Elizabethtown townlively.com
JANUARY 18, 2023
strive SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 49
Look Inside
Dads And Daughters Are Invited To Dance BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Karen Eberly, senior program coordinator at GEARS, said there’s one day a year that really catches her attention: GEARS’ annual Daddy/Daughter Dance. “This is an event that makes you stop and take notice,” she shared, noting that she often works the registration table and then enjoys watching the kids with their fathers. “This is something I always go to, and I love to peek in the door and see what’s happening. It’s fun to see.” The Daddy/Daughter Dance will be held on Friday, Feb. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Masonic Village Salon 1, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown. It’s open to girls of any age, Eberly said. “We’ve had kids as young as 2 or 3 and as old as 12 or 13,” she stated. Although it’s called a Daddy/Daughter Dance, Sara Gutshall (left) leads Harry Dyer into his surprise birthday party.
See Dance pg 9
A Party For An American Hero hen he served in World War II, Harry Dyer was a member of “The Hump,” a unit charged with transporting materials from India to China over the Himalayan mountains. He served from 1942 to 1945 as an aerial engineer before returning stateside to raise his family in Elizabethtown. On Jan. 5, Harry celebrated his 102nd birthday with a party at Elizabethtown Nursing and Rehab Center, where he lives. More than 30 people attended, including representatives of the Mount Joy Fire
W
Department, Northwest EMS, American Legion Posts 185 and 466 and the Rheems Fire Department, along with residents at the retirement community. “I was so surprised by the party,” Harry said. “I didn’t expect this many people. I want to thank everybody for coming.” The party was organized by Sara Gutshall, a longtime member of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 809 in Maytown. She got to know Harry during visits she made to local retirement homes over Christmastime. “I had been going for years to bring veterans Christmas bags from
the Auxiliary,” Gutshall shared. “I would sit with them and listen to their war stories.” COVID put a pause on the visits, but Harry was still on Gutshall’s mind. She couldn’t mark his 100th birthday because of pandemic restrictions, so she focused on his 102nd this year. “The Lord just laid this on my mind to do this, and I prayed about it and decided to do it,” she said. The party began with the crowd singing “Happy Birthday” as Harry walked into the community room at the facility. Elizabethtown Mayor Chuck Mummert sang the national anthem, “The U.S. Air Force” and
“God Bless America.” Nila Grose crocheted a prayer shawl for Harry and presented it to him, and Gutshall asked veterans in attendance to identify themselves and their branch of service. State Rep. Tom Jones read and presented a citation to Harry from the House of Representatives, followed by a presentation of a blanket, certificate and challenge coin from David Chobanoff of Blankets of Honor, an organization that recognizes veterans for their service. “ We are here to honor a true American hero, a WWII vet,” Chobanoff said. “There’s not too many of them left.”
Pancake Breakfast Set In Bainbridge . . . . . . .2 Birding Field Trips Posted . .3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Business Directory . . . . . .5 House Of Worship . . . . . . .9 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .10
scan this code for more local news R091536
See Hero pg 8
Let us show you the difference a caring neighbor can make. Rothermel-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. Palmyra | 717-838-9211 Travis S. Finkenbinder, Supervisor
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JAN. 18, 2023
Postal Patron
ETN
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Miller-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory Elizabethtown | 717-367-1543 Thomas W. Ford, Supervisor
Fager-Finkenbinder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. Middletown | 717-944-7413 Alana A. Ace, Supervisor