Vol. 122 No. 1
THE BACK MOUNTAIN’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889
SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2013
The
DALLAS POST .
WILKES-BARRE, PA.
www.mydallaspost.com
L
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER
g
Elmcrest development a happy home
CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST
Long-time Eimcrest friends and
neighbors Susan Dauksis and Debbie
Rowland meet to walk their dogs
Sadie and Bandit.
By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK
Dallas Post Correspondent
Elmcrest is the kind of neighbor-
hood where neighbors like Susan
Dauksis and Debbie Rowland, who
have been friends for over 10 years,
walk their dogs, Sadie and Bandit,
every day and talk about how their
children, who have long since left the
Back Mountain, are doing.
Walking around the peaceful streets
today is easy. There are sidewalks and
no visible utility poles, except in the
back of the lots along the old stone
walls and underground.
The development was very thought-
fully planned in the early 1950s by the
late Bernie (Ben) C. Banks and today’s
construction respects that tradition on
Birch, White Birch, Brittany and Jac-
quelyn Lanes.
Banks son, Bernie Banks Jr. recalls
his first job - raking grass and plant-
ing grass seed at the development - as
his father worked with the late Buddy
Rothstein, a builder, to provide anoth-
er housing option after World War II.
It was all done on a gentleman’s
handshake in those days. According
to Banks Jr., the senior Banks said to
Rothstein, “You build the houses and
we'll find the buyers.”
The street was originally thought to
have been built to accommodate ex-
ecutives who worked at Natona Mills
(now Twin Stacks on Route 415) ac-
cording to Tom Myers, whose parents
built a house in 1949. The Banks’ de-
velopment added one house to every
two lots, leaving a vacant lot in be-
tween for investment or resale. Hous-
es cost around $10,000 in the 1950s.
It’s where Jan Miller settled in 1970
to raise her three children, Marilyn,
Phillip and Mark. They'd lived many
places in Pennsylvania but found Elm-
crest to be a great place to raise a fam-
ily and to settle.
“There are bridge and golf groups,
it’s close to Wilkes-Barre yet in the
country,” Miller said. “Everyone looks
See ELMCREST, Page 7A
round black glasses.
“Matched” and “Hatchet.”
the hall.
perience.”
Ross students dress up as favorite story characters
CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/FOR THE DALLAS POST
Aidan Kukosky dresses as Pinocchio at Ross Elementary School during Read Across America Week.
Books COME TO LIFE
By SUSAN DENNEY - Dallas Post Correspondent
tudents dressed as their favorite book charac-
ters paraded around Ross Elementary at the
start of a special reading day on Feb. 28.
The parade started with the youngest stu-
dents from kindergarten and first grade and
progressed through sixth grade.
Some book characters were easy to pick out. Waldo may be
hard to find in his famous books, but it was a snap to spot the
student wearing Waldo’s red-and-white striped shirt, hat and
Many students wore robes and school scarves from Hog-
warts as they pretended to be characters from the Harry Pot-
ter book series by J. K. Rowling.
Other memorable costumes included Cindy Lou Who from “The
Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss and Pippi Longstocking from
the famous series by Astrid Lindgren. '
Older children were sometimes harder to identify as they were
drawn to characters from young adult titles like “The Hunger Games,”
Students carried their favorite book with them as they marched down
Jennifer Ferkel, Title 1 reading teacher at Ross Elementary, said the
reading day activities were planned by the reading committee which
consists of herself, Jeanne Williams, Katie Mullins, Janna Kabosky, Co-
rin Frey, Ray Poskoch and Lee Ann Bauer.
“We wanted them to be involved in reading,” Ferkel said of the stu-
dents. “Coming to school dressed as a character made it a personal ex-
Students told why they had chosen a certain character.
See BOOKS, Page 7A
Alex Kane dresses as Sponge Bob and marches through the halls
at Ross Elementary School during Read Across America Week.
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE DALLAS POST
Dallas High School s¢cphomore Lauren
Gallagher practices her Irish step
dancing with the rest of Scoil Rince
Na Connemara dancers ‘at Downtown
Arts in Wilkes-Barre.
Gallagher
dances
way to
Ireland
By SARAH HITE
Dallas Post Correspondent
Lauren Gallagher, 16, of Dallas, is
a dancing machine, but it took her a
few years and a few different styles of
dance before she found her calling.
“I started with ballet when I was 3
(years old) and I hated it,” said the Dal-
las High School sophomore. “I've been
doing Irish dancing for seven years and
I love it.”
And that dedication has paid off.
The Scoil Rince Na Connemara
dancer recently took third place in
the Mid-Atlantic
Championship
held in Ridge-
wood, N.J., which
qualifies her to
compete at the
HOW TO HELP
For more informa-
tion about how to
help Michelle and
Lauren Gallagher
All Ireland com- with fundraising or
petition in Killar- to donate towards
ney, Ireland. Lauren's trip to
G 11 h Ireland, contact
allagher \ichelle viae-mail
said she’s always
at shellie120@
wanted to learn
frontiernet.net.
Irish dancing be-
cause of her heri-
tage and now she’ll perform in the land
from where her ancestors came.
“My cousins used to make fun of me
for it,” said Gallagher. “They just said,
‘Oh Irish step dancing, you just make
it up.” But it’s different from any other
type of dancing I've done. It’s kind of
hard.”
Gallagher’s mother, Michelle, has re-
cently started fundraising to help pay
for Lauren’s expenses to attend the trip
as dancers must pay for each dance at
each feis (pronounced “fesh”) or com-
petition in which they participate.
“It’s going to be expensive,” said Mi-
chelle, who, along with her husband,
Patrick, and 19-year-old son, David,
plans to accompany Lauren.
The competition will be held this
summer for four days, June 28 through
July 1. Other than the days and the
place, the Gallaghers haven't been told
much more about the details of the
event.
“I know it’s the CRDM (Cumann
Rince Dea Mheasa) and we belong
to the NAIDF (North American Irish
Dance Federation),” said Lauren.
All mysterious acronyms and lack of
details aside, Lauren cannot wait for
the chance to dance in Ireland.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” she said. “I'm
always practicing. When I'm at school
I'm constantly tapping my toes under
See DANCER, Page 7A
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