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SH recreation commission hosts picnic

Published August 24. 2026 02:48PM
by Ron Gower tneditor@tnonline.com

The summer vacation ended on a happy note for some children on Sunday in Summit Hill with a back-to-school picnic hosted by the Summit Hill Recreation Commission.

About two dozen youngsters attended the event, which featured hot dogs and refreshments, back-to-school supplies and a presentation on bald eagles.

Kathy Gieniec, chairman of the Recreation Commission, said the picnic has become a tradition in the hilltop community.

The eagle presentation was held in Ludlow Park.

The refreshment and the school supplies were given in the Hilltop Community Center. Some of the children sat on the floor of the community center in small groups, picnic style, eating their hot dogs.

Spread out on a table were all sorts of back-to-school items, including some lunch boxes, crayons, school glue and construction paper, from which the youngsters could select what they needed.

Franklin Klock, naturalist with the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, brought “Remy,” a bald eagle that had been hit by a car and serves as an educational prompt at the Environmental Center. Klock said that Remy had multiple injuries, including blindness in one eye, which prevents him from ever being released in the wild again.

He said the eagle has been a fixture on the Seal of the United States since 1782.

By 1982, eagles were on the verge of extinction with only two nesting pairs still known to exist in Pennsylvania. This was due to the widespread use of DDT, a harmful insecticide.

DDT was banned and eagles have made a comeback. By 2007, they were removed from the endangered species list.

Klock explained how valuable Rennie is to the Environmental Education Center. He said, “This bird has taught thousands and thousands of people about bald eagles in the wild and in captivity.”

Klock said the Environmental Center is open for visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

An eagle mascot also attended the picnic in the Community Center. David Gieniec donned an eagle outfit and posed for photos with the youngsters.

A back-to-school picnic was held Sunday in Summit Hill by the borough’s Recreation Commission. Enjoying hotdogs during the event at the Hilltop Community Center are, from left, Erin Smith, Hayley Mack, Samantha Mack and Lilly Mack, all of Summit Hill. RON GOWER/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
Right: A human “eagle” attends the back-to-school picnic by the Summit Hill Recreation Commission on Sunday. Standing next to the bird is Bo Black, age 4, of Summit Hill. Inside the eagle outfit was David Gieniec. About two dozen children attended, which featured a live eagle presentation.
Above: Franklin Klock, naturalist with the Carbon County Environmental Education Center, holds Remy, a bald eagle, during a presentation at a back-to-school picnic hosted by the Summit Hill Recreation Commission in Summit Hill on Sunday.