Paul and Marie Nice

Paul and Marie Nice on their wedding day, Sept. 27, 1948.

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of roasting almonds.

While at the Bloomsburg Fair on Saturday, my nose caught the scent of the fresh, delectable nuts before I saw the stand that was selling them. That stand was Nice’s Old Country Style Almonds from Tunkhannock.

My boyfriend bought a bag of the almonds and I happily sampled a few. Yum!

That very same day, the almond business’ owners, Paul and Marie Nice, of Centermoreland, were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

In addition to Nice’s Old Country Style Almonds, the couple owns Nice’s Potato Pancakes and Nice’s Catering. Nice’s Potato Pancakes are often at local festivals and events, including the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction.

That’s where I ran into Marie Nice this year. Marie was looking through items at the auction’s flea market when I asked her if she’d like to be in our weekly Man in the Street feature. She happily obliged. Marie’s grandson, Ryan Faux, of Tunkhannock, also participated.

Paul and Marie Nice were married Sept. 27, 1948 in Blessed Sacrament Church, Centermoreland, by the Rev. Stanislaus Kolucki.

According to the Nices’ wedding anniversary announcement, they were planning to celebrate with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Blessed Sacrament Church and a dinner celebration given by their children and spouses after the service. The Nices will also take a trip to New England.

Here’s a special congratulations to Paul and Marie on 50 years of marriage. You have my best wishes for many more happy and healthy years together.

And by the way, you have the best tasting almonds at the Bloomsburg Fair.

 

Katherine Dubin of Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Tobyhanna held Arthur, a Saw Whet Owl, as she spoke to a group in March of 2000 at Rave's Garden Center in Shavertown.

Don Carey

When I opened today’s edition of The Times Leader, I came across the obituary of Dallas resident Robert A. Rave Sr.

Many people in the Back Mountain and Wyoming Valley knew Rave. But if you didn’t and for some reason his name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the co-owner of Rave’s Garden Centers.

According to a 2004 story in The Times Leader, Rave and his brother, Lou Rave, started the business in 1950, on a small lot near Caddie LaBar’s on the Dallas Highway. There were eventually three locations with stores on Route 309 in Shavertown, Route 309 in Ashley and one in Chinchilla. Rave’s sons, Robert Jr. and Scott, bought the business from their father in 1996. Lou Rave died in 1998. Robert Rave Jr. and Scott Rave closed the stores in February of 2004.

Although they were garden centers, I associate Rave’s with Christmastime.

As a child, I recall going to the Wilkes-Barre Township Rave’s every late November/early December to look at the Christmas decorations. Racks of ornaments and bows caused me to become even more excited for Santa Claus’ visit to my home.

But what I really wanted to see was the back room that was full of realistic but artificial Christmas trees. In the late 90s, my family finally bought an artificial tree from Rave’s after chopping down a real tree for several years. I was never a fan of watering the tree, stepping on pine needles and vacuuming twice a day. That’s probably why my sister and I still put up that very same fake tree every December.

When Dec. 26 finally came around, Rave’s was “the” place where my relatives purchased Christmas decorations on sale. They would pick out decorations days beforehand in the newspaper circular and arrived early before all of the items they wanted were gone.

Places such as Rave’s are constantly disappearing. Competition from chain stores often makes it difficult for family garden centers and home improvement stores to stay in business. I find myself frequenting the mega chain stores, but the customer service and sense of community just aren’t the same.

Although I didn’t know Robert A. Rave Sr., I will remember his stores for years to come. I’m sure many others will, too.

 

Students enjoy a semi-formal at Dallas High School during the 2007-08 school year. The school will be demolished after a new high school is built. The new school is expected to open for the 2010-11 school year.

While covering a walking tour of Dallas High School on Saturday, I saw a Powerpoint presentation on the new Dallas High School. Superintendent Frank Galicki ushered participants into the stifling hot auditorium for a sneak peak of plans for the school. I’m going to share them with you.

Galicki began with a brief history on the current school, which opened in 1961. By the late 60s, district officials realized they needed more space. An addition, commonly known as “the senior wing,” was completed in 1968. Built for grades 10-12, ninth-graders were moved into the building in 1990.

“Our enrollment is growing,” Galicki said. “Our building is limited in its capacity. We are definitely overcrowded...this building is affectionately known as a money pit.”

It will cost approximately $45 million to build the new high school. Construction is expected to begin Dec. 26, 2008 and be completed in time for the start of the 2010-11 school year.

Plans for new high school call for a three-story state-of-the-art building. Up to 1200 students will be accommodated in the instructional areas and a maximum of 1400 will fit in the auditorium. Highlights include 65 classrooms, a TV station, roof garden and a dance studio. There will be built-in secure areas, metal detectors and infrared cameras that can examine the contents of backpacks. Interactive promethium boards will completely replace chalkboards. Each student will also eventually have his or her own laptop which will rid the school of textbooks.

The school will be built in the area of the current practice football field and will be parallel to Mountaineer Stadium. A blue storage facility behind the current high school will be demolished. The existing high school will also be destroyed once the new school opens.

Obviously, I have been following plans for the new school and I wasn’t truly impressed until I saw this presentation. While it will be sad for a school full of memories and history to be knocked down, I realize the new school is necessary (especially after I took the tour of the existing one) and I’m confident the new building will comfortably provide the students with the exceptional education they deserve while utilizing the latest technology.

Tom Harfman sits waiting for the start of the Red Sails Parade at Harveys Lake.

Fred adams/the times leader

I’ve been to Harveys Lake many times in my life, but for the very first time on Sunday night, I ventured out onto the lake in a boat. My boyfriend’s parents were kind enough to invite me along on their boat for a ride on the lake and to watch the Red Sails Parade.

In case you never heard of it, the Red Sails Parade features sailboats lit with red flares. Organized by the Harveys Lake Yacht Club, the parade has been held on Labor Day weekend for over 30 years. I’m told that years ago, closer to 20 sailboats participated in it. This year, only four took part. But that didn’t ruin the experience for me.

We started off by cruising around the lake before sunset. Even though it was still relatively warm outside, I quickly got cool from the breeze the boat created and put on my sweatshirt.

My boyfriend’s father anchored the boat facing Our Lady of Victory Church in anticipation of the fireworks display and we watched the parade go by. Many others also were out on the lake in motor boats to watch. I especially loved how one of the sailboats rang a bell (similar to a cow bell) that you would hear at a football game.

To our rear was a house with a lighted palm tree decoration. Either that house or one nearby had a spectacular sound system that blared 70s music. I thought disco was dead and was surprised and disappointed by the home’s musical selections that much of the lake could hear.

But once the fireworks began, the 70s music was replaced by patriotic songs such as “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “God Bless America” and “Proud to be an American.” Although the system malfunctioned momentarily several times, the patriotic songs were a nice touch to the beautiful fireworks that blasted in the sky over the church. Thank you to whoever provided the music.

I didn’t realize how cold I really was until we were leaving and got in the car. But I didn’t care. I had fun.

 

About the Author

Rebecca Bria has been reporting for The Dallas Post since June of 2007. She is a 2007 graduate of Wilkes University and previously interned with the company at The Weekender and The Times Leader.

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