SUNBURY— Every dog has its day, but on Tuesday so will a group of donkeys.
For the second year in a row, donkeys will be heeing and hawing their way around the basketball court as 24 Shikellamy seniors play 24 employees of The Daily Item and radio station 94 KX in donkey basketball. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Shikellamy High School.
The game is a fundraiser for Newspapers in Education, a national program bringing local newspapers into classrooms. The Daily Item pays 75 percent of the cost to distribute 21,000 newspaper copies per month to schools in four counties and raises money to pay the remaining 25 percent.
Slade Shreck, The Daily Item customer service supervisor, has coordinated the donkey basketball game both years after he suggested holding it as a fundraiser for the program.
“I played donkey basketball at Shikellamy as a fundraiser for the National Honor Society and thought it would be a good one for Newspapers in Education,” Shreck said.
Five players at a time from each basketball team will ride and maneuver donkeys in the court and try to shoot into the basketball hoops. And no, the hoops won’t be lowered — they’ll remain at regulation height.
The game will last about two hours, though the real amusement might be watching players clean up after their donkeys. Scoopers will be provided. However, participating donkeys are experienced in the game and come from a company in Pennsylvania specializing in donkey basketball and softball.
“These donkeys are so trained,” Shreck said. “They even wear little boots so the floor and their hooves are protected.”
Last year’s donkey basketball game raised $5,000 and sold about l,100 tickets, Shreck said.
“The day of the event last year, we had maybe 400 tickets sold so far, and I thought that was good. But then we sold more and had to hold the game until we got all 1,100 people in the building,” Shreck said.
Shreck said two Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders are planning to attend the event, which he hopes will bring even more people to the game. There also will be a concession stand run by the Resilite Wrestling Club and a 50/50 raffle.
Upon hearing about the game, Bucknell University men’s basketball coach Pat Flannery admitted donkey basketball has “got to be pretty hard.” He offered a piece of advice for the players:
“One thing would be to make sure you don’t fall off your donkey. Players will probably have to shoot with one hand so they can hold on with the other,” he said.
The donkey basketball fundraiser is sponsored by The Daily Item, Sunbury Broadcasting, W&L; Subaru, Surplus Outlet and Window World.
Tickets are $5 in advance and available at the front desk of The Daily Item or by calling Slade Shreck, (800) 792-2303, ext. 461. They will be available for $6 at the door.
News
Donkey basketball is coming your way
It’s a fundraiser for Newspapers in Education
- News
-
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts.
-
Mom: Keller's response left her cold
Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
-
Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
-
Persing truck fee idea stalls
While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
-
Barber draws a crowd
The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St.
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
-
Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
-
Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
-
Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
-
New Berlin pushes to acquire school
NEW BERLIN -- The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
- More News Headlines
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
