November 30, 2005. Phyllis Young Harrison celebrates her birthday today.

Upcoming...
There are two tickets available locally to the Neil Diamond concert at Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, at 8 PM. Call us at 925-6974 if you are interested. The tickets total $160.

The children of Christ the King Church will hold a basket bingo fund-raiser Sunday. The cost is $20 a ticket and only 100 tickets will be sold. Doors open at 1 PM and games begin promptly at 2 PM. Hot dogs, barbeque, cake and coffee will be available. Questions? Call Peg Root, 925-2311.

The annual Christmas musical program at the Benton Presbyterian Church will be on Sunday, December 18, at 7 PM. The Reverend Al Lumpkin and family provide the entertainment. This is a "not-to-miss" evening. Please mark your calendars now.

Excitement is building for the Central United Methodist Church live Nativity play Breathe of Heaven coming in mid December in a two-night performance.

It is nice to see Dexter Ribble in such a good mood. The reason is simple: daughter Carol Ann and her husband Clayton (Butch) Sherman spent a week with Dexter, up from Louisa--one of the best fishing sites for bass, bluegill, and crappie in the state of Kentucky. The couple made it home safely, and it was nice to have them Back Home in Benton, PA.

A slow-moving cold front walloped its way into the area overnight, bringing high winds and heavy rain. Our unseasonably mild temperatures of yesterday disappeared as colder air and lots of rain arrived. After Tuesday's high temperatures in the lower 60s, today should be a full 20° cooler and there is a chance of snow Thursday night.

Don and Betty Miller made a trip Back Home to Benton, PA, this summer and brought with them two ninety-year-old books on the history and biographical annals of Columbia and Montour Counties. We haven't had a lot of time to look at them, but we leaned back in our recliner Sunday morning and pored over pages of interesting things. Here, for example, is a description of the Borough in 1915. We quote,

"The Benton of the present day, despite the ravages of several disastrous conflagrations, is a smiling little town, set in level swards of meadow land, and one in contemplating its level and tree-embowered aspects, from the heights of the adjacent hills, is instinctively reminded of Oliver Goldsmith's "Sweet Auburn, Loveliest Village of the Plain." Beautiful Fishing creek passes through the heart of the place, sparkling down the gentle incline of its course on the way to the broad Susquehanna. At one place the beautiful stream passes along the base of a majestic and pine-clad slope, at another it dances through a verdant meadow, or perchance slips quietly and musically along beside a well-traveled thoroughfare. The physical environments of Benton are of peculiar charm. No craggy masses rear their lofty tops to the skies. The scenery is unmarked by the grandeur of sublime heights or the varying contrasts of sylvan dells and bold precipices. On the contrary, the surrounding hills are of gently undulating nature and the broad plateau of its setting sweeps in straight lines to their bases. Wooded slopes climb to the top of the sun-kissed hills and well-tilled fields, particularly during the days of harvest, which ripen into colorful charm the varying hues of their fertile garmenture, and bring out the perspective of a scenic picture, exquisite, which lingers long on the memory."

"Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheer'd the labouring swain,
Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting summer's lingering blooms delay'd...
--"The loveliest village on the plains," from the poem The Deserted Village, by Oliver Goldsmith

Doris H. Appleman, (May 5, 1927-Nov. 27, 2005), 245 Church Street, Benton, died Sunday at the Bloomsburg Hospital. She was born in Benton Township, a daughter of the late Cleaver B. and Leah B. (Ash) Hess. She was a 1945 graduate of Benton High School. She was employed by Milco Industries Inc., Bloomsburg, and the former Benton Shirt Factory for 42 years before she retired in 2002. Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Parson Jack Appleman, a brother, Robert O. Hess, and by a sister, Ethel B. Davis Dietterick. Sister Betty Shultz, Warminster, brother, Larry L. Hess, Benton, and nephews and nieces, survive. Memorial services will be Friday at 1 PM in the Kriner Funeral Home, Benton. Interment will be in Benton Cemetery. There will be no viewing.
--from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary is available

We enjoyed seeing the reference to the group calling themselves "ROMEO," or "retired old men eating out."

A reader from Huntington Mills told us that she met "a lady from New Orleans who is staying with family in the Berwick area, until her home is once again livable." The reader told us a familiar story, one often emailed to us by people from out of the area. She said that the New Orleans lady and her husband had come to Benton and eaten breakfast at a place called Uncle Daves. The reader asked if we knew about the place. Whenever buckwheat cakes are involved, we know!

"Uncle Dave" is known by several names, but we know him as Dave Moss and he serves up a delicious batch of cakes and sausage and sticky buns and eggs on the weekends at his house off upper Raven Creek Road.

Around the Town...
The Hotel Moses Van Campen, Main Street
The Hotel Moses Van Campen was a prominent building on the Main Street of Benton, which many in the area feel was the most significant of the fire losses Benton suffered. The history of the building is interesting, as is the history of the family that ran it.

John H. Knouse was the proprietor of the hotel until he died at the age of 76 from "complications." Knouse came to the area from Sullivan County where he lumbered, as he had previously done in West Virginia.

The former McHenry House on the left of this picture and the Pennington Store on the right.

He bought the former McHenry House that dated to 1886 in February, 1920, and operated that hotel for a number of years before he sold it in 1928. The McHenry House burned in June, 1931.

The Hotel Moses Van Campen

Knouse then built the Hotel Moses Van Campen where the McHenry Hotel had been and the hotel opened for business April 1, 1933.

John Knouse had a wife, a son and three daughters when he passed away. The son was Jacob, who became active in the hotel business. Daughters were Mrs. George Derr, Montrose; Mrs. Harold Yost and Mrs. Charles Knowles. There were two grandchildren, Franklin Knouse and Sarah Derr.

John Knouse's will gave a thousand dollars to each of his children. George Derr got a rifle, Jacob Knouse a shot gun and Charles Knowles and Harold Yost each $15--an amount Knouse felt was equivalent to the value of the guns. The residuary estate went to his wife, Minnie Knouse. The hotel was run in later years by Jacob Knouse.

The Sunday chicken and waffle dinners were legendary.

November 29, 2005. Today is the birthday of Robert Edward Kline and tonight the Columbia County Model Railroad Club meets from 7-9 PM at 255 Main Street. Stop in and see what is going on.

Ira Ricketts McHenry, 92, formerly of Benton, York and Danville, died November 24, 2005, surrounded by family at Masonic Village, Elizabethtown, PA. Born on March 22, 1913, in Benton, Ira was the eldest son of the late Jay W. and Irene Fox McHenry. Surviving are Ira’s wife of 63 years, Lois Fine McHenry, living at Masonic Village; daughter Irene Elizabeth McHenry and her husband Randy Granger, Philadelphia; son John Jay McHenry and his wife Marsha, Camp Hill; grandsons Michael McHenry Koehler and Matthew Blair McHenry; and step-grandchildren Gordon and Willa Granger. Ira was preceded in death by brothers James and Jack, and sister Elizabeth "Betty" Phillips.

Ira graduated from Benton High School in 1932, and Rochester Business School in New York. He was a WWII veteran, serving in the Army finance corps in Italy and North Africa. After retiring as a contract administrator at Allis Chalmers in York, Ira was a school bus driver for Northeastern School District, Manchester, PA.

He was a member of the Benton Christian Church; a Master Mason of 44 years at Zeredatha Lodge No. 451, York; an honorary lifetime member of Painter Den Club; and a former member of the board of directors of the Columbia/Montour Area Agency on Aging with training at Temple University as a volunteer ombudsman. Ira enjoyed serving as a volunteer with the Laubach Literacy Program and as an active member of the Danville Senior Center where he was a ceramics teacher for 16 years. He wrote a regular bi-monthly column for Seniority Matters, in the Press-Enterprise, Bloomsburg. Ira was also an avid hunter, fisherman, nature lover, and cook. His unceasing desire to learn included special interests in astronomy, history, photography, natural foods, music, electronics, computers, art, religion and all manner of gadgets.

A service in celebration of Ira’s life will be at the John S. Sell Chapel, Masonic Village, Elizabethtown, on Saturday, December 10, at 2 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ira’s name to The Arline M. Hughes Caring Fund, Masonic Village, One Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.

Benton resident Abby Merluzzi, 10, was nominated to serve as a representative in the People to People Student Ambassador Program . If all goes well, she'll be traveling with a group of other students from across the state and country on a trip to Australia and New Zealand. During this trip, she'll be representing her school, her town and her country, while learning about herself and another country and its culture. The People to People Program promotes peace through understanding and is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

As a fundraiser to help defer the expense, she will be publishing a cookbook that she's calling Treasured Recipes from Abby's Attic. She is soliciting recipe contributions from her school, family and friends and needs reader's help in contributing a recipe (or 2 or 3). Abby wants to have as many as 400. Contributions should be submitted by December 15 to be eligible for consideration. Readers should email Abby directly or link to www.typensaveonline.com/ and enter the recipes directly into the book. Direct entrants need to enter their name, and log in using the group login: abbymerluzzi, and the contributor's password: gwhzg.

The result should be a fantastic sample of recipes that represents a collection rich in local heritage and Old World tradition. The recipes will be professionally published and printed for delivery by Easter 2006. Advance orders may be placed via email (with payment due upon delivery). The cost of the recipe book is expected to be around $16.00.

Benton Area Schools Hall of Fame recipient Attorney David Klementik, 53, campaigned as a Somerset County judge and was elected in the November election. He will be sworn in December 30, 2005, to fill one of the two available seats on the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas.

David Klementik is the son of Eleanor Klementik, Third Street. He retired in 1996 as a captain in the Naval Reserve, is a leader at the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, Windber Medical Center and Windber Research Institute. He has been a lawyer for 26 years and will join the bench in early January, 2006. The war is really getting messy. We understand that the Taliban Minister of Immigration, Mohammed Omar has now warned the United States from a cave somewhere in Pakistan that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will halt United State's supply of convenience-store and gas-station managers. Cab drivers could be next.

November 28, 2005. Start planning for the 2006 version of the O.A.T.S. Bluegrass festival, Back Home in Benton, PA, June 29 through July 2, only seven months away. Take a look at the lineup and plan to attend.

Congratulations to Jim Edson, 82, and Pat Boyle, a mere Spring chicken, who tied the knot on November 22, 2005. We wish the couple our very best.

Today is the first day of buck season, the best hunting day of the season simply because of the large number of hunters participating. Pennsylvania Game Commission statistics indicate 40% of the overall firearms harvest, and 54% of the buck harvest, take place on opening day. The weather is hardly cooperating, although local merchants are happy with the rainy Monday. Hunting is not expected to be any better than it was last year and the rain should bring some hunters in from the woods to the warmth and enjoyment of some of our local restaurants. The Kozy Korner Restaurant enjoyed the early hours of the first day of hunting season, with every table and all seats at the counter filled by 4:45 this morning. We can vouch that the mountain roads in Sullivan County were very slippery Sunday night, so drive carefully.

There are fewer deer in many parts of the state, although all reports are that the proportion of older buck has increased. That is the same tune that we hummed last year, the worst hunting season in memory. Of course, you have to decide if you will see it from the buck's perspective or the hunter's perspective! Over 400,000 whitetail deer were killed last year, of which an estimated 124,410 were buck. Combined with the first Saturday of the season, the Tuesday hunt of the first week and ending up with the last Saturday of the season, these four days accounts for about 3/4 of all the deer shot during the season.

Around the Town,
today stopping at the former Exchange Hotel...

Early settlements in the state often grew up around several key buildings, often a school, a church and a tavern. Benton was no exception. For example, in 1868 when General Ulysses S. Grant was elected President, the little hamlet of Benton consisted of about 50 houses, a church, a sawmill, a school house and a tavern like the Travelers Inn, on the West side of Main Street. Four years later the Exchange Hotel was built and fourteen years later the McHenry House was built. The J.H. Beers & Co. 1915 history of Columbia County called the Exchange Hotel "the most important hostelry in upper Columbia county and adjacent territory."

The Exchange Hotel was at the intersection of Main Street (then known as Second Street) and Market Street, Benton.

The Exchange Hotel as viewed from in front of the present Presbyterian Church. The covered bridge entrance into Benton would be behind photographer Kemp's back. Market Street veered left of the hotel and Second Street turned right in front of the hotel.

At that time of this picture and for most of the period that the Exchange Hotel was in operation, Market Street followed the same route as it does today. Second Street at that time began at Market Street and ran North through the Borough following the present route. There was no road that went South from the intersection of Second and Market Street. That road came along when the concrete bridge over Fishingcreek was built.

Built in 1872-73, the "Exchange Hotel" prospered until it burned in the virtually uninsured $300,000 fire of July 4, 1910, along with 38 houses, 48 barns, the post office, bank, People's Department Store, Odd Fellows hall and other commercial businesses.

The Classic Grill Restaurant now occupies the land once the site of the Exchange Hotel.
The Exchange Hotel was built in 1873 by Hiram Hess. The hotel is on the left in this Kemp picture.

The hotel had two main sections. The front part was reported to be 30x40 feet, three stories high with seventeen rooms, and a public hall or ball room. The outside of the hotel was very ornamental and very attractive. The back part of the hotel was an addition to the main building and was approximately 30x35 feet in size, two stories high, with four rooms, three below and one above. A kitchen 14x18 was in yet another addition. For the convenience of traveling guests and the horses that brought them to Benton, a barn 40x50 feet was nearby.

The Exchange Hotel as it looked when D. J. Donovan owned it, following the Hiram Hess ownership.

Hiram Hess married Olive McHenry, daughter of Elias McHenry, in October, 1849. Mrs. Hess was reported to be an excellent cook, and for "forty miles around the people come to partake of her buckwheat cakes." The History of Columbia and Montour County reports that "No lady in the State knows better than she the wants of the traveling public, and the house is kept in perfect order. The bar is always supplied with the choicest wines and liquors."

Hiram Hess was born in 1821 in Centre Township. He married and moved to a 108 acre farm he and his wife purchased near Stillwater where they lived until 1872 when they moved to Benton and began "keeping hotel" across the street from the eventual location of the Exchange Hotel. They began business as the Exchange Hotel in 1873.

In 1864, Mr. Hess partnered with E. J. McHenry and purchased the "flouring-mill" at Stillwater, operated it there two years and then sold out.

In 1878 he bought 105 acres two miles South of Benton, on Fishing Creek, and in 1880 twenty-two acres adjoining acres in Benton Township. In 1884, they erected the "finest, house and barn between Bloomsburg and the North Mountain, costing upward of $3,000." This farm was later known as the Roy Hess Farm, but over the years people realized that the value of the property lay below the ground rather than in farming the ground. The property is today owned and mined by Sokol Quarries, Inc.

Hiram and Olive Hess had two children:
• Francis M., born January 39. 1850, married Cymantha Thomas in 1871 and had four children: Cora, Charley W., Warren and Ray.
• Wesley M., born July 3, 1855, married Miss Allie in 1881, daughter of S. P. Krickbaum (they had one child, Ray) and lived on the farm two miles south of Benton.

The story of the Exchange Hotel ended on July 4, 1910, when much of the town of Benton burned. You can read George Turner's account of this fire under FEATURES above.

The chances are that the next time you see a Hess from the Benton area, they can add more to this story. We, as always, invite you to share your stories about anything written in the Benton News.

November 27, 2005. Happy birthday to Hope Miller and happy annivesary to Wayne and Mary Baker.

Buck hunting begins in Pennsylvania Monday as evidenced by all the orange flitting through the area. To learn more about deer information from the Game Commission, head over to www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a465&q150279 .

During the years that the Benton Argus published a weekly newspaper in the Borough of Benton, a regular feature was a column entitled Around the Town. The content of the column varied, but frequently told humorous anecdotes of town and local residents. Starting with this issue of the Benton News, we will resurrect the Around the Town column in a different format. We'll simply meander around town and stop at different houses and attempt to provide a brief history of that residence and some of its residents. We welcome comments from readers. We'll begin today on Center Street at the house that was next to the old Argus office.

Around the Town, today stopping on Center Street.
The house next to the former Argus office was built by Samuel Harvey following the fire of July 4, 1910. At the time of Harvey's death, the house was sold at public auction. The house was later bought by the C. L. Freedley family, including his son-in-law and his family, Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Robbins. Casper L. Freedley was generally known about town as "Cap."

Cap was known as an excellent gardener and took great delight in walking around town, even at the age of 93, delivering vegetables that he had grown. During the 1980s, Cap's garden was filled with flowers and vegetables. He especially enjoyed growing tomatoes, potatoes and cabbage. Cap did all the spading by "hand," which helped him develop strong hands and legs, the better to walk to the post office each day to wait for the "changing of the mail" and discuss world and community affairs while he waited for the mail to be sorted. He walked with a cane in his advancing years and his eyesight was poor.

We suspect that Cap was not born in Benton, since an edition of the Argus for August 1, 1979, indicates that Cap had lived 70 of his 93 years in the Borough. Cap was especially liked by the staff of the Argus, since he loved to drop off a flower for the receptionist and to share a secret story with the editor's Around the Town column.

Cap missed the years when he worked at the former Pennington store and reminisced about how things had been before the fire and the flood swept away the last remnants of what once was the Pennington store. Cap served as the Benton Street Commissioner, after he retired from the store.

We don't get gushy about many movies, but we saw Walk the Line Saturday night, the story of the "Man in Black," the amazing Johnny Cash, and the important love interest in his life, his companion of 35 years and the hidden strength behind the man, the equally amazing Grammy-winning singer Valerie June Carter, known to most as June Carter Cash. In not-so-typical Hollywood fashion, the two stars of the movie were signed 18 months before filming began and rehearsed the movie for six months before shooting began. Each day the two actors had two hours of vocal training with their coaches and a four-hour recording session in a sound studio. Stars Reese Witherspoon had to learn to play the auto harp and Joaquin Phoenix the guitar.

Johnny Cash was a poor sharecropper's son from Arkansas. He had a distinctive voice and with his Tennessee Two band and his black clothing and demeanor, he earned the nickname "The Man in Black." He always started his concerts with the simple, modest introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." Cash recorded more than 1,500 songs. His career included hits like "A Boy Named Sue," "Folsom Prison Blues, "Ring of Fire" and "I Walk the Line."

June Carter was the daughter of Ezra (Eck) Carter and Maybelle Carter (Mother Maybelle). She was a singer, songwriter, author and a member of the first family of country music, the Carter Family. She played guitar, banjo, and autoharp. She died of complications from heart surgery at age 73, just four months before Johnny Cash died of diabetes.

In the movie, Joaquin Phoenix plays Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon is June Carter. Their performances are well worth seeing, as is the movie. If you enjoyed last year's hit movie, Ray, about the life and times of Ray Charles, you'll equally love this movie. If you have a wideband connection, you can listen to Johnny's music.

A Delaware family will never forget Ricketts Glen State Park after spending Thanksgiving night in below-freezing temperatures. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Seyfert, their daughter and four grandchildren rented a cabin, then decided to take a walk on a woods trail. When darkness set in, the family stayed together and built a fire. The next morning, Bill found his way to the park-ranger station. A rescue team found the rest of the family shortly before noon and brought them out of the woods. Their walk had taken them about five miles from the cabin. We don't know the temperature on North Mountain when daylight arrived Friday morning, but we had 14° on Market Street in Benton that morning.

For those who want to give the perfect Christmas present, here are two suggestions...
• The book Fly Waters Near and Far by Cathy and Berry Beck is great for dreaming of visiting exotic far-off locations to fish. The Becks are accomplished photographers and this is a collection of their work from all over the world.
• Outdoor Treasures, an inspirational nature DVD for nature lovers designed by Jim and Dotty Moore with photos by Chuck and Karen Musitano. Dr. David Niemira provided selected music. Dottie Moore is the former Religion Editor of the Press Enterprise and author of the popular weekly devotional column, Joy in the Morning. Jim Moore is a Christian marriage and family counselor. The DVD can be ordered by calling 925-2555.

"Black Friday," a term that implies that we all flocked to stores to mourn the excesses of our country, is past us as the nation's retailers ushered in the 2005 holiday shopping season with come-ons of deep discounts and expanded hours during what Snopes calls the "fifth" biggest shopping day of the year (behind the four days comprising the two weekends before Christmas. According to the folks at Snopes, the day when holiday sales peak depends upon which day of the week Christmas falls, but the highest sales day is usually either the last Saturday before Christmas or December 23). Black Friday, as most of you know, is the day some say retailers operate "in the black" for the first time in the year. If they can't make it from here to the end of the year, they just ain't gonna make it!

Although retainers who read this will send us hate mail, we still advocate not escalating your consumer spending. Act like a person with no cash to spare. Don't be one of the "Ready, Set, Charge it! People. Don't act like our Federal Government's excessive spending and certainly don't do it all on credit. Budget for what you can and spend that.

We had the good fortune of hearing the Benton Christian Church choir Sunday morning, now under the direction of Craig Shultz. The group sounded great and we suspect that Craig had a lot to do with the sounds coming from the Chancel Choir. Craig and his wife, Nicole, and sons, Mark and Kyle, live on Ridge Road, Benton.

The Benton Area "Operation Katrina" organizers thank everyone who participated in any way in the delivering the truck-load of food, water, juices and drinks, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, school supplies and paper products and the new generator to Louisiana. The truck was nearly full, and included $10,208 of donations. The Benton Area School students contributed $3,300 alone! Dick and Joann Karshner initiated the idea, gave the use of their semi-truck and drove it South. Many area churches, businesses and people contributed man-hours and money to make this project a success.

Readers with fast internet connection may enjoy the latest Jib-Jab presentation of Santa Clause. It can be found at www.jibjab.com/Home.aspx . If you can't find a way to laugh about what's going on, life will seem a whole lot more unpleasant than it should be.

Many will remember the ceramics business of Marie Kingsbury and her brother Robert H. Fritz. Robert once worked as a chemist for American Stores, Philadelphia. After retirement and a move back to the Sugarloaf area, the couple took basic ceramics lessons from Mrs. Barney Miller, Nescopeck, and advanced lessons from other instructors. The couple housed their operation in a stone building off Route 11 and sited it beside a lovely pond where wild animals were fond of gathering, including a wild turkey named Mable. The stone was all native to that part of Columbia County.

Although the Fritz Pottery was not heavily advertised, word spread of the quality of the product and customers would purchase hand-painted items or unfinished pieces to complete themselves. The potters clay that chemist Fritz prepared was well regarded by ceramic enthusiasts throughout the United States.

Genuine Fritz pottery can be identified because of the distinctive marking of "AL-MA-RO" somewhere on the piece. "AL" stood for Marie's husband, Almond Kingsbury; "MA" for Marie; and "RO" for Robert.

Ira Ricketts McHenry (March 22, 1913-November 24, 2005), 92, passed away at 10:45 Thanksgiving morning. Ira was born in Benton in his parents' home on Main Street, and graduated from the Benton School System in the class of 1932. His marriage to the former Lois Fine survived until his death. Ira and Lois were both residents of the Masonic Home, Elizabethtown, PA, and had lived in York, PA, for many years and in recent years lived in Danville. Ira was preceded in death by siblings Elizabeth "Betty" (formerly married to Herb Phillips; they have two sons, James (Jimmy) and Jack Phillips. Jim was inducted into the Benton High School Hall of Fame). Brothers Jack and James (who died May 19, 2005, in Windsor, NY) are also deceased.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this writing, but tentatively there will be a memorial service at Elizabethtown Masonic Home on December 10. Details will be provided when available. It is possible that a service will held in Benton in the spring for interment at the Benton cemetery with scattering of ashes at Painter Den Hunting Club, possibly the weekend of April 1. Painter Den was long a favorite recreation spot for Ira, and he was an honorary member of the organization. Ira and Lois have two children, Irene Elizabeth and John Jay McHenry, Camp Hill, who were both present with their father in Elizabethtown at the time of his passing.

Ira was the son of a well-known undertaker in Benton, James Whurley "Jay" McHenry and Irene Fox McHenry. Jay was born in Benton in 1889, the son of Ira Ricketts and Elizabeth Fowler McHenry who at one time operated the Ira R. McHenry & Son Burial Association. Jay was a cashier with the Columbia County National Bank and held the position of assistant cashier. Jay served on the Board of Directors of the Benton School District and followed in his father's footsteps as an undertaker, owning the McHenry Funeral Home on Main Street, Benton. Jay was affectionately known as "Dad Backer" to his many friends. Jay and Irene were long associated with the Benton Christian Church, and for years "Mrs. J's Class" was the favorite Sunday School Class of many of the older members of the congregation.

The Wall Street Journal, not usually known as a paper catering to things outdoors, reported on an interesting situation developing with wild turkey--not the turkey of the bourbon variety, but the bird we so often see in flocks in the upper Fishingcreek Valley. According to the Journal, naturalists are predicting that the turkey could become aggressive toward humans as it adapts to suburban life and could become the next form of "nuisance" wildlife, much like the whitetail deer and the Canada goose.

The rationale, according to the paper, is that flocks of wild turkeys have a pecking order and if the birds are around humans they can include people in the pecking order. Lordly males think that humans are a subservient life form, especially when a human turns their back on the bird.

For those who think turkeys are just little woods critters, the bird can reach four feet in height, weight 25 pounds or so and for short stretches can run at 20 miles an hour. When birds get too bossy, the newspaper article suggested that an umbrella should be poked at the bird or an umbrella or a broom might work. Spraying them with a garden hose is another alternative. Turkeys, like cardinals, are not self-aware, often pecking at windows as if encountering a rival.

Ruth Cavanaugh, a reader from Staten Island, told us about a flock of wild turkeys in Staten Island on Seaview Avenue off Father Capodano Blvd. Ruth says there are approximately 100 wild turkeys which have made the grounds of the Mental Health Center and the Staten Island University Hospital their home, near the beach off Raritan Bay. Ruth writes, "The city has posted a 'Turkey Crossing' sign on Seaview Avenue near the Mental Health Center, which has a very large lawn area with some small trees, which the turkeys seem to consider their own territory. The turkeys often are seen running across the four-lane boulevard from the Center to some woods across the street, and to the beach area nearby. There have been several articles about them in the local Staten Island Advance. So, it seems that the person who 'predicted' that turkeys would find suburban life to their liking, doesn't know that here in New York City, we already have some of these critters moving in!"

This is a reminder that the Foster Young Farm is posted for NO HUNTING or TRESPASSING. Anyone caught trespassing will be prosecuted to the fullest.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving Day, a white Thanksgiving Back Home in Benton, PA. The snow begain falling locally about 10:15 Wednesday night and at 5 AM Thanksgiving morning there was an accumulation of about two inches. Temperatures near 35° through the morning hours resulted in much of the snow melting, although snow showers are forecast for the afternoon and evening hours.

What we know as Thanksgiving originated in two holidays known as the Harvest Home feast and the formal day of thanksgiving ordered by church or government authorities in gratitude for a particular event. Thanksgiving Day began in 1621 at Plymouth Colony, when the Pilgrims gave thanks for their survival and a good first crop. President Lincoln in 1863 set aside the last Thursday in November for a national celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day was permanently fixed in 1941 by a Congressional decree as the fourth Thursday in November.

If there is a lull in the day for the children or grandchildren, you might send them here and let them figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg. Adults can have a good time here, too!

Want to learn more about computers? You can learn the Internet through an Internet tutorial by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). You can learn how to create and organize favorites, how to make text larger, how to customize your browser, how to capture Internet information, and much more. Each lesson contains written information along with pictures of what you actually see on the computer screen.

We figured out why 129,000 packages of Pennsylvania-made stuffing are being recalled. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration claim that the reason is that labels of "Martin's Famous Dutch Taste Potato-bred Soft Cubed Stuffing" don't disclose that they may contain wheat and dairy products. We suspect that the packages would have stayed in the consumer's homes if they had just been correctly called "filling."

It is Thanksgiving, but Christmas is right around the corner. And what could be better to capture the spirit of Christmas than seeing a timeless classic presented by The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in the Alvina Krause Theatre. The play "Miracle on 34th Street" comes to the BTE stage beginning November 25 and will run through December 22. The show is presented as an Thursdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Ticket prices are $8. This performance will be performed as a "live" 1940's-style radio show over imaginary WBTE radio. Don't know the play? A nice old man claims to be Santa Claus but is institutionalized as insane. A young lawyer defends him by arguing in court that he is the real thing. Want tickets? Call 570 784-5530 or go to the BTE web page.

As regular unleaded gasoline prices dip under $2 a gallon in several parts of the state (the Lancaster Wawa had $1.959 and others were matching that price) we noticed that as of Wednesday afternoon regular unleaded gas prices ranged at about an average of $2.07 for 25 gas stations we looked at. B.J.'s warehouse in Camp Hill was selling at $2.039, Sheetz in Shamokin Dam at $2.079, several stations in Bloomsburg at $2.099. D.R.'s QuickMart was 2.139.

Preliminary figures indicate that 2,875 bear are history at the end of the second day of the Pennsylvania bear hunt. Pennsylvania Game Commission employees processed 854 black bears on Tuesday. One of the biggest bear shot was a 638-pound male taken by James R. Donahoe, Danville. The bear was shot in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, a county where 76 bear have been shot so far this season. The top bear harvest county in the state after the first two days was Lycoming County, just West of our area, with 222.

A Cumberland County man was injured by a 320-pound black bear he had shot and was trying to recover in a rare hunting accident. The man was swiped by the injured bear and bitten twice during the encounter, which occurred in Huntingdon County. It died at the hunter's feet shortly after he had been bitten the second time. The hunter was treated in a Huntingdon hospital, then released. The bear was shot three times with a .444 Marlin. The hunter then approached to within 15 feet and shot the animal again in the chest. The bear leaped to its feet and wrapped his paw around the hunter's hip and clawed him. This is the first reported incident in Pennsylvania where a hunter was attacked by a bear he was trying to recover.

We will now release our fearless Thanksgiving forecast and advisory. In the morning, turkeys will thaw early and later warm to about 190° in the oven. The kitchen will turn hot and humid. Squalls are possible with the cook if disturbed. Sometime in the late afternoon, a cold knife will slice the turkey leaving an accumulation of a glaze to several inches of mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce creating slippery spots. The recently issued weight-loss alert has been cancelled for the day. Some unexpected wind is also possible. As the day wears on, turkey and appetites will diminish and taper off. Turkey will drop to a temperature hovering around 34° in the refrigerator. The weekend forecast is for high pressure to develop to eat the leftovers. A flurry of activity is expected as hunger again sets in. A warming trend is expected as soup suddenly appears. By late in the week, we can expect that the only remaining wish is in the bone.

November 23, 2005. Bob and Kathryn Maynes celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary today. It is also Bob's 84th birthday. Bruce Jankowski turns 52 today. On this date in 1945, most U.S. wartime rationing of foods ended, including meat and butter. In 1963, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed November 25 a day of national mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.

The Thanksgiving Eve Church Services will be held tonight at 7 PM at the Derrs Christian Church.

We have tried to extract the weather forecasts from various weather sources for the Thanksgiving holiday and so far none of them have been correct. We'll therefore revise our forecast again, and say that we expect the skies will be overcast through Thanksgiving, with periods of possible rain and periods of possible snow with long stretches of darn cold weather. No further weather reports will be issued.

It is interesting to us that the two apparent powerhouses for the Presidential nomination in the 2008 presidential race seem to be absolute opposites of each other. Democrats nationwide seem favorable to New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and downplay her weaknesses. Independents are much cooler toward her, and Republicans seem united against her. Electability appears improbable at this juncture. On the other side of the ticket, Arizona Sen. John McCain is well regarded among independents and Democrats, but many Republicans are much cooler toward him. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

The Alfa Youth Group of the Benton United Methodist Church will hold a clothing giveaway in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday, December 10, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Items include clothes, shoes, coats and more. This is a great opportunity to find great stuff for the winter season and for gift giving.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced the Monday preliminary harvest of bear at 2,026. This figure put the opening day totals in excess of all bear shot in entire bear seasons as recently as 1999. The 2005 first-day preliminary harvest total compares with 1,573 in 2004; 1,454 in 2003; 1,348 in 2002; and 1,812 in 2001. Locally, Monday morning around 9 AM Max Wanich harvested the first black bear at Painter Den Hunting Club in over 70 years. The bear was estimated at about 300 pounds, male, a real beauty! To show the strength of the bear, Rod Pennington told us that after it was shot, the bear glomped down on a tree limb about 4" in diameter and bit it in two. Jim Harvey also shot a bear Monday morning, which dressed out at 154 pounds. Robert Rabb shot a bear East of Jamison City.

Farmer's Almanac Advice for Today:
"A handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning."

Here is a partial listing of restaurant hours over the Thanksgiving holiday:

. The Classic Grill, Market and Main Streets: Thanksgiving meal, turkey and trimmings, Tuesday night. Closed Thursday and Friday.

. The Old Filling Station, Main Street: Open 11-4 Thanksgiving Day. For $9.99, you get a choice of roast turkey and filling, baked ham and pineapple glaze, pepper-rubbed roast beef, stuffed sole with garlic and shrimp, or chestnut-stuffed pork roast. These meals also include a choice of vegetable and salad. The restaurant will be open extended hours Sunday (until 7 PM), but will be closed Monday. For lovers of Thai cooking, Chef Noi will return December 1.

. The Hoboken Sub Shop will have a candlelight dinner Wednesday night featuring oyster stew, pigs in a blanket and taco salad. From 7 PM. Closed Thanksgiving Day; open all other days.

. Brass Pelican Family Restaurant: Closed Thanksgiving.

Headwaters Gallery is located five miles north of Benton on St. Gabriel's Hill Road. Signs will direct you from Route 487 north from Benton. At the gallery are displays of Barry and Cathy Beck Outdoor Photography, Jack Monroe Wood Carvings, Stefania Luciani Binnick Oil Paintings, Steve Binnick Photography, and pottery, books, and unique gift items. Holiday hours are Saturday, November 12, Sunday, November 13, Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11. Times are 1-5 PM; otherwise, hours are by appointment or by chance. 877 278-5638.

