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WILKES-BARRE — Now that’s more like it.
A light snow fell Sunday afternoon as a wood fire crackled and a circle of melting ice expanded at its base on the west bank of the Susquehanna River in Nesbitt Park.
Darren Ryan of Hanover Township held a branch tipped with a marshmallow over the flames long enough to turn the confection gooey to sandwich between graham crackers and a piece of chocolate for a sweet tasting s’more. His daughters Kelsey, 7, and Mara, 10, joined him.
They were among the growing number of people who converged on the park to embrace the weather and the outdoor activities such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing at the “Winter Along the River” program, organized by the Riverfront Parks Committee.
It’s a good bet few people if any would have turned up two weeks ago when winter clutched the region in an icy grip. Frigid temperatures and dangerous subzero windchills then forced the volunteers who make up the committee to reschedule.
On Sunday, the mercury pushed into the mid-20s as a light snow fell.
“I’m kind of glad it snowed. It’s nice,” Ryan said.
Nearby Doug Heitz watched over seven huskies hooked to a line stretched between a pickup truck and car. They welcomed the attention given them by children and adults drawn to the animated animals with tails wagging and affectionate licks a plenty.
The fit and trim dogs ranged from 2 years up to 13. When teamed up, they surged on command and raced across the snow pulling a rider and sled. The breed makes very good companions, said Heitz, co-owner of Howlin’ Huskies Kennel in Perkasie. “They’re lousy watchdogs,” he said, adding they would likely be licking a burglar instead of sounding the alarm for an intruder.
Sledders sped down the slope of the levee that bordered the park and riders pedaled fat tire bikes from Around Town Bicycles through the parking lot and out onto the snow.
In their midst Shane Kleiner of East Lemon displayed on folding table tops hoses, taps, drills and other equipment used to collect sap for syrup from maple trees. Kleiner, who teaches at Keystone College, explained it takes between 45 and 50 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. From mid-February to the first week of April the sap is collected, but the start has been delayed this year due to the record cold temperatures, he said.
Surveying the scene John Maday, executive director of the committee, proclaimed the program a success. “What a place to do it. What a classroom, he said.
It fit in with the committee’s mission of environmental education and along with the other programs it holds throughout the year, made it a “four-season organization,” he said.