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American Legion Post 672 held a Post 672 Oratorical contest

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Senior safety day at Hanover Area High School teaches the dangers of drunk and distracted driving

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; They loved Lady Sybil, who was so sweet but, sadly, died in childbirth.</p><p>They love her widower, Branson, who worked as a chauffeur before he married into the wealthy Crawley family.</p><p>And whenever Mr. Bates, the valet, or his wife, Anna, get arrested for a murder they didn&#8217;t commit, loyal viewers shudder and hope for justice.</p><p>As about 60 fans of the popular PBS series &#8220;Downton Abbey&#8221; gathered for a recent Downton Abbey Tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion on South Franklin Street, they talked about their favorite characters and admired their surroundings.</p><p>The Stegmaier&#8217;s antiques and ornate furnishings made them feel as if they were guests of Lord Grantham and Lady Cora at their Yorkshire County estate, perhaps rubbing shoulders with the tart-tongued dowager countess, Lady Violet.</p><p>&#8220;What was that one zinger she said? &#8216;Stupidity is no substitute for wit?&#8217; &#8216;Profanity is no substitute for wit?&#8217;</p><p>Even if they couldn&#8217;t remember Lady Violet&#8217;s lines exactly &#8212; the one in question may have been &#8220;Vulgarity is no substitute for wit&#8221; &#8212; Lori Peters, of Luzerne, and her companions agreed they enjoy the way the character regularly speaks her mind.</p><p>Peters and her niece and mother added to the atmosphere of the Downton Abbey event by dressing as if they were from the 1920s &#8212; the era represented in this sixth and final season of the show, which started airing in the United States on Jan. 3. (It can be seen at 9 p.m. Sundays on WVIA-TV.)</p><p>Peters wore a beaded white flapper-style dress she rented from Costumes By Barbara in Luzerne; her mom, Judy Sikora, put together an ensemble accessorized with long ropes of pearls and her niece Stephanie Sikora&#8217;s lacy gloves and large-stoned ring practically shouted glamour.</p><p>&#8220;I just came for the experience,&#8221; Stephanie said, admitting she doesn&#8217;t watch &#8220;Downton Abbey&#8221; but enjoys dressing up.</p><p>Other guests who enjoyed dressing the part included members of a club called Queen Victoria&#8217;s Court whose outfits reflected a pre-flapper fashion era of long skirts, narrow waists and large hats.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been an Anglophile for years,&#8221; said Carroll Kruger, of New York City, who sported that post-Edwardian look as she accompanied her friend, Deborah Courville, of Laceyville, to the tea.</p><p>Many of the guests said they truly enjoy tea as a beverage.</p><p>&#8220;The tea pot is always on,&#8221; said Margaret Massana, of Clarks Summit.</p><p>During the Downton Abbey tea, she and her friends enjoyed Earl Grey tea as well as scones, tea sandwiches, salad, soup and dessert.</p><p>The next chance to have tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion is a Valentine&#8217;s Tea with sessions Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.</p><p>Tea hostess Jennifer Ochman said she expects some couples to attend the tea, but mother/daughter pairs and groups of sisters or female friends may be more likely. It&#8217;s been her experience men prefer a dinner to a tea, she said. As for children, ages 10 and older are welcome.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Lori Peters of Luzerne, left, pauses in the entrance hall of the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion with her niece, Stephanie Skiro, friend Laura Taylor and mother, Judy Skiro. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Downtown-Tea-Party.jpg</photo0><caption0>Lori Peters of Luzerne, left, pauses in the entrance hall of the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion with her niece, Stephanie Skiro, friend Laura Taylor and mother, Judy Skiro. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tea party guests Audrey Lose, on left, and Sharon Kaminski converse during the event at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion. 1/17/16. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Tea party guests Audrey Lose, on left, and Sharon Kaminski converse during the event at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion. 1/17/16. Sean McKeag | Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hostess Jennifer Ochman, wearing the kind of simple &#8216;one-hour dress&#8217; the Women&#8217;s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences of Scranton used to teach women to make, welcomes guests to the Downton Abbey Tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion on a recent Sunday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Hostess Jennifer Ochman, wearing the kind of simple &#8216;one-hour dress&#8217; the Women&#8217;s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences of Scranton used to teach women to make, welcomes guests to the Downton Abbey Tea at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion on a recent Sunday afternoon. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Susan Seitzinger, of Wyoming, and Kathy Chorba, of Dalton, members of a club called Queen Victoria&#8217;s Court, wear their post-Edwardian dresses to the tea. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea3-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Susan Seitzinger, of Wyoming, and Kathy Chorba, of Dalton, members of a club called Queen Victoria&#8217;s Court, wear their post-Edwardian dresses to the tea. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kathy Chorba, of Dalton, takes a sip of tea during the Downton Abbey-themed event at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_tea2-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Kathy Chorba, of Dalton, takes a sip of tea during the Downton Abbey-themed event at the Frederick Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes-Barre. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></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>THE NEXT TEA</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8216;A Chocolate Lover&#8217;s Valentine Tea&#8217;</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 13 and Feb. 14</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Frederick Stegmaier Mansion, 304 S. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $42.50</p><p><strong>Reservations: </strong> 570-332-4250.</p><p><strong>Children:</strong> Ages 10 and older are welcome. Please note any dietary restrictions when making reservations.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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If you can’t make it to Yorkshire, try downtown Wilkes-Barre’s answer to Downton Abbey