The Memorial Day weather forecast is a soggy one, with showers and cool temperatures. Yesterday was a "keeper."

On this date in 1889, more than 2,000 people perished when a dam break sent water rushing through Johnstown.

In a recent obituary in the Press Enterprise for Frances MeKeel Moyer, the article stated that she was the daughter of Albert and Clara Snyder MeKeel (sometimes spelled McKeel). Sheila Brandon is searching for information about a sister of Frances by the name of Mildred McKeel, married to Charles Cadwalader. Anyone that is researching the MeKeel-McKeel family is asked to contact Sheila .

Didja hear about the two Cajun fishermen, Boudreaux & Thibodeaux, who went out in the Gulf of Mexico fishing? The way that we heard the story, they were gone a couple of months and when they returned they noticed a Taco Bell had been built while they were away. Boudreaux turned to Thibodeaux and said, "Look at dat, we not gone no time and dem Mexicans done come over here and built a telephone company!"

It is nice to look over the shoulders of our graduating classes from time to time. We'll look in on the graduating class of 1949 and see what their world was like 55 years ago. Harry S. Truman was sworn in that year, Sam Rayburn of Texas was Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dean Acheson was the Secretary of State, the Supreme Court ruled, in Wolf v. Colorado, that evidence gained through illegal search and seizure may be used by prosecutors. It was a year of Pillsbury "bake-offs" and scented bras and Gorgeous George the wrestler and roller derbies and Silly Putty. Joe Lewis, the "Brown Bomber," decided to take up another line of work after being champ for 11 years. Ezzra Charles became the new heavyweight champion "of the world" when he out-thumped Jersey Joe Walcott. South Pacific was the hit in music and The Lone Ranger just arrived on TV, along with Quiz Kids, Original Amateur Hour and Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Uncle Milton Berle was at the top of the charts. It snowed in San Diego, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara that year.

Jimmy Johnson was Class President of the graduating class of 1949, Back Home in Benton, PA. There were 50 members of the graduating class, we think, since when we asked Naomi Irene Roberts Kinney at the Alumni Banquet about the number, she told us that the class had been "trying to remember about that."

The class night had as its theme "the Gay Nineties," presented as a "mellerdrammer." The whole class participated in the Mary Hartman production. Miss Hartman had taken a chew of gum away from one of the class members and "outlawed" gum from all practice sessions. Miss Hartman told all the class that "this is the fun night." And fun it was, especially after it was all over. Miss Hartman had a pack of gum for each member of the class as a reward for a "job well done."

The Junior-Senior Banquet was held at the Moses Van Camper Hotel. The king of the evening from the Junior Class was Donald Gould. The class did not have a yearbook in 1949, per L. Ray Appleman edict. It was not until recently that old pictures of the class were assembled in what the members now call a "yearbook."

We should mention the members of the class no longer alive. They include Robert Beishline, David Floyd, Carl Fritz, Richard Keefer, Ronald Keller, Richard Sands, Harry Unbewust, Carl Shultz, Anna Hewlett Kropiewnicki, Barbara Long Wilcox, Evelyn Shultz Palmer, Ruth Smith Briggs, Eleanor Wilson Kinney, Mary Ellen Wilson Reigle, Shirley Shannon Parsell, Helen Barnes Fox, Charles Karns, Joan Sentner Mizarchik, Jack Schupp, John Harrington, Ed McHenry and Russell Morgan.

We wandered into a Main Street garage sale Saturday--the kind that actually is held in a garage, not the kind that is held in a side yard or on a porch and called a "garage sale." The seller had new bags of yarn in wonderful colors, and told us that her eyesight didn't permit crocheting any longer. The yarn was for sale. We ran the yarn through our fingers and it not only looked good but it felt good. We snarfed it up, threw it in a giant bag and headed for Florence Kocher's house, where crochet is king!

Florence loved the yarn and told us about some of the simple stitches and the practice needed to crochet. Florence explained that we could be making a baby blanket or a granny square within hours. She said that all we needed was a crochet hook, some yarn, a measuring tape or ruler, a supply of straight pins and a yarn needle. At the end we would need a little water to make it all lay flat.

The next step was holding the yarn so that it could flow easily from hand to hook. Over the little finger, under the ring finger, over the middle and left forefingers. Tough stuff! We tried to loop the yarn around the little finger, running it over the forefinger. The book says that the hook pulls the yarn from the fingers through the loop on the hook. That's what the book says. It was a little like reading an owner's manual for a VCR. The words are in English but the sentences are in a foreign language. We are just not cut out for this over the finger, under the finger stuff. Our patience was unraveling...

Crocheting is the stuff of grandmothers, although younger women are learning to create knit dog cozies and cat ponchos. Florence proudly told us that she had taught her granddaughter-in-law to crochet, and she in turn taught five other young mothers. Across the country, instructional books are winding up in younger people's homes.

Statistics say that more than 38 million people knit or crochet, according to a 2002 survey by the Craft Yarn Council of America. The bible for the group is Debbie Stoller's book "Stitch 'N Bitch" , but "old hands" at the art of crocheting don't need any fancy books to know what to do. Florence's guide was a "hand-me-down" from her Mother back in Warrior's Mark, PA. Those designs work just fine for her today, thank you, and we could tell that she would like us to move on and talk about something else. Her hands wanted to get to work.

Honoring ancestors by cleaning cemetery grounds and decorating graves is a tradition that is both ancient and world wide. The specific origin of Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was first known, are unclear. In early rural America, a memorial day was an occasion for family reunions and picnics. Following the aftermath of the Civil War, America needed a secular, patriotic ceremony to honor its military dead. Monuments to fallen soldiers were erected and dedicated, and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers' graves were held in towns and cities throughout the nation. For many years, states observed the holiday on dates of their choosing. Memorial Day is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.

A bleach that sells under the brand name of Tesco's announced on its label that it "Kills bacteria as well as the leading brand." That's pretty hard on competition!

Quote of the Day:
"I can't really remember the names of all the clubs that we went to."
Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece.

The town was filled with garage sale buyers yesterday and everyone seemed to have a good time. There were people and cars everywhere. Gas stations were jammed and restaurants had an excellent day. Some garage sales proved so popular that it was next to impossible to park cars along Main Street.

In the course of an average lifetime
It has been said
A man spends twenty precious years Asleep in bed:
Seven more in eating
Or drinking at the bar
And most of the remainder
Trying to park his car...
--Flanders and Swann

Winners of this year's Washington Post word contest
• Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
• Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
• Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent
• Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
• Pokemon (n), a Jamaican proctologist.

"His lectures were very clear and organized. His lab experiments always worked, as I remember. His field trips were fun, and inspiring."
Dr. Don Baker, talking about Dr. Don Rabb

"I didn't accomplish much research." But I did get a lot of kids motivated in science. Someone has to light a fire under kids, and I tried."
--Dr. Don Rabb

"It takes more than a village to raise a child. It takes a special kind of village with very special people. You know better than I do that you have such a village."
--Margaret Dawson

"We learned to read and write here, and that was the biggest element."
When opportunities came, we recognized them."
--Fred Baker

"We had
wonderful students and great athletes."
--Don Rabb

The Benton Area School System Alumni Banquet brought 240 to the high school gymnasium Saturday night to feast on Cheri Bissinger's roast beef, chicken, string beans, mashed potatoes and extras, and to meet and greet the 2004 Inductees into the Hall of Fame.

At 5 PM, Allen Turner and Dr. Andy Pollock conducted tours of the high school building. Many of the older graduates were struck by the fact that there are over 100 computers for the approximately 370 students in the middle/high school building--not bad for the seventh smallest school in the state of Pennsylvania. The school system currently has approximately 790 students from kindergarten through 12 grade. The last day of school and the day of graduation is June 11, 2004. The graduation will take place in the elementary school gymnasium.

