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SATISFACTIOm.
A HEART GROWN

RICH

IN GIVING

INCOME PROVISIONS
FOR FAMILY
hEmP I M^ m IE

TAX REDU CTION
CHARITABLE
AND MARITAL DEDUCTIONS

THE
ULTIMATE GIFT

A WILL.
If

including a bequest to Bloomsburg University

sense

in

makes

your WILL, you con plan compretiensively

for

your satisfaction:
•

IVIaximize

spendable income during your

conservation
•

by

life

of your personal assets.

Ttiougtitful disposition of assets

need
•

and growth

wtien you no longer

ttiem.

Create a

trust to

provide income distributions.
Contact us

Your attorney can help you structure a WILL that
benefit
for

you and serve Bloomsburg

,^^^"Bloomsburg

University students

Iff University
^^.FOUNDATI^N

years to come.

Give us a call

for

at:

will

greater detail!
Development Center
400 East Second

Street,

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

570-389-4128

foun@bloomu.edu

»

•

570-389-4945 (fax)

www.bloomu.edu/givina

Spectrum

edges
Sharp
of ice reflect
sunlight as

Dave Giron

tor

Behind

into a finished
sculpture. The
sculpture, made
with patience,
melts in a few

Lines

Volume

Columbia and Montour counties'
artists and art forms including
quilting, ceramics, painting,
sculpting, dancing, and photog-

raphy.
discovered a Bloomsburg
brings life to local
theatres through costumes, a pet
lover who uses canvas to portray
animals' personalities, a MiQvitle
woman who develops her grandmother's hobby of quilting to a new level, a
dancer who teaches her passion to others, a Bloomsburg woman who pursues
painting despite ovarian cancer, a
woman who molds ceramics on her
potter's wheel, a Berwick illustra-

No.l Spring 2002

creates detailed

Walter M. Brasch

ornaments on
his lathe, and a
man who wraps

Bethany Sheeler

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR
Shari Sanger

site jewelry.

The cover

16,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

wire into exqui-

issue of Spectrum magazine last
much longer.
You will read about a few of

We

Spectrum Magazine

woodturner who

the

hours depending on surrounding
temperatures. Most of the other
creations you will discover in this

woman who

art

our
landscape, a

chis-

els a block of ice

whose

reflects

ART AND PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

story, featuring pho-

MaryJayne Reibsome

tographer Jimmy May, depicts his
diving adventures at Grand
Cayman. He captures brightly colored fish, vibrant coral, and flowing tentacles of small marine life.
You will also encounter the talents of your neighbors on the page
dedicated to the winners of last
issue's photo contest.
We sought out only a portion of
the creative masters of Columbia

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Angela Glunz
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

John

ADVERTISING SALES
Jill Eichelberger

Andrea Engleman
Lindsay Kau&nan
Holly Knauff
ADVERTISING DESIGN
Jill Eichelberger

and Montour counties in this issue
of Spectrum. Our community is a
medley of many talented people

Amelia McKean
PROMOTION MANAGER
Holly Knauff

ones featured. Enjoy discovering the innovative individulike the

als

around you and

see

more

visit

them

Elliott

Nikki Nolte

PROMOTION ASSISTANTS

Andrea Engleman
Lindsay Kaufman

to

of their artistry.

PRODUCTICN SPECIALISTS
Jill Eichelberger

—

Angela Glunz
Amelia McKean

Bethany Sheeler

PRE-PRESS CONSULTANT

Sheri Lozak

SAKUNTALA

PRINTING CONSULTANT
Dick Shaffer
BUSINESS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

INDIAN RiSlMJilANT

Katy Handschuh
BUSINESS/ CIRCULATION SPECIALISTS

Amelia McKean
Nikki Nolte

wonJerfui"

HALL OF FAME
Associated Collegiate Press
FIRST PLACE
Society of Professional Journalists

136

IIION

STRiET

American Scholastic Press Association

BLOOMSBUPtii
Spectrum is published twice a year by the
journalism program at Bloomsburg University. No portion
o/'

Spectrum may be

reprinted, including advertising,

Lvithout its permission.

Copyright 2002 Spectrum
400 East 2nd Street
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815
(570) 389-4825

WEB MASTER
Jill

«f«n man fhru sMunliy
4|Mn to 9.3i9pm

Spring 2002

Eichelberger

http://orgs.bIoomu.edu/spectrum

I

Spring/Summer 2002

^

Vol.16, No.1

Cover Story
J[fj Below the Surface
BY MARYJAYNE REIBSOME
Photographer Jimmy May records

life in

the sea.

5 Hay '^ii/^se^ Hones
BY MARYJAYNE REIBSOME
Joan Bechtel captures the personalities of pets.

6 Melting Away
*

BY SHARI SANGER
Local ice sculptors unfold the techniques of creating frozen art forms.

8

A Perfect Fit
BY JOHN ELLIOTT
Rebecca Ermisch defines characters through costumes.

^

Foil

A New Pattern

BY SHARI SANGER
Quilters discuss the increased practice of machine quilting.

15 Becoming the Music
BY ANGELA GLUNZ
Danielle Ferro shares her love for

dance with others.

22 Nhaping Up
BY SHARI SANGER
Robert Rosand turns

wood blocks

into delicate crafts.

24 A Golden Opportunify
BY MARYJAYNE REIBSOME
Brian Mariano sculpts wire into fashionable Jewelry.

Carol 8hisser Fraiiid: Illnstratoi
A Berwick woman

depicts the people and places
of Columbia and Montour counties.

Strokes of Determination
BY MARYJAYNE REIBSOME
Mary Karnes keeps her paintbrush

in

motion while battling ovarian cancer.

Beliind the

Wheel

BY NIKKI NOLTE
Sue Grace develops a new ceramics

dom

line.

oan Bechtel's subjects
bark, lick, and scratch,

have

something few artists
worry about.
hard to get animals to

to

"It's

hold positions when they're posing," says Bechtel, a veterinary assistant in
Bloomsburg and a professional artist for over 25
years. "Sometimes I have to go back several times if
they are shy of new people or are excited," she says.
Bechtel, 47, begins her portraits by taking 25
close-up and background photographs. Often she'll

spend several hours with a dog
understand its personality.
In the past 12 years, she has painted portraits of
more than 100 pets in watercolor, pencil, or pen and
ink, bringing the "soul and personality" of her subjects to paper. Although dogs are her specialty, she's
also done portraits of ferrets, horses, cows, cats, and
fish; sometimes even people "if they happen to accom'to

pany

their pet."
love interacting with animals," Bechtel says.
"Each one has a different personality and character.'^
"I

|

he piercing rattle of a
chainsaw drowns out any
Passers-by stop to satisfy
their curiosity. Pairs of eyes are
frozen, watching Dave Giron's

talk.

every move as ice shavings fly
from the blade as he shapes a

swan

Bloomsburg University.
"You have to have patience,"
at

says Giron, operations director of
food service at the university. "It's very easy to chip
away more than you intended to
if you don't take your time,"

Aramark

Giron says. "If a work is ready to
be displayed, there is timing
involved."

Much

like the fate of his cre-

ations, a carver's ability to keep
rising trends of ice

up with the

sculpting has gradually been
melting. Ice sculpting has grown

most

30-40 percent in the past 10
years, says Alice Connelly of the
National Ice Carving Association

of the

(NICA). While there are thousands of carvers in the United
States, only about 200 live in
Pennsylvania, she says, adding
that there are fewer professionals who carve ice full time for a
living than those who carve for

dents at

leisure.

The popularity

of ice sculpting

depends upon geographic

loca-

tion and is more common in larger cities where there is more

business.
don't see a high demand for
says Giron, who sold his
work in the area for almost four
years but stopped. For the past
nine years he's been carving
vases, baskets, and swans, some
"I

it,"

popular sculptures, for stu-

Bloomsburg
University to
enjoy.

Most carvers
are introduced
to this art in culinary school
where a course in ice sculpting is
usually offered. "People eat with
their eyes," says Tim Bradley,
Danville. "Presentation is a key
part of the culinary field. If they
see an ice carving in the environment, they know that the chef
put great time and care into his
work."
Bradley started sculpting butter about 10 years ago, at the
same time he was taking an ice

Spectrum

As long as it doesii t melt before people see it,
I

ve done

my job.

--Tim

BmdlcLey

sculpting class at the Culinary
Institute of America, America's
premiere college of culinary education. "I thought that I could

mold it, so I used a block of solid
butter and went from there," he
says. Bradley carved a sleigh,
turkey, and snowman from butter for holiday get-togethers.
"People hated to dig into it during dinner," he says.

One year

later he

began work-

ing with ice. "You can take a
block of essentially nothing and
turn it into a masterpiece,"
Bradley says. Now, he occasionally does ice sculptures for banquets at Magee's Main Street
Inn, Bloomsburg,

where he

executive chef.

Making an image out

Dave Giron

chisels a harp, the

Aside from what these carvers
can do with a block of ice in four

of ice

though. It requires
taking a standard size 300-400
pound block of ice, purchased
from an icehouse, and carving it
isn't easy,

job."_^

The

art of ice sculpture has

effort.

associate

it

Dan Phillips,
director of Aramark

it,"

However,

says

at

Susquehanna University. The
best temperature for the ice

is

between 10 and 32 degrees
Fahrenheit, he says. A "rule of
thumb" is that an ice block at 75
degrees Fahrenheit will melt one
inch per hour, Giron says.
The basic tools to carve ice are
a chainsaw for the basic form of
the sculpture, and specialty chisels for detail. Some carvers also
use files, drills, irons, hairdryers,
and even paint guns.
"It's a unique art," Phillips
says. "Most people do it for recreation or for fun."

Spring 2002

sculpture.

changing.

didn't let the ice soften before

carving

swan

to six hours, the art itself is

ice cube in
breaks right away.
That's what would happen if you

"When you put an
soda

for the

inherent in the craft, Bradley
says. "As long as it doesn't melt
before people see it, I've done my

evolved to where it is sometimes
difficult for one person to be both
a quality chef and a quality ice
sculptor, according to the NICA.
Since many ice sculptors are
chefs, learning high level ice
sculpture techniques is often too
time consuming to be part of the

inside a freezer. If it's cold
enough, the ice can be carved
outside. But, the ice has to soften
before it can be carved.

warm

base

is

ice sculptures are
centerpieces at weddings
and at sea. Some cruise ships
offer carving demonstrations for
passengers.
still

However, the rising trend of ice
molds has an effect on the prevalence of ice sculpting, Bradley
says. The ice mold is filled with
water then frozen. The mold is
cut open to unveil an ice sculpture. However, sculptures that
come from ice molds are often
not as clear and don't have the
clean cuts that carved sculptures
have.

The melting

of the sculpture

after long hours of

work

is

just

COLUMBIA AIRCRAFT
SERVICES, INC.
APPROVED REPAIR
STATION NO. JM2R930K

F.A.A.

Bloomsburg Municipal Air])orl
301 Airport Road
Bloomsburg, PA 17815-9588
570-784-3070

Lycoming and Conlinental
Dislribulor

Scott L. Smith, President

^6ecca ^rmiscfi's costumes
dress

up

the community
by John

Elliott

he golden cloth glides smoothly and quickly through a
1986 Pfaff sewing machine under the gentle execution of
Rebecca Ermisch's fingers. Her eyes focus on the threaded needle as it pumps up and down through the fabric

A

golden undergarment evolves
a finished costume on display.

into

that will eventually become the queen's dress in the
play "Cinderella." At 7:30 on a Monday night her
workday is not yet over, but she doesn't care.
She loves what she does. That is why Ermisch
has been able to keep the Costume Shop running for the past 16 years.
"Clothes make first impressions and you
have to give the audience a visual of what
the character is about," Ermisch says. "I
like the challenge of fitting the clothes to
the character."
Ermisch, a Nescopeck resident, got
involved in costuming by taking home economics classes in junior and senior high
school, where she found herself staying
late after class. At Bloomsburg University,
she joined the theatre club "just for fun."
There she helped the small, over-worked
staff make and design the costumes for the
performances. It was then that she realized she
had a talent for it.
"It was something I enjoyed and something that
people recognized that I could do," Ermisch says. From about 1968 she
just kept doing costumes.
After graduating from Bloomsburg State College in 1971, Ermisch

continued working for the
school's theatre department until
the directors with whom she
worked retired. At that time,
Ermisch began working in com-

munity theatre.
In 1974, Ermisch began tailoring for Al's Men's Shop, of
Bloomsburg. While there, she got
work on the side.
"People kept coming to me for
costumes," says Ermisch,

a.

