June 30, 2005. Today is the anniversary of Frank and Rebecca Beishline, Gerry and Donna McMichael, and Kris and Tami Letteer. Do you realize that the year 2005 is essentially half over?

OATS Festival...
If you live within sight of the OATS Festival grounds you can listen free to the Festival courtesy of a low-power transmitter operating through Sunday at 89.5 on the FM dial.

The OATS Festival will honor a special price on Friday and Saturday nights for local folks. The admission will be $10 for any local person arriving at or after 7 PM. Children 15 and under accompanied by an adult are free. All folks will need to do is show information with a local address (Benton and adjacent communities).

For the duration of the OATS Festival, we will not publish on an announced schedule. We may publish at night, in the middle of the afternoon, or when the spirit moves us. If you are at the festival, feel free to stop in and say "hi." We are in the camper "stage right" on Vender Row, third rig on the left leaving the stage. Buster and Chloe will happily greet you.

Thanks to the Benton Area Business Association, each of the arriving OATS Festival participants received a Welcome to Benton, PA, package, courtesy of Ken Drunkenmiller. We were also pleased to see that Benton Meats and Seafood, Inc. included one of their brochures in the handouts, along with a coupon for a discount during the festival. Now that makes sense for a business, and from the smell of some of the good cooking coming from the rodeo grounds last night a lot of people went up route 487 to take advantage of the offer. Next year, we hope to see 20 businesses doing the same thing.The OATS Festival begins tonight at 7 PM, following dinner in the main dining room.

We once heard a man say that Google was going to take over the world and now the search engine czar is sharing pictures of it. The company got a leg up on news, then their Gmail got going, then they branched into maps, desktops and TV. Now they are tackling Earth.

Following the company's acquisition of Keyhole, the satellite mapping people, Google started providing satellite images and 3D data of the planet with Google Maps, Google Local, and, for paying subscribers, download data to GPS enabled devices. Google Earth, the free mapping application, has three-dimensional models of major U.S. cities. It also identifies local businesses and points of interest from Google Local. A satellite zoom function takes users from planet to street level. How do you find Google Earth? You Google it! And what is this doing to the shares of Google stock? It closed at $292.72 Wednesday. Google went public less than a year ago at $85 a share.

Many will remember that Google has been surprising people ever since Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the company seven years ago using $100,000 in borrowed money and a friend's garage. Did we mention that Google is worth more than Time Warner Inc. or Hewlett Packard Co?

Planning a day trip to Lancaster County? Go to www.padutch.com/ where you will be "Wilkumed" to the scenic Pennsylvania Dutch Country. It is something like losing an old friend.

The Northside Beat, a Tuesday feature of the Press Enterprise, has been "retired," according to the latest author, Chris Krepich. Over the years, Pete Kendren and Chris Krepich authored the column. Susan Swartz also has contributed to the column, and other staffers helped out as well. For the fine folks of the Benton and Millville areas who counted on their local news from the newspaper, we suggest that you contact Dean Kashner, the Managing Editor of News for the Press Enterprise staff, and let him know that the Northern end of the county is alive and well. We have every confidence that if you speak out, we'll get the Northside Beat back again.

Dale Ruckle and Bob Edwards are happy. The last time Bob and Dale saw each other was in 1953 on the Boy Scout Jamboree to California. Their paths recently crossed through the pages of the Benton News. Over the next couple of days we'll tell you of some others who have reunited thanks to reading the Benton News.

Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel ranks the best, the worst, the most underrated and the most overrated college coaches and--gasp--he names the man who made Penn State into the football powerhouse it once was, Joe Paterno, as one of the five worst. Mandel writes, "Ouch. It hurts to even write this. But if this were a blind evaluation in which Paterno was known only as Coach A, and Coach A had gone 26-33 the past five seasons at a Big Ten school with the tradition and resources to compete for conference and national titles, there's not an informed observer out there who wouldn't conclude that Coach A is a bad coach."

The tropical display at The Old Filling Station is spectacular. Plants are on loan from Jungle Paradise, a Benton business for the last 20 years and one that in the past has dealt mostly with buyers from out of the area. Now Richard Jost, the green thumb, daily operations manager, and "the main man for watering" has loaned the restaurant some choice plants until he moves them to the Northeast Fair, Pittston, from July 26-31 and to the Bloomsburg Fair, September 24 to October 1.

Jungle Paradise is owned by Richard and Jan Jost, and specializes in orchids and rare and unusual house plants. They operate a retail walk-in operation, but can ship anywhere within the United States. The company owns a 38'x40' greenhouse in the Benton area and plans to built a second greenhouse 38'x72'.

On display outside the Old Filling Station are varieties of Brugmansia (which lets off a sweet smell at night), Solandra Maxima, a 14-year old Philodendron, Anthurium, Gunnera, Furcrea Gigantia and assorted orchids. Many of the items on exhibit are for sale.

Happy birthday to Richard Kriebel and Marjorie and Richard Shoemaker today and our apologies to Ken Kelsey and Jan Laubach whose birthday we missed yesterday. Yesterday was also the wedding anniversary of John Herbert and Dianne Laubach. Things don't seem to run quite as good when we are traveling...On this date in...
. 1897, the Chicago Cubs scored 36 runs in a baseball game against Louisville, a record for runs scored in a single game.
. 1953, the interstate highway system was born. The Federal Highway Act authorized construction of 42,500 miles of freeway from coast to coast in the United States.

The Grillbillies are back in town for the annual OATS bluegrass festival! The Grillbillies come from all over the East coast of the United States. They are a group of bluegrass musicians and fans who love to camp and go to bluegrass festivals. Picking and eating are high on their list, too! They even registered the name "Grillbillies" as a trademark in 1996. The "grill" part of their name comes from the group's love of cooking while they're camping. People who come to bluegrass festivals love to visit the Grillbillies big silver canopy, called "Grillbilly Grove."

Some of the Grillbillies have their own bluegrass bands and some don't play music, choosing instead to follow along to all the festivals. The ones who do play are the "house" band with no leader or hierarchy or constitution, and there are no rules for joining.

The OATS Festival will honor a special price on Friday and Saturday nights for local folks. The admission will be $10 for any local person arriving at or after 7 PM. Children 15 and under accompanied by an adult are free. All folks will need to do is show information with a local address (Benton and adjacent communities).

We watched the local restaurants and gas stations as the Grillbillies rolled into town Tuesday. We are very happy to see them back. If you see a stranger this weekend, please take the time to "shake and howdy." We would like to see the Grillbillies back for a good many more visits...

"I remember, I remember
How my childhood fleeted by--
The mirth of its December
And the warmth of its July."
--Winthrop Mackworth Praed

Frankly we are happy that June is about over, so we'll switch gears and start talking about the month of July. If you are a farmer and someone has to tell you what to do in July, pack up your bags and try something easier. And that makes us wonder how farmer Bill Hess and his bride Agnes had time to get married 50 years ago on July 2.

Orangemen in the U.S. celebrate July 12 as Orange Day, the anniversary of the Battler of Boyne. Frenchmen pay tribute to July 14 as Bastille Day. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, the people of Wyoming celebrate Pioneer Days. Everyone has something to celebrate in July--and the 4th is one of the greatest of all.

We'll tell you a little about the three-day celebration of the nation's birthday in Wilkes-Barre, starting Saturday, July 2 with the car and motorcycle show from 11 AM to 7 PM, rock climbing from noon to 8 PM and laser tag from 12 to 10 PM. Bands will perform from 12 to 7 PM.

On July 3, a walk will be held from 11 AM to 2 PM to benefit the Medical Oncology Association Prescription Assistance Fund and the SPCA. From 12 to 7 PM, there will be bands, rock climbing and laser tag.

On July 4, bands will perform from 12 to 6:30 PM. The Northeastern Philharmonic will perform at 6:30 PM, followed by fireworks and more bands.

Is my mind playing tricks on me? George W. Bush in his State of the Union message talked about the potential insolvency of the Social Security system. For someone who made mirrors smoke in Government finance for many years, it still came as a surprise last week when the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Thomas, R-Calif., proposed the creation of private investment accounts to be funded out of the Social Security "surplus." At the beginning of the year the President talked about "when" the Social Security system would go bankrupt, and in June we have a surplus! Is my mind playing tricks on me? Isn't a "surplus" over and above obligations? Haven't I long been told there is a problem with Social Security?

What is going on here is a radical idea--our Social Security surplus should be set aside for Social Security. Social Security funds drawn from payroll taxes run at a surplus. In theory, that money is held in trust for future retirees. In practice, the surplus is spent by Congress on programs great and small, turning what ought to be an asset into massive future debt.

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
--Frances Scott Key

June 28, 2005 .On this date in 1914, World War I began. Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated while at (what is now known as) Sarajevo, Bosnia. The Archduke was chosen as a target because Serbians feared that after his ascension to the throne he would continue the persecution of Serbs living within the Austro-Hungarian empire. Exactly five years after it began, World War I ended with the signing of The Treaty of Versailles on this date in 1919, the very same day that Elizabeth 'Bess' Wallace became Bess Truman when she married the future U.S. President, Harry S Truman. Truman often introduced his wife as "the Boss" and his daughter, Margaret, as "the Boss's Boss.

It is that time of the year again. On Thursday, the OATS Festival begins at the rodeo grounds, Benton. You are going to hear a lot about that event during the rest of the week

.Following the OATS Festival, learn about Pennsylvania Dutch culture at the Kutztown Folk Festival. Learn about farm life and about being a child on the farm, learn some of the quaint games of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Talk to demonstrating craftsmen about the secrets of their trade, learn about the herbs that cure, and the food that you'll "eat 'til you ouch!" Sing old American songs in Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, and hear PA Dutch humor, customs and traditions told by the best there is.The Kutztown German fest begins July 2 and runs through July 10, 9 AM to 6 PM at the Kutztown fairgrounds. Entertainment includes a traditional Fourth of July parade around the festival grounds, a folk dialect band from Germany's Rhineland-Pfalz region, more than 200 nationally recognized and traditional American craftsmen, and more than 2,000 handmade quilts in one of the nation's largest quilt shows. Historical re-enactments, antiques, collectibles, folklife demonstrations, folklore, five stages of entertainment, music, dancing, children's activities and plenty of Pennsylvania Dutch food round off the show. Admission for adults is $10, seniors, $9; parking and children 12 and under, free. The festival is expected to attract about 100,000 visitors.

The Kutztown Fairgrounds are at Route 222 between Allentown and Reading, 109 miles from Back Home in Benton, PA via I-80 and I-476 to route 222. Get an early start. We will see you there and will provide a report on the Benton News sometime after the fourth of July.

