on Sunday, September Butterfield, Rides (Continued from page 1) have leveled out the ground for my rides. All in all they have done a great job,” said Swika. “This is becoming a growing little fair each year,” Swika continued. “As long as the fair keeps on growing, we (S&S) will grow with it,” Swika said. Swika currently boasts about having 35 full-time employees on his payroll, including four state certi- fied carnival inspectors. According to Swika, safety is the name of the game for S&S Amuse- ments. “I have 35 full-time workers,” said Swika. “And each and every one ‘of them play a big part in keeping the ride business as safe as possible.” “Our main safety feature,” Swika explained, ‘‘is our daily inspection routine. After each day of operating our rides we must, by law, go over each ride to check for any prob- lems. And I might add we (S&S) have never had a serious accident on any of our rides.” Swika’s father, Steve Swika Jr., 46, is currently a voting member of Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh’s Advisory Board, which oversees the Pennsylvania Amusement Ride Inspection Act. “My entire family has worked very hard with lobbyists and legisla- tors to pound out a safe and fair ride bill,” SWika said. “I think we Touring SCID have come up with a bill we all can live with.” “Ride safety since that tragic accident last summer at Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey has really become important in 'Pennsylvania,”” Swika said. “Right after that accident (where 18 people were burned to death in a fun house fire) Pennsylvania got serious: about ride safety,” Swika said. “It is almost like a feeling out stage right now,” Swika explained. “Each year we find ourselves alter- ing the ride act to further insure public safety and to also be fair to the amusement companies.” “Swika+vsaid the best part of the business is meeting the different people at the various fairs around the state. “#9 think the excitement of travel ing around the state is the most exciting part of this business,’’ Swika said. “You get to meet all kinds of people in all different lines of work. That part is really fun.” However, the amusement busi- ness is not always a ride in the hay, so to speak. “The toughest part is tearing down these rigs in one day,” Swika said. “For instance, this fair closes Sunday night. My crew must close up here by Monday morning in order for us to make it to our next fair on Tuesday, down at the McClure Bean Festival in Central Pennsylvania.” Peterson is candidate Frank Peterson, Republican Councilman from Kingston has announced his candidacy for the 20th State Senatorial District. Peterson, a 25-year veteran of the dent of Kingston and is presently serving on Kingston Borough Coun- cil. He is also a member of the Kingston Board of Health and the Pennsylvania Borough Association. Peterson is a graduate of Kings- ton High School ‘and attended Wilkes-Barre Business College. He is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Sales and Public Speaking Courses and, as ‘a former Civil Defense Director of Kingston, completed the Advanced Pennsylvania State Civil Defense Directors Seminar. Peterson is a four year U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War with an Honorable Discharge. He is a Chief Warrant Officer W-4 in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, currently serving as Reserve Chief of Health Services for the Third Coast Guard District at Governors Island, New York. As a member of the Coast Guard, he has participated in career training, graduating from schools such as Hospital Corps School, Instructor Training School, Administrators Officers School and Hearing Conservation School. He also served as moderator of the National Medical Administration Seminar for all the Medical Admin- istrators in the U.S. Coast Guard at Coast Guard Headquarters in Wash- ington, D.C. He is a member of American Legion Post 395, Kings- ton, and the Reserve Officers Asso- ciation of the United States. He is active as a parade judge with the All-American Judging Association. He is a past president of the Middle Atlantic Shrine Legion of Honor Association and active with other Masonic and community organizations. Gregory takes over District Justice Earl Gregory said Monday he will assume the case- load of retiring District Justice Leonard Harvey affective Monday, October 7, 1985. Magistrate Harvey will be cele- brating his 70th birthday on Satur- day, October 5 and must retire according to a state statute which mandates retirement at age 70. Harvey’s district will be merged with Gregory’s, reportedly doubling Gregory’s current case load. The district merger is also a part of a 1980 decision by the Pennsyl- vania:- Supreme Court to re-distriect magistrial areas