RR
More than 100 engines of some of the world’s most
exclusive antique automobiles will rev up for staring
instructions today as the Great American Race gets
underway in Disneyland, California.
Final stop on the 11-day cross-country endurance
competition is Wilkes-Barre, where the nearly $250,000
in prize money for those cars fortunate enough to
finish, will be awarded at the driver’s Victory Banquet
sponsored by Atlantic Financail Federal. The banquet
will represent the highpoint of Wilkes-Barre’s four-day
Great American Festival which will kick off at
opening ceremonies during Farmer’s Market on
Public Square, July 3, and continue through Sunday,
July 6, with vintage classics making the attempt to
conquer Giant’s Despair in a touring run.
Great American Festival Chairman, Ronald Ertley,
says, ‘“alA activities during the four-day celebration
are open to the public. We just want the community at
large to share in the enjoyment of an old-fashioned
Fourth of July celebration. At the same time, the
Greater Wyoming Valley will have the opportunity to
show itself off to people around the world with the
international racing press following this one-of-a-kind
event.”
Ertley says here at home, final preparations are
being put in place with local hotels gearing up to
handle some of the estimated 100,000 people who are
expected to be drawn to the race’s conclusion in
Wilkes-Barre.
Antique vehicle displays, entertainment, the Martz
July 4th concert in the Park with the Northeastern
Philharmonic, fireworks display and a nostalgia flea
market will be some of the leading attractions for the
enjoyment of those attending.
Ertley says it is impossible to place a dollar value
on the race vehicles on display at the 109th Armory
the evening of July 4th, but he adds that all vehicles
will be open for public ‘inspection that evening as the
final leg of antique auto racing’s richest purse
prepares to leave Wilkes-Barre, the morning of July
5th for New York City.
The vehicles will tien to Wilkes-Barre that after-
noon with the winners announced at the Driver’s
Victory Banquet the same evening.
Division Il All-Stars
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
RFA
Nationals All-Stars
allas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
Todd Paczewski.
Finarelli.
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
pitching coach.
In answer to the question why she
Intermittent downpours on
Monday, June 16, completely
drenched the Back Mountain Little
League field, but committee mem-
bers of the Dallas Kiwanis Club
worked diligently sweeping and
brushing away the water from the
infield and home plate when the sun
broke through the gray clouds.
Keeping a careful eye on the dark
clouds passing overhead, the mem-
bers had a positive outlook and
before the Seventh Annual Dallas
Kiwanis East-West Seniors All Star
game, scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
arrived they had the field in good
condition.
An incorrectly published starting
time of 4:30 p.m. brought many of
the players and some of the fans out
an hour or so early but, undaunted
by brief showers and dark clouds,
the players on hand used the time
for a warm-up practice while fans
on the sideline watched their favor-
ite players.
Everything in order by 5:30 p.m.,
the opening ceremonies were held
on time. Members of the Game
Committee were presented to the
fans, including Lt. Gov. Ted Wien-
ckowski, who presented Dallas
Kiwanis Past President Robert Dol-
bear with an inscribed plaque in
appreciation for his dedicated serv-
Hanover, and Seton Catholic, for the
East; and Tunkhannock, Northwest,
Bishop O’Reilly, Wyoming Semi-
nary,. Wyoming Valley West, Wyo-
ming, Lake-Lehman and Dallas.
Coach Jay Pope of Dallas, his
assistant, Yvonne Mould, and
Marge Kelly of Valley West, agreed
with Trojan Coach Julie Moore and
her assistants, Crestwood’s Frank
Danna and Pittston Area’s Ron Rin-
aldi, that the contest was a fun
game. Both Pope and Moore also
agreed that Leonard played an out-
standing game.
The five East pitchers, Kim Skre-
penak, Karen Monko, Sue Charney,
Lynn Coslett and Lynn Rasmus,
struck out a total of four and walked
seven while the three West hurlers,
Lisa Bergevin, Cindy Slocum and
Patti Kormas, fanned only one and
walked 14. The East girls collected
eight hits, three of them for extra
bases. The West collected only two,
Slocum’s double and a triple by
Bergevin.
