TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 05/15/19
09:43 | BAUMEISTER
Abington The
MAY 16, 2019
INSIDE
SuburbaN
Scenes from the Waverly Waddle See page 3.
T H E VO I C E O F T H E A B I N G T O N S
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES-TRIBUNE • FREE • WWW.ABINGTONSUBURBAN.COM
Running for hope
emma BlaCk / StaFF PhOtOgraPher
Matthew McDonnell with his mom, Linda and friend, ‘Little Puppy.’
Matthew’s Hope 4 Miracles to hold 5K run/walk By CLayton ovER StaFF Writer
diseases and whatever they have,” the third gradS. ABINGTON TWP. er at South Abington El— A sign inside the ementary School said. “I McDonnell residence is want them to feel better.” adorned with Scripture: The inaugural Mat“With God, all things are thew’s Hope 4 Miracles 5K possible,” it reads, the last Run/Fun Walk is schedpart of Matthew, chapter uled for June 1 at Nay Aug 19, verse 26. Park, 500 Arthur Ave., Matthew McDonnell is in Scranton. The event living proof, really. On marks the first fundaiser Feb. 23, the 9-year-old and the nonprofit, which Mathis family celebrated “a thew launched to help devery miraculous miracle,” feat pediatric cancer, has he said, the two-year anhosted since the charity niversary of being cancer- started late last year. free. Matthew has made The “4” in the nonprofit his mission to help it’s name is significant for other children experience Matthew and his family. miracles, too. Next month, For most of his life, he he’ll take strides to make battled a Wilms tumor, a it happen. type of pediatric kidney “Since I had cancer in cancer. From his diagnomy life, I want other kids sis when he was 3 years to be healed from their old until 2017, he braved
surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and an experimental immunotherapy trial that trained T cells in his body to target the cancer. The disease returned several times. Four times, he beat it. Proceeds from the race will support the mission emma BlaCk / StaFF PhOtOgraPher of Matthew’s Hope 4 MirMatthew McDonnell with his friend ‘Little Puppy.’ acles, which centers on raising awareness of pediWant to run with Matthew? atric cancer and a lack of Visit runsignup.com or the matthew’s hope 4 mirafunding toward research cles Facebook page to preregister. registration costs of the childhood ailments, $20 for the 5k race and $15 for the fun walk. Particisaid Linda McDonnell, pants can also register on the day of the race at the Matthew’s mother. Only Nay aug Park bandstand pavilion between 7:30 a.m. 4% of federal government and 8:45 a.m. the run and walk begin at 9 a.m. cancer research funding the overall male and female winners will each get a goes to study pediatric gift card. medals will be given to the top male and cancer, according to the female finisher in each age group. National Pediatric Cancer the event will also feature basket raffles and an Foundation. appearance by Champ, the mascot of the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre railriders. Please see Miracles, Page 10
JULIE JEFFERy ManWaRREn | SUBUrBaN liFe
A friendly herb sale The Friends of the Dalton Community Library’s ninth annual Herb Sale will be held at the Dalton Fire Hall Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to noon. Sue Scondras, Friends secretary and treasurer, explained the group’s purpose is to raise funds and assist the library however it can. The herb sale is one of many events hosted by Friends for this goal. “Usually by 11 a.m. we are pretty much sold out of plants,” Scondras said. The popular event has a variety of plants for sale including herbs. Penn State Master Gardeners will also be on hand to answer questions and give advice about gardening. Glenburn Township resident and Master Gardener Gretchen Ludders plans to be there. “We will have pollinator-friendly plants and low maintenance plants for sale,” Ludders said. “There will be a wide variety of herbs. We will have gardeners on hand to explain how to plant and when to plant. We can guide people through their herb and plant choices and help them make the best selection.” She added the Penn State Master
Gardener Program is “wonderful.” “You learn a lot, and it allows you to join with other gardeners who have the same interests, and it gives you the opportunity to help people and share your knowledge,” she said. Volunteerism and service to the community is part of the program. The Master Gardeners involved in the Herb Sale have a desire to serve members of the community and help their gardens thrive. “That’s really the best part,” Ludders said. “I can work all day in my garden by myself with my plants, but when I get to share experiences and knowledge about gardening, it’s such a joy. I learn from others too. It’s not a one-way street. We learn from each other, and that is what is so joyful.” Gardening does not have to be overwhelming, Ludders explained. She encourages first time gardeners to start with container planting and said herbs grow well in containers. The Friends of the Dalton Community Library will have herbs from Rowlands Greenhouse available for purchase at the sale. Master Gardener Georgiann Eccleston suggests considering the herbs you cook with when decid-
ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Suburban Subplots
A grownup word It is usually a noun. Sometimes an adjective. It was never meant to be a verb. But in language, change is constant. The word is “adult.” According to Google’s dictionary: “noun 1. a person who is fully grown or developed.” But my generation (the infamous millennials) and the next (generation z), don’t always play by the rules of grammar. Instead, we make new rules. And new words. Which is how “adult” became accepted as a verb and then circled back as a gerund (that’s a verb functioning as a noun) in the form of “adulting.” Preceding generations didn’t and don’t always play by the rules either, but our increasing use of technology – text messaging, for example – exasperates the situation. The gerund actually goes back at least to 1998, when it was used by Martin Rutte, author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work,” who discussed “the adulting of the workplace,” according to merriam-webster.com. But the word didn’t become popular until more recently. At first this new use of the word “adult” annoyed me. Then I grew accustomed to it, and it still annoyed me, but it started to slip into my vocabulary. I still think of it as new, but now, according to Merriam-Webster, “the verb ‘adulting’ is all grown up.” (see what they did there?) “To ‘adult’ is to behave like an adult, specifically to do the things—often mundane—that an adult is expected to do,” the website explains. This can include grocery shopping, scheduling your own medical appointments, working a full-time job, paying bills and just about anything else we have to do as adults that isn’t expected of a child under his or her parents’ domain. With college graduation season in full swing (both Keystone College and Clarks Summit University held their commencement ceremonies this past Saturday) and high school graduations right around the corner, I suspect we’ll be hearing and seeing a renewed surge of the word “adulting,” especially on social media where it thrives. It will appear as a hashtag accompanying celebratory statements such as “I just signed the lease on my new apartment. #adulting” or “I aced my Please see Adult, Page 10
What’s inside Calendar ........................ 2 Court Notes .................... 2 JUlie JeFFery maNWarreN PhOtOS / FOr aBiNgtON SUBUrBaN
Friends of the Dalton Community Library will have herbs like these fresh lemon grass plants available for sale on May 18th at the Dalton Fire Hall on Turnpike Road in Dalton. Lemon grass is a natural mosquito deterrant. ing which ones to grow. “Herbs like parsley and basil are easy to grow,” Eccleston said. “Some herbs grow nicely in a little container right on your window sill. Those plants need a lot sun. They need to be protected from frost at the beginning and end of the season. They also need to be trimmed or cut back, even if you
aren’t using that particular herb. If you don’t periodically cut some of the leaves and stem off they are going to go to flower. Cut them down a little bit. Just trimming an inch or so down can help the herb plant branch out and then the energy goes into leaves.” Please see Herb, Page 10
Obits .............................. 4 Suburban Family ............. 5 Contest .......................... 6 Schools .......................... 7 Just For Fun .................... 8 Sports ............................ 9
Send news tips to news@ abingtonsuburban.com or call 570-348-9185