Connections Magazine - January 2016 Issue

WINTERLIGHTS FEST:

LIVER & BOWEL DETOX:

LOSS OF A COMPANION:

A Hottime for Wintertime – P 1

Prominent Medical Herbalist Speaks Out – P 5

Things Are Taken For Granted When We Are Young – P 8

JANUARY 2016

Since 1998

PLUS...

Wayne Memorial

Expansion

Reflections – P 10 Living Green – P 11 Money – P 12 Entertainment – P 14 Pocono Secrets – P 15 Outdoor Ramblings – P 16 Classic Cars – P 17 Ask The Vet – P 18 Area Events – P 20

$35,000,000 5-Year Master Facilities Plan Approved

winter lights festival

winter fun

8th Annual Winter Lights Festival Celebrating the Arts-January 22-24, 2016

A Hot Time for Wintertime he economic goal of the Festival is to attract tourism in the dead of winter to Milford, Pa. Weather being the key to a winter event, last year we created a number of indoor events during our Opening Weekend so there will always be something happening. In addition to free ice skating on our village green, the majority of the entertainment, ice events, and dining is within three blocks of the only traffic light in town.

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The following is a rundown of our non-stop events and entertainment to celebrate our 8th season. The rink will remain open to include free evening Torch Light skating through Sunday, January 31. Daytime skating will continue until Mother Nature welcomes Spring, which in 2015 lasted almost until the end of February.

Friday, January, 22 The annual Milford Historical Society Dinner & a Movie are themed to the 1920’s. In addition, the Dimmick Inn, the Hotel Fauchere, and the Apple Valley Restaurant will be offering a themed drink; a popular repeat from last year will be Apple Valley’s “Blood in the Sand” based on the legendary Valentino film.

Saturday, January 23 Winter Lights Frozen Feet Theater and accompanying activities: 10:45 – 11:30 AM: Milford Library Children’s Theater: a free dramatic reading of Myths & Legends.

11:30 – 2:00 PM: Our Annual Mac ‘N Chile Contest at the Dimmick Inn: $5 Tasting Ballot per person.

2:00 – 3:00 PM: The 8th Winter Lights Festival Ice Show featuring: • Warm Up with ZUMBA DANCING. • Short works to popular music we call “Ice Pops.”

• Awarding 1st, 2nd & 3rd place plaques to winners of the Mac N’ Chile Contest and thanking those sponsors who make the show possible.

• Main Presentation: Integrating the agility and strength of our skater/actors and the magical realism of puppetry, dramatizing the myths and legends of the world’s cultures to reveal who we are, were, and can be.

3:15 – 5:00 PM: Shortly after ice resurfacing, the rink officially opens: FREE SKATING for all ages as we continue to attract locals and tourists throughout the weeks and weekends that follow.

5:15 – 9:00 PM: Torch Light Skating on our Village Green surrounded by Victorian Houses as our ‘20s music takes us back to horse drawn sleights circling the rink.

8:30 – 10:00 PM: Across the street at the Good Shepherd Church, the 1st of two musical events.

Sunday, January 24 2:00 – 3:00 PM: Weather Date & Second Ice Show Presentation.

3:15 – 5:15 PM: Short Break – Ice Resurfacing & PUBLIC ICE SKATING. 3:30 – 4:30 PM: 2nd Musical Event at the Good Shepherd Church.

5:15 – 9:00 PM: Torch Light Skating.

Winter Lights Mixing Outdoor & Indoor Performing Arts Creates a non-stop Festival of Events Enlivening and warming Each winter blues days away, Welcome & Join Us in Milford, PA.

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jan ‘16

departments ArtScene

24

Ask the Vet

18

Classic Cars

17

Events Calendar

20

Film Review

14

Living Green

11

Money

12

Outdoor Ramblings

16

Pocono Secrets

15

Reflections of Prison

10

Winter Lights

1

connectionsmagazine JANUARY ’16

Please do your part by recycling your issue of Connections when finished or pass it along to your family and friends.

Just make sure they recycle it, too!

BECOME A FAN!

VOL. 18 NO. 1

features

5 6

BE GREEN!

contents

HERBALIST TALKS DETOX Chanchal Cabrera’s latest formulation, combining cellular, liver, and bowel detox, is potent enough for practitioners but safe enough for OTC self-selection.

WAYNE MEMORIAL EXPANDS It’s a new year and big changes are on the horizon for Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH) and the community it serves. With the implementation of a five-year Master Facilities Plan, WMH will continue its standards toward becoming a premier facility offering even more state-of-theart technology for its residents.

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THE LOSS OF A COMPANION

9

THE HEALTHY GEEZER

There are many things that are taken for granted while we are young but become more aware of as we grow older. As an example, while relationships are clearly important, many people are perfectly happy with being single, but a distinction is made with regard to being alone. This can be the case as we grow older, especially as it relates to the loss of loved ones.

A blood clot in a coronary artery narrowed by cholesterol and other substances is the usual cause of a heart attack. Aspirin keeps blood moving through constricted arteries. Therefore, paramedics may give aspirin when they respond to an emergency to treat a heart attack victim.

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connections

[YOUR] NEPA MAGAZINE president • publisher • editor in chief deborah bailey production manager meica drake account representative barry weiss editorial correction services sandi scull assignment writers robin scandura allison mowatt contributing writers al hoff, Movie Review lucille norella, ArtScene barry & hillary anthony, In the Company of Books joseph tellish, PhD, Positive Behavior in Children fred cicetti, The Healthy Geezer charles curtin, Finance terry mooney, Reflections of a Prison Inmate arthur middleton, MD, FAPA, Behavioral Medicine michael krupa, Finance terri schlichenmeyer, Book Review la guzda, Pocono Secrets arnie milidantri, Classic Cars bill deaton, Outdoor Ramblings pike county conservation district, Living Green amy platko-williams, D.V.M, Ask the Vet

connectionsmagazine 3305 Lake Ariel Highway Honesdale, PA 18431 570.647.0085 • Fax 570.647.0086 cmag@ptd.net • thinkconnections@yahoo.com www.connections-magazine.com

Connections Magazine is not responsible for typographical errors, mistakes or misprints. All advertising, including photographs, is the property of Connections Magazine and not that of the advertiser. The advertiser has purchased the right of reproduction only in Connections Magazine and does not have the right to reproduce the ads in any other place or publication. Connections Magazine reserves its rights to exercise its discretion in the selection of advertisements. © COPYRIGHT 2006 CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE

WHAT A DILEMMA To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk rejection.

To place your visions before the crowd is to risk ridicule.

To love is to risk not being loved in return. **To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.

We may avoid suffering and sorrow, but we cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or know GOD. Chained by our own self-assurances, we are a slave. We have forfeited our freedom.

Only the person who dares to take risk and to trust in their GOD will ever be made FREE.

In 1997,Rev. Edwin E. Bailey, father of the editor, gave this poem to his daughter 8 days before he had a stroke and 3 weeks before he died. The poem was adapted from works by Leo Buscaglia. Edwin hand wrote this on a scrap of paper and gave it to his daughter, Deborah, saying the words, “Someday you’ll understand these words and use them. God bless sweetheart.” **These words were used in making the decision to purchase Connections Magazine in 2002.

CONNECTIONS COPYRIGHTED 2007

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detox

wellness

Prominent Medical Herbalist Talks Detox

By Del Williams

Chanchal Cabrera’s latest formulation, combining cellular, liver, and bowel detox, is potent enough for practitioners but safe enough for OTC self-selection.

In holistic health care, detoxification and clean eating are popular strategies to purge our bodies of the chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, environmental toxins, as well as drugs, alcohol, processed foods, and added sugars that are so prevalent and harmful today.

In the fight to bring our bodies and minds back into balance naturally, few practitioners have the credentials of Chanchal Cabrera MSc, FNIMH, (RH)AHG, a medical herbalist, nutritionist, and aromatherapist in clinical practice for almost thirty years, who has presented over sixty papers at conferences and symposiums since 1991 in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

With a Master of Science degree in Herbal Medicine from the University of Wales, Cabrera is a Fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK), a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild, and holds the faculty chair in Botanical Medicine at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, Canada.

“Our world is a polluted place, and many of the toxins we’re exposed to are fat soluble so they store in our bodies,” says Cabrera, who lives on a seven-acre farm with her husband on Vancouver Island in Canada today. “Any one of them may be safe, but cumulatively over time they burden the liver and stress the body’s detoxification capacity until we all need to do some detox.”

Much of Cabrera’s clinical practice has focused on safe, natural detoxification since many of her clients are undergoing or have undergone traditional cancer care treatment.

“Most people don’t realize that if you’re treated with chemotherapy, you’re also going to get antivirals, anti-biotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain killers,” says Cabrera. “But those are hard on the liver so I wanted to detoxify and support the body to create an optimal healing environment.”

Recently, Cabrera was approached by Yerba Prima, an Ashland, Oregon-based herbal supplement company, to formulate a safe, complete detox formula.

When Cabrera surveyed the market to gauge the effectiveness of existing detox remedies, she noticed that the majority focused on either elimination through the bowel or detoxification through the liver, but did not achieve a complete, coordinated detoxification.

“We sought a more complete detox approach than most products on the market,” says Cabrera.

“We wanted the formulation to work on a number of different levels; at the cell level to help individual cells in the body release toxins; at the liver level to stimulate detoxification pathways; and at the bowel level to encourage elimination.”

Creating a Complete Detox Formula In her search for a more complete detoxification solution, Cabrera drew on her decades of expertise as a medical herbalist, in which she had used specific herbs and natural substances to promote health and well-being.

According to Cabrera, the synergy of the herbs and natural substances was vital.

“The whole formula is intended to draw toxins out of tissues and get them into the blood, then the liver, then out of the body,” says Cabrera.

“When you have toxins stored in fat tissue and release them via detox or fasting, they must be efficiently processed and then eliminated to avoid recirculating them in the body.”

In formulating the recently released detox product in capsule form, called Yerba Prima’s Bentonite + Herbal Detox, Cabrera relied on chlorella to pull toxins out of storage in the body on a cellular level. Chlorella, a single-celled blue-green algae, has a unique molecular structure that allows it to bond to toxins and carry them out of the body. The product uses broken cell wall chlorella, the only kind that is active in the body.

“Chlorella is an interesting natural substance that’s even used in industrial applications to clean up toxic sites where there has been a significant exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, even radiation,” says Cabrera.

As the product’s name suggests, the prime ingredient is another natural substance, foodgrade bentonite clay. “The clay is not digested, but passes through the gastrointestinal tract, where it binds to toxins – including pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and aflatoxin – and removes them from the body through the stool,” explains Cabrera.

According to Cabrera, the formula relies on broccoli sprout powder in a super concentrated form to regulate enzymes in the liver that support detoxification pathways. She says the formula includes a combination of herbs such as burdock,

yellow dock, and stinging nettle, which have traditionally been used to cleanse the blood, as well as gently stimulate the bowels, to ensure healthy elimination so the toxins leave the body.

While Cabrera has long used the new detox product’s ingredients in her clinical practice separately, she says that this is the first time they have been gathered together in a capsule form that she intends to use with her own clients.-“We created a detox product potent enough for practitioners, like myself, to use with clients, yet safe enough for consumers to buy OTC and use periodically as the need arises,” says Cabrera.

“For most people who have limited time and space to integrate the ingredients, this formula is like a convenient multivitamin that supports the body’s own detoxification processes but does not force it.”

Though the product’s individual ingredients are available elsewhere, Cabrera cautions that the quality of the raw materials is important to achieve desired results from the detoxification process.

“When you’re detoxifying your body, you don’t want to take in herbs or ingredients that themselves aren’t clean and pure,” says Cabrera. “So making sure there are no pesticides, chemical residues, heavy metals, and such on the herbs is vital.”

