10/24/08-- Lehman quarterback Nate Volkel runs toward the sideline in Friday's high school football game against GAR at Lake-Lehman. (PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER)

PGW

A football game of two rival teams is always exciting, especially when those teams are Dallas and Lake-Lehman.

The two Back Mountain varsity football teams will face off in the 61st Annual Old Shoe Game at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Mountaineer Stadium.

The Old Shoe Game is played the very last game of the regular season. But it wasn’t always that way. Times Leader Assistant Sports Editor Dave Konopki tells me the game used to be held on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately, I don’t know when the Turkey Day tradition changed. I also have no idea why the game is called the “Old Shoe Game.” Maybe one of you could shed some light.

A September 30 article called, “Supper Club, Courage Bowl and Old Shoes” by Gordie Jones on ESPNRISE.com mentions the annual Dallas vs. Lake-Lehman football game. According to the article, another yearly Old Shoe Game is also held between Muncy and Montgomery in the north central region of Pennsylvania.

In preparation for the Old Shoe Game, Dallas High School is holding a “Beat Lehman Bonfire” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the high school parking lot.

Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School is having an entire school week of festivities called “Dallas Week” to promote school spirit prior to the game. Students are encouraged to dress according to each day’s theme, which are as follows: today (Monday) – “Twin Day”; Tuesday- “Hick Day”; Wednesday- “Tye-Dye Day”; Thursday- “Black-Out Day”; and Friday- “Halloween Costume Day” (with no masks).

On Thursday, Lake-Lehman will hold an in-school pep rally at 1:45 p.m. in the new gym. There will also be a bonfire from 6 to 8 p.m. outside of the school.

I’m not going to choose a winner because I think that would be unfair of me to do. After all, I cover both schools. But I will provide you with each team’s record so far this year from the PIAA District 2 Web site.

Lake-Lehman: 8-1. The Black Knights lost for the first time last weekend 21-15 against GAR. The team’s current points are 940 and their average is 104.4.
Dallas: 2-7. The Mountaineers most recently played Berwick and lost 35-6. The team’s current points are 250 and their average is 27.8.

Good luck to both teams! I hope the day brings beautiful weather, and more importantly, lots of fun.

The chocolate pudding cake was a hit at The Best of the Back Mountain 2008 Readers Choice Awards Reception on Tuesday at Fire & Ice.

Charlotte Bartizek

It came so fast that I can’t believe it’s already over.

The Dallas Post’s very first The Best of the Back Mountain 2008 Readers Choice Awards Reception was held on Tuesday night at Fire & Ice on Toby Creek in Trucksville.

It’s possible you’re wondering what exactly The Best of the Back Mountain is. In case you don’t know, it is a reader’s choice contest The Dallas Post opened up to readers of our newspaper and our mother paper, The Times Leader. Voter ballots ran periodically in both newspapers and voting was also available online at our Web site, www.mydallaspost.com. Everyone who voted had the chance to be randomly selected to win $100.

There were 79 categories in areas from best local professor to best place for a first date. However, due to three ties, there were a total of 82 winners. Winners and their guests were invited to attend the awards reception on Tuesday. Each winner received a plaque and a window decal.

To see our complete list of winners and who they are, make sure to pick up The Dallas Post this Sunday, Oct. 26. You’ll also find out who the lucky $100 winner is.

I had the pleasure of mingling with the winners at the reception. Many faces were very familiar and others I got to see for the first time. I always enjoy getting to know more people in the Back Mountain.

Perhaps one of the biggest hits of the evening was the pierogi pizza, which is sometimes referred to as pagash. Fire & Ice staff did a great job of keeping it steadily coming out despite the high demand for it. If it’s hard to picture, think of it like this: mashed potatoes, onions, and gooey cheese on fresh dough. I’m told the pierogi pizza is a new rotating item on the menu at Fire & Ice. Be sure to check it out.

The bartender, whose name I neglected to get, also did a fantastic job. She was very knowledgeable and had a great, upbeat personality. I was impressed.

The contest was very successful thanks to the hard work from all those involved. In fact, it was so successful that we hope to do it again next year.

So if you didn’t win this year, it’s not too late. You could be the best high school female athlete in The Best of the Back Mountain 2009.

Congratulations to all of our winners!
 

FOR THE DALLAS POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Kimberly Kirk, of Dallas, his written a book about her journey with breast cancer and God.

Charlotte Bartizek

She was just as I expected her to be.

When Kimberly Kirk walked into the Shavertown Starbucks, she was all smiles. Kirk wore a breast awareness cancer pin and bracelet and a pink ribbon magnet was affixed to her vehicle.

The Dallas woman was meeting me for an interview about her new book, “The Journey: A Testimony of God’s Faithfulness Through My Battle With Breast Cancer.” I ordered a hot chocolate, she a green tea iced drink, and we sat down to talk.

At just 43 years old, Kirk, a wife and mother of two, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. Kirk was scared, so she turned to what and who she knew- writing, family and friends, and God.

Kirk’s book on her fight with breast cancer is comprised of e-mails she sent to her prayer team, which started out with 20 people and soon grew to 100 members. It entails her fight with the disease, but more importantly, her relationship with God throughout her battle.

I felt very comfortable talking to Kirk and was glad to discover her cancer is in remission. It wasn’t hard to see why she had such a strong support network. She’s a likeable person. In fact, when I looked at Kirk, I saw my own mom. She probably realized that after she complimented the pink ribbon pinned to my jacket.

The ribbon I wear is in support of my mother who passed away from breast cancer at age 54 on Mother’s Day in 2006. She was originally diagnosed with the disease at 41 years old. And like Kirk, mom kept her spirits high and her faith in God. It is the same faith that got me through her sickness and death and promises me that I will be reunited with her again one day, and the same faith that guided Kirk through her illness and continues to help her push forward.

“I want you to have this,” Kirk said to me as she handed me a copy of her book. Unable to keep it, I accepted it under one condition.

“I’ll use it to help me in my story and later on I’ll read it,” I told Kirk. “And then I’ll pass it on.”

Pleased, Kirk reiterated that helping others is exactly what she wants to do.

“This is my journey and I want that to encourage others and direct them to the Lord,” she said during the interview. “My goal is not to sell books. I just hope God puts the book in the hands of someone who wants it.”

 

 

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.

 

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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