Middle school principal, Gary Powlus, joked about "breaking child labor laws" getting ready for the alumni banquet in support of the graduates for the years ending in a "4" or a "9." Alumni President Sandy Kogut pointed out that the building is now 80% complete.

Brandon Schupp, president of the graduating class, introduced the members of the class who were in attendance. There are 48 scheduled to graduate. The Alumni Association then distributed $6,500 in scholarships to 19 members of the graduating class. Allen Hack received scholarships totaling $550, followed by Caleb and Josh Fritz at $450 each, and Evan Thursby at $425. Nathan Musselman received $400.

	These members of the graduating class of 2004 received scholarships at the Alumni Banquet Saturday night

The High School Jazz Band, composed of 12 members under the direction of Jennifer Welliver, entertained the alumni with music to the enjoyment of everyone. There are five seniors in the band, with three juniors and three sophomores and one freshmen.

A spokesman from each of the classes with reunion years spoke. Jesse Whitenight from the class of 1944 reminded the alumni that six from her class enlisted in the women's cadet corps. Jim Johnson, who spoke at the 2003 Hall of Fame Alumni Banquet when brother Ralph was inducted, spoke for the class of 1949. Retired Brigadier General Jim Phillips spoke for the class of 1954 and told 2004 class president, Brandon Schupp, that "50 years ago I had a beautiful head of hair like that, too!" He told the alumni that "we were good in 1954 and we are still good in 2004!" The spokesperson for 1959 was Ed Baker, a brother to two of the inductees and the brother who spoke for the least amount of time. Alton Getz spoke for 1964, saying that "we were 62 for 65--and we have five here this evening." The year 1979 had seven back from the 60 who graduated. Special recognition was given to Patti Moss, who passed away twelve years ago.

The inductees individually were introduced to the alumni and the list of accomplishments of the group read.

• Audie Hittle, a graduate of the class of 1975.
Mr. Hittle, with a smile on his face, thanked the Hall of Fame Committee for the "exceptionally good judgment" in selecting him. He specifically thanked former Benton resident, Ora Karns, for nominating him and asked Ora and his wife to stand and be recognized. He told the story of former guidance councilor and now deceased Sara Albertson telling his best friend that he could be "anything that he wanted to be in life." Mrs. Albertson then told Audie that he could be "almost anything he wanted to be in life." Mr. Hittle then told the graduating class to "be and do almost anything in life!"

Audie Hittle

• Mary Lucinda Dodson, (1904-1997), a graduate of the class of 1922.
Mary Lucinda Dodson Gearhart received the honor posthumously. The award was accepted by daughter Margaret J. Dawson, Lambertville, MI.
Mrs. Dawson said of her mother who was born and married in Cambra, "this is where her dreams were born." Her career was in helping physically and mentally challenged people in the Stroudsburg area. Mary Lucinda Dodson Gearhart died one month shy of her 93rd birthday.

Margaret Dawson and family

• Donald Nelson Baker, Ph.D., a graduate of the class of 1952.
Dr. Baker remembered his roots growing "up in a little house along the creek." He also remembered Donald Rabb, saying, "His lab experiments always worked, as I remember." He also observed that "Benton produces great mentors."

Don Baker

• Frederick P. Baker, a graduate of the class of 1967.
Mr. Baker observed that "my first good fortune was my family." Fred started his own company in 1976, Baker Installations, and it has now grown into a 17,000 square-foot facility and is a $45 million telecommunications company located in Pittsburgh. He is the younger brother of Donald Baker.

Fred Baker

• Dr. Donald D. Rabb, D.Ed., a graduate of the class of 1940.
Dr. Rabb offered a "commercial" to the graduating class and commented on the free meal extended to them at the Alumni Banquet, saying that "there will be no more free meals." Dr. Rabb also commented on a recent article about the graduates of Berwick High School where 151 will graduate and approximately $192,000 in scholarships will be distributed. Dr. Rabb noted that although the figures are not yet official, it appears that out of the 48 in the graduating class at the Benton Area Schools, scholarships will be distributed in excess of half a million dollars. Dr. Rabb noted that he had to stay in Benton since "so much was handed to me I had to stay in place." Dr. Rabb was born in Benton and chose to live his life in Benton.

Donald Rabb

We are in the middle of a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Today are the garage sales in Benton. Tonight is the Alumni Banquet at the high school starting at 5 PM for the tour of the new high school. The alumni banquet dinner will begin promptly at 6 PM and the induction ceremony will follow about 7 PM. Reservations for dinner are a must, but the public is invited to the induction ceremony. In Washington, DC, the National World War II Memorial will be dedicated today, marking the culmination of an effort that began in 1987, when legislation was introduced to create the $175 million memorial. It is also the Indy 500 weekend, but most of the glitter of that event has fallen off on NASCAR.

The 21 beautiful Welcome signs being installed on poles in Benton were the gift to the people of Benton by Mayor Jan Swan. Signs for the Benton Park will be installed in the near future.

Microsoft Corp. plans to release an update to its Windows XP operating system that will contain new technology aimed at stopping viruses and other forms of malware. The new release involves the default setting for the firewall. With Windows XP2, the firewall will turn on unless the computer user knowingly turns it off. In the original version, users had to turn it on themselves.

We are going to take the time to review the life and times of all of the inductees of the Benton Area High School Hall of Fame Program. We'll highlight Mary Lucinda Dodson and Donald Nelson Baker today.

Mary Lucinda Dodson, (1904-1997), a graduate of the class of 1922. Married name: Mary D. Gearhart. She is receiving the honor posthumously. Mary Dodson (Gearhart) graduated from Benton High School loving tennis, swimming and dancing. She especially loved sledding and rode bob-sleds, dishpans and coal shovels! She was an excellent singer and played the piano and the violin. She graduated from Bloomsburg Normal School and received a Master of Arts degree from Duquesne University. Mary served as president of the Association of Retarded Children for Monroe County and served on the board of directors of Burnley Workshop for physically and mentally challenged people in the Stroudsburg area. She founded weekly and summer programs and managed Camp Daddy Allen for 27 years in addition to serving as president of the board for 14 years. She was a member of numerous professional and civic groups and is listed in Who's Who in Outstanding Citizens of the Nation and in Who's Who in Outstanding Special Teachers. Mary retired from the Stroudsburg Area School District after teaching for more than 40 years. She married in 1935 and was widowed in 1954. She has one daughter, Margaret J. Dawson, Lambertville, MI.

Donald Nelson Baker, Ph.D., a graduate of the class of 1952. Donald graduated from Benton High School and completed his undergraduate work at Pennsylvania State University. He received his Masters and his Doctorate from Cornell University. He was named by the United States Department of Agriculture as the Outstanding Scientist of the Year in 1987. His teaching experience includes Clemson University and Mississippi State University. He is currently a cotton production consultant with responsibility for approximately 15,000 acres. Donald holds numerous awards and citations, but says that the most difficult was the one "at the bottom of the stack" which read simply Airplane Single Engine Land, Instrument... Donald lives in Starkville, MS, with his wife, Bobbi. There are five children and two step-children, and numerous grand children.

We are gong to talk about the North Branch Canal that followed the Susquehanna River through Columbia County this morning. We promise that it does have something to do with Benton. Read it all to find out what.

We have mentioned several times that the Susquehanna is the longest non-navigable river in North America. Nevertheless, in 1771 the provincial assembly named the Susquehanna River a public highway and set aside money to make it navigable. The first families to come up the river were propelled by four men with setting poles, cruising about two miles an hour against the current. The steamship "Susquehanna" exploded at Berwick May 3, 1826, during one attempt to mechanize navigation of the river and two years later digging of the North Branch Canal began in Berwick.

