April 29th, 2008
Art Walks
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 6:14 am in Landmarks | No Comments
“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts - such is the duty of the artist.” –Schumann
Art Walks are popular in larger metropolitan areas. The walks usually are held on a given day each month. Recently, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Kingston have begun to embrace the concept with considerable success. The Scranton locations are open on the first Friday of every month. The Wilkes-Barre and Kingston locations are the third Friday of the month.
We’ve done this before and each time, we notice the crowds get better and the displays are larger. This thing really seems to be catching on! With the restaurants opening in Wilkes-Barre, it’s a great way to enjoy a night in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Living here five years ago, we would not have thought it possible, but there we were! Bright lights on South Main Street, people smiling and laughing were walking up and down both sides of the street! It was a nice sight.
April 15th, 2008
Flea Markets, Yard Sales and Consignment Shops
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 12:21 pm in Landmarks | No Comments
I love shopping this way. There is something so fascinating about looking at other people’s stuff. There is also the delight of finding something you need, especially when the price can be paid in coins! No retail store can provide that thrill.
People living here know where most of the good flea markets are. As soon as the daffodils bloom, the good buys begin! The Garden Drive-In just opened last weekend. It was a little less than spectacular since the rain kept many of the vendors and the crowds away. But I got there early (7:30 am) and was able to take a look at every table!
I’m amazed at the items displayed because it means that people are actually buying these items! Hub caps, old garden tools, record albums, video tapes, swords, clothing, you name it, you can probably find it. There was produce, home baked goodies and even some bunny rabbits for sale! The Garden Drive-In flea market will be open every Sunday from 7 am to 3 pm until the fall. Go early in the day, though, since the selection is usually a little better. Stay as long as you can. There are concessions and relatively clean restrooms available.
April 7th, 2008
You Are Assessed.
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 12:12 pm in Events | No Comments
The Luzerne County Reassessment meetings wrap up at the end of this week. I attended the meeting at the Wyoming Valley West Middle School on April 3. I’ll pass along what I learned in case everyone living here passed up the chance to attend the free meetings. The guy who made the presentation at our meeting identified himself as Sean Powelsworth (I’m using phoenetic spelling here). He said he is the Project Director at 21st Century Appraisals, Inc. which is the company hired by Luzerne County. (A link to their website: (http://www.21appr.com/index.aspx)
March 31st, 2008
Luzerne County Historical Society
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 5:32 am in Landmarks | No Comments
We attended the Luzerne County Historical Society museum’s “150 Treasure Display” on its opening night! I wonder how many people living here have actually been to the museum at 69 South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. It’s located in the back of the Osterhout Library. It’s kind of like a well-kept secret, but the word’s out that Luzerne County is celebrating its Sesquicentennial! (Ses-qui-cen-tennial, say it a few times). That’s 150 years!
Appropriately, the Luzerne County Historical Society has a display of 150 feature items including the table on which Nathan Denison signed the surrender after the battle of Wyoming (see “more”), the original fireplace grate on which Jesse Fell conducted his experiment with anthracite coal, igniting the Industrial Revolution in our area, the flag carried by Ricketts’ Battery during the Civil War and many, many more items.
March 27th, 2008
The Verdict is…
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 3:27 pm in Events | No Comments
I was a juror in county court last week. This was the first time in all my years living here that I received a summons. It shames me to admit that the first thing I thought about was how to get out of it. Afterall, isn’t it part of the constitution that everyone has a right to a jury trial by their peers? Nope. Not there. The Sixth Amendment gives us the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law. Interesting, but it did not particularly cheer me up.
Prospective jurors are given the opportunity to provide compelling excuses to get out of jury duty. Among those: if you are over 70 years old; if you are a firefighter or an ambulance crew member; if you are the sole caregiver for the very young or elderly; if you are a professional (lawyer, nurse or doctor) or if you do not have transportation. I provided The Court with none of those reasons. I just told my office the news, cancelled my noon hair appointment and dutifully showed up.
March 11th, 2008
Hillary!
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 1:39 pm in Events | Comment (1)
Well, well, well. Aren’t we just the cream of the crop? Seems as though Pennsylvania has now become pretty important in the nation’s primary presidential elections. Just yesterday, Scranton was graced with a visit from the Grande Dame herself, Hillary Clinton. She’s got quite a lead on her opponent in our state polls, so she might have given us a brush-off. Last week’s Rasmussen poll of Pennsylvania voters has her well ahead of her opponent, Barack Obama.
