Susie and Gene Biesecker are happy to announce the engagement their son, James, of San Diego, CA to Miss Klavdiya (Claudia) Chekulaeva of San Francisco, CA.

Claudia is the daughter of Raisa Chekulaeva and Anitoliy Chekulaev of Saransk, Mordovia, Russia. She graduated with honors from The Mordovian Pedagogical University with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. Claudia relocated to the United States in 2005, and is employed as a Childcare Consultant.

Klavdiya Chekulaeva and James Biesecker

James is a 1993 graduate of Susquehanna Community High School, and served seven years in the United States Marine Corps. He is a Construction Project Manager and Design Consultant, working in San Diego, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe.

A wedding is planned for September 21, 2013, in Santa Rosa, CA.

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 the North Jackson Ag 4-H Club joined together at the Bewley home to hold a meeting. The meeting was opened by our club president, Emily Supancik. The pledge of Allegiance was lead by Katelyn Supancik, and the pledge to the 4-H flag was lead by KayLeen Conklin. To start off our meeting Emory Bewley gave the secretary’s report and Jamie Supancik gave the treasurer’s report, both of which were approved. Next in our meeting we reviewed some past events that some of the members of our club attended. The events were Dairy Camp, Livestock Clinic and Camp Brule.

I have some dates for you now. Livestock weigh in dates will be July 27, and August 3. If you want to weigh your animal on one of these days, you must call to schedule. August 1st is the fair entry deadline.

August 3rd is dairy roundup starting at 10 AM. If you are not showing dairy, please help in the food booth, which will be in the sheep barn. The money that we raise during this fundraiser for our club pays for things like our club bowling party and a jacket for each three year member. State Days will be August 6th through 8th at Penn State. On August 15th all projects (except bake goods) will be due to the 4-H building at the fair.

Towards the end of our meeting five members of our club gave their demonstration for the year. Emory Bewley gave hers on her horse, Honey. Rae’anna Remphrey gave her demonstration on Delaware Valley College, where she plans to attend. Katrina Remphrey gave hers on hiking and Kendra and Kaelyn Brant gave theirs on what they learned in their Acro class at dance this year.

Our meeting was adjourned by Gavin Bewley and Garrett Conklin.

Are you feeling lucky? Come on in and get some raffle tickets. First prize is $1000! Drawing is August 10. Mark that day to attend Woofstock at Salt Springs Park. It's a great celebration for True Friends 2nd anniversary. Food, bands, vendors and you can bring your four legged friends! It all benefits our very needy animals. All tickets are available at the shelter.

One of the pups for adoption

We have lots of puppies and kittens including some beautiful beagle pups and some beagle mix pups. Your next best friend is waiting here for you. Help us help them into a responsible, loving home. You won't regret it!

The Third Annual Stonebridge Lions Club Golf Tournament and Pig Roast was held July 20 at the Golden Oaks Golf Course, Windsor, New York.

A total of 26 teams signed up for the tournament, with over 225 guests for the pig roast. The club raised over $8,700.00 (before expenses) for various local community projects.

Golf tournament winners were: 1st place – Team Lake; 2nd place – Team Elsworth; 3rd place – Team Knowles. Special contest winners were: Ladies closest to the pin – Carol Jackson; Mens closest to the pin – Tim Lake; Ladies longest drive – Carol Jackson; Mens longsest drive – Vic Dubanowitz; Closest to the cooler – Gordy Hover. Winner of the Gas BBQ Grill was Lisa Kuiper.

The relationship between America and baseball is iconic. From the large towns such as Philadelphia to the small such as Susquehanna’s own Harford, the game took hold of the American imagination almost as soon as it arrived on the American landscape.

Pictured is the 1906 Harford Baseball Team seated (from left) George Bailey, Frank Tiffany, Ray Tingley, Harry Shannon; standing Frank Hill, George Chamberlain; two of the remaining three ballplayers are George Seal and Ray Lupton; the third is unidentified.

The first reference to the game is believed to come from an American soldier in 1778 at Valley Forge who wrote of a game of “base” being played among the men. At the birth of the nation, the game became part of us.

When the country faced its next great challenge in the 1860’s during the Civil War, baseball came to the forefront. Although many of the battles were conducted on a grand and horrible scale, there were many more hours of drill, encampment and boredom for the men. New York regiments began filling those hours by teaching their comrades from the other states to play. New York had a team as early as 1845. Their New York Knickerbockers had played in a professional game in 1846. Out of those military encampments an awareness of nation arose and baseball became a symbol of that unity. Soon there was a National Association of Base Ball Players and by the 1870’s, there was a distinction between the amateur and professional teams.

The division of the teams brought baseball to Scranton. In 1887, a minor league called the Scranton Indians was formed. Even though they won 19 games in their first season and lost 55, they continued. In 1888, they became known as the Scranton Miners and between 1892 and 1900, they were associated with the Pennsylvania league, the Eastern league and the Atlanta league. Needless to say, their win record improved.

When the minor leagues, sometimes called the farm leagues, became the feed for the professional teams, there was suddenly a new reason to play. That fun might just turn into a real career, paying real money. In Susquehanna County, as in all other counties, every town spontaneously developed a team. Rivalries sprang up between Harford, Brooklyn, New Milford, South Gibson, and Nicholson.

Almost any field would do. The 1906 Harford team pictured played in a field adjacent to Orphans School Road on route 547. Players ranged from high school students to business men and ages varied as greatly. Ken Adams, a resident of Harford, played on a team with his great uncle. Uniforms were sponsored by the businesses but equipment was often what you could get. Ken remembers fielders playing without gloves and a catcher playing with a glove with so little padding that a steak was sometimes used to cushion the player’s hand. It was an especially spectacular moment when a very hard thrown ball was caught. Rules were also adjusted to fit the need. In the Harford’s team case, anything hit to the other side of route 547 was considered a home run.

Of course baseball would not truly be an American obsession without the female contingent and a female contingent it had as early as 1867, with a team called the Dolly Vardens. Women players arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1880’s with the Female Baseball Club of Philadelphia. Interestingly enough it played against male teams. By the 1890’s, Bloomer Girls had sprung up all over the country and they played male amateur and semiprofessional clubs.

Baseball entered the American conscience with the military’s sense of national identity and grew quickly into a major American institution leaving no part of the country untouched. Susquehanna County was no exception. The minor league in Scranton is now the RailRiders of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area and is associated with the New York Yankees. The high school for the Harford area has a girls’ softball team that frequently plays in championships.

But maybe the comment of a Harford dad, of three softball playing daughters, sums up America’s fascination with the sport best. “At least if they get married and move away, we will still be able to sit down and enjoy a game together once in a while.” Baseball is something families can enjoy together, through generations.

Sponsored by the Harford Historical Society.