Long before this steamship accident, the highways of the wilderness were rivers. Settlements of the frontier were linked by water long before roads connected even neighboring farms. The Susquehanna and streams that flowed into the Susquehanna, however, remained non-navigable and the local roads did nothing to promote long-distance trade. Something had to be done, and finally the State agreed to promote a canal system. In Columbia County, the North Branch Canal was a part of this network. The canal seemed to be a natural. The Susquehanna flows into the Chesapeake Bay and from there was easy access to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.

The building of canal boats was once the major industry of the town of Espy. In 1834 George and Thomas Webb built a canal boat called the The Fourth of July. The boat works of the Pennsylvania Canal Company was established in 1873. Two types of boats were built in this area, the flatdecker and the comber. The flatdecker was good for shipping non-finished material. The comber was outfitted with a pitched roof that shed water, making it more suitable for shipping finished or perishable merchandise.

Plank flatboats, called "arks," were also built near the present town of Fernville. The arks were built upside down, flipped into the waters of Fishing Creek and floated to the river where they were loaded with flour, whiskey and other locally produced products, then, depending on river conditions, floated down the river. Rarely were the river levels exactly ideal. The boat then needed to be brought back up the river, either by pushing the ark by poles stuck in the bottom of the river or by pulling the boat with a team and a rope. Frequently, the arks and later boats called Durham boats were sold when they arrived at their destination. The lumber from the boats were used by the purchaser.

It took six years to dig the canal sixty miles from Northumberland to Pittston. Picture this! The channel was forty feet across at the top and 28 feet wide at the bottom. Workmen dug the canal with picks, shovels and wheelbarrows. Teams of horses walking the towpath pulled the heavy loads up and down the canal. The North Branch was completed in 1831 to Pittston and to the New York border in 1856. It was part of a statewide network of canals known as The Pennsylvania Canal.

The drop in elevation between the New York state border and Northumberland was 360 feet. Locks were necessary for each drop of about ten feet. There were seven locks on the North Branch Canal as it rose 69 feet from Northumberland to the Lackawanna River above Pittston. There were locks at Rupert, Bloomsburg, and below Mifflinville.

Within ten years of the canal's completion, rails carried more and more freight, while the canal fell into disuse. The Lackawanna Railroad bought the canal from the State, but pulled the plug in 1901 and did not fill the waterway. An era came to a close.

We have mentioned several times about the grant of $50,000 for the construction of a portion of the bike and foot path connecting Columbia and Montour counties along the Susquehanna River. The grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It is one of almost $1.6 million in grants recently announced by DCNR secretary Michael DiBerardinis for more than 99 miles of trails in 14 counties. Funding for the project also has been provided through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program. The project was supported by state Sen. John Gordner, R-27, Berwick.

The path from Northumberland to the Wyoming Valley will run along the old Pennsylvania Canal and tow path. The section of trail in Montour and Columbia counties will stretch approximately 25 miles from Danville to Berwick, part of the Susquehanna Greenways Project, a group that develops greenways to the Chesapeake Bay. The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority owns the land where the trail is going to run. The first phase of the project involves connecting Danville and Bloomsburg. Ultimately, a regional trail network can be developed, linking Northumberland to the Wyoming Valley. Project organizers estimated work to begin in a year. With an interest in the canal by hikers and bike riders, things of historic significance like existing canal locks could be preserved and restored.

Brian Auman, Landscape Architect, Community Resource Center, SEDA-Council of Governments, looked into extending the hiking and biking trail from the Canal Trail to Benton. Brian feels that it is feasible. Columbia County currently is conducting a County Recreation and Open Space plan. Brian told us that "I encourage (you) to get involved in that process and make the case for connections to Benton!"

We would like to know what you think. Should the residents of the upper Fishing Creek Valley push for inclusion in planning for a hiking and biking trail to link to our area? Please let us know what you think. If you like the idea, the person to convince is Bob Aungst, the director of Columbia County Planning, (570) 389-9146.

Quote of the Day:
"I don't believe in pessimism."
--Clint Eastwood

In what we can only say are very unofficial readings, readers have told us that Wednesday night's rain totaled 1.6" South of Benton Borough, 2¼ inches out West Creek and the same at New Columbus. Name it and someone reported it: rain, hail. lightening! One small bridge over West Creek washed away. Shoulders are washed away in places along state route 239 from Cambra towards Benton. Harrisburg didn't get a drop of rain, by the way. We see great stands of corn with the corn mostly standing in water, we see fields with weeds two feet high, we see fields much too wet to plant or to get a tractor on. Strawberries could be ready a week early this year, but getting into the fields to pick is another matter. For every inch of rain, a field will need a minimum of two days of good weather to dry out. The waterlogged soil will cause plant roots to rot, encourage pests and cause soil erosion.

Quickies...
• About one in every eight, 12.3% of the population, is an older American.
• CDs are very likely to develop 'CD Rot' if mishandled. Damage or scratches on the label side can occur. CDs should be handled as delicately as records, kept clean and placed in a case when not in use.
• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the most important figures in Pennsylvania's history, although he was born in Boston. He founded the University of Pennsylvania in 1742. He had the distinction of signing both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He is buried in Christ Church Cemetery in Philadelphia.
• Freddie Mac quotes the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage at 6.32%, inching up slightly from last week's average of 6.30%. Low rates aren't going to last forever. Have you refinanced?
• The O.A.T.S. bluegrass festival begins in a month and five days. Remember that if you purchase a four-day pass you can attend the free meal on Thursday night with some of the best pulled pig we have ever tasted. Just bring a dish to share. We'll be telling you much more about the festival in coming days.
• Darlene K. Bartlebaugh, 56, North Bend, WA, passed away at home on May 6, 2004. There is an excellent memorial to Darlene at http://www.flintofts.com/. There are many pictures and an excellent description of the life and times of a former Benton resident. Take time now to have a look and while you are there you can also share memories and sign the family's online quest book.

Dreaming of Alaska this summer, but short of cash? If you can get out of town in June and July, sailings are being offered by the new cruise discounter Cruise Cheap. The airfares are bundled with the cruise price. Rates are good-for-June and July for a weeklong Alaskan cruise aboard Holland America's Veendam (Vancouver to Seward, including the Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Glacier Bay and College Fjords) and airfare from East coast gateways for $1,078. The least expensive sailing is June 13, but there are good rates (about $40 more per person) for June 27 and July 4 ($60 more). Call 800 439-1909 to book, but do it quickly or availability will be gone.

Quote of the Day:
"There will never be a bigger plane built."
--a Boeing engineer talking about the Boeing 247 in 1932. The twin engine plane had a capacity of ten.

We are going to take the time to review the life and times of all of the inductees of the Benton Area High School Hall of Fame Program. We'll highlight Audie Hittle today.

Audie Hittle helped found the first Explorer's Post in the Benton area and was that organization's first president. He served as class president and held other high-school offices. He holds three degrees, one in engineering plus two advanced degrees. Audie is a highly decorated military veteran, nationally recognized pioneer of government-industry collaboration and intrepid entrepreneur. During his 22-year military career starting in 1975, he was twice awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the highest USAF non-combat award and distinguished himself in outstanding service to the United States. Audie transitioned to the private sector in 1997 and has since held key leadership roles in Fortune 500, small and startup companies. Audie is married to his high school sweetheart, Karina McMillan. The couple has one daughter and resides in Tyngsboro, MA.

Howard Johnson borrowed $2,000 in 1925 to buy a small corner drugstore in Wollaston, Massachusetts. The store sold candy, newspapers and patent medicine but the real interest of customers was at the old marble soda fountain. Howard created a sensation using his mother's recipe for ice cream with natural ingredients and a heavy hit of butterfat content. He soon opened a beachfront ice-cream stand, and sold $60,000 worth of ice cream cones, a nickel a cone, the first summer.

By 1928 he was selling $240,000 worth of ice cream cones and he kept adding flavors until he reached 28 varieties. He added more beachfront stands and sold lots of hot dogs clipped at both ends, notched lengthwise, cooked in creamery butter and inserted in a lightly toasted, buttered fresh roll.

