U p d a t e f r o m o f f i c e

Towamensing Trails Property Owners Association

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE SUBMITTED BY: JOAN ELLIOTT

We need all of our

property owners

to update their

addresses and

phone numbers.

Please contact

the office if you

would like to be

included in the

emergency man-

agement messaging

service, you will

need texting ser-

vices on your cell

phone.

Towamensing

trails poa has no

affiliation with Fa-

cebook or any oth-

er social media

All properties

with homes must

have a 911 number

displayed. Please

follow the penn

forest township

ordinance for 911

signs

Burning requires a

permit, only prop-

erty owners may

burn

Trails Topics December/January Issue

The 2020 Invoices have been mailed. If you did

not receive your invoice please contact the office.

The invoice due date is January 1, 2020. On Jan-

uary 8,2020 a late fee of $25.00 will be applied.

The second late fee of $25.00 gets applied April

1, 2020.

We will be updating badges & vehicle passes.

Please remember we will need your ID, Vehicle

Registrations, and badges. Please be patient, it is

our busy time of the year.

All the new Rules & Regulations will be availa-

ble January 1, 2020.

Starting in February we will start with the regis-

trations of ATV’s and Golf Carts. Golf Carts

require Insurance. ATV’s require a Registration

& Insurance. All Registrations and Insurance

must be in the Deeded owners name.

The office will be closed on December 25, 2019

and January 1, 2020.

The Ladies in the office would like to say Happy

Holidays to all of our Property Owners.

The Lake was scheduled to be drawn

down this year and was not, there were

some issues with the gate. Divers will be

in to investigate.

Gardaworld Security Contract was ap-

proved for three (3) years.

Waste Management Contract has a one (1)

year extension on their contract.

The Maintenance Department will spend

many hours making sure our roads are

cleared in bad weather.

When clearing the roads they will take

care of the six main roads first. After 4

inches of accumulation the secondary’s

and then the cul-de-sacs are taken care of.

Salt and /anti-skid is applied to hills,

curves and intersection.

In closing, I’d like to wish everyone a

Safe, Happy & Healthy Holiday. And a

Happy New Year.

P a g e 2 T o w a m e n s i n g T r a i l s

Area Happenings & Events for December and January

Christmas Tree Farms

Walkers Tree Farm: 380 Spruce St. Lehighton Pa

Old Homestead Tree Farm: 1165 Strohl’s Valley Rd.,

Lehighton Pa

Hill Farms: 1434 Gilbert Hill Road, Lehighton Pa

Crystal Spring Tree Farm: 2424 Mahoning Dr. E. Lehighton

Pa

Beisel’s Christmas Tree Hill: 524 Beisels Rd. Leighton Pa

Winter Fun: Skiing and Snowboarding

Jack Frost/Big Boulder: 570-443-8425

Camel Back Mountain: 570-629-1661

Blue Mountain: 610-826-7700

Shawnee Mountain: 570-421-7231

Snowmobiling State Parks

1-888-727-2757

Hickory Run: 3613 Pa-534, White Haven Pa

Tobyhanna: 124 Campground Rd. Tobyhanna Pa

Promise Land: 10 Greentown Plz, Greentown Pa

Lehigh Gorge: S. Lehigh Gorge Dr, Weatherly Pa

Indoor Water Parks

H2Oooohh: 570-722-9111 ext: 789

Camel Back: Aquatopia indoor Waterpark :570-629-1665

Kalahari’s Indoor Waterpark: 855-879-1798

Great Wolf Den: 570-478-9653

Things To Do

Jim Thorpe Old Time Christmas Jim Thorpe, Pa

Photos with Santa, Horse drawn carriage rides. Live En-

tertainment throughout town

Dec 7-8, 14-15, 21-22

Koziars Christmas Village, 782 Christmas Vil-

lage Road Bernville PA

Nov 2– Jan 1st

Mon-Fri. 6:00-9:00pm

Saturday 5:00-9:30pm

Sunday 5:00-9:00pm

Ages 3 & Under Free: 4-10 $10.00

11-64 $12.00 and seniors (65+) $11.00

Breakfast with Santa: Penn Forest #2 Firehouse

across from IML

December 8th 8:00am –12:00pm

Santa will give each child a little something,

Please don’t bring your own gifts

Adults $8.00 Children $5.00

All you can eat: French Toast, bacon, sausage, chipped

beef, eggs made to order including omelets, home fries,

toast coffee & orange juice. They are also accepting do-

nations for Toys for Tots.

North Pole Limited Steam Train Ride with Santa

350 Cliff St. Scranton Pa

(theironhorsesociety.com) 610-442-3442

Dec 8th-14th-15th

Adults $20.00 Children (2-12) $10.00

P a g e 3

TREASURER’S REPORT 10/31/2019

August Income $ 29,174.95

Expenses

Administrative $ 21,501.42

Community Wide $ 18,145.47

Security $ 20,883.01

Maintenance $ 43,039.48

Recreation $ 4,427.19

Trash Removal $ 12,147.66

Restricted Funds $ 389,795.45

Total Expenses $ 509,939.68

Cash Assets

Operating Funds $ 334,703.18

Reserves $ 1,699,306.69

Dam Bond $ 235,204.23

Lake/Dam Preservation $ 622,000.00

Contingency Fund $ 130,391.86

Committees $ 3,871.41

Total $ 3,025,477.37

Liabilities - none outstanding at this time

SAVE THE DATES

December 7, 2019: Lake Preservation Meeting 9am (Teepee)

December 7, 2019: ACC Meeting 10am (Teepee)

December 7, 2019: Tree Lighting 4pm (Community Center)

December 14, 2019: Board of Directors Meeting 10am (Teepee)

December 14, 2019: Kids Christmas Party 10am (Community

Center)

December 21, 2019: Emergency Management Meeting 9:30am

(Teepee)

December 21, 2019: Publications Meeting 11:00am (Teepee)

December 24, 2019: Office is closed at noon

December 25, 2019: OFFICE IS CLOSED

December 28, 2019: Civil Penalty Meeting (Closed)

December 31, 2019: Office is closed at noon

January 1, 2020: OFFICE IS CLOSED

January 4, 2020: ACC Meeting 10am (Teepee)

January 11, 2020: Board of Directors Meeting 10am (Teepee)

January 18, 2020: Emergency Management Meeting 9:30am

(Teepee)

January 18, 2020: Publications Meeting 11am (Teepee)

January 25, 2020: Civil Penalty Meeting (closed)

ATV Penalties 0

Criminal Mischief 1

Disorderly Conduct 1

Dog 5

Trash/Illegal Dumping 13

Illegal Parking 3

Stop Sign 3

Speeding 1

Other Violations 1

Burglaries 0

Theft 1

Suspicious Activity 11

TTPOA/BOD Request 9

2020 Annual Assessments

House: $454.00

Lot: $380.00

All Invoices have been mailed

and due by January 1, 2020.

O c t o b e r 5 t h T r a i l s C l e a n u p

K i d s H a l l o w e e n P a r t y

P a g e 4

T L T C H a l l o w e e n B a s h

T o w a m e n s i n g T r a i l s

Saturday, October 5th brought 28 volunteer residents out and about in the Trails on a mission to pick up

litter while networking with fellow neighbors and friends. Vests, gloves and trash bags were provided

by Penn Dot and Ocean Conservancy, in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful.

A cookout lunch preceded the cleanup with grilled hamburgers (donated by Ciavarella Construction)

and hot dogs, served up by Joe Benckert, and an array of sides and home made desserts made by Advi-

sory Board committee members. As always, Melanie Peabody’s homemade chocolate chip cookies,

and Julie Foley’s vanilla pound cake stole the show!

