Pocono Pa art gallery, Realist Paintings, Contemporary Artists, Landscapes, Crafts in Northeast Pennsylvania. - Read more

Our goal is to establish a Community Arts Center on top of the mountain to serve the needs of our growing communities. This center would quickly become the heartbeat of the arts in the Poconos. - Read more

The festival is co-sponsored by the Pocono Arts Council, and the Pocono Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. For more information call ... - Read more

The Pocono Arts Council is the umbrella organization for fostering the arts in the Pocono Region. - Read more

The Pocono Choral Society is a non-profit community organization of singers and musicians. PPA is administered in this region by The Pocono Arts Council. - Read more

Free classes give dancers a chance to waltz along river

Sure, Wilkes-Barre’s River Common is a pretty place for fishing, boating, walking or biking, but the venue’s event planner is growing the river roster in imaginative ways.

Dance lessons and yoga classes — free to anyone — are coming up on the River Common Terrace.

Residents are encouraged to check the River Common website, www.rivercommon.org, to watch the calendar fill up with events and activities.

“Check weekly. I’m always adding more events,” said Karl Borton, director of River Common Programming and Outreach.

The free dance classes are the latest offerings in a slate that includes a Thursday night open mic and free concert “Jam in the Park” series and free riverside yoga classes featuring local instructors who will accommodate beginner and advanced students.

The fall dance sessions will each be held at 1 p.m. beginning with a professional demonstration followed by an instructional seminar for anyone who wants to learn the steps. Dates and dance styles are: Sept. 12, Zumba; Sept. 18, Waltz; Sept. 25, Samba; and Oct. 2, Salsa.

The sessions will be hosted by the Cooper Ballroom Academy and Arts YOUniverse. Instructors will be Lauren and Raphael Cooper, accomplished dancers who both began studying the art at age 4. At 17, Raphael became principal dancer for Philadelphia Ballet Theater. They are now in their third year at Cooper Ballroom Academy.

The dance and yoga programs are part of the River Common’s fall fitness schedule, said Borton.

Yoga classes, all set for 10 a.m., are scheduled for: Sept. 11 and 25, Oct. 9 and 23 at Balance Yoga and Wellness Studios; and Oct. 2 at Keefer Studios.

Bring a yoga mat or towel. The programs will be held on the River Common Terrace, located directly in front of the park fishing pier.

In case of inclement weather, check the River Common website for alternate locations and/or event updates.

Instructors will be Jennifer Ciarimboli of Balance Yoga and Wellness Studios in Forty Fort and Kandace Keefer of Swoyersville.

Ciarimboli emphasized that “this yoga is for everyone. Every body and every ability. There are no limitations.”

Keefer added, “I want to teach a yoga practice that everyone can be a part of. I teach modifications of poses for beginners and I show how to make the moves harder for more advanced students. Much of the practice has to do with breathing and balance and it’s very practical.”

The new “Jam in the Park” music series debuts Sept. 9 with local reggae master George Wesley at 7 p.m. preceded by an open mic session designed to give emerging talent a new venue. Seven shows will continue every Thursday — rain or shine — through Oct. 21.

Performers and instructors are being subsidized through private donations and grants. Organizers intend to keep River Common events free for the benefit of residents.

“The point of the park is to give people a taste of what’s out there in the community,” said Borton.

For information, contact Karl Borton at 570-823-2101 ext. 128.

La Festa Italiana kicks off Saturday

The tents have been erected, the supplies have been stockpiled and soon the mouth-watering aroma of Italian cuisine will be wafting through downtown Scranton.

The 35th annual edition of La Festa Italiana opens Saturday at Lackawanna County Courthouse Square, and organizers anticipate as many as 50,000 people will visit each day through Monday to immerse themselves in Italian culture, enjoy the continuous live entertainment and sample the tasty offerings.

Although visitors will find a few new wrinkles - including a greater variety of foods from the 70-plus vendors - the La Festa committee has not tinkered too much with a formula that has kept people thronging to the event year after year, board president Chris DiMattio said.

"Why mess with success?" he asked rhetorically.

The organization tries to make improvements every year, including making it easier for visitors to find parking and increasing the number of chairs and tables available, DiMattio said.

"But truly there is only so much you can do in preparation," he said.

La Festa will run from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from noon to 9 p.m. on Monday. Around Courthouse Square, Linden and Spruce streets and Adams and North Washington avenues will be closed to vehicular traffic during festival hours.

The Labor Day weekend weather is expected to be almost ideal, without even a hint of rain in the forecast.

