Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville townlively.com
AUGUST 14, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXV • NO 24
Supporting families in need BY CATHY MOLITORIS
In the lower level of the C o l u m bi a B oro u g h S c h o ol District offices, a community pantr y provides support to families in need. Thanks to a partnership with Columbia Mas onic L o d ge 286, more students will have resources this coming school year.
Members of the lodge are encouraging people to donate school supplies, backpacks and other necessities to the community pantry. Donations will be accepted until Friday, Aug. 23, when they will become available for families in the district that need them. A p a s t m a s te r f ro m t h e group’s Lebanon lodge inspired See Families pg 3
People enjoy a previous year’s Pawpaw Festival.
Wild & Uncommon Weekend will feature Pawpaw Festival BY CATHY MOLITORIS
produce, and family-friendly, outdoor activities, all celebrating the ‘wild and uncommon’ experiences of York County’s Susquehanna Riverlands.” Highlights of the festival include a pawpaw cooking class on Sept. 26, with Locally Seasoned at Leg Up Farmers Market, 3100 N. George St., York; Sip & Learn: Snorkeling Local Streams with Lancaster Conservancy at Lavender Acres Winery, 4865 Libhart Mill Road, Hellam Township, on Friday, Sept. 27; Weird Fish & Fishing Weirs, a youth program with Susquehanna National Heritage Area (SNHA) that will run at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., Columbia, on Saturday morning; a Wild & Uncommon After Party: Pawpaw Desserts & Mocktails at Firefly Hollow Wellness Center, 200 Farm Lane, York, on Saturday evening; and a Pawpaw Brunch & Learn at Horn Farm Center on Sept. 29.
Members of Columbia Masonic Lodge 286 Jorge Lopez (left), Scott Zeamer (second from left) and David Weaver (right) with Brittany Kelley
Community rallies in wake of Tollbooth fire BY CATHY MOLITORIS
On July 18, a fire tore through Tollbooth Antiques in Columbia, destroying the historic building and incinerating the inventory of more than 50 vendors who operate out of the space. Now the Columbia community has come together to support those in need through a variety of fundraisers. On Saturday, Aug. 31, beginning at 9 a.m., Boltz Auction Company will host a benefit auction for the Tollbooth vendors.
It will feature both virtual and in-person components, and proceeds will directly support the people who operated stands in the warehouse, said Karl Boltz. “I was struck by the tragedy when it happened, and I immediately went to see the owners the evening of the fire,” Boltz recalled. “I stood by and watched with them as the destruction happened. The next morning, it was clear to me that people were focusing on how sad it was that the building burned down,
See Pawpaw pg 2
See Tollbooth pg 4
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t all started with a pawpaw. The unique fruit, which has a short late-summer season, has been the focus of the York County Pawpaw Festival for more than 20 years. Over the years, the festival has grown into a huge community event, with more than 2,300 visitors attending from up and down the East Coast, said Alexis Campbell, executive director of the Horn Farm Center, where the festival is held. “Many festivalgoers over the years hail from New England, the Midwest, Florida, Georgia and even as far as Canada, all drawn to the region by this peculiar fruit,” she shared. “The attention and enthusiasm for pawpaws had grown more than we ever expected it could.” So the Horn Farm pivoted, and this year’s festival will be
part of the Wild & Uncommon Weekend. The signature event of the weekend will be the Pawpaw Festival, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Horn Farm Center, 4945 Horn Road, York. Wild & Uncommon Weekend events will be held from Thursday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Horn Farm Center and other venues nearby. “In addition to the pawpaw fruit, the festival features local vendors, plant nurseries, farmers and crafters from around our region,” Campbell said. “While the festival is just a small taste of the local flavor that makes York County so unique, there is so much more to see and do - especially if you’re traveling from out of town. By expanding the event beyond the footprint of the Horn Farm, festivalgoers can enjoy exclusive offerings from local businesses, an abundance of food and local
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