Conestoga Valley SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 13,770 HOMES
VOL LXI • NO 40
One World Festival Is Event of Distinction and Similarities BY JEFF FALK
S
ong, dance, cuisine, accessories, culture. What’s not to like? Not only does the One World Festival bring people out, the event brings people together. “Personally, I think people are more similar than they are different,” said Deepa Balepur, the chairperson of the nine-member One World Festival committee. “At the end of the day, we’re all human beings striving to be good citizens of the world. One world, many cultures, shared future.” The next installment of the annual One World Festival is upon us. The multicultural, multifaceted, multipurpose festival will be staged from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Franklin & Marshall College’s Alumni Sports and Fitness Center, 929 Harrisburg
A group performs at last year’s One World Festival.
Ave., Lancaster. The sponsored https://oneworldfestivallancaster and flavors, but we are all living in event is free to attend, and every- .org is requested. this one world,” said Jenny Schulder one is welcome, but registration at “We might have different customs Brant, a member of the One World See One World pg 5
JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 25
Landis Woods For Mike Musser, Outdoor Recovery Fight Is Personal
“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
See Recreation Department pg 4
See LCWG pg 9
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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
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Sarah Musser and Mike Musser are the founders of Musser’s Street Ministry.
When Mike Musser looks into the faces of the people he’s helping, he sees himself. And when he does, one of his hopes is that they will have what he has now. Musser’s Street Ministry is based in empathy and inspired by hope. “I also see people I used to live with on the streets,” said Musser. “They see our consistency, and when they’re ready, they come to us. My wife and I started it, and we did it by ourselves. Now we’re getting more people to help. The
need doesn’t get missed. Every day in Lancaster, there are food giveaways, except Sundays. That’s why we do it on Sundays.” Musser and his wife, Sarah, founded Musser’s Street Ministry in 2023. With the help of eight to 10 volunteers, the Mussers distribute meals to more than 50 individuals right there on the sidewalks outside of First Reformed Church, 40 E. Orange St., Lancaster, on the second and last Sundays of every month. Prior to distribution, the food is prepared at Leola United Methodist See Street Ministry pg 2
Fine Arts Show Is Naturally Beautiful
BY JEFF FALK
Not unlike beauty, art is in the eye of the beholder. Art is what you make of it. Art is where you find it. Art moves us all, each in our own unique way. Interpretation will abound at the Landis Woods Outdoor Fine Arts Show. “I’m not really an art guy, but See Landis Woods pg 4
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Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
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