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	History of Freeland, Pa. Recreation: Movie theatres, wedding/dance halls, parks and picnic grounds
	MOVIE THEATRES (please also visit the Entertainment section) [Thanks to Ed Merrick, David Timony, Pete Timony for additions and corrections. Photos of Stoffa's Pool and pool ticket from Al Stoffa; all other photos of buildings and postcards by Chuck and Steve Tancin.] Popular Drive-In - Zubach family - Freeland-White Haven highway - 1949-1978 Refowich Theatre - Centre &  Main Streets (Opened Feb. 17, 1914, 670 seats; Jake, Ike, and Moe Refowich, original proprietors; then Siroki brothers; later run by Will Doynics, Stanley Potoski and Tom Landers; closed in 1974?) Rialto Theatre - Timony family; then Refowich brothers; then Siroki brothers - South St., between Centre & Ridge Streets (formerly Timony Theatre as of 1920; Strand as of 1935; Rialto as of 1938) - 1920-1957 St. Mary's School Auditorium (also known as The Greeks, or The Auditorium Theatre) - Fern St. (Sylvester DeFrancesco, proprietor; later H. F. Christy and John Urishin)  - 1931-1954 or 1957 Timony Theatre - South Street between Centre & Ridge streets (originally Timony Hall, a dance hall; later the Rialto Theatre, then later a clothing factory) (From David Timony: I'm always looking to see if there are any physical remains of the Timony businesses in Freeland. Many folks there still refer to the landmarks--take a left at the Timony Theater--but there is no evidence to be seen.) (From Pete Timony: My great-grandfather Peter Timony owned many businesses in Freeland, including the theatre. I was sorry to see in your web-site that Timony Hall was torn down in March. I recall someone pointing it out as a kid. I would have loved to revisit it today.) WEDDING AND DANCE HALLS Boyko's Hall - Main St., Upper Lehigh (built in the 1880s by the Windsor Coal Company, to serve as the company's general store and butcher shop; later acquired by the Boyko family and operated as a dance hall; when I was four years old I was the flower girl for my aunt Helen and uncle Charlie who had their wedding party there - photo at left shows the building when it was the company store; the building eventually burned to the ground) Highland Hall - Highland road Krell's Hall - corner of Front & Washington Streets Public Park Pavilion - Public Park, east Front St. St. John's Church Hall - Ridge & Luzerne Streets (the old hall, was formerly the old church) St. John's Church Hall - Fern Street between South and Main Streets (the new hall, on site of former Freeland Brewery) St. Mary's Parish Hall - Fern Street, next to St. Mary's rectory (on the site of the old grade school) St. Michael's Bowling Alley - Fern & Carbon Streets Timony Hall - South St. between Ridge and Centre Streets (see also Timony Theatre, above) PARKS, PICNIC GROUNDS, SPORTS, RECREATION [Thanks to Ed Merrick. Tom Detweiler, Al Stoffa for additions and corrections. Thanks to Al Stoffa for the images of the pool and the season ticket, too.] [Park near Schwabe St., name unknown] - below Schwabe St. (From Tom Detweiler: There was also a playground behind my grandparents house, my grandfather helped construct it and the small meeting/grill house. I would say it was constructed between 1958 and 1960. There was also a reservoir behind their house in the play ground area. I used to fall into that at least once a summer chasing frogs. I'm not sure if the playground had a name or not. At least I can't remember anyone referring to it with a name. It had swings, a merry-go-round, a sliding board, and a couple of sandboxes. If I remember Schwabe street correctly it was South of it. You had to drive down a dirt and stone "road" to get to the playground. We used to sleigh ride down that road in the winter.) (From Chuck Tancin: I think I collected frogs' eggs and caught tadpoles somewhere near that park, maybe in that reservoir, with Bernadette Banja sometime when we were in grade school. I thought she called it the 2nd Ward Park, but I don't know …) 4th Ward Park (swings, sliding board, picnic facilities, baseball field) - between Walnut & Foster Streets? Angela Park - Route 309 (amusement park and picnic area, not in Freeland, but much loved by many Freelanders) (Thanks to Captain Clint for this postcard image.) Little League Field (baseball field) - Luzerne & Vine Streets M & M Roller Rink - Ridge & South Streets (Mr. Mills, proprietor, early 1960s) (former factory; later a warehouse for Balas's Tires) Nocchi's Pool - Schwabe St. (Tony Nocchi) Public Park (swings, sliding board, merry-go-round, dance hall, picnic facilities) - Front St., between Washington & Birkbeck Streets Rossi's Ice Skating Rink - Carbon St., near Adams St. and near the railroad trestle, which no longer exists (Marino Rossi, proprietor) St. Casimir's Picnic Grove (in what is known as St. Ann's) St. Mary's Grove (dance hall, picnic facilities) - St. Ann's Drive St. Michael's Bowling Alley (bowling alley, dance hall, pirohi sales) - Fern & Carbon Streets St. Michael's Park (swings, sliding board, breezeway, picnic facilities) - Luzerne St., between Fern & Vine Streets Stoffa's Pool and Grove - Rte. 309, Drums (Joseph Stoffa, proprietor) (From Ed Merrick: My friends and I spent so many afternoons there, and I have always regretted that I never took a single photo of the place. The water was always freezing cold because there was no filter system since there was a constant fresh flow from a mountain stream that fed the pool. We stored our clothes in a box, which had a number and which we turned in at the refreshment stand attached to the bathhouse. If you forgot your number, you had to wait until all the other boxes had been emptied to get the one that was left. My friends and I would hitchhike down and back. There was a trail through the woods that eliminated having to walk along the hairpin curve in the steep road there, but that meant you missed your chance of picking  up a ride.) (Photo from Al Stoffa.) Tigers' Field (baseball field) - Hazle St., at south end of Centre St. Victory Grove - (park with dancehall) Freeland-Sandy Run crossroads  (From Tom Detweiler: My Grandfather also helped build the Victory Grove and Mickey Mike and Mary, my grandmother's half-brother and his wife, ran the place. I remember they had a small bar right next to the larger building.) YMCA (basketball court also used for dances, bowling alley, meeting rooms) - Front St., between Washington & Birkbeck Streets ________ [and a mystery park …] (From Tom Detweiler: There was also some sort of playground or park behind my grandfather's brother's house on Ridge Street. I remember that it had a cement block club house/bar righ smack dab in the middle of the field. My grandfather would always take us up there and we usually came away with free creamcicles. I don't know if it still exists or houses were built on it.)

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