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Members of the planning committee for the Rotary Wine & Dine Festival set for June 29 are, from left, seated, Rotarians Paul and Melissa Saxon, co-chairs of the event; Dallas Rotary Club President Todd Buckley. Standing, Rotarian Joe Stager, Rotarian Ken Chapple, Fair Association President Paul G. Bella, Fair Treasurer Kimberly Shina, Fair Board Member Colette Mahoney and Fair co-chairperson Judy Kmetz.
rotary club of Dallas plans Wine & Dine Festw The Dallas Rotary Club, in association with the Dallas Area Fall Fair Inc., will sponsor the Rotary Wine & Dine Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 29 at the Luzerne County Fairgrounds, Route 118, Dallas. The event will feature tastings of the finest wines and specialty foods from the Back Mountain and Endless Mountains areas. A variety of goods will also be on sale by area craftsmen and there will be musical entertainment all day long. The Dallas Rotary Club is an all-volunteer organization and will conduct this event to
New booKs at the librarY The following new books have been added to the shelves at the Back Mountain Memorial Library, 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas, for the month of February 2013: EXPRESS “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult, “Calculated in Death” by J.D. Robb, “The Sound of Broken Glass” by Deborah Crombie, “Alex Cross, Run” by James Patterson, “Gotcha!” by Fern Michaels FICTION “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult, “Calculated in Death” by J.D. Robb, “The Sound of Broken Glass” by Deborah Crombie, “Alex Cross, Run” by James Patterson, “Gotcha” by Fern Michaels NONFICTION “One Good Deed” by Erin McHugh, “Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the U.S., 1861-1865” by James Oakes SCIENCE FICTION “A Memory of Light” by Robert Jordan LARGE PRINT FICTION “NYPD Red” by James Patterson, “Merry Christmas, Alex Cross” by James Patterson BOOKS ON CD “Kinsey and Me” by Sue Grafton, “Empire and Honor” by W.E.B. Griffin, “Collateral Damage” by Stuart Woods, “The Fifth Assassin” by Brad Meltzer, “The Husband List” by Janet Evanovich
support its various charities such as a Christmas shopping spree for less fortunate children, book scholarships for deserving college-bound high school seniors, support of the Back Mountain Food Pantry and the Salvation Army Kettle Drive and much more. Tickets are $15 in advance and $25 at the door. Designated drivers will be admitted for a reduced fee of $5 and be given special identification. Anyone wishing to participate as a wine, food or craft vendor is asked to call Melissa at 852-9591 or by email at saxonm5@hotmail.com.
Ava DeMark, Emily Smith, Teague Stahovic, Charlotte Guilford, Maya Gross and Tait Stahovic put some Box Tops for Education into a box at the Trucksville Education Center. The Stahovic family from Plains took the additional step to enter the national contest and won $10,000, which they donated to the school.
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win. “It’s very exciting,” she said. “You hear about people winning things, but you never know anyone who does.” The Stahovics have requested the money directly benefit students at the school and Adams said the school board is still in the planning stages of how the money will be used. Robyn said there was never any doubt which school they would choose to receive the winnings. Both she and Rock
have high praise for the school where their children attend a play group and preschool. Teague, 3, is in Mrs. Sciandra’s play group and Tait, 5, is a student in Mrs. Strutko’s preschool class. “Our oldest has been out there for three years since he was 2, said Rock, crediting the school for the transformation Tait has gone through. “My wife and I can’t take all the credit for his maturity. The school did it for him.” Rock also praised the school’s staff. “The school has been excellent from the top down,” praising Adams, the finance department and the
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sylvania with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and autism. The girls and their personalities jumped off the pages of “Best Friends on Wheels” by Debra Shirley read to the children by Wegrzynowicz in celebration of March being Intellectual Disabilities Month. Wegrzynowicz also read “My Brother Charlie,” written by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete about a young boy with autism, a developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life, affecting the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. Through this book, the Head Start students, who all live within the LakeLehman School District, learned that Charlie and his twin brother were born two minutes apart but that Charlie always struggled because “his brain works in different ways.” Charlie knows lots of things, like the names of all the United States presidents, but he communicates differently from his brother. “Charlie has autism,” his twin brother said. “But autism doesn’t have Charlie.” Head Start student Addyson Jacobs related to Charlie when talking about her friend Joey, an early intervention student who, along with his fellow students, visits the Head Start classroom once a week. When asked if Joey is different from her, Addyson stammered, “No. Him’s just Joey!” Gharrison Ayers could relate to Sarah and her wheelchair as he remembered
CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Tyler Gordon is attentive to a reading about children with disabilities.
