Tag Archives: 2015

Annual Dunmore Cemetery Tour

Posted on by
1

The Dearly Departed Players will present the annual Dunmore Cemetery Tour on October 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.

The 2015 Dunmore Cemetery tour will take place on Sunday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 11.  Tours will begin at the cemetery gate, located at 400 Church Street in Dunmore at 2 p.m. The tour this year will take approximately two hours, and comfortable walking shoes are suggested for audience participants. The event is free to the public.

This year’s tour is entitled “Criminal Intent.”  The Dearly Departed Players will present twenty costumed stops throughout the cemetery—each one dealing in some way with crime.

Julie Esty, the Historian/Artistic Director for the Dunmore Cemetery Tour, said that the group is covering many a topic including murder, national and local terrorism, prohibition, prostitution, political corruption, con artists, shoplifting, gambling and domestic abuse.

“Those are some very weighty subjects,” said Esty, “ but the [Departed] Players do manage to get some good laughs in to lighten things up.”

Students from Act Out Theater and the University of Scranton theater groups, the Ezra Griffin Camp and Sons of Union Veterans will also be present at the event. William L. Courtright, mayor of Scranton, will be issuing a proclamation in honor of a long ago Scranton Chief of Police.

Additionally, Kuhn’s Classic Memories from Williamsport, Pennsylvania will be in the cemetery with a Victorian hearse, undertakers, and horses on both Sundays.

The Dunmore Cemetery Tour was voted the Best History Centered Event for 2014 by Happenings Magazine readers and now draws in well over 1,500 tour attendees from all over the East Coast.

“It’s such a joy to see so many people coming from so many different places,” said Esty, “and they come back year after year.”

The tour is presented by the Dearly Departed Players, who have been voluntarily performing together for many years, and they will perform under Etsy’s direction. Among their ranks are historical interpreters, local history authors, musicians, dancers and theater technicians.

Attendees are advised to arrive early to view exhibits. More information can be found on Facebook under the page entitled: “The Dunmore Cemetery Tour.”

Top Pitching Prospect Gets Promotion to Yankees

Posted on by
Reply

By Steve Svetovich

It was just a matter of time. But due to the first place New York Yankees unsettled starting pitching rotation, sooner came before later for 21-year-old top pitching prospect Luis Severino.

Severino

As of Friday, July 31, Luis Severino will now be playing for the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced the promotion of the Dominican born right hander from Scranton Wilkes-Barre to the parent club in time for a start against the Boston Red Sox in the first week of this month.

Severino was undefeated at 7-0 in a RailRiders uniform this season. He has a 1.91 ERA for the RailRiders and has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his a Triple A starts. He struck out a career high 10, allowing only one hit over six innings in his last start Wednesday against Lehigh Valley.

The Yankees placed righty Michael Pineda on the disabled list Thursday, July 30, with forearm tightness. Southpaw CC Sabathia suffered dehydration after starting for Pineda in hot Texas the next day.

The team was quiet on the trading front before the July 31 deadline as Cashman starts to turn towards youth from this point to the future. None of the Yankees major prospects were traded, a shift from past seasons.

Severino was signed as an international free agent for a $225,000 signing bonus in 2012. He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Yankees I. He started 14 games and went 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 64 and one-third innings pitched.

He started the 2013 season with the DSL Yankees I. He was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA. He struck out 53 in 44 innings. He pitched in 10 games, including eight starts. Prior to the 2014 season, Baseball America ranked Severino as the ninth best Yankees prospect. He started with Charleston before being promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. He pitched in the 2014 All-Star Future Games.

He was then promoted to the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League. With the three teams in 2014, he was 6-5 in 24 starts. He shined with a 2.46 ERA and 127 strikeouts and only 27 walks in 113 and one-third innings.

He was ranked as the New York Yankees top prospect and 23rd best in the minor leagues prior to the start of this season. He began the season in Trenton before his promotion to Scranton Wilkes-Barre where he is a perfect 7-0.