due to population shifts. Presently, Gregory's distriet includes Kingston Township, Frank- lin Township and Dallas Borough. Justice Harvey’s district includes Lehman Township, Lake Township, Harveys Lake, Jackson Township and part of Dallas Borough. The re-districting will combine all the above mentioned communities into a new third-class magisterial district. Justice Gregory said his case-load will increase from approximately 2,000 cases a year to just over 4,000 per year. Gregory anticipates having an additional full-time employee and a part-time employee to handle the extra work-load once the merger takes place. services department. MASH party held For O'Connell’s seat By JOHN F. KILDUFF Staff Writer If there is one bit of information the voters of Pennsylvania’s 20th senatorial district should know, it’s that Monroe County resident Charles Kirkwood is serious in his intentions to be retired senator Frank O’connell’s successor. Kirkwood, 50, officially announced his candidacy for the senate seat last week during a press conference held on the steps of the Kingston Borough Building. Since Kirkwood’s annoucement, Kingston Councilman Frank Peterson entered the GOP race with former congressman Jim Nelligan and others expected to announce their candidacies soon. However, Kirkwood, who was interviewed by The Dallas Post last Thursday afternoon, says he feels the competition for the vacated 20th senatorial seat is a good thing and that he expects to come out on top. “Let me just say that I’m not worried about fragmentation within the Republican party,” Kirkwood: said. “The more (candidates), the merrier,” said Kirkwood. “I think the best man will win and I think I am the best man. I am very confident and I am going to win,” asserted Kirkwood. Kirkwood has been chairman of the GOP in Monroe County since 1979 and is owner of the Shawnee Inn, a family resort hotel near Shawnee-on-the-Delaware in the Poconos. Kirkwood said he entered the race because of his concern for the state’s gambling and environmental issues, which he termed as ‘issues you just cannot fool around with.” “These two main issues (gam- bling and environment) are the two areas of considerable concern which motivated me to run,” Kirkwood said. “I am concerned about where I live and where my kids are growing up,” said Kirkwood. ‘And the gambling issue and many of the environmental issues that are now before the senate are extraordinar- ily important for the 20th Senate District and the Poconos.” Kirkwood, who was elected as a GOP national delegate in 1976, 80 and 84, is a state representative for the National Park Service’s Advis- ory Committee. Kirkwood currently heads the Commonwealth Coalition Against Gambling which pits him squarely against any legislation favoring casino jgambling in Pennsylvania. Kirkwood says gambling does noth- ing for Pennsylvania and even hurts those who pricipally cannot afford to gamble. “I am not against gambling for any moral, ethical or religious reason,’”’ said: Kirkwood. ‘I am against it for three basic reasons. First it is not economic for the state of Pennsylvania, it brings in an undesirable element and it is a very regressive form of taxation.” According to Kirkwood, a Univer- sity of Michigan study indicated that the people who lose the most money gambling tend to be the poor and the elderly. “I am the only resort owner who is opposed to gambling,” said Kirk- wood. ‘““Most resort owners are in favor of it (gambling) because they can make a lot of money with it.” “I hope as an enlightened politi- cian,” Kirkwood continued, “that if the state wishes to re-distribute wealth for some reason then they should not do it to the people who are the least able to afford it (poor and elderly).” Kirkwood also expressed an emo- tional reason for opposing gambling by saying, “I just do not think it is a good idea for our country, for our kids or for anyone else to see grown men stealing quarters from old ladies.” The Northampton County native also expressed concern with the issue of our area’s image stating that he believes the 20th senatorial district can prosper as a whole, much the same as the pocono area has in the past 20 years. ‘What the people of Luzerne County must know is that we had the same economic problems in Monroe and Pike counties 20 years ago,” said Kirkwood. “When I was a kid growing up in the poconos all the kids in the high schools just left the area. They just did not want to stay. Today Monroe and Pike coun- ties are the fastest growing counties in the state. From 1970 to 1980 they have realized a 57 percent increase in population.” Kirkwood continued by saying, “You must realize the Poconos do not look any different geographi- cally than right here in Wyoming Valley.” “Twenty years ago in the