In other news of no particular consequence...
Germany's first sauna endurance competition has ended with a man enduring 230° Fahrenheit temperatures for nearly five minutes, far short of the almost 12 minutes set last year to win the international championship in Heinola, Finland. We suspect that he practiced for the event by enduring some of the heat from the local area.

Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion stars Virginia Madsen, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Lily Tomlin, Maya Rudolph, Lindsay Lohan and L.Q. Jones. Garrison Keillor plays himself and wrote the script. The story begins backstage during a broadcast of the show, which the players discover is to be their last. Madsen will play a dangerous woman, while Jones will play a musician who's been a regular on the show for years. Streep and Tomlin play the last two sisters remaining from a five-sister country act, Lohan plays Streep's daughter, Harrelson and Reilly are singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, Rudolph plays the stage manager and the show's security guard will be played by Kline. The film begins shooting Wednesday.

Quote of the Day:
"I'm not busy. A woman with three children under the age of 10 wouldn't think my schedule looked so busy."
--Garrison Keillor

We have often written of William Penn and his model community where the Society of Friends were free from religious persecution. Penn even opened his holy community to others so long as they professed a belief in God and observed the Quaker ideals of piety and virtue. Penn devised a code of laws which became the first government for his colony. He believed in a balance between freedom and restraint, writing that "liberty without obedience is confusion, and obedience without liberty is slavery."William Penn established a provincial government in 1682 to manage the colony. That assembly formulated and enacted laws. Penn kept the Duke of York's Laws in force in Pennsylvania until the Pennsylvania Assembly adopted Penn's code.

"The Great Law Or the Body of Laws of the Province of Pennsilvania and territorys thereunto Belonging" reflected the Quaker beliefs that Penn cultivated. Highest on the list was honoring the Lord as the Creator of the universe. Penn instituted a strict Sabbath in Pennsylvania in order to honor God. Work was prohibited on the Lord's Day. The Scriptures were either read at home or the person attended religious worship. Under Penn, man honored the Lord on the Sabbath, and served the Creator every day.

Penn placed two provisions in The Great Law which regulated what he considered licentious activities. The first banned "rude and riotous sports" which included the awarding of prizes, the holding of stage plays, wearing of masks, or attending a cockfights--all subject to ten days imprisonment at hard labor, or a fine of twenty shillings."Lesser evils" were covered by the second measure. Those convicted of playing cards or using dice or participating in lotteries received a fine of five shillings or a five-day sentence. These restrictions of personal liberties were known as Blue Laws and were administered by a Committee of Manners, Education and Arts. Pennsylvanians have lived with the Blue Laws for many years, although they get less rigid with each passing year and new crop of politicians.

State liquor stores recently were allowed to open on Sunday for the first ever. Buying a case of beer or a car on Sunday remains on the taboo list. And except for a couple of pesky critters, you can't hunt on Sunday in Pennsylvania, and that has been the law since 1873. It all stems from the Commonwealth's Blue Laws

.House Bill 904 would provide for "expanded hunting" on Sundays, and holds out the carrot of a positive economic impact on the state. Since I only hunt with a camera, I don't take a stand on the proposed bill, so don't bother to send an email complaining that I either support or don't support the measure.Some landowners want a day of quiet from hunters traipsing about on their land. Hunters want to hunt when they want to hunt. Many say Sunday should be a day of rest.

Song writer Frank Loesser wrote, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition." William Penn would spin over in his grave, but it just might come to that.

Robert Richard Whitenight, 80, (Dec. 15, 1924-June 26, 2005), Jonestown, died Sunday. He was a son of the late Harold and Florence (Lewis) Whitenight and was born in Forks. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and married his wife of 56 years, the former Audrey E. Hess, at the end of the war. In addition to Audrey, he is survived by daughter Linda Whitenight, Jonestown, and by siblings Donald Whitenight, Jonestown; Marie Craver, Berwick; Elizabeth Sinibaldi, Berwick; Pearl Rogers, Gilbert, AZ; Jessie Whitenight, Berwick; and Pat McAfee, Berwick. Along with his parents, Robert was preceded in death by the following siblings: Harold Whitenight, Betty Buckalew, Frances Hess, Madalyn Hack and David Whitenight. No public visitation or funeral service will occur. He will be interred at the Dodson Cemetery in Southdale.
--Obituary from the Press Enterprise for June 27, 2005, where a complete obituary can be found

I frequently meet people who are frightened of new ideas and so it was refreshing to hear from someone frightened of old ones. Asking me for decorating ideas is like asking Arnold Schwarzenegger of his opinion of the ballet. I try ideas and if one doesn't work I head right for the next idea. But, we'll try to answer the question.

We all have a different perspective of the furniture of our youth and of previous generations. Our perceptions are tempered by our age, the "comfort level" of our frame of reference and where we grew up. My memory will not be the same as others who grew up in this part of Pennsylvania. However, in the house of my early youth and in houses of which I recall, farmhouses were simple, leisurely and spacious. The furniture never carried the names Sheraton or Hepplewhite but were often hand-me-downs from previous generations, often hand constructed. The houses in my memory didn't use a lot of mahogany, but pine and oak were prevalent, and cherry, walnut and birds eye maple were "top shelf."

The houses frequently had summer kitchens, outhouses and cellars. The furniture in the house was crafted by a man who also doubled as a cooper, dairyman, teamster--a "jack of all trades."

Unadorned surfaces were unusual. Chairs were often painted or coated in some sort of ancient pigment by the time my generation came along, and then we took days of laboriously scraping and dissolving away the covering of prior generations. Sets of six chairs were originally the norm, but by the time I came along the households seemed to be down to some odd number never matching the actual number of people living in the house. What I would call "balloon back" chairs were popular, as were the straight-backed variety.

The wooden settee, sometimes called a "Dutch bench," was popular and most houses had at least one. They had a one-piece plank seat about an inch and a half thick, twenty inches or so deep and about seven feet long, although many variations of this occurred. Simply turned spindles formed the back. Ladder-backs and Windsors came later, but rarely in the houses I knew. Cane-seated wooden chairs were common. Three- and four-legged footstools about ten inches high were common.

Early kitchens, the focal point of houses, included a magnificent cupboard, which served as a kitchen cabinet, a china closet and did other duty as assigned. The cupboards usually had two upper doors with six or so glass panes in each door. Drawers were in the bottom, although sometimes doors opened to the middle. The original wood was often hard to discern, since many were covered in successive layers of paint.

Desks were a source of mystery to me. My ancestors made their living from cultivating the soil and the raising of farm animals, and they knew no life other than working seven days a week, from dusk to dawn. Sunday brought church services and big meals and social events. While most of the furniture that I mentioned was of a functional nature, desks are over my head. My ancestors seemed to live in the kitchen and the kitchen table was their desk. None were very lettered; most read very little and wrote even less. Yet every older houses I can think of had a schoolmaster's desk or a slant-top bureau desk or a kneehole desk or a secretary's desk with drawers in the lower part and book shelves behind the doors in the upper part.

Tables were of the four- or six-leg variety with drop leaves, frequently with one drawer. Some were what Mother called "stands" and held plants, lamps or other household items. Some were sewing cabinets with a couple of drawers and some were in the form of a low coffee table. Larger houses often had bench tables.

Beds ranged from the rope variety with a straw tick to gorgeous canopies. Twin beds were unheard of in the older homes, although three-quarter-size beds did exist. For the early residents of the upper Fishing Creek valley, girth was important; length was unimportant. Spools beds were popular, and trundle beds were valued for their utility. Quilts seem to come down through the years well--unless they were actually used.

Chests for linen and clothing were usually made from softwoods. Chests of drawers included bureaus with drawers slightly larger at the bottom of the bureau and smaller toward the top. There were blanket chests, sometimes known as dower chests since they held the supply of linens the country girls stored up for the day they found and snared the perfect man.

Wall decorations frequently involved fowl, fruit or flowers, although I can remember other pictures involving the agriculture products known so well to previous generations; i.e., horses, cows, deer. Many houses used a lot of wallpaper, although in houses where summer dampness was a problem wallpaper was a poor solution. Paint was the next solution and in older houses today when one gets to the base color it is frequently Dutch blue. The walls often held elaborate veneered curved mirrors embellished by the lady of the house. Hand-made birth and baptismal certificates and "tinsel" pictures were common. Cross-stitching and crochet were favorites.

Candlesticks and objects that were eventually made into lamps were common. Time was kept in the wealthier homes by a tall-case clock (usually called a "Grandfather" or "Grandmother" clock.) Fruit-wood clocks of a much smaller size were more frequently found, mostly from 15" to three feet high.

Floors tended to be wide boards in pine, sometimes cherry or walnut. A round or oval braided rug usually covered the floor. The braids were made from strips of woolen or cotton cloth with the rough edges turned under. I don't remember many hooked rugs.

We recommend to the lady who wants to lay out her (potential) new country home in an authentic way that she consult a historical museum and not a few words from us.

We haven't said much about the kitchen and the assortment of furnishings in that room, from the ornate stoves to the brass utensils, the trivets, the hand-fashioned baskets. Come to think about it, we have left too many things out and we are much to long for this morning. Good luck with your project. Send some pictures of the "before" and the "after" project.

On this date in...
1284, the Pied Piper lured 130 children of the German town of Hamelin away from their parents never to be seen again. Townspeople had agreed to pay the piper to rid their town of rats, so the story goes. He had played his pipe and the rats had followed him into the River Weser. The local folks didn't pay up and the piper played his pipe for the children of Hamelin and led them into a hole in a hillside never to be seen again.

1945, fifty nations signed the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco. The charter preamble stated its mission: "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war...to reaffirm faith in the dignity and worth of the human person...and to promote social progress and better standards of life."

1963, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin and at the City Hall announced Ich bin ein Berliner. The Soviet Union had erected the Berlin Wall to stop the mass exodus of people fleeing East Berlin for West Berlin and the non-Communist world. Ironically enough, the word "Berliner" in German means a particular kind of jelly-filled pastry as well as a citizen of Berlin. Twenty-four years later, President Ronald Reagan in the same city said, Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin. ["I still have a suitcase in Berlin."] The wall was taken down in 1989.

1985, organist Wilbur Snapp got ejected from a baseball game at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, home of the Phillies during spring training. Snapp played Three Blind Mice after a call by umpire Keith O'Connor. The umpire was not amused and pronounced the organist "outa here!"

We deal with weeds so as not to choke it;
We scatter fertilize and then we soak it.
Day in and day out we try to grow it,
Then gripe because we have to mow it.

We stopped at the CVCU of Hershey Medical Center last night to see Bob Sands, recovering from a triple by-pass and valve replacement. His color is good, but he admitted that he is very weak. He was sitting in a chair chatting with Eleanor, his bride of many years, and with daughter-in-law Valorie when we walked in. When asked how he was doing, Bob put his hand carefully on his chest and told us that "I haven't been very busy lately." The doctor tells Bob that six weeks of rehabilitation will be necessary, and at the moment it appears it will be accomplished in the Hershey area.

Have you ever noticed that ability is almost always accompanied by humility?

The second annual "Royal Order of Raccoons" Karaoke Contest will be held in July. The Jamison City Hotel will kick it off Saturday, July 2. The next stop is at Kameeo's on Route 487. They will host their preliminary night on Friday, July 15. The Elk Grove Inn will round out the contest preliminaries on Saturday, July 23.

Last year the event raised over $400 for the non-profit "Royal Order of Raccoons" organization. Taking home the $50 first place prize in the event last year was Becca Lee, Orangeville. Second place went to Brenda Frankenstein, Schuylkill Haven and third went to Albert Wood, Benton.

Tickets are available for a dollar or more in donation to vote for your favorite singer, with the top three singers from each bar selected. The money raised will go to the "Royal Order of Raccoons," a non-profit organization in the North Mountain/ Benton area that helps residents in the community that are in need. The bar that raises the most money for the Raccoons group will host the finals.

To enter the contest or make a donation for door prizes call 925-5349.

On this day in...
• 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, 37, and more than 200 federal troops of the 7th Cavalry Regiment lost their lives in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand. The battle took place after the 7th Calvary was attacked by an estimated 2,500 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians under Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Custer and his troops were attempting to remove Indian groups from Southern Montana. Last in his West Point class, Custer advanced to become the youngest general in the U. S. Army two years after graduation.

• 1950, North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea, marking the beginning of the Korean War. About 37,000 Americans and more than a million Koreans lost their lives in this conflict. The Korean War concluded without success; no celebrations marked its end.

Take time to read the article in Saturday's Press Enterprise about Dan Keeney and his construction-equipment business, Kee Equipment Services, Forks. Keeney also has an auction company, and will hold a construction equipment auction in July and purchased 140 acres along Route 487 in December. Keeney was a Benton Area High School graduate in 1994.

The person who has everything is the person who is loved by the person
they love.

A freeware utility that you can use to 'clean up' your email messages is eCleaner v2.01. Use it to remove annoying ']' and ">" symbols that accumulate when an e-mail is forwarded. The author stopped working on this program two years ago, but it still does the job. We use it every day. It works on Windows 95, 98, NT, ME, 2000, XP and XP with SP2 installed. The program is simple and straight forward and does a great job of stripping carets (those >>>>>> gizzies you see in forwarded emails) from text. This is the fifth time that we have mentioned this program, and it continues to be one of the most popular.

Didja know that many hikers miss the Adams Fall, one of the nicer waterfalls in Ricketts Glen? It is often overlooked because of the popularity of the Falls Trail. After walking past the fall, the hiker must cross the stream and pick up the trail on the other side. It is a pleasant hike in an area that is seldom visited. And didja know that there are 116 state parks in Pennsylvania? A state park is within 25 miles of anywhere you are in the state.

We didn't know of any birthdays yesterday and were out of the area, so we simply called in "sick." The Benton News was not published Friday, June 24, in email or web versions.

We are writing today from the Washington, D.C., area. We are amazed at the price of real estate here. It takes the income of both a husband and wife to afford most residences in Northern Virginia and Maryland, and many couples are sticking together in this age of chiselry until debt do they part. Many couples buy on time, but end up not paying that way. One man we knew was really in debt, and had more attachments than a vacuum cleaner. Waiting for property values to go down seems to be a little like leaving the light on for Jimmy Hoffa. Most are buying as if they are in a frenzy.

And after looking at some of the hospital bills of people here in Northern Virginia we now understand why doctors wear masks in the operating room. We saw lots of people with short arms but apparently deep pockets. Many parents are dying without much money left for the kids. They probably annotate their will, "Being of sound mind, I spent my money."

But there are lots of people who are on "the other side of the fence." We went to dinner with one guy who was so cheap that he never picks up a check. He says it is something about a 'reach impediment." Another guy was so cheap that he asks his wife to take off her glasses every time she wasn't looking at something. We saw a man take a dollar bill out of his pocket and actually saw George Washington blink from the unaccustomed light. He was the same man who got mad because he got well before all his medicine was gone. Back Home in Benton, PA, we talked with several fathers who are working their son's way through college. Many kids today are taking things for gratis.

June 23, 2005. It is Midsummer Night's Eve, sometimes called St. John's Eve. David and Angel McHenry celebrate their wedding anniversary today. Mark and Peggy Seward celebrate 26 years and Matt and Kathy Seward celebrate 21 years of marriage today. Sheri (Sharon) Fowler celebrates her birthday today. Mark and Matt are brothers and both married on June 23 but with five years between. Today is the birthday of actress Frances McDormand, born in Illinois in 1957. Frances is the daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Vernon McDormand.

On this date in 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for a prototype of the typewriter known as a "blind-writer" because its design prevented easy viewing of the typed characters. It only had capital letters and it took up as much room as a large table. Sholes was born near Mooresburg, 32 miles from Back Home in Benton, PA.

J. Robert Sands had triple by-pass surgery and a valve replaced at the Hershey Medical Center Wednesday and came through the surgery "beautifully."

The Columbia County Covered Bridges Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the covered bridges of Columbia County, will assume "safe keeping" of the Shoemaker Covered Bridge in Sereno, north of Iola, sometime next year when the state turns that bridge over to the group.

The bridge is in need of repair and is closed to traffic. Picture courtesy of Robert Parks

Replica created by Dale Ruckle Picture courtesy of Dale Ruckle

As a preservation group, the Covered Bridge Association accepted the offer for the model and plan to use it as a display model and will exhibit it during the year to raise money and memberships. Bob Parks, Membership and news editor of the Association extends heartfelt gratitude for the donation.

Dr. Donald Baker plans to be "fully retired by October" and looks forward to a long visit in Benton at that time.

Dan Mitchell, Santa Paula, California, found the Benton News while surfing the net. Dan was the son of Frederick H. Mitchell, and formerly lived in Fairmont Springs and in Waller. Dan "lived on the road that ran beside the church down into the valley where there were three houses."

He writes that he "forgot who lived in the first house, but for some reason the name Summers comes to mind. The second house was lived in by a PenDot employee named Ken Winters and we lived in the third house, which is no longer standing. There was a 4th house that was built up in the pine woods at the turn in the road, but we never counted it because it was 'new.'"

Dan recalled the winter walk up that hill to get to the bus stop in front of the church in Waller. He writes that "Often, the Lockharts, a family that lived next to the church invited us in out of the cold to wait for the bus." Dan remembers that brother, Fred Jr. played baseball on a team sponsored by Ed's ESSO in 1969 and still remembers how a policeman pulled him over for speeding down the hill between Waller and Benton while going to ball practice.

Dan went to first grade at Benton Grade school and remembers Mrs. Karnes as a former teacher. Dan is looking for two friends, Rusty Troxel and Randy Hartman. Can any reader help out?

From time to time, Buster and Chloe, staff reporters for the Benton News, write a column while the man they call "Leader" takes a break. Today is one of those days...

This is Chloe writing in support of a sick friend I never met. I am so sad today that my tail has gone all limp and just hangs between my legs. Sheila Brandon, the nice lady who puts together the Lower Luzerne County Website, tells me that her dog, Bridgette, is gravely ill. Bridgette went for her annual distemper shot two weekends ago and had a severe reaction to the shot. The man with the needle didn't tell Bridgette that these things can happen, and that older dogs do not need the annual vaccinations.

Bridgette has severe anemia, and won't eat or drink. The animal hospital wants to do a blood transfusion, and then maybe another blood transfusion, then surgery to follow.

	She is so weak, she can't bring herself to get up or even lift her head. She is getting spoonfuls of water by mouth so she has some liquids in her system. See what these shots can do to pets!
Bridgette in early June

When my friend "He" is not feeling well, I like to cuddle up, put my paw on his shoulder and lick his ear. That always makes He feel much better--although it doesn't work for Leader or for Mother--and I know that would work for Bridgette. A dish of ice cream might get her going again. I had a dog biscuit once that was made from venison and that would certainly make her feel better. If I could go to her house today, I would immediately bark ten or twelve times so she would know for certain that I am a dog and therefore am doing what I am supposed to do. Then I would sniff all around, even though Leader would snort when I did it, but I can detect fear and love and hate just by nosing around. I learn so much about other dogs when we are properly introduced this way. I would then ask Mother to go through the bone-ritual, which I love. I would suggest to Sheila that Bridgette eat her dinner with the people. I did that once, and the whole evening went much better than when He and I have to eat alone.

I would tell Sheila not to ignore Bridgette, like Leader and Mother do to He and I when we eat. I would tell Bridgette that barking, whimpering and whining is OK when she isn't feeling well. As Bridgette gets a little better under Dr. Chloe's care, body-slamming, dumping garbage cans, using the paw and nipping will make her improve very rapidly. I would ask Leader if Bridgette is being fed something like red dog food. We are color blind, you know, and red food simply means that the owner thinks that it is pretty and therefore better. We can always tell when the food is red or some other color because it doesn't have as much flavor. I would ask Mother to gently tickle Bridgette on her chest between her front legs and in front of the tail and behind the ears.

Leader tells me that if Bridgette gets better, He and I can go to visit, we can chase Mousies with Bridgette, I can run head-on at her and scare her. Leader even says I can take a piece of venison biscuit along to share, although I am not really sure if I could go all the way into Luzerne County without eating them. It will be so much fun to visit. Please get better, Bridgette!
--From your friend, Chloe

On this date in...
• 1675, the Royal Greenwich Observatory was created by Charles II in England for practical astronomy--navigation, timekeeping, determination of star positions. Construction started on a building designed by Sir Christopher Wren in August of 1675 and finished the following year. In 1767 the observatory began publishing The Nautical Almanac, which established the longitude of Greenwich as a baseline for time calculations. The almanac's popularity among navigators led in part to the adoption of the Greenwich meridian as the Earth's prime meridian (0° longitude) and the international time zones. At the Observatory, you can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing your feet on either side of the Prime Meridian. This location is the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium.

• 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights. One of the most important governmental measures of the years following World War II, the bill was designed to provide greater opportunities for returning war veterans. Almost 8 million veterans have taken advantage of the program.

• 1969, Judy Garland, then 47, died in London of a Seconal overdose. Her death was attributed to "an incautious self-overdose of sleeping pills." More than 22,000 people filed past her bier in New York City.

• 2004, Gregory James "Greg" Kelchner, 34, town, died of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

On Saturday, July 30, from 2 to 6 PM the local Covered Bridge group will have a BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine) and BYOFF (Bring Your Own Finger Food) event for members and friends. Bring your own favorite bottle of wine and a serving of some favorite finger food to share. Paper products will be supplied. And don't forget to bring your own chairs. (And a designated driver). The event will be held at the Stillwater Covered Bridge, rain or shine.

Congratulation to...
• Regina Schlichter, graduated May 8 from St. Francis University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Parents are Faith and Kevin Schlichter.
• Amanda Campbell graduated May 7 from Kutztown University with a bachelors degree in political science/paralegal. She resides in Allentown. Her parents are Linda and Bob Campbell.
• Bruce Schlichter graduated in May from Pennsylvania College of Technology. Parents are Linda and Richard Schlichter.
• Jerod Savage graduated from Bloomsburg University with a Bachelors of Elementary Education degree. Parents are Lori and bill Lenhart and David Savage (Deceased).Didja know that...
• There are more television sets in the United States than there are people in Japan?
• The entire population of the American colonies in 1610 was 350?
• About a quarter of the world's population live in China?
• The United States would fit into the country of Africa three and a half times?
• Branding of animals did not begin in the old west. It began in Connecticut in the mid-nineteenth century when farmers were required by law to mark all their pigs.
• Thomas Edison was deaf from the age of 12, when a train conductor pulled the boy onto a train by his ears. Edison said he felt something snap. Edison never went to school, except for one three-month session.
• France first offered what became known as the "Louisiana Purchase" to England, who refused it. The price paid by the United States was about 4 cents an acre. An even better deal was Alaska, purchased from Russia for about 2 cents an acre.
• Rats have been known to drop from a five-story building with no injury. Two rats left to do what they do best can become the progenitors of an estimated 15,000 rats in less than one year.

The Benton United Methodist Church is in a need of a pianist/organist. This position has a monetary compensation. Anyone interested in this position should contact Pastor Calvin Miller at 925-6858.

The "Out Among the Stars" Bluegrass Festival this year is at the Benton Rodeo Grounds from Thursday, June 30, to Sunday, July 3.

The lineup for 2005 is impressive, including "Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass," The James King Band will be here for the second time, Three-Time IBMA Female Vocalist Lynn Morris will entertain, Allen Mills, Dempsey Young, Gene Parker & Roger Handy will appear as the group Lost and Found, Ronnie Reno, the eldest son of the legendary Don Reno, will entertain with the group called Ronnie Reno and The Reno Tradition. A straightforward, hard driving, traditional band from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia is the Bluegrass Brothers and they will appear. Michelle Nixon and Drive will be here. The 2004 IBMA Nominee "Emerging Artists of the Year" and the 2003 SPBGMA Award Winner "Entertaining Group of the Year," the hugely popular Cherryholmes family, will drive the audience wild. An acoustic legend of the northeast, Smokey Greene will be here. Blue Moon Rising is a young East Tennessee band with two good lead singers, plenty of songwriters and dead-on harmonies. The all female group Outskirts will be here. Low Profile is a bluegrass band that was formed in 1992 by John Donaldson and J. B. Elliott. Low Profile provides the listeners with their own unique Low Profile smooth traditional bluegrass sound. Stained Grass Window, a well-known and well-appreciated regional band will be here. Mill Creek Boys, New Found Grass and Rootbound will also be here. And last but not least our very own locals, Rev. Al & Jean Lumpkin & Friends and Joe & Lorraine Feola, will entertain.

The OATS Festival will honor a special price on Friday and Saturday nights for local folks. The admission will be $10 for any local person arriving at or after 7 PM. Children 15 and under accompanied by an adult are free. All folks will need to do is show information with a local address (Benton and adjacent communities). Thank Rev. Al Lumpkin of the Benton Presbyterian Church for arranging this. One way to show your thanks would be to attend his musical church service Sunday morning at the festival.

June 21, 2005. It is the 58th wedding anniversary of Fred and Florence DePoe and Jeff and Sandra Kelsey also celebrate their anniversary. On the birthday side, Joseph Robert Pascale, Sheila Thompson and Max Hartman celebrate today. Today is the first full day of summer in the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year and the shortest night.

Ora Karns, 92, 21 Livi Street, Lightstreet, fell Monday morning and is in the Bloomsburg Hospital with a fractured pelvis. We first reported that she had a broken hip, but the doctors have now changed their opinion and NO surgery will be required. Her many Benton friends who remember her from her years of association with the Horace Harrison Grocery Store might want to fire off a card to Ora at her Livi Street address, via the Bloomsburg 17815 post office. Please put Ora on your prayer list.

The Benton Grange will meet in Benton Town Park Wednesday, June 22, at 6:30 PM for a covered dish. A business meeting will follow. Prospective members are encouraged to join in the fun. The Benton Grange #88 had over 150 members at one time. Today they are down to seven and these seven keep the charter going. The State Grange rules are if a Grange goes under seven members they could lose their charter. New members are urgently needed so the group does not have to give up the charter that has been in Benton for over 125 years.

We are always happy when former Benton residents return to the area, even if they don't come Back Home to Benton, PA. Bill Hiscox and his wife, Loretta Strauch Hiscox, now residents of Palm City, Florida, were visiting over the weekend and wandered into a garage sale in Hughesville. Before they left, they bought not only the garage but the house! Settlement should take place about two months from now.The name Ken Kadoya is well known at the high-school level in this area, but adults will probably scratch their heads and wonder who we are talking about.

Ken is the Japanese exchange student who spent the past school year with Sean, Laura and Dr. Dean Christian, Maple Grove. Last Wednesday, Ken sadly bid farewell after the family opened their hearts and their home to Ken and made him a part of their family for the last year. It was obvious that there was a lot of love between them all and that they will stay in contact throughout the years.

Photo courtesy of Laura Christian

from left to right: Justin Ridall, Mathew Aten, Ken Kadoya Ken gave Ann Dodson Morrocu a tour of the high school before he left Benton preparatory for the return trip to his native Japan. Within seconds several students who had been in the library came rushing out to greet Ken. They were sad to hear he was leaving that day, but they knew they had a friend in Japan forever.

Ken is staying with Ann Morrocu and her husband, Peter, until he leaves the United States Wednesday for the large city in Japan where he grew up. When he was asked what he thought of life in Benton, he said, "I am a country boy now." He said that his favorite place in the United States, and he said this without even a second thought, he quickly answered "Benton High School. I want to come back and live in Benton." He constantly told friends that this was the best year of his life.

The EF Foundation for Foreign Study, Ken Kadoya and Ann Morrocu publicly thank the Christen family for giving Ken the gift of a fabulous family. They also extend their thanks to Benton High School and all the residents of Benton who touched the life of this young man and made this a special year for him. Ann comments that "I don't believe I've ever had a student so greatly touched by their American experience." She believes that Ken will be back and that he will attend Bloomsburg University. Ann closed with "Thank you one and all for being so wonderful and accepting Ken into your lives."

The placement service that Ann represents, the EF Foundation for Foreign Study, still has about 20 students to be placed for this fall. Students come from Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, Chile and Norway. It's still early so anyone interested in hosting has a better chance of selecting a student from a preferred country and whether they want a girl or boy. They can choose now but the students don't start to arrive until August. The students should be placed by the time they arrive, if possible. Ann and her husband often meet "arrival" students at the airport and care for them until the host family can begin their experience. The placement service also have two half-year students this year. The half-year student get placed quickly so people should not wait until the last minute.

Please consider being a host family for the upcoming year as the Christians did with Ken. It can be a heartwarming experience and a real act of sharing.

Bill Yanchick, owner of Benton Coins and Collectables, was the speaker at the Monday meeting of the North Mountain Historical Society. Bill presented an interesting look at specialized military currency that was needed to provide economic stability for the U.S. dollar in occupied countries following World War II. The Treasury Department replaced all U.S. currency in Hawaii with special issue notes as a precautionary measure in the event of a Japanese victory and a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. The special currency would have prevented the Japanese from confiscating U.S. money which was negotiable around the world.

The major Allied powers issued Allied Military Currency during and after World War II in newly liberated or defeated countries. This special currency was denominated in the currency of the occupied country, and used by Allied troops and citizens after a successful takeover. Allied Military currency was legal tender only in the occupied country and was under direct control of the country's Commander in Chief of the Military Government.After World War II, the United States issued Military Payment Certificates to its troops and civilian personnel overseas. Unlike Allied Military currency, these notes were backed by U.S. dollars rather than being denominated in the currency of the occupied country, and they were controlled by the occupying U.S. Military authorities.

As a special present, Bill gave everyone who attended a present of one of the items that he sells and with 60 in the audience, that was a substantial bonus for the people who were there.

A prison guard for Saddam Hussein, Cpl. Jonathan "Paco" Reese, 22, Millville, made headlines by reporting on the former Iraq leader liking Raisin Bran for breakfast and doing his own laundry.

A hundred years ago, the country was aghast that a small piece of land on Wall Street--1,250 sq. ft.--sold for a record $700,000. During that year, the Julliard School of Music was founded, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew in a circle for 24 miles, and on October 14, the New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Athletics in the second World Series, four games to one. The games were played at Baker Field and the Polo Grounds.

Baseball was a very popular pastime a century ago. Fans made their way to the baseball field in Benton, Bloomsburg or Grassmere via the Bloomsburg & Sullivan Railroad. A very popular excursion was to have a picnic at the Grassmere Park, five miles north of town.

The Grassmere Park baseball team poses at Grassmere Park about 1905. Ernest (Jack) Hartmas was the pitcher in the striped shirt sleeves.

Photo originally from Mrs. C. B. Laubach, Berwick, and loaned to us by Kelly Yost, North Street.

Budd Hess told us that for a time the B & S Railroad owned what is Grassmere park and the name probably came about during their ownership. The railroad iron stakes still ring the property, except along the creek where high water has left its toll over the years. Later, a Long family owned the park, Budd remembers, and eventually the ownership came back to the Hess family.

Grassmere Park had Wednesday and Saturday dances in the original 40' by 40' dance hall, which eventually was enlarged and made into a roller skating rink. Later in the building's history, there was a brief flirtation with dances on Wednesday night in the skating rink which attracted "the wild and the restless from the hills and vales of Northern Columbia County to what had to be an all out stomp." Carlton Laubach pronounced it a "Hell hole," forbade his children's attendance, and condemned it." Obviously, that pronouncement prompted higher attendance!

