" Wednesday, March 25, 1998 4 The Dallas Post Dallas, PA - "v, * Let's give credit where it's ‘due; Back Mountain roads are safer, more convenient The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) plan for . the Back Mountain’s main highways is nearing completion, so - hopefully we'll be able to heave a collective sigh of relief by this . time next year. If all goes according to plan, construction will be over by then, at least for this particular set of improvements. - -And improvements they have been, even if Hey are not all to everyone s liking. Until the fifth lane was added in 1992, one or more fatal accidents occurred on Rt. 309 nearly every year, many of them involving a car that was waiting to turn left off the highway. Those types of collisions are nearly non-existent now, since the turning lane and new signals offer both a place and time to make turns in any direction. “Signal lights, five of which were added over the last few years, also have made it possible to enter Rt. 309 and Rt. 415 and proceed in either direction — a luxury that was unavailable previously to all but the bravest or most foolhardy. Yes, the signals sometimes turn red at inconvenient intervals and any- one entering the highways is wise to look both ways even after receiving the green, but this is a far more rational and safe situation than we had before. The final pieces of the puzzle will be reconstruction of the five- ‘way intersection at the center of Dallas and addition of a signal at Hillside Rd. in Trucksville, giving northbound drivers wanting to turn left a safe opportunity to do so. There have been suggestions that Lake St. be closed at the Dallas center intersection, making sense of the present confus- ing layout. While that idea has merit, it would create more congestion than it would alleviate, since traffic would divert to Center Hill Rd., a narrow, residential street with little room for Yidening. “PennDOT has done an admirable job of rationalizing the busiest and most dangerous roads in the Back Mountain, albeit more slowly than we had hoped. If we can all be patient just a little longer, the work will be done and we can go on our merry way, safer and more conveniently than before. Publisher's notebook “March Madness” is about to end, and it's been a dandy playoff season, with plenty of upsets and buzzer beaters to keep the television ratings high. Oh, you thought the NCAA playoffs were about the values of sport as an extracurricular activity for college students? Think again. This season within a season is all . about money, mostly yours, but sprinkled generously with the . fat salaries.“student” stars are hoping to garner when they turn . pro. That used to mean at the end of four years in college, but . no more. It's remarkable to me that colleges talk about the boost ' big-time sports gives to alumni contributions when most of the - players aren't from the state they play in, and some stick around - only a year or two, unless they end up in jail first. If that - happens, they can sign a professional contract even sooner. Some pundits think the reaction to Bill Clinton's alleged * , philandering — or at least his clumsy ‘attempts at it — are - evidence of declining moral standards in America. Well, so is the - eagerness to look the other way when colleges recruit criminals © to fill out their rosters with talent. The worst example is Jerry + Tarkanian, now at Fresno State but of UNLV notoriety, whose . witless players managed to get busted just two days after 60 . Minutes presented a segment on Tark the Shark’s tendency to . coddle thugs. But you know what; I'll bet it doesn’t matter to . victory-starved fans who are more than happy to trade virtue for ' a couple of w’s. + It doesn’t have to be this way. Just look at a couple of the ' nation’s premier programs, perhaps the two best in the last 20 + years, Duke and North Carolina. With rare exceptions, their . players complete school, play selflessly, stay out of trouble, and - win. For the most extreme example, watch the Princeton Tigers, - who made it to the tournament and won in the first round ~ despite having no scholarship players — because the Ivy League doesn’t grant athletic scholarships. What a quaint idea. Having grown up just down the road from UConn, I'm happy + the Huskies made it so far this season, and I enjoy watching the - games. But the connection between the players on the floor and the institution they represent becomes more tenuous each year. I guess that doesn’t really matter once you've reached the bigtime. Your news is welcome The Dallas Post welcomes submissions about Back Mountain . people and events. In order to plan each issue, we must adhere to self- ' imposed deadlines, as well as those of our printer. To have the greatest + likelihood of publication, items should be received at our office by 4 ~ p.m. the Friday prior to each issue. Items will be accepted until 4 p.m. ' Mondays, although much of the paper is already assembled by that ' time. Send or bring items to: The Dallas Post, 607 Main Road, P.O. Box , 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Our normal business hours are 8:30 a.m. to . 