W-b Twp. Officials Clash Over Budget Cuts

Anthony Gorka 
Dec. 5, 1992 
Anthony Gorka, 69, Of Harveys Lake, Died Saturday Morning In Nesbitt Memorial 
Hospital, Kingston.

By LISA SCHEID; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Monday, December 07, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





WILKES-BARRE -- The young voices of the Bishop Hoban High School Seasonal
Singers rose in harmony, reaching up beyond the limbs of the towering Colorado
blue spruce into the marbled recesses of the Luzerne County Courthouse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No matter where we walked around the courthouse, the tone was just
beautiful," said County Commissioner Rose Tucker, addressing a crowd of about
75 on hand Friday night to open the annual Holiday Fair. The 17-year tradition
is sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tucker's grandsons Jason and Joshua lit the Colorado spruce, which was
donated by Anna Sokach, 80, of Exeter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Welcome to the courthouse, which is your house," said Tucker. "Each of us
comes from a different heritage. That's what makes Luzerne County so
wonderful." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were 17 different flavors of "wonderful" as area residents shared
holiday traditions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For some visitors, the event was a learning experience. For others, it
brought back memories. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jerry Smallcone, of Hanover Township, watched Donna Morgan weave strips of
paper to form multi-pointed stars and place them on a tree beside her. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I made those more than 60 years ago," Smallcone said. "My father was of
German ancestry." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He made the tree ornaments because his family could not afford to buy them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Things were tough in those days," Smallcone said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 John Drost, of Dupont, urged passing visitors to sample a piece of an
oplatek, a wafer bread, traditionally shared with one's family before the
Polish Christmas Eve dinner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Health, wealth, happiness and a heavenly crown in eternity," he wished
those who broke bread with him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other displays included a Moravian Christmas tree complete with candles
melted into apple cores that are attached to tree limbs, and a Croatian tree
standing before a poster that said "Please stop the war in Croatia." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But holiday traditions represented in the county or at the courthouse
Friday were not entirely European or entirely Christian. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Guests could also view a display depicting Hannakuh, the Jewish festival of
lights. Folks could watch a video about Kwaanza, the African-American
celebration of first fruits, and talk with Jyotsana Shah, of Kingston, who
explained the variety of Indian traditions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 British introduced Christmas traditions to India when they colonized that
country, Shah said. But there are a wide range of religious traditions there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some Indians, like Shah, celebrate "Diwalli," a festival that usually falls
in October or November. She said the date of the holiday depends on a calender
based on the moon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Conceptually, she said, Dwalli is like Easter, when Indians celebrate the
passing of a god and the light of his life.

To Run Dec. 5, 1992; Luzerne County Holiday Fair; Page 3a Fair Days Music Rings In The County's Holiday Festival