Howard Johnson opened a restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, but banks balked at loaning more money for additional restaurants.

Undaunted, Howard persuaded an acquaintance to open a "Howard Johnson's" restaurant on Cape Cod under a franchise agreement in 1935. Howard Johnson designed the space, created the menu, set the standards, and delivered the food and ice cream. The franchisee, under a license, owned the property and received the bulk of the revenues. Howard required that the restaurant be run according to his quality standards or the contract was void.

In the middle of the Depression, 17 Howard Johnson's restaurants opened. One restaurant owner invested $10,000 as one-third the cost, the remainder to be financed over three years. The owner hoped he would gross $60,000 a year, but he actually grossed $200,000 during the first twelve months. The bright orange roof and the Simple Simon and the Pie Man road signs appeared on 107 Howard Johnson restaurants by 1939. The restaurant became the "Host of the Highway." By 1954 there were 400 Howard Johnson restaurants in 32 states. The Howard Johnson Co. went public in 1961 with 88 franchised Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges and 605 restaurants. Ahead, however, lay obstacles in the road, known as the energy crisis and the Big Mac.

Howard Johnson's became yesterday's news. Holiday Inn®, Ramada Inn® and Marriott® hotels and McDonalds and Burger Kings and--well you get the picture. The Howard Johnson chain suddenly didn't look so modern any more. Imperial Group PLC of Great Britain bought the chain in September 1979, and started selling off many of the pieces of the pie.

In 1984, the company adopted Chevron Corporation as the official corporate name, replacing Standard Oil Company of California. This step coincided with the merger with the Gulf Corporation. Today, the company is known as the ChevronTexaco Corp selling the Chevron, Texaco and Caltex brands.

May 27, 2004. Hobe and Jesse Whitenight celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary today on the 27th. Daughter Lacinda tells us they were "set up by Aunt Marisa and Uncle Ted being invited to their house for dinner. Unbeknownst to Dad, they had schemed for him to take Jessie home afterward. He drove his motorcycle. She took the ride home anyway and the rest is history." Actually, Jesse always fumed a bit when daughter Linda would hitch a ride on future husband Tom Morris' motorcycle. After her ride with Hobe, however, a motorcycle ride didn't seem quite as bad.

Julia Ward Howe was born in New York City on this date in 1819. She is best known as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible, swift sword;
His truth is marching on."
--Julia Ward Howe, poet, essayist, and women's movement leader.

The northern part of Columbia is getting ready for the yard and garage sales Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with most sales taking place on Saturday. Even restaurants and food suppliers are getting into the act. The good Southern Sweet Tea will be available at a moment's notice for take-out at the Market Square Grill, and both Market Square and The Old Filling Station will have quick sandwiches to eat on the run. The TasteeKreme is always quick, as is the Sub Shop. From noon until about 7 PM, the fire company will have fried chicken. D.R.'s QuickMart will have a couple of hot dogs (or a hamburg) and chips and soda outside for under $2, weather permitting. AYSO will wash your car at the CCFNB at Main and Market and you can keep right on piling the bargains in your SUV. If you head north to Central for the big sales there, the Christ United Methodist Church will have a yard sale with food and baked items from 8 AM. Rev. Leh tells us there are a lot of children's items in good condition. Our unofficial records show that we have had rain on 23 out of the last 35 days , but the forecast for Friday and Saturday is perfect.

On Friday, May 28, local musicians will stage a benefit concert for Jason Perez, the owner of Brews N Bytes, Danville. The benefit concert is to help Jason with his medical bills. Jason had a terrible accident that put him in the hospital. The concert will be held in the parking lot behind Brews N Bytes and will get underway at 7:00 PM.

Ruth Cavanaugh, Staten Island, NY, wrote that the annual Farver Reunion will be held starting at noon Sunday, July 11, at Berwick's Ber-Vaughn Park. Ruth notes that it is the 56th Consecutive Annual Reunion of the many branches of the Farver family. Ruth has many of the pictures that her mother had, and has Family Tree charts to explore along with over 5,000 Farver Family members in her files on her web site. If any Farver family members would like to visit the web site, send Ruth an email at and she will send an invitation so they can visit.

Bonnie Farver, President of the group, tells us that the reunion will be in the last pavilions down on the top section near the restrooms. She asks that attendees bring an item for auction and to be prepared to an do an old fashioned cake walk.

For people interested in starting their own genealogical web site as Ruth has done, visit the web site at www.myfamily.com .

Flying somewhere? Consider Harrisburg International Airport, a little over two hours away. Passenger traffic counts jumped by 14.8% last month. We find excellent rates out of the airport in Middletown, just outside of Harrisburg.

We all know that the partially hydrogenated oils in margarine, shortening, french fries and thousands of processed foods contain trans fat. Studies begun in the late 1980s began to show that trans fat actually promotes heart disease. In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration began to require food labels to disclose trans levels.

Trans fat raises LDL-or "bad"--cholesterol about as much as saturated fat does. Unlike saturated fat, however, trans fat lowers blood levels of HDL--or "good"--cholesterol. Studies in the last year indicate that current thinking is that trans fat is worse than saturated fat and could be responsible for as many as 20,000 or more deaths each year.

Foods that are or soon will be totally trans fat free include most Frito-Lay chips, Triscuits, some Oreos, Promise margarine and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Crisco has a trans-fat version and Ruby Tuesday's has switched to trans fat free canola oil for all fried foods. Among food processors, two of the biggest users—-Kraft (Nabisco, Oscar Mayer) and Campbell (Pepperidge Farm, Keebler)-—have begun reformulating their products. Riverside Market sells a delicious Arnold Hearty Classic 12 Grain bread that contains no trans fats.

Check for "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" in the ingredient lists of margarines, cakes, cookies, pastries, pot pies, crackers, and frozen foods. Some of the biggest users of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil are such major chain restaurants as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Applebee's, and Red Lobster. When you visit your favorite restaurant, don't accept french fries just because they are inexpensive for the restaurant to serve. Insist on a heart-healthy substitute.

Whine, whine, whine--that's all we seem to do. Verizon Wireless activated its Troy Township cellular communication tower Wednesday, to the delight of western Bradford County. Another Verizon tower in Tioga County provides service sweeping from Wellsboro to the edge of the range of a tower near Towanda. Does the upper Fishing Creek valley get a cellular tower? You betcha your bippy we don't! Please mention that fact whenever you happen to be around a person anyway associated with the sale of cell phones.

The sirens some heard Wednesday were emergency sirens used to warn residents of an emergency at the PPL nuclear power plant in Salem Township. They were activated for an annual test Wednesday. There are 112 sirens located throughout Luzerne and Columbia counties. Only one failed to sound.

Millville will dedicate a monument in the park May 29 at 1 PM. Millville graduate Mark Robbins is responsible. The monument remembers local Millville veterans who served their country.

We are going to take the time to review the life and times of all of the inductees of the Benton Area High School Hall of Fame Program. We'll highlight Fred Baker today.

Fred Baker is the Chief Executive Officer of Baker Installations, Inc., a $30 Million 500 employee telecommunications service provider in 12 states. Baker Installations technicians service over 20,000 consumer homes and businesses every week.

Fred founded Baker Installations in 1976, Baker Leasing in 1984 and Expert Cable Inc. in 1990. Inc. Magazine awarded Baker Installations the "Inc. 500" Award for "Fastest Growing Privately Owned, Companies" in both 1984 and 1985; the 1999 Arthur Andersen "Best Practices" Award for Motivating and Retaining Employees; and in year 2000, runner up for Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Pittsburgh.

Fred has served in numerous positions with organizations ranging from the Pennsylvania Cable and Telecommunications Association, to the Allegheny Regional Asset District Board of Directors which distributes $60 million of taxes annually to regional cultural projects; and the Governor's conference on Small Business 1998. His commitment to "making a difference" is reflected in his involvement with the Council on Pornography during Ronald Reagan's presidency and the Republican Presidential Task Force Medal of Merit, George Bush Presidency; and the Board of Trustees for Allegheny Institute, a local political economic think tank. In the spring of 1999, candidate Fred Baker came within a 4% voter approval for Allegheny County Councilman At Large for the first elections for Home Rule government. Fred devoted 18 years to the South Hills Christian School as a school board member, and two 2-year terms as a Deacon of Library Baptist Church. A favorite board since 1987 is the Board of Directors of the Caleb Project, which focuses on missions mobilization to the least reached nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A bible student for 45 years; an adult bible class teacher for 30 years, Fred enjoys guest lecturing and has been heard on several radio shows such as "The American Entrepreneur," "Lead the Way" and "The Jerry Bowyer Show" where he talks about leadership as a Christian businessman.

Born and raised in Benton, Fred later attended Mississippi State University. At his campus job with the Mississippi County Extension Service he developed and established a library reference filing system for over one million County Extension Service agricultural and home economics publications saving 20 hours per week to fill publication shipping requests from county agents.

Fred has been married to Beth Christine Kocher for 38 years, and they are the parents of eight children and seven grandchildren. Their social and recreational time center on family, church, school and business activities. Leisure time pursuits and hobbies are computer activities, photography, reading, television, skiing, golf, single track biking and travel.

It came and went so fast! Folklore holds that when you hear the sound of the first cicadas, the first frost of the year will occur about three months later.

The Susquehanna River bisects our state. One branch is known as the West Branch and flows East through Lock Haven and Williamsport, then South until it joins with the North Branch in Northumberland. The North Branch begins in New York state and flows South through Wilkes-Barre. The river then flows South and East to the Chesapeake Bay, draining an estimated 27,500 square miles of the state, an area larger than Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Delaware put together. The river is the longest non-navigable river in North America.

My lilac trees are old and tall;
I cannot reach their bloom at all.
They send their perfume over trees
And roofs and streets, to find the bees.
-- Louise Driscoll (1875-1957)

The 51 members of the graduating class in Millville are excited about Thursday night, the night they graduate and the night that the Guv comes to give them a send-off courtesy of a commencement address. State Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff's son Nicholas will be one of the 51 graduates.

We are going to take the time to review the life and times of all of the inductees of the Benton Area High School Hall of Fame Program. We'll start today with Dr. Donald Rabb.

Donald D. Rabb graduated from the Benton Vocational High School Class of 1940, and went on to graduate from Bloomsburg State Teacher's College. He received his master's degree from Bucknell University and his Doctor of Education degree from Pennsylvania State University. He has participated in advanced studies at an additional five universities.

During his teaching career at the Benton Area School System, he taught all the science courses, and served as the Athletic Director influencing and shaping lives in the class room and on the athletic field. He joined the faculty of Bloomsburg State Teachers College in 1957 and served on the faculty for 26½ years teaching a variety of biology courses specializing in Genetics and Anatomy and Physiology. He served as chairperson the Department of Biology from 1965 to 1973.

Donald served for three years in the Army Air Force, two of which were spent with the 12th weather squadron in North Africa, Italy and Egypt. He has served on numerous national biology committees dedicated to improving the curricula of secondary school biology courses and to upgrade the education of biological scientists at the undergraduate level. He was appointed to teach in National Science Foundation-sponsored Institutes for Biology Teachers at the University of Hawaii in 1965 and at Delhi University, India, in 1968. He was the commencement speaker for the first class to graduate from Bloomsburg University in 1983.

He has an impressive list of local organizations in which he has played an active role, ranging from high school and college alumni associations, the Bloomsburg Fair Association, the Benton Fireman's Association and the Benton Borough Council. He was an inspiring scoutmaster. Donald married his high school sweetheart, Dottie McHenry, and they have three children.

Speaking of getting together at the Alumni Banquet, remember that nothing makes a woman feel older than meeting a bald-headed man who was two grades behind her.

Didja know that the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company dates back to June 4, 1920, when eight different utility companies were merged into a single company with 62 small steam electric and hydroelectric generating plants. Just a few years before the beginning of the PP&L, more than 70 electric companies served central and eastern Pennsylvania. One of the companies was the Lehigh Power Securities Corp., which had a controlling interest in the Columbia and Montour Electric Co., which provided service to Berwick, Bloomsburg and Danville. PP&L made a major expansion in the late 1920s. In 1928, for example, PP&L acquired the Benton Hydro-Electric Company, the Millville Electric Light Company, the Montoursville Electric Light Company, and the Orangeville-Columbia Power & Light Co.

A new Pennsylvania law requires parental consent for a minor to have any form of body piercing. Body piercing joins prohibitions on tattooing for under-age kids. Of course, Momma and Poppa can agree, but we hope that they do not.

We overheard two cows talking in a field near Derrs. Daisy said to Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe you," said Dolly. "It's true, no bull!," exclaimed Daisy.

David Neff, 34, 255 Shannon Hill Road, Benton, lost control of his tractor-trailer in the westbound lane of I-80 near Milton. There were no injuries, but traffic was tied up about five hours.

Expect police to check for seat belt usage in vehicles over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

For those who inquired about our health we'll mention that we are heavily into exercise, this week concentrating on weightlifting. We perform this exercise as we stand up. We don't want to be in the position where we are called upon to stand to offer a chair to a lady--and we can't. We feel that we can do as much as we ever did, we just don't want to! We have everything that we had 20 years ago, except that most stuff is a little lower. We want to feel fit as a fiddle, but it's hard shaped as we are like a cello. We suspect we may be over the hill because we feel like the morning after and we haven't been anywhere. We can remember back to when we were 20 and we didn't care what the world thought of us. At 30, we started worrying what the world thought of us, and now we realize that it isn't thinking of us at all. We know that life begins at 40, but then so does hair loss, bad eyesight, arthritis and the habit of repeating everything three times. We tell you these things just to console ourselves at no longer being able to set a bad example. We often think that life would have been so much easier if we had been born 80 and worked our way toward 18. This nonsense of being told to slow down by a doctor rather than by a policeman is for the birds.

Get the last word in: Apologize.

When weeding, the best way to make sure you are
removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Union soldiers often marched South singing a song entitled "John Brown's Body."

Pennsylvania furnished 362,284 men to the army and 14,407 to the Navy during the Civil War.

May 25, 2004

May 25, 2004. Happy birthday today to Brenda Conrad, Lebanon. Brenda shares her birthday with Ralph Waldo Emerson, born in Boston on this date in 1803. Please extend your prayers today to Lorna Evarts, a patient in the Geisinger Hospital.

The Benton Area Schools would like to take old yearbooks off your hands if you no longer want them. If you are willing to part with yearbooks that are no longer of any use to you, how 'bout bringing them with you when you come to the Alumni Banquet this weekend.

Tomorrow morning, like every Wednesday morning, throngs of people will head to the Lewisburg Farmers Market. You can count on about 80 vendors tomorrow, and that is no different than most of the 70-odd years of "The Market's" existence on Fairground Road in East Buffalo Township. The market is open year-round on Wednesdays, with fish markets, butchers, bakers and much more both inside and outside. Three-quarters of the sales at the Lewisburg Farmers Market take place between 9 and noon. Most of the market’s business is conducted in the morning.

American Bandstand started as a local program in Philadelphia and stayed with us on ABC from 1957 to 1987, broadcasting the hottest new recording acts and dances. Eternally young Dick Clark, now 74, won't let go of a good thing. He is trying to market an update of American Bandstand for a summer 2005 debut.

We've been away, but we returned to Benton last night and found multiple presents waiting for us in our basement. We left the basement door open for awhile before we left and a three-legged cat decided to take a basement nap and slept through the closing of the door, her last chance of freedom for a long time. The cat has had a miserable two weeks, since the family it lived with decided to leave town without the cat, making the poor animal homeless. If anyone would like the cat, we suspect that it is yours for the asking. Bring warm milk.

