Archives for the Benton News Blog
for October 2011
Snow kidding! There is white stuff on the ground Back Home in Benton, PA, on October 29, 2011, before some even had their first frost, before many had time to rake their leaves that had fallen to the ground and before some trees dropped the majority of leaves. As of 5:30 Saturday night, an estimated 420,000 Pennsylvanians had lost electrical power (PPL furnished figure) because of the high winds and falling snow.
Picture courtesy of Jim Fox. The Ol' Country Barm will host its annual October bash on the 13th and 14 2012.
This report of the Benton News Blog is for October 26, 2011.
Tuesday night was the annual Benton Hallowe'en parade.
Halloween seems to have begun with the ancient pagan Druids of Great Britain, who began their year on November 1, at which time witches and hobgoblins pulled off their last fling of the year. With the coming of Christianity, the "New Year's Day" became "All Saints Day," and the evening before became known as "All Hallows' Eve." It is from this mixture of superstition and religion that we get the present Halloween with its wild costumes and made-up faces.
Young Scottish children once carved jack-o'-lanterns from large turnips instead of from pumpkins. In Scotland, some believed that if women sold their souls to the devil they would change into witches on Halloween and that they flew up their chimneys on broomsticks while in the company of black cats.
Ah, but it was the Irish who started the custom of going from door to door asking for food or money. The custom we know today goes back to the seventeenth century in Ireland when peasants sought luxuries for a feast at the doors of the wealthy. The idea of the householders coming up with a "treat" to forestall a prankish trick by coming across with a treat seems to have been strictly an American custom.
Trick or Treat Night in Benton comes October 31 from 6 to 8 PM. For those readers who do not know if they are "too old to Trick or Treat," here are some guidelines. If you get winded from knocking on doors or if you have to have a kid chew the candy for you or if you only use high-fiber candy, or if you lose your balance and fall over when someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you might want to skip Trick or Treat this year. If people say "great James Carville mask" and you're not wearing a mask, or when the door opens and you yell "Trick or--" and can't remember the rest, or if you have to choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece, or if you go as a Power Ranger and need to use your walker, we suspect that you should skip Trick or Treat this year.
As much as we hate to do it, we have to tell a Halloween joke.
Two brooms stood beside each other so long that after a while they decided to get married. One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom.
The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress. The groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo. The wedding was lovely.
At the wedding dinner after the wedding, the bride broom leaned over and said to the groom broom, "I think I am going to have a little whisk broom!"
"Impossible!" grumbled the groom broom. "We haven't even swept together."
A talented puppeteer was spotted on the streets of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina. A video of the man and his puppet--a dog--is the theme for today's video, which you can find by going here.
Drive carefully on Dotyville Road. Water trucks seem to think that they rule the road--and judging from their size, speed and number, they apparently do...
Congratulations to the Saturday purchasers of the former video store on Center Street and the garage on Fifth Street. The properties were owned by Bob and Eleanor Sands. Interesting times are ahead for both buildings, but that is a story for another day.
Some readers will remember Edward F. McMahon (July 24, 1926-Oct. 22, 2011), who died Saturday. He was 85. After his service with the U.S. Army, he married and moved his young family to Benton, where he loved to hunt. In 1960, he moved his family to Vineland, New Jersey, where he started an appliance-repair business. He reunites in heaven with his wife of 51 years, Irma (Reese) McMahon, and leaves behind four daughters and their husbands. The Office of Burial and Eucharist will be celebrated at 11 AM Thursday at Trinity Episcopal Church, Eighth and Wood streets, Vineland. To email condolences, visit www.pancoastfuneralhome.com .
Didja ever wonder why it is that when you talk to Godyou are praying, but when he talks to you someone will think that you are crazy?
Carl D. Wright, Sr. (November 4, 1924-October 24, 2011), died Monday at his home on Town Hill Road, Shickshinny. He was 86 and had been in declining health for the several years. Carl was a son of George and Sara Jane (Cummings) Wright. He was born in Philadelphia. He attended Roxborough High School, Philadelphia, Temple University and Luzerne County Community College.
Carl was a millwright with SKF Industries, Valley Forge. He was an engineer involved in package design. He retired after 30 years in 1980. He also worked for Corning Glass, Girton Manufacturing and Hanover Brands.
He was a decorated veteran of World War II where he served in the U.S. Army. He was in the 28th Infantry Division and the 2nd Air Disarmament Squadron in the Battle of Bulge, Northern France, Rhineland and Ardennes. He earned a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Theater Service Medal, EAME Theatre Service Medal with 4 bronze stars and the World War II Victory Medal.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra L. (Heritage) Wright, with whom he celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary February 19. Also surviving are his children Carl D. Wright (Kitty), Willow Grove; George Wright (Patricia), Mason Neck, VA; Florence Meiggs (Fred), Gloucester, VA; Richard Wright, Sagle, ID; Kathleen Harding (William), Feasterville, PA; James Wright (Dianna), Shickshinny and Sarah Joy Wright, Dallas, PA. Also surviving are 41 grandchildren, numerous great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by siblings Leroy, George, Naomi, Elizabeth and Sarah.
Funeral services will be held Friday at 11 AM at the McMichael Funeral Home. Burial will be in Benscoter Cemetery, Union Township, with full military honors accorded by a joint veterans group. A viewing will be held Thursday at the funeral home from 6 to 8 PM and Friday from 10 AM until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Building Fund, Stillwater Christian Church, 42 Wesley Street, Stillwater, PA 17878. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
The Benton News published many flood pictures, but few were taken during the height of the flood--except from my front porch. It was simply impossible to walk anywhere and the water was too deep for vehicular traffic. What follows are four pictures taken from one of the hardest hit locations in the borough. The pictures are courtesy of Scott Kline and were taken from the roof of his house at the East end of Market Street at Park Street, adjacent to the raging water of Fishing Creek. Water cascaded under, through and around his residence.
This picture is taken West to East with Park Street at the bottom of the picture--and beneath several feet of water. The house owned by Becky Green is across Fishing Creek. Several concerned people are standing in the yard wondering how high the creek will get. (The creek eventually flowed around Becky's house, but did not get inside.)
This is a picture of the Benton dam during one of the sessions of high water. Where is the dam you ask? It is under all that water!
I felt that the deepest water on Market Street happened about 3 in the morning, but I didn't get a picture of that.
Picture taken from the South looking toward the North. Park Street is submerged. McHenry Alley is to the left of the hairdresser's shop and is also under a considerable amount of water. In this picture, the water was nearly to the bottom of the windows on the first floor.
The bridge over Fishing Creek at Route 239 and 487, showing the Hoboken Sub Shop and Fritz's TastiCreme. Inches more and the raging water would have ruined the bridge and cut off economic life to the upper Fishing Creek valley. During the flood, many large trees washed down the creek and several lodged under the bridge until the water sucked them down and under the bridge.
Today was another perfect summer day in Florida with the sun shining, the breezes blowing, the birds singing and the lawn mower broken.
To answer a question asked of me by email, I haven't written any recent articles for the Benton News Blog because of a vision problem. I simply haven't been able to see myself do any work lately...
My eyes were good enough, however, that at the mall I watched through a window at women getting their eyebrows done. Ladies: here is the rule. Here is how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.
---------- Free Movies ----------
Do you feel like watching a free movie tonight? Go here and pick one out. Watch full-length uncut Hollywood movies at Sony's Crackle, all streaming online, on-demand, for free. Comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, horror--it is all there.
Didja ever notice that behind every successful man is a surprised woman?
---------- In Search of ----------
Jeanne Koniuszy, Mesa, Arizona, (daughter of Carolyn Jean McHenry, granddaughter of Pearl and Eli McHenry, niece of Gerald and Barbara McHenry) is looking for pictures of siblings of her great grandfather, Abram Lloyd McHenry, son of Eli McHenry and Sarah Young McHenry. Those siblings would include Aaron Wilbur McHenry, Mary Minerva McHenry, Lewis Wellington McHenry, Anna A. McHenry, Samuel B. McHenry, Elizabeth C. McHenry and Lester P. McHenry. The Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society does not have them on their list of available photos. Someone might have one or two of them tucked away in a book on a shelf or in a box in the closet, attic or basement. Emailtkoniuszy@ cox.net, Mesa, AZ, or call 480 835-9679, if you can help.
---------- Welcome Home ----------
Airman First Class McMichael Air Force Airman First Class, Wayne B. McMichael III and Lt. Col. Thomas Yeager have returned from their deployments in Afghanistan to their base in Idaho.
Lt. Col. Yeager said there "were a lot of close calls and they are glad to be back on American soil."
Below are their addresses for anyone wishing to drop them a line to welcome them back.
Airman First Class Wayne B. McMichael, III465 Aardvark Avenue 7146Mountain Home Air Force BaseMountain Home, ID 83648Lt. Col. Thomas E. Yeager8667 Volcanic LoopMountain Home Air Force BaseMountain Home, Idaho 83648
---------- On the Subject of Iraq ----------President Obama declared on Friday that all U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by year's end. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over,” Obama said. It isn't hard to notice that there is no clear winner of this war!
With some 4,470 U.S. military deaths, 33,000 wounded and almost $800 billion spent in the past eight years, it is high time to get out and come home.
Most of us remember 2003 and the continuing stories of the false understanding of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. More than 100,000 U.S. troops began readying for an invasion.
In March 2003, days after the invasion, the nation was told that Iraq could and would finance its own reconstruction. Using figures supplied by our government, the United States has paid about $61 billion for reconstruction and assistance programs in Iraq, plus a nagging $6.6 billion that the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction noticed can't be accounted for.
Saddam was deposed more than eight years ago, but Iraq is still a war zone for Americans, especially the American embassy area.
---------- Culture Arrives in Benton ---------
Last week Benton got a taste of culture in the form of a successful dance program at the high school put on by the Alchemy Dance Company of Philadelphia. The creator and choreographer is Amy Harding, a 1993 graduate of Bloomsburg High School. Amy is the daughter of Bloomsburg attorney Elwood (Woody) Harding.
The first part of the show was called "Rite of Passage" in which the dancing was beautiful with a theme that was dark and the music loud and haunting. The second act was called Side Show Noir. It was really fun and featured a break dancer who could do things with his body that it wasn't made for.
The show attracted an audience of 235 people, including 81 students of dance from eight different dance schools from Dallas to Northumberland.
The audience generally supported the concept of The Center bringing additional artistic programs to Benton ranging from symphony, to dance, to classic movies, to theater.
Comments about the program ranged from "This was way too sophisticated for Benton," to "thank you for bringing this to Benton," to one person's comments written in caps, "I AM IN LOVE!"
In addition to the success of the Arts in Benton, The Center raised $442.12 as a donation to the Benton Emergency Management Agency.
