Lackawanna College Hosts Nunsense Play

The smash-hit musical comedy Nunsense returns to Scranton at the People’s Security Theater on the campus of Lackawanna College. Our Cabaret Productions is partnering with Lackawanna in this professional theater fundraising event to support higher education in the region. The music and antics of the Little Sisters of Hoboken will entertain audiences on Saturday, March 22 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35. Patrons can also enjoy pre-show dinner or brunch from St. Julia’s Kitchen before each show at 409 on Adams, the college’s student-run restaurant. Advanced reservations are required, $40 per person.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our cast and crew as we celebrate our company’s twentieth anniversary,” said John Baldino, general manager of Our Cabaret Productions and an assistant professor at Lackawanna. “The People’s Security Theater at Lackawanna College is a special gem in a city so rich in theater history and Nunsense is a gem of a show in the musical theater world. Bringing them together will be a tremendous experience for faculty, students, staff, supporter of the college, and theater-goers all over northeastern Pennsylvania. I’m also eager for my students and colleagues to meet Sr. Hubert.”

The show will star Rob Misko as Rev. Mother and John Baldino as Sr. Mary Hubert with Laura Lockwood as Sr. Mary Leo, Christine McGeachie as Sr. Mary Amnesia, and Courtney Rosenkrans as Sr. Robert Anne. Nunsense is produced by Baldino and directed by Misko with tap choreography by Ballroom ONE Dance Company, Eynon.

“I have had a love affair with Nunsense since I first saw the off-Broadway production in 1985,” said Misko, who directed the first non-Equity production of Nunsense in Carbondale and has performed as Rev. Mother more than 150 times. “And it’s always special to direct and perform in the show. To mount a Nunsense production alongside my closest friends in a space like the People’s Security Theater is a dream come true.”

Book, music, and lyrics of Nunsense are written by Dan Goggin. The show is produced through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals, New York, New York. Tickets for the show, brunch, dinner, and a VIP meet-the-cast reception following the March 22 performance are on sale now at ourcabaret.com.

About Nunsense

Nunsense begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the school auditorium, which is currently set up for the eighth-grade production of Grease.

About Our Cabaret Productions

Our Cabaret Productions is an ASCAP-licensed, non-Equity, professional theatrical production company based in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. In operation since 2005, the company produces several incarnations of Dan Goggin’s Nunsense series as fundraising events and offers professional Christmas caroling for private parties, community festivals, and corporate events during the winter holiday season

Girls Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Upcoming Events

Women in Distinction

Celebrating those who lift others in our community

Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania’s Women of Distinction Gala identifies five women of influence who serve as inspirational figures for girls and young women. These women are members of our local communities and represent the core values we instill in girls through Girl Scouts.

Please join us on March 26, 2025, at the Harrisburg Hilton for our 2025 celebration.

Discover more about the event.

2025 Embracing Ambition Conference

Join us for a powerful day of inspiration at our Embracing Ambition Conference!

The conference is centered around the book, “Embracing Ambition: Empowering Women to Step Out, Be Seen, & Lead,” which shares the stories of twelve remarkable women leaders who have overcome challenges, broken down barriers, and paved new paths across various industries. Together, they reveal insights on addressing perception barriers, integrating personal identity with professional success, embracing new challenges, and leading with a visionary spirit.

The authors, including Girl Scout in the Heart of Pennsylvania’s President and CEO, Janet Donovan, will bring these themes to life, offering invaluable advice and encouragement for women ready to make their mark. Attendees will leave motivated, empowered, and ready to turn their own ambitions into action.

March 26, 2025 | Harrisburg Hilton | Harrisburg, Pa. 

Discover more about the event

Stone House Investment Celebrates New Office in Clarks Summit

Stone House Investment Management is thrilled to announce the opening of its new office location at 103 West Grove Street, Clarks Summit,

PA, below Kelly Dental. This expansion marks an exciting milestone as Stone House continues to grow and extend its services to the Lackawanna County area.

To celebrate this grand opening, Stone House will be hosting an open house on January 24th, starting at 1:00 PM. Guests are invited to visit the newly renovated office space, meet the team of financial advisors, and learn more about their services such as retirement

income planning, business investment services, and personal wealth management. The open house will run until 6:00 PM, providing ample opportunity for community members to drop by at their convenience.

In addition to the open house, Stone House is proud to sponsor a live ice carving at the Clarks Summit Ice Festival that evening. The ice carving will take place at 6:00 PM in the pocket park on Depot Street.

“It will be great to kick off our grand opening around such a treasured, community event,” says Mike Cravath, a Lead Advisor on the Stone House team.

The Advisors are also excited to be extending into Lackawanna County with a holistic strategy, focusing on more than just how much you have saved for retirement. Advisors also consider key areas such as tax, estate, and generational planning, which provides a comprehensive approach for your financial wellbeing.

“We’re excited to start working with more clients in the valley and look forward to serving the community with a local office presence,” said Ryan Vassil, a Lead Advisor at Stone

House. “Our team is committed to helping everyday people feel secure with their financial plans.”

For more information about the open house or their services, please contact Stone House at 570-507-8946 or visit their website at stonehouseinv.com.

RailRiders: Score Big Prizes with Football Squares Promo

Promotion awards fans at the end of each quarter and with the final score on February 9

Super Bowl LIX is just weeks away and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are bringing back the Football Squares promotion to upgrade and reward new ticket package purchases with great prizes and experiences. Fans can purchase flex plans, partial, half or full-season memberships to get involved in the RailRiders Football Squares promotion with the opportunity to win big on February 9.

Chances to win occur with the score at the end of each quarter and at the end of the game. Matching scores will reward you with fun prizes. Squares correspond with the number of packages purchased, so buy multiple plans or memberships for more chances to win!

With the purchase of one flex plan, you will receive one square. If you purchase a partial season plan, you will receive two squares. A half-season plan will receive three squares and any full-season membership purchased will net four squares. All squares are placed at random prior to the big day. Winners are determined by looking at the last number in each team’s score at the end of each quarter and then matching those numbers on the grid and seeing which square intersects those two numbers. 

Winning Outcomes:

  • Match the score at the end of the first quarter and win a RailRiders Prize Pack that includes one white Hawaiian shirt, one blue Hawaiian shirt, a Vejigantes pint glass, a pair of RailRiders flip flops and a $25.00 gift card to the SWB Team Store.
  • Match the score at the end of the second quarter and receive a Roberto Clemente SWB replica jersey, one Jackie Robinson SWB replica jersey, a Squints bobblehead and a $25.00 gift card to the SWB Team Store.
  • Match the score at the end of the third quarter and get two Yankees vouchers (two New York Yankees tickets per voucher), four Geisinger Champions Club tickets to an April or May RailRiders game, one game-worn jersey, an SWB football jersey, one SWB mug PLUS a $25.00 gift card to the SWB Team Store and you’ll get to throw a first pitch prior to a 2025 Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre home game.
  • Match the score at the end of the fourth quarter and win two Yankees vouchers (two New York Yankees tickets per voucher), four Geisinger Champions Club tickets to an April or May RailRiders game, one Jasson Domínguez bobblehead, an SWB tote bag, one autographed baseball PLUS a $100.00 gift card to the SWB Team Store and you’ll throw a first pitch prior to a 2025 Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre home game.
  • If the game goes into overtime and your square matches the final score after OT, you will win one of each previously mentioned promotional items, two Yankees vouchers, four Geisinger Champions Club tickets to an April or May RailRiders game, one autographed baseball PLUS a $100.00 gift card to the SWB Team Store and you’ll get to throw a first pitch prior to a 2025 Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre home game.

Additional terms, restrictions, and conditions may apply. Please ask your sales representative to clarify any concerns.

Ticket packages for the 2025 season, including all season ticket memberships and flex plans, are available now and Football Squares are on a limited, first-come, first-served basis until Friday, February 7. For more information, please visit swbrailriders.com or contact a ticket sales representative at (570) 969-BALL.

Northeast Regional Cancer Institute’s 22nd Annual CASUAL Day Announces Chair

Alessandro Smeraldi, MD is chair for the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute’s 22nd Annual CASUAL (Colon Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Adult Lives) Day for a second year.  Building on the momentum he gained last year; he is once again teaming up with his wife Gail and other healthcare professionals to bring awareness to the importance of colon cancer screening.

Alessandro Smeraldi, MD is a board-certified vascular surgeon. Dr. Smeraldi recently retired, focusing on his family and his health. He is proud to have served his community these many years. He maintains ties with the Society for Vascular Surgery and Society for Vascular Ultrasound. Additionally, he serves as a clinical professor of surgery at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton.  

Dr. Smeraldi draws daily strength from the love of his wife, Gail, and their children Hayley and Caleb.

CASUAL Day, set for Thursday, March 27, 2025, is a dress down day to raise awareness for colorectal cancer in northeast Pennsylvania.  On this day, participants dress casual while wearing specially designed socks, hats, and/or t-shirts.

The focus of this awareness campaign is to have a casual conversation about colon cancer. All proceeds from the event stay in NEPA and go towards the Cancer Institute efforts to raise awareness and support to support colorectal cancer prevention, early detection education and screenings.

For more information about CASUAL Day and how you can participate, please call the Cancer Institute at (570) 904-8808 or visit www.cancernepa.org.  

Misericordia University Hosts 2025 MILK Event

Join us as on January 20th in Lemmond Theater as we host Emerald Garner, daughter of the late Eric Garner, for a fireside chat discussing her book Finding My Voice. Through her experience, we shall talk about the story of family and community, and the strength it takes to survive, to stand, to speak.

Misericordia University Launches Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic

The Misericordia University College of Business has launched a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic to serve residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The clinic offers free representation to low-income taxpayers involved in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Jim Pierson, J.D., CPA, dean of the College of Business, serves as the clinic director, while Richard Brogan, MBA, MS (Tax), EA, acts as the clinic’s tax specialist. Business students will assist with cases under the supervision of qualified representatives, allowing them to gain practical experience while serving the community.

The clinic’s mission is to ensure fairness and integrity in the tax system for low-income individuals and those who speak English as a second language. It aims to:

  1. Provide pro bono representation in tax disputes.
  2. Educate taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities.
  3. Advocate for issues impacting low-income taxpayers.

“If you have received a tax notice or have unresolved issues such as audits, refund claims, collection actions, identity theft, worker misclassification, state tax concerns, or other matters, please contact us for a confidential consultation,” Pierson said.

The clinic receives matching federal and state funding to provide free services for qualifying taxpayers.

“Our goal is to advocate for low-income taxpayers so they can achieve fair resolutions to their disputes,” Pierson said. “We’re also committed to educating them about their rights and responsibilities under the tax system.”

To reach the Misericordia University Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, call (570) 674-1472 or email taxclinic@misericordia.edu. For more information, visit misericordia.edu/LITC.