6 The Dallas Post
Dallas, PA
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
EDITORIAL |
Take extra care driving now
that school’s in
The opening of school seems to occur earlier with each
passing year. It doesn’t, really, and perhaps we just don’t
want to let go of the summer vacation season; particularly
when it feels too warm and too soon for school to be back in
session. But it is, and that calls for a reminder to all drivers,
especially those who travel the many secondary roads that
wind through the Back Mountain.
Our society has tended recently to shift more responsibili-
ty onto children, and there may be nothing wrong in that, at
least when it comes to respecting others’ property and the
rule of law. But the difference between legality and real life
could bring tragic consequences if motorists don’t think be-
yond the basics of speed limits and rights of way as they
make their way past children walking to and from bus stops,
or to visit friends. Every parent knows that kids, no matter
how aware they may seem of the rules for safety around
roadways, are still kids and don’t always grasp the serious-
ness of their actions. And, like adults at the water cooler,
when congregating at bus stops they tend to fool around
and try to impress one another, often with the suspension of
common sense.
It's up to drivers to not only obey the traffic laws by con-
trolling their speed and stopping for buses, but to stay alert
for kids who aren't watching out for them as well as they
should. It would be cold comfort to know that you haven't
broken the law, but still a child has been injured or killed in
an avoidable accident. Don’t be an unintended victim of
tragedy; take the extra measures required to be an especial-
ly safe driver now that school is open again.
Publisher’s Notebook
I'm something of a sports fan, and more of a baseball fan,
but I think we need to draw the line on what constitutes
“big-time sports.” I'm talking about the broadcast of the Lit-
tle League World Series, which took place for a couple, of
weeks on ESPN and ESPN2 television, complete with effusive
commentary on the skills and character of the children on
the diamond, before wrapping up with the title game on
ABC. I see this as evidence either that sports fans are
. shamelessly hooked on any contest no matter how meaning-
less, or that broadcasters are more than happy to exploit any
event as long as they can sell advertising around it. Maybe
this phenomenon is evidence of both.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Little League baseball and
played it for all four years I was eligible. And I was an all-
star, playing in games that are the starting point for teams
trying to make it to Williamsport. I recall being a powerful
hitter, a flawless fielder and having a rifle arm, but my mem-
ory could be slightly off. Anyway, I had fun playing, and
learned some valuable life lessons, such as to avoid the
coach if he'd been drinking before practice and to not get too
close to a swinging batter. That was a painful lesson. But the
idea that I and my teammates might someday play a tele-
vised game while still wearing child size uniforms never
crossed our minds. That was something real players did, not
kids who were thoroughly annoyed that coach wouldn't let
us go swimming before a game.
If a bunch of 11 and 12-year-olds is good enough to be on
TV, what's next? Could it be pre-teens romping across pads
in the gym? Oops, that's already being done in gymnastics.
How about a rope jumping competition? That, too, has made
it to prime time. Perhaps Fox will come up with something
novel, like baby walker demolition derby.
Maybe I've got it all wrong, and televising Little League
simply confirms what we've known all along — that profes-
sional sports is nothing more than overgrown kids playing
children’s games, and we should take them just that serious-
ly. All except golf, of course.
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YESTERDAY
70 Years Ago - August 28, 1931
TROLLEY SERVICE
TO BE DISCONTINUED
Street car service to Idetown
will be discontinued and will be
replaced by busses of the Trac-
tion Company. The twenty
minute schedule now in effect
from Wilkes-Barre to Dallas will
be the same during the early
morning hours. The United
States Civil Service Commission
has announced open competi-
tive examinations as follows:
School social worker $2,300 a
year, and assistant radio opera-
tor (airways) $1,800 to $2,160 a
year. At the American Stores
Co. you could get: Campbell's
baked beans, 3 cans 30¢; sweet
peas, 3 cans 25¢; Eagle Brand
condensed milk,1 can 19¢;
bread, 1lb, 4 oz loaf 7¢; sugar
corn, 3 cans 25¢; coffee, lb
17¢; tomatoes, 3 ‘med. cans
25¢.
60 Years Ago - August 29, 1941
WORKMEN RELAY
850 FEET OF PIPE
The large scale relocation of
water mains in Dallas to make
way for highway construction
should be finished soon. Water
Company workmen are now
lowering a 100-foot section of
main crossing Toby's Creek be-
low Deven’s Mill. Largest project
of all was the relocation of 450
feet of water main beyond Cen-
ter Hill road to one side of the
lake boulevard. Michael Kuchta,
district manager for Common-
wealth Telephone Company,
Dallas, leaves for Clarks Sum-
mit to take over the manage-
ment of Commonwealth line
there. He has served Common-
wealth for 13 years, beginning
as clerk and succeeding Bert
Stroh as manager. At the
Himmler Theatre in Dallas,
some of the movies that were
playing were: “Blood and Sand”
with Tyrone Power and Linda
Darnell; “Sis Hopkins” with
Judy Canova; “Crime Does Not
Pay”; ‘Cowboy and the Blonde’
with George Montgomery and
“Here Comes Happiness” with
Mildred Coles.
50 Years Ago - August 31, 1951
BOROUGH SCHOOL BREAKS
RECORD WITH 86 DONORS
Red-Cross Bloodmobile Day at
Dallas Borough school estab-
lished a record of 86 donors.
~ The most interesting event of
the day was registration of
twenty employees from Coal-O-
Matic Stoker Co., including Paul
Gross, manager of the plant.
Col. Norman Smith, for twenty
five years coach and Director of
Athletics at Wyoming Seminary,
has resigned to become Recre-
ational Director at Spring Lake
Camp, Cuttingsville, Vt. Col.
Smith and his family had made
their home in Huntsville. Mem-
bers of Dallas Township Veter-
ans’ Agricultural Training Class
and the Upper Luzerne County
young Farmers’ Club under
floodlights helped Wilson Furr,
a 100 per cent disabled veteran,
erect a new poultry house on
his farm at Beaumont.
40 Years Ago - August 31, 1961
LAKE-LEHMAN BOARD
RELUCTANTLY CUTS
$89,000 FROM NEW SCHOOL
The Lake-Lehman Joint
School Board voted 16-2 to cut
$89,000 from their building
program bond issue in order to
avoid an injunction which could
imperil plans for the proposed
new school. There was strong
opposition to cutting the bond
issue, however, and several
members voted in the affirma-
tive only because they feared
losing the whole program. New
teachers will be employed by the
Dallas School District. They are:
Mrs. Leila Gerhart Anskis; Miss
Emma Elizabeth Engler; Mrs.
Ruth M.V. Fossedal; Arthur D.
Hontz; Alan Davenport Hus-
band; Leonard Kozick; Mrs.
Lena Misson Moore; Louis
Joseph Palermo; William E.
Price; Miss Judith Ann
Richards; Mrs. Manta Ruth
Steele, and Gerald J. Stinson.
Lake-Lehman High School
Band, will give a nationally tele-
vised performance of precision
marching at the Philadelphia
Eagles-Cleveland Browns Na-
tional Football league game in
Franklin Field, Philadelphia.
This is the first time that a local
End of line Ly
eys
8,
b its @ on a national
televiSion! hosk vp.
A
30 Years Ago - September 2, 1971
BOY SCOUT PLANS
BEAUTIFICATION EFFORT
Brett Slocum, a young would-
be Eagle Scout, Troop 281, has
been considering several diffi-
cult community service projects
to fulfill requirements for his
Eagle Scout award. The over-
grown triangle of land at the
junction of Routes 309 and 415
has received a face-lift thanks
to Brett.
‘The hard work consisted of
picking five bags of trash, mow-
ing, planting shrubs.
