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Excavation done at site near where Phylicia Thomas was last seen alive

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Engineer volunteers trained to spot levee problems during river flooding

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; John Maday likened the evolution of RiverFest to a marathon.</p><p>Maday, the executive director of the Riverfront Parks Committee and an avid runner, said every novice runner has one goal in the back of his mind &#8211; to run a big race.</p><p>It was the same spirit that guided several inaugural members of the parks committee in 1995 when they held the first-ever RiverFest at a few tables set up in Nesbitt Park, hoping to educate and inform the public about the river and its environment.</p><p>&#8220;I remember handing out pamphlets at Kirby Park to let people know that RiverFest was happening,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And by 1999, we put boats in the river.&#8221;</p><p>And although RiverFest activities are geared toward water sports enthusiasts and landlubbers alike, paddling events have remained a favorite of festival-goers, with four paddling events taking place this year over the three days of the festival.</p><p>Cultivating a relationship between area residents and the river is a major goal of the committee, according to Maday.</p><p>&#8220;People remember the floods of 1972, 1996, 2011 and they get mad at the river,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t own the river. It goes up and it goes down. But it&#8217;s here to be enjoyed.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;Bugs tell you a lot&#8217;</strong></p><p>Sisters Marcia Kneeland, of Harding, and Jessica Vaccaro, of Old Forge, were certainly enjoying the river as they paddled their way from Harding to the park area on Saturday morning.</p><p>Both said they appreciated event guides who provided information about history and nature.</p><p>&#8220;We saw a loon, a blue heron and an eagle,&#8221; said Kneeland. &#8220;We also saw a long abandoned train car used to plug a hole in the Knox Mine.&#8221;</p><p>An educational area at the festival provided an opportunity to learn about the river environment, with hands-on presentations that encouraged children to do everything from holding a bug to making a necklace with an environmental theme.</p><p>Michele Nesbitt, of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, demonstrated how oil spills could be cleaned up in water.</p><p>Nesbitt placed small pieces of oil-absorbent material in water and nothing happened. When she placed the same material in vegetable oil, it began absorbing the oil immediately.</p><p>&#8220;If children can understand these types of concepts, we can get them interested in water quality,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Colleen Connolly, also of the DEP, was carefully placing a hellagramite on the hands and arms of children who were willing to try something new.</p><p>Connolly said the bugs, which live in running fresh water, had been gleaned from near the river early in the day and were in great condition.</p><p>&#8220;Bugs tell you a lot about the river,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If the bugs are healthy, the river is healthy.&#8221;</p><p>The day also included some activities that had nothing to do with water.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department brought a &#8220;smoke house&#8221; that provided information about everything from how to cook safely to what to do in the event of a fire.</p><p>Firefighter David Gutowski said he enjoyed educating families.</p><p>&#8220;If we can teach the parents and the children, they can learn and then remind each other of what they learned,&#8221; he said.</p><p>As for Maday, he looks forward to RiverFest continuing to grow.</p><p>&#8220;June is Rivers Month in Pennsylvania, and a great opportunity for us to enjoy, appreciate and respect the Susquehanna,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Don Shappelle and The Pick-Ups perform as part of the Wyoming Valley RiverFest on Saturday afternoon in Nesbitt Park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_riverfest-1-1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Don Shappelle and The Pick-Ups perform as part of the Wyoming Valley RiverFest on Saturday afternoon in Nesbitt Park. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_36188886_10156106150991634_4774778042759249920_n-1-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">This is a close-up of a Dragon Boat, which are featured in races as part of the fun of RiverFest weekend. The festival wraps up today in Nesbitt Park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_36188886_10156106150991634_4774778042759249920_n-1-1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>This is a close-up of a Dragon Boat, which are featured in races as part of the fun of RiverFest weekend. The festival wraps up today in Nesbitt Park. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_36114233_10215385532568232_7492410000778723328_n-1-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">People make their way down the Susquehanna River in a paddleboat during Saturday&#8217;s RiverFest in Wilkes-Barre. The festival continues today in Nesbitt Park, starting at 9 a.m. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_36114233_10215385532568232_7492410000778723328_n-1-1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>People make their way down the Susquehanna River in a paddleboat during Saturday&#8217;s RiverFest in Wilkes-Barre. The festival continues today in Nesbitt Park, starting at 9 a.m. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>RiverFest weekend continues to grow</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

From humble beginnings, RiverFest weekend continues to grow