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Beyond the byline: Celebrity appearance? It’s in the bag

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High-tech gizmos to be hidden in no-tech nature sanctuary in Dallas Township

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The big, hot yellow thing in the sky made an appearance on Wednesday &#8212; the first day of summer &#8212; and delighted visitors at Kirby Park.</p><p>Kingston resident John Provadopoulos brought his two granddaughters to the park and sat on a bench to enjoy the weather while they played on the playground.</p><p>Provadopoulos will spend two months in his hometown of Athens, Greece, starting in August. The last time he was there was three years ago, and he spent four-and-a-half years there.</p><p>&#8220;I have a place to stay, I have friends on different islands I go visit, it&#8217;s nice,&#8221; he said.</p><p>He added that the weather in Greece is not much different than where he lives now. He said that sometimes it even rains at the same time.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s OK, I&#8217;d rather have a little bit wet summer &#8230; instead of having it dry, then everything&#8217;s yellow &#8230; everything is green and beautiful here,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Rain was also no concern to local woman Connie Kostelac. She found herself walking for exercise in the park during a bit of rain that fell in the late afternoon, but decided to tough it out.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just a little drizzle, that&#8217;s all,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve still got a couple more walks to go yet.&#8221;</p><p>Kostelac is hoping to enjoy the summer with her family and friends and to get outside to walk like she was on Wednesday.</p><p>&#8220;Hopefully it gets warm and stays warm instead of this back and forth,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Esha Ifill, of Forty-Fort, and Herb Estus, of Shickshinny, decided to spend their first date in the park on Wednesday. They met online and decided to go out for breakfast and a walk.</p><p>&#8220;It was just a spontaneous thing. &#8230; Let&#8217;s meet up, and see if there&#8217;s a connection,&#8221; Estus said.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re enjoying the nice weather,&#8221; Ifill added.</p><p>Ifill is hoping to go to the beach, to the county fair and horseback riding throughout her summer, saying that she thinks it &#8220;will be a fair one.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I think no matter what the weather is, it&#8217;s always a good day,&#8221; said Estus. &#8220;Whether it&#8217;s raining or sunny &#8230; it&#8217;s all about your perspective.&#8221;</p><p>Estus plans to spend his summer similar to the first day of the season.</p><p>&#8220;My summers consist of days like this. Just getting on the motorcycle and getting lost on country roads,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Fred&#8217;s at Kirby Park, the snack stand co-owned by Suzanne Kelly and Sue Henry, celebrated a busy day. This is the stand&#8217;s first year in this incarnation, but it has been open on and off for a few years under different owners, Kelly said.</p><p>&#8220;The whole idea here is to get families to the park. I think Fred&#8217;s is a good way to do that,&#8221; Kelly speculated.</p><p>The stand has something for everybody, Kelly said. The menu boasts grass-fed burgers, nitrate-free hot dogs, fresh fruits and vegetables with hummus dip and even a vegan burger, all for the price one expects at a park.</p><p>&#8220;We want families here, and we want them to be able to feed their children and their grandchildren, so we have reasonable prices,&#8221; she explained.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping the sun continues to shine &#8230; we just want to see more people at the park like today. It&#8217;s wonderful to see all the families here.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Reyse Kowalczyk 14 months, enjoys a fresh strawberry from the Purple Pepper Farm during Avoca's first Farmer's Market held today on Mcalpine street.  Aimee Dilger | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL062217Summer1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Reyse Kowalczyk 14 months, enjoys a fresh strawberry from the Purple Pepper Farm during Avoca's first Farmer's Market held today on Mcalpine street.  Aimee Dilger | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Toni Pennello</p><p>tpennello@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Summer in the city: For some, season starts at Kirby Park