Two delayed double steals played
a key role in the East’s win as
members of the team did some
heads up base running. The West
girls came through with a great
double play to cut down East run-
ners and the outfielders made some
excellent catches to save runs.
Leonard was named MVP for the
East team and Slocum was named
MVP for the West nine. Trophies
were awarded to the members of
both teams.
“It was a lot of fun for the girls
and a nice way to close out their
high school softball career for the
seniors. Of course it would have
been nice to win but every girl
played and they had fun,” said
Pope.
The East scored five runs in the
first inning and one in the second
but West scored two runs in the
first, one in the second and three in
the third to tie it up at 6-all, but
East came back in the top of the
fourth with two runs to take and 8-6
lead. West came within one in the
bottom of the fifth but the East
broke the game wide open in the top
of the sixth when they went through
the entire batting order and started
through the second time, scoring six
runs. Leading 14-7 going into the
seventh they scored three more
before the West girls pushed four
runs across for a final 17-11 score.
Wyoming Area’s Sharlene Sever-
nak had a fine day behind the plate
for the West team.
By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
Cindy Slocum, Lake-Lehman High
School graduate and member of
several Wyoming Valley All Star
softball teams, will enroll at
Bloomsburg State University in the
fall.
The outstanding athlete from
Lake-Lehman played centerfield for
the varsity softball team and
received a financial aid grant in
recognition of her contribution in all
aspects of the sport. Cindy plans to
major in elementary education and
try out for the softball team.
A member of the National Honor
Society at Lake-Lehman and an
honor student during her high
three years in junior high and three
years in senior high school. She also
played basketball in the elementary
program, and three yeas in senior
high. She was a member of the
senior high school’s varsity softball
team for four years.
During her senior year, Cindy was
contacted by eight colleges or uni-
versities among them Penn State
University, University of Middle
Michigan, University of Florida,
Kent State University and Univer-
sity of Wilmington. She received
letters of acceptance from Univer-
sity of Rhode Island, Shippensburg
State University and Bloomsburg.
She finally selected Bloomsburg
because of their academic and soft-
ball program and because of Jan
Hutchinson, the university’s softball
coach, with whom Cindy was famil-
iar since she attended a softball
camp directed by Hutchinson. She
also considers Hutchinson’s assist-
ant, Tina Souders, an excellent
“I also liked the idea of Blooms-
burg because it is close to home,”
said Cindy.
Orientation is set for July 27 and
Cindy begins classes on September
2.
thought the Knights’softball team
was so successful this season, Cindy
replied, ‘“At the beginning of the
season this year, our goal was to
win districts and beat last season’s
Mikula is champ
(See SLOCUM, page 10)
RD 3, Dallas,
¥
b
ice in supporting girls spots pro-
grams in the Back Mountain.
In keeping with the Kiwanis phi-
losophy of letting everyone partici-
pate, every one of the players on the
East and the West teams played in
the game.
A high-scoring 17-11 game, won by
the East All-Stars, was marred by
weak defensive plays by both teams
(many due to the wet grass and
mud spots in parts of the infield).
Leading the East was the out-
standing play of Hazleton’s Jackie
Leonard, who was late getting to the
game due to traffic. What started
out as a bad day for the Mountai-
neer athlete turned into one of her
best performances of the year as
she went 3-for-4 at the plate, scored
two runs and chalked up two RBI's
with a double and a single. Leonard
also pitched an inning for the East.
The West team was hampered by
ers, with the exception of North-
west’s Patti Kormas and Bishop
O’Reilly’s Larissa Bergevin. P.
Kormas was unable to make it to
the team’s workouts while Bergevin
had not pitched for a long length of
time. In the seventh inning, how-
ever, with West on the short end of
a 17-7 score, three of the Black
Knights power hitters, Cindy
Siglin, played a major role in help-
ing the team bring home four runs
before the game ended with a
ground bell to second for the final
out.
The senior players on the two
teams, one from the East Side and
the other from the West Side of the
Susquehanna River included Cough-
lin, Meyers, GAR, Nanticoke, Crest-
wood, Pittston Area, Hazleton,
6
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
first vice president of Dallas Kiwanis,