Vince and Erik from Maintenance were on hand to get the grill fired up and pull around their trailer for

the filled bags of litter. This year’s ‘haul’ that was returned to the trailer was only 10 bags and several

tires as an estimated 10 bags were dropped directly at the dump. The small count is a testament to the

overall success of our bi-annual cleanups -- there is less and less litter on our roads as we have all

worked hard to make our community a better place by picking up litter on an ongoing basis. Stop by

the Tee Pee and see our 2019 Certificate of Appreciation from Ocean Conservancy for our efforts!

The Trails has declared war on litter, and effectively ‘turned the tide on trash’. Everyone should collec-

tively take a bow and feel great pride in living here!

Carla Benckert, Trails Advisory Board

“Back to the Woods” was the theme for this year’s Halloween party. Brian and

Sue Denham transformed the club into a spooky and scary woods atmosphere.

All the decorations and props were amazing. A large headless horseman wel-

comed you as you entered the club. Tommy Tunes provided the music that got

everyone up dancing and doing the monster mash. First prize for the best cos-

tume went again to Greg and Kathy Martini who came dancing in as jellyfish.

Second prize went to Rich Snyder with his blowup costume and third prize for

the Wizard of Oz trio Helen and Kurt Thalheimer and Carolynn Itchmoney.

Every year the costumes keep getting more elaborate and creative. Thanks to

The Denham’s and all who helped and participated in this great Halloween

bash. Congratulations to all the winners. Looking forward to next years' crea-

tions!

Another great POA Halloween party was held a few weeks for the kids. We had the Paw Patrol, ghosts & goblins, princess & fairies, policeman, lady bugs & the cutest little Minnie Mouse. The kids had a great time making crafts, doing seek & find puzzles, cutting out pumpkins and mak-ing spiders. There was plenty of great snacks including cupcakes. cookies, yogurts, string cheese, puddings etc. It ended with a treat parade around the room & all the children left with a bag full of candy & treats. Special thanks to all who helped.

T h e V e t e r a n s o f t h e T r a i l s

W h e r e ' d T h a t S a y i n g C o m e F r o m

W i n t e r H o l i d a y s

P a g e 5

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 294 meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6 pm in the community room at the Community Center. They collect items for local troops serving in harm's way four times a year. If you know of anyone serving overseas in harm's way give that person's name and number to Joe O'Brien (570 215 4036). The next shipment to go over will be at the December meeting. The average cost per shipment is between $500 and

$700. If you would like to make a monetary contribution you can either bring it to the meeting December 3rd or

drop it off at DiMaria Realty c/o the VFW.

NON- monetary contributions can be left by the stage at the Community Center. A list of items needed is at the

TLTC as well as DiMaria Reality.

Thank you for past and future support.

Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights occurs from December 2 to December 10. It is a Jewish celebration honoring the Maccabee’s Victory over King Antiochus who forbade the Jews to practice their religion. The 8th night of the holiday is celebrated with prayer, lighting the Menorah, and food. The Menorah has 9 candles one for each night plus a helper candle. Children play games, sing & exchange gifts. This honors the

ancient miracle of one days worth of oil that burned for 8 days.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is on December 25th & is celebrated by Christians around the world. Our ancestors brought their customs to this country which are part of our Christmas celebration today. We decorate trees with lights & ornaments, use

wreaths, candles, holly & mistletoe. People attend church services & Santa Claus comes on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts to the children.

Kwanza means “first fruits” & is based on an African harvest festival. It is celebrated December 26 thru January 1. Family & friends gather together, exchange gifts, & light a series of black, red & green candles. These symbolize the basic values of African Americans family life. They are unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility, coopera-

tive economics, purpose, creativity & faith. The candle holder is called a Kinara.

January 1st is the first day of the New Year. New Year’s Eve is celebrated with parties & fireworks. Many

foods that are thought to bring good luck are eaten on New Year’s Day. In the south it’s black eyed peas &

greens to bring wealth & here it’s pork to symbolize moving forward.

3 Kings day or the Epiphany marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas. It was when the 3 wise men brought

gifts to the baby Jesus. In many countries this is the day that gifts are exchanged.

Chinese New Year occurs on different days each year, usually between January 21 & February 20. It is the most important traditional Chinese holiday, celebrated with visits to family & friends. A large dinner of fish,

noodles & dumplings is served on New Years Eve.

Etymology is the study of the history of words. By extension, the phrase "the etymology of [some word]"

means the origin of the particular word.

The etymology of holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"). The

word originally referred only to special religious days. In modern use, it means any special day of rest or

relaxation, as opposed to normal days away from work or school.

In many English-speaking countries, the last few months of the calendar year have become known as the “Holiday Season.” It is generally accepted to wish people a “Happy Holiday,” regardless of a person’s religious views. Historically this always referred to specific holy days in the Christian liturgical calendar, Christmas being one of the highest holy days of the year. Over time the original meaning was lessened as holy days became associated with vacations and time off of work. Typically Christians would not work on these days, so rest and relaxation were a natural part of every holy day.

A L o o k a t t h e T r a i l s i n t h e 9 0 ’ s

P a g e 6 T o w a m e n s i n g T r a i l s

As we headed into the 90’s many improvements came with a new decade. Security was now 24 hours/7 days a week. Two bus shelters were built in 1990 and were funded by Mauch Chunk Bank. A dedication ceremony was held in August 1990 for our newly built softball field and aluminum can recycling began. Jerry’s Kids Walk-A-Thons continued in the Trails through the 90’s. A new pool was installed along with a

wading pool for kids. In June of 1990 it was reported that 7 golden eagles were spotted flying in loose formation around the lake.

By 1991 there were 1,350 homes. Our population was growing. However, in 1991 a ban on ATVs was put into effect because of some reckless driving. It was then lifted after new Rules and Regulations were enforced carrying heavy fines to help encourage safer riding. New activities began such as a youth softball team, tennis tournaments, horseshoe tournaments and a Little Mr. and Miss Towamensing Trails contest for ages 3 and under held at Fun Day. The beach was expanded by one third with 172 tons of sand brought in along with the volley ball court installation. A fashion show was held at the TLTC with residents as models sporting winter and ski apparel. It was sponsored by The Crossings offering 10% discounts from the various stores that participated. Also, the first TLTC golf tournament was held. Around that time for a short

period of time the TLTC was called the Lakeside Lounge. We even had a 30 piece string band perform there.

In 1992 the State Turnpike Commission began discussions to create an exit off the Turnpike at 903. Luckily that finally happened! The

Blizzard of 1993 went down as the worst storm in the Trails occurring March 13-14 totaling 32 inches. It was said that Hillary Clinton’s two brothers were snowbound in the Trails during that blizzard. The coldest day recorded in that decade was 16 below zero occurring in January of

1994. However the highest total season snowfall was recorded during the winter of 1995/96 - 155 inches!!

During the mid 90s burglaries were on the rise again. Along with organized watch groups came the development of home watch com-panies. For a monthly fee home owners could arrange to have periodic checks done on their homes. The Trails also embarked on a mission to make the Trails the best it can be and voted in a special assessment to rebuild roads, improve, and update facilities. Eventually the Pavilion was erected with an opening ceremony held with food, music and games in August of 1995. The Fish and Game Commission inspected our dam and

saw that 4 beaver dams were built raising the water level 5 feet above normal. It was agreed the dams needed to be removed.

In Feb 1996 with four feet of snow on the ground a severe rainstorm occurred. It was the worst flooding in the Trails in 20 years caus-ing extensive damage to our roads and part of the dam. In December 1997 there was a leak at the water release gate housing causing the lake to have to be drained for repair. Because of low precipitation in the winter and spring of 1998 the lake could not open until late July. Due to in-creased attendance at the pool, admission was restricted to odd and even days based on badge numbers. This however was lifted when the lake

reopened.

Although not in the Trails, as part of race weekend festivities in June 1998 an eight horse hitch of the Budweiser Clydesdales appeared in several surrounding areas including McGinley Pocono Trail lodge, Mount Pocono and Tannersville. In January of 1999 a Towamensing Trails Teens Committee was formed (TTTC) with 11 members, a liaison and a parent advisor. The committee organized teen activities and events to

get the younger members of the Trails involved.

We are an ever evolving community!

S t a t e s P a r t 3 OHIO - The hot dog was invented here in 1900.

OKLAHOMA - The grounds of the state capital are

covered by operating oil wells.

OREGON - Has the most ghost towns in the country.

PENNSYLVANIA - The smiley :) was first used in

1980 by computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon Uni-

versity.

RHODE ISLAND - The nation’s oldest bar, the White

Horse Tavern, opened here in 1673.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Sumter County is home too the world's largest ginkgo

Farm.

SOUTH DAKOTA - Is the only state that's never had an earthquake.

TENNESSEE - Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry is the longest running live Radio

show in the world.

TEXAS - Dr. Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. The hamburger was in-

vented in Arlington in 1906.

UTAH - The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant opened here in 1952.

VERMONT - Montpelier is the only state capital without a McDonald’s.

VIRGINIA - Home of the world’s largest office building, The Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Seattle has twice as many college graduates as any other

state.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Is the first planned capital in the world.

WEST VIRGINIA - Had the world’s first brick paved street, Summers Street,

Laid in Charleston in 1870.

WISCONSIN - The ice cream sundae was invented here in 1881 to get around

Blue Laws prohibiting ice cream from being sold on Sunday. Also, the Ameri-

can Water Spaniel was created there and is the state dog.

WYOMING - Was the first state to allow women to vote.

Hope you enjoyed these tidbits!

T r a i l s C h r i s t m a s T r e e L i g h t i n g

C e r e m o n y

T o y s f o r T o t s

T T P O A C h i l d r e n ’ s C h r i s t m a s P a r t y

P a g e 7

Something new for our Trails community! Please mark your calendars for our very first Christ-

mas tree lighting ceremony and click THIS LINK (http://jbstechservices.com/

TowamensingTrails) to view details and sign up with family and friends (RSVP not mandatory/

but it will be helpful for us to get an estimation of attendance!)

Join us on Saturday, December 7th from 4:00 –5:00 p.m. at the pavilion (near the pool and

TLTC) for a festive occasion as we gather together as a community to kick off the holiday sea-

son. There will be hot chocolate and holiday cookies for everyone, and your favorite Christmas

music -- the magic moment when the tree will be lit is 4:30 p.m. This will be a wonderful

The annual POA Children's party will be held on December 14th from 10am to

noon. We are limited to 50 children's & 2 adults per child due to room capacity.

Please be on time as it will be a fun filled day. Call the Teepee to sign your

child/children up as spots fill up fast. We will be having crafts, music, floor

games & lots of good treats. Come meet Santa in his new house & have your

holiday pictures taken.

The Annual Toys for Tots Diner will be held at the TLTC, Thursday De-

cember 12, 2019 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. If you would like to attend please

sign up in advance at the TLTC, you will pay at the door. The cost is $15.00

for the buffet dinner. Please bring an unwrapped toy.

The Marines will be presented with a check and the toys as well as joining

in with the festivities.

Ingredients

16oz. Breakfast Sausage

One Bag O/Brien Potatoes

10 Eggs

1 1/2 Cups Milk

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

Spray 13X9 inch (3 qt.) baking dish with

cooking spray. Brown breakfast sausage

or sausage of your choice over medium

heat until no longer pink; drain.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard

& pepper with a whisk, stir in potatoes, 1

cup of the cheese & the cooked sausage.

Pour mixture into baking dish; cover &

refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer

then 12 hours.

