Wilkes-barre Rec Dept Holds Tennis Camp

Aldo Russo 
Aug. 9, 1996 
Aldo Russo, 88, Of New Hancock Street, Wilkes-barre, And Formerly Of Scott 
Street, Parsons, Wilkes-barre, Died Friday At Home.

By MARK GUYDISH; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, August 11, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





HAZLETON -- The single-humped Arabian camel can track through the North
African deserts for days without a drink. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Participants in Saturday's "Trot and Brew" fund-raiser, on the other hand,
sprinted, trotted or, in one case, lit a cigar and sauntered from the starting
line up the street, around the corner and straight into John's Bar and
Restaurant. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Total distance without a drink: about 90 feet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More than 300 people took part in the 13th annual Trot and Brew, arguably
the area's most unusual foot race, chairwoman Joann Bellinghausen said. The
event is sponsored by the non-profit Committee to Help Handicapped Infants and
Parents Succeed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Participants ran or walked the 1.5-mile course, stopping at five bars to
drink either beer or soda. Spilling, splashing, or deliberate dribbling while
drinking meant automatic disqualification. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Serious racers chugged their 7-ounce drinks in three seconds or less, and
finished the course in about 11 minutes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Participants paid $5 to register and could buy a commemorative T-shirt for
$10. They also paid a quarter a drink at the bars, which explained the audible
jingling of pocket change at the start of the race. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The event routinely attracts folks from out of state, but this year's race
was probably the first one with participants from out of the country.
Bellinghausen said a couple from Great Britain showed up Saturday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They were on their honeymoon and some of their friends in Philadelphia
convinced them to come up here for the run," Bellinghausen said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The event raises between $6,000 and $7,000 each year, all of which helps
fund the infant stimulation program of the Helping Hands Society, Hazleton.
Helping Hands president John Seamon was in John's Bar on Saturday, wiping
spills and helping fill each new round of plastic cups between waves of
racers, who started in small groups every two minutes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Seamon said the infant stimulation program helps 248 infants from birth to
3 years old. The children and their parents cope with cerebral palsy, mental
retardation, neurological problems, and "any other problem a child can have,"
Seamon said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The program costs about $50,000 annually, with half the money raised by the
Committee to Help Handicapped Infants and Parents Succeed, Seamon said.
Besides the unusual Trot and Brew, the committee has various other, more
conventional fund-raisers throughout the year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other bars visited by participants were The Battered Mug, Gabriel's
Restaurant, The Top Shelf, and Joyce and Bill's Bar and Grill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/PETE G. WILCOX &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A group of racers stop for their first drink at John's Bar and Restaurant
during the Trot and Brew. Though they had their choice of beer or soda, most
chose beer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 THE TIMES LEADER/PETE G. WILCOX &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Participants sprint off the starting line at the 13th annual `Trot and
Brew' fund-raiser. People ran or walked a 1.5-mile course, taking a mandatory
drink at each of five bars along the way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Drinking For Dollars Pub Crawl With Race Attached Helps Raise Money For Area's Needy Children