Conestoga Valley townlively.com
MAY 3, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LIX • NO 19
Pitching in to clean up Faith Church schedules Adopt-A-Highway activity BY ANN MEAD ASH
ears ago, Faith Church adopted the section of Route 340 that runs in front of its location at 2124 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, through PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program. At some point, the church’s involvement in the program was not renewed, but about four years ago, church member Michelle Shertzer made the effort to get the church involved again. Shertzer was surprised to learn the section of Route 340 assigned to Faith Church was slightly different from the segment covered in the past. The new section begins near the corner of Buckwalter Road and Old Philadelphia Pike and continues for 2 miles to Mill Creek, including both sides of the road. On Sunday, May 21, the church will hold its spring cleanup event, during which members and volunteers from the community will gather at the church and then pick up trash
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along the route. Shertzer said that the activity will begin with a free lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by the cleanup at 12:15 p.m. “We break into groups and section off (the area),” said Shertzer. “ We park in one area and cross over and then come back.”
“(The cleanup) is a lot of fun.” According to Shertzer, PennDOT supplies all the black plastic bags for trash, white plastic bags for recyclables, and gloves for the cleanup. PennDOT picks up the bags in front of the church after the activity is completed. Members of the community are invited to just show up to help out with the cleanup. “The minimum age to participate is 8 years old, and children must be accompanied by an adult,” Shertzer shared. Generally, the cleanup takes about an hour. Volunteers are encouraged to dress
appropriately for the task and the weather. Pieces of trash that the crew has found generally include cigarette butts, expired credit cards, and the typical cups, cans, and wrappers. Once, however, a team member discovered a horseshoe near the Smoketown Turkey Hill. About 15 minutes later, a member of the Plain community approached asking if they had found one. “His horse had thrown a shoe,” remarked Shertzer. “What was the likelihood we would find it?” Another time, a passerby asked what they were doing and then brought back bottles of water for the whole crew. “(The cleanup) is a lot of fun,” said Shertzer. Readers who have questions about the activity may email mfshertzer@yahoo.com or call 223-281-8204. Michelle Shertzer of Faith Church has organized a spring cleanup along Route 340 in cooperation with Adopt-A-Highway.
Finding her calling in music
To build hope CON
New Clinic for Special Children breaks ground BY ANN MEAD ASH
Dr. Kevin A. Strauss (inset photo), medical director for the Clinic for Special Children, spoke at the groundbreaking for the clinic’s new location in Gordonville. A tree planting (main photo) was also part of the ceremony.
On April 4, the sun shone brightly over the tent set up at the site along Hatville Road in Intercourse where the new Clinic for Special Children (CSC) will be built. Herman Bontrager, board chair of CSC and chair of the Keeping the Promise: Building Hope Capital Campaign, welcomed the gathering, noting, “We have a perfect day.” The groundbreaking and tree planting that occurred on the site not only celebrated the new building,
Local singer seeks votes in online competition BY ANN MEAD ASH performance. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a professional About three years ago, Debbie musician,” said Debbie, who was Fisher of Gordonville was vacation- involved in choirs, worship teams, ing with friends. “We were sitting and traveling musical groups as a around talking about (the answer to child and young adult. After graduatthe questions) ‘Are you doing what ing from Lancaster Mennonite God called you to do? What’s deep School in 1997, Debbie married inside you?’” recalled Debbie. “I was Dave, and they traveled west, where like, ‘Well, I am in roles I like. I am a they started businesses. “I shelved mom, wife, business owner, but I (music),” said Debbie. “‘Never too late’ is kind of my motto (now),” said am not really (in my calling).’” Debbie is a mother of two daugh- Debbie, who is in her 40s. “What’s holding you back (from ters and the wife of Dave Fisher, with whom she owns a cabinet coat- pursuing music)?” Debbie’s friends ing and ecommerce business, but her asked her, and she did not know the calling was in the field of musical answer. She prayed, “Lord, here I
See CSC pg 5
See Debbie Fisher pg 4
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