0) The Dallas Post Dallas, PA Wednesday, August 10, 1994 3 - r By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff LT CT TE i ee Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township has been a haven for lovers of the outdoors since it was dedicated 26 years ago on Memorial Day weekend, 1968. The 1,000 acre park offers visi- tors a varied menu of activities: several miles of hiking and nature trails ideal for bird watching and nature photography, a swimming pool, plenty of open space for picnicking and orienteering, boat rentals and a 165 acre lake teem- | Kozlansky has also spear- headed a program to recycle alu- minum cans, plastic and glass containers. He knows every foot of the park's nearly two square miles, encom- passing a variety of wildlife habi- tats — wetland, lake, forest and meadowland - great excuses for an environmental field trip or a pleasant afternoon hike. Kozlansky offers programs for all ages and interests: photogra- phy hikes, canoe trops to the marsh, videcs, bird walks, nature scavenger hunts, safe boating classes, Scout leader training "Many people tell me that they never knew the park was here, with so many different activities. They just head for the pool and bypass the campground and visitors’ center.” Jerry Kozlansky Park naturalist ing with panfish, perch, muskies, catfish, pickerel, walleyes and bass. In 1990 the campground opened, with 85 tent or RV sites, 15 primitive tent sites and a group camping area which accomodates up to 40 campers. Polar bear types flock to the park's Mount Olivet Road and Carverton Road entrances during _the winter for excellent ice fishing and cross-country skiing. During the past five years, park naturalist Jerry Kozlansky has created many new weekend after- noon and evening programs for campground visitors and the public, ranging from the culture . of the Native American tribes who once called the Back Mountain heme to night hikes and work- . shops on basic fishing skills. EB J SE a a adit J ©, - / classes and opportunities for Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Gold Award candidates. Teachers may earn graduate credits by taking environmental education courses at the park. New programs include a basic’ fishing skills workshop, a presen- tation on deer ticks and a video and discussion on the black bear. And it’s all for free. “Many people tell me that they never knew that the park was here, with so many different ac- tivities,” Kozlansky said. “They just head for the pool and bypass the campground and visitors’ center. Back Mountain residents have the wonders of nature right in their own back yard and don’t know it.” The park is named for Frances Slocum, the heroine of a popular | Named to U of Pitt Dean's Honor List Karen M. Wisnieski has been named to the Dean’s Honor List for the . spring term, 1994, at the University of Pittsburgh College of Arts and ' Sciences. A student earns Honor List recognition for achieving a 3.7 or better , grade point average on a 4.0 scale. She also was named as a 1994 recipient of the Janice Merrick POST PHOTO/GRACE R. DOVE SMART FISHING — Area youngsters took advantage of Frances Slocum State Park’s Junior Natural- ist and SMART fishing programs. Showing their catches to park naturalist Jerry Kozlansky are Dave Barnousky, Kris Nardi, Nichole Griffith and Lisa Haughwout. local legend of a five-year-old Quaker girl reportedly abducted from her settler family’s home in Wyoming Valley by a band of Native Americans in 1778. The legend says that the band passed through the present park on its way back to its village, stopping for the night under a rock outcropping in the piney woods overlooking the presnet lake. Young Frances was adopted by a Lenni-Lenape chief and lived happily ever after as Mocanaq- uah, “Little Bear,” the wife of a Miami chief and mother of four children. Although her birth family even- tually found her living in a Native The Post has more local news | ‘The Beaumont inn Memorial Scholarship as awarded through St. Therese’s Church of . Shavertown. : Karen, the daughter of Dan and Irene Wisnieski, will enter her first yee of study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy this Hii This Week Lunch Special | = 2 Cheese Steak Sandwich... $6.95 Its a Oo reat time to Grilled Bacon, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich.$3.95 ~~ plant peren nials This Week Dinner Special | Thousands to choose from Chicken Sauterne .............ooooooome. $11.95 300 varieties Linguine with Prosciutto, Tomato, Basil............ $10.95 A A 5 Distier Tr Py -9 P.M. Fri.-Sat. 5 P.M. -- 10 P.M. 5 /008 Perennial Garden Brealktusts Bunny Only 8 AL EMF Suny Diner: Sa 108 PM, 5 Le Raysville, Pennsylvania ! ll From Tunkhannock Rt. 6 to Wyalusing. At the red light For Reservations Tel: 675-7100 E turn right at 706 then left at Rt. 467 to Le Raysville Rt. 309, Dallas, PA 18612 @® gl Anni ? ANNUAL TENT SALE / Friday & Saturday, August 12 & 13 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. ; Furniture, pottery, accessories, etc. : « Country Dip Sampling - : The Furniture Workshop ” 115 W. Center Hill Rd., Dallase 717-675-5288 Loe SLE = BLS SN & a COMPANY (Near Rt. 309-415 Intersection) 675-7347 on ALL WEEK (Aug. 8-14) SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS With Homemade Soup or Salad 9 99 ety! yu ena a"s’a'a a 88 ase EL village in Indiana, she refused to leave her home, where she had become highly respected. She died there in 1838. The area which would one day become a state park was settled by the descendants of Daniel Heft, who had come to the Back Moun- tain from Doylestown sometime Frances Slocum Park is a Back Mountain gem after 1808. | Hikers say that they have found old stone foundations which may be left over from early settlement of the area. The historic old Heft mill and a stone arch bridge over Abraham's Creek were razed when construc- tion of the dam and creation of the park's lake for recreation and flood control began in mid-1963. According to news clippings on file at the park office, two workers dismantling the mill were crushed to death when one of its walls collapsed on them. The park’s rather inauspicious beginning continued with the nighttime bombing of construc- tion equipment at the dam in July, 1964. Damage to three large bull- dozers, two payloaders, a crane and an air compressor owned by Irving T. Miller Construction was estimated between $100,000 and $200,000, according to the news clippings. Frances Slocum State Park was barely four years old when it became an emergency home to 500 victims of the 1972 Hurri- cane Agnes flood, when the fed- eral government took it over for 18 months and set up an emergency mobile home village, complete with its own town council, security force and fire department. Kozlansky said that he has seen the use of the park grow tremen- dously in the past five years. “The word is getting around that we have quality nature pro- grams here, tailored to each group's needs and interests, and access to environmental educa- tion specialists and other experts from anywhere in the state,” he said. “It’s a free service provided by the Commonwealth.” free estimate. heating systems. Let us take the worry out of winter... Call today! or:]/] Today! Plan Ahead FOR WINTER... Call Parker Fuel Co. for a We specialize in all types of Were The Inside Guys. Halali= Free UEC Plumbing - Heating - Air Conditioning Sales & Service - Residential & Commercial Rd. #6 Box 23, Dallas, Pa. 18612 675-4949 or 675-1155 © 1994 Mellon Bank Corporation At Crestwoo and Dallas. Finally, there's a bank that's working when you're not. Our Crestwood and Dallas offices are now open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon. What's more, if you come in any Saturday between August 6 and August 20 and apply for a loan, we'll deposit $5.00 into a new or existing Mellon checking or savings account. We'll even have coffee and pastries for you. So if you can’t get to the bank during the week, relax. And see us on Saturdays. Mellon Bank Youre why we do our very best? Offer good only at Mellon Bank's Crestwood and Dallas offices on Saturdays through August 20,1994. Mellon Bank, N.A.-Member FDIC. Northeastern Region LENDER Apr
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