The Post
By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
Post Correspondent
DALLAS — Who knows
what woodland spirit inspires
Chris Berish. Who cares?
His Back Mountain neigh-
bors love to see each new cre-
ation and some have asked him
to carve up their tree trunks
and stumps, just as he has done
with many of his own.
“I just look at a tree and see
an image and pretty much pic-
ture something in that tree,”
Berish said in explanation.
Only certain tees — or certain
rocks — become bears, squir-
rels, or chipmunks.
“There’s a rock up there I
could pretty much carve a tur-
tle out of,” he said on a recent
afternoon. “It’s a flat rock stick-
ing up where I built the stone
®: but I haven't got to it yet.”
An avid hunter and lover of
nature originally from Ply-
mouth, his visions have turned
a modest corner lot in Dallas
into an outdoor sculpture gar-
den and landscaper’s delight.
Berish moved to Dallas two
years ago to enjoy a quiet
neighborhood and more of the
country scene. The previous
owners had not done much to
improve the property along
West Center Hill Road in Dal-
las, so Berish has constructed a
two-tiered water pond system
with a creek, and carved up the
tree stumps. The stumps are
chain-sawed and then fine chis-
eled to resemble men, bears or
other animals. N
“It’s nice to work with a chis-
el, but I like the chain saw best.
You can’t let the chain saw con-
trol you, though, you have to
have steady hands or you'll cut
Yolunteer ——
NEWS
Sunday, October 5, 2003 3
too far and there’s no way to
bring it back.”
He fondly displays his “mis-
take bear.” It’s the one with the
pointy ears. A Polynesian-look-
ing sculpture was supposed to
be a bear or a woman but the
trunk was too skinny. It (or
a, 2
Chris Berish takes a chisel to a tree stump that he roughed out using a chain
saw, left. In center, his “mistake bear” that became a man (woman?) with
she/he) had breasts and a big
belly. Berish now dresses him
up for the holidays.
Berish explains his compul-
sion humorously. “I was born in
the woods one day, and could
never sit still, and I love to be
outdoors.” So one day, sitting
in the woods waiting to catch
bear with a friend, he whittled
a small bear out of black wal-
nut. But the desire to carve was
really launched when he saw
chain saw carvers at Knoebel’s
Amusement Park.
Another influence and sup-
porter of his wood carving pas-
al Ll He a
“There’s a rock up
there I could
pretty much carve
a turtle out of.”
Chris Berish
Dallas
sion is his girlfriend, Kim
Brown, a rousing fan who chal-
lenges Berish, a car detailer, to
tackle bigger projects. “He’s al-
ways busy outside doing some-
thing, like his job isn’t enough,”
she said.
hris Berish finds the inner animal in trees and stones
Berish admits to some inher-
ited talent from his father, but
has never had any formal train-
ing. “It’s just a fun hobby and a
challenge to make something.”
Neighbors and friends give
him second opinions, ideas,
and donate materials. Berish is
almost ready to stain and
polyurethane the 6-foot carved
bear that stands in his yard.
But not everyone sees the same
thing he does. One woman
drove by and said, “That’s a
cute bunny you're doing there.”
Berish plans more carved
bears for his yard.
POST PHOTOS/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
distinct Polynesian overtones, center. At right, he started with the stone wall
and water garden.
Puppies help students at Dallas El learn to read
@®... from page 1)
very rewarding,” said Banks,
the mother of five children.
Banks is the daughter of John
and Pat Luke of Kingston
Township. She grew up near
Frances Slocum State Park, at-
tended Gate of Heaven Elemen-
tary School and Dallas junior
and senior high schools. She
will graduate in May from
King’s College with a double
major in psychology and neuro-
science.
“Boys or girls,
® whoever you work
with, they're
great.”
Margie Banks
Dallas
In addition to attending col-
lege, sometimes full-time, for
the last eight years and raising
five children, she volunteered
with Cub Scout Pack 155, was
assistant leader and leader for
her two older daughters’ Girl
Scout troops, and started a
Brownie troop for her two
younger daughters, which she
led through Junior Scouts and
now into two Cadette troops.
Her children, and therefore,
Margie, have participated in
sports ranging from softball
and baseball to basketball, field
hockey and wrestling. More-
over, she took a turn as stand
manager for Back Mountain
Baseball, started and managed
two travel field hockey teams
and delivered newspapers for
the Times Leader for over two
years.