The 26th annual Perry Reunion will be held on July 2, 2005. The descendants of Anthony Hector Perry and Roxanna Harvey Perry look forward to coming home to Elk Grove. The reunion is held at the Frank Eungene Perry Memorial Pavilion, which is built on the former site of the Perry's barn. The seven surviving children of "Tone" and "Coo" Perry are: Libby Lewis, Benton; Robert Perry, Pomroy, Chester Co.; Lola Jordan, Romansville, Chester Co.; Frances Johns, West Chester, Chester Co.; Tony Perry, Ercildoun, Chester Co.; Jeannie Walters, Elk Grove; and Ben Perry, Manheim, Lancaster Co.

Five generations of Perrys will attend the event. After the covered dish lunch, the younger generations will go swimming in the "old Perry swimming hole" in the west branch of Fishing Creek. Roxanna always told her children that anyone who got their feet wet in Fishing Creek would always return to Elk Grove. All the Perrys got their feet wet and about 60 of them will return to Elk Grove the first Saturday in July.

We smiled broadly yesterday when a car full of tourists from Nevada, after driving for 900 or so miles, asked us to take a picture of them standing by the Benton Dam. It must be that "dams" are few and far between in Nevada...

For most when they hear the phrase, "Of the people, by the people, for the people," the vision of old Abe Lincoln comes to mind and a split second later they will add, "the Gettysburg Address." But didja know that the phrase once appeared in the Bible? In John Wycliffe's introduction to his translation of the Bible, published in England in 1382, these words were used: "This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People and for the People."

The Columbia County Covered Bridges Association breakfast at the Masonic Hall in Orangeville was a great success with 187 in attendance, including some walk-ins.

Photo courtesy of Robert Parks

The objectives of the group are the care, restoration and preservation of some very historic structures.

A fire of suspicious origin damaged one of the two Twin Bridges at Forks April 21, 2004. Leaves piled beside the bridge apparently caught fire. The bridges were closed at the time of the fire following a high wind in November, 2003, that ripped through the upper Fishing Creek Valley and blew a tree onto the east Paden Covered Bridge roof.The bridges span Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township, east of Route 487 and a stone's throw east of Forks, off route 1020.

Both bridges were constructed in 1884 by W.C. Pennington and named for John Paden, a sawmill operator who came to the area about 1810 and lived near the bridges.

The two bridges are not identical twins. One, West Paden, is of the style of Theodore Burr, a combination of king-posts and queen-post trusses with an over-all arch structure. This bridge has a clear length between supporting abutments of approximately 78 feet, portal to portal of approximately 95 feet. The East Paden bridge is 72 feet from portal to portal and 58 feet between abutments. Construction was of a simpler queen-post truss with supplementary bracing and with iron tie rods.

A new bridge of pre-stressed concrete was opened for traffic in 1962 over legislative route 19068, in order to get around the wooden structures. The new bridge was slightly upstream of the twin bridges. A company out of Lancaster, H. R. Miller, built the bridge and relocated the highway at a cost of $334,786.12.

The name "Forks" was apparently not always a popular name. The original name of Forks was Pealertown. The name of the post office in the village of Pealertown was changed to Forks in 1855, changed back to Pealertown in 1861 and back to Forks in 1871.

Elias M. Laubach was a farmer and pump manufacturer and operated a "shingle and chop mill and a pump manufactory" at Forks. Mr. Laubach delivered his pumps over the twin covered bridges.If you are wondering why bridges were covered, we rely not on the "shelter from the elements" or the "keep the horses from panicking at the moving water" theories. We like what someone once wrote, "Our bridges were covered, my dear sir, for the same reason that our belles wore hoop skirts and crinolines--to protect the structural beauty that is seldom seen, but nevertheless appreciated."

A friend asked me for a definition of a friend. I see it this way. A friend is someone with whom you can be yourself. You need not put on any airs, you need only to be who and what you are. You need not be better or worse than you actually are. When you are with a friend, you get the same feeling that you would get if you were a prisoner and were declared innocent of all charges. You can say whatever comes into your head, so long as it is truly you. Character flaws that others might spot are overlooked by a friend.

With a friend, the things you hate and the things you love can be discussed openly in the context of loyalty. Your friend understands, even if you were to abuse the privilege or neglect him. You need not talk to be a friend; stillness is a quality often found in friendship. A friend is someone with whom you can cry, pray, laugh and participate. A friend, to end where we began, is someone with whom you can be yourself. May your life be enriched with the best of friends...

• Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town with a $90 loan. The village- style haven is for troubled kids with real and often sad histories: broken homes, neglect, abuse, drugs, alcohol, detention centers. The inscription that appears on the statue at the entrance to Boys Town comes from a hot summer day when a group of boys decided to go swimming. One boy had a brace on his leg, and couldn't keep up with the others as they ran for the pool. Another boy picked up the lad and carried him piggy-back. When Father Flanagan offered to help, Edwards replied, "He ain't heavy, Father, he's my brother." Girls came along in 1979 and now represent about half the population.

• The TV Father of Frazier, John Mahoney, emigrated from Manchester, England when he was 19.

* Calvin Coolidge supported a holiday honoring dads, as long ago as 1924. Father's Day become an official, permanent holiday in 1972, thanks to a signature by Richard Nixon.

"The Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf course."
--Rev. Billy Graham

The dreaded SAT exam made the Press Enterprise Sunday in an article about the unveiling of local Scholastic Aptitude Test results. Although the article does not specifically say it, the Benton Area School District came out third highest in the area, while Northwest, Vo-Tech and Bloomsburg came out below the state average. Central Columbia and Danville scored higher than Benton.

Reservations in the great outdoors of Pennsylvania's State Parks are as easy as calling 888-PA-PARKS.

On this date in 1815, former French emperor Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo, Belgium. Almost 50,000 men were killed or severely injured in the one-day battle. Napoleon was an impatient person. Once at a hot-air balloon launch there was a delay in the launch. He simply cut the balloon loose with a penknife because he was tired of waiting.

Our favorite business slogan for the week is "Let us lighten your load."
--Hey Diddle Diddle Diaper Service, Hollister, CA

Life doesn't begin at 40. It just begins to show!

We have long bought our gasoline at the lowest price, all other factors being equal, and we have long patronized local gas stations as have most in the Upper Fishing Creek Valley. We also feel it is acceptable to reevaluate our positions on certain things as we slowly travel through life. We have, for example, reevaluated our position on eating mussels, the usefulness of an occasional nap and the advisability of taking long vacations at the sea shore during the summer months.

We mention all this because of a complaint raised with the management of a local gas station when we inquired about the lack of window washing fluid--in fact, the lack of anything of a liquid nature in order to wash our dusty car windows. The well-meaning manager of the station told us simply that we should "use the big crick out there to get your water."

We have therefore revised our thinking on always buying the lowest priced gasoline. We have changed our thinking so that we now only buy gasoline where we don't have to "use the big crick" to get our windows clean.

Didja know that President Jimmy Carter was the first President born in a hospital?

Garrison Keillor's limerick of the week is...

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Eskimo Christians.
Eskimo Christians who?
Eskimo Christians and I'll tell you no lies

In the early days of Colonial America, business was mostly conducted by barter and trade. As the country became more industrialized and gained more wealth, a need for coins developed. Massachusetts tried the concept with its NE (New England) shillings, sixpence and three pence. The coins were crude and today are very rare, but were the first coins struck in the territories then known as the American Colonies.

The Willow, Oak and Pine Tree series followed. Charles II of England disapproved, and the coin idea was squashed for a time. A coin was a coin in those days regardless of who issued it. The amount of metal in the coin determined its value.From the time of the American Revolution until the first United States mint opened in 1792-93, coins of all sizes and denominations were minted. Some were copper, the Continental dollars were pewter, Virginia struck some pennies and halfpennies with George III on them. The popularity of George Washington led a movement to mount his head on a coin as was popular with various kings of foreign nations, but wisely the Liberty Head was chosen instead.

The world had its share of evil-doers then as now and pirates and privateers sailed our waters. French and Spanish ships were frequently boarded, looted and sunk. Gold coins were not affected by the salt water, but silver coins were badly affected by the corrosive action. It didn't matter the country of origin for the coins--coins were what mattered!

The Continental Congress--gasp--started issuing paper currency to pay bills. The money was looked down on and a rapid inflation swept the country. The expression, "Not worth a Continental," comes from this period. It didn't help that the British counterfeited our paper money and attempted to circulate it.

In 1792, Congress authorized the coinage of eagles ($10), half eagles ($5) and quarter eagles ($2.50). Gold became so popular that hoarding of gold coins became popular during the 1929-33 depression. The Government ordered that all gold coins be turned in, and even prescribed stiff jail time for those who did not comply. Since the Hoarding Act of 1933, interest in gold coin collecting has grown by leaps and bounds.

Bill Yanchick will speak on the subject of American coins and their collection at Monday morning's North Mountain Historical Society breakfast meeting. Bill will specifically talk about tokens and paper currency used during World War II. Breakfast is served in the main dining room about 8 AM and the speaker and assistant Miles Cole will get things underway shortly after 9. Bill is an interesting speaker and it will be a fun morning at the Brass Pelican. Plan to join in. It is free and open to the public. It will also be an opportunity to ask Jim Vance if all those things said about him are true...

June 16, 2005. Scott and Karen Edwards celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary today.

On this date in 1903, Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Michigan. The corporation's common stock was entirely owned by Henry Ford and a few local investors. In 1919, Henry Ford bought out all of the investors and reincorporated the company in Delaware. From 1919 to 1956, all stock in the company was owned by members of the Ford Family, the Edison Institute, and the Ford Foundation. Wednesday, 18,048,300 shares of the stock changed hands.

Want to call the Pennsylvania Game Commission on their nickel? Do it now, or Fuhgeddaboutit. As of July 1, the PGC will be disconnecting its toll-free numbers. This action could save the agency $26,000 in fiscal year 2005-06. The Northeast Region Office is at P.O. Box 220, Dallas, 570-675-1143, serving Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

We recently served stewed rhubarb when we visited out-of-state friends. Rhubarb is a long-time favorite of ours which we enjoy in pies, cakes and jams. We even sock it away in bags in the freezer. Many just make strawberry-rhubarb pie, but didja know that rhubarb stalks can be boiled and the juice raked through your hair to add highlights? The leaves of the plant can be boiled and a little soap and the juice of the plant sprayed to kill aphids. The plant was immortalized in the song "Bebopareebop Rhubarb Pie" from "A Prairie Home Companion." Need Vitamin C or dietary fiber? Eat rhubarb.