November 22, 2005. Sharon Remphrey celebrates her birthday today. Clair Harvey was born on this date in 1932 and Kelly Yost was born on this date in 1960. Barry and Sylvia Harrison are celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary. Don't forget the Thanksgiving Eve Services coming up in two days at the Derrs Christian Church.

What were you doing on this date in 1963 when President Kennedy was shot to death in Dallas? I remember that I was in a Government warehouse at Olmstead Air Force Base, Middletown. Others were watching the soap opera "As the World Turns" when the bulletin flashed from Dallas. CBS News didn't have anyone to man the announcer's chair, but the voice of an unseen person announced that President John F. Kennedy had been gravely wounded during a motorcade through downtown Dallas. The network soon broke in again as Walter Cronkite, wearing partially rolled-up, white-shirt sleeves, a loosened tie, no makeup, and black glasses, read the dread wire copy: "Ladies and gentleman, the President of the United States is dead." Cronkite, disbelief written all over his face, looked at a studio clock, wiped tears from his eyes and told an unbelieving nation that President Kennedy had died while undergoing emergency surgery at Parkland Hospital. Texas Gov. John B. Connally, in the same limousine as Kennedy, was seriously wounded. Lee Harvey Oswald, suspected of assassinating the president, was arrested. President Kennedy would have been 88 years old had he lived.

What a difference a year makes. We suspect that Penn State's Joe Paterno, 78, whose AP fourth-ranked, 10-1 team defeated Michigan State Saturday has an outside chance of being named the National Coach of the Year. Paterno and his staff like son Jay Paterno and offensive coordinator Galen Hall and senior quarterback Michael Robinson, are doing a super job this year. Robinson has accumulated 26 touchdowns, although about one shot away from gathering Heisman recognition.

. There will be a country craft open house at the home of Mahlon and Donna Fritz and the home of Chris and Sue Farr on Friday, November 25, and Saturday, November 26, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Donna will be featuring "Folk-L-Points" and Chris and Sue Farr will offer original gift choices in time for holiday giving, featuring local scenic Christmas tree ornaments, slabwood Santas and Snowmen. Follow the signs off Route 254 at Bowman's Mill Road in Greenwood Valley.
. Christine Karns will host karaoke at the Jamison City Hotel Saturday, November 26, from 9:30 to 1:30
. The North Mountain Art League is holding their winter holiday show at Phillips Emporium, 10 East Main Street, Bloomsburg, through January 6, 2006.
. The Fairmount Springs United Methodist Church will hold their annual Christmas musical Sunday, December 11 at 2 PM.
. The Bellefonte Victorian Christmas will be ready this weekend with their holiday greens and festive bows--about 700 of them. Portions of the Centre County Courthouse and most of Talleyrand Park will be decorated. Victorian Christmas opens at 7 PM December 9 in front of the courthouse with a traditional music program. A children's concert has been added to the Saturday concert series, and craft vendors will sell their wares at the American Philatelic Society. The house tour will be from 2 to 7 PM, December 10. Ten homes and businesses, including the Gamble Mill Inn, the Reynolds Mansion and several bed-and-breakfasts, are on this year's tour.
• Just in time for Christmas gift-giving, plan to visit the Open House for doll clothes at the home of Laura Christian and Jayne McCann Saturday and Sunday, November 26 and 27, from 10 AM to 4 PM each day. Jayne makes doll clothes for the American Girl dolls (18-inch) and the Bitty Babies as well. There are outfits for all occasions, including accessories! The Open House is at 23 Westover Road, off of Pied Piper Road, Benton Township. Look for the signs at the end of Pied Piper Rd. and Westover Rd.

Staff reporters Buster and Chloe often write a short column for the Benton News, usually of an upbeat nature. Today's column by Buster, regretfully, shows some fraying around the edges, an indication of problems with their relationship. I'll let Buster tell the story...

Chloe in one of her fetching looks.
Fishingcreek is in the background.

There was lots of excitement in Elk Grove, just down from Bloody Run, on the opening day of bear season. Ron Simock, a veteran of 52 years of hunting in the lower end of Sullivan County, went to bed Sunday night hearing the sound of a black bear near his hunting cabin. Ron was determined to find that bear early the next morning, probably the same black bear that Monica Diltz saw earlier outside the Brass Pelican restaurant. Monica was busily telling customers which way the bear went from the restaurant, but Ron sat back with a smile on his face since he figured he knew exactly where the bear would be when the first rays of light beat into the valley.

Ron was in no mood to have to put on his spare in order to drive his truck, nor did he expect that he would have to bring the tire into Shannon's Tire Service to buy a replacement tire. Information on all this is sketchy, since Ron went away with a new tire and headed directly for the woods where he probably won't reappear until just about dark. We don't know if Goodyear provides warranty service on tires mangled by bear. We suspect that the tire was run over a dead animal on the road Sunday and the bear was attempting to scrape up a meal, then planned to "retire" following his "tiring" day.

Later Monday morning in Elk Grove, John Hopkins provided an excellent discussion of the history of logging in the area at the North Mountain Historical Society meeting at the Brass Pelican.

Picture courtesy of Richard Shoemaker

John talked about the "clear cutting" of the local forests about 100 years ago and how that it turn affected our forest environment today. He then discussed the impact of our foresting operations today on the environment of tomorrow. At the meeting, Marilyn Seward agreed to serve as secretary of the organization following the death of Betty Ruckle who had handled that position since the inception of the organization. And with the job of secretary came the job of being the December speaker on the third Monday of next month. Marilyn will speak on genealogy of local families.

Friday is one of the year's biggest days for shoppers and retailers, but many feel that the following Monday is the day to shop. Mother, for example, always fired up the car on the first day of deer season and "got even" with Father, who was hunting. Mother did her entire Christmas chopping on that one day. The Monday after Thanksgiving has grown to be the all-important kickoff of the online holiday shopping season. On the internet, "Black Monday" trails right behind "Black Friday," the longtime nickname of the day when sales pushed money-losing stores into the black.

Quote of the Day...
"He was an inspiration to us all. We can fill his position, but filling his shoes, that's a whole other ballgame."
--Former Benton Area School Board President Geraldine Newhart, talking about Rick Martin.

And speaking of Geraldine, we should tell you that Jerry and Gerri Newhart celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary today. Dick Kriebel, Gerri's brother, gets the credit for introducing them. Back in the beginning stages of K-dale farm there were two employees, Owen Hess and Gerald Newhart, who took a hankering to Dick Kriebel's sister--Geraldine Kriebel--and to Janet Buckwalter Keiebel's sister--Deborah Buckwalter--who would come to the farm to visit. The rest, as they say, is history. Dick Kriebel notes that "on the third-floor door of their chicken house remains a teenage-day heart that says 'Deb & Jr.'" Dick notes that he is "not sure those two young men enjoyed milking cows, but I do believe they enjoyed the weekend family visits."

Good luck to all the hunters who head for the hills to bag a bear during the season which opens today. Good luck to everyone who needs work done in local places of business for the next three days and during the two weeks that follow.

We always seem to tell the same true story as hunting season begins, about a hunting trip that took place 75 years ago at Painter Den Hunting Club. The group did not have a cook. The group devised an emergency plan. Every day they played a round of poker dealing cards face up. The player with the highest hand was the designated cook for the day, with the proviso that if any other person complained during that period about the cooking, the cook should be relieved of his job and the person who bellyached would get the cooking detail.

An attorney from Bloomsburg got the first day's high cards and the job of cooking. The man had never even boiled a potato in his life. The meal he prepared was completely inedible starting when he threw the spaghetti pasta into cold water. A portly and prominent person proved pompous--in a moment of forgetfulness he leaned back and roared, "This is the damndest stuff I ever ate!" Suddenly, remembering the arrangement, he stiffened right up and quickly exclaimed "But I do like it. Gee, how I do like it!"

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, we will try to make sense out of the terms turkey filling, turkey stuffing and turkey dressing. When we put as much as we can into a turkey, we have "filled the turkey." Stuffing in the middle ages was known as farce, and that word came from Latin and French words that meant "to stuff." A "Farce" was a short, lighthearted play stuffed in between lengthy religious productions to keep the audience from nodding off. Forcemeat and farce referred to a spiced chopped-meat mixture, and the term is still applied to the making of sausage. The term stuffing did not appeal to the upper crust of the Victorian era, and the term "dressing" came into fashion. The terms stuffing and dressing are used interchangeably, with stuffing most frequently used in this country in the South and East. "Back Home in Benton, PA, most say "filling," or at least the well-dressed members of the Benton Christian Church congregation said that Sunday morning as they filled their bellies until they were stuffed at their church Thanksgiving meal.

An obituary for Helen Gammon is not currently available. We can tell you that she will be cremated and some sort of appropriate remembrance of her in Columbia County will be held this summer with burial at St. Gabriel's. Helen was able to live pretty much as she wanted up to the last week. It wasn't easy with her shortness of breath and dragging the oxygen tubing around with her. Only ten days ago, her grandson, Michael, was asking for some family history and she was able to print it out for him from her computer files. The past week was difficult. When she finally realized that she would no longer be able to direct her life, she decided that was not her style and stepped on into her next adventure.

And while we are talking about sickness, we should mention that prayers are needed for Jim Johnson, who has cancer; and for Charlie Shannon, a patient in Geisinger Hospital; and for Allen Roberts who will have a hip replacement early in December; and for Ira McHenry, who has pneumonia; and for Larry Hayman, who is finally home. Except for four days, Larry was in the hospital since August 24. Doctors almost lost Larry three times and each time the doctors were amazed he pulled through.

Computer tip of the day:
By pressing the Windows Logo key and the letter D (for desktop) you will minimize all windows on the desktop. These keys are a toggle, so if you do it again the windows you had open previously will again open.

Want to identify someone from Pennsylvania?
. Your turkey has "filling," not "stuffing," and most certainly, NOT "dressing."
. When someone says 1972, you think "Agnes," and when someone says 1979, you think "Three Mile Island."
. Words like "sub," "crick," "buckwheat cakes," and "Kozy" have meaning to you.
. You can go two weeks without sunshine and not realize that you are depressed.
. People wear hunting clothes at social events.
. Outside security lights are left on, but exterior doors are unlocked.
. Electric candles in outside windows are left on all year.

On this date in...
. 1925, Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.
. 1929, the Leo Reisman orchestra recorded "Happy Days are Here Again" just three weeks after the stock market crash that plunged the nation into the Great Depression.
. 1947, Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, in a ceremony broadcast worldwide from Westminster Abbey.
. 2003, one of our favorite elementary teachers, Capitola "Cappie" Pennington Reece, died at the Orangeville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
. 2003, the local area had it with rain! Rainfall totals through November 20 nudged records for rainfall dating back to 1895. Exact totals were hard to judge, since rainfall varied so much from area to area, but it was somewhere in the 41" area, with 43" as the record.

One of our daily pleasures is to open email or regular mail and find a treasure of a note from someone, and over the years none have ever pleased us more than to read the notes sent to us by Helen Gammon. We have visited her in Chandler, Arizona, and researched with her Back Home in Benton, PA. We have listened to her reading and re-reading many of the 1800 or so letters written by her great-great Grandmother Ann Peterman--letters Ann wrote to her stepson William Bartleson Peterman who lived in Sugarloaf Township. We would be deeply appreciative when Helen would send us an email or call on the phone to tell us that something we had said made something she had never understood suddenly become crystal clear. And then the obscure thing that we had written about would suddenly be translated by Helen into a long story about where James Peterman's land or Jonathan Colley's original tracts were located in 1792-1796.

And so tears misted our eyes during the Penn State football game Sunday when the call came that Helen passed away minutes before on the couch of her home in Chandler, a victim of cancer and suffering from shingles. Helen was in her 80s, clear-headed, observant, critical of assumptions not proven, intolerant of any noise created while she was doing her genealogical research, wonderfully sharing of things historical, a dear friend and a true researcher. Her last request of me was only two weeks old. "How about putting it on your 'To Do' list," she wrote. "Even though I probably shall never see it, I hope someone will shine some light on it." Don't worry, Helen, we'll shine some light on it soon!

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die.
--Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

When the overcast fall skies overtake our area and we don't feel like banging around outside, we often turn to one of our favorite books, a complete, bound edition of a publication called the General Advertiser. The huge, worn book contains all the pages of the newspaper from the year 1812. The paper was published by Benjamin Franklin Bache, called "Benny" by his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin. Bache started the General Advertiser with the inheritance Franklin left him. Under the Sedition Act of 1798, he was arrested for some of his comments about the government and President. He came down with yellow fever while awaiting trial and died in September, 1798. His widow and William Duane continued to publish after his death.

The offices of the newspaper were in the former residence of an editor of the paper, James Wilson, at 322 Market Street, Philadelphia. Wilson was a grandfather to Woodrow, the 28th President of the United States. Under the name, Pennsylvania Packet and General Advertiser, the newspaper was the first newspaper published daily in United States, starting in September, 1784. The newspaper, which tended to be abusive to Federalists, continued to publish until 1822. The General Advertiser later became The Aurora and General Advertiser.

We give you all this information since we intend to revisit the paper from time to time and we wanted you to know that this is not just a "quack" newspaper, although it was a staunch and vocal anti-Federalist paper mocking Presidents George Washington and John Adams equally. One of the things catching our eye was this advertisement, which introduced us to a word we didn't know. The advertisement read...

"Six cents reward. Ran away from the subscriber on the 17th instant, an apprentice, named William McGonigle, between 19 and 20 years of age, a cordwainer by trade. John Thomas, November 20, 1812."

The English term "cordwainer" means shoemaker. The term cordouan, or cordovan leather, comes from this word. The first "Cordwainers," or shoemakers, in America came to Jamestown, Virginia, about 1607. Captain John Smith was a Cordwainer and his settlement was in part supported by profits made in the English shoe trade.

By definition, a cordwainer works only with new leather, where a cobbler works with old. Cobblers are repairers, and over the years were frequently prohibited from making shoes. The term "Cordwainer" is derived from the Spanish city of Cordoba, celebrated for silversmithing and the production of cordouan (cordovan) leather, called "cordwain" in England.

Tropical Storm Gamma, the 24th named storm of a record-setting Atlantic hurricane season, is drifting northward toward Florida with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. Gamma could disrupt the Thanksgiving celebrations in South Florida. We don't wish in any way to minimize the terrible effects of so many people this year as a result of "weather incidents," but when we checked with friends in Florida, we found them "at the ready:" several have FEMA's number in their speed dial, they buy "C" and "D" batteries by the case, are addicted to Spaghetti Os, have repainted their houses to match the plywood covering over the windows, are on first-name basis with Home Depot checkout clerks, live on streets that are designated "no-wake" zones, own three or more large coolers and have milk jugs filled with water in their freezers. Several have taken recent vacations in Georgia and Alabama and a couple of the wives are in love with men who have huge chainsaws. They can name three or more meteorologists who work at the Weather Channel and often watch the show on their battery-powered TV, which they consider a home entertainment center. Children's first words are often "hunker down." We wish our many Florida friends the best with Tropical Storm Gamma, but we know they are ready for yet another crisis.

Joe Paterno and No. 5 Penn State whooped Michigan State 31-22 Saturday to claim their first Bowl Championship Series bid and their first Big Ten title in 11 years.

Have you noticed that...

. Joe Paterno did look not well at yesterday's Penn State game?

. Holidays get harder to schedule each year because of divorces, deaths and remarriages that create blended families and stepfamilies and challenge relationships.

We saw these terms on the internet and will pass them along...

. London, an old English term for "No good food or good coffee within walking distance."

. Goohooters, the name of a restaurant chain taken over by a search engine.

On this date in...
1978, a murder-suicide took place in Jonestown, Guyana, when religious-cult leader Jim Jones directed the ingestion of Kool-Aid laced with cyanide by at least 900 of his followers. He and his mistress then did the same. Earlier that day, Jones directed the murder of California Congressman Leo J. Ryan, three news people and several "defectors." Ryan, on a fact-finding tour of Jonestown, was boarding a private airplane with his group when they were shot down.

. 1869, the Suez Canal formally opened to traffic. The waterway is 100 miles long, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez and the Indian Ocean.

. 1934, Lyndon Baines Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, known as "Lady Bird."

. 1962, Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by President Kennedy.

. 1968, NBC decided to cut off the last minute of the Oakland Raiders/New York Jets football game so that the movie Heidi could begin. True, the opening film credits of Heidi were thrilling to the younger children, but older men missed seeing the Raiders score two touchdowns in that minute and come from behind to win the game 43 to 32. A bad decision you say? Indeed! The NBC telephone switchboard blew 25 fuses as a result of calls from irate fans. But we suspect it will never happen again.

We include a link to the Benton Area Schools on the side panel, but you can head directly to the source by going to
(www.bentonsd.k12.pa.us) . We recommend that you frequently check on what is going on with the school and the students. And speaking of (former) students, the Benton High School Class of 1941 will gather at the Berwick Bonanza Restaurant today at noon. Where have those 64 years gone? And we would be remiss if we didn't mention the upcoming Thanksgiving school break November 24, 25 and 28.

