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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; A 10-mile ride just got a lot easier for Wyoming Valley residents wishing to spend time in the outdoors.</p><p>The Luzerne County Transportation Authority recently announced it will once again provide bus services to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township. The service began on Saturday and will run through Aug. 27. The authority held a special &#8220;kick-off event&#8221; on Saturday.</p><p>The event included state Reps. Aaron Kauffer, R-Kingston; Jerry Mullery, D-Nanticoke; and Eddie Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, among others. Pennsylvania Fist &amp; Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway was also on hand.</p><p>With the service, LCTA remains the only transit agency in Pennsylvania to provide bus coverage to a state park.</p><p>This is the fourth consecutive summer the authority has ran a summer service to the park. This year, however, is the first year LCTA received grant money for the project.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re here to provide transportation,&#8221; LCTA Executive Director Norm Gavlick said. &#8220;To be able to run a route to a state park to provide people the access to this amenity is a great opportunity for us. It&#8217;s great to turn the revenue back to taxpayers.&#8221;</p><p>The Frances Slocum route will include three trips per day, Monday through Friday, and two trips per Saturday. The bus route will leave from the Wilkes-Barre transit center and make its way to the park. Along the way, there are approximately 50 different stops throughout Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Edwardsville, Swoyersville, Forty-Fort, Wyoming and Exeter.</p><p>Gavlick said up until last year, the route only ran twice a day during the week. The change was made last year to run three times per day and the results were positive.</p><p>&#8220;Now riders can come any time they want,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That third run has been beneficiary.&#8221;</p><p>During the week, the bus will depart from the transit center at 7:10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. It will arrive back at the transit center at 12:25 and 5:25 p.m. On Saturday, the bus will depart at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. It will return at 12:25 and 3 p.m.</p><p>As part of the special kick-off event, lawmakers and community leaders, along with the media, were invited to take the first ride from Wilkes-Barre to the park. The ride culminated with an event to celebrate &#8220;National Get Outdoors Day&#8221; at the park. There was a fishing derby, hosted by the Fish &amp; Boat Commission.</p><p>&#8220;&#8221;People forget about these beautiful amenities we have here,&#8221; Kauffer said. &#8220;Every time I come here, I say I&#8217;m not here often enough. This is a huge opportunity for people throughout Luzerne County.&#8221;</p><p>Stephen Prokop, of Glen Lyon, brought his family up for the fishing derby and met the bus in Kingston. He said it&#8217;s nice to be able to save gas money on the trip to the park.</p><p>&#8220;We can now save on bringing the car,&#8221; Prokop said. &#8220;We&#8217;re just getting back into fishing, and the ride wasn&#8217;t bad. We packed up our poles and bait and coolers.&#8221;</p><p>Frances Slocum Park Manager Brian Taylor said this is a great way for people who live in the Wyoming Valley to get out and enjoy the state park.</p><p>&#8220;This is a great thing for Frances Slocum,&#8221; said Taylor, who has been the manager for three years. &#8220;Not only does it get extra people out of the park, it gets people a way to get here from an urban environment. It introduces them to an environment they&#8217;ve never seen before.&#8221;</p><p>The park consists of 1,035 acres, which include a lake for fishing and boating, a pool, hiking trails, picnic areas and camping facilities.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Frances Slocum State Park Manager Brian Taylor. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_6-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Frances Slocum State Park Manager Brian Taylor. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">LCTA bus driver Lou Lyons turns at the entrance to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on its inaugural run from Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>LCTA bus driver Lou Lyons turns at the entrance to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on its inaugural run from Wilkes-Barre on Saturday morning. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Fishing pole and cooler in hand, Stephen Prokop, of Glen Lyon, steps off an LCTA bus at Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township after its inaugural run on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_5-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Fishing pole and cooler in hand, Stephen Prokop, of Glen Lyon, steps off an LCTA bus at Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township after its inaugural run on Saturday morning. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, left, chats with Luzerne County Councilman Rick Williams, and state Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski and Gerald Mullery in the back of an LCTA bus shortly after boarding in Edwardsville for the inaugural bus run to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, left, chats with Luzerne County Councilman Rick Williams, and state Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski and Gerald Mullery in the back of an LCTA bus shortly after boarding in Edwardsville for the inaugural bus run to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">LCTA Executive Director Norm Gavlick, right, stands at the front of a packed bus on its inaugural run from Wilkes-Barre to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_3-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>LCTA Executive Director Norm Gavlick, right, stands at the front of a packed bus on its inaugural run from Wilkes-Barre to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Rep. Gerals Mullery, left, shares a laugh with Pennsylvania Fish &amp; Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway while on board an LCTA bus headed from Wilkes-Barre to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL061216LCTAFrancesSlocum_nw_2-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>State Rep. Gerals Mullery, left, shares a laugh with Pennsylvania Fish &amp; Boat Commission Executive Director John Arway while on board an LCTA bus headed from Wilkes-Barre to Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township on Saturday morning. </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Daily trips to Frances Slocum State Park are now on bus schedule</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Nick Wagner</p><p>nwagner@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Nick Wagner at 570-991-6406 or on Twitter @Dispatch_Nick</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Kick-off event highlights LCTA summer route to Frances Slocum