Vol. 117 No. 17 April 23 - April 29, 2006 OST 50¢ SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Former longtime principal John Oliver recently came out of retirement to serve as Lake-Lehman'’s interim superintendent. Oliver returns as interim superintendent By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor LEHMAN TWP. — So many things have changed on. the Lake-Lehman High School campus since John Ol- iver retired just a few years ago. The school itself — which is now home to the high school and junior high — is new. There’s a new gymnasium. And even many of the teachers aren’t the same. But at least one thing hasn't changed for the former long- time principal. “I've always had an affection for the Lake-Lehman School “I did when I was working here and I District,” Oliver said. still do today.” “They asked me to do them a favor.” John Oliver That’s one of the reasons Oliver stepped forward when School Board asked him to serve as the district’s interim superintendent. The su- perintendent’s position became vacant when Michael Healey left for the same post in the Tunkhannock School District. Oliver began his duties April 1. “They asked me to do them a favor,” said Oliver, who worked for 36 years in the district, including 29 years as a principal before retiring in 2002. “They needed a caretaker until a permanent su- See OLIVER, Page 8 Hundreds of fishermen answer casting call By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor Alan Ide didn’t have too much trou- ble catching his limit of five trout, cast- ing his line in Leonard's Creek near Beaumont. A short distance down- stream, Dave Vernon and his grandson Alex Berlew didn’t have much luck, putting just one fish on the hook be- ween them. But despite the difference in success, the three fishermen concluded the first day of trout season with the same senti- ment: it was a very enjoyable day. Hundreds of anglers took to the vari- ous waterways in the Back Mountain on Saturday morning. Fishermen young and old could be seen at places such as Harveys Lake, Bowman's Creek, Frances Slocum State Park, Leo- nard’s Creek and Moon Lake State Park. “I've been fishing pretty much all of my life,” said Ide, a Dallas resident who spent the day fishing by himself. “It gives me something to do. It gets you away from the grind. It’s nice to spend some quiet time with a fishing pole in your hand and a line in the water. It was pretty good fishing. I took me half of a day, but I got my limit.” Not everyone was as fortunate. “We caught nothing, not a thing,” said Joe Stier. The Dallas man spent a short time fishing on Harveys Lake with his father John, brother Dave, son’ Joey and niece Ashley. Stier’s father d brother took out him out for a few Vi ours to relax after a recent surgery. “We were only out for a short time, but it was a beautiful day.” The fact that they returned home od > empty-handed didn’t put a damper on the day, says Stier. “It’s all about the experiences,” said the 31-year-old. “Even when you don’t catch any fish, you can have a great time. It’s a great way to spend time to- gether.” Joey Stier says he enjoyed the time he spent fishing off the boat with his fa- ther, grandfather, uncle and cousin. “I like going in the water and being able to catch stuff,” said the 10-year-old Wycallis Elementary School student, who plans to go fishing for trout and salmon in Ontario, Canada in August. “Fishing for walleye is my favorite. They're big and challenging. Fishing is fun, but it requires a lot of patience. I like talking with my friends and family when I'm fishing.” Vernon spent most of the day fishing with his oldest grandchild. The pair spent about seven hours fishing in Leo- nard’s Creek, with Vernon catching just one trout, while 10-year-old Alex will be able to talk about the one that got away. “We weren't the only ones who didn’t have any luck,” said Vernon, who lives in Dallas. “There were about 20 people fishing around us and I think only four or five fish were caught. We still had a good time. It was the first time I was The Solty- siak family - Mike Deb, Brett and Sean - of Tunkhan- nock boards a boat for the first day | of trout fishing at Harveys Lake. FOR THE POST/ CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK able to take (Alex) trout fishing. He's learning. He does a pretty good job casting.” While he encourages his grandson in other activities — Alex plays youth baseball and basketball — Vernon says fishing is something that can be en- joyed for a lifetime. “I just want him to have a good time and enjoy the outdoors,” said Vernon, who has been fishing for almost four decades. “This is something he can have fun doing the rest of his life. I used to fish with my father and my friends. I've been doing it since I was a little kid. It’s nice to be able to do the same thing with my grandson.” ¥ Amusemen parks focus of meeting PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES PETRILLO The carousel was one of the many attrac- tions at the former Hanson's Park in Har- veys Lake. The bi-annual meeting of the Back Moun- tain Historical Association will discuss the “Amusements of the Back Mountain” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 in the Banks Stu- dent Center’s Kennedy Lounge at College Mi- sericordia. Local historian Charles Petrillo, author of “Harveys Lake” will be the feature speaker. The discussion will focus on the attractions at Harveys Lake — such as Hanson’s Amuse- ment Park — steamboats, hotels and other ac- tivities at the state’s largest natural lake. He will also talk about the former Fernbrook Park. Fernbrook Park was located in Dallas, where Offset Paperback is now located, along the Dallas and Harveys Lake Trolley Line. In 1928, Fernbrook Park advertised 18 amuse- ment rides for the season, one of which was the recent addition of a roller coaster de- signed by Herbert Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1926, named the Wildcat. The feature attraction of Fernbrook Park was the dance pavilion, capable of holding 2,500 people. During the Great Depression, rides were removed one by one until only the dance hall remained. The dance hall was later used as a skating rink before being closed in 1946. Don Hanson’s Amusement Park was situat- ed at Harveys Lake on what was once the Le- high Valley Railroad Picnic Grounds. Some of the early attractions at the picnic grounds in- cluded a dance hall, carousel, arcade, bowl- ing alley, a small roller coaster, miniature rail- road, swimming beach, and a Shoot-the- Chute. By the 1920s, attractions included a shoot- ing gallery, restaurant, bingo, a penny arcade, and dodgem cars. In the early 1930s, John A. Miller and Oscar E. Bittler built a 65-foot high roller coaster called the Speed Hound. In the 1940’s, more rides and attractions were added, including a Ferris wheel and a new miniature railroad. Hanson’s Drive-in Thea- ter was built in 1948 and Kiddie Land opened in 1950, featuring boats, fire engines, pony carts, a miniature whip, and the Starlight Ex- press, a small wooden children’s roller coast- er. In 1980, the Speed Hound roller coaster was structurally damaged and was removed. With rising insurance costs and declining at- tendance in the early 1980s, many local amusement parks — including Sans Souci, Angela Park and Rocky Glen — were forced to close. In its last years, the Merry-Go-Round, the Pretzel Ride, the Whip, and Flying Coast- er still served Hanson's. See AMUSEMENT, Page 8 ¥ Inside The Post 10 Pages, 1 Section CIVIC irae sil isin rms ssithensras shan sons 3 CAUICR ccna i iris iis 2&5 ONIY YESLOrQaY. . ci. onrsnrsssnsresssstssssszramses 4 SCHOOL. cots nmerpiirssieinsiisnraipsstintes 6&9 SPOILS ..coiviitinniniieini isiiisniindvien 7-8 How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000
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