Hail to the photos

JOHN KRISPIN

jkrispin@timesleader.com

WEST PITTSTON – Abby and Patrick Bartoli are used to learning outside of the classroom. After all, their mother is a teacher.

But their learning experience took a different approach Saturday, even when their subjects, standing tall, were not talking.

The former American Legion Building in West Pittston played host to the “World’s Only Presidential Life-Sized Cardboard Cutout Collection” Open House Saturday. The library was lent this unique collection from a local business, Wet Paint.

“This is pretty fun,” said Patrick, 12, who admitted that he and his sister, Abby, 9, weren’t going to come to the event, but were glad that they did.

“It’s been a learning experience,” said Ann Bramblett Barr, director of the West Pittston Library. “Each group of presidents has a general theme among them, and we brought in items for each group.”

She also credited the people who take their personal time to assist at the library’s functions.

“A few people handled the setup process, and they volunteer a lot of their time. It’s good that they can volunteer because they love the library. They see how much it brings in the people.”

One volunteer, Walter Bechtold, of Pittston, who has been volunteering at the library for nine months, was responsible for gathering Vietnam artifacts – such as a Vietnam-era medical bag and photos from the war – from the Veterans of the Vietnam War Inc. & The Veterans Coalition International Headquarters in Pittston.

“I understood the Vietnam era and wanted the display to portray what was from the war,” said Bechtold.

The presidents were put into eight groups; the Log Cabin Presidents, the Presidents of Vietnam, The Declaration Presidents, the Money Presidents, the Nobel Peace Prize Presidents, The Scandalous Presidents, The Lunch Presidents, and the Presidents of Firsts. The Oath of Office was also on display.

The cutouts were accurate, so the tall, lanky Abraham Lincoln and the petite James Madison were depicted according to their true-to-life size.

Barr went on to say that, within the upcoming months, the owner of the old Legion building will donate it to the West Pittston Library. The library put on nearly 300 programs last year, but Barr said that this was the largest so far.

During this school week, children from the Montgomery Avenue School will be participating in the presidential display questionnaire, in which over a dozen of the presidents’ most interesting stories can be revealed.