pushing his own sister in a wheelchair when she hurt her foot. And Darrell Barlet summed it up best when he said, “At home, we’re all alike. Just like Cookie Monster.” Kustrin, who has been employed at Step By Step Inc. for 21 years, said the purpose of the reading program is to “Bring education and awareness about people who are different and to show that people appreciate and enjoy the same things.” Donna Light, head teacher at the Back Mountain Head Start Center located in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, echoed Kustrin’s thoughts. “Children need to know that, even though some kids are different, they can all play and interact together,” she said.
YOUNG ADULT “In Darkness” by Nick Lake, “Monstrous Beauty” by Elizabeth Fama, “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” by Sonia Manzano, “Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon” by Steve Sheinkin, “Finale” by Becca Fitzpatrick The following new books have been added to the shelves of the Back Mountain Memorial Library for the month of March 2013:
Sandra Wegrzynowicz, a program specialist from Step By Step Inc., visited the Back Mountain Head Start Center at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church to read about children with disabilities. With her is Addyson Jacobs.
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EXPRESS “The Striker” by Clive Cussler FICTION “The Striker” by Clive Cussler, “The Aviator’s Wife” by Melanie Benjamin, “Political Suicide” by Michael Palmer, “Mastermind” by Maria Konnikova, “The Accursed” by Joyce Carol Oates, “Golden Dawn” by Thomas M. Kostigen, “The Night Ranger” by Alex Berenson, “The Forbidden Sister” by V.C. Andrews, “The Absent One” by Jussi AdlerOlsen, “Crystal Cove” by Lisa Kleypas NONFICTION “Gemstone Settings” by Anastasia Young, “Sugar in the Blood: A Family’s Story of Slavery and Empire” by Andrea Stuart, “Who Stole the American Dream?” by Hedrick Smith, “Take Charge of Your Talent” by Don Maruska.
teachers. “You actually know the teachers and they get to know your child’s strengths and weaknesses,” he added. “There is individual teaching between them and your child.” The Stahovics want all the emphasis of the lucky win to be on the children. “We don’t want to turn this into Rock and Robyn. This is about the children. We’re not seeing a penny from this,” Rock said. Adams was grateful to the Stahovics for their choice. “We have so many families like that who go above and beyond for the school,” she said.
supervisors I’ve worked with,” he said. “I don’t want this article to shine on Alvin. I don’t want to take credit for the successes of the township.” He said that working with the supervisors has been a pleasure. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time they tell me to proceed when I come to them with a plan,” he said. “I have to give them credit for allowing me to do my job.” Cragle also believes that politics has little to do with his work. “You have to put the politics in the background when serving the public.” One of Cragle’s biggest challenges in the last 35 years was the lack of property reassessment. Before reassessment, the township’s tax schedule was set at 16 mills for 15 to 20 years. Cragle said that, without a current reassessment, funds were very limited. “We could only do paving and patch work.” When township properties were reassessed four years ago, property values went from $10 million to $300 million and millage dropped to .57. Current millage in the township is 1.45. With more funds available, more projects were possible. “We’re attempting to do more paving,” Cragle said. He also cited a recent upgrade of the municipal building. “We had an energy-efficiency grant from the federal government. The municipal building was redone inside and out.” Cragle is also pleased with the township’s new six-bay building for the transportation department. The building features amenities for road workers, including a kitchenette and storage room. He pointed out that, after it was done, the building was almost debt-free. And, he said, the building would save the township money in the long run. “We get four to six years of additional life out of equipment by getting it out of the weather,” he said. In Cragle’s view, the future of Lehman Twp. as a great place to live is both secure and bright. “We have our own zoning and planning commission,” he said. “We’ve put in our regulations so that we don’t get a whole lot of population in one area.” He enjoys his work for the township and cites no hobbies, saying his township work takes up his time. “It has kept my mind going and keeps me busy.” The secretary, road department and police department members recently threw a party for Cragle to celebrate his 35th anniversary with the township. “It was nice to be with them,” he said. And the township treasurer isn’t done yet as he would like to continue working for the township. “There’s a couple of years left in me.”
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