I fi^ the
chaCCenge

of

who

began costume work for
Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble

at

fitting the

the time.

Armando

"Al" Lenzini,

owner

of

Men's Shop, encouraged her
to open her own costume shop. In
1986 The Costume Shop opened

Al's

dothes to the

for business.
"It was an uphill battle,"
Ermisch says. "What we needed
to do was create a need for The
Costume Shop." Ermisch attributes some of her success to more

women

being in the workforce,
leaving few people with adequate
sewing skills.

The

interior of

The Costume

charactery^
-'^Rebecca

Ermisch

Sean Anthony in the
2002 Bloomsburg High
School production of
"Cinderella".

Rebecca Ermisch cuts a

fabric pattern to

Shop consists of wall-to-wall costumes along with masks and gag
toys. Ermisch estimates that

make a

bonnet.

time. It takes

hours

make

to

an average

of 10
just one costume,

Ermisch says.
June and July are usually the

there are 1,000 costumes available in her shop; of those, she
designs and creates about 90 per-

slowest times for business, she
says. This year is an exception
because she will be designing the

cent.

Ermisch, 53, works from 9:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, taking a
break before returning to the
shop at 7 p.m. She sometimes
stays until midnight to make sure
the costumes will be ready on

costumes

for

Bloomsburg's bicen-

tennial celebration.
"If I

do have some time off

I'd

Ermisch says.
"Since I'm indoors most of the
time working on my costumes,
like to travel,"

I

Serving

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Bloomsburg
Spectrum

with nice
scenery."
In August, the shop prepares for
Halloween, the busiest time of
year. "Halloween alone generates
about 60 percent of our income,"
Ermisch says.
like to travel to places

Last Halloween, The Costume
Shop rented out over 660 costumes. This figure increases by 20
to 30 costumes each year, she
says.

The Medieval and Renaissance
wardrobes are the most popular
outfits for Halloween, Ermisch
says. But the popular Halloween
costumes must be ordered early.
"This year's first Halloween
order came on February 25,"
Ermisch says. "My regular customers know that if they want a
particular costume, they have to
come

early."

to

sending them for dry-

cleaning.
for local

B@nking
from

First

Columbia

mercial costuming.
But she isn't without help. Her
sisters, Twylah Naugle and
Bonnie Bobersky, assist with her
duties. Naugle mainly handles the

financial portion of the shop;
Bobersky usually helps at

Halloween.

Ermisch spends much time at
the Bloomsburg University library
researching fashions from different eras so her costumes are accurate. She is also an avid movie
fan.

am

a big movie buff," says
Ermisch with a laugh. "I watch
the movies differently than normal
people would. I'm able to pick up
on some discrepancies from era to
era," she says.
"I feel privileged to be able to do

what
to

Ermisch gets orders

Online

Christmas season.
Ermisch is kept busy with plays,
musicals, and other costumerequired performances. Because of
her work at Al's and for individuals, Ermisch has cut back on com-

"I

After Halloween, the shop cleans
the costumes, which lasts until the
beginning of December. Ermisch's
mother, Beatrice, helps with the
cleaning, which requires everything from hand-washing the cos-

tumes

high school plays and performances,
which is most intense during the

I

do,"

make

munity

Ermisch says.

"It's

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HOMEOWNERS

FIRST

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1906 Montour Blvd. (Route 11)
Danville,

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Phone (570) 275-TOOL (8665)

FAX (570)

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We

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Spring 2002

Bloomsbuig • Benton • Scott Township • Benrick

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OPEN SUNDAYS

n

—

Following

Machine quilting becoming mort
on the quilt pattern that lays on the table in
er eyes focus

front of her.

The humming

of

the machine causes no distrac__tion. The sunlight shining
through the patio room windows
feeds Valeria Hill energy as she
hand guides the machine to follow
a laser light, tracing the pattern
onto a customer's quilt.

and requires four adults

to carry
she says. It has three rollers
one for the pieced quilt top, a second roller for the backing, and a
third for the combined layers. A
laser traces the pattern and the
it,

machine

is

hand-guided

to follow

the laser.

remember

Surrounded by racks of thread
and piles of her own projects that
remain untouched. Hill works
eight hours a day hand-guiding

was

the machine. This doesn't leave
much free time to do her own
projects. On the wall hangs a
quilt that took over 30 hours to
make by machine, not including
time it took her to piece together
the top.
On her desk lays one block of a
quilt top that took her six hours
to make by machine plus time
spent quilting the layers together.
The top will include 18, 16-inch
applique blocks.
TT Tsing the long-arm machine
-Lj' saves more than half the
time when putting together the
three layers of a quilt, compared

While many Pennsylvanians
their grandmother
quilting by hand when they went
for a visit, hand quilting has
almost disappeared. As more people have full-time jobs and not
much free time, machine quilting
has become increasingly popular
for people like Hill, a long-arm
machine quilter from Millville.
Hill recalls watching her grandmother quilt. "When I think back,
that was probably one of the reasons I had an interest in it without even realizing it," says Hill,
who has machine quilted for
seven years. She sewed for many
years and then turned to quilting.
"It

torture," Hill says of the

she made on a sewing
machine. "The quilt was too bulky
to work with on the machine. It
took the pleasure out of it for me,"
she says.
Because of this, she and her
husband attended a machine quilt
show and decided to purchase a
long- arm quilting machine. The
$14,000 machine and table has

first quilt

been the basis of Val's Quilting,
her three year home quilting business.

"The machine makes it so much
easier the whole way around,"
Hill says. "The time you save by
using the long-arm machine offsets the price of the machine."
Long- arm machine quilting has
been around for at least 20 years,
but is becoming more common.

The Gammill Optimum machine
unit weighs about 425 pounds

quilting since this
ness," she says.

Other

"My biggest challenge is keeping up with another full-time job,"
says Sharon Kashner, owner of
the Contrary Wife Quilt Shoppe
in Danville. She sets up her shop
in the morning before going to
work as secretary at the Penn
State Cooperative Extension
Office in Danville, checks back
during her one-hour lunch break,
and again after work. During the
day, family and friends help sell
the fabrics, tools, books, and patterns at the shop. "I've done about
18 quilts and have that many
more projects in different stages
in boxes," says Kashner, who
machine quilts because of her
busy lifestyle.
Hand quilting has not disappeared altogether, though.
There's been a resurgence in the
past 15 to 20 years, Kashner says.
People today hang quilts on walls
as opposed to using them to keep

warm

carry that tradition over to their
grandchildren, she says, "it
enables you to reach that goal
before you die."
People who have no desire to
hand-quilt because of the time
involved or those who only like to
hand-piece quilt tops take advantage of her services. The biggest
challenge, she says, is someone
who has a quilt top, but has no
idea what they want done with it.

of

"Making recommendations is
sometimes hard," Hill says.
The rest isn't easy either.
Hill, a registered nurse, works
at a hospice two weekends a
month. "I cut back because I
needed to invest more time into

quiltmakers also

work additional jobs.

by hand, Hill says.
"You can be more productive." If
someone wants to make quilts for
all his or her children and then

to quilting it

local

my busi-

is

like in the past, she says.

ome

fear that the uniquely' ness of hand quilting is
reduced by the increased practice
(Q|l

machine

quilting.

"People stopped quilting by

hand when machine quilting
became more economical and
faster," says Marie Rebuck, who
started hand quilting at age 6.
Rebuck helped stretch quilts to
the frame and thread needles for
the Women's Relief Corps, in
Berwick, an organization whose
members were a descendant of a
civil war veteran. She went along
with her grandmother, a
of the organization.

member

When

the

Corps wasn't needed anymore,
the group quilted tops to raise
money in case another war broke
out, she says.
This experience gave her initial

I

New Part
story by

lopular

Shari Sanger

my

interest in quilting. "Quilting by
hand is for love and emotional sat-

can picture

isfaction,"

Rebuck says. "The hand
always different. There are
never two alike."
Rebuck has a quilt made of
scraps of her daughter's, mother's,

stories about the pattern

quilt is

she used," Rebuck says.
give a quilt to
your daughter that's been
hand-quilted by her

grandparents', aunts', and uncles'
was pieced together in
1965 and quilted in 1971 by her

grandmother, it will mean
a lot more than a
machine-quilted one."

grandmother, with her and her

Susan Mordan, still a
dedicated hand-quilter,

clothing. It

mother's help.
Rebuck says she doesn't quilt as
much as she used to because she
has osteoarthritis, a wearing away
of the joints. "If my life wasn't so
full I would quilt more," says
Rebuck who is also a beauty salon
owner and basket weaver.
"Every time I look at my quilts, I

Valeria

Hill

grand-

mother quilting and her

"When you

agrees.

In the past

"it

wasn't

unusual to go to someone's
house and see a quilt in a
frame," Mordan, of
Danville, recalls of visits

with her grandmother,
aunt, and mother. "You

traces a pattern onto a quilt

using the long-arp

<-

""

'

than hand quilting, says Hill, who
charges between $65-$95 for a
standard Queen size quilt, plus 50
cents per yard of thread. The price
also depends on the complexity of

don't see that too much anymore."
Machine quilts can be purchased
at a department store, she says. "It

mean

doesn't

pares

it

the same." She com-

to using a

bread machine

make

bread. "It's just not the
same as getting your hands into
it," she says.
"Hand quilting occupies your

the pattern.
Mordan charges 50 cents per

mind. It's something you can do
and think about other things at

wedding ring

to

yard of thread to hand quilt.
Popular patterns are the double
(circles), lone star
(diamonds), nine patch (squares),
and log cabin (straight strips).
Hand quilters are able to use
fancier designs because they are
giving it more time and detail,
Mordan says, adding that machine
quilters tend to use simpler patterns because of the limits of the

Mordan continues.
"I feel like the things on my mind
are going right into the quilt."
In 15 years of quilting, Mary
the

same

time,"

Knysh, of Bloomsburg, has always
encouraged people to experience a
mix of machine and hand quilting

machine itself.
While this may be true, the purpose of long-arm machine quilting

to see the different textures produced by each. "The texture of a
quilt is its personality," says

Knysh, who teaches two quilting
classes at Bloomsburg University
when she's not on the road promoting her ethnic music African
drum circles. Although machine
quilting has risen, she believes

is to

ble

flow," Hill says.

—

many hand

there are still
"People always return to what
simple and accessible," Knysh

is

The

cost of

machine
it

"Sometimes simple

on the campus of

Bloomsburg University.
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Regardless of the quilting

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constant the satisfaction of creating a beautiful art form.
"I love that I can take someone's
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is

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Theatre's adaptation of

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the classic film, as a live radio show. Step into the 1940s for musical
interludes, audience participation, a fabulous story

14

and much more.

Spectrum

eC(MtiH<^

THu^cc
by Angela Glunz

Danielle Ferro shares

her passion for dance

through teaching others
twitch below her right eye and
rush of adrenahne is what Danielle
Ferro says she feels when dancing.
"I feel the music and know exactly
how to respond," Ferro says. "There's no
bigger high. Hearing the audience clap
is a tremendous feeling."
Ferro says she started dancing
because of her mother and uncle. "This
was definitely the draw," she says. "I
feel that I have an innate connection
with music that controls me subcon-

94

sciously."

Ferro, of Bloomsburg,

when

she was five years

began dancing
old.

By

9,

she

was dancing at Marya Kennett School
of Ballet and Gymnastics, New York.
The program consisted of intensive balwith six-hour classes six
days a week. She also took jazz classes
on Sundays.
"The whole notion of me dancing professionally was discouraged by my
mother," Ferro recalls. "She thought I
let training,

able to express
myself, Ferro says. "It's
the most powerful and

pure form of expression

I

use."

She

didn't

always want

to be a dancer, but

she

knew she

would be
involved in
some aspect
of dance. She pictured herself
as a company director, choreographer, or working an administrative job.