“What we’ve made in the Yerba Prima detox formula is very safe, pure, and concentrated so it’s not something you could readily make at home,” adds Cabrera. “If you have a pre-existing medical condition, however, always consult a medical professional before using it.”

As a parting word, Cabrera says that her new detox formulation is only one part of a healthy lifestyle that includes a good clean diet, exercise, and perhaps other detox techniques such as saunas or dry skin brushing.

“It’s important to note that this detox formula is not a magic bullet that entitles you to eat junk, take a pill, and then everything is fine,” concludes Cabrera. “It’s part of a strategy for reducing the toxic burden on your body, but it’s also up to you to stop adding to it.”

Yerba Prima’s Bentonite + Herbal Detox is available in a variety of health food and vitamin stores, and can be purchased online.

For more info, email yerba@yerbaprima.com; visit www.yerbaprima.com; or write to Yerba Prima Inc. at 740 Jefferson Ave., Ashland, OR 97520 USA. Del Williams is a freelance writer based in Torrance, California.

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wellness

wayne memorial expands

By Allison Mowatt

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wayne memorial expands

wellness

t’s a new year and big changes are on the horizon for Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH) and the community it serves. With the implementation of a five-year Master Facilities Plan, WMH will continue its standards toward becoming a premier facility offering even more state-of-the-art technology for its residents.

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“It’s a very exciting time,” said WMH CEO David Hoff. “We are poised to meet the needs of our community now and more importantly, for generations to come.”

The hospital serves approximately 100,000 people across Wayne and Pike counties and the Upper Delaware Region of New York. About 8,000 more are from the Greater Carbondale area in Lackawanna County and Forest City in Susquehanna County.

The Master Facilities Plan was recently approved by the Wayne Memorial Hospital and Health System Board for approximately $35 million dollars. These funds allow many important renovations and expansions, which will be completed in phases. This project encompasses the development of a cardiac catheterization lab, a new private patient wing, a heliport, and increased parking by between 50 and 100 spaces.

“The plan represents our intention to integrate our current and future needs into a single overall working blueprint,” said Dirk Mumford, Board Chairman of Wayne Memorial Hospital & Health System. “Wayne Memorial has a history of being ‘ahead of its time’ with electronic medical records, automated laboratory, and other technologies. This new facilities plan is right in line with that. Starting with input from over 1,200 responses from the public via a community needs assessment questionnaire, we developed nearly 70 planned physical facility changes that will benefit the public, by providing new and improved clinical services as well as added to the comfort and ease for those using the hospital. We kicked off this master plan with these four projects. While we realize that we can’t provide every potential clinical service, it’s our long term goal to be able to provide these specific services most needed by the majority of the community we serve.”

“This plan focuses on patient satisfaction and privacy, parking, technology, and infrastructure upgrades,” explained John Conte, Director of Facility Services and Real Estate. With this in mind, part of the project involves a new multi-story building addition expected to house up to 50 new private patient rooms plus additional shell space for future expansion. Also, patient registration and patient changing areas will be improved for better patient privacy. It’s expected that the existing three and four south nursing units will get a face lift renovation, and services such as chemotherapy and wound care will be relocated to meet ongoing program needs as well as be more convenient to patients. With all of these changes, the hospital will continue to maintain its 98-bed acute care license, according to Mr. Conte.

Existing rooms will all be turned into private rooms and the two-story patient tower will be constructed above the parking garage near the outpatient entrance to the hospital. Single-bed rooms are a trend in hospitals now because it reduces the chances of contracting an infection, according to Lisa Champeau, Public Relations Manager for Wayne Memorial Health System.

Work is expected to begin early this year to expand parking facilities, and construction of the new patient building is expected to start in spring 2017 with renovations and internal changes to follow.

According to Mr. Conte, cosmetic exterior work will be done on the original section of the hospital, which was constructed in 1951, to include windows, soffits, and dormers. This upgrade will result in improved energy efficiency.

Already underway is the catheterization lab, named the Heart & Vascular Center at Wayne Memorial Hospital. Dr. Raymond Resnick, MD, FACC, FSCAI, was recently hired as the Medical Director. He is board certified in both interventional cardiology and cardiovascular diseases.

He joined the staff last summer after ten years of practice with Great Valley Cardiology in Scranton. He anticipates helping Wayne Memorial pave the way for cardiac catheterization. “Having a cardiac cath lab closer to home will be a welcome addition to local services and also potentially life-saving for many people with cardiovascular disease,” he said earlier this year.

Cardiac catheterization is used primarily to treat blocked or narrow arteries. In recent years, cardiac catheterization procedures in community hospitals without open-heart surgery backup have proven successful for low-risk patients, and the labs are now approved by most states, including Pennsylvania.

David Hoff, WMH CEO, said the lab will be located on the third floor of the hospital, adjacent to an outside entrance and parking area, and related services such as cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation will be re-located nearby. The new lab will service both referred and emergency patients who need extensive procedures. The lab is expected to open in April.

“We expect to borrow a large part of the $35 million dollars needed to fund the overall project,” said Hoff, “but we are very much committed to completing it, and we already have some help from our very hardworking hospital Auxiliary.” The Auxiliary is raising $100,000 to help build the heliport, an important facet of the master plan. A helicopter landing zone for patient transport within a mile of the hospital is a requirement for a Level IV Trauma designation, which the hospital hopes to acquire by early summer. The helipad is expected to be constructed along Fair Avenue near Highland Physicians, but one day, said hospital officials, it could be moved to the hospital roof.

WMH is focused on a robust future with the Master Facilities Plan and continues initiating efforts to upgrade so staff can offer the best in terms of high quality, attention, and care for patients.

Last year, WMH became a certified Primary Stroke Center, implemented state-of-the-art computerized tomography (CT) scans, and expanded the emergency room. In addition, Wayne Memorial Health System and its clinical affiliate, Wayne Memorial Community Health Center,s expanded even more, increasing outpatient offices to more than ten and acquiring Highland Physicians in Honesdale and Pinnacle Health Partners in Tafton.

For more information, visit www.wmh.org.

It’s a very exciting time, we are poised to meet the needs of our community now and more importantly, for generations to come.

”

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wellness

loss

The Loss of a

Companion

By Arthur Middleton, M.D., FAPA

“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed.

For after all, he was only human. He wasn’t a dog.” ~Charles M. Schulz

here are many things that are taken for granted while we are young but become more aware of as we grow older. As an example, while relationships are clearly important, many people are perfectly happy with being single, but a distinction is made with regard to being alone. This can be the case as we grow older, especially as it relates to the loss of loved ones.

T

Over the years, it has become increasingly apparent that pets play an important part in the lives of many people.

Focusing on dogs and cats, many families regard these pets as members of the family. It is increasingly common to see dogs accepted in outdoor restaurants. Many motels have recognized the importance of accommodating dogs as some travelers will only go to the ones that will accept a pet.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), it is estimated that 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the United States. Of this number approximately 37 – 47% of all households in the United States have a dog, and 30 – 37% has a cat. However, many of these households would object to the term “owner” as the term companion is increasingly used to refer to the type of relationship that develops between the human being and a pet.

In a New York Times article titled: The Creature Connection by Natalie Angier (March 14, 2011), the author writes about the scientific study of the emotional bond that exists between humans and companion animals. The article also talks about anthropomorphism, attributing human characteristics to dogs, as an example. The article goes on to describe a family with a 60-pound poodle where they refer to their dog as the one “who draws the whole family together.”

In a 2015 summer publication from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) the topic was: AnimalAssisted Therapy for Patients Undergoing Treatment at NIH Clinical Center. Focusing on the needs of patients who are undergoing treatment for medical conditions, which included cancer and genetic disorders as well as mental health issues, the clinicians make the observation that the therapy dogs appear to

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sense what the patients need, providing them with a unique emotional connection that appears to be enormously beneficial.

Even from a psychiatric standpoint, it is not easy to explain the profound connection that dogs have with their owner-companions, but it is recognized as an important component in the treatment of a variety of mental health disorders. The following fictional clinical vignette is presented to illustrate the psychological importance of companionship.

JT is a 72-year-old retired stockbroker. He was quite successful in his work and was able to retire at the age of 62, facing no financial worries. His life changed dramatically on his 63rd birthday when his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 60. JT and his wife saw several neurologists but the diagnosis was the same. Over the course of five years, he saw his wife gradually lose her ability to remember and finally the ability to care for herself. JT could not put his wife in a nursing home, choosing to care for her himself, along with home attendants who were with her for most of the day.

It was a difficult transition for JT as he slowly lost his wife to Alzheimer’s. He often cried and became isolated from friends. JT also took on the responsibility of caring for his wife’s beloved dog, Sherry, a beautiful Old English Sheepdog. JT would take his wife for long walks with their dog who never left his wife’s side. Sherry came into their family after their only son died of brain cancer. It was shortly after that event that JT brought Sherry to their home, as he thought that this young puppy would help his wife to heal emotionally. This, indeed, was the case, and his wife and Sherry bonded quickly. JT bonded to Sherry as well. His wife was able to refocus her energies on her favorite pastime, writing poetry.

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After the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, it was painful to watch his wife struggle to write as her cognitive skills, memory required for writing, began to fade.

She was always able to call Sherry by her name and was observed laughing as she and Sherry played with a ball. As his wife went into the fifth year of her illness and generally had lost the capability of even recognizing JT, she still remembered the name of Sherry. She was unable to play with Sherry who seemed to sense that his wife was not the same.

Sometimes JT wondered if Sherry understood that she had also lost her companion to Alzheimer’s. At the age of sixteen, she began to lose weight and had increasing difficulty walking. JT took Sherry to the vet and was told what he already knew; that Sherry was aging, had multiple chronic physical disorders, and little could be done.

JT could not bear to tell his wife the sad news. It came to the point when JT knew that it would be necessary to have Sherry euthanized. JT took Sherry to the vet and returned home alone crying but could not share the reason with his wife. The vet counseled JT before he left and even questioned JT about his emotional well-being, encouraging him to see a doctor. JT assured his vet, who had cared for Sherry since she was a puppy, that he was all right.

The next several weeks were quite difficult for JT as he was experiencing the loss of two companions, his wife and Sherry. He did have occasional thoughts of “not wanting to be around,” but recognized that he needed to be present to care for his wife. His neighbor was startled by the deterioration of his physical appearance and pleaded with him to see a medical professional. JT went to his family doctor who prescribed an antidepressant, Prozac or fluoxetine. His doctor advised JT that his treatment was not simply taking a medication and encouraged JT to see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist took over the medication management and made several changes, eventually adding a medication, Abilify or aripiprazole to the Prozac, to augment or enhance the effectiveness of the antidepressant. JT also began seeing a psychotherapist. In therapy, JT was able to talk about the loss of his two beloved com-

blood clots and aspirin panions but also recognized the importance of his own life and the need to move on. JT appreciated the care that his vet had provided to Sherry and often wondered how the vet dealt with the issue of euthanasia.

With the benefit of therapy, JT had to make a hard decision- that it was better for his wife to be in a nursing home for full time nursing care. While it was difficult to make this decision, after he saw his wife in the nursing home, he recognized that he had made the right decision. He was also surprised and pleased that the nursing home had animal-assisted therapy as specially trained dogs visited the nursing home several times a week. His wife, who was no longer verbal, responded to the dogs. JT remains in therapy and after visiting an Animal Shelter brought home a five-year-old Shetland Sheepdog. His new dog is named Millie and is clearly a companion to JT. He decided to return to work, on a part-time basis, and visits his wife regularly, with Millie. He continues to see his therapist and feels that he is coping well with this phase of his life, along with his new companion, Millie.

The fictional clinical vignette highlights several issues: the psychological impact of being a caregiver, the pain of losing a companion, and the importance of the unique companionship offered by dogs. The fictional vignette also highlights another issue- the experience of euthanizing or ending the lives of dogs with untreatable medical disorders often leading to terminal illness. While the experience of euthanasia is not a common topic, it is an experience that many owner companions have been exposed to. It is also a procedure that is a “unique stressor” for veterinary physicians.

In an article by T. Rees Shapiro titled: For Veterinary Students, the Hardest Lesson of All is Saying Goodbye (The Washington Post, September 26, 2015), the author writes about the experiences of veterinary physician students and how they are learning to deal with the experience of humane euthanasia. The article points out that vets also become attached to their patients and that the experience of humane euthanasia is not without emotional consequences to both the owner companion and the veterinary physician. Now veterinary students are learning more about mental health and how to “face euthanasia with compassion.” Many owner-companions remember that the experience of humanely ending the lives of their dog-companions was often made easier by the compassion showed by their veterinarian doctors.

While there is research that continues to focus on the benefits of pet therapy, at this point in time, there is no questioning the impact that dogs play in the emotional recovery of veterans who have been exposed to horrific combat experiences resulting in

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In a New York Times article by James Dao titled: Loyal Companion Helps a Veteran Regain Her Life After War Trauma (April 28, 2012), the author writes about the direction that the Department of Veteran Affairs has taken to provide more therapy dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. The author writes about a war veteran who was experiencing depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety as a function of PTSD. Despite traditional treatment with psychiatric medications, the female war veteran did not improve and was ultimately hospitalized psychiatrically. The article describes her recovery, which was aided by the companionship of a golden retriever.

In summary, many pets, and in particular, dogs, have a significant role in the lives of many pet owners.

Companionship is the term that is applied to this relationship, and it has become widely recognized that dogs also play an important role in the clinical treatment of war veterans. As dogs have a life span that is far shorter than humans, having to humanely end the life of a terminally ill dog is not uncommon. The emotional bond with the owner-companion, as well as the loss experienced by the veterinarian, is significant and profound. But the take home point is that the psychological benefits of companionship between humans and dogs are significant, rewarding, and beneficial to both.

The following references are provided for the informed consumer: NIH/ National Institute on Aging: Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s disease https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/ caring-person-ad/adapting-activities-people-ad Administration for Community Living: Caregivers and Serious Illness http://www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/ Resources/Advanced_Care/docs/CaregiversAndS eriousIllness.pdf National Institutes of Health: Psychotherapies http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies/index.shtml Dr. Middleton is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, and a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He received his undergraduate training at New York University and an MD degree from Rutgers Medical School. Dr. Middleton completed his psychiatric residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital & Medical Center, in NYC. He is on the honorary medical staff (retired) of Hackensack University Medical Center in NJ, where he is also Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Middleton has been on the voluntary teaching faculty of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Brown Medical School.

He is currently a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Middleton is retired as an Associate in the Department of Psychiatry in the Geisinger Health System formerly practicing at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Dr. Middleton lives in Dingmans Ferry, PA, and Manhattan, NY.

wellness

The Healthy

Gee z er

By Fred Cicetti

Q.

If you think you’re having a heart attack, should you take aspirin?

blood clot in a coronary artery narrowed by cholesterol and other substances is the usual cause of a heart attack. Aspirin keeps blood moving through constricted arteries. Therefore, paramedics may give aspirin when they respond to an emergency to treat a heart attack victim.

A

Aspirin reduces mortality from heart attacks, but taking aspirin is a subject you should discuss with your doctor. Aspirin could hurt you if your symptoms are caused by a different health problem.

Doctors call a heart attack a “myocardial infarction.” Loosely translated, the term means heartmuscle death. The clogged artery prevents oxygenated blood from nourishing the heart. This can lead to pain, the death of heart cells, scar tissue, and fatal arrhythmias.

About 1.1 million Americans have a heart attack every year. About 460,000 of those heart attacks are fatal. About half the fatalities happen within an hour after symptoms begin and before the victim gets to a hospital.

How do you know if you’re having a heart attack? Here are seven common warning signs: 1. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. It may pause for a while and then restart. The discomfort can be in the form of pain or pressure.

Some experience a squeezing or feeling of fullness.

2. Pain in shoulders, arms, back, upper abdomen, neck and jaw 3. Shortness of breath 4. Cold sweat 5. Nausea 6. Lightheadedness 7. Anxiety

Angina pectoris is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort usually caused by coronary artery disease.

Angina (pronounced “an-JI-nuh” or “AN-juh-nuh”) is not a heart attack.

However, there’s a higher risk of a heart attack if you have angina.

It is often difficult to tell the difference between a heart attack and angina. If you get angina, you should get medical attention immediately.

Exertion brings on angina. It’s usually relieved by resting or taking angina medicine.

A heart attack can happen anytime—during exertion or at rest.

Some heart attacks are like the ones you see in films and on stage; they’re sudden and dramatic. However, most heart attacks build gradually over several hours. Many heart attack victims have symptoms days or weeks in advance.

If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 9-1-1 immediately. There are drugs that break up clots and open arteries; they work best when given within the first hour after the onset of an attack.

If emergency medical services are not available, ask someone to drive you to the hospital. You shouldn’t drive yourself, unless you have no other choice.

While it may seem macabre, planning for a heart attack is intelligent.

Having a basic plan in place could save time and a life. Map out your steps if an attack happened at home or at work. For example, decide who would care for any dependents. And discussing aspirin with your doctor in advance will give you a clear course of action if you have a heart attack.

[Heart attack is a subject too vast for one column. We’ll need three. This is the first installment.]

If you would like to ask a question, write to fred@healthygeezer.com.

All Rights Reserved © 2015 by Fred Cicetti

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9

reflections

from inside

“Life Was So Simple & Innocent” Part II

Reflections of a Prison Inmate

By Terry Mooney

his wide eyed, fresh faced young man tells the story of his life with a child-like perspective, full of images and descriptions that draw in the reader, taking us on a journey from paradise to hell.

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My Story My mother couldn’t take the big change. She missed our old life in Puerto Rico. Raising six kids on a beautiful big farm was very different than being cooped up in a small apartment in the ghetto. Life in America was one big disappointment. She began leaving us periodically to go stay with different people. She started partying and doing drugs. One night, my dad got us up in the middle of the night and took us to find her. We drove around for hours and finally saw her walking down the street with another man. A fight ensued, and the man stabbed my dad seven times in the upper back. We kids were screaming, “Poppy, your shirt is turning red!” He left my mom there and started driving to get to the hospital. My older brother was putting pressure on the worst cuts until we arrived and got help.

My dad never gave up on our mother. Because of the injuries from the stabbing, he was limited as to how much he could work.

So the family had to go on public assistance. But whenever the check was expected to arrive at the beginning of the month, my mother would tell my father that she’s sorry and could she come home. He would let her come home, and immediately she would slip back into being a mother to us. She cooked delicious meals and did everything a mother does, like take us to the doctor, shopping for clothes. She always played Spanish music that we could hear coming out of the window as we came home from school. But eventually she would disappear again, taking the money with her. She told us that she wanted to feel young again, that she didn’t like being a grownup, or being responsible.

One of our aunts from the ghetto moved upstate where there was peace and quiet and trees and fresh air. Moving us there, I think it was Dad’s way of getting our mother to try to calm down and stay at home. He wanted her to see that there is more to life in America than the slums. It didn’t work at all. She just found a way to party and find the wrong people to hang out with, even in the country.

Repeatedly, we would come home from school, and there’d be no music coming from the window. And no smell of food cooking.

She‘d left again. Usually, we would go to a friend’s house to eat until our Dad could get donations from local churches and organizations. We wanted to believe that she cared about us, but really she’d left us to starve.

As soon as I turned fifteen, I started working at a dealership detailing cars after school. I had money for food. I would always make sure that my little brother had food to eat. The older kids were on their own. Five or six dollars would feed both of us.

Ironically, sometimes we would splurge on the happy meals at McDonald’s for the free toys that got us in so much trouble in the first place, making us leave our happy life.

Graduating from high school with a scholarship in Art, I started college and jumped right into five basic and two art classes.

In one semester, I was about to earn sixteen credits when the guidance counselor informed me that if I didn’t pass the exams, the scholarship would be revoked and the tuition for me would then double. Looking back, it was not applicable because I was doing well in all of the classes and had no reason to believe that I would not pass the exams. But I panicked, and dropped out before that could happen.

I went to work full time, moving from job to job in order to make more money. I was paying my car insurance and saving to get my own apartment. Previously, I had dabbled in smoking

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marijuana now and then, mostly socially with close friends. I continued to do this, never during work, but considered it a leisurely activity. The problem where I lived was that there was little for young people to do, and most of the ones I knew and liked, enjoyed sitting around and smoking a little bit together. It was so acceptable to everyone that it was hard to remember that it was still illegal. A lot of my friends’ parents talked about doing it the same as one would discuss drinking cocktails.

When I graduated from high school, I had saved enough money working to buy a five-speed 1998 Acura Integra. I loved this little two-door car. I zipped around town and loved shifting the gears. That car helped me a lot. I didn’t have to rely on rides to and from work. It gave me a sense of responsibility. Every Friday after work, I would wash it and detail the inside, waxing it periodically. It was my baby. But my baby also caused me to drive a little too fast on occasion which netted me a few speeding tickets. I was known to the police.

One day, I decided to chill out by a local river, in my own space, by myself. I sat in my car looking out at the setting sun glistening on the flowing water, listening to softly playing music.

I had the windows open, breathing in the balmy summer air while I took a few pulls on a marijuana cigarette. Lost in thought, I was jolted out of my comfort zone by a car pulling up behind me and a spotlight suddenly shining into my car.

A police officer came up to the passenger side, and another came to my side and told me he could smell marijuana and could I please get out of the car. I complied immediately. After looking inside, they found the partially smoked joint. They took me to the police station, took my finger prints and gave me a summons for court. I walked back to my car and drove home.

Appearing on the court date, I was given probation for six months along with an eight hundred dollar fine which I began paying immediately. Unfortunately, due to a frustrating event that occurred one day, I ended up smoking again and violating probation’s drug test. The prospect of jail was not even in my realm of possibility. When I appeared at court as required, I went alone. My family and girlfriend, and I, for that matter, expected me to be home in time for dinner. But that was not what happened. As a probation violator, I was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom. I arrived at the Pike County Correctional Facility, and that is where, in fact, I had my dinner.

I am participating in the many programs that are offered here, and find them very helpful. This experience has given me an opportunity to learn about myself and what can happen in life as a result of decisions we make. I think because of my simple beginnings and otherwise uncomplicated approach to life, I have been naïve about the way the system works, what can happen if we are not paying attention and not taking everything into consideration.

I will turn twenty-two years old tomorrow, and I would say that I have no regrets about my life so far. In here, I spend whatever money I have on phone calls home, except for a Twix and a Honey Bun as my birthday gift. I am learning that what my priorities are for myself and those I love are not worth the cost of smoking a joint, or driving too fast or anything that might derail my plans for the future. I’m a hard worker, a dedicated family man and what I do in life matters to me. I now know that I need to be more aware of how complicated life can get when you’re a grownup. The freedom that I sought as a little boy so many years ago in this country has become even more precious to me than ever.

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Keystone Clean Water Team

REFILLING MY WELL Getting Ready for the Spring Rain By: Brian Oram

fter a busy summer and normally a cold winter, one of the first things I do is check on my well and the well water quality. The primary reason is that most of my daily water usage will occur in the early spring and summer when I am planting a garden, watering vegetation, and trying to manage in a hot summer. After a long winter with intermittent water use, it is not uncommon for a well to produce discolored water or even have an odor. The long winters in Northeastern Pennsylvania are also a great opportunity for insects and even rodents to starting making homes under some well caps or well pits.

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The spring is very important in Northeastern Pennsylvania because this is when we get most of our rainfall, but also when the groundwater aquifer receives a lot of recharge. The groundwater aquifer in Northeastern Pennsylvania is not like a river, lake, or mysterious cavern. In our area, the groundwater aquifer is just the spaces between the cracks in the rock or the pore space in the rock that becomes fully saturated. Just like your cell phone, the aquifer needs to be recharged. The groundwater in our region is relatively old, and testing indicates that the water may be thirty to a few hundred years old or more.

That is correct, the water that many of us drink recharged the aquifer over thirty years ago.

Things were a lot different just thiryt years ago in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Because of changes, we need to be proactive to help maintain the quality and sustainability of our groundwater aquifers.

When we get rainfall, a portion of the water is intercepted by the vegetation and forest and a portion of the water that enters or infiltrates the soil ultimately percolates downward and recharges the sand/gravel and bedrock aquifers. If there are lots of impervious surfaces, such as compacted soils, pavement, or other impervious structures, more water runs off than infiltrates and we get less groundwater recharge, i.e., just like when our cell phones do not get fully charged.

The following are a few steps to preparing for the spring rain:

1}

Inspect your well and well cap to make sure it is not buried, loose, or damaged.

2}

Prevent surface water from ponding in the area of the well and divert any direct runoff from the area.

3}

Remove any hazardous materials, such as oils, gasoline, wastes, and pesticides from an area that is at least fifty feet from the well.

4}

Get your soil tested before adding any fertilizers or chemicals and consider liming applications and non-chemical treatments.

5}

Get your well water or drinking water tested.

6}

Have your drinking water treatment systems inspected.

7}

If you have not had your septic system pumped and inspected in five years, this is the year to get it done.

8}

When you’re planning your projects for this coming year, you may want to consider adding projects related to water conservation, water gardens, rain barrels, utilizing native vegetation, or other activities that promote a more sustainable use of our groundwater resources.

In Pennsylvania, the Keystone Clean Water Team, a 501c3 environmental education organization, provides information on good practices for rural landowners and private well owners. Please consider visiting their web portals or asking them to speak at your community events. You do not have to do all of these things, but it would be good to complete at least one. “Making a Positive Change – Starts with Taking the First Step”.

Mr. Brian Oram is a licensed professional geologist, soil scientist, and licensed well driller. He is the owner of B.F. Environmental Consultants, Inc. and manager for the Keystone Clean Water Team (KCWT). The KCWT is a 501c3 working to improving the health, safety, and welfare of our community and the environment. They have a new phone App available – Know Your H20? http://www.pacleanwater.org • http://www.carbonwaters.org

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11

money

retirement

Retirement

WORLD Charles Curtin, JD, LLM, CTFA – Trust Officer, The Honesdale National Bank

hile perusing a magazine recently, I came across a photo of the painting, “Christina’s World,” by Andrew Wyeth. The painting is iconic Americana and a favorite of mine since childhood. My mother and I used to look at it in an Anthology of American Art resting on our coffee table. It depicts Christina sitting in a field apparently gazing towards a farmhouse in the distance.

The viewer cannot see Christina’s face, only her back. She is a mystery. The painting is both pastoral and haunting. Why is she in a field? Is she not sitting, but crawling? Why would she be crawling?

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It turns out Christina was not just conjured from Wyeth’s imagination, but a real person. She was a neighbor of the artist in Maine. Unfortunately, Christina was crippled by polio. She had little use of her lower extremities. Wyeth allegedly drew inspiration for the work by watching Christina crawl across a field one afternoon, struggling to return to the farmhouse using just her arms. For some reason, when I see “Christina’s World,” it makes me uneasy. She seems so alone in that beautiful setting. So close, yet far away from her home.

I am preoccupied with my retirement investments.

Primarily, I wonder if I will have enough income to live comfortably in my golden years. Gone are the days where you could work thirty years at a business and be guaranteed a lifetime pension. Today’s business environment, hyper focused on share price and revenue growth, makes it impossible for many employers to offer such

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generous incentives. As a result, us worker bees, like Christina alone in that somber pasture, are scratching and clawing our way towards our retirement home. It is quite difficult to save for retirement, so it is vitally important that when you do put some money away, you are maximizing the amount of potential future return. The following thoughts are specifically intended for those of you who are enrolled in employer sponsored 401(k) plans (which have pretty much replaced the pension system) and hopefully supplying some potential peace in your retirement world.

First, if you are enrolled in an employer sponsored retirement plan, take advantage of any matching program offered. You have probably already heard this advice ad nauseam from every advisor, family member, and neighbor you don’t even like, so I won’t belabor the point. Most companies offer a matching contribution program to employees’ retirement accounts as an added bonus for his or her work. The most typical plan (19% of overall employer sponsored programs) utilizes a 6% full match. For example, when an employee with a $100,000 salary puts $6,000 or 6% towards his or her 401(k), the employer will make their own 100% “matching” contribution to the employee’s retirement. That’s an additional $6,000. Employees that elect not to contribute the full “match” amount to his or her retirement plan are essentially foregoing free money from the employer.

Another often discussed but rarely analyzed area of retirement planning is whether to choose between a Roth 401(k) or a Traditional 401(k). The difference between Roth and Traditional is rather simple. A contribution into a Roth account is made after taxes have been paid. Upon withdrawal from a Roth during retirement, no tax is due because said taxes were already paid up front, thereby allowing the investment growth to build tax free. On the other hand, a Traditional 401(k) retirement account’s deposit is not taxed and you pay the taxes upon withdrawal of the monies years later during retirement. In a nutshell, the difference comes down to timing. Pay taxes now or later. So, what is the best option for you? Well, not to be too vague…it depends.

If you are on the young side or not a higher earner, I would suggest utilizing a Roth because the earnings of the investments are not taxed upon withdrawal. You have the potential for decades of tax-free growth on the account. For a higher wage earner, I would suggest contributing to a Traditional 401(k) because you will most likely be in a lower tax bracket after you retire. After retirement, the withdrawals you make at that point would be taxed at a lower rate than they would be at your current tax level.

Many employer sponsored retirement plans utilize large institutional investor firms to manage them. The employees

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in the plan are given a menu of investments to choose, usually mutual funds. These “choices” are often overwhelming to the novice investor. How are we with real jobs in other vocations than finance supposed to be professional investors on the side? Well, lucky for you, it is not that difficult to compile an adequate retirement portfolio. It primarily depends on “asset allocation.”

Asset allocation is the mix of different investments within your retirement portfolio. Most portfolios are comprised of stocks, bonds, cash, and other fixed income investments. Your asset allocation is the percentage of how much your portfolio is invested in the various classes of assets. A good rule of thumb is that the longer time horizon you have in the 401(k) plan to accumulate r-etirement income, the more aggressively invested in stocks the portfolio should be because the portfolio will be able to handle short term ebbs and flows. As you age, theoretically you should tone down the risk and exposure to stocks in order to preserve what you have already achieved. In light of the general rules, my suggestion is when you are young, start with at least 60% equity and 40% fixed income asset allocation and then every few years adjust the percentages downward as you get closer towards retirement.

Finally, I hate to say I know better, but the last two items really are quite obvious. Try as hard as you can to not borrow against your 401(k). A retirement plan is a long term savings tool and not easy money. Borrowing against the account’s balance only gets you farther away from retiring comfortably. Also, if you have a 401(k) plan and are about to change jobs, I have seen far too many employees cashing out their plan and taking the money. Don’t do this. Again, the money is for retirement! Consider it locked away until you are ready to winter in Florida (I wish I could do this after the winters of 2013 and 2014).

Your work life will have its ups and downs.

However, you are not alone in this field of finance and investing. Remember, there are many great financial advisors here in Northeast Pennsylvania to assist you because as I like to say, “Local advice is often the best advice.”

The Honesdale National Bank and its employees do not render legal, tax, or accounting advice. Accordingly, you and your attorneys and accountants are ultimately responsible for determining the legal, tax, and accounting consequences of any suggestions offered herein.

Furthermore, all decisions regarding financial, tax, and estate planning will ultimately rest with you and your legal, tax, and accounting advisors. Any description pertaining to federal taxation contained herein is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used by you or any other person, for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. This disclosure is made in accordance with the rules of Treasury Department Circular 230 governing standards of practice before the Internal Revenue Service.

Which Retirement Plan Is Right for Your Business?

retirement

money

f you own a small business, there are many retirement plan alternatives available to help you and your eligible employees save for retirement. For most closely held business owners, a Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA) was once the most cost-effective choice. Then the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE IRA) became a viable alternative. Today you may find that a defined benefit or 401(k) plan best suits your needs. To make an informed decision on which plan is right for your business, review the differences carefully before you choose.

I

Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA). This plan is flexible, easy to set up, and has low administrative costs.

An employer signs a plan adoption agreement, and IRAs are set up for each eligible employee. When choosing this plan, keep in mind that it does not allow employees to save through payroll deductions, and contributions are immediately 100% vested.

The maximum an employer can contribute each year is 25% of an employee’s eligible compensation, up to a maximum of $265,000 for 2016.

However, the contribution for any individual cannot exceed $53,000 in 2016. Employer contributions are typically discretionary and may vary from year to year. With this plan, the same formula must be used to calculate the contribution amount for all eligible employees, including any owners. Eligible employees include those who are age 21 and older and those employed (both part time and full time) for three of the last five years.

Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE). If you want a plan that encourages employees to save for retirement, a SIMPLE IRA might be appropriate for you. In order to select this plan, you must have 100 or fewer eligible employees who earned $5,000 or more in compensation in the preceding year and have no other employer-sponsored retirement plans to which contributions were made or accrued during that calendar year. There are no annual IRS fillings or complex paperwork, and employer contributions are tax deductible for your business. The plan encourages employees to save for retirement through payroll deductions; contributions are immediately 100% vested.

The maximum salary deferral limit to a SIMPLE IRA plan cannot exceed $12,500 for 2016. If an employee is age 50 or older before December 31, then an additional catch-up contribution of $3,000 is permitted. Each year the employer must decide to do either a matching contribution (the lesser of the employee’s salary deferral or 3% of the employee’s compensation) or non-matching contribution of 2% of an employee’s compensation (limited to $265,000 for 2016). All participants in the plan must be notified of the employer’s decision.

Defined benefit pension plan. This

type of plan helps build savings quickly. It generally produces a much larger tax-deductible contribution for your business than a defined contribution plan; however, annual employer contributions are mandatory since each participant is promised a monthly benefit at retirement age. Since this plan is more complex to administer, the services of an enrolled actuary are required. All plan assets must be held in a pooled account, and your employees cannot direct their investments.

Certain factors affect an employer’s contribution for a plan, such as current value of the plan assets, the ages of employees, date of hire, and compensation. A participating employee with a large projected benefit and only a few years until normal retirement age generates a large contribution because there is little time to accumulate the necessary value to produce the stated benefit at retirement. The maximum annual benefit at retirement is the lesser of 100% of the employee’s compensation or $210,000 per year in 2016 (indexed for inflation).

401(k) plans. This plan may be right for your company if you want to motivate your employees to save towards retirement and give them a way to share in the firm’s profitability.

401(k) plans are best suited for companies seeking flexible contribution methods.

When choosing this plan type, keep in mind that the employee and employer have the ability to make contributions. The maximum salary deferral limit for a 401(k) plan is $18,000 for 2016. If an employee is age 50 or older before December 31, then an additional catch-up contribution of $6,000 is permitted. The maximum amount you, as the employer, can contribute is 25% of the eligible employee’s total compensation (capped at $265,000 for 2016).

Individual allocations for each employee cannot exceed the lesser of 100% of compensation or $53,000 in 2016. The allocation of employer profit-sharing contributions can be skewed to favor older employees, if using age-weighted and new comparability features. Generally, IRS Forms 5500 and 5500-EZ (along with applicable schedules) must be filed each year.