On the mend...
. Bob Thomas, a retired principal of the Middle School of Central Columbia, developed a blood infection emanating from a leg wound about a year ago that has never completely healed. The wound has gone from a hematoma about the size of a baseball to a small spot about the size of a 10 penny nail head and now is infected. The calf of Bob's leg swells to twice its normal size. Bob tells us that "I have taken all the antibiotics I'm allowed and yesterday the doc told me that I am to the 'Grin and Bear It' point!" Wednesday afternoon Bob had a Vascular Sonogram, and we await the outcome of this check of his circulation. Ronald Henry Keller, the former Mayor of Iklertown, always told Bob that illnesses could be helped "if you slept with a nurse," (an obvious reference to the current Mayor of Iklertown, registered nurse Joyce Keller) but Bob reminds us that he "married a Librarian so he can only read about it!" Bob says of his current health situation that "This will pass, it just takes longer when you're an ollboy."

. Pier Holcombe is recovering from Monday's surgery which removed his right kidney. During an ultrasound on his gallbladder for another problem, the radiologist saw a large mass on his kidney. The cat scan revealed that it was contained and the biopsy which will be available in a few days will tell the whole story. Pier's hospital telephone number is 336-702-6002, which will certainly only be good for a few more days. Beth Holcombe tells us that "The whole thing has been a miracle first with the discovery of it and then a cancellation appointment for the cat scan, a cancellation appointment for the surgeon's office visit, and finally a cancellation for the surgery. What would have taken 6-8 weeks happened in less than 10 days. The Good Lord was watching out for him."

Marvin Troutman, Millersburg, CEO of Cinema Centers Inc. and operator of the Cinema Center in Bloomsburg, plans to open a 51,500-square-foot 12-screen movie theater Cinema Center in Camp Hill Friday. The movie house is at 3431 Simpson Ferry Road, Hampden Township. Adult admission costs $8, with seniors getting in for $6.

Cinema Centers Inc. has theaters in Gratz, Bloomsburg, Selinsgrove and Reading with a total of 59 screens. Troutman and his wife, Doris, run the company with their children, Van Troutman, Gina Troutman DiSanto and Trudy Troutman Withers.

Rumors have been circulating that a stadium theater will be built at the Columbia Mall at Buckhorn, but we emphasize that is only a rumor.

June 15, 2005. We celebrate the birthday today of Allen Turner whose birthday is the same day as former New York Governor Mario Cuomo.

Much of Pennsylvania got an inch of snow on this date in 1918. Arla Mae Miller's mother told her that the day her oldest brother, Arnold Eves, was born (June 14, 1918), "they had a killing frost that morning and had to plant the garden again. I believe it was the same year that there was a killing frost on my grandfather William Eves's birthday which was September 2." A short summer, indeed!

On this date in...
. 1752, Ben Franklin's kite-flying experiment proved lightning and electricity were related.

. 1867, Dr. John Stough Bobbs performed the world's first gall bladder surgery in Indianapolis. Bobbs was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and learned the art of surgery by apprenticing to a Harrisburg doctor. He practiced medicine for four years in Middletown, moved to Indianapolis when he was 22, then returned long enough to earn the M.D. degree from Jefferson Medicinal College, Philadelphia. While operating on a Mrs. Wiggins for a suspected ovarian cyst, he found the gall bladder was inflamed and containing structures like "several solid ordinary rifle bullets." He opened the sac, removed multiple gallstones but left the gall bladder in place. The patient recovered and outlived Dr. Bobbs.

. 1909, Benjamin Shibe patented baseball's cork center. Philadelphia's baseball stadium, Shibe Park, home to the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League from 1909 to 1954 and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League from part of 1927 and from 1938 to 1970, was built by and named for him. The stadium later became Connie Mack Stadium, the home of the Phillies until 1971.

Joe and Lorraine Feola will not host their popular summer Jammin' at the Shed this year. We hope that they pick it up again next summer.

We are suddenly hot for tomatoes. We fell in love with a simple appetizer this weekend made with ripe tomatoes marinated for an hour or so in olive oil, raspberry vinaigrette and vinegar and fresh basil, then sprinkled with oregano, salt and pepper.

It actually isn't necessary to wait for tomatoes to get ripe. The Alabama restaurant known for its Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe claims that a hard, green tomato before it changes to a whitish-green color is ideal for the unripe variety. The tomatoes can be very complicated or very simple. The simple recipe is consists of a couple of medium green tomatoes, possibly a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste, yellow cornmeal or flour, and perhaps some hot bacon drippings. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 inch slices and coat with flour or with cornmeal. Fry tomatoes in hot drippings (or in a vegetable or canola oil) in a skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain.

If you didn't look closely, you missed Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand in Benton Tuesday. Those who did manage a double-take saw her at a table nearest the terrace entrance of Chris and Denny Dawson's Old Filling Station. No cameras, no crew, no raving fans; it could have been any star of Fargo and Mississippi Burning enjoying a quiet meal with her parents and family in Benton. Because Reverend McDormand was unable to climb to the more private second floor of the Old Filling Station, the party had to stick it out among the other customers on the first floor. They managed superbly. The few who might have noticed Frances refrained from hounding her for autographs or gawking. And that was just fine with McDormand, who tries to maintain a low profile with her writer/director husband Joel Coen and children.

Sunday was actually McDormand's second visit to the restaurant where she had discovered its Thai menu. On the evening before, there was a minor commotion when the cook at the Old Filling Station discovered that Frances McDormand enjoyed her Thai dishes. She insisted on getting an autograph, and when McDormand graciously obliged, the cook, Noi, danced around feeling famous for a while.
--Thanks to Harold Ackerman for this contribution

Germaine C. Hohenwarter Broich, 81, died Friday, June 10, 2005. She was the wife of the late Charles L. Broich Sr. who died June 10, 2004. Born in Lancaster, she was a daughter of the late George L. and Lucy A. Judith Hohenwarter. She is survived by daughters Susan Shultz, Market Street, town, Kathleen A. Denlinger, Millersville, and Barbara J. Mitchell, Lititz. She is also survived by two sons: Charles L. Broich, Lancaster, and Stephen Broich, Columbia, and numerous grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 409 Cherry St., Columbia, Tuesday, June 14, 2005, at 11 AM. Final commendation and farewell will be in Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call at the John E. Kraft Funeral Home, 114 West Main St., Mountville, on Tuesday from 9 to 10:30 AM.
--from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary can be found

Sometimes you have to get to know someone really well to realize you're really strangers.
~~Mary Tyler Moore

"Common sense is seeing things as they are; and doing things as they ought to be."
--Harriet Beecher Stowe, born on this date in 1811

On this date in...
1789, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton whipped out a new dessert that we now call ice cream for visiting General George Washington. He liked it and bought a "cream machine for making ice" of his own, serving the dessert exclusively in pewter pots.

1935, Jim Braddock defeated Max Baer in a 15-round decision. Braddock captured the world heavyweight boxing title for the win. James Braddock is currently the subject of a movie receiving rave reviews, "the Cinderella Man."

1942, President Roosevelt created the OWI (Office of War Information), and appointed radio news commentator Elmer Davis to head it up. The OWI absorbed the functions of the Office of Facts and Figures, the Office of Government Reports and two other agencies.

1948, during farewell ceremonies for Babe Ruth, his uniform number 3 was retired. He died of throat cancer two months later.

1966, The Supreme Court issued its "Miranda versus Arizona" decision, ruling that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights prior to questioning by police.

1990, East Germany began the final demolition of the Berlin Wall, knocking out concrete slabs to reopen streets sealed from the time the Cold War barrier was built in 1961.

The common elderberry is a shrub which grows wild in our area. Elderberry produces a purple black fruit used locally in pies, wines, jellies and jams. Elderberry blossoms are also used in wine making or can be deep fried. Elderberry is an ornamental shrub at the moment showing clusters of white berries. And the significance of this? Right now is the time to locate the wild elderberry by spotting the white berry clusters. When the berries are ripe, you will have hours to get the berries picked before the birds do the job for you. Birds are a major pest affecting elderberries. The most effective means of combating the birds is netting.

William E. Yanchick, Benton Coins & Collectibles, at 99 Main Street, will be the featured speaker at the North Mountain Historical Society meeting on Monday, June 20. Miles Cole will assist in the presentation. The presentation will be on currencies used at home and abroad by our soldiers during WWII. Types of currencies covered will include the "Hawaii" and North African" notes, Allied Military Currency and its evolution to Military Payment Certificates, Japanese Invasion Money, Philippine Guerilla Emergency Currency and specialized issues of other countries. Original samples of these currencies will be presented along with their explanation of use. Members are invited to bring in coins or paper currency for identification and a free appraisal. The meeting will be held following breakfast at the Brass Pelican Restaurant, Elk Grove. It is free and open to the public.

June 12, 2005. Hobe Whitenight celebrates his birthday today along with the 41st President, George Bush. Jane Ackerman, Jamison City, is celebrating the first anniversary of her retirement from Northwest School System (31 years) and from teaching (34 years). Tom and Denise Kline celebrate 29 years of marriage today.

At the request of the Columbia County Redevelopment Authority, Borough Council and the Mayor, you are invited to attend an important meeting on Thursday, June 23, 2005, at 6:30 PM in the Benton Volunteer Fire Department. John Bry, regional advisor for Pa Downtown Center in Harrisburg will be speaking on how a community can position itself to attract funding for revitalization. There will be a time for questions and comments. Your presence is important in learning what this community can do to develop a more vital business district and community. Please make this meeting a priority on your calendar!

On this date in 1939 in Cooperstown, the Baseball Hall of Fame was formally dedicated. Serving as a shrine to Major League Baseball, the Hall of Fame stands in honor of baseball greats of the past, including the original five members Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Chrisy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner.

We are attending a family reunion in Phillies country, specifically in South Jersey! People we haven't seen in five years come up to us, throw out their hand and say, "Yo, Cuz! What's up with them Phillies!" Well, what's up with them Phillies is that they are only "a game and a half out" and that has this area on fire.

The game of baseball, as we now know it, is credited to Abner Doubleday (1819-1893), who later become a presence in book publishing. His historian, however, claims that Doubleday was not at Cooperstown in 1839 and never referred to the game, much less claimed that he invented it. His obituary in the New York Times did not mention baseball.

Although we don't follow baseball, we have picked up some tidbits from talking with relatives at the reunion. We are staying with our Cousin Mark in a shrine to the Philadelphia team. Mark's basement is finished in memorabilia from the team, starting with hundreds of autographed photos and baseballs, seats from Veterans Stadium and other items fit for a museum.

We'll devote this issue to the Phillies and retell some of the interesting stories about the team that we heard today. We are not a true fan of the game, but we'll try to get the stories as we heard them. We have written before about growing up never having lights on in the living room when the Phillies played. Starting about 1936 when games were first broadcast from Baker Bowl and extending through the Connie Mack Stadium years, Father always sat in the darkened living room at night listening to the Phillies--except for Saturday nights, when pinochle was played with various friends to whom Father would ladle out one each small water glass of Manishevitz wine--wine so sweet that something like 80 sips were necessary to polish off a small glass.