Plan to visit the annual TreeFest at Bloomsburg's Caldwell Consistory November 25, 26 and 27, and December 2, 3 and 4 (Fridays 5-9 PM, Saturdays 10 AM-6 PM, and Sundays noon- 5 PM). The trees and gingerbread houses and crafts will really get you in the Christmas spirit. On Friday, December 2, at 8 PM, there will be a special auction of items and gift certificates donated by area businesses and concerns.

It is always good to remind readers about the semipro league in which Ed Allegar played. A host of players who made it to the major leagues started in the Southern Association (or as it was often called, the Southern League) during their careers, men like Ty Cobb and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. Teams tended to come and go, but Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, and Macon played with other teams from Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Birmingham, Bristol and Jacksonville. A similar league was the South Atlantic League, also known as the Sally League. Ed even pulled in a Most Valuable Player award while playing minor league baseball, but as a member of the Giants farm club there just were not enough openings to bring him to the majors. Ed now lives in Jamison City, is a retired teacher from the Benton Area School System and is married to the former Alice Sutliff.

We wonder...
. If the counties of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming make up the "Endless Mountains," why aren't the mountains endless when they get to the borders of those counties?
. How can we get "useto" terms like "up back of Benton," and "down cellar"?
. Why did the Delaware Indians call themselves "real men" (Leni-Lenape?"
. What was in the lunchtime favorite sandwich known as "Hoggies" at the Hog Island Shipyard in Philadelphia? (the word was later changed to "Hoagies.")

Yesterday was certainly a day of contrasts. Following a week of all sunshine, no visible clouds and temperatures in the upper 80s, we boarded a big bird in Santa Barbara under the light of a beautiful full moon and via San Francisco flew into Chicago to find temperatures of 24 degrees with snow falling. After our connecting flights to Harrisburg was deiced, we did the bump and grind and flew into the relative warmth of our home state. All that being said, there ain't no place like home!

This is a story about the evil of smoking and the wonder of vitamins, told about a man who means a great deal to all Pennsylvanians. The man was Milton Snavely Hershey who was raised among the "Plain People" of the Mennonite faith. The story goes that he went on a vitamin kick in the 1940s, and started experimenting with different vegetables. He concluded that it was easier to get vitamins by drinking them than by eating them.

Hershey ate onions and carrots and celery and combinations of all those, and finally decided that beet sherbets tasted the best and he added them to the menu at his Hershey Hotel. Now for the man who gave the world the Hershey bar and Hershey kisses to make a mistake like that was unthinkable, and patrons who tasted the beet sherbet actually gagged from the terrible taste.

Milton Hershey had three lifelong passions: chocolate, children and cigars. Hershey is said to have smoked eight to 10 cigars a day until his death in 1945 at the age of 88. A former CEO of the company later said that Hershey simply had burned out his taste buds and could not taste or smell a thing.

By the time Hershey died, his company owned an estimated 65,000 acres in Cuba. The manager of the Hershey Havana operations regularly sent his boss boxes of cigars with Hershey's picture printed on the cigar bands. A much cheaper brand of cigars made in York was sold around the Hershey area with a "Hershey" band. They were sold for five or six cents apiece in the town drugstore, at the golf course and at Hershey park and were known as the Hershey Invincible, Hershey Park Golf Club Special, Hersheytown and Havana Perfecto brands. Until the early 1980s at Hershey park, cigar rollers made cigars at a kiosk in the craft area and sold the hand-rolled products to park patrons.

Norman Vincent Peale once addressed students in the Hershey school auditorium and asked, "How many of you would like to have millions of dollars someday?" The children all raised their hands. "And, how many of you would, 25 years before you die, give it all away to strangers?" After seeing that not a single hand was raised, Peale looked over his shoulder and said, "Hershey did just that." But he could never give sell or give away his beet sherbet.

Quote of the Day:
"Boys, don't rock the boat, row it."
--Milton S. Hershey

November 16, 2005. David McHenry and Mikelanne McHenry Welliver celebrate their birthdays today.

Pennsylvania's three-day black bear season opens Monday and runs through November 23. The PGC anticipates a 2005 harvest of up to 3,000 bears. Others say that the record of 3,075 bears, set in 2000, could be exceeded since the six largest bear harvests in Pennsylvania history have been recorded over the past seven years and all exceeded 2,500 animals. Officials also say there is an excellent chance for at least one bear exceeding 800 pounds to be taken. Only six 800-pound bears have been documented by the agency over the past 25 years. The PGC estimates about 14,000 bears remain in the state. Top bear-producing counties in 2004 were just a short drive from Back Home in Benton, PA in Lycoming (244) and Luzerne (138) counties.

Didja know that Pennsylvania has 15 airports to connect you with the world outside the Commonwealth, linking you to flights on more than 19 domestic and international carriers? Learn about your flight options from local Pennsylvania airports. You can link directly to the airports or to the airlines that serve them and compare rates, learn about low-cost parking, and check out other great amenities. Pennsylvania's new Web site, http://iflypa.com/ , encourages the use of in-state airports

Our stay in the Santa Ynez Valley of California has come to an end. We have reunited with dear relatives, revisited those places that are so special, dined with old friends, sampled the local wines in an effort to lower our cholesterol and will soon say goodbye to family and friends. Around these parts, people say that travelers come over the mountains and a peacefulness settles over them like an old quilt. Over the years, many have come and many have stayed.

The list of present and past residents of the valley is impressive: Gene Autry, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Art Linkletter, James Stewart, Edgar Bergen and James Arness lived here. Dean Martin bought a ranch, but didn't stay. Dean was an avid golfer and applied for membership in the Alisal golf club, but was turned down because he was an actor. Johnny Mathis bought a property nearby. John and Bo Derek arrived in the early '70s. Bo--and her many facelifts--is still here. James Arness purchased 100 acres. Film personalities Yvonne De Carlo and Rona Barrett lived here, Band leader Doc Severinsen is a next-door neighbor, Cheryl Ladd, John Forsythe. Fess Parker of Davy Crockett fame now owns hotels and wineries locally. Michael Jackson owns a side of a mountain and keeps the local courts busy, but just splashed out $1.5 million on a new mansion on his own quarter-acre private island in the Amwaj chain off the coast of Bahrain where Jackson has been living since being cleared of child sex abuse. He will live there with his three children Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II. It is not yet known if Jackson now plans to sell his Neverland ranch in Santa Ynez. Others in the area include Jimmy Connors, Bruce Jenner, Kelly LeBrock, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., singer David Crosby, Ellen DeGeneres and Whoope Goldberg.

The most famous of the local residents, Ronald Reagan, owned what historically was called the Rancho del Cielo and the locals called the Tip Top Ranch. While not in the Santa Ynez valley, it overlooked the valley from its location where Refugio Road breaks over the mountain and heads down to the Pacific Ocean. The ranch has a colorful history that traces back to Spanish settlers and the original adobe house dates to 1871. A son of one of the original owners of the ranch wrote that the area was once overrun with bandits and outlaws. One bandit was reputed to pass through the area, rob the settlers, and cut their throats. The son said that he once dug up six silver dollars and a skeleton buried under an old oak tree.

What became the Reagan ranch was sold in 1941 for $6,000 and became known as the Tip Top Ranch. The Reagans bought the 677-acre ranch in 1974 for a reported $527,000 near the end of Reagan's second term as governor of California. Reagan christened the property "Rancho del Cielo," or "the Ranch in the Sky." Reagan and a ranch hand remodeled the adobe house, knocked out walls, redesigned the kitchen, tore out the screen porch and replaced it with a family room, then climbed on the corrugated roof and installed a tiled one. The ranch was declared the Western White House in 1981 and was the site of a historic visit by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1992. Countless other dignitaries have visited over the years.

Temperatures in the Santa Ynez valley for the past two days exceeded 85 degrees and we shudder at the forecast for Back Home in Benton, PA, for tonight. The "S" word is in the forecast. It will be quite a contrast.

November 15, 2005. Ken and Dorothy Wilson celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary today. It all started when Ken asked his fellow college classmates if anyone would like to go ice skating after school. Dorothy said she would, and they have skated through life together ever since. Look toward the sky tonight at the full moon. Both colonists and Algonquin Indian tribes called the November full moon the "full beaver moon" since it was time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze. Please keep Charles Holdren in your prayers.

We recently received an email from an old friend who said that he read a Forbes Magazine report that Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross received a salary for 2003 of $651,957 plus expenses; Brian Gallagher, President of the United Way, receives a $375,000 base salary, plus numerous expense benefits; and The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.

As our readers know, we try to determine the validity of emails like this, so we wrote to Barbara Mikkelson, the owner of www.snopes.com. After a week or so, Barbara wrote back to us saying, "Financial figures for these organizations are difficult to compare directly for a number of reasons. The United Way of America, for example, is not one large organization, but a body that coordinates 1,400 independent local United Way member organizations, each separately incorporated and governed by local volunteers. As well, the Salvation Army is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a "church or convention or association of churches" and is therefore not required to file Form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax) reporting with the IRS." If a super sleuth like Ms. Mikkelson can't figure it out, we suspect that the email is basically a figment of someone's imagination.

Robert F. Norman, 90, a former owner of a country store in Jonestown, and who played an active role in Orangeville leadership and in the Bloomsburg Fair Association, passed away Monday, November 14, at Wesley Village, Jenkins Township. He was 90 and a resident of Dallas. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, a son of the late William and Katherine Eydler Norman and was a graduate of Shickshinny High School. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Joan Wilson; brothers Howard, Francis, Charles, William and Clement; and sisters Catherine Savage, Emily Norman and Ruth Davis. Surviving are his wife of 67 years, the former Mildred Hess; daughters: Katherine "Kate" Dickson (Donald), Dallas (formerly of Benton), and Patricia (John) Dorshimer, Mahwah, NJ; a brother, Russell, Wilkes-Barre; grandchildren and great-grandchildren along with numerous nieces and nephews. Friends may call Tuesday 6 to 9 and funeral service will be Wednesday at 11 AM from the Richard H. Disque Funeral Home Inc., 672 Memorial Highway, Dallas. Interment will be in Mt. Greenwood Cemetery, Trucksville.
--Obituary from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary can be found

We dug deep into our savings once to hire an attorney so we have a little experience with costs of legal representation. Consider the considerable (financial) fortune of Saddam Hussein. The Wall Street Journal reported that approximately 1,100 lawyers have left Saddam Hussein's defense team out of fears for their own safety. Don't feel bad for Hussein--he still has 400 lawyers on the payroll!

Stand back! Here comes the atlatl, a weapon that struck fear in the hearts of Spanish conquistadors, The atlatl (pronounced "ott-lottle") dates to the stone age. The weapon propels a 4- to 6-foot-long hunting dart. Scientists who track this sort of thing claim that the atlatl was used by American Indians 12,000 years ago and they were used more than 20,000 years ago in Europe. The PGC is now considering adding the atlatl to the arsenal of Pennsylvania's hunters. The commission could vote to legalize its use as early as January although it is unclear to us which animals atlatlists may be allowed to hunt. If the commission gives preliminary approval in January, a final vote in April could clear the way for atlatl hunting in Pennsylvania sometime next year.

Seniors in Pennsylvania, starting today, can choose which of the many government-sponsored prescription drug plans is right for them. Enrollment for 2006 begins today and runs through May 15. Benefits begin January 1 The prescription drug benefit is new to Medicare, which until now only covered hospital and outpatient care for seniors.

When darkness sets in tonight, we'll have a full moon that is the perfect end to a wonderful (but wet) day, but when darkness sets in over the French Quarter and the central business district of New Orleans tonight, the darkness will seem like a blanket over the eastern half of this city. The signs of progress seen during the day soon disappear since about 40% of the homes in New Orleans do not have electricity following Entergy New Orleans bankruptcy filing September 23.

Following this dismal picture of New Orleans, lets change our glance to south Mississippi where former Jamison City resident Philip Grant Nickolai lived for over half a century. Phil is discouraged enough with what nature can bring to south Mississippi to move.

As a result of Katrina many people are displaced, their homes and businesses totally destroyed, their homes and buildings condemned and the bulldozer put to them. Many are living in tent cities. In the case of Katrina the damage was so comprehensive and covers such a vast area that it will require something like three years to get back to anything near "normal" for many. Others who were displaced will not return. The income tax base is crippled. In many places there are no buildings or housing, there is nothing to tax except the now vacant property. Communities are running out of money and have cut payrolls. The local governments are wondering where money is going to come from to rebuild.

Phil has long liked the long, warm summers and short, mild winters of south Mississippi. He has no "attachments," no property. He chooses older folks for friends and they have all died. All of his family is dead. He no longer has a relation with a "church family." He been away from other places he has lived so that if he returned he would be a stranger. Some he knew in those places have moved away or have died.

Many have to "begin again" after Katrina. Phil laments, "If I move somewhere else I will just have to begin again. I am having a problem trying to decide where to go."

Moving is more in Phil's thoughts now than ever before, just as Phil remains in our thoughts as he and many others continue struggling with their problems in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

On this date in 1972, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 1,000 mark (1003.16) for the first time in its 76-year history. A year ago on this date, the market closed at 10,539. At the close of trading Friday, the Dow Jones closed at 10,686.04, its highest close since Aug. 3.

The American Legion Post 495 will hold a "Night At The Races" Saturday, November 19, at 7 PM at the American Legion Post on State Route 239 between Shickshinny and Huntington Mills. You can pick up a ticket at the door for a $10 donation. Food and drinks are with your ticket.

Mayor Swan is excited to have a life-sized stainless steel sculpture of a fly fisherman with a young boy and a young girl, sculpted by Brian and Paul DuMond, Stillwater, ready for next spring's fishing season. The sculpture will set at the corner of Main and Market streets, on the south (Market Street) side of the Benton Sports Center building. The statue will be an excellent way of attracting tourists to the area. Contributions continue to be needed for completion of the statue.

Consider this...
. What is now the Berwick area was settled by Evan Owen about 1780, the year that General Sullivan cleared the Iroquois Indians from the Mohawk River valley.
. The Susquehanna & Tioga Turnpike Road was authorized in 1806. The president of the United Sates was Thomas Jefferson.
. Construction of the "Tioga Turnpike" began in 1808, as Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State, James Madison, was taking office.
. The first turnpike construction effort was completed through Columbia County in 1810. The population of the United States was 7,239,881.
. Stages started using the Tioga Turnpike in 1827. The stage company was known as the Berwick and Towanda Turnpike Company. Stages ran from station to station over a number of "stages" of road with fresh horses about every 12 miles, except for the Red Rock Mountain run.
. Construction of the Tioga Turnpike ended in 1820 as the population of the United States soared to 10 million.
. The New Columbus Academy opened in 1856. Pennsylvanian James Buchanan was president.

The nation's oldest national agricultural organization is the National Grange with clubs in local communities in 37 states. Its members are dedicated to agriculture and rural America. The organization began after the Civil War to unite private citizens in improving the economic and social position of the nation's farm population.

The National Grange is a fraternal order also known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, which is what the "P of H" on the organization's logo means. The Order of Patrons of Husbandry was born December 4, 1867. The seal for the Benton club was inscribed January 29, 1874. The National Grange was one of the first organizations to admit women to membership on the same basis as men.

The farms, the communities and the people of the local area in 1874 when the Grange began operations would be vastly different from the present generation. The average farm of that era was small by today's standards and almost devoid of machinery. Man and his beast provided power for everything connected with his farm.

Rohr McHenry was instrumental in establishing a series of Grange banks and planned these banks in each state, tied to the agricultural side of business. Grange banks attempted to loan money at rates lower than other commercial banks but Grange activities proved unsuccessful because of lack of capital.

The Benton Grange #88 will be closing as of December 31, 2005. When the Grange closes operations in the Benton area, Grange members will donate money and artifacts to the community through the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center, the Benton FFA Parent Club and the Benton Park. The Benton FFA Parent Club will receive $15,000 for the students to use for projects each year. The club will be able to draw down $1,000 each year. The Benton Park will receive $15,000.for playground equipment. The balance of the money in the account, an undisclosed amount, will be going to the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center. The NCCCC will also receive most of the artifacts from the Benton Grange for its museum.

It is wonderful to know that the long history of service to the community by the Grange will continue after the organization closes its doors for the last time. The men and the women who carried on the goals of the Grange until all chance of survival were exhausted are to be congratulated for their foresight for the future of the Benton area.

November 13, 2005, the birthday of Betty Zane Unbewust, Dick Karschner, Lucie Hartzell, Donald Ribble (52) and Maria O'Brien. The breakfast buffet at the North Mountain Fire Co. is this morning from 8 AM until noon. The price is $5 for adults and $3 for children. The wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memoral was dedicated on this date in 1982.

We heard about a cowboy walking down a Santa Ynez street with a pet dachshund. Someone asked him why a cowboy would own that kind of dog and he said that somebody had told him to get a long little doggie.

We read in an Associated Press article that the Army is developing chewing gum for combat soldiers too busy to brush. The gum will contain a special bacteria-fighting agent to prevent plaque, cavities and gum disease and will retain its bacteria-fighting ability and flavor for 30 minutes to an hour. Of course, we remember the US Army purchases of the $800 toilet seat, the $500 coffee maker and the $400 monkey-wrench. We hope that they Army does this right...

We have told this story before, but we'll recycle it. The story originally was told to us by Richard Shoemaker. We chatted with Richard Savage, Berwick, a son of O(rville) B(artley) Savage, and grandson of Moses Savage, who figures prominently in the story. Richard Savage remembers hearing this story from his family as he was growing up. You'll have to pay attention or you'll get confused, since we are talking about a couple of "Orvilles" and a couple of "Moses Savages" in this story.

To get you in the right frame of reference, we'll start by reminding you that O. B. Savage once owned the former Hulme farm below Benton.

The Hulme farm following a storm.

If you are lost this early in the story, take the time to read about the barn under FEATURES. O. B. Savage had a son, Richard, and that is who we are talking about when we say that he heard the story when he was small. O. B. Savage's father was (also) named Orville and his grandfather was Moses Savage, named, possibly, for his uncle who also had the name "Moses." This uncle is who the story is about. Now aren't you glad we told you to pay attention!

Moses Savage--and we are talking about the uncle--went to seek his fortune in California during the gold rush of 1848. Moses Savage returned from California in the winter of 1857 and a Bloomsburg man, William H. Gilmore, drove Moses to Rohrsburg where Savage intended to spend the night in a hotel just West of Rohrsburg Corners before reuniting with his family the next morning. William Ager was the proprietor of the hotel. The hotel is now gone.

Both W. W. Parker, Rohrsburg, and Savage's nephew, called Moses Savage (now we are now talking about O. B. Savage's grandfather), and gave the same accounting of the following story. We researched the story from old Morning Press and Columbia County Historical Society documents.

A Benton relative of the uncle Moses stopped at the Rohrsburg Hotel and saw someone who looked like Moses sitting near a stove. No one was expecting Moses to return from California unannounced, but the stranger looked so familiar that he asked if the man might be Moses. The proprietor of the hotel did not acknowledge that the man was Savage. The Benton man went home, but thought about it through the night and returned in the morning. The proprietor of the hotel told him the next morning that the man was a "drummer" and not Savage. Mr. Gilmore, however, confirmed that he had driven Savage to the hotel, but no trace of Savage was ever found. Gilmore's story was that Savage intended to surprise his relatives with the fortune that he had made in gold, and that he had much of it in valises he carried with him. O. B.'s father Moses later said that a man by the name of John Black showed him blood on the floor of the hotel when it was razed and that valise frames were found in the basement. The gold never turned up, and neither did Moses. A short time later, the well of the hotel was filled in. A man by the name of Parker claimed that people had stopped liking the taste of the water than came from the well.

The Savage family never had the money to look into the whereabouts of Moses Savage or to press for an investigation. Controversy swirled when the proprietor of the hotel announced that he was going to California to seek his fortune in gold. He apparently was not gone long, but when he returned he had gold and that apparently made a lot of people in the Rohrsburg area talk about the mysterious disappearance of Moses Savage. The properties in California owned by Savage turned up as sold and the deeds had been signed, although the Savage family felt that they had been forged.

Fact or fiction? There is fact in the story and there may be some fiction. Most probably, we'll never know what the fate was of old Moses Savage.

On this date in 1986, just down the road a piece from the former town of Emmons and the village once known as "Baumtown," near the runoff of Peterman Run, Elk Run, Bloody Run and Painter Run, Clyde "Jug" Albertson opened a restaurant under the direction of manager Monica Diltz. Monica stirred in her favorite buckwheat cakes, let them raise overnight, threw some Pennsdale sausage and some homefrys on the stove and a tradition of "bucks" and sausage was born. In fact, the original buckwheat cake batter is still in use today, and with each day the cakes get better. We still remember the sign we saw there about 15 years ago when we drove our snowmobile to the front door. It read, "You have to go up this road a long ways to beat our prices." In fact, you have to go up that road a long ways to do anything...

Other good eating today and Sunday includes...

Family Style ham supper today from 4:30-6:30 PM, Sweet Valley Fire Hall, Price is $8 for adults and takeouts, $4 for ages 6-12.

Spaghetti dinner, Boy Scout Troop 17, Town Hill United Methodist Church Hall, 417 Town Hill Road, Shickshinny, 4-7 PM; Price is $6 for adults; $3 for children under ten.

Breakfast buffet, Sunday, November 13, 8 AM until noon, North Mountain Fire Co., Central, Price is $5/adults, $3/children.

The Fishing Creek Femme Fatale Chapter of the Red Hat Society will meet at The Hoboken Sub Shop Wednesday at 2 PM for Thanksgiving dinner. Price is $8.95 and includes tax and tip. The chapter's new Queen Mother, Barbara Craig, will be crowned, Guests are welcome and the chapter is open to new members. Proper attire is required; i.e., a red hat and purple outfit. The 2006 dues of $2 are payable and will be used to renew the chapter with the National Red Hat Society.

Dan Mitchell, Ventura, California, emailed me several times before we boarded the big bird for California, telling us about scenic drives and generally extolling the virtues of Southern California. Dan's grandfather was Herman Mitchell, who lived near Fairmont Springs and with his wife, the former Hazel Parkinson, had 17 kids on their small farm. Dan's family lived all over the area including Mossville, Huntington Mills and Shickshinny. For several years they lived near Waller when he was a kid back around 1968 or 69. His dad, Frederick H. Mitchell, worked at the Benton Foundry. Dan, his brother Fred, and sisters Bonnie and Hazel, attended Benton grade school. Fred, Jr. played on the Ed's Esso baseball team. Dan said that he hopes to come back to the hills of Pennsylvania in a couple years, We hope that it won't be that long for us...

Dan told us about a recipe for Tri-Tip that he said will knock your socks off." Beef tri-tip is a term generally not found Back Home in Benton, PA. What Californians call tri-tip is generally ground into hamburger or cut into cubes and sold as soup meat back East, not because it wasn't good, but because there is only one per animal and butchers considered it a waste of display space to sell the tri-tip by itself. Tri-tip is relatively inexpensive, very flavorful and is a favorite with many Californians. The tri-tip roast or steak (also called a triangle roast) can be found at the bottom of the sirloin. It has a great flavor, and tends to be lower in fat than most other cuts.

One of our favorite places to buy tri-tip here in California, in the little town of Los Olivos, is a cute little restaurant that we have written about before. Outside of the tri-tip, its main claim to fame is that when the restaurant is closed, the public is advised of that fact by virtue of a simple sign posted outside of the restaurant. The sign simply says "SHUT."

Personals...
Terry Griffith is "still alive and kicking and shall not go quietly into the night." Terry told us, "heck, just was a great-grand father, a boy." Terry asked to thank everyone who said a little word for him following his recent stay in the hospital. Terry is longing for breakfast at the Pelican with "good friend Harry Ackerman and Bob Stackhouse." We could certainly tell that Terry's heart is Back Home in Benton, PA.

Budd and Malina Savage are now in Largo, Florida, for the winter where they tell us the weather is "hot."

OK, OK, so we have some excellent cooks in the area. I am just not one of them. But assuming that others are also "preparation challenged," here are two suggestions...

Thanksgiving is coming up, and Cook's Illustrated came up with www.turkeyhelp.com to answer all your questions about making your Thanksgiving meal memorable. There are recipes, new equipment recommendations, shopping sources, and both a video and photo essay on how to carve a turkey. Buster and Chloe are licking their chops--oops, drumsticks--at the mere mention of this site.

The second suggestion is for those people that have some strange food things in their cupboard, things that sounded good when you went to the exotic food store, but have never been opened, used and which have no probable future use. Google gallops gallantly getting gourmets going on groceries gathering--well, you get the picture.

Here is how it works. Find about three goodies in your cupboard that aren't going away. As an example, I looked in the freezer and found some elderberries that I had popped in the freezer, found some lemon rinds from some lemonade I made and a little whipping crème left over from a rice-pudding topping. Pop over to Google and type in the ingredients and the word following with a comma and the word "recipes." Have Google search, then wait for the results to pop up. The engine will make its rounds for recipes that incorporate your otherwise unusable stuff. I ended up with a recipe from www.recipezaar.com/41007 for elderberry soup, a meal that disposes of three things I wanted gone. Although it sounds like it would be best served at a Mahjong tournament made up of contestants who don't mind staining their partials, it turned out good.

A charming web site for children who are short in stature is now up and running under the direction of Joyce Davis, Mill Street. Joyce is the national director of Camp Little People which is physically located at Camp Victory, outside of Millville. Camp Little People dates back to 1997 when Joyce Davis, mother of a child with a type of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, founded the camp and began planning weekends for children like her daughter, who wanted to get together with her friends. Camp Little People was a far cry from the weekend tenting parties Joyce once hosted in Mill Street backyards for the children and their families. The Davis' back year had the pool and the job Johnny's from Starrs, L.V. Horn's yard had the shade and Sharon and Wilson Lynn's backyard had the room for all the tents. Many area businesses made donations of service or products.

As the group outgrew their backyard meeting place, the opportunity came up to move to Camp Victory, the camp facility near Millville designed for children who are chronically or physically challenged. The move to Camp Victory permitted Camp Little People to increase its current attendance to around 150 children and their parents. Camp Little People will be at Camp Victory this year from June 9 to 11.

The activities at Camp Little People include archery, paddle boating, fishing, arts and crafts, swimming, biking, hayrides, climbing wall and nightly bonfires.

Camp Victory came about in 1987 for children who are chronically or physically disadvantaged. Thirty-five acres of the Dennis Wolff family farm was designated "Camp Victory" and the Nicholas Wolff Foundation was incorporated as a fund raising and governing body. The Lions Clubs received a grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation to get the camp's construction started. Volunteers and local building contractors built the first cabins. The Lions Clubs continued their generous support and other service clubs joined in with donations. Camp Victory today has 120 acres with twelve cabins, ten bunks beds per cabin, each sleeping up to 20 children.

Boating and fishing are available on two ponds, and there is a swimming pool, a ropes course with a climbing wall, volleyball, pavilions, chapel, playing fields, walking paths and dining/recreation hall. The "Med Shed" serves as a mini-hospital to support the children's daily medical needs.

Camp Victory began because of the foresight of Dennis C Wolff, Millville, owner of Pen-Col Farms, a 600-acre, 400-head Holstein cattle operation. Wolff is Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture and the President of the Nicholas Wolff Foundation, Inc. and of Camp Victory.

Because of the vision and hard work of people like Dennis Wolff and Joyce Davis, some very deserving children are getting things out of life that they will never forget.

We are writing from California today where the "sko'ta" is the latest fad. Oh, sure, there are a few Hummers and lots of white pick-up trucks and loads of SUVs, but what is really gathering steam in the cities is the "sko'ta." A Vespa VBB 150 scooter certainly turns heads and gathers respect among the under 10 m.p.g. crowd.

The classic motor scooter is practical in a world of gasoline selling over $3 a gallon where using a gallon waiting to get out of a California traffic jam in common. According to the L.A. times, over 96,000 new scooters were sold last year, Most of the sales were in California to baby boomers, but we guarantee you that the way California goes is the way that the rest of the country will go in a year or so.

The vehicles in vogue here are not the Hondas, Yamahas or Kymcos, but are the vintage Vespas and Lambrettas, scooters that get between 50 to 100 miles per gallon. Most new scooter models range from $1,600 to $5,000, about the same price as for the vintage bikes.

Scooters are often seen parked between cars or on the curb, and they can wend their way through traffic. Traffic accidents are a problem and rain and snow would be a problem. When we return Back Home to Benton, PA, we suspect we won't see another one until Spring.

Upcoming...

The parent-advisory group, STAR, will meet at 6 PM tonight in the Benton Area School's library. The group is for parents who are active in various fund-raising activities to support the school.

The concert of the Columbia-Montour County Chorus becomes a reality tonight at 7 PM in the Benton High School auditorium. Dennis A. Powell directs and Emily Odgren tickles the ivories.

The coffee house concert at the Benton United Methodist Church a few weeks back will be repeated January 29 from 6 to 8 PM with the popular Welsh singer Van Wagner, Danville.

It is time again to start thinking about the annual Hall of Fame nominations for the outstanding graduates of the Benton Area Schools. The school will be requesting nominations in the very near future. Please be thinking of who you feel would be worthy. The committee that evaluates the graduates does not write the nomination requests, and so it is important that the justification for the candidate be complete and thorough. The nomination form is on the side panel under the Benton Area Schools on this web page.

We notice that politicians here on the Left Bank are about the same as they are back East. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's agenda following this week's special election appears in disarray. In true political fashion, the Guv announced that he would recapture voter confidence by firing some of his political advisors.

The Northern Columbia County area is honored to have a number of significant historical structures, many of which we tend to pass by and overlook. Lets take the time to mention a few of them, apologizing in advance for any that you might consider important but which we are overlooking.

. New Columbus Academy
. The Stone House at Lake Ganoga
. The house where Frank C. Laubach was born, now occupied by John and Zane Unbewust.
. Covered bridges of the area including the twin covered bridges at Forks and the Stillwater Covered Bridge.
. The Hulme barn, commonly known as the O. B. Savage barn
. The town of Jamison City
. The stone house built in 1826 by William and Elizabeth Cole (route 487 N of Benton, near the Mill Race golf course)
. Churches of the area, including the Millville Quaker meetinghouse; the Presbyterian, the U.M. Church and the Christian Church buildings of Benton, St. Gabriel's Church and Cemetery.

Prayers are needed for...

Connie Dressler, back in the hospital for more surgery with her "leaks in the bile duck." .Please continue the prayers.

Doug Deitrick who had surgery November 8 to open a blocked bile duct. Unfortunately, during the procedure they found cancer in his pancreas. It appears to be localized, but they were not able to remove it entirely. Doug is in Geisinger, room BP-630 until Sunday. His direct dial there is (570) 271-8630. After he comes home Sunday, he will be scheduled for radiation and chemo treatments starting in about four weeks. The address for Doug is 4969 Broadway Road, Milton, PA 17847

November 9, 2005. Budd Fritz and Christopher Kelsey celebrate their birthdays today. The church buckwheat cake and sausage supper starts at 4 PM today at the Christian Church.

Yesterday was a hometown-focused election day, a nice change of pace from the Bush-Kerry brawl of 2004. At this writing, we don't have complete returns, but in the Borough of Benton, Mayor Jan Swan was reelected with 122 votes with 42 votes cast for Rick Henderson. On Benton Borough Town Council, for the two-year term Mike McCormick was elected with 122 votes. For the four-year term, John Herbert Laubach received 101 votes, John Jankowski received 124 votes, Allen Hess received 86 votes and incumbent Ron Roberts mounting a write-in campaign received 73 votes. Neither Ron Roberts or Dan Hartman received enough votes to be elected.

In other balloting according to the Press Enterprise, Bruce Hess, R, received 212 votes to Patriot's Voice member Robert Ridall, D, 144 votes. In Benton Township Gerald Houseweart, D, appears to have edged out the incumbent Richard Ashelman, R, 136 votes to 131. In Jackson Township, Ronald K. Robbins, R, easily won. Over in Millville, it appears as though Ronald Welliver, Charles W. Confer, John R. Henrie and Lori J. Laubach were elected to town council. The unopposed candidates are not included. We regret that we don't have the results of all balloting.

On this date in 1912, the Carlisle School for Indians beat Army 27-6. Glenn S. Warner was the coach of the Carlisle team and Jim Thorpe was one of his star players. The Army right halfback was Dwight David Eisenhower. The Carlisle coach was nicknamed "Pop" Warner since he was older than his Cornell University classmates during his football-playing years.

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds!
--November!
--Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

The Saying of the Day: "Measure Twice Cut Once."
John Florio (c. 1553-1625), a British author who actually said it this
way: "Alwaies measure manie, before you cut anie."

An anonymous donor has offered a challenge to match any cash or check donation to the Northern Columbia Community & Cultural Center up to $100,000 between now and December 31, 2005. The donation must represent "new" money that comes in during that period.

The challenge applies to each of us, our families and friends. Please dig deep, urge your family members to dig deep, and please bring this to the attention of your neighbors. Even if you have pledged and arranged to pay your pledge over a period of years, squeeze your purses to see if there is another donation that you could muster before the end of the year.

Jeanette Hartman made a $500 donation earmarked for the skateboard park. Her donation was the first one to arrive after receiving the challenge from the Center's anonymous friend. Bingo! There is now $1,000 in the Skateboard fund. Please ask your kids, grandkids, and all the kids in your neighborhood to create some fundraising activities in order to generate some money before the end of the year. Every dollar they earn becomes two dollars instantly.

The Northern Community & Cultural Center is asking skateboarders to get together and plan some fundraising events. Meetings are also planned with skateboarders in order to get them involved in planning the layout and design of the skateboard area.

I pitched something between a hissy fit and a conniption fit Tuesday when I was unable to define to the satisfaction of someone who was lost just where "yonder" was. I came up with the general direction, but not the specific route. Things went down hill from there when I attempted to specify how long "directly" was, as in "if you come directly from the clump of trees toward town" and so I changed my approach to something different, and that didn't work either. I told the driver that where he wanted to be was "just down the road" and threw in the term "by and by." Now at this point things really went downhill. We finally got off the subject of directions, this lost driver and I, and discovered that we were related by marriage and that opened up another complete line of discussion about what took him to the South in the first place and how much I liked grits and how much he liked buckwheat cakes.

