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A steady rain on May 7, 1945, did not damper celebrations in the Wyoming Valley when the European victory during World War II was officially announced.
				&ldquo;The valley&rsquo;s demonstration of V-E Day centered in and around Public Square and the central city shopping district,&rdquo; reported the Times Leader on May 8, 1945.
				Church bells and colliery whistles were set off in celebration to the war&rsquo;s end in Europe.
				All court proceedings at the Luzerne County Courthouse came to a halt at 10 a.m. on May 7, 1945. Schools were dismissed by 12 p.m. as high school students flocked to Public Square where thousands of people had gathered.
				&ldquo;Paper streamers and torn bits of paper floating from windows of the Miners National Bank building, Second National Bank, Wilkes-Barre Deposit and Savings Bank and other office buildings in the central city signalized the fact that victory at last hand come on one of the major war fronts,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported.
				Restaurants closed except for taverns and stores shuttered their doors early.
				&ldquo;The steady rainfall which began early this morning and increased in intensity so that there was a genuine downpour by 10 o&rsquo;clock failed to keep the people from the center city,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported.
				During the height of the celebration on Public Square, &ldquo;a long, lean youth dragged a likeness of Hitler about the Square&rdquo; with a rope around its neck, the newspaper reported.
				Students stood on the big bumpers and running boards of cars as they drove around Public Square beeping their horns disrupting bus service.
				&ldquo;Down in Lee Park, a novel touch was given to the celebration when approximately 100 flares were ignited along the right of way of the Buttonwood branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. They beemed brightly for more than 15 minutes,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported.
				In the same edition of the Times Leader reporting about the celebrations, other stories reported news of local soldiers.
				Three years after being reported missing in action, Private First Class Andrew Kromoga, U.S. Army, of Holleran Street, Edwardsville, was found to had been liberated from a German prisoner-of-war camp.
				&ldquo;Pfc. Andrew Kromoga has been freed from a German prisoner of war camp, his parents were officially notified. He was captured by the Nazis in February 1942, in North Africa while serving with a tank division,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported May 8, 1945.
				Army Sgt. Andrew L. Stasik, who was listed as missing in action on March 2, 1945, in Germany, returned to his unit a month later, the newspaper reported.
				SS Peter and Paul Polish Church in Plains Township set up 1,000 red, white and blue candles that measured 22 feet high and 16 feet wide in the form of a &lsquo;V.&rsquo; In the center of the V stood a statue of the Blessed Mother holding an American flag. At the top of the V was a cross of 28 gold colored light candles in commemoration of the 28 young men of the parish who made the supreme sacrifice.
				Nearly 1,000 members of the parish served in the armed forces during World War II.
				&ldquo;The candles were lighted yesterday morning for the first time after announcement of final surrender of Germany was made by President Harry S. Truman and will burn continuously for 192 hours,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported May 9, 1945.
				As the European theater came to an end, the war in the Pacific theater with Japan continued.
				The Times Leader reported about Army Private First Class John J. Swipes, of Plymouth, taking part in the combined Army and Naval battle at Carabaso Island in Manila Bay in the Pacific.
				&ldquo;Climbing single file up a precipitous 150 feet high cliff which formed a natural barrier, Pfc. Swipes with the assault company of the 151st Infantry, advances so rapidly the island was secured three hours after the initial landing,&rdquo; the newspaper reported.
				Another large gathering on Public Square occurred Aug. 15, 1945, when Japan announced its surrender. Fighting in the Pacific Theater officially came to an end on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II.

Look back: Thousands gathered on Public Square to celebrate V-E Day