In September 1994, Ferro opened
the Bloomsburg School of Dance,
where she teaches mostly ballet and
jazz. Six years later she opened her
Berwick studio, putting aside her plans
to become an art history professor.
"This is what I'm supposed to do. I
just

have so much

belief in

my

ability

who adds that
motivated when her students

to teach," says Ferro,

would starve."

she

Ferro stopped performing after graduating from Barnard College of Columbia
University, where she double-majored in
dance and art history. In the future, she
plans to return and perform in New
York.
"Dance to me is another way of being

understand a concept and perform.
"There comes a point when you do
things because you're good. It's more
than that with dance," she says.
"There's something it gives me like
nothing else. Dance gives back to
me." ^

Spring 2002

is

15

story by

photos by

aryJayne Reibsome

Jimmy May

The more I dove
the
1 the ocean, die
in

^

more

,

I wanted to take

/

.

15 feet below th^Kl^Psrsurface, Jimmy and Jean
May, experience their
first salt water dive as
partners. Above, the sea

* churns with
*'

swells from

six-foot

waves

breaking over the
Molasses reef at John
^ Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park in Key Largo,
,J

^y
ji^

'-'-

Florida.

"When we surfaced we had
swim 75 yards to the boat,"
Jimmy May says. "We were both
X

to

sick from the motion of the high
swells and swallowing salt water."
The dive lasted 15 minutes and May
didn't take any camera equipment so
they could "get the feel for diving." The
Florida excursion in 1997 was better than
fresh water dives the Mays took in lakes
and quarries in northeast
^

^

r

^

t

"
'^

^^l:^

Pennsylvania. Ocean visibility was
35 to 45 feet in clear water, com,P

Hammer Head '^«
Grand Cayman

Divers at
Hole,

.

pared to two to 10 feet in fresh
water in quarries in Reading
explains.
^ aj^fcAllento wn. May

--3f-

isl^^

adding that ocean diving
photographs.

is

perfect

for

Close-ups of multi-colored fish,
tiny sea marine crustations, and
corals, to long shots of scenic
underwater landscapes, are some
of the brilliant colored images he

has captured.

"The more I dove in the ocean,
the more I wanted to take photographs," May says. "It seemed like
a natural, logical progression for
me, considering what I do."
May, 33, has been shooting news
photos since 1984. He was a photojournalist for the Citizen's Voice,

Wilkes-Barre, for 11 years before
moving to the Press Enterprise,
Bloomsburg, in 1999. In 1996 he
received an associate's degree in

commercial art photography from
Luzerne County Community
College, where he currently teaches photography classes.
May received a Scuba
Schools International
(SSI) certification as an
open water diver in 1987
and is a certified master
diver with specialties in
night diving, limited visibility, search and recovery, stress and rescue,
underwater photography,
navigation, and dry suit.
He has logged 100 dives.
Jean May, 37, a registered nurse at WilkesBarre Mercy Hospital,
received her SSI certifi-

cation in 1992.

May was now

photo-

graphing underwater

life

17

—
in Aruba; St. Thomas,
U.S. Virgin Islands;
Fiji;

Grand Cayman;

Puerto Rico; Cozumel,
Mexico; Belize;
Roatan, Honduras and
the Florida Keys.

While it's beautiful
below the sea, photographing under water
is difficult,

May

says.

Sand particles kicked
up into the strobe
lights, air

bubbles

from other divers and
subject placement,
can ruin a shot, he

all

says.

'Tou never get a
chance to go back and
do a shoot the same
way," he says. "Fish
move, you have air
and depth limits, and
time constrictions."
The Mays average
four dives a day when
they're on vacation
two in the morning
and two in the afternoon, limiting one
roll of film per dive
since changing film
under water is impossible. Sometimes they
dive at night with
flashlights.

"You can see different life in the ocean
at night like octopi,
iride scents [micro
plankton] and sleeping parrot fish," May says. "Your
background for your photo is black
since your lights only reach a two
to three foot area."

of

her where to go and
how to move when I'm trying for a
certain photograph or she can

can

tell

May's photography equipment
includes two Nikonos cameras
with multiple focal lenses and
close-up kits, and three strobe
lights, all specially

show me when

hand communications.

"I

she's found somesays, noting, they also
use underwater air hammers that

thing,"

May

(continued on page 20)

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under water. He uses 35 mm print
film instead of slides so he can
print his own enlargements. That
way, he says, he can have control

Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Vampire Fiction, Suspense,

over the final color of his prints.
While May is busy taking photographs, Jean searches for interesting subjects for him to shoot.
Along with universal hand signals
used by certified divers, the Mays
created their own underwater set

Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Fantasy Figures, candle-lamps,
greeting cards, coUectihle card games. Mage Knight, dice and more.

18

Romance, Children's Books And Noic General Interest
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26

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19

produce a loud noise to get each
other's attention.

May says the key to being an
underwater photographer is not
to touch or impact anything on
the

reef.

Taking pictures under water is
different from taking pictures on
land,

May

says.

"Your body is more buoyant in
salt water than in fresh water and
you have to learn how to balance
air in your buoyancy compensation
device," May says. "You need to
neutralize yourself in the water so you're not rising or
sinking, otherwise you're banging into the coral." May
has scars on his legs from his early dives while trying to
take photographs.
"Focusing a camera under water is more difficult since
subjects appear closer to you because water magnifies
things," May says. "And you have to be constantly thinkair, your partner."
Both Mays wear computers to maximize their dive
time, with a backup computer on their wrist for safety
The Mays were married in Fiji in traditional
island ceremonial gowns. They had hoped to pho^
graph clown fish during their honeymoon trip,
were disappointed after discovering they were
diving on the wrong side of the island.
"You have to go to certain areas of the world to

ing about where you are, your

—

get particular fish

and

coral species,"

May

says,

adding that he and Jean are already looking
ahead to their next voyage,
into

new

territory

Bahamas.

—the

;

May swims along the 1,000-toot wall at Jac
McKennedy dive site, off of Seven Mile Beach,

Jeati

dayman.

LRllIJEDlSlIlltM

t flMM'^
)

Jeff Brouse, Danville, captured this North Shore Railroad
train last

winter at a Montour County train crossing.

Diane Gessic, Bloomsburg,
fall scene
at Bowersox Pond, Legion
Road, in Columbia County.

ConijyifAuiutioasi
Each winner

will

receive a

gift certificate

to

a

and a two-year subscription
Spectrum magazine.
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shot this colorful
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Spring 2002

21

STORY AND PHOTOS

by Shari Sanger

•i

not one to

sit

around and analyze

just kind of do it," says
Rosand, who also bicycles 30-40
things.

I

miles almost every day with his
wife, a first-grade teacher at

Salem Elementary School,

says.
"It's

a hard

life,

sell."

Someone

though," he

told

how he
how to

him about

a

Lewisburg flea market, the first
place he sold his work, and from
there he set up a display at craft
shows.
"You're basically a
traveling store.

Rosand

didn't like this style of

So he applied to join the
Pennsylvania Guild of
Craftsmen. He went through a
jury process, sending pictures of
his merchandise to assure its
quality. His memberships in the
sales.

Berwick. She also paints some of
Rosand's wooden creations.
"It's a collaborative effort," he

says, thinking back about
got started. "I wasn't sure

The price of his work ranges
from $20 to $500. 'You can't
force people to buy," he says.

You

have to pack up all
your items and sit
around all weekend, hoping and
praying that someone will buy your
stuff," he says of
craft shows. Entry
fees, ranging from $5$800, can be a disadvantage, he says.
"Sometimes your wares sell
really well. Other times you're
left wondering what happened."

American Craft Council and the
American Association of
Woodturners have earned him

name

recognition, important for
he says. It has allowed
him to send his products to galleries all over the country.
Although the galleries keep
about half of the retail price for
the items, it's worth it if the
selling,

items

sell well,

Compared

Rosand

to travel
for a craft

says.

time and

expenses
show that
might be eight hours away you
might make out better, he says.
"Many people ask if I'm more
of an artist or a craftsman,"
Rosand says with a smile. "I
always say I'm more of a craftsman who sometimes does artsy

things."^

Wooden bowls

are a big

seller.

Ureenwood
Friends School
Since 1978

Where

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Curiosity

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Values-based education
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Greenwood Friends School
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Accredited by the Pennsylvania Association
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Spring 2002

Academic

Scliools

23

utL

Jpportunity
STORY AND PHOTOS
by Maryjayne Reibsome
olding two long pieces of
gold wire in his left hand,
wire sculptor Brian
Mariano slowly pulls the shiny
strands through the thumb and
forefinger of his right hand in a
repetitive motion.
"Heating the wire with your body
helps anneal [temper] the wire and
make it more pliable to work with,"

"Look at that!" Mariano exclaims
as he holds up two broken pieces
of flat wire he was using to wrap
around the ring's shank. Patiently,

Mariano

sculptor, not a wire wrapper.

'

says.

Mariano, 37, sitting at his workIndian style,
peers intently through magnif3dng
glasses as he works the wire into
the shape of a ring. With painstaking care, Mariano gently but firmly coaxes the wire into swirls
around an aquamarine gemstone.
table, his legs crossed

The gold gleams warmly under
the work lamp and flashes of light
dance off the multi-faceted stone.
Mariano's hands look big working
the small, delicate ring; his
thumbs are mushroomed out on
the sides from the pressure he
exerts when making the intricate
pieces of jewelry.

depends on how much
it takes to shape the
piece," Mariano says. "After about
four hours of making rings my
thumbs start to go numb."
"It all

pressure

Pliers, wire cutters, and a wire
twister are the only tools Mariano
uses to crimp, cut, and twist the
jewelry into shape. Most of the
is done with his hands and
"a feel" for the wire. A bend or
kink in the wire can ruin the proj-

work

ect,

Mariano

says, pointing to a

with bits and pieces of
jewelry that he refers to as his
"upset bag" of projects gone awry.

bag

24

filled

he unwinds the broken halves and
starts again over, under, over,
under keeping a rhythm as he
wraps the wire around and

—

—

around.

Mariano considers himself a wire
"Traditional wire wrappers use
wire and the result looks too
squiggly and not fluid it's not
stiff

what

—

I

like to do,"

Mariano

says,

adding that sculpting with soft
wire is like sculpting with clay.

"Work it too long and it becomes
hard and difficult to work with,"
he says. "Not working it long
enough and your work won't flow
and can collapse."
Once the piece is finished,
Mariano buffs out scratches using
jeweler's rouge, a natural clay substance, and a felt pad to bring out
the gold's brilliant shine.
Mariano uses 14-karat gold wire
filled with either brass or copper
to give the jewelry inner strength.

Some wire

is

round; others

flat;

silver wire is also used.

But the wire
for

is

only a showcase
the

Mariano's favorite pieces

—

stones. Pearls, opals, granites,

gemstones, and amber are only
some of the stones he uses. He
also incorporates gemstone beads
and hand-carved cameos in some
of his creations. His favorite, however, is cabochon (shaped

becoming a
Generalist at Geisinger Health
Plan, Danville, in 1996.
"The title pretty much explains
what I do there," he says.
"Anything the health plan needs

smooth and round like a
dome) the traditional type of
stone used before faceting was

—

my mind

of

what

it

scufhiure

A

requirements for graduation and
discovered he had an aptitude for
jewelry making.
After graduating, he tried different careers bank manager, jewelry store attendant, probation officer, and a nursing home adminis-

—

because he can interact with his
customers, creating small pendants
and rings while they watch. Some
pieces are fluid in design and resemble musical clefs; others are shaped
in squares and triangles. Necklaces,
bracelets, rings, pendants, and pins
are designed in various arrangements, most centered around a

is

created

stone.

shecificaffu

—

Some

are two-toned, silver

and gold in the Egyptian style.
"Wire wrapping dates back 4,000
years to the Egyptian era," Mariano
says, adding that it's only been

for tftat stone.

needs to

look like and each piece represents a part of myself."
Mariano's first love of jewelry
came during his senior year at
Mansfield State College in
psychology major, he took
1988.
a jewelry course to finish his credit

must pass before five or more
judges," she says.
Mariano says he enjoys the shows

"jEac^ wire

discovered. Faceting is a
process of cutting surfaces onto
a gem.
"Each wire sculpture is created specifically for that stone,"
Mariano says. "I get a picture
in

trate on sculpting. "The jewelry

trator, before

'Brian IMan'ano

within the past century that wire
jewelry has become fashionable.
Fashioning wire is Mariano's
passion he once spent three days
on a watch and says he loses track

—

me

whether it's traveling,
office work, or customer service."
Mariano says that the jobs he held
before working at Geisinger were
"too structured and didn't fulfill the
to do

creative energy," adding that he
likes interacting

with people.

During his career search, Mariano
never

lost the desire to create jewel-

ry and, over the years,

made

different pieces,

mostly with beads.
"I could never find

any medium where

I

could express myself

he says.
"Everything was too
creatively,"

structured and
rigid."

However,
Mariano's interest

was rekindled

last

winter when his wife.
Amy, brought

of time

when

he's sculpting.

"Sometimes

I

actually have to

—

grab him when it's time to eat he's
like a kid with a video game," his
wife says.
Mariano charges $20-$300 for

most of his creations.
"It all depends on the size and
type of stone and the amount of
wire used in each piece," he says,
pointing out that wire jewelry is
an inexpensive way for people to
own 14K gold jewelry.

When Mariano

isn't working at
day job or creating jewelry, he
flies his powered parachute.
Sometimes, he says, he thinks

his

about sculpting when he's in the
explaining that flying is just a
different expression of creativity.
"For me, flying is freedom and
being part of the earth

air,

and

home some

sky,"

nothing is
holding you

gold jewel

like

ry pieces.
"I can make that
kind of jewelry," he
told her and started
researching the tech-

back."

He
believes

that

when

you find
whatever
you do well in

nique.

A year after designing his first piece, the
Marianos began attend
ing jewelry shows.
"Getting into a juried show
isn't easy," says Amy Mariano,
who takes care of the management
side so her husband can concen-

Mariano

says. "It feels

life,

everything

clicks into place.

"Flying is equal to
sculpting when I'm making jewelry, I'm at peace," he says.

—

^

25

Slusser Fraind, of Berwick, believes
Carol
we can enjoy heaven on Earth if we

immerse ourselves in nature's realm.
Her art mirrors nature and her memories of
growing up on Longfield's Farm where she

and the various media of light and changing
seasons that inspire me," she says.
In addition to the "Spunk and Spirit" series,
featuring portraits of interesting people she
has encountered, she is launching a new colRealm." She also

lives.

lection entitled the "Sacred

"Creativity is the closest we come to divinity
because of the power and satisfaction it
imparts to our lives," says Fraind, who says
her art celebrates the diversity and uniqueness

has several children's books in various stages
of development.

^

of life.
"I

am proud

of the range of subject matter

Spectrum

l^K>iiisb«iig Fair
September 21-28, 2002
name attractions,
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Big

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BLOOMSBURG

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27

by MaryJayne Reibsome
itting at her
table,

work-

Mary Karnes

paints a brightly-colored
kitchen scene of a blue crock,
white pitcher, and a red recipe
book onto a 10 x 12
piece of pine.

She

worries about texture
and color. But unlike
most artists, she also
worries about burn and
frostbite injuries since

she lost feeling in her finand toes while

gertips

undergoing chemotherapy
treatments for ovarian cancer
in 2000. But that doesn't stop
her from pursuing her pas-

Karnes
wasn't about to
let cancer disrupt her
painting, making sure the
doctor scheduled her surgeries
and treatments around the week
of her annual trip to Columbus,
Ohio, to participate in a tole painting convention where she learns
new painting techniques with
artists from throughout the world.
"I was bald, baseball-capped,

and

mone

utteneaiutc^

^eanmu^ ^uma ta

imn
coo/^.

ff

—Mary Karnes

attended

I still

sleds, boxes, trees, slate, bot-

"The

loss of feeling doesn't

my

painting," Karnes says
with a shrug, unconsciously
pinching her forefinger and
thumb together. She pauses a
moment, then says with convicaffect

but

Karnes says.
Garden spades, saw blades,

sion.

<4M)d
tired,

classes,"

won't let

tion, "I

it

affect

BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY

it."

OF

tles

—any surface that paint

canvas to
Karnes. She holds out a
necktie she painted with the
names of her father's children and
grandchildren, trying to decide
sticks to is a

where

to

add new ones.

PENNSYLVANIA

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Spectrum

Growing up in Bloomsburg, in a
family of 10, Karnes credits her
grandmother for her creative talents, with whom she spent hours
with doing "crafts, sewing, and
artsy things." Her first charcoal
pencil

and

"home economics" and were the
first at

der barrier.
"Creating a project from wood or
tin sounded far more interesting
than learning how

artist tablet

were

her school to cross the gen-

to cook,"

Karnes

painted articles to family and
ifriends."

When Karnes, 41, isn't at work,
she usually is painting at home,
and spending time with her "very
supportive" husband,
Bill; and sons Levi,

says.

gifts

12,

Karnes was 16

when her

father,

is

isn't over.

years before

ber service repre-

remember

sentative at
Philadelphia
Federal Credit

sit-

Union,
Bloomsburg.

Whether it was Girl Scouts,
Sunday School, 4-H, or Vacation
Bible School, Karnes says she

you might see
something I've

always "loved the craft sessions."
At Bloomsburg Middle School,
she and another girl asked to take
"shop" instead of the traditional

She

says her doctor
suspects it may be
returning and she
has started drug
therapy.
"If that doesn't
work, it'll be

becoming a mem-

"I

to her.

Karnes' battle
against cancer

worked there nine

ting for hours sketching animals, a
family member's portrait from a
photo, or a still life," she says.

17,

important painting

Claude Renninger,
opened Renco
Hardware,
Bloomsburg. She

from her
grandmother.

and Nick,

who know how

chemotherapy
treatments
again," she says,

"Occasionally,

a slight smile
touching her lips,
"but it better not
interfere with my

painted for sale at
Renco or at a
school craft show,"

painting."

—

Karnes

says, "but,
usually I give my

Child Care Information Services

of

Montour County
Providing Information About:

Financial help to

r^J How to choose

pay for

child care

^

quality child care

Listing of regulated child care facilities

^M

How to become a licensed or registered child care provider
570-275-3996 Collect
Spring 2002

Calls

Accepted

[m
29

by Nikki Nolte

Sue Grace sells her busines§
develop a new ceramics linej^
itting at her potter's

wheel with blues or classic
rock playing in the background,
Sue Grace, 49, is happiest and
most comfortable. Inspired by her
mother, a painter, and her grandfather's artwork, Grace began
drawing at age 5 with pencils on
paper, because her mother said
painting was too messy.
Grace's grandfather, an accomplished stonecutter, moved to the
U.S. from Italy during the Great
Depression. "My mother inherited
his artistic ability, and I think I
inherited hers," Grace says.

Born

Almost two decades later, the
began to weigh on Grace
emotionally and financially. "What
I really wanted to do is sit at the
wheel and play with clay," says
Grace, who wanted to refocus her
creativity and develop a new
ceramics line. Grace recently sold
her store to concentrate on her
store

>^'«

\

The references of
Grace's new line are
primarily from nature
and surrounding landscape. She now uses
stoneware instead of
the functional porcelain she previously sold
in retail stores.

New

Jersey, Grace
moved to Bloomsburg in 1970 to
major in art studio at Bloomsburg
State College. This was her first
formal art education and where
she discovered ceramics.
As a single mother of two children, ages 5 and 8, Grace opened
Grace's Pottery in 1983 in downtown Bloomsburg as a constant
source of income and to provide a
sense of security for her children.
in

developing the new line
and experimenting
with what will sell.
"The ideas that I've
stored over the years
are just coming out,"
she says.

"Porcelain

is difficult

use because it warps
and changes shape. I'm
switching to stoneware

to

so I have a totally different texture and color
to work with," Grace
says. "The bad news is

that it'll probably take
me a year. The good
news is I'm having a blast."
Although she is putting her
piggy banks, painting, drawing,
patchwork bags, and tie-dye aside,
Grace says she enjoys creating a

new ceramics

line. "I feel that
there is no other industry that
gives this much freedom," she

says.^

THENW^MINMI

pottery.

"Right

now

I'm trying to whole-

"The Bloomsburg Station"

sale to other shops and branch
out," says Grace, who is making
more pots and selling less. "I'm
making a group of pottery that I

can ship

to other shops on a production scale," she says. Her pottery retails from $3 to $150.
Grace is devoting this summer to

30

Weekday

news at the top of the hour
and the Bloomsburg home of the Phillies.
local

Spectrum

w

enges
ew
•

#

ortumttes
Challenm
NEW,
Opportunities
The Campaign for
Bloomsburg University

The mag a zine

for

Columbia and Montour c ounties

(iKinq a

Nat ural LaPn ei
Common soap sense

Ciilinral"&!l

SATISFACTIOIU.
A HEART GROWN

RICH

IM GIVING

INCOME PROVISIONS
FOR FAMILY

TAX REDUCTION
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THE
ULTIMATE GIFT

A WILL.
If

including a bequest to Bloomsburg University

sense

in

makes

your WILL, you can plan comprehensively

for

your satisfaction:
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Maximize spendable income during your
conservation

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and

by

life

grovvth of your personal assets.

Thoughtful disposition of assets

when you no longer

need them.
•

Create a

trust to

provide income distributions.
Contact us

Your attorney can help you structure a WILL that
benefit
for

you and serve Bloomsburg

University students

,™=Bloomsburg
University
^

years to come.

Give us a call

for

at:

will

-.Foundation

greater detail!
Development Center
400 East Second

Street,

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

570-389-4128

foun@bloomu.edu

•

•

570-389-4945 (fax)

www.bloomu.edu/giving

Spectrum

Behind

Professional
wrestling

is

a passion for

a

retired
sells

diminishing farmer's market in Bloomsburg;
our cover story is about
two local women who
make soap from nature's backyard in rural Pennsylvania.
his crops at the

the

Bloomsburg University student
Jon Trosky.
Spectrum jumps
into the ring with

overseas,

Army colonel who

Lines
Trosky as he

balances his life as a professional
wrestler and a mass communications college student.

After reading this issue, you
will discover that many other
people in the area share that
same passion in their own interests.

In this issue, Spectrum puts the
spotlight on a select few individuals representing the Columbia
and Montour counties who have
taken their hobby or craft to the
next level of application and
enjoyment.
We bring you a local record collector, whose musical interests
include the strange and bizarre
and invites you into the disworld of
turbingly unusual
celebrity records.
We also show you a local musician who collaborates with artists

Our

feature story reveals the
problems with security at the

Columbia County Courthouse in
Bloomsburg and brings insight into
how the county commissioners
are dealing with the dilemma.
Spectrum is an award-winning
magazine produced by the journalism students of Bloomsburg
University. While we have been
honored as an Ail-American magazine for 12 consecutive years
and received recognition from
the American Scholastic Press
Association, Columbia Scholastic
Press Association, American Bar
Association and the Society of
Professional Journalists, we hold
our greatest responsibility to you,
our readers. _

Spectrum Magazine
Volume

16,

No.2 Winter 2002

-

2003

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Walter M. Brasch

MANAGING EDITOR

John

Elliott

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Joe Marsicano

Mike Sullivan
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Amelia McKean
ART DIRECTOR

Amy

Balfour

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION SPECIALISTS

MaryJayne Reibsome
Bethany Sheeler
ADVERTISING MANAGER

Kyra Doddy
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Josh Kuhn
PROMOTION MANAGER
Elizabeth Krewson
ASSISTANT

Lauren Miller
SPECIALISTS

— John

Elliott

SAKUNTALA
INDIAN RESTAURANT

Veronika Frenkel
Courtney Robinson
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Lauren Miller
ASSISTANT
Elizabeth Krewson
SPECIALISTS

^^simply

wonderfuV^

236 IRON STREET

BLOOMSBURG
38&0281

Andrea Cohick
Zach Hales
BUSINESS OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Jessica Snyder

PRINTING CONSULTANT
Dick Shaffer
HALL OF FAME
Associated Collegiate Press
FIRST PLACE
Society of Professional Journalists
American Scholastic Press Association

GOLD MEDALIST
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Spectrum is published twice a year by the
journalism program at Bloomsburg University.

No portion of Spectrum may be reprinted,
including advertising, without its permission.

