Vol. 117 No. 40 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 October 1 - October 7, 2006 The DALI AS: POST SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS DOWNTOWN RENOVATION The former Himmler Theater closed in 1964. Curtain expected to rise in former Dallas theater A $2.5-$3 million project is reviving the old Himmler Theater on Lake Street A new breath of life is in the stars for two historical buildings on Lake Street in Dallas. And the Back Mountain community is hoping to reap the benefits of he future renovation project. Built in 1927, the former Himmler Theater has remained silent for more than 40 years. Since its closing in 1964, the the- ater has been used primarily as warehouse space, first by the former Dallas Dairy and most recently the former LL. Richardson Dodge dealership. The adjacent dealer- ship showroom building closed in 2005, following a lonz history of its own. The Back Moun- @: Arts Associ- ion, a nonprofit or- ganization in its for- mative stages, is dedicated to reviv- ing the theater. Funding for the $2.5 to $3 million project is anticipated to come from grants, as well as public and private donations. Being considered within the future renovation of the historic movie house is the possibility of constructing an approximate 200-seat community cultural arts center that could serve as a local venue for a variety of ama- teur and professional entertain- ment avenues, including local dance and community theatre groups. The former showroom is also expected to play a new and ex- citing role in the community. The lower level is the future home for a cooperative effort be- tween College Misericordia and ists. Arts YOUniverse of Wilkes- Barre, to create a unique venue for art classes, as well as possi- ble workshop space for local art- Through its fine arts pro- “We see this as an exciting op- portunity for the community to pull together and create something that we can all val- ue.” Chris Matus Property owner gram, College Misericordia is considering offering art courses in the building for its students and the public. The upper show- room level is also available to ac- commodate a business that would compliment the overall project theme. “The arts and higher educa- tion are intermingled in such a way that it would be a shame not to take advantage of this won- derful opportunity,” said Col- lege Misericordia president Michael MacDowell. “We have many students involved in the per- forming arts, and of- fer photography on campus. This facili- ty gives College Mi- sericordia the op- portunity to expand our visual arts offer- ing to students and to the Back Moun- tain community that we have served for over 82 years.” As efforts contin- ue for the revitaliza- tion of the center of Dallas, Col- lege Misericordia and borough officials plan to work with the building owners Chris and Re- becca Matus of Dallas, who pur- chased the two properties last fall in hopes of reviving them. “We see this as an exciting op- portunity for the community to pull together and create some- thing that we can all value,” said Chris Matus. Borough manager Moskovitz is excited about the future of Dallas. “These are exciting times for the borough and its downtown, Joseph See HIMMLER, Page 7 Plans are being made to transform the former Himmler Theater to a community cultural arts center. “It's very scary. Logan doesn’t have the fears about cars and stairs that you and | have. We're trying to teach him to say ‘ouch’ or ‘boo boo’ when he hurts him- self." Gary Masters Father of son with Smith-Magenis syndrome By DAVE KONOPKI Dallas Post Editor HUNLOCK CREEK - For more than two years, family members and friends assured Gi- na and Gary Masters they were the parents of a normal, active, healthy son. Nothing more. But the Masters could tell something wasn’t quite right with their son Logan. At 2 years old, he still wasn’t speaking. He randomly banged his head off the floor and corners of tables. He used his fingers as a claw to tear the skin away from his ears. And there were times he placed his hands on top of a space heater and never pull back his hand from the pain. “Everyone kept telling us ‘oh, he’s just being a boy,” said Gina, a 1992 graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School. “People told us he wasn’t talking because he’s our only child and we're always doing things for him. Everyone told us he was fine.” Seven months ago, a doctor at Geisinger Medical Center in Dan- ville gave the Hunlock Creek cou- ple the reason for their son’s be- havior. Logan has Smith-Magenis syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by a specific pat- tern of physical, behavioral and developmental features. “We didn’t know anything about it and we immediately thought the worst,” said Gary, a 1992 graduate of Lake-Lehman High School. “The doctors office called at 7 p.m. and asked us to come a few weeks earlier than our scheduled appointment. They could tell we were scared, so the doctor gave us the diagnos- is on the phone.” The Masters family of Hunlock Creek, from left, Gary, Logan and Gina, have been dealing with 3-year-old Logan's battle with Smith-Magenis syn- drome. FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK A love that never hurts MER deletion of the 17th chromosome. The syndrome is the result of the lack of a 17th chromosome. Some of the common symptoms of Smith-Magenis are self injury, head banging, insensitivity to pain, eye problems, a lack of depth perception and learning disabilities. The body of some- one with SMS doesn’t produce melatonin. Three-year-old Logan Masters has Smith-Magenis syndrome, a “Once we started learning more about (Smith-Magenis), we started to put all of the character- istics together and it made sense,” said Gary, 32. “Logan has so many of the classic symp- toms.” In addition to behavioral prob- lems, there can also be speech de- lays. Many children with SMS YOU CAN HELP The L.OG.A.N. Foundation is hold- ing a golf tournament at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Mill Race Golf Course. The cost is $80 per person for the captain and crew event. The fee includes golf, cart, lunch, beverages and a party. For more information, call Gina or Gary Masters at 477-3454. To learn more about Smith-Magenis syn- drome, visit the Web site prism- s.0rg. learn to communicate verbally, with sign language. The 3'2-year- old Logan knows approximately 150 words in sign language and has a vocabulary of about 12 words his family can understand — from Mama to Papa to Bob (SpongeBob Squarepants) to Momo (“Sesame Street’s” Elmo) to pizza. : “Going through this definitely tests the kind of person you are,” said Gina, 31. “It made me appre- ciate everything in life. Some- thing like this could test a rela- tionship between husband and wife. With (Gary) being by my side, I fell in love with him more. I think we're stronger as a couple.” The Masters recently founded the L.O.G.A.N. Foundation. The acronym stands for Little Ones Genetic And Neurological. The foundation is in the process of re- ceiving its 501-C tax exemption status. “Our dream is to open a clinic in the Back Mountain for any child or adult that needs ther- See LOGAN, Page 7 HONORING THE ELDERLY a a TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/S. JOHN WILKIN Members of the Eastern De- laware Nation recently held a powwow at the Lakeside Nurs- ing Home in Harveys Lake. The theme of the powwow was “Gathering in Honor of Our EI- derly.” The American Indians have been holding the event at the nursing home for the past six years. "It's my favorite pow- wow because the residents here enjoy it so much,” said Eastern Delaware Nations sub- Chief John Taffe, who has at- tended each year since the powwow began. Resident Peg- gy Lassourreille, who is part American Indian, carried the nursing center wooden staff, adorned with leather and feathers, into the dance circle during the grand entrance. At left, Pete Blackwolf, a member of the Eastern Delaware Nation, leads a men's traditional dance. ¥ How To Reach Us News: 675-521 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 1871 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 A new lacrosse pro- gram is forming in the Back Mountain zles Test your knowledge with puz- Library adds new books ¥ Inside The Post 8 Pages, 1 Section ChUICh NEWS ....c..cosvcvssmsurroresiese 2 Obituaries 3 PUZZIES ...ciinsressiniosnsrsssnssassssivine 2 Schools.... dD SPOILS ..ciiitiersesssisnssanirsseisronsns 6-7
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers