Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville townlively.com
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXV • NO 49
Bringing history to life in Columbia BY CAT SHANNON
Members of the local Elks Club and borough residents with a donation to the Janson Park playground
Building memories with a new playground
The Rev. Stephen Smith may not be a household name, but the Rev. Dr. Patricia S. McAllister believes that will soon change. McAllister, who is the pastor of Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church at 222 S. Fifth St., Columbia, is working on bringing The Stephen Smith Community Development and Multicultural Center (CDMC) to life. Born a slave, Smith bought his freedom and became an influential philanthropist, preacher, businessman and abolitionist. “Smith was brought to Columbia from Dauphin County at the age of 5 years old and was sold to Thomas Boude, who owned a lumber yard in Columbia,” McAllister shared. “He learned about the lumber business from Thomas Boude, and when he became old enough, he purchased his freedom for $50. He
See History pg 2
Coats for Kids warms extremities and hearts
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BY JEFF FALK
Picture this: A makeshift store containing aisles and aisles of brand-new kids’ coats separated by sizes, styles and colors. Families in need can enter, peruse the winter coats, select one and take it home. That’s what Coats for Kids looks like. That’s what the Salvation Army means when it says, “Doing the most good.” “My favorite part about Coats for Kids is when the kids go into where the coats are,” said Shady
See Playground pg 5
Boules, who’s been Salvation Army Lancaster Corps’ operations and development manager for five years. “You see their eyes open. I tell them, ‘Go ahead; pick a coat.’ They’ll answer, ‘Do you mean I can pick a coat? Do you mean I can pick my favorite color?’ For some, it’s their first time. To see kids making a decision on what things they can wear is very rewarding.” It is at that exact moment when all the hard work that goes into the Salvation Army Lancaster’s Coats for Kids program See Coats pg 2
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400 Long Lane at Marticville Road (Rt. 741 & 324) 717-872-9311 www.cherryhillorchards.com Follow us
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BY CAT SHANNON
special moments; and where “Though the equipment has neighbors connect and form life- been well maintained, it’s starting ou’re invited to invest in long friendships.” to show its age, with some origithe future of Columbia by nal features no longer functional supporting a playground or removed for safety reasons,” project at Janson Park. he shared. “The goal is to create “This playground will “This is more than just building a new, modern and inclusive play stand as a symbol of a playground - it’s about creating space for the next generation of a legacy that will serve our comColumbia children.” what we can achieve munity for the next 25 years and Initial planning started in together.” beyond,” said Paul Resch of the 2022, with significant momenJanson Foundation. “When you tum gained after securing a think about it, the playground grant from the Pennsylvania we’re building today will be where The playground project began as Department of Conservation countless childhood memories the current equipment, installed and Natural Resources (DCNR), are made. It will be a place where in 2002 in the four-acre park at he noted. The $116,500 award, kids laugh, play and grow; where 650 Cherry St., nears the end of its provided through the Environfamilies come together to share lifespan, Resch explained. mental Stewardship Fund of the
Stephen Smith
would later become the owner of the lumber business.” As Smith gained financial leverage, he became a major figure in the Underground Railroad. “In the early 1830s, he was ordained in the Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in Columbia,” McAllister said, explaining that the building that will house The Stephen Smith CDMC, located next door to