Once you have reviewed your business’s goals and objectives, you should check with your Financial Advisor to evaluate the best retirement plan option for your financial situation.

This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Michael J Krupa, Krupa Wealth Management, 614 Church Street, Honesdale PA 570-253-0121.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE.

Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC. Krupa Wealth Mangement is a separate entity from WFAFN. ©2015 Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.

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13

entertainment

book/film reviews

SPOTLIGHT

“Buffalo Soldiers: Heroes of the American West”

By Brynn Baker Reviewed by Terri Schlichenmeyer

our family is filled with people to whom you look up. There’s Grandpa, who served in the war. Grandma, who raised many children with little money. Your uncle, another veteran overseas; and both your parents, who keep you fed and safe.

You look up to all of them but imagine how high you’d have to look if they were on horseback, and then read “Buffalo Soldiers: Heroes of the American West” by Brynn Baker.

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At the beginning of the Civil War, many freedmen and recent-runaway slaves tried to enlist in the Army to fight for the North. There were laws against that kind of thing then, but after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the Union Army was open to former slaves, who fought in segregated units.

Says Baker, “By the time the war ended in 1865, about 186,000 black soldiers had joined the Union Army.” Twenty-five of them were awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in battle and so, seeing that African Americans made fine soldiers, Congress “reorganized the army” to create six “all-black regiments” (later reduced to four) and sent them to patrol the Western territories on foot or by horse. They were called Buffalo Soldiers, although nobody knows exactly why.

Segregation was still the law of the land then, but being a Buffalo Soldier was a way to make a living while also gaining “the respect of white men.” Riding on horseback, the Buffalo Soldiers kept the peace in a lawless Western frontier.

Relations between settlers and Native Americans were shaky, and the soldiers helped eliminate disputes. They were assigned to fix forts, help local sheriffs uphold the law, and guard mail carriers. While doing their jobs, they mapped the new territories and took note of the wildlife they often encountered.

There was adventure, but the job was “challenging,” too: housing was usually poor, food was sometimes lacking, while battle and disease also took its toll.

Buffalo Soldiers often worked with second-rate equipment and broken-down horses. Still, they “took their jobs seriously and served with honor,” and eight states can thank their existence, in part, to “the Buffalo Soldiers’ service to their country.”

Dates and names. Does your child think that history consists just of those two sometimes boring things? Show him that there are lively stories behind those names and dates by giving him “Buffalo Soldiers.”

With plenty of pictures and sidebars, author Brynn Baker puts history into perspective by explaining, in child-friendly terms, how black men (and at least one woman!) helped settle the West at a time when African Americans sometimes struggled for the chance to own property themselves. Baker furthermore shows how Native American history is intertwined with that of the soldiers, and it’s told in an engaging, almost story-like way that I think kids will enjoy.

For 9-to-12-year-olds, this is a great introduction to a sometimes overlooked facet of history, and it might spur them to delve even further into the topic.

History-minded children, especially, may want to read “Buffalo Soldiers” for pleasure, too, so go ahead – look it up.

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Tom McCarthy’s slow-build ensemble drama recounts how, in 2002, The Boston Globe published a shattering front-page story, documenting decades of child sex abuse and subsequent cover-up within Boston’s Catholic Church.

The film begins a year earlier, Spotlight, an in-house investigative team of four (Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Brian d’Arcy James). Spotlight depicts the frustrating, grueling, and ultimately successful marshaling of information that allowed the team to suspect, and then prove, the systemic failure of the archdiocese to address what turns out to be a collective secret.

Among the challenges the Spotlight team faces is how deep the Church’s political, cultural, and emotional influence runs through Boston.

It is explosive subject matter, presented soberly as an investigative procedural. McCarthy finds space for, but doesn’t overplay, some of the more emotional beats. There are the distraught and damaged survivors; the growing horror of where the investigation leads; and the personal toll it takes on the reporters, who come to realize that the pieces of the story were there all along. But the downbeat material is matched by a quiet celebration that the dogged pursuit of the truth can and should matter, and that journalists, given resources, can provide this necessary check on out of 4 power.

BROOKLYN John Crowley’s gentle and frequently poignant melodrama follows a young Irish woman, Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), as she leaves her small town for the opportunities of Brooklyn.

It’s 1952, and America is surging into the mid-century, as chaotic, lively, and surprising as Ireland is still rooted in tradition.

At first Eilis is lost and lonely, but Eilis meets a sweet ItalianAmerican fella named Tony (Emory Cohen), and her new life begins to sparkle. Then a family matter calls her back to Ireland.

And now, newly confident from her time abroad, remaining in the old country doesn’t seem so bad, especially after reconnecting with handsome Jim (Domhnall Gleeson) …

The plot is the stuff of old-fashioned women’s pictures and is saved from becoming too treacly by Crowley’s light touch and Ronan’s fine performance. (The film is also lovely to look at, saturated with rich colors reminiscent of the era’s Technicolor features.) What the film captures best is the bittersweet nature of the immigrant’s life. Eilis now has two homes: One will remain beneath her feet, while the other will be a mix of memories and regrets about choices not taken. Time will perhaps shift allegiance from one home to another, but like all immigrants, Eilis will live suspended between the two. out of 4

All of these ran previously in the Pittsburgh City Paper.

coal mining

Coal Mining in PA

Anthracite

By LA Guzda

ith the chill of winter settling in our bones, there are few ways to keep our tootsies toasty. One of those is coal.

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Coal deposits are scattered around the world, but the coal from a 500 square mile region of northeast Pennsylvania is special. 300 million years ago in the Paleozoic era, our rugged mountain terrain was a humid swamp land. The abundant plant life grew, died, and became decaying matter that sank to the bottom of the swamps to form a dense organic substance called peat. Over millions of years, the compressed deposits of peat became mineral layers known as coal.

In northeast Pennsylvania, the ordinary process was accelerated by a violent upheaval known as the Appalachian Revolution. During this “revolution” the rising mountains literally folded over, splitting open and thrusting up rock and peat formations from deep inside of the earth.

The extra pressure from this process yielded coal that was more pure, harder, and of higher carbon content than any other types of coal. This coal is anthracite, and over 95% of the Western Hemisphere’s supply comes from this special region in northeast PA. Native Americans used crushed anthracite as a black paint stone. Around 1769, Obadiah Gore, a blacksmith in the Wilkes-Barre area, discovered that anthracite could be used in his forge. In 1791, Philip Ginter, a farmer and miller, discovered a large anthracite deposit in Sharp Mountain near what is now Jim Thorpe, PA. He is generally regarded as the “Father of the Anthracite Industry.”

Anthracite was first quarried from outcrops. When quarrying became impractical, the mines went underground.

Many of the early mines had only one entry/exit point.

Vertical shafts frequently used a furnace at the bottom to create a flow of air to ventilate the mine. In the working areas, the coal was loaded into the cars pulled by mules to the bottom of the shaft for hoisting.

Working conditions in the early anthracite mines were obviously quite poor and wages were low. Dissatisfaction among the miners led to the creation of the Workers Benevolent Association (WBA) in 1868. Initially, it had a cooperative relationship with the mine owners and opera-

did you know?

tors, but that didn’t last long and the WBA disappeared within a few years.

The 1869 Avondale mine disaster in which 110 miners were killed focused attention on the unsafe conditions in the mines and caused Pennsylvania to enact the first mine safety laws. In 1870 (the first year of statistics), a total of 211 miners were killed while producing 14 million tons of anthracite. The United Mineworkers of America (UMA) was formed in 1890.

Scranton was the center of the anthracite coal industry – the largest known deposit in America was being mined in this region. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived to work the mines; German, Welsh, Irish, Italians, Polish, Slovacs, Ukranians, Russians, Lithuanians, Hungarians and Czechs.

Railroads proved the best way to transport coal and soon became prevalent in this region.

The Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal Company, which is prominent throughout the Hawley and Honesdale area (the museum is located on Main Street in Honesdale) built a gravity railroad, as well as a steam railroad to Scranton in 1863.

The Lackawanna County Coal Mine located in McDade Park in Scranton is a great way to encounter a coal mining experience. You will descend slowly into the earth in a mine car as you enter the old Slope #190.

At 300 feet beneath the earth, you’ll step back in time to when the anthracite coal mine originally opened in 1860. You will accompany a miner in the winding underground gangways and rock tunnel past three different veins of hard coal, past the mule boy and the nipper, past the monkey vein and the dead chute. He explains the fascinating methods used, and the heroic efforts involved, in deep mining’s history.

The Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour is open from April 1 through November 30 and is closed on Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day. So mark your calendars now and you’ll have something very special to look forward to as winter comes to a close.

Stay warm.

Visit www.LAGuzda.com or www.PoconoSecrets.com for past articles.

Do you have a Pocono Secret to share? Send an email to: PoconoSecrets@aol.com.

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lifestyle

outdoor ramblings

Outdoor Ramblings:

Winter Forest Challenge Bill Deaton

Visit just about any state or national park during the summer and chances are you’ll find at least one, maybe more, ranger-led programs designed to teach novice naturalists about tree and plant identification.

Many prefer to self-educate and instead tromp through the woods with a guidebook in hand looking for leaf specimens.

Once the leaves are gone, though, things get more difficult.

Many pack it up for the winter, but identifying trees and plants in the middle of winter can be both fun and challenging. williamjdeaton@yahoo.com

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I used to think I knew a lot about identifying trees up until the spring of 2013. Not to toot my own horn, but for the previous twenty years or so I spent considerable amounts of time leading scout groups, hiking clubs, and other tourists through the forests of the Commonwealth, and other states, too. Pointing out the plants and trees we’d see along the way was part of my job, but in most cases, I did this when there were leaves on the trees. No problem.

That spring, which was actually mid-March, I started working with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry in Pike County, and for the first two or three weeks, with ample snow still on the ground and no foliage above, I was engaged in doing boundary marking. My supervisor would stand with a GPS and tell me to walk so far on a line and “…paint that oak, that maple, those two birch trees, and stop at the hickory.”

I looked at him like he had two heads, and he looked back at me like I was a nincompoop. Okay, the hickory I knew because of the shaggy bark. I was pretty certain I knew what birches he meant because I could make out the horizontal striped bands on the trees, but the oak and the maple trees…forget it. Tried as I did for the remainder of the month, I still would strike out 60% of the time when trying to differentiate between most oaks and maples.

Admittedly, after two years, I’m still not much better at telling the two apart by their bark. Young trees, especially, can have very smooth bark and deciding what is a “ridgy” oak versus a “scaly” maple is somewhat of a challenge. So as to not be disheartened, I chose to get to know more easily

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identified trees, of which there are plenty locally, so as to not feel like a total buffoon.

Betula papyrifera commonly known as white birch, paper birch, or canoe birch is a fairly easy tree to spot correctly, but can be confused with the Betula populifolia, or grey birch, which too is white but doesn’t have the easily peeled bark. Betula nigra, the river birch or black birch, is also easy to identify thanks to scaly bark and typical knots. Betula lenta, the sweet birch is also common and easily recognized by the reddishgrey bark and horizontal striping.

Sycamores, Platanus occidentalis, can be found along river banks, and the layered bark, generally brownish on the outer layer and white or yellow underneath, is not a difficult tree to spy, nor are American Beech, Fagus grandifolia, with their smooth grey bark and wider, elephant foot-like trunk base.

Beeches many times do not completely shed their dead leaves until spring, so that makes them really easy to spot.

Looking at the buds and comparing them to examples in a field book is probably the best way to ID trees. Buds are arranged opposite of each other on maples and ashes. Most others, save dogwoods and chestnuts, alternate, except catalpas, which are whorled.

