Back Fence News

Personal Notes of Interest

Chris and Mary Ross are very proud to announce the arrival of grandson Christopher Daniel Rasmus, brand new son of Nicole and Joe Rasmus!

Born: April 29,2008 at 1:01pm Weight: 7 lbs.7 oz. Length: 20 inches

No pics yet, but we'll keep pressing.

Emily Thomas participated in the 119th "Cynonfardd" Eisteddfod on April 26th at the Dr. Edwards Memorial Church in Edwardsville, and won First Place in Recitation 16-18 and First Place in Vocal Solo 16-18 with her heartfelt Not a Day Goes By from "Merrily We Roll Along".   She then teamed up with Elizabeth Shoemaker of Leesburg, VA to take First Place in Vocal Duet 13-18  singing the Welsh folksong All Through the Night.

The Eisteddfod is a Welsh tradition of competing in Recitation, Song and Piano in different age categories from under 5 to Adult.

Llon.gyfarchion, Emily! (Congratulations!)

Adam Orseck has accepted a position at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD as technical director for Theater On The Hill (TOTH), a professional summer musical theatre in residence at McDaniel since 1982.

Check out the TOTH 2008 line-up, and schedule a little summer trip to Maryland to see "Pump Boys and Dinettes", "Into the Woods", "Anansi: The Trickster Spider" (yeah, I said "Huh?" too), and "All That Jazz".

Adam graduated from Wilkes University in 2007 with a BA in Theatre, but he's been lighting up local stages for years!

In December Craig Lee Thomas completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (Stella Adler Studio) and in March was named New York University Honors Scholar!
On May 14, Craig will wear the distinctive Gold Tassel adorned with the Honors Scholar emblem at the Commencement Exercises in Yankee Stadium.

Craig is already a member of both the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a Certified Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), and with three seasons of professional experience with The Tony Award-Winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, he's an Equity Membership Candidate of Actors' Equity Association (Equity).

Stay tuned for more paternal puffery as it happens.

Lou Lyons is in Afghanistan representing our nation, defending our way of life, and missing his wife, Aliceia. Send a little bit of the Valley to the Middle East and let Lou know we appreciate and miss him.

Lou and Alice are both Music Box Players and Board Members, and you may remember Lou proposed to Alice on stage in front of the audience after a performance of "It's A Wonderful Life" in December 2003. They were married in July 2005, and are now the proud grandparents of 5 Jack Russell Terrier puppies.

Packages, letters, cards, pictures, etc. can all be sent to Lou at his National Guard address:

lyons louis HHC 3-103 AR FOB MehtarLam APO AE 09354

Make sure you address it exactly as shown to avoid additional delays and confusion. There's enough of that in the military already!

Michael Gallagher, our General Manager and resident theatrical genius, was surprised at the December 1 performance of "She Loves Me"  when The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International awarded him the Paul Harris Fellowship.

"Doc" Bishop, founder of The Music Box Dinner Playhouse and a member & past president of the Rotary Club of Pittston, presented Michael with a Medallion and a Certificate which reads:

Michael G. Gallagher is hereby named a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.

Which nobody can deny...

Cindy & Seth Brandreth dare to be TWICE as different: In June they started making a difference in downtown Wilkes-Barre with their new Quiznos at 72 South Main St.   Then in November they opened a second shop in the Midway Shopping Center on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming!

Both Brandreth's Quiznos are open for your business, and Seth & Cindy hope you'll stop by, check them out, and get hooked on hot-melted goodness.

And tell them you saw this on The Back Fence! (You won't get anything, but I might :o)


Email:nepasubs@msn.com

On October 7, Jeannie Murphy married her beau, John Barra, at St.Bernadette's Church in Brooklyn (where a tree grows, we hear).

Following the ceremony, a reception was held at The Vanderbilt on Staten Island.

Alison Taroli graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kings College with a BS in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. Now she gets serious: Alison was awarded the Chancellor's Scholarship to study Patent Law at Syracuse University College of Law in a dual enrollment program of a Juris Doctorate/Masters of Science Degree in Chemistry.

A patent attorney with advanced degrees in chemistry & math, a disarming smile and a passion for theatre. Can a hit TV series be very far in the future?

Emily Thomas took a deep breath and closed her eyes as over 12 inches of her beautiful brown hair was cut in one snip of a scissor.   But this wasn't just a fashion whim, Emily donated the shorn ponytail to a non-profit organization in Lake Worth, Florida that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

Thank you, Emily, you're a 'cut' above the rest.