Over the past few months, we have talked about the demise of the desktop computer and in our last edition we mentioned tablets and touchscreen technology as the current possible replacement for Firebelch 500 computers in certain applications. The shelf life of these small units is limited, and in what will probably be the far-off future will head in the same direction as the Beta, VHS, DVD and Blue-ray technologies of yesterday and today or the film technology of Kodak that has driven the price of its stock to $1.31 a share. There is always going to be some other company that makes a product that is "more better." No matter how big the company is, nor how good the product is, there is always another company waiting in the wings to compete. Look what Apple and its operating system and Google with its Android system did to Microsoft. Microsoft is still around for desktop and laptop systems but mobile is kicking butt!
For years, we have watched the development by Corning of glass that can be thinner than a dime, lightweight, virtually impossible to scratch and can handle touch-screen usage. That glass, known as "Gorilla Glass," is now here, and what will follow in time is the ability to simply roll out a television screen.
It won't happen this year or even next year, but a wearable projection system known as OmniTouch makes use of a depth-sensing camera that turns any surface into a finger-controlled interface. Its final development seems just around the corner.The technology somewhat follows a parallel course to what Corning is undertaking. The technology can make your arm turn into a phone keypad or your desk a keyboard. The implications in a classroom are enormous for replacement blackboards and projection equipment. Notes will be able to be taken without pen or pencil. Learn more about OmniTouch technology by watching this video:
The Pennsylvania state Senate Tuesday voted for a state takeover of the finances of Harrisburg during its current fiscal emergency of a debt approaching $400 million, setting up a showdown with the city which filed for bankruptcy last week. The Guv signed the legislation October 20 that authorizes him to declare a fiscal emergency and petition the Commonwealth Court to appoint a receiver to force the implementation of a recovery plan when third-class distressed cities fail to do so under the state's Act 47 program.
Williams' has a revised plan to fully separate its exploration and production business via a tax-free spin off to Williams shareholders by year-end 2011 rather than an initial public offering (IPO) of WPX Energy in 2011. The new independent exploration and production business will be known as WPX Energy, Inc., according to a press release by the company. Williams' stock is currently trading at $29.60.Williams is an integrated natural-gas company focused on exploration and production, midstream gathering and processing, and interstate natural gas transportation. Of local interest is the Martin Well drilled in the Marcellus Shale. More information is available at www.williams.com.Congratulations to Tara Warnig, 17, a senior at Benton High School, the 2011 adult caged go-kart champion of Greenwood Valley Action Track. This is Tara's first year of racing in the adult division with some great men as competitors.
Leisure can be defined as the time we spend on jobs we don't get paid for. For some, leisure is the two minutes of rest a man gets while his wife thinks up something for him to do. It certainly connotates an easy and pleasant life. We often associate the term "Life of Reilly" when we think of leisure.
A quick Google search of the internet showed that the phrase was popular among Irish soldiers in World War I. Private Walter J. Kennedy, in a letter published in The Syracuse Herald in June 1918, wrote that "This is surely one great life. We call it the life of Riley. We are having fine eats, are in a great detachment and the experience one gets is fine." We don't have any idea who Riley (or Reilly or Reiley) was; the name probably was simply used as for a generic Irishman.
There had been some Victorian songs about a Reilly who led a comfortable and prosperous life. The 1883 song by singer Pat Rooney, "Is That Mr. Reilly?," included in the chorus "Is that Mr. Reilly, of whom they speak so highly?"
It isn't just humans who enjoy the Life of Reilly." In September 1948, a cat once known as Twiddles, later known as "Boss," could easily have been called Reilly, for that is the life the critter lived. Her former owner, Mrs. Abby Shank, Harrisburg, saw to it that the cat got its daily ration of pork liver and was able to use the best chair in the family home after she died. In fact, Mrs. Shank bequeathed the cat a frame house and $4,000 in cash with the provision that the cat be well taken care of for the rest of its nine lives.
Living a life of Reilly means you are living a carefree existence. Which is what we thought we were doing in Florida until Tuesday night when Saint Lucie County was placed under a tornado watch. The worst of the storm missed us--thankfully! In the height of the storm, we did get a phone call to seek out the storm cellar--tough to do in a one-story house with no basement.
Some readers will remember episodes of the "Life of Riley," which you can watch by going here. Now that is the true Life of Riley! Actor William Bendix, who made more than 60 movies, led "The Life of Riley" on radio and television as the bumbling but loveable fall guy Chester A. Riley. He died at the age of 58 from pneumonia and malnutrition.
A video to make you want to run out and buy a snowmobile is here. Hold on while you watch it.
This edition of the Benton News Blog is written in Florida, where we are experiencing a three-day deluge of rain. We had planned to spend today on the beach, but that will have to wait.
Which reminds me of the story attributed to the late Adlai Stevenson when he was campaigning in Florida. A woman in his audience asked him where he got his tan, suggesting that he got it from playing too much golf.
"No," replied Adlai, "I got this tan from giving outdoor speeches here in Florida."
"Well," the woman snorted, "if you got that brown you talked too long."
Didja ever wonder why women don't just say what is on their minds? We would get along much better if they just asked for what they wanted. Subtle hints won't work! Strong hints don't work! Obvious hints aren't obvious to us. Just say it!
One plus-sized, well-tanned woman from North Carolina does speak her mind. We noticed her when she got out of her pickum-up truck. Her North Carolina license plate: "Cah me."