Cashman announced Severino’s call up to the big leagues Friday, July 31, and it is a move anticipated all season for Yankee fans. Time will now tell if Severino is major league ready at 21, but do not count him out.

Lanterns for the Lost Princess

Posted on by
Reply

Lantern Release to be Held in Memory of Kelcey Hallinan and Carissa Dartt
By Emily Fedor

Kelcey Hallinan
Carissa Dartt

On August 20, 2014, Alicia Hallinan sent out a simple tweet: “Sky lanterns for @kelceyhal tonight 8:30 at DHS.  If you have any bring them! This is gonna be beautiful!”

Alicia’s daughter Kelcey was 18 years old when she passed away on November 16, 2013 after fighting a brave battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But throughout the course of her battle, Kelcey became an inspiration to all who knew her—as well as many people who never had the pleasure.

Alicia went to the school with about 20 lanterns, expecting to meet, at most, a dozen of Kelcey’s closest friends. But to her surprise, far more than 12 people came out that night to honor her daughter.

“Like 75 people showed up,” said Alicia. “I wished I had more lanterns, but it was nice to have everyone together.”

The idea for the lantern release came from Kelcey’s favorite movie, Tangled. The animated film, which tells the tale of Rapunzel, features a moment that shows Rapunzel gazing at hundreds of paper lanterns floating up in sky from her window. The lanterns were released every year by Rapunzel’s family. The gesture was meant to let the lost princess know that wherever she was, she was remembered and loved.

***

lantern

The lantern release is inspired by Kelcey’s favorite movie, Tangled. Kelcey painted this picture as part of an art therapy session during her time at CHOP. (Photo Credit: Alicia Hallinan)

This past month, Alicia paid a visit to the home of Jim and Karen Dartt to get together with some friends who also lost loved ones. The Dartt family lost their daughter Carissa in 2002. Carissa was a 22-year-old pre-med student attending Temple University when she tragically passed.

During the gathering, Jim brought out two paper lanterns of his own to set off.

“Over the years, we’ve seen these lanterns going up occasionally around Dunmore. I ordered them and started sending them up,” said Jim. “We brought some down to Puerto Rico…to visit my son…and we try to do them on the beach for our daughter.

Alicia told Jim about last year’s lantern release for Kelcey and how her family waned to hold the event again this year, but on a larger scale. Together they decided to turn the release into a fundraiser that would support both the KelceyStrong Scholarship and the Carissa Dartt Foundation.

Between the Hallinans, the Dartts and other donors, over one thousand lanterns have been made available for purchase to be a part of a massive lantern release on Friday, August 7. Gathering places currently include Dunmore High School and Sherwood Park, but all are invited to participate from any location. Lanterns will be promptly set off at 9 p.m.

Additionally, participation is not closed off to only those in the Dunmore area. According to Facebook, many people will be setting off lanterns from all over the country. It has also been confirmed that a rather famous friend of Kelcey’s has been contacted and informed of the event plans.

The idea is to light up the sky as a sign to all of our lost loved ones—especially Kelcey and Carissa—letting them know they have not been forgotten and are still very much loved.

If all goes well, as it is expected to, the fundraiser will most likely become an annual occurrence.

“We’ve never had a fundraiser for the scholarship for Kelcey, so I said this would be a really good idea,” said Alicia. “And I just can’t believe how many people are responding. It’s amazing.”

“I think no matter what direction you look that evening, you’re going to see these lanterns,” said Jim Dartt.

***

The lanterns can currently be bought for $5 each at various locations in Dunmore including but not limited to Cara Mia’s on East Drinker Street, DePietro’s Pharmacy at intersection of 3rd Street and Wheeler Avenue, and Lox Unlimited on the corner of Apple and Harper Streets. They will also be on sale on the day of the release at the Dunmore High School student parking lot.

All participants are encouraged to share photographs on social media using the following hashtags: #LanternsForTheLostPrincess, #LightingUpDunmore and #KelceyStrong.

Note: The rain date for the event is scheduled for Saturday, August 8 at 9 p.m.