If winter tree identification still stumps you, wait until summer when you can properly peg the hardwood for its correct species, note it, and come back to visit it the following winter. With the help of a good guidebook and a small ruler, after enough time, you too can quickly become a wintertime, tree finding expert.

classics

1933

lifestyle

Dodge 4 Door

Sedan

By Arnie Milidantri

he Northeast Pennsylvania car show and cruise season is over, and all our cherished cars are in hibernation. For those of us who were lucky enough to frequent the various local car events, we have our memories of the time we spent viewing some great cars and trucks and talking to their owners to tide us over until spring. My memory of the 2015 season was the September 13th cruise sponsored by “The Villa Capri Cruisers” held at the Dickson City Home Depot. The day was cool and the cars were hot!

T

My eye was drawn to the car featured in this month’s article, a beautiful 1933 Dodge 4door sedan street-rod owned by Luke Casterline of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania.

The Dodge was completed in 2015 and is a unique choice for a street rod with its great lines, stance and beautiful two tone silver and red paint job; it was a true show stand-out!

Background John F. and Horace E. Dodge, sons of a Michigan machinist, moved to Detroit at the turn of the century. They originally produced transmissions for Ransom E. Olds, and in 1903, became the major suppliers of drive trains to the Ford Motor Company. They were never employees of Ford but Ford’s exclusive vendor of choice for over ten years.

The story goes that when Ford ignored their design improvement suggestions that would have improved the then popular Model T, they decided to build their own car. They built the first Dodge in November, 1914, which was an instant success. For the next six years, they continued to be the innovators of many new mechanical advances offered in their cars, which made Dodge Brothers Motors the #2 car manufacturer by 1920. The hardworking, hard-living (known to favor bars vs. fancy restaurants) Dodge brothers would die of pneumonia months apart in 1920. At the time of their deaths, Dodge Brothers Motors employed 22,000 workers and produced 140,000 automobiles that year.

The Dodge Brothers Company remained an independent firm until 1928, when it became a major division of the Chrysler Corporation.

The Dodge Brothers legacy is evident in the 1933 Dodge four-door sedan. The design and mechanical advances standard in the car continued to make Dodge’s passenger sedans one

of the market favorites. Over 70,000 Dodge four-door sedans were sold in 1933. Dodge, known and respected for its mechanical creativity; innovativeness, and willingness to be first to try new things, was a market force to be reckoned with. The car’s overall design, starting with the slanted grill, chopped windshield, rear hinged front doors, and rolled rear pan, gave the appearance that the car was in motion while standing still. Powered by a 201 cu in flat-head 6 cylinder 23.4 hp engine and equipped with hydraulic brakes, it had a smooth ride thanks to semi-elliptic leaf springs in both the front and rear. The 1933 Dodges, whether painstakingly restored back to their original condition or creatively “retro” engineered into “one of a kind” street rods are amongst the favorite choices of car enthusiast.

Featured Car The car featured this month is a beautiful 1933 Dodge four-door sedan owned by Luke Casterline Tunkhannock, PA, that is definitely not Dad’s old time Dodge. The car is an outstanding example of a well-designed, engineered, and built street rod. Luke located the car in Ohio in 2014. The body was in excellent condition with only one rust spot that needed to be patched, and because the front fenders were beyond repair, a new set of fiberglass fenders were installed. The body was removed and the original frame was boxed. A Mustang II front end was installed with disc brakes, and a Ford 8.8 rear with “Air bag” suspension completed the frame updates. A 318 Magnum engine topped with a Demon 650 Carburetor and coupled to a 727 overdrive transmission gets the power to the rear wheels.

The car’s custom interior includes vintage air and heat, power windows, and custom bucket seats. The car’s beautiful two-tone silver and

deep red paint, its stance, and sound combine to give the finishing touch to a great “streetrod.”

The Owner Luke Casterline is a life long resident of Pennsylvania. He owned a Dodge dealership, Sheldon Motors, (may explain his Dodge project) which he sold in 1996. He continues in the auto business and currently considers himself semi-retired, running a used car dealership, Bridge Street Auto Sales, located in Tunkhannock, PA. Luke’s love of cars is the driving force behind his participation in the car hobby. He loves the challenge of the build, coming up with solutions to problems and seeing his vision become reality. Where some hobbyists take years to complete their projects, Luke targets his for completion within one year. Since being “semi-retired,” he has completed eight unique projects. Luke is a true car enthusiast with a great car history and stories. If you happen to see a great looking 1933 Dodge sedan at one northeast Pennsylvania’s shows/cruises, stop and say Hi to Luke. You might learn something about Dodges!

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EMAIL US YOUR QUESTIONS FOR DR. PLATKO AT CMAG@PTD.NET

ASK THE VET:

lifestyle

your pets

RABIES

What is Rabies? abies is transmitted by a virus and is one of the most devastating diseases affecting mammals, including dogs and humans.

The danger of a bite from a rabid dog was described in writings dated from the 23rd century BC.

R

How is rabies transmitted?

The disease is usually transmitted by the bite of an infected animal.

How widespread is Rabies?

Rabies occurs in every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Most countries are affected with the exception of a few island countries such as Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, and Hawaii. Norway, Sweden and the Iberian Peninsula are also free of rabies.

How is the virus transmitted?

Rabies virus does not survive long outside a mammal’s body. The infection is transmitted when one infected animal bites another. In Europe, foxes are the main reservoir while in North America the skunk, fox, raccoon, and bat are important sources of infection. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America the main reservoir is not wildlife but stray dogs. In these areas, human infection and fatalities are more common.

How long is the incubation period?

The incubation period can vary from ten days to one year or longer. In dogs, the incubation period is typically two weeks to four months. The speed at which clinical signs develop depends upon: The site of infection - the nearer the bite is to the brain and spinal cord, the quicker the virus reaches the nervous tissue.

The severity of the bite The amount of virus injected by the bite.

What are the clinical signs?

Following a bite from a rabid animal, the disease progresses in stages. In the first or prodromal phase the dog undergoes a marked change in temperament. Quiet dogs become agitated and active pets become nervous or shy.

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Following this stage, there are two recognized forms of the clinical disease: Furious rabies occurs when the rabid dog becomes highly excitable and displays evidence of a depraved appetite, eating and chewing stones, earth and rubbish (pica).

Paralysis eventually sets in and the rabid animal may be unable to eat and drink.

Hydrophobia (fear of water) is not a sign of rabies in dogs. This is a feature of human rabies. The dog finally dies in a violent seizure.

Dumb rabies is the more common form in dogs. There is progressive paralysis involving the limbs, distortion of the face and a similar difficulty in swallowing. Owners will frequently think the dog has something stuck in the mouth or throat. Care should be taken in examination since rabies may be transmitted by saliva. Ultimately, the dog becomes comatose and dies.

Is it possible to survive a bite from a rabid animal?

There are isolated and poorly documented reports of both dogs and people surviving.

In some cases, there may have been very little rabies virus present in the saliva at the time the rabid animal bit its victim. In this situation, the victim may not develop rabies.

However, as Louis Pasteur was the first to show, it is possible to interrupt the progression from an infected bite to the onset of signs by the early post-bite use of anti-rabies serum.

This antiserum contains specific immune antibodies to the virus. The most important method for preventing the progression of rabies is by administering a dose of rabies vaccine. The vaccine stimulates the bitten animal to develop its own neutralizing antibodies to the rabies virus. Without vaccination and rapid post-exposure treatment, the chances of survival are poor.

narian is required by law to notify the local and state or provincial animal disease regulatory authorities. These authorities will determine the steps necessary to properly protect the public.

Can I catch rabies?

Yes, the disease is zoonotic or can be transmitted from an animal to man. It is only transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal.

The virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal only for a limited time.

If any animal that may be suspicious for rabies bites you, immediately wash and flush the wound thoroughly with soap and water, and seek immediate medical assistance.

Post exposure rabies treatment with serum or vaccine may be recommended and is very successful if begun quickly.

Is it possible to vaccinate my dog?

There are several rabies vaccines approved for dogs, cats, horses, and ferrets. Dogs and cats between the ages of twelve and sixteen weeks should be vaccinated. Rabies revaccination is dependent on state or provincial law. Your veterinarian will advise you on the appropriate revaccination intervals and can assist you in obtaining any necessary licenses for your pet.

This client information sheet is based on material written by Ernest Ward, DVM. Copyright 2005 Lifelearn Inc. Used with permission under license.

December 9, 2015.

Is vaccination effective?

Vaccination promotes the production of antibodies but is only effective if given before the virus enters the nervous system.

Modern rabies vaccines for dogs, cats, horses, and ferrets are extremely safe and effective.

What is the treatment for rabies?

There is no treatment for a dog with rabies. If rabies is suspected, the dog has to be kept in isolation and prevented from escaping or injuring someone. Your veteri-

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–Amy Platko-Williams, D.V.M Dr. Platko is one of the four full time veterarians at the Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic in Honesdale.

Send your questions to Dr. Platko, c/o Connections Magazine, 3305 Lake Ariel Highway, Honesdale, Pa. 18431 or e-mail them to cmag@ptd.net and type 'Ask the Vet' in the subject line.

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19

get connected

area events

a+r+e Y O U

C O N N E C T E D

Ongoing Events DAILY

Public Art Displays Nature’s Grace, Dime Bank & Wayne Bank, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Harvey Insurance, Honesdale. & Pocono Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, Hawley. Wayne County Arts Alliance artists display their work monthly.

MONDAYS

Chair Yoga 10–11:15 a.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Ages 18 & up. All the benefits of yoga for anyone who may feel challenged by a traditional yoga class. Free.

Registration & info: 570-996-1500.

ARTS, RECREATION & ENTERTAINMENT

JANUARY ’16

be inspired. Learn the craft of writing as you write toward a goal of publication. All genres & levels of writing welcome. Free admission.

Info: 570-833-5246.

THURSDAYS

Trivia Thursdays 8 p.m. Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Banquet Center, Hawley. Hilarious combination of trivia & physical challenges.

Compete with teams to win a gift certificate, gold medal & bragging rights.

Info: 570-226-7355.

SATURDAYS

FRIDAYS

Pike County Arts and Crafts 65th Annual Members Exhibit ARTery Gallery, Milford. Exhibit & holiday sale from local artists & craftspeople. Paintings, prints, photography, jewelry, pottery, stained glass, sculpture & woodworking are among the offerings of 30 some artists showing their creative endeavors.

Info: 570-409-1234 or www.arterygallerymilford.com.

Live Music Friday 8–11 p.m. Glass — wine. bar. kitchen. at Ledges Hotel, Hawley. No cover charge. Info: info@ledgeshotel.com or 570-226-1337.

MONDAYS

FRIDAYS

Kundalini Yoga 5:30–6:30 p.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock.

Ages 16–adult.

Experience the gifts that Kundalini yoga has to offer as you explore breath, movement & mantra. Bring a yoga mat & blanket.

Registration & info: 570-996-1500.

Live Music 8 p.m.–Midnight. Ehrhardt’s Pub, Hawley. Great drink specials, delicious food & live music. Info: 570-226-2124 or waterfront@ehrhardts.com.

TUESDAYS

Bingo American Legion Post 311, Hawley.

Doors open 10:30 a.m., games begin at Noon. Info: legionpost311@qmail.com.

TUESDAYS

Nia 5:30–6:30 p.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Ages 16 & up.

Combination of yoga, martial arts & dance, for your health, wellness & fitness. Registration & info: 570-9961500.

WEDNESDAYS

SATURDAYS

Monroe Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Newberry Building, Stroudsburg. Produce, plants, flowers, eggs, raw milk & dairy products, raw natural honey, fresh baked goods, jams, jellies, syrups, gourmet coffee, homemade pasta, sauces, fine wines, meats, herbs, more. Info: 570-595-2321.

SATURDAYS

The Main Street Farmers’ Market 11 a.m.–1 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale. Indoor market offering fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, breads & more. The Market Café featuring The Anthill Farm Kitchen. Info: 570-2532020 or thecooperageproject.org.

Simply Yoga 10–11:15 a.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Ages 16 & up. Suitable for all levels. Wear comfortable clothes, bring a mat, towel or blanket, & water. Series of 6 or per class.

Registration & info: 570-996-1500.

SATURDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

Glassworks Demonstration 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. B. Madigan, Hawley.

See glass stretched & made into beautiful items, including watching the glass worked, learning how glass is made & what creates the colors. Info: 570-5613629.

Drumming 101 10–11:30 a.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Build upon the natural sense of rhythm that we all have in an atmosphere that is relaxed & userfriendly. Work on basic rhythmic skills followed by group drumming. All drums & percussion instruments provided. Free. Info: 570-996-1500.

THURSDAYS

Writers’ Group 7–8:30 p.m.

Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Ages 18 & up. Ongoing group. Come read your work or listen &

Company, Tannersville. The Pocono Mountains’ Original Brewpub. Great food & handcrafted beer brewed onsite. Free brewery tours daily at 12:30 p.m. No cover charge. Info: 570-6299399.

FREE Tastings and Demos 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Mill Market, in the Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley.

Info: info@MillMarketPA.com or 570390-4440.

SATURDAYS

SATURDAYS

Live Piano Music in the Dining Room 6–9 p.m. The Settlers Inn, Hawley.

Info: 570-226-2993 or desk@thesettlersinn.com.

SATURDAYS

Live Music at Barley Creek 8–11 p.m. Barley Creek Brewing

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Live Music 9 p.m.–1 a.m. Ehrhardt’s Pub, Hawley.

Great drink specials, delicious food & live music. Info: 570-226-2124 or waterfront@ehrhardts.com.

THROUGH FEB. 7

mals survive the winter. Join a hike & experience PEEC in the wintertime.

All ages welcome. Info & registration: 570-828-2319 or www.peec.org.

JAN. 2

Wade Preston 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley. Of the Broadway show “Movin’ Out!” — & Billy Joel’s back-up, he delivers an impeccable show with your favorite tunes & some original compositions.

Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

JAN. 2

Iconic Songs of The 70’s 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Symphonic pops show featuring the authentic & powerful vocals of singer-songwriting duo Swearingen & Kelli, highlighting some of the greatest songs from that era. Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 2, 3, 9

New Year’s Day Brunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. The Settlers Inn, Hawley. Info: 570-226-2993 or desk@thesettlersinn.com.

S.O.P.S. Short Plays Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee On Delaware. The One Act Winners of the 2015 Shawnee Original Playwright Series (S.O.P.S.) presented together at each performance. Some content may not be suitable for children. Info: 570421-5093 or www.TheShawneePlayhouse.com.

JAN. 1

JAN. 3

New Year’s Day Dinner Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall, Honesdale. Don’t be alone on New Years. There will be a half-hour service at 11:30 a.m. Dinner served beginning at Noon. No charge; free will donation gladly accepted. Info: 570-253-2760.

Ladies Auxiliary “All You Can Eat” Breakfast 8–11:30 a.m. VFW Post 531, Honesdale. Kids 5 & under free. Takeout available; call ahead. Info: 570253-5373 or eap3573@gmail.com.

JAN. 1

Christmas Bird Count 8 a.m. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry. National Audubon Society’s 116th annual count. Register for the area around your house & participate from the comfort of your living room, or venture out into a different part of the count circle.

Pre-registration required.

January 1– January 9 JAN. 1

First Day Hike Friday 1–3 p.m. Lacawac Sanctuary, Lake Ariel. Ages 12 & up. A seasonal hike to tour the field station & event facilities & discover rich natural & cultural history. Arrive for coffee & tea before a one-mile walk & return for a homestyle lunch. Reservation only, limited seating. Info & registration: 570-6899494 or info@lacawac.org.

JAN. 2

Vintage Costume Jewelry Show 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sparta Avenue Stage, Sparta, NJ. Vintage dazzling necklaces, brooches, rings, bracelets & earrings available. Open to public; no fee. Handicapped-accessible.

Info: Joyce Simmons, 201-213-2146 or simmonsjo@yahoo.com.

JAN. 2

Winter Ecology Hike 10 a.m.–Noon. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry.

Learn how different plants and ani-

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JAN. 3

JAN. 3

Performance Music: Scranton Brass Orchestra 7:30 p.m. Houlihan-McLean Center, The University of Scranton. Free. Info: 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

JAN. 6

Understanding Alzheimer’s: An Alzheimer's Presentation at Belle Reve Senior Living Noon. Belle Reve Senior Living, Milford. Free seminar presented by the Alzheimer’s Assoc. on current understanding of the development of the dis-

area events

Monroe Farmers’ Market SATURDAYS 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Newberry Building, Stroudsburg. Produce, plants, flowers, eggs, raw milk & dairy products, raw natural honey, fresh baked goods, jams, jellies, syrups, gourmet coffee, homemade pasta, sauces, fine wines, meats, herbs, more. Info: 570-595-2321. ease, & diagnoses & treatment options.

Free & open to seniors. Seating limited.

RSVP by calling 570-409-9191.

Info: 570-421-5093 or www.TheShawneePlayhouse.com.

JAN. 8

Warrior Writers 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dietrich Theater, Tunkhannock. Ages 18 & up. Writing workshop supports artistic exploration & expression & provides a safe space to share experiences in the military culture. Open to all veterans & service members.

Empowering veterans through creativity. Free.

Registration & info: 570-996-1500.

Comedy Night 9 p.m. Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Banquet Center, Hawley. A hilarious night with three great comedians: Matt McCusker, Joey Callahan, Jeff Pirrami. Cash bar.

Munchie menu available. Info: 570226-2124 or www.Ehrhardts.com.

JAN. 8, 9, 15, 16

New Vintage Ensemble presents Hamlet Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton.

The New Vintage Ensemble is a collective of actors from NE Pa. dedicated to producing innovative & interactive theater while helping the art community of the Scranton region thrive. Info: 570344-1111 or www.scrantonculturalcenter.org.

JAN. 9

Who Lives There?

10–11:30 a.m.

Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Learn about & look for animal shelters at Kettle Creek. Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 9

The Main Street Farmers’ Market 11 a.m.–1 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale. Indoor market offering fresh vegetables, meats, breads & more.

The Market Café featuring The Anthill Farm Kitchen. Info: 570-253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

JAN. 11

JAN. 12

Pennsylvania Farm Show Bus Trip Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Trip in a 13-passenger, wheelchair-accessible bus to the 100th Pa. Farm Show. Leave from the EE Center at 8:30 a.m. & return at 8:30 p.m. Pre-registration & payment required & limited. Inclement weather date is Jan. 14. Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 12

Tuesdays with Nellie — Mystery Book Club 5:30 p.m. Wayne County Public Library, Honesdale. Solve a mystery each month. Registration & info: Elizabeth, 570-253-1220 or ewilson@waynelibraries.org.

JAN. 13

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood — Live!

6:30 p.m. F.M. Kirby Center, WilkesBarre. Live theatrical production filled with singing, dancing & laughter. Info: 570-826-1100 or www.kirbycenter.org.

JAN. 9

JAN. 13

The Paramounts 7:30 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Presented by The Cooperage Project.

Donations collected at door. Info: 570253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

Open Mic Night 7–10 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Presented by The Cooperage Project.

Donations make this possible. Info: 570253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

JAN. 9

JAN. 15

Nat Osborn & Dustin Carlson from the Nat Osborn Band 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley.

Osborn blends old-school Gershwinera songcraft with decidedly modern sensibilities. Joined by his stellar guitarist, Carlson, their style is an eclectic mix of influences, in which passion, soul & honesty flow through each note & lyric. Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

Veteran’s Aid and Attendance Seminar and Breakfast at Belle Reve Senior Living 8:30–9:30 a.m. Belle Reve Senior Living, Milford. Veterans & spouses invited to enjoy breakfast as Goldberg Law Group explains who is eligible for Veterans Benefits & how to avoid common mistakes when applying. Free & open to seniors. Seating limited. RSVP by calling 570-409-9191.

January 10–January 19 JAN. 10, 16, 17

S.O.P.S. Short Plays Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee On Delaware. See description at Jan. 2.

JAN. 15

Steve Forbert 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Rootsy rock with poetic lyrics & engaging melodies. Info: 570-3250249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

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JAN. 15

JAN. 17

New West Guitar Group With Sara Gazarek 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley. Their signature sound comes from an innovative style that highlights rhythm, beauty & virtuosity with the acoustic & electric guitar. Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

Scott Ainslie 5 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Presented by RiverFolk Concerts.

Armed with a variety of instruments & historical personal anecdotes of his encounters with senior musicians across the South, Ainslie brings the history, roots music, & sounds of America alive. Snacks available for purchase.

BYOB. Donations collected.

Reservations & info: Jill, 845-252-6783.

JAN. 15, 16

New Vintage Ensemble presents Hamlet Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton. See description at Jan. 9. Info: 570-344-1111 or www.scrantonculturalcenter.org.

JAN. 16

All About Trail Cameras 10 a.m. Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Trail cameras are an incredible tool for learning about our “wild” neighbors. Learn all you need to get started, including the differences in camera models & technology. Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 16

Ecozone Discovery Room!

1–4 pm. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry. Explore the indoor discovery room & enjoy hands-on exhibits on natural history, sustainability & the local environment.

Info: 570-828-2319 or www.peec.org.

JAN. 16

Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley. Since leading her own band, Struthers has poured more & more emotion into her songwriting, coming up with some of the most quietly powerful narratives within the new wave of Americana artists.Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

JAN. 16

New West Guitar Group with Vocalist Sara Gazarek 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Their signature sound comes from an innovative style that highlights rhythm, beauty & virtuosity with the acoustic & electric guitar. Info: 570-3250249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 17

Animal Tracking 1–3 p.m. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry. Explore PEEC’s natural areas for tracks, trails, scat, territory marks, eat marks & other signs that animals leave as they travel through the fields and forests of the Poconos.

JAN. 17

Blues, Give Me Your Right Hand: Guitar Workshop 1–3:30 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Led by Scott Ainslie. Presented by RiverFolk Concerts. Donations collected. Registration required; call Jill at 845-252-6783.

JAN. 17

Greater Scranton MLK Commission Awards Dinner 2:30 p.m. DeNaples Center, The University of Scranton. Keynote address by Linda Cliatt-Wayman, educator & principal.

Info: 570-941-6645 or jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu.

JAN. 17

Taarka 6:30 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Masterfully deep americana & gypsy jazz string band music.

Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 19

Beowulf 5:30 p.m. Wayne County Public Library, Honesdale. Christine San Jose takes you back to the Anglo-Saxon mead hall to hear the very oldest of English tales.

Registration & info: Elizabeth, 570-2531220 or ewilson@waynelibraries.org.

January 20–January 31 JAN. 20

Build a Snowman at Belle Reve Senior Living 2 p.m. Belle Reve Senior Living, Milford. Enjoy an afternoon of friends, cocoa & cookies as you make a snowman craft to take home. Take a tour.

Free & open to seniors. Seating limited.

RSVP by calling 570-409-9191.

JAN. 21

Lacawac’s 2nd Annual Fire & Ice Event 6–8 p.m.Colonnade, Scranton. Age 21 or over. Mix & mingle while enjoying the warmth of a roaring fire, ice & vodka. Benefits Lacawac’s environmental education programs for children in grades K–12. Ticket includes hors d'oeuvres. Cash bar available. Attire is completely your choice but weatherappropriate. Info: 570-689-9494 or www.lacawac-outreach.org JAN. 21

Game Night 6–9 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Presented by The Cooperage Project.

Donations make this possible. Info: 570253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

JAN. 21 & 22

Libations & Creations: Paint This & Drink Wine!

7:30 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley.

Learn how to re-create & interpret the painting “Sleeping Winter Owl.” Participants will guided step-by-step in how to create the winter scene. All supplies provided — just bring your own wine (or beverage of choice). Info: 570588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

JAN. 22

Eagle Watch Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Field trip to upper Delaware River in search of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. Meet at the EE Center at 8:30 a.m.; return 5:30 p.m.

Pack a lunch & binoculars & dress for the weather. Stops made for coffee & snacks. Pre-registration required & lim-

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get connected ited.

Info: 570-629-3061 www.mcconservation.org.

or

JAN. 22

Wobblesauce 8 p.m. Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

A unique concoction of electronica, rock & overall action-packed instrumental dance music. With Michael Frank & Friends. Info: 570-420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

JAN. 22

Dirty Bourbon River Show 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Deftly melding sounds that range from hard-edged blues to Lisztian piano driven ballads to New Orleans brass.

Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31

The Two Georgias Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee On Delaware. S.O.P.S. Full Length Winner

by Brian McDermott. For two rivals in a Broadway-bound extravaganza, the lines between reality & fiction are about to be blurred when a mysterious woman makes them an offer they may be able to refuse — for a price they may not be willing to pay. Info: 570-4215093 or www.TheShawneePlayhouse.com.

JAN. 23

Feeder Fidelity 10 a.m.–Noon.

Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Join Environmental Educator Darryl Speicher for a morning of banding birds at the feeders of Kettle Creek.

Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 23

The Main Street Farmers’ Market 11 a.m.–1 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale. See description at Jan. 9.

Info: 570-253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

JAN. 23

Eagle Day 1–4 p.m.

Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center, Hawley. Free afternoon of fun for the whole family. Enjoy “Live Birds of Prey” from the Delaware Valley Raptor Center. Visit the library for hands-on activities to learn about eagles & other native birds. Info: 570-689-9494 or info@lacawac.org.

JAN. 23

The Dupont Brothers 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley. Be

area events

taken us on a journey, one that is directed by emotion & mood, & guided by prose, with the lyrics as flowery as the music.Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

JAN. 23

KICK – the INXS Experience 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Captures the spirit of INXS in both its sound & live performance. Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 23

Dinner Series Show featuring Aerial Gypsy Burlesque 8 p.m. Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

A fusion of burlesque & cabaret arts, with the skill & challenge of the aerial arts. Featuring Lilith Noir, Jezabelle Von Jane, Bunny Bedford, ViVi Noir & her Follies, Venus Man Trap Zsa Zsa L’Amour & Brad Roccanova. Info: 570420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

JAN. 23

stand-up show. Info: 570-826-1100 or www.kirbycenter.org.

JAN. 29

Eagle Watch Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Field trip to upper Delaware River in search of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. Meet at the EE Center at 8:30 a.m.; return 5:30 p.m.

Pack lunch & binoculars & dress for the weather. Stops for coffee & snacks. Preregistration required & limited. Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 29

Madama Butterfly 7:30 p.m. F.M. Kirby Center, WilkesBarre. Puccini’s heartbreaking tale of innocence, betrayal & sacrifice.

Featuring a live orchestra, the classic opera comes to life in a bold & beautiful production from Teatro Lirico D’Europa. Info: 570-826-1100 or www.kirbycenter.org.

Dinner Series Show featuring Aerial Gypsy Burlesque 8 p.m. Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

A fusion of burlesque & cabaret arts, with the skill & challenge of the aerial arts. Featuring Lilith Noir, Jezabelle Von Jane, Bunny Bedford, ViVi Noir & her Follies, Venus Man Trap Zsa Zsa L’Amour & Brad Roccanova. Info: 570420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

JAN. 29

JAN. 23

Jeremiah Tall 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley. A one-man show based in Bucks County, Pa., with tales that range from the struggles of finding your feet on an everchanging landscape to fictional stories of cowboys & the common man’s battle with the devil. Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

Saturday Night Fever 8 p.m. F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre.

One of the most beloved dance stories of all time in a spectacular new production, direct from Broadway. Info: 570-826-1100 or www.kirbycenter.org.

JAN. 24

40 Story Radio Tower — with Craig Thatcher & Nyke Van Wyke 4 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Show recorded live for podcast, with broadcast-style dramas & comedies & featuring a band with a unique blend of styles. Info: 570-3250249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 27

Open Electric Jam 7–10 p.m. The Cooperage, Honesdale.

Presented by The Cooperage Project.

Info: 570-253-2020 or thecooperageproject.org.

JAN. 28

Ron White 8 p.m. F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre.

“Tater Salad,” the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman in a new

Pocono Winter Beerfest JAN.30 1 p.m. Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

With over 75 taps of your favorite stouts & ales, there’s a beer style for everyone. Admission includes souvenir tasting glass. Info: 570-420-2808 www.shermantheater.com.

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Donna The Buffalo with City of The Sun 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. Feel-good, groove-oriented, danceable & often socially conscious music with roots in old-time fiddle music.

Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 29

JAN. 30

Eagle Watch for Eagle Enthusiasts!

9 a.m.–3 p.m. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry. Join a trip north in search of eagles. Visit the Mongaup Reservoir, the Delaware River, & the Eagle Institute to look for winter residents & nesting pairs. Bring a lunch, camera & warm clothes. Call to reserve a seat in the van: 570-828-2319 JAN. 30

“Whose Track is That?”

10 a.m.–Noon.

Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Bartonsville. Study animal tracks & the stories they can tell. Explore the trails at Kettle Creek trying to solve the mysteries of the tracks on the trails. Dress to be outside on snow-covered trails.

Info: 570-629-3061 or www.mcconservation.org.

JAN. 30

Pocono Winter Beerfest 1 p.m. Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

With over 75 taps of your favorite stouts & ales, there’s a beer style for everyone. Admission includes souvenir tasting glass. Info: 570-420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

JAN. 30

Coal Town Rounders 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley.

Grafting their passion for Appalachian music & harmony singing to 21st cen-

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tury sensibilities, they occupy a space in time that is distinctly their own.

Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

JAN. 30

Dead On Live — Most Requested 8 p.m. Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe. The Grateful Dead’s most requested songs — from the Psychedelic ’60s, Blues for Allah & beyond.

Info: 570-325-0249 or mauchchunkoperahouse.com.

JAN. 30–FEB. 21

Guys and Dolls The Music Box Dinner Playhouse, Swoyersville. Based on The Idyll of Sarah Brown and characters by Damon Runyon. Call the box office for ticket info & times: 570-283-2195. www.musicbox.org.

JAN. 31

25th Annual Ice Tee Golf Tournament 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Ehrhardt’s Waterfront, Lake Wallenpaupack. Nine holes of golf on two tree-lined courses. Closest to Wally driving contest. Prizes for wackiest hat & craziest sled. For golfers of all ages & abilities. One of a kind icesculpted tee signs. Info: www.northernpoconoschamber.com.

JAN. 31

Ecozone Discovery Room!

1–4 pm. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry. Explore the indoor discovery room & enjoy hands-on exhibits on natural history, sustainability & the local environment.

Info: 570-828-2319 or www.peec.org.

February 1–February 8 FEB. 4 An Evening With Todd Rundgren 8 p.m.

Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg.

Featuring John Ferenzik, Jesse Gress, Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton. Info: 570-420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

FEB. 5 Reading: “The Vagina Monologues” 7 p.m. Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY. Reception follows. Free admission.

Snow date, Feb. 7, 2 p.m. Info: 2527576 or delawarevalleyartsalliance.org.

FEB. 5, 6, 7 The Two Georgias Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee On Delaware. See description at Jan. 22.

Info: 570-421-5093 or www.TheShawneePlayhouse.com.

FEB. 6 Eagle Watch 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Pocono Environmental Education Center, Dingmans Ferry.

Join a trip north in search of eagles & other rare wintering birds, such as ravens. Visit the Mongaup Reservoir, the Delaware River, & the Eagle Institute to look for winter residents & nesting pairs. Bring a lunch, camera & warm clothes. Call to reserve a seat in the van: 570-828-2319

area events

get connected

Eagle Day JAN. 23 1–4 p.m.

Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center, Hawley. Free afternoon of fun for the whole family.

Enjoy “Live Birds of Prey” from the Delaware Valley Raptor Center. Visit the library for hands-on activities to learn about eagles & other native birds. Info: 570-689-9494 or info@lacawac.org.

FEB. 6 Hawthorne 8 p.m. Hawley Silk Mill, Hawley.

Folk-based project weaving together various acoustic styles — folk rock, country, gypsy jazz & americana — around Nat Osborn’s stellar songs.

Info: 570-588-8077 or harmonypresents.com.

FEB. 6 Billy Gibbons & The BFG’s 8 p.m.

Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg. Rescheduled from Nov. 21. Legendary master of the six-

string, regarded as one of America’s finest guitarists in the blues-rock idiom. Perfectamundo Tour with special guests Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown. Info: 570-420-2808 or www.shermantheater.com.

FEB. 6–MAR. 26 Exhibit: “About Face” Mixed media group show. Alliance Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY. Opening reception Feb. 6, 2–4 pm. Gallery hrs.: Tues.–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–4 pm. Info: 252-7576.

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the arts

artscene “Promised Land” Art Type: Photograph – Archival Pigment Print Artist: Lori Ryan Size: 18" x 24" framed 12" x 18" unframed Price: $300 framed Available from: Lori Ryan Greentown, PA Phone: 570-352-2605 laeryan@gmail.com www.loriryanphotography.com INSPIRATION: It was a peaceful, foggy morning at Promised Land State Park. I wandered from the campground down to the lake photographing as I went. The water was blanketed by a dense fog that rendered the distant shoreline untraceable. I found the string of buoys to lead my eye and self into a blank canvas, a new day.

“October Snow” Art Type: Signed Photographic Print Artist: Vince Burke Size: About 10" x 15" matted to 16" x 20" (other sizes available) Price: $89 Available from: Vince Burke Birdsboro, PA Phone: 610-582-1864 vinceburkephoto@gmail.com INSPIRATION: I am a self-taught photographer. For my eighteenth birthday, my father sent me to Jack’s Camera store in Philadelphia to buy a Polaroid camera. I am eternally grateful to Jack for sending me home instead, with a Konica 35 mm rangefinder camera and a book. So began a lifelong passion for photography that helps me to see and appreciate the beauty of this world. Most of my photographs are taken within a few miles from home. October Snow was taken, literally in my own backyard. I find it immensely satisfying to see and capture an image of an everyday subject or scene in a way that reveals its unique beauty.

I personally print each image on fine art professional papers with archival quality pigment inks. I hand mat each image using conservation quality acid-free mat boards and foam core backing boards.

For more information about CM ARTSCENE GALLERY, contact CM Artscene Coordinator Lucille Norella at 570.488.6742 or email Lnorella@echoes.net.

You may also contact Connections Magazine at 570.647.0085 or cmag@ptd.net

“Kicking Santas” Art Type: Silk Screen Artist: John Russo Size: 24" x 24" framed Price: $250 Available from: Missing Pieces 959 Main Street Honesdale, PA sstephenfoster@gmail.com INSPIRATION: John Russo, who was mentor to probably more graphic designers than any other teacher in the profession, spent almost 40 years at the Parsons School of Design, where he was a student, a teacher and the chairman of the Communication Design Department. He was honored as a Living Treasure by the Wayne County Arts Alliance and enjoyed showing his work on the Studio Tours. Christmas was a favorite inspiration for John and these kicking Santas are a reflection of the joyful, whimsical nature of many of his drawings.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS! Artscene allows artists the opportunity to exhibit a piece of their artwork in Connections Magazine and on our website with the intent of selling their artwork and gaining exposure.

The cost is only $105 for three months and will reach over 54,000 readers per month in Pennsylvania and parts of New York and New Jersey.

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