Eo MW Vol. 104 No. 51 T Qo 3 Ot (n O | ~ Giving the reindeer a break Santa made a special visit to Jackson Township December 18 and was treated to a tour of the township aboard a fire engine annual Christmas party. By GEORGE BAILEY Special to The Post As the sun began to set at the North Pole, Santa and his elves began loading the last of the pres- ents onto his sleigh. Usually, this was a time of excited chattering, laughing and good-natured jokes. Today, the atmosphere was heavy with sadness and anxiety. Today, for the first time in 44 years, Santa would make his trip without Rudolph’s nose blazing a trail through the night. Santa wasn't looking forward to this trip, the first time he could ever remember not looking for- ‘ward to his annual Christmas Eve journey. Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Bl- itzen, Comet, Cupid, Prancer and Vixen were equally hesitant. A reindeer doesn't remember as well as a human being and some of them had forgotten completely how it used to be before Rudolph showed up for the first time. They felt as if their trip would be made blindfolded. “That's the last of it, Santa,” said an elfnamed Humna-humna, putting a bag chock full of toys and goodies onto the sleigh. “I guess it's all up to you and the reindeer now.” Humna-humna frowned with the thought of Santa venturing out into the night with- out the little deer that had served as his beacon for so long. Santa sighed, already weary even before he started his trip. The elves, usually so jubilant at the beginning of a Christmas Eve trip, were quiet. Most of them Dallas, Pennsylvania POST PHOTO/GRACE R. DOVE before he stopped by the Jackson Township Fire Company's Will Santa have to make the trip without Rudolph? looked at the ground or the sky. Few looked right at Santa. “On Dasher,” Santasaid, alittle more subdued than usual. “On Dancer! On Comet. On Cu..." “Wait!” came a voice from the house. All eyes turned toward the shout. There, running from the house, was Mrs. Claus. She car- ried a bag, presumably filled with sandwiches for Santa and treats for the reindeer, and a leather strap. On the other end of the leather strap was Rudolph! His nose beamed brightly, cutting through the darkness and his eyes were filled with excited anticipation of the night ahead. His face was pink with embarrassment. “I'm sorry, Santa,” Rudolph thought, realizing the jolly old elf could read his thoughts. “I thought I'd be back before this.” “Where have you been, Rudolph?” Santa said, joy and relief filling his voice. “We've looked all over for you!” “I'm sorry, Santa,” Rudolph repeated. “I guess I should have told you. You see, ever since I came here 44 years ago, I've vis- ited my mother two nights before Christmas. I never wanted any- one to worry, so I'd visit during the night and get back before daylight.” “What kept you this year?” Santa asked. “Your mother - she's all right, I hope?” “She's fine,” Rudolph said. “But this year she knitted me a sweater for Christmas. Usually the beam- See RUDOLPH, pg 3 By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff The regular December 14 meet- ing of the Lake-Lehman School Board was interrupted when a member of the audience attempted to call for a motion. Harveys Lake resident James Nelligan asked if Pennsylvania has a law requiring that teachers’ contract negotiations be private. After board president Joseph “Red” Jones told him that there was no such law, Nelligan asked board members to move to make them open to the public. As newly-elected board mem- ber Allen Moss said that he would be interested in open negotiations, board president Joseph “Red” Jones told Nelligan, “You can't do that. All motions must come from the board, not from the audience.” “The teachers’ union has really Kids have plenty of Christmas spirit By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff When Licia and Paul Witt learned that their school was col- lecting food and toys for needy families, they were worried that some little kids might not get anything for Christmas. So they donated their own toys — a nice truck, a pretty doll and a toy ironing board. “We talked to Mom about it. She asked us if we wanted to help a little girl and a little boy,” they said. Licia and Paul are twins and kindergarten students at Gate of Heaven School in Dallas. Organized by teacher's aide Carol Carroll, the food drive is a holiday tradition begun by Mrs. Nancy Garvey, a nutrition teacher who left this year for another position. Mrs. Carroll decided to con- tinue the program for the school. Each class had different as- signments: grades six through eight solicited donations to buy Tuesday, December 21, 1993 Taxpayer Ass'n takes aim at Lehman board 50¢ Group wants 10% salary rollback, other cuts, page 12 put the bite on us,” added Lake | Silkworth resident William | Samuels. “We should play hard ball with them now.” Jones added that the board | members of the negotiation team were Jeff Fritzen, Elizabeth Sich- ler and Dr. John Presper. Presper and Fritzen negotiated the last contract, Jones said. ed In other business, the board voted to: Raise the substitute teachers’ daily pay from $48 to $55, with Ed Kern, Patricia Gold and Allen Moss voting against the motion. Kern, Gold and Moss said that See TAXPAYERS, pg 12 hams and turkeys, first through fifth grades brought in canned goods, paper supplies, juices and cookies, and the kindergarteners honored the birthday of Baby Jesus by bringing in baby needs. An area family donated a crib, mattress and a set of baby items, while a generous anonymous donor chipped in $110 towards the purchase of the hams and turkeys, Mrs. Carroll said. Altogether the students col- lected enough food for a dozen needy families to have a Christ- mas feast — complete with a ham and a turkey. Eligible families were selected from Gate of Heaven School's four member parishes: Gate of Heaven, St. Therese’s, Our Lady of Victory and St. Francis Cabrini, Mrs. Carroll said. ‘ Eighth-grader Bill Kingsbury has been helping with the Christ- mas food collection ever since he can remember. “It's part of my Christmas tra- See CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, pg 3 Hl Letters to Santa Westmoreland and Dallas Elementary students make pleas, say thanks to the jolly old elf. Pages 13-17. EE NDEX 20 Pages 2 Sections Calendar.............. 20 Classified........ 18-19 Crossword............ 10 Editonals............... 4 Obituaries............. 18 SChool............cc... 7-8 SPONS......coc..iiieiiuin 9 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING The Dallas Post MAILING LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366 a NM I A CE I ERE NR
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