PAGE 6 THE DALLAS POST Sunday, April 6, 2008 CIVIC BRIEFS Ecumenical musical comes fo Music Box “Meshuggah-Nuns,” the new ecumenical “Nunsense” musi- cal by Dan Goggin will be held today, April 6, and April 10-13 at the Music Box Dinner Play- house, 196 Hughes St., Swoyersville. Tickets are available for dinner/show or show only. Curtain time is 8 p.m. Thurs- days through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Dinner is served 90 minutes before curtain. Call 283-2195 or 800-698- PLAY for reservations. Battlefield guide will speak to Round Table The Wyoming Valley Civil War Round Table will intro- duce Paul Cooksey as its speak- er at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, in the lower level of the Daddow-Isaacs American Le- gion Post, Route 415, Dallas. A licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg for 23 years, Cooksey will give his presenta- tion on “Pickett’s Charge.” The program is open to the public. Spaghetti dinner scheduled for Aprif 12 The Franklin Twp. Volunteer Fire Company will hold an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. Dinners include spa- ghetti, meatballs, salad, bread and butter, beverage and dess- ert. Cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 7-12 and free for those 6 years of age and young- er. Proceeds from this event help support the company, equipment, and training. For advance tickets, call 333-5970. Pickering Society to meet on Saturday The Colonel Timothy Picker- ing Society Children of the American Revolution will hold its second annual meeting on Saturday, April 12, at the Cas- tle Inn in Dallas. Officers for the 2008-2009 year will be installed. The speaker for the meeting will be James May, Chaplain US Army Retired. For more information, please contact pickeringsociety@ya- hoo.com. Walkathon benefits Children's Association Northeast Pennsylvania Family, The region’s original family resource guide, is spon- soring the "Do It For The Kids" Walk-A-Thon and Fun Day to benefit Wyoming Valley Children’s Association at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Children’s Association’s future home — 1133 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The event will include a 5K (3.1 mile) walk, children’s PACE TOURS Finger Lakes 4/26-27 “Wine & Cheese Weekend” Wine Tasting, Room 2 Meals & Snacks: $249 Hunterdon Hills 4/20 with Charlie Prose $99 Finger Lakes 1-Day May 10 $119 Culinary Institute of Amer. & Wine Tasting 6/17 $94 Phila. Phillies $67 6/22, 7/6, 7/27, 8/10 Little Mermaid 6/7 $135 Wicked 9/17, 10/1 only $119 (orchestra seats) LUA ANA o Tel) (e110) rs.com 570-883-9797 Take Flight Destinations By Denise UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT® 3 Nights/4Days starting at $1,104 per family of 4 Includes 2 park Fun, Food & Drink combo, 1 day admission to Seaworld® with 2nd day free LAS VEGAS 2 FOR 1 SPRING/SUMMER SHOW OFFER Stay at one of the Harrah’s Entertainment Las Vegas Properties For More Information on Packages (0711 Ey | By BX. { www.takeflightdestinations.com An independent associate of Dugan’s Travels activities, a bake sale and more. All proceeds from the event will be used by Wyoming Val- ley Children’s Association to provide physical, occupational and speech therapy to local children who have disabilities and preschool education to all children. To register to walk, call Wyoming Valley Children’s Association at 829-2453. Chicken Bar-B-Que set for April 13 A Chicken Bar-B-Que will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, at the Noxen Volunteer Fire Company, Stull Road. Price is $7 per diner and takeouts will be available. Victorian Dinner will benefit CCK group The Wilkes-Barre Women’s Organization for Networking (WW.O.N.) will sponsor a “Victorian Dinner” to benefit “Community Cares for Kids” (CCK), an all-volunteer orga- nization operating on children with severe birth defects and disfiguring injuries, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, at Tribeca Center (formerly Victo- ria Inn), Route 315, Pittston. The night will feature an Introduction on CCK by Dr. Francis Collini, board-certified plastic surgeon; Lisa Lewis, “A Victoriana Lady,” speaking on the Victorian and Edwardian eras along with vintage cloth- ing, demonstrations