, but to the farmer it is midpoint in the growing season, halfway between planting and harvesting. A zen work-exchange weekend begins Friday with beginner's Zazen instruction at the Endless Mountain Zendo, www.endlessmountainzendo.org. The weekend begins Friday with a 6 pm supper and ends Sunday by 3 PM. This is work exchange with voluntary donation. Contact the Endless Mountain Zendo, 104 Hollow Rd., Stillwater, for more information at 570 925-5077.
Agnes Adele (Long) Heintzelman (May 29, 1938 -June 21, 2011), Hollow Road, Stillwater, died Tuesday at Geisinger Health South, Danville, where she had been a patient since Friday. She was 73. She was born in Shamokin. She was a daughter of George and Mary Long. Mrs. Heintzelman was a homemaker who loved to spend time with her family, particularly her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She also enjoyed doing puzzles, bird-watching, playing cards, listening to music and playing scrabble.
The Class of '37 of the Benton High School had 52 members. Five of those members are still alive: Bill Mather, Theresa Hartman, Helen Kent Karns, Lois Allegar and Pierce Ashelman. The following story is about one of those members, Pierce Ashelman, a man who proudly refers to himself as a "Pennsylvania farmer."
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Pierce Ashelman, a decorated veteran of World War II from Benton who distinguished himself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service and now resides in Greenwood, was the featured speaker Monday at the June meeting of the History Buffs at the Brass Pelican Restaurant, Elk Grove. His talk was about "92 years of fabulous experiences" as a Pennsylvania farmer including the time served in the U.S. Army during World War II. |
| Picture of Pierce Ashelman courtesy of Richard Shoemaker | |
Pierce is now 92 years old. His work day begins when he arrives at the farm where his son, Harry Ashelman, lives. Pierce and his Kubota ATV are there each morning to "supervise" the day's activities.
Monday and Tuesday, June 20 & 21, 2011. Expect the mid-80s through Thursday, with the possibility of thundershowers each afternoon.
but it sure makes misery easier to live with?
Didja ever notice that the business of gas drilling is filled with misleading assertions? What the U.S. Energy Information Administration tells us about gas production is awfully optimistic. We look at the problems that would have to be solved before natural gas can be used for much more than fuel for heating buildings and for industrial-process heat. Frankly, we don't expect in the next ten years to see a whole lot of progress on cars powered by natural gas or on long-haul trucks powered by natural gas. While many will disagree, we frankly don't see natural gas displacing much oil. We see natural gas continuing along the path of its current uses.
We are told that the United States has "X" number of years of gas production assuming normal economic growth but not adding in new uses for natural gas. Estimates of domestic natural-gas supply could start to head downward within 35 years. And if production increases and if domestic gas supplies are actually less than projected, what happens after that? It appears that shale gas will be plentiful for the rest of most reader's lifetime, but isn't something that solves our problems forever.
While the flow from a gas well is high in year one, it can decline greatly during the second year. After that, flow declines at low levels. In order for overall production to increase, new wells have to come on-line quickly. We suspect that well drilling isn't going to get cheaper. Expect constrains in the industry of both lack of capital and skilled labor. Expect that concerns over the environment will result in new and more stringent regulations--resulting in higher costs and slower development. We all demand that drinking water aquifers and rivers are environmentally protected. We don't want fluids seeping from the wellbore into our drinking water either now or years from now.
Natural gas is usually considered cleaner to burn than coal--but is measured with gas from conventional "liquid-rich play" reservoirs rather than from gas that comes from the Marcellus in this part of the Commonwealth. Gas that comes through the fracturing process finds methane escaping at the beginning of a well's life. What we can take to the bank as fact is that natural gas is less polluting to burn at the burner tip than other fossil fuels. That is an important fact. But as to the claims of abundance, low price, and low-carbon footprint, we'll see later how shale gas will play in future energy.
Want to catch up on Marcellus activity in Pennsylvania? You might head to the webinars at Penn State, where topics such as ambient air sampling, trends in leases, gas taxes, legislation on Marcellus, the geology and technology of the Marcellus and other topics are discussed. Head here for much more.
Didja ever think of the value of walking? Walking can add years to your life and enable you to spend many additional months in a nursing home shelling out large amounts of money each month.
We all like old-time music. There is a festival on July 31 that you might like. The Maidencreek Old Time Music Festival includes workshops that include introduction to old-time music, flatfoot dance, claw hammer banjo, advancing banjo, singing with guitar and banjo, "fiddle from scratch," beginning and intermediate fiddle, beginning cross-tuning and beginning and intermediate lessons on banjo, fiddle, upright bass, autoharp, backup singing, lap dulcimer, mandolin and hammered dulcimers. You can learn how to fit in with traditional old-time jams. You can jam without participating in workshops or attending the concert. Call Meadowood Music at 610 916-1285 for ticket information. The festival takes place at Maier's Grove, Grove Road, Blandon, PA 19510.
June 18 and 19, 2011. Expect a generally nice weekend. Humidity returns Monday with very warm temperatures by Tuesday.
June 18, the birthday of Shirley Lockard, Diane Hubler and musician and songwriter Paul McCartney. It is the wedding anniversary of Michelle and Allen Turner and Dale and Esther McMichael Franklin.
June 19, It is the birthday of Curt Stauffer, Nicole Karr, Joe Stackhouse, Judy Paul, Sherry Jones and Ricky D. Karns. It is the wedding anniversary of Debby and Charles Ross, the day in 1862 when the U.S. Congress outlawed slavery in all United States territories. It is the third Sunday in June and time for Father's Day .
It's nice that fathers spend more times with their kids
than they did 40 years ago. Didja also notice that Arnold Schwarzenegger
spends time with twice as many kids as he did three weeks ago?
Sonestown will be all "gussied up" for its current favorite son--Aaron Kelly, a local favorite during season 9 of American Idol. Saturday morning at 10, Sullivan County officials will erect a sign to let by-passers know that it is the hometown of Kelly. The Pocono Mountains Bluegrass Festival, a family-oriented festival for the past 14 years, is ongoing at Greene Dreher Sterling Fairgrounds, Newfoundland. Smoked Country Jam Bluegrass Festival is at Quiet Oaks Campground in Cross Fork. Festival information can be found at www.smokedcountryjam.com, or by calling 570 753-8878. Annie Get Your Gun is being performed at the Community Theatre League, Williamsport. 570 327-1777, www.ctlnet.org. The Nanticoke Music Fest takes place today on Patriot's Square,in the center of Nanticoke. Many will head tonight from 4 to 7 PM to the Waller Memorial Hall to eat. Riverfest is a favorite. Canoe the Susquehanna, explore the natural riverside trails on guided hikes, enjoy children's activities and games to learn more about the Susquehanna River's wildlife, history and much more. Boat launch in Nesbitt Park, Wilkes-Barre. www.rivercommon.org
June 18 is the day for the Butterfly Count at 8:30 AM at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center. You can ride the Fun Fest Express from the Berwick Test Track Park to Lime Ridge and back again. Times for the excursion are 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM. The Williamsport Soap Box Derby is on Saturday in Brandon Park to Little League Blvd., Williamsport. www.williamsportsbd.com . Details on the Upcoming Events page of the Benton News.
