Features

Coal Cracker’s Summer Fun Guide

Top Six Family Friendly Activities   By Kassidy Ravina and Sara Dimmick         There are a lot of fun things to do in or around Schuylkill County, PA. Here are our picks of the best six activities to consider this summer while with friends or family. And...   Read More

Photo of a blighted Coal Region property. The new land bank may help to fight blight.

Land Bank Formed to Fight Blight

By Amber Lawrence         Have you ever walked past an empty lot or a building that has been struck by neighborhood blight? Did you ever wonder how someone could put the property to use again? The Schuylkill County Land Bank may be able to help with that....   Read More

Summer photo of the Giant Flume at Knoebels Amusement Resort by Rhiannon Barkus.

Slide into Summer!

By Rhiannon Barkus         School is over, and you know what that means. No more homework, and we get a break for a few months! Sure, we have some short breaks during the school year. We have Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Act 80 days, which happen for...   Read More

Freeze pops photo.

Easy Freeze Pops Recipe

By Taylor Walsh         During the summer, I have a lot of time on my hands. One of the things I do to keep myself occupied is try new things. Last summer, I went searching and I found the perfect summer treat: freeze pops! My favorite drink...   Read More

2016 Give Us Your Best Shot Winners

The Schuylkill Conservation District and Schuylkill County Conservancy recently held the annual Give Us Your Best Shot photo contest, which included two categories: It’s Schuylkill County—Naturally! and Nature Matters to Me. This year’s contest judges were Robert “Bob” Evanchalk, Schuylkill Conservation District’s Parks and Recreation Supervisor; and Coal Cracker Publisher...   Read More

Mahanoy vs. Shenandoah Walking Challenge

The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and The PA Department of Health are partnering with Schuylkill County’s VISION to increase opportunities for physical activity in the Mahanoy Area and Shenandoah Valley school districts through an initiative called WalkWorks. By establishing community-based walking routes and forming walking groups,...   Read More

The Full Moon – A Lunar Lesson

By Oceana O’Boyle         Staying with the science theme that I usually write about, I will be exploring the full moon, which is “the lunar phase that occurs when the moon is completely illuminated as seen from the earth,” according to Wikipedia. “This occurs when the moon...   Read More

Photo of peacocks by Sandy Long.

Peacocks Rock

By Myla Wall         I love all the colors of peacock feathers when they fan them out. They are beautiful animals! I wanted to learn more about them so I did some online research at ScienceKids.com and Animals.NationalGeographic.com. Peacocks are birds in the family of pheasants. Actually,...   Read More

Photo by Nikki Stetson of the Coal Cracker staff at a photography workshop.

Photography and Life Lessons

By Kassidy Ravina and Sara Dimmick         Photography is like telling a story with pictures. That’s what we learned in a “Smart Photos with Smart Phones” workshop on January 30 at the Teen Canteen with journalist Garry Pierre-Pierre, the Executive Director of the Community Reporting Alliance, which...   Read More

A map of one of the new Mahanoy City walking routes.

Walking Routes Promote Health

By Amber Lawrence         Do you want to have a healthier lifestyle? You can do that just by taking a walk in your town. The program Walk Works is from the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. It establishes walking trails on existing sidewalks...   Read More

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