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A deposit box is located at the front _ of the building for after-hours submissions. The Dallas Post Published Weekly By Bartsen Media, Inc. P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 717-675-5211 Charlotte E. Bartizek ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ronald A. Bartizek PUBLISHER Kylie Shafferkoetter REPORTER Jessica Appolo ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC Ruth Proietto PRODUCTION MANAGER Olga Kostrobala CLASSIFIED/TYPESETTING Jill Gruver OFFICE MANAGER 2) PRINTED WITH "| NIN PENNSYLVANIA 7|SOY INK] NETICNAL NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER Sorry, credit cards not accepted. Photo by Monica Marzani. Tasty fungus among us ov — wore. ~~ 3 Food nin Jim Phillips Last week my class and I took the opportunity to experiment with every kind of mushroom that I could possibly find in the super- market. The results of our labors surprised and enlightened every- one, including me. We concluded that most peohl: love mushrooms. In fact, Ameri- cans consume in excess of three- quarters of a billion pounds a year. The mushroom’s popularity stems (no pun intended) from their year round availability, versatility and ease of preparation. Actually we felt the reason mushrooms are so popular is that they really taste good! Now that’s a good reason. A mushroom is a vegetable be- longing to the plant category fungi (the plural of fungus). Fungi differ ( Library news pe Nancy Kozemchak The Back Mountain Memorial Library invites all children of the area, ages 4 to 8, to enjoy holiday readings at the library. Easter selections will be presented from March 28 until Easter from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. This special holiday event will be presented by Arts at Hayfield. This should be a festive time for the children lead- ing up to the Easter season. Please join us at the library for a fun filled morning. The Book Club of the library met in the community room on Mon., March 16. Secretary Mary Lou Swingle reviewed the min- utes from the February meeting and the treasurer, Elin Northrup, from green plants in that they contain no chlorophyll, the pig- ment that makes leaves green. Beginning in the 17th century, mushroom cultivation began to flourish in abandoned limestone quarries outside of Paris. Cultiva- tion of mushrooms in the U.S. began near Philadelphia in the early 20th century, eventually cen- tering in the town of Kennett Square. At first an adjunct of commer- cial flower production (the dark spaces under potting tables were ideal for mushroom growing). Demand soon led to the develop- ment of special mushroom houses. Today, cultivation has spread to more than 20 states, although Pennsylvania remains the largest producer. When choosing fresh mush- rooms, look for those with dry (not dried) surfaces free from major blemishes. The particles on a mushroom’s surface are bits of the peat moss used in growing the mushrooms, not dirt. Wipe gently with a damp cloth or quickly rinse the mushrooms in a colander with cold water and pat dry. Of all the ways to cook mush- rooms my favorites are sauteing and grilling. In order to saute, the mushrooms must be dry, the fat hot, and the skillet large enough so they're not crowded. Saute until lightly browned. Grilling mushrooms is a snap. Preheat the grill and arrange the mushrooms on skewers. (You may wish to marinate them first in a little olive. oil and balsamic vin- egar.) Then grill as usual - occa- sionally brushing them with some of the marinade. Here are’a few ideas for you and your mushrooms. e Make mushroom crostini by topping garlic rubbed toasts with sauteed chopped mushrooms sea- soned with thyme and wine. * Saute sliced mushrooms, on- ion, apple and rosemary, reduce with some port wine and serve over pork chops. * Toss penne pasta with sau- teed mushrooms, chunks of plum tomatoes, red pepper, onion and garlic. Mix in a little olive oil and sherry vinegar. e To sauteed mushrooms add red wine, a pinch of grated horse- radish and beef stock; cook until reduced slightly. Serve over steak. Holiday readings for kids through Easter reported the balance of $1,403.91 in the treasury for the purchase of book club books. Mary Panaway reviewed the the new books pur- chased in February; Blanche Th- ompson reported $81.40 in the contingency fund. The members voted to purchase a set of books for the children’s wing. Blanche and Mary served at the tea table. Next meeting will be April 20. New books at the library: “The Mark of The Assassin” by