Sunny Side Up
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dave Trostel, a former newspa-
per editor, spends his summers at Harveys Lake.
Having a general knowledge of the Back Mountain
area and its residents, Dave offers his column, entitled
“Sunny Side Up” to readers of The Dallas Post.)
By DAVE TROSTEL
Special to The Dallas Post
Number 20 took a hefty swing.
At the stroke of the bat, Don Hartshorne leaped to
his feet and said loudly, ‘‘Good bye” as he thought
Mike Schmidt’s blast was set to leave Vet Stadium.
The ball left the park, height-wise, by a country mile
and just as suddenly on the swing by Schmidt, Don
quietly slid back into his seat as the ‘Good-bye
George’ ball plumped ever so gently into the third
baseman’s glove.
But, hey, anyone can misjudge a fly ball at Vet
Stadium in Philadelphia, where Don and his wife,
Sharon and their two children, Donnie, 9 and Beth, 5,
were beginning a seven game stint at watching their
favorite team — Phillies in action.
Don, pastor of the Providence Baptist Church,
Scranton, and his family were on a two week camping
trip from their home in Orange. A “pop-up” camper
was just right for them, because it would mean a
quick trip from their camp site to spacious Vet
Stadium.
Well, Warwick (Pa.) isn’t exactly around the bend
from the ole’ ball park, so much to the Hartshornes’
chagrin, a trip to the South Philadelphia ball park
meant 90 minutes on the highways, most of that spent
on the congested Schuylkill Expressway, a motorist’s
nightmare at any given time of the day.
But, like true, blue die-in-the-wool Phillie fans, that
was part of the fun of the campout and the drives, well
let’s call them motoring experiences to Vet Stadium.
The Hartshornes caught Dallas Green’s Chicago
Cubs and Pete Rose’s Redlegs in town.
But, let’s get back to the ball park for an inning or
two and maybe a tricycle race that Sharon was a
winning participant in as part of a Fourth of July
program.
Of course, most of the time the Orange family heads
to the ball park, it’s usually seats next to the sky (700
level), but for Sharon, the seats are great. The climb
is tough on Don, but then anything above Red Rock
Mountain level is high and the 700 level is high.
Don splurged one game during the family’s camp-
out, which found their living quarters closer to
Allentown than to Vet Stadium. He spent a few
megabucks and the family trooping towards the 200
level when some Phillies guy tapped Sharon on the
shoulder. She was going to be entered into bike race
against Phillies broadcasters, Harry Kalas, Richie
Ashburn, Chris Wheeler and Any Musser. As lady luck
would say, Sharon drew the first leg of the race, from
home plate to first base against Kalas. Lucky it wasn’t
Ashburn, who can still pedal around the basepaths,
although not as quick as when the former Whiz Kid
used to dash around old Connie Mack Stadium (then
Shibe Park). Sharon won her leg of the race with
spokes to spare and her team of three other ladies
came home the winner - and Sharon left the ball park
a bit richer - $50 in cash. Not a bad day at the park.
Of course, anyone who knows Sharon can attest to
her fan devotion to Schmidt.
The game’s reportedly highest salaried player is
Sharon’s diamond idol. She even wears a ‘Number
20’ shirt when she goes to the ball park, or for that
matter, treks around Dallas or Orange. Everyone
back home in Orange knew her as Sharon Smith,
daughter of Bill and Bettie Smith, also of Orange. A
1969 graduate of Dallas High School, she later became
a teacher in the Dallas Intermediate School in
remedial reading. 2
At the Hartshorne’s Orange Road home is an honest-
to-goodness life size picture of Mike holding a con-
tainer of milk. The name Mike Schmidt turns the
friendly Sharon into a cheering, peppy and happy
Phillies fan. :
“Even,” Sharon said the other day, ‘when Mike
trudged onto the playing field wearing that wig.”
Schmidt had been in a slump and msot fans were
giving Schmidt the old special Philadelphia boo-bird
treatment. But give credit where credit is due, Sharon
is not a b oo-bird when it comes to “Number 20.”
“Everyone seemed to gasp,’ said Sharon as she
recalled Mike’s attempt to propel himself back into
the hometown’s good graces, “but then everyone
finally realized what he had done and they began
clapping and cheering.”
Seven games in a week’s time wasn’t too hard for
the Hartshorne family to take. Young Donnie is a
member of this year’s Orange Yankees in the minor
circuit of that area’s Little League program which
found his team winning top honors.
Donnie’s dad, aside from totally relaxing and misjudg-
ing homeruns, loves baseball where he finds it is an
excellent place to relax. “Next to the barber’s chair,”
said the 1968 graduate of Wyoming Valley West High
School, ‘‘baseball is tough to top.”
Unless, one may quip, the barber slips with the old
shears, but Don has no such fears. “I’m in dream land
in a barbershop chair,” he said with all his confidence
showing in those thick, curly locks atop his head.
“Who remembers scores?’ quizzed Sharon ‘when
asked to recall any big moment of any given game. “I
just keep an eye on Mike,” and this can be attested to
the family’s trip to ball park on camera day. Sure
enough, there was Mike Schmidt zooming a smile good
enough to sell a couple tank loads of milk, right at
Sharon.
The camping trip was one that found the Hartshorne
family up bright and early each morning and off to
some side trip - for the kiddies naturally and then to
the ball park.
They had a week’s stay at Wildwood and you know
the Hartshornes could not drive by Vet Stadium
without watching another game. So, with camper and
all, into the parking lot they motored and since they
had some time, they joined a legend in Vet Stadium
when they tailgated some ball park franks before
embarking on that big hike to the spot in the sky
called the 700 level and a view - a bird’s eye view - of
the ball game.
Traffic, crowds, camping out and the like are all
part of this family’s love of life. “We used to have a
ont 2 said Don, “but then we bought this camper. We
ove it.” :
Naturally Orange’s number one fan of Mike Schmidt
is a real milk drinker, and on the family-’s past
weekend Baptist Youth Camp out near Tunkhannock,
aside from plenty of milk, there was a portable TV, so
Sharon could catch a glimpse of Schmidt sending a
“real” good-bye patch into downtown St. Louis.
The days of campus life at Bloomsburg State College
and Don’s 3-year stay at Eastern Baptist Seminary
(Pa.) are now history, but the friendly couple grew a
lot in those learning years and their life and living it
tells it all as they told listeners in their current home -
a one-time one-room schoolhouse, nestled ever so
perfect in the valley of Orange. :
Seminar held
Program participants
Orientation held
Ramsey (Wilkes-Barre).
Workshop ends |
and Audrey Gerlach.
Sisters help
kd
INSYLVANIA
White
(Continued from page 20)
Judy and Sid Silver have owned
and operated the White ‘Horse
Tavern for the past five years, with
their grand opening on March 17, St.
Patrick’s Day, 1980.
Diners who stop at the White
Horse for lunch usually return for
every item on the menu is made
fresh daily by either Sid or Judy.
Judy does all of the gourmet cook-
ing while Sid does the basic cooking.
The fish, meat and vegetables in
all of the soups and entrees are
fresh daily. The Silvers never pre-
pare food for more than two days at
a time. /
Some of their most popular dishes
at lunch are Filo, Reuben sand-
wiches, barbecues, soups, especially
gazpacho, walnut, peanut butter,
cauliflower, broccoli and onion
soup-onion soup fit for royalty.
Judy’s gauchoburger is a creation
of her own, a sandwich found
nowhere else. Their roast beef sand-
wich is a meal in itself.
All cooking is done from scratch
on the premises. Recently, prime
rib was added to the menu — one
pound prime rib done so well it
melts in your mouth. Other special-
ties which are favorites of evening
diners are linguini with white clam
sauce, steaks and open steak sand-
wiches.
No matter how particular the
diner, there is something for every-
one. :
The Silvers welcome family
dining and encourage children.
They will prepare special food for
the young ones on request. Judy
also will prepare her specialty
items for small parties as well as
any item on the menu for takeout.
Friendly, efficient barmaids will
prepare your favorite cocktail
whether it be daiquiri, manhattan,
martini, old-fashioned, margarita or’
someone’s very own special.
The Silvers now have the assist-
ance of their two older boys when
the kitchen gets very busy which it:
often does. :
Many local business people stop
at the White Horse for lunch. They
know they will be served delicious,
home-prepared food, quickly and
courteously. :
Both Sid and Judy and members
of their staff aim to please and do
their utmost to satisfy their custom:
ers every day of the week. -
x
J