Poconos we began developing the tourism industry without building many fac- tories,” Kirkwood said. ‘“‘We were able to get people to think of it (Poconos) as a place where some- one would want to come for the rustic atmosphere. We literally turned around the economy without putting up any factories.” Kirkwood said people in the 20th district must believe in their abili- ties to succeed in order to insure a prosperous future. w Fair (Continued from page 1) animals. I think it is a lot of fun,” said Bobbie. With this year’s record attend- ance of over 80,000, Fair chairman Ray Hillman said much of the proceeds will go toward improving and expanding the fairgrounds for next year’s affair. In years past, the Fall Fair pro- ceeds were used to subsidize the operation of Nesbitt Memorial Hos- pital’s Medical Center on Route 118 and the Mobile Intensive Care Unit house at the center. Six weeks ago, Nesbitt Memorial Hospital took total operating control of the medical center and the MIC unit. The Fall Fair Association, which is comprised of representa- SCID (Continued from page 1) Of the 197 new cells available, 98 were constructed conventionally with prisoners facing each other’s cells and 99 were built for more security with the cells facing out into the prison yard. The conventional cells will house two inmates while the higher-secur- ity cells known as Auburn Arrange- ment will only house one inmate. All 197 cells are approximately 10 feet long by five feet wide with 10 foot ceilings. Governor Thornburgh was joined at the ceremony by State Correc- tions Commissioner Glen R. Jeffes, former superintendent of SCID, General Services Secretary Walter Baran, whose department oversees all state construction and superin- tendent Ryan. ‘ SCID was opened in 1959 and had plans of operating nine inmate wings. Only seven prison wings were constructed. The SCID construction is the second major project completed this year. In june, 154 new cells were added to the State Regional Correc- tional Facility at Greensburg. A third major project is scheduled for completion in late October of this year when 80 new cells are opened at the Mercer State Regional Correctional Facility in Mercer County. Pennsylvania, according to Thorn- burgh, is committed to increasing the state’s current cell capacity of 10,000 to over 13,000 by 1988. “These new cells insure that there is no easy way out for the serious criminal,” said Thornbugh. “People are getting sentenced longer and are less likely to get parolled today,” Thornburgh continued. The total cost to Pennsylvania taxpayers for the SCID construction was $7.8 million. According to Superintendent Ryan the cost was over $1 million below projections. In addition to the new cell blocks, SCID also recently completed reno- vation work on their sewage treat- ment and water treatment plants. ‘“We upgraded our sewage treat- ment plant from a secondary to tertiary plant,”’Ryan said. ‘‘Our goal was to get a higher quality of effluent from our plant.” Renovation of the sewage treat- ment plant cost $750,000 while $256,- 000 was spent on the water treat- ment plant. The State Corrections department has additional plans for two new 500-cell institutions currently under construction at Frackville, Schuylk- ill County, and Huntingdon, Hun- tingdon County. Also former Department of Public Welfare hospitals at Cresson, Cam- bria County, and Retreat near Hun- lock Creek of Luzerne County are being converted into 500-cell pris- ons. The Retreat facility is expected to be completed during the summer of 1986. tives from area community organi- zations, operates the annual fair. “The best thing about the fair is getting out of the house for some- thing different,” said Joe Williams of Orange. Lehman (Continued from page 1) by ‘the directors. Contracts for new routes will be estimated by Anthony Marchakitus according to the state’s formula. The 1985-86 con- tracts are expected to be ready for the October 8 board meeting. mond Bowman, Carol Cooper, Arthur Searfoss, Sharon Coole, Jayne McDermott and Doyle Smith as bus drivers. A list of residents from Jackson Township, Lake Township, Lehman and Noxen Township requesting exoneration from taxes was approved by the directors. In answer to many questions in reference to Lake-Lehman’s early starting date, Dr. David Preston, superintendent, stated that the policy has been effective as proven by the smoothness of opening day experienced in all of the buildings. He also said that early starting date coincided with the opening of other non-public schools. “We Care About Your Health” All Occasion Boxed Cards 14 Per Box 1 49 287-7724 L'Oreal Perms All Types *2.99 ® Free Pick-up & Delivery ® UGI Collection Agent wv
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers