Mr. and Mrs. Lou Tapia Jr. celebrate 40th anniversary

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Distinctive Women: Marge Bart

<p>&#8220;Oops.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Sorry for the spill.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Which is the diet coke?&#8221;</p><p>I uttered all of the above Thursday night, during the Celebrity Bartending Happy Hour, which benefited Family Service Association, at Rodano&#8217;s on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>I consider myself an excellent patron, always saying &#8220;please&#8221; and &#8220;thank you,&#8221; and tipping generously for the wonderful service I receive at establishments.</p><p>However, during this extravaganza, I realized bartending is not a profession for me because I don&#8217;t have a perfect draft beer pour, and people are <em>very</em> particular about the way in which their cocktails are made. Props to all my bartending friends in Northeastern Pennsylvania who do it day in and day out; you deserve a salute.</p><p>If you haven&#8217;t heard of Family Service Association, it&#8217;s a non-profit working with children, individuals, families and communities to achieve their fullest potential. Counseling, help for high-risk youths, family reunification, a children&#8217;s advocacy center and a help line are just some of the many services provided.</p><p>Friend Rachel Pugh from Benco Dental is on the board of directors for this exceptional charity and reached out several weeks ago asking me to participate. She teamed me up with the energetic Amber Loomis, chief advancement officer at FSA, and I was set.</p><p>Charitable supporters came out, and, by 5:30 p.m., the place was packed.</p><p>Always great community advocates, Publisher Mike Murray and Advertising Director Kerry Miscavage were among the first to arrive, along with other TL staffers.</p><p>They, along with 118 others, also attended the Wilkes-Barre POWER! event the previous evening, which this time raised money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bridge and its annual BBBS Bowl for Kid&#8217;s Sake event on March 24. The organization, which pairs children and teenagers with adults for mentoring, was deserving of the spotlight and the dollars raised.</p><p>Eric Mahler, president of the BBBS Advisory Board, spoke about its mission: to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.</p><p>I&#8217;m grateful to the Westmoreland Club for allowing us a beautiful space in which to host the February event. Event Coordinator Shauna Strellish and Membership Director Michele Tyburski are dreams to work with &#8211; handling every aspect with perfect detail.</p><p>I&#8217;ve talked about POWER once before in this space, but if you&#8217;re ever interested in more information on the networking group that&#8217;s gaining more momentum every month, send me a note.</p><p>Be careful, though, I always have a bevy of functions on tap to attend, so you may end up hearing about more than just POWER!</p><p>High on my upcoming priority list is the Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade next Sunday.</p><p>My favorite day in the city, Wilkes-Barre parade day looks like a sea of green with jovial parade goers and happy party people.</p><p>My co-workers know of my love for all things Irish. Recently, I came back from a trip to the Bee Hive Gift Shop with a new friend named Patrick &#8211; a Byer&#8217;s Choice leprechaun made in Chalfont, Pa., that&#8217;s sitting at the edge of my desk smiling at colleague Hartt Lang.</p><p>At first wary of the mischievous-looking redhead, Hartt and Patrick are now becoming better acquainted.</p><p>You may even see my 10-inch-tall buddy in the Times Leader parade brigade marching down Main Street next weekend.</p><p>He&#8217;ll be the little guy &#8211; or figurine &#8211; with the pint of beer and green top hat.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Mike McGinley is the Times Leader Media Group&#8217;s major accounts executive. Reach him at mmcginley@www.timesleader.com or 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Around Town: Celebrity bartending, POWER! and anticipation for parade day