Heat oven to 350F. Remove dish from

refrigerator, uncover & top with remain-

ing cheese. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or

until center is just set. Cool 10 minutes

before serving.

Any fresh or frozen potatoes can be used,

hash browns, home fries, even tater tots;

just thaw if frozen before use. Chopped

peppers & onions can be added if not

using the O’Brien potatoes.

Enjoy time with the family while the oven

does the cooking.

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

P a g e 8

ENTERTAINMENT

Dec. 7 Long Time Coming Band 7-11PM

Dec. 14 DJ Cindy 7pm- 11pm

Dec. 31 Slick Rhodes 9pm- 1 am

Jan. 4 DJ TBA 7pm- 11pm

Jan 18 DJ Joe 7pm- 11pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special Announcement

Monday nights Darts & Trivia

Tuesday nights Texas hold-m cards

Open shuffleboard

Thursday nights Closed shuffleboard league

Saturday Open shuffleboard league

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT TLTCLIVE

NEW YEARS EVE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW

Please note

The club will be closed on the following dates

Christmas Eve December 24, 2019

Christmas Day December 25, 2019

New Years Eve December 31, 2019

TLTC NEWSLETTER

TLTC NEWSLETTER

Monday ~ Tues ~ Wed ~ Thurs 4pm-10pm

Friday 3pm-12 am

Saturday 12 pm- 12am

Sunday 12 pm- 8 pm

TLTC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ray Forlano President

Bob Barauskas Vice President

Kevin Powers Treasurer

Frank Eberle Secretary

Joe McBride Director

Rich Gericke Director

Bob Steiger Director

B A R M E N U A V A I L A B L E

S U N D A Y 1 2 - 8 : 0 0

S A T U R D A Y 1 2 - 4 : 4 5

M O N D A Y B A R M E N U 4 P M - 8 P M

T U E S D A Y B A R M E N U 4 P M - 8 P M

W E D W I N G S 4 P M - 8 P M

T H U R S B A R M E N U 4 P M - 8 P M

D I N N E R F R I D A Y 5 P M - 1 0 P M

S A T U R D A Y 5 P M - 9 P M

EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

IS ALSO IN NEED OF

VOLUNTEERS

The Activities Committee is Searching for Mom’s & Dad’s of School Age Children

Do you wish for the 3 Holiday Parties and Fun Day in July to Continue? Is so, this is what we need:

An Organized Leader

Coordinator of the Day’s Activities

Someone with Creative Ideas

Your Participation is sorely needed as our Senior Committee Members are ready to “Officially” Retire. The Grandmothers of the committee are

willing to help as needed. Call or stop by the Teepee to complete an application .

Towamensing Trails POA

PO BOX 100

Albrightsville, PA 18210

Phone: 570-722-0302

Fax: 570-722-2061

Email: office@towamensing.com

Towamensing Trails Security: 570-722-9563

TTPOA Office: 570-722-0302

Monday thru Friday 9am to 5pm

Saturday 9am to 3pm Sunday Closed

TTPOA Web Site: www.towamensing.com

TTPOA Email: office@towamensing.com

Trails Lake and Tennis Club: 570-722-8582

TLTC Web Site: www.tltclive.com

Police Department (non-emergency):

Carbon County Sheriff: 570-325-2821

Fern Ridge Police Department: 570-646-2271

Postal Service:

Albrightsville Post Office: 570-722-9493

Penn Forest Fire Departments:

Fire Company #1 (Route 903): 570-325-4203

Fire Company #2 (Route 534): 570-722-0555

Albrightsville (Route 534): 570-722-8325

Borough and Township Offices:

Carbon County Office: 570-325-3611

Penn Forest Township: 570-325-2768

Medical:

Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital: 610-377-1300

Lehigh Valley Hospital: 570-421-4000

Geisinger: 570-808-7300

US Veterans Hospital: 570-824-3521

St. Luke’s Urgent Care Center: 570-325-2400

St. Luke’s Monroe Campus Hospital 272-212-1000