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Misericordia student making Harlem Globetrotters debut March 5 at Wilkes-Barre’s Mohegan Sun Arena

Class Reunion Notices

<p>PLAINS TOWNSHIP &#8212; Are you up for sampling some crunchy crickets?</p><p>Or would you prefer to watch other people eat insects?</p><p>If you come to the Northeast PA Home Showcase, set for March 4-6 at the Mohegan Sun Hotel &amp; Convention Center and presented by the Business Industry Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lackawanna Home Builders Association, you&#8217;ll find more than home improvement advice.</p><p>There also will be a chance, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 5, to visit a &#8220;Pestaurant&#8221; and perhaps taste mealy worms, lollipops with ants inside them and, by jiminy, plenty of crickets.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll have a cricket-eating contest, for anyone who is brave enough,&#8221; said Wes Rost, a representative of Ehrlich, &#8220;your local pest control expert,&#8221; which is a major sponsor of the Home Showcase.</p><p>Once you get past the &#8220;yuck&#8221; factor, Rost said, crickets aren&#8217;t bad at all.</p><p>&#8220;They taste pretty good,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I like them.&#8221;</p><p>People who down the most crickets can expect prizes and bragging rights, but the Pestaurant is about more than a fun contest.</p><p>&#8220;We want to raise awareness and make this a community event,&#8221; Rost said. &#8220;The focus is hunger.&#8221;</p><p>In a for-charity aspect of the event, local celebrities will see how many crickets they can eat, in hopes of benefiting local food banks and other charities of their choice.</p><p>&#8220;In the contest we&#8217;ll have regular, unflavored crickets,&#8221; Rost said.&#8221;For people who are not quite that adventuresome, we&#8217;ll have some flavored ones.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Believe it or not, ounce for ounce, if you compare cricket to chicken, it has four times the protein,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s very nutritious and healthy to eat plus it takes a lot less area and feed to produce insects (compared to large animals) so it&#8217;s better for the environment.&#8221;</p><p>Attending the Home Showcase can also be good for your wallet. Admission is $5, but 1,000 attendees will receive $10 slot vouchers to use at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The vouchers will be given away to the first 200 individuals on Friday and to the first 400 on Saturday and on Sunday. (You must be 21 or older to receive a voucher.)</p><p>While you&#8217;re at the Home Showcase, you&#8217;ll find plenty of vendors who are eager to share their knowledge about home improvement, including experts on awnings, gutters, waterproofing, kitchens, bathrooms, floors, walls, garages and more. Banking representatives also will be available.</p><p>Ehrlich is the major sponsor of the event. Co-sponsors are Arrow Glass of Kingston, A &amp; B Sunrooms and Remodel of Plains Township and Perez Design Build Remodel LLC of Clarks Summit.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pat Costantino discusses kitchens with Tom and Ona Smith while 7-year-old Maria Smith looks on during the 2015 Home Expo. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_homeshow.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pat Costantino discusses kitchens with Tom and Ona Smith while 7-year-old Maria Smith looks on during the 2015 Home Expo. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Daring consumers decide to sample some insects during a previous Pestaurant event sponsored by Ehrlich. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Daring consumers decide to sample some insects during a previous Pestaurant event sponsored by Ehrlich. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Would you eat an insect? These folks were at least curious enough to approach a Pestaurant display. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Would you eat an insect? These folks were at least curious enough to approach a Pestaurant display. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">For a person who appears ready to swallow a bug, this woman appears fairly calm. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs3.jpg</photo3><caption3>For a person who appears ready to swallow a bug, this woman appears fairly calm. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photo </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">These people may be about to discover that crickets are crunchy. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_bugs4.jpg</photo4><caption4>These people may be about to discover that crickets are crunchy. </caption4><photoCredit4>Submitted photo </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_gutterpro.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">August Barhight from Covington Township and Jerome Riaubia discuss gutters during a previous Home Expo at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Convention Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_gutterpro.jpg</photo5><caption5>August Barhight from Covington Township and Jerome Riaubia discuss gutters during a previous Home Expo at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Convention Center. </caption5><photoCredit5>Fred Adams | Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit5></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>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Northeast PA Home Showcase</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 4 to 7 p.m. March 4, 19 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 5 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 6</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Mohegan Sun Hotel and Convention Center, Route 315, Plains Township</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> $5</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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Eating crickets is just one of many things you can do at the Northeast PA Home Showcase