TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 04/24/19
10:16 | BAUMEISTER
Abington The
APRIL 25, 2019
Suburban
InSIDE A Countryside egg hunt
T H E VO I C E O F T H E A B I N G T O N S
See page 7.
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES-TRIBUNE • FREE • WWW.ABINGTONSUBURBAN.COM
PATCHES OF MEMORIES
ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Suburban Subplots
A local treasure map
ChriStOpher DOlan / StaFF phOtOS
Esther Greene, 87, of Clarks Green, holds a photograph of herself in her Girl Scout uniform at approximately 12 years old at the Abington Community Library on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
LINDA SCOTT | in the aBinGtOnS
Clarks Green native remembers childhood as a Girl Scout CLARKS SUMMIT — Borough resident Esther Greene, 87, has a wealth of memories from the time she spent in Girl Scouts with her sister, Mary Miller, a resident of Abington Manor in South Abington Township. Many of these memories are preserved in photographs of the sisters with their mother, the late Gertrude Sanders, who was one of the troop leaders. They are also preserved in the forms of Miller’s Girl Scout pocket knife and uniform and other keepsakes. One photo shows Greene smiling in her girl scout uniform. She remembered having the photo taken at the Scranton Dry Goods Store
and riding up the escalator to the top floor, where the photographer was. Miller’s uniform is from 1948 and is in pristine condition. On the sleeve is a patch with the number “40,” representing the troop to which the girls belonged, and another with a shamrock, reminding the wearer to “be prepared.” There is also a wing to indicate that she moved up from the Brownie level. On the other sleeve are the badges Miller earned for activities In this photograph, taken on Thanksgiving such as cooking, woodworking and Day in 1943, from left, are: Esther Greene, her mother and Girl Scout troop leader swimming. Please see Memories, Page 10
Gertrude Sanders and Esther’s sister, Mary Miller.
JULIE JEFFERY MANWARREN | SUBUrBan liFe
Roots grow strong at Stanton’s S. ABINGTON TWP. — Stanton’s Greenhouse grows more than just flowers. For generations, the property on Layton Road has also grown a love of family and community. Robert Stanton opened a little greenhouse in 1953. His son, Giles Stanton, now runs the greenhouse business. “My dad had a regular job as a teacher, but he liked the idea of a greenhouse,” Stanton said. “He went to Scranton, somewhere an old greenhouse was going out of business. He tore it down and brought it here and rebuilt it. The original greenhouse was 24 feet wide by about 40 feet long.” Within four years, two more greenhouses had been built and attached to the first, which still stands. The business continued to grow. Stanton’s Greenhouse now has about 10,000 square feet under solid roof. The original greenhouse buildings had glass roofs held up by wooden trusses. Later, Stanton replaced the glass with polycarbonate double wall roofing. The heavy duty construction provided permanent structures to grow Stanton’s flowers and plants. “Every board, every cinderblock, every bit of concrete, I either did it or worked with someone who did it,” Stanton said. Currently, Stanton’s also has ten temporary greenhouses called ‘hoop houses’
covered with plastic. “Instead of corn and beans in the field, my father planted gladiolas,” Stanton said. “There were several times that the farmer’s cows next door would get out and get into the gladiolas, and knock them all over.” Stanton’s main crop is now geraniums, all grown under his watchful eye and the greenhouse’s protective care. Red is a favorite, but every year Stanton brings in a variety of colors for customers. This year he has geraniums in watermelon, white, salmon and lavender blue. A propagating area for the flowers creates an environment in which plants root and thrive. Stanton explained he has a license for the flowers he propagates. “These plants are patented,” he said. So I got a license and permission to be able to propagate new plants from the plants I buy.” Rows of green in matching pots line up to be cared for by Stanton and his team. “By early May, this will be a field of color in here,” he said. “We discourage early flowering because we want all the energy to go into the plant. By timing it right, we have a stronger plant.” In the past decade, hanging baskets JUlie JeFFery Manwarren phOtOS / FOr aBinGtOn SUBUrBan have become popular with Stanton’s customers and the business produces be- Giles W. Stanton is owner and operator of the greentween 3,500 and 4,000 of them. house, started by his father, on Layton Road in South Please see Roots, Page 10
Abington Twp.
I’ve always loved a good treasure hunt. Books and movies like the various adaptations of “Treasure Island” captured my interest as a child. My favorite version of the story was from the children’s television show “Wishbone” in the episode “Salty Dog.” A couple of my other childhood favorites were Universal Pictures’ “The Treasure of Lost Canyon” and Disney’s “Candleshoe.” When Disney released “National Treasure” to DVD in 2005, that became one of my favorite movies. “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets” came out three years later and that became a favorite as well. I’m still dying to find out what’s on page 47, but after more than 10 years, I’ve given up on the filmmakers completing a “National Treasure 3.” I also enjoy engaging in real-life treasure hunts. But not the kind where you dig up pirates’ gold or follow clues to hidden rooms full of priceless artifacts. The kind that brings you to antique stores, flea markets, garage sales and similar places and events. The kind where the “treasure” is something different for each of the seekers. You never know what you might find, and that’s what makes this type of treasure hunt so exciting. That’s one thing I love about spring and summer in the Abingtons: there’s no lack of church rummage sales, library book sales and community yard sales. These are like the sandy beaches of Treasure Island. And newspapers’ classified sections and event listings, along with Facebook event pages, are like the maps and compasses pointing to the treasures. Here are some such listings from the Suburban’s community calendar, which can be found each week on page 2 or online at abingtonsuburban.com: ■ Factoryville Baptist Church rummage sale: Friday, April 26, 3-6 p.m. and Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bag sale at 2 p.m. Factoryville Baptist Church, 10 Church St., Factoryville. ■ Dalton Community Library Book and Bake Sale: Saturday, April 27, 9 Please see Treasure, Page 10
What’s inside Calendar ........................ 2 Contest .......................... 3 Obituaries ....................... 4 Churches ........................ 4 Green Scene ................... 5 School ............................ 6 Just For Fun .................... 8 Sports ............................ 9
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