Over the years, the Philadelphia team had five home fields: Recreation Park starting in 1883; Philadelphia Base Ball Park, later known as Baker Bowl, from 1887; Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium, from 1909; and Veterans Stadium starting in 1971, dedicated on a 40 degree day in front of the largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Pennsylvania: 55,352 chilly fans. Veterans Stadium was adjacent to the present field, Citizen's Bank Stadium.

Kay Taylor once lived within walking distance of Scheib park and remembers "being able to go to an afternoon game for $.25 and to wait after the game for autographs (free and given with a smile). A kid could go to the game with very little money and eat, drink and buy a souvenir ... the 'good old days.'"

Third baseman Mike Schmidt, we suspect, was Father's favorite player. He could do it all--run, throw, catch a ball and switch hit, He hit over 500 home runs in his career and was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1995. He once attempted to disguise himself from his adoring fans by wearing a wig onto the field. Father followed his career on its way up--but always talked about Schmidt on his "way down." It seems that the baseball player at the age of seven fell 24 feet out of a tree, grabbing a 4000 volt electric line as he fell. It was a miracle that he did not break any legs or was not electrocuted.

But "how 'bout them Phillies!" The Phillies holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous one-name one-city franchise in professional sports. They finished dead last 29 times, once lost 23 consecutive games, and once blew a pennant with only 12 games to play when they had a commanding six and a half game lead. Tug McGraw had a pitch he called "The Peggy Lee," from her famous song, "Is that all there is?". Richie Ashburn in 1957 hit the same fan twice during the same game. He smacked a foul ball into the third-base seats hitting a fan in the nose, the wife of the sports editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin. As she was being carried from the park on a stretcher, Richie fouled another ball into the stands hitting the woman for the second time. He once fouled 14 pitches in a single at-bat.

The first professional baseball player was also the first owner of the Phillies. His name was Al Reach and he paid $1,000 for the original team known as the Athletics. Ben Shibe was a partner of Reach and together they launched a National League Team in 1883 known as the Phillies, suffering a disappointing first year 17-81 record.

Quote of the Day::
"If a horse can't eat it, I don't want to play on it!"
--Dick Allen

One of the characters who played for the Phillies was Billy Sunday, an evangelist cut from the Elmer Gantry mold. He preached to huge crowds until about 1930, but in his younger life he had played in the major leagues for eight years and retired from baseball playing for the Phillies. He always loved the game, and was known for making a grand entrance to a revival by racing from the sidelines and sliding into the pulpit.

The depression years in the United States provided hard times for the team. The team was really bad during those years, they played in a baseball stadium that wasn't very good and fans were hard to come by. Office furniture was allegedly sold just to pay expenses. Starting in 1919 and extending to 1947, the team ended in eighth place a total of 17 times, in seventh place eight times and for five of those years in a row they lost more than 100 games in a season. Fans responded by throwing seat cushions onto the field.

Once during spring training, a farmer in the stands yelled that he could hit better than anyone on the team. After listening to this for a couple of hours, one of the Phillies players walked up to the heckler and said that if he was so good he should take the bat and go out and try hitting the ball. The farmer took the challenge and walked to the plate and promptly hit the ball over the right-field fence. For weeks the Philly fans talked about the incident and the long-ball hitter who disappeared after practice. Turns out that the farmer was actually Phillies outfielder Casey Stengel in disguise.

In 1950, the team had a reversal of fortunes. The team won the National League Pennant after trying for 35 years. Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn were on the team, as was Del Ennis. Although they had four years of over.500, they fell to fifth place in 1951 and last place in 1958--where they stayed for four more years.

Curt Schilling once said that "losing is the only way to grasp the true meaning of winning." The Phillies have had their share of losing over the years. Let's hope that being a "game and a half out" in mid-June will result in a pennant win. The Phils need it.

Didja know that Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 is just as familiar in this country as it is in Britain where it originated, although the words are virtually unknown here. The tune is always played at local school graduation exercises. Ever wonder how this came about?

In August, 1904, the composer, Sir Edward Elgar, 47, came to Yale University to receive an Honorary Doctor of Music. When the ceremony concluded, guests left the hall to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. The impression that the work had on the audience led to its gradual adoption by other universities: Princeton in 1907, Columbia in 1913, Vassar in 1916 and Rutgers in 1918. Today it is heard at graduation ceremonies throughout the country, both at colleges and at high schools.

Graduation ceremonies in the Benton Area Schools are well orchestrated events involving the marching of students onto the stage, recitations of speeches, awarding of scholarships, the giving of diplomas, climaxed by an official moment when the students are declared graduated. This is the time-honored tradition of a local graduation.

Friday night the graduation ceremonies of the Class of 2005 of the Benton Area Schools took place in the air-conditioned comfort of the Richard E. Martin Memorial Auditorium, the first graduation in the beautiful new auditorium and the 100th annual commencement exercise for the school.

The members of the graduating class, whose motto is Cherish yesterday, dream about tomorrow, live like crazy today, marched to the stage to the triumphant music by Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, music that marks the beginning of one stage of life, but the end of another.

Joe Goode, Senior High School Principal, then awarded the extensive list of scholarships and awards. One by one the recipients of the scholarships come forward to receive their awards for their years of work and achievement. We have included the complete list of scholarships given out last night. You can find the list on the side panel, under "Benton Area Schools." Kelly Boysha received the largest scholarship, to Delaware Valley College in the amount of $38,000. We do not wish to minimize any of the scholarships, so we recommend that you take the time to review the entire list.

"We'll be done with this in an hour--or perhaps three."
--James Albertson

Dr. Andrew M. Pollock, Superintendent, then presented the members of the class of 2005, which includes James Robert Albertson**, Joseph Lee Bates II, Brandy Lea Bogert*, Kelly Ann Boysha, Kim Marie Boysha, Kimber Buccello, Edward Lee Cole, Jr.**, Michael Raymond Cotterman, Kamie Renae Cregar, Samuel Kenneth Dressier*, Jamie Elyse Emery*, Shawn G. Freed, Bradley J. Fritz*, Sarah J. Fulmer**, Fred Elmer Houseweart, III, Neely Raeanne Hughes**, Tiffany Marie Hunsinger, Sarah Christina, Marie Karl Michael, Joseph Stanley Karns, Brandon M. Kitchen**, Chase M. Kline, Andrew Lee Kocher**, Ashley Nicole Lamoreaux, John Adam Laskowski, Brooke Allison Lee, Erin Whitney Letteer, James William Madara, Alissa Angelita Marcera, Kyna Lynn Markowski, Casey Dannell McHenry, Jessica Motto**, Brittany Rae Moyer, Thomas C. Musser, Elizabeth M. Neese, Shane F. Otis, Precious Stephanie Putnam*, Janelle Renee Reese*, James lan Richter, Alexandra Leigh Schaich, Alicia Nicole Schlichter, Deric J. Sharkuski, Chris William Sholley, Ashley Christine Stackhouse, Shawn E. Stackhouse, Jennifer Marie Stahler, Jessica Swidinsky*, Aaron Joseph Turner**, Justine Marie Whalen, Adrian Shelby Wright-Fitzgerald** and Shannon Kathleen Yarnell**.

**denotes high honors
*denotes honors

"Our graduation is only one step in the long journey of life."
--Aaron Turner

"Tonight is the end of one journey and the start of a new one."
--Adrian Wright-Fitzgerald

Emails are flying from what appears to be banks, credit card companies and seemingly legitimate business of all kinds. Many of these email are fake or "spoof" emails. Here is some advice on which emails are legitimate. Many spoof emails begin with a general greeting, such as "Dear XXX member." If you don't see your first and last name, be suspicious. Don't click any links or buttons.

A spoof email often includes a forged email address in the "From" field. There is often a false sense of urgency, threatening that your account is in jeopardy if you don't update it immediately. The email could say that an unauthorized transaction has recently occurred on your account. Many claim that the company is updating its accounts and needs information pronto. Carefully look over any URLs that the email may contain which could be fraudulent. If you click on one, it could take you to a spoof website that tries to collect your personal data. It could install spyware on your system to monitor your actions and steal any passwords or credit card numbers you type online. It could cause you to download a virus that could disable your computer.

Some emails appear to be websites and ask you to enter personal information. Legitimate banks will never ask for personal information in an email. If you see an @ sign in the middle of a URL, we betcha it is a spoof. If the email convinces you to log in to an account of yours and you really feel you must do it, log in only by opening a new web browser and typing in the URL of the organization that you know to be valid. Never log in from a link in an email message.

Spoof emails are often full of misspellings, incompletely spelled words, incorrect grammar, missing words, and devoid of logic. The term "https" should always precede any website address where you enter personal information. The "s" stands for secure. If you don't see "https," you're not in a secure web session, and you should not enter data.

A good financial institution will never use a pop-up box in an email. Pop-ups are never secure. Attachments are frequently used in spoof emails and are dangerous. Never click on an attachment. It could cause you to download spyware or a virus. A reputable financial institution will never email you an attachment or a software update to install on your computer.

Although this will not work in every case, if you receive a spoof email, forward the entire email with header information to the financial institution's fraud team by addressing it to spoof@XXX.com, then delete it from your mailbox. Because of the address, some human being will most probably review it.

The 76th annual Millville Fireman's Carnival is rapidly approaching. This year it runs from July 1 to July 9. Groups like the Rocket 88's, WNEP's Mike Lewis, The Mudflaps, The Cramer Brothers Band, Covet Action, Avenue B, Plum Crazy, the Legends, and John Bressler will perform. The Independence Day parade, with the theme of honoring our 21st century soldiers, forms at 9 AM and moves at 10:30 on Monday, July 4. Pyrotechnico will put on the fireworks Saturday night at midnight. The Pet and Toy Parade forms at 6:30 and moves at 7 PM on Tuesday, July 5. You can have "all you can eat" at the cheese steak stand from 7 to 10 AM on Monday, July 4.

Pennsylvania was invaded three times during the Civil War.
. In October, 1862, General James Ewell Brown Stuart, following the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas, August 1862) and the Battle of Antietam (September 1862) entered Pennsylvania where he seized boots, shoes and clothing. He captured 247 soldiers in a hospital, then headed South with an estimated 1,200 horses and $150 worth of supplies. He was able to cross the Potomac and escape into the Shenandoah valley. Lee later called Stuart the "eyes of the army."

. The Gettysburg invasion. A junction of several roads where scattered formations of soldiers met in their invasion of the summer of 1863. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee marched the Army of Northern Virginia up the Cumberland Valley to attack Harrisburg from the west.

