Myron Fedor, 69, has always had a strong work ethic.
He spent about 25 years working for RCA at Keystone Industrial Park until the company folded, and then put in 14 years as a Dunmore DPW worker.
When he retired, he wanted to keep busy. So, he became a volunteer worker. He has a loyal commitment and passion when it comes to volunteer work.
The lifelong Dunmore resident is a paragon of what represents a volunteer.
He is a longtime active member of Sherwood Park and Saint Anthony’s Park Associations in Dunmore. He volunteers for both.
Over the years, the retired Dunmore DPW worker has put in countless hours cutting the grass at Sherwood Park. He always makes sure the grass is not too high and nice and trim.
For the past 20 plus years, the humble Dunmore native has been a key cog and planner for the annual Sherwood Park Festival held each summer in the borough. And you will find him selling the potato pancakes all three days of the event.
At Saint Anthony’s Park, you will find the hard-working Fedor at the concession stand providing service for the Holy Cross high school football games, plus an assortments of other activities.
This past summer he volunteered to work at Saint Joseph’s Festival at Marywood. He signed up to volunteer his time there when he went to purchase his “Go Joe (Snedeker)” 2024 t-shirt and cap.
These are just a few of the senior citizen’s volunteer activities. He always makes himself available when family and friends call.
“Anything for the kids,” is one of his famous lines.
The 1973 Bishop O’Hara graduate said he enjoyed his 25 years working at RCA, but when the plant closed he welcomed the opportunity to work outdoors with the Dunmore DPW department.
“I spent all of those years working indoors with RCA,” he said, “so it was nice to finally get an outdoor job. I really liked being outdoors.”
Fedor said his hobbies are reading and fishing. “You know,” he said, “I used to fish all the time when I was working. However, I don’t fish too much since retiring.”
Fedor, who retired from the DPW department in 2021, said he has been volunteering at Saint Anthony’s Playground for the past decade. He ran the pancake stand at the Sherwood Park Summer Festival this past August.
He works the concession stand at Saint Anthony’s Playground for both the Holy Cross practices and football games.
“I also cut the grass and take the garbage out at Sherwood Park,” he said.
“I grew up in Dunmore and never left. A friend asked me to join these organizations as a volunteer and I’m happy I did. I love it.
“I love Dunmore. I’ve lived here my whole life. I used to play pickup basketball every night at Sherwood Park. In the old days, kids were out there playing every night.
“Now they have a soccer program with 580 kids involved at Sherwood Park. It’s quite a program. I always liked living in Dunmore and love volunteering. It keeps me busy and I like helping out.”
Dunmorean of the Month Ryan Ferguson is shown with his son, John, age 7.
By Steve Svetovich
Ryan Ferguson is a Dunmore lifer, and he shows that all the time with great enthusiasm as both a teacher and coach. He cares about his students, players and the community. And it shows.
He always puts his students and players first.
“It’s all about them,” he said. “It’s not about me.”
Married for 10 years to the former Leslie Colosimo, the couple has three children: John, 7; James, 4, and Elizabeth, 2. He met his wife close to two decades ago at First National Bank in Dunmore where she was working as a bank teller.
“Family is my priority,” he said. “I’m pretty lucky.”
Ryan and Leslie’s son John last month played in his first coach-pitch baseball game in Dunmore.
“That was huge for him,” Ferguson said. “My son loved it. It was a big deal for him. His baseball coach was Chris Bantell, who was great with the kids.”
Ferguson, 40, has been a teacher in the Dunmore School District for the past 18 years.
He has also been the coach for the Dunmore Lady Bucks softball team for the past 16 years.
He led Dunmore to an impressive 12-8 record while advancing to the district semifinal, a loss to Holy Cross, this past season.
Ryan Ferguson is shown with his wife, Leslie, and their three children, from left: James, John, and Elizabeth.
He now has 138 career wins as the Dunmore Lady Bucks softball coach.
Ferguson also was an assistant basketball coach for 16 years for the Dunmore seventh and eighth grade team. “I’m giving the basketball up now to spend more time with my kids,” he said.
He actually started his coaching career 20 years ago as a varsity basketball assistant under his brother Joe at Scranton Prep. He coached under his brother for four years before taking on the coaching positions at Dunmore.
Ferguson, a Dunmore graduate, received his bachelor of science degree in Elementary Education from Marywood University. He received his masters in Eduction from Wilkes University.
He is a Title 1 mathematics teacher for third through sixth grade at Dunmore Elementary Center.
Ferguson could not say enough about his assistant coaches for the Dunmore Lady Bucks softball team. The assistants are Mike O’Malley, Colleen Ross, and Dean Tallo.
“They are all great,” he said. “They all work hard and the girls are very lucky to have them.”
He also praised volunteer assistant Alyvia Svetovich. “We are certainly going to miss her,” he said. “She had one of the hardest jobs in the district and did an amazing job, She is going to be successful at whatever she does. She was so good with the girls and also did a great job in the classroom.”
Always positive and full of energy, Ferguson said his Dunmore Lady Bucks softball team had great chemistry.
“The senior group was exceptional in terms of leadership,” he said. “And our freshmen put up really good numbers. Sophomore Rachel Walsh is going to be an incredible softball player. She already is. She’s a great kid and we expect Rachel will come back from injury and pitch for us again. I can’t provide a timeline, but I think it will happen. She can still hit in the meantime. And she’s a great hitter.
Coach Ryan Ferguson, far left, is shown with his Lady Bucks softball team during their successful 2024 season.
“As a senior, Tristen Canavan did an outstanding job catching Rachel. She just did a tremendous job handling her. Tristen was also one of our best hitters. She smacked the ball all season. And every time she got on base, she was a threat to steal and score. She is a tremendous base runner. She batted .452 with five homers, but also had 25 stolen bases and 31 runs scored.
“Tristen, Allie Dempsey, Sophia Summa and Mollie Gatto were the seniors who represented Dunmore in the Field of Dreams Game at PNC Field in Moosic. We were honored to have these four girls represent Dunmore. I was able to coach them in the game and face off against Joe Ross of Holy Cross. What a pleasure.”
Always looking at the bottle as half full, Ferguson talked about his coaching philosophy.
“Teaching is the philosophy,” he said. “The idea is to teach and let the kids become better each day. I love coaching. Every year it’s a new team and new experience.
“It all comes back to the classroom. I love to teach. I’m lucky to have such wonderful kids at Dunmore. I’ve never had a bad one.
“It’s a testament to the kids and their families. It’s due to the great parents.”
The 2002 Dunmore graduate played baseball in his high school years under coaching legend Gino Tempesta. “I love Gino,” Ferguson said. ‘I learned so much about the game of baseball from him. He still is involved coaching baseball. And I’m still learning from him.”
Coach Ferguson is living his dream as a teacher and softball coach. “I give credit to the community, kids and their parents,” he said. “They deserve all the credit, I also have great coaches and administrators. I also am blessed with a wonderful family.
“Dunmore has been a big part of my whole life. I love teaching and coaching. It’s just a fantastic part of my whole life.”
The 2024 Bucktown Music Fest is kicking off another summer of free music on the streets of Dunmore, beginning this month through September.
Dunmore’s Brian McGurl and Tom Hallinan once again are co-chairmen for the annual event.
This year, the series will feature 10 concerts with 20 different bands performing.
In addition to eight of the concerts held at Dunmore Corners, two of the free shows will be held at different sites: the 400 block of Chestnut Street near the Fireside Martini Grill, and the 1600 block of Clay Avenue near Buddy Clarke’s Tavern.
Daddy-O and the Sax Maniacs and the East Coast Trio kick things off Sunday, June 9, at 5 p.m,, at Dunmore Corners. The 12-piece highly energized Daddy-O features Nick Costanzo,and Sal Scrimalli, of Dunmore. The band is a long time local favorite.
The East Coast Trio consists of Dunmore’s McGurl, Phil Rossi and Chuck Scrimalli, with their blend of folk and jazzy rhythm and blues.
Black Tie Stereo and The 335, a classic rock cover band, will blast out onto Drinker Street Sunday, June 23, at 5 p.m. This will be the popular Black Tie Stereo’s first time appearance at the Bucktown Music Fest. Both bands are sure to be big hits.
The Bucktown Music Fest will make its way to the corners of Chestnut, Elm and Pine Streets Sunday, July 7. There, outside of the Chestnut Street Tavern and Martini Fireside Grill, Dunmore’s Joe Ferguson opens up festivities with Rattlin’ Bones. EJ the DJ will be on hand between sets to perform fan favorites. Headlining will be Friends of Family, featuring Dunmore’s James McGurl and Nick Bush.
The Saturday, July 13, show will feature two very popular Dunmore bands, Strangers Rock and QBall. Strangers Rock will open at Dunmore Corners at 5 p.m. featuring Dunmore’s P.J. Stoko on bass guitar. Watch him enthusiastically jam with talented guitarist Bob Taylor, who is originally from Green Ridge. Chuck Gudaitis is the hard rocking drummer. Strangers Rock plays the Stones to the Ramones and everything in between.
QBall, featuring Dunmore’s McGurl and the highly-talented John Quinn, will bring their quartet with the music of Journey, Tom Petty, The Doors, The Beatles, Bowie, and other classics.
The Fabulous Fortunes and The Luongo Brothers will perform at Dunmore Corners on Sunday, July 21, beginning at 5 p.m. The Fabulous Fortunes are led by longtime local music legend Stan Svetovich, now in his 77th year of performing, on drums. The group has performed throughout the years in Northeast PA and the Pocono Mountains region and also includes Jack Mead, Tom Gavern, Firp Edmunds, and Stan’s grandson Ryan Svetovich, Dunmore.
Nick and Pat Luongo are two more luminaries in the local music scene who have long been associated with classy entertainment. The duo always shows their audience a great time.
Country bluegrass favorite Old Friends and POP (Past Our Prime) will perform Saturday, July 28, at Dunmore Corners, at 5 p.m.
Old Friends, featuring Jack Bordo, has been performing for the past 50 years with high harmonies, guitar, twanging banjo and harmonica. POP features Joe Pappa, Phoebe Beckage, Tom Boylan, Sean Loughney, and Lenny Carlucci, all of Dunmore.
Mike Kwaitek and his band along with Corner Pocket Blues will perform at Dunmore Corners Sunday, August 4, at 5 p.m. Kwaitek is a longtime Dunmore favorite who will perform electrifying versions of Elton John, Billy Joel and other favorites.
Corner Pocket Blues consists of Dunmore natives Dan Cox, Jim Kernan, Joe Pannick, and noted sax player Jack Garvey.
The Wanabees, featuring Ron Pascoe and Fran Festa, and a Friend of the Gypsy perform Sunday, August 18, at Dunmore Corners, beginning at 5 p.m. The Wanabees perform classic rock from the 50’s to the 80’s and have a huge local following. Ron and Fran are sure to entertain the crowd. Friend of the Gypsy perform a mix of a Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, classic rock and jam band favorites and are
The popular Picture Perfect will bring its 11-piece band to the 1600 block of Clay Avenue off Green Ridge Street Sunday, August 25, at 5 p.m. The wedding, show and party band will perform outside of Buddy Clarke’s Tavern. Jim Cullen, Jack Bordo, and Sharon Ambrosia will open the show.
The finale for the 2024 Bucktown Music Fest is set for Sunday, September 8, at Dunmore Corners, at 5 p.m. Shindig/Dunmore’s Got Talent will feature numerous Dunmore musicians performing on the showmobile stage. These shows have offered memorable performances over the past few years. The Dunmore Music Fest invites anyone who can sing and play an instrument to perform in this event. Anyone interested in performing can contact McGurl via email at: mcgurl@gmail.com.
DePietro’s Pharmacy is thrilled to be part of the rhythm of Bucktown Musicfest by making a $500 donation to help keep the beat alive and bring people together with live music. Shows start June 9 at the Dunmore Corners! Shown at the presentation are Tom DePietro and Tom Hallinan, cochair of the festival.
New this year are vendors for arts and crafts. Food vendors from local restaurants will once again be a constant at the events. A Bounce House for children will be set up along East Drinker Street June 9 and 23.
“I love being active in my community and enjoy helping people whenever possible,” said Hallinan. “Dunmore Music Fest is a great opportunity for the whole town to enjoy free entertainment and a fabulous social event with friends and neighbors.”
Hallinan, a Dunmore councilman for the past 11 years, is a Dunmore High School graduate. He attended Penn State and retired after 35 years working for the PA Department of Transportation. He was assistant county manager for Susquehanna County.
He and his wife Alicia, a Dunmore police officer, have been married for 35 years. The couple has four children: Atty. Meghan Hallinan, 33; Molly Hallinan Smith, 31; Tommy Hallinan, 26, and the late Kelcey Hallinan who passed away in 2013.
Tom is past president of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Association and member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and San Cataldo Club. He is co-chairman for the annual food drive for ICC in memory of Father Sica and coached biddy basketball in Dunmore.
“This town is unbelievable when you think of all the people who donate to make these free concerts happen,” said McGurl. “The events themselves are so great. Everyone comes together enjoying the music and each other’s company, young and old, generations of families, all in the heart of the town.”
McGurl grew up in Dunmore and attended St. Mary’s Grade School before his family moved to Clarks Summit. The Abington Heights graduate received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Scranton in 1980 as well as an master of science degree in education from the University of Scranton in 1991.
McGurl was a crisis intervention specialist for the NEIU from 1985 through 1997 and a teacher in the Dunmore school district from 1997 through 2003. He was drama director for the Dunmore School District from 2004 to 2019.
He and his wife Dawn have four sons: John, Joseph, Michael (and wife Emily) and James (and wife Rose). The couple has one grandchild, Abigail Grace.
McGurl has been performing in the local music scene for the past 50 years. The talented keyboard player has been performing with the popular group QBall since 2018. He performed with East Coast in the 1980’s. He has been with the East Coast Trio since 2002 and performed with the Hometown Boys in 1980’s and 1990’s.
“The Bucktown Music Fest concert series has become a cherished summer tradition in Dunmore, bringing vibrant music and community spirit to the borough, ” said Dunmore Mayor Max Conway. “Special thanks to Dunmore councilman Tom Hallinan and Brian McGurl for their dedicated organization and effort in making this event a success year after year.”
