Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville townlively.com
NOVEMBER 6, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXV • NO 36
Cheesesteak sale will benefit hurricane victims BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Like many people, the members of Riverside Masonic Lodge 503 in Wrightsville watched news stories about the recent devastation of Hurricane Helene and wanted to help. The service organization took action and will provide comfort for victims of the natural disaster through comfort food. The lodge will host a cheesesteak fundraiser to benefit people impacted by the hurricane in North Carolina. The drive-through event will be held from 11 a.m. until sold out on
Saturday, Nov. 16, at the lodge, 25 Cool Creek Road, Wrightsville. “One of our brothers, Keith Flaharty, said, ‘We ought to do something for the folks in North Carolina that had such tragedy in their lives,’” recalled Ed Reisinger, senior warden for the lodge. “Sometimes, the more time passes after an event like this, the further these people fade from our minds. We thought we’d wait a couple of weeks and do something to help these folks out.” Flaharty often makes cheesesteaks for family outings, so the lodge members decided to See Cheesesteak pg 2
Volunteers work at the Dietz Family Cemetery.
Preserving history in Hellam BY CATHY MOLITORIS
working on restoring the Dietz cemetery, and the group plans to continue working until the weather turns cold. “ T he goal is to have this completed by the next Dietz reunion, which is at the end of July,” said Lee, who is a member of the cemetery board. Lee has relied on Jim and Bruce and their expertise to supervise the project. “Bruce and Jim, they are saints as far as I’m concerned,” Lee said. “When I started talking about this, Jim said, ‘Hey, we’ll come help.’ They are teaching us how to do this.” B ro k e n s to n e s a re b e i n g repaired with epoxy, rows are being straightened and buried markers are being unearthed. There are about 114 stones in the cemetery, although the volunteers have found a few more since starting the project. Lee is hoping people will consider joining the effort, noting that anyone is welcome to help
Members of Riverside Lodge 503 participate in a variety of community initiatives, including providing holiday meals.
Providing a box of holiday cheer BY CATHY MOLITORIS
The motto of the Columbia Lions Club is “We Serve,” and the group will put that mission into practice with the annual Christmas Food Box Delivery. Working with members of the Sunsnappers, the club will deliver items to people in need in the greater Columbia area on Sunday, Dec. 22. “The food box project exists in town to help families that may be in need,” explained Josh Birk, Lions Club member, encouraging
See History pg 8
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anyone in need to sign up for a box. “There is no judgment or anything. The project is there to support the people in town. It’s also a very hearty meal.” Each family that registers will receive all the fixings for a traditional Christmas dinner as well as additional food items, including turkey, mashed potatoes, butter, milk, eggs, cereal, fruit and vegetables. The project is supported by donations from local businesses and individuals. Families in Columbia and the surrounding areas with See Box pg 2
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he name Dietz (sometimes spelled Diez, Dyetze, Diecz or Ditz) means “the one close to the land.” It’s fitting, then, that Dietz relatives are working hard to restore the land that serves as the final resting place for generations of their family. The Dietz Family Cemetery is located on Skyview Lane in Hellam Township, just off of Route 462. Some of the stones have deteriorated since their or ig inal installation in the mid-1700s, but members of the Dietz Cemetery Association are in the process of restoring the markers. They’re looking for help from interested volunteers, especially members of the Dietz family. Thanks to extensive genealogy completed by several relatives, the Dietz name can be traced back as far as the 1300s. Records show that the people buried in the York cemetery came to central
Pennsylvania in the early 1700s, purchasing land that is now home to Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market. Stones in the cemetery mark the remains of people up until the 1950s. It is now a closed cemeter y, meaning no more burials are allowed. Upkeep of the cemetery over the years has relied on Dietz family members and donations they provide during an annual reunion. Recently, however, Lee Dietz began to consider doing more extensive work on the cemetery. He was inspired by Gerald Dietz, a local teacher who taught him a lot about the family’s history. When Gerald died last year, Lee decided it was time to step up. He reached out to a friend of his, Jim Anspach, who had recently completed a restoration project with Bruce Herbst at Canadochly Lutheran Church in York. Every Monday since September, a group of volunteers has been
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