As we drove south from North Carolina through South Carolina and into Georgia, the road takes you through some beautiful bluegrass country. Not much of the drive is level--ranging from rolling hills to sharp, conical hills, with nothing planelike to allow you to speed up and hurry to your destination. The hills seem to get progressively more rugged as the trip continues. This isn't an interstate-highway trip, this is a ride for the dirt roads, up the spiny ridges, through the hollows, following little more than paths that must have been carved from the hillsides by a giant snake. This isn't the route that most take to Florida, but it is one of beauty.
South Carolina Highway 11 was planned as a route for commuters driving through South Carolina wanting to avoid the traffic on the six-lane Interstate 85.However, few drivers take the 130-mile scenic highway hugging the perimeter of the Blue Ridge Mountains from a few miles of the North Carolina boundary reaching South Carolina’s state line with Georgia.
They don’t know what they’re missing, especially in the fall when the leaves turn a variety of yellows, reds, oranges and greens.
Like the Endless Mountains of our own state, these hills without end extend before us to explore along with its tough-as-a-hickory-pole residents with whom we love to engage in casual conversations about life down the dirt roads of life. Some of these people can out-drink and out-cuss and out-swear anyone I have ever met. Many can fiddle, most can play a stringed instrument.
---------- Wolfe's Grove ----------
An interesting history of Wolfe's Grove on Sylvan Lake in Luzerne County is available from Ron Hontz. Find it here as part of his "Pit Stops on the Road of Life" series.
---------- On the Subject of Computers ----------
The lines here in Florida were long as Apple launched its iPhone 4S. People in line fed the rumor mill grinding out their version of the next generation of the iPad--the iPad 3. Apple launched the iPad 2 in March of 2012.
The iPad and the tablet are primarily used for email, web-based entertainment and social media. If that is what you use a computer for, you could save hundreds by buying smaller instead of a new laptop. If you intend to buy a laptop or a tablet in the next year, take the time to read the article where you can learn the distinctions between different units. If your use for a computer is simply to read books, buy a a Kindle ($79), Nook ($139), or Kindle Touch ($99).---------- Electricity Upgrade ----------
Benton, Hughesville and Millville residents will see improved electric reliability and fewer outages when PPL Electric Utilities finishes improvements to the local distribution network, according to a press release from PPL.
PPL plans to upgrade a pair of substations and the distribution line that serves the area. Construction should finish in May 2012. About ten miles of the single distribution line will be moved to make it more accessible. The line will be made up of separate circuits. Automated switches will help it reroute power in case an outage occurs. The company expects to spend $3.4 billion over the next five years to strengthen its transmission and distribution systems and replace aging equipment. For more information on the utility’s system improvements, go here.
Didja ever consider that ten years ago the country had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash and now we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash?
----------- Pipeline from the Marcellus to Texas ----------
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. has proposed an 1,230-mile ethane pipeline running from the Marcellus and Utica shale deposits to Mont Belvieu, Texas. Details here. The pipeline would ship ethane from shale deposits in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to the Texas ethane hub.
---------- Harrisburg is in a Conundrum. ----------
A United States Bankruptcy Court will determine October 17 whether Harrisburg City Council has the authority to file for bankruptcy. Federal bankruptcy law requires that a state must allow a municipality to file for bankruptcy. Commonwealth law prohibits the city from doing so. Unless a compromise is worked out, guess who will win that one!
Alice F. (Crist) Morris (May 26, 1955-October 13, 2011), Ridge Road, Orangeville, a cook at the Buckhorn truck stop with twenty years of experience at that location, died early Thursday morning following injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in Fishing Creek Township near the intersection of Asbury and Harrison roads. She was 56. Alice was born in Bloomsburg, a daughter of Clayton and Ethel (Kingston) Crist. She attended Benton Area Schools.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert "Bob" Morris in 2004. Surviving are her son, Michael E. "Mike" Crist, at home; a grandson, Austin M. Crist, Berwick; her brothers and sisters Clayton Crist (Rita), Orangeville; Ralph Crist (Suzanne), Berwick; Larry Crist (Barbara), Benton; Joyce Fullerton, George, Orangeville; Michael W. Crist and his wife, Lona Marie, Orangeville; Jackline Byers (Robert), Sunbury and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Bob, she was preceded in death by a brother, Dennis Crist, who died in 1977 and by her niece, Tina M. Crist, who died May 15, 2011.
Memorial services will be held Monday at 4 PM at the McMichael Funeral Home. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the American Diabetes Association, 65 E. Elizabeth Ave., Suite 502, Bethlehem, PA 18018. For online condolences, please visit www.mcmichaelfuneralhome.com .
Sarah I. Ford (May 15, 1923-October 14, 2011), died at her 300 Third Street home Friday after being in failing health for the past year. She was 88. Sarah was born in Lock Haven, a daughter of Joseph I. and Sarah (Jeirles) Hamilton. She made her home in Benton since 1960.
Sarah was preceded in death by husbands Ralph M. Adams, on December 17, 1963, and L. Glenn Ford on March 21, 1999; sons Maynard M. Adams on April 15, 1988, and Ellis Adams in April 2005; a daughter, Martha Gower in February 2008; and three infant grandchildren.
Surviving are children Connie Burrell, Medford, Oregon; Bonnie J. Burkhart, Orangeville; Loyed “Butch” Adams, Millville; Anna Steele, Rauchtown; Alice Force (George), Benton, Donna K. Adams, who resided with her and was her caregiver; 20 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. She was the last of a family of 16 children.