. After Sheridan decimated much of the Shenandoah valley, Brigadier-General John McCausland daringly descended upon Hagerstown and the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., and then invaded Chambersburg. He demanded $100,000 in gold and $500,000 in currency from the townspeople of Chambersburg. The money was all gone from the banks and the citizens could not raise the money so McCausland burned the town, the only Northern town burned during the Civil War. The fire on July 30, 1864, destroyed 278 homes and 271 other structures. Losses were estimated at $713,000 in real estate and $915,000 in personal property. The General and his troops rode South toward Virginia as fast as his trusty steeds could carry them.

No Confederate infantry or rebel raider again crossed into Pennsylvania during the Civil War to disturb the peace of the state.

June 8, 2005. Today is the birthday of Mary Lou Buckalew who celebrates with former First Lady Barbara Bush.

On this date in...
. 1789, the American Bill of Rights was first proposed by James Madison.
. 1947, Lassie debuted on ABC radio, a 15-minute show about a collie. Animal imitator, Earl Keen, provided the whines and other dog noises. The sponsor was Red Heart dog food.
. 1968, Don Drysdale, pitcher for LA Dodgers, lost his major league streak of scoreless innings pitched, when it was stopped at 58-2/3 by Howie Bedell, of the Philadelphia Phillies, who hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Drysdale won 209 games as part of five pennant winners.

The high weeds and grass growing on a property on Market Street are the apparent result of a bank foreclosure. We checked with both CCFNB and First Columbia and neither bank is involved. At this point, we don't know who to complain to about the exterior condition of the property.

Flying will never be the same again. The Federal Aviation Administration has granted United Airlines and Verizon Airfone approval to install the necessary cabin equipment to enable passenger and crew use of wireless technology (Wi-Fi) devices on board U.S. domestic commercial aircraft while in flight, according to United sources.

The 131st annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair will run August 26 through September 1 at Grange Park, Centre Hall. The Grange Fair had its beginnings 130 years ago when the Progress Grange and other granges held a picnic. It is now a family tradition with campers as tent sites are passed down to family members. The size of the 2005 fair will include almost a thousand tents, 1300 campers, hundreds of concessions, over 7,000 exhibit items, amusement rides, livestock, tractor pulling and much more!

The article on Jim Vance now appears under PERSONALITIES on the side panel.

Plan to visit the Josiah Hess or the Stillwater bridges. They are there for you to enjoy. You can plan to have a family day picnic, a birthday party on the bridge or even a wedding ceremony and/or reception. Or just visit for a few minutes and see what has been done. Portable toilets are available. A visitor's registration book was added this year and it is interesting reading the comments of folks who have visited from afar.

Zane Unbewust told this story last night at the Brass Pelican, so we know it has to be authentic. It seems that her brother, Jules McHenry, was once picked up for speeding. His mother-in-law at the time, Mrs. Harold Bowman, known for french fries at the Bloomsburg Fair, sat in the back seat. She had no experience being in a car where the driver got pulled over for speeding.

Jules quickly thought of his story to convince the officer that he was not speeding. The officer politely listened to the story, then thought for a second and decided it was not worth the trouble to dispense the ticket, but told Jules, "I ought to give you a ticket!" Mrs. Bowman heard what the officer said, leaned out the window and asked the policeman, "Just how much are your tickets, officer?"

An old expression is "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." We have seen questions posed about how much money teachers make. An email now making its rounds of the internet reads, in part,

Northwest Area High School will hold commencement exercises Wednesday, June 8, at 6 PM, in the high school gym. Congratulations to all the graduates!

We have all heard stories about restaurants having crazy pricing policies. An example is a "seniors special" of $2.49 for ham and eggs, with additional charges levied for someone who does not want the eggs. A woman who had this happen to her was aghast that she had to pay for not taking the eggs, so she changed her order to the special. The waitress asked how she wanted the eggs and the woman ordered them "raw and in the shell." She simply took the two eggs home and baked a cake. Plan to spend time Wednesday at the Benton Fire Hall from 11 AM to 7 PM as Worldwide Liquidators holds a truckload closeout sale.

The June 7 article about Jim Vance appears in the PERSONALITIES section on the side panel.

June 6, 2005. Will Jones celebrates his birthday today, and Ralph and Nina Ford celebrate their anniversary today.

Fishing Derby Day yesterday was a success for the local Sportsmen's Club and for about 300 young fishermen. Today is the anniversary of the Allied armies invasion of Normandy, the biggest military invasion in history, D-Day, 1944.

Arlene (Markle) Fritz, 85, (Sept. 23, 1919-June 4, 2005}, 340 Old Tioga Turnpike, Shickshinny, died Saturday. She was born in Jonestown, a daughter of the late George and Myrtle (Roberts) Markle. She attended grade school in Jonestown and the Fishing Creek Union High School. She graduated from Benton High School in 1937. Surviving are her husband, James O. "Jim" Fritz; her daughter, Carolyn L. Stevens, town; a granddaughter, Tracey L. Stevens Chonko, New Columbus; and two step-grandsons. Her sister, Erma Hayman, died earlier this year. Funeral services will be held Thursday at 10 AM at the McMichael Funeral Home, Inc. Viewing will be held Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Jonestown Cemetery.
--from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary can be found

Rev. David Diehl announced Sunday morning during services at the Benton Christian Church that Cole's couch (Benton News, May 30, 2005) had been "condemned to the fires of Hell," referring, of course, to the family dog, "Cole," losing his favorite resting place. Rev. Diehl moved the couch to the sacrificial altar (burn pile) on Saturday and ignited it sending the smoke heavenward leaving few ashes and burned springs. Coal remains saddened and remorseful by the loss of his favorite resting place. Carolyn Diehl appears relieved that the "despicable" piece of furniture has been consigned to a state where it will never reappear. We suspect that Rev. Diehl will not help friends outfit their houses with furniture in the future.

The Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT) is getting closer to reality, part of a plan to build a north-south interstate through central Pennsylvania. The major hitch is that the state in about $350 million short of cash to build it.

Still, the planning goes on in an attempt to alleviate the clogged highway system at Shamokin Dam and Hummels Wharf by constructing a four-lane, limited-access highway linking U.S. Routes 11 and 15 at Selinsgrove to SR 147 north of Northumberland, crossing the west branch of the Susquehanna River at Winfield. The southern leg of that bypass at Selinsgrove ends abruptly, dumping traffic into the two-lane "strip" in Shamokin Dam. Travel to the Harrisburg area gets clear sailing heading south once past the bottlenecks at Shamokin Dam until bottlenecks at Enola/Marysville, Perdix and Camp Hill are reached.

An article in Monday's Press Enterprise abut the 120th anniversary of The Lutz Agency, 246 W. Main St., Bloomsburg, is interesting reading. The real estate company maintains an active local office.

The Sullivan Review for June 2 recalls a story told by former Benton teacher, Edith Shuman, Shady Nook. It seems that about 1915 or 1916 a detachment of the Pennsylvania State Police came to Lopez after the front porch of Squire Lawrence Dunn's house was blown to smithereens. The perpetrators then headed for Canada and joined the Canadian Army. Mrs. Shuman reported from that time on four troopers and mounts were stationed at Lopez reporting to Troop P from their headquarters at 475 Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, (570) 697-2000. Troop P has stations in Bradford, Luzerne, Sullivan and Wyoming counties.

The Pennsylvania State Police was created by an Act of the legislature which was signed into law by Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker May 2, 1905. It was the first uniformed police organization of its kind in the United States. Today, there are 4,545 sworn members of the Pennsylvania State Police with over 1,600 civilians throughout the Department.

Quickies...
. The Scranton Times-Tribune, formed by a merger of The Scranton Times and The Tribune will begin publishing Monday, June 27.
. An excellent source of what is happening in the Columbia and Montour area is at http://escapemaker.com/pa/colmon/colmon.html .

Take the time to read about John A. Nolan, 81, Ridge Road, who has written his first novel, Pious Frauds, and is working on his second. The story is in Sunday's Press Enterprise.

"Life itself cannot give us joy
Unless we really will it
Life just gives us time and space
It's up to us to fill it."
--Jacqueline Johnson

The Eckley Miner's Village Associates will host the annual "Patch Town Days" festival from 10 AM to 5 PM on June 25-26. Demonstrations in shoe making, chair caning, quilting, beekeeping and medical displays are just a few of the day's events. Visitors will be able to hear stories of what life was like for coal miners, the roles of women in the patch towns and what it was like being a child during this time. There will also be Irish, Welsh and Slovak heritage displays, musicians, storytelling, wagon rides and more to teach the public about the culture, customs and music of the 19th century. Food will be available and there will be over 30 local vendors with items on display. For more information call (570) 636-2070.

We were chatting yesterday with a man who used a word we hadn't heard in years, one Father used from time to time. The word as pronounced would be spelled "whatuwunna," as in "whatuwunna do." We got "to thinkin" about terms and words we hadn't heard "in a spell," and we'll list some of them. Let us know if you think of "anothern," although "hit don't madder" if you can't, it just "doan make no nevermind to me." OK, lets git right tewit."Skohsh" was a favorite word of Fathers, as was "tarnation," a word used in this country since Colonial days. Father was also big on the "Dad" words, like "Dadgummit," "Dadblamit" and "Dadblasted" and his conversations were sprinkled with "Dang it!," "Darn it!," and "Well, shoot!" Ain't was a word occasionally used, but rarely used today. A "pike" was a fish to be caught at Painter Den, not a turnpike.

As a farmer, Father worried about "puttin all yer eggs in one baskit!," frequently warned about "puttin two peas in a pod," once or twice warned about "hawg tying" me when he got "madder than a wet hen" at something I had done or when I "plum wore him out." If rain interrupted his farming, there were plenty of other things to do and Father would simply say, "it ain't nuthin!" On the other hand, if it was something, Father would say "in all my born days, I never...

"Mother, on the other hand, always told arriving visitors that she hadn't seen them "in a coons' age" or "in a month of Sundays." She frequently told people she talked with that "you got that right!" She expressed surprise with "Oh, my word!" or "Oh, my stars!" Her good purchases were "a deal." She ended all conversations about another woman with "bless her heart." When guests were "fixin" to go," she told them to "come back again real soon."Ross Smith, commenting on my carpentering skills, once told me that there "ain't no two ways 'bout it!," "you don't know sickem!"

Charlie Dodson  remembers that his grandfather, Robert E. Whitenight, who farmed at Savage Hill and later built and lived in the house presently owned by Ted Whitenight, used to say when he got riled up, "Hold my coat!"

Proud father-in-law E. Lee Remley attended the ceremony.

Chris is married to the former Amy Remley and they have two sons, Joshua, 11, and Jacob, 9. Proud parents are Spencer Vincent, Hughesville, and Martha Vincent, Scranton.