The small town of Gettysburg was the site of the largest battle ever waged during the American Civil War. The town was already 77 years old in 1863, after originally being laid out by James Gettys, who had purchased a
116-acre tract from his father's homestead. By 1786, he had laid out 210 lots around the Square, which still remains as the center of town.

By chance on July 1, 1863, the future of Gettysburg was changed forever. The Battle of Gettysburg, fought in the first three days of July, 1863, resulted in a victory for the Union "Army of the Potomac" and successfully ended the second invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee's "Army of Northern Virginia." The battle is frequently referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy." It was also the bloodiest single battle of the war, resulting in over 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing.

We'll continue from yesterday with some of the oddities of the war...

• Lincoln was not universally trusted. In the election of 1860, more men in the North than in the South voted for his opponent. Although he ended up being called the "Great Emancipator," that was never the role anticipated for the man. As President, Lincoln had the preservation of the union as his primary objective.
• In April 1861, the New York Times assured its readers through a series of editorials that the "local commotion" in the South could be put to rest "effectually in thirty days."
• Lincoln insisted at first to call the conflict an "insurrection." During the first battle of Bull Run, it became obvious that 75,000 ninety-day volunteers could not be victorious. By July, 1861, the President had to ask Congress for 400,000 troops and $400 million. Lawmakers responded as lawmakers do: they gave the President $500 million. A popular song of the day was We Are Coming, Father Abraham, Four Hundred Thousand Strong. (The song was also known by the same name, only Three Hundred Thousand Strong.)
• History records that President Lincoln was subject to severe mood swings, perhaps prompted by Marfan Syndrome, a hereditary condition that leads to the elongation of bones and abnormalities of the eyes and the cardiovascular system. Perhaps his mood swings came from the kick to the head he received as a child, the result of a mule kicking him. Others suggest that he suffered from petit mal, a type of epilepsy.
• President Lincoln was deeply embroiled in legal tests of matters that touched on the local area and the national level. The disposition of captured ships taken by Federal vessels was a central issue of the period. Attorneys for the owners of the ships Amy Warwick, Brilliant, Crenshaw and Hiawatha argue that the president had pronounced a blockade without authority, since war had not been declared. Had this reasoning prevailed, the legality of the entire conflict would have been at issue. The case was scheduled to be heard in March, 1862, but was deferred until a close friend of the President, David Davis, and two others named by Lincoln to the high court were seated. In addition, Lincoln broke with tradition and nominated and named a tenth member of the judicial body, the former chief justice of the California Supreme Court, Stephen Field. Field had to cross the continent to assume his new position and "pack the court."
• Military exploits unparalleled in the history of America occurred right here in the upper Fishing Creek valley. In what some referred to as the Fishing Creek Confederacy in August, 1864, about 100 local men were rounded up and rousted out of bed without time in most cases to even dress or say goodbye to family or even to have charges read to them. They were marched to the Christian Church in Benton, at that time located on top of Hill Street just up from the covered bridge spanning Fishing Creek. Some prisoners were released, but forty-four prisoners were hurried off without food. There were the elderly and the young, some were sick, some able-bodied, some rich and some poor. The Federal troops shackled the prisoners together and marched them with force and without food through Bloomsburg, then by rail through Harrisburg and Philadelphia, and then to Fort Mifflin. The names of those arrested were common Benton names, and descendents of these 44 remain in the community today. A partial list of names included Coleman, Appleman, Stiles, Chapin, Rantz, Yorks, Everett, Stott, Colley, Benjamin, McHenry, Karns, Davis, Baker, VanSickle and Kline.

Quote of the Day:
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I do not believe the nation will fall, but I do believe it will cease to be divided."
--Abraham Lincoln

To the right was the bar, which was especially crowded during the Farmer's Picnic. At the end of the carpeted lobby was a unique coat rack with an oval mirror, deer hear, and deer hooves turned up to hold hats and coasts. The restaurant held 100 guests.

The hotel was run by John Henry Knouse until his death in 1943, then Jacob and Irene Knouse owned and operated the hotel. The hotel was destroyed during a fire that occurred during the flood of hurricane Eloise in September of 1975.

Next in the series will be the former band shell at the Benton Park and it will be available in September. In November of this year will be the O. B. Savage barn and in February, 2004, will be the Long Wagon Works. Contact a member of the Benton U. M. Church to order your copy today.

May 24, 2004.

Leota H. Poust Shaffer, (Jan. 6, 1920-May 22, 2004), 84, died Saturday. She was born in Pine Summit, the daughter of the late Oliver and Della Fenstermaker Poust. She is survived by son, Barry D., Middleburg; and daughters Judy and Linda K., Lancaster and grandchildren. Services will be Thursday at 11 AM at the Benton United Methodist Church, Friends may call just prior to the service. Burial will be at Benton Cemetery.
--from an obituary in Monday's Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary is available.

Frances Moyer, (July 9, 1919-May 22, 2004), 330 W. Third St., Bloomsburg, died Saturday, She was a daughter of the late Albert and Clara (Snyder) Mekeel and graduated from Lehman High School in 1937. Mrs. Moyer worked as a waitress for 20 years at the Heritage House Restaurant and for 20 years at the Kozy Korner Restaurant and last worked for the Mortgaged Inn Restaurant. Her homemade pies were legendary. Mrs. Moyer lived in Stillwater for 45 years and in Benton from 1995 to 1999. She is survived by daughter: Jo Ann Lindner, Bloomsburg; two grandsons and four great-granddaughters: and a brother, Warren Mekeel, Lehman. She was preceded in death by her husband, Emmett M. Moyer, who died Jan. 23, 1969; a son, Robert "Bobby" Moyer, in 1955; and brothers and sisters. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at noon at the McMichael Funeral Home Inc. with burial in the Maple Grove Cemetery, Sweet Valley. Friends and relatives may call Tuesday from 11 AM.
--from an obituary in Monday's Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary is available.

Thomas Hart Benton, a Senator and a Representative from Missouri was born at Harts Mill, near Hillsboro, NC, March 14, 1782; attended Chapel Hill College (now the University of North Carolina) and the law department of William and Mary College, Williamsburg. He was admitted to the bar at Nashville, TN, in 1806 and commenced practice in Franklin, Williamson County, TN; member of the State senate 1809-1811; served as aide-de-camp to General Jackson; colonel of a regiment of Tennessee volunteers from December 1812 to April 1813; lieutenant colonel of the Thirty-ninth United States Infantry 1813-1815; moved to St. Louis, where he edited the Missouri Inquirer and continued the practice of law; upon the admission of Missouri as a State into the Union was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate; reelected in 1827, 1833, 1839, and 1845 and served from August 10, 1821, to March 3, 1851, the first Senator to serve thirty consecutive years; author of the resolution to expunge from the Senate Journal the resolution of censure on Andrew Jackson; unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Senate in 1850; elected as a Missouri Compromise Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1855); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress and for Governor of Missouri in 1856; engaged in literary pursuits in Washington, D.C., until his death there on April 10, 1858; interment in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis. Benton Township was established in 1850 in honor of Senator Thomas Hart Benton.
--Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1949

We find estimates of up to 623,000 soldiers dying in the Civil War. Almost everyone kept a diary or a ledger, newspapers on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line editorialized daily and photographs recorded the major events of the way. If all of the recorded information about the Civil War was bundled it would take a number of large rooms to contain it. We have collected some information about the Civil War that we found interesting and we'll share some of it over the coming weeks. Here is a sample...