Partly sunny skies Saturday will give way to mostly sunny skies Sunday, with a high each day in the high 60s, according to the National Weather Service. Monday will be sunny and warmer, with a high around 73. The evenings will be relatively cool, with lows in the upper 40s.

DiMattio said one new feature at this year's La Festa will be bocce instruction, with experts teaching the basics of the traditional Italian game on the courthouse lawn. Festival-goers will also have a chance to learn "morra," a traditional finger game, he said.

La Festa is again partnering with Lackawanna Railfest, being held this weekend at Steamtown National Historic Site. DiMattio said there will be a shuttle to take visitors back and forth between the two events.

On Sunday, the annual Mass in Italian will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Cathedral on Wyoming Avenue.

The Rev. David P. Cappelloni, pastor of SS. Anthony and Rocco Parish in Dunmore and La Festa chaplain, will be the principal celebrant. Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, bishop of Scranton, will deliver the homily.

The Mass will be broadcast live by CTV: Catholic Television, with rebroadcasts scheduled Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Fireworks will light up the sky over the square Sunday at 10 p.m.

City police have assigned a detail of officers to La Festa, although patrol Capt. Carl Graziano said the festival has been a "generally well-behaved event" over the years.

"For the amount of people we have there - knock on wood - it has been uneventful from a law enforcement perspective," Graziano said.

More information about La Festa Italiana, including the full entertainment schedule, is available at the festival website, www.lafestaitaliana.org.

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

Montage becomes Mr. Browne's neighborhood

He didn't appear to be a rock star.

And the atmosphere at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Wednesday was less rock concert and more an invitation to a neighborhood house gathering where entertainment was spontaneous and the entertainer an unabashed but distant cousin.

Jackson Browne's show was perhaps the most understated concert in recent Toyota Pavilion history. The typical pyrotechnics, fireworks, and oversized screens were absent. There was no thunderous drum or guitar riffs or a puff of smoke for a grand entrance. But the intimate gathering of an estimated 3,000 fans seemed to have enjoyed every moment of the two hour plus concert.

Browne and longtime backup singer David Lindley simply walked onto the stage, sat down on a pair of wooden chairs, said hello and began playing.

The duo started with a short acoustic set that included "For Everyman," and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Brother Under The Bridge."

Browne left the stage about 25 minutes into the opening set, announcing he'd be back later with his band.

When he returned a half an hour later, the laid back crowd came to its feet for one of the few times during the evening. Browne's set included the popular "Just Say Yeah," "Fountain of Sorrow" and "Take It Easy."

Browne chatted with the crowd, speaking about a woman he met backstage at a show "35 years ago. Maybe it was closer to 38 years," and proclaiming that he felt good. Browne had recently canceled a couple of his performances because of illness and the Scranton show was thought for a while to be in doubt, but the icon made it and put on a charming show.

Among other evening highlights were Browne's performances of "Seminole Bingo," "Off of Wonderland," "Giving That Heaven Away," "In the Shape of a Heart" and "Running on Empty."

At the close of the evening, Browne bid adieu to his guests and the crowd filed out of the pavilion as if they were leaving a neighbor's home, thanking the host with hearty cheers and tips of the caps.

sbrown@timesshamrock.com

Volunteers sought for orphan piglets

TRUCKSVILLE - Did "Charlotte's Web" touch your heart? Can you give up a little sleep to do an unusual good deed? The orphan piglets of Hillside Farms need you, at least for a night or two.

The nonprofit farm needs volunteers to take home piglets for a night or more. Like most babies, the piglets need to be fed around the clock. The piglets travel in pairs to keep each other warm. They come with a pet carrier crate, baby bottles and Hillside's whole milk.

Seven-year-old foster parent Aidan Bzdak recommends it.

"They were very good," said Aidan, who liked the clip, clip sounds of hooves on the kitchen floor.

Two piglets stayed with the Bzdak family for two nights and might return. During their stay the pigs were called Fred and George, after the mischievous twins in the "Harry Potter" books. Connor Bzdak, 10, picked the names after watching the pigs wrestle.

Back at the farm, the piglets are known by the numbers drawn on their backs with marker.

Two weeks ago, a Tamworth-breed sow died the day after giving birth to a litter of 13. That's a large litter for a first-time mother, so farm staff speculate she may have died of a hemorrhage. One piglet died at birth.

That left the farm with 12 needy newborns. Raising the orphans promotes Hillside's mission of education and humanely producing local food, said Suzanne Kelly, the director of advancement.

At first, the babies were bottle-fed whole milk every hour. Now the interval is two hours. They are fed by Hillside staff during the day, but cannot stay in the barn overnight alone. Kelly called for help on Hillside's Facebook page and has received about 120 inquires.