The idea of Father's Day came to Mrs. John Dodd as she listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Her father raised his children alone on his Washington farm after his wife died giving birth to their sixth child. Mrs. Dodd proposed to local authorities that they celebrate a "father's day" on June 5, her father's birthday. The idea was liked, but the ministers of Spokane needed extra time to prepare sermons on the unexplored subject of fathers. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, and soon spread to other towns. Father's Day didn't become a permanent national holiday until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a law declaring that it be celebrated annually on the third Sunday in June.
The "Great Race" went through Benton Wednesday with about 25 beautiful old cars participating. The race began in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on June 11. The cars spend the night Tuesday in Hershey, stopped for lunch Wednesday in Hazleton and spent the night in Binghamton, New York. The race ended in Bennington, Vermont, Friday, June 17.
A gazebo proudly graces the grounds of The Center, thanks in part to members of the "Sit n Fit class" who contributed $1,750 dollars to the gazebo without even being asked. Rev. David Diehl said a prayer and blessed the gazebo Friday. Rick Iddings donated all the material and labor to construct the site. A handicapped-accessible walk will be built in July, then the Job Corp brick shop will lay the "Memory Walk" bricks on July 18. Applications are available at the Center for the bricks. They are $50 per brick, but if one buys two or more, 20% will be deducted from the total bill. For the July 18 laying, the orders have to be in by July 1. There will be another laying in September. The trail will be 36" wide with room on each side for landscaping. The landscape committee will plant flowers and shrubs and grass around the gazebo and alongside the "Memory Brick Walk."
The gazebo proudly rests adjacent to the bank of Fishing Creek beside The Center.
Some of the members of the "Sit 'n Fit" group relaxing at the gazebo Friday morning after class. This is only a small portion of the generous people who participated in the placement of the gazebo. Chuck and Kay Chapman, not shown, moved the project to fruition. |
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Pictures courtesy of Richard Shoemaker
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Nancy Spencer needs help with a postcard which was identified as Hillsgrove. Nancy does not think the town shown is Hillsgrove. The postcard was postmarked September 10, 1909, in Millville and addressed to a gentleman in Hillsgrove. Can a reader help to correct name of the town shown?
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June 17, the 168th day of 2011 with four days until the official start of summer. Today is the birthday of Michelle Brewer, Allan Harvey, M. J. Mahon and Governor Tom Corbett. It is the wedding anniversary of Harry and Ellen Angle, John and Margaret Wharton and Forrest & Rosalie Fronheiser.
The Benton Area School District, an equal-opportunity employer, is accepting applications for Business Office Manager from those with five-years experience in school finance or business-office operations. The applicant must have experience with payroll and health-care benefits. The school district is also looking for a library aide/central-supply clerk, someone with computer experience, capable of multi-tasking and with exceptional organizational skills. Send letter of application, current Acts 34, 51 and 114 clearances and three letters of recommendation for these full-time support staff positions with benefits to Penny Lenig-Zerby, Superintendent, Benton Area School District, 600 Green Acres Road, Benton, PA 17814. The deadline is July 1, 2011.
We are getting close to the start of the O.A.T.S. Bluegrass Festival . The show opens June 30 and runs to July 3 at the Benton Rodeo Grounds, Mendenhall Lane, Benton. Bands start kicking bluegrass Thursday as the Manatawny Creek Ramblers and the Greenwood Valley Boys will play at 3 and 4 PM. For those who have a four-day ticket, the picnic takes place at 4 PM, following by the "Manatawny Creek Ramblers" at 5:30, Folk Spirits at 6:30, Travers Chandler and Avery County at 7:30; Stained Grass Window at 8:30; Summer Reign at 9:30; and Travers Cahndler and Avery County closing the show for the evening at 10:30.
June 16, 2011, the birthday of Nicholas Wisniewski, Joelle McDonald, Mike Ender Kass, Nancy Joan Hess, Cora Sacks, Nicole Anjanette Hummel LaPoint and Melanie Gordon. It is the anniversary of Ed and Alice Allegar and Scott and Karen Edwards.
Times have changed from June 16, 1979, when Scott and Karen were married! President Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel had signed a peace agreement, and President Carter had declared that "Peace has come." The Pittsburgh Steelers were the top dogs, beating the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. Chrysler was on its way to losing more than $207 million in the second quarter. Presidential brother Billy was cleared of bad business dealings obtained through Burt Lance. Ronald Reagan said, "For the average American, the message is clear.Liberalism is no longer the answer. It is the problem."
Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was asked in 1812 to arbitrate an important matter in the new nation. You couldn't have asked a better man. Before becoming Governor of Massachusetts, Gerry had signed the Declaration of Independence, been part of the Constitutional Convention and served as a member of Congress.
Gerry was asked to determine the lines of reapportionment for the State's senatorial delegation. He drew a group of crooked lines that duplicated the route that a black snake would take through a wheat field. The squiggles coincided with the strong points of Gerry's party and were the basis for a new word--Gerrymander--which meant to abuse your power in order to enhance the election chances of your friends and yourself. Gerrymandering takes place when a political party creates a political advantage by manipulating geographic boundaries that plop people with certain ideologies together to protect the incumbents of one party.
As punishment for what he had done, Gerry was elected Vice President of the United States under James Madison a year later.
The act of showing favoritism to your political friends or of attempting to do something crooked suddenly found a place in the annals of American politics.
As an aside, Elbridge's family pronounced the "G" as in "Gary" or "Good." Most Americans tend to pronounce the drawing of squiggly lines for political purposes "Jerry mandering."
However you wish to pronounce it, politicians in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth are redrawing a congressional district in something akin to a seahorse shape and dropping a congressional seat to a total of 18. It is taking place because of a relative decline in population. The 2010 census figures showed Pennsylvania’s population rose 3.4% since 2000, but that is less than the national average. Republicans control the state House and Senate and the governor’s seat and will lead in redistricting the Commonwealth. Expect the demise of the 12th congressional district, represented by the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha, which includes all of Green County, and parts of Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Hearings on congressional redistricting will take place this fall. Expect a decision before primary elections.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe
Pictures of the activity Wednesday, June 15, at the Martin gas well are available for viewing at https://picasaweb.google.com/bentonnews/20110716#5618623745426545346 .
June 15, 2011, the birthday of Duston McElwee, Kelly Ditzel, Allen Turner III and David J. Baker. Happy anniversary to IBM, founded a hundred years ago today as the Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation. The local Red Hats meet at 2 PM at the Sub Shop. There is a full moon tonight with every indication that it will be a clear night. The Algonquin tribes knew the June full moon as a time to pick strawberries. Cinda Hartman, Berwick, is scheduled for her third hip-replacement surgery today. Ron Kelsey came through his "double-knee" replacement Tuesday. Ken Kelsey said after the operation, Ron "sounded just as normal as could be." Louise McGarigle is doing well for her 91 years as she recovers from hip surgery.
There is a medieval re-enactment group that meets on the third Saturday of every month. The next meeting is June 18 at 2 PM at the Bloomsburg Town Park bandshell. Call 854-6050 for more information.
If you are interested in participating in the "Plant a Row" project for the Local Food Bank, please call Dottie Winter, 925-2501
Congratulations to Tina Wood, since March 2010 the Assistant Branch Manager at the Vice President level of the First Columbia Bank, Benton. Tina was a dedicated customer-service representative of First Columbia Bank for a number of years before and after the merger. Her winning smile makes banking in Benton a pleasure.
A house representing Bailey Park is completed in the village of Central, and construction is ongoing on Distillery Hill Road in the 55-plus community. The homes offer floor plans you grow into, not out of. There are two- and three-bedroom plans with two full tiled baths available and nearly 1,300 square feet of open-living space. Homes get a choice of one- and two-car garages, covered porches, cathedral ceilings and green amenities such as geothermal heating and cooling systems, Energy Star Appliances and Pella windows and doors. Each home will be handicap accessible. You can tour the show home and lots by calling 925-2077. The web site, www.baileypark55.com , provides information about more than $20,000 in tax credits, upgrades and discounts.
Fishing Creek Players will hold an actors' workshop this summer. This workshop will be aimed not only toward those wanting to have a role onstage, but will help with public speaking, abolish stage fright, develop confidence in working with a team, as well as increase skills for holding the attention of an audience and using stage presence in front of a crowd. The Acting Workshop will start on Wednesday, June 29, and meet every Wednesday at 7 PM through August 3 at The Center. The cost to Center members is $40; $60 for non members. It is open to anyone ages 14 to 100--older and younger applicants should talk with M.R. Daniels at 925-2080 for more information.
Max and Loraine (Fritz) Hartman are in the area from their North Carolina home visiting for a week. Max attended his 55th Millville High School Class Reunion, but lamented that a number of his classmates were getting up in age. He said that some were so old they didn't even recognize him.
Forecasting the weather is right too often for us to ignore it
and wrong too often for us to rely on it.
Didja notice that everywhere we turn there seems to be some sort of disaster? On the weather front, the nation has endured heavy snow and ice storms and related high amounts of precipitation, arctic-air outbreaks and heat waves, flooding and tropical winds of tornado intensity. The word "Tsunami," not in our vocabulary a few years ago, is now a much-feared word in many parts of the world. There are record droughts and fires of massive proportions. Comatologists predict a "well above-average activity for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season." It is going to be a boozy of a year!
We continue to live beyond our means. People are caught up in an economic crisis which tends to get the nation embroiled as many of us are at our level. In other parts of the world, coal, oil and natural gas are playing out and nations will soon have to rely on imported energy sources. Germany and Switzerland have decided to give up on nuclear power. As the world population continues to grow by approximately 70 million each year, supplies of food, water and electricity are becoming a global issue which in turn fuels turmoil. Although some claim that temperatures are not rising, the strain on fossil fuel and existing power stations is beginning to show.
Countries of Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh are barely able to cope with unusually high temperatures while keeping its infrastructure and factories operating. India tucks 1.2 billion people into its border and grows at a rate nearly that of China, but are on the shy side of water and coal. We will probably soon see a downward economy in southern Asia coupled with political unrest. Japan's tsunami/nuclear events have dealt a considerable economic blow which even in normal times would take many years for recovery. As fossil fuels are imported into Japan, the country certainly cannot maintain its former status as a world leader. Don't believe that? Just try to buy a Prius or get parts for a Prius from Toyota.
In Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, there are no sources of fossil fuel. These countries will eventually have a very gloomy economy. China grows at 9 or 10% a year, but its future can't be as bright as its recent past. The aquifers that supply water to 440 million people living in the north China plain are about to run dry as the country experiences its worst drought in a century. Beijing is attempting to divert water from the Yangtze in the north, a process somewhat akin to diverting the Mississippi River to New England. Assume that cash-rich Beijing may soon begin importing food, oil and minerals in such quantities that there won't be much left for the rest of us. Watch prices begin to climb because of this.
If there is a bright spot in our economy, it is here in Northeast Pennsylvania and other areas that straddle the Marcellus and the Utica shale. The fracking of the Martin well, just a few miles north of Benton, begins today and we will soon have a better understanding of the amount of natural gas we have under our area. In the meantime, head to https://picasaweb.google.com/bentonnews/20110715 to see the beehive of activity which took place Tuesday at the Martin Well.
Edward Paul Bogert, Sr. (July 2, 1968-June 14, 2011), Stillwater (Fishing Creek Township) died Tuesday at the Bloomsburg Hospital Emergency Room. He was 42. He was born at the Bloomsburg Hospital. He was a son of Ernest H. and Jean M. (Kile) Bogert, Stillwater. He attended Benton Schools and later Columbia Montour Vocational Technical School. Mr. Bogert was a milk-truck driver for many years and at the time of his death was employed by Arndt's Trucking Company.
Surviving are his parents, his wife, Kimberly (Rhone) Bogert, Benton; children Britney, Edward P., Jr., Sierra, Keith and Olivia; a grandson, Gauge; a brother, Ernest Bogert (Candy); sisters Kristina Bedient (Bill); Tara Bogert and her companion, Thomas Shoemaker. Also surviving are numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be held Friday at 2 PM with calling preceding at the McMichael Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be given to the family to help defray expenses. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Monday and Tuesday, June 13 & 14, 2011.
You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
--You're a Grand Old Flag, George M. Cohan
Quakers didn't take to inter-denominational marriages. The penalty for such unions was to be "read out" of the Quaker meeting house. This meant that the guilty party would be cut off emotionally and economically from both family and meeting house. But sometimes it is hard not to fall in love with someone and so on a November night in 1773, Betsy, 21, eloped with John Ross across the Delaware River to Hugg's Tavern in New Jersey where they married. Her wedding caused an irrevocable split from her family. The couple started their own upholstery business.
The committee is hoping to attract more members to conduct the interviews and more local vets to submit to the interviews (just talk, really). Some of the interviews will be transcribed for publication in a planned series of books. An appendix in the first volume will consist of one-page “profiles” of area vets, so if you don’t have much to say, you could at least give the group your basic info: name, rank, branch of service, theater of operations, induction date, discharge date, etc. This process is made easier by filling out a form available on the Library of Congress website (the Biographical Data Form) or available from Mark Fritz, chairman of the WW2 committee. Also required for the “profile” is a photo of the vet in uniform. For those who don’t have their photos as JPEGs, the Society will scan and return photos. The group is also seeking financial assistance to underwrite the printing/publishing costs of the overall project. The committee’s next meeting will be June 13 at 6:30 PM at the Society's headquarters on the second floor of the Bloomsburg Public Library. For more information, email markfritz10ATverizon.net.
At the present time, all death certificates recorded since 1906 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have restricted access regardless of how long ago a person died. Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records regulations require the requester to supply several pieces of information (including when and where the person died), spend $9 and wait three months to as much as eight months for each and every death certificate. A requester is also required to have a direct relationship to the deceased in order to obtain a copy of a death certificate. Often a requester doesn’t know if the person is related and needs the death certificate to find out. This is especially true when compiling family histories and trying to find the descendents of a common ancestor. The information a requester is expected to supply is quite often the very information a requester is looking for and the very reason for wanting a death certificate. Learn more by going here.
The Genealogy Vital Records Bil would allow birth records more than 100 years old and death records more than 50 years old to become open to the public. The bill passed unanimously by the Senate State Public Health and Welfare Committee on June 8. It will move to the Appropriations Committee next, and with your encouragement, hopefully move to the House and the Governor.