Copyright 2003 Spectrum
Bloomsburg University
400 East 2nd Street

open monday thru Saturday
4pm to 9:30pm

Winter 2002

-

2003

Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815
(570) 389-4825

rum

(BlbomsBurg Vniversity

Vol.16, No.:

CeCeSrity Jirtist Series

Cover

Stoi'

Making a Natural Lamei'
Common Soap Sense
BY MARYJAYNE REIBSOME

5

Wlieii Egos Attack
A look into the strange
BY MIKE SULLIVAN

London

City Opera

world of celebrii^

-

"Madame (Butterffy"

6 You Mean You Actually Lik|e
Insight into an area collector's

compilation of unusual albums

BY MIKE SULLIVAN

8

Wrestling Against a Dreai
Bloomsburg student takes a beating

BY JOHN ELLIOTT

12 Creating

Cultiu'al

Buzz

Dark Honey sweetens local music sceni

Hungarian O^ationaC

BY JOE MARSICANO

(PfiiCfiarmonic

MarcH 2, 2003, 3 p.m.

23

Coui'tliouse Secvu'ity
How safe is your courthouse?
BY DEBBIE MASSIC

28 Hie Corn Colonel
Retired Army officer returns to roots

(PHiladiinco

May 3,

Cover Photo by
MarvJa^Tie Reibsonie

BY JOE MARSICANO

2003, 8 p.m.

CeCeSrity Artist Series

'Entertainment

ma^ great

J{oRday giftsl
Catt 570-389-4409for
gift Certificates

andlic^ts

Spectrum

after listen-

\r

irg to beloved

you are or what
you've accom-

William Shatner

o matter

ci

over-actor
scream the words

plished, the
desire to
release a n

to "Mr.

Man"

GeUar whine out lyrics
on his self-titled LP.
If the
/A
LPs are

album
seems to be
unbearable.

^

Just ask

anything to go
by, then the world of

Sylvester
Stallone or Linda

Carter who have both
released eardrum-blister
ing LPs that have dea
lighted dozens.
f^
For anyone who actually listened to these records
one question remains: Why?
If the celebrities involved had
absolutely no singing talent,
then why give them a recording

Jim Nabors

contract? Five words:

Nabors' and

W'hile
Gleason's records
never monster

were

hits,

they

were popular
enough

to con-

vince record

,

executives to

\

give

some-

embarrass himself or
even allow someone like
Leonard Nimoy to devote a song to
Bilbo Baggins on one of his album,

Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy.
should be noted that although

T7ie

Nabors was operaticaUy trained and
Gleason only performed the conducting duties on his albums,
Nabors did release Shazam!, an
album recorded entirely as his
Gomer Pyle character and Gleason

And Away We

Winter 2002

-

2003

LPs,

it

Go,

an

sparse, the

has been enjoying a renaissance,
thanks to the

work

of

celebrity

was an

of- control

little

field

t<
tor.

outor

ego,

a

chance to earn even

more money that led

them

to the recording

booth, but in this case

most

of the stars

recording albums.

were forced into

As Patty Duke

recorded was, "a painful extraction

Buddy
Ebsen
chance to

A

more than just a

another facFor every
Ricky Nelson there
was a Jerry Mathers.

X

HiUbillies"

star

released

ing Ralph Kramden.
jhe Teen Idol craze was

revealed in her autobiography,
Call Me Anna, every song she

"

a

featuring eight
songs done in the style of his
most famous characters, includ-

Beverly

one like

LPs is filled with
shame, laughter, and pity.
Ithough for the past
decade the output of
celebrity albums has been

celebrity

album

With most

and Jackie Gleason.

It

Tambourine

or listen to Uri

from my psyche."
A painful attack on one's psyche is how most people would
describe these particular records
and for the most part they're
right. But what people tend to
overlook is that these records
offer a hilarious peek into the
delusions of strangers. "There's
something reassuring about a
celebrity revealing their faults,"

area

record

collector

John

Gordon

says. "It's almost like
proof that they're human, that

even celebrities aren't perfect."
Far from perfect is exactly what
someone might express especially

overexposed diva
J.Lo and relent"«v"
lessly angry Australian
Russell Crowe. It seems as
long as TV personalities and
ego-driven movie stars exist

have no shortage of
albums rotting in the discount

we'll

bin of

Sam

Goody. _2'

— Mike Sullivan

"XT'
^k X
^T
I

no clue

ou can
usually
find

J^

album on his want-list.
Bloom, a Danville record
collector, specializes in the

odd and obscure. "Moog,
Lounge Pop, Do-it-yourself
Celebrity,
it

Rock-a-Billy,

heard
says, "but don't ask me

favorite."

I've

it,"

to

Bloom

name a

With over 5,000 records

puters.

a crapshoot. "Nine times
out of ten the record had nothing to go on but its pretty cover,"
Bloom says, 'Taut every once in a
while you would just stumble
across something other-worldly

The cover art may
and campy, but the music

cluttering his apartment, "sometimes it's difficult to find the bed."

and

fantastic.

look

stiff

Bloom's love of the musically
strange developed not far from
home. "Growing up, my father
owned a record store," Bloom

inside is truly anj^hing but."

says. "Now what I always
thought was funny about my
father was that he hated rock and
roll music and yet he always had
a wide variety of the latest rock
albums. I guess he knew where

at those years

the money was. With so many
records at my disposal I never
knew where to turn so I always
picked the albums with the
strangest covers," he says.

Bloom's unorthodox way of
selecting albums was always

w

mini-

wage job

you can think of I
usually had a uni-

damaged LPs, desperan obscure

you name

life,"

mum

ately searching for

Religious,

my

horrible

at a flea

with a look of determi
nation on his face as he
skims through a bin of
dusty,

with
he
"Every

do

says.

Maxwell

market
sitting cross-legged

Bloom

what

to

In his 20s, Bloom

was part

isn't

the fact

that we were terrible that
shocked me," he says, "it was the
fact that

computers," he says. "At

first I

just

played around
on the keyboard
just to see

what

would happen but
after awhile the
goofing around
developed into
something bigger

and before I knew
of a

psychedelic rock group. The
Liquid Stairs. "When I look back
it

form for it."
Bloom's bad luck
in the work force
changed when he developed an interest in com'1 was always fascinated by

we somehow managed

bars to book us."
Although the Liquid Stairs' performing days were few. Bloom sees

to get these dive

a positive side to the band's failure.
"At least it managed to support my
addiction to records," Bloom says.
After the collapse of the band.
Bloom drifted from job to job.
"After the band broke up, I had

it

I'm a computer

programmer.
quite a
departure for a

That's

guy who started
out in a rock
band," Bloom says.

Whether Bloom is singing in a
band or repairing a computer, his
first love will always be unusual
music. He has a special system
to uncover only the oddest
music. "There's a

number

of fac-

says. "The most
lot
important factor is money.
of these records can be found dirt

tors,"

Bloom

A

m^

.TO

"-"^^^x
merrili

f

host

who wore

suit that

a body

had muscles

and organs painted on.
"The songs on the
album are just as odd
as Slim," Bloom says. "I
also get a kick out of
the LPs that Mad magazine released in the

'Throwing the
High School Basketball
Game' on Mad Twists
Rock and Roll manages
to be both amusing and
'50s.

mildly touching."
In a world where
most creative endeavors are becoming more
generic and less interesting,
it's
nice to
know that somewhere
out there is music that
isn't afraid to take
risks. As long as that

Licensed Penna.
Appraiser
Free Estimates

music exists you can
be sure that Maxwell
Bloom will be scouring
the bins at a flea mar-

.t^*'*^

ket to find

Bloom rummages through

it.

784-3585
Fax: 784-1007
82 N. Iron Street

Bloomsburg

^

ViSA

his

collection of 5,000 LPs, searching
for that special record.

JVfeEC

cheap in the bins of a thrift
store. But sometimes the record
you're looking for

is

.

Everything
you need.
Everywiiere

going for

$500 on eBay and that's when
you have to make the decision
whether or not you're going to
eat for the rest of the month."
Bloom doesn't collect unusual
CDs. "The compact disc is just
one of many things wrong with
the world today," he says. "It's
sterile, way too fragile, and just
an ugly little thing. However
with the record there's some
artistry to it. Most of the cover
art is big and beautiful while the
sound is earthier and just more

you are.

natural."

With seemingly infinite records
Bloom reveals his

^MsTBank

at his disposal

favorite LPs. "Slim Goodbody's
'The Inside Story' never fails to

both make me laugh and creep me
out at the same time," he says.
Goodbody was a children's show

Winter 2002

-

2003

1^
©2002

Manufaciurers and Traders Trust Company

\v^\'\v.

mandtbank.com

by John

Elliott

dark, wet hair hangs over his scowling
face as he emerges onto the stage with a
is

glare. His red and black outfit
of a tight shirt and ripped pants matches

menacing

He screams into the
microphone, daring anyone to meet him in the
ring. He throws his body mercilessly at his opponent, drawing gasps and hoots from the crowd
as his body smacks hard against the floor. He is
Supreme Lee Great (SLG), an outspoken professional wrestler in the World Xtreme Wrestling
(WXW) independent league who is loved and
his intimidating persona.

AGAINST A DREAM
hated by the fans.
Out of the ring, Jon

Trosky is a mild-mannered and easy-going college senior majoring in

having a split personDoing SLG is a great
high for me. It's an escape
from reality and my own
little world I can go into."
"It's almost like being

High School where he was
one of the top heavyweight

to do with college."

"I

like

ality.

wrestlers

in

his

district.

Trosky won the District-2
Pennsylvania Inter-scholas-

mass communications at
tic Athletic Association
Bloomsburg University. two different individuals," (P.IAA.) AAA title in 1998.
He wears glasses, keeps Trosky says. "One has his
But his appeal to profeshis hair pulled back in a career goals of being a pro- sional wrestling began even
pony tail, carries around fessional wrestler and mak- earlier.
a lap-top computer, and is ing it into the WWE [World
"When I was about fiveon the dean's list with a Wrestling Enter-tainment, years-old I started watch3. 5 (A-) G.P.A.
formerly the WWF] and Jon ing wrestling on TV and the
rosky says he's a Trosky has his career goals moment I started watching
college
student of doing whatever I'm going I got hooked," Trosky says.
trying to find a

honestly

knew

backup in case "SLG
Trosky began wrestling in point that's what
never makes something second grade, competing in to_do^ _
of himself."
"There's nothing screw-

ed up in here [his mind]
that's a split personality,"
he says, "but it's almost

amateur, scholastic wrestling competitions in his
hometown of Mountain
Top. It developed into high
school wrestling at Crestwood

I

at that

wanted

Trosky was
competing in ama-

hile

WK WK

teur wrestling for

Supreme
Lee Great was making
his high school.

his debut in a makeshift
backyard-wrestling ring at
Trosky's house.
"For a solid five years I
competed in backyard
wrestling," Trosky says. "I
now consider that to be one
of the greatest mistakes
I've ever made in my life."
"I got a couple of real

bad

injuries, including an
almost broken neck and a
badly hurt knee over silly
stuff, and those injuries
now comeback and are
reoccurring to me," Trosky
says. "Backyard-wrestling
is completely stupid to do.
You can kill yourself or
one of your friends very
easily."

Trosky eventually stopped
his backyard-wrestling and
got into a professional inde-

Supreme Lee Great

(in red)

performs an Air-Albright Suplex.

pendent wrestling league,
the Worldwide Wrestling
Alliance [WWWA]. His first
professional

Winter 2002

-

2003

match took place

on

May

22, 1999,

and he wres-

tled professionally for about six

rbloofflitiurg uAlvtiilty

W

months, earning little money.
"I get paid whenever there

is

money

available to be paid out to
the wrestlers, which is rarely.
Almost all of the money goes
directly back into WXW," Trosky
says.

Your one-stop shopping experience
on

tlie

campus

of

Bloomsburg University.
Textbooks-New and Used
General Books
School, Office, and Art Supplies
Insignia Clothing and Gifts
Convenience Foods and Drinks
Personal Hygiene Items
Magazines
Phone Cards
Computer Software and Supplies

But Trosky was still wrestling
without professional training or
guidance and was putting himself
at risk every time he stepped into
I saw on TV pretty
much," Trosky says. "And there
were a lot of things I didn't do

right."

wasn't until he joined the Wild
Samoan Training Center in
Hazleton that he learned how
It

dangerous his prior wrestUng
Gift Certificates

Money Orders
Laminating

UPS
Western Union Pick-Up
Fax
Dry Cleaning Drop-Off
Copy Machine

when he
says Afa,

Textbook Buy Back
At the end of each

se-

mester, the University

Store repurchases textbooi
coming semester
price.

at

55%

of the

Textbooks not needed

know how

to do."

The following two years were a
learning period for Trosky as he
made connections within the business, and traveled around the
country, all the while encouraged
by his parents, who also provided
financial support.
"I

had extremely supportive

backbone and my foundation
anything goes wrong."
His mother, Patricia is an assis-

my
if

tant city editor at the WilkesBarre Citizen's Voice; his father,
Frank, is a nurse.
"Many times I wanted to jump in
the ring and beat the hell out of the
guys who are beating him," Frank
says. "But it's part of Piis] job."

WWF

Film Developing

^

he controls the music,

and he even helps to come up with
some of the ideas for the show.
There isn't a thing he doesn't

parents," Trosky says. "They are

the ring.
"I did what

was. At the training center he was
taught the proper way to wrestle by
superstar
former
wrestlers Afa the Wild
Samoan and Samu the
Headshrinker.
"Jon was a cocky kid

Qiher Services

trainers,

retail

for inven-

may be purchased by Missouri
Book Company at the prevailing market

tory

price.

first

came

in,"

who has known

Trosky for over four years.
"But he quickly adjusted
himself to the mellow guy
he is today. He grew up a
lot since then."

The

training,

which cost

$3,600 and was paid for

by his grandmother, lasted four months and left
Trosky with a new appreciation for the career he

was beginning.
Regular Semester Hours:

7:45AM— 8PM
Friday 7:45AM—4:30PM
Saturday
12Noon— 5PM
Sunday
12Noon—4PM

Mon-Thurs

Summer
Mon-Fri

Hours:

SAM—4:30PM

Sat-Sun Closed

"Your body becomes calloused to the ring," he
says. "Eventually you become
used to the pain."
Even after Trosky graduated
from the training school, he continued to train at the Hazleton
center to work on and improve
his wrestling skills

and began

WXW

at the
wrestling for the
Hazleton arena, where he quickly
became a vital part of the
crew.
"Jon plays a big part in our
show and helps in almost every
way," Afa says. "He is one of my

WXW

10

Top:

Supreme Lee

Great, a.k.a. Jon
Trosky,

is

picture

perfect.

Right: As a senior
mass communications

major

at

Bloomsburg

University,

Trosky

maintains a 3.5 G.P.A.

and

is

a

tine

member of
Dean's

list.

Spectrum

i

"We just want Jon

to be happy,"
says. "It's fun to see your

Frank

kid excited and I'm

he got as far as he

amazing

feat for

amazed that
did. It's

him

an

just to be

there."

In that

same learning period

after

he had finished his training,
Trosky was given an ^-^^^^-^—
opportunity and a
of

fame

when he was

invited

to try out in

MTVs

glimpse

2000 'WWF Tough
Enough" program,
a reality-based tele-

vision show where
13 contestants train

under the eyes of

WWF

superstars for

the opportunity to
be the two finalists

"It gives you a whole new appreciation for the people you're
wrestling for," Trosky says. "It was
a great experience. To be able to go
out there and perform for people

who would die for you and protect
your country is a great honor."
Coming back from the tour to
^^-^^^^^ Bloomsburg Uni-

—

versity, Trosky
begins his life

"Doing SLG once again as a
student by day;
and a wrestler
is a great
WXW on most
hoping
high for me. weekends,
be
the
right
place at the right
time and get an
to

an
escape from
It's

in

opportunity to
wrestle in the

WWE.

reality..."

"Tough Enough" casting special
on television, where he was
shown cutting a promotion with
the microphone.

The disappointment of not getting selected only motivated him
further to work on his wrestling.
He was invited to wrestle on
both national and international
wrestling tours for Afa and Samu,
including a USO/American Forces
August

September 2002,
that included visits to Japan,
Korea, Guam and Hawaii.
tour,

to

319 East Street
Bloomsburg

for

In the meantime he maintains
Trosky made it to ^^^^^^^— ^^^^^—^-^ his own website
the final 200 contestants of the
[www.supremeleegreat.com] which
original 5,000 applicants before
among other promotions, offers a
being cut, but appeared on the replica action figure of himself for
that begin careers in
the WWF.

Napoli Pizza

jy_:Q^Jl__.

$2.00

Any Large Pizza
Redeemable only if coupon is
when placing order.

presented

Not

recognized."
Trosky's biggest obstacle in his
quest in becoming a professional
wrestler in the
is his size.

WWE

Trosky is 5'7" and 200 lbs, which
is
small compared to today's
superstar wrestlers in the WWE.
"There's not a lot you can do
about it," Trosky says. "You can't
teach size, but I feel my heart can
beat anyone's size. Hopefully talent will pull me through."
Trosky knows that waiting for
an opportunity will take time and
patience and compares the waiting process with a "giant game of
chess."

"There

going to be a lot of ups
and downs as you go through it
and if you don't play it right, you're
going to lose," Trosky says.
Trosky doesn't plan to lose
this game.

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"Jon's a young, bright kid and
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Winter 2002

-

2003

11

and photos
Joe Marsicano

story

Cby
I

jpn a night when crowded
barsT cheap drink specials, and
party-going college students are
common in Bloomsburg's nightlife, Jeremy dePrisco lounges at
Rose Marie's, a local restaurant.
His fingers slide across the
strings of his Ovation guitar, captivating his audience with
smooth, intricate music, and creating the illusion of working class
life while growing up in a small
town as an Italian Buddhist.
"Does anybody remember a

band

called

Men

or getting the song intellectually,

a great feeling."
ePrisco is not a typical performer by today's standards.
He prefers the laid-back atmosphere of smaller venues of coffeeit's

collaboration projects.

His debut CD, Mandala, was
released in 1999 on Blue

Cadillacs

was

Cadillacs

Hindu battles,
Chinese food, and teen pop

divas.

he Hazleton native
evokes Tom Waits' musion the album by using

cal style

Waits' stripped

the Australian band.

that

12

and moods, a method that
gave Waits a cult following in
the 1970s as a folk singer.
"The idea of knowing people who
ruined their life with drugs and
alcohol is real," dePrisco says.
"But the songs on Cadillacs and
Tarantulas are character developters

houses and small clubs.

a song and the
audience understands it," dePrisco
says. "Whether thej^re singing along

down songwrit-

ing formula based on charac-

few laughs with

really nail a vocal to

con-

character-based

prostitutes, epic

the middle-aged crowd. After the
crowd falls silent, dePrisco begins
playing "Down Under," a hit from

audience and getting them involved
with the music. "It's great when I

and Tarantulas

gritty,

songs about 8-tracks, gravediggers, spiders, Internet porn,

The man's comment comes off
if dePrisco planted him there

connecting with his

CD,

released in spring 2002.

tains

as

is

and Tarantulas,

his second self-produced

At Work back

DePrisco's favorite part of per-

is

entation.

audience. Immediately, someone
yells, "We're trying to forget!"

forming

Buddha

a 12-song compilation from his first 10 years of
songwriting, transgressing from
solo work to a full band pres-

in the '80s?" dePrisco asks his

to generate a

CD

Records. The

"There are a lot of smoky bars
I can't play because of my

sinuses," dePrisco says, "but

it's

has to offer and I
can't play in that atmosphere. If
you're not healthy, you can't sing."
DePrisco is an accomplished
solo artist. He has released two
CDs and is in the midst of several
all

this area

ments

in

my

songwriting."

DePrisco's collaboration projects are usually done over the
Internet by exchanging MP3 files

"

#
and e-mails

to

•m

artists overseas

who

are also interested in working with a new musician. DePrisco
overlays lyrics and music given
to him on a computer software
program designed to create music.
Then he adds different instru-

oldies set,

and

original recordings.

DePrisco, 29, (vocals, guitar, bass)
and Dave Blackledge, 52, (guitar,
vocals) form the acoustic duo.
"They're a very good band," Ruth
Kranig, owner of Rose Marie's,
says. "We started booking bands

mental tracks and sounds, such
as mandolins, flutes and hand

drums

to the lyrics, or writes
songs based on the music given to
him. When the song is finished,
he receives feedback from his collaborators, allowing him to tweak
the song's style even further.

"Any songwriter
uses some
elements of real

"^

ne of dePrisco's collaboration projects has him working with Indian vocalist Sandhya
Sanjana. Their collective efforts
have produced "The Sound Will
Save You." Sanjana and dePrisco
combine Indian classical vocals
with jazz and world music, creating a bridge for musical styles in
the East and West.
Another of his projects involves
Paul Rodericks from Goa, India.
He has collaborated with Rodericks
:

life,

and some of

it lias

to

do with

yoiu* imagination.

— Dave Blackledge

'Way Beyond Redemption,"

since.

They bring a

ent in a local band. Dark Honey.
They play a classic rock set. an

ever

nice following

to the restaurant."

The contrasting styles

DePrisco's current project has
his musical tal-

style."

Dark Honey

summer and had them

him showcasing

among others.
was deeply into Jimi Hendrix,
Jethro TuU, Live, Davy Graham,
and Rush," dePrisco says. "All
the bands I liked were into creating sounds and using a progressive, very layered and complex
Stones,

songwriting
in the

and "Can She Swing?'

"Brown Eyed Girl," Jim Croce's
"Roller Derby Queen," Tom Waits'
"Downtown Train," and songs by
Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jethro
TuU, Cat Stevens, and the Rolling
"I

over the Internet, producing "She's a
Zombie,"

Blackledge's bluesy, humorous
and straight-from-the-gut musical style. The result is tuneful
bits about amusing characters
and small town life.
"My songwriting style deals
with blunt comedy and real life
situations," Blackledge says. "Any
songwriter uses some elements of
real life and some of it has to do
with your imagination."
ark Honey plays covers,
including Kenny Rogers'
"The Gambler," Van Morrison's

of

dePrisco and Blackledge blend to
give Dark Honey its unique sound.
It

combines dePrisco's music with

also performs orig-

by dePrisco and
Blackledge that offer the audience
a sampling of their own seasoned

inal songs written

music and songwriting talents.
"We both would rather play original songs." dePrisco says, "hut the

audience prefers cover songs."

m
13

"It's

grpat

when lUMI

song^md the aiidldm
Prior to his creation of

Dark

Honey, dePrisco played in several
regional groups, including Cheshire
Grin, Looking Glass, Ranzan,
Psychosis, and Amethyst.
When dePrisco moved to
Bloomsburg from Harrisburg, the
traveling distance caused him to
break up with his former band.
Fragments of Zen. In the
summer of 2001, he met
Blackledge on an Internet
musician's board. After
exchanging e-mails, they discovered they shared the same
passion for music and decided
to get together for a jam session. The meeting between the
two resulted in the formation
of Dark Honey.
"Our name was inspired by
a line in 'Stay Close, My
Heart,' a poem by Rumi
translated by Andrew Harvey
in

The

Rumi

ail

understands it

broadened his influence in music.
His father had an old Blapunkt

German radio that received short
wave international bands and
soon had him interested in different music ranging from South
American salsa to various Italian

helpful for working on projects."

DePrisco said he still dreams of
expanding his musical horizons
while helping his wife, Audra, a
teacher at Greenwood Friends
School, Millville. His ambition is
to

take his wife's interest in the

historical

styles.

When

not performing, dePrisco

of cuisine

with his songs.

"My ideal job would involve
traveling the country or the

world with Audra," he says.
"I would be on a team of people traveling to remote locations to do on-site archival

recordings of artists and
native peoples. I would also
assist Audra in her role as a
restaurant critic."
"I would continue to write
and record my own music,
fiction and non-fiction while
potentially helping her with
her own small business in
the specialty foods indus-

Collection,"

you appear to be."
Although dePrisco is new to
Bloomsburg, his musical
interest goes back to his childhood in Hazleton.

try,"

When

14

stays busy with maintaining his

music-based website [www. mindspeak. com] and enrolling in a creative writing class at Bloomsburg
University.
"I wanted to work on my songs
and non-fiction writing," he says.
"The class gives me a method of
working out ideas and concepts
on songs. It's been tremendously

he says.

DePrisco says he must balance his job at Geisinger
Medical Center, working as a
software trainer, with his
passion for music to make
ends meet.
"The music is not lucrative," he

dePrisco was a
teenager, his parents intro-

strings which was easier to learn
than a six-stringed guitar."
Listening to the radio also

and ethnic perspectives
and combine it with the

cultural learning involved

dePrisco says. "It's the whole
idea of being more than what

duced him to the world of
music. His father was an accomplished guitarist and his mother
played the bass, an instrument he
found in his parents' attic.
"I started playing bass because
it was a lot easier than the guitar," he says. "The bass had four

a Yocal to a

I want common things, I
must work and I plan on buying

says. "If

my own
and

I

house someday.

My

wife

are going back to school

because getting an education is
important. But with my music, I
can do what I want. It allows me

meet new people and try different things."^
to

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15

^^^^he

late-morning

autumn

sun shines down on the
1860 white farmhouse.
;7
In the kitchen, Amy Telesky and
her mother, Sue Hayward, are
making Cranberry Delight soap.
Both women were raised in the
142-year-old house in Frosty

/

—

Valley, Danville Hayward was
born there. Soap making may
have been a necessity for their

predecessors,

but

women have made

it

these two
into a 21st

century enterprise.
"The way we make cold process
soap hasn't changed much," says

Sue Hayward (left) and Amy Telesky {c^f\U
""?{ up a batch of Cranberry Delight Soap.

Telesky, 32, owner of Frosty
Valley Naturals. "The differentiating factors are that we use vegetable, nut and fruit oils instead of
animal products and lye in place
of pot ash." Cow and goat milk
and bee's wax are the only animal
by-products used, she says.
"This isn't old fashioned,"
Hayward, 50, says as she crushes
bright red cranberries in a food
processor before dumping them
in a white bowl and heating them

tW?

t-\

4^
Lemon Poppyseed soap
Calendula soap

Lemon Meringue soap

Carrot Complexion bar

Lavender goat's milk soap
Milk

and Honey soap

in the microwave oven. Wearing
jeans and old T-shirts, the women
work together measuring ingredients. For accuracy, Telesky says she
prefers working with ounces and
grams instead of measuring cups
and spoons. Along with the cranberries, they add apricot nectar,
olive oil, grape seed oil, and
almond oil, using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.

Telesky uses a separate bowl to
cold water and lye, stressing
caution when using an alkaU. At this
stage a stainless steel bowl and
spoon, and a glass thermometer are
used to prevent the lye from permeating the utensils. She says that
plastic or wood utensils soak up
the lye and cannot be used again

mix

for food.

Top: Plastic containers are used for

molds. Below: Telesky wears safety

glasses to mix up the

lye.

Before adding the cranberry mixture to the lye, Telesky explains
that the temperature of both mixtures is critical at this stage.
"When you mix an alkali with a
non-alkali the temperatures must

be within five degrees of each
other," she says, "or they won't
mix well and the reaction isn't
right."

Once the ingredients are mixed,

Hayward

starts the long process of

soap until trace is
achieved. Trace is when the mixture thickens to the point where
you can drop some of the mix
back into itself and it leaves a
trail. This stirring process can
stirring the

take up to 45 minutes, depending
on the interaction of ingredients.
It is then that essential oils are
introduced. Essential oils are
derived from plants through
distillation or steam. Telesky
measures three aromatic capfuls
of tangerine essential oil into the
bowl, as Hayward is stirring, saying that the combination of tangerine oil, cranberries, and the oils,
make a therapeutic soap that's
beneficial to the skin.
"Since we leave the skins and
seeds when crushing the cranberries, it acts as an exfoliant and

"Easij^oafol^ciloe

INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs.

Vegetable Shortening

(1

can)

6 oz. lye

12 oz. cold water

~Melt/heat the shortening in an enamel

pan on

stove.

~Place cold water in glass bowl and slowly
add lye while stirring with a stainless steel
spoon. Stir until water is clear. (Remember:
always wear eye protection and stir in well
ventilated area.)
~When the shortening and lye are at
approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit (both
should be within 5 degrees of each other)

18

pour lye into shortening while stirring.
-Continue stirring until trace is achieved.
(Trace

is

when

it

thickens to the point

where you can drop some of the mix back
into itself and it leaves a trail.)
-Next add herbs, essential oil, or spice for
color (tumeric makes yellow.... paprika

makes orange.)
-Stir and pour into molds.
-This recipe fits in an 8"x8" container, but
other containers such as Pringles cans or
specialty soap molds work fine also.
-Put molds in a warm, insulated place and
let set for 24 hours, then cut. Place on rack
and let cure for 2-3 weeks.

Spectrum

Once

the soap has cured, Hayward trims the soap into personal sized bars by hand using a vegetable
The trimmings are used in hand-milled soaps including the pie and marbled soaps.

peeler.

the citrus fragrance is a mood
lifter," she says, adding that grape
seed oil contains high-grade vitamin E and cranberries are rich in
vitamin C both are antioxidants.
Now that the soap is ready to
pour into molds, Telesky checks
the pH with a test strip.
"It's 10," she says with a smile,
explaining that soap should have
a pH between 7 and 10 so it won't
irritate the skin.
Next they pour the soap into
three white plastic 5"x9" contain-

—

ers,

and Hayward

until she "feels the

stirs

mix

each one
is right."

After two days, Hayward will
pop the soap out of the molds and
cut into shape. Then the soap

must

cure.

"With time, the pH will go
down," Telesky says. "Any lye
base soap must cure at least two
weeks, some taking up to eight
weeks," she says, noting, "if the
Ph stays above 10 we grind it up

Winter 2002

-

2003

my

and make laundry soap."
Once the soap has

cured,
Hayward uses a vegetable peeler
to trim and shape the soap into
personal sized bars.
"We try not to waste anything,"
Hayward says, pointing to the
pile of thin strips of soap that will
be used in other hand-milled
soaps like marble soap and topping for pie shaped soaps.

Hayward grows vegetables
on her Columbia County farm;
Telesky grows flowers and herbs
backyard garden in Milton.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots,
and red beets are used in some of

in her

the soaps for color and nutrients.

Spices, including paprika,
turmeric, and cinnamon, are also
used for color and fragrance.
The flower garden was the inspiration for the first batch of soap.
"I grew some calendula flowers

and

said,

soap,'"

'Mom,

I

want

to

make

Telesky remembers. "Then

step-dad asked,

'Can you

make me some oatmeal soap?'
And that's how we got started!"
After graduating from Bloomsburg High School in 1989, Telesky
attended Virginia Polytechnic
Institute State University, and

received an associate in science
degree. There, she says she
learned how man-made products
are harmful to your body.
"Everything people use on their
skin is absorbed into the blood
stream," she says, adding that the
uses of nicotine, nitroglycerin and
birth control patches show how
effective the

method

is

in intro-

ducing products into the body.
One of the examples she uses in
her workshops is Triclosan an
anti-bacterial agent. It's widely
used in toothpastes, deodorants,
detergents, cosmetics; anything
that is made with anti-bacterial

—

properties.

"The problem with Triclosan,"

19

-

says Dr. Cindy Kepler, assistant
professor of Chemistry at Bloomsburg University, "is when used
frequently, it eventually becomes
ineffectual in killing bacteria."

Kepler

explains that
bacteria will adapt

and become

it.

Telesky says
she
suffered

from eczema
sensi-

tive to many
products includ-

H

Everything people

use on their skin is
absorbed into the
JJ
blood stream

—Amy Telesky

most of the soaps, lotions,
and creams she uses, as well as
those for her husband, Nick, 31;
and their two daughters, Tacie, 4;
and Sydney, 1. Telesky created a
baby soap she calls "Sydney's
Bath Bar" that she says took her
two years of testing before she
liked the results. She has made a
soap containing coffee and coffee grounds, a hunter's soap that
masks odors, a hand soap that
eliminates odors like onions, aromatherapy soaps and "Tacie's
Bath Fizzers." Fizzers are soothing bath tablets made with cornstarch, baking soda, citric acid
(vitamin C), and essential oils.

Soap isn't the only product
Telesky creates; she offers a
complete line of soaps, lotions,
deodorants, salves, and creams.
Telesky creates the recipes and
her mother makes some of the
oils.

Although Hayward makes

several oils including calendula,
peppermint, sage, and oil of
oregano, some come from the grocery store.
"I'm cost control and pricing,"
Hayward says, using her 13 years
of experience as a sales representative for a local toy distributor.
Telesky works as a supervisor at
ConAgra Foods in Milton, after
giving up her job at Beverage
Capital, Baltimore, in 1999 to
come back to the area.
"I wanted my kids to grow up
around their grandparents,"

20

wanted them

to

Online

the benefits of family life
and living in a rural community."
Telesky says she enjoys the
challenge of creating new
recipes, but adds that
finding time to get

B@nkmg
from

First

Columbia

everything done

perfumes,
deodorants and
soaps. Today she makes

ing

"I

know

resist-

ant to the products used to kill

and was

Telesky says.

can be frustrating. But after a
hectic workweek,
Saturdays find

mother and
daughter in the
old farmhouse
mixing up a batch
of something similar

to

what

predecessors

their

made

142 years ago.
Frosty Valley Naturals

can be purchased at As Nature
Intended and the Centre of Heath
and Wellness, Bloomsburg; and
at Natural Food A?id Garden
and Ard's Farm Market, Lewisburg. Or go online at www. frosty

Our Internet banking service offers
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Since 1978

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8

Celebrating 25 years
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iffSi
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December

6-22,

2002

"Merry Christmas,
George Bailey"

The Lux Radio Theatre Company's
version of the film

Wonderful

Also

this

It's

December

5-21,

"Santaland Diaries'

By Douid

Sedaris,

(Recommended

A

Performances at

Life

2002

NPR
for 16

Phillips

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2003

Elephants."

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Winter 2002

the nation for

category.

-

Now

in

Celebrating

by Debbie Massic

Wihile
irity

the nation has increased its secubecause of terrorist threats and

increasing violence, security at the

Columbia County Courthouse "is nil,"
according to County Sheriff Henry

Roadarmel

Jr.

"The Courthouse is the least secured in the commonwealth," he claims.
Commissioner Leroy Diehl sees the situation differently.
"I

think courthouses

all

over have been improving

security in the last year," he says, noting, "we're

ahead
its

A
22

of other sixth-class counties.

Luzerne updated

just last year."
state

law may require that

all

buildings where

need security, whether
chambers of judges and district
magistrates, according to Montour County Commissioner Bernie Swank.
"It was not always mandated that a courthouse be
secured, but we've been told that down the line it

judicial procedures are held

in courtrooms, or the

will be," she says.

The Columbia County Courthouse on Main Street,
Bloomsburg, was built about 1850. Since then, it has
had few security features added.
A metal detector is located in front of Courtroom
One, the main courtroom, but no one monitors it.
The detector is only used for the main courtroom on
criminal trial dates and days of jury selection or a
jury trial, says Roadarmel. All main doors to the

Spectrum

SECURITY

courthouse are unlocked as well.

A

state

weapons

law requires licensed

to be stored in lock boxes

in the front of the courthouse. An
8" X 12" sign hangs on the front

door of the courthouse stating the
no one enforces
it, says Roadarmel.
"We've had people come in here
with guns that were not authorinstructions, but

ized,
out,"

and we had

to escort

them

he says. "They're not arrested,

they just failed to see the sign."
As he pushes for additional
security,

Roadarmel

finds

an

obstacle.
"I've tried to develop a security
system, but I've been shot down
by the county commissioners
who say it's not necessary and
there is not enough money," he

says.

Security systems average
between $50,000 and $75,000.
"We've been discussing it for the
10 years I've been here," Diehl
says. "A lot of people thought it

wasn't necessary. It's going to
cost a lot of money."
Roadarmel did have an alarm
system installed in 1997 throughout the courthouse, so that he
could be alerted in an emergency.
If a situation occurs where help is
needed, a button, located in almost
every office of the courthouse, can
be pushed that alerts the sheriff
and deputies. Previous commissioners agreed to this system. It is used
about two or three times a year,

Roadarmel

says.