Funeral services will be held on Monday at 2 PM with friends calling preceding in the Dean W. Kriner Funeral Home, Benton. Interment will be in Pine Summit Cemetery, Franklin Township, Lycoming County.
To sign the guest book or to send a message of condolence, please go to www.krinerfuneralhomes.com .
Take the time to wander over to the bulletin board for the Benton News Blog where you'll find advertisements for the AARP Safety Driving Course, a wonderful bread and breakfast, a place to buy local chestnuts and much more. The Benton News Bulletin Board is at www.bentonnews.net/BentonBB.htm .
Didja ever realize that when you help a man who is in trouble, he will remember you when he is in trouble again?
---------- Cursive Writing ----------
A cursive style of writing has existed as far back as records are preserved. As a child, I remember reading Richard Halburton's accounts of Pompeii and seeing illustrations of random remarks made by ordinary folks scribbled as idle sentiments on the walls of the city. The monuments of the city carried the messages of more formal literature penned by people who wanted their words to last. Business people were able to zip out words using cursive script. From the example of Pompeii, comes the printed letter carved on monuments and in manuscripts. From the cursive hands came penmanship.
Through Roman times, the alphabet consisted only of capital letters. Straight-line and sharp angled, these looked grand chiseled in stone. When scribes began writing on bleached hides, a new family of letters evolved. Writers took short cuts that rounded the angles, hooked the points and curved the straight lines. A double unjoined alphabet evolved--the highly ornate capitals and the more rapidly written small letters. The small letters eventually became cursive writing of joined letters created by smooth motions of the entire hand and wrist.Experts (people who learn more and more about less and less) have a difference of opinion on the value of cursive writing. Some feel that with the intensive use of computers, the future child will have no need to learn cursive--that handwriting will only be minimally useful in the world of the future. These people feel that handwriting is often incomplete, inaccurate, ambiguous, illegible and that some sort of electronic device would better serve the communication of the written word. To this day, I am a mathematical dodo because I find it difficult to read the numbers that I have written down.The other side of the coin is that no amount of automation can blot out the need for penmanship or cursive writing. But didja ever notice that as the writer's fortunes improve, their ability to write so it is readable goes down? The higher up the ladder of success, the further down is the recognizability of the writing.
A friend keeps an army of "fountain pens" in his shirt pocket--many are old and clunky, some eventually dumping their loads into the pockets of the wearer. One acquaintance has had a blue spot on a favorite shirt of his for the past year. Somehow these pens put the curse in cursive!
Kids in school, starting about the third grade, find it a real challenge when they are first told to sharpen up their No. 2 pencils, slant their notebooks and begin the learning process of cursive. How complicated it is to learn the ascenders and descenders, to get the letters' tails and legs on the right base line--especially those tricky capitals G, Q and S. Modern kids have learned to hit the computer delete button when they make a mistake. With cursive, they have to stop and erase when they make a mistake.
Local educator Beatrice Roberts remembers when she was required to teach cursive in first grade--about two years before the kids were actually able to learn it. Educators realize that the print lettering taught in the first and second grades, which combines circles and straight lines, is a poor preparation for the transition to cursive wiring. Cursive is like learning a new language.
Kids in first grade have not developed the right forearm and hand muscles, seating posture or mental discipline to learn cursive. Kids understand joysticks, cell phone touch pads and keyboards but these tools of modern American have ruined kids' ability to hold a pencil property or to write legible.
Teachers make the point to their students that they will always have to write things on paper at some point in their lives. The letters crafted by hand are beautiful and will be cherished and often retained forever. A delete key blanks out an email message--no matter how beautifully crafted it is.
How many readers practiced writing even circles that spread across the page so that handwritng would end up being beautiful?Are you of the opinion that 'riting by hand is here to stay, or will computers negate the need for cursive writing?
---------- War Museum to Re-open Oct. 15 ----------
The Endless Mountains War Memorial Museum, Sonestown, will reopen following damages from the flood of September 2011 with help from volunteers and museum staff working around the clock. The museum has rebounded from a muddy mess to pre-flood status and expects to be bigger and better than before.
The staff has learned from their mistakes and have raised the low-lying cases and put them on wheeled dollies--an expensive but needed fix as it not only raises them but makes them more mobile.
To compound the problem of cleanup, the staff had to fight mold and mildew buildup on articles during the five days after the flood when there was no power or water. White vinegar was the best tool for the museum in keeping the mold from returning after cleaning.
Craft also states he hopes the government steps up to the plate and fixes the creek problem in back of the old school house, as the "temporary fix" will certainly not spare the museum from a future disaster. Craft was quoted as saying he is not sure what happened to the old time saying of "do it right the first time."
Museum hours will be 10 to 5 on the 15th and 12 till 5 on Sunday.
Please call the museum at 570 482-2610. Contributions, which are tax deductable, can be made to Endless Mountains War Memorial Museum, 109 Main Street, Sonestown PA 17758.
Come out and help veterans celebrate the reopening of the museum and pay tribute to our veterans who make it possible.
Museum president Jack Craft says the mud was the worst part of the cleanup as it invaded every nook and cranny and virtually everything in the museum needed to be moved.
The Guv is asking for hearings on the September flooding with the intent of precluding future events of this nature. Thousands of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in the Commonwealth. The action came after the Guv saw first-hand the gravel and debris that is clogging state streams. The state is asking for millions for municipalities for the repair of roads and bridges following the disclosure that the state does not have the funds available to come to the aid of flooded counties and towns.
---------- The Day of Atonement and Yom Kippur ----------
To those who celebrate this solemn time in the Jewish year that is devoted to fasting, prayer and repentance, we wish them peace and prosperity.
---------- Bess Treasure Colley ----------
Bess Treasure Colley (May 26, 1920-October 5, 2011), 31 Beaver St., Benton, died Wednesday at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. She was in failing health for the past month. She was 91. Bess was born in Cecil Township, Washington County, a daughter of Roy H. and Lula S. (Knouse) Treasure. She attended the Benton Schools until seventh grade when her family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. She graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1935. She went on to graduate from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1937 and in 1939 from Bixby Business School, St. Petersburg. She was employed by the Benton Foundry, Inc. for ten years and earlier worked at the former Berwick Cigar Factory.
Bess was a member of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Cole's Creek. She was a member of a pinochle club in Benton for 40 years. She served on the election board in Benton for 30 years; as Benton borough assessor; member of the Benton Park Commission and as the Republican Committee Woman in Benton in 12 years. She loved animals, especially her cat and her Boston Terrier dogs.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold W. Colley, on October 16, 1976, and by her sister, Vivian T. Beishline. Surviving are a son, Roy T. Colley (Pauline), Hughesville, a daughter Claudia Slonaker (Paul E.), Benton; grandsons Eric Colley, Alan Colley (Char), Matthew Slonaker and his fiance Bethany Blakeslee and great grandchildren Katy, Caleb and Nathan Colley.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 11 AM in the Dean W Kriner Funeral Home, Benton, with Virginia J. Thomas, Lay Eucharistic Minister of her church officiating. Interment in Benton Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday from 6-8 PM.
---------- Land for Sale ----------
Near Waller, 5.19 acres with well; approximately one acre cleared for building. Driveway foundation laid. Property has been perked, but will require perking again. Gas lease in place, but future gas, oil and mineral rights convey. $60,000 firm. 570 854-4841
---------- First Columbia Bank’s Annual Food Drive ----------
October begins the bank's food drive to benefit local food cupboards. First Columbia employees as well as customers are encouraged to replenish area food cupboards that have depleted supplies as a result of the recent flooding and in anticipation of the normal winter needs of many families. All of the donations will be delivered to area food cupboards in time for the holiday season. The collection is open from Saturday, October 1, and continues through Saturday, November 19. Items can be donated at any of First Columbia Bank & Trust Co.’s community branch offices in Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Buckhorn, Catawissa, Elysburg and Scott Township. Non-perishable items that are most needed include canned vegetables and fruits, canned meats and tuna, boxed meals and pastas, peanut butter and jelly, rice and cereals.
---------- Replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial ----------
An exhibit at the Everhart Museum runs October 6-9. "The Wall That Heals," a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, will be on view in Scranton’s Nay Aug Park as a complement to the Everhart Museum’s fall exhibit Nights of 9/11 and in recognition of the tenth anniversary of “Operation Enduring Freedom.”Admission to "The Wall That Heals" will be free and open to the public 24 hours a day during this four-day period. "The Wall That Heals" is accompanied by a traveling museum display and information center designed to enhance the visitor experience. A daily schedule of events will be posted on the Everhart Museum’s website or call 570-346-7186.
The Wall That Heals is a project of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. On Veterans Day 1996, the VVMF inaugurated The Wall That Heals, the only traveling replica that is directly affiliated with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Caitlin Curtin, daughter of Lisa and Joe Curtin and granddaughter of Nina Baker, will read names from the wall on October 8 at 1:45 for 15 minutes. Caitlin's deceased grandfather, Bob Baker, would have been very proud.
---------- Covered Bridge Festival ----------
The usual chill in the air for the Covered Bridge and Arts Festival won't be with us this year, but the celebration of Fall, covered bridges and arts and crafts will take place for the 30th time Friday, October 7, through Sunday, October 9, from 10 AM at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg. There is free parking and admission to the festival.
This is a great place to begin holiday shopping for woodcrafts, wreaths, dried floral arrangements, ceramics, clothing, baskets and much more. There will be crafters--nearly 300 of them--demonstrating their skills and more than 25 food vendors. Choose from a variety of tasty treats for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Entertainment will include music by Jay Smar, Mike Lewis, Stained Grass Window, The Legends and dancing by the Covered Bridge Cloggers and Susqui Squares.
A "Fun Auction" is scheduled for Saturday at 1 PM. More than 300 donated items will be auctioned by professional auctioneers. On Sunday, car buffs are invited to display their classic and antique cars. Registration is free and begins at 10 AM. Commemorative plaques will be given to the first 100 registrants. Knoebels Lumber will also host its annual 5K run at 9:30 AM on Saturday (to pre-register call 570 672-2531). Knoebels opens many of the rides in the park on Saturday and Sunday, so there is really something for everyone to enjoy.
----------- Benton's Heritage Days ----------
The Center will hold a Heritage Days Lyceum on Saturday, October 8, from 10 AM to 3 PM. Heritage Days will include a series of speakers discussing Civil War topics. These forums will alternate throughout the day with music provided by local bluegrass and folk artists. Local author Becky Westover will be available to autograph her recently-published book, “The Fireplace.” Admission to Heritage Days Lyceum is free and open to the public, although donations are appreciated. For further information please call the Center at 925-0163.
