C
Vol. 111 No. 28
Dallas, Pennsylvania
By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
Post Staff
TRUCKSVILLE - His favorite food is
ice cream and he loves Tarzan. Sasha,
a bright, good-looking 8-year-old,
splashes in a pool in Trucksville, frol-
icking in the summer summer sun in
the same way any American kid would.
But Sasha, whose real name is
Alexander, has another mission. Sasha
is a Russian orphan, and he wants a
real home, a real mom and dad, a
family he can call his own.
Sasha comes here through an Ameri-
can program called “Kidsave”(
www.kidsaveinternational.org) that ev-
ery summer places Russian orphans in
American homes with the hope that the
children might be adopted by an Ameri-
can family. Barbara Kryger and hus-
band Brunon, Kingston, the regional
coordinators of the program for the
past three years, arrange the five-week
stay for the families and children. This
summer 24 children have come to the
U.S. The Krygers themselves have one
adopted child and three natural chil-
dren.
“When you host a child you are
POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
Zack Harvey of Trucksville, left, frolicked in the pool with 8-year-old Sasha, a Russian orphan who is staying in Pennsylvania for five weeks
this summer while families decide if they can adopt him. Several children are guests in homes in the Back Mountain.
Orphaned children visit in quest for a fresh start, loving families
responsible to invite as many families
as possible to meet the child,” says Gina
Major Ackerman, Dallas, a prospective
adoptive parent, and host family to
Sasha. Gina's own story of the adoption
process is interesting, unusual, and as
yet unfinished.
Neither Bill nor Gina Ackerman have
See ADOPTION, pg 3
Newspaper Since 1889
The Dallas Post
SIS SAVAIN ICTR o | =RGIG1\V/I\V IS] NI HEI =SSN@ 1 =i lw | =H B VAN BN BANS TS WAY 4 =51 =) | \V ANN BST 01 5 [0 [@] BE BI ISH Bl 21 [63 BS
POST PHOTO/BILL GOODMAN
Bishop David Strobel and Pastor
Charles Grube stand before the site of
the new altar.
St. Paul's breaks ground for new church
By BILL GOODMAN
Post Staff
SHAVERTOWN - Next year, the con-
gregation of St. Paul's Lutheran Church
will have a bigger, more accessible place
to worship after 75 years in its current
location across from Gordon's Insurance.
“The new building is going to be a
wonderful tool for the ministry,” said
Charles Grube, pastor of the church.
Finding the new property was, in,
Grube’s words, “a fortuitous event.” The
property search committee looked at sev-
eral different plots, and the new grounds
and building will give the church more
room for growth and visibility. The con-
gregation was in favor of the move, and
acceptance was above 90 percent, said
Phil Dale, a member of the congregation.
Although the process started before
Middle school roof to be fixed
Q Building will be replaced
in two years, but repairs
“can't wait, board decides
By BILL GOODMAN
Post Staff
LEHMAN - The Lake-Lehman board of
school directors has authorized the re-
pair of the the aging roof on the middle
level building. In an 8-1 vote, the board
authorized $48,322 to redo the gymna-
sium, kitchen and shop areas. Stanley
NF
hel
Moser, Director of Building and Grounds
and architect Douglas Trumbower both
stated that the roof could not be patched
again. Robert Allardyce cast the lone vote
against the replacement, saying that the
matter should be looked into.
“The roof is bad,” said Robert Roberts,
interim superintendent of schools. “It’s
been patched to the point where it can’t
be patched anymore.” The building, said
Roberts, would be around for at least two
years. Until has recent appointment as
interim superintendent, Roberts was prin
See ROOF, pg 8
May of 1995, that was just the date the
congregation voted to move and build a
new church. Since then, the members of
the church formed committees to select
new grounds, an architect, and a builder.
A committee was also formed to look into
financing the move. “It was a very inten-
sive process,” said Joe Hardisky, a mem-
ber of the design committee, and a mem-
ber of the church since 1972.
The current church is limited by space
both inside and out. “We ended up
Andy Chacko accepted his gold
medal. His wife, Rita, stood behind
him. That's Miss Texas on the left.
hanging curtains between Sunday School
classrooms,” said Hardisky. The new
property in Dallas Township has 11 acres
of space compared to the two acres in
Shavertown the church currently owns.
The current church was builtin 1926,
and some additions and renovations have
been made during those 74 years. The
congregation did look into renovating
and adding to the building, but that
wasn't practical given the space on the
current property. Any expansion would
have cut into the already limited parking.
Still, the transition won't be without
some pain. “The congregation has always
been concerned with the building. A lot
has happened here. Leaving here won't
be easy,” said Grube.
The new building will be bigger in
See ST. PAUL'S, pg 8
Disabled veterans
bring home medals
Andy Chacko and Dan Conte came
home from the 20th Annual National
Veterans Wheelchair Games with some
gold and silver draped around their necks.
Chacko, 68, of Dallas, placed first in
the ramp bowling competition, and sec-
ond in both the motorized, hand-con-
trolled slalom and motorized wheelchair
rally. Conte, 52, of Harveys Lake, won
two gold medals, one each in ramp bowl-
ing and motorized wheelchair rally. He
See VETS, pg 8
50 cents
July 19, 2000 thru July 25, 2000
One town’s
rec park a
model for
SUCCESS
Editor's Note: As plans progress for a
regional recreation park in the Back Moun-
tain, The Dallas Post will occasionally
take a look at recreational facilities in
similar communities.
By BILL GOODMAN
Post Staff
SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - Recre-
ational parks, no matter their size, can be
a success with proper planning, said
Mark Dougherty, South Abington Town-
ship supervisor. The recreational park in
South Abington Township near’ Clarks
Summit was designed to be used by all
age groups. “I see people there every day
on my way to work,”
The park is open all year, and features
fields for baseball, softball and soccer
leagues, volleyball courts, and walking
trails. Dougherty said the community
uses the park as well for picnics and
church services. Local schools use the
park for field trips.
For South Abington Township, the
design of the park came first and the
planners decided to build the park in
phases. After almost 10 years, construc-
tion of the park is almost complete. A
splash fountain for children willbe added
next year. The fountain cost almost
$150,000, and the park received a
$25,000 grant through former State Rep-
resentative Frank Serafini’s office.
“Most of the park was built with state
grants,” said Dougherty. The community
also has fund drives that bring in almost
$30,000 a year. South Abington Town-
ship also contributes between $20,000
and $30,000 a year.
The park land is owned by the Penn-
sylvania Turnpike Commission, the
Abington Heights School District and
South Abington Township, and the walk-
ing trails are leased from the Theta Land
Corporation. Park supervisors have
worked with the township and the turn-
pike for easements. “The owners of the
land have always been very supportive of
the park,” said Dougherty.
After the fountain is complete,
Dougherty said he would like to see more
See PARK, pg 8
14 Pages, 2 Sections
Calendar................... 14
Classified............. 12-13
Crossword................ 14
Editonals..........c.csocons. 4
Obituaries........ccc....... 2
School..........coooiingerss 11
SPOrS.....iui hides 9-10
CALL 675-5211
FOR HOME DELIVERY,
NEWS OR ADVERTISING
E-mail: dalpost@epix.net
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