WILKES-BARRE — It was quite a celebration in Wilkes-Barre Township on Saturday — the town celebrated its “semiquincentennial” — better explained by saying it was their 250th anniversary.
And the township has come a long way in those 250 years — right now, there is more economic development happening in the township than almost any town of similar size.
And before we forget — Wawa will be opening along Route 309 soon — hopefully before the end of the year.
The magnificent iconic landmark — “Three-O-Nina” still stands proudly for all to enjoy. The Big Cow, as she is commonly referred as, is 57 years young and she remains “udderly” beautiful.
With so much going on in the township, a celebration was definitely in order.
And Mayor Carl Kuren and Police Chief Will Clark and the entire township team did a great job putting the event together.
It all began Saturday morning with a ceremonial cannon fire and the singing of “God Bless America.” A pipe and drum band played “Amazing Grace.”
“There were a lot of people with tears in their eyes,” Mayor Kuren observed.
Then it seemed like the entire town paraded up and down the streets of the township, continuing all the way to the Mohegan Sun Arena, where food and drink vendors, a bandstand, and an antique car show awaited.
Several live musical performances followed, ending with a performance by Eddie Day & the Starfires, and then a magnificent fireworks display.
This was a genuine celebration of a great town that has so much to offer.
“I’m very proud this turned out the way it did,” Mayor Kuren told the Times Leader.
By the way, Mayor Kuren is in his seventh 4-year term as mayor.
But for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about old Three-O-Nina, that huge brown and white Guernsey that thousands of motorists pass every day.
Even though Three-O-Nina has never produced milk, she sure has given a lot of enjoyment to all who have seen her and stopped to get a picture.
And she has helped people find destinations:
“You know where the Big Cow is? Yeah, well go past her and then you will come to a traffic light and ,,,”
Three-O-Nina is a landmark.
In 2015, the Krugel brothers — Joe Jr. and Kevin — said “the cow” has meant an awful lot to hundreds of thousands of people over the years.
Their dad, Joe Sr., started his career working at Gorman’s Dairy, which was located at the same site. Back in 1966, Joe Sr. saw an advertisement about a giant cow that had been purchased by a dairy somewhere. He thought it was a great idea.
Joe Sr. checked into it and learned the price tag was $4,000 — about the cost of a new Cadillac at the time. Mrs. Peg Gorman, owner of the dairy, wasn’t thrilled with the price.
One day, the people from Sculpture Advertising in Wisconsin called to say they were delivering a giant cow to a dairy in Connecticut and would pass through Wilkes-Barre. They would have the driver stop and show Mrs. Gorman the cow.
When the truck pulled into Gorman’s parking lot in January 1967, the story goes there was a massive traffic jam on Route 309. People stopped their vehicles to get a glimpse of the giant cow. When Mrs. Gorman saw the reaction, she knew she wanted a giant cow in front of her dairy.
Joe Sr. placed the order. The big cow was delivered in January 1967.
Once the big cow was set in place, Mrs. Gorman and Joe Sr. conducted a contest to name her. Hundreds of names were submitted before “Three-O-Nina” was chosen. The winner of the naming contest received a color TV — a big deal in 1967.
And so it was that Three-O-Nina came to be. In the 57 years since, this big-boned bovine beauty has served all well. She has stood in the same spot, looking down on all who pass.
There are parking spots in front of the farm-like fence, allowing visitors to park their vehicles, get out and walk around to admire and photograph the 14-by-17-foot, 2000-pound magnificent cow.
In 2010, Parade Magazine selected the top roadside attraction in all 50 states — Three-O-Nina was selected for Pennsylvania.
So the 250th anniversary of Wilkes-Barre Township brought out many who already know what a great town it is.
For example, read this from the Times Leader’s story on Sunday:
“The semiquincentennial brought out a number of vendors with close ties to Wilkes-Barre Township.
“For example, Gail Pukatch was representing St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church. She was helping other members of the church community sell nut and poppy seed rolls, a signature delicacy that goes back generations in the church’s long history.
“Gail identified herself as a third-generation member of the church. The first generation — contemporaries of Pukatch’s grandparents — were its founders.
“Pukatch noted the township’s status as a melting pot for European immigrants who went through Ellis Island around the turn of the century, including her grandparents.
“Look at what’s in Wilkes-Barre Township now,” Pukatch said, pointing to the shopping areas and hospitality buildings that surround the Mohegan Sun Arena, before redirecting her eyes to the pavement at her feet.
“You know what was here? Strip mines.”
“It’s just amazing what Wilkes-Barre Township has become,” said Pukatch. She chalked up much of the municipality’s success to the construction of Interstate 81. Referencing a south-north trip she recently took along the highway, Pukatch said that not many areas directly off of I-81 exits appear to be as bustling as Wilkes-Barre Township.
“After you leave here [and travel north on I-81], even in Scranton you don’t see this,” said Pukatch. “You don’t see this again until you hit Syracuse… It’s a long haul.”
And Three-O-Nina is not far away and Wawa will be here soon!
The post Beyond the Byline: Salute! to Wilkes-Barre Township appeared first on Times Leader.