Speakers include...• Bill Baillie discussing “A House Divided: The Waller’s Civil War.” The Civil War sharply divided many communities and families over such issues as states' rights, the military draft and slavery. In an illustrated talk, local historian Bill Baillie will discuss the views of three brothers-in-law connected through Columbia County's circuit-riding preacher Rev. D. J. Waller. The war's wider issues are seen intimately from a large collection of family letters.
• George Turner, discussing “Civil War Prisons,” including conditions for both Union and Confederate prisoners of war. With the war lasting for four years, the number of prisons and the different types gradually increased. In some prisons, the death rate for prisoners was quite high when compared to battlefield deaths. The outcome of the first major battle between the North and South at First Manassas in Virginia on July 21, 1861, forced both sides to formulate a prison of war policy. President Lincoln and General Grant at different times opposed exchanging prisoners with the Confederates. What was Jefferson Davis’ position regarding African-American prisoners?”
---------- From the "How Does She Do That Department ----------
Didja ever see anyone sit on their head? Today's entertainment does a little of that--and much more. Your back will hurt after you watch this athletic girl .---------- With Sadness we Report that ----------The brilliant man behind the iPhone, iPad and other devices that turned Apple into one of the world's most powerful companies--the co-founder of Apple Computer--Steve Jobs, 56, died Wednesday following pancreatic cancer in 2004 and a liver transplant two years ago. Jobs was uncanny in his ability to read future trends in computers and consumer electronics.
---------- A Statistic to Put You to Sleep ---------Dan McGarigle, El Segundo, California, writes that "between September 13, 2006, and October 3, 2011, I received one thousand six-hundred ninety-six issues of the News from Back Home in Benton, PA.
---------- The Guv Plans to Implement Parts of the Recommendations of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission----------
---------- The Square ----------
As relates to standards for unconventional drilling for natural gas, setback requirements for private wells, public water systems and bodies of water will increase and "presumed liability" for maintaining water quality will increase; well-bonding fees will rise as will penalties for civil violations. The recommendation will allow for an impact fee with 75% retained at the local level (36% retained by the county, 37% distributed to municipalities that host the drilling pads and 27% distributed to all the municipalities within a Marcellus drilling impacted county.) The remaining 25% of the fee would be divided, with 70% of that number going to PennDOT for road, bridge, rail and other transportation infrastructure maintenance and repair within counties hosting Marcellus natural gas development, 4.5% to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for emergency response planning and training, and 3.75 percent to the Office of State Fire Commissioner for training programs for first responders and for specialized equipment necessary for emergency response. The balance will be divvied up to various state organizations. The Guv said he will soon submit his drilling proposals to the legislative leadership, and he instructed state regulators to recommend policy implementation plans within 30 days. Read more here.
This year's Halloween parade Back Home in Benton, PA, will form at its usual place on McHenry Alley on Tuesday, October 25. If this parade is like most in the past, the parade will be headed by a police car just to be sure that the kids who expect that candy will be thrown at them are well off the street and safely on the sidewalk. Next will come a flashy car probably driven by Gary Elliot who owns his share of flashy cars. His passenger will be Mayor Jan Swan. A fire truck or two nestles up front of the parade and usually are the last in the parade. Covered Bridge Realty, Countryside Market and First Columbia Bank have splashy floats that sets the spectators clapping. FFA groups and clubs mingle in with miniature donkeys, John Deere tractors and leftover prior-generation clothes on kids riding bikes and skateboards. It will be a great parade and everyone will surely say it was the best one they can remember.This assortment of tractors, fire equipment, floats, pets, kids, weird outfits, noise and confusion will somehow come together to form a well-organized parade and move West on North Street and South on Main Street promptly at 7 PM toward "the square" where various food venders will sell hot dogs and sauerkraut, cider and virtually every other food and drink that those of us in the upper Fishing Creek valley have come to know and love. The important part of the whole parade takes place "on or near the square." That is where the judges cast their votes for the best, the most original, the fanciest--and a whole host of other categories. For those who are marching for the first time and are confused about where the square is, a word of warning--there is no square. We just call it a square.Some towns have wonderful squares. Wilkes-Barre has a square where at one time politicians lobbied to construct city hall; the "square" in Angelica, New York, is known as "Park Circle"; Cleveland, Ohio, has a public square. The square in these places generally date from the founding of the city and is usually marked by a survey which states that "the square is laid out on the intersection of 'such and such' street and 'someother' street and contains a stated number of acres." Often the survey continues, "the center of the junction of the two roads is the exact center of the square."Hardy pioneers exercised good judgment by laying out many town with an area of common land, which here in the East we call the "square" and in New England is known as "the village common." This is the area where heritage, pride and unity combine. It is where in the past whittlers whittled, philosophers talk and old folks reminisce about things that became a big deal after they stood the test of time. In some locations, where watering troughs once stood, parking meters now stand. In whatever town or city in which the square resides, this area is the heart of the old home town.In the village days of the city, the square was often nothing more than an open field, ungraded, covered with underbrush and a few trees. There usually wasn't a fence around it, so cattle and horses roamed in and out. The square was the place in the Old West where cattle rustlers and evil doers were hanged. Following the Civil War, many towns and cities placed a fountain in the square guarded and surrounded by posts and chains. The local water works often rigged up a system to spray water on the fountain and visitors from around the state would come and marvel at the square. Public gatherings took place here. This is where soldiers coming home from the war were honored and where visiting high muckety-mucks were paraded. Concerts often were given by local groups and slowly the dilapidated open space of the park evolved into a place residents loved. Often a popular local politician succeeded in getting the park named in his honor, but following his death the name was soon forgotten and the common name reverted back to "the square."The square over the years has been the heart of the community--ever eager to respond to the joy and sorrow of the city or town in which it resides.One of Father's favorite sayings was "Play on the square, boy." He didn't mean in my case not to go "to town" and play where Market and Main Street meet. He simply meant that I was to avoid temptation until I was strong enough to meet it. He meant that I was not to develop habits of tobacco, drinking, telling lies.