Daniel Silva is a “briskly suspenseful, tightly constructed” novel. This is an unputdownable tale of power, politics and intrigue. Michael of the CIA is called to investigate a terrorists bombing of an airliner off the coast of Long Island. “Homeport” by Nora Roberts is a thrilling tory. The Maine air is bitterly cold when Dr. Miranda Jones arrives at the family home after a busy lecture tour. Her 3 blood turns/to ice when she sud- denly feels a knife against her throat. The unseen assailant steals her bags, slashes her tires and disappears. “An Unfortunate = Prairie Occurance” by Jamie Harrison features Jules Clement the un- likely sheriff of this small town, who'd rather be off fishing than giving out tickets. In mid-Octo- ber, Jules is up to his crooked grin in trouble. A camper’s dis- covery of old bones threatens to rip open long buried secrets. “Brunswick Gardens” by Anne Perry explores the controversial birth ofa philosophy that enflamed fiery debate—and possibly mur- der. A century ago, the theory of evolution rocked the civilized world, and the outraged Anglican church went ona warpath against it. It becomes a battle for truth and justice. (0 HI ¢ YESTERDAY 60 Years Ago - April 1, 1938 THE CONSOLIDATION OF TOWNSHIPS CONSIDERED Contrary to published reports the joint committee from ‘Mt. Greenwood Kiwanis Club and Dallas Rotary Club which is study- ing suggestions for long-range im- provements in the Back Moun- tain Section has not authorized the circulation calling for the con- solidation of Kingston and Dallas Townships and Dallas Borough. The committee denied circulating the petition and explained that consolidation is merely one of 10 or more suggestions under con- sideration and no definite action has been taken yet on any of the phases of community activity still being studied by sub-committees. Architect V. Lacey's plans for a four room addition to Dallas Bor- ough High School and a request for approval of a bond issue -of 810,000 to cover the district's share of the WPA project will be forwarded to Harrisburg immedi- ately the school board decided at its meeting. 50 Years Ago - April 2, 1948 HARVEYS LAKE GETS DRIVE- IN THEATER Harveys Lake will have a new drive-in motion picture theatre that will accommodate 500 autos and 300 seated patrons accord- - ing to announcement made by Sam Slomowitz, Barney St, Wilkes-Barre grocer who has pur- chased approximately 785 feet .of Sandy Beach from Margaret Plxgh of Edwardsville. Purchase price was not disclosed. v3 40 Years Ago - Mar. 28, 1958" SNOW AND SICK DAYS MADE | UP AT END OF YEAR Snow Days and Flu Days have caused reorganization of Back Mountain School calendars. Dal- las Area School and Lehman-Jack- son-Ross each with flu and snow absences are tacking the addi- tional days on to the calendar at the end of the year. The price of milk will drop on Tuesday in tor Back Mountain area from 1/2 cent to 2 cenisa quart as is customary in ‘the spring. Price will be 26¢ quart in homies, 25¢ quart in stores. Now playing at Himmler The- atre in Technicolor, “Bambi”. 30 Years Ago - April 4, 1968 DALLAS ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATES 41 YEARS The 41st Anniversary of the founding of Dallas Rotary Club was observed Thursday at Irem Témple Country Club. Highlight of the program was the comments of Jack Stanley as he gave the past history of the Rotarian who was honored. After he told that this Rotarian once wrestled two men at the same time, everyone knew it could only be Red Ambrose. Dallas Area School is still his major interest and found- ing of the union district was a direct result of his efforts as citi- zen and school director. Fall Fair now demands much of his time as chairman. Nine grass fires in eight days have kept Dallas volunteers on the hop. Each grass fire says Bob Richardson, fire chief was the di: rect result of indiscriminate burn- ing of trash, high winds lifting burning material from trash burn- ers ordinarily considered safe. Thirty acres across from Free Methodist Camp Ground were burned, over and 25 acres were burned on Ransom Road. 20 Years Ago - Mar. 30, 1978 BACK MTN. MAY GET NEW WYOMING NATIONAL BANK If plans submitted by officers of Wyoming National Bank are ap- proved by the comptroller, Back Mountain residents will soon have a new bank with which to-do business along the Harveys Lake highway according to Robert T. Patton, commercial vice president of the bank. The building will be constructed on the one-acre plot next to Whitesell Brothers facing the Fish Commission building.and will be an ultra modern full ser- vice Dallas branch of Wyoming National Bank in Wilkes-Barre. “Up With People” show is an entertaining two hours of music and dancing and is being spon- sored by Dallas Junior Women's Club at Dallas Junior High Schoel April 15.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers