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HEADLINES: Serial Killer Loose In Susky County? This is the question raised by Frank Dressler’s new mystery, "The Endless Mountain Murders," the third in the Kate Flaherty/Ben Pierce series. The author is not only a resident of Susquehanna County, but has Kate and Ben take up residence in Harford and become involved in solving the murders of Grace and Sam Akers and the attempted murder of Jenny Smiley. Are all of these incidents the work of one madman? Grace Akers is hung from a beam over the altar of the Harford Independent Bible Church of which Paul Smiley, Jenny’s father, is pastor. Sam Akers, Grace’s husband and a much-decorated, venerated Vietnam War hero, is shot dead the first day of deer season. Jenny, out for a run, is attacked and nearly killed by a weapon only known to the gauchos of Argentina. Brad Jackson, the Pennsylvania State Police criminal investigator with jurisdiction in all three cases, can find only one common denominator in all three cases: the Harford Independent Bible Church. Determining how the church is involved united him with Kate and Ben and all three work together to bring the mystery to an explosive conclusion. The backdrop of the story is the economy of Susquehanna County with special emphasis on the dairy and bluestone industries. "The Endless Mountain Murders" is available on-line from the publisher at www.iuniverse.com. It can be ordered through most bookstores. Bookstores should give the name of the book, the author and the ISBN number which is 0-595-27741-1. Frank Dressler is a retired association executive with experience in advertising. Since retiring in 1994 he has volunteered as an NGO consultant with two international business associations in Russia, Azerbaijan and Romania, and as a United Methodist Volunteer in Mission Zimbabwe and Nepal. This year he expects to serve in Azerbaijan and Bosnia. He and wife, Winifred live in South Gibson and can be reached on-line at fwdress@epix.net. This article is to inform you that July is National Ice Cream Month. It is the perfect month for ice cream, too. On those hot days when you’re absolutely dying for something cold to eat or drink, why not have some ice cream? It’s the perfect summer treat. There are so many different flavors to choose from. You’ll never be disappointed by what you’re getting. You can also go out for ice cream. When you’re traveling, there’s always a dairy bar you pass by. Now, for a little background on how July became National Ice Cream Month. Back in 1984, before I was even born, former President Ronald Reagan designated July the month that the United States would honor its favorite dairy product. The third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day. President Ronald Reagan thought of ice cream as a "fun and nutritious snack" that is enjoyed by about 90% of the nation. There are many benefits of ice cream too. Not only the health benefit of it, but it provides jobs for thousands of citizens in the United States. Nearly 9% of the milk produced by our dairy farmers is used in ice cream. This contributes a great deal to the Nation’s dairy industry. Ice Cream profits reach an average of $20 billion each year. On that note remember to eat ice cream all month long and especially to indulge in that delicious treat on National Ice Cream Day. It won’t just benefit you; it will benefit the citizens who make this snack and the farmers who provide the main ingredient for the ice cream. NTC Survey To Be Available Soon Northern Tier Coalition, Susquehanna County – Thomas Swan, Chairman of the Northern Tier Coalition Multi-Municipal Planning Committee, announced that the Planning Committee will conduct three community meetings to discuss with residents the results of the recent survey. The meetings, all beginning at 7:00 p.m., are scheduled as follows: August 12 at the Rush Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary Hall; August 14 at the Silver Lake Township Building; and August 25 at the Susquehanna County Courthouse Annex. The community survey was mailed to 6,900 registered voters with almost 2,170 completed surveys returned, a 31.4% return rate. The Planning Committee was created by the Borough Councils of Friendsville Borough and Little Meadows Borough, and the Township Boards of Supervisors of Apolacon Township, Bridgewater Township, Choconut Township, Forest Lake Township, Franklin Township, Jessup Township, Liberty Township, Middletown Township, Rush Township, and Silver Lake Township, and is comprised of one representative and one alternate from each participating municipality. Planning Committee Vice-Chairman Dave Darrow noted that "The community survey and meetings are intended to give residents of the twelve municipalities the opportunity to let local officials know about their expectations for the future of the community." Taken as a whole, 74% of survey respondents rated the overall quality of life as good-to-excellent, but future expectations about how the Coalition area will change in the next five to ten years were less than optimistic – 14% believe the area will become more desirable, 33% less desirable, 33% expect little change, and 20% are not sure. Almost all respondents (96%) believe that agricultural land, forest land, and other open land are critical to the Coalition’s rural working landscape and quality of life and 63% agree that local officials should take steps to preserve such land. Concurrently, 23% of respondents believe job opportunities are somewhat important and 67% as very important. Planning Consultant Carson Helfrich, added, "The survey is intended to identify the issues of most concern to residents and their expectations for the future of their community." In addition to quality of life issues, the survey addressed community growth and development, community facilities and services, and respondent characteristics such as age, property ownership and length of residency. Local officials view the survey as the first step in planning for growth and development and a key part of preparing a comprehensive plan for the Northern Tier Coalition. The survey results and the full details of the survey responses will be available at the three community meetings. Six members of The Garden Club of Montrose cut, arranged, and donated twenty baskets of flowers for table decorations at this year’s Montrose Restoration Committee Dinner, Saturday, July 12. Flowers decorate tables at Restoration Committee dinner. The garage at the home of Brenna Aileo, garden club president, was a beehive of activity on Saturday morning. Shirley Andre, Carol Lake, Tina McCreary-Kane, Cindy Poet and Barbara Schmidt joined Brenna in this worthwhile endeavor. Members brought lilies, daisies, iris, vinca, Lady’s Mantle, hosta, campanula, Queen Anne’s Lace and feverfew from their gardens to produce the centerpieces for the dinner. After being enjoyed for the evening, guests at the dinner purchased the flowers to take home. The profit will be used by the Restoration Committee for their ongoing projects. Community service is one of the main goals of The Garden Club of Montrose and the aim of the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania and National Garden Clubs, Inc. The Garden Club of Montrose salutes the homeowners, business people and citizens of Montrose who made their town a beautiful place to visit on the Fourth of July. Thousands of visitors saw "town pride" in action as they surveyed the mowed lawns, carefully tended flowers, and well planned landscaping all over our area. Gardening has become the fastest growing trend in the United States in recent years. It provides beauty as well as added value to homes and businesses. The physical activity involved adds to our health and well-being. Members of the garden club helped to beautify the area by weeding and pruning around the "Welcome to Montrose" sign at Lake Montrose, pruning around the Gazebo, providing hanging flower baskets, and planting in front of the Court House. They are proud to join their friends and neighbors in showing "Fourth of July spirit" all year long. PENNDOT Guide For Mature Drivers Dunmore – It is a fact of life that as we get older, our abilities change. And so it is with drivers. To gauge those signs of change and ability to drive safely, PENNDOT offers a FREE booklet entitled "Driving Safely As You Get Older." The booklet is a personal guide which helps the driver recognize signs of change and perform self-tests for vision, response time, general fitness, foot movement, arm movement, and head and neck flexibility. Persons wishing to obtain a copy of "Driving Safely As You Get Older" can call 963-3502 or go to the PENNDOT web site at www.neparoads.com and click on Current Events. Irish Hill Shamrocks The Irish Hill Shamrocks 4-H Club recently met. There were one leader, five members and two parents present. The club discussed One Day Camp, 4-H projects to go to the Harford Fair and community service ideas. Members also talked about their projects and gave two riflery demonstrations. Paws & Tails The Paws & Tails 4-H Club has heated up for the summer! Already it has participated in a parade and started plans for more exciting things. In the parade they had a banner leading them. Then, behind them they had the members of the club marching with their dogs obediently beside them. Each member had a shirt on that had a logo and a picture supporting the service dogs. It was quite a sight to see. The club members which are competing in Penn State's 4-H Days dog bowl have started studying. They study during their regular meeting every Monday night and one more time during the week. Plus, they spend time at home reinforcing what they learned. Good luck Paws & Tails! News Reporter: Hilary Clarke and Monica Turner Free Web Listings On Susquehanna CIN If you want the world to know about your business, non-profit, organization or service in Susquehanna County you are entitled to a free website listing on the Community Information Network (CIN). You can add your free listing quickly and easily yourself, or edit and update your existing listing by going on-line to susquehannaCIN.net and following simple prompts. If you’d like help with the process, go to your nearest library. All entries and edits will be approved by an administrator. You may select several key words by which your business can be found, and add notes about who you are and what special services you provide. The CIN’s 1500 record directory can be searched by topic allowing you or your group to be found by prospective members, donors, customers, tourists and clients from within the County and beyond. The directory will be advertised in the County’s Department of Economic Development brochures which go out in mailings to people inquiring about the area. The CIN has links to popular websites including the County’s government and library sites visited by thousands of Internet users. To browse the CIN, add or edit your listing, or get more information go on-line to susquehannaCIN.net. There is on-line help to make the process ‘easy as pie.’ The more accurate listings that are included, the more valuable and complete the directory becomes for all. Susquehanna CIN is a volunteer initiative supported by Penn State Extension, the County Library and Department of Economic Development and Hill View Inc. Shawna Bodtman Is Miss Junior Teen Fifteen-year old Shawna Bodtman recently won the title of Miss Junior Susquehanna Teen and will be competing for the title of Miss Junior Pennsylvania. Shawna and her parents would like to thank all of the sponsors who supported her.
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