One 15-year-old volunteer, Abbie Sallon of Laurel Run, is caring for several at a time. She has the blessing of her parents, Paul and Arlene Sallon, who taught her never to pass up an opportunity to help. Hillside staff take the piglets home when there are not enough volunteers.

Foster parents must be responsible and willing to feed the piglets every two hours. The pigs can be kept in their crate or shut in a kitchen or bathroom. Dog owners can make good foster parents as long as the animals are kept separate. Their bathroom habits are, well, piggish.

"They are still weak," said farm manager Chuck Deome. "They need to be handled with care. If you drop them, their legs will break."

Betsy Bzdak is the mother of the boys who named piglets Fred and George. She home-schools her sons and the pigs fit her lesson plan.

"We try to eat very local," she said. "We go out to the farm for our dairy needs. I wanted them to see where their food comes from."

The family buys only meat raised humanely and without hormones, such as the grass-fed beef sold at Hillside. Hillside has not yet slaughtered any of its pigs.

Hillside will raise a few of the piglets to educate visitors and perhaps for slaughter. The rest are for sale at $35 either as pets or for humane meat production. Check local zoning ordinances first. Pet pigs are smart and can be taught to sit and fetch a cookie, Deome said. However, they quickly grow to 500 pounds and eat like pigs. Pig purchasers get a money-back guarantee if the sale doesn't work out.

To host a pig, call the farm at 570-696-4500 or e-mail suzanne@thelandsathillsidefarms.org.

Foreigner rocks out at Mohegan Sun

PLAINS TWP. - Foreigner has undergone many lineup changes throughout its 34-year existence. The one constant co-founder Mick Jones has still managed to maintain is the sound that helped sell more than 70 million records and cultivate a legion of fans worldwide.

It was no surprise, then, that its appearance Sunday evening at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs was the rockin', decibel-pushing concert that had the audience standing most of the night.

Foreigner wasted little time in ripping into its catalog of radio staples like "Double Vision," "Head Games" and "Cold As Ice."

The band plays on a fairly modest stage with ramps leading to the keyboards and drum kit allowing Jones and vocalist Kelly Hansen plenty of room to move about. In the background is a huge screen displaying a myriad of images from the band's name and logo to that annoying black and white static when you're trying to tune in an old UHF signal.

Though fellow co-founders Ian McDonald and Lou Gramm, are gone Jones has managed to assemble a group of musicians that replicate the sounds of their albums back to even "Double Vision" and their debut recording, to perfection.

More than 4,500 people were on hand for the warm evening concert that concluded the outdoor summer series of stars at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. And they could not have found a better band to bring the curtain down than Foreigner.

While the band rocked, it was also melodic with its rock ballads like "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Waiting For A Girl Like You." The band even did a version of the rarely performed "That Was Yesterday" from 1984's "Agent Provocateur."

Foreigner is on tour in support of its new album "Can't Slow Down," their "first studio effort in 15 years" according to Hansen, which it showcased a few tunes from like the title track and "Give Me A Sign." But it was the hits that brought out their audience, and Foreigner did not fail to deliver.

Vocalist Kelly Hansen gets a lot of the credit from Jones for reconstructing and carrying on the tradition of the group's music. Foreigner's lineage at the outset had critics from coast to coast touting them (and correctly I might add), as rock's "next big thing."

Everyone from Atlantic's latest "supergroup" project came from another rising or already established band. They were expected to deliver the goods and they did. It was another of Atlantic Record's president Ahmet Ertegun's ideas that would pay off in huge dividends for the label and the band.

It seems a shame Gramm and McDonald still aren't involved but the sound is a driven as ever. Hansen was crowd surfing, belting out his vocals in a style similar to Lou Gramm and Rod Stewart (microphone stand in hand) and working the stage like a caged mountain lion for most of the night.

With 70 million albums sold and a countless number of single hits, it's almost unthinkable the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hasn't come knocking yet.

Somehow, I just don't think band will let up though, one way or the other.

Olyphant company again takes titles at kielbasa festival

PLYMOUTH - It's 1 p.m., and the kielbasa-mad throng pours through the door of Franchella's Restuarant and Pub.

The men take long pulls off Yuengling bottles, while women stir Long Island Ice Teas. A red sausage mascot is two-stepping around the balmy banquet hall. Pete Truszkowski's nimble fingers play a battered accordion.

"Roll out the barrel!" the audience sang.

