Welcome back students, or in the case of out-of-town freshman at our colleges and universities, or newcomers in our other schools, welcome for the first time.
We hope all of you get to not only learn what you want and need for future success, but that you get to experience the many educational and entertainment opportunities in our region.
To elementary and high school students, please consider taking advantage of the various education camps, clinics, career fairs and other offerings from our businesses, medical providers, governments and institutions of higher education. To those attending our many and varied colleges and universities, please consider not only participating in all the extracurricular activities each offers, but look around for the choices outside of schools.
We have concerts, community theaters, art exhibits, film festivals and guided walks to learn about prominent historic local sites. While the summer church festival season is winding down, year round there are dinners and other big events worth considering (Scranton’s La Festa Italiana runs Friday through Monday).
And even without bazaars or festivals, we have an excellent mix of religious organizations with their own compelling — and often uplifting — traditions worth attending regardless of religious affiliation (or lack thereof). Just one small example: St. Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre holds a truly smile-inducing toy collection at the end of Mass on the feast day of the parish saint.
And please don’t limit yourself, regardless of age or the school you attend, to your campus alone. All our education facilities at all grade levels hold a wide array of events, many open to the public, from annual play productions to talent shows to the remarkable outpouring of joy created each spring when the Luzerne Intermediate Unit invites hundreds of special needs students to celebrate “Field Day.”
If you are a giving person, the area has tremendous choices in volunteer work, from a few hours to every week (high school and college students likely already know how valuable community service time can look on applications for future positions).
If you are a bit athletic or want to get a little more exercise, we have organized walks and runs year round.
Our area boasts an impressive collection of outdoor space, from the Seven Tubs to Frances Slocum State Park to rails to trails paths in the Lehigh Gorge, Back Mountain, Hazleton and Shickshinny areas. And if you live in or near Wilkes-Barre and the neighboring Wyoming Valley communities, you have easy access to the Susquehanna River Levee trail, as well as Kirby and Nesbitt parks.
Oh, and we have minor league sports teams, including baseball and hockey.
So, again, glad you are here, and hope you make the most of it. Consider browsing listings on our website timesleader.com, or on the official county visitor website visitluzernecounty.com, or just browse the web for things to do near you.
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