web1_Durko_head.jpg

Boy Scout David Durko Jr. is special guest at Ashley Borough Council meeting

web1_BLOTTER.jpg

Police: Man struck woman in the head with an ashtray during a domestic dispute

<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Sometime Saturday evening David and Mary Martin, of Centermoreland, expect the synergy to happen.</p><p>It&#8217;s kind of magical, David said, and it takes place during the monthly contra dances he and his wife have organized for 25 years now.</p><p>&#8220;A big part of what makes it special is the live music,&#8221; David said. &#8220;You can feel the enthusiasm of the musicians and the people who are dancing to the music. It&#8217;s a back-and-forth kind of energy.&#8221;</p><p>As the Wyoming Valley contra dancers note their 25th anniversary with &#8212; what else? &#8212; a dance that begins 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Church of Christ Uniting Fellowship Hall in Kingston, the music will be provided by Curt Osgood, Henry Jankiewicz and John Wobus from upstate New York, who play, respectively, hammered dulcimer, fiddle and keyboard.</p><p>Caller Ted Crane will explain each dance, typically filled with movements familiar to square dancers such as do-si-do and swing-your-partner as well as other sequences with fun names such as the &#8220;gypsy,&#8221; the &#8220;hey-for-four&#8221; and the California twirl.</p><p>Filling in the rest of the synergy equation will be the contra dancers, most likely some regulars who have years of experience as well as some newcomers who, the Martins stress, are always welcome.</p><p>&#8220;I wish this is something I discovered earlier,&#8221; said Raphael Micca, 27, of Shickshinny, who recently began to attend the dances. &#8220;I love the sense of joy and the sense of community.&#8221;</p><p>That sense of community takes on many forms, including a &#8220;pay what you can&#8221; admission policy to ensure that no one who wants to dance will be excluded.</p><p>Then there&#8217;s the pre-dance potluck supper participants are welcome to attend at 6 p.m. Here regulars know they can likely expect some of Mary Martin&#8217;s lasagna and Vicki Prekel&#8217;s scones along with such offerings as soups, salads and roasted vegetables along with cookies or cake from other home kitchens.</p><p>Sharing each other&#8217;s food is a chance for friendly conversation and a time to extend hospitality to musicians and callers &#8212; usually a different combination each month &#8212; who often travel from the Binghamton, Ithaca or State College areas.</p><p>Before people sit down for the food, volunteers like Rob Lewis and Margaret Bakker from Lehman Township will have arrived early to set up the sound system that balances the band&#8217;s music and lug a wooden &#8220;Contra Dance&#8221; sign to the front of the parking lot. Terri Nowak from Kingston and Thaddeus and Vicki Prekel from the Tunkhannock area will probably arrive early to help the Martins rearrange tables and chairs, first for the meal, then for the dance.</p><p>After the meal, the caller typically offers an introductory lesson for beginners.</p><p>Then, as the dancing begins in earnest, experienced dancers tend to look for newcomers or anyone else who might need guidance, and offer to be their partners.</p><p>&#8220;I had the experience of square dancing every year with 4-H as a child,&#8221; Mary Martin said. &#8220;When I was introduced to contra dancing (as an adult) I really preferred it. It&#8217;s easier for the experienced people to reach out and help someone get into the right position.&#8221;</p><p>Contra dancing is similar to square dancing but more flexible, Mary added. Danced in two long lines instead of a square shape, it can accommodate many people, not just groups of eight, and dancers need not arrive with a partner.</p><p>If women outnumber men, some of them will put on a tie &#8212; the group keeps a bagful of old neckties on hand for this very reason &#8212; and become &#8220;honorary gents&#8221; for a dance or two. That&#8217;s what Melanie Scott, 26, of Wilkes-Barre did at the November dance while she danced with her niece, Cassie Shiffer.</p><p>Cassie, of Wilkes-Barre, who sported stylish blue hair and a blue hat to the dance, is 11, but she wasn&#8217;t the youngest to attend.</p><p>As Kingston mom Wendy Kleyman posted on the contra dance&#8217;s Facebook page, &#8220;Thank you so much to everyone for being so welcoming and kind with our children! We especially appreciate Vicki watching our baby, Brighton, and our 3-year-old, Coral, while the rest of us tripped the light fantastic. We will definitely be back! Saige loved dancing with everyone, especially being picked up when being spun! She is still talking about the great time she had!&#8221;</p><p>One of the nicest things about the dance, committee member Terri Nowak said, is seeing people from different generations dance together.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s my favorite night of the month,&#8221; dancer Vicki Prekel said.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Event organizer Dave Martin of Centermoreland, center, swings his partner Beth Dillenbeck of Clarks Summit at the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Event organizer Dave Martin of Centermoreland, center, swings his partner Beth Dillenbeck of Clarks Summit at the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jan Sedlacek of Philadelphia, left, swings her partner, Rich Kramer of Edwardsville, during the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jan Sedlacek of Philadelphia, left, swings her partner, Rich Kramer of Edwardsville, during the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carly Cappello of Kingston, left, dances with her partner John Dubik of Hanover Township at the Church of Christ Uniting contra dance. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Carly Cappello of Kingston, left, dances with her partner John Dubik of Hanover Township at the Church of Christ Uniting contra dance. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Melanie Scott, right, dances with her niece Cassie Shiffer, 11, both of Wilkes-Barre, at the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Melanie Scott, right, dances with her niece Cassie Shiffer, 11, both of Wilkes-Barre, at the contra dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Caller Bob Nicholson of Syracuse, New York., tells the &#8216;ladies&#8217; and &#8216;gents&#8217; of the Wyoming Valley Contra Dancers what to do next during the November dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. Caller for the December dance will be Ted Crane, who is also from New York. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_contra1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Caller Bob Nicholson of Syracuse, New York., tells the &#8216;ladies&#8217; and &#8216;gents&#8217; of the Wyoming Valley Contra Dancers what to do next during the November dance at the Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston. Caller for the December dance will be Ted Crane, who is also from New York. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Wyoming Valley Contra Dances begin 26th year with Dec. 5 dance</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Wyoming Valley Contra Dance</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 5</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Church of Christ Uniting Fellowship Hall, 776 West Market St., Kingston</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> Pay what you can</p><p><strong>Info:</strong> 570-333-4007</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

web1_contra1.jpg

web1_contra2.jpg

web1_contra3.jpg

web1_contra4.jpg

web1_contra5.jpg

Celebrating 25 years of dancing; Wyoming Valley Contra Dances begin 26th year with Dec. 5 dance in Kingston