Thanks to David Miller, grandson of Guy Miller, here is a picture of his grandfather's barber shop, Joe Dalto's restaurant, the Hess Hotel and the general store owned by Harry Hess.
The view of the same buildings in 2011. The former barber shop is now an optical center. The former Dalto restaurant is now a second-hand shop and apartments, and the Hess Hotel has small apartments. ----------
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Didja know that 61 out of the 117 state parks in the Commonwealth have Marcellus Shale beneath their boundaries, including Little Pine, Hickory Run, Promised Land, Worlds End and Ricketts Glen?Didja ever think that the race for the White House slightly resembles the Marx Brothers stateroom scene from "A Night at the Opera" where Groucho uttered the lines "Is it my imagination, or is it getting crowded in here?"Didja know that according to the Congressional Budget Office, the USA public debt is projected to be 71.2% of the size of our economy in 2012?Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman speak foreign languages--French and Chinese. Don't they know this is America? They need to speak Spanish!
---------- Hasenpfeffer ----------The subject of cards came up recently and a group of us tried to remember all the card games we had ever played--up and down the river, blondes and brunettes, sevens from hell, crazy eights, slobberhanes, snipsnapsnorum, euchre, whist, cribbage, bridge, five hundred, seven up, hearts, spades, all fours, big forty, forty five, canasta, pinochle, sixty six, klabberjass, skat and hasenpfeffer. The name of hasenpfeffer came up again Sunday night.Whittier Letteer passed out instructions for the card game hasenpfeffer and that brought back memories of a very long time ago. The rules for the game are very similar to those of the game "five hundred," in which there is a Joker, a right and a left bower. Players get ten cards in the game of five hundred, fewer as I recall for the game of hasenpfeffer.Actually, I don't know the rules for the game, since I never played it. But I have listened in while Father and others played it at the hunting cabin. Back "in the day," it wasn't played during hunting season--that was a time reserved for playing poker. It was played when the "boys" got together for fishing during the warmer months. A round table speckled from the stain of tobacco juice and half-lit cigars was the center for card playing thanks to the steady light from a carbide lantern. The game was played with a single deck of cards and a single Joker, but with lower ranking cards removed.One of the larger men with a voice to match pounded the table and cried out "four--by Jiminy" as if he was directing a battalion of men into combat. This man normally smiled a lot. He was soft spoken, kind as a roll of Charmin and especially liked his afternoon naps, but he had a card-playing side to him somewhat akin to the sound of thunder swooping down the valley. "By Jiminy" was a favorite expression, thundered in sort of a "this is my best and final offer" kind of voice.Cards were serious business to these four men. So was what President Truman was doing in the United States and overseas, but that took a backseat to the significance of winning a game of hasenpfeffer.One of the players was a "you know what I mean" kind of player. If cards didn't fall right, he would blame his partner, saying something like "that it was dumb of you to bid without the right bower" (the jack of the trump suit; the left bower was the jack of the corresponding color suit) and then would issue a statement as a question, ending "you know what I mean?"The partners would then "get it on" about cards on a previous, similar hand in which they made their bid. The difference was that on that hand they made the bid.The response immediately came back, "well, maybe, it is because you had a better partner than I had!"Knuckles would pound the table and other than for bidding the game would continue--usually in silence. These men did not take losing gracefully. After four deals with the same partner, everyone changed partners and the two men who were fighting a minute before would go back at it as opponents. It wasn't a place for Sunday-school teachers, for people who had something against hard cider or for people allergic to short-stubbed or half-chewed cigars.You know what I mean!
---------- Where We Go From Here ----------
The Benton News ended publication September 30, 2011.
This website will remain available for reference purposes so that people seeking information about the Benton area can find that information easily and quickly. The site will retain its name, but future editions, if any, will be issued under a name other than the Benton News. This web site never published much news and calling it a "news" site was a poor choice of words. There was never an intent to compete with any "newspaper."
The daily grind of turning out an edition became more than I wished to undertake. The clean-up from the September 2011 Flood took up every waking moment. My physical limitations got in my way. My ability to type 80 words a minute with no errors was overtaken by my ability to retype 60 words a minute. I once was like the elephant that couldn't forget anything. I now can no longer think of anything to remember. The Benton News became dull (which reminds me of the story about the young reporter who asked his editor if she should put more fire in her articles. The editor's response was to the point. "Vice versa would be nice.")
The Benton News will continue as a basis for the Benton News Bulletin Board, its companion Facebook page and for occasional bursts of information about the upper Fishing Creek valley. Future publications, if any, will not include birthdays as a general rule and will only list upcoming events if the events are especially noteworthy. Upcoming events and suggestions for future articles should be posted via the Benton News Bulletin Board.
In the event of a community need--an event, for instance, like the September 2011 Flood--the successor to the Benton News will temporarily publish.
If you have a suggestion for a name for whatever follows the Benton News, please send it to me. Several good suggestions have been made. For the immediate future, it will just be the Benton News Blog.
If you want to suggest a topic to discuss in a future edition, feel free to send it to me at bentonnewsATgmail.com or via the Bulletin Board.
