Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville
townlively.com
JANUARY 4, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 45
Shelter To Host Winter Concert Series BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Since 2020, the Columbia Animal Shelter has been hosting a Summer Concert Series, featuring live music performances in the grassy field next to the shelter. Now the organization is expanding its entertainment offerings into the colder months with the new Winter Concert Series. The concerts will be held in the warehouse across the street from the shelter, located at 265 S. 10th St., Columbia, from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month from January through March. “This is a new addition to our event lineup for 2023,” said Tammy Jalbert, executive director of the shelter. “The Summer Concert Series is growing so much in popularity that people were saying they wished we could do this in the winter, too. So, we are giving people what they asked for.” See Concert pg 2 Justin Rule relaxes in the front room of Freedom Home.
ustin Rule wants Columbia to be a destination for visitors to learn about the town’s rich history and embrace its unique charm. To help achieve that goal, Justin and his wife, Whitney, recently opened Freedom Home, an Airbnb located in a house built in 1876. “I want this home to be a chance to bring people to Columbia to see the beautiful, historic town we have,” said Justin, who lives in the town, owns a business downtown and serves on the board of the Columbia
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Economic Development Corporation. “Come fall in love with Columbia.” The Locust Street home was built by Civil War veteran William Hougentogler. Other previous residents of the building include Dr. Gardiner P. Taylor, who operated his medical practice from the home and for whom local schools are named, as well as a Columbia postmaster and phone secretary and a state senator. Most recently, the building housed the Jonal Gallery. “At one point, this building was converted to a duplex,” Justin shared. “Then there was a big renovation in
the late 1980s that brought it back to a single home.” When Justin learned the home was for sale, he was intrigued but cautious. “I said, ‘What would I do with it?’” But he and Whitney decided to take a leap of faith and purchase the building through Discover Columbia, a business Justin started in 2020 to promote the town, with the hope that the borough would allow them to operate an Airbnb. He got approval, and things began to fall into place. CVS, located near the home, provided five parking spaces to lease, and the couple got
to work preparing the house to open. “It was two weeks of insane painting, decorating and running all new electric,” Justin recalled. They kept the home’s original floors, the slate fireplace in the front room, original light fixtures throughout the first floor and an elaborate Roman labyrinth pattern in the dining room floor, created by the previous owners. Art on the walls includes a framed original map of Columbia as it was in 1894. The home features more than 3,300 square feet on three floors with 12 rooms and accommodations for 10. See Columbia pg 4
***Farm Market is CLOSED from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15
Business Directory . . . . . .2 Library Posts Programs . . .3 Susquehanna NHA Activities Announced . . . .3 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .6 House Of Worship . . . . . . .8
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