On Saturday, six meat shops vied for the crown as Northeastern Pennsylvania's kielbasa king at the Plymouth Alive Kielbasa Festival. Seated at a table covered in checker board table cloth, the 18-judge panel lent their discerning palettes to the coronation.

"It's not some weekend hobby," said Terry Kane, who took entries. "It's these people's livelihoods."

On a corner table, feats of gastronomic artistry and engineering sit on display. On one tray, a diorama of a coal mine was assembled from slices of smoked sausage - a nod to region's history. On another, fresh kielbasa rested in a verdant field among cows and dandelions.

Each entry is paraded by a hunched-over volunteer past adoring onlookers, who watch judges plug slivers of meat and place them on their plate. The judges, a potpourri of local newspaper reporters and radio personalities, quietly nosh.

Some use their fingers to pluck samples from plates. Others make precise cuts with knives and forks. Others stab their smoked fare and chomp it off their forks.

Sitting in the back row, Tammy Bosak and Gail Bosak, whose husbands oversee Olyphant-based Bosak's Fine Meats, whisper to each other. An hour earlier, Tammy dropped one of their heaping entries.

"Make sure you show the front of the bread bowls," she told Kane, referring to the edible container filled with a kielbasa stew.

Bosak's has won seven titles, and the competition at the festival is the only one they enter. The ladies sketch diagrams of their arrangements, and they do dry runs, if only because nerves the day off might lead to make a mistake.

"Absolutely," Tammy Bosak said. "If we don't like it, we change it."

The scores are in. Terry Womelsdorf, the emcee for this contest, reads off the winners.

The winner is no surprise. It's Bosak's again. They take both titles, bringing the total to nine.

"We switch them out," said Womelsdorf of the judges. "We try to mix it up, but Bosak's seems to take it every year. It's scary. It must mean something."

In a flash, Tammy and Gail are swept to the front of the room. Crowns are perched on their heads. The Kielbasa mascot is waving his arms, red cup of beer in hand. Digital cameras flash.

Asked what makes their kielbasa dominant, the ladies don't betray their secret.

"Our husbands would kill us if we told you anything," Tammy Bosak said.

And in the brutal realm of kielbasa competitions, there is no resting on laurels. The work to defend their title does not wait.

"Today," Tammy Bosak said. "We start all over."

mharris@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2110

Eighth-grader helps students in need

Every August, the cursed - or blessed, if you're a parent - school-supply displays arrive.

They take up the fronts of the retail stores, the pens, folders and notebooks signaling it's time to go back to school. For most kids, the annual ritual of stocking a backpack quickly tempers summer fun. For Bridget Barnic, though, school shopping brings a tinge of excitement and a small blessing.

"I feel like little things mean something," Barnic said.

Recently, Barnic realized some children lack those little things in the classroom. So the 13-year-old from Moosic sent out letters to about 190 of her neighbors, asking if they could donate school supplies for those less fortunate.

Barnic included a list of about 20 items, from highlighters to paint sets to gently used backpacks. She accepted donations from Aug. 7-17, and stored the supplies in her dining room.

After 10 days, she had a veritable Office Max. She collected 1,829 pencils, 608 pens, 279 book markers, 223 pencil-top erasers and 165 notebooks. And the list goes on, including almost anything a student might need - even one pack of silly bandz, the popular silicone bands that come in the shape of animals and other objects.

Barnic filled 40 backpacks with school supplies and, on Wednesday, dropped off the haul at St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre.

"We got enough to fill a lot of backpacks," Barnic said. "So I was really happy."

Next year, Barnic hopes to extend her school-supply donations into Lackawanna County. In the meantime, she muses she might try to accomplish a different charitable project every month. One of her ideas includes gathering Christmas gifts for the needy.

Way down the road, she hopes to become a doctor, coupling her desire to help people with her interest in science. For now, she'll stick to her eighth-grade curriculum at Marian Catholic, where she plays basketball and participates in forensics.

And despite her enjoyment of stocking up for a new school year, Barnic gave a more typical response when asked if she's excited to return to class this year.

"A little bit, yeah," she said.

astaub@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2052

Plymouth hosts festival of links

Decades of dance

KINGSTON - Miss Barbara is back.

Barbara Weisberger, at 84 the grand dame of local ballet and still a figure on the national scene, is working to boost local dance.

Former students - including a huge percentage of all Wyoming Valley girls who tried on ballet shoes in the last several decades - still call her Miss Barbara. The New York Times called her "a visionary in the development of American ballet," in a profile a few years ago.