Learn more about the bill and follow its progress by going here . Please contact your state senator and representative to support it. Names and addresses of the legislators are shown here.
Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, 2011.
More than 100 containment tanks for storing hazardous and non-hazardous liquids and solids are now at the Martin site from Adler Tank Rental. These water tanks are manifolded together to store the reclaimed fracking fluids for disposal or re-injection. Workers wearing hard hats, safety glasses and steel-toed boots are everywhere on the drill site. Facebook followers can cut and paste the URL www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1988613068569&comments into their browser for a video provided by Dean Marshall of activity Friday at the Martin drill site.
Pump units are ready to inject the water, chemicals and sand into the well bore. We'll see an increase in the number of water trucks coming from Upper Raven Creek Road to Route 487 as--according to some estimates--up to four million gallons of water will be necessary for the fracking. Assume that the driver's shifts of 12 hours on, 12 hours off, will tend to wear the drivers down. When you pass these trucks, remember that the drivers are working for a living, while you may only be out for a weekday drive. Never argue with a vehicle three times larger than yours! Expect some air pollution from the non-stop running of the diesel generators. It should be over in three to ten days.
How much energy will we need? MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy, writes that global energy consumption in 2002 was 13.5 terawatts. By midcentury using the current U.S. rate, Nocera says we'll need 102 terawatts--seven times as much. We have zero chance of producing that much energy. If we dropped our lifestyle back a peg or two, the world would still need more terawatts of energy than we're consuming right now. If we build massive numbers of nuclear plants (a dim possibility), make everything that is green into biomass, dam up rivers to produce hydroelectric, slap a wind farm on top of all the hills--we still could not keep up with our need for energy. Coal, oil and gas are with us and with our grandchildren.
Fracking of the Martin well begins soon. Others will follow.
Alfred Wayne Hilley (October 2, 1927-June 1, 2011), New Port Richey, Florida, died Wednesday at Tampa Hospital, Tampa, Florida. He was 83. He was born in Benton. He was a son of Bruce and Leatha (Kline) Hilley and grew up in Jamison City. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1948 and 1951 to 1955 on aircraft carriers and blimps. Mr. Hilley moved to New Port Richey in 1970. He was a retired construction worker.
Surviving are daughters Gloria (Larry) Sharpe, Tennessee, Lori ( Tom) Liberge, Florida, son Bruce Hilley, Florida, and seven grandchildren. He was married to Virginia Piatt who preceded him in death in 2007. Also surviving is a brother Keith (Ruth) Hilley, Punxsutawney, PA. He was preceded in death by brothers Charles (Reese), Robert (Bob) and Richard (Dick).
Services are private and under the direction of Dobies Funeral Home, New Port Richey. View guest book at www.tampabay.com/obits .
June 10, 2011, the birthday of Debbie Antanitis, Mitchell Worley, Carrie Flynn and Shirley Wodrig, along with Prince Phillip of England. Eric and Kelly Kocher and Dale and Deanna Ruckle have wedding anniversaries today. The East Berwick Firemen's Carnival is on tonight at Fifth & Central Streets, Berwick. You can eat ice cream in Millville from 4:30 at the Millville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The Sullivan County Council on the Arts will present "Diamonds and Coal" at St. Francis Hall, Route. 487, Mildred tonight at 7.
Didja know that one of the women Congressman Anthony Weiner was communicating with was a porn star? When asked how it was possible to get involved with someone in such a sleazy business, the porn star said, “I don’t know.”
The first week of June watched what seemed to be two different trading markets--“before” and “after” the Memorial Day holiday. Natural-gas prices were listless going into the holiday weekend but started to climb with the heat wave. The Henry Hub price advanced 27 cents per million Btu (MMBtu) (6.2%) for the week to close at $4.63 per MMBtu on June 1. For the week ending June 8, natural gas prices rose with moderate increases in most areas and steep increases in the Northeast. The Henry Hub spot price rose 20 cents on the week from $4.63 to $4.83 per MMBtu Wednesday.
People across the United States celebrate Flag Day on June 14 each year to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption. Didja know that June 14, Flag Day, is a legal holiday in Montour County? Flag Day is a nationwide observance, but generally not a public holiday.
Get Ready Kids for the "Shake it up Café."Vacation Bible School will mix up some real fun this year in its kid-friendly café full of chef's hats and aprons, pots and pans, checkered tablecloths, and chalkboard menus, as the group explores the Bible as a cookbook filled with recipes for living out God's Word. Through exciting lessons that are easy to apply to our lives today you will celebrate biblical festivals that reveal ingredients for being a follower of God. So get ready to Shake It Up at the Benton United Methodist Church June 27 to July 1 8:45 AM to noon.
When I lived in Arlington, Virginia, I made numerous attempts to transplant mountain laurel to the Old Dominion. Digging a plant is not easy and always resulted in root damage. I would recommend that you get balled and burlapped nursery plants. For the people in the back of the room holding up their hands, it is only a myth that one can't remove the state flower or that it is in protected status. Of course, you can't remove anything from private or public land without the permission of the landowner or land manager! There are no legal restrictions on the cultivation of mountain laurel.
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Mountain Laurel blooming June 9 East of St. Gabriel's Church. |
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Laurel gets along in deep shade, but you'll get more flowers if you plant mountain laurel in light shade. Soil is another factor to keep in mind in growing mountain laurel. Soil should be moist but well-drained by adding peat moss, humus and sand before planting. It will take a while, but laurel will grow to 5 to 8 feet high. Soil should be on the acidic side. Don't plant too deeply; where the trunk meets the roots should be out of the ground. As with azaleas, pinching off the seed heads after blooming promotes better flowering for the next season.
To learn more about the Pennsylvania State flower, go here.
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Final preparations for the beginning of the fracking of the Martin Well beside Route 487 near St. Gabriel's Church. There are more than 100 water wagons waiting for the air compressors to turn on and fracking to begin. |
Thomas G. "Tom" Orzo (April 20, 1950-June 9, 2011), Third Street, Benton, died Thursday at his home following a brief illness. He was 61. Tom was born in Queens, New York. He was a son of Joseph and Mary (Bardunios) Orzo. He proudly served his country in the U. S. Navy. Tom was a long-time employee of Bloomsburg Mills where he was a supervisor until the plant closed. Surviving is his wife, Darla K. (Force) Orzo, with whom he celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary on May 7. There are his four children: Joe W. Orzo, Cincinnati, Ohio; Petty Officer Second Class Alex J. Orzo (Michelle), currently serving in the U. S. Navy; Autumn L. Shultz (Benjamin), Berwick; Amber L. Orzo, at home. Also surviving are grandchildren: Justin, Hunter, Xander, Olivia, Connor, Peyton and Paige. A sister, Mary Ann Serio (George) lives in Sacramento, California.Funeral services will be held Monday at 3 PM at the McMichael Funeral Home with viewing preceding. A private burial will be in St. Gabriel's Cemetery, Sugarloaf Township, with full military honors accorded by a combined Veteran's group. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
David F. Hardy (May 14, 1938-June 7, 2011), Benton and formerly of Skippack, died Tuesday at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. He was 73. Mr. Hardy was born in Paradise Valley. He was a son of Lawrence and Ada (Oney) Hardy. He had been a heavy-equipment operator for Horgan Brothers, West Point, until his retirement in 2004. Surviving are his sons Granville Eickhoff and David Hardy (Lisa); his daughters Hattie Tribe (David), Roxanne Nicschke (Robert), Linda Hardy, Susan Dixon (Tony), Brenda Hardy, Jacqueline Lane (Leroy), Tammy L. Hardy and her fiancée, Charles Jeffries. Also surviving are 18 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and his siblings Ted Hardy, Shirl Nace, Doris LaBar and Annabelle Cavanaugh. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary R. (Gouger) Hardy, on March 13, 2007, and by a brother, Lawrence Hardy.Services are private and under the direction of the McMichael Funeral Home. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Wednesday and Thursday, June 8 & 9, 2011. Hot and humid Wednesday, leading to strong to moderate thunderstorms through Saturday.