. When Abraham Lincoln was chosen to lead the Republican Party over William H. Seward, his advisors recommended that he give no speeches and make no public announcements. (Contrast that to the current election campaign. According to MSNBC, the Bush campaign has already spent at least $40 million and John Kerry has spent about $10 million.) Lincoln was told to stay in Springfield. Mr. Lincoln followed that advice to the letter, so much so that it turned out that he did not meet his vice-president, Hannibal Hamlin, until after Hamlin was elected.

. The superintendent of the Pittsburgh division of the Pennsylvania Railroad was a man by the name of Thomas A. Scott. He was chosen to become an assistant secretary of war and he elected to take an aide to Washington with him. The aide, then 26, spoke with a soft Scottish accent and soon proved himself very capable with the telegraph and became an executive in the military transportation section of the War Department coordinating rail and telegraph lines of the Union. This man felt that his contributions to the war effort were some of the most important that anyone contributed. Later he entered the iron and steel business and within 25 years the former aide Andrew Carnegie gained controlling interest in U. S. Steel Corporation.

We'll mention this for Kay Hoostie, a native of Arkansas. Confederate soldiers of the Tenth Arkansas Regiment marched off to the Civil War outfitted with immense "saber pistols." Beneath the barrel of the heavy one-shot weapon was a short saber which could be moved into position to "finish off any Yankee who survived the bullet." The Regiment used the pistols in one battle, then threw the weapons away.

. Experienced observers judged the speed of oncoming troops by watching the flag bobbing up and down. When it moved jerkily, it was a signal that the color bearer was moving "double-quick." The flag usually marked the spot at which enemy fire was most concentrated and as a result carrying the flag usually meant death to the unarmed bearer. We read about a brave Confederate soldier by the name of Lt. P. E. Drew, fighting for the South from the state of Louisiana. Four color bearers had been shot to their death, and a fifth took a direct hit. Drew immediately "dropped his gun, caught the colors from the ground and rushed forward with them. He was pierced through the heart just as he reached the second line of works."

The Original Pennsylvania Dutch Folk Festival announced yesterday that the entire Kutztown Folk Festival collection of tools, farm equipment, signs, and buildings will be sold at public auction at the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 12. The Kutztown Festival was scheduled to run June 26 through July 4 at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. The festival celebrates the history of the Pennsylvania German culture. You will only find traditional crafts, food, music, and folk life at this festival. At press time, the web site for the festival had not yet made the announcement of the sale.

A reader is looking for a picture of John Kile, Sr. and wives Maria Hess and Hannah Scott. He is also looking for a picture of their son, Nelson Kile, who married Amy Holmes. Can you help?

Ralph Ford, 60, a volunteer from 17 Old Koons Road, Shickshinny, was directing traffic at the Benton Memorial Day parade Sunday, and was struck by a 88-year old woman from Bloomsburg. Ralph stands 6'4", was wearing a big orange vest with reflective tape on it with a big white hard hat on his head at the time. The accident occurred between the UniMart and the bridge on state route 487. The driver's car hit his knee, and Ralph was taken to the Bloomsburg Hospital, then treated and released. His ankle was hurting him Sunday night but Monday morning reports are that is is OK. The next time that you see a community volunteer, thank them for the service they provide. Folks should be glad we have guys like Ralph who do a good job!

		Memorial Day celebration at the Benton Cemetery. County Commissioner Chris Young was the featured speaker.
Picture courtesy of Bob Maynes

Didja know that this year, 38% of shoppers who bought a new car on credit still owed an average of $3,686 on their trade-in, according to Edmunds.com, a consumer car-buying guide?

We would like to mention the recipients of last year's Hall of Fame. They included...
. Percy Brewington.
. Bill Follmer.
. John Herbert Laubach.
. Russell Shultz.
. Dr. Frank C. Laubach.

May 23, 2004. Tom Kline celebrates his birthday today, and sharing his birthday are bandleader Artie Shaw, 94; actress Joan Collins, 71; and singer Jewel, 30.

For those of you who are interested in the genealogy of the people involved in St. Gabriel's Church, there will be an all-day genealogy workshop July 17 in the Church social hall. The St. Gabriel's homecoming will be Sunday, July 18. Sunday services on the 18th will be at 10 AM and 2 PM.

We seem to end up with the darndest questions from readers. One of the strangest was about how Indians of the area kept their health. Our research concluded that the Indians used a lot of different roots and plants as medicinal cures for their various ailments, but they didn't disclose much about their remedies to people who would later provide that information to others.

We did find that bleeding and sweating were the first of the remedies the Indians tried. We found several articles about sweat ovens or sweat lodges, where Indians would go to recover from being a wearied hunter or warrior, or to shake a cold, or to recover a lost appetite as a result of eating something that didn't agree. Sweat ovens written about over the years ranged in size from one that would hold two men to one that would hold six men. In the examples that we found, there were common threads. Generally, the sweat ovens were built on a slope near a creek. It would have a door and Indian men would be assigned for the day to keep the stones warm. These stones would be heated while roots and plants would be boiled to produce a medicine and promote a rapid perspiration. In some cases, the medicine would be used to quench thirst. The Indians would squat in the sweat oven until the perspiration began to flow. Water was often thrown on the stones to produce a steam. The Indians would come out and wrap in a blanket when they felt refreshed or weak. The women never used the men's sweat ovens, but did have ovens of their own. Helen Gammon writes that "the Pima and Navajo call them sweat lodges."

Lindsey Keller is the subject of a feature article in Sunday's Press Enterprise. You may recall that Lindsey, running in her second marathon, recently finished 33rd out of 6,653 women in the Boston Marathon, ninth among American women and 488th in the entire field of 17,950. The article is entitled "Miss do-everything--Field hockey, biking, running, Keller does it all."

The story is told about the time that President Eisenhower invited James Michener to the White House. Michener wrote back, explaining why he could not attend. Michener's letter read,"
"I received your invitation three days after I had agreed to speak a few words at a dinner honoring the wonderful high school teacher who taught me how to write. I know you will not miss me at your dinner, but she might at hers. In his lifetime, a man lives under fifteen or sixteen presidents, but a really fine teacher comes into his life but rarely."

Eisenhower wrote back that he understood.

A really fine teacher and friend came into our life and the lives of hundreds of students at both the Benton Area School System and Bloomsburg University. We'll tell you more about this man later next week, along with others who are being inducted into the Benton High School Hall of Fame at the annual Alumni Banquet. We'll hear each of these fine people speak next Saturday night, or we'll hear from a living relative of the honoree.

Didja know that Pennsylvania now averages $2.019 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline according to the AAA?

In Tom Austin's column in the Press Enterprise with Sunday's byline, he tells the story behind the story of the Fishing Creek Sportsmen's Association giving the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the park $1,000 dollars to buy lime for Lake Jean. The club contributed another $1,400 for a new boat dock for anglers to use at the park. Why the increased emphasis on fishing at Lake Jean? Trout were stocked at Ricketts Glen State Park for the first time this year and the lime was an attempt to achieve an accessible pH count for the trout to survive. To get the rest of the story, make sure you read the article in today's Press Enterprise.

Set your calendars for some events of the summer, including...
• In July: Mifflinburg Buggy Day, July 3; O.A.T.S. Bluegrass Festival, July 1-4, Benton; the Benton Rodeo, Benton Park Flea Market, July 10; July 13 -18; the Iron Heritage Festival, Danville, July 15-18.
• In August: Union County West End Fair, Hartleton, Aug. 2-7; Montour-Delong Community Fair, Aug. 8-14; Sunbury River Festival, Aug. 19-22; New Berlin Day, Aug. 28 .
• In September: Milton Harvest Festival, Sept. 11-18; Beaver Community Fair, Beaver Springs, Sept. 19-25; Market Street Festival, Selinsgrove, Sept. 25; Bloomsburg Fair, Sept. 25-Oct. 2.
• In October: Warrior Run-Fort Freeland Heritage Days, Turbotville, Oct. 2-3

Quote of the Day:
"On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good and not quite all the time."
- George Orwell

Didja know that William Henry Harrison served only 32 days, the shortest term of any U.S. president? He served from March 4 to April 4, 1841. He came down with pneumonia shortly after his inauguration and never recovered.