We had to smile when we came across the old father-son advice dispensed many years ago in an exchange of letters. The son was getting his steam up over a local girl and wrote to his father saying that he planned to take the girl out for the evening to see a movie. On the way home he planned to buy her an ice-cream soda. The son wondered if it would be OK to give her a kiss when they parted for the evening. The father wrote back, saying, "No, George. You've done quite enough for her."

Some may remember when...
Ham Fisher created Joe Palooka in 1921 after he saw a burly and a less-than articulate boxer who didn't like to box standing outside a poolroom in Wilkes-Barre, his hometown. Fisher considered naming his character Joe Dumbelletski and it took a full decade before Fisher named his boxer Palooka. The word possibly came after baseball player Jack Conway coined it to mean a "third rater." Within 25 days of its creation, it started appearing in 30 big-city newspapers featuring boxing contenders like Ruffy Balonki, Red Rodney, and Jack McSwatt.

Knobby Walsh was the boxer's manager and best friend, modeled after a Wilkes-Barre cigar store owner. Smokey, a valet, was depicted as a shuffling, subservient black man until the early 1940s when the character disappeared from the strip. Joe was in love with and married Ann Howe, a daughter of a cheese tycoon. The birth of his daughter Joan was a national event.

The Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce tells us that the man "he based the Little Max character on is now a prominent businessman in Wilkes-Barre." Elsie Byers tells us that Little Max was Max Bartikowski of the jewelry store, a next door neighbor of Ham Fisher.

Fisher farmed out the strip to a number of assistants, but only he draw the faces on Joe and Knobby, so the assistants would always leave blank features on those two characters. One of Fisher's illustrators was Al Capp, the pen name for Alfred Gerald Caplin, who created L'il Abner after ghosting Joe Palooka for Fisher for a time. Shortly after working on a sequence involving hillbillies for Fisher, Capp began developing Li'l Abner and the two soon parted company.

Beryl Louise (Davis) (Houseweart) Laubach, known to former patrons of Horace Harrison's store, Harold's Market and Benton Pharmacy where she clerked and remembered as the former wife of Stanley Houseweart and Alfred "Bub" Laubach, died Sunday, November 6, 2005, at the Bonham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was 85 and lived at 4095 Maple Grove Road, Benton, in the former residence she shared with "Bub" Laubach. Beryl was born March 26, 1920, a daughter of the late Harry and Pearl (Force) Davis. She was preceded in death by her two husbands: Stanley Houseweart who died in 1957 and Alfred "Bub" Laubach who died in 1999. She was a 1937 graduate of Benton High School. Surviving are her two children: George W. (Betty) Houseweart, Allentown and Judy R. (Thomas) Wenner, Benton, and grandchildren Susan E. Houseweart, Laguna Beach, California; David G. Houseweart, Glendale, Arizona; and Jason T. Wenner, Bendertown. Friends will be received Thursday, Nov. 10, 2005, from 1 until 2 PM at the McMichael Funeral Home, Inc.. Her funeral service will begin Thursday at 2 PM following the visitation hour at the funeral home. Interment will be in the Benton Cemetery.
--from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary can be found

Get out and cast your ballot!

And after you vote, stop at the...
. Election Day luncheon, soup, garage, bake sale, Benton United Methodist Church, Main Street, 9 AM to 3 PM; lunch, 11 AM to 2 PM, takeouts.
. Election Day food sale, 8 AM-8 PM, Grassmere-Sugarloaf Township Building, sandwiches, baked goods, soup by bowl or $3/quart.

Quickies...
. Pennsylvania leads the nation in reported collisions between motor vehicles and deer according to State Farm Insurance.
. We enjoyed reading the account in the Argus of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Benjamin and their daughter Debbie moving from R.D. 4 to Maple Grove in early June, 1968.
. The Columbia-Montour County Chorus Festival will be at the high school November 9 and 10, with the performance at 7 PM Thursday, November 10. The guest conductor will be Dennis A. Powell of Vestal High School in New York. The chorus will include 120 students from Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Danville, Millville and Southern Columbia high schools. Tickets are $3 for adults and $1 for students. It will be a fine evening for music. Come out and enjoy!
. Buckwheat cake and sausage supper at the Benton Christian Church November 9 starting at 4 PM. This is one of the few places to get old fashioned buckwheat cakes and sausage with all the trimmings at a church supper.
. Sullivan County got almost a foot more snow last year than the year before. The 2004-05 snowfall amount was just shy of 94 inches, with 36 inches falling in January alone. If you are thinking that won't happen again, consider Mt. Washington yesterday. Wind gusts hit 93 miles per hour and during the month of October this year Mt. Washington received 78.9" of snow. Meanwhile, Back Home in Benton, PA, our Fall continues to be a thing of joy and one we'll talk about for a long time.
. This will probably never happen again, but at the moment there are 379 students in each of the two buildings of the Benton Area Schools.
• It is official. The Benton Grange will close operations by the end of the year. It is like losing an old friend. We'll give you a report on the local club when we come home to roost.

We loved the handwritten note from Betty Brewington, Indiantown, Florida, who wrote telling us that her son, David Ward, connected her with a computer shortly after she arrived in Florida. Betty doesn't send email, so she relied on communicating via a hand-written note. She is recovering from a "weather event," something that we call a hurricane--the fourth one she has been through in 18 months. Sons David and Don, her granddaughter and her grandchildren all live within 20 miles of Betty so she is well cared for. For Betty's many friends who might want to drop her a note, she lives at 15940 SW Indianwood Circle, Indiantown, FL 34956.

We'll now return to our discussion of the first yearbook ever published in the Benton schools. It was published in 1917 when the graduating members of 1918 were Juniors.

The Benton High School class of 1918 wrote in their yearbook The Filibuster that during their Sophomore year they broke all "precedent for keeping late, or rather, early hours, when we enjoyed a sleigh ride to Myer's sugar camp at Elk Grove, starting at 8 PM and returning at 6:30 AM." An unidentified upperclassman scoffed and said, "hic est aliquid novi," but "we, rising above his spirit, made that one of our cherished mottoes and proverbs, and have lived up to it ever since."

The school held "freshmen receptions" during those days of education in Benton. This class, however, did something a little different. In their sophomore year as they held the reception for the incoming class the class president used "ten pounds of sugar to sweeten thirty freshmen and the juice of eighteen lemons." The result, the yearbook noted, was that the freshmen class was forever "noted for its sweet disposition."

The girls held food sales as a result of their class in "cookery." On February 1, 1917, the class held a "Contest in Expression," in the M.E. Church on Main Street. Mrs. Vining trained the contestants. "Financial and social results" were achieved and as a result the class was on a "sound financial basis." The yearbook noted that "our position as an important factor in high-school life was assured."

The high school in 1918

The arrows show where trees were dedicated (note black arrows) in memory of Benton School students who died during World War I. During a memorial service April 25, 1919, the trees were designated as memorials to pneumonia victoms Meryl Phillips, a Red Cross nurse, and Rufus Polk Hartman, who died while serving in the U.S. Navy; and Doyle Hess and George Remley, members of the U.S. Army who killed in action during the Argonne Forest campaign. These four died during World War I.

It is interesting that in the school history contained in the Filibuster there was some confusion as to when the high-school building was built. (The school under discussion was not the school that most of us remember.) The class tracked the first high school (of record) in the school back to Clyde Hirleman who was principal in the "middle eighties" with about 45 students. The first class graduated in 1887 and in 1890 the school was discontinued.

In 1903, the high school was reorganized under a three-year course. Mr. Beare was the principal. Mr. Albert was principal in 1910 and Mr. Champlin was principal in 1911. L. Ray Appleman was elected to the job in 1912. The first class to graduate and the first to complete a four-year high-school course was the class of 1916.

In 1916, vocational training was added to the curriculum of the school and the school became known as a first grade vocational high school, with courses in agriculture, wood-working, homemaking and household arts. As outlying districts began sending more students to Benton, enrollment increased from 27 in 1906 to 110 in 1917--a far cry from the 758 students enrolled today.

The Benton Public School

Terry Griffith, 62, underwent surgery Sunday to open the first of two blockages in his heart. He is apparently recovering well at Christiana Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware.

There is good eating ahead!
. The Benton United Methodist Church is holding an election day luncheon-soup-garage-bake sale event at the church on November 8 from 9 AM to 3 PM with lunch served from 11 until 2. The menu includes vegetable beef, ham and bean or chicken-corn soup. There will also be hot dogs, hot dogs with sauerkraut, hamburger barbecue, hot-sausage sandwiches, ham-salad sandwiches, broccoli salad, pie, cake, coffee, lemonade and iced tea. Takeouts will be available.
. Election Day food sale, Nov. 8, 8 AM-8 PM, Grassmere-Sugarloaf Township Building, sandwiches, baked goods, soup by bowl or $3/quart.
. Buckwheat cake and sausage supper at the Benton Christian Church November 9 starting at 4 PM, under the direction of Chef Whittier.

We are getting excited about driving California Highway 154, one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in California and one of our favorites in the United States. On the Left Bank, it is known as the San Marcos Pass Road, a 32-mile section of highway from Highway 101 in Santa Barbara to Highway 101 north of Los Olivos. The road goes up and through the Los Padres National Forest, the Santa Ynez Valley and past Lake Cachuma. It's a historic road basically following an original stagecoach route and is now designated as one of the most scenic highways in the entire country. We'll be stopping and staying awhile in Santa Ynez.

The Susquehanna Valley Welsh Society will host an evening of song, with Welsh-American Van Wagner, on Wednesday, November 16 at 7 PM. The setting is the Mahoning Presbyterian Church. Church and Ferry Streets, Danville. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. There will be a Te bach (little tea) after the performance. Visit Van's Website at www.vanwagnermusic.com .

"..life's a song my friend that's been written for us,
you've got to live the verses and fall back on the chorus."
--Van Wagner

The Honoring God and Country services at the Benton high school Sunday night was a rollicking good time, thanks to the community participation of the Council of Churches, the Catawissa Military Band and a speech by Col. Randall Marchi, Commanding Officer of the 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized) Artillery Brigade. Thanks to the talented piano playing of Alan Hack, a well-chosen choir and the responsive audience, patriotic songs like an Armed Forces Medley, America the Beautiful, America and Amazing Grace filled the auditorium.

Commissioners David Kovach and Chris Young, as well as Representative David Millard, attended and joined with the citizens of the Upper Fishing Creek Valley in singing and giving praise to the veterans serving One Nation Under God. The Catawissa Military Band gave full measure, playing both before and during the services.

The Catawissa Military Band has been popular in this area for the past 125 years or more. The band was organized in 1878 when a number of players employed in the Reading Railroad shops broke off from an earlier group, the Union Brass Band. The new organization was originally known as Lewis' Band, after Archibald Lewis, the founder, first President, and solo cornetist. When the band was incorporated in 1879, the group officially adopted the name Catawissa Silver Cornet Band. For the first 35 years of its existence, C.H. Smith led the group. There was even a training school for the band in the form of a Boys Band organized by Prof. J.T. Berger.

If you really want to get technical, the band goes back even further than 1878 because it was an offshoot of two others bands in Catawissa, both playing before the Civil War. The names of the bands? Hold on, the names aren't your run of the mill names. The first was the Yapyaws, all shop employees of the Catawissa Railroad. There was also a German brass band known as the Guttersnipes.

We like to write from time to time about the way things were and we'll do that this morning with the year 1918. There were a number of familiar names in the graduating class and although you won't recognize all of the names, we'll list them: Cleora Fritz Fritz (Treasurer), Alice Fritz Knecht, Joseph Haney, Herman Hartman, Mildred Hess Harrington, Marea Hess Laubach, Marcella Hess Ash, Loren Hess, Leiand Hess, Frank Hosier, Doris Hummel Hosier, Harold Klinger (Class President), Ella Laubach, Eva Laubach Galloway, Beatrice Miller Longenberger, Sara Appleman, Dr. Clayton Mather, Dr. Earl Peterman, Ruth Taylor Keller, Gilbert Travelpiece, Helen Newman Ash (Secretary), Zeil Albertson Castle, Ruth Yocum McHenry, and Guy Hess.

The Class of 1918 had six students from the Borough and the rest came from the surrounding Townships and most from outside of town walked one to four miles each way over country roads for each day of high school from 1914-1918.

As Juniors, this class inaugurated a long-standing tradition in the high school--the yearbook. The first yearbook for the Benton Schools was published under the editorship of Earl A. Peterman, with Cleora W. Fritz as assistant editor. Following a hot political topic of the year 1917, the yearbook was named The Filibuster. The name filibuster means an attempt to obstruct a particular decision from being taken by using up the time available, typically through an extremely long speech. In 1917 a rule allowing for the cloture of debate (ending a filibuster) was adopted by the Democrat-controlled Senate at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson.

The Forward and Dedication of the "Filibuster" read, "We sincerely hope the Filibuster will build a foundation which will stand the test of time and on which the future classes may build their ideas, which will lead to a greater success in their work." The faculty of the school, however, had some reservations about an undertaking like a yearbook, and they inscribed in the yearbook "The staff ardently hopes that our readers will not scrutinize nor criticize our work to any great extend, so as to discourage the good qualities of our Student Body, but rather tend to encourage and thus increase the interest in this work. With this view in mind, the increase in interest and a much larger and better book is sure to follow." The class "decided to dedicate the first volume of the Year Book of the Benton High School, published in the year of 1917, to our principal, L.R. Appleman."

In 1918, the class adopted an original song, We'll Remember Thee, which became the high school song for some years after. On the national level, Food Administrator Herbert Hoover called for one meatless, two wheatless and one porkless days each week. Oh, and did we mention that in order to conserve energy in 1918 the nation had to endure four lightless nights a week and each person was limited to two pounds of sugar a month.

In 1918, the faculty of the school included L. R. Appleman, principal; Robert C. Wiggins, supervisor of agriculture; Russ Nuss, supervisor of homemaking; Blanche Shultz, assistant supervisor of homemaking; Earl Laubach, science and mathematics; and Leh Robbins, English.

Academic subjects were taught in the old school building which also housed the grade school. Vocational subjects were taught in the second-floor rooms of the Benton Bank building and in other rented quarters around town.

Members of the Board of Education of Benton Schools in 1918 were William C. Hosler, president; T.J. Coleman, vice president; T.C. Smith, secretary; L.F. Hartman and P. G. Shultz.

We'll give you some insight into the class and the town when we get time for a coffee break again on Tuesday morning at the same time and same place.

We also celebrate the 15th birthday of the World Wide Web this month. Back in November, 1990, a researcher in Europe at the CERN Particle Physics Laboratory, Tim Berners-Lee, developed the first web server and web browser. He called the server "httpd," and the browser was called WorldWideWeb. It all ran on his NeXT cube and worked exclusively on the NeXTstep operating system. The original WWW grew mainly out of the academia world, where source code was traded freely in the interest of promoting learning. The "View Source" feature, available in all browsers today, grew out of this environment.

Many will remember the Web taking off when a commercial company, Netscape, released their first browser. Commercial interests tried their darndest to promote proprietary, closed-off online networks. These networks--CompuServe, Genie, Prodigy (run by IBM and Sears) and America On-Line--often ran on mainframes and charged stiff hourly access charges. The huge variety of sites provided by the World Wide Web eventually won out over the private services.

If a new network were created to make the existing World Wide Web as we know it today "more better," special interest groups would certainly lobby to encumber it with legal restrictions and establish controls over the creation and distribution of content. The internet as we know it is a wonderful resource, although we will be the first to admit that there are "bad apples" who spoil it for the great majority. We would guess that any "more better" internet would fall on its face in bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo, and so we applaud the academic geeks who came up with the system we now have. A replacement system developed with Government oversight would probably never be an improvement to what we have today.

One thing to watch for. There is a furor by commercial interests over technology like Voice-over-IP (telephone service that uses the Internet as a global telephone network), possibly heading toward legal action. The internet was developed on the principle that the network does not care what bits are sent over it and that is exactly what made the World Wide Web so popular. Corporate interests are trying hard to undo this principle.

The Columbia-Montour Chapter of the Barbershoppers under the musical direction of Dale Thomas did the area proud Saturday night at their 38th annual showcase of barbershop harmony, which they called, "Strolling Through the Park." Featured were groups like, "Gentlemen's Blend," "New Found Sound," and the Susquehanna Valley Chorus and Quartets. Sharing the stage with these wonderful musicians and holding their own every step of the way was the Benton High School Choral Ensemble under the direction of Jennifer DiLossi. As one of the Benton singers told us after the show, "Miss DiLossi makes it all fun!" The nervous kids were soothed a bit before the show opened when the group, "Gentlemen's Blend," walked into their rehearsal room and sang their last song of the show for the group. The kids responded by appearing before the enthusiastic audience when it was their time singing all the songs but one from memory! This group--kids and teacher--is special! The Barbershopper of the Year award went to Dale Thomas, Musical Director.

The renditions of If There's Anybody Here From My Hometown, Old Bones (I'd Like To Do It Again), What'll I Do?, Lida Rose, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, and so many other favorites, were perfectly executed.

