Vol. 115 No. 27 Inside this issue: 16 page guide to the auction aR “we POST TIMES. § LEADER The Back Mountain's Newspaper Since 1889 July 4 to July 10, 2004 os SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Fire company begins search for property cksville volunteers would like to add social hall, and perhaps move By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff TRUCKSVILLE — After 86 years, members of the Trucksville Volunteer Fire Company would like to have me fun. Or, more accurately, they'd like to have a place to hold fundrais- ing events, and perhaps eventually move their station. The fire company once owned a good chunk of property that straddled Carverton Road at the intersection with Route 309. But the parcel where the Uni-Mart convenience store stands was sold years ago. Then, in the early 1950s, the company gave to Kingston Township the entire lot that now holds the fire station and offices far District Justice James Tupper and the North Branch Land Trust. In re- turn, the fire company received a 99- year lease. While there was to be a nominal t for use of the space, “They haven't charged us in years,” said Robert Sarley, president of the fire company. Even with that favorable arrange- ment, Sarley listed several reasons why the department is looking for property. '“The fire hall, that’s all we have here,” is the first. While members have access to a large meeting room in Tupper’s area, it can’t be used for events because at any time it might be needed for an unscheduled hear- ing. Sarley said a social hall could be a source of funding both through fire pany activities and rental to out- parties. The company now relies almost exclusively on an annual mail- ing to solicit donations, along with modest fundraisers and the revenue from filling swimming pools. Boot drives, in which members collected donations from people stopped at the nearby Route 309 intersection, have been suspended because of the dan- ger posed by the increasing volume of fast-moving traffic. There also are concerns about the See FIRE COMPANY, pg 2 State Route 1001 in Tunkhannock Township closed PennDOT advises drivers that a section of State Route 1001 in annock Township, Wyoming ¢: will remain closed to traffic util further notice because of dam- age to a bridge. ‘A section of the bridge collapsed af- ter heavy rains. Traffic is being de- toured on US Route 6 to PA Route 92 to State Route 1002, a distance of about seven miles. Detour signs are posted. PennDOT is accessing the damage to determine whether the bridge can be repaired, or whether it will be nec- essary to replace it. The latest PennDOT traffic count shows an average of about 1,000 cars and trucks normally travel on that séction of State Route 1001 each day. Drivers can get updates on road- work in Northeastern Pennsylvania by checking out www.neparoads.com, PennDOT’s Northeastern Pennsylva- nia transportation website. the fireworks He'll have a happy Ath! Bryar Raspin, Lake Township picked out his favorite Fourth of July missile last week at tent inDallas Township. FOR THE POST/ CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent There is still time to help make this year’s Back Mountain Memorial Li- brary Auction run smoothly and suc- cessfully. : “I ask everybody. You have to par- ticipate in a thing to really appreciate what it is,” said Pauline Kutz, a volun- teer for 35 years, whose special inter- est has been the antiques committee. “I always emphasize the kids. It is a wonderful tradition for the children to i. a B Volunteer veterans BS Li BS JE se BWR 4% become part of. My own ™=--=EEEEEEEEEESSSS=== Ernie Ashbridge, a volun- children helped out as vol- unteers and like to come back home for the auc- tion.” The auction committee, as with most volunteer or- ganizations these days, has found it increasingly diffi- cult to recruit new volun- teers. - “The people who “It is a wonderful tradition for the children to become part of.” Pauline Kutz 35-year volunteer teer for 46 years. “People have so many other things to do. The core group of volunteers remains about the same year to year but we keep trying to get new volunteers.” Each year the commit- tee seeks people to as- sume co-chair or assistant have been doing it for years and years are getting up there in age and it’s get- ting difficult to replace them,” said chair duties so they can learn the ins and outs of the job in hopes of taking over the following year. welcome more help “One of our problems has been that when they see all the work that’s in- volved, they don’t always come back,” said Barbara Lemmond, who has been active with the auction for over 30 years. “A lot of us are getting older and tired. It’s exhausting work, but I don’t know what we'd do without the library. In addition, the auction is a great meeting place. That's the fun part.” Sybil Pelton agreed. Her special in- See VOLUNTEERS, pg 3 He Starting something new in 1940 called a “produce stand” By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent The only thing Merle Thomas real- ly wanted was to have his own ripe tomatoes for the Fourth of July. “I've never be able to get any ‘til a few weeks after the fourth,” he says. But he has seen the Back Mountain ¥ Inside The Post Tasty treats 12 Pages, 1 Section sunny skies at CAIENOAr cs veo win 12 RUFCA: siti aid 11 the Gate of ditorials Obituaries .<'... Jo. sos 5 Heaven bazaar Page 3 Tm, Mor Merle Thomas | is living local community ripen and grow over the eight decades and seven years of his life. Merle Thomas is something of a legend, simply by virtue of his loca- tion and longevity. His 10-month sea- sonal produce stand with greenhous- es, across from the Twin Stacks com- plex on Route 415, is well-known for vegetables and fruits in the spring and summer, Christmas trees and wreaths around the holidays. “Oh, I don’t have an official name RE Se HR Gl Py a § gan. S Fu w for it — never found a name good enough. What would you call this?” he teases. The colorful hand-painted signs and a few cars are the only clues the produce stand is there. “People know I'm here. I have the best prices around for the Christmas trees — $20 to $25. I get them from Joe Pramick in Loyalville.” Born in Dallas on Rice Street, where he still lives, as a young man Thomas farmed fields around the Back Mountain with his Welsh father, history FOR THE POST/ CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Merle Thomas set out a crate of sweet corn at his produce stand, off Route 415 across from the Twin Stacks Center. Arthur. “We grew corn and tomatoes in the fields around Huntsville dam, at the top of West Center Hill Road, in the VanHorn’s field where BiLo is now. That field was a good southwest- ern facing slope that got sun the first thing in the morning.” Thomas at one time worked for Danny Richards’ Economy Store, a brick building on Main Street that is the now-closed White’s Appliance store. The First National Bank of Dal- See HISTORY, pg 2 Page 10 Lake-Lehman High School honor students ¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-5211 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Page 7 Phillies win BMT Baseball championship Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Advertising: 970-7102 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 _ fn a
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