This system

comparable to the
security systems of most county courthouses. Montour, Northumberland,
Luzerne, and Lycoming, and most fedisn't

eral courthouses

are fully secured

with metal detectors. X-ray machines,

and cameras, according to Roadarmel,
and they have been for 20 years.
During a trial at the Multnomah
County Courthouse in Oregon,
1979, a

man

shot and killed his

wounded his former spouse and then killed himex-wife's lawyer,

^^^^^^^^^^^

self. The courthouse lacked

any

"We'll

do

whatever

security at

that time other

than the sherit

deputies,

iffs

it

halfway/'

-

2003

illegal."

In the county's Arraignment
Courthouse, located across from
the main courthouse, a milk carton with gunpowder, a fuse, and

office.

found, according to Melligh. Since

That particular event did

then, security has increased.

immediately change

not

sec

Winter 2002

It wasn't until 1994, that the
courthouse installed a perimeter
security system consisting of
metal detectors and X-ray scanners. Officers now check everyone coming into the courthouse
and all their baggage. The sheriffs office holds any non-deadly
weapons people carry. The sheriff
deputies are armed, and facility
security officers in the courthouse
are also available to handle situations, but are unarmed.
"We do random searches on
everyone including the governor,"
Melligh says. "We know they don't
have weapons, but it helps us keep
a sense of security. Sometimes, we
do come across knives that are

according to

takes to do Sgt. John
of the
the job, but Melligh
Multnomah
we're not County Sheriffs

going to do

Multnomah's Courthouse.
Unarmed, uniformed public safety
officers were added soon after.

u r i ty

in

numerous weapons were recently

"You never know what's going to
happen," Roadarmel says. "There's
an act of violence about every 10
days here, usually threats by ex-

23

Anyone who enters the courthouse will be
for weapons and dangerous items.

searched
Security

personnel

will

inspect

all

bags,

boxes, and other closed containers for possible

weapons.

licensed weapons required by state law
be stored in lock boxes in front of the
courtroom preventing any violent threats
All

will

inside the building.

Left:

Deputy

Sheriff

James

Arter keeps a

watchful eye over Courtroom One.

husbands in support cases."
"About 80 percent of violent outbursts we see come from cases
that deal with family matters, like

and

which
was the case when the lawyer
was shot in 1979," Melligh says.
child custody

divorce,

"People are unstable and their

emotions run very high."
"Our biggest problem is individuals who are upset with the court

Columbia County is a relatively
small county, with a population of
64,151 as of the 2000 census and
its size doesn't guarantee or protect it against violence.

Columbia County Courthouse
handles about 1,200 criminal and
cases a year, with 12
sheriffs deputies transporting up
to 25 prisoners a day. The county
prison currently holds 140 prison-

2,000

system, especially those dealing
with probation," Sgt. Claire Heath

ers,

Montour County Sheriffs
Department says.
Although there have been no situations where anyone was killed
or injured in the Columbia County

Tom

of the

Courthouse, the possibility of one
occurring exists. No courthouse

employees have complained about
feeling unsafe, Diehl says.

"The bar association and lawyers
are especially concerned with

it,"

says

Gail Kipp, the county's chief clerk.

civil

which has increased 50 per-

cent in the last few years, Sgt.

Gibble says. The

capacity of the prison

maximum

is

200

pris-

oners and he expects it will reach
this number in the next five to 10
years. With the increasing trials
and prisoners, the risk of court-

house violence increases.
Montour County has a population of 18,236. Everyone who enters
the Montour County Courthouse
passes through a metal detector,
which is manned at all times when

the courthouse

is

open, according to

The metal detector was
recently installed in January
Sgt. Heath.

2002.

"Heightened security measures
due to September 11 made us
decide to increase our security,"

Heath
is

says. "It seems everybody
going through some type of

change in

security."

In addition, Montour County
wanted to get a jump on the soon-tobe mandated law requiring judicial
facilities be secured, Swank says.
More features are being added to
the Montour County Courthouse.
A buzzer system is being installed
in each office in the courthouse in
the event someone tries to run
through the metal detector. The
sheriffs department will be the
central security location for the
buzzer system. Also, courthouse
employees will be given photo IDs
and only one entrance will be

"We've had people come in here with guns that were
not authorized, and we had to escort them out."
24

Spectrum

was not always

"It

mandated

that a

courthouse be
secured."
accessible with a code entry.

system, the bar associa-

Cumberland County, with a population of 213,674, had its court-

tion,

house security updated in 1997.
Security guards and deputy sheriffs guard the two entrances to the
courthouse. A metal detector and
X-ray device secure the inside of
the building, and surveillance cameras watch the outside. The courthouse sees about 2,500 criminal
cases a year, about four times as

court

many

policies

County's Sheriffs
just

want

to

office says.

"We

maintain an extra

is

all

to

based on

from three or

four other courts, modified to

fit

the situation

Columbia County
courthouse, says John
at the

Ash, the county's direc-

personne

r

.

Ihe plan includes
,

"Thank God nothing bad has happened here since the 1950s," Sgt.
David Zeigler of the Cumberland

lawyer and
supervisors

review. It

miscellaneous cases, and

civil cases.

the county's nego-

tiations

-,

-n

j_

Columbia County has the "least secured courthouse
...
„
j*
j „
in the commonwealth, according to Roadarmel.
,..

nel present. Video cameras, video

in danger. Diehl says they

tape recorders and metal detectors

prefer the guard to be a retired

(stand-alone or hand-held) will be

police officer,

and

installed to monitor the entry

"I've heard commissioners are
talking to contractors about
secured locks and security systems, but they haven't talked to

exit of all persons to the courtroom.

yet," Roadarmel says of the
Columbia County Courthouse. The
Commissioners are planning to

increase security, but not with the
sheriff.

"We have no reason

to talk

because this is the
commissioner's job," Diehl says.
Roadarmel recommends that
security cameras, guarded metal
detectors, locked doors, limited
to the sheriff

access to the courtrooms,

and the

use of security cards among
employees are implemented by
trained and educated operators.
A Courthouse Security Policy has
recently been drafted, according to
Diehl.

The plan was given to the court

Winter 2002

-

2003

i

lives of

visual."

me

i-,

locking all exterior
doors, except the front door,
which will have security person-

Handicapped persons can enter
through the handicap accessible
entrance on the east side of the
courthouse after ringing a buzzer
and speaking to a security officer
through an intercom.

Anyone who enters the courthouse will be searched for weapons
or dangerous items, as will any
bags,

handbags, boxes or other

closed containers.

Any

potential

weapons found

will be held in a
secure area until the visitor leaves
the courthouse.
The security guards will be
trained and have knowledge of the

Pennsylvania Crimes Code and
Rule of Criminal Procedure,
according to the plan. They will be
issued a gun that will remain hol-

stered unless their lives or the

an employee or

who

will

visitor are

would

be in charge

two other guards.
All employees of the courthouse
will receive a copy of the plan and
of

sign it after it is adopted.
Everyone, including the judges,
must agree to abide by all the

will

rules.

They will be expected to abide by
same guidelines as visitors,
Diehl says. They cannot let anyone
the

in a side door, for example, or they

be subject to punishment.
great deal of planning has to
go into the system because no one
wants to spend a lot of money to
have just anyone use the courthouse doors, Diehl says.

will

A

The Commissioners want to
make sure the system works and
takes into considerations all
entrances into the courthouse.
They have not determined punish-

25

Along with the existing metal detector, video cameras will be installed
monitor the entrance and exit of all persons inside the courtroom.

ments

for

visitors

who

violate the
Courthouse Security
but employ-

Policy,

ees will be subject
to appropriate discipline,

which may

include dismissal.

to

rying weapons, the threat of
defendants becoming violent
is

Some lengths

evident.

to

which counties go to contain
the inmates may be too much.
Stun Tech Inc. has developed the REACT stun belt
that prisoners wear under

"We'll do whatev-

their jumpsuits that "shock"

takes to do the

them if they get out of control.
The Human Rights Action

er

it

but we're not
going to do it halfway," Diehl says.
"Once it's done, no

belt could potentially be

changes can be

as torture, which

made."

system to be ready
by the beginning
of 2003. Equip-

ed in Title 18 of the United
States Code. It is a greater
risk to those with a heart ailment. Both groups continue
fighting the use of these

ment and

belts.

job,

He

expects

the

renova-

Network and Amnesty
International believe the
used
prohibit-

is

tions will cost about

Despite the dangers, Diehl

$15,000, not includ-

remains confident with the

ing the salaries of

current security system.
"I think other areas may
need increased security, but I
think we're fine without it,"
Diehl says. "If someone has a
reason to come after you,

the security guards.

Ash

says.

Hazards to a court-

room can include
the prisoners being
tried.

They are

sometimes

violent,

impredictable individuals,

and even

though they may be
jjrevented from car-

they'll

home

do

it

when

you're at

or going to your car,

not here. I'm in the minority,
so we're going to address the

concerns of folks."

^

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Winter 2002

-

2003

St.,

Berwick

27

_

.

orking at the farmer's market in
Bitler says, but they
for 13 years has left Bill
also plant potatoes,
Bitler with a crop of memories. Bitler
peppers, cucumbers,
remembers going to the market with his grandparbeans, "and little dabs of other things."
ents when he was a child in the 1940s. He says he
While many area supermarkets offer the same
remembers growing up on his grandparents' farm
fruits and vegetables, the farmer's market offers
.^^
and growing corn, tomatoes, and j- — — — ™ ™ ™.
fresher products.
other crops. He says he also
"It makes sense to come here
remembers the warmth of summer
because things are going to be
''It's tfie
and the smell of freshly picked
fresher and you can talk to the
fruits and vegetables permeating
person who grew the item," she
the morning air.
says. "People know what the
After graduating with a master's
vegetables were sprayed with,
degree in business at Penn State
and that they were picked fresh.
and serving 30 years as an Army
It's the next best thing to growordnance officer, Bitler, 63, retired
ing it yourself."
as a colonel in 1989 and returned
The Bitlers' crops are picked
to his roots, harvesting crops on
"one or two days before they're
his grandparents' farm.
sold at the market."
Bitler's wife, Rachel, 58, made
Nevin and Nancy Raup of Bear

Bloomsburg

— „____l
next

Best tfiing to

growing

it

yourse0\''

an easier transition

—HacfieC 'BitCer

into farm life.
married a farmer," she says.
The Bitlers operate their produce L. —
stand near the post office. Like the other farmers,
their stand is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
"I

—

Saturdays, June 1- Oct. 31.
"Our major crops are corn and tomatoes," Rachel

28

I

Gap

also believe that farmer's

offer a quality and
home-style product. The Raups
have been at the Bloomsburg market 21 years.
The Raups grow cauliflower, spinach, cabbage,
potatoes, and other vegetables for their stand. They
also sell Indian corn and squash for the
I

markets

Spectrum

"because

Thanksgiving holidays.
"They're a lot fresher than a

supermarket," Raup says. "The
farmer's market is definitely
fresher,

bottom line."
average

of firewood

Above

temperatures and a severe drought
this season caused the Bitlers to
lose most of their major

"I

next

mere glimpse

around

much work and

much phys-

ical labor involved."

a year-long

Bitler

sit

of a bustling past.

there's too

getting ready for
Bill

can

"There were many
vendors back in the

too

spend the next month
year,"

I

"There were only six
farmers this year. It's
dropped off because it's

effort.

[November]

—then

early days," Bitler says.

nate, they'll fall off, and you'll
have a lot of plants with nothing
on them."
Bitlers' stand is only open for
five months a year, but the work
and labor to make their produce
is

start ordering seeds

the fireplace at Christmas time."
The farmer's market is only a

corn crop.
"It was a terrible year,"
Bitler says. "It was very
dry but the extreme heat
made it worse. If you
have more than a couple
of days over 85 degrees,
the blossoms won't polli-

available for sale

I'll

and supplies for next year. Plus,
we have to trim the brush
around the fields and make lots

Nancy

Raup

says

the

market can
be blamed on people moving out
decline of the

of the area seeking high-income
jobs.

"Nobody wants to work here
anymore," she says. "My kids are
grown up and won't do it so it's
hard to find people. The farmer's
market is a dying art." e-

says,

Child Care Information Services

of

Montour County
Providing Information About:

Financial help to

pay for

child care

TVj How to choose quality child

^k

care

Listing of regulated child care facilities

^^

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Winter 2002

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