Vol. 121 No. 23 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 July 4 -10, 2010 50¢ Serving the communities of the Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts | www.mydallaspost.com ~ Honoring all area veterans By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Wanting to put meaning be- hind the word “memorial” in the name Back Mountain Memorial Library, a local Eagle Scout pre- sented a monument to honor World War II veterans on Tuesday evening. Eagle Scout An- drew San- tora of Sha- vertown said the li- Ye brary was : i named in Santor 1945 in honor of all who served during World War II. Santora, however, noticed there was nothing on the grounds stat- ing so. An Eagle Scout project is a pro- ject designed for young men to demonstrate leadership skills, an understanding of Scout law and showing that they are an up- standing person within their community, he said. Armed with determination, supportive family and friends and inspired by a unique friend- ship with World War II veteran 88-year-old Jack Evans, of Trucksville, Santora set out to create an outdoor memorial next to the gazebo behind the library. A soft breeze ruffled the white sheet covering the square shaped monument during the dedication ceremony. Evans, sitting proudly See VETERANS, Page 11 CELEBRATING THE FOURTH OF JULY CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Four-year-old Cameron Corcoran, of Dallas, is delighted with fireworks his father, Sean, allowed him to hold. Cameron and his family are prepared to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday today. In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States. Tales from the block — understanding fine @ By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Dallas Post Correspondent Editor’s note: Charlotte Barti- zek served as co-chairperson of the Back Mountain Memorial Li- brary, with her husband, Ron, in 2001. It’s been said that the Barti- zeks are such staunch supporters of the auction that they are the frst to set up ther lawn chairs on the auction grounds each vear. Going to the library auction leaves me dumbstruck, in awe of the men and women who stand on the stage each year for hours, yelling and gesturing. Saying things I can hardly understand. Getting people to spend money in a heartbeat. How do they do that? Maybe you've wondered what makes a good auctioneer. So I asked a few of them what it takes to work the block. Surely, I thought, it takes a large, booming voice and some training. “Well, you know me; my voice goes up and up and up, the pitch goes higher and higher the more excited I get,” says 28-year veter- an volunteer auctioneer Joe Kil- leen. Killeen became very excited the first year he auctioneered in 1982 when one of the items he sold went for $2,000. 09815120079, oo LE FA ir YOU The 65th Annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction will be held July 8, 9,10 and Tl on the library grounds, Huntsville Road, Dallas. For more information about this year's auction, please see the special section inside today’s edition of The Dallas Post. “The price just kept going up,” he said.” I'd never been an auctio- neer. I'm not a professional but they told me that, as auction chairman that year, I would be the prime-time auctioneer, too!” So much for training and expe- rience. Well, certainly an auctioneer would have to have some knowl- edge of antiques and be careful to be precise and accurate when on stage, I thought. Killeen volunteers, “I don’t al- ways read what's on the card. I look and say ‘What’s a Limoge? Or the card says to start the bid- ding at $200. I'll say, Who'll give me a buck?” Killeen keeps the audience en- gaged; he likes the interaction with the people. “I always have fun. I just let it go and think of myself as the warm-up act,” he admits. With the crowd a little warmed up, the business of getting people to spend serious money for a good cause falls to people like Jeff Townsend. “l always wear my favorite straw hat while auctioneering,” he said. I've worn it for 27 years.” While trying to get $500 more on the already $4,000 bid for a Sue Hand painting, Townsend of- fered to “throw in my hat to the next $500 bidder.” The extra in- centive worked and Townsend lost his hat. I'm beginning to realize that the fine art of auctioneering has a lot to do with the ability to make personal sacrifices and be cre- ative. Few can top the next two auc- tioneers when it comes to stage presence and creativity. “I'm a real ham and such an ac- tress,” says Carol Sweeney who has made dressing herself in cos- tumes from the Attic Treasures booth a part of her act. “Every- thing I wear can be bought at the auction. I only provide the shoes,” she notes. One year, she wore a wedding dress and Clarence Michael, the other auction chairman, wore a px art of auctioneering CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK FILE PHOTO/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Veteran volunteer auctioneer Kerry Freeman always enjoys the spirit of the auction by getting in- volved with the items he is auctioning. tuxedo. “It breaks things up a little and I enjoy doing it,” laughs Sweeney. Kerry Freeman, the 1977 chair- man and a virtual fixture on the block, says you have to be a show- man to be effective. These days his signature hat is a black bowler but I've seen him with a lamp shade and a doily on his head. He freely models clothing on stage, regardless of gender appropriate- ness, poses and demonstrates items for sale, including an an- tique toilet. Of course, all showmen pay the price for their antics. One late Sunday afternoon when the auc- tion was still held on Main Street, Freeman and Killeen, who had done 12 to 13 spots, were hot and hoarse from yelling. Through the crowd strolled Jack Stanley, an old Rotarian, with a huge Styro- foam cup. “It was full of Manhattans and got us through the rest of the night,” Freeman remembers. I guess that would be called a cup of inspiration. While some auctioneers may be inspired and most are creative and entertaining, Sonny Smith, who started auctioneering 30 years ago with Bill Spurlin, Bob Richardson and Joe Stager as part of the Back Mountain Jay- cees, has rhythm. Smith loves the feeling of rhythm he feels with the audi- ence, the flow of the crowd com- ing and going. “And I used to have a kind of a signature golf club when I was up there,” he said. “I'd beat the club on the block to get their atten- tion.” The crowds were smaller then and, with fewer auctioneers, the men had more auction time apiece. “I guess they got tired of me beating up on the block and I had to get rid of the golf club,” Smith laments. So you need to have rhythm. Smith and the auctioneers en- joy working the block with each other. “We still have a great bunch of guys that all work together well,” Smith said. One of the auctio- neering talents must be the abil- ity to cooperate. Rhythm, creativity, a little training, some experience, peo- ple skills and the desire to have fun all come in handy. Well, I thought I was getting somewhere with these postu- lates about the fine art of auctio- neering, until someone told me about the “Doctor Auctioneers” who are Dr. John Rothschild, Dr. John Shaskus and the late doc- tors Dr. Craig Aicher, Dr. Vincent Carboni and Dr. Lester Jordan. Always drawing good audiences from their thankful patients, the doctors’ nightly totals looked good. It takes a faithful following to be a good auctioneer. So I've made a composite of the ideal auctioneer. An untrained amateur, he/she must be cross-dresser, willing to take off or put on clothing at a See BLOCK, Page 11
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers