& The summer festival is one of the two 1 Vol. 117 No. 36 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 September 3 - September 9, 2006 50¢ SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Art-full harvest Amanda Kuczynski finds a wreath for her new house in Hunlock Creek among the treasures. Arts at Hayfield Summer Festival weathers deluge By GENELLE HOBAN Post Correspondent EHMAN TWP. — The contin- uous rainy weather last week- end transformed the 22nd an- nual Arts at Hayfield Summer Festival at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus into a sea of um- brellas. However, the rain didn’t stop visitors from walking up and down the commons to check out a variety of local craft ven- dor tents. Vendors sold everything from oil paintings to fresh baked goods to jewel- ry. This year’s event also featured live en- tertainment from the folk rock group Just Us and a live performance from the Back Mountain Theatre Group. Pam Castellani of Sweet Valley, owner of The Country Frog in Sweet Valley, sold wheat weavings, her self pro- claimed specialty, among other things at her booth. SEN key fund-raising activities of Arts at Hay- field, which supports fine arts, crafts and cultural performances in the Back Mountain and Wyoming Valley areas. The money raised from the festival supports the spring Poetry Festival, mu- sic and theatre offerings at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, celebrity luncheons and local library outreach books on the arts, as well as other things. Jessica Ryan, Lehman Township, checks out some handmade jewelry. See HARVEST, Page 3 “We come to a lot of these community events that are for a good cause. We display what we love to do.” Pam Castellani Owner of The Country Frog PHOTOS FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Despite the rain, Richard Beck of Benton carved a bowl from wood during the annual arts festival held on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus. = =. TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/DON CAREY Red Jones calls his final square dance after more than 50 years of entertaining local dancers. ones recalls good times In community The former Lake-Lehman school board member returned home to the Back Mountain to call his last square dance By GENELLE HOBAN Post Correspondent Editor’s note: This is part of our occasional “10 Minutes With ...” question and answer series. If vou would like to recommend someone for the feature, e-mail editor Dave Konopki at dkonop- ki@leader.net or call hum at 829-7248. In 1951, after a caller failed to show for a square dance — and following some encouragement from his brothers — 13-year-old Joseph “Red” Jones marched up to the stage and called his very first square dance. Some Back Mountain resident might also re- member Jones from his 14 years of serving on the Lake-Lehman School Board, as a Luzerne Coun- ty commissioner, or from his career in sales man- agement. After undergoing triple-bypass surgery last fall, Jones and his wife of 45 years, Marie, relocat- ed to Forsyth County, Ga., to live with their daughter and avoid the harsh winter. The pair liked the area so much they decided to purchase a home of their own. The 68-year-old Jones recently called his final square dance in the Wyoming Valley after 55 years of taking the stage for countless events and organizations. GH: What is your fondest memory of the Back Mountain now that you live in Georgia? RJ: “The Lake-Lehman School District is prob- ably my fondest memory because when we lost our home in Plymouth Township to the flood of "72 we moved out to Lehman and my kids started school there. I loved going to see my children play basketball and perform in the band. There were a lot of close-knit families in that communi- ty. The teachers and the administration were ex- cellent too. “The Back Mountain area as a whole, I believe, is a beautiful place to live, raise children and wor- ship no matter what religion you are.” GH: How did you first get involved in politics? RJ: “I started in politics at 15 years old. I had a lot of respect for some older guys back in the 1950s. I always tried to be around them. Chappy Lore, who was tax collector, taught me about the game. I was so in awe to see these politicians, how they talked to people and served the public. In those days they were respected. I think it’s a very honorable profession if you keep it honor- able.” GH: Of all the offices you could have sought, why did you choose to run for school director? RJ: “When we moved up to Lehman, I never thought of running for school director. An out- standing school director from my region wanted See 10 MINUTES, Page 3 ¥ Inside The Post 8 Pages, 1 Section Puzzles Church Services Dn linn gE Rh a So Ket AO wi WIE Ss SORRENTO ER ho Church Briefs Civic Briefs eesscsssensses #0000000 000s0sssse0e 0000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000 ocoumwhNN Sports ¥ How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000
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