and props; music by “Melinda” featuring the soft music of various artists such as James Taylor and Elton John. There will be a buffet dinner, dessert and cash bar and raffle tickets available. Cost is $36 per person. For tickets and additional informa- tion, contact Mary Ann Rubin at 298-2616. Open Mic Night slated for Apnl 19 An Open Mic night for poet- ry and acoustic music will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Mary Steg- maier Mansion, Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre. The event is being conduct- ed by Janelle Marshallick, a junior at Dallas High School, as her senior completion pro- ject and is open to high school and college students only. Anyone wishing to perform should pre-register by April5 by calling 675-0163. Prizes will be awarded. Tues SL ] Sas sy Fo. dm yy a bh Sth dn A ESTER Ete) pan; a SA SoA EL Be swept Away ~~ | y the Most Awe-Inspiring and Respected Modern Dance ian in the World! Na to ol CATER LN Experience the Thrill... Paul Taylor Dance : Company Master Class 4 April 15 + 11:00 AM Call Kirby Center for Information (570) 823-4599, ext. 242. Eat | VULCAN Continued from Page 1 Spohrer and his six children op- erated Marney Railroad at the site on weekends as the railroad provided passengers with scenic rides along the river. Marney Railroad continued to run until the flood of 1972 devas- tated the Henschel and Son en- gine which was sold and now sits in a barn in St. Mary's, Pa. Not even a flood could damp- en Spohrer’s interest in train en- gines. Within a year after he re- tired from practicing law in 1993, he purchased a Cagney steam lo- comotive engine that had been manufactured in 1903 and used at an amusement park. After ob- taining 600 feet of panel track for the engine, Spohrer spent 1996 to 2002 laying track at the Good- will No. 2 Hose Co. Bazaar in Plymouth and giving rides to at- tendees for a fee which he donat- ed to the fire company. The Cag- ney engine was sold in 2005 to the Strasburg Railroad in Lan- caster County, where it operates daily. While touring the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scran- ton in 1987, Spohrer noticed what looked like a Vulcan en- gine. When he learned the tour guide had no idea what a Vulcan engine was, he realized there was a need to promote aware- ness of the engines. Vulcan engines were the prod- uct of Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre. The company opened in 1849 and produced mostly steam locomotives that were shipped worldwide. In 1883, Pittston Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre Iron Works and Vulcan Iron Works merged with a $586,000 capital, amounting to what Spohrer says would be the equivalency of about $25 million today. The Vulcan office was in the building on South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre where the Wilkes- Barre Area School District Ad- ministration is now housed. Oth- er Vulcan locations were in South Wilkes-Barre, Hanover Township and West Pittston. The American, British, French, German and Italian armies all owned Vulcan engines and Vul- can engines were rampant in Northeast Pennsylvania coal yards. Many of the engines were sold during World War I and World War II. At its peak during World War II, the company em- ployed about 2,500 people. “Vulcan was a very prestigious place to work,” Spohrer said. After the war, Vulcan switched to making diesel electric en- gines, but struggled to compete against General Electric and General Motors and was forced into bankruptcy in 1954. Vulcan Engine No. 4385 was manufactured by Vulcan Iron Works in 1942 in Wilkes-Barre. It was one of the first diesel electric pik ¢ yf Pow { 2 ™N rich ERR CON HN to transported to RMDI. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/FOR THE DALLAS POST George Spohrer and Ron Delevan, owner of RMDI Locomotive Services at the Coxton Railyard in Duryea, are shown in front of Vulcan Engine No. 4385. Vulcan Engine No. 4385, which weighs over 45 tons, was taken apart into two pieces and lifted by crane onto two flat bed trucks in order to be Vulcan Engine No. 4385 sits at RMDI Locomotive Services at the Coxton Railyard in Duryea. Owned by the Luzerne County Rede- velopment Authority, the train awaits restoration to its original 1942 condition. engines built for the U.S. Army and was sent to San Antonio, Texas. After the war, the engine went into private industry. Engine No. 4385 returned to Wilkes-Barre in the 1970s when it was bought by the City of Wilkes-Barre. Marvin Roth, a lo- cal vending distributor, procured the engine along with 20 rail cars and the Market Street Square station complex. Roth turned the site into a restaurant and ho- tel. The property was later sold to Thom Greco and Vulcan En- gine No. 4385 deteriorated from weather, vandals and thieves. In 2005, Spohrer looked into the possibility of obtaining Vul- can engine No. 4385 and having it restored. The Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority pur- chased Market Street Square complex and Spohrer was put in charge of the engine’s restora- tion. The authority owns 65 miles of railroad in the county from Avoca to Ashley on the east side of the Susquehanna River and from Exeter to Kingston on the west side of the river. Spohrer would like to see the engine run with passenger cars and a dining / | Sriscals | The World Renown sponsored by THE TIMES LEADER For Special Student and Group Ticket Sales, “9 71 Public Square, Wilkes Call Kirby Center Box Office (570) 826-1100 Jarre, PA 18701 « kirhycenter, org + ticketmaster.com - Visit: ptde.org nm, car to provide people with a sce- nic ride of the Susquehanna Riv- er. He says the closest dining car train ride available is in the Wil- liamsport area and is very pop- ular, with reservations booking weeks in advance. “Sadly, when you get out of this area people think of us as an- thracite coal and the United Mine Workers and strikes,” Spohrer said. “By restoring this engine to operating condition, we’ll be announcing to the world Wilkes-Barre was a center of in- dustry other than coal.” Vulcan Engine No. 4385, which weighs over 45 tons, was taken apart into two pieces and lifted by crane onto two flat bed trucks. The sections were trans- ported to RMDI Locomotive Services at the Coxton Railyard in Duryea. RMDI owner Ron De- levan paid for the crane and transportation costs. Spohrer says it will be easy to restore the engine because it still has two Cummins diesel engines and has replaceable Westin- ghouse generators and motors. It’s now just a matter of raising the money needed to do so. “| wanted to preserve it, at least the memory of it, because for 105 years Wilkes-Barre produced a product found through- out the world.” George Spohrer Restoring Vulcan diesel engine Vulcan Pride Ltd. is the non- profit, formed to raise money for the en- gine. So far, about $17,000 of the $175,000 to $200,000 needed to restore the engine has bee raised. Zebra Communications) a student-run public relations agency at Wilkes University, has volunteered its services to assist with raising funds. With Zebra's ¢. help, over $1,100 was raised in one day last fall at a fundraiser at” Barnes & Noble in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Zebra's latest effort to help Vulcan Pride Ltd. is the upcom- ing gala. Spohrer will attend the gala and is willing to answer questions about Vulcan Iron Works but isn’t sure yet whether he will be dressed 1940s style. “I'd have alittle trouble getting into my Navy uniform,” the mil- itary veteran joked. Spohrer is also hoping to se- cure state or federal grant money for the preservation. Once enough money has been raised, it should take about 18 months to restore the engine and Spohrer would like to see the en- tire project complete in two years. He would also like to be an engineer for the Vulcan Engine No. 4385, as he is qualified to op- erate it. “The important thing is to i troduce to your generation that Vulcan was known worldwide,” Spohrer said. “That’s why I want to restore it. That's why I'm ex- cited about this.” i Florenc Venice & Rome ITALY TOUR including Vatican City, Assisi, Siena and San Gimignano! Contact Karen Davis BLACK DOG TRAVEL TOURS, Dallas, PA 9 Days / 7 Nights | November 2nd-10th, 2008 > $1999,% Per Person with payment by credit card. $50 discount for payment by cash. All rates are per person, twin occupancy, plus $281.95 in air and departure taxes (subject to change). 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