She has taken her scouts on
numerous day trips and camp-
ing excursions. Her car, pur-
PumpkiniPatch
Pick Your Qwnh
Pumpkins
Hay, Straw, Cornstalks
Sat/Sun 10-6
Call for group rates 298-0962
309N to 29S. towards
1 . Noxen. Follow
f| orange signs.
POST PHOTO/M.B. GILLIGAN
Margie Banks is pictured with her youngest daughter, Aman-
da, at a recent Girl Scout meeting.
chased in February, already has
more than 13,000 miles on it.
“My mother was a Cub Scout
den mother and my father
coached mini football and little
league,” said Banks. “They
were always signing us up to
help out at the church too,” she
said in reference to her four
brothers and one sister. “I was a
Girl Scout through Cadettes
and earned the First Class
Award, which was one of the
highest you could receive.”
“Mama Marge,” as she is af-
fectionately known to many
young area girls, is currently
looking for an internship in her
field and has plans to continue
her education through a doctor-
al program. “I hope to be a cli-
nician and would like to work
with children and put all of my
volunteer experience to good
use,” she said.
Banks wholeheartedly en-
dorses volunteer work. “I really
enjoy the kids. They are each
unique and special and it keeps
me young. It also keeps you in-
formed about what is going on
in your children’s lives,” said
Margie. “Sometimes I think
people are just rushing from
the start to the finish, but you
have to enjoy it now because
when it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Banks lives in Dallas with her
husband, Chris. Their five chil-
dren are: Tim, 21, Jessica, 19,
Susan, 18, Becca, 13, and
Amanda, 12. “Boys or girls,
whoever you work with, they're
great. I don’t do it for any
recognition, I do it for the
kids,” said Banks.
Editor’s Note:
The Post will be publishing an occasional series on the contri-
butions volunteers make to our community. If you know some-
one who would make a good subject, let us know by dropping a
e-mail to dallaspost@leader.net or calling 970-7157.
VAN BE | =H \[® AVA] =f]
Showtimes effective Friday 10/03/03
DIANE LANE
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TUSCAN-SUN
PGs
‘Under the Tuscan Sun” has
romance, beautiful people, a
magnificent backdrop in Tuscany,
Rome and Florence, good characters
and a nice arc of hope.
= Reeling Reviews
All elements click in “Sun,” a
shimmering, deeply felt film
The Hollywood Reporter
aily 7:15 « Fri/Sat 9:30 %
at/Sun/Wed 1:15/3:30
mld $ftbos Foastionl
“ Nowhere in Africa
HELD Sun 1:00 » Mon 7:00
OVER! Whale Rider
Sun 4:00/7:00 « Tue 7:00
COMING SOON
INIT FR ARI E CRUELTY
ORGE CLOONEY
CATHERINE
ZETA-JONES
WYOMING COUNTY CULTURAL CENTER
FOR INFORMATION CALL 996-1500
LIVE ON STAGE!
An Evening of
One-Act Plays
by Tom Flannery
“Fight Like Hell Till
You Get to Heaven:
Moments with Mother Jones”
starring Agnes Cummings
directed by Bob Shiesinger
Presented in cooperation with Scranton Public Theater
“Wherever Working Men Go”
acoustic monologue
starring Van Wagner
“The Flying Girls”
(1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire)
starring Agnes Cummings
Oct. 3
(WITH OPENING
NIGHT RECEPTION)
Oct. 4: 8,9
Tickets $15 « All performances at 7:30 p.m.
The Origin of Place Names
in Nertheastern Pennsylvania”
07 i Wi ae 4
i Atectuiby © Tuesday, Oct. 7 - 7:00 p.m.
~D#Stiefdon Speer .-» $5.00
Dielricsr
THEATER
RE¥ial 4 at-Talal-T~
“MORE THAN THE MOVIES”
836-1022 www.dietrichtheater.com
=) PLAY BUILDING
> for 6-12 year olds
with Michaela Moore
$30 for all
six weeks
Saturdays
Oct. 4-Nowv. 15
THEATER
RESIal dat-1alal~-1~1 4
“MORE THAN THE MOVIES”
836-1022 www.dietrichtheater.com
In conjunction with the SPCA, students at Dallas Elementary who are having difficulty learning to
read, will now be a part of the puppy pals program. Beginning October 10, the school will be hosting
dogs from various locations to work as reading mentors. The Puppy Pals Program, created by the
guidance counselor, Betsy Jerome and Sharon Hartshorne, reading specialist, has children read to the
visiting puppies. The goal of the program is to make reading fun for the children and improve reading
scores at the same time.
The Puppy Pals program meets one time per quarter.
Q: Where do you find the most Back Mountain news each week?
A: Only in The Post
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