Weisberger and a few friends recently held a "Day of Dance" workshop for young dancers and teachers that drew around 65 people. Weisberger taught a two-hour class during the day-long event in Kingston. "It was a lot of the kind of energy that I love," she said.

Weisberger's informal group is called The Dance Lovers' Society. It will hold more workshops for children and teachers, screen movies of great dancers and organize trips to see big city productions.

Weisberger hopes her ties as founder of the Pennsylvania Ballet and current advisor to Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore will help her draw major dancers to visit.

"We will gather together and energize and open up worlds," she said. Her effort is not a criticism of local dance.

"We all want to learn, we all want to keep up to standards," Weisberger said.

Ballet teacher Wendy Weir Henry helped organize the Day of Dance. "Teachers, as I do myself, need new input, new energy to really stay in touch with other teachers, other students," she said. At the Day of Dance, Weir Henry led a warm-up routine devised by the New York City Ballet, which certified her to teach it.

Weisberger "is a tremendous force of nature, not just for our area, but for the entire dance world," Weir Henry said.

The Brooklyn-born Weisberger had a "pushy" ballet teacher who won her a place as famed choreographer George Balanchine's first child student. She remembers sitting under a piano and watching him work. "It was like being there at the beginning of indigenous American ballet," she said.

Her family moved to Wilkes-Barre in 1942, when her father began working as a buyer for The Hub department store. Her mother insisted that she go to college, earning an education degree at Penn State. Teaching dance became her career.

She stayed in touch with Balanchine, who she called her "dear godfather." He encouraged her as she began the Wilkes-Barre Ballet Theater in 1953, and visited her there. The school ran for decades before merging with schools under different names. In 1962, she founded the Philadelphia school that became the Pennsylvania Ballet. She remains an informal advisor.

She visits Baltimore several times a year to work at the Peabody. Last year, she helped begin a well-known program there for boys.

When did she last personally lead a local class? "Oh, I just taught this past Friday."

Ghostly getaway awaits in Poconos

For an out-of-this-world getaway, a local ghost hunter is hosting paranormal weekends at a haunted bed and breakfast in the Poconos.

No Quiji board required. Amateur paranormal investigator Joseph Shock of Dunmore supplies high-tech equipment for guests at Brookview Manor in Canadensis to try to scare up some spooks. Participants must supply patience - plenty of patience.

"People don't understand what paranormal investigations are really like. They see a TV show and it's so hyped up. I want to show people what it's really like. The reality (TV) stuff is so bogus sometimes," said Shock.

He compares ghost hunting to deer hunting. "It's basically sit and wait. You may not see anything at all," he said. "It may take four or five hours before you get a voice. You don't run and get a deer in the first few minutes."

Shock believes 95 percent of alleged spirit activity can be explained by worldly causes such as a poorly insulated fuse box leaking electricity that could make someone's hair stand on end.

But Shock describes Brookview Manor as "very haunted" and he invites guests to spend the night with him and about $10,000 worth of technical equipment to see if they can capture mysterious sounds or sights.

Shock deploys a variety of gadgets including a thermal thermometer to detect cold spots, an infrared video camera, pocket digital recorder, mini cassette recorder and a meter used by electricians to measure electromagnetic fields.

Shock has investigated about 40 sites including Hunt Hall at Bucknell University and Revolutionary War-era Fort Miflin in Philadelphia, as well as private homes. Shock, who carries insurance for his unusual hobby, will conduct investigations for residents at no charge. "I love to do people's homes and help people out," he said.

Shock also welcomes new members to join his group, Northeast Pennsylvania Paranormal Investigations.

"We're looking for people who are willing to commit time, who are really serious about it," he said. It can take weeks to review all of the hours of audio and video recorded during an investigation.

For more information, contact Shock at 309-9984 or visit www.neppi.us

Contact the writer: skoomar@citizensvoice.com

IF YOU GO:

Haunted house hunt

Where: Brookview Manor Bed & Breakfast, Canadensis, Pa. (Monroe County)

What: Experience a hands-on paranormal investigation at a turn-of-the-century house

- High-tech equipment provided

- Regular room rates apply plus $49 per person

When: Sept. 11-12, Oct. 17-18, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Nov. 19-20, Dec. 17-18

Phone: 595-2451 or 800-585-7974

On the Web: www.brookviewmanor.com

Fort Cafe serves 'suitcase' pizza

If you're hungry enough to eat a suitcase, then the Fort Cafe is for you.

After generations of ownership by Forty Fort's Sipko family, Rob Christian and his family now own and operate the venerable pizza place on Wyoming Avenue. The "suitcase" is a culinary tradition dating back to the 1930s when the restaurant began offering a large rectangular pizza.

