DALLAS — They want to have the party of the century in this college town.
Make that the party of two centuries, as Dallas Township celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and welcomes folks from the adjacent Dallas borough to take part .
“We have so much planned,” said Liz Martin, vice chairman of the Dallas Township board of supervisors.
The celebration will kick off with a Gold Shield Gala in honor of law enforcement, set for April 7 at the Irem Temple Country Club. A Dallas firemen’s bazaar with fireworks will take place in early July, and Martin said she expects community movie nights — plus a car, truck and motorcycle show — to also take place during the warmer months.
During the holiday season, there will be a “Dallas Days Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree Lighting” with roasted chestnuts and a singalong.
“We’re looking for the right tree,” Martin said.
Meanwhile, Martin is collecting residents’ favorite family recipes for publication in a cookbook, along with memorabilia that will be displayed at the Emergency Management Association’s new building on Route 118.
She also said she’s looking forward to a Dallas Days History presentation, to be held in May, perhaps at the EMA building or at Misericordia University.
The university has been part of the community since the Sisters of Mercy established it in 1924 as College Misericordia, a school for young women. Nowadays, residents say, the university is a resource for more people than just its student body, which has been coed since the 1970s.
Township resident Kelly Bryk said she’s fortunate to live just one mile from the campus, which is located in both Dallas borough and Dallas Township. While the busy mother of five doesn’t have a lot of time for the school’s concerts, plays or gallery lectures, she said, “We’ve taken advantage of trick or treating (in the dorms) and baseball camps.”
More importantly, Bryk said, she’s grateful her 2-year-old son, John, is able to attend a physical therapy clinic at Misericordia at no charge.
“He’s thriving,” she said.
The university offers several health-related clinics and programs, ranging from speech therapy to fall prevention, designed to provide practical experience for their students, and to benefit the community.
Faculty and supervised students served 331 individuals during the last four months of 2016, university spokeswoman Marianne Puhalla said, describing the pro-bono work as having a value of $437,360.
A year’s worth of services is “close to $1 million,” dean Leamor Kahanov from the College of Health Sciences and Education said, noting another clinic soon will offer “lifelong learning” to adults with autism.
As she used toys to create an obstacle course for a 7-year-old patient from Kingston, associate professor of physical therapy Maureen Rinehimer said Bryk is an example of how altruistic Dallas residents can be.
“We used to have to borrow (a special piece of physical therapy equipment known as a Steamroller Deluxe) from occupational therapy,” Rinehimer said.
When Bryk realized the physical therapy clinic didn’t have its own Steamroller Deluxe, and that some of the children really missed the device — which they call a “squeeze machine” — when it wasn’t there, she gave Rinehimer a check for $500.
Rinehimer was thrilled, as were the children who have so much fun climbing through the contraption that they don’t realize it’s developing their motor skills, shoulder stability and stronger muscles.
Bryk said she was glad to help — and happy to live in Dallas. She and her husband grew up in Plains Township and lived in two other towns before settling in the township seven years ago.
“It’s close to the city but rural enough to be the best of both worlds,” Bryk said.
Another way to consider Dallas and Dallas Township “the best of both worlds” is to consider how art and science flourish in the area.
Budding scientists prepare for careers at Misericordia, where nursing and physical therapy are among the most popular majors. As for art, there’s plenty — not only in the university gallery but on Main Street.
On a recent afternoon at Sue Hand’s Imagery, Hand presided over an art class for adults. Waterfalls, butterflies, flamingos and children walking through a forest were subjects for, respectively, Ralph Fraley of Swoyersville, Sal Luzio Sr. of Old Forge, Helen Harabin of Chase and Susan Nardone of Plains Township.
Almost directly across the street at the Verve Vertu studio, instructor Gwen Harleman guided artists with special needs. There Patrick Cleary of Dallas crafted a batik piece that encourages pet adoption, Ann Marie Alfano of Larksville painted clay roses, and Erin Shieles of Swoyersville worked on a zodiac wheel.
The teachers at both studios are Dallas natives, and they remember growing up when the area had a bucolic flavor.
“We’d climb up and jump down, 15 or 20 of us,” Hand said, recalling how she played on bales of hay. Her neighbors had horses, too, and allowed her to ride bareback.
Harleman remembers being able to walk across a field to class at Misericordia because “The Meadows (nursing home) wasn’t there.” She also rode her bike on many errands, including to Fino’s Pharmacy.
“That was the place to go. I bought make-up there. It was like a gateway to womanhood,” Harleman said with a laugh.
Nowadays, Harleman and Hand agree, there’s so much traffic most people don’t feel safe trying to walk or cycle from their homes to, say, Fino’s or Misericordia.
Though postal worker Melissa Myles, formerly of northern New Jersey, scoffed “You call this traffic?” as she delivered mail on Main Street — a block away from busy Route 415 — longtime residents have seen an influx of people, houses and cars over the past few decades.
“It started after the flood,” Hand said, recalling how the Agnes Flood of 1972 inundated Wyoming Valley towns and convinced many residents to move farther from the Susquehanna River.
