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Lupas seeking retention to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas

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Man dies after truck hits several trees in Black Creek Township

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Facebook site is called Plymouth PA 1960 Shawnee Still Shines, and boy does it ever shine.</p><p>The brainstorm of Bob Wychulis, who I confess I have never met, the site manages to evoke millions of memories &#8212; all good &#8212; of life in Plymouth &#8220;back in the day.&#8221;</p><p>And I am certain that people who grew up in other small towns in Luzerne County have similar memories of what it was like to live in a world where hometown pride was a way of life, school spirit was evident at every football or basketball game and where neighbors were always neighborly. I suggest they create their own Facebook sites as well.</p><p>So when Wychulis posted a question on the Plymouth PA Facebook site, even I was astonished at the overwhelming response. The question was: &#8220;What comes to your mind first if someone tells you to think about Plymouth?&#8221;</p><p>When I read that question, my mind went into overdrive, like a casino slot machine when a jackpot is hit.</p><p>As I scrolled through all the comments about each person&#8217;s favorite or most vivid recollection of our hometown, the memories just kept flowing through my mind. The process confirmed my lifelong belief that growing up in Plymouth was the absolute best. I have always said that those memories will remain with me forever and I will tap them over and over to feel better about today&#8217;s world by remembering those best of days.</p><p>So travel with me as we go back in time to Old Shawnee and spend a little time visiting the places we all frequented and will always remember.</p><p>Depending on your age, the significance of these places will vary. To me, they individually provide special and everlasting memories of life in a small town. Collectively, I like to think those experiences molded us into fine, upstanding human beings who appreciate things like patriotism, community pride, quality education, delicious food, friendly business men and women, outstanding athletics, and the refreshing feel of a thirst-quenching cherry coke.</p><p>So off we go to school, down Reynolds Street, over Second Street, down Orchard Street, over Shawnee Avenue and down Academy or Downing Street to Main Street to the junior high or senior high. We slowly walk on the winding sidewalk of the campus in the shade of tall trees to the entrance of the building where we enter and make our way to our homerooms.</p><p>This was a daily voyage with stops at, say Minnie&#8217;s Store, a yellow house on Orchard Street where Minnie sold penny candy that we would stuff in our pockets to get us through the first half of the day. Or we would stop at Klavonski&#8217;s Store on West Shawnee Avenue for candy or to try to get a glimpse of the girly magazines hanging from wires above the counter. Mr. Klavonski knew exactly where to stop us as we wandered through the store past the Good Housekeepings and Sports Illustrateds into &#8220;adults only&#8221; territory.</p><p>Or maybe we would stop at Kocher&#8217;s Store at the top of Academy Street, later to be Joe Volinsky&#8217;s, or even venture over to Lou Gelb&#8217;s at the top of Gaylord Avenue, known for selling vanilla popsicles.</p><p>Plymouth had many of these gems for kids and adults to shop. My neighborhood had Jack&#8217;s Market on Second Street. Kids would go there for a Tastykake, a Yoo Hoo, a Kickapoo Joy Juice or a Fudgsicle and sit outside and plan our next adventure. Jack and Ann Ziomek would wait on customers and Picky Shusta would deliver called-in orders from neighbors, like my mom.</p><p>On weekends, we would walk or bike all the way to the other side of town to buy Wiffle balls at Smolock&#8217;s at Bull Run. They were the only ones who stocked these gems needed for a competitive backyard game, where doubles were measured by a ball hitting the house, a triple if it hit the roof and came back down and a home run if it sailed over the roof.</p><p>Like I said, memory after memory &#8212; of pizza at Joe&#8217;s and Arnold&#8217;s, or the Octagon Bar, hoagies at Walt&#8217;s Servette or Red&#8217;s Subs, hot dogs at Mergo&#8217;s, ice cream at Golden Quality, or a dinner at Raub&#8217;s Restaurant. And football games at Huber Field, basketball at the Gaylord Armory and coaches John &#8220;Snoggy&#8221; Mergo and Joe Evan. Hacker&#8217;s Market, Mitch Plessett&#8217;s Men&#8217;s Store, Bill Goldstein&#8217;s Hardware, Al Wasley&#8217;s Jewelers, Rea &amp; Derick, the Shawnee Theater, Ben Franklin Store, and a Main Street of bars, funeral homes, furniture stores &#8212; one after another.</p><p>Thanks Bob Wychulis for your Facebook page where the good times of our lives are posted day after day about our Plymouth &#8212; the geographic center of our universe.</p><p>As Bob Hope sang, &#8220;Thanks for the memories.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></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, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Memories abound on Facebook site