Five néw teachers have joined
the Gate of Heaven School fac-
ulty. They are: Carmela Cavan,
fourth grade; Susan Hand, fifth
grade; Sister M. Lucian and
Mrs. Thomas Jenkins in the
eighth grade.
Mrs. Ronald A. Ertley of
Country Club Road, Dallas, has
captured the 1971 Irem Women
Golfers title for the third con-
secutive year. The final round in
the 54-hold event was played at
the Irem Country Club course.
20 Years Ago - August 19, 1981
NEAR TOTAL LOSS FOR
BUSINESS AT LAKE
The summer of 1981 seems to
have been a near-total loss for
businesses at Harveys Lake.
The decline started with news
that ‘a ‘potentially damaging
form of algae had been found in
the lake water, and with the
closing of the six public beaches
business owners have agreed
‘that they have now lost the
sinpunet on which they were
counting on.
Jim Finengan and John Prate,
both 1979 Dallas grads, trav-
eled to upstate New York to
compete in the AAU champi-
onship marathon, a 26.2 mile
race aver a course which is be-
ing considered for the Olympic
marathon trials.
Harry Zacharias, 3d., of Beau-
mont was elected president of
the Bob Horlacher Memorial
Leagues held at meeting recent-
ly. Zacharias, who had been
serving as ¥ice-president of the
league, will succeed Richard
Hislop ef Orange.
@51qe)
Glee
Story Hour
registration
Sept. 4-8
Fall story hour registra-
tion Marilyn Rudolph an-
nounces that registration for
the Fall Story Hours will
take place September 4-8.
The story hours will begin
the first week in October; 3
to 5-year-olds on Wednes-
days and Thursdays, and
toddlers on Thursdays.
Book Store re-opening
The store will re-open on
Saturday, September 8.
They have a large number of
action comic books, many
puzzles, and a complete
turnover in children's books
since the auction. Hours are
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.;
Mondays, 1 to 7 p.m.; and
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 7
p.m.
Book discussion groups
The Monday morning group
is reminded that the first
book in our series, “Hanna's
Daughters,” is available at
the front desk at the library.
The other three books will
also be available after Labor
Day — ask at the desk if you
may pick up your set in the
Community Room. Payment
will be due at the first meet-
ing on September 24.
The evening group met re-
cently to discuss “Little
Women.” Pam Oliveira sent
this report: "The problem
was none of us could bear to
finish the book. We found
the characters to be shallow
and void of any emotions.
Several of us remembered
reading it in our youth, but
as adults the book did not
hold the same appeal.
So we would not recom-
mend this book, although I
hear the movies are some-
what better. I think Louisa
May Alcott's Little Women
just didn't compare to our
last of characters from Jodi
Picoults's “Plain Truth.” Jodi
is a tough act to follow".
The group will meet
Thursday, September 13, at
7 p.m. at the Stax to discuss
“Bag of Bones,” by Stephen
King. Pam says, "This book
is apparently the Stephen
King of the Millenium and a
departure from his typically
horror-filled books,” and
adds, "Come one, come all!"
Golf tournament The
tournament to benefit the li-
brary will be held at Irem
Temple Country Club in Dal-
las on September 17. For in-
formation, call the library at
675-1182.
* Engraved bricks It is
once again possible to order
an engraved brick to be
placed at the library en-
trance. The cost is $100 and
profits benefit the library.
The Back Mountain Memori-
al Library Organization of
Friends has order forms
available at the front desk.
Display Sally Stager has
placed in the case a selec-
tion of Cranberry Opalescent
ware made from 1930 to
1977 by the Fenton Art
Glass Company.
Her note explains that
"Cranberry Opalescent is
difficult to make in press-
blown shapes because it is
cased glass (Ruby over
French Opal). Most pieces of
Cranberry Hobnail, such as
baskets, vases and jugs,
were mold-blown. Actual
gold is used to make this
color of glass."
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