The upper Fishing Creek Valley was well represented. Bernie Shultz is a member of Old Stuff, one of the featured groups last night. John Herbert Laubach, Robert Allegar, Joe Goode and Evan Thursby are also members, and we suspect we are missing some others.

We were proud of the corporate sponsors, too. They included Dean Kriner, John Watson and Total Look Landscaping, Jerry's Engine Repair, Jay Yorks and the Benton Sports Center, Paperdale Automotive, Benton Riverside, Dr. Dale Neiderhiser, Deanna Pealer, Hoboken Sub Shop, Dave Keller of Keller Taxidermy, Colonial Pharmacy, M&M Repair Center, L&K Mills, the Thomas Families of Cambra, D.R.'s Quick Mart, Brass Pelican, the Old Filling Station, the Bonham Nursing and Rehab Center and the Columbia Country Farmers National Bank.

We don't know if we should thank Ed Stevens for the sweet corn or if we should thank the ladies of St. James's Church for the sweet corn. Both certainly get a lot of credit for serving the wonderful creamed corn at the pork dinner at the church Saturday night. Frankly, it was the best we ever ate.

Veronika (Eveland) Guinther, a former Benton resident who "Grew up on 3rd St. between Carl Grimes and Pearl McHenry and moved to Allentown in 1997," told us that the Morning Call published that the Allentown Halloween parade was first run in 1905.

The 100-year-old Allentown Halloween parade survived another year at the last minute thanks to the efforts of several concerned citizens who refused to see what might be America's oldest Halloween parade die from city budget cuts. At least 90 small parades have folded in the last five years, according to a Wall Street Journal article. Today, there are about 1,600 parades annually. And contrary to an article printed elsewhere that was critical of some aspects of the Benton Halloween parade, methinks we had a winner this year with the Benton parade. If only we could get more light on the subject...

The Benton News will be having one of our periods again during the coming weeks, and so expect some disruption. We are heading to California--after we vote--the same day that Gov. Schwarzenegger faces a tough fight. He supports a referendum that makes it easier to fire teachers and it appears likely to be defeated. We will only be doing limited reporting as we head to the Left Bank of the United States for a family visit, specifically to the northern Santa Barbara County that was once a favorite getaway for Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

The former President liked to relax at his ranch chopping wood, clearing brush, building fences and riding horses. He shared the simple pleasures of the ranch with guests like the Queen of England and Mikhail Gorbachev. The entire ranch, along with the historic adobe ranch house, is now owned and preserved by the Young America's Foundation. Everything was in place exactly as it was when the Reagans lived there.

Kay and I will enjoy our time relaxing at the ranch of David and Heidi Kline . Our reports will be shorter through Monday, then they will arrive at irregular intervals because of the time difference. We will be operating from Laptop Lillian and so for email readers who do not receive their copy of the Benton News, simply email us and we'll send you a copy and make sure that you are added to our "damaged" mailing list that Lillian has.

We read that gasoline demand rose last week to its highest level since August over the year-earlier period. The local price for regular unleaded gas, by the way, is currently $2.199. It has long been our policy not to eat out on Friday nights when the restaurants are filled to capacity. Lately, it has been our policy to schedule our gasoline purchases to avoid the weekends for exactly the same reason.

The reason that hunting is having a hard time may be that contrary to rumors that spring up from time to time, guns will never be taken away in this country but our wildlife, its habitat and our access to it is. There just isn't as much land available for hunting as there once was. There is a gradual spread of real estate development and with it comes the posting of land and the "No Trespassing" signs. All-terrain vehicles roar past as we level our gun sights, and the fish and the game disappear. New, confusing and complex rules are added all the time on how, when and where game can be shot. License fees are increasing and one local bird hunter gave us interesting statistics on hunting birds in New York state vs. Pennsylvania.

On the positive side, the Bush administration has started 67 new hunting programs on national wildlife refuges. Locally, the Fishingcreek Sportsmen's Club has long attempted to purchase land along streams in order that fisherman have access to streams and to promote tourism to the area. Recently, a conservancy group--the Williamsport-based North central Pennsylvania Conservancy--started to place easements on privately-owned land in order to preserve it for future generations. The Conservancy plans to add easement language on Fishingcreek Sportsmen's Club land along Fishing Creek to ensure that the public has access forever to the creek. An initiative in the Pennsylvania legislature would permit children of any age to hunt deer, turkey and other game alongside of their parents or other adults.

So what is ahead for hunters and fishermen? Clair Harvey feels that "it is headed downhill and it's got me worried." He feels that the reduced number of hunters is opening the door for the "anti-gun crowd."

Activities...
• The St. James Church annual Pork Supper is today starting at 4 PM. The price is $8 for adults and $4 for children and if you are under three you can nibble for free.
• There is a Round and Square Dance from 8 until 11 tonight at the Jerseytown Community Center. The Master's Band will be there and Leon Johnson will be the caller.

Hurrah for November we all will say, For it brings the happy Thanksgiving day.

We often refresh our memories of Jamison City, the Elk Tanning Co., its vat house and drying rooms, the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Company, the acid factory, the hotels, the log trains that shuttled between Emmons and Jamison City and the Bloomsburg and Sullivan trains that steamed to Bloomsburg and back, the rows of identical, dark red houses of the section known as Germantown and the saw mill workers who lived in the section known as Hoboken. But we rarely associate Jamison City with a brass band, and yet the town had one--a good one, by all reports.

The Citizens Band of Jamison City was a twelve-piece musical group consisting mostly of brass instruments, with the addition of a drum and a bass drum. The make-up of the band was somewhat like a Salvation Army band. The instruments included the two drums, alto horns, some coronets, a tuba, two trombones, two baritone horns.

The United States loved their brass bands during the late 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. Composers like the March King John Philip Sousa and Karl King wrote many pieces for them. Most towns had their own bands that put on weekend music concerts, and played at Farmer's Picnics and carnivals. In some towns large factories would often have a band. Today, the United States boasts a number of professional brass bands, including Pittsburgh's River City Brass Band.

In the picture, the third man from the left is Ezra Skow, Betty Fritz Victory's uncle, a man who lived in Jamison City and Bloomsburg. This picture was apparently taken before Ezra went into World War I in 1917. Charles A. Laubach, Sr., former advertising manager for the Berwick Enterprise, played in the band when he was a boy.

The Citizens Band of Jamison City
Picture courtesy of Betty Fritz Victory

The Benton High School Class of 1944 celebrated their 60th anniversary of graduation with a reunion at the Waller Memorial Hall. At the reunion, Jennie Warren suggested that contributions be collected to support the local school. The class dug deep and came up with $500 which was then donated to the Elementary School library for the purchase of books for students. A check was recently given to the school for this purpose.

Attending, front row, left to right: Betty Jane Fritz Victory, Lena Temple Harps, Kathleen Hess Mausteller, Doris Yorks Brady, Lois Remley Stere, Jessie Fine Whitenight, Class Treasurer, Esther Remphrey Chapin, Etta Mae Miller Johnson, Helen Beishline Lindermuth, Elmer Getz, Jean Fritz Getz, Elro Hacker Brink, J. Frank Brink.

Back row: Dorothy Bender Haines, W. Gordon Young, Donald Seig, William Yaple, Jr., Thomas Hughes, Raymond Hacker, Paul Eugene Ribble, Jennie Brewington Warren, Mary Ellen Fritz Hock, Edwin Allegar, Class President, and Betty Moss Fritz.

"An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry," is the way that T.S. Eliot described the election process.

Next Tuesday, we have an election and it, as always, is important to have a big turnout and make informed decisions. Here is who we will be asked to vote for in the major positions...

The Amish have a saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." Why is it that when something makes that much sense we ignore that advice?

The seasons change gradually and continually.

A philosopher once said that it is good to remind ourselves every day that we will eventually die. And as we approach the end of things, which is better to do one last time, sit in front of a computer or take a long walk among the trees?

Let us all enjoy this Fall and this beautiful day Back Home in Benton, PA.

Friday we said that the former Fritz Hill School was still standing. A reader promptly asked to see what it--sob--looks like today.

Windows are broken, the foundation is crumbling--it is a building in search of a benefactor!

Quickies...
• Pennsylvania's three-day black bear season opens November 21.

• We heard, but have not verified, that Catawissa has the oldest continuously operating parade in the state. Two years from now, the parade will be in their 100th year.

• Didja know that Hiram Williams was born in a boxcar in Alabama in September, 1923, had a father who was hospitalized for much of the first six years of young Hiram's life, then left the family by the time the boy was six? His mother raised the children on her own and taught the children how to work to bring in money for the family during the days of the depression. Williams sang on a sidewalk when he was only 14 outside a radio station and was soon "noticed." He quit school by the time he was 16. By 1953, at the age of 29, he had acquired about everything in life, including a drinking problem and spina bifida, but had given country music a legend. Hank Williams was being driven to a performance in Ohio when he died in the back seat of his Cadillac on New Year's Day, 1953.

• The Benton Area Schools freshman class is selling pierogies for their fall fundraiser through November 10. Cost is $5.50 a dozen. If you would like to peruse a pierogie, call the high school, 925-0944, to place your order.

• We are looking for information about the Citizen's Band, Jamison City, a uniformed brass band that played at Farmer's Picnics and carnivals about 1913. We'll share a picture and some information about the group in tomorrow's Benton News and we'll tell you about the first yearbook ever published in Benton High School. The year? We'll only give you a clue today: The Germans signed an armistice agreement at 5 AM on November 11 of the year the yearbook was published.

• Many will remember Hervey Keller, 60, Benton, a noted nimrod who was one of four local men who died of a heart attack while hunting in the span of four days. Keller had just shot a pheasant when his heart attack occurred. Keller was a state authority on foxes and shot 110 of the animal during the 1950-51 season--a state record. We don't have the exact date of his death, but we believe it was 1954.

• Two incumbents who are not on the ballet for Tuesday's election have now decided to run for an additional term. In Benton Borough, acting President of the Borough Council, Ron Roberts, is not on the ballot but will be a write-in candidate. In Benton Township/Sugarloaf Township balloting for Benton Area School Board, incumbent Robert Zettle is not on the ballot but will be a write-in candidate.

• Louisiana got a wake-up call when they opened their mail recently. The state received a bill from FEMA for an amount--$3.7 billion--that is about half of the state's annual budget for its portion of disaster relief costs.

Meat was the staff of life for most farmers. Early farmers who "milked" their livestock until about all life was gone from the animal, survived on our native animals like deer, bear, turkey, grouse and squirrel. Meat was everywhere in the wild and hogs that foraged in the woods for practically all their food was a cheap way of getting fine meat.

For those of us who were Pennsylvania Germans, butchering in late November was a big event. It took place when the days only reached about 40° and the pasture was too far gone to provide good feed for the animal. Feed would be withheld for a day before the butchering, just to make the job a little easier. The person who did the dastardly deed, often to the accompaniment of crying from younger members of the family, would draw their .22 until they mentally connected a line from the top of each ear to the opposite eye. Where the lines crossed is where the bullet entered.

The event began as soon as the morning chores were over. A huge fire would be built and the pigs that weighed 200 to 250 pounds would be butchered, scalded to make the hair easier to remove and hung up so the innards could easily be removed. The rest of the day would be spent in cutting up meat, making sausage, liverwurst and scrapple, rendering lard, and then moving the ham and the bacon to smoke houses. Everyone who helped butcher took some meat home and some meat was shared with the more unfortunate of the area.

I was actually too young to help much with butchering, but I did form definite opinions that remain with me to this day. Pig ears and tail might be good to flavor a pot of beans. Hooves might be good for something for someone. Blood sausage, head cheese, souse (ears, head and feet cooked together) and lungs might be your cup of tea, but for me I chose to skip these pig parts.

Bible Baptist Church, "up the dug" from the Route 487 and Route 239 intersection (next to the Benton Township Building), will be hosting missionaries during its Month of Missions starting Sunday, November 6, through Sunday, November 20. Sunday School starts at 9:15 AM, Morning Worship Service is at 10:30 AM and the evening service is at 7:00 PM. For more information, contact Pastor Paul Moseley, 925-2592.

. Sunday, November 6, Rick and Lisa Caynor, missionary appointees to Bangkok, Thailand, (City on a Hill), will be ministering during the Sunday School, morning worship and evening services. Rick and Lisa have two children, Kristin and Ricky, and reside in the Harrisburg area.

. Sunday, November 13, the Hoffmans, short-term missionaries to Papua New Guinea, will be ministering during the morning worship and evening services.

. Sunday, November 20, the Siegrists, missionaries with Baptist Messianic Ministries of PA, will be ministering during the Sunday School, morning worship and evening services. Reverend Siegrist and his wife Shirley assist local churches in reaching Jewish people, do door-to-door evangelism, one-on-one Bible studies and several different extension ministries.

We didn't fare well with accuracy in recent editions of the Benton News.

. A reader pointed out that "Claud" Sutliff was misspelled in the original dedication program of the Sugarloaf Consolidated School back in 1927. We recognized that the spelling was suspect, but we faithfully followed the original spelling. The reader validly made that point that "Somebody makes a mistake; nobody corrects it; years and years later someone repeats the mistake and it goes on and on." The correct spelling was "Claude" and we have corrected the web page. The reader then gave us an example of why correcting past mistakes is important. The reader wrote that he remembers reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnaped when he was a kid and swears it was spelled with a single "P." He continued, "And everybody spelled it kidnap, kidnaped, kidnaper, kidnaping. But today it's almost always spelled with two Ps I think one P is sufficient, especially first thing in the morning."

. Michael Lehet commented on a column earlier this week that mentioned Michelangelo and how he lay on his back to paint the Sistine Chapel. Michael just finished reading Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, and commented that "One of the major obstacles that Michelangelo and his team encountered was how could they erect scaffolding so they could paint the ceiling. It was more than 60 feet from the bottom of the ceiling to the floor of the chapel, so they couldn't erect regular scaffolding. Someone suggested they "hang" from the ceiling. There was no way that they could suspend the scaffolding from the ceiling, because that would have involved placing ropes/tiedowns into the ceiling itself and there would be no way to cover those areas up after the scaffolding was moved. What they actually ended up doing was building a curved bridge from one side of the chapel ceiling to the other that matched the profile of the ceiling and used the sides of the chapel as support. This way they didn't have to rely on support from the ground or ropes from the ceiling. With the curved bridges they were able to actually stand upright and paint just like they would do if they were at ground level."

. Donald Rabb offered some addition information about Prof. George Keller, following our article about him appearing at the 1938 Farmer's Picnic. Don writes, "When I took George Keller's Appreciation of Art course in the fall of 1940, he asked if I were Doc Rabb's son." Don asked how the professor knew his father. Keller said that Doc Rabb and Percy Brewington came down to ask him to bring his collection to exhibit at the Farmer's Picnic. Keller told them that he did not have the money to rent a big tent. Doc Rabb said that they would get the money for him and that he should bring his collection of animals to Benton. The professor told Donald that he grossed $3,000 that one day and he got $2,100 for a year teaching at BSTC. He was very grateful that Doc Rabb set him up in the park in 1938.

Over coffee on Wednesday morning, we heard of some new ailments that had never occurred to us. One of the ailments was a finger that shot straight out without warning and without provocation, and then it would not clench for an hour or so. Another was a wrist bone that suddenly "acted up." At the next table, a man interrupted his coffee drinking to tell us about his "trick knee," which prompted someone else to tell us about the new trick he had just taught his dog. We listened to these conversations and knew that it was the onslaught of old age, the same reason that keys carefully laid on the dining room table are found on top of the TV set and the TV clicker is found on top of the dining room table. A wallet carefully inserted into a rear pocket is found under the driver's seat in the car. A happening from "outside forces?" Methinksnot! It is the advent of a new stage in our lives--growing old.

Another symptom of old age is TMI, or "too much information." For example, whenever new information goes into my brain, information that I have known for years washes out never to return and be forever referred to as "Whatchamacallit." Another sign of growing old disgracefully is hearing the same story over and over, repeated endlessly, the same thing every time over and over in endless detail. Another sign of the aging process is in the "I talk, you talk" conversation, where a story begun about a sick sister, for example, is rudely interrupted by someone who says that her first cousin twice removed had the same illness, except she can't remember the name of the disease either, but tells the story as if she had started the conversation.

Just kick back and enjoy this phase of your life. Don't be critical or pessimistic. Learn to laugh more, and remember what Mary Pettibone Poole once said, "He who laughs, lasts."

I am convinced that I am too young to write about getting old. I see some around me who have spent the first half of their lives making the second half of their lives miserable; i.e., smoking, chasing members of the opposite sex (and catching them), eating the wrong things, that sort of thing. As people's teeth fall out they seem get more biting, just as experience and wrinkles team up as life seems to begin. We, of the mature generation, need to be an example in word, conduct, spirit, love, faith and purity. We must do our best to keep our heart unwrinkled in order to triumph over old age. We need to be cheerful, kind and hopeful, the kind of person those who follow want to be.

