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Letter to the Editor: Top presidential contenders lacking in character; I’m bypassing both

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Letter to the Editor: Vote for pro-life candidate Donald Trump in presidential contest

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; There was a zombie football player, a ninja and a ninja turtle. The cat, the witch and the princess seemed inseparable, and the cop and the vigilante &#8212; Batman specifically &#8212; walked side by side. And then there was Noah&#8217;s Ark.</p><p>The amazingly alliterative Billy Bierbach, of Benton, wheeled into the Trail of Treats hosted by Mohegan Sun Pocono Thursday with his head covered a la Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments, his body surrounded by a boat cobbled together from plywood and sporting a menagerie of stuffed mammals.</p><p>And frankly, if you&#8217;re looking for a bunch of thrilled quotes from the 800 or so students with special needs who traveled the trail, give up. They were too busy beaming, high-fiving, and generally just getting overwhelmed by all the lights, color, sounds, costumes and treats &#8212; lots and lots and lots of treats &#8212; arranged by more than 30 businesses and agencies set up in a snaking line throughout several rooms of the convention center.</p><p>The adults were as into it as much as the kids. Luzerne Intermediate Unit secretary Jane Jeffrey wore a black robe, bore a shiny apple and croaked a frightening cackle. But she couldn&#8217;t hide the smile. &#8220;I&#8217;ve been doing this seven years,&#8221; she bragged. &#8220;I love the kids. I love to see the smiles.&#8221;</p><p>Betty Jo Mantush could trump that. Not only was the retired Geisinger nurse at her 13th trail of treats dressed like a Jack o&#8217;lantern, she pointed to three grandchildren similarly garbed as they handed out treats, including glowing necklaces that Aubree DeFazio, 5, held and and shook while smiling.</p><p>&#8220;Take a look at the faces,&#8221; Mantush suggested when asked why she volunteered so many years.</p><p>An event set up by WNEP-TV with several partners, Trail of Treats costs the children nothing, and none of the participants makes a dime, WNEP producer Bill Schultz said. The goal is to provide safe fun for youngsters who otherwise might miss out on Halloween.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of these children wouldn&#8217;t be able to trick or treat in their own neighborhood. I mean they have steps to go up, sidewalks to maneuver. It&#8217;s very difficult for these guys, and it could be scary,&#8221; Schultz said.</p><p>At the Mountain Top Kiwanis booth, John Augustine had set aside his rather large cat mask.</p><p>&#8220;It was scaring people,&#8221; he conceded. &#8220;But I think I scare them more when I take it off. I&#8217;m a little worried.&#8221;</p><p>Augustine conducted an unscientific poll. &#8220;The mask isn&#8217;t that scary, is it?&#8221; he asked one princess, who concurred. &#8220;Thank you! You get extra candy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s up, Hulk?&#8221; he asked another in the gamma-ray green monster suit.</p><p>Volunteering for his fourth Trail of Treats, Augustine cited the smiles as the reason for returning.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just awesome to take time out of the day and help,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s just a powerful day.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Aubree Defazio, 5, plays with a glow necklace given to her at the Geisinger booth at the Trail of Treats event hosted at the Mohegan Sun Pocono convention center on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Aubree Defazio, 5, plays with a glow necklace given to her at the Geisinger booth at the Trail of Treats event hosted at the Mohegan Sun Pocono convention center on Thursday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Debra Secor hands Nick Barrouk and Fiona Pungitore, both of Dallas, treats from the Kingston Rotary. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Debra Secor hands Nick Barrouk and Fiona Pungitore, both of Dallas, treats from the Kingston Rotary. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Aidan Wardell, 11, tries his hand at a game. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Aidan Wardell, 11, tries his hand at a game. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">James Scholten, 12, pets a puppet named Pastel. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>James Scholten, 12, pets a puppet named Pastel. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Billy Bierbach, 6, talks with John Augustine, of the Mountain Top Rotary. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL102816trailoftreats5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Billy Bierbach, 6, talks with John Augustine, of the Mountain Top Rotary. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Annual event thrills children with special needs</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Video</p><p>To view a video of this story, go to tinyurl.com/jh6xe4v.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> ifOAWW5Y2FY</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifOAWW5Y2FY</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> &lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/ifOAWW5Y2FY&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> Children with special needs were given the chance for a safe Trick or Treating experience.</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Aimee Dilger</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

No tricks, just treats on this trail for students with special needs