He’s usually one who likes to comment on things. But when Emmett McCall received a telephone call last week from Noel Behan, Jim Thorpe restaurateur and one of the persons instrumental in the success of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Jim Thorpe, the caller’s inquiry, McCall admitted, left him speechless.

“Would you accept the honor of being our grand marshal,” Behan asked the popular Irishman from Lansford and Carbon County’s current recorder of deeds, now in his 11th year.

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The fragrance of gingerbread will soon be coming from the Dimmick Memorial Library in Jim Thorpe.

The library is sponsoring a Gingerbread House Contest as part of Jim Thorpe’s Olde Time Christmas Festival. There is no entry fee so everyone can enter.

Categories will be: Adult (13 and up); Child (12 and under); and Group. Three prizes will be awarded in each category. First Prize in each category will receive $25, with two runners up, each receiving $10.

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“The history of a town can be found in the history of its cemetery,” noted Jack Sterling, a Jim Thorpe historian whose great, great grandfather, Henry Sterling, was the first sexton at the Mauch Chunk Cemetery from 1847 to about 1866. “That’s especially true here. It’s a great example of a Victorian-era cemetery.”

“My grandmother said that the Mauch Chunk Cemetery was busy, especially during the 1918 flu epidemic,” said Keith Bellhorn. “The cellar was full. They couldn’t dig the graves fast enough. My grandfather, his brothers and all of his friends worked in the mines for 12 hours-a-day digging in the dark and damp. They came home, ate supper, and went out here in the dark and damp, digging all through the flu epidemic to bury as many as they could-as fast as they could.”

Sterling and Bellhorn will lead a unique tour of the Mauch Chunk Cemetery and Chapel on October 30 and 31 from noon to 4 p.m. The tour will start at the Mauch Chunk Cemetery entrance gate in front of the Chapel at the intersection of South and Walnut Avenues in Upper Jim Thorpe.

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Johnny comes marching home again at Jim Thorpe High School, where from Thursday evening, Oct. 28 though Sunday morning, Oct. 31, its surrounding woods become the encampment of a troop of Civil War reenactors.

The Civil War Reenactment Encampment, which will be open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 30, features: Union and Confederate soldiers, a Surgeon’s Display, Quartermaster’s Tent, Recruiting Lieutenant and Sanitary Commission Kitchen will be set up.

There will be displays inside the school demonstrating news from the homefront, a Lady’s Aid Society display, children’s games and clothing, a period school and parlor pastimes including an array of popular fortune telling games and devices. The Multipurpose Room will house a mini-museum of original Civil War memorabilia and artifacts. On Friday, Jim Thorpe High School history and English classes will visit the encampment.

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Visit Camp Geiger Lehigh Valley Civil War Days Web site here >>.

An ordinance prohibiting the use of skateboards in public areas passed without opposition at the Jim Thorpe Borough Council meeting Thursday night, with little surprise from borough residents in attendance, including four local skateboarders.

The ordinance, which will go into effect Tuesday, prohibits skateboarding on streets, paved parking lots and recreation areas owned or maintained by the borough. Violation of the ordinance can result in a fine of up to $300.

“We don’t mean disrespect and, in all seriousness, we don’t have anywhere to go” noted John Donahue, of Jim Thorpe.

He and his friends have been waiting for a skatepark in Jim Thorpe for years, but have yet to see a plan get off the ground. They understand and are sympathetic to the fact that their skateboards can be loud, but said they are not trying to be an annoyance to the community.

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Broadway Grille & Pub in downtown Jim Thorpe, a location that has undergone much historic preservation, was the site of the annual Mauch Chunk Historical Society Membership Banquet.

The location for the event seemed all the more appropriate as many of those in attendance have been the driving forces over the years in restoring the Architecture and History of Jim Thorpe.

The banquet was not only a way of saying thank you to their members, but also the occasion to honor two people for their work in historic preservation in Jim Thorpe.

The honorees that evening were John Drury for his work at the Inn at Jim Thorpe, at the Mauch Chunk Museum, and at other properties in the borough; and Ed Weller who has done a lot of rescue work on buildings in Jim Thorpe including the restaurant they were in.

They were each presented with framed plaques which were “Restoration/Preservation Awards” that read in part “given in recognition of outstanding efforts toward Historic Preservation of the architecture of Carbon County”.

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Clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine greeted thousands of visitors on the first of three weekends of the 2010 Fall Foliage Festival in Jim Thorpe this past weekend.

On top of being a fun time out for those who visited the festival, after the rainy weather throughout the east coast last week, many people were all too ready get out and enjoy themselves.

The event, sponsored by the Jim Thorpe Chamber of Commerce, fit the bill in many ways.

The downtown, Broadway, and Race street areas were brimming with food, arts, crafts and free music events at four different venues, all within easy walking distance of each other.

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Three levels of training will be offered over the three days by SunMaxx Solar, an industry leader in solar energy installation training. The levels will cover an introduction to solar hot water systems, solar domestic hot water system sizing with hands-on workshops, and solar space heating and hot water system sizing with hands-on workshops.

“We are happy to offer this educational service to the community,” said WB Electric founder and principal Walter Bevilacqua. “Renewable energy is the future and we’re going to need trained technicians who understand it. By allowing SunMaxx to train in our facility, we are doing our part for the future of our industry and for the homeowners in our area.”

There is a $225 fee for the training at any of the levels, but participants who want all three levels of training can get it for a discounted fee of $600. For more information, directions to the WB Electric office or to register for training, visit http://www.wb-electric.com.

About WB Electric Inc.
WB Electric Incorporated is an Electrical Contracting company located in the beautiful town of Jim Thorpe in eastern Pennsylvania, serving Carbon County, Monroe County, the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. WB Electric provides electrical lighting design and installation, generator systems, industrial motor control and automation, lighting control, stage lighting, voice/data/video networks and maintenance for the Commercial, Institutional, Residential and Industrial construction sectors.

The company is currently the fastest growing solar energy photovoltaic installer in the region and is a registered installer with the State of Pennsylvania for purposes of the state’s solar energy grants. For more information about the company, visit the website at http://www.wb-electric.com.