web1_Wolf-2-.jpg

Capitol Roundup: Gov. Wolf says his proposed budget protects seniors

web1_Christine-Young.jpg

Consumer Watchdog: Joe Sekelsky disputes last column but promises to issue refunds to customers who paid for service they didn’t receive

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Wes Rost, of Ehrlich Pest Control, said they taste like sunflower seeds.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8221; were dry roasted crickets, one of several delicacies at Ehrlich&#8217;s &#8220;Pestaurant&#8221; at the annual Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center.</p><p>Don Casterline, chairman of the event that runs through Sunday, said 75 vendors have booths at the show, offering information, eye-catching displays and demonstrations on building a new home, remodeling, masonry and financing.</p><p>&#8220;You won&#8217;t find pots or pans here,&#8221; Casterline said.</p><p>But you can eat bugs.</p><p>Rost said the official name for eating insects is &#8220;entomophagy.&#8221; He said insects are high in protein, B vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc, and are low in fat.</p><p>Rost was also spending much of his time recruiting contestants for a bug-eating contest later on Saturday, where willing people would sit down and sample the crickets, which were dry roasted in salt and vinegar, along with barbecue larvae, lollipops with ants and plain old mealworms.</p><p>&#8220;Pest control can sometimes be a very boring subject,&#8221; Rost said. &#8220;It&#8217;s usually only talked about when needed. So we thought we would have some fun with the pests we otherwise eradicate.&#8221;</p><p>Levi Smith, 13 of Bloomsburg, was with his mom, Carrie Pfeiffer and other family members to attend the show. Smith&#8217;s grandfather was displaying at Fusion Homes. Smith sampled a few of the edible bugs.</p><p>&#8220;They all were pretty good,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;They tasted like chips.&#8221;</p><p>That testimonial was not enough to convince his mom or anybody else to try any of the items off the Pestaurant menu.</p><p>Rost said for every person entering the contest at 2 p.m., Ehrlich will donate $50 to the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. He said Ehrlich will also donate $100 to the charity of choice of the winner of the bug-eating contest.</p><p>Rost said Ehrlich didn&#8217;t come up with the idea, noting that much larger contests are held in big cities like Boston, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m telling you, the dry-roasted crickets taste just like sunflower seeds,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Asked if it was unlucky to kill a cricket, Rost said the crickets were already dead when they arrived for the contest. He said the company gets them from a bug farm in California.</p><p>Scott Maxson, president of the Building Industry Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania, said the show offers the public an opportunity to meet local builders and contractors.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a place to network and to spread the word,&#8221; Maxson said. &#8220;People can get information on quality, responsible contractors and builders.&#8221;</p><p>That&#8217;s why Bobbette McDade and William Cook, both of Mountain Top, stopped by the Great Additions Inc. booth to talk to owner Rick Deubler. Great Additions, located in Luzerne for 27 years, manufactures and distributes sunrooms, enclosures, additions and more.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been great for business,&#8221; Deubler said. &#8220;I usually get several jobs here.&#8221;</p><p>McDade and Cook have already put a solarium on their home, but they said they like to complete a project every year. This year they are thinking about resurfacing their outdoor decks.</p><p>&#8220;This is a wonderful show,&#8221; Cook said. &#8220;We always meet some great people.&#8221;</p><p>McDade said, &#8220;We come here to get ideas.&#8221;</p><p>Frank Majikes, director/principal at Wilkes-Barre Area Career &amp; Technical Center, said the school&#8217;s booth informs adults and students about the programs offered. Majikes said students from 15 area schools attend the center and learn skills in 26 shop programs. He said adults can enroll in classes for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, welding, residential construction, computer technology, culinary arts and more.</p><p>Aimee Fritzges of Re-Bath and 1 Week Kitchens in Forty Fort, said the home show has been good for business.</p><p>&#8220;We make appointments, people ask us questions and they can come here and see our products,&#8221; she said.</p><p>The Home Showcase is sponsored by the Building Industry Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lackawanna Home Builders Association.</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/2016/03/web1_biaexpo01-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Levi Smith, of Bloomsburg, eats a cricket at the Ehrlich Pest Control booth during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_biaexpo01-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Levi Smith, of Bloomsburg, eats a cricket at the Ehrlich Pest Control booth during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_biaexpo02-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dick Deubler, left, of Great Additions Inc. in Luzerne talks with homeowners Bobbette McDade and William Cook, both of Mountain Top, during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_biaexpo02-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dick Deubler, left, of Great Additions Inc. in Luzerne talks with homeowners Bobbette McDade and William Cook, both of Mountain Top, during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_biaexpo03-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Visitors browse the aisles during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_biaexpo03-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Visitors browse the aisles during Saturday&#8217;s Northeast PA Home Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel &amp; Convention Center in Plains Township. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

At Home Showcase, you can eat bugs while you browse for a contractor