MEET CANDICE KELLY

Candice Kelly has been a news anchor at WBRE-TV for the past six years. She and her husband, Tom, a Pennsylvania State Police officer, reside in Pittston Township. She is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, with a degree in mass communications. She previously worked at television stations in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn.

Why a career in television news? “Initially, I wanted to be a newspaper journalist, but I had one class in college on writing and speaking for broadcasts, and I thought the writing style was a little more my style. It was a little more conversational and a little less structured, and I enjoyed that. You could be a little more creative with it, depending on the situation. But more so than anything, I fell in love with it because you’re out there. You get to meet people, see what’s going on, hear their stories, and then share that and let people know what’s going on in the community.”

What do you do to relax? “I try to spend a lot of time with family. A lot of my family is in Minnesota, so we try to set aside some time to visit with them. Tom’s family is all here, so we also spend a lot of time with them. We also like to watch movies, hang out at home, hang out with friends, go out to dinner. We go on walks. Tom’s very outdoorsy, so he likes to go off-roading in the jeep, and he’ll take me along. I’m reluctant, but I eventually have a good time. He’s opened my eyes to a lot of good, fun, outdoorsy things.”

Favorite food? “I’m a filet mignon girl. I love steak. And I love cheese. You can’t take those things away from me. And red wine.”

Embarrassing moments? Kelly was the mid-day anchor at a TV station in Minnesota. The crew was doing a last-minute wireless microphone check prior to a broadcast when the meteorologist stepped off the set to check his appearance in the restroom. Kelly, not knowing what the meteorologist was doing, noticed an echo through his microphone. I said, ‘Where is he, in the potty?’ It all went out over the air. I was so embarrassed, but it was funny. I got a couple of e-mails from people saying ‘That made my day.’”

Favorite films? “People will make fun of me for this, but I love the movie ‘Clueless.’ I just think it’s funny and dumb, and in life, sometimes you just have to check out and do stuff like that. ‘The Notebook’ was a good one. I’m a sucker for chick flicks and love stories. But I also love blood, guts and horror. I like the Rob Zombie flicks.”

Guilty pleasure? “Really bad, dumb reality TV shows. Love them. I’ll watch ‘The Hills’ on MTV, and I like ‘Celebrity Fit Club’ and ‘The Kardashians.’”

How did your husband propose to you? She and her husband enjoyed a day of horseback riding in the Poconos. He then surprised her with a ride in a hot air balloon. Afterwards, he asked her to marry him. He had no idea that a balloon-ride-type engagement had been a dream of hers since she was a little girl. “He popped the box open, said some very sweet things and proposed. Of course, I said ‘Yes.’”

Proudest moments? Kelly won two Emmy Awards very early in her career. “For somebody just starting in the business, it felt good to be recognized for something, even though I didn’t have that much faith in myself,” she says. She’s also on the board of directors of the Earthly Angels Autism Fund of the Luzerne Foundation. “We’re trying our hardest to make strides in that area. We raise money and then distribute it to organizations that help families with children with autism. It seems to be a growing epidemic of sorts, so I’m proud to be a part of that.”

Alan K. Stout writes about area people for the Meet feature. Reach him at 970-7131.

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