5 oO S 50 Cents SI= AVA hUCT Eo | =HO{OL\V \VIS HV ERI SSH mi lo | =1 BVA EN WARS 8 WA (=H = 2 [\V VANES 0 on [0]0] I BI ISH ER [GF ES October 20 thru October 26, 1999 Vol. 110 No. 42 Dallas, Pennsylvania Jrighttul fun abounds in Back Mountain Parents, kids get together at recess By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff DALLAS - Volunteers from the Wycallis Elementary School Parent-Teacher Orga- nization put on their best play clothes and shared some old- fashioned fun with students during recess last Thursday. The adults and children played traditional school yard games including jump rope, hopscotch, marbles and four square. “This is the second year we've done this,” said Nadine Young, a parent vol- unteer. “At Westmoreland last year, the kids didn’t have a lot of playground equipment and “they were playing tag all the time. We wanted to do some- thing a little different to make recess more fun.” Students appreciate the op- portunity to try new activi- ties. “Basically, there was nothing to do at recess most of the time and it was really boring,” said Kristen O'Brien, a fourth grader at Wycallis Elementary. “I like playing games and stuff so this is fun.” PTO volunteers have been busy making improvements to the new playground space behind the school so children can enjoy more variety at re- cess. “We painted some hop- scotch boards, a snail game area and a marble square and we hope to paint some more See RECESS, pg 3 Matt Yedesko tooka mighty leap on the hopscotch board at Wycallis Elementary during "Recess Day" last week. The school's Parent-Teacher Organization put on the program to bring kids and parents together. The program was so well- received the organization is planning to hold it three more times this school year. When the students at Westmoreland Elementary, there wasn't as much room for fun and games as their is now. Keeping an eye on Matt, from left: Arianne Schott, Mrs. Kim Smith, Andrew McCabe, Ben Lewis, Scott Yedesko and Alexandria Smith. For the rest of the story and more photos, turn to page 3. POST PHOTO/KASIA McDONOUGH By KEVIN KAZOKAS Post Correspondent BACK MOUNTAIN - Fright seekers can find scary surprises at three haunted sites in the Back Mountain this Hallow- een season. The Haunted Barn in Leh- man, the Haunted Forest at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, and the new Haunted Hall at the Harveys Lake Fire Company prom- ise those who attend an unforgettable night of bone-chilling horrors. The events will run for the next two weekends. Organizers at each venue plan plenty of heart-stopping surprises for their patrons, as well as special programs for young children that are free of gore and violence. There's cute stuff for the kids.” Visitors to the Haunted Hall, a fund- raiser for the Harveys Lake fire depart- ment, will encounter everything from a crematorium to a clown room during their guided tour. Volunteers worked hard for the past three months planning and constructing elaborate, spine-tin- gling thrills. Since the event is at a fire hall, it must @e dismantled while it is not in operation, then reassembled. This gives organizers the freedom to make subtle changes from one weekend to the next. “We have to tear down after every weekend,” Lucarino said. “You would never know it to go through. You would think it's permanent.” The Haunted Hall will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for the next two weekends. Admission is $3. Meanwhile, in its 17th year, the Haunted Barn in Lehman offers a night of eerie fright for those who dare attend. “The scariest part of the barn is that it’s we'll tone it down.” Larry Lucarino ire Dept. a self guided tour,” said Jonathan Pineno, who coordi- nates this fund-raiser which benefits the Lehman United Methodist Church Youth Fel- lowship Program, the Lehman Volunteer Fire Company, the Lake-Lehman chorus, and the Wyoming Valley Children’s Aid Fund. Visitors to the Haunted Barn must find their way through the dark, and will be met with hair-raising surprises along the way. “We have two or three people that roam around with chain saws,” Pineno said. “And the fire engine at the end seems to startle people because it’s so loud.” While not everything at the Haunted Barn is recommended for the young, children’s shows are planned on October 23and 30at 1 p.m.and 2 p.m., and again on October 31 at 2 pn. and 3 p.m. Advance reservations are required for these shows, which will offer refresh- ments and a short movie. Children must be in the third grade or younger, and must be accompanied by an adult. The Haunted Barn will be open Thurs- days and Sundays from 7 to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m. until Halloween. Discount coupons are PRR Wom Gravely the Butler is ready to serve at the Lehman Haunted Barn. available at area retail stores. Admission is $6. Students at the Penn State Wilkes- Barre campus in Lehman are busy pre- paring for the annual Haunted Forest, which benefits children with cancer at the Hershey Medical Center. Volunteers have spent dozens of hours transforming the forest at Penn State into a forbidding trail of terror. “We have a great work crew, it's just getting volunteers to come for weekend nights,” said Jen Bernick, coordinator of See HAUNTINGS, pg 8 (F<3} Lake-Lehman candidates stake out positions By KASIA McDONOUGH Post Staff LAKE-LEHMAN - Candidates for the Lake-Lehman school board express var- ied opinions about the issues facing the district, and how they should be handled. The Dallas Post asked candidates ques- tions about educational strategy, ad- equacy of capital improvements, financ- ing proposed construction, millage rates and the performance of the current school board directors. The answers. showed a wide range of opinion and understand- ing. The district, which has just begun the process of developing a strategic plan in accordance with state Department of Education requirements, received high marks from several candidates regarding its current plan to prepare students for life beyond the classroom. “It appears to me that the district has established an adequate plan to provide students with the tools necessary to succeed after gradu- ation from Lake-Lehman High School,” said Angelo DeCesaris, who is seeking a seat on the board as a representative of Region 2, in a written statement. “Admin- istration can only provide a plan, it is up to the students to apply themselves to maximize the benefits from the plan.” DeCesaris said his own children have appreciated and benefitted from the ef- forts of Lake-Lehman educators. “As a parent of four children, two of whom have graduated, and two still attending Lake- Lehman, as a senior and freshman, I continue to be impressed with the school’s See CANDIDATES, pg2 WR '08 Census estimates: Little growth in region | Officials questionhow accurate the figures are By KASIA McDONOUGH ‘Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - The number of Back Mountain residents is declining according to United States Census Bu- reau estimates. But local officials ques- tion the accuracy of the figures. This finding is contrary to the public perception that population is rising in this part of Luzerne County. “I'm sur- prised to hear the number of people living here has gone down,” said Charles Bartlett, Lehman Township Zoning Of- ficer. “It seems to have gone the other way.” New construction belies the decline. “What I see coming into the zoning office most often are permit requests for planned residential communities,” said Bartlett. “Recently, I've issued permits for devel- opments on Meeker Road, Loyalville Road and The Pines so it looks like this area is growing.” The Census Bureau produces popula- tion estimates for years since the last official census, which was taken in 1990. These figures are compiled from existing data including birth and death certifi- i cates, federal tax returns, medicare en- : rollment applications and immigration 1 papers. Estimates are used to determine federal funding allocations and to track demographic changes. Changes in population can have an impact onlocal government budgets. “The liquid fuels money is tied to population and to the total mileage of roads within the Township,” said Henry Zbiek, Jack- son Township Secretary. Jackson Township is the only Back ; Mountain community to experience sig- nificant growth in the 1990's according See POPULATION, pg 8 4 NDEX 16 Pages, 2 Sections Calendar.................& 16 Classified............. 14-15 Crossword.;............. 16 Eqitorials..........econei 4 Obituaries................. 14 School.........icvmesen hy Spons........o0. 9-10 CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@aol.com 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
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