Charts on the Dallas Township website track the progress. While the population grew from 5,747 in 1970 to 8,994 by 2010, the number of houses increased from 1,830 in 1970 to 3,672 in 2010. Nearly half of the current housing units, 1505, were built between 1970 and 1999.
Although the area has more people now — the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the current population of the township at 9,277 — many residents say it’s still close-knit.
“I’m not a big-city kind of person,” said Misericordia physical therapy major Alex Pereira, of Northampton. “It’s so small, nice and quiet here.”
“My students are like my family,” Sue Hand said.
“My customers are like family to me,” said Lyn Carey, who sells her own handmade jewelry and the work of other area artists in her shop, Earth and Wears, on Main Street.
Misericordia professor Kahanov said she enjoys the atmosphere both on and off campus.
“If you go to a restaurant or go for a walk along the Back Mountain Trail, you’ll see different generations spending time together,” she said. “It’s very friendly.”
Adding to the atmosphere, local folks said, is a great deal of natural beauty in all four seasons.
“I can set up an easel just about anywhere,” Hand said.
Artist Patrick Cleary works on a batik project at the Verve Vertu studio on Main Street, Dallas. His artwork incorporates fabric and shoelaces into a piece designed to encourage pet adoption.
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Artist Patrick Cleary works on a batik project at the Verve Vertu studio on Main Street, Dallas. His artwork incorporates fabric and shoelaces into a piece designed to encourage pet adoption.
Aimee Dilger | Times Leader
Erin Dougherty works on a project at the Verve Vertu art studio in Dallas. Dougherty also lives in Dallas, and says she loves the community.
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Erin Dougherty works on a project at the Verve Vertu art studio in Dallas. Dougherty also lives in Dallas, and says she loves the community.
Aimee Dilger | Times Leader
Artist Gwen Harleman grew up in Dallas, and recalls walking or riding a bike to such destinations as Fino’s Pharmacy and Misericordia University, then known as College Misericordia. Today Harleman is the art instructor at the Verve Vertu Studio on Main Street, Dallas, where artists with physical, mental or emotional challenges practice their creativity.
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Artist Gwen Harleman grew up in Dallas, and recalls walking or riding a bike to such destinations as Fino’s Pharmacy and Misericordia University, then known as College Misericordia. Today Harleman is the art instructor at the Verve Vertu Studio on Main Street, Dallas, where artists with physical, mental or emotional challenges practice their creativity.
Aimee Dilger | Times Leader
Hirshy Newman, 7, of Kingston, plays with a toy during his physical therapy at the Misericordia University clinic. His strength has been improving since he began taking physical therapy, his mother said, and he can now ride a bike.
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Hirshy Newman, 7, of Kingston, plays with a toy during his physical therapy at the Misericordia University clinic. His strength has been improving since he began taking physical therapy, his mother said, and he can now ride a bike.
Sean McKeag | Times Leader
Hirshy Newman, 7, of Kingston, makes his way through the ‘squeeze machine’ during his weekly session at Misericordia University with associate professor of physical therapy Maureen Rinehimer. The physical therapy clinic is one of many ways Misericordia shares its resources with the community.
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Hirshy Newman, 7, of Kingston, makes his way through the ‘squeeze machine’ during his weekly session at Misericordia University with associate professor of physical therapy Maureen Rinehimer. The physical therapy clinic is one of many ways Misericordia shares its resources with the community.
Sean McKeag | Times Leader
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Sean McKeag | Times Leader
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By Mary Therese Biebel
mbiebel@timesleader.com
ABOUT THIS SERIES
Throughout the year, the Times Leader is looking at life in two dozen Luzerne County communities in a feature called “Hometowns.” The series is running in alphabetical order in print and on our website here. Today: Dallas borough and Dallas Township. Next up: Edwardsville on April 9.
DALLAS BOROUGH/DALLAS TOWNSHIP FACTS
Chartered: borough, 1879; township, 1817.
Population: borough, 2,783; township, 9,277.
Size: borough, 2.29 square miles; township, 18.52 square miles.
Median age: borough 40.6; township 44.3.
Median household income: borough, $76,103; township, $62,817.
Median housing value: borough $164,500; township $187,400
Population in poverty, borough, 6.2 percent; township 6.3 percent.
Unemployment rate: borough, 5.7 percent; township 6.7 percent
High school diploma or better: borough, 96.5 percent; township 94.6 percent
Average elevation: 1,128 feet.
School district: Dallas School District
Annual snowfall: 46.2 inches
Sources: U.S. Census, dallastownship.com, snowfall.weatherdb.com.
Fun Facts:
— Dallas is named for Alexander J. Dallas, sixth United States Secretary of the Treasury, and George Dallas, vice president to James Polk.
— About 200 years ago, according to an historical account, the area was covered with “a growth of very large pine trees, many of them 150-200 feet high.” The forest was filled with bear, deer and wild turkey, and “wolves were very thick.”
Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT
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