June 8, the birthday of Charles Ross, Becki Strouse, Becki Lazowicki, Debra Davis Wojciechowicz, Miranda Kocher and Mary Louise Buckalew.
June 9, the birthday of June Hartzell, Kasey Wise, Christopher Stephen Michael Diltz, Fran Adams, Heidi Hauber, Tara Timpanelli, and Betty Fritz Victory. It is the wedding anniversary of Harold & Miriam Johnson.
Deborah & Jonathan Hutchison are singer/songwriters and recording artists and will perform their original music at the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center Wednesday evening, June 22, at 7. There is no admission, but donations will be shared with the Community Center for its programs. Recordings of the Hutchisons' music will be available. For more information, call the Center at 925-0163. The Hutchisons are singers, songwriters and long-time musical partners who got their start as winners and headliners at the 1973 Northeastern Inter-Collegiate Folk Festival. The Hutchisons perform their original music in clubs, coffeehouses, churches, house concerts, schools and on college campuses nationwide. Their music is featured at Earth Day celebrations, peace and justice rallies, retreats, conferences, interfaith events and benefits for community groups. Along the way, they've produced five albums of original music. Ranging from folk to rock, classical to jazz, R&B to gospel, and featuring trademark vocal harmonies, these songs of hope and celebration uplift spirits and encourage listeners to join in.
Didja ever think that if we were meant to pop out of bed, we would have been born in toasters?
The Benton Class of 1981 is hosting a happy hour August 19 at the Jamison City Hotel at 6 PM. Benton alumni who graduated from the late 1970s to the early 1980s are invited to attend. On August 20, the class will host a dinner at the Links at Hemlock Creek located off of the Buckhorn exit on I-80. Dinner cost is $35 per person. All 1981 graduates of Benton High School along with 1981 graduates of Vo Tech from Benton are invited. For more information, contact Karen Cotter, 784-4274.The local Soup Kitchen is scheduled to open in September. Any group or person wishing to help with this should contact Joe Feola, 925-5201.
Anyone with extra vegetables this summer is asked to drop them off at the Community Center, the first and third Tuesdays of each month before 9 AM to share with less fortunate families. Help is also needed with the sorting and bagging of these vegetables.
This is a reminder that Vacation Bible School is June 27-July 1 at the United Methodist Church from 8:45 AM to noon.
America’s Got Talent winner Neal E. Boyd has a track of “God Bless the USA” from his debut album. Listen here.
We often brag up the calendar put out by Google which goes hand-in-glove with its Gmail service. Didja know that you can add a short-range weather forecast to your calendar? It is free and you don't need to add any doohickeys or gadgets. Add your local weather forecast by logging into your Google account and open Google Calendar. Click on the gear icon at the top right of the Google Calendar page. Click “Calendar settings” and then select the General tab. Enter your zip code in the ‘Location’ section. Select "°F" in the ‘"Show weather based on my location’ section" section, then save your settings. Close Google Calendar, then reopen it to see the weather forecast. The forecast will show up in icons in the top left of each day. Hover over the icon of the weather to see temperature, or click on the weather icon to see more details including cloud cover, wind, and humidity, as well as the entire forecast in one view. This feature gives you today's weather, plus the weather for the next three days. The weather forecast will also transfer to your smart phone and iPad.
Or did the name come from the camp ground used by militiamen assigned to defend the area during the June 1863 invasion by the Confederate armies during the Civil War? You may remember that the Battle of Sporting Hill in Camp Hill was the northernmost engagement of the Gettysburg campaign.
We do know that Camp Hill had five others names. It was called "Hendricks" following the order by Thomas Penn that only Tobias Hendricks could live in the area. Hendricks lived at the present location of 24th and Market Streets, Camp Hill. When Major General Edward Braddock was defeated on the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh during the French and Indian War (Seven Year War) in 1755, Hendricks took precautions and fortified his house. He opened a tavern and called it "Fort Pleasant." Another tavern came along in 1814 at Trindle Road and "the Great Road" and "Oysters Point" became the name.
A man by the name of John Bowman bought Hendrick's business in 1796 and refurbished the wooden building into a stone building which remains to this day at 2324 Market Street. Bowman and his son were prominent enough that people began calling the area "Bowmanstown." The family opened an academy known as White Hall and after the Civil War the academy became the White Hall Soldiers' Orphan School which remained open until 1890. "White Hall" became the unofficial name for the area. One of the Bowmans became the first post master and was given the honor of naming the post office. White Hall was a post-office name in use in the Commonwealth, so Bowman suggested the name "Camp Hill" in honor of camp meetings held by the Church of God. When the people petitioned for incorporation in 1885, the name was given to the borough.
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Barbara Dewey, Susan Sedlins and Ann Dobon--collectively known as the "Stiles Girls"--recently came "Back Home to Benton, PA, which they proclaimed a "a beautiful and peaceful valley!" They looked at covered bridges, "headed up the hill to Benton Cemetery to pay our respects to all the ancestors," and were "especially impressed by the sign with flowers and the insignias from various wars." They stopped in a café for a coffee break in anticipation of a full-scale attack on the antique shops and art gallery (which turned out to be closed for the day). They were prepared to relieve themselves of some serious cash! |
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| The Stiles Girls went into the Benton Christian Church where they were warmly greeted by the "knitting-ladies group" who showed them the stained-glass windows in memory of the Stiles family. The girls went away with a book about the history of the church. They promised to be back some day to attend church, buy antiques, visit the cemetery and spend time with second cousin Ann Ganshaw who had injured her ankle the day of their visit. Susan is working on a Stiles version of the story of the Fishingcreek Confederacy and the story of "Uncle Richard," the enrollment officer. | ||
Monday and Tuesday, June 6 & 7, 2011. Temperatures today will be in the low 80s, progressing through the low 90s Thursday.
The first contingent for the Civilian Conservation Corps camp left Fort Meade, Maryland, on June 5, 1933. The men arrived in Benton by train on June 6, 78 years ago and were transported by "community" trucks to the site of the camp thirteen miles north of Benton. The location chosen for the camp was at that time a swamp, covered with weeds and boulders, infested with insects, adjacent to a temperamental stream. They arrived at a good time of the year. Little did they realize what the severity of the winter months would bring. The men cleared enough space to pitch tents the for the first night's stay. During the night, a heavy wind and rainstorm tore down many of their tents. First Lieutenant. L. E. Mielenz, Engineer Corps, was in charge.
Eighteen men quit the camp the first night. What a difficult night for men who probably had never been out of their home state--and yet many of these men never again returned to where they had originated. They chose to stay in the area. They married, raised their children and put down roots in the upper Fishingcreek valley. Those who eventually returned to the family homestead often took a bride from the local area with them. The men's living quarters for the entire duration of the camp were cold and damp tents with minimal flooring. Officers and employees of the camp had wooden buildings in which to sleep.
But after a rough start, Camp Morton, as it was called, grew and prospered. The camp of almost 200 men won several contests with other camps in the state. The camp got honors in 1935 as the "outstanding camp for Pennsylvania." Its work projects--six days a week, excluding Sunday--included building roads, bridges and fish dams, stream improvement, fire and truck trails and reforestation. The camp lasted 4½ years. The men were paid $30 a week for their own use, while $25 per week was sent home to the camper's family. In addition, men received room, board and clothing. Most felt that the $5 was sufficient for cigarettes, soap, razor blades and snacks and the few necessities required for survival.
Names familiar to us in the upper Fishingcreek valley were at the camp: Bender, Hess, Young, Hacker, Cole, Mika, Brown, Kile, Smith. Camp Morton was officially known as "Company 341, S-104-Pa, Benton, Pa." You won't find the boundaries of Camp Morton on maps today. It was one and seven-tenths miles from the Columbia County line at Elk Grove.
The camp remained in operation until December 12, 1937. At that time most of their work in the area was accomplished and the draft was calling many of the young men of that age into the army.
You can read more about life of the town of Emmons and the CCC Camp known as Morton by clicking on www.bentonnews.net/Features/Civilian%20Conservation%20Corps.htm .
I propose to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in simple work,
not interfering with normal employment, and confining itself to forestry,
the prevention of soil erosion, flood control and similar projects.
--President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
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Didja know that Price-Look Up (PLU) codes for fresh fruits and vegetables sold in random-weight produce departments tell you information you might want to know? PLU codes have been used by supermarkets since 1990 to make check-out and inventory control easier, faster, and more accurate. Here is an example. Fruit grown that was exposed to chemicals carry PLU codes on the sticker with four numbers. Organically grown fruit have a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 9. Genetically engineered (GM) fruit has a five-numeral PLU prefaced by the number 8. A banana plucked from a banana tree would have a PLU of 4011. If that banana were organically grown, it would be 94011. If that banana was genetically engineered (if for example the banana was grafted with a walnut to make it easier and quicker to make a banana split), the PLU would be 84011. And didja know that more than 8% of all processed foods we buy are genetically modified, although the countries of Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg ban them? In the US and Canada, food manufacturers are not required to label if their food is genetically modified or not. To read more about this subject, go here . Want to check the avocado you bought yesterday? Go here and enter the PLU code.
Neighboring and nearby counties, such as Lycoming, Tioga and Bradford, are receiving significant tax revenues assessed on lodging as a result of natural-gas drilling and related industries. The Tax Reform Code of 1971 imposes a hotel occupancy tax of six% of the rental fee of a room or rooms in a hotel in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania is the fourth most visited state in the nation, and combined with additional revenue from all the gas activity in the gas-drilling areas is pulling in money in a big way. We continue to attempt to find additional local lodging facilities in anticipation of 2012--the year of natural gas exploration in a big way in Columbia County.
Didja hear about the North Carolina bank which was foreclosed on by a homeowner? Months ago, Bank of America filed a foreclosure on a home without a mortgage. The couple had bought the house for cash. In court, the couple proved they didn't owe the bank any money and never had a mortgage. The bank was ordered by the court to pay the legal fees of the homeowners for wrongfully trying to foreclose on the house. Five months later, the bank had not yet paid the legal fees and so the homeowners seized the bank's assets. Off to court they went, which gave instructions to remove everything of value from the building, including money in the drawers. The bank manager finally wrote a check covering the legal expenses to the homeowners from "outside the bank" so that he could enter the bank. Read the whole story here.
Many will remember the pinball machines in the back room of the Kozy Korner restaurant, at Yost's Restaurant and at Joe Dalto's Restaurant. The pinball machines have gone the way of the 1950s. But wait! Thousands of pinball fans attended the 2011 Northwest Pinball and Gameroom Show over the weekend in Seattle. The show featured 350 pinball and arcade games all set on free play. As someone lost once said, "What goes around, comes around." The closest pinball machine we know of is at Whispering Pines Camping Resort.
The "Bat Factory" in Stillwater, now known as Taylor Tool, will breathe a sigh of relief now that the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture no longer will restrict the movement of firewood and ash materials within the state. The move was a little like the general who was losing a battle, so he simply declared victory and retreated. The ash borers, which live much of their lives beneath tree bark, didn't flinch when the state and the Federal government placed a four-year quarantine on firewood, lumber and nursery stock. The state has therefore lifted the ban on the movement of firewood and ash.
The Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association will sponsor a program on woodland management on June 12 at 1:30 PM at the Park Family Farm near Benton. The Parks have a diverse wood lot with many of the issues facing central Pennsylvania woodland owners. They have built a 10-acre deer enclosure fence and smaller fences with oak seedlings, allowing participants to see first-hand how much deer really impact the forest. Attendees will also see how old pine plantations have been managed and the results of new hardwood plantings in some of the fields. The site also has mature forests with looming questions: what can be done with the hemlock trees being attacked by woolly adelgid and with the ash trees given the impending impact of the emerald ash borer? The public is invited to come and learn about what the Parks have done so that participants can better manage their own wood lots. This free program will be held at the Park Family Farm and Forest, 2098 County Line Road, Benton. For further information and directions, contact Henry Williams at 458-0157.
June 4 & 5, 2011. There is a possibility of thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday afternoon, with the weather turning warm and sunny for Monday and Tuesday. The Sullivan County Council on the Arts will present "Diamonds and Coal" for its fifth production at the Roving Historical Theater at St. Francis Hall, Route. 487, Mildred. The production will take place Saturday and Sunday. The production will be held at 7 PM on June 4 and 10, and 2 pm on June 5. Tickets are $7 in advance for adults, $8 at the door, $1 for students and free for pre-schoolers.
June 5, the birthday of Edd Sidinger III and Kevin Little, along with Kenny G (without a period). Skyhaven Airport Fly-In Breakfast & Craft Show is Sunday from 7:30 to 1 PM at the airport located on Route 29, Tunkhannock.
On this day in 1933, the first contingent bound for the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania left Fort Meade, Maryland, and arrived in Benton by train the following day. From the train station, the men were transported by truck to the Elk Grove area, in what must have seemed like the end of the earth. A heavy wind and rainstorm tore down many of their tents during that first night under the stars. Eighteen men quit the camp the first night. The camp became known in the Civilian Conservation Corps as Camp Morton. Over the next four and a half years, the men built roads, bridges and fish dams, improved streams and built fire and truck trails, plus much more.
There is a sneak preview available of Krysten Ritter's new series on NBC, "Love Bites." The preview is on youTube so you may have to cut and paste to view. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xtfj36WwA0
Indians claimed that the finger lakes in upstate New York were formed when the Creator laid his hands on the earth to bless the land. The resemblance to fingers on a hand is actually rather accurate if viewed from space or a map. Marcia Kay and I spent Friday on one of the Finger Lakes--Keuka, a "Y-shaped" body of water with about 70 miles of shoreline and lots of bays and coves. There is a delightful little town at the southern end of the lake and another at the northern end. The Indian word for the lake meant "canoe landing." White settlers chose to call the body of water "Crooked Lake."
The name of the lake finally ended up with the Indian name. Much of the water for the lake comes from an inlet at the base of the "Y" and flows out of the lake and into Seneca Lake from a stream known as the Keuka Lake Outlet at the northeastern end of the lake. The grapes on Keuka are a popular crop, but the lake has other claims to fame. It is where Glenn Hammond Curtiss--his middle name coming from the town of Hammondsport where he was born--lived, got an eighth-grade education, worked and was buried. He first built bicycles, then moved on to motorcycles, then to engines for balloons, then to the first airplane flight in New York state. Naval aviation began here. He opened the first flying school in America in Hammondsport in 1911. Curtiss developed his biplane known as the "Jenny" in which many flyers learned to fly during World War I. Twice as many people were employed in the Hammondsport plant for Curtiss than lived in the town.
Glenn Curtiss's minister grandfather and his harness-dealer father both died when he was four. His younger sister went deaf at the age of six. He began to race bicycles and developed an uncanny sense of balance. He got married and slowly turned his bicycle business into an avocation. Alexander Graham Bell called him to work when he was still in junior high school. With Mr. Bell, he developed the moving wing part known as thee aileron, brought about tricycle landing gears and turned aeronautics into a multimillion dollar business. His innovations ranged from the Curtiss Pusher to the hydroaeroplane, the flying boat and the Curtiss Jenny. Curtiss and his inventions dominated America's early aviation.
Kathy Arcuri's June article is entitled It All Started With a Chicken.
"Well, seven chickens, to be exact. Here at Skymeadow Farm, we have a motley crew of seven happy healthy hens, working hard each day to deliver the best-tasting eggs. Big orange-yolked treasures appear in nesting boxes mostly, but also in various hidden stashes throughout the barn. We reward their good work with a patchy pasture of clover, timothy, an odd assortment of weeds, bugs aplenty, and daily rations of grain. But since we are the primary beneficiaries of their nutritional status, we’ve decided to create a more interesting menu and environment for the girls, and perhaps save some money on store-bought feed.
"So we’re going to plant a food forest to help them stay in tip top shape – a crazy-quilt chicken yard filled with all sorts of tasty morsels that will enrich their diets, provide comforting shade in summer, create interesting diversions for these surprisingly curious birds, and ultimately benefit their daily egg deliveries. The concept of a food forest is not new; but here in North America we tend to grow our food in neat rows and raised beds, and seed our pastures with a monotonous mono-culture. In the tropics, however, food is often grown in mixed multi-story plantings that look more like an untamed jungle than a cultivated garden. Our hens will thus be part of an experiment in alternative agriculture.
"Trees will go in first, for shade and fruit. A June-ripening serviceberry will start off the food feast. Then an everbearing mulberry will drop large sweet berries from June through August. Just when the berry crop ends, a pear tree will start bearing fruit, serving up delicious windfalls. To finish off the season, we may also include a Persian medlar tree whose fruit ripens in cool autumn weather.
"Then we’ll add some shrubs -- currants, elderberries, and guomi (a non-invasive relative of Russian olive with tasty late-summer fruit). Hackberry and Siberian pea shrub (with its nitrogen-fixing potential and edible pods) are other possibilities. And tall seed-producing flowering annuals will decorate the scene and contribute protein – sunflowers and amaranth to start. Plus one of the all-time favorite chicken foods may be trellised up the fence – ‘Sungold’ or ‘Sweet Million’ cherry tomatoes.
"Tying the food forest together, and creating a look that is not so much jungle as planned ecosystem, we’ll plant some low-growing herbs around each tree and shrub. Comfrey around the mulberry; chicory, yarrow, and borage encircling the other large plants – each providing nutritional forage, soil-building mulch, and flowers to attract lots of tasty insects and pollinators.
"Now that I have a plan in place, I just need patience for our multi-year plan to get established. Oh, and a husband willing to do some of the heavy digging."
Kathleen Arcuri
June 3, 2011, the birthday of Catlin Curtin, Gary J. Smith and Robert Fritz. It is the wedding anniversary of Harry and Shirley Ritter. Expect lovely weather through Monday, with a possibility of thundershowers Saturday afternoon.
Today's music comes from a trumpet played by Melissa Venema, 13, and the orchestra of Andre Rieu. The beginning of the music will be familiar to you, but you probably have never heard the song played in its entirety. The music is the entire version of Taps. The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. It was rather lengthy and formal, so in 1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and re-named Taps. Melissa Venema is playing it on a trumpet, whereas the original was played on a bugle. Watch and listen by going here.
An interesting study recently concluded on The Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing on Macroinvertebrate Stream Life in Benton, Pennsylvania. The study was undertaken as a project at Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, by Lauren McGrath, Benton, and Paige Fronheiser, Bechtelsville (Berks County), granddaughter of Forest and Rosie Fronheiser, Elk Grove. The study explains hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." The study examines the environmental risks and the major fracking solution chemicals. The study explains the testing methods used in the study of macro-invertebrate sampling and water-quality testing found in the West-Branch Fishing Creek, Fishing Creek and the Lower Muncy Creek. The study examines the benthic macroinvertebrates which need good quality water to survive, as well as the ones that can tolerate a wide range of water-quality conditions and the ones which tolerate pollution and survive in poor-quality water. The research conducted will serve as a baseline for future studies. The effects of fracking solutions on macroinvertebrates will be studied directly in the future by exposing the insects to diluted amounts of fracking solution.
Mother was a great cook.
Just how good she was didn't quite hit me until a doctor patiently explained to her that her leg would have to be amputated.
Mother wasn't always a good cook. When she married Father, she left her former "town" life in Nescopeck and moved to a farm in Benton where the woman did all the cooking and handled everything related to the kitchen, including whacking the head off chickens, stirring the butchering pot to make scrapple and washing the milk cans after the milking. It was not an easy transition. For her first Sunday dinner, Father asked for chicken and waffles. Mother had never prepared chicken, let alone separate the head of a live chicken from the rest of its body parts. Father said the meal was a success, except that Mother failed to remove the gizzard--the specialized part of the chicken's thick, muscular stomach used for grinding up food, often with the aid of gravel and rocks. That mistake only happened once.
Mother became an excellent cook. In the lifestyle of the upper Fishing Creek valley, it was never unusual for uninvited guests to show up at mealtime or for six or so farm workers to join us for lunch during the "haying" season. When we brought in the straw, we would be covered with dust, when we filled the silo we would put an aroma through the house of ensilage, on the Fourth of July we would have every known relative to picnic by Fishing Creek. The food was always spectacular. There were always requests for recipes, but few existed, unless they were hand-me-downs from friends. Mother's idea of baking was to "throw the flour to it" by simply reaching into the flour bin and pulling out the hand full that was needed to bake the cake or make the milk pie. She loved to make German food, there was ham salad in the refrigerator every day when I returned from school and there was always desert. In cold weather, there was always homemade soup. She loved to make fruit cake and a little rum always made its way into the mixture where it was encapsulated in layers of cheesecloth.
