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Your view: It’s time to hold to DOC accountable

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Our View: Making the season bright, but safe

KINGSTON &#8212; Corey Pries was home with his two children and the family&#8217;s two dogs when he heard footsteps &#8212; loud footsteps &#8212; on his front porch.After Kingston Mayor Paul Roberts managed to find an outside electrical outlet, a bright light appeared on the Pries&#8217; front lawn at 369 Osceola Ave.There, in the shadow of the Wyoming Valley West Middle School, the much-coveted Kingston Christmas Water Heater landed on its 2019 lawn &#8212; an otherwise seldom seen and underappreciated household apparatus that was brightly lit for the world to marvel at over the next month..The Pries family became the 35th recipient of the holiday tradition, bringing instant notoriety to an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood.&#8220;It&#8217;s an honor,&#8221; Pries said.Pries&#8217; parents, Rich and Diane Pries of South Gates Avenue, were the recipients in 2017, making them the first father and son to earn the distinguished yuletide award.Pries said his wife, Joan, was at work, and &#8220;won&#8217;t she be surprised&#8221; when she returns a few minutes from the award presentation.&#8220;This is a true Kingston tradition,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;This is a great group of guys who do this. And every year, I get asked so often, &#8216;Who got the water heater?&#8217; It&#8217;s really a lot of fun.&#8221;The group of about 35 volunteers, as always, held a clandestine meeting to discuss who would be worthy of the water heater. After much deliberation, the group piled into their vehicles and paraded around Kingston, with the water heater in tow.The water heater comes completely decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. The group of men delivering it stood and sang Christmas carols &#8212; at least the ones to which they could remember the words.According to tradition, the recipient must keep the water heater on their front lawn and light it every night until after the new year.The tradition began in 1984, when plumber John McGlynn, who was present Tuesday night, replaced a water heater for the late Tom Lahart on Loveland Avenue. When Lahart didn&#8217;t pay a $10 fee to remove the old one, McGlynn decided to leave it on Lahart&#8217;s lawn. He would later have some friends go back and decorate it as a Christmas joke, and a local legend was born.McGlynn, Bernie Hurley, Tom Paratore, Doug Rush, Ned Delaney, Barry Blannet, Gordon Dussinger and many others turned out for the annual presentation.<ins>Past recipients </ins><ins>1984: John McGlynn </ins><ins>1985: Kevin Boylan </ins><ins>1986: Jim Clarke </ins><ins>1987: Charles Burns </ins><ins>1988: Gordon Dussinger </ins><ins>1989: Barry Blannet </ins><ins>1990: Paul Roberts </ins><ins>1991: Barney O&#8217;Donnell </ins><ins>1992: Terry McGinley </ins><ins>1993: Frank &#8220;Bunky&#8221; Sorochak </ins><ins>1994: Frank Hill </ins><ins>1995: Ned Delaney </ins><ins>1996: Dan Beky </ins><ins>1997: Nick Volpetti </ins><ins>1998: Tom O&#8217;Connor </ins><ins>1999: No recipient </ins><ins>2000: Al &#8216;Shorty&#8217; Cuba </ins><ins>2001: Doug Rush </ins><ins>2002: Tom Leary </ins><ins>2003: Charlie Dugan </ins><ins>2004: Jack Coslett </ins><ins>2005: Stan Motyka </ins><ins>2006: Sterling Rush </ins><ins>2007: Bill Mericle </ins><ins>2008: John Sromovsky </ins><ins>2009: Tom Paratore </ins><ins>2010: Mike Connolly </ins><ins>2011: Jeff Coslett </ins><ins>2012: Gary Michak </ins><ins>2013: Rich Stefanides </ins><ins>2014: Betty Lahart </ins><ins>2015: Bob Guyette </ins><ins>2016: Maurice Grimes </ins><ins>2017: Richard Pries </ins><ins>2018: Anthony Dicton </ins><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Members of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater Committee stand on the front law of the 2019 recipient, Corey Pries, at 369 Osaceola Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday night. The annual holiday tradition is in its 35th year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_WATER-HEATER-2019-2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Members of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater Committee stand on the front law of the 2019 recipient, Corey Pries, at 369 Osaceola Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday night. The annual holiday tradition is in its 35th year. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_WATER-HEATER-2019-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater Committee stand on the front law of the 2019 recipient, Corey Pries, at 369 Osaceola Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday night. The annual holiday tradition is in its 35th year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_WATER-HEATER-2019-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Members of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater Committee stand on the front law of the 2019 recipient, Corey Pries, at 369 Osaceola Ave., Kingston, on Tuesday night. The annual holiday tradition is in its 35th year. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill O&#8217;Boyle | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Pries family is 35th recipient of Christmas water heater</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Bill O&#8217;Boyleboboyle@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Past recipients1984: John McGlynn1985: Kevin Boylan1986: Jim Clarke1987: Charles Burns1988: Gordon Dussinger1989: Barry Blannet1990: Paul Roberts1991: Barney O&#8217;Donnell1992: Terry McGinley1993: Frank &#8220;Bunky&#8221; Sorochak1994: Frank Hill1995: Ned Delaney1996: Dan Beky1997: Nick Volpetti1998: Tom O&#8217;Connor1999: No recipient2000: Al &#8216;Shorty&#8217; Cuba2001: Doug Rush2002: Tom Leary2003: Charlie Dugan2004: Jack Coslett2005: Stan Motyka2006: Sterling Rush2007: Bill Mericle2008: John Sromovsky2009: Tom Paratore2010: Mike Connolly2011: Jeff Coslett2012: Gary Michak2013: Rich Stefanides2014: Betty Lahart2015: Bob Guyette2016: Maurice Grimes2017: Richard Pries2018: Anthony Dicton</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle</shirttailMeta></div>

Pries family is 35th recipient of the Kingston Christmas Water Heater