She’s not exactly a Home Girl, but Our Hillary has a fairly decent Scranton background. While never actually living here, she visited quite often as a young girl since her family has roots to the area. Her great grandparents came here as Welsh immigrants and her grandfather worked at the Scranton Lace Company. He and his wife, Hannah raised three boys here, including Hillary’s dad. Her father passed away in 1993 and for the funeral, Hillary returned to Scranton with her husband, Bill (Bill Who?). Hillary was actually christened here and the practice of returning to the Court Street United Methodist Church for family christenings continues to this day. As a small girl, she visited the family home on Diamond Street in Scranton and their cabin at Lake Winola.
(photo: S. John Wilkin Times Leader)
February 14th, 2008
Acting Up for 85 Years….
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 8:34 am in Landmarks | No Comments
There is something so compelling about live theater. We’ve known this as far back as the ancient Greeks. Throughout the ages, man has been performing on stages for the delight of audiences in nearly all eras and civilizations. For the audiences, it’s a chance to peer into the lives of others, to be entertained and to break away from the bonds of routine. For the performers, it’s a chance to pretend to be someone else for a while.
One venerable local group has provided the escape of live theater to residents of our area. Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre (LTWB) formed as a group way, way back in 1923. There has not been a single year that has passed when this group was not presenting some type of production to the public. LTWB has a reputation as being one of the oldest performing groups in the entire country. Not the oldest, but right up there in the top three (depending on what you read). Not many groups in Wilkes-Barre have stayed active for so long. Some people living here don’t even know about LTWB. Those who do think it’s the name of a building on North Main Street. The building itself was actually purchased by the group in 1958. It was a former movie house that some old-timers in the North End may still remember as The Sterling Theater.
January 23rd, 2008
Meyers High School - Martin Luther King Open Speech & Debate Tournament
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 9:42 am in Events | No Comments
On Saturday, January 19, I had the privilege of serving as a judge for the Ninth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Open Speech & Debate Tournament at E.L. Meyers High School in Wilkes-Barre. Participating were students from 26 different schools! If you are familiar with the kids who participate in these teams, you will know why I speak of it as a privilege. If not, please read about my lucky day.
Personally, I don’t like public speaking. I don’t know when the fear crept in, but I know the fear is worse now than it was years ago. My hands shake and my pits sweat. My voice quivers and I feel my brain cramping. I avoid it. These kids choose it.
Remember the Brady Bunch episode about Marsha’s public speaking anxiety? The suggested cure for nervousness was to picture the judges in their underwear. I really hope nobody tried that method! Picturing ME in my underthings would not have helped any of these students! But kidding aside, no such tactics were needed by them. These students clearly had well-trained minds and were fully prepared for their events.
January 3rd, 2008
A New Year Laugh For Allayouse
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 4:02 pm in Events | Comment (1)
For a great laugh about living here, I am pleased to direct you to this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sMI2jb16eo
Before you read about the folks who get credit, take the four minutes or so to watch it. Go ahead. I’ll wait. But come back when you’re done. You’ll want to find out more about these people!
What a delightful piece about living here! It was written some time ago by Christopher J. O’Donnell. He’s actually a local attorney in real life (there’s still hope for “their kind”). In the clip, he plays the part of a resident, new to the area, and co-stars with his wife, Shivaun O’Donnell. Those living here in the 1980’s may remember when she was a disc jockey on WILK-AM (when it was music radio). I’d recognize her sultry voice anywhere. Hey, Frankie Warren was also there at that time, long before he lived at Magic 93. Anyway … (read on for more)
December 17th, 2007
Town is Crowded!
Posted by Ellen Lyn at 11:09 am in Events | No Comments
I think of any retail place as “town”. I guess it goes back to when I was young girl and my mom would take me shopping, it was always called “going to town”. And “town” was only downtown Wilkes-Barre. She’d take me to the Kiddie Shoppe and Percy Browns and I just loved going to town with my mom. It was a big deal!
Just three short years ago, nobody went to “town” in Wilkes-Barre. The life support was the nine-to-five office workers who used their lunch hours to eat or shop. Many feared it wouldn’t be enough. Even the mall became overshadowed by the Arena Hub. I’ll be darned, though. In spite of itself, Wilkes-Barre is breathing again! It is!
Friday night was the perfect time to venture out to do some Christmas shopping. Thursday’s snow created just the right mood. My to-do list called for the following: a retail store, a book store and music store.