As the years rolled on, Mother became a diabetic. Her rich meals slowly evolved into ones with lots of vegetables and fruit. Spinach--always cooked, never raw--carrots, broccoli and green beans became more of a staple with meals. Fish began appearing more than red meat. The high-fat Golden Guernsey milk and the creamery butter yielded to skim and margarine. Little of what Mother did seemed to help. Her health continued to deteriorate. She loved to read scandal sheets, but had to do that behind the back of Father. When I was home, she wanted me to take her to Huntington Mills where a store had a good collection of trashy reading. She certainly needed something exciting in her life, so I took her and then walked away while she made her magazine selection largely based on the headlines. What I didn't see wouldn't hurt me.
A call from Mother jolted me. A doctor had told her that her leg would have to be amputated. In a flash, I told her to do nothing except to call another doctor for a second opinion and I would call a doctor of my choosing and get a third opinion. I drove the 200 or so miles from Arlington, Virginia, as quickly as I could.
Mother and I made the trip to the doctor of her choosing, with a trip to the doctor of my choosing planned for later in the day. The old country doctor whose name I am unable to remember thoroughly examined Mother and I waited for the worst to happen. But what happened next was very remarkable and completely unanticipated. The doctor said "you are not to have your leg amputated. I will have you walking in three weeks." He then, with the calmness and assurance of an old friend asked Mother if she would explicitly follow his directions. She said she would. And what Mother said she would do she did.
"Okay," the doctor slowly said, as if to make sure that each word sunk in. "You are going on a diet. Starting with tonight's meal I want you to eat nothing prepared with salt, white flour or with sugar. I want you to drink one glass of red wine with your lunch and one glass with your supper." The doctor carefully watched to make sure his message had sunk in. The busy doctor then dismissed us and told Mother to come back in three weeks saying "And I expect you to walk in that door!"
I was impressed with the doctor's direction and with Mother's firm resolve to keep from losing her leg. I canceled the doctor's appointment that afternoon for the third opinion.
Three weeks after her doctor's visit, she and I walked south on Main Street in Wilkes-Barre and into Percy Brown's cafeteria for something to eat, a stack of National Inquirer's tucked under her arm. While I had always loved to eat Mother's cooking, her newly acquired eating habits chased me out of the house to eat. I much preferred stopping Friday nights at Howdy Brewington's cafe for clams and a burger than eat the tasteless stuff Mother started preparing. But on balance, not having a leg was too great a loss compared with eating a meal with little taste.
Mother stuck with her diet until the day she died as she approached 90.
The Benton High School Odyssey of the Mind team placed fifth out of 54 teams in its division at the World Finals in the Odyssey of the Mind competition in College Park, Maryland. The team--consisting of Benton seniors Jerilynn Haddow, Sam Futcher, John Schultz, Sam Pawelski and Linnae Powell plus junior Nicole Wisniewski--competed against teams from all over the United States and about 15 other countries. The team was "very pleased to have finished in the top five," according to coach Elizabeth Schultz." The team designed and built a "Rube Goldberg" machine to unlock a door without a key.
Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2, the 152nd and 153rd days of 2011.
June 1, the birthday of Shelley Crawford, Richard Shannon, Joshua Vincent and Sandy Kogut. Continue to keep Dennis Dawson in your prayers. Dennie's weight is now down to 78 pounds. There are 21 days until summer begins. Heads up for severe thunderstorms today.
June 2, the birthday of Kendra Everitt, Andy Gordon, Tami Wise Collae, June Pennock Barber, Sharon Truskoloski and Sandy Kogut. It was on June 2, 1865, that the Civil War came to a formal end. Confederate Major General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, surrendered, and the last Confederate army ceased to exist. Six hundred and twenty thousand American lives had been lost. The war was over. Many readers will remember this day in 1953 as Queen Elizabeth II, 27, had her coronation broadcast on black and white television. The live coverage was relayed by telephone cable. Most will have forgotten, as we wake this morning in a sweaty mess, that Back Home in Benton, PA, the morning temperature in 2003 was 46°. We will experience that low temperature or lower again overnight.
Searching for information on Google is second nature to us. Here are a couple of tips. • Use "at" to search a site; i.e., "Distillery at bentonnews.net," or "ipad apps at lifehacker" or exhibitions at amnh (Museum of Natural History). Google understands that the user wants to search in the Benton News or Museum of Natural History’s website. You'll find what you are looking for quickly. The last few results will be from other sites, preserving some diversity in the results. • Type any word whose definition you’d like to know and Google will instantly give you the meaning of the term, with pronunciation and links to reputed online dictionaries. Try typing in Google the words "Benton, PA" or "Cougar" or other word or term for which you need a definition.
• When you are looking for pages with two terms separated by n number of words, use the "around" command; i.e., "Bloomsburg(5) Columbia." Using Bloomsburg and Columbia will show you pages containing both these words while using "Bloomsburg(5) Columbia" will show you only those pages that contain these two words with five words in the middle.
• Find synonyms by preceding the term with a ~ (tilde). The tilde (~) takes the word immediately following it and searches both for that specific word and for the word’s synonyms. It also searches for the term with alternative endings. Use the tilde for general terms and terms with many synonyms. The ~ (tilde) goes next to the word, with no spaces between the ~.
• The next time you’re looking for a cheap GPS (or whatever you are looking for), try searching for "~cheap GPS." Pages with words ranging from ‘inexpensive’, ‘budget’ to ‘low cost’ GPS will show up.
any more than standing in a garage makes you a car?
Legislation has been reintroduced restoring Pennsylvania's motorcycle helmet law. State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, introduced legislation on May 23 that would reverse a 2003 law which allows motorcycle riders 21 or older to ride without helmets if they have completed a motorcycle safety course approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation or Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
This abbreviated version of the Benton News comes from north-central Pennsylvania on the shoreline of the 1,085 acre Cowanesque Lake.
Remember Shirley (Charles) Wodrig today. Shirley lost her father, Jesse C. Temple (Aug. 16, 1912-May 30, 2011), formerly of Muncy. He was 98. Shirley's mother, Della Brown Temple, and father were married 71 years.
William F. Bolles Jr. (Oct. 13, 1939-May 30, 2011) died Monday evening at his home on Main Street. He was 71. He was born in Jersey City, NJ and was a was a graduate of Snyder High School in that city. He was a son of William F. Bolles Sr. and Anna (Murphy) Bolles. Mr. Bolles was a chemical operator for Hartz Pet Products and later was an inspector for Air Flight Electronics in Hackensack, NJ. He retired in 1986. Mr. Bolles proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was a member of Christ The King Catholic Church. He and his wife, Antoinette (Bellino) Bolles, would have celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary this Sept. 23. Surviving, in addition to his wife, are his children Michael Bolles, Vineland, NJ; Bridget Bowman, Saddle Brook, NJ; Patricia Young (Joseph L. Young III), Benton; Anna Anderson, Shickshinny; eight grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Butchie Bolles, who died in childhood and two sisters: Rita McAndrew and Mary Longo.
Private services will be held at the McMichael Funeral Home at the convenience of the family with military honors accorded by a combined veterans group. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the family. For online condolences, visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com.
