17 minute read
A Look at Christmas Past
Christmas Past
We asked our readers to submit holiday photos that were 50 years old or more. Enjoy this special vintage collection and walk down memory lane.
Jack Cooper, left, and Mark Cooper, 1957 Teri Kalaha Lyon, Andrea Kalaha Leschak & Lisa Kalaha Ragnacci, 1966
Carl, Lucille, Doug and Carla Smith. Jessie Walter, Ed, Joyce, Don, Jim and Loie Mack, circa 1960, Newfoundland, PA Denise, Joanie and Rick Girello, circa 1957
Jo Ann Verduce, Christmas 1969 Judi and Paul Mackarey, 1961 Danny Horan (deceased), Beth Horan Matous (baby), Kathi Horan Bankes (holding baby), Joellen Horan Conigliaro (deceased), 1968 Sue Butler (Cantarella), with the Globe Store Santa, circa1967
Janet Keen, 1954
Parents Basil and Anna Mushala, Peter, Helen, Basil, Anna and Mary, circa 1967-68 Judith Keen Pont and Janet Keen, with The Globe Santa, 1959
Brothers Forever! Joe & Bill Hines celebrate Christmas in the Nativity neighborhood of Scranton. 1968
Penelope Surdoval with Santa, 1957 Mel, Joyce and Jerry Eby, 1969 Marie
Drutarovsky (Jordan),
Michaela Drutarovsky (Mancak) and Irene Drutarovsky (Noe), 1956
Valerie Serine (Langan), The Globe Store 1960
A Classic Christmas The Oldest House, Laceyville
The Oldest House in
Laceyville PA, gives visitors a historical glimpse into Victorian Era Christmas
traditions. Originally built in 1781 to face the Susquehanna River, the house was restored in 1940 and has been occupied by many families through the years. The house is built around a large stone fireplace that measures 8 feet by 12 feet, with two
A group of community volunteers decorate the home over the course of one weekend using natural Christmas trees and garland in each room.
openings on the basement level and three on the main floor. The house is decorated in a Victorian style and stays true to its roots on the basement level, but it is slightly more modernized in the main, upper part of the house.
The 2021 Christmas Tea will take place
December 3 to 5. The three rooms located on the main floor will feature three individual themes for the season. The living room will showcase a Christmas tree displayed in front of the window. The dining room includes cookies for guests. A classic train display will also be on display.H
The original hanging irons, as well as hardware elsewhere in the house, were forged by a local blacksmith shop.
A display of quilts and wool blankets will be featured upstairs
Photos by Stan Warunek, Montage Photography
Ski What’s New at Shawnee Mountain F
amily-focused and independently-owned Shawnee Mountain announces improvements to enhance its ski, snowboarding and snow tubing facilities for the upcoming winter season.
Snowmaking Upgrades
As part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar snowmaking upgrade project, Shawnee has added three new fan guns on the beginner’s area, as well as two new efficient snowmaking pumps able to deliver 1000 gallons/min of water for snowmaking.Shawnee also continues to replace snowmaking pipes all over the mountain. Snowmaking covers 100% of all 125 acres of skiable terrain, of which is now 90% fully automated.
General Improvements
Shawnee’s off season was dedicated to general repairs and maintenance mountain wide. All 221 bridge boards were replaced,160 new snow tubes were purchased (including double tubes for families) large Information Technology upgrades were made as well as upgrades in the food court.
Rental Shop
Shawnee purchased 450 new Alpina ski boots, 300 pairs of Elan skis, 150 Head snowboards and 150 Head snowboard boots for the 22/23 season. The new Head snowboard system allows the snowboards to be stored with the binding on, making the process faster and more efficient for employees and guests. Shawnee’s Children’s Program continues to make upgrades to its own private rental shop, making it a one stop shop for families.
Call 570-421-7231.