"There were no pizza boxes then so they used suit boxes from the garment industry," Christian explained.

The "suitcase" is still the most popular item on the cafe's menu although Christian has added salads and stromboli since buying the cafe in 2007. The 12-inch by 23-inch boxes used for suitcase pizzas have to be special ordered and cost almost $1 each.

Another novelty is birch beer on tap.

Next, patrons can expect several flavors of chicken wings on the menu just in time for football season.

Christian recalled how the Sipkos shared their sauce and dough recipes and even helped in the kitchen the first few nights that the cafe opened under new ownership.

"It was a real smooth transition," he said.

Christian and his wife, Lori, covered the brown paneled walls with sports memorabilia including a life-size cutout of Phillies heavy hitter Ryan Howard and basketball jerseys autographed by Alan Iverson.

The decor may be different but Christian said the cafe's customer base has remained loyal. Patrons who came for pizza as kids now bring their own kids to the restaurant.

"We didn't have much work to do as far as getting people to come in," said Christian, who works as an accountant in addition to running the cafe.

The family atmosphere extends to the staff, which includes Christian's son, Devon, who tends bar, and his fiance, Nichole, who waits tables and helps in the kitchen.

The Fort Cafe serves as many as 150 pizzas on a busy Friday evening.

"Around here, Friday night is pizza night," said Christian.

IF YOU GO:

Fort Cafe, Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort

Owners: Rob and Lori Christian

Atmosphere: Family friendly and filled with sports memorabilia

Specialty: Homemade pizza inBcluding the large rectangular "suitcase" pizza

Also: Salad, stromboli, draft beer and birch beer on tap.

Hours: Thursday-Friday 4:30 to 9 p.m., Saturday 1 to 9 p.m., Sunday 1 to 7 p.m.

Oldest living priest shares his secrets to longevity

WILKES-BARRE - The Rev. Harry J. Lewis will observe a milestone next month.

He will celebrate his 99th birthday on Sept. 19, making him the oldest living priest in the Diocese of Scranton. For about 18 years, he served as pastor of St. Therese Church in Wilkes-Barre, where he earned the title of Pastor Emeritus.

"Did I ever think I would live this long? No, I never did," Lewis commented during an interview at Little Flower Manor, St. Therese Residence in Wilkes-Barre, where he lives and offers Mass. "I really thank God I have been living a long time in good health."

When asked his secret to living such a long and healthy life, he responded, "My secret is keeping away from alcohol and drugs."

"I avoided them because I felt they would be dangerous to my health," he said, adding he doesn't even take aspirin. "I have always enjoyed good health."

As for his diet, Lewis said his favorite meal consists of bacon and potatoes.

"I never overate. I felt overeating was putting more weight on to carry around. That helped me," he said. "I never wanted to be sick. I felt anytime I was sick, I was a burden to somebody. I never wanted to a be a burden to anybody."

He was born in 1911 in the Miners Mills section of Wilkes-Barre as one of eight children, three of whom entered religious life. He has two living sisters, Kathleen Kutish and Jane Lloyd.

He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from St. Thomas College, now the University of Scranton. He served in the Army during World War II. He was assigned to the Sixth Armored Tanks Division, which won five battle stars in Europe. He completed his seminary training at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.

He said he always wanted to be a priest. The late Most Rev. William J. Hafey ordained him into priesthood on June 3, 1950.

Lewis is a charter member and first spiritual advisor for the Wyoming Valley Chapter of Pennsylvanians for Human Life, a cause that he said is very important to him.

"You hate to see infants die," he said. "Infants have their whole lives ahead of them. You want to see them grow up."

He has always been interested in baseball and he likes to read.

"I have quite a few books. I've always had a big library," he said. "I try to get the best books for me that reminds me of my past life, like books about tank warfare. I like to spend my time reading because it gives me another joy in my life."

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115

Pittston Tomato Festival kicks off with savory red goodness

PITTSTON - Karen Latorre lifted the cup of tomato sauce to her lips and took a gulp.

Then she took a bite of Italian bread and did it again, five small cups of sauce in all, at the "Sauce Wars" tent at the opening night of the Pittston Tomato Festival on Thursday.

From the tent, the smell of tomatoes hovered over downtown Pittston.

"I'm just making the rounds, and I figured I'd try the sauces," said Latorre, who estimated that she has been to the annual festival at least 10 times since moving to Pittston 13 years ago.

"Sauce Wars," a blind taste-test benefiting the YMCA of Greater Pittston, pitted recipes from five restaurants against each other and let tasters vote for their favorite.

