It Vol. 117 No. 17 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 April 23 - April 29, 2006 SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS PSU W-B exceeds $8 million goal Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s campaign for a new academic commons building has topped its $8 million goal, thanks to a recent gift from campus alumnus ichard J. “Rick” Barry. The academic commons will con- tain an expanded campus library, as well as an art gallery, auditorium, classrooms, and study and meeting space for students. The two-story building will be named for the late Abram Nesbitt III of Wilkes-Barre. Nesbitt, his family and estate were ma- jor contributors to the campaign, which has now secured a total of $8.2 million in private and university funds. Barry also designated a portion of his gift to support conversion of the current campus library to a student services center. It will be named for John Murphy, the campus’ former stu- dent services director and mentor to many students, including Barry. “We are extremely pleased that the See PSU W-B, Page 8 The new academic commons at Penn State Wilkes-Barre will be located across from the historic Hayfield House, at left, in Lehman Township. TROUT a CE A YN SEASON ¢ Hundreds answer FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK The Soltysiak family - Mike Deb, Brett and Sean - of Tunkhannock boards a boat for the first day of trout fishing at Harveys Lake. By DAVE KONOPKI Post Editor lan Ide didn’t have too much trouble catching his limit of five trout, casting his line in Leonard’s Creek ear Beaumont. A short distance downstream, Dave Vernon and his grandson Alex Berlew didn’t have much luck, putting just one fish on the hook between them. S.: despite the difference in success, e 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. “T'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 and brother took out him out for a few urs to relax after a recent surgery. Ve were only out for a short time, but it was a beautiful day.” The fact that they returned home empty-handed didn’t put a damper on the day, says Stier. a —— nr dll. The family of Joseph Stier, Dallas, get ready for a day on the water at Har- veys Lake. “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 Wyecallis 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 Miranda Sayre, Jackson twp., casts into Leonard's Creek in Beaumont. 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 4 Allen Ide, Dallas, casts into Leo- nard’s Creek in Beaumont. good time. It was the first time I was 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.” i L Amusement parks focus of meeting 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¥alley Railroad Picnic Grounds. Some of the @arly attractions at the picnic grounds in- See AMUSEMENT, Page 8 Oliver resigns Lake-Lehman interim superintendent John Oliver Jr. resigned suddenly from the position late Thursday. He did not give a reason for the resignation. In a published report, Oliver’s son, John Oliver III, said he believed problems with the school board and administration that arose during a public budget meet- ing Wednesday night could have played a role in the deci- sion. Oliver Jr., a longtime prin- cipal who worked in the dis- trict for 36 years, retired in 2002 but returned to serve as the interim superintendent when superintendent Mi- chael Healey left for the same post in the Tunkhannock School District. Ol- iver began his duties April 1 and was expected to work until July 1. In an interview for a feature story that was scheduled to appear in today’s edition of The Post, Oliver said was enjoying himself and that returning to Lake-Lehman was like “being home again.” Oliver ¥ Inside The Post CIVIC ois iiniennsiteinnicisesnssmesiivesensssipsssarvioniens 3 gE IRA ER WRU GAR E 2&5 ONY YESIBrAaY ccisevisnitiinsnmsinsrerssssnsnsarmses 4 SCHOO isi iciiinbivivisnsissssss dines bivioses 6&9 SOILS... vsiiniss rs dnssarsssssssussesssnsssnsssansnss 7-8 v How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1871 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000
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