Follow Shawnee on Facebook. Email info@shawneemt.com Visit Shawnee Mountain online at: www.shawneemt.com H
Koziar’s Christmas Village
Nestled on a farm in
Berks, arriving at Koziar’s is a little like coming to the North Pole. Millions of Christmas lights welcome visitors from the dark-
ness. The Koziar family has entertained thousands of guests for nearly 75 holiday seasons. What began as a private Christmas display created by William H. Koziar has grown into a major destination–even earning a place as one of the Top 10 Travel Attractions in Pennsylvania by the PA Travel Council. Tour the grounds at your own pace. Paved walkways wind through hundreds of holiday displays, lighted decorations and festive scenes. Two giant outdoor train setups chug through a miniature village and farm scenes. Small buildings along the way house scenes of holiday traditions. Peek through the giant windows to get a glimpse of Santa’s Post Office, an old-fashioned
bakery, a candy shop and Santa’s Toy Shop plus beautiful Nativity scenes. Warm up with hot chocolate and warm cookies or other festival food. Koziar’s Christmas Village is open daily through January 1. www.koziarschristmasvillage.com H
As a Keystone College alumnus, John F.
Pullo, Sr. is grateful for the impact a Keystone education had on his own life and career. Now, as the college’s recently appointed interim president, he is bringing new leadership inspired by that experience to the entire Keystone community. Mr. Pullo became interim president at the end of July 2022 and is off and running with an impassioned sense of energy, optimism and vision in his new position.
“I find the experience of leading Keystone not only fulfilling but also exciting as we build upon the good work that has been done in the past and chart a new course to enhance our already great tradition as one of the leading educational institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Mr. Pullo said. “We have a great team at Keystone, and I am certain we will accomplish great things in the days ahead.”
Mr. Pullo has a long history of service to Keystone and to the local community. A 1969 Keystone alumnus, Mr. Pullo is a member of the College’s Board of Trustees and served as Board Chair from
2018 to 2020. He is founder and CEO of Chartwell Strategies, LLC, a strategic advisory services and consulting firm formed in 2018. Prior to founding Chartwell, he was employed for 35 years at Gentex Corporation, a world leader in personal protection for defense and security personnel, where he held a variety of senior positions in business leadership, corporate development, research and development, business development and operations. A Clarks Summit resident, Mr. Pullo’s industry experience prior to Gentex includes 12 years with the Swedish conglomerate Sandvik AB, where he held key management positions at both the corporate and divisional levels.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wilkes University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in operations management from the University of Scranton. He also received a master’s degree in technology management from the University of Pennsylvania, conferred jointly by the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Wharton School.
Keystone College Inspired Leadership: John F. Pullo, Sr.
nomic development affairs, he is Chairman of the Board at the Carbondale Technology Transfer Center, a regional business incubator and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority Recognized as one of the best educational values in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Keystone offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science-based programs in business, communications, education, natural science, environmental science and social sciences. Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships and research, as well as innovative career training and certificate programs for adult students. Keystone has been recognized in numerous national publications, including U.S. News and World Report and Military Times magazine. Keystone has also received national awards for the 26,000 hours of service to the local community by students, faculty and staff. “Keystone College has such a proud past and I’m really honored to be in a position to help shape its promising future,” Mr. Pullo said. “We’re moving forward and looking ahead with confidence to creating the opportunities that will build upon our legacy in the coming months and years. H
Leah K. Ann EIGhazal and Sean Patrick Welenc were married on June 4, 2022. Leah, daughter of Al and LeahK.AnnEIGhazal SeanPatrickWelenc&
Sonia EIGhazal, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School and The University of Scranton. She is currently a registered nurse at Geisinger CMC in the ICU. Sean, son of Doris Keating and Bernard Welenc, graduated from Holy Cross High School and West Chester University. He received his master’s degree from Marywood University and currently works as a physician assistant in the ICU at Geisinger CMC.
The couple met in 2016 when Sean started working side by side with Leah in the Intensive Care Unit at Geisinger CMC. Leah was an employed staff registered nurse at Geisinger Community Medical
Photos: Ashley Errington
Center, and had transferred to the ICU close to a year prior.
Sean proposed to Leah on February 18, 2021, on a cold and snowy Thursday night in their backyard underneath the ambient lights on their patio. He included their one-year-old golden retriever, Echo, in the proposal with a bandana around her neck that said, ‘Will You Marry
Dad!?’ Sean proposed with an elongated
cushion cut single stone ring with a platinum setting and a hidden halo of pave diamonds.
The ceremony was at St. Paul’s Parish Roman Catholic Church in Scranton PA, but the ceremony was officiated in the Lebanese Maronite Rite performed by Leah’s great uncle and former pastor at St. Ann’s Maronite Church, Msgr. Peter Azar. Msgr. Neil J. Van Loon of St. Paul’s Parish and Fr. Tony Youssef of St. Ann’s Maronite Church also helped perform the ceremony. A prayer was sung while four crowns were blessed for the witnesses: the maid of honor and the best man and the bride and the groom. The crowns symbolized the glory and honor that is bestowed on them by God during the sacrament of Holy Matrimony as the couple joins in unity together in the presence of Christ, family and friends.
The reception was held at Glen Oak Country Club in Clarks Summit, where everyone danced to traditional Lebanese music.
The couple honeymooned in Grenada, a country in the Caribbean.
Leah and Sean offer this advice to future couples: “Love each other day in and day out, do what makes each other happy and focus on the marriage and not the wedding itself. Enjoy every minute and take it all in.” H
–Elizabeth Haikes
Megan Elizabeth Savage
married Thissa Terence Ruwan de Silva on Septem-
ber 5, 2021. Megan, daughter of Kathleen and Dr. Donald Savage, attended Dallas High School and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in biological sciences. She received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, completed her residency at LSU in New Orleans, her fellowship at Cornell in New York City and is currently working at Lenox Hill Hospital as a maternalfetal medicine specialist. Thissa, son of Kishan de Silva and Dr. Renuka Fernando, attended Underhill Primary School in the United Kingdom and later received his degree in mathematics at the University of Nottingham and attended the Imperial College of London for graduate school. He received his certification as a chartered financial analyst and currently works as a bond trader at HSBC.
The couple met in New York City and had their first date in Central Park. For the proposal, Thissa designed the engagement ring with a jeweler in New York
City. He tricked
Photos: Rob Lettieri Photography
Megan into leaving her apartment with one of her friends and told Megan they were going to meet up for dinner. Thissa texted Megan claiming that he left his watch at her apartment and was wondering if she was willing to pick it up before dinner. When she opened the door, the apartment was decorated with candles, lights and music was playing. Thissa wrote a heartfelt speech. They then went out to dinner, but Thissa forgot his wallet, so he had to leave his watch with the maître d' as collateral for the dinner bill.
The wedding ceremony and reception took place at Skytop Lodge. The couple had two wedding officiants incorporate their different backgrounds and traditions. Thissa played the guitar and performed a serenade to Megan as part of the ceremony.
Thissa’s family is Sri Lankan, so they incorporated many of these traditions into the ceremony such as lighting an oil lamp, tying their fingers together with gold string as they said their vows, feeding each other a special, ceremonial rice and Thissa placing a necklace on Megan as a symbolic family gift. Traditional Sri Lankan food was served at the rehearsal dinner party. The couple had a second wedding reception at Thissa’s parents’ home in Maidstone Kent (outside of London) because his family had to quarantine for two weeks.
Megan and Thissa offer this advice: “Make sure the ceremony reflects you as a couple. Exchange thoughtful gifts on the day of the wedding. Re-read your vows after the wedding to each other because you might be nervous on your wedding day. If you don't have a videographer, ask a friend to record the speeches on their iPhone it is fun to listen to them later.” H –Elizabeth Haikes
Silver Springs Ranch
Over 90 acres of beauty to say “I Do”
Silver Springs Ranch is an
exceptional venue for weddings, special events and
Standardbred horses.
Located just one mile from Harveys Lake, the facility sits on over 90 majestic acres amidst the beauty and splendor of a world class harness horse training facility. Situated in the beautiful “Back
Mountain” of Pennsylvania, the setting provides the perfect backdrop for weddings and special events.
Features include:
A private lofted luxury cabin with a patio overlooking the spring fed pond. This is ideal for the bridal party or client’s personal use to refresh, relax or store personal items during event.
Plush seating, TV, mini fridge, snacks and complimentary champagne make it the perfect respite spot.
An outdoor covered kitchen containing commercial catering equipment will delight the client’s caterer of choice.
A beautiful gazebo extending over the pond offers a perfect scene to exchange vows. Two white swans never seem to miss a photo op!
The property lends itself to client's creativity…
everything from horsedrawn carriages, fireworks or hot air balloon landings! It is the perfect scene for guests to enjoy a magnificent setting and then have it captured with gorgeous photos. Plans are underway to break ground in early Spring for a permanent all-season, state-ofthe-art pavilion, able to accommodate approximately 450 seated guests. It will feature a full built-in bar and kitchen, bathrooms, exquisite lighting and retractable glass walls, so you don’t have to worry about canceling due to unpleasant weather.
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