The sauce marked No. 1 was Latorre's favorite. "It was a little on the sweet side, kind of like my mom's," she said.

In its 27th near, the festival began with an opening ceremony Thursday night and will include a 5-kilometer race, parade and tomato fight before concluding Sunday.

The first night is usually the most low-key, said Mike Lombardo, a co-chairman of the festival. Still, families crowded in, forming long lines at food vendors and putting table space at a premium.

Lombardo had been at the festival site since 4 a.m. Thursday, setting up the stage and watching vendors unload, checking signage and putting on "finishing touches," he said.

With his opening remarks complete, he looked around, trying to decide what to eat first.

"I treat the whole thing as sort of a giant smorgasbord," he said. "I'm contemplating where my first strike will be."

Despite the name, only about one-third of vendors sell tomato-related food, partly because of a policy that prohibits more than two vendors from selling the same items. So funnel cakes, potato pancakes, deep-fried Oreos and falafel joined ravioli and gnocchi with red sauce.

"Good food is good food," Lombardo said.

lnelson@timesshamrock.com

Public Square event celebrates summer's best

Live music will fill downtown Wilkes-Barre on Saturday as city officials present "Summer's Cool on the Square," an end-of-season celebration that will include discounts at stores and restaurants.

"We have a variety of terrific music groups who will be performing throughout the day, and the downtown business community has enthusiastically responded to the event," Mayor Tom Leighton said.

Entertainment will run from 2 to 10 p.m. on a stage at Public Square and South Main Street.

Public Square will be closed to vehicular traffic on three sides on Saturday. The square will be closed from West Market Street to East Market Street. The square will remain open from East Market Street to West Market Street, where traffic will be able to continue west. Traffic from West Market Street traveling east will have to turn left on South Franklin Street.

Public Square may reopen to traffic at midnight.

City council has temporarily suspended the ban on open consumption of alcoholic beverages (beer and malted beverages, not wine or liquors) from 5 to 10 p.m. in the area bound by North Street on the north, South Street on the south, Franklin Street on the west, and Washington Street on the east. A wrist band and event cup are necessary to participate, and may be purchased at participating businesses for a suggested donation of $3.

Four bands will perform starting with Farmer's Daughter at 2 p.m. The group has done shows throughout the Northeast since 2006, playing the best of modern country from Sugarland, Rascall Flatts and Trace Adkins to classic songs from Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson. They consider their sound to be country music with a rock 'n' roll attitude. The band is working on production of its debut CD release.

Pop Rox will take the stage at 3:30 p.m. The high-energy band covers a mix of current hits and '80s and '90s pop and rock music, from Lady Gaga to hits from Journey, featuring lead singer Kelly Franks.

At 5 p.m., The Blennd will perform classic rock followed by the Star Fires at 7 p.m. Recognized as the "Original Star Fires," the band features vocalists Eddie Day and Charles McCuen and dates back to the late 1950s and showcases "the good old days of rock 'n' roll."

For information, contact Lore Majikes, special events coordinator, at 208-4149 or lmajikes@wilkes-barre.pa.us, or Westyn Hinchey, administrative coordinator, at 332-3583 or whinchey@wilkes-barre.pa.us.

Farmers Market honors best of veggie world

WILKES-BARRE - Wilkes-Barre Township gardener Stan Bomba arrived at the Farmers Market on Public Square on Thursday with a heavy tomato, a long cucumber and a large sunflower head and he left with three prizes.

Bomba won two first-place awards in the Luzerne County Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners' harvest contest. He won certificates in the categories for heaviest red tomato and largest sunflower head with his tomato weighing more than 2 pounds and a sunflower head measuring more than 11 inches. He won a third-place certificate for his cucumber measuring more than 17 inches.

His secret to growing big produce, he said, is adding cow manure to his garden. This was the first year he entered the contest. He has grown bigger tomatoes before, he said.

"I've had 3-pounders," he said. "I just went out and picked this tomato and it's a pretty good-sized tomato, and I found a cucumber that was 17 inches that was hiding behind the leaves. The sunflower was heavy."

West Wyoming resident Rita Galenty won a certificate for most attractive market basket, which was filled with tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, eggplant, butternut squash, parsley, basil, onions and potatoes that her husband, Stan, grew in his garden.

Galenty has been participating in the contest for the last 20 years. She has won more than 20 ribbons over the years for her entries that her husband Stan grew. One year, she brought a 21-inch sunflower head. She said it was unfortunate that she had no competition this year.

