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SWB RailRiders’ Brady Lail roughed up in loss to Charlotte Knights

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Summer psychic fair features alternative healing methods, aids

<p>The sirens sounded far away but were getting louder by the second. Was it a multi-car crash? A multi-alarm fire? An armed robbery?</p><p>In the faint of the night, it was hard to tell.</p><p>The sirens got closer and closer, and the residents of the neighborhood became concerned.</p><p>Until, that is, they saw the town&#8217;s firetruck, its siren blaring, coming down the street, followed by Little Leaguers standing in the back of a pickup truck.</p><p>It wasn&#8217;t a crash. It wasn&#8217;t a fire. It wasn&#8217;t an armed robbery.</p><p>This was life in a small town, and the local Little League All-Star team had won yet another game.</p><p>Earlier in the evening, the Kingston/Forty Fort team had recorded a 12-8 victory over Plains for the Section 5 Little League Major Baseball title at Green Ridge. The District 31 champions earned a spot in the state tournament, scheduled to begin Sunday at Christy Mathewson Little League Field in Benton.</p><p>On this particular night, though, they were the local heroes.</p><p>The firetrucks, including the ladder truck, led the parade, followed by the kids in the pickup, police cruisers, the ambulance and parents, blowing the horns of their vehicles in jubilation.</p><p>People came out of their houses, spilling onto their front porches, some in their pajamas, to wave to the players. Others hung out of second floor windows to get a glimpse of these modern-day local heroes.</p><p>Even if the residents didn&#8217;t know any members of the team, these were their kids. And they had done good, earning the residents&#8217; applause.</p><p>It was heartwarming, even emotional. Here was a bunch of local kids who had played their hearts out on the baseball diamond, bringing home a win. It was small-town America at its best.</p><p>Earlier in the day, the Kingston/Forty Fort girls softball team had camped out at the neighborhood Turkey Hill in an attempt to raise money to travel to Orange, Connecticut, to play in the East Regional Tournament and continue its quest for more honors.</p><p>With the help of social media that alerted the locals that the girls were in need of help, people flocked to the Turkey Hill, dropping coins and dollar bills in the buckets held by the young ladies.</p><p>The Pennsylvania state champions in Little League Junior Softball need to raise $16,000 to attend the 10-team tournament, which was scheduled to start Friday and run through Thursday of this week.</p><p>In the true spirit of sportsmanship, the West Side Little League has donated $1,000 to help with costs while Jenkins Township, Pittston Township and Nanticoke Little Leagues have all donated to defer expenses.</p><p>These are our kids. We feel honored to reach out and help them.</p><p>Say what you want about life in a small town. Sure, sometimes we can be behind the times, downright backward at other times.</p><p>But, when it comes time to rally around the locals, that&#8217;s what we do. We&#8217;re darn proud of our own &#8211; and we don&#8217;t hesitate to show it.</p><p><em> &#8212; Times Leader</em></p><style>
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Our view: Life in a small town can be good