May 22, 2004.

A little over two hundred years ago on this date, a "fever" claimed the life of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802), the first of the First Ladies. Martha, a widowed mother of two, and one of the wealthiest women in Virginia following inheritance from her deceased husband, Daniel Parke Custis, married George Washington in January 1759 when she was 27. Life at Mount Vernon, Virginia, was a social whirlwind. Between 1768 and 1775 over 2,000 guests visited the Mount Vernon home.

Martha remained at Mount Vernon when her husband went to Philadelphia as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, but often accompanied him during the war years. George Washington was inaugurated president on April 30, 1789. As the wife of the president, Martha lived with her husband and grandchildren in Philadelphia until they returned to Mount Vernon in 1797. George Washington died at Mount Vernon two years later in December, 1799. Martha was widowed for two and one-half years until she died on this date in 1802.

Novelist Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland on this date in 1859. When Doyle graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in medicine, he was ship's doctor on two vessels that sailed to Greenland and West Africa, eventually opened his own practice in England, and wrote fiction. His third novel was the first that introduced Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson. He wrote The Sign of Four three years later and published two-dozen short stories which took the public by storm. Doyle, however, was tired of the character, and decided to end the series in 1894 by killing Holmes off in The Final Problem. The problem was that didn't set well with the public! One woman called him a "brute." His solution was elementary: he resurrected his hero, and Holmes and Watson later appeared in 34 additional short stories and 2 novels.

We can't make all the class reunions, but we'll include all the pictures of various classes that you can provide to us.

A unique popcorn, peanuts, and molasses confection that was the forerunner to Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts was introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago's First World Fair. The name "Cracker Jack" came from a salesman who had been given a taste sample of Cracker Jack, then exclaimed, "That's a Cracker Jack!"

What could possibly be more fun than finding the surprise inside a box of Cracker Jacks? The confection even is memorialized at the World Series through the third line of the 1908 song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." "Buy me some peanuts and CRACKER JACKS." "A Prize in Every Box" dates to 1912 when toys are inserted into every package. Borden, Inc. purchased the Cracker Jack Company in 1964. Frito-Lay purchased Cracker Jacks brand from Borden in 1997 and is now the owner of Cracker Jack. Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo, were added to boxes in 1918. Cracker Jack celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1993. Cracker Jack has been part of baseball for more than a century and was immortalized in the sport's own anthem, which is played during the seventh-inning stretch at ballparks nationwide.

Now it turns out that the New York Yankees have decided to stop selling "Cracker Jack" at the ballpark and replace it with the more profitable "Crunch & Munch," an unknown brand as far as we are concerned. The company, however, says "We've kept mouths crunchin' and munchin' since 1966!" "Crunch & Munch's trademark has been around for over 35 years.

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."
Jack Norworth wrote this song in 1908. He was riding a New York City subway and spotted a sign that said "Ballgame Today at the Polo Grounds." Some baseball-related lyrics popped into his head, that were later set to some music by Albert Von Tilzer to become "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Despite the fact that neither Norworth or Tilzer had ever been to a baseball game at the time the song was written, it is one of the most widely sung songs in America.

We always enjoy the sights of Memorial Day, the freshly marked graves so carefully attended to by descendents who remember and care, the former members of the graduating classes of Benton Area High School who for the first time in many years agree to return to an Alumni Banquet and class reunion, the parades and other remembrances for those who have died in our nation's service, the red poppies worn in honor of those who died serving the nation during war, and the huge number of people in a hurried pace carrying used items as if they were priceless and moving as if time were running out. It is time for the annual Memorial Day yard sales and flea markets and the upper Fishing Creek valley will be right there with the best of them!

The term flea market--an open-air street market where a wide variety of merchandise, mostly secondhand, is recycled at bargain prices--could have originated from a couple of different places. One group holds that the first market of this sort, the marché aux puces, was in Paris. The articles sold there were so shoddy that they were likely to gather puces (fleas). The American version of the derivation of flea markets traces back to the Vallie Market located at the foot (or valley) of Maiden Lane during Dutch colonial days on the island of Manhattan. The market was called the "Vlie Market" and mispronounced "Flea Market."

No matter where the term came from, there will be flea markets and garage sales a plenty over the Memorial Day weekend in Jamison City, Central and Benton. Benton's annual rite of turning trash to treasures will be larger than usual with the addition of the use of the fire hall for those who want to go to one "under cover" location to find their bargains. Hungry? No problem, there will also be plenty of food sold. Come early and come prepared!

May 21, 2004. There are 30 days remaining until the official start of summer. On this day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed his plane in Paris, completing the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight. Bill and Lori Lenhart celebrate their wedding anniversary today. Don't forget the Rummage Sale running to 5 PM today at Christ the King Church.

On this day in 1901, Connecticut enacted a driver speeding law that stipulated the speed of all motor vehicles should not exceed 12 mph on country highways and 8 mph within city limits.

A new restaurant is set to open next week locally and one is slated to close later this month. We'll start with the Good-Bys! Jillys Restaurant on route 118 in Kyttle closes for good at 2 PM the last Sunday of this month, the 30th. We wish the staff and ownership of the restaurant the best. Jillys is an excellent place for Sunday dinner.

Further up the road by a mile a new Italian restaurant opens next week under the management of Gina and Peter Tomasak. They are the new owners of the Foothills Restaurant, 1417 State Route 118. You can't miss the restaurant with the 3' X 4' lighted sign out front. The restaurant will seat 60. Pete is the author of books like Ricketts' Battery: A History of Battery F, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery and The White Gold of Mountain Springs Lake. He has written for several journals and has edited other books. Pete is in the final stage of wrapping up a fourth book that we'll tell you about soon, and has a fifth book researched and ready to put pen to pencil. Three have been published. We wish Pete and Gina the best in their new endeavor.

We have not been keeping the service personnel as up to date as we could be, but we'll tell you that Erica Feola is in Fort Drum with the 10th Mountain division and will be on her way to Iraq in June. Her address is 204 Brady Road, Sackets Harbor, NY 13685.

The Benton branch of the First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. will conduct a Food Drive in June for the Benton Food Bank starting June 1. The bank is also taking donations of stuffed animals for the 4-H Club. The animals are given to the Bloomsburg State Police for distribution to children during a crisis. The police asked for Teddy Bears but will accept any cuddly animal that is clean and in good condition. Stop at the bank above Benton for further details and with your donations.

In recovery...
• Bill Getz, formerly of Benton, needs prayers and your get-well wishes. Bill is visiting from Cocoa Beach, but fell and fractured his vertebrae and is currently a patient in the Bloomsburg Hospital. Bill is the brother of Alton Getz and Jean Foust. Rose Hack is a niece. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force.
• Carol Gould, daughter of Laura Gould, is recovering from surgery.

There are several theories as to who first discovered anthracite coal. One theory involves a campfire that a hunter by the name of Necho Allen built and which ignited an outcropping of hard coal near Ashland. The Necho Allen theory of who discovered the black gold holds that the event lead to the discovery nearby of the world's richest known vein of anthracite coal.

Others hold that anthracite coal was discovered by a farmer and miller by the name of Philip Ginder in 1791 on Sharp Mountain, nine mile west of the Lehigh River and forty miles north of Allentown. According to the story, Ginder was digging for "good rock" to use as a millstone and returned with what he later called "stone coal." A blacksmith, possibly by accident, caught it on fire. A neighbor, Col. Jacob Weiss, saw the possibilities in what had just happened and had the stone coal taken to Philadelphia for analysis. Weiss, with some partners he picked up in Philadelphia, formed the first coal mining company in the United States, the Lehigh Coal Mine Company.

In 1818, the