Conestoga Valley MARCH 4, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 13,770 HOMES
VOL LXII • NO 11
UDS Will At Zion’s Community Meal, Hold Bingo Nutrition Is Sustenance Fundraiser BY GEORGE DEIBEL
BY JEFF FALK
G
ive us this day our daily bread. Some scholars interpret that portion of the Lord’s Prayer figuratively. But Zion Lutheran Church, Leola also takes it literally. The church’s community meal leaders, Patty Williams and Marie Antolick, translate it as a call to action. “Food is important,” said Williams, the director of the community meal. “You need it to keep you going. You need food to live. We have people who come here with health issues. We take pride in knowing we’ve been able to help them with food for 24 hours.” Zion Lutheran Church, which is located at 18 Quarry Road, Leola, serves a hot, fulfilling meal at 6 p.m. on the third Friday of every month in its fellowship hall. “We’re trying to feed people,” said Williams. “It’s a free community meal open to anyone. When
townlively.com
JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Volunteer Jeff Wasilewski serves the community meal at Zion Lutheran
See Community Meals pg 3 Church, Leola.
VOL LXI • NO 25
“Swing!” Will Connect Audiences With Their Mojo BY JEFF FALK
Swing music. And the performers of Servant Stage. What possesses the power to “Swing originated in the 1920s bring a tap to your toes, to put and was popular in the 1930s and a bounce in your step, to bring a ’40s,” said Johnathan Bauer, who snap to your fingers? founded Servant Stage in 2013. See “Swing!” pg 8
Local residents watch birds during a recent East Lampeter Township recreation department activity.
Local Recreation Promotes Healthy Work-Life Balance
ast Lampeter Township is 12 months into its grand recreation exper iment. Time for an update. While results have been mostly mixed, some positive and quantifiable progress has been realized. But much work remains in the new recreation department’s mission to get the word out and provide activities that appeal to a majority of East Lampeter Township residents. “I always feel like we can be doing more and reaching more people,” said Lisa Cleveland, who as recreation director makes up East Lampeter Township’s one-person recreation department. “Growth
is not resting. Am I happy where we are in the time we got here? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes. The opportunities are endless, so there are always things that are going to be new.” Since officials made the commitment to provide recreational opportunities to the township’s citizens on May 28, 2024, by hiring Cleveland as recreation director, the newly formed East Lampeter Township Recreation Department has instituted a number of programs and activities, some of which have been well received. The department has provided community events like movie nights, a fall festival and an Easter egg hunt; youth events like Hero Hang-Out, Touch-a-Truck
and a summer playground program; fitness and yoga programs; and educational programs like a bird walk and Exploring the Night Sky. This spring, the department introduced a community gardens program that allows individuals and families to rent plots of land at Community Park for growing vegetables, plants and flowers. Twelve of the 16 available plots are currently being utilized. The recreation department has also placed a strong emphasis on promoting and utilizing township facilities like Community Park, Flory Park, Lafayette-Tower Park and Gibbons Park at Nolt’s Mill, as well as fostering relationships with like-minded community partners.
LCWG Is Made Up of a Bunch of Do-Gooders
BY JEFF FALK
Good is universal, timeless and objective. Because it mirrors God, good is good. The Lancaster County Women for Good (LCWG) group knows some things about the concept of doing good. It’s part of the all-volunteer organization’s mission, purpose and reason for existing. “We use that word a lot, ‘good,’” said Anna Horst, the chairperson of the five-member board that oversees LCWG’s operations. “It’s
in our name. I think it’s safe to say our connections and providing nonprofits with resources is part of the good we aim to do. I think there are a number of nonprofits in Lancaster County who have amazing missions. They’re real people trying to help real people. They are problems that a majority of us would agree need to be solved. Maybe we need to be more clear by what we mean by ‘good.’” LCWG, which does not operate from a physical office or building, conducts more than 15 membership events each year, including
See Recreation Department pg 4
See LCWG pg 9
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Is Dennis Denenberg Schreiber’s Oldest Former Patient? BY JEFF FALK
Seventy-four years ago, Dennis Denenberg received services from the Society of Crippled Children and A dult s that pro foundly affected him and changed the course of his life. At the age of 4, Denenberg received speech therapy that turned a weakness into a strength.
It’s the kind of story that the organization, now known as Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development, has routinely authored over the last nine decades. “I really garbled my words; it wasn’t just a stutter,” said Denenberg, clearly and succinctly. “You could really not understand what I was saying. My time at Schreiber opened the door to a successful See Dennis Denenberg pg 6
Dennis Denenberg
See UDS pg 5
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Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
In your mailbox & online BY JEFF FALK
United Disabilities Services (UDS) will hold a pick-your-ownprize bingo event on Saturday, March 14, at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m.; the first game will begin at 1 p.m. There is a discount on tickets purchased in advance, and tickets will also be available at the door if not sold out. The fee includes 20 games of regular bingo, and there will also be four special games with cash prizes. Players must be 18 years old or older to claim a prize. “If people are interested in getting a ticket, I would strongly suggest getting their ticket beforehand, because we sell out every year,” said Jen King, a member of the UDS Service Dogs Ambassador Team. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.udservices.org/ bingo26 or by visiting the UDS Corporate Office, 2270 Erin Court, Lancaster. For more information, email karens@udservices.org or call 717-397-1841. Local businesses make the fundraiser possible. “We are thankful for the generosity of Primitives by Kathy,” said King. “They donated $500 worth of products for us to go shopping and create baskets.” Other prizes include Dutch Wonderland tickets and gift cards from Basset & Lab, Fireside Tavern, and Twisted Bine Beer Company. “Without the help of the local businesses that support this, we would not be able to put this program together,” King said. “We will have everything from house goods to dog items
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