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Mondays at the Market to start July 8 in Wilkes-Barre

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Yoga in the park draws crowd in Mountain Top

<p>SWOYERSVILLE &#8212; Slocum Street Park, a favorite play area for youngsters for over four decades, was renamed the Andrew Barilla Jr. Park in honor of the man who was instrumental in making it a reality.</p><p>When Barilla, a longtime district magistrate, took to the podium, he said although throughout his life he was known for having a lot to say, the moment found him at a loss for words.</p><p>Barilla said he was moved by nearly 100 people who had gathered under the park&#8217;s pavilion to honor him on is special day.</p><p>&#8220;These are the people who I was born and raised with, who I&#8217;ve lived all my life with,&#8221; he said of those attending. &#8220;Thank you from the bottom of my heart.&#8221;</p><p>The borough&#8217;s mayor, Chris Concert, came up with the idea of renaming the park and took it before council.</p><p>&#8220;I had their full support,&#8221; Concert said. &#8203;</p><p>Concert described Barilla as, &#8220;a quiet achiever who went about his work for decades, never seeking recognition or reward.&#8221;</p><p>In a surprise move, Concert also declared June 29, 2019 &#8220;Andrew Barilla Jr. Day,&#8221; in Swoyersville.</p><p>Barilla&#8217;s son, David Barilla, following in the steps of his father as a district magistrate, drew both tears and laughter from the audience as he detailed the early history of the park.</p><p>David Barilla said the land on which the park was built was once a swampy area.</p><p>The Barilla family lived across the street from the property and Andrew Barilla, Jr. was determined that the area would be turned into a park for children.</p><p>But the project wasn&#8217;t always an easy one.</p><p>Early on, when Barilla needed electricity, he simply ran an extension cord from the family home.</p><p>Then as Pagnotti Enterprises was attempting to clear the area, first one and then two pieces of equipment got stuck in deep mud.</p><p>&#8220;One of the guys said, &#8216;I&#8217;m going to get in trouble, that&#8217;s two pieces of equipment down,&#8221; David Barilla said.</p><p>Andrew Barilla Jr. had an idea.</p><p>&#8220;He said, &#8216;Trains pass by here all the time, let&#8217;s hook up the pieces of equipment and get them out that way,&#8217;&#8221; David Barilla said.</p><p>And so, the equipment was hooked to the trains with cables and came free from the muddy area.</p><p>Lisa DeAngelo, representing state Rep. Aaron Kaufer&#8217;s office, could not hold back tears as she read a proclamation from Kaufer&#8217;s office.</p><p>&#8220;Mr. Barilla single-handedly carried the torch of commitment to community with a simple plan to provide a park to the residents of Swoyersville borough,&#8221; the citation read. &#8220;His pride, dedication, countless hour of volunteerism and concern for the youth of the community, virtues which he genuinely and readily displayed, greatly enhanced the quality of life for borough residents.&#8221;</p><p>The citation went on to describe Barilla as a role model, worthy of emulation.</p><p>U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, lauded Barilla for a life of service and hard work, which included with his being named as an all-scholastic athlete in three sports and 10 years as a borough council member.</p><p>&#8220;Andrew made it his mission to share his love of sports and remain active with the children of the community,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Cartwright said Swoyersville is a new part of his district, after a statewide redistricting, and that he enjoys attending such events to get to know his constituents.</p><p>&#8220;This is one of my favorite parts of my job,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Concluding the ceremony was the planting of a Pink Flowering American Redbud tree, with those attending given opportunity to shovel dirt where the tree will be planted.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">U. S. Rep. Matt Cartwright addresses over a hundred people gathered for the renaming a park the &#8220;Andrew Barilla Jr. Park,&#8221; Saturday. Cartwright lauded Barilla for his dedication to community and recreation. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_received_599403653916026.jpeg</photo0><caption0>U. S. Rep. Matt Cartwright addresses over a hundred people gathered for the renaming a park the &#8220;Andrew Barilla Jr. Park,&#8221; Saturday. Cartwright lauded Barilla for his dedication to community and recreation. </caption0><photoCredit0>Geri Gibson | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_2280.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Andrew Barilla, Jr., and his wife, Mary Ann, take time to greet those attending a ceremony renaming Slocum Street Park to honor Andrew Barilla on Saturday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_2280.jpeg</photo1><caption1>Andrew Barilla, Jr., and his wife, Mary Ann, take time to greet those attending a ceremony renaming Slocum Street Park to honor Andrew Barilla on Saturday afternoon. </caption1><photoCredit1>Geri Gibson | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_2282.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">A park on Slocum Street was renamed Andrew Barilla Jr. Park on Saturday filled with area residents to honor the longtime district magistrate and Swoyersville resident. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_2282.jpeg</photo2><caption2>A park on Slocum Street was renamed Andrew Barilla Jr. Park on Saturday filled with area residents to honor the longtime district magistrate and Swoyersville resident. </caption2><photoCredit2>Geri Gibson | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_park3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Swoyersville Mayor Chris Concert, left, presents several citations to Andrew Barilla Jr., lifelong Swoyersville resident and community leader, renaming a Swoyersville park &#8220;Andrew Barilla Jr. Park.&#8221; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_park3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Swoyersville Mayor Chris Concert, left, presents several citations to Andrew Barilla Jr., lifelong Swoyersville resident and community leader, renaming a Swoyersville park &#8220;Andrew Barilla Jr. Park.&#8221; </caption3><photoCredit3>Geri Gibson | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_park5_gg.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Andrew Barilla Jr., right, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright take time for photos following a ceremony renaming a park in honor of Barilla on Saturday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_park5_gg.jpg</photo4><caption4>Andrew Barilla Jr., right, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright take time for photos following a ceremony renaming a park in honor of Barilla on Saturday afternoon. </caption4><photoCredit4>Geri Gibson | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

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Swoyersville park dedicated to longtime magistrate Barilla