So we recommend that you stop smoking; quitting for five years will add two years to your life. Get your exercise; a mere 90 minutes of exercise a day will add years to your life. Get your blood pressure under 110/70 and cut your intake of fat. Get your bad cholesterol below 160 and get your good cholesterol above 65. Eat your fruit and veggies and keep your eye on saturated fat. Pick out a charmer for a life mate and have a happy marriage. Get out and about; in other words, socialize. Teach your children and grandchildren well; don't let them make the mistakes that you made. Be well and be tested; look out especially for prostate, breast and colon cancer. Do all things in moderation, especially drinking. Practice safe sex; after all, "Practice makes perfect." If the vehicle is moving, buckle up both adults and children. If none of this works, we hope that you inherited good genes as you dodge life's potholes.

The Benton Grange # 88 met at 6:30 PM Wednesday at the home of Brian and Ann Bower. This might be the last meeting of the Benton Grange. The local grange has an enthusiastic membership, but more members are needed in order to make the organization a success.

We now return to the Pacific saga as recorded by Bob Maynes.

On December 15, 1944, the invasion of Mindoro began. The clear weather allowed the full use of American air and naval power, including six escort carriers, three battleships, six cruisers and many other support warships against virtually no Japanese resistance. Even the ensuing landings went unopposed. The 1,000 defending Japanese, along with some 200 survivors from ships sunk off Mindoro en route to Leyte could do little.

Chepachet sailed on to fueling operations in Lingayen Gulf on January 11, when she aided those ships which had just carried out the successful assaults there. Bob wrote, "the beach was still covered with smoke and the DDs and the DEs are throwing shells at it. It actually looks like civilization at last." At night the Japanese would swim out under boxes and throw grenades at the ship until they would be killed by rifle fire. They sent motor boats with torpedoes and dynamite to ram the ship. Every Japanese plane that flew over attempted to dive bomb one of the estimated 1,000 American ships tied up. The weather was so rough on January 11, that Bob almost washed off the ship as he slept on deck in his hammock. On January 15, Chepachet reported at newly won San Fabian for station tanker duty, which continued there and at Mindanao until June 4.

The oilier then put to sea for the Borneo operation, sailing to Tawi Tawi for staging. From June 21-26, Chepachet was at sea fueling the bombardment group which carried out an intensive preparatory pounding at Balikpapan, and on June 30, the oiler returned to Balikpapan for the assault the next day. She remained off the Borneo coast until July 19, supporting the assault and occupation, then returned to Subic Bay for operations in the Luzon area until the close of the war.

Chepachet aided in occupation and redeployment operations throughout the Far East with station duty at Jinsen, Korea; Hong Kong; Okinawa; and Tokyo until December 9, 1945, when she sailed for Pearl Harbor. She returned to Yokohama January 29, offloaded her cargo, and sailed for home February 4. She arrived at San Francisco February 21. Chepachet was decommissioned May 16, 1946, and in July, 1950, was transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service for service in a noncommissioned status.

Chepachet received two battle stars for World War 11 service.

Robert Maynes, of Lehetville, just north of Benton, organized a reunion of former shipmates in September, 1998, and the group convened in Rhode Island at--well, you guessed it. The reunion took place in Chepachet. Bob told the assembled group of men what they all knew in World War II--there was no need for life jackets in their line of work riding an oil tanker, but if they ever were hit, a parachute would come in handy. At that reunion, the brass bell tolled 53 times.

In 1931 and 1932, the girls of the Sugarloaf Consolidated School played basketball in a two-year high school league that included Fishing Creek, Center Township and Madison Township, and possibly others.

Basketball was played outside, where the parking lot is now located.

Girl's Basketball at the Sugarloaf Consolidated School, 1931

First row, from the L: June Hess Sones, Gwendlyn Ruckle, Letha Peterman Smith, Pauline Comstock Houseweart, Rhoda Laubach Cole

Seond row, from the L: Hester Plastow, Clara Hess Mika, Madelyn Kile Funk, Dorthea Stout Mather

Girls Basketball at the Sugarloaf Consolidated School, 1932.

Earl Laubach, Coach.

In 1932, the girls basketball team was the conference champs. The team show above was under the skillful direction of Earl "Pops" Laubach.

Members of the team were, from the L, first row: Dorothea Stout, Hester Plastow, Gwendlyn Ruckle, Pauline Comstock, Ruth Yocum, Isabele Rickmer, Clara Hess Mika.

Second row, from the L: Margaret Yocum, Sara Achanley (sp?), Blanche Pavalonis, Alice McHenry, Katherine (?), Earl Laubach

Picture courtesy of Doothea Stout Mather, Jamison City

The Guv has announced that Pennsylvania is taking "aggressive steps to clean up its rivers and streams, improve parks, revitalize abandoned industrial sites and protect open space and preserve farmland." The announcement indicated that the state is investing $65 million in environmental projects. Locally, Ricketts Glen State Park is slated to receive $2.4 million for park development, including "replacing a bathhouse and two comfort stations in beach, day-use, and organized group tent areas, including utilities; and developing trailhead parking, comfort stations and trails at the Lake Rose area."

Upcoming musical events...
. The Columbia-Montour County Chorus Festival will be at the high school November 9 and 10, with the performance at 7 PM Thursday, November 10. The guest conductor will be Dennis A. Powell of Vestal High School in New York. The chorus will include 120 students from Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Danville, Millville and Southern Columbia high schools. Tickets are $3 for adults and $1 for students.

. A uniquely American writer, humorist and singer by the name of Garrison Keillor comes to the F. M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre for one show on Tuesday, November 8, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $55 in the Gold Circle and $40 in the orchestra and balcony. Call the Kirby Center Box Office at 570 826-1100 to get your ticket.

. The Columbia-Montour Barbershoppers presents the 38th annual showcase of barbershop harmony entitled "Strolling Through the Park," on Saturday, November 5, 2005, at Central Columbia High School Auditorium, at 7:59 PM. Jennifer DiLossi will be the musical director of the Benton segment of the program. All seats are reserved and tickets should be reserved by calling 387-7918, 925-6894 or 784-8632. Featured will be the music of "New Found Sound," "Gentlemen's Blend," and the Susquehanna Valley Chorus.

• The bluegrass goup Stained Grass Window will appear at the Treefest, Sunday, November 27, at 2:30 PM, at Caldwell Consistory on Market Square, Bloomsburg. There will also be a special Treefest auction on Friday, December 3, at 8:00 PM.

Thanksgiving comes right before Christmas and right after Halloween and the election. We will be ever so happy to concentrate on Thanksgiving rather than the election. We remember that our parents would collect some of their favorite people on election day and we can remember them talking about the Dewey/Truman election. After voting, the women would all collect some of their favorite casseroles and the men would collect some clear beverages with names like "O.B. Special" and head into the mountains with their radios. They would head up Grassy Hollow road and out of the view of the rest of the world. They all headed for Painter Den, up in Sullivan County, and there in the flickering light provided by carbide lamps would listen intently to the radio and the results of the election. The broadcast on election night began at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time and ran until after midnight. Various announcers would read the bulletins as they came in. The evening was always a smashing success, even if the election came out differently from what was wanted.

There was a lot of mischief going on Monday night. In Carlisle, a woman wielding an 8-inch butcher knife chased a friend around about midnight, possibly as a joke, but the knife was covered in fake blood and looked very realistic. Police charged the pair with disorderly conduct. Several reports of mischief in the Borough were also reported Monday night.

Southern Columbia outkicked the boys of Benton 17-5 as Columbia won 3-1 in the match-up at Millville Tuesday to get a second straight berth in the PIAA tournament. Harry Schlichter had 10 saves at the goal. The boys of Benton had a great year in soccer and we congratulate them for that.

John Hopkins will discuss the history of logging in the area at the North Mountain Historical Society meeting Monday, November 21, at the Brass Pelican Restaurant. John, an experienced forester, will talk about "the boom years" of Jamison City, Elk Grove, Ricketts and the surrounding area and how that era of logging, sawmilling and tanning leather has effected our forest environment today. He will also touch on the current state of our local forests and forest industry in comparison to a hundred years ago.

I'm saving stamps and foreign coins
And jokes I think are funny.
I'm saving books and rare antiques
And everything--but money.

We are taking a one-day break in the story written by Bob Maynes about his Pacific experiences during World War II. We'll return to it Thursday.

A reader dropped off a tintype and asked if I could estimate the age of it. I won't pussy-foot around with the answer: I haven't a clue when it was taken and my only clue is to attempt to research the style of clothing the man in the tintype wore. Tintypes were so popular that they were used up to the World War II. A tintype, for the benefit of younger readers, is a direct positive photograph on black-enameled iron plates. This photograph process was an outgrowth of the collodian method of making negatives on glass invented by Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. The photos were exposed and developed inside the camera in a developing tank reached through a light-tight black sleeve. After development, the plate was rinsed in water and mounted in a cardboard folder and given to the customer. Although primitive by today's standards, thousands of these photographs remain.

Some may remember and some may have heard that in...
. 1905 the Pennsylvania state senate was presented with a bill that would make the lowest teacher's salary in the state $40 a month, up from the $35 authorized by the 1903 bill.

. September, 1944, a total of 469 were enrolled in the Benton school system: 292 in the grades and 177 in high school. It is interesting to note that there were two Hartmans, two McHenrys, two Millers and two Smiths--and one Appleman. The year 1944 was a strange year. We noticed a Philadelphia newspaper advertisement in the Evening Bulletin where a man offered a carton of cigarettes in exchange for a "good size child's 3-wheel bike." The newspaper notes that he got lots of calls and swapped as agreed in order to get a Christmas gift for his two small daughters.

• September, 1944, Sugarloaf Consolidated School had 113 enrolled.

. 1927, when the Sugarloaf Consolidated School was dedicated, William W. Evans was the County Superintendent and Ida Walter was the Assistant County Superintendent. Warren Ketner was the principal of the junior high school, A. S. Fritz the assistant in Junior High school, Joseph R. Laubach the teacher of the fifth and sixth grades, Kathryn Fritz, teacher of the third and fourth grades, Geraldine Follmer the first and second grade teacher. Archie Rockwell taught vocational agriculture.

A program began at 10 AM on Saturday, May 7, 1927, to celebrate the dedication of the school. William Evans presided. Music was provided by the schools and the community, with Prof Ted R. Griffith and Carroll Appleman in charge. Warren Ketner, A. S. Fritz and Archie Rockwell made some remarks and L. C. Mench, President of the Columbia County Directors' Association was the main speaker.

The County Agent had a few words, then the Superintendent of Montour Schools found some words to utter and by that time noon had rolled around and they broke for lunch put on by the ladies of Sugarloaf. The proceeds went to assist pupils to finance their school project. By two in the afternoon, they reconvened and rolled out the Deputy State Superintendent in charge of Industrial Education, played some music, and Earl Barton, members of the school board (Archer Hess, Mrs. Hattie G. Stout, George Klinger, Mrs. Rhetta Fullmer, and Bruce Fritz) and local people who had something to say got up and talked. They then had more music and another address, this one by the Deputy State Superintendent and Secretary of State Council.

The Sugarloaf Consolidated School did not come cheaply. It cost $287.55 to wreck five school houses, consisting of six rooms; the basement cost $959.23; overhauling the old building and erecting a new building including toilets cost $6,311.65; and the heating plant and plumbing cost an additional $2,100.61. The total cost of the schoolhouse in 1927 was $9,659.04. In order to make the indoor toilets possible, the school had to pledge $300 which had not been raised by the time of the dedication.

Many in the community gave their services gratuitously in the digging of the cellar, hauling gravel and the erection of the building. We don't wish to omit anyone from this list, but an abbreviated list of hours donated included Percy Brewington, 9 hours; Ivan Cole, 9; Ray Cole, 13½; Orval Comstock, 9; John Conner, 13½; Marvin Conner, 9; John Davenport, 9 with team; Albert Fritz, 1; A.S. Fritz, 27; Bruce Fritz, 10 with team; George Fullmer, 9 and his truck 3; William Fullmer, 28½; Samuel Golder, 60 and his teams 7 days; Stanley Hess, 82 with truck; Doyle Pennington, 9 plus two men and a truck; Anthony Perry, 18 and his team 13½; Alex Raski, 9; Hurley Shultz, tools; Alvin Sutliff, 4½; Chapin Sutliff, 9; Claude Sutliff, 18; and Clyde Sutliff; 9.

Cash to finance the building came in slowly, and again we don't wish to omit anyone, but we have shortened the list of contributors. They included Warren Ketner, $8; A.S. Fritz, $10; Marguerite Perry, $1; Doretha Stout, $1; Joseph Laubach, $5.12; Frank Harrington, 75 cents; County Teachers' Meeting, $14.50; School Social, $16; grades 1 and 2, $9.68; three and four $10; five and six, $12.32; seven and eight, $12.03; ninth and tenth, $20.

We are indebted to Dorthea Stout Mather for her contributions to this article. You will see more of Dorthea in Thursday's Benton News as we look at some of the activities of the school in 1931 and 1932.

On this date in 1512, Michelangelo Buonarroti's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican were revealed to the public for the first time. Michelangelo painted the frescoes while lying on his back on a scaffolding. Michelangelo's painting were based on the Old Testament, including the famous center section, The Creation of Adam. The painting took four years.

Many houses in Benton looked ominous, forbidding and spooky last night as a record number of trick-or-treaters walked the town's streets on a perfectly wonderful Halloween night. A crush of kids and their parents with the fright stuff marched through the Borough streets, hands outstretched, wearing their fright-night decor. Rarely were two alike.

Staff reporters Buster and Chloe were exhausted in the 45 minutes that trick-or-treaters occupied our Market Street front porch and made off with nine pounds of candy that was supposed to last for two hours.

Our favorite question of the night came from a woman with two little children as she anxiously looked West on Market Street and quickly inquired, "Are there lotsa houses down this way?"

The fact that dead men don't tell tales
Has he'ped many a widder git married ag'in.
--Anon

Many readers will remember and others may recall when...
. William E. Strausser, R.D.2, Bloomsburg, opened a funeral home in May, 1971, in the former P.J. Holcombe property on Route 487 in Benton Township. Strausser had purchased the property a few years before he opened the funeral home and in the year before he opened as a funeral year he completed an addition to the property. The location is now the McMichael Funeral Home.

. Charlie Hess delivered large cakes of ice three times a week to Benton residents and even put the ice in their wooden ice boxes.

. A vicar visiting St. Gabriel's Church came up the valley and encountered Federal troops encamped at Appleman's Grove, just below the Borough along Fishing Creek. When the vicar reached the peace and quiet at the Swartwout House above Benton which was nestled among the large pine trees he gave the property the name "Pine Rest."

. When Professor George J. Keller, Bloomsburg, often called the only "college professor-lion tamer in the world," brought five of his best wild-animal performers to the 1938 Farmer's Picnic. He also moved his entire Jungle Farm exhibit to Benton, consisting of over thirty different specimens. The big feature of the attraction was the collection of rare albino animals. Excitement was high over the appearance of Prof. Keller, since he had just returned from New York where he broadcast over a nationwide radio hookup on training wild animals. A baby bear, known nationwide as "Grumpy," came along and created quite a hit, since he was the only bear ever to have been heard over the radio at that time. Prof. Keller also brought along several circus ponies to provide rides for children.

• "Tick-tacks" were once a main part of how Halloween was celebrated. A "tick-tack" was a piece of thread about a foot long, with a thumbtack on one end and a small weight that was often notched on the other end. The tack would be pushed in at the top of the window sill, with the weight hanging down, near the glass. A long thread came from the weight, and was held by someone hidden away from the area. When pulled, the thread would cause the weight to tap on the window. usually, the homeowner would go outside to see what it was, but couldn't see the "tick-tack" in the darkness. Once the resident of the house went inside, the cord was pulled again.

• "Corning" was also a popular Halloween diversion. It simply involved throwing hard kernels of corn at houses sided with aluminum.

Omar Ellis Snyder, (May 5, 1917-Oct. 30, 2005) a Unityville/Lairdsville man with ties to the local Ritter family, died Sunday at the Bloomsburg Hospital. He was 88. He was born in Moreland Township, Lycoming County, to the late John S. and Anna L. (Smith) Snyder and worked as a chemist for the Atlantic Richfield Refining Corp. He is survived by his wife Leona E. (Rupert) Ritter, and children David Snyder and daughter, Dr. Louise Snyder Shive; two stepsons: Bert (Eileen) Ritter, Belleview, FL, and Dr. Earl (Rose) Ritter, Bloomsburg; one sister, Clara Douty; grandsons and great-grandson; step-grandchildren Dena Hess and Dr. Matthew Ritter, Bloomsburg, and Linsay Guevarez, Virginia; and step-great-grandchild, Jona Ritter. His first wife, the former Betty McKenzie, died in 1983. There are five brothers and three sisters: Chester Smith, Clinton, Dewey, Ralph and Albert Snyder, and Edna Cahn, Elizabeth Dyer and Louise Snyder. The service will be 11 AM Wednesday at Moreland Baptist Church, Muncy, with interment in Moreland Lutheran Cemetery, Muncy. Friends may call at the church from 10 to 11 AM Wednesday.
--Obituary from the Press Enterprise, where a complete obituary can be found

Have you ever noticed that some men make fools of themselves when they fall in love, and others don't have to go to that much trouble.

The story of the U.S.S. Chepachet as recorded by Bob Maynes in his World War II diary that originally appeared here has been moved to the FEATURES section.