Conestoga Valley OCTOBER 22, 2025
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 13,770 HOMES
VOL LXI • NO 44
Andora Is Steps to Success’ Right Back Trunk or Treat Is Must-Attend Where It Started From Community Event BY GEORGE DEIBEL
BY JEFF FALK
B
ecause it provides a valuable service, Steps to Success is an essential member of the community. Steps to Success is as much a part of the Conestoga Valley area as fun, treats and costumes are a part of Halloween. “It’s a great way for us to bring the community together,” said Adriana Witman, Steps to Success’ early education administrative director of the learning center’s upcoming event. “We’re not just about child care; we’re also about the community. But we want to showcase what we do. It’s a friendly, family, fall event.” In partnership with Zion Lutheran Church Leola, Steps to Success Childcare and Early Learning Center will present this year’s edition of its annual Trunk or Treat outing from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the church, 18 Quarry Road, Leola. The lively event is free to attend, but attendees are asked to register at www.stepstosuccessinc.com/trunkortreat. Trick or treat in Leola will be held this year
townlively.com
JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Visitors to last year’s Steps to Success’ Trunk or Treat enjoy
See Trunk or Treat pg 6 the event’s festivities.
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
Sweet Deals
(717)656-7077
on flooring & area rugs... you’ll eat them up!
ONE NIGHT ONLY THURSDAY JUNE 19TH
For Scouts, Camp Mack Is a Destination BY JEFF FALK
See LCWG pg 9
40 Glenbrook Rd, (Rt 772) Leola M, T, W, F 8–4, Th 8–7, Sat 8-Noon
Special Event Hours: 4 – 8 pm
Present this ad for a FREE piece of homemade strawberry shortcake!
#PA033474
www.florhaus.com
R118432
CON
E
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JUN. 11, 2025
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
Trustworthy and loyal, Scouts always remain true to themselves. No matter where one goes, a Scout is always a Scout. But never is a Scout more a Scout than when she or he is camping at J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation. “I’m sure there are some places where kids can make crafts or practice archery,”
R122580
said Matt Klutzaritz , the Scout executive for the Pennsylvania Dutch Council of Scouting America, which oversees the operation of Camp Mack. “But to be able to do it all in one spot is kind of our attraction. Kids earn advancement through progression. One thing we know about kids is that you don’t want to rain on their advancements. That keeps them in A group salutes the raising of the flag at J. Edward See Camp Mack pg 7 Mack Scout Reservation.
See Andora pg 3
We’re in your neighborhood! With branches in Bird-in-Hand, Intercourse and Paradise, we’re your hometown community bank.
717-768-8811 POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER OCT. 22, 2025
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
CON
Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
In your mailbox & online BY JEFF FALK
T h e y g o t t h e b a n d b ac k together. Formed in 1975 while students at Hempfield High School, members of the group Andora reunited in 2022, and it feels so good. Andora consists of Lancaster Township resident T homas Richards, who sings and plays the rhythm guitar; Ron Sharpe of Millersville, who plays the bass and sings; East Earl resident David Chambers, who does vocals and plays the guitar; and drummer Curt Ruhl of Denver. Richards and Chambers started playing music together in East Petersburg when they were approximately 10 years old. “We had the entire band packed in a little red wagon,” said Richards. “It was one drum, one cymbal, (Chambers’) amp, and a guitar.” Sharpe and Ruhl joined about six years later. “I don’t know how we all got together, but I do remember that the first big thing we played was a Battle of the Bands at Hempfield High School,” Richards said. “We had a very unusual rehearsal spot. We rented a storage unit at a place called Stowaway. I think they had one plug for power, no heat. But we’d rehearsed there, and we rehearsed at somebody’s house. We played a Battle of the Bands, and we won.” The group settled on the name Andora, but the details are a bit fuzzy. Sharpe pointed out that on the television show “Bewitched,” Samantha’s mother’s name is Endora. There is a country on the Iberian Peninsula named Andora.
www.bihbank.com
R122264