The lighter side of The News: All-hands-on-deck proposal; turtle on the lam; fitting use for Cowboys’ paraphernalia

Dale Witherell wanted to pull off a special proposal for his girlfriend, Carrie Garlapo.

So he took out a Bee Newspapers classified ad looking for a boat owner to help. Dan Penberthy was reading the paper at a Dash’s Market in Amherst when, intrigued, he reached out to Witherell.

That’s how Penberthy ended up Sunday evening on the Erie Canal, along Ellicott Creek Park in the Town of Tonawanda, a banner strapped to his pontoon boat reading, “Carrie, Will You Marry Me? I love you, Dale.”

Witherell was with Garlapo near the water’s edge. His plan included a faux message in a bottle and an engagement ring hidden in a seashell. A photographer waited out of sight.

To add some class, Penberthy wore the top half of a circa-1988 tuxedo, with shorts in place of the pants.

Witherell said it took Garlapo a bit to catch on but, once she figured it out, she shook so much he had trouble slipping the ring on her finger.

Steering his boat back to its dock afterward, Penberthy said some women along the shoreline responded to the banner’s question with enthusiastic cheering.

Witherell raved about Penberthy, who refused payment.

Asked whether they’ll incorporate Penberthy into their wedding, Witherell said, “We probably should consider it.”

Penberthy said he was glad to help two people he now considers his friends.

“It makes you feel good,” he said.

An escaped tortoise was happily reunited with his family after taking a slow, steady stroll through the Elmwood Village. 

A motorist spotted the 22-year-old red-footed tortoise, named Rex,…