Because there was a low turnout for the contest, other categories also had single entries such as the youth category for longest cucumber. Eight-year-old Jordan Pierandozzi of White Haven won that category with a cucumber she grew measuring more than 18 inches. This was the first year she entered the contest.

"I thought it would be fun," she said.

The main reason she likes gardening, she said, is because she likes cucumbers. She also grows tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, she said.

After growing an eggplant that looks like a penguin, Larry and Marsha Lenbense of Kingston won first place in the oddest shaped vegetable category. Dan Charneski of Wilkes-Barre won second place for an oddly shaped carrot.

Other winners in the heaviest tomato category with tomatoes weighing more than a pound were Walter Watkins, Courtdale, and Hank Pehala, Ashley. Alan Jones had the longest cucumber, measuring 22 inches, and Lawrence Brunner won second place for a 19-inch cucumber.

Noah St. Clair of Swoyersville won for heaviest tomato in the youth category and a certificate for an oddly shaped green bean. Nora and Hana St. Claire won prizes for miniature flower arrangements. and Mason Webby won in the youth division for the largest sunflower head.

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115

Creed receives warm welcome

Creed may have been off the musical radar for what seemed like eons, but they haven't been forgotten by their fans.

Case in point: Wednesday night's concert at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain, which found the one-time modern rock golden boys playing to an impressive though not jam-packed crowd. Scott Stapp and company brought the noise, and plenty of it.

They also brought two opening acts. First up was the four-piece Theft, who gave the early arrivals 20 minutes of their '90s alternative-meets-indie rock stylings. Next up was the Christian hard rock combo Skillet, who shook the tent with their ear-shattering melodies, complemented by cello and violin.

Creed has often been pegged as a pseudo-Christian act, but most who latched onto the band during their late '90s, early 2000s heyday liked them primarily for their high-volume compositions and Stapp's over-the-top, Eddie Vedder-esque vocals.

That's what folks got Wednesday night. Taking the stage around 9:15, pyrotechnics shooting off around them, Stapp, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips dove into the opening chords of "Bullets." As Stapp marched back and forth, Tremonti tore off an abundance of jackhammer riffs.

A few songs in, Stapp announced the band was going "back to its roots" before beginning the opening chords of 1997's "My Own Prison." The hits continued, including power ballad "With Arms Wide Open."

Indeed, fans seemed more than happy to take Creed back into their welcoming embrace.

jmcauliffe@timesshamrock.com

Man's best friend, bed bugs' worst foe Blistering heat wave brings bed bugs a-biting

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Activists set to rally at Gas Stock festival

Randy Travis will bring a little country to NEPA

Harry Truman isn't our president, a coke and burger costs more than 30 cents and Mavis Brown ain't around, but on Aug. 20 Randy Travis, not Hank Williams, will be coming to town.

Travis has been one of the brightest shining stars of the country music universe. To date, he has sold more than 25 million records, amongst which were 22 number one hits, six number one albums, six Grammy Awards, six Country Music Awards, nine Academy of Country Music Awards, 10 American Music Awards, seven Dove Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Travis is that rare being who's been able to make all his dreams come true.

With credentials like these it's hard to believe that Travis ever had a hard time doing anything. "I was turned down by every label for being too country," said the country stalwart during a recent interview. Fortunately, for his fans and record label (Warner Bros.), Travis quite simply doesn't know how to fail. Tried and true like those who came before him, such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, Travis is big and bright like the stars at night.

Along with his full-time music career, Travis has also become an accomplished actor over the years. In addition to TV guest appearances on Matlock and Touched By An Angel, his film credits include National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), The Rainmaker (1997), Frank & Jesse (1995), Black Dog (1998), Fire Down Below (1997), and Texas Rangers (2001).

"Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be in a western; with chaps, a 10 gallon hat and a six-shooter at my side. But, I'm definitely not an actor," laughed the North Carolina native.

When asked about what defines country music today, Travis drawled, "country music is about singers that make you believe their stories. Good songwriters make those stories. Country (music) deals with everything we deal with in our lives."

Even during these financially-turbulent times Travis' tour continues to sell out and Travis himself maintains a completely grounded approach. "The tour has been going really, really well. Despite these times being hard times, both economically and socially, people find ways and means to forget about their problems and if that means coming to see me then I'm the one who's truly fortunate."

Country music is more than just pedal steel guitars and fiddles according to Travis; "It's all about the exchange between the performer and the audience."

Every genre of music has its paragons of essence for its respective niche and for Travis country music has always been about Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. "They are the best at what they do." Well, Travis